Back in the Saddle

I'm back into the swing of things at church this week. There is an abundance of 'tasks' to accomplish over the next few weeks, but there's no sense stressing out right?

Been thinking a lot on GRACE over the last few weeks. Heard an interesting concept in seminary that has resurfaced in my thinking. In Greek mythology, there were three beings known as the Three Graces. They are always portrayed artistically as three women who continually have hands joined. The concept is actually pretty helpful in understanding what the New Testament might mean when it uses the word grace.

The first of the three graces is the gift from the benefactor to the recipient. It is unmerited and undeserved. The second grace is the recipient's reception of that grace. (You can lavish grace on someone all day, but if they don't receive it, it's moot.) Third, the recipient then lives in honor with, to and for the benefactor. It is not enough to simply take the gift and run. Instead, gratitude and honor are to be conveyed back to the benefactor both in the benefactor's presence and when the benefactor is not around.

Pretty powerful concept. I think if we get any of these three graces wrong in the Christian faith, it short circuits the abundant life that God wants us to live in.

If you don't believe that the Great Benefactor bestows grace into your life in abundant fashion, you will either live in guilt or continually try to work and earn your way into God's favor.

If you don't receive God's grace, you stand condemned, self-righteous, and all in all, in trouble.

If you don't respond to God's grace by Honoring his name, both in prayer/worship and in your day to day life with others, you may well think that you are more than you really are. Narcissism is Idolatry of the worst kind.

So, where are you short circuiting grace in your life?

What are you called to?

Workin' through this in my quiet time this week. Found Peter saying 'to this you have been called' a lot in his first epistle. So here is some study on the five uses of calling in 1 Peter.

TO WHAT ARE WE ‘CALLED’?
1. YOU ARE CALLED TO BE HOLY
Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct (1:15)

-God has called us to be set apart. So we need to live as those set apart. Distinctness matters. Uniqueness is necessary. Set apart means that the status quo is not our status quo.

2. YOU ARE CALLED TO BE UNIQUE
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (2:9)

-God’s people are called from a former way of life to a new way of life. This starts with new birth. If anyone should get this, its Peter. Peter talks about new birth (1:3, 2:2) as one who has experienced it himself. Darkness is the previous
way. Light is the new way. And the light proclaims the new way.

3. YOU ARE CALLED TO BE HUMBLE
If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer for it, you have God’s approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. (2:20-21)

-Peter is speaking to slaves here, but there is a universality to his message as well. Self-motivated, self-actualized justice or retribution is not your concern. Honor is. It is much like MLK’s philosophy in the Civil Rights Movement. Let them hit you, beat you, strike you, but do not respond in kind. Instead let their revelation come from your peculiar retaliation. Humility. Grace. Love. Jesus modeled it. Now ‘Go and do likewise.’

4. YOU ARE CALLED TO BE A BLESSING TO THOSE YOU DON’T LIKE

Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. (3:9)

-Retributive Blessing. Dude cuts you off in the express 10 items or less grocery check out line with 40 items to your 3? Get over yourself and buy his groceries. Again, self-demanded, self-realized justice is not your concern. Being Christ is. Church hurt your feelings or wound you? Boss slight you or belittle you? Normal response? Wound back! Quit! Jab and belittle them behind their back! Christ response? Bless the hell out of ‘em. I don’t mean fake good when they are around. I mean do something irrationally sacrificial for them. Even if it leads to you suffering and not getting justice for yourself…bless the hell out of ‘em.

5. YOU ARE CALLED TO GOD’S GLORY

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. (5:10)

-There is a lot in 1 Peter about suffering being the Christ-follower’s path. And likewise, that suffering being linked irrefutably to the glory of God. You are called to His glory. And when you live a life that is called to holiness, called to humility, called to blessing others and called to God’s glory, listen to what Jesus promises to do: Restore you. Support you. Strengthen you. Establish you.
He did it in the life of Peter and he wants to do it in you too. Friend, It is time to answer the call.

Holy Week or Wholly Weak?

It is interesting to me that the week that is known as Holy Week can often be such a frantic, hectic week for church leadership that it becomes anything but holy.

Gotta get the messages for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easer Services all lined up.

Gotta hit a home run for Easter (at least that's the pressure we often put on ourselves or get from leaders in the church.)

Gotta do the slides for the messages, gotta have the bulletin ready to go.

The week that is meant to be Holy often finds us wholly weak, manufacturing something of deep connectedness to Jesus, when in reality connection with the Holy One of God has been on the backburners at best.

And this chicken with its head cut off, frantic, uncentered way takes its toll. Just found myself trying to instigate a spat with Shaina. Over nothing.

This way of life is ugly and my hope and prayer for us this week is that this ugliness will invite us to the foot of the cross, where His grace is sufficient, His healing is complete, and his love is like an avalanche.

The neat thing about this journey to the last moments of Jesus' life is that it reminds us that we are indeed Wholly Weak and invites us to cry out to God, "Lord Help Me!" And the God of the Nations, The God of Power, in this Holy Week reminds us "I already have."



Let this be your week to draw near to Christ

If you are looking for a place to draw close to God through Holy Weak, check out Wadsworth United Methodist Church
195 Broad Street
Wadsworth OH

Seder Meal on Maundy Thursday

Good Friday Services 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. (I'm preachin' it at 9!)

Easter Sunday 8:15, 9:30, 11:00.

Holy and Righteous

Can I ask...How would define the gospel?

I think a lot of people get that Jesus died for their sins and they like that whole eternal salvation concept, but as far as sanctification goes, they are either 1)non-participatory or 2) self starters.

Some don't give a rip about actually working out their salvation with trembling and awe in our God. They are content to understand the gospel as a fire insurance policy or a "get out of hell free" card. There is a serious problem with this mindset...its called the Bible. We should not get the idea that just cuz we like Jesus and prayed a sinner's prayer to him that the deal is done. Yes the cross is a complete and total work...but the cross must lead to new creation. Here's something we came up with in our Men's Study that stems from 1 Timothy 1

Faith --> Moral Conscience --> Love
Faith --> No Moral Conscience --> Shipwrecked Faith (handed over to Satan and Hell.

In other words, if our belief in Christ doesn't change the landscape of our lives, the very foundation of how we think and live, then it is a shipwrecked faith...going no where and the result of which will lead you to Hell.

Now with that said...some try to make the moral conscience thing happen on their on (self starters). They think that they can change the landscape of their lives and the way they think and live by sheer will power. This is also not biblical! Christ is the one who sanctifies and changes...creates and births. You do not achieve holiness. Christ made you holy once for all on the cross. You do not achieve righteousness by behavior modification...You ARE RIGHTEOUS because Christ made you righteous once for all on the cross.

So those of you who are shipwrecked, return to the start and deal with whether you really have faith in Christ!

Those of you who are self starters, return to the start and realize that what Christ did on the cross is total and complete and he saves you...you don't save yourself!

If the gospel hasn't changed your entire life's course...then it probably isn't the gospel!

Life Together III

Those who dream about what authentic Christian community could be or should be are often the biggest sabboteurs of what Christian community is or would be.

When I become so insistent that our community of faith is inadequate, it is as though I mark God's gift of community with a "Return to Sender" label and reject the grace he offers.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer...I hate you. (a.k.a. conviction)

So have you chosen to enter into God's gift of community or are you rejecting grace and blessing?

grace

Here's a good monday message. Dr. David de Silva lectured at the Ashland fall lectureship today. While I would say the talk lacked zeal and generally was hard to stay attentive towards, there was something profound that will hopefully rock your world!

It has to do with the word GRACE. This word in first century Greco-Roman culture was not a spiritual word. It was not a Christian word. It was simply a word that meant "favor". There were three aspects of grace that helped to define it.
1. The Giver...usually one who was more well endowed than the recipient. He or she bestowed unmerited favor upon the recipient.
2. The Recipient. Not only did the giver give the gift, the recipient had to actively receive it.
3. The Reaction. Not only did the recipient receive the grace, but they had to respond to the gift by showing 'faith' and good will toward the giver.

This concept of grace should challenge us. When Paul writes about the grace given to all who believe in Christ, we have to understand it in this light. There is a threefold ideology that should be present...God's gift, our acceptance of that gift (which seems to call into question Reformed Theology), and our response toward the giver of the gift.

The above picture is of the Three Graces. This shows the united nature of the three elements of grace.

So...how are you responding to the Giver of Grace?