Things Look Different From Up Here

Things Look Different From Up Here

1 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 2 Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. 3 For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. NLT

Colossians 3:1-3

Mount Erie/San Juan Islands

Do you ever feel desperate to rise above the stresses of life and get a new perspective? I do.

I live in the Pacific Northwest and serve as missionary. I am surrounded by the majesty of the Cascade Mountains to the east, the Olympic Range to the west, and the San Juan Islands to the north. But I don’t live in the serenity of the mountains. I live at sea level amidst masses of people, buildings, and concrete. I help people navigate the hurts and hang-ups of life, all the while trying to manage my own life and family well. Down here the stresses of life can rise steadily, like a pressure cooker, and I need periodic breaks to rise above them, both physically and spiritually.

One such place where I have gotten refreshed and gained perspective is Mount Erie near Anacortes, WA. The south side of this mountain is a vertical wall of granite overlooking the San Juan Islands. It is a coveted destination for rock climbers from around the world. In my younger days, I was one of those rock hounds. The first time I climbed this crag, I was intensely focused on each move. Climbers refer to difficult moves as ‘problems’. Near the top, exhausted, I found a ledge to rest on. The day was crystal clear. As my muscles recovered, I drank in the panoramic vista of the San Juan Islands and the Cascade Mountains. I could see Mount Baker and Mount Rainier clearly, though they are separated by more than a hundred miles. These snow-covered volcanoes stand like massive sentries guarding an entire mountain range. After a few moments, drinking in the grandeur, I became aware that I was smiling. It was a big, open-mouthed, wide-eyed grin. But why? It certainly wasn’t about me. Most of the time my sense of happiness and fulfillment is connected to being validated, accepted, or appreciated by others. This was very different.

What happened on that ledge can be summed up in one word, “Majesty.” My souls thirsts for majesty. It is the fingerprint of God on all creation. There is a venue of ultimate majesty. It is throne of God. Jesus Christ sits in the place of honor beside the Father’s throne. Colossians three unveils a critical truth for followers of Christ. Our ‘real life’ is hidden in Christ and we are spiritually seated with Him in this place of honor! Because of this we are destined to share in, “…all of His glory.” Keeping this in mind can give our hearts a good measure of peace in a world where it is a scarce commodity.

Because of God’s grace we do not have to strive, climb, and exhaust ourselves to achieve this lofty position. Jesus did all the work. He climbed the arduous hill to Calvary’s cross. He suffered and died in our place to pay the price for our sins. When we receive Him by faith, we are forgiven of our sins and given this exalted position through the grace of God. But life down here can still be burdensome. A great source of strength for our journey is the grand and lofty view that because of Jesus, our position in heaven is secure, our real life is hidden in Him, and we will someday share in all His glory!

God uses broken bats to hit home runs.

I love reading the bible. Reading the bible is not the same as studying the bible. I think we should do both, but here’s the difference: we tend to study the Bible to get nuggets of truth, but reading it gets you into the lives of the people. These are real people in real stories with real issues trying to live out a real faith. It takes you deep into the struggles of the patriarchs and matriarchs of the faith. They are all straining towards the love, grace, and truth of God as they wade through the swamp of sinful predisposition. They wage war against inner and outer darkness, sometimes losing. They press toward heaven feeling the gravitas of failure. Can you relate? A few examples who made the ‘most righteous’ list in the Bible are:

Judah, the most righteous of the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel, in a moment of weakness, sleeps with his disguised daughter-in-law (thinking she is a prostitute) and gets her pregnant. Yeah…not making it up…it’s in there (Genesis 38:12-30)

Abraham, called the ‘father of our faith’ lies about being married to his wife to save his skin and is willing to give her to another man…twice! Genesis 12 and Genesis 20.

David, the ‘man after God’s own heart’ commits adultery and has the woman’s husband killed (2 Samuel 11).

Peter, the leader among the apostles of Christ, denied even knowing Jesus (John 18:15-27).

John the Baptist, whom Jesus described as the greatest of men, doubted whether Jesus was really the Messiah before he was beheaded (Matthew 11:3).

I could write about so many more: Job, Elijah, Jeremiah, all the rest of the disciples/apostles, Rahab, Samson….on and on.

I am not deeply affected and my soul is not shaped by looking for little nuggets and sound bytes. I do it by reading, thinking, and reflecting on my own experience in light of theirs (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Reading the bible is encouraging to me because I connect with real, historical, fallible people. We all have a dark side and we must wage war against it. We who belong to Christ have a deep longing for holiness, affected and disrupted at times by our own darker and sinister desires that war against our souls (1 Peter 2:11).

I guess what I’m trying to say is: don’t just study the Bible, read it. See your reflection in the struggles of the patriarchs and try to learn from their mistakes. Take comfort in the fact that God uses broken bats to hit home runs!

Church Growth is a By Product

Since I've led some churches that experienced significant increases in attendance, I've been asked on occasion, "What does it take to grow a church?" I think what many church leaders mean is, "How can I get more people to attend worship services." But when I think about growing THE church, I think of something entirely different. We don't grow the church, Jesus does. He said, "...I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it," (Matthew 16:18). Our job is not to build His church, it is to be disciples and make disciples. 

One of my mentors in life and ministry is Dr. Stephen Harris (Steve). His disciple-making efforts around the world have resulted in hundreds of new churches. Steve sent this in an email to me recently:
A couple of thoughts about discipleship.

"Discipleship is not a ministry in the church, it is THE mission of the church." Jesus didn't command us to build a church. He said "I will build my church." He commanded us to build disciples. If you focus on building a church, you may or may not get any disciples, but if you focus on building disciples, you will get a church every time. 

Our mission/commission from Jesus (the Head of the Church) is, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...," (Matthew 28:19). If a church understands what a disciple of Jesus Christ looks like, and unifies in the intentional mission of making disciples, growth and multiplication is a by product. Disciples make disciples. 

We are commissioned by Jesus to make (produce) disciples. To accomplish this, we have to begin with the end-goal in mind. My next post will focus on what a disciple of Jesus Christ looks like.

Blessings,

Tim

Your New Identity in Christ

You have a NEW IDENTITY IN CHRIST.

You are not just a product of what's been done to you...

or what you have done.

There is power in believing and declaring who you are in Christ. This is what the Bible teaches about you as a believer. You can declare these truths over your life because of what Christ has done for you.

I am God's child (John 1:12)
I have been justified (Romans 5:1)
I am Christ's friend (John 15:15)
I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20)
I am a member of Christ's Body (1 Corinthians 12:27)
I am assured all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
I am confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me (Philippians 1:6)
I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20)
I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)
I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18)
I am blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)
I am chosen before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 11)
I am holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4)
I am adopted as his child (Ephesians 1:5)
I am given God's glorious grace lavishly and without restriction (Ephesians 1:5,8)
I am in Him (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30)
I have redemption (Ephesians 1:8)
I am forgiven (Ephesians 1:8; Colossians 1:14)
I have purpose (Ephesians 1:9 & 3:11)
I have hope (Ephesians 1:12)
I am included (Ephesians 1:13)
I am sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
I am a saint (Ephesians 1:18)
I am salt and light of the earth (Matfthew 5:13-14)
I have been chosen and God desires me to bear fruit (John 15:1,5)
I am a personal witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)
I am God's coworker (2 Corinthians 6:1)
I am a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)
I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)
I am raised up with Christ (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6)
I have been shown the incomparable riches of God's grace (Ephesians 2:7)
God has expressed His kindness to me (Ephesians 2:7)
I am God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)
I have been brought near to God through Christ's blood (Ephesians 2:13)
I have peace (Ephesians 2:14)
I have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18)
I am a member of God's household (Ephesians 2:19)
I am secure (Ephesians 2:20)
I am a holy temple (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19)
I am a dwelling for the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22)
I share in the promise of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6)
God's power works through me (Ephesians 3:7)
I can approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)
I know there is a purpose for my sufferings (Ephesians 3:13)
I can grasp how wide, long, high and deep Christ's love is (Ephesians 3:18)
I am completed by God (Ephesians 3:19)
I can bring glory to God (Ephesians 3:21)
I have been called (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:9)
I can be humble, gentle, patient and lovingly tolerant of others (Ephesians 4:2)
I can mature spiritually (Ephesians 4:15)
I can be certain of God's truths and the lifestyle which He has called me to (Ephesians 4:17)
I can have a new attitude and a new lifestyle (Ephesians 4:21-32)
I can be kind and compassionate to others (Ephesians 4:32)
I can forgive others (Ephesians 4:32)
I am a light to others, and can exhibit goodness, righteousness and truth (Ephesians 5:8-9)
I can understand what God's will is (Ephesians 5:17)
I can give thanks for everything (Ephesians 5:20)
I don't have to always have my own agenda (Ephesians 5:21)
I can honor God through marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33)
I can parent my children with composure (Ephesians 6:4)
I can be strong (Ephesians 6:10)
I have God's power (Ephesians 6:10)
I can stand firm in the day of evil (Ephesians 6:13)
I am dead to sin (Romans 1:12)
I am not alone (Hebrews 13:5)
I am growing (Colossians 2:7)
I am His disciple (John 13:15)
I am prayed for by Jesus Christ (John 17:20-23)
I am united with other believers (John 17:20-23)
I am not in want (Philippians 4:19)
I possess the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16)
I am promised eternal life (John 6:47)
I am promised a full life (John 10:10)
I am victorious (I John 5:4)
My heart and mind is protected with God's peace (Philippians 4:7)
I am chosen and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)
I am blameless (I Corinthians 1:8)
I am set free (Romans 8:2; John 8:32)
I am crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)
I am a light in the world (Matthew 5:14)
I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37)
I am the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)
I am safe (I John 5:18)
I am part of God's kingdom (Revelation 1:6)
I am healed from sin (I Peter 2:24)
I am no longer condemned (Romans 8:1, 2)
I am not helpless (Philippians 4:13)
I am overcoming (I John 4:4)
I am persevering (Philippians 3:14)
I am protected (John 10:28)
I am born again (I Peter 1:23)
I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
I am delivered (Colossians 1:13)
I am redeemed from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13)
I am qualified to share in His inheritance (Colossians 1:12)
I am victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Christ as God: How Could Jesus Grow in Wisdom? Luke 2:52

Understanding the growth and development of Jesus is connected to two seminal doctrines of the Christian faith: the Holy Trinity, and the Incarnation of Christ. 

The Doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the belief that God is One in essence, but exists and is expressed in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 

The Doctrine of Incarnation (root word 'carne' meaning flesh) expresses that Christ, God the Son, became a human being in every sense of the word, and in so doing, voluntarily limited himself, becoming dependent, as all humans are, on God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit. 

He was empowered by the Holy Spirit (as we all can be!) Luke 4:18-19. He relied on the Father for guidance in all things (as we all should) John 5:19. 

He never ceased to be divine, but chose a voluntary dependency, so that he might fully identify with all humanity. This process is referred to as the Kenosis of Christ (from the Greek word 'kenosis' which means to empty out, used in Philippians 2:7). Therefore, because of self-imposed limitations, Christ was able to experience human growth and development like all of us, becoming our example in all four areas of human growth and development.

Achieving a balanced diet is a key to emotional well-being.

Balanced Nutrition Guide

Spiritual Disciplines

Dallas Willard, in The Spirit of the Disciplines, and Richard Foster, in Celebration of Discipline, have compiled a list of spiritual disciplines and practices they believe were modeled in the life of Christ. These disciplines are typically organized into two categories: the disciplines of abstinence (or “letting go”) and the disciplines of activity.

Disciplines of Letting Go

These practices allow us to relinquish something in order to gain something new. We abstain from “busy-ness” in ministry, family life, and work. We stop talking for a while to hear from God. We give up buying another material possession to experience God more fully. First Peter 2:11 warns us to “abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.” Identify what is keeping you from experiencing greater strength and perspective. Do you talk too much? Are possessions controlling you? Are you too worried about what others think? Choose disciplines that will help you become more dependent on God. 

Solitude—Spending time alone to be with God. Find a quiet place to be alone with God for a period of time. Use the Bible as a source of companionship with God. Listen to Him. Remain alone and still.

Silence—Removing noisy distractions to hear from God. Find a quiet place away from noise to hear from God. Write your thoughts and impressions as God directs your heart. Silence can occur even in the midst of noise and distraction. But you must focus your attention on your soul. This could mean talking less or talking only when necessary. And it could mean turning off the radio and the TV.

Fasting—Skipping a meal(s) to find greater nourishment from God. Choose a period of time to go without food. Drink water and, if necessary, take vitamin supplements. Feel the pain of having an empty stomach and depend on God to fill you with His grace.

Frugality—Learning to live with less money and still meet your basic needs. Before buying something new, choose to go without or pick a less expensive alternative that will serve your basic needs. Live a simple, focused life.

Chastity—Voluntarily choosing to abstain from sexual pleasures for a time (those pleasures that are deemed morally right in the bond of marriage) to find higher fulfillment in God. Decide together as a couple to set aside time to go without sexual pleasures in order to experience a deeper relationship with God in prayer.

Secrecy—Avoiding self-promotion, practice serving God without others knowing. Give in secret. Serve “behind the scenes” in a ministry that you are assured few will know about.

Sacrifice—Giving of our resources beyond what seems reasonable to remind us of our dependence on Christ. Choose to give your time or finances to the Lord beyond what you normally would.

Disciplines of Activity

Dallas Willard writes, “The disciplines of abstinence must be counter-balanced and supplemented by disciplines of engagement (activity).” It’s choosing to participate in activities that nurture our souls and strengthen us for the race ahead.

Study—Spending time reading the Scriptures and meditating on its meaning and importance to our lives. We are nourished by the Word because it is our source of spiritual strength. Choose a time and a place to feed from the Word of God regularly.

Worship—Offering praise and adoration to God. His praise should continually be on our lips and in our thoughts. Read psalms, hymns, or spiritual songs, or sing to the Lord daily using a praise tape. Keep praise ever before you as you think of God’s mighty deeds in your life.

Prayer—Talking to and listening to God about your relationship with Him and about the concerns of others. Find time to pray to God without the distraction of people or things. Combine your prayer time with meditation on the Scriptures in order to focus on Christ.

Fellowship—Mutual caring and ministry in the body of Christ. Meet regularly with other Christians to find ways to minister to others. Encourage one another.

Confession—Regularly confess your sins to the Lord and other trusted individuals.As often as you are aware of sin in your life, confess it to the Lord and to those you may have offended.

Submission—Humbling yourself before God and others while seeking accountability in relationships. Find faithful brothers or sisters in Christ who can lovingly hold you accountable for your actions and growth in Christ.

Bill Donahue, Leading Life-Changing Small Groups, (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996), pp. 51-52