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May, 2008

  1. Repentance before belief. . . (?)

    May 31, 2008 by Nate

    “The greatest heresy in the American Evangelical and Protestant Church is that if you pray and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart, he will definitely come in. You will not find that in any place in Scripture. What you need to know is that salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ. And faith alone in Jesus Christ is preceded and followed by repentance: a turning away from sin.” (Emphasis added)

    ~Paul Washer

    This message bothers me. What it says to me is this: “Christ’s love, his grace, his death. . . these are not powerful enough to transcend your life of sin. You must become sinless before you can follow Christ.”

    Christ challenges us to believe before anything else. He finds Levi in the midst of his brokenness, sitting at the tax collector’s table. Does he tell Levi, “Follow me. But first you must stop cheating people”?

    He finds Mary and Martha, in the middle of their suffering, confusion, questioning, and doubt. And does he say, “Did I not say if you stopped doubting and questioning and then believed, you would see the glory of God?”

    When the prison guard in Philippi asked Paul, “What must I do to be saved?” did Paul reply, “Stop thinking thoughts of suicide, and then believe in Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.”

    Christ calls us in the middle of our hurts, in the middle of our habits, and in the middle of our hang-ups and says, “Believe. All the rest will follow. Faith now. I’ll take care of the rest in time.”

    The jailer called for lights and ran to the dungeon and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

    They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household.

    Click here to see what Pastor Tim has to say about what comes (rather, what doesn’t come) before belief in Christ.

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  2. The evolution of man. . .

    May 26, 2008 by Nate

    I remember feeling so small standing next to my dad. I was a child exploring this immense world, standing in the shadow of a man I didn’t understand, but fully trusted to protect me, teach me things, and lead me.

    As time progressed, I evolved into a man separate from my dad, but in so many ways just like him. I know I am an individual soul, formed by God, and stewarded by my dad. I hope I have the fingerprints of both on my image.

    No matter what changes may have taken place, I’m still my father’s son.

    And no matter how far we travel from our Creator, we’re still the children of God. We often need to be reminded of this fact. Sometimes God knocks us on our backs to remind us. But more often he sends us moments like the one my friend Beth had today to remind us that we are nothing more than children who need our Father for love, knowledge, and even for life itself.

    Father, you’ve done everything for me. You’ve given me breath, you’ve given me love, and you’ve given me a desire to find you. Expand that desire in me, Father-God. I want to be completely unable to handle life without you. I want to be so dependent on you that the very air I breathe fails me the moment I try to breathe it without your strength. I want to live in nothing but your love.

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  3. “Tears may start”. . .

    May 24, 2008 by Nate

    Remember that game of “Telephone” we used to play as kids? We would always get a kick out of the difference between the starting phrase and the ending phrase. The message was whispered across the line, and for some reason, the final person never said what the first person did. I guess he was just too far away from the source.

    I always wanted to be closest to the beginning. That way I could be certain I heard the unadulterated message. I remember the first person whispering in my ear, “Here’s my heart.”

    I passed it along, wondering what the last person would say. Ten kids later, the new message appeared: “Tears may start!”

    That’s not what I heard.

    I learned something today about God. He never shouts at his children. He always whispers. Elijah learned this in his encounter with God in the desert (1 Kings 19.9-18). Elijah was at a low point in his life here, but through it all, he still drew close enough to God to hear the whisper.

    We often look for clear signs from God. Something blatant. We’re waiting for God to yell at us. He’s not going to. A “clear sign” from God comes only when we’re close enough to discern the message in his whisper. When we’re that close to God, a whisper is all we need.

    I had a choir director in college say, “This part of the song is almost a whisper. If they can’t get the message, the audience needs to listen louder.”

    I wonder if I’m close enough to hear his whisper. There’s really no litmus test, per se. But a good way to tell is the amount of time I’m spending in his word. I figure if I can’t get enough of it, his lips are probably right up against my ear.

    Too often we’re so far away from God that the message we receive from him is distorted by all the barriers between. Just like in “Telephone,” all the obstacles between us and God change his message just enough to give us something that doesn’t even remotely resemble what God originally said. But God isn’t going to speak any louder to us.

    Maybe we just need to “listen louder.” The volume of God’s voice is never going to change. We just need to turn the volume up on our listening.

    Or get closer to him. That way we’ll figure out what he wants when he says, “Here’s my heart.”

    Category Christianity, Scripture Musings, Spirituality | Tags: | No Comments

  4. One Prayer. . .

    May 24, 2008 by Nate

    Beginning the weekend of June 7-8, over a thousand churches around the globe will unite in prayer to Jehovah through the Christ.

    For more information, visit the One Prayer website.

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  5. Underwater. . .

    May 21, 2008 by Nate

    . . . As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?”

    Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.”

    The eunuch answered, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

    Baptism’s a strange thing. For most people, it’s an announcement. It’s a proclamation to everyone around that says, “I am a follower of Christ!” For many, it’s also a symbol. It’s a portrait of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. In a sense, we identify with Christ when we enter the waters of baptism. We are lowered into the water, dying to our old selves and burying our sin. We are brought out of the water, cleansed and entering new life. For all, it’s a step in obedience to Christ who has commanded us to be baptized, thus identifying us as his followers.

    Here’s one person’s story.

    Category Christianity, Church, Spirituality | Tags: | No Comments

  6. This one’s a little contrived. . .

    May 15, 2008 by Nate

    It’s quiet now. My electric guitar rests in its stand. I’m not really in the mood to work on any music tonight. I just need to absorb some. I plug in my iPod and get a little David Crowder*Band going.

    My mind is racing. Like Speed’s Mach 5, the wheels in my head are going at 5000+ RPM. So much is happening in my life right now. The paradigm in the community of my mind is beginning to shift. Nothing in my life is solid. Nothing stands still.

    David Crowder asks me a question through the speakers. “Can you feel it?” I shrug off his question, but he asks it again. “Can you feel it?” I try to ignore him, but he comes back with the same question, this time clarifying as if I didn’t know what he was talking about. “The peace in this place, can you feel it?”

    Honestly, Dave? No, I can’t. My mind is restless, my heart is weak under the rushing tempest of life.

    The playlist keeps going. Dave keeps singing. This time he sings words penned by St. Francis of Assisi:

    “Let all things their Creator bless,
    And worship Him in humbleness,
    O praise Him! Alleluia!
    Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
    And praise the Spirit, Three in One!”

    Oh, I get it, Dave. Can you feel the peace in your life? No? Worship your Creator.

    While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!”

    At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said:
    “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
    and naked I will return there.
    The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
    may the name of the LORD be praised.”

    “Father-God, my soul is not at peace. You are the everlasting God, forever to be praised! You alone can give perfect peace. Your name, Father, is a Strong Tower. May my lips praise your name for all time and eternity.”

    Category Spirituality | Tags: | No Comments

  7. The closest person. . .

    May 14, 2008 by Nate

    “In essentials, unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity.”

    ~St. Augustine

    I was chatting with a friend of mine today who is going through a rough patch with a very close friend of hers. The words that stuck out to me during our conversation were these: “It just confirms to me that the closest person is the one who can hurt and disappoint you the most.”

    I wished I could have reached through my phone and hugged her at that moment. I wanted to tell her that the One closest to her would never hurt her like that. She knew, but she’d forgotten for a moment. We all forget.

    It can be difficult to visualize the Person who truly is the closest to us. After all, He is a Spirit. But outside His Word and His manifestation of Himself in Christ, I sometimes wonder if He’s chosen to reflect His perfect love through His children. I mean, we are made in His image, aren’t we? Is it possible that His perfect love can actually flow through us untainted by our brokenness? Is it possible to be so knit to our Creator that His love pours out on others in an unadulterated manner?

    One of the fruits of the Spirit is love. I believe that by allowing the Spirit of God to enter our lives completely, His love will outflow perfectly. I don’t think it’s coincidence either that the Apostle Paul placed love first in the list of fruits (Galatians 5.22-23). This dovetails nicely with the passage on love that Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Corinth (I Corinthians 13) in which he writes, “The greatest of these is love.”

    My buddy Chaz captured this idea beautifully in his latest design here. May love permeate everything we say and do. Love above all.

    “This prayer is short, Father. I ask one thing tonight: help me to love as You love. Pour Your Spirit into my life so much that Your love touches everyone I come in contact with. Your love, Father-God, not mine. Mine is flawed; mine is weak. Mine will hurt and will betray. But Yours is perfect. Yours transcends loyalties and biases. Your love sees past the charade and cuts right to the heart of man. I want to love others like that.”

    Category Christianity, Friends | Tags: | No Comments

  8. Liquid Church Life Group! (The Passaic County group)

    May 13, 2008 by Nate

    Leading a Life Group has been such a rewarding experience!

    “Thank you, Father-God, for giving me such an awesome opportunity. Thank you for bringing each of these brothers and sisters into my life! I’ve learned so much through each study and meeting. May I not forget all that you’ve taught me through this unique ministry. May I remain humble as I continue to lead and learn, and may the stories I hear from each member give me a better understanding of how your Spirit works in the individual lives of your children. Keep me close to you and your Word, Father-God, and never let me wander.”

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  9. Trying out Love. . .

    May 8, 2008 by Nate

    Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
    Ephesians 4.15-16

    This passage was a little tough for me to tackle. Love is everywhere in the Bible. It’s the most prominent idea in the New Testament. Christ tells us constantly to love one another, to love our neighbor as ourselves, to love our enemies.

    But perhaps the most powerful statement Christ made about love is found in John 13.35, in which he is quoted thus: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

    So what is it that defines us as Christ-followers? Is it not our love for each other?

    I’m often convicted of my own unwillingness to love fellow believers. I grew up among very judgmental believers who stood behind the standard of “Biblical Separation” as though it were the defining banner of Christianity. “Don’t listen to that kind of music. Don’t watch those kinds of movies. Don’t hang out with those kinds of people.”

    After coming out of that kind of environment, it would be easy for me to turn around and judge those people for their judgment of other believers, for their blatant disobedience of Paul’s admonition in Romans 2 that “in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.”

    But in doing so, I do the very same thing. It’s not easy to love those who have condemned you. But it’s what Christ called us to do. It’s how everyone will know that we belong to him. The songs we sing, the clothes we wear, the words we say—none of it says “I’m a Christian” better than the love we show for each other, for the outsiders, and for our enemies.

    “Father-God, fill me with your love. So much that it pours out of me onto others. It’s easy to love the like-minded believer, and even to love the lost because of the longing to see them come to you. But Father, it’s hard for me to love those who’ve hurt me. The branch of believers who’ve placed harsh labels on me. Give me the grace I need to love them too.”

    Category Scripture Musings | Tags: | No Comments