0 - 2018 - Jeremiah's Vow

The Beautiful Lightness of God’s Commands

When we are able to see God’s words as if for the first time, there is a freshness to them, and a refreshing by them, that we can experience.

My Bible reading group has been reading through 1 John this week. There have been several times this week where I have felt as if I was seeing these words for the first time. It has been refreshing and convicting.

When we are able to see God’s words as if for the first time, there is a freshness to them, and a refreshing by them, that we can experience. I was really made away of the way that John calls us to a deep and consistent obedience of God’s commands. God has said so much, more than we can every really accomplish. But, we are called to obey each and every one of these commands. Not just the ones that are easy, but especially the ones that are hard.

This is where the conviction comes in. I was convicted by the fact of how easy it is for me rely on my own strength, my own abilities and wisdom, to accomplish what can only be done by the enabling of the Holy Spirit. The call of God to obey his commands is not made to the fallen sinner. It is made to the redeemed and Spirit-filled saint.

Are all people under the burden of the commands of God? Are all people, whether saved or lost, responsible conform their lives to the reality of a living God? Yes, on both counts. The issue is that the weight of this reality will feel differently. Or at least it should. This is what I was convicted of this week. I had lost sight of the lightness of God’s commands because I had not really been relying on God’s enabling power like I should have.

Let’s stop a moment and look and what John said:

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” (1 John 5:3 ESV)

His commands are NOT burdensome. I really had to stop and take that one in this week.

If you are feeling the weight of God’s commands in your life, it may be time to stop and do a check on your obedience. When we are living out the reality of the Gospel in our lives by trusting in the enabling power of God’s Spirit, we are living on our own power. Every single time we do this we are doomed to reach the end of our own strength faster than we want to believe. We are not able to obey God on our own. And the truth of it is we are not supposed to do.

The primary reason the commands of God are not burdensome is because the one who bore our burdens has told us that our yoke is in reality his yoke, and that his yoke is easy. And his burden is light (Matthew 11:30). We need to stop pretending that we having this life all figured out. We need to stop trying to squeeze joy out of every cell of our bodies.

Joy is not something that we can manufacture in our own abilities. Joy is the byproduct of our souls rejoicing in the wonder, beauty, and power of the Gospel. That is where joy is found. And the way we tap into that fountain of joy is by trusting in God to give us the power and the will and the strength to do his will. That is the attitude of a child of God.

Look at what the apostle Paul said to the Philippians about their obedience.

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13 ESV, emphasis added)

If we have to muster up the strength to keep our obeying the commands of God, we are seeking for help from the wrong place. Of that there can be no doubt.

God’s Testimony about His Son

I was reading through 1 John this morning and a few verses caught my attention in a way they never had before. They are found in chapter 5, verses 9-11. Let’s look at them before I elaborate.

⁹ If we accept human testimony, God’s testimony is greater, because it is God’s testimony that he has given about his Son. ¹⁰ The one who believes in the Son of God has this testimony within himself. The one who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony God has given about his Son. ¹¹ And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

After I read this, I paused and asked myself this question: Where do we find God’s testimony regarding His Son in the Scripture? It was a question I had never really considered.

The easy answer is to say that it is found throughout the entirety of the Bible. That would be a quick and simple solution. But, as I pondered this, I was struck by the way that John seems to be thinking of something specific. Something that all of his readers would have also known and been able to point to as well.

There are a couple of thoughts that really have been rolling around in my mind after reading this. First, God has given personal, first-hand testimony of who and what His Son is. This is both undeniable and verifiable according to the witness of the Scriptures.

Second, the testimony that God has given is unequivocal in what it declares. There is no life apart from the Son. If we do not have Jesus, we cannot claim any true confidence in our eternal destiny. Without the Son there is nothing resembling hope for what awaits us on the other side of death’s door.

So, what is the testimony that God has given? Is it recorded for us to know? I believe it is. And it is something that I had never associated with what John wrote, until today. It is found in each of the Synoptic Gospels and referenced by the Apostle Peter as well.

Matthew 17:5 (CSB)
⁵ While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased. Listen to him!”

Mark 9:7 (CSB)
⁷ A cloud appeared, overshadowing them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my beloved Son; listen to him!”

Luke 9:35 (CSB)
³⁵ Then a voice came from the cloud, saying: “This is my Son, the Chosen One; listen to him!”

2 Peter 1:17 (CSB)
¹⁷ For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased!”

What is the testimony that God has given about His Son? That we should listen to Him because Jesus is His Son!

From the words Jesus spoke to the life He lived, all of it is a reflection of the One who sent Him into the world. God, with his own mouth, has given witness to us that His Son deserves to be listened to… and obeyed.

Christian Insecurity: How we undersell the full will of God for our lives.

There’s a concept in the faith tradition in which I serve called the “second half of the Gospel.” Now, I had not heard of anything like this until I started learning more about John Wesley, so I assume there are still others who have never heard this term nor understand how applicable it is to our day.

Basically what it refers to is that conversion (when you “accept Jesus as Lord and Savior”) is only half of the Gospel story, but that many times it’s what most churches spend their time focused on and so it is the only part of the Gospel someone gets. However, there is an entire second half to what the Gospel means for our lives that many never hear about – and thus are never empowered to live out.

This second half of the Gospel is the part about sanctification – which is a churchy word for becoming like Jesus. [If you’d like to watch an awesome video explaining the second half of the Gospel, just Click Here.]

If you didn’t know, the Gospel doesn’t stop at conversion; in fact, it is merely just getting started. And it is interesting, some people think that if you focus your conversations on sanctification then you will turn into a “frozen chosen” and only focus on those who are “already saved.”

However, that is a false dichotomy. The opposite is actually true:
When we focus solely (or even mostly) on conversion as the goal of the Gospel, and as the “line” we need someone to cross, then that is what their goal will be. But if we explain to them that the goal of the Gospel is actually sanctification, or being like Christ, then not only might they experience conversion but they also might actually become like Christ as well!

What I have found in my years of ministry thus far, is that if we expect the bare minimum of people, then that is what they will give us. As humans we will naturally be drawn toward the least expectation. And if all God “requires” of me is to be converted in order to “get into heaven” then that is likely all I will give him. But if his desire is for me to be like Christ on this earth, and conversion is one of those steps along the way, then I might actually set my sights on that goal.

And that’s the fullness of the Gospel our world needs today.

When we look at the news and there are people who are claiming the name of Christ (because they might have had some sort of conversion experience) and yet are known abusers, rapists, sexual perverts, etc., then we can see the desperate need for us in the church to have an honest conversation about what it actually means to believe the Gospel.

The bottom line is this: Jesus did not come to merely create converts, but to make disciples who are transformed and whom transform the world.

And those are two very different things.

This has huge implications for how we understand God’s will for our lives, God’s design for redemption in the world, and what it means to be a Christian. And it’s where what I term “Christian insecurity” comes in to play.

So what do I mean by Christian Insecurity?

I mean that many Christians – including many churches and many pastors – sell God short for what He desires for people’s lives. Maybe they don’t fully deny that God wants people to “act” like Jesus. But they’re insecure about offering people the hope that they could actually “be” like Jesus.

And again, those are 2 very different things.

The Scripture portrays the Christian life as an opportunity to actually “be” like Jesus, and not simply just do good works like him:

John 14:12-14 – “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works…” (NLT)

John 16:13-14 – “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth…” (NLT)

Romans 8:2 – “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.” (NLT)

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (NLT)

Philippians 2:5-11 – “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had…” (NLT)

Why most people are insecure about this is because of their view of sin. They truly believe that they will never be anything more than a “sinner saved by grace.” And while I understand the sentiment (I truly do! The depth of the sin I have been saved from always amazes me…), it’s simply not what I read in Scripture as the definition of the Christian life.

The example of Jesus and the teachings of the New Testament portray Christians as saints who have not fully been removed from the temptations and effects of sin – but not as people defined by their sin nor required to give into the desires of their sin any longer.

Rather, because of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we are given the opportunity to be like Jesus in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11) – “tempted in every way” and yet not giving in to sin: Hebrews 4:15 – “This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.” (NLT)

In fact, think about the description of how a Christian is empowered to overcome sin in I Corinthians 10:13 – “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” (NLT)

This is the GOOD NEWS! That because of Jesus’ incarnation, death, resurrection, and ascension, we have the opportunity to once again have the very presence of God walking with us in this life! The very Garden of Eden is recreated in us. Think about that for a second.

And if that is true, then it means we have the chance for the first time to actually be what God originally designed us to be – the very image and likeness of God in this world!

If that doesn’t get you excited about the Gospel, I’m not sure what will.

When I discovered this truth it completely changed my perspective on the Christian life. I went from sin-management to desire-transformation. I stopped thinking of myself as a sinner who’s barely saved but as a saint who now can overcome sin. I no longer wallowed in my guilt and shame but celebrated in my freedom and victory. And I left behind Christian insecurity and began living into Christ-likeness.

While I certainly do not believe it requires someone else to become a “Wesleyan Theologian” to believe this to be true. It was thru Wesley that I learned this Biblical truth. And I do believe it is this pearl of truth that Wesleyan’s have to offer the 21st century world that has been hidden for some reason in the previous century – maybe because we whittled down the Gospel to simply the act of conversion.

The difficulty of believing this truth is then actually living it out! And this is where Wesley’s concept of “social holiness” and his structuring of the Methodist renewal movement into Classes and Bands became important. [If you would like to learn more about those I would encourage you to watch these videos & read these articles: Phil. 2:1-11; Class Meetings; Band Meetings]

So as you begin to wrap your mind around what it might mean for you to actually start to be like Jesus in this life, I encourage you to seek out others who desire the same thing. And as you live together with others who are also being like Jesus, I think you will find that the fullness of the Gospel and the full will of God for your life will begin to be worked out.

And you might just find that you are also a lot less insecure about your Christianity. Because really, Christian insecurity shouldn’t be a thing. We’ve just made it one…

Resurrection Sunday 2018

He is Risen!

Holy Week 2018 | Saturday of Holy Week: Confusion

Confusion is the natural result of suffering a severe emotional injury.

We have no knowledge of what happened between Jesus’s crucifixion and his resurrection. I have always wondered what the Disciples were thinking as they hid from the authorities. We may never know that. But, there is something that I feel very confident in. The Disciples felt confusion.

Confusion is the natural result of suffering a severe emotional injury. Every single member of the Disciples had given up a lot to follow Jesus. They had left behind family and friends, professions and opportunities. The life they may have wanted was left behind to follow Jesus.

Then, after the crucifixion they found themselves hidden away trying to figure out if the three years spent following Jesus was a waste. I am sure we could all imagine what we would be thinking if we found ourselves in this situation.

Today, two-thousand years removed from the events we know that in just a days time the course of human history would change. But, not on that Saturday. On that Saturday all there was was fear and confusion.

It is a wonderful gift from God that confusion can give way to faith if we can hold onto hope, no matter how small. In spite of the confusion, until Sunday passed there was still a hope that what Jesus said would come true.

Resurrection Sunday is a day of great rejoicing for all who believe in Jesus. It is a reminder that regardless of what may happen in life, everything Jesus said to his original twelve disciples is true for us as well. We can hope in a better tomorrow because Jesus rose from the grace to victory and power.

Holy Week 2018 | Good Friday: It’s Friday

The only reason we can call it “good” is because something good happened for us.

Good Friday. The only reason we can call it “Good” Friday is because something good happened for us. It was not a good Friday for Jesus.

But, Jesus accepted the darkness that was to fall upon him so that we might have a chance to experience the radiant light of God’s glory. I am thankful for Jesus’s obedience.

I hope that you consider that Jesus had to pass through this dark night for us.

As we contemplate the coming of Sunday remember… remember that the path to resurrection went right through the doorway of a tomb.

Holy Week 2018 | Maundy Thursday: The Lord’s Supper

Over the years I have grown to love and cherish coming to the Lord’s Table. It is a wonderful time because it allows all who have believed in Jesus to remember and be reminded of the Gospel.

On the Christian calendar, also called the liturgical calendar, the Thursday before Easter is called Maundy Thursday. It is the day where we remember the final meal that Jesus had with his disciples. Just before Jesus was arrested and sentenced to crucifixion, he had one last supper with the men he had called. And during this meal, he imparted some final thoughts about what his life, ministry, and ultimate sacrifice would mean for them. The disciples did not fully understand it all, but they remembered, which Jesus asked them to do.

Over the years I have grown to love and cherish coming to the Lord’s Table. It is a wonderful time because it allows all who have believed in Jesus to remember and be reminded of the Gospel. The simple ritual we participate in does not have to be robbed of meaning just because it is done regularly. This revelation has impacted my perspective of Communion.

Experience has taught me that the reason certain events or activities lose the impact they once had is because we forget the reason it is important. I think the Lord’s Supper has suffered such a fate in many churches. We treat it as something that we MUST do rather than something we are ALLOW to do. Not all get to eat at the table. There are some who have rejected the grace God reveals through the re-enactment of what Jesus did.

This is the secret we must bring back into the open in our churches. When we gather at the Lord’s Table we are there by invitation and not by right. We do not deserve a seat. We have been given one. We are not owed the grace the elements of bread and wine convey, they are precious gifts that we must receive.

I remember the first time I participated in a Communion service where the method of intinction was used. This is the practice where there is one loaf of bread and one cup of wine/juice. Each person comes up and is given a peace from the common loaf and then the bread is dipped into the cup. If you have never done communion this way it can be odd at first. But, after having participated in hundreds of services with this method I prefer it now. The imagery of one body being shared by the church has become both powerful and unifying.

What really sold this practice to me was the realization that came after one of my pastor’s shared how to properly receive the bread. He said something like this:

“In the same way that we receive God’s grace through faith, we receive the bread from the one who serves it to us. And we received with our hands together in front of us. We do not reach out to snatch it out of their hands. It is given.”

That idea, of enacting the process of Grace being given rocked my understanding of what God was doing in my life. It’s like I finally understood what it meant to receive and accept God’s grace.

I am not asking you to agree with me. I am merely sharing with you what I have learned about this beautiful rite we have been given by Jesus. One that I believe we should do as often as we are able.

Holy Week 2018 | Wednesday of Holy Week: The Gospel

The Gospel is the most wonderful message every conceived. It exposes the human problem and at the same time reveals the divine solution. There is no more wonderful message.

There have been many things I have learned on my journey with Jesus. But, in all my learn I have not learned enough. With each day I am astounded by how beautiful God’s grace is. It is glorious and awe-inspiring.

I really don’t have the words to do justice here. I will not try. What I will say is that the more I look at this divine reality I become more convinced of its power and purpose. And that is really what I want to say.

If people who do not yet know the Gospel; have not yet believed the Gospel; have yet to feel the effects of the Gospel, would just give it a fair chance, I believe they would be surprised at its effects. We come to Jesus with too many demands and even more prejudgments. We come to Jesus and we demand out of selfish impulses rather than receive what he offers. It’s quite a remarkable state of affairs.

What many do not understand is that the resurrection that Christians celebrate on Easter morning is the climactic moment in the divine drama. A drama being played out in the history of the world. The Gospel did not begin on resurrection morning. And it did not begin when Jesus entered into the human experience. It began long before.

What I mean is that the Gospel began at creation. The Gospel marches through the story of the nation of Israel and King David’s regal lineage. The Gospel is present in on every page penned by every prophet ending with John the Baptist. And it passes through events surrounding Jesus crucifixion, touching every person who has ever believed in the name of above every name. The Gospel is still alive because it is alive in me and in you if you believe.

As we reach the middle of Holy Week I would encourage you to consider your role in this Gospel drama. What role have you played? What role are you playing? And possibly most important, what role do you desire to play in the time you have left on this earth? Do not take it for granted. Seize the moment God has given to you, to each of us, to be Gospel people to a world that desperately needs some Good News!

Holy Week 2018 | Tuesday of Holy Week: Glory

There is coming a day, when we will not be as we are right now.

As I have gotten older, one of the characteristics of God’s nature has become more interesting. I say it this way because when I think about this attribute, I know that I don’t have anything I can compare it to. That is, I have never experienced it and I won’t until I stand before him. That characteristic is “Glory.”

In the Old Testament, the glory of God was described as hovering over the tabernacle that Moses built. It was evidence of God presence. It was proof to the Hebrews and the surrounding nations that God was with this people. It has been described as light, power, radiance, heat, and fire. It may be all of those things or none at all. The craziest thing about this glory is that no person has ever experienced in its fullness.

Moses asked God to show his glory. But God knew that this would be the end of Moses. So he offered this instead, God put Moses in a small opening in the side of a mountain, covered it with his hand to protect Moses and then allowed Moses to look at his “back” when he passed. I’m going to tell you right now, that doesn’t make any sense. What did Moses see? Better still, what did God show him?!

The apostle John says something interesting in his first letter. It’s in chapter 3.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:2)

What I love about this passage is that it appears to confirm what God told Moses. A regular, un-transformed human being cannot look at God’s glory because it would destroy them. But, there is coming a day, when we will not be as we are right now. Where we will be changed and resemble Jesus in his resurrected form. And, on that day, when that transformation has taken place we will be able to “see him as he is.” I don’t know about you, but I look forward to that day. I hope you do too!

Holy Week 2018 | Monday of Holy Week: Salvation

God, as a manifestation of who he is, sought a way to save that which deserved damnation.

God’s glorious grace is seen in the Cross of Calvary. On that instrument of suffering and death, the Son of God purchased the salvation of all who would believe. In a moment of pure love, the blood of Christ dripped and redeemed that which was thought lost for all time.

The remarkable mystery of salvation is that any of us is saved at all. God was not obligated to save. But he was compelled to do it. There is a difference. And obligation is imposed upon us by an outside force. But that is not what God did. God is good. He is gracious. He is loving. In all that he does, he is just. What this means is that God, as a manifestation of who he is, sought a way to save that which deserved damnation. That is a paradox. These two seemingly contradictory realities find their resolution in Jesus.

As we look forward to Resurrection Sunday, I am stunned yet again at the wonderful grace of God. God is so much better than we could ever fathom. He is more glorious than we could ever describe. He is kinder than we could ever deserve. But, I am so thankful that he is who he is in spite of who I am.