Behold, I am making all things new

Life is good. The last few months in my life have been excellent. I have been enjoying new learning experiences at school and a steady work schedule. New friendships have been formed and they are very encouraging to me. I began a relationship with a wonderful girl. Basically life is going very well for me. I admit there have been ups and downs, good and bad days, but overall a great few months. It is easy when things are going well on this earth to loose sight of heaven. When times are rough and we are in the valley of the shadow of death it is easy to long for heaven. But how about when things are going our way? Do we still long for heaven or do we become satisfied with the lesser things of earth? 

A few months ago I posted the prayer of Sir Francis Drake. Whenever I read it I am convicted and challenged all over again. I have it hanging up on my desk as a constant reminder. About half way through Sir Francis Drake prays, “Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess we have lost our thirst for the waters of life; Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity and in our efforts to build a new earth, we have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.”

Ceased to dream of eternity.... 

The other day I was reading through Revelation 21. As I read I began to dream again about eternity. Revelation 21:1-7 says, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

There are so many great truths in this passage. It says that God will dwell with man. We will dwell with God! There will no longer be separation from the King of Kings. We will be in His presence worshipping Him in His Holiness. It goes on to say that He will wipe away tears and death will be no more. We will not experience hurt, anger, sadness, frustration, or fear because there will be no more sin. No more living on an earth that is groaning as in the pains of childbirth. (Romans 8:22) But it does not stop there. The King says He is making all things new! There will be a new heaven and new earth.  The creator God who spoke and created this world. The creator God who made man in his image. The creator God who put the planets in orbit and stretched out the universe. This creator God is making all things new! It is beyond on our comprehension. The Alpha and the Omega who was before time and will forever reign calls us His children. He invites us to be with Him for all of eternity. Do we really grasp that? 

We hear phrases like “Preach the gospel to yourself daily.” The gospel is not just Christ’s work on the cross, but it is also His future kingdom. Because of imputation (Christ’s righteousness for our sin) we stand holy before God. Oh what a glorious day that will be. Paul understood what awaited him when he died. In Philippians 1:20-24 he says, “I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know!  I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.”  Paul went through life with the end goal in sight. 

Are we torn like Paul or are we content with our life on earth? 

I want to live everyday of my life with the end goal in sight. When everything is going my way, I am eagerly awaiting Christ’s second coming. During life’s toughest times I am eagerly awaiting Christ’s second coming.  May we never cease to dream of eternity. 

Genuine Worship

Worship is probably on of the most controversial topics in the church. Everyone has their own opinion on how worship should be done. Everything from what songs to sing, how many to sing, which instruments to use, and how loud it should be played. I am afraid that when we get so caught up in having our favorite songs played each week that we can miss out on genuine worship. I have been to many different worship services from many different backgrounds, and I have watched many people worship. At any worship gathering there are always four different types of people.

1.  The Mumblers - These are the people who are not very interested in being there. They appear to be more concerned about what is happening after the service and they are happy when they can finally sit down after worship. They stand with their arms crossed sometimes barely singing along or not at all. I believe these people have never experienced true worship, because if they had they would be bursting with joy.

 2.  The Mindless - These are the people that are singing right along with the song. They know the songs because they listen to Christian radio all the time and they are regular attenders to church. However, they aren’t really thinking about the words they are singing. The songs have become so familiar that they don’t have to put any effort into singing them. They can sing along and be thinking about the football game later that day at the same time. 

3.   The Mimics - These people could also be compared to Pharisees. When they worship they may sing loud, jump up and down, raise their arms, or have their faces show many emotions. The problem is that it is a performance. They only want people to notice them and have a higher view of them. They are mimicking the truly genuine worshipers. 

4.  The Genuine - These people are in awe of God and love being in His presence. When they worship the words of the song draw them to reflect on the nature of God. They may be silent while they listen and pray. They may also be jumping up and down or raising their arms because they can not contain the joy inside of them. It is a natural outflowing of their heart. At times they forget there are other people around them because they are so focused on praising their King. 

If you are like me you can relate to all of these. I want my worship to be genuine and my motives to be right. Worship throughout our week in our daily lives leads to genuine, passionate worship on Sunday morning or any other time we worship. We can not expect to go through our week without reflecting on God’s grace and the gospel and then have a powerful worship experience on Sunday morning. 

Whenever I lead worship there is always that pressure to play the songs that I know will get reactions out of people. If I play “How He Loves” I will probably have at least half of the group raising their hands, but if I play “Holy, Holy, Holy” there probably will be a lot of mumbling. I want people to be able to genuinely worship on every song that we sing. I want people to experience the grace of God like never before and fall down in amazement. I cannot command someone to have genuine worship because it is a heart issue. What I can do is pray for them and encourage them to seek Him day after day. I can share with them what God has done in my life. I can show them the joy I have from being able to come and worship. 1 Corinthians 14:23-25 says “So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and some who do not understand or some unbelievers come in, will they not say that you are out of your mind?  But if an unbeliever or someone who does not understand comes in while everybody is prophesying, he will be convinced by all that he is a sinner and will be judged by all, and the secrets of his heart will be laid bare. So he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’”  

Worship does not just happen at corporate services, it should be happening in our everyday lives. The way we live our lives should be an act of worship to our King.  I will end with a passage from Isaiah where we get a glimpse into the worship that is happening in heaven. It is a beautiful scene and I long for the day when I too can gather around the throne and sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”

Isaiah 6:1-7

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

    "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!”

 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."

Shipwrecks and Balance Beams

On a dangerous seacoast notorious for shipwrecks, there was a crude little lifesaving station. Actually, the station was merely a hut with only one wooden boat. But the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the turbulent sea. With little thought for themselves, they would go out day and night tirelessly searching for those in danger as well as for those who were lost. Many lives were saved by this brave band of people, who faithfully worked as a selfless team in and out of this life-saving station. By and by, it became a famous place.


Some of those who had been saved as well as others along the seacoast wanted to become associated with this little station. They were willing to give their time and energy and money in support of its objectives. New boats were purchased with technologically advanced sonar. New crews were trained. The station that was once obscure and crude and virtually insignificant began to grow. Some of its members became unhappy that the hut was so unattractive and poorly equipped. They felt a more comfortable place should be provided. Therefore, emergency cots were replaced with lovely cushioned furniture. Rough, hand-made equipment was discarded and sophisticated, classy state of the art systems were installed. The actual hut, of course, had to be torn down to make room for all the additional equipment, furniture, systems, and upscale appointments. By its completion, the lifesaving station had really become a popular gathering place – a show case of sorts, and its objectives began to shift. It was now used as a sort of clubhouse, an attractive building for upscale, public gatherings. Saving lives and feeding the hungry and strengthening the fearful and calming the disturbed ...rarely occurred any more.


Fewer members were now interested in braving the icy cold sea on lifesaving missions, so instead, they hired professional lifeboat crews to do the work. The original goal of the station wasn’t altogether forgotten, however. The noble lifesaving motive still prevailed as it was reflected in the club’s decor. In fact, in commemoration of their group’s movement, there was a liturgical lifeboat preserved in the "Room of Sweet Memories" with soft, indirect lighting overhead, which helped hide the layers of dust upon the once-used varnished vessel.

A curious thing happened though. During that time and season a large ship was wrecked off the coast and the boat crews brought in loads of cold, wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty. Some were terribly sick and lonely. Others had black, brown and yellow skin color—they looked "different" from the majority of those who were members of this classy club. Some were even of the wrong political persuasion. The beautiful new clubhouse suddenly became real messy and cluttered. The furniture became soiled. A special committee saw to it that a shower shack was immediately built "outside" and "away from" the clubhouse so that the victims of the shipwreck could be cleaned-up "before" coming inside their five star club facilities.


At the next meeting there were some strong words and angry feelings vented, which resulted in a division among the members. Most of the people wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities altogether and place all involvements with future shipwreck victims somewhere else. "It’s just too unpleasant," they said. "It’s a hindrance to our social life. It’s simply opening the doors to unseemly folks who are not ‘our kind.’"Well, as you would expect, some still insisted upon saving lives and that this was to remain their primary objective. Their only reason for being was to minister to "anyone" needing help regardless of their club’s beauty or size or decorations. They were voted down though and were told that if they still wanted to be involved in saving lives ...you know being involved with those kind of lowlifes ...who were shipwrecked in those distant waters, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast! And so they did.


As years passed, the new station experienced the same old changes. It evolved into just another club. And yet another lifesaving station was begun. It was strange how history seemed to continue to repeat itself. If you visit that club today, you’ll find a large number of exclusive, impressive clubs along the same shoreline owned and operated by slick paid professionals who have lost all involvement with saving lives. Shipwrecks still occur in those waters, you understand, but now most of the victims are not saved. Every day they perish in the frigid sea by drowning, and so few seem to even care... so very few. -- Kurt von Schleicher
 

As the church we have been commissioned to go into all the world. (Matthew 28:19-20) Jesus also said earlier in his ministry the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. I was recently talking to my church's college and career group about why I was involved and where I would like to see the ministry go. As with any ministry the focus MUST be Christ and the Gospel. If we loose our focus on that then we are only a social club. The church in America has been drifting this way.  Church buildings are now multimillion dollar facilities. Are these churches still willing to go out into the harvest or are the comforts at home too much to give up? I am not saying that every church in America is going this way. There are many large and small churches that God is using in powerful ways to make His name great. However, too many Christians in churches are settling for the comfortable social setting of the church and they don't want to go out into the unknown. Going out into the unknown is risky and dangerous. When we remember the gospel and what God has done for us we realize that without Him we are nothing. He deserves our lives, our worship, and to be first place in everything. We go to the lost not out of some sense of duty, but instead we go out of love. 

I have posted this video by Francis Chan before, but I think it is worth watching again. 

Consider it Pure Joy

“Joy unspeakable that won't go away
And just enough strength
To live for today
So I never have to worry
What tomorrow will bring
'Cause my faith is on solid rock
I am counting on God”

In the last month I have had several conversations with friends on the topic of joy. I believe that joy often times gets confused for happiness. Joy and happiness are very different and if we get them confused then we may miss out of finding true joy. Happiness is an emotional state. I can do things things that can make me happy. I can go to Starbucks and order a Venti Iced White Chocolate Mocha and I will be happy. If the Broncos win or I do well on a test I am happy. As with any emotion it will come and go during the course of a day. Happiness is fleeting, Joy is constant. 

The word for joy in the Greek is “Chara.” Chara is derived from the Greek word “Charis” which means “grace.” Rick Renner writes, “This is important to note, for it tells us categorically that chara is produced by charis of God. This means 'joy' is not a human-based happiness that comes and goes...Rather, true 'joy' is divine in origin...it is a Spirit-given expression that flourishes best in hard times. For example, in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 the Thessalonians were under great stress due to persecution; yet in the midst of it all, they continued to experience great joy. In fact, the Greek strongly implies that their supernatural joy was due to the Holy Spirit working in them.”  

I have always had a hard time understanding verses such as James 1:2 which says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds.” The reason I had trouble with the verse is because I was only thinking of joy as happiness. I had the same problem with 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says, “Be joyful always;  pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” I could not understand how I could be joyful always. But then I started studying joy and how it is used in the Old and New Testaments and I came up with the definition.  This is only my definition so it is not perfect, but I hope it helps you grasp what a wonderful thing God has given us with joy.

“Joy- having a better understanding of God’s enduring faithfulness and grace which leads to no longer worrying about trials and tribulations in life. The result is thanksgiving and praise to God in every situation in life.”

With this definition I was finally able to understand how I could “Consider it pure joy” and “Be joyful always.” Happiness is something we can find by ourselves where as genuine joy can only be found through having communion with God and the Holy Spirit working through us. 

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Restoring community in a generation obsessed with independance

We have community centers, we have coffee shops, we have social networking sites, and we have clubs and organizations. All of these have something in common. In all of these people go there to find community. Their purpose is for likeminded people to get together and experience community. As human beings we need community, it is how we were created. One of the worst punishments for a criminal is solitary confinement. It is the removable of the person from all contact with society. People will start to go crazy after being in solitary confinement for so long. We need other humans. The same goes for Christians. We need other Christians. Christian community is one of the most important parts of the Christian walk.  Christians are moving further and further away from the idea of community. In general people are moving away from community. Rarely will neighbors talk to each other and strangers will not say hello when they pass by. Our culture glorifies the self-made person. The person who can stand on their own two feet and doesn’t need other’s help.  This however is a far cry from what we are told to do in the Bible. A Christian who is not in communion with other believers is in a very dangerous place. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 says “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” 

I think of the Christian walk as a tree. Each Christian is a tree in a forest. When a Christian gets involved in church, Bible studies, and one on one discipleship times they put down roots. Each time a tree puts out a root it can gain more nutrients that are vital for the tree to survive. The roots also keep the tree grounded. When Christians are able to establish themselves in a good community then they have many strong roots. However, the Christian that bounces from church to church and from group to group never has the opportunity to put down deep roots. They are only able to gather surface level nutrients.  Putting down deep roots is hard. It requires time and many times hardships. Only when the tree has put down deep roots will it be able to grow into the full size tree that it should be.  

In Christian community there is 

• Building and strengthening
• Healing
• Unity
• Accountability
• Giving
• Carrying of other’s burdens

Grover

A few months ago I was working on a final paper for school at Panera Bread.  After about half an hour a guy came up and sat down in the chair next to me and began working on his computer. A little after that I overheard him on the phone requesting a John Piper book from a Christian book store in town. When he was finished with his phone call I started up a conversation with him about Piper.  His name was Grover and he had just recently moved back to Colorado Springs. As soon as we started talking his eyes just lit up and you could tell he had an intense passion for the Word of God.  The longer we talked to more excited he became.  We had a great fifteen minute conversation about Christian books and studying the Bible. I came away from that conversation greatly encouraged. Even though he was a complete stranger we were able to talk as if we had known each other for years because the most important thing in our life we had in common.  Our faith in Christ created unity between us. It transcended our racial, age, and background differences.  We had Christ in common and that was all we needed to have community.  I thought about Grover a lot in the preceding weeks.  I wanted to have the same passion for God’s word that I saw in him. About four months after I met him I was at Starbucks doing some devotions and He came in. Immediately we recognized each other and gave each other a hug. Even though we had only talked for fifteen minutes four months earlier it felt like a reunion with an old friend.  We were only able to talk for a few minutes, but we were able to encourage each other.  I do not know if I will ever run into Grover again. If I do it will not matter how much time has passed or what has happened in our lives, we will still have Christ in common, and therefore we can have community on the deepest level. 

Myths about Christian Community

When I have talked to people about Christian community and fellowship there are always a few myths that many people hold on to. These myths can be detrimental to fully experiencing community. 

Myth 1: I regularly attend church therefore I am experiencing real Christian Community. False.  I have been part of a church for my entire life. My family always attended on Sunday mornings and my parents had us involved in many other church activities throughout the week. Even though I was in the church several times during the week I rarely experienced community. The conversations I had with friends rarely touched on a deep level. They were surface level conversations about our weeks and nothing more. Just because you are in church and around believers does not guarantee that there will be genuine community. It provides a great opportunity for it to happen, but it takes initiative. 

The second myth is closely related to the first myth but with a slightly different focus.

Myth 2: Whenever my Christian friends and I get together we are having Christian fellowship.  False.  If your time with your friends looks no different than what non-believers are doing then it is not Christian fellowship.  Two non-believers can go and get coffee together and have a great time. They may even be encouraged by each other. It is not any different than two Christians having coffee together. However, if the Christians spur one another on, and they bring God glory in their conversation then it is true Christian fellowship. Christian fellowship is the interaction between believers to: edify, encourage, challenge, strengthen, and pray for one another. 

Over-connected 

Texting, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, blogs, and numerous other things are being utilized now like never before. You could say that this generation is the most connected generation there has ever been. In ten seconds we can read through someone’s profile and know everything about them in the past week. We can gather information about others almost instantly. We have become so connected on so many levels that we have lost what it means to have deep relationships and go beyond surface level relationships. We no longer bother to spend the time to dig down deep into someone’s life. Sure we know what type of music, movies, and books they enjoy and what their latest status is, but we don’t know what they are struggling with or what God is teaching them in their lives. When we are only connect on a surface level we can not bare one another’s burdens as Paul encourages us to do. As this generation exalts the  individualistic mindset it starts to become the mindset of many Christians, and they try to walk alone. They may not even realize that they are walking alone. A Christian who walks alone is in a very dangerous place. I do not want to see any Christian walk alone, and I want to see those who are walking alone turn and join the beautiful thing God has created in Christian community. 

Not a Fan

The video below touches me on a very personal level. I was a fan about a year and a half ago. Then by God's grace He called me to know Him more. I came to a point where I realized I was only going to church and doing devotions because that is how I was raised. I was frustrated with living the lukewarm Christian life. It completely changed my life when I went from a fan to a follower. Being a fan is easy, it doesn't require much commitment and you look good to those around you. Being a follower is hard most days, but that is what Jesus called us to be. 







I am not a fan, are you? I would love to hear your story if you have gone from a fan to a follower.

Fasting and Feasting

America lives and breathes in front of the television screen. Between video games, movies, and television the average American spends 3-4 hours per day in front of the TV. Four hours a day!  That means that the average American spends one day out of every week in front of the TV.  I would guess that the average American Christian spends 15-20 minutes in the Word of God on a good day.  Fifteen minutes a day compared to three hours, I don’t think I am the only one who sees something really wrong with this picture. Many of you right now are thinking, “I don’t spend that much time watching TV and I go to several church activities throughout the week so I am way better than the average American.” 


Stop comparing yourself against the average and start looking at what God has called us to do in His word.  Maybe television isn’t where you spend much time; maybe it is Facebook or some other activity. We all have areas in our lives that we spend way too much time in.  When we die we won’t be wishing we had watched more movies or spent more time on Facebook.  All of that does not matter compared to knowing God. 

Philippians 3:7-14 says “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith intChrist—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”


Are you willing to consider the things of this world such as movies, video games, Facebook, etc. as garbage? I am not saying that we just completely abandon these things and live completely separate from them. All of these things can be beneficial in some contexts, but we need to monitor our time on them. We are commanded in the Bible to fast. Most of the time people think of fasting from food, but we can fast from other things. Fasting from the things that consume most of our time can be very beneficial. It is us saying “Lord, I count everything as loss compared to knowing you, and because of this I am giving up an earthly thing to know you more and dedicate more of my life to following You.” Let us start fasting from earthly things and start feasting on God’s words. 


Feasting on His word is more than reading a chapter a day and then saying a quick prayer each morning. It is us focusing all of our attention and digging into the Word of God. It is us setting a significant section of time aside just to read and meditate on the Word. I like the term “feasting” because it gives the picture of eating until we are stuffed and overflowing. I believe too many times we try to get through our days with just a snack. A snack will never be enough to give us all the strength we need for each day. Feast on the Word. Also I believe that God has gifted many writers and they have written great devotional books, but let this never replace our study of the Word itself. Nothing should ever come in place of the Word, it is sufficient in itself.  Examine your life and ask God to show you where you need to fast and how to feast more on His Word.