So Much More…

Proverbs 29:7

The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

If I call myself a Disciple but don’t give the poor a second thought, what does that say about me?

If I call myself a Disciple but don’t have time for my neighbor, what does that say about me?

If I call myself a Disciple but don’t feel compassion for the hurting, what does that say about me?

There may be more to this whole Disciple thing than I used to think…  Maybe our whole approach to being a Disciple has been flawed…  An hour of church, a two hour small group, a ten minute Bible study and run to heaven as fast as you can.

If I give my money to the church, spend time praying and reading the Bible every day, and never miss a Sunday, God will still be waiting for more from me.  James 2:26 – Faith without deeds is dead.

So, what do you call yourself?  What do your neighbors call you?

“I Am The Resurrection” – Part 4 of 4

“Some Things Have To Die Before They Can Heal”

John 11:38-44

Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb.  It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance.  ”Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

So they took away the stone.  Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.  I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”

When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Martha hoped Jesus would come heal her brother.  Mary hoped Jesus would come heal her brother.  Their friends hoped Jesus would come heal their brother.  But He didn’t.  He showed up too late and Lazarus died.  And He didn’t just show up a little late, He was four days late.  Lazarus died and the funeral happened and Jesus wasn’t there.  And everyone had this thought in the back of their head that Jesus had just forgotten them…

A popular Jewish belief was that the spirit hovered in and around the body for 3 days after death.  Remember, Lazarus has been dead for 4 days before Jesus shows up and says, “Open the tomb!”  Imagine the shock and offense the people who’ve been huddled together mourning for days would’ve felt when they heard this so-called “friend” demand to open the tomb.  I can hear them now…  ”Jesus didn’t even come to the funeral.”  ”Who does Jesus think He is showing up after all the work’s done and walking around like He owns the place.”  ”He didn’t bring anything to the funeral dinner but I bet He’s gonna want to eat.”

Seriously, if Jesus wanted to do something, why didn’t He do it already, before all hope was lost?  Why did He wait 4 days, when everyone knew there was a 3 day time limit on bringing dead people back to life?  Actually, why did He wait for Lazarus to die when it obviously would’ve been easier to heal him than resurrect him?

Jesus waited because some things have to die before they can heal. Whether it’s a habit, an addiction, a relationship, or hidden thoughts, it needs to die before it can heal.

Lazarus spent days, weeks maybe, on a sickbed before he eventually died.  Four days later, he walked out of a tomb healthier than he’d ever been, ready to live out the remaining years of his life.  His sickness was gone.  His pain was forgotten.  His body wasn’t broken any longer.  He died to be reborn.

What in your life needs to die?  What needs to be buried and sealed away in a tomb so that Jesus can heal you?  Maybe you’ve been waiting and waiting for Jesus to heal you and you’ve started questioning whether He really cares.  You want to be different, but you catch yourself thinking the same old things and doing the same old junk.  And at night you find yourself screaming, “WHY?!?”

Here’s the answer…  You haven’t really died yet.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” You know where the old went?  It got buried.  Friend, it’s time to have a funeral…

A Rockin’ Prayer

A guy was baptized right after church tonight and then we gathered to pray for him and his family.  While praying, a 4 year old girl prayed this prayer…  (It rocks!)

Dear God,

Thank you for this wonderful man.  Thank you…  Thank you…  Thank you for making him a human.  I love what you have brought us.  Amen

“I Am The Resurrection” – Part 3 of 4

“Jesus Weeps For Unbelief”

John 11:28-37

After she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside.  ”The Teacher is here,” she said, “and is asking for you.”  When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to him.  Now Jesus had not yet entered the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him.  When the Jews who had been with Mary in the house, comforting her, noticed how quickly she got up and went out, they followed her, supposing she was going to the tomb to mourn there.

When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.  ”Where have you laid him?” he asked.

“Come and see, Lord,” they replied.

Jesus wept.

Then the Jews said, “See how he loved him!”

But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

If you’re anything like me, your natural reaction to pain and disappointment is often to get angry at something or someone.  When someone breaks our heart, we begin to build bitterness toward them.  When someone betrays us, we start spreading the story so “everyone will know what they did.”  When someone dies, we often direct our grief, doubt and anger at God.  Because we’ve been told all our lives that God loves us.  Well, if that’s true, how could He possibly let my grandma/aunt/cousin/mom/dad/sister die?  I don’t know what loss you’ve experienced, but fill in the blank…  ”God, how could you let ________ die?”  Or maybe you’ve even gone this far…  ”God, I can’t believe You’d do this to me!  I hate you!”

In verse 21, Martha accuses Jesus of not coming in time.  “If you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” In verse 32, Mary echoes her words…  “If you’d been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” In verse 37, random people start saying things like, “Couldn’t Jesus have kept Lazarus from dying?” Reading between the lines, I can just imagine the conversations that had been happening over the four days between Lazarus’ death and Jesus’ arrival.  I can just almost hear a crowd turning into a mob.  I can sense the tension of friends turning bitter and entertaining anger.  I can feel the pain that Jesus must have felt to arrive and hear His friends, His followers, questioning Him and accusing Him.

It’s at this moment that John tells us Jesus’ only reaction is to start crying.  Why would He do that?  Is it because His friend has died?  Well, maybe, but He actually knows He’s getting ready to bring Lazarus back to life.  So why would He cry right now, moments before He restores Lazarus’ life?

Jesus always weeeps over unbelief. God’s heart breaks when His creation rejects Him and refuses to believe in Him.  When followers of the Resurrection don’t believe death can be defeated, it breaks the heart of the Resurrecter.

Do you believe?  Or are you angry at God?  Are you doubting God?  Are you questioning the power to resurrect?  Is God weeping over you?

“I Am The Resurrection” – Part 2 of 4

“Jesus Impacts EVERYTHING”

John 11:17-27

On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.  Now Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,  and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.  When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.

“Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.  But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.  Anyone who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die.  Do you believe this?”

“Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

How often do we try to let Jesus impact a little of our life but not all of our life?  We have no problem with surrendering this part of our life or that part, but there are some parts that are just way too risky to surrender.  And seriously, Jesus didn’t really expect me surrender everything, did He?  I’ll surrender the way I talk, no problem.  But, don’t even think about coming after my inner thoughts.  I’ll give up R-rated movies, but my music is something else entirely.  How about a couple hours on Sunday, maybe…  Saturday night, most definitely not.

Martha, like most of us, just didn’t get it.  She believed Jesus was the Messiah…  So do I.  She believed that Jesus was God’s Son…  So do I.  I go even further than she did…  I believe Jesus died on a cross to pay for my sin and I believe He was buried and came back to life.  But believing He died for me and brought Himself back to life isn’t enough.  Not by itself.

Jesus asked Martha if she believed He was the “resurrection” and that anyone who believed in Him would never die and she dodged the question with a perfect Sunday School answer.  ”Is Jesus the resurrection?”  ”Um, uh…  Jesus is the Son of God!”

Martha loved the idea that Jesus was the Messiah, but she couldn’t wrap her mind around the idea that Jesus was the Resurrection.  She was standing right in front of the embodiment of the power over death and just couldn’t get it.  And because she couldn’t figure that out, she wouldn’t let Jesus impact everything in her life.

Jesus’ power over death – being the “resurrection” – changes everything about everything.  But only if you believe it’s true.

“I Am The Resurrection” – Part 1 of 4

“Jesus Loves You Enough To Make You Wait”

John 11:1-15

Now a man named Lazarus was sick.  He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death.  No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

“But Rabbi,” they said, “a short while ago the Jews there tried to stone you, and yet you are going back?”

Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight?  Those who walk in the daytime will not stumble, for they see by this world’s light. It is when people walk at night that they stumble, for they have no light.”

After he had said this, he went on to tell them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up.”

His disciples replied, “Lord, if he sleeps, he will get better.” Jesus had been speaking of his death, but his disciples thought he meant natural sleep.

So then he told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead, and for your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe.  But let us go to him.”

I don’t know about you, but when my best friend hurts, I hurt for him.  If he’s sick, or in trouble, let alone dying, I want to do whatever I can to help him out…

That’s why I have such a hard time understanding Jesus’ reaction when a servant comes running up and tells Him that His friend is dying.  I mean, Jesus is the epitome of love, grace and compassion, right?  So, it makes sense that we would see Him jumping off His chair and rushing off toward Bethany.  But, the reality is that Jesus does…  nothing.  Not a single thing.  He doesn’t get upset or worried.  He doesn’t send flowers or a card.  He doesn’t hurry on His way.  He just went on teaching and healing a bunch of people He’d never even met, while his friend died.

I have a problem with that.  I have a problem with a Savior who doesn’t want to save His friends.  I have a problem with a Savior who doesn’t love His people.

Or does He?

Check out the second paragraph…  ”Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.  So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days, and then said to his disciples, ‘Let us go back to Judea.’”

Wait just a minute!  Maybe Jesus had something bigger in mind…  Maybe He had a bigger plan that only He knew…  Maybe Jesus’ love and compassion is wiser than ours…

Jesus waited two more days because He loved His friends.  And He knew that they needed to experience Lazarus’ death to fully understand the resurrection.  Sometimes, Jesus loves His people enough to make them wait.

Jesus knows that pain builds character and time creates patience.  Jesus knows that we need our experiences, both good and bad, to reach the potential He sees in us.

So, the next time something truly terrible happens in your life and you want to just throw your hands up in the air and give up on life, stop and ask yourself if maybe God has a bigger plan.  The next time you’re life turns to night, consider that maybe, just maybe, God’s loving you enough to make you wait for the dawn.  Embrace it, learn from it, grow through it and worship throughout it.

What If We Threw The Buts Out?

Posted by Mike Foster:

You know what frustrates me the most? When I hear the word “BUT” in conversations about second chances.

What does the word “BUT” do:

“BUT” is about caution. “BUT” is about holding back just a little. “BUT” is our escape route. “BUT” is our Plan B.

Plain and simple: IT’S THE WATERING DOWN OF RADICAL GRACE!

Instead of passionately going for it and risking everything we place our trust in the “BUT.”

Tell me if you’ve heard or thought this before about second chances:

“But what if he cheats again?” “But what if they aren’t truly sorry?” “But what if it doesn’t work out?” “But some people say…”

All those “BUTS” have the same predictable result. No real change. No grace revolution. It’s just business as usual. And quite frankly, I’m tired of business as usual!

When I daydream I often wonder what kind of world it would be if we all pushed through our fear, prejudice, and judgment and fully surrendered to a movement of radical grace.

Are you with me? Are you ready to go for it?

The path is clear..The only way we get there is by throwing the “BUTS” out!

Beginning And End

Revelation 22:12-13

“Look, I am coming soon!  My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what they have done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

I just finished the B90X!  It’s been an incredibly challenging 90 days, as I’ve worked to read the entire Bible.  I’ve got to admit that I’ve never really ever read the entire Bible before, let alone in a 3 month period.  And it was awesome.

It begins with, “In the beginning,” and ends with, “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people.  Amen.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says, “He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”  God’s writing a story and He’s included me right in the middle of it!  Right next to you.  God’s story started with absolutely nothing (except, well, God) and will end with an entire Kingdom devoted to its King.

If you’re reading this, then you’re chapter has already started and the question of the hour is, how will you end?  Where will you end?  Choose God and live!

Why Do It?

“If you’re not excited by it, why do you do it?” -Night At The Museum 2

So I’m sitting here watching a goofy movie and all of a sudden, this line jumps out at me…  I’ve got to admit that there are times when I just sit around wondering, “Why do I do this?”  And I question why I put myself through the stress and the worry and the disappointment of watching people make poor decisions…  Ultimately, what keeps me going is that it’s so stinkin’ exciting for me to see real, honest-to-goodness change in someone’s life!  If just one person changes because I help take the Gospel into their life, then it’s worth everything.

So, I ask you, are you really, truly excited by what you do?  And if you aren’t, why do you do it and what should you be doing?

Walk Away

2 Timothy 2:23-24

Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels.  And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.

Some people have an uncanny ability to draw me into the stupidest arguments.  I don’t know why it’s so stinkin’ hard to resist certain people and arguments, but for some reason, it is.  I remember spending an entire Wednesday afternoon one week arguing over a 3′ by 5′ space in a storage closet.  Ridiculous, I know…  Definitely not my proudest memory.

Why is it so hard to detach ourselves from silly, petty little squabbles?  What causes us to fail in God’s command?  Is it the honest belief that we’re right?  Is it simple competitiveness?  The desire to always be right?  Yes.

If I wasn’t so caught up in making sure I came out of every interaction looking good and strong and in control, I wouldn’t mind letting go of pointless arguments, even if it looked like I backed down.

And maybe, just maybe, if I walked away from pure stupidity more often, I would have more time, energy and focus to face situations that are actually meaningful.

And, in the end, stupidity is shown for what it is.  By walking away, I guarantee that I don’t get caught in the character fallout that’s sure to come.