Disappointment...

So I'm breaking a rule on this blog.  I said when I started this that I would not talk about things that didn't involve a teaching lesson from the Bible or spiritual growth.  However, after thinking about it I think there are some things that can be learned from this.

"This" meaning my disappointing experience I had today.  Just a quick word of thanks to those of you who offered prayer, thoughts, sent emails, posted on my wall, sent texts, etc.  It means a lot.  I also want to thank my wife and son for loving me no matter what, my Senior Pastor for encouraging me, and friends loving me well today.

So, let me first off say...no one is hurt or dying and this isn't about my job (losing or keeping).  Some of you had asked about those things.  This is about brothers and sisters in Christ not working together to advance Gods Kingdom in the here and now.  For a number of months, behind the scenes, I've been working pretty hard to form partnerships with other singles ministries here in Indy.  Many of these have been with larger churches and some with smaller churches.  Needless to say, things have been going excellent.  Lots of big dreaming, visioning, planning and seeing Christ-centered singles gather to spread Gods love over this entire city.  However, things happen and people usually get in the way from the mission being accomplished.

Today I received a phone call from a friend letting me know that one particular church was not on board even though they initially said they were.  This wouldn't be a problem except they are the main church running this network.  I was told that the Senior Pastor of this particular church was not comfortable with having my congregations name attached to theirs.  Now, no direct purpose was given, but I can read between the lines.  I know what this has to do with.  One word...inclusiveness.

So here's my disappointment, because of hardline doctrine things like this come up and happen.  Typically individuals can't understand that the Kingdom of God in the here and now (and future) is much bigger than denomination and doctrine.  You've heard the old phrase, "When we all get to heaven, all of us will be disappointed to know that we weren't 100% right."  And I believe that to be true.

So here's my beef...show me in the Bible where God says that people aren't welcome to His table.  Show me where God says that His grace and love are only available to specific people.  Show me a savior who only died for a few.  Christ did not hang on that cross for people who only act, believe, look, feel, and think a certain way.  The truth is that I know that this individual and I probably share some basic theologic beliefs and would probably agree on many issues...except inclusiveness.

So here's my manifesto after this experience...
1.  I will not back down from loving all people, because Christ calls us to do that.
2.  I will not be lazy in my faith and not engage those who are different than me.
3.  I will not shut the doors to people who desperately need to experience Gods love and grace through His Son Jesus Christ.
4.  I will continue to love those who do not love me.
5.  I will make my enemies those whom I love the most.
6.  I will continue to share the truth of Gods Word with boldness.
7.  And I will engage in the radical mess we call Christianity.

Jesus did not do what He did on the cross just so you could be comfortable and create your own country club religion.  He did it for all mankind, even those who reject Him.

You made the wrong person mad by doing this.  You see all my life I've been told, "You don't fit in.  You're not like everyone else.  You can be a part of this group or church."  I didn't spend countless hours sharing my faith most of my life, being persecuted by those I thought were friends and even those who weren't to have you tell me what I will or will not do.  I have found favor with God and He has given me a boldness to proclaim His love even more than ever.  He has blessed me through the Great Commission and I can promise you that your decision only adds to the flame that was burning in my heart already to live, serve, and share Gods grace with all.

So there you have it.  Thank you for ticking me off.  It helped renew my call to ministry, my vision for singles, and help have greater focus for the Kingdom of God.

Forging the Heart...

This afternoon I've been pausing to read a book on healing.  For those of you who know me, this might seem a little out of context.  For the last year God has been helping me understand and showing me the gifts of the Spirit.  Most of my spiritual life has been centered around trying understand Gods Word, having a good prayer life, evangelizing, and creating God centered relationships.

I've never really ventured into the world of "the gifts" because growing up Southern Baptist it was a big no-no.  Not to say that all SBC churches are that way, but I was afraid to admit that God was still using the gifts to this day and that some of those gifts might not make sense at first, especially if I've never read what Gods Word says about them.

So suffice to say, I'm reading about healing and in so doing I'm reading the story about this guy who is kinda coming from the same place that I am about God and the the gifts.  In the middle of my reading I felt that God was leading me to the Vestry here at the church.

Now for those of you who attend St. Luke's and don't know where the Vestry is located, it's behind stage left in the main sanctuary.  It's a great little room that doesn't get used often enough.  In fact there's a nice comfortable chair in there, a private bathroom (my favorite part), a beautiful stained glass window (as you can see in the picture, and much more. 

So I'm in the Vestry with my book, my "Grail Diary" (for those of you who know me, you'll know I carry around a little black book where I keep all my thoughts, questions, and stuff that involve my spiritual life and stuff God shares with me.  I call this the "Grail Diary" referring to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.  This is a different story for another time though).  As I'm sitting there in the Vestry, reading my book, ready to make notes; I feel God saying to me, "Put it down and just be still."  Then I look up and see the verse on the wall from Pslam 46:10...

"Be still and know that I am God." - Psalm 46:10

I close my eyes and just listen.  There's a storm literally brewing outside.  I hear the thunder clap, the rain pounding hard on the window, the wind blowing.  My life is much like this storm most of the time.  Thunder, rain, wind...the life of a servant of God struggling to be obedient.  For a bit of time I just sat silently and listened.  Then I opened my eyes to see the stained glass window for all its glory.  Never before had I recognized what was there.  It was a dove (the Holy Spirit), a heart (my heart), a hammer (the tool to forge), and a fire coming out of the heart (being forged in the furnace), and hearing the storm (the forging furnace).

"Oh God, what idols have kept my heart from being aligned with your Spirit?" 

The Apostle Paul encourages us in Philippians 3:12 to "take hold of what has taken hold of us".  I want to take hold of all the idols that keep me from being aligned with the Spirit of God.  Fear, control, worry, anger, etc., I want to give those to God.  I want my heart to be forged by His Spirit, set on fire.  I've come to realize today that this isn't going to happen unless I'm prepared to be forged by the storms of life. 

"Dear God,
Today I ask that you forge my heart with your hammer.  Set my heart on fire by your Spirit.  Be with me during the storms and help me understand that I don't always need to know why."  Amen.

Fully Known, Truly Loved, Part II

In the last entry I spoke about being fully known.  Today I'm going to talk about two other points.

The second is that God wants us to know that we are his sons and daughters.  In Romans 8:14-15 it says this…

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[g] Father.”

When we allow the Holy Spirit to lead our lives, we become sons and daughters of God.  The Holy Spirit does not bond us in slavery, but opens our lives to so many possibilities.  When we abide in the presence of Gods Spirit, we are adopted into the family.  God says you are my sons, you are my daughters.  I want you to fully know me.  I want to truly love you.  I want to fully know you!

The third is that our lives are holy sanctuaries.  In 1 Cor. 6:19-20 it says this…

¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Our bodies are sacred.  We have been created in the image of God.  We are holy sanctuaries.  We are to treat our bodies as if God has taken up residence in us.
So here’s the truth to tie it all together.  If we are friends of Jesus, sons and daughters of God, and holy sanctuaries; why do we pretend that we cannot be fully known or truly loved?

If we have the expectation on our friends to know us and love us, if we have the expectation of our fathers or mothers or caretakers in our lives to know us and truly love us, if we are holy temples where Spirit of God dwells within our hearts, then why do we fear to be truly loved and fully known?

I think…and this is just my opinion, that we have been stabbed in the back by so many we have trusted, our hearts have been broken by those who we loved and trusted, there has been so much broken trust and heartaches that we don’t even know how to approach God to be truly loved and fully known.

Church, I’m here to tell you today that as sons and daughters, friends, and holy temples you are a remnant of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  You are a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and you are a friend of Jesus Christ.  You don’t have to fear, you don’t have to be afraid, you don’t have to live your life in a way that shy’s away from having a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Christ is calling you to be fully known.  You see in the Old Testament they built the tabernacle around the “holy of  holies”, a place where God literally resided.  The only person that could go into the holy of holies to talk to God was the high priest.  God would give a message to the high priest to deliver to the people.  It was up to the high priest then to share that message from God with all the people.

Well guess what, today Jesus (our high priest) wants to go into your holy of holies (your heart) and deliver a message to you that God wants to fully know you and truly love you.  All you’ve got to do is pull back the shade and let him in. 

However, maybe you’re saying it’s easier said than done.  If that’s the case, and you’re thinking that right now, what if I told you that there’s no one on this earth and nothing in this world that can fully know you and truly love like God? 

Some of us have been living “fulfilling” lives without God or without being completely surrendered to God.  How fulfilling has it really been?  I’m sure you’ve been hurt.  I’m sure someone you’ve trusted has mistreated you or broken that trust.  All of us have been there.

So whether you’re hearing this for the first time or the hundredth time, JESUS CHRIST WANTS TO FULLY KNOW YOU AND TRULY LOVE YOU!

When are you going to let him come into your life and do this?  When are you going to let go of the fear, frustration, and all the things that keep you from living a life the God has truly destined you to live?  Do you want to be fully known and truly loved?  If so, we’re going to take communion here in a second and James is going to tell you how you can be truly loved and fully known by God.

Fully Known, Truly Loved, Part I

There are two things in life that we all desire.  These two things sit above wealth, possessions, knowledge of things, and much more. 

Those two things are to be fully known and truly loved.  Now what do I mean when I say, “To be truly loved”?  I don’t necessarily mean the kind of love that your family, friends, or even your pets can give you.  I mean the love that goes beyond any of that.  Some of us have never experienced what it means to be truly loved.  Oftentimes we look in the wrong places for love.  Whether it’s possessions, wealth, relationships with people, etc.  None of those things and none of those people will give you the true love that Jesus Christ will give you.  Now, don’t get me wrong.  Love from family and friends is very important.  However, even their love can only go so far. 

Also, what does it mean to be fully known?  The other day I was taking a look back at some notes I had made on Facebook.  Interesting to see all the questionnaires I’ve filled out about myself.  Things from what’s your favorite color, to my favorite movie, and also ridiculous questions like do I take the shampoo bottles from the hotel when I leave? 

Needless to say we all want to be truly loved and fully known.  That’s why we fill out questionnaires.  I’ve always said I haven’t met someone who hasn’t at the very least wanted to share something about their life with someone.  So we want to be truly loved and fully known.  But how does that happen?  The Bible tells us three things that we must know before we can be fully know or truly loved.

The first is that Jesus wants to know that we are his friends.  In John 15:14-15 it says this…

¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

In the Old Testament, there are only two people who were called friends of God; Abraham and Moses.  However, because Christ has now come and we too can be friends of Christ.  He says it right here in John!  We are no longer servants, but friends.  And why…because everything that Christ has learned from the Father he has shared with us.

The reason Abraham and Moses were the only two in the Old Testament to be called friends of God is because they were the keepers of the law.  God made himself known to them.  The good news is this, God has made himself fully known to us through Jesus Christ.  And he wants to fully know us as well.

Tomorrow I'm going to post the second scripture where God tells us that we are sons and daughters.  That we are heirs to His love and Kingdom.