I Will Be Held Accountable for Living at the Dawn of the 21st Century

It may seem weird to you; but I’ll start this off by asserting that my iPhone 5S, a number of good apps, some great websites & the proliferation of WiFi are clumped together as the greatest double-edged sword of my spiritual growth.

I grew up hearing about remote tribes of people hearing about Jesus for the first time thanks to the extreme dedication of a Christian who was willing to pack up and go to parts unknown with a Bible in hand.  But in 2014, although some people groups are still isolated, a vast majority of planet earth has some level of connectivity with other large swaths of the world’s population, thanks to the web.

Currently in my late 20s, I am being discipled in a world where some of the best preachers and Bible teaching are only a click away.  My phone automatically downloads in podcast form the weekly sermons of J.D. Greear, Matt Chandler & other solid teachers.  I only tap a couple of times to be able to listen to the Word of God explained clearly! (Let alone the privilege of having the Bible in my hands in the first place.) 

As it relates to being a steward of the Gospel for both proclamation and sanctification, these words haunt me:

“And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished. But someone who does not know, and then does something wrong, will be punished only lightly. When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” 

-Jesus, recorded in Luke 12:47-48 NLT

Let’s drink deeply of all the blessing God has made accessible, folks.  And let’s turn around and bless the world.

Receive. Reject. Redeem. Repeat. (If Hitler…Bad Idea Part 2 of 2)

In a culture that polarizes almost everything, it’s understandable when someone is trying to grapple with a new Jesus-centric worldview and attempts to sort all areas of life into good and bad.

This is, I believe, what is going on when some Christians get rid of books, movies and music that aren’t explicitly “Christian” (whatever that means) and start buying media that is.  There’s just one problem with that: the Bible.

The story of God is not one of Him sorting the good people and bad people into two separate piles and burning one.  The story is of an entire race(human) rebelling against God and being “bad.”  It’s a story of that merciful God dying in the place of the guilty to create a third pile:  the redeemed.

So when I come to Christ, what do I do with music?  Receive it as it is?  Reject it?  Or redeem it?

When I come to Christ, what do I do with sex?  Receive it as it has been?  Abstain altogether?  Or redeem it?

What about food?  Before I knew Christ, I was a glutton.  Do I keep eating as I have?  Do I never eat again?  Or do I use it as something to sustain the body that God has entrusted to me?

You could summarize the Christian life, if you wanted to, into these four words:

RECEIVE.  REJECT.  REDEEM.  REPEAT.

Death is Mandatory, But Remembering is Optional

People my age tend to think they will live forever.

But when living in light of Jesus’ command to make disciples, one has to ask the question: “Will any of my family, friends, coworkers or neighbors remember the Gospel that I taught, shared, and advocated for when I’m gone?”

This struck me last week as I read through 1 Peter and found a man who seems aware that his physical death is imminent; and he is more focused than ever on just one thing: ensuring that the flock of God remembers the Gospel of God.  Peter says this:

“Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.”

-1 Peter 1:12-15 NLT

Peter had some decent life accomplishments, to be sure: He walked on water when no other disciple had the faith to do it, he was commissioned by Christ Himself to “feed” His sheep, and his shadow healed people at one point.  Wow.

But Peter didn’t want the Church to remember him.  There was someone else who deserved glory.  What a strong word for those of us in pastoral ministry.  What a rebuke for me at times.

Lord, lead pastors not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

How to Develop Vibrant Small Groups (Post 1 of 8)

This series of posts is primarily for the benefit of my home church 14th Ave Baptist Church in Sacramento,CA, but if it can be a blessing to others, then great!  I will be posting in this series every Monday.  I look forward to great comments from everyone!

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Part 1: Safety That Flows From the Gospel

Many a small group leader has been frustrated at times when trying to get people to open up and be real with the rest of the group. Sometimes the individuals that want to hide can do so quite easily because the talkers in the group won’t stop for a breath; or maybe when the group leader asks the “hider” a question to draw them in, they give a superficial answer.

What I’m about to advocate does not solve this problem every time, but it is foundational to creating safety.

A group that understands the Gospel of Jesus Christ will naturally provide the safety that we want to feel in a group before we share. If the group believes that a perfect world was maligned by human rebellion against our Creator, that all of us are implicated in that treason, that Christ alone provides reconciliation between God and man, that holiness in this life is a constant struggle in the Christian’s life, and that success in spiritual growth is found only in God’s power, to God’s glory, then it’s hard for the group to look down their noses at other peoples’ weaknesses, isn’t it?

If…..Jesus is the Savior and the Hero          Then…..I can share in a way that is honest about my weaknesses.

If…..I share honestly about my weaknesses          Then…..The group has the opportunity to respond with condemnation of my sin OR with the grace the Gospel dispenses.

If…..The group responds in a Gospel-centered way       Then…..Others know that this group is a safe place to be real.