Have we devalued the Gospel? I'm sure it wasn't intentional, but have we packaged the Gospel into something so small that we can present it in 30 seconds? Have we reduced the Good News of the Lord Almighty to something that either ends with a prayer (completing the transaction) or emptiness and aggravation? We would never do something so profane on purpose, but is that what it has become?
Has the Gospel become a product that we are selling, like eternal life insurance? I truly hope not, but I can't help but wonder. The Gospel is so much bigger than a 30 second presentation that ends with an invitation to pray a prayer. Certainly there is a place for that, but is that all there is to it?!?
Think with me for just a moment. This world was created as a wonderful place for humans to live, love, and rule over. What an amazing creation that included us! Unfortunately it included our ability to reject God's best, God's plan for this world and for us. We certainly did that, not only in the past, but continually day by day we reject God and His plan. Praise God, He never gave up on His plan to plant His Kingdom on earth and to have us as His governors of His creation. He sent His only Son to this world to reconnect us to His plan, to His Kingdom. His sacrifice gives us the ability to reconcile with God and reclaim our place in His Kingdom. Daily we are invited to become Kingdom citizens and to begin the process of restoring this world to the greatness it was destined to have. The Kingdom of God is amazing already, but just imagine what it will be like in the fullness of time, when all things are created new and everything (including us) will be perfect!
As I try to wrap my mind around that Good News I realize that my job has never been to plant churches. How can I plant the "body of Christ" anyway? I realize that my job is to plant the Kingdom everywhere I go. Sometimes that comes in the form of words spoken to people, but other times that comes in the actions that I take while walking the aisles of Wal-Mart or driving to and from school each day. Sometimes planting the Kingdom comes simply from bringing the presence of the King into the darkness of the lives of those who don't know Him yet.
Let's reflect on the greatness of the Gospel and may we never reduce it to a formula or worse yet, a product that we are trying to sell someone, or to convince them to pray a prayer that will end all their worries and struggles. We owe that to them and to our King.
Blessings,
Shiloh
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Taste and See
I was reading this morning in Psalm 34 and I came across a familiar verse that says, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him."
I've been doing a lot of thinking, reading, reviewing, praying through and processing since the Blossom conference last week. One of the main issues that keeps going through my mind is one of stance or posture. I wonder what type of posture the Church has been taking regarding how it views itself in the world? Most Christians that I know or meet recognize that the Church in America isn't very healthy, but what kind of posture have we taken? I remember teaching a study in my home church a few years ago describing "Survival Mode Vs. Thrival Mode." Has the Church in America taken a "Survival Mode" mentality? I truly hope not.
If the Church becomes a castle or a bunker in order to try to ride out the storm of the current culture in the US, we are in a dire situation. Jesus wasn't sent to this earth for the survival of the Church as we know it. God so loved the world, not the church, that He sent His only begotten Son. That includes us, but it also includes a whole bunch of people that aren't in our churches. If we take a posture of survival, we aren't going to be in a position of readiness to go and share, or to follow Christ wherever He leads. After all Jesus said, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will save it." (Matthew 10:39)
I'm reading a book called, "The Tangible Kingdom" by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay and in it there is a quote that I want to share with you. It says, "What makes the gospel good news isn't the concept, but the real-life person who has been changed by it." I think we need to take a posture of "taste and see." I truly believe that if the Church could show the world that it is in the business of life transformation (like Jesus is), it wouldn't have to beg people to come. It wouldn't have to figure out ways to get more people in so that the doors of their buildings wouldn't close. Are we inviting people to taste God's goodness, or are we inviting them into our bunker to hide from the moral decay of America? If we are truly "tasting" the Lord, there is no doubt that we will see His goodness. If that is our posture, our stance, then others might be persuaded to "taste" for themselves too. That is was God's Kingdom is all about. David knew it well. Do we?
Blessings,
Shiloh
I've been doing a lot of thinking, reading, reviewing, praying through and processing since the Blossom conference last week. One of the main issues that keeps going through my mind is one of stance or posture. I wonder what type of posture the Church has been taking regarding how it views itself in the world? Most Christians that I know or meet recognize that the Church in America isn't very healthy, but what kind of posture have we taken? I remember teaching a study in my home church a few years ago describing "Survival Mode Vs. Thrival Mode." Has the Church in America taken a "Survival Mode" mentality? I truly hope not.
If the Church becomes a castle or a bunker in order to try to ride out the storm of the current culture in the US, we are in a dire situation. Jesus wasn't sent to this earth for the survival of the Church as we know it. God so loved the world, not the church, that He sent His only begotten Son. That includes us, but it also includes a whole bunch of people that aren't in our churches. If we take a posture of survival, we aren't going to be in a position of readiness to go and share, or to follow Christ wherever He leads. After all Jesus said, "If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give it up for me, you will save it." (Matthew 10:39)
I'm reading a book called, "The Tangible Kingdom" by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay and in it there is a quote that I want to share with you. It says, "What makes the gospel good news isn't the concept, but the real-life person who has been changed by it." I think we need to take a posture of "taste and see." I truly believe that if the Church could show the world that it is in the business of life transformation (like Jesus is), it wouldn't have to beg people to come. It wouldn't have to figure out ways to get more people in so that the doors of their buildings wouldn't close. Are we inviting people to taste God's goodness, or are we inviting them into our bunker to hide from the moral decay of America? If we are truly "tasting" the Lord, there is no doubt that we will see His goodness. If that is our posture, our stance, then others might be persuaded to "taste" for themselves too. That is was God's Kingdom is all about. David knew it well. Do we?
Blessings,
Shiloh
Monday, September 22, 2008
The Post Office
I had a great time at a conference this past week in Orlando. The conference was called Blossom and was hosted in part by Reproducingchurches.com. I was reminded of many great truths and learned a bunch of new things and connected to other Christ followers that have a heart for Jesus and His Church. Over these next few days and weeks I am going to share a few of the things that God impressed on me throughout this conference.
The most powerful image that I took away from the conference was the image of the post office. (Click here to see a video.) That may not seem too powerful to you, but let me explain why it hit me the way it did. God sent His message of love and hope and Good News to the world and delivered it in person. Jesus hand delivered the message of God's love to the world. He was the Message. The message of the Gospel was then written on the hearts of those that love and follow Jesus (see 2Corinthians 3). Jesus said to His followers, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." (John 20:21) One of the most crucial roles of the Church is the role of the post office. Post offices receive letters and messages, sort through them, and deliver them to people all over the world. The local church is to be a place of sorting and sending the letter carriers of God's message. We are a sent people and our local church is our post office. Awesome!
If you are interested in reading more about living as a sent people you can check out Jason Dukes' blog at livesent.com. May God bless you richly as you carry the Message of Christ to the world.
Blessings,
Shiloh
The most powerful image that I took away from the conference was the image of the post office. (Click here to see a video.) That may not seem too powerful to you, but let me explain why it hit me the way it did. God sent His message of love and hope and Good News to the world and delivered it in person. Jesus hand delivered the message of God's love to the world. He was the Message. The message of the Gospel was then written on the hearts of those that love and follow Jesus (see 2Corinthians 3). Jesus said to His followers, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." (John 20:21) One of the most crucial roles of the Church is the role of the post office. Post offices receive letters and messages, sort through them, and deliver them to people all over the world. The local church is to be a place of sorting and sending the letter carriers of God's message. We are a sent people and our local church is our post office. Awesome!
If you are interested in reading more about living as a sent people you can check out Jason Dukes' blog at livesent.com. May God bless you richly as you carry the Message of Christ to the world.
Blessings,
Shiloh
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Fresh Manna
I've been learning a lot about myself as I have been reading through the Psalms. Today I realized how much I am like the Israelites when they were told to gather fresh manna each morning, but they stored leftovers anyway (see Exodus 16).
Today as I read through Psalm 28 I saw David's hunger for a fresh encounter with the Lord. He wrote, "To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit." Wow, now that's a serious desire to hear from the Lord. Not me. I am all too hasty during my quiet times with the Lord to recall previous encounters, previous words, previous feelings of His presence. I am content with leftovers far too often.
I used to hunger for the Lord's fresh manna every day. The time I spent living in Africa, so far from my "home" and my comfort zone I was so much thirstier for the Living Water. Now that I am back and have settled in again I am content to eat leftovers of what the Lord blessed me with before. The problem with that is that when the Israelites who kept the leftovers went back to it in the morning it was "full of maggots and began to smell." The manna of the Lord that is given to sustain and nourish us is given each day. The manna that was honey to my lips yesterday may very well be sour today. Lord, may I desire your Word to come to me fresh each day just as David hungered for it.
May we all hunger for God's fresh manna each day.
Blessings,
Shiloh
Today as I read through Psalm 28 I saw David's hunger for a fresh encounter with the Lord. He wrote, "To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit." Wow, now that's a serious desire to hear from the Lord. Not me. I am all too hasty during my quiet times with the Lord to recall previous encounters, previous words, previous feelings of His presence. I am content with leftovers far too often.
I used to hunger for the Lord's fresh manna every day. The time I spent living in Africa, so far from my "home" and my comfort zone I was so much thirstier for the Living Water. Now that I am back and have settled in again I am content to eat leftovers of what the Lord blessed me with before. The problem with that is that when the Israelites who kept the leftovers went back to it in the morning it was "full of maggots and began to smell." The manna of the Lord that is given to sustain and nourish us is given each day. The manna that was honey to my lips yesterday may very well be sour today. Lord, may I desire your Word to come to me fresh each day just as David hungered for it.
May we all hunger for God's fresh manna each day.
Blessings,
Shiloh
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Poured Out
Have you ever had one of those "Aha!" moments during your quiet time with the Lord? Or maybe an, "Ohhhhh!" moment, or even an "Huhhh?"
This morning I was reading in Psalm 23 and the Spirit showed me something that I had never seen before. Verse 5b says, "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Many of you probably know that anointing with oil is symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Well this morning I finally caught the idea that your cup has to be filled before it can overflow. Yeah, I know, sometimes I can be a little bit slow to understand some things. In case you are interested, I am going to recap my journey this morning.
Before I read Psalm 23, I read some of My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. It was there that I started this journey. The first quote that got my attention was, "God has only one intended destiny for mankind - holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use... He came to save us because He created us to be holy." How many times have I been obedient to God because I wanted to receive some kind of blessing from Him? More than I would like to admit. Too many times in my life I have drawn close to God in a time of need, only to see that desire slack off and distance to creep in during times of comfort.
Then I read further, "If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts." That thought exploded in my mind. God created us for holiness, but not to keep, but to give away just like Jesus did. The Life of God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit that is being poured into my life is intended to overflow into the lives of those around me so that they too may be filled. Isn't that the picture of Jesus. His life was being poured out over and over again until His blood was literally poured out for our forgiveness.
I was drinking a cup of chai (tea) while reading and thinking about all of this and it occured to me that my heart was similar to that chai, very cloudy and impure. If I were to take that cup of chai and slowly add pure water to it, something beautiful would happen. The chai would begin to overflow and with each passing second the liquid inside would become more and more clear, more and more pure. Eventually, the cup would be full of pure water and that purity would continue to overflow to everything surrounding it. That is a picture of Psalm 23.
No matter what situation or circumstance I am in, I was designed to be filled with the Spirit. Not just filled for my sake, or for my own blessings, but for the sake of overflowing to bring that Spirit and those blessings into the lives of those surrounding me. May you and I be filled to overflowing with the love and Spirit of Jesus Christ that those around us would be saturated as well.
Blessings,
Shiloh
This morning I was reading in Psalm 23 and the Spirit showed me something that I had never seen before. Verse 5b says, "You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows." Many of you probably know that anointing with oil is symbolic of the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Well this morning I finally caught the idea that your cup has to be filled before it can overflow. Yeah, I know, sometimes I can be a little bit slow to understand some things. In case you are interested, I am going to recap my journey this morning.
Before I read Psalm 23, I read some of My Utmost For His Highest by Oswald Chambers. It was there that I started this journey. The first quote that got my attention was, "God has only one intended destiny for mankind - holiness. His only goal is to produce saints. God is not some eternal blessing-machine for people to use... He came to save us because He created us to be holy." How many times have I been obedient to God because I wanted to receive some kind of blessing from Him? More than I would like to admit. Too many times in my life I have drawn close to God in a time of need, only to see that desire slack off and distance to creep in during times of comfort.
Then I read further, "If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts." That thought exploded in my mind. God created us for holiness, but not to keep, but to give away just like Jesus did. The Life of God the Father, the Son, and the Spirit that is being poured into my life is intended to overflow into the lives of those around me so that they too may be filled. Isn't that the picture of Jesus. His life was being poured out over and over again until His blood was literally poured out for our forgiveness.
I was drinking a cup of chai (tea) while reading and thinking about all of this and it occured to me that my heart was similar to that chai, very cloudy and impure. If I were to take that cup of chai and slowly add pure water to it, something beautiful would happen. The chai would begin to overflow and with each passing second the liquid inside would become more and more clear, more and more pure. Eventually, the cup would be full of pure water and that purity would continue to overflow to everything surrounding it. That is a picture of Psalm 23.
No matter what situation or circumstance I am in, I was designed to be filled with the Spirit. Not just filled for my sake, or for my own blessings, but for the sake of overflowing to bring that Spirit and those blessings into the lives of those surrounding me. May you and I be filled to overflowing with the love and Spirit of Jesus Christ that those around us would be saturated as well.
Blessings,
Shiloh
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