So, i can't stop thinking about this verse:
"In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him ALL things were made; without Him NOTHING was made that has been made. In Him was LIFE, that that life was the LIGHT of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not yet overcome it." John 1:1-5
Now as if that first part isn't overwhelming on it's own (Jesus was with God since the beginning?!?!?) the second part of that verse has really challenged me and it keeps coming up.
Through Him ALL things were made and NOTHING has been made without Him. So i think about this and i can't help but think about people that don't know their creator and Savior Jesus Christ. Accept...they DO. It's all around them, it's who they are, it's where they go, who they interact with and what the see. I mean it's kind of ridiculious when you real ly think about it. How come I never bring this up...i'm always thinking about how they (nonbelievers) have no idea who God is and have no interaction with Him but really they do EVERYDAY, everytime they breathe.
THEY JUST NEED TO BE MADE AWARE. Shown that it's not like they don't know who God is...
Paul does this in Athens (Acts 17:22-28)
"Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as i walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, i even found an alter with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. So, you are ignorant of THE VERY THING YOU WORSHIP--AND THIS IS WHAT I'M GOING TO PROCLAIM TO YOU. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, He himself GIVES EVERYONE LIFE AND BREATH AND EVERYTHING ELSE....GOD DID THIS SO THAT THEY MAY SEEK HIM AND PERHAPS REACH OUT TO HIM AND FIND HIM, THOUGH HE IS NOT FAR FROM ANY ONE OF US. FOR IN HIM WE LIVE AND MOVE AND HAVE OUR BEING."
i absolutely love this! i wish i could continually be reminded of this daily. Not only do we live in a world drenched with God and His glory but so does EVERYONE else.
John says about Jesus in verse 4 of Chapter 1 "that life (Jesus) is the light of all people"
I think you can read this in two ways. First, and plainly, that Jesus is the light of all people. We must turn to Him to be our guide to eluding darkness. OR that the light of all people is Jesus. Now that may sound the same to you but think about it as if I were to do something good like give to the poor, is that not the light of Jesus coming from me? if someone who didn't know Christ gave to the poor, is that too not the light of Jesus coming from them? all good is of Him right? all truth, biblical or not, is Him. right? i think so... how profound!!??!!
i was talking with my buddy Gabe, i love you Gabe, about this last night and he was telling me his roommate who doesn't "know" God has been saying and doing some rather "Godly" things. like offering a listening ear to a neighbor who is struggling with a drug problem. Is that not the mercy and compassion of God coming out of his roommate?!? i think so!
May we challenge each other to be reminded of this. if we could wrap our minds around this, if i could, it would change the way i talk to others about Christ and how i show Him to them.
What do YOU think??
oh gracious father, may Christ, WHO DWELLS WITHIN US, continue to come out of us and make us AWARE of all the opportunities to point you out to those who need you! Remind us that you are ALL and IN ALL!! may we seek your face and speak nothing but Jesus! LET IT BE!!
10.14.2006
10.08.2006
Missional
I recently listened to a guy by the name of Mike Frost talk about church. He is an Australian guy and had some very good things to say, i highly recommend trying to find some things of his to listen to. Anyway he was talking about God being a MISSIONAL God. He believes that God has been and always will be a missional God--all about SENDING.
so i checked out what the oxford american dictionary had to say about this word and the origin of the word mission comes from the mid 16th century denoting the SENDING of the Holy Spirt into the world.
So if you read Scripture you'll find that from Genesis through Revelations you'll find God CONSTANTLY SENDING people out to do "mission". Which was essentially to proclaim His glory and bring others to Him. The most popular verse that most all Christians know is Matthew 28:19-20 which is the great coMISSION. In this verse Jesus says to his disciples
"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore GO OUT and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything i have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
So, like my buddy Mike Frost, i began to wonder what the heck we are doing by doing everyhing in power to get people to COME into church. BRING your coworkers TO church, BRING your family TO church, BRING your friends TO church.
we have recreated the Old Testament temple experience...where God was only found in the temple. Now, you'd never probably hear a pastor say that exactly but THAT'S WHAT WE ARE TEACHING by our programs , by our messages, by our large buildings, our flashly lights, our best music, our comfy chairs, our finest clothes, and whatever else. We have this feeling that if we aren't bringing people to church or we aren't involved in some type of "ministry" within the church than we aren't doing anything.
i think that if Jesus were to come to your church, HE'D MAKE A HORRIBLE MEMBER. He would never be there!! He would be out with people that desperatly need him! he wouldn't be at all the classes, the small groups, the worship practices, the board meetings. He'd be GOING OUT into the world because he knows that
DOING CHURCH ISN'T THE POINT
The point is following Him and being like Him by loving Him and surrendering all we are to Him.
He had his 12 friends that were with Him all the time, but most of the time they were OUT doing something or GOING somwhere else to teach and proclaim the Good News.
I need people around me to encourage me and build me up, whether that be once a week, twice a week, whatever and WHEREVER. Because i know that isn't the point, it's great and i need it but the point is for me to be with those at school, at One World, at Eli's, wherever that's OUT in the world.
So where did we go wrong? I mean some of you probably don't think we've gone wrong...but are we not going against the character of God by "doing" church the way we are now. Maybe we should start by NOT "doing" church and start LIVING. Scrap all the programs and everything.
And do what? i don't know...i am confused now more than ever. But my relationship with God is better than ever because i'm having to THINK and WRESTLE with the Scriptures and who Jesus was so i can be more like him. thankfully i've found others who are on this same journey and if you're reading this and you've never understood either or maybe you never even thought about it than you're not alone!
What do all of you think? Think with me i want to know your thoughts!!
so i checked out what the oxford american dictionary had to say about this word and the origin of the word mission comes from the mid 16th century denoting the SENDING of the Holy Spirt into the world.
So if you read Scripture you'll find that from Genesis through Revelations you'll find God CONSTANTLY SENDING people out to do "mission". Which was essentially to proclaim His glory and bring others to Him. The most popular verse that most all Christians know is Matthew 28:19-20 which is the great coMISSION. In this verse Jesus says to his disciples
"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. Therefore GO OUT and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything i have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
So, like my buddy Mike Frost, i began to wonder what the heck we are doing by doing everyhing in power to get people to COME into church. BRING your coworkers TO church, BRING your family TO church, BRING your friends TO church.
we have recreated the Old Testament temple experience...where God was only found in the temple. Now, you'd never probably hear a pastor say that exactly but THAT'S WHAT WE ARE TEACHING by our programs , by our messages, by our large buildings, our flashly lights, our best music, our comfy chairs, our finest clothes, and whatever else. We have this feeling that if we aren't bringing people to church or we aren't involved in some type of "ministry" within the church than we aren't doing anything.
i think that if Jesus were to come to your church, HE'D MAKE A HORRIBLE MEMBER. He would never be there!! He would be out with people that desperatly need him! he wouldn't be at all the classes, the small groups, the worship practices, the board meetings. He'd be GOING OUT into the world because he knows that
DOING CHURCH ISN'T THE POINT
The point is following Him and being like Him by loving Him and surrendering all we are to Him.
He had his 12 friends that were with Him all the time, but most of the time they were OUT doing something or GOING somwhere else to teach and proclaim the Good News.
I need people around me to encourage me and build me up, whether that be once a week, twice a week, whatever and WHEREVER. Because i know that isn't the point, it's great and i need it but the point is for me to be with those at school, at One World, at Eli's, wherever that's OUT in the world.
So where did we go wrong? I mean some of you probably don't think we've gone wrong...but are we not going against the character of God by "doing" church the way we are now. Maybe we should start by NOT "doing" church and start LIVING. Scrap all the programs and everything.
And do what? i don't know...i am confused now more than ever. But my relationship with God is better than ever because i'm having to THINK and WRESTLE with the Scriptures and who Jesus was so i can be more like him. thankfully i've found others who are on this same journey and if you're reading this and you've never understood either or maybe you never even thought about it than you're not alone!
What do all of you think? Think with me i want to know your thoughts!!
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