restored to grace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

It’s interesting that Christ would add the disclaimer: “not as the world gives.” What’s he trying to get across?

Imagine yourself in the middle of a hurricane. The winds whip around you at breakneck speeds. The torrent of rain slams against you like sheets of water being blown at your body. Debris is flying everywhere. In the midst of this storm a massive boulder rests unshaken by the hurricane. You fight your way to the monstrous rock and grab hold, knowing that it can anchor you to the ground. Or you rest against its side, trusting that it will shield you from the howling winds that threaten to tear you from the ground.

That rock doesn’t provide the kind of peace you probably think of when you consider the word peace. But it offers a kind of peace that is desperately needed in this world.

The world pretends to offer peace and comfort. But its efforts at creating peace are nothing more than an illusion. A diversion designed to make you believe that there is no storm. But there is, and if you deny the storm’s existence, you’ll be swept up in it.

So run to Christ. He is our Peace in the midst the storm.

I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.

~John 16.33 (The Message)

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God has chosen to make known. . . the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

There are so many words that we’ve cheapened. Hope is one of them.

“I hope I win first place.”

“I hope she says yes.”

“I hope I don’t fail the exam.”

But hope is so much more than wishful thinking. True hope is far more powerful than that.

Hope is trusting that the unseen is better than we can possibly imagine. Hope is knowing that, even in the midst of darkness, our worst pain has a glorious purpose.

The New Living Translation turns the word “hope” into “assurance.” Christ gives us true hope—an assurance—that this life is merely a shadow. There is something glorious that has yet to be revealed.

But beyond just giving us hope, Christ is that hope—that assurance.

As I close in on post #100, I want to take time reflecting on what Christ is.

So, for post #93, Christ is hope.

We have been made right with God because of our faith. Now we have peace with him because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through faith in Jesus we have received God’s grace. In that grace we stand. We are full of joy because we expect to share in God’s glory.

And that’s not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never let us down.

~Romans 5.1-5 (NIrV)

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I came across this article recently, and I couldn’t help but resonate with the writer’s frustrations. Have we forgotten what it means to be Christ-followers?

At Liquid Kids this Sunday, I walked the children through Christ’s final meal with his disciples. I’m sure that since Jesus knew he was going to die soon, he chose his words very carefully. The words on his lips were these: “Love one another.” He said that love would be the defining feature of all his followers.

So why isn’t it the defining feature of his followers today?

Take a look at the Christians roaming the country today. The church-goers glaring at the visitors who stole their seats at the Sunday service. The preachers pounding the pulpit, proclaiming New York/Chicago/Las Vegas/San Francisco to be the new Sodom and Gomorrah, and calling down God’s “wrath” on these cities.

Remember Jesus? Remember how he wept and called out to the city of Jerusalem, longing for the rebellious metropolis to come back to his love?

Perry Noble said this in a message last week: “God didn’t call us to condemn the city. He called us to rescue it.”

Have we forgotten how to love like Christ? Have we forgotten what true love looks like?

Christ’s description of love is one of complete self-sacrifice. We have no right to talk to anyone about hell until they know that we’re willing to die for them.

The greatest command from God is to love. Even Christ’s “Great Commission” takes a backseat to his command to love. We can’t effectively fulfill any of his commands if we can’t truly love.

So before you open your mouth to people about their eternal destiny, ask yourself, “Am I willing to put my life on the line for this person?” If your answer is no, don’t say a word to them about it until you can answer yes.

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In anticipation of the upcoming Prison Break series at church starting this weekend, I’ve decided to go through Paul’s letter to the church in Philippi.

I’ve often marveled at the joy Paul expresses through one of the most difficult times of his life. He’s in prison, chained up, and waiting to be executed, yet still he writes, “Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! . . . . Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice!”

How is it that Paul can write such powerfully uplifting words in those circumstances? What was driving him to live life this way?

Lately I’ve been feeling God calling me toward ministry. A number of times over the past several months I’d begun pursuing that call in different forms: taking steps toward a full-time ministry position at my home church, putting together my application to seminary, applying at various full-time ministry positions around the country.

But every time I find an open door, it closes before I reach it.

And I find myself asking God, “Is it even worth it?”

No, it’s not. Not if my pursuit is after the things of God rather than God himself.

I’ll admit it’s not easy when he puts a desire in your heart but tells you to wait before you can obtain that dream. It’s even more difficult when you know your dream is something that he would be proud of.

But the reality is no matter how noble or God-pleasing my dream may be, attaining it will never bring me joy.

And while my disappointments and difficulties pale in comparison to Paul’s sufferings, I get discouraged, I complain, and I grow frustrated with my circumstances.

And I have to ask myself, “Why can’t I celebrate like Paul did if my life is circumstantially much better than his?”

Paul discovered why it’s all worth it. He discovered how to rejoice in every circumstance. He discovered where true joy can transcend his situations. Because his celebration was based on something other than his circumstances.

The answer sounds cliché (especially if you grew up in Sunday School hearing this kind of cheese being sung), but it truly makes all the difference.

Jesus.

Because he is the sustenance for the entire universe. Because his life is the center of all of history. Because his death is love defined. Because his resurrection is the beginning of new life for humanity.

Because this kind of love is what we were designed for.

There is no reason to live. There is nothing to live for.

Because it’s not worth it to live for anything.

Except Jesus.

I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, 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 in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, 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.

~Philippians 3.8-14

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But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice. Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance.
~Philippians 1.18-19

Not too many years ago I spent a lot of time arguing about all the little details of inconsequential doctrines that, in retrospect, did more to hinder the movement of the Gospel than I thought. But there I was, more concerned with getting my point across than with investing in someone’s life.

And when I run into people who act the way I used to act, I get disgusted. I want to yell, “Don’t you know that your argumentative debates and judgmental rants are doing more harm than good?”

But I have to remind myself that God is still using those people. I may be turned off by their methods, but they’re still instruments in God’s hands.

I was talking to an old friend last night about some of the aspects of people within God’s Kingdom. Each person has his/her own spiritual gifts that reveal something about God in that person.

Take Bill, Mike, and Tom, for instance. Bill, the Student Ministries Pastor at Liquid Church, has quite obviously been blessed with the gift of compassionate love. God has chosen to reveal His attributes of community, love, and openness through Bill. On Tuesday mornings, Bill sets aside time simply to invest in our friendship. He has no agenda and no ulterior motive. We shoot into Morristown for an early cup of coffee and just learn about each other.

Mike, the Campus Pastor at Liquid Church New Brunswick, has been given the gift of service and humility. God’s mysterious nature as the ultimate Servant is very visible in Mike. He asserts no authority over anyone, but gently cares for people where their needs are. On any given Sunday morning, Mike has already poured my coffee, and is probably waiting for me to turn my back so he can set up my room when I’m not looking.

Tom, the Campus Pastor at Liquid Church Morristown, is an entirely different story. His obvious gift is knowledge and wisdom. He can spend hours poring over the Scriptures, and months later recall the deep mysteries embedded within them. And he has the creds to prove it. With degrees from Johns Hopkins, Columbia, Dallas Theological, and who-knows-where-else, Tom has clearly been chosen to reveal God’s occupation as the Master Teacher.

And when these three men work together, the Kingdom really begins to move forward. . .

(Post continued here. . .)

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I’m currently reading through the book of the Acts of the Apostles for my quiet time. It’s been such an enlightening experience looking through the eyes of the early followers of the Way and peeking into their experiences as the Church first entered the world. It must have been an exciting time.

But as the church scattered abroad, I can’t help but wonder if the Apostles ever thought, “I wish things were the way they used to be.” I mean, the church was pretty successful for a while remaining in Jerusalem. But Christ had told them to go around the world. And around the world they went.

Churches sprang up everywhere. Starting in Jerusalem, then Antioch, then Corinth, Rome, Philippi, Ephesus. . . the new movement spread like wildfire. How many times do you see phrases like, “and about three thousand were added to their number that day,” or “and a great number of people were brought to the Lord”? Over and over again we see the church surging in the number of people reached.

“Remember when we were all in Jerusalem? Man, those were the good ol’ days! When we were healing people in the big city, sharing all we had, giving speeches in all sorts of languages. I never even studied Italian, and there I was, speaking it!”

As I read through passages where major changes were taking place in the early Church, I began to feel nostalgic. I began to miss the days just a few short chapters ago when all the believers assembled in Solomon’s Colonnade.

Just a few months ago, Liquid Church was a group of believers meeting in one place. Early on a Sunday morning, I could walk up the Hyatt stairs and brush past Mike. We’d walk together up to the top of the stairs and chat with Lauren and Tom. The stage would be shared by both David’s moving vocals and Jens’ intense shreds. Bobby and I would lead the same group of kids in learning and worship.

But so much has changed since then. David and Jens no longer share the stage. Mike and Tom no longer greet people on the same set of stairs. Bobby and I no longer share the lesson for children.

Watching Mike introduce the service in Morristown brought me back to those days. The days when “all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.”

And I found myself thinking, Remember when we were all in Morristown? Remember when we gave away gasoline and car washes? Remember when we raised money to build wells in Africa? Man, those were the good ol’ days!

But I’m wrong. No, these are the “good ol’ days.” The moments we’re in right now are the ones to treasure and make the most of. It’s nice to remember, but without those difficult changes, Liquid would have half the impact that it has now. And the Kingdom of God is moving through New Jersey twice as fast as it would if we were all still meeting in Morristown.

After the church spread out beyond the borders of Jerusalem, these words were written: “The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.”

See how far we’ve come?

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Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

~Mark 6.4-6 (emphasis added)

Have you ever wondered why you haven’t seen any miracles lately? Could it be that miracles may have something to do with the way you look at life?

I know it’s long past Christmas, but I was thinking about the movie Elf when contemplating this passage. Without any “Christmas spirit,” Santa’s sleigh couldn’t leave the ground. But it wouldn’t have done any good to just show people to Santa’s sleigh. They wouldn’t have believed, and it wouldn’t have done anything to boost the Christmas spirit. They had to believe first, and then they would see the miracle.

Not to imply that Christ’s power is dependent on our faith, but this story seems to say that faith has a lot to do with His power in our lives. Simple trust opens the door to many amazing possibilities.

When Jesus’ friend Lazarus died, he spoke to Lazarus’ sister about faith. Her brother just died, and Jesus was asking her about her faith?

But here’s something interesting. She didn’t wait to see a miracle before she believed. She believed, and her gift was an epic miracle.

Her brother came out of the grave.

I wonder if part of why we haven’t seen these kinds of miracles is because we don’t have the faith to believe Christ can still do them. Oh, we know in our minds that Christ has that kind of power still, but that knowledge has yet to creep into our hearts.

If it did, maybe we’d witness everyday miracles as epic as a man coming back from the dead.

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Sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder if God can actually use me. All I see are the flaws, the sin, the brokenness.

But all the scars, the weaknesses, the sin—everything that should be holding me back highlights God’s incredible power.

Paul wrote these words to his church campus in Corinth:

[God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Look in the mirror. Find the flaws. Find the weakness. Everything that you think is holding you back from reaching your potential as a child of God.

And know that He won’t take them away from you. Instead, He’ll transform them into something useful for His kingdom.

So look in the mirror and be proud of the ugliness. Because the more ugly you’ve been, the more beautiful God can be.

If you let Him.

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In my post “Trust. . .,” I mentioned the special kind of love that God has for children. Evidence of that love is a unique gift God has given them—the ability to love unconditionally.

I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to teach children about God’s love, but there are times that I fail in living out that love. There are times I mess up, and there are times I have to be stern with them. It can’t be fun being the kid who gets called out for goofing off during a lesson.

And even though I’m supposed to teach them, more often they can teach me. I learned a lesson from them on Sunday. My campus pastor’s kids aren’t always the most well behaved in the bunch, but they know something about love. Whether instinctively or thoughtfully, they understand love better than grownups do.

In his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul wrote that “love. . . keeps no record of wrongs,” and it “always trusts.”

Mike’s kids tore after me on Sunday after lunch. “Nate!” they yelled, as they wrapped their arms around my waist. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve gotta go back to Morristown now,” I said.

“Do you have to?” they asked.

I melted.

They didn’t remember the times I got fed up with their antics and took away their snack time. They’d forgotten the moments I put them on the spot for speaking out of turn. They kept no record of the incidents I brushed them off to take care of some administrative work that could have waited till much later on.

“Love keeps no record of wrongs.”

And they trusted that, even in my less-than-happy moods, I still had their best interests in mind.

“Love always trusts.”

It’s how God loves. Kids can teach us something about that in a very powerful, unique way. Do you want to learn?

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As I looked around the Hyatt New Brunswick on December 14, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of overwhelming love and grace. I look at the journey God has brought me on and think, Is any of this really possible? It’s all very surreal. But then it dawns on me. I’m a child of God, and He’s trusting me to do His work.

I’m anticipating being stretched beyond my self-conceived limits, but that’s the point of the ministry, isn’t it? God’s unveiling our true worth and revealing to us that we can, in fact, accomplish great things in His name. I don’t understand it, but I’m extremely humbled to think that God would choose me to take part in such a huge task.

Jesus had a special place in His heart for children. He was constantly challenging adults to view life through the eyes of a child. “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children,” He once prayed. Truth has been revealed to children.

At another incident, Christ scolded His followers with these words when they blocked groups of children from Him: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

Every Sunday at the Hyatt Morristown I was given the distinct privilege to witness the simple faith of little ones. To think that God had chosen me and said, “I want Nate to take part in leading the children of Liquid Church to me,”. . . it blows my mind.

And now, on the precipice of 2009, I’m embarking on yet another journey and taking another step of faith as I partner with the team of a new Liquid Church doing God’s thing in a new city for a new group of people thirsty for a new way to live.

Father-God, who am I, that You would see fit to trust me with the souls of Your littlest children? I don’t understand it, but I trust that You knew what You were doing when You gave me this role. As Liquid Church steps out into something new, would You guide each of us in all our new roles? I know You love Your little children, and You wouldn’t trust their spiritual lives to anyone if You didn’t think that person were trustworthy. But I can’t help but ask, “Why me?” It’s such an honor, yet such a great responsibility. I know that You know me better than I know myself, but from what I know of myself, I’m not the right person to take part in such a vision. Please help me become that person. Work in me, Father-God. Turn me into the man You can trust with the hearts of your children.

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