I Find it All in Christ

Everyone is searching. For some it is peace, others success, others a meaningful relationship and for most all of the above. Even during Jesus day people centered their lives around their pursuits. The Hebrews pursued light or revelation from God, the Greeks wanted knowledge, and the Romans pursued glory.

Then the apostle Paul comes along. Paul was born a Jew to a Greek father and was a Roman citizen. He studied Jewish Law, and Greek philosophy, while living in a metropolitan Roman community. It was Paul who realized everything each of these people pursued was found in Christ. I believe this is why he wrote to the Corinthian church.

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Cor. 4:6

In Christ the Jews find light, the Greeks could find knowledge and the Romans the glory they sought. Then as now everything we need, all of our pursuits meet their fulfillment as we gaze into the face of Christ.

I encourage you to take time today to pause and meditate on Christ. Once again realize that He brings light, knowledge and glory or His power and presence into your situation no matter how dark or difficult. Call upon on Him and you will find Him.

A Seasonal Message

Okay, I am officially tired of winter and want it to be over, by noon if possible. I want to walk outside, see something green, see a neighbor, and not dress in layers. But, the seasons are an amazing picture of our life in God.

I was reading this morning Paul's letter to the church at Corinth. He explains the heart of the Gospel this way,

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was
raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and He appeared to Peter
and then to the twelve." I Cor. 15:3-5

In this passage we have a picture of the four seasons. Fall represents the death of Christ, Winter the burial, Spring the resurrection, and Summer the evidence of the resurrection.

So we are coming to the end this wintry season that represents Jesus burial after His death on our behalf. We anticipate celebrating His resurrection in just a few weeks at Easter as Spring brings the witness of new life evidenced in the world around us.

It is true,

"since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities- His eternal
power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has
been made, so that men are without excuse." Rom. 1:20

Lessons from Letterman

This past Thursday, while in New York, I attended the taping of the Dave Letterman Show with a pastor friend Tommy Duke from Pittsburgh.

I learned some invaluable lessons I hope to employ at Life Church.

Here goes my Top Ten List:

10. Make people line-up and get tickets in advance for church.

9. Have young pages with way too much energy whip up the crowd. "If you give a lot, Dave will give a lot."

8. Have a team of writers who do nothing but write jokes and find great illustrations for me.

7. Have a comedian come out and "warm up" the audience.

6. Have movie stars, politicians, and sports heroes drop in for a visit. (Howard Stern was the only guest my night :(

5. Have a band of professional musicians who can play anything. (But still volunteer)

4. Have a make-up person. (You all know I need this one).

3. Have a team of people standing around getting me coffee and telling me I'm wonderful (wait, that's what my wife does)

2. Stop every ten minutes for a commercial and a break between sermon points.

1. The ability to edit out all my mistakes!

Selling Out

Continuing in Matthew 13, Jesus compares the kingdom of God to a treasure hidden in a field and a pearl of great value. In both cases the man sells out completely. He cashes out his savings, empties the bank account, the 401K, liquidates his stocks, his baseball card collection, sells the fishing boat on eBay and has a garage sale to scrape together the cash he needs for a single purchase.

How irrational can someone be? Every prudent financial planner would say the man should diversify, spread his money around, don't put all his eggs in one basket.

But those people have never seen THIS pearl. They do not know the value of THIS field. To this man they are worth everything. He doesn't think about what he will miss or future security. He has found what he has sought after his whole life. Somehow he knows the value of the treasure in the field or the pearl will be enough to sustain him.

This is another radical call of Christ. Abandon conventional wisdom and what is prudent. Sell out for His kingdom. Far greater than a field or a pearl Jesus promises us that if we seek His kingdom all the stuff we valued and depended upon before, would be provided, daily.

We lay down our life and pick-up a cross. We follow Him. We seek the welfare of others. We give rather than receive. We lead by serving. The economy of this kingdom operates on far different principles than the kingdoms of this world. I want to live in this kingdom, how about you?

Memo to Weed Pullers

In every generation there are those who feel they have a special calling to root out heresy and expose weak doctrine. These people have it so together they speak for God on every issue and interpret correctly all of scripture.

In Matthew 13 Jesus gives His church instructions in how to handle these issues, do nothing. He makes the point that if we try to pull out the weeds we will inadvertently pull out the wheat as well. He explains to His disciples that at the end of the age His harvesters, the angels will, "weed out of His kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil."

I don't expect everyone I pastor to believe exactly what I believe or see me as the final authority on every issue. This is just insecurity and arrogance on the the part of leaders who have to have the final word and exercise control over the people they lead.

The Apostle Paul encouraged us to be on guard and watch over the flock as leaders. He told Timothy to make sure his doctrine was sound. Sound doctrine like a boat that is sound will float. It may not be perfect, but it will float.

Too many churches are being built just around beliefs. The New Testament had very little doctrine but they had walked with Christ and walked with one another and the Holy Spirit seemed to orchestrate everything. Thats the model I want to follow.

Lets quit over-examining each other's doctrines and purpose to take Christ's message to a hurting world that needs the doctrines we all agree on, Jesus Christ came to save sinners.

Coming back from captivity

Reading Psalm 126 this morning I meditated on the experience of the Israelites when they were delivered from seventy years of captivity in Babylon. The psalmist is almost beside himself exclaiming their restored joy and freedom because of the goodness of God.

I thought of how I had been captive at times in my life. Dark areas and times that turned me away from God or more recently little things that captivated my time and distracted me from God.

Freedom from captivity meant the same to the Israelites 2,500 years ago as to us in 2008:

• The ability to dream again
• find joyful in worship
• see God at work in our lives
• recognize His blessings

To be free from captivity involves something on our part. The latter verses describes, "sowing in tears" and "going out weeping". This posture of brokenness and hungering for God's presence in every area of our lives. There is also a picture here of serving and giving, "carrying seed to sow". In ministering to others we are doing the work of God.

Three qualities here I want continually in my life: worship, humility, and a servants heart.

Leadership vs. Discipleship

I have been pondering the difference between leadership and discipleship. Leadership has become the in vogue thing for Christians. "Everyone is a leader", "all have a call to lead", these mantras are quoted over and over in Christian books and seminars.
Whatever happened to discipleship. I think it is unpopular because it is based on humility rather than being in-charge. It doesn't have that carrot dangling in front of someone who is looking for power. Disciples don't get to bark order, they are looking to follow.
These principles seem to get lost in leadership training. Of course we mention in passing the need to serve but it seems more of an afterthought than a primary qualification to lead.
When Jesus called His first disciples it began of journey of laying down their lives, their aspirations, their need to lead. As John and Jame's mother lobbied for them a cabinet position in Jesus new administration and Peter assumed the role of number two, Jesus was on His knees washing their feet, carrying their dirt, below them, serving.
I am grateful God has chosen me to lead, Life Church and my family. I am only successful in leading as long as I remember I am first a disciple and here to serve God first, them second, and me last.
I want to be a disciple and make disciples, I'll let God pick the leaders.