Tag: spirit

Substantial Character

Daniel 6:1–24; Philippians 2:3–16

Adventure! Drama! Let’s see the big scene!

Daniel and the Lion’s Den is a dramatic story. No question about that. It’s a great one for kids.

Daniel, himself, is a great character. Daniel has great character. If you read the story carefully, you’ll notice something interesting. Daniel only has spoken words at the end when he assures Darius that all is well.

This also speaks to Daniel’s character. As much as the Book of Daniel is Daniel’s story, the Book of Daniel is about God’s plan and redemptive action regarding the people of Judah in their time of exile.

Daniel (along with others) was called to work for the kingdom they were in (for the Generations community, that was the topic of the last two sermons). He was called to work for the benefit of the kingdom. He was not called to gain power.

※ Why do we often think we must have “power” to change things or make things better? ※

Daniel did gain power. However, he did not act as if it was his to do with as he pleased. This contrasts with the two other administrators and all the satraps.* who sought greater power and control of their own. As Daniel was successful as a leader for the empire, pursuing their own success and power was then not working for the empire.

As we watch the unfolding of political events around the world (not just the US), all too often people use the emotions of others to draw people it…to gain power and influence. Most of the bureaucrats that are often maligned are putting aside their gain to their best (as they understand it) for their nation.

Does that mean there aren’t any “bad actors”? Of course not! It does mean there are likely as many “bad actors” as there are anywhere else, or as few. Yet, a cabal like the one portrayed here is really beyond the US system (despite the conspiracy theories, yes, I’m stepping in a minefield).

However, culturally, it was normal. In fact, there are still examples of it today throughout the world. Thus, the best witness that Daniel could be (the one he was called to) was to serve God well through the place and time he was.

※What is the witness of this time and place for you? ※

Daniel truly embodies the Christ-like characteristics of unselfish ambition looking to the benefits of Darius and the Median empire. His character was so resolute that even his adversaries recognized it.

Daniel became a true and devout servant of the empire, even going so far as to submit to being setup. Daniel maintained his integrity and his faithful witness, despite the efforts of those around him.

While perhaps only for a brief time, Darius honored Daniel’s faith and the God Daniel served. All this building up to even a greater witness.

Imagine that. Being quiet, gentle, unassuming, and working for the benefit of others was Daniel’s greatest witness.

These same characteristics apply to Jesus. As Paul noted, Jesus set aside being God to serve the created. While not literally exiled from Heaven (unlike others), Jesus was in exile. Jesus was now in one heart with the created.

Jesus surrendered in grace and mercy to a system and peoples (Jews and Romans) that unjustly crucified him. Jesus did it for all people. He was looking out for everyone else’s interests.

※What does Paul’s ending words in this passage tell you about Paul’s heart? ※

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, shape and mold us to be humble people that seek the welfare of others so that we are a faithful witness of your work in our lives. Amen.

* not including Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, more commonly called Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego

2020 08 22
Criminal Christian

Luke 23:32–43; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11

A criminal is saved on the cross. Talk about a “bedside” or “execution” salvation! He was on the cross when he was saved.

Look at the words the criminal stated. Look at the words that Jesus spoke. We often have longer phrases and understandings (even from Jesus’ own words) of what it takes to be saved. There probably is no quicker salvation story.

That being said, it could be that the rumors and news about Jesus was so strong and flowing, that the criminal even from prison knew about Jesus. We don’t know what seeds had already be sown when the man sought salvation.

However, we can say that by all appearances the criminal didn’t meet even the lowest standards of salvation as we often understand it. Does this diminish his salvation? No. It does show the amazing grace and mercy of God.

Do you want to be the criminal? All done. All saved. All good. Nothing more to do.

The criminal is not the ideal follower of Jesus. Truly, to a select group the criminal is a beacon of hope. For the rest of us, though, the criminal is a criminal for something completely unrelated to the cross.

He doesn’t live out his faith. He does, for a few hours, but it’s really not the same. Faith and salvation are tested and refined through the long and many trials of life.

It can be reasonably argued, and has been by many, that salvation is only the beginning. Yes, in our salvation, we walk through the door to kingdom of God. It’s a big kingdom, though. Do you really only want to stay at the entrance?

The fuller life, the rich life of God, is the full and complete promise of life with Jesus. We are often satisfied with so much less. Even more disturbing is that so many want salvation, but they don’t want the transformative live with Jesus.

Some people call this being “on fire” for Jesus, except that it can devolve to being obnoxious in the name of Jesus. We don’t really want to be “on fire” for Jesus. We should want to be “on fire” by Jesus.

For Jesus usually comes from our strength and emotion. By Jesus means that it is fully (and lovingly and..and…and…) reliant upon Jesus to do the work in us through the Holy Spirit.

Is this merely semantics? Perhaps. However, there are a lot of people out in the world trumpeting the church (the Body of Christ), but aren’t living fully within it. Some show up on Sunday. Or, maybe they’ll show up digitally.

Living the (truly) rich Christian live means living it together in community. We must seek, foster, and grow that community. It won’t just come.

Or we can just be a criminal on a cross.

※Prayer※

Jesus, help us to want a full and complete life with you. Help us surrender everything to the Holy Spirit to form and shape us for your will. Amen.

※Questions※

1) How’s your faith community? Not just church (though that too), but your daily faith community?

2) How does one know whether one is living the Christian life of the criminal on the cross, or the fullness of the Kingdom come?

2020 08 18
Stirring

Isaiah 43:8–13; Romans 11:13–29

What or who are you fighting for? If you are not fighting for God, then are you fighting for an idol?

Often Christians dismiss the Israelites of the Old Testament as the clueless. They were the people that didn’t get it. This view seems to be reinforced by Jesus‘ words, yet were they really that clueless?

They valued the word of God. They valued traditions. They valued theology. They valued being Jewish. These values, it seems, were more a barrier between them and God, rather than

How much are we just like them? Would we really recognize Jesus on the street or the internet?

Christians have been accused of being blind and deaf to Jesus. This has come from Christians and it has come from the world. We are often quick to dismiss these words, rather than contemplate them.

We are human. We will be blind. We will be deaf. In many ways, that is how we are able to go through life without losing our minds or succumbing to fear.

There really isn’t a prescription so that we all know and can all be certified to be Christians. That would be nice. It takes practice. It takes a lot of practice.

The statistics are showing that many churches will not recover post-COVID. Some are saying that only 30% will return. Imagine your church only having 30% of its people.

Perhaps this will be the winnowing that the church needs.

This is along the same line of thought, though different, that Paul had regarding his fellow Jews. He knew they were passionate about the word of God, tradition, theology. They still had a heart problem.

Paul wanted the Jews to look at the Gentiles and want what they have, freedom in grace and mercy. In addition, the Gentiles (along with the Jews that became Christian) began to develop a community of faith and trust that transcended culture and blood.

We Christians, though, have now been around long enough that we have developed tradition, a love of God’s word that doesn’t necessarily include reading it, and we have theology.

We are likely now at the point where we need a Paul to get us stirred up. We need to be what Paul wanted the Jews to be…jealous for God.

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, may we be stirred up for your plan and glory. Amen.

※Questions※

1) What does it mean to be jealous for God?

2) Why can love for God’s word an incomplete understanding of the word of God in our lives?

3) Why do you think people won’t return? What can we change to encourage people to stay and return?

2020 08 17
Speed Check

Isaiah 56:1–8; Ezekiel 2:1–10

When you’re driving, do you continue to check your speed? What do you do when you check a speed limit sign?

A speed limit sign cannot make you stop speeding. A speed limit sign cannot make you speed up. A speed limit sign can only tell what the authorities have set as the maximum speed for the area.

The law enforcement agency in charge of that area may have some grace about being a little over. If a lot of people are going over, they might let it go. If a person is weaving in and out of traffic and going over the speed limit, they may likely end up with a citation.

While the Scriptures are the word of God, they are also similar to speed limit signs. There is guidance and wisdom in the Scriptures. There are many warnings. People can (and do) choose to do their own thing.

God is not looking for rote obedience, obedience for obedience’s sake, or obedience for a reward. God desires obedience out of love.

Take the eunuchs. In Deuteronomy 23:1, eunuchs were banned from joining the assembly of God. That doesn’t mean that they could not (or did) not worship God, but that they could not participate in any Temple aspect, including the sacrificial offerings.

At the time, this was likely a response to the cultures (such as Egypt) that had eunuchs as ministers and in charge of harems. This would further separate the Israelites from other peoples.

By the time of Isaiah, things hadn’t really changed in the surrounding cultures. Also, people would often seek power and influence or were sent (e.g., political hostages) to foreign powers and were made eunuchs. Isaiah overthrows the concept of Deuteronomy, insofar as relationship with God is primary.

In Jewish tradition, Isaiah is sometimes elevated over Moses and Isaiah (according to Jewish tradition) reduced the 10 Commandments to 2, justice and mercy. A faithful eunuch who pursued justice and mercy would give true life to others. The ability to produce children was outweighed by a faithful heart.

The eunuchs, then, were those who saw the speed limit signs and obeyed, rather than those that Ezekiel (and Isaiah) spoke of/to that disregarded the ways of God.

This is, in some small way, a foreshadow of the Gentiles. The Gentiles could not add to the tribe of Israel (for they weren’t of the blood). However, they could add to the Kingdom of God by living for God.

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, guide us into all Truth. Especially guide and guard us in regard to justice and mercy. Amen.

※Questions※

1) Take any issue (not a person or political party) right now. What would be just and merciful in that situation? If there is more than one side to that issue, what would be just and merciful all sides?

2) Taking that same issue, trying (and it’s hard) to look at it from God’s perspective, what might God’s idea of justice and mercy be? Which “side” of the above does that match? Which “side” are you on?

3) Why is the concept of giving Godly/spiritual life—rather than biological life—rated so important?

2020 08 15
I Hate You

Luke 14:25–35; 1 John 3:14–18

So, who do YOU hate? Your mom, dad, husband, wife, significant other, son, daughter, brother, sister, cousin, aunt, uncle…Really, who do you hate?

Trump, Clinton, Bin Laden, and many others have been (or are) hated. It could be because of politics. It could be because they murdered people. It might be something that you think they may have done.

This passage in Luke is a hard passage for many. Except in cases of abuse or other mistreatment, hating one’s family is out of the question. A religion that has long considered itself (especially in the West) a “family-centered” religion will struggle that which it says it is based upon. “Family values”, a decades-old purportedly Christian value, are questionable if we are to hate our family.

Then John, a disciple of writes that we are to love our brothers and sisters, and that anyone who hates their brother or system is a murderer (even if said brother or sister still lives), and because of that they don’t have eternal life. Confused, yet?

So, how does this work, exactly? Well, we’re back to the age-old problem of English versus Greek. Just like there are more words for love in Greek than in English, there’s the same problem with hate. Hate isn’t quite hate, sort of.

When Jesus talks about hate, it refers more to loyalty that like, dislike, love, or hate. Jesus sought to shock people into an understanding that they may have to choose where their loyalty lay. Was their loyalty with family, or was their loyalty with Jesus?

Hate may seem overly dramatic, however, in the cultural context, hate was the understanding. Only a hateful child, parent, spouse, and so forth would choose Jesus over family. In that time, the time shortly thereafter, and it appears now, family loyalty is against Jesus.

Which brings us to John’s words. His hate is more along the lines of what we think of when we hear the word hate. The kind of hate that blindly rages and cares more about hurting another than blessing the enemy. This is the context of John’s hate.

We are called to pray for the blessings of our adversaries. Even more so are we to seek the benefit of our brothers and sisters in Christ. John’s primary concern is not the family ties of blood and culture that Jesus brought to light. John’s concern was what we at Generations call framily (friends who are like family).

This framily is found within the body of Christ. Because of its place within the body of Christ, it should not have divided loyalties. Of course, when it comes to human frailty, we all know that isn’t the case.

As we work through our hopes and fears of COVID and elections, we will often be tempted to hate our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must strive against that, for a house divided against itself will not stand, and then what would we say to Jesus?

※Prayer※

Jesus, you prayed to the Father that we would be one. Help us to be united in you, while we yet still remain individuals with different thoughts and experiences. Amen.

※Questions※

1) Is there someone in the body of Christ with whom you are angry? Pray for them. Ask for the peace of the Holy Spirit to fall upon and fill both them and you.

2) How can you work to be one with your brothers and sisters in Christ while you have differing opinions?

3) How does the concept of Jesus before family still cause you and others trials?

2020 08 13
Even to…

Acts 11:1–18; Galatians 3:27–29

Depending on the translation, Acts 11:18 is phrased something akin to, “even the Gentiles got the gift.” It’s not exactly the most positive response. It shows us that at the beginning of the church the new reality of a faith that transcended Gentile and Jew still had to be learned.

We are still confronting this today. As of right now, the current cultural memes of concern are women and minorities (specifically, African-Americans). While there are understandable scriptural interpretations in other denominations and traditions not allowing women as leaders in the church, it often has gone hand-in-hand with demeaning women.

Even in the Church of the Nazarene (the denominational perspective from which I attempt to write), there has been the theological acceptance of women as leaders, but the cultural acceptance of such has been a significant issue.

While the Church of the Nazarene has been effective in other nations and cultures, within the confines of the US, the denomination has been predominately white. Both situations leave the Church of the Nazarene in conflict with itself.

The blessing of the cultural memes that have been disrupting our society is that the Church of the Nazarene just might be confronting the incongruities with a plan to fix it. Just as in society-at-large, the fix will be slow and hard.

The denomination is trying to fully live out what it does believe but has been mired in the culture from which it came.

What does this have to do with, “even them”? One of the founding churches of the Church of the Nazarene (it was a number of churches that decided to band together) was in the “skid row” area of Los Angeles. Alcoholism, drunkenness, prostitution all had a prominent and visible place there.

“The least, the last, the lost” were those served by that church, and who the church sought to bring into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

This comes from the older “Wesleyan” tradition, where John Wesley preached outdoors to the miners who were often banned from church as the coal dust would follow them. They were a new kind of “unclean.”

Even they were called into relationship with Jesus Christ. Even to them was the Gospel message sent.

“Even” sounds so belittling, yet we use similar language and constructs when we talk about “Democrats” or “Republicans” or “Trump-ers” or “Never Trump-ers” or immigrants (documented or not) or Muslims or Hindus or…you name them.

Why do we try to limit the Gospel? What is it we hope to achieve?

We often think we don’t limit the gospel, but what about that different person who walks through the door at church (if you’re worshiping there)? How about that person walking down the street talking to themselves?

To even them…

※Prayer※

Jesus, thank you for your Gospel. Holy Spirit, guide to those you have for us to share the message of Jesus with. Amen.

※Questions※

1) Can you think of a people group that you are inclined to think of as “even them”? Why do think that is?

2) Why do we often think in terms of us and them?

2020 08 12
Heart of Money; Heart of Mercy

2 Corinthians 8:1–15; 1 Timothy 6:17–19

Generosity is a good thing. A generous heart is a good thing.

Paul encouraged generosity among the churches. The churches would care for one another as they were going through trials (famines, war, etc.). The graciousness of one church gave life to another church.

The churches did not do this to receive; they did it out of generous hearts.

The US churches have been known around the world for their generosity. The US churches were so effective, that they deeply affected US culture to also be generous.

Except, that seems to be waning. Both the US church and the US population is becoming less generous. A lot of that is likely due to fear. However, much of that seems to also be an expectation of reciprocity. In other words, “what do we get out of it?”

The other part of the waning aspect may actually be the most concerning. This is the “washing of hands” part. I’ve given my money to the cause (church, politics, NGO, etc.). I have done my duty, and I can go on living.

We can be generous with money, but not with our hearts. We can be generous with our hearts, but not our money. However, being generous in one area and not in the other, really means that we are generous at all. It is an all or nothing situation.

It sounds harsh. It is. It sounds impossible. It just might be. Or, at least impossible without God.

How generosity actually takes place is not a fixed recipe. The people of Macedonia were generous to the best of their capability. The churches of Corinth may have had a greater capacity to be financially generous.

The people of Macedonia were not absolved of financial generosity. It was to the best of their means and through generous hearts. They prayed. Pray generously!

The people of Corinth may have been capable of giving far more than the people of Macedonia. That didn’t absolve them from praying. It is both/and.

The church, as a whole, is struggling financially. The patterns of the past are broken. Truly, the church is in (or should be in) a hugely transformative process.

While you may be giving as you have, just because a building (even the church building) is closed, doesn’t absolve you of the mission of loving people generously.

What loving a person does to live generously at this time is a little strange. It could be going “old” school and calling people. It could be texting them. It could be emailing them. It could even be sending a letter.

Giving financially is part of the Christian life, and so is living generously in others’ lives. The rhythm of life may mean different forms of generosity at different times. However, a single form of generosity is not living life generously, it is living life monotonously.

※Prayer※

Holy Spirit, give us hearts that beat with your generosity. May we live generously through your power. Amen.

※Questions※

1) How do you give generously? How do you live generously?

2) Why do you think both financial and life generosity are important?

3) Which area do you need to live or give more generously? Why do you say that?

2020 08 09
Clothed in Rags

Psalm 94; Luke 6:27–36; 1 Corinthians 4:9–13

Bless your enemies. Except “bless” means something more than just be nice or even help them. “Bless” means to ask for God’s divine favor to come on them.

We all want blessings, but we are being called to ask for God’s blessings for those who make our lives difficult, miserable, or (in some extreme cases) seek to kill us. This is a high bar of expectation. It’s a hard high bar of expectation.

In many respects, this may be the hardest teaching of Jesus. To assuage our own feelings of anger, betrayal, and trespass, we want vengeance! We want victory! We want justice!

“For [the Most High] is gracious to the ungrateful and evil.” (Luke 5:35)

“That is foolish,” proclaims the world. The world is right, from the world’s perspective. From God’s perspective, however, foolish is following the world.

Paul declared himself a disgraced spectacle that the world spat upon. Yet, Paul was determined to carry on. He chose a path to bless others and to be gracious to others.

This world could use a lot more of this, don’t you think?

However, the problem is that we want others to do it first. This isn’t the path that Jesus set out.

The world has taught us that a win-win scenario is false. Or to put it another way, that life is a zero-sum game. The world is correct. It is their math that this the problem.

The world’s math does not include God. The world’s math does not include Jesus (unless he can be used to make money). The world’s math is incapable of including the Holy Spirit.

So, why, as believers…as children of God…do we assume the world’s math is correct?

Yet, we do. We say #itrustGod and live as if the world’s math is correct.

What has also become increasingly clear is that the church has long been dressed-up in the world. Now the world is handing us filthy rags to wear, and we are offended. We took the nice clothes from the world already, if the world is done with us, why would they want to give us nice things?

So, what are we to do with the rags of the world? Realize they are the rags of a world that is passing away. We still have our “clothing of white”. Even in its “not yet” state (i.e., we don’t have it yet), it is still better than the finest clothes of the world.

※Prayer※

Father God, help us to look at the world as you do…a place that is passing away. Help us recall where we are called to live eternally and to look at the world through your eternal eyes. Amen.

※Questions※

1) What is something that you need to surrender to the world?

2) What is something that you need to surrender to God?

3) How are these two things the opposite side of the same coin?

2020 08 08