Monday, February 28, 2011

Cool or Committed? That Really is the Question!

I like to write about uplifting things but this blog is going to be kind of different! I am a teeny bit upset!! I am upset with the modern church but mostly with myself!

I had the privilege of leading a ladies conference this past weekend where the presence of the Lord was evident. By the time it was my turn to teach, the ladies were so ready to hear the Word of God that it was a blessing. So, why am I upset? I am troubled because I don’t see that happening weekly in many congregations. (If it happens in yours, you need to get on your knees and thank God that you have leaders who have their priorities right.) Many of our congregations, however, tend to be more concerned with trying to be cool rather than preparing the congregates for worship. Many “worship” leaders tend to be more concerned with hairstyles, praise team’s age, dress, and having the newest songs rather than calling the people to open their hearts to the Spirit of God. It is about image! I have even heard that a worship leader in our area is wearing eyeliner and blush in order to make a statement that he is inclusive of all types. Music is just the start…sermons are more like motivational discourses rather than the gospel. A blogger I read today said this: Declaring the Gospel is serious business — not a show. Method is NOT more important than the message. Leadership will say they agree with that statement — but actions show otherwise.


The worship leader this past weekend gave all she had to the LORD and it was evident from before she began to lead until we walked out the door. She loved Jesus and that love was all over her! She nearly disappeared as we went to the throne. Her goal was all about connecting corporately with a Holy God. Tears streamed down all our faces but it wasn’t just an overload of emotion…it was a true connection with Our Father!!! It truly was about Him. I came home exhausted but so filled.

It was then God began to speak strongly to my heart. While writing Sunday School lessons from the book of Philippians, I came face to face with how far the church has come from being what Christ called us to be. I pulled out, for reference,
The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a book I read several years ago and began to re-read it. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a theologian/political activist from the 1930’s-40’s. His mission was to warn the church of their need to stand up against Hitler who was trying to silence any mention of God in Nazi Germany. The premise of the book is about “cheap grace” verses “costly grace.” He defines cheap grace as, “Preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ!” Costly Grace on the other hand is, “The treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price…It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus at which the disciple leaves his nets and follow him.”

Christ gave His all to us but also said, “Unless you take up your cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27) Being in the worship I experienced this weekend, I realized how far I had departed from what Christ requires. I too have fallen for the hype! I realized I am not called to be “cool” but committed. Not so much “relevant” but reverent before a Holy God. I as well as our churches need to start lifting Christ and Christ alone. I don’t want to be a part of a show but a part of surrender. I want to remember how costly grace is and I need to forget about me and make it about Him…and the strange thing is, when we do that corporately, the world will take note. I want these words to be said of me:

Acts 4:13 “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”

Not fashionably dressed, not up to date, not contemporary, not even cool, but the world around them saw that they had been with Jesus! I want people to see that in me-- I want to be a true worshipper…one who worships in Spirit and Truth and who looks only at Him. There, I have said it and I feel better. Hold me accountable but also hold yourself accountable. The world needs us!!!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Thinking He Was Among Them….

While reading Luke 2 during Christmas, I found myself reading past the “baby Jesus” part until I came to verse 44. I stopped dead in my reading as the Holy Spirit moved my heart to focus on the words, “Thinking He was in their company, they traveled on for a day.” The Holman Christian Standard Version says, “Assuming he was in the traveling party…” and the ESV says, “Supposing.” In all of these what we see is that even though the traveling party knew Jesus well, they didn’t know when he was no longer with them.

I love the Lord, and I love being with people who love the Lord. My closest relationships began with Jesus as the point of contact but this verse caused me to wonder if conversations with my friends about Jesus and what He means to us have become less frequent; focusing rather on things like shopping, weight, food, food, and weight! Have we started talking more about other people and how much better they could be if…? We cover our “gossip” by saying we really care---bless their hearts--- but then realize never once did we pray for them and even worse never mentioned Jesus. In a word…we didn’t even realize that he wasn’t there among us. It is then we see our lives have become mundane---at best.

A friend on FaceBook posted this:

Watching a child as they sing, dance and laugh.
Noticing how everything is fun and interesting and an adventure.
Then I ask myself “When did I stop dancing?”


A child dances best when the person they love most is close by! To answer my friend’s question, perhaps we quit paying attention to the important things and drifted away from the One who loves us most and have forgotten who binds us to each other. His guidance keeps us safe…and we dance in the knowledge that none of the enemy’s ploys will destroy us! (As I typed this, I noticed that the word dance is in guidance. Hmmm???)

So what did the traveling party do when they discovered Jesus was not in their company? “They “went back!” They went back to where they had left Him!

You might be thinking that Jesus is so far away…He is no longer in your company and you don’t know how you got to this place of panic and discontent. May I suggest to you to go back to where you last were with Him; the last time He was real in your life. It takes effort to do that but when you find Him again you will be astonished at what you find- just like Mary and Joseph did. Jesus is all about doing His Father’s will and He wants nothing more than to have you join Him in that will but to do that we must intentionally keep Him in our sight and in our mind. He wants to guide us and He wants us to find peace and joy in Him but He will not force it on us.

Don’t travel another day just “supposing” Jesus is among your traveling party. Know He is. Seek Him and make sure that you don’t get too busy in life. Don’t assume that as you walk away that Jesus will follow. He doesn’t follow us…we follow Him.

Stay warm, friends,…spring is coming.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

This Is a Weighty Issue!

Each New Year the two major resolutions people made are to lose weight/get into shape and more Bible study!

Now, I don’t wait until New Year’s to make my “getting into shape” resolution. I generally make that resolution weekly--if not daily. I especially want to get into shape on Tuesday nights while watching The Biggest Loser and I don’t think that I am alone. This has caused me to think about the whole world of weight loss and I have found there are three types of people:

• Those who really, really want to…they go out and buy all the right outfits, headbands (for potential sweat or just to look cool!), enroll in the local health club, and show up excited! They will try it for a while but because it is too hard, and muscles are hurting they quit! Some people go as far as purchasing their own equipment only to have it sit idle after a month!!
• Then there are those who get involved in every single exercise group available and talk about their diet constantly…telling everyone they need to get involved in what THEY do, if they really want to be in shape. It is an addiction and it is all about the classes and diets. They have no life other than exercise and talking about what foods we should eat and look down on others who are not as vigilant as they are. Attending the class and the social experience is the goal.
• Finally, there are those who understand that a good diet and proper exercise will make their bodies healthy so they can stay active and vibrant. They do what they need to do to accomplish that goal. They are the happiest people I know!!

Do you see yourself in any of those people? I do. I have been guilty of being a part of all three at one time or another. Obviously the third person is the one who truly understands and “gets it!”

I was preparing a Bible study lesson and it dawned on me that there are the same three types of women who get involved in Bible study.

• There are those who really want to study. They know they need it…they go out and buy all the books, colored pencils and maybe a journal or two. She shows up really ready to learn and is excited but after a week they lose interest because they have gotten behind. They don’t really have the time or it is not the right night become excuses…no amount of encouragement gets him/her back…maybe next time!! They want to learn but are not willing to do the work.

• Then there are those women who are in every Bible study offered. They name-drop “Beth, Anne, and Kay”…all over the place. They are addicted and go to every study available but usually will have a favorite author and will follow her much as a groupie follows a rock band. They have their homework done and all their blanks filled in completely and in ink!! They tell others they need to study what they study. All of this is good but after each study, they can’t recall a single point they learned and they have not applied anything from the study to their lives. It was a study and it is over…on to the next study for the goal is to do bible study with no long-term affect. The hard work of letting God change them through His words is ignored…

• Then finally there is the one who has learned that the Bible is more than just a book…it is her guide to how to live life and the way God speaks to her. It is personal. She gets excited when a truth is revealed and she seeks to apply what she learns to her life. She desires God to convict her, comfort her, guide her and encourage her through His word (II Timothy 3: 16) so she can grow in her Christian walk and become mature in her faith. It is more than just a study; it is a way of life and these are the happiest people I know.

Kind of reminds me of what Jesus said to His disciples when he spoke about seeds and three types of ground. Some fell on rocky soil, some on shallow soil and some in good soil.

Don’t get me wrong….I believe in Bible study…it is daily food for the soul! The point is, study the Bible for the right reason…to grow in your life. Bible study ought to change you for you are encountering the Holy One. Afterwards you ought to speak differently, carry out your life differently, and love others more deeply! It ought to be a time of worship and worship brings change.

This year, as you dive into His words, ask Him to speak profoundly to your heart. Ask Him to show you any things that need to change…you will be amazed at what His word can do in every aspect of your life! Don’t let it become just something you do….let it be what you become.