Two of the best known passages that explain what a new Christian life is like are:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17
Obviously this is not the whole story. Now that I have been a Christian for some time I know that God continues to work in my life and that there are always areas that need to be changed. Maybe that is why the picture of a new beginning is so important.
We can and should have lots of new beginnings along our spiritual journey, shouldn't we? God is never done with us and we are always ripe for another new beginning in our lives. So, when those opportunities come, it matters how we see them.
A new beginning is a new chance for grace, forgiveness and the Holy Spirit's hand in our lives.
A defeat is another chance for guilt, shame and self-loathing.
How does this work for you? When God opens your eyes to a new lesson or a new insight, to convict you of some sin, whether you were aware of it or not, or to challenge you to move forward in doing something good, do you see it as an opportunity for a new beginning or another example of defeat?
Which is more prevalent in your life? Do you need another new beginning?
Friday, June 19, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
What is belief and faith?
When I was growing up one of the first scriptures that I learned was John 3:16. It says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." That is pretty straightforward stuff - or is it?
The earliest gospel presentation I can remember - from my days as a child - was called the "ABC's of salvation." In order to become a Christian, I needed to do three things:
Ask Jesus to come into my heart/life.
Believe that Jesus was the Son of God, that He died on the cross to pay for my sins and that He rose from the dead three days later.
Confess that I was a sinner in need of His forgiveness and saving love.
Now all of that seems pretty straightforward too - or is it?
Now that I have been a Christian for the better part of 20 years and a pastor for half that time I am still convinced that it is that straightforward. But, that is not the end of the story.
If that is the end of the story, all of Christianity can be reduced to a platitude and a simple formula that one can embrace mentally with no cost and no thought to what comes next. AND WHAT COMES NEXT IS WHAT MATTERS! Following Jesus is simple, but its not easy.
What comes next is the rest of our life living with, in and for the purpose of following Jesus. That is what faith is, a trusting walk, not a hypothetical belief. Thomas Merton says, "Perhaps this is the essence of faith: to be convinced of the reliability of God."
If that is true, then the rest of the story is a journey of ups and downs, of steps forward and - sometimes - steps back, but mostly of growing to become more and more like Jesus. AND IT MUST MEAN REALIZING THAT JESUS IS RELIABLE! He is reliable enough to save us for eternity and, if that is true, He is reliable enough to show us how to be good husbands/wives, fathers/mothers, friends, workers/bosses, etc.
Isn't that what it means to believe too? What do you think? What does it mean to have the right kind of faith or the right kind of belief in God? What does that look like in your life? How do you know its present and how do you know its growing?
The earliest gospel presentation I can remember - from my days as a child - was called the "ABC's of salvation." In order to become a Christian, I needed to do three things:
Ask Jesus to come into my heart/life.
Believe that Jesus was the Son of God, that He died on the cross to pay for my sins and that He rose from the dead three days later.
Confess that I was a sinner in need of His forgiveness and saving love.
Now all of that seems pretty straightforward too - or is it?
Now that I have been a Christian for the better part of 20 years and a pastor for half that time I am still convinced that it is that straightforward. But, that is not the end of the story.
If that is the end of the story, all of Christianity can be reduced to a platitude and a simple formula that one can embrace mentally with no cost and no thought to what comes next. AND WHAT COMES NEXT IS WHAT MATTERS! Following Jesus is simple, but its not easy.
What comes next is the rest of our life living with, in and for the purpose of following Jesus. That is what faith is, a trusting walk, not a hypothetical belief. Thomas Merton says, "Perhaps this is the essence of faith: to be convinced of the reliability of God."
If that is true, then the rest of the story is a journey of ups and downs, of steps forward and - sometimes - steps back, but mostly of growing to become more and more like Jesus. AND IT MUST MEAN REALIZING THAT JESUS IS RELIABLE! He is reliable enough to save us for eternity and, if that is true, He is reliable enough to show us how to be good husbands/wives, fathers/mothers, friends, workers/bosses, etc.
Isn't that what it means to believe too? What do you think? What does it mean to have the right kind of faith or the right kind of belief in God? What does that look like in your life? How do you know its present and how do you know its growing?
Friday, June 5, 2009
Boundary or Center
What is a good working definition of what it means to be a follower of Jesus?
This seems to be a matter of great debate and sometimes even great confusion in the world we live in today. Even using the phrase follower of Jesus is a new thing. When I was growing up we said that we were Christians period. We didn't elaborate and, at least it seemed, we didn't need to. But today, in my limited experience as a pastor, describing what it means to be a follower of Jesus (a Christian) seems to require lots of dialogue and definition. In fact, when I have conversations with people who are far from God and/or far from the church I ALWAYS seem to have to separate myself from one bad stereotype or another or from one bad personal experience or another.
We spend so much time having to defend or describe our boundaries (what makes one in or out of the faith) that we don't have any time or space to talk about our roots or the center (what a follower of Jesus actually looks like) of our faith. Defending and defining the boundaries can be exhausting, but looking at the center - about what it really means to be a follower of Jesus in my everyday life - brings life to me.
I ran across an interesting definition from Todd Hunter, author of Christianity Beyond Belief. His working definition is this:
A Christian is a cooperative friend of Jesus, seeking to live consistent lives of creative goodness, for the sake of others, through the power of the Holy Spirit. (pg. 28 & 154-155)
While I don't like everything in this definition, I like how it comes from the center instead of the boundaries. It speaks more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in my everyday life. I see Great Commandment love (loving God and neighbor) in there. I see Great Commission mission (making more followers of Jesus) in there. I see Kingdom ministry (making a better world for others) in there. I see healthy relationships in community there. I see Jesus and His life in that definition.
And at the point I am at in my spiritual journey, I need life. I crave it! I want the Holy Spirit and the words and example of Jesus to really guide everything I do. I am keenly aware of my failures and shortcomings - sometimes more aware of them the closer I get to Jesus. That is why its so important for me to be immersed in things that bring life.
Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
How does this resonate with you? Is it more important to emphasize the boundaries or the center when explaining/defending Christianity or are they equally important? Why do you think that?
I would love to hear your comments... Let's talk.
This seems to be a matter of great debate and sometimes even great confusion in the world we live in today. Even using the phrase follower of Jesus is a new thing. When I was growing up we said that we were Christians period. We didn't elaborate and, at least it seemed, we didn't need to. But today, in my limited experience as a pastor, describing what it means to be a follower of Jesus (a Christian) seems to require lots of dialogue and definition. In fact, when I have conversations with people who are far from God and/or far from the church I ALWAYS seem to have to separate myself from one bad stereotype or another or from one bad personal experience or another.
We spend so much time having to defend or describe our boundaries (what makes one in or out of the faith) that we don't have any time or space to talk about our roots or the center (what a follower of Jesus actually looks like) of our faith. Defending and defining the boundaries can be exhausting, but looking at the center - about what it really means to be a follower of Jesus in my everyday life - brings life to me.
I ran across an interesting definition from Todd Hunter, author of Christianity Beyond Belief. His working definition is this:
A Christian is a cooperative friend of Jesus, seeking to live consistent lives of creative goodness, for the sake of others, through the power of the Holy Spirit. (pg. 28 & 154-155)
While I don't like everything in this definition, I like how it comes from the center instead of the boundaries. It speaks more about what it means to be a follower of Jesus in my everyday life. I see Great Commandment love (loving God and neighbor) in there. I see Great Commission mission (making more followers of Jesus) in there. I see Kingdom ministry (making a better world for others) in there. I see healthy relationships in community there. I see Jesus and His life in that definition.
And at the point I am at in my spiritual journey, I need life. I crave it! I want the Holy Spirit and the words and example of Jesus to really guide everything I do. I am keenly aware of my failures and shortcomings - sometimes more aware of them the closer I get to Jesus. That is why its so important for me to be immersed in things that bring life.
Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." (John 10:10)
How does this resonate with you? Is it more important to emphasize the boundaries or the center when explaining/defending Christianity or are they equally important? Why do you think that?
I would love to hear your comments... Let's talk.
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