Family: a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household
'Family' is a single word, with many different meanings. People have many ways of defining a family and what being a part of a family means to them, but what every family has in common is that the people who call it a family are making clear that those people are important in some way to the person calling them his family.
As you look over the landscape of our culture, it’s clear to see that an ultra-broad and all inclusive definition of family hasn’t proven to be healthy for most folks. As Christians, we are people that are trying to submit to God’s will in order to live an abundant life filled with a peace that comes only by a confident outlook on life based on God’s promise. That doesn’t mean that our families, our lives, or any part of the world we touch will become instantly perfect just because God’s in it. Instead, we begin to have a clearer picture of the reason for family, a reason for God’s promises, and therefore a purpose in life.
Because of the vast number of broken and patched together families, it can be difficult to talk about what God had in mind with family, but it’s important to do see what He says about it. Perhaps, similar to a special ops military unit with a secret mission, the family works with a common and urgent goal of survival and protection all wrapped up in the overall theme of purpose.
Moses explains to the fathers in the exodus group in Deuteronomy 6:1-9 that it’s their responsibility to teach, explain, encourage obedience to God to the family. He says, “[you must] repeat these [commands] to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up…” all the time.
But it wasn’t just a set of rules that God wanted them to share, but the essence of those “laws” which helped to train people how to think about the events of life: conflict, love, stress, fear, excitement, etc. Ultimately, God wanted this group of people to help them think godly, and by doing that they would find peace and purpose in life that would protect them from Satan. (1 Peter 5:8)
Parents have a common goal of seeing their kids succeed. Although the definition of success may be different from parent to parent, success is no doubt the goal of most parents for their kids. But as Jesus said, “to gain the whole world and lose your soul, is of no real gain.” Family has the purpose of keeping those included on target. The spiritual family is no different.
You are important to this family of believers. All of us need to constantly be reminded and remind others of that fact. Every hurt, joy, stress, and success is of concern to this family. Just as 2 John 5 says, “I am writing to remind you, dear friends, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we have had from the beginning.” I encourage each of you to understand and emulate the difference a godly, spiritual family can make in a world that in so many ways has become confused on what family really is.
Friday, September 30, 2016
Friday, September 23, 2016
Gospel Summary: Cleaning Out The Junk
The overall theme of the Bible could be described this way… God created mankind to have a deep relationship with them, however sin (Satan) drove God and mankind apart through selfishness, pride, etc. (1 John 2:16); the same things that destroy our relationships among each other today. From that point on, God made the initiative to help us change our way of thinking about ourselves all the time, by giving us some guidelines to help us out (the laws). However, we needed to be shown how to be selfless and compassionate towards others. Once Jesus came to earth to dwell among us, He would model what a good relationship with God would look like. Finally, Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to save the ones God loved from the growing virus of sin, by giving us access to the anecdote to selfishness, pride, etc., and then our relationship could be restored. (John 3:16, Hebrews 7:27)
Perhaps that’s the extreme condensed version of the gospel, but like any relationship resolution, it takes mutual effort to make a relationship work. One side cannot do all the work and expect to have a loving relationship. That’s where our role in this relationship redeeming project comes in: We must accept His resolution, listen to him, and then get rid of pride and selfishness. (Matthew 17:5, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
By listening to Him, it simply means when He has something to say, we actively listen to it and demonstrate that we respect Him by doing everything within our power to comply with His requests. (James 1:22) To help us out, He even gives us a tool (the Holy Spirit) to help see the blessing of His way of thinking, and to even convince us to act on those actions. (Romans 8:5, 2 Corinthians 1:22)
So the official beginning of the relationship rebuilding process would be our compliance in being born again to this renewed effort to make this relationship work. In the form of washing away our old lifestyle filled with selfishness, we are baptized. (Acts 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21) Without over-simplifying salvation, this is a snapshot of the process. We are simply trying to make a cosmic relationship work. The other side of this summary is the fact that if we’re not interested in making this relationship work, then God will “move on.” He won’t force you to be in this relationship with Him. However, since He created this entire physical realm in order to have a relationship with those He created, by rejecting the relationship resolution, we reject the reason we’re even physically here, and so you choose to be separated from God. Meaning if you choose not to fulfill a relationship with God, then you go where everything that has no purpose goes – the garbage. The catch is, God is eternal, and time means nothing to Him; therefore, nothing biodegrades in His garbage heap. (Matthew 13:37-43, Matthew 25:41-43)
This brings us to the main point. We must accept Christ in order to have our relationship with God restored. (John 14:6) Once we do, we got to get rid of the sin in our life. How? You may ask. That’s where that spiritual guidance from his instructions (the Bible), other people wanting that relationship to work (Christians), and recognizing selfishness when we see it (via the Holy Spirit), all of these things help us say NO to sin. (1 Corinthians 10:13) It’s not impossible to trust God; we’ve just got to want to do it. We won’t always see every trap, but like in any good relationship, God knows if we’re trying or not.
Perhaps that’s the extreme condensed version of the gospel, but like any relationship resolution, it takes mutual effort to make a relationship work. One side cannot do all the work and expect to have a loving relationship. That’s where our role in this relationship redeeming project comes in: We must accept His resolution, listen to him, and then get rid of pride and selfishness. (Matthew 17:5, 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)
By listening to Him, it simply means when He has something to say, we actively listen to it and demonstrate that we respect Him by doing everything within our power to comply with His requests. (James 1:22) To help us out, He even gives us a tool (the Holy Spirit) to help see the blessing of His way of thinking, and to even convince us to act on those actions. (Romans 8:5, 2 Corinthians 1:22)
So the official beginning of the relationship rebuilding process would be our compliance in being born again to this renewed effort to make this relationship work. In the form of washing away our old lifestyle filled with selfishness, we are baptized. (Acts 22:16, 1 Peter 3:21) Without over-simplifying salvation, this is a snapshot of the process. We are simply trying to make a cosmic relationship work. The other side of this summary is the fact that if we’re not interested in making this relationship work, then God will “move on.” He won’t force you to be in this relationship with Him. However, since He created this entire physical realm in order to have a relationship with those He created, by rejecting the relationship resolution, we reject the reason we’re even physically here, and so you choose to be separated from God. Meaning if you choose not to fulfill a relationship with God, then you go where everything that has no purpose goes – the garbage. The catch is, God is eternal, and time means nothing to Him; therefore, nothing biodegrades in His garbage heap. (Matthew 13:37-43, Matthew 25:41-43)
This brings us to the main point. We must accept Christ in order to have our relationship with God restored. (John 14:6) Once we do, we got to get rid of the sin in our life. How? You may ask. That’s where that spiritual guidance from his instructions (the Bible), other people wanting that relationship to work (Christians), and recognizing selfishness when we see it (via the Holy Spirit), all of these things help us say NO to sin. (1 Corinthians 10:13) It’s not impossible to trust God; we’ve just got to want to do it. We won’t always see every trap, but like in any good relationship, God knows if we’re trying or not.
Friday, September 16, 2016
Timing is Everything
“Timing is everything” is a phrase that's applicable to a lot of things: cooking, medicine, finances, even a joke. With any of these things, timing makes the difference between a disaster or a delight. But timing is important in your spiritual things as well. Peter reminds us that the Second Coming of the Christ is a matter of timing–God's timing. Jesus was very conscious of His own timing while on the earth. He lived with an understanding that timing is everything:
* John 2:4 – “My time has not yet come”
* John 7:6 – “The right time for me has not yet come”
* John 7:30, 8:20 – “His time had not yet come”
But throughout the Bible, we read of people that weren't aware of God's timing in their lives. From Moses and his attempt to liberate the Hebrews, to Achan and the penalty he received for plundering the conquered towns during the conquest of Canaan, these people all quickly realized that God has a timing that is perfect. If we’ll be patient enough, and obedient enough, to follow His lead, we’ll be blessed.
It’s important not to see our situations and react in ways that don’t include God’s way of doing things based on our feelings. It’s easy to count something as lost before the battle is over, or to claim the victory too soon. Do you know how to look at the situations in your life and see how God might be working with you?
Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.”
We have been called “according to HIS purpose,” not ours. In a world that so quickly gives up on Godly principles because of a lack of focus or because of some selfish agenda, we have to stay faithful. People often make these kinds of justifications for practices that don’t line up with God’s will:
* you get tired of waiting for the right "someone" and so you agree to live together or you marry someone who is not right for you.
* you want something now so you charge it rather than waiting until you have the money and end up paying more and digging yourself into financial bondage.
* Instead of waiting for a nice quiet and calm moment to talk to a friend about a problem, you blurt it out in a spirit of confrontation when others are around.
* Instead of a church waiting for the "right time" to build, they rush ahead and get into a mortgage that hampers ministry.
God knows what He is doing. His delays are always purposeful. When we dare to live by His timing, great things happen.
* John 2:4 – “My time has not yet come”
* John 7:6 – “The right time for me has not yet come”
* John 7:30, 8:20 – “His time had not yet come”
But throughout the Bible, we read of people that weren't aware of God's timing in their lives. From Moses and his attempt to liberate the Hebrews, to Achan and the penalty he received for plundering the conquered towns during the conquest of Canaan, these people all quickly realized that God has a timing that is perfect. If we’ll be patient enough, and obedient enough, to follow His lead, we’ll be blessed.
It’s important not to see our situations and react in ways that don’t include God’s way of doing things based on our feelings. It’s easy to count something as lost before the battle is over, or to claim the victory too soon. Do you know how to look at the situations in your life and see how God might be working with you?
Romans 8:28, “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.”
We have been called “according to HIS purpose,” not ours. In a world that so quickly gives up on Godly principles because of a lack of focus or because of some selfish agenda, we have to stay faithful. People often make these kinds of justifications for practices that don’t line up with God’s will:
* you get tired of waiting for the right "someone" and so you agree to live together or you marry someone who is not right for you.
* you want something now so you charge it rather than waiting until you have the money and end up paying more and digging yourself into financial bondage.
* Instead of waiting for a nice quiet and calm moment to talk to a friend about a problem, you blurt it out in a spirit of confrontation when others are around.
* Instead of a church waiting for the "right time" to build, they rush ahead and get into a mortgage that hampers ministry.
God knows what He is doing. His delays are always purposeful. When we dare to live by His timing, great things happen.
Friday, September 2, 2016
It's An Honorable Thing
Starting something new can be very intimidating. Aside from a lack of confidence, the risk of doing something wrong and being embarrassed, and probably worst of all, failure, newness can keep many people from venturing off into the unknown.
That may be true for many adventures, but it’s equally true in Christianity. Many people claim they don’t want to make the plunge to follow Jesus because they don’t have it down yet, or their not good enough yet. While those may be legitimate fears, a person can’t expect to hear “well done good and faithful servant, welcome into heaven” if they live by those fears.
However, like many activities and choices we make, having friends and a support group to bolster our confidence, take away the fear of embarrassment, and keep us on the straight and narrow path makes all the difference. Basically, you don’t have to do this alone–God designed the church.
So the natural tendency should be to look to those who have developed into a mature Christian as our examples. A person who as Hebrews 5:14 describes as one “who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” Their insight is inspiring.
It’s for that reason that Paul instructed Timothy to go find qualified men to serve as mentors, leaders, examples to new believers so that they could face the uncertainty of life with faith in God’s ability.
He describes the kind of men to fill those roles in 1 Timothy 3:1-4. “It’s an honorable thing to aspire to fulfill this position. Therefore, he must model his life above reproach, be faithful to his wife, must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him.”
The position of elder and deacon is less about “an office” and more about being a spiritual-minded person who is able to guide others into deeper faith in God. I encourage you to reflect on this list of qualities as just that: qualities that make a person a great example to follow. Let’s show our appreciation and full support to the men that serve as deacons in our congregations. Let’s keep on encouraging them to be the bold and loving example to Christians, new and old.
That may be true for many adventures, but it’s equally true in Christianity. Many people claim they don’t want to make the plunge to follow Jesus because they don’t have it down yet, or their not good enough yet. While those may be legitimate fears, a person can’t expect to hear “well done good and faithful servant, welcome into heaven” if they live by those fears.
However, like many activities and choices we make, having friends and a support group to bolster our confidence, take away the fear of embarrassment, and keep us on the straight and narrow path makes all the difference. Basically, you don’t have to do this alone–God designed the church.
So the natural tendency should be to look to those who have developed into a mature Christian as our examples. A person who as Hebrews 5:14 describes as one “who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.” Their insight is inspiring.
It’s for that reason that Paul instructed Timothy to go find qualified men to serve as mentors, leaders, examples to new believers so that they could face the uncertainty of life with faith in God’s ability.
He describes the kind of men to fill those roles in 1 Timothy 3:1-4. “It’s an honorable thing to aspire to fulfill this position. Therefore, he must model his life above reproach, be faithful to his wife, must exercise self-control, live wisely, and have a good reputation. He must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must be able to teach. He must not be a heavy drinker or be violent. He must be gentle, not quarrelsome, and not love money. He must manage his own family well, having children who respect and obey him.”
The position of elder and deacon is less about “an office” and more about being a spiritual-minded person who is able to guide others into deeper faith in God. I encourage you to reflect on this list of qualities as just that: qualities that make a person a great example to follow. Let’s show our appreciation and full support to the men that serve as deacons in our congregations. Let’s keep on encouraging them to be the bold and loving example to Christians, new and old.