Now That's Good News!

It is fairly common to interpret the Bible through the lenses of personal bias, group associations, or even convenience. A person can approach the Bible, read a certain section for many months and even years, and seek to read into it something that is not there. For years I have heard through preaching and books that one key role of the Holy Spirit is to convict/convince the world of sin. Sin would cover all of the unrighteous acts that humanity commits repeatedly. The purpose of a preacher and a church is to point out the wrong that people do and urge them to "repent" and believe in Jesus.

Do we need to repent? Yes. Do we need to believe in Jesus? Yes. But the critical issue that makes all the difference in the world is what is it that we need to repent of? In John 16:7-9 Jesus explains what the repentance is for. " But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate[a] (the Holy Spirit) won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me (John 16:7-9 NLT).”

We by nature trust our judgment. We trust our decision-making. We are self-reliant. We believe that within us lies the ability to overcome any problem that may arise. Is that not the source of our problems in life? Is that not the reason we run into so many dead ends? Repentance is not a negative. It is a positive! Jesus is telling us that the chief sin in our life is refusing to believe in/trust in/have faith in Jesus. He is telling us “stop doing things your way, and do things my way.” Turn from a life of self-reliance and turn to a life of dependence on Jesus.

He is offering us eternal life, meaning HIS life within us by the Holy Spirit. When we trust in Jesus, we receive divine life, eternal life, the life of Christ within our very being. That is why the chief sin is refusing to believe in him. For it is only through the Holy Spirit living in us that we overcome this sin or that sin. So the message, the Good News, the Gospel, is that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead with forgiveness in his hands for all who trust him. That we can have a life in which we know and experience the great love that God has for us. That we can live a life not based on do’s and don’ts but on listening and following the leading and direction of God’s Spirit within us. That we can live a life where we are not slaves to our desires and impulses.

Ladies and gentlemen this is called the New Covenant and it is what the Lord Jesus Christ has established. Don’t you want to be a part of it?

Religion is a Big Turkey

I've been reading through the Gospel of John and the Book of Acts the past few months and a startling theme has emerged that is playing itself out everyday. The "People of God" have a severe problem with being "Holier than thou!" The Jews developed the belief over time that contact, interaction, and association with non-Jews would make them unclean. UNCLEAN!

Jesus, when asked to show his disciples the Heavenly Father, responded by saying "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father."We have many ideas about what God is like, but make no mistake: everything we can know about God is revealed to us by looking at Jesus Christ. "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known (John 1:18 NIV)." So if we want to know "What is God like?" we simply look at Jesus.

Jesus interacted with EVERYBODY. That was the scandal of his life! He did not play favorites, or make anyone feel dehumanized. He gave value to everyone that he came into contact with and validated their worth. He gave the religious and "sinner" hope in that they all came to hear of the love of God to all. The Good News that this great God that created heaven and earth loves you, and has come to live among you so that you can see in person what He is like. That he will forgive all of your sins and give you the difference maker-eternal life. His life living inside of you. Hallelujah! All through trusting Jesus.

But what we find in the days of Jesus' trial and crucifixion is a group that wants him put to death parading him from one building to another. He is brought before the High Priest and charged with blasphemy. He then is taken to Pilate and see what is said: "Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover (John 18:28)." In Acts 10 Peter has a vision in which the Lord shows him not to call unclean anything that he calls clean. He then is summoned to go to the home of a Roman Centurion where upon entering he lets them know up front "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him. But God has shown me that I should not call any man impure or unclean (Acts 10:28)." This man's family became followers of Christ and there was great joy at the Gospel being extended to people outside of the Jewish lineage. However when the word got back to Jerusalem about what happened, Peter was criticized for GOING INTO THE HOME OF NON-JEWS (Acts 11:2-3).

Oh what barriers we put up in front of people when it comes to believing in Christ! We make it seem that he is unapproachable. We preach to people the horror of hell instead of the Good News of the Kingdom. We make people feel guilty about their lives instead of recognizing this: God is already at work in the lives of people. The Holy Spirit opens the eyes of people about their sin. As He does this He allows the followers of Christ to enter in with.........The Good News! Instead we condemn and separate ourselves from those that are not like-minded. We become righteousness focused instead of Christ-focused. Jesus IS our righteousness (righteousness, sanctification, and redemption -1 Cor. 1:30). We make some one's sin seem like it's the worst thing in the world (because we don't struggle with it). We preach a bait and switch Gospel: Come to Jesus as you are, but now that you believe here is a list of things you have to do. And tragically, the longer we are in Christ the fewer and fewer non-believing friends we have. We justify it by quoting scripture: "Come out from among them and be separate...Light has no fellowship with darkness....be not unequally yoked with unbelievers." All true scripture, but taken out of context when it comes to being friends with people that do not believe, think or act like us. I have been there, done that and it is a sanitized version of life. It is artificial. It is stagnant. It is toxic. It is not Christ-like.

Make a friend with someone that does not go to your church or believe in Christ. Just be a friend with no strings attached. And see what happens. I assure you that the sky will not fall. And maybe just maybe they will get a glimpse of this Savior who said that he did not come into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:17).

Mannequins and Masks

I have been underground in the lab for a minute, taking a break from the routine of life. Reading, researching, reflecting, re-purposing, and re-engaging. So what are the results? There is a degree of worldliness reflected in Church Life that is staggering! In Christian circles, worldliness is historically categorized by how you dress, what music you listen to, what movies you see, how close you are to people that are not Christians and so on. However, worldliness goes beyond those things. Are the middle class values of safety, security, and the American Dream worldly values held on to by the Church? Is it worldly to share the viewpoint that the poor, unemployed, homeless, and destitute have always brought their troubles on themselves? Is it worldly to pursue and proclaim prosperity as a Biblical value when history shows otherwise? Is it worldly to establish leadership structures in churches that mirror Wall St more than the Via Dolorosa?

As I read the Bible, study the landscape of the world, and listen to cutting edge Christian leaders I am convinced that the way we "do church" is a poor substitute for God's design. I challenge anyone to read Luke 10, the Gospel of John, and the Book of Acts and compare it to what we do today. Jesus did not tell us to plant churches. He told us to make disciples. He said that HE would build his church. We have instead built churches, preached the Romans Road instead of the Gospel of the Kingdom, gotten decisions, made converts, and wondered why people are going in and out of our churches so frequently.

Everything and I mean everything starts with a heavenly revelation of who Jesus Christ is! This is the rock that the gates of Hell cannot prevail against. Somebody has to take a stand for the truth! Let it begin with me.

I Never Want To Graduate

I have had the wonderful privilege this year of being reminded of some important things that I had lost sight of in my walk with Jesus. My faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but the power of God (1 Corinthians 2:4-5). I should trust the Lord Jesus Christ first and foremost concerning the affairs of my life. The Holy Spirit, who is the Spirit of Christ, is the source of my life. The Gospel is life-giving, life-changing, and truly good news. It is not just about conversion but it is a way of life. That God uses everybody in his Kingdom, not just the chosen few.

The Lord uses disappointments to clarify vision, reset foundations, and re-direct paths. I have realized that my dream from twenty years ago is not so far-fetched but is indeed viable and attainable. I have come to grips with my quirkiness and while I wish that everybody in the body of Christ understood me, I realize that I am who I am by the grace of God. He does not want me to be a clone, but the unique person he made me to be. I understand my gifts and realize that I have to work in concert with other believers in order for the Lord to accomplish what he desires to through me.

So the cross, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus as Lord are the realities I've experienced this year. The best thing that I have learned is that you never graduate from Jesus being the center of everything. Strong meat and "deeper teachings" should all have Jesus as the Alpha and Omega and everything in between. Nothing too profound here but thoughts to consider.

These books have really helped me this year and I highly recommend them to you.

DETOX FOR THE OVERLY RELIGIOUS by Dave Putman
THE TANGIBLE KINGDOM by Hugh Halter
THE FORGOTTEN WAYS by Alan Hirsch
DREAM B.I.G. IN 3D by Paul Wilson, Jr.
THE JESUS MANIFESTO by Frank Viola and Leonard Sweet
ORGANIC CHURCH by Neil Cole

Stop The Bleeding

A hemorrhage is a medical condition that results in the loss of blood either internally or externally. According to Wikipedia there are two causes of hemorrhaging: blunt trauma to the body, and underlying medical conditions. Add to that a third cause, which is hemmorhaging that occurs as a side effect to medication. In other words hemorrhaging that happens because of the introduction of a foreign substance to the body.

It is no secret that Christ refers to all that put their trust in him as the Body of Christ. Paul says in 1 Corinthians that we are the Body of Christ, but members in particular. A gathering of Christians who meet together on a regular basis would be considered "members in particular." If the life of the human body is found in the blood, then the spiritual counterpart in a church assembly would be the members. What causes a Church to hemorrhage members?

While many things could be listed, the introduction of a foreign substance to the body is the chief culprit. We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ. We live by faith in Jesus Christ. We shall go to heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. The foreign substance is ANY TEACHING AND PRACTICE THAT DOES NOT HAVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AS THE FOCUS. Leadership idolatry (cult of leadership), ambition, traditions, pet doctrines, spiritual elitism, spiritual profiteering, and the clergy/laity dichotomy can all turn believers away from a church assembly. If Jesus is not in charge, then we're in charge. And if we're in charge then a mess will be made.

The answer is a return to our first love. There is nothing that we can present, no method that we can devise that is more profound than Jesus of Nazareth! Born of a virgin, born in an impoverished setting. Being God yet willingly subjecting himself as a Son. Friend of the underbelly of society, yet available to all, rich and poor, that call on Him. There is no one and nothing greater than Jesus!

The church grew from 25,000 in the first century to 25 million in the third century, without programs, buildings, and under heavy persecution. All they had was Jesus Christ living in them by the Holy Spirit, and fragments of the scripture.

Stop the bleeding! As the Sugar Hill Gang said, "it's on you, so what you gonna do?"

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Open Your Eyes

In America we make it seem like the only places you can meet Jesus and

have an encounter with God is at a church service, leadership service, or missions trip.

However, I want to see God working in the midst of where I am. I have been

guilty of chasing after places and things where I think God will show

up. It made me like that person in a crowd who is on their tippy toes

trying to see something away from where they are standing. But recent

disappointments have allowed me to reassess and take a new look

around.

What I realize is that we are missing out on one of the great

realities and mysteries of following Christ. God's spirit is

everywhere. The Lord fills Heaven and Earth. Yet He chooses to make

His home inside of little old you and me! And He is at work on our

jobs, in our neighborhoods, and our homes. And he desires to change

lives in these areas THROUGH YOU AND ME!

Do you believe that you can have an encounter with the living God on your 9-5?

Do you believe that you can be a vessel of the Lord Jesus Christ to

bring healing and hope to your neighbors?

Do you believe that the power of God can be unleashed in your home and family?

I do.

"..those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God" Romans 8:14

"...Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27

The Hangover

How many times have you experienced this: you have attended a conference in which you were blown away by the quality of the speakers, the impact of the messages, and the sense of God's presence? Have you labored tirelessly on a project and experienced the satisfaction of seeing it coming to fruition? I am sure that many of us have experienced the joy of having a goal, praying fervently about it, and then waiting for the results. And then it happens. We get back into our regular settings. We go home to the familiar. Our daily routines begin once again. And "The Hangover" happens. We have come down from the euphoria and "high" of our encounter with God and become overwhelmed with.......normalcy. Life resumes and it is....boring. You might say "God moved mightily.....We were so on fire.....We were ready to take over the world!" But you got home and....nothing. What happened? Where did the fire go?

Conferences begin months in advance with prayer. They continue in prayer leading up to the conference. They pray the day of the conference. And they look to see what God will do. It can be reduced to two things: prayer and anticipation. What's missing when we get home? Prayer and anticipation. We cease to look for God in our day to day lives. We might pray, but we don't anticipate that Jesus might intervene and show up in our lives and our circumstances on any given day.

So I am issuing a challenge. Invite some co-workers, classmates, or neighbors to meet with you daily for prayer at your job, business, school, or home. It does not matter whether they are Christian or not because God can take common interests and turn these into pathways to Jesus. Pray for the things that are relevant to your arena. DO NOT PRAY SIMPLY FOR GOD TO TAKE THOSE BAD PEOPLE AWAY BECAUSE THEIR BADNESS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW THEM THE TRUE CHARACTER OF JESUS CHRIST. His love, mercy, compassion, grace, righteousness, and peace.

It has been commonly said that God does nothing of significance, except through prayer. So your marching orders are to pray. And then look with anticipation for the hand of God to be evident wherever you are. I look forward to hearing the outcome.
Blessings,

J. Michael

Doing The Right Thing Hurts Sometimes

My job provides all sorts of life lessons. I work for a company that penalizes efficiency and placates sloth. Once when I complained of this to my manager, she said "That's just the (company's) way. " Well my efficiency and helpfulness around the office was rewarding by increasing my workload. Because I was hurt and angry, I vowed that at the first opportunity I would change assignments.
When the opportunity presented itself, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the new assignment. Instead of working at the same pace, I put it on cruise control. I mean after all, why should I bust my tail while somebody else is cruising along getting paid the same as me? . I was afraid of being penalized again for doing a good job. But the idea of slowing up and being "average" just did not sit well with me.
I looked around and prayed quietly "Lord what do I do?" He opened my eyes to see a different way, the Jesus way. What if I excelled in the performance of my duties in such a way that it provoked a reaction from my superiors? What if my workload was increased again as a result of my superior performance? What if I continued to perform at a high level, in spite of inequality in the work assignments? What will happen? True change will take place.
The success of the Civil Rights movement centered around the idea that America could be provoked to respond to the need for Civil Rights when they saw peaceful protesters being savagely mistreated by those who opposed change. The Bible says "Do not overcome evil with evil, but overcome evil with good." Evil looks REALLY bad when it is seated next to good. The Jesus way is to love your enemies, pray for people that mistreat you, love the unloveable, and to do the right thing in every circumstance. Is it possible, even probable, that you will be used a time or two? Certainly! Is it possible that you will be ridiculed? Sure. But as I look back at history, I have heard of a story where a good and righteous man who had every right to complain and assert his rights willingly gave up his rights. He did this, sacrificing his right to freedom, justice, and retribution in order to provoke change, a change that is still working almost 2000 years later!
So I am going to go back to being one of the best on my job. Let the chips fall where they may. This is not the easy way but the right way. My conscience is clear and God will be pleased. I will trust the outcome to him.

19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," a says the Lord. 20 Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them Ÿsomething to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you." b 21 Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good. Romans 12:19-21 NLT
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Watch Out Now!

The biggest idol we face in life is....our self. We love us some us. And we like everybody to think like us, agree with us, talk like us etc. And, sad to say, we are prone to remaking God in our own image. He believes what we believe, supports what we support, condemns what we condemn, and even looks like us!
I hear the raging battle in our country right now over Health Care Reform and it reminds me of a story in the Bible. Moses had died and his apprentice Joshua has assumed the leadership of the children of Israel. As preparation for battle was being made, Joshua encountered someone in his path.
"When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. And Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our adversaries?" 14 And he said, "No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, "What does my lord say to his servant?" 15 And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so." Joshua 5:13-15 ESV
It would have been easy for Joshua to assume that anybody that he did not know or recognize was against him. He is called after all to lead a nation into a land hostile to the ways of his people and the ways of The Lord. He was probably consumed with his mission. Look at his question: "Are you for us, or our adversaries?"
As we wage cultural wars and political debates we like to place people into boxes. We like to take polarizing, either/or positions. "He's liberal. I'm conservative. She's libertarian. He is watering down the message. And so on and so on. But there is The Third Way. The question (as cliched as it is)is not what side is God on, but are we on God's side? If we asked Jesus are you liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican, I believe that he would say "I AM THAT I AM!" "I am God."
May we all make sure that we are on the side of the one who says "I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come."
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Follow Me.....Really?

I had the pleasure and privilege of attending a conference this week that stirred my thoughts. Rick Warren shared that he used to really struggle with saying the words that Paul said "Follow me as I follow Christ." Then he said that as he grew he would rather that you follow him instead of some rock star, because at least he (Rick) is trying to do right.

We have a propensity to follow. People, trends, fads, fashions. You name it we follow. There is an element to our following others that paralyzes us, minimizes our influence, and leads to the endorsement of wrong things. Jesus says that "My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me." (John 10). However, we will follow someone or a point of view that we are uncomfortable with, or even see as wrong because......we don't want to stand out from others and be the Lone Ranger of truth in a sea of error. Why is that? There are two reasons (which really are the same): Fear of Man, and Fear of Embarassment.

At this same conference Dave Gibbons, a pastor out of California, shared something that is commonly believed in Christian circles. He shared that many people teach and believe that certain spiritual gifts stopped after the Apostles passed off the scene. It made me reflect on what I had been taught early on as a Christian (the same thing). We can be heavily influenced by the circles that we travel in, even taking positions not supported by scripture. We will deny the evidence because it cannot be explained by our system of beliefs. But what are we missing out on by not daring to follow Christ and those who are following HIM?

'Many people did believe in him, however, including some of the Jewish leaders. But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. 43 For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.' John 12:42-43


"Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Galatians 1:10

Stand for God's truth. And those who are following His truth. In Jesus name, Amen.