Knocking Knees and Pounding Hearts

We sat and prayed that God would give us the strength and words to proclaim his word clearly and accurately. After the amen we approached the door and knocked. The family behind the door had visited the church we attended and as part of our community service for Bible College we were to visit them, talk about the church, and share the gospel. My heart pounded. I was a new believer myself and cold calling on people was frightening. My partner seemed confident as I secretly prayed that no one would answer. To my relief they didn't and I was given a temporary reprieve.

As believers we have been given the ministry of reconciliation. Each of us is called to share the gospel, the mystery of God's grace. For most this is frightening, it conjures up inadequacies, persecution, and rejection. The apostle Paul even said he wasn't articulate and approached the Corinthians with fear.

Yet, he didn't let that stop him, he was compelled to preach the gospel, and God didn't leave him without resources. The Apostle Paul said that he did his ministry with the Grace God provided. The word grace has a dual meaning. It can mean gift and opportunity. 

Each of us has at least one gift that is to be used in our ministry of reconciliation. You might be a speaker, a giver, a servant, a musician, or a person of extraordinary faith. Your gift is different then mine and will express itself uniquely in your ministration of the mystery. Western culture is good at developing systems and approaches to evangelism. They are cookie cutter approaches to make evangelism more efficient. They have been good for the church, but they have also stifled the multiplicity of approaches when people share the gospel within the context of their own gifting.

The second use of the term grace is opportunity. Paul was ready to share the gospel according to the gift of God's grace. No matter when, no matter what, no matter what he was doing, in prison or the market place, if God gave an opportunity he took it and preached the gospel. 

However, left to our own power we would default into complacency. Our own hesitancy and fear would keep us from obeying God's call, for this reason God works in us according to His power. As we step out in obedience His power is displayed in and through us. He utilizes the gifts he gives us and empowers us in them to accomplish the task he called us to do. 

You have what it takes because he has supplied you with all that you need. All around you are people who need to hear the gospel and you have a unique way to present it. Today is your opportunity to step out in faith and participate in the ministry of reconciliation according to the grace that works mightily in you. Go for it! I am just saying...

Eph. 3:7  "Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power."

The Good Son

I am the good son. That is a designation given to me by my brothers. It was born out of, what seem to them, a predilection of my parents to favor me. Was it true? Only in that I was more amiable to obedience and to stay out of trouble. I wasn't involved with drinking or drugs, excelled in school,  went to college, have only been married once, and my children have all followed in my footsteps. 

The problem with being the good son is that it can breed resentment in my brothers and arrogance in myself. My favor with my parents, if gone to my head, can lead to expectations of further favor and superiority expanding the chasm between my siblings. 

Israel, as God's chosen people, where the good sons. They had found favor with God and were recipients of His oracles and laws. They were children of promise and through them the hope of the nations. As typical good sons they grew to believe that their favor was based on something intrinsic and began to expect God's favor regardless of their behavior. Yet, God's favor on them was an act of grace. It wasn't because they were better, but because they were chosen. They remained his chosen because of His mercy, but his blessing was given or withdrawn according to their obedience.     

They were chosen, not because they were special, but because God had a special task for them. It was through them that the Messiah would come, die for man's sins, and then rise again in power. Their whole existence was to be a beacon to the world of how man was to relate to God, and His mercy and grace brought blessing to those who were obedient. 

This is the mystery, that in Christ we (Gentiles) are now fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers in the promise! We are now the good sons! 

Fellow Heir: We have received all the spiritual blessings of God necessary for life. The riches of God are ours. We are heirs to the kingdom. 

Members of the same body. In Christ we are His body, but we are also brought together in a holy community to live out the love and grace of God. We are to be an example to the world of how to live in relationship with God and one another.

Partakers of the promise. We have received the promise of salvation, the promise of the Holy Spirit, the promise of blessing, the promise of community, the promise of strength, the promise of presence, the promise of deliverance, the promise of a glorious future, and the promise of eternal life.

We are, in Christ, the good sons, and we need to take care not to believe it is because of our goodness. It is the result of God's love and grace. We are not the new heirs but fellow heirs, and with it receive all the blessings and responsibilities. We are part of a community who are to live, care, support, and live together in Christ. Jesus promised us peace, life, and His continual presence as we abide in Him. What a glorious day when a Gentile is brought to faith in Christ and made a good son! I'm just saying....

Eph. 3:6 "This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel."

The Great Mystery

God is the great mystery writer of all time. Within his creation he has hidden the mysteries of life, all to be explored and discovered by man. Like all good authors he doesn't reveal the entirety of the plot at the beginning, but incrementally unfolds the twists and turns as each character fulfills his role. In our impatience we want to skip the details and read the last chapter.

To offer hope God has given each generation enough information to understand His love and grace, but withheld information that was not necessary for their immediate need for obedience and salvation. All this culminating in pivotal moments that have taken the people of God to a new level of growth in their relationship with Him: Abraham and the promise of nation, land, heir; Moses and the possessing of the promised land; David and his eternal kingly line; and the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 

This latter stands as the central point of God's mystery, hidden from His people previously, but revealed to the apostles and prophets. It isn't the end of the story, but stands as its climax, reaching back to its historical roots and looking forward to histories culmination. At the proper time God has orchestrated history to present His Son, the savior of the world. He has reached into His creation to reveal what was once hidden, to make known what was once spoken in riddles, to fulfill what was once promised. No longer is the light dimly seen from a distance, but now shines brightly for all to see. It is the Aha moment of God's plan the makes sense of a senseless world.

With the curtain now pulled aside we are brought close to God and are participants in the rest of the story. I am glad to be a part of the great mystery, a reveler of its message, and a recipient of its promise. I can't wait to be a part of the final chapter. I'm just saying...

Eph. 3:1-5

Steward

Watching my grandchildren play contently on the floor, absorbing every knew experience, and learning the fine nuances of life with other human beings. Each personality is unique, tempered by parental discipline and love. They grow up too fast and have so much to learn and experience. Like their parents before them they are gifts from God, given for a short period of time to participate in the process of salvation. 

We are stewards of their little lives. We don't own them, they are on loan by their creator. The responsibility is awesome and overwhelming; frustrating and full of joy; rewarding and painful. As stewards we have leeway in our approach, but specific instruction in the content. We are to raise them in the fear and admonition of The Lord.

There is a broader stewardship that we have been given. As children of God we are now stewards of His grace. He has called us to administer it for the benefit of others and for His glory. It is a responsibility that comes with the power of the Spirit, the granting of gifts, and the promise of His presence. 

The Apostle Paul was a steward of God's grace to the Gentiles, our call will be different but just as specific. Our stewardship may be to our family, our neighbors, or a people group around the world. In whatever capacity God calls us we have leeway to be creative in our approach, but specific in its content. We are stewards of His grace. 

Our message is always the grace of God, the reconciliation of man to his creator. It might come through teaching our children, feeding the poor, political activism, or waging peace in the world. The avenue of our call is not important, it is the message that is paramount. If the message is overwhelmed by the venue, lost in the muddle, silenced in the noise then we have failed in our stewardship and the enemy has won. 

I pray that my grandchildren will grow up to be well disciplined productive members of society, but if their eternal condition is neglected then their stewards have failed in their responsibility. If peace is achieved in the word but God's grace is not presented then we have failed as stewards. 

I am glad that my stewardship is accompanied by the promise of God's presence and power. It is for that reason we can step out in confidence that we can be successful in our responsibility as stewards of God's grace. I'm just saying...

"the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you," Eph. 3:2

A Prisoner Of and For

Waging peace in a violent world is difficult if not near impossible. Hatred and distrust run deep and its cycle miring people in unending conflict. Self serving attitudes coupled with passion for power oppress others or seek to usurp the oppressor only to become one.

Waging peace is different for different people and countries.  As Americans we forge peace through strength; strength in our military, strength in our resolve, strengthen in our cause of liberty, and strength in our moral imperative. But the clarity of that call diminishes or rises depending on our president.

Waging peace as a believer looks absurd, because our understanding of peace is different than the world's. Our peace comes from within, born by the spirit of God, and directed outward to a world who desperately wants it but can't achieve it. We understand peace to begin, not with the cessation of host utilities with our enemies but with our reconciliation with God. The problems of the world will never be answered until the problem with God is fixed.

For this reason Jesus didn't send the disciples into the world to make political changes. Those kinds of changes are temporary at best until the hearts of the people are changed. Our efforts are in vain if we stop the gun fire with a smile on our face if we have not dealt with the core issue of sin before holy God.

Waging peace comes at a price. The world doesn't want our message, but we are compelled to proclaim Christ crucified. We are to expect animosity, resentment, resistance, imprisonment, and even death. The cost is high, but so are the stakes. 

The Apostle Paul said he was a prisoner for the sake of the Gentiles. He was a prisoner to Christ, his mission, his love, and his grace. He was a prisoner of Rome for daring to share a different worldview then what was accepted. He didn't do it with hatred or force of will. He didn't do it for personal gain or popularity. He did it for the Gentiles, so that they might find peace with God and others.

If we waged war like the disciples how would that change the way we look at immigration, Israel/Palistinian conflict, Democrat/Republican divide, and our neighbors? How would we treat our estranged families, the homeless, and homosexuals? How would we interact with the Buddhist or Muslim? What would we be will to sacrifice for the cause of Christ?

Waging peace is a Christian imperative. Are we a part of the peace process, or have we thrown in with the world. Whose prisoner are we willing to become? I'm just saying...

Stone by Stone

I stood at the base of the magnificent marble structure of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece. Even in its crumbled state it spoke of a time of splendor and awe. But, as with all human edifices, the passage of time eats away at its edges and it's once glorious appearance dims and fades. 

When the Israelites returned from their Babylonian captivity and eventually rebuilt the temple, those who had known the former glory of Solomon's temple wept. The glory was gone. Even King Herod's attempt to restore the temple's beauty has vanished in the rubble of Roman destruction. 

We like building our buildings bigger and better. Whether the Tower of Babel or the pyramids, the ancient temples or football stadiums, the Taj mahal or the Sears Tower (Willis Tower) they are monuments to the genius and ingenuity of man, and they will all crumble.

God is doing something different, something permanent, something everlasting. He is building a temple for himself that is untouched by human hands, crafted by the Spirit, paid for by the blood, and sealed with his promise. In Jesus the temple is held together through the indwelling Spirit. In Jesus we, the people of God, are His temple, and the more who come into the kingdom the larger the temple becomes.

Once the shekinah of God would descend on the Jewish temple and his glory would fill it and the people would tremble in awe and fear. Today that same shekinah indwells every believer, that same glory fills our souls. We stand in awe, but not in fear. We stand in worship and tremble at his gentle touch of mercy. 

We are part of something greater than ourselves, and as God adds our uniqueness to that of others, the total sum of our recreated parts stands as a witness, a guidepost, a city on a hill, a light to the world, calling them to come. Calling them to receive the free gift of life in Christ and be joined together as God's temple, by the Spirit. I'm just saying...

"Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit." Eph. 2:20-22

Kicking Sand

What are our foundations? Jesus said to build on a rock lest the water wash the sand away and of life collapses all around us. If we are to have a strong and lasting relationship with God and a meaningful relationship with other believers it must be based on something sure; something strong.

Sandy Foundation #1: The more we do the more we are accepted. The church is built on doing and getting people to do stuff. The more you are involved and thus prove your worth, the more you are accepted, because we are told that by our fruits we will be known. But it is a lie to say that a plethora of church activity is the evidence of godly fruit. Give me a person who loves their family, serves the poor, reaches out to their neighbors and I will show you someone who is building on solid ground.

Sandy Foundation #2: The more we know the more secure our salvation. If I have learned anything over the years it is that the more I learn the less I am sure about anything. That is not to say that there isn't absolute truth, but I must be absolutely sure that the truth that I preach is the Word of God. That is why the Scripture says there is more judgment on those who teach. 

Sandy Foundation #3: Doctrine is the same thing as truth. Any organized statement of faith is doctrine, so I am not saying that doctrine itself is bad. There is a difference, however, between clear and unattestable statements of faith and periferial collections of scriptures and ideas formulated into a coherent doctrine, but can be equally refuted with other collections of scripture and conjecture. When we venture far from the clear word of the gospel we must hold many things loosely until The Lord returns.

Sandy Foundation #4: Experience trumps truth. Pain blurs God's goodness. Desire clouds God's holiness. Anger hides God's love. Jealousy shrouds God's acceptance. Prejudice blinds God's inclusion. Only trusting in God's word can we navigate through the difficult roller coaster of experience. When experience trumps God's truth the whole house will crumble.

So what is our foundation? The Apostle and prophets. Who is the cornerstone? Our savior Jesus Christ. They are our examples and truth. Jesus has secured our place in the Household of God and has given us instructions on how to love him and and those in the family. We rest in his saving grace and are released to extend grace to others. 

The greatest, oldest, and newest command is to love one another. We are to wage peace not war, love not hate, justice not injustice, forgiveness not judgement, and hope not regret. That is harder than it sounds because the sand keeps getting in our eyes. I'm just saying...

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone," Eph. 2:19-20