Minimizing me…making much of Jesus

Doing good does not MAKE you a disciple of Jesus — a believer, a follower of Christ, a child of God. Only the blood of Jesus, his atonement through his death and resurrection offered by His Holy Spirit in redemption, reconciliation, and restoration can MAKE you a disciple of Jesus. The only thing we offer is our repentance from sin and surrender to His invitation to make Him Lord.

BUT...doing good MARKS you as a disciple of Jesus. IF you are a follower of Jesus, one of the ways that others will be able to tell is by your love for one another - doing good all the time with all of ourselves.

Jesus told the disciples about what it would look like when He returns for those who have inherited His kingdom. He told them that they would be marked by their behavior. Matthew 25:35-40 “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, [36] I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ [37] Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? [38] And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? [39] And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [40] And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

Sometimes we get that wrong and assume we will be rewarded by doing the least of these, even though that’s not what the verse says – it says TO the least of these. Sometimes we want blessing, rewards, favor, acknowledgment, encouragement because we gave God an hour one Sunday last month when we attended church, or we gave him 15 minutes of Bible reading one Wednesday morning when we were sitting in line at the DMV, or because we gave our old VCR to a homeless shelter for the less fortunate. As we all well know, that list could go on and on.

In 2 Samuel 24, King David was told to go before the Lord, build an altar and make an offering on the altar. The guy who owned the place (the threshing floor) where David wanted to build the altar was willing to let him use it for his altar and even offered to give him the supplies he needed to make the offering. But David was not willing to accept this in order to offer it to the Lord. He said, “I will not offer to the Lord my God anything that cost me nothing.” He was not willing to give to God only what came easy or free to him – his leftovers. He bought the land on which the threshing floor sat as well as the animals, crops, and equipment on the land. This land later became the location of the Temple.

Doing the right things for the right reasons in the right ways at the right times is a MARK of a follower of Jesus. Our identity ALWAYS drives our behavior. We give things up. We make sacrifices. We surrender who we once were and submit ourselves to Him, His church, and His Way. How we live is determined by who we are.

What am I giving to God today that costs me nothing/little? What am I giving to God today that costs me my personal agenda, wants, desires, comforts, pleasures, etc.

Doing Good Matters – ALL THE TIME!

Doing good does not MAKE you a disciple of Jesus – a believer, a follower of Christ, a child of God. Only the blood of Jesus, his atonement through his death and resurrection offered by His Holy Spirit in redemption, reconciliation, and restoration can MAKE you a disciple of Jesus. The only thing we offer is our repentance from sin and surrender to His invitation to make Him Lord.

BUT…doing good MARKS you as a disciple of Jesus. IF you are a follower of Jesus, one of the ways that others will be able to tell is by your love for one another – doing good all the time with all of ourselves.

Jesus told the disciples about what it would look like when He returns for those who have inherited His kingdom. He told them that they would be marked by their behavior.

“For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, [36] I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ [37] Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? [38] And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? [39] And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [40] And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

Matthew 25:35-40

Sometimes we get that wrong and assume we will be rewarded by doing the least of these, even though that’s not what the verse says – it says TO the least of these. Sometimes we want blessing, rewards, favor, acknowledgment, encouragement because we gave God an hour one Sunday last month when we attended church, or we gave him 15 minutes of Bible reading one Wednesday morning when we were sitting in line at the DMV, or because we gave our old VCR to a homeless shelter for the less fortunate. As we all well know, that list could go on and on.

In 2 Samuel 24, King David was told to go before the Lord, build an altar and make an offering on the altar. The guy who owned the place (the threshing floor) where David wanted to build the altar was willing to let him use it for his altar and even offered to give him the supplies he needed to make the offering. But David was not willing to accept this in order to offer it to the Lord. He said, “I will not offer to the Lord my God anything that cost me nothing.” He was not willing to give to God only what came easy or free to him – his leftovers. He bought the land on which the threshing floor sat as well as the animals, crops, and equipment on the land. This land later became the location of the Temple.

Doing the right things for the right reasons in the right ways at the right times is a MARK of a follower of Jesus. Our identity ALWAYS drives our behavior. We give things up. We make sacrifices. We surrender who we once were and submit ourselves to Him, His church, and His Way. How we live is determined by who we are.

What am I giving to God today that costs me nothing/little? What am I giving to God today that costs me my personal agenda, wants, desires, comforts, pleasures, etc.

I was watching my great-niece Ellie play a pinball game that she had received as a gift the other day. As I watched, that little steel ball was bouncing from side to side, top to bottom, reacting quite aggressively to obstacles that it hit along the pinball’s slanted surface. Once she hit the steel ball with the paddles, she no longer had any control of the ball until it came back to her.

It reminded me of the culture in which we live…very little ACTION but a whole lot of REACTION. As we travel this journey of life, we often REACT to the opinions and REACTIONS of others as they REACT to the opinions and REACTIONS of even others. The irony is that within the same community, there can be a completely different set of people REACTING to a completely different set of opinions and REACTIONS that are a REACTION to the opinions and REACTIONS of others. This causes nothing but REACTIVE chaos and instability, everyone minding everyone else’s business but their own, worried, fearful, and angry over things for which they have no control.

There is nothing in this world that brings stability, peace, or control. It is only through the indwelling Spirit of God that we can find the peace that SURPASSES human comprehension, the stability and control to ACT on His presence and His truths rather than REACT to what’s going on around us. It is only through His power that we have the strength, wisdom and peace to ACT on His discerning Word.

As I often challenge followers of Jesus in my congregation and my virtual audience to pursue holiness and purity – to expose and confess offenses against God and humanity that creep into our lives through the world, the flesh and the devil – someone occasionally expresses concern that there’s not much grace in what I share…that it’s condemning, judgmental, and self-righteous.

It is not me (nor any other human) that condemns sin or judges others. That is not in our wheelhouse of responsibility or ability. Even if I attempt to do so, that in itself is an offense to God by pretending to usurp HIS AUTHORITY. My own life is a trainwreck without the powerful work of the Holy Spirit using God’s Word to convict me and transform me into the image of Jesus. God has already condemned and judged sin so that we are no longer in bondage to it. Jesus bore the full wrath of the Father and judgment for sin so that we can live free from its enslavement. THAT’s GRACE!!!!! And yes, God’s GRACE extends to every offense against His character, His nature, and His law by His followers until Jesus returns.

Here is where my challenge to purity and holiness SOUNDS LIKE condemnation, judgment, and self-righteousness: GRACE does not grant permission to live in the flesh; it supplies the power to live in the Spirit. Sometimes we (myself included) have a tendency to ABUSE God’s GRACE by excusing and indulging in behavior from which we have been ransomed by an extremely high price. Even if I’m a follower of Jesus – ESPECIALLY since I know the cost of His blood poured out for me, ESPECIALLY since I have His Spirit indwelling me and spiritually discerning His Word for me – SIN IS STILL AN OFFENSE TO THE CHARACTER, NATURE, AND LAW OF GOD.

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? BY NO MEANS! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

Romans 6:1-2

In addition to God’s Spirit and God’s Word, and the BLESSED HOPE of His glorious return and our eternal reward, we as His followers have been given the privilege and responsibility to walk in ACCOUNTABILITY with one another and to one another…for the Glory of God and the Good of His People. Together we live as conquerors over sin…not subject to it.

I am under no delusion that convincing you that I’m happy, confident, strong, empowered, independent, secure in my looks or physique, etc. will actually convince you OR me of any of those things. Those are all fleeting emotions that can change with one glance, comment, or lack thereof regardless of how many selfies you post. My flesh is consistently insecure and in bondage to public opinion and manipulation by the enemy. If I do not crucify my flesh daily, I will be in constant need of your approval and attention to what both you and I think of me.

— My only hope is radical surrender through submission, obedience, and commitment to the King of kings and Lord of lords.

— My only security is in the Originator and Perfecter of the faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

— My only strength is in the faithfulness of the God that resides in me.

— My only beauty is in the image of Jesus that the Spirit of God is transforming me into.

— My only power is in His resurrection.

— My only health is in His sovereign grace and providence.

— My only dependence is on Him who gave His life that I might have life and the interdependence of the community known as His Bride.

Parenting Well #753 – Lessons learned along the journey, through mistakes (personal and observed), hardships, consequences, struggles, hard work, failing, getting back up, falling again and trying again. #ParentingWell#C2Parenting

INSTRUCTION WITHOUT APPLICATION, DISCIPLINE, ACCOUNTABILITY AND CORRECTION IS FUTILE.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Don’t be a hypocrite. “Do as I say not as I do” is a straight path to frustration and confusion…for you and your child.

2. Don’t talk about it…BE about it. Don’t just talk the talk. Walk the walk. The world is full of talkers and you see how that is working out. Be an example of the Biblical behaviors you want to instill.

3. Don’t threaten without consistent followthrough. If you’re going to count, make sure they know what’s at the end of “3”…and it better not be “4”. If you’re not going to give the consequences that you set, save your breath and your self-respect. There are times to administer grace and mercy to those who are repentant and show remorse. That’s not the same thing as being undisciplined and lazy.

4. Don’t be lazy. Let’s just be honest, corrective behavior is sometimes more consequential for the parent. Proactive parenting is hard work. When you ground your children from devices and/or media, it might mean that you get to spend more time having conversations that include your children. THIS IS NOT A BAD THING. Don’t use devices and media as a babysitter because you’re too tired to deal with your kids.

5. Teach and model honor, dignity, and respect for other people. Use Mr. and Mrs., Miss, Dr., Pastor, Sir, Ma’am, etc with your children. Don’t interrupt. Don’t hit. Temper tantrums aren’t going to be public spectacles. If you’re going to create drama, it is for your eyes only and when you’re done, you may join the rest of the family and our friends.

6. Teach and model boundaries. If it doesn’t belong to you, don’t touch it. Teach your children to respect what belongs to others. Teach them to respect mom and dad’s things, grandma and grandpa’s things, brother and sister’s things, etc. Teach them to respect God’s things.

7. Teach and model that God is the center of the universe…not you. Lots of drama comes from catering to our children’s every whim and whimper. it is not our job to entertain our children, to provide them a device to keep them quiet while we talk, to let them run wild as long as they’re not bothering me. Hard to believe that not too long ago, there were no play places at restaurants, no tunnel towns or soft play areas, no apps or gaming systems. Some of the most creative people and intelligent people that have ever walked the face of the earth had public parks, grassy areas, piles of dirt, a doll, a dump truck, and an imagination.

8. Teach them to be minimalists early. It is a parent’s role to provide shelter, food, clothing, and necessities. It is a parent’s role to provide for basic needs. It is not our role and can actually be quite detrimental when we try to provide everything our child wants, everything their friends have, and everything we didn’t have when we were growing up.

9. Enjoy what you have and who you have. It’s so easy to always be on the run and on the lookout for the next “thing”, the next “event” or the next “person”. Let your kids see you enjoying what God has already given you and teach them to do the same.

10. Parent according to God’s example, Biblical instructions, and Biblical examples. Don’t parent from a deficit. Don’t try to do the right thing by being the opposite of the wrong examples you grew up with. Go to the source, not the “reaction”.

When you surrender yourself and your kids to the culture six days a week, what happens on Sunday morning in “your church” won’t really even register in your children’s value system, especially when they’re adults.

“We cannot continue to send our children to Caesar for their education and be surprised when they come home as Romans.”

This is not just in reference to the school classroom, though I’m a HUGE advocate of a good, consistently led homeschool education.

Caesar influences you and your kids on the ballfields and in the tournaments you play. Caesar rules on the playground and on playdates.

Caesar influences your family’s values through the media you watch and allows unmonitored on your kid’s devices.

Caesar influences your family’s values through the alternate reality in which they live through their gaming addictions.

If you are not deliberately intentional with sound doctrine, you will lose your children to Mordor and Sauron. Passive parenting yields to the enemy because the enemy (the world, the flesh, and the devil) is incredibly intentional through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. When sound doctrine is shelved and/or relegated to an hour on the Sundays “when it’s convenient” – our emotions, feelings, and impulses take over as reality. These “feelings” become the highest standard of our morals and ethics, rather than God’s Word and God’s Spirit.

A lot of people who profess to be followers of Jesus are really only admirers of Jesus. Jesus Christ didn’t call people to be admirers. He called us to be disciples…disciples who take up our symbol of death and follow Him in completely surrendered servitude. Sometimes, you may only be able to tell the difference between an admirer and a disciple when it comes time to suffer.

Nineteenth-century Christian philosopher Søren Kierkegaard, wrote, “The admirer never makes any true sacrifices. He always plays it safe. Though in words, phrases, songs, he is inexhaustible about how highly he prizes Christ, he renounces nothing, will not reconstruct his life, and will not let his life express what it is he supposedly admires. Not so for the follower. No, no. The follower aspires with all his strength to be what he admires.”

Author Rod Dreher puts it this way: “Admirers love being associated with Jesus, but when trouble comes, they either turn on him or in some way try to put distance between themselves and the Lord. The admirer wants the comfort and advantage that comes with being a Christian, but when times change and Jesus becomes a scandal or worse, the admirer folds…the follower recognizes the cost of discipleship and is willing to pay it.”

The church does not stand in condemnation of those within the body of Christ, His Bride. Unfortunately, that doesn’t mean that there won’t be those “believers” who go rogue and offend God themselves by being judgmental, but their judgment is of no effect. It carries no weight.

However, when we become followers of Jesus we are added into the body of Christ…we become the church. The church is given a great amount of clear instruction in The Bible to walk in a covenant of accountability with one another, to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.”

We desire to be taught what exalts God above all else, to reflect on these things and apply these truths as we live out lives that we’ve surrendered to Him. We desire to walk with God, becoming more and more in every way like Jesus. We desire to be taught what offends God, to reflect on these things, and repent of those sins we find that still remain active in our flesh. Jesus asks MUCH of those of us who choose to follow Him and we strive to honor and adore Him through obedience.

Church, we’re not committed to being better than someone else…God’s Word tells us that comparing ourselves among ourselves makes us fools. What we are to compare ourselves to is Jesus and the teachings of His Word. And to that comparison, we all fall short.

So we’re on a journey together…we’ve made a covenant with God and with one another to be transformed by His Spirit…by the renewing of our minds (changing the way that we think)…a covenant to hunger and thirst for holiness, to chase after Jesus, to assist one another in becoming more and more in every way like Him.

What we ARE fully committed to, is this — keeping our gaze laser-focused on being conformed to His image and pursuing that with reckless abandon…TOGETHER.

We walk in this Blessed Hope TOGETHER…

in His Word TOGETHER…

in His Spirit TOGETHER…

for His Kingdom TOGETHER.

If you’re part of the church, you may not be “THERE” yet, but to be The Church, you MUST BE committed to the journey:

We’re not going to make excuses for our sins and shortcomings.

We’re not going to get sidetracked by the trappings of this world.

We’re not going to pursue lives of self-indulgence and self-gratification.

We’re not going to allow the Gospel-Centered Church of Jesus to be used as merely a religious practice, something used to make ourselves feel better about ourselves when it suits us.

We’re not going to allow the Gospel-Centered Church of Jesus to be used merely as a social circle because we feel alone.

We ARE going to learn to love one another…unconditionally.

We ARE going to serve God AND one another with the humble hearts of bondservants.

We ARE going to pursue covenant community, responsibility, and accountability.

We ARE going to declare God’s message of love and forgiveness to all who seek healing from the brokenness of this world.

We ARE going to be vessels of God’s Grace, Mercy, Love, and Hope to a broken and hopelessly lost world.

We ARE going to receive all who come to Jesus and repent of their part in this world’s brokenness.

We ARE going to be the image-bearers of Jesus’ reconciled, redeemed, and restored Creation to a world that God loves and wants to restore to Himself.

The church is the assembly of the Bride of Jesus Christ — those chosen, called, and set apart for God’s pleasure and purpose.

We will unashamedly and unrelentingly walk in that mission —so others may hear…AND live!