Musings on Maundy Thursday

Today is Maundy Thursday ... I'm not sure if that was common in your faith tradition, it wasn't something we celebrated in my home growing up. But it has become important to me as an adult.

Holy Week is my favorite time of the year. I don't say that out loud often, but it is my favorite time of the year. Yes, Christmas is good, Jesus had to come to earth and we should celebrate his arrival. But Jesus ABSOLUTELY HAD TO DIE AND BE RAISED FROM THE DEAD to purchase our salvation. And while many Christian's understand that truth, I don't believe we celebrate it the way we should ...

Jesus had to die. He then had to be raised from the dead. Our salvation, our ability to stand as a spotless lamb in the throne room of God depends on those two things. Jesus' birth wasn't enough. So with all due respect to Ricky Bobby, I don't pray to baby Jesus. Baby Jesus didn't pardon my debt to God. Baby Jesus was just the beginning of the story.

What does all that have to do with Maundy Thursday? I think that if you spend time in the Book of John today and read chapters 13 through 17 you will see the heart of God in Jesus' final words to his disciples. John takes five chapters to cover the events in the Upper Room, nearly 20% of his gospel is about one night: Maundy Thursday.

Since the main plot of the Gospel of John is to demonstrate Jesus is God, taking 20% of his message to highlight a single day should cause us to pause and dig deeper. What do we learn?

• Jesus washes his disciples feet.
• Jesus shares a meal with the one who will betray him.
• Jesus predicts Peter's denial.
• Jesus talks about heaven.
• Jesus says, "I am the Way," the most confrontational of the seven "I am" statements he made.
• Jesus promises a Comforter will come when he leaves. We know this comforter as the Holy Spirit.
• Jesus says the second "I am" statement of the evening, "I am the Vine."
• Jesus prepares his disciples for a world that will hate them as it hated him.
• Jesus says his followers will be scattered.
• Jesus says, "In this world you will have trouble."
• Jesus prays for his disciples.
• Jesus prays for you and me; he prays "for those who will believe in me through their [disciple's] message."

Each one of these bullet points could be an entire book, many of them are. I could write a blog post about each one, and perhaps some day I may.

In chapter 16 we read: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace."

I want to leave you with that today. May the events of today (Maundy Thursday), may the events of tomorrow (Good Friday), may the silence of Saturday (Jesus is in the grave), and may the Resurrection Celebration of Sunday (Easter) resonate with you today and throughout the weekend. And may you have peace through Jesus. 

A Fresh New Look

Have you ever had an "ah, ha" moment with something you have read, heard, and even taught before? That moment when you are studying something and a fresh perspective presents itself?

I had that moment this morning as I was reading Philippians 4:4:-7. I had memorized this passage years ago from the New International Version (NIV-1984).

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NIV-1984)

I'm sure this is a familiar passage to most of you. Even if you don't attend church regularly, you have presumably heard this passage referenced at some point in your life. But this morning as I was reading my Bible before starting my day, this passage fell fresh.

I try to read the Bible in a different version each year. However, because I was so unfaithful to my Bible reading in 2014, I didn't change versions when I launched into reading in 2015. This morning, I was reading from the New Living Translation (NLT).

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT)

I'm not sure why, but this morning I saw the "if/then" statement in this passage for the first time. Maybe it is because the NIV says "and" but the NLT clearly says "then" ... I'm not sure, but when I saw that "if/then" clause, this passage became so clear.

My job is spelled out for me through Paul's words:

1. Be full of joy in the Lord (entire books have been written on this topic).
2. Let everyone see I am considerate in all I do.
3. Remember the Lord is coming soon.
4. Don't worry (anyone have a song stuck in their head now?)
5. Pray about everything.
6. Tell God what I need.
7. Thank him for all he has done.

Those are my marching orders. Each and every day I need to do these seven things. It goes without saying that simply following these seven principles will make me a better person.

Don't worry... While tough to do, medical research shows that people who worry less have fewer medical problems. Worry leads to stress, stress leads to illness.

Let everyone see I am considerate in all I do... Have you ever shared a smile with someone having a bad day? The saying is true, "a smile is the one thing you can share and still take with you."

Being considerate is very similar. What if instead of rushing ahead as the traffic lane ends, I allow not one, but two cars from the other lane to enter ahead of me? What if I let the person with more items than me go ahead of me in the grocery store because they have two small children with them? What if I leave a note of encouragement for my child in their backpack the day of the big test? Not only will their lives be impacted, I will be positively affected too.

But the step that really opened my eyes this morning was "tell God what I need." Somehow in the NIV I had never translated, "present your requests" into "tell God what I need."

Doesn't this match what Jesus taught in what we call "the Lord's Prayer?" Jesus taught, "Give us this day our daily bread." That is specifically asking God to provide our needs.

My mind wanders to the passage from the sermon on the mount:

"You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead? Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him. Matthew 7:9-11 (NLT)

God wants to give his children good gifts. But he also wants us to ask. I think that asking humbles us; it reminds us that this is a gift from God and not something we managed on our own.

And then after asking, we thank God for his provision.

Then God's part kicks in. This is the "then" part of the "if/then" statement: We will experience God's peace. This is a peace the world simply cannot understand. Because we lived life differently, following God's standard, not man's standard, we will receive God's peace.

God will sweeten the deal by guarding our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus.

Don't read "prosperity gospel" here. This peace may not be fully realized this side of eternity. Paul and the apostles all suffered greatly on this earth. But today they sit in heaven with Jesus.

Yet even in the midst of their trials, they knew peace. They lived every day following these seven principles outlined here for us. Will you commit to follow them each day of 2015? Click below to share some instances where following these ground rules enhanced your life. Let's continue to encourage each other throughout this new year and beyond as we live life God's way.

Upside Down Christianity

My wife and I are part of an Activate group at SoAcres Church. We are watching the video series by Matt Chandler titled "Explicit Gospel." In this study, Matt shares some great inspiration from scripture about how the modern church has turned Christianity upside down.

I want to spend some time today looking at things I gleaned from Matt's observations from Colossians 3:1-10.

Paul spent the previous chapter sharing with this church about the spiritual fullness they can experience in Christ and how through that fullness they can also experience freedom from human rules.

From there, Paul says, "Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above…set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." (Colossians 3:1-2—NIV®)

I like the way these verses read in The Message: "So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that's where the action is. See things from his perspective." (Colossians 1:1-2—MSG)

Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Isn't that how we so often live life? We become absorbed with what's for breakfast. We become focused on that "idiot" that cut us off in traffic, or worse, in line at Starbucks. We become tunnel-visioned with our needs; despite God's promise to "supply all [our] needs" (Philippians 4:19).

But more often, we focus on our sin. We realize when we fail God, and we become focused on that sin. We think, "God can't love me because…." We feel we need to "clean ourselves up" to be worthy of God's grace. We find ourselves struggling in a downward spiral of sin, guilt, sin, guilt, sin…

We practice upside down Christianity. Paul said, "Set your heart and mind on things above." That's where we need to focus.

Paul moves on to our next steps.

"For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:3-4—NIV®)

When we focus on Jesus, our old life dies. When our eyes are looking up, everything that is below becomes dim.

When you are walking, you so often look down to "avoid the bumps" in the sidewalk. You don't want to trip. Yet so often because we are looking down, we don't see the low tree branch and hit our head.

It's funny, but if we had been looking up, we would have seen what was coming and been able to avoid getting hurt. And, despite the fact we were looking up, we still would have managed not to trip, because in looking up, we are still able to see, and avoid, the lower obstacles because of our peripheral vision.

The same is true spiritually. When we look at Jesus, he becomes our focus and he helps us avoid the obstacles in our path. He removes the desires that once entrapped us (our old life dies), and he fills us with the desires of his Kingdom.

Only AFTER our focus is on Jesus and our lives have been transformed does Paul bring "morality" into the picture.

Put to death therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. (Colossians 3:5-10—NIV®)

Paul makes it clear, we can only pursue morality AFTER we have have set our eyes on Jesus. Once our eyes are fixed on Jesus, our hearts change and morality follows.

Upside down Christianity is focusing on the moral law first and hoping that will gain you favor with God. Upside down Christianity isn't Christianity at all, it's religion. Jesus stood in opposition to religion 2000 years ago and we should do the same today.

Jesus didn't die so we could follow a moral code. Jesus died so we could once again gain direct access to God. There was a moral code implemented by God, we know it as the Law of Moses. But with Jesus, God showed us that no matter how hard we try, no matter how much we sacrifice, we are never going to be "good enough."

That's where God's grace, freely offered as a direct result of Jesus' sacrifice comes into play. Only through setting our hearts and minds on things above are we able to live into the grace of God.

Too many Christians start with verses 5-10, forgetting verses 1-4. Too many preachers teach "if…then" sermons, either explicitly or ambiguously. Too many times we each have practiced upside down Christianity.

Let's commit today to stop practicing upside down Christianity. Let's set our hearts and minds on Jesus and take our focus of off the list of rules. Then we can marvel in his glory and in the change that will overtake us.

More importantly, we will become the change that Christ will bring to the world because we obeyed and set our hearts and minds on him. People are not drawn to a set of rules. People are drawn to changed lives. Are you willing to live the life to which Christ called? Are you willing to stop practicing upside down Christianity?

Don't Keep Petting the Lion!

It amazes me how many people think they can "handle" it. How many times have you said, "no worries, I've got this…"

What am I talking about? I'm talking about the lion we all allow to enter our homes. I'm talking about the apex predator that each of us feel confident we can tame. I'm talking about sin.

1 Peter 5:8 says, "Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour." (NLT)

That's a great analogy. In this day and age, I'm sure we've all seen video of a pet lion that suddenly, and for no apparent reason, turned on its owner and now that person is severely mauled or dead.

That's what happens to us when we refuse to stamp out sin; when we say to ourselves, "I've got this."

We let ourselves believe that because we haven't "stumbled" in a few days/weeks/months/years, we're OK.

But the truth is the "lion" is always there. Always lurking. Always ready to pounce.

That's why Peter tells us to "stay alert!" That's why Peter calls the devil our "great enemy."

I get the picture of a trained military person on overwatch while everyone else gets some sleep. The team can sleep because they have trust in the one watching over them.

We need to place the same trust and faith in the One watching over us, the Holy Spirit.

But we also need to "flee... evil desires… and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart." (2 Timothy 2:22—NIV®)

We shouldn't allow the lion access to our home, to our heart, to our mind. We most certainly shouldn't see how close to the lion we can get without getting hurt.

Flee… run away!

Pursue… run towards!

What a great picture of how we should live each day. Flee evil, pursue righteousness.

How are you pursuing the righteousness of God in your life today? Leave a comment below so that others might be encouraged by your story.

Forgiveness is for Us

The topic of forgiveness came up this week in a conversation. I wanted to share some of my thoughts from that night, in part because maybe getting something "out there" will help me as I continue to contemplate what God needs me to learn and say on this very difficult topic.

I'm sure we've all heard the verse, some of us have even memorized it. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9-NIV®)

It wasn't until recently that I realized that asking God to forgive us isn't so much about God, it is about us.

What happens when we "mess up?" Most of us begin kicking ourselves. How was I so stupid? I know better than that. What was I thinking?

Even children do this. Think back to when you were a child. The worst punishment you ever received was when you mom said, "Just wait until your father gets home."

You would spend the rest of the day wondering what that punishment would be. And whatever you considered, it was always terrible.

I learned early on as a parent that asking my kids what the punishment for their "crime" should be often resulted in a harsher punishment that I was contemplating.

The Bible is clear that God is our father. In Luke 11 we read that God desires to give us good gifts, even better than we ask. (Luke 11:9-13)

Let's take that behavior of a child, the behavior we all exhibit from time to time, and transition it to our spiritual life. We sin, and we begin kicking ourselves.

Has our sin caused us to lose our salvation? No.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39-NLT)

Our sin does, however, block our relationship with God. Not from God's viewpoint, although a Holy God cannot stand sin, but from our view point. Remember, from God's viewpoint, "He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west" (Psalm 103:12-NLT).

So I believe that asking God for forgiveness is more about us. I know God has forgiven my sins in my head. I read throughout His word, the Bible, about how much He loves me. I understand mentally there is nothing that can remove me from the Book of Life.

It is the emotional response, my "heart response" where the disconnect happens. And I believe that is where my need to ask forgiveness becomes important.

It is through my seeking forgiveness, through my saying, "I can't do this on my own," through my acknowledgement of God's grace that I am restored.

Yes, God wants us to ask. But I do not believe He withholds forgiveness until we do. I believe that when we ask, we are allowing ourselves to get out of the way so His love can flood our hearts once again.

So the next time you sin, don't beat yourself up too long. Remember that God's love is eternal, His grace is sufficient, and He desires you simply acknowledge your need for Him.

When you do, your heart will be filled with His love once again.

Who Even Thinks Like That?

In a recent staff meeting we read the account of the sun standing still from Joshua 10. Joshua and the Israelite army are fighting the five kings of the Amorites. They are defeating their enemy, but the sun is setting and Joshua believes the cover of darkness will allow his enemy the opportunity to regroup and potentially win the battle.

So, what does Joshua do? He prays to God, asking Him to hold the sun so the Israelite army can finish the battle and completely destroy their enemy.

The following week we studied Peter walking on the water. In Matthew 14 we read that it is the middle of the night and the disciples are fighting the wind. In the midst of this storm comes Jesus, walking on the water.

Remember, some of these guys are seasoned fishermen. They have lived on this water all their lives. Yet they are straining to keep the boat moving due to the rough waves (see John 6:18). That's the scene, and here comes Jesus.

Back to Matthew, and we see that Peter calls out, "Lord if it's you, tell me to come to you on the water." (Matthew 14:28-NIV®) And Jesus says, "Come."

"Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on water and came toward Jesus." (Matthew 14:29-NIV®)

I have one question for both of these accounts: "Who thinks like that?"

Name one instance in your life where you were facing something and you said, "God, I need you to do this impossible thing, this thing that only You can do, so that I may have success in my adventure."

God, make the sun stand still so we can defeat this enemy in your name? Most people would have said, "God, keep the enemy confined tonight so we can win the battle tomorrow."

Joshua asked God for the impossible; and God provided.

Peter saw Jesus walking through rough waves on the water and said, "Let me come to you."

Most of us would have said, "Jesus, the waves are pounding the boat and we are having difficulty rowing, can you calm the waves?"

Since the waves didn't calm down until after Jesus was in the boat (Mark 6:51), Peter was walking on rough waves.

We fault Peter for sinking. I think we should praise Peter for having the courage to step out of a wind-tossed boat on to rough waves to walk to Jesus.

I know I do not have the faith of Joshua or Peter. I don't even think like those men thought.

All I can do is continue to learn more about Jesus and in learning about Him be able to see that He really wants to do miraculous things; I simply have to ask and have faith.

Remember, in Matthew 17:20 Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (NIV®)

Joshua had that faith. He asked God to cause the sun to stand still and it did.

Peter had that faith. He asked Jesus to let him walk on water, and he did.

I don't have that faith. But I'm trying to learn to think like Joshua and Peter. Because when I begin to see the world with new eyes, with "nothing is impossible" dreams, with the faith of a mustard seed; then I will understand just how Great is Our God.

God of Love?

I was having a conversation with someone recently about how to reconcile the God of the Old Testament with the God of the New Testament. 

In the Old Testament we read God commanded King Saul through the Prophet Samuel to "attack the Amalekites and totally destroy all that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys." (1 Samuel 15:3-NIV®)

In the New Testament we read, "love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." (Luke 6:35-NIV®)

It seems that throughout the Old Testament we see a God of justice, in the New Testament we see of God of grace. Are the two one and the same God? How are the two one and the same God?

Especially when you consider Hebrews 13:8-NIV®, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever."

It is perplexing. It has been the cause for many to reject the message of Jesus and the gospel. The Internet is full of posts about the "vindictive" God.

To me, however, it all comes down to one thing. How did people who knew Jesus and God respond to him when in his presence?

Obviously people become close to Jesus while he was here on earth. Of those, it was John who we would consider to have been the closest to Jesus. John was with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. John was with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Yet when John saw the resurrected Jesus in all his glory: "I fell at his feet as though dead." (Revelation 1:17-NIV®)

John knew Jesus, was closest to him at the major points of his earthly ministry, and wrote in one of his epistles, "...God is love." (I John 4:8-NIV®)

Yet his response to the risen Savior in the throne room of heaven was to fall down as if dead.

What of Moses? Moses is an Old Testament man who spent time with God on the Mountain of God. Yet when Moses asked to see God's face, God said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." (Exodus 33:20-NIV®)

How does looking at John and Moses help us reconcile God? It shows me that 1) God is Holy and as such cannot be seen by sinful men and 2) God is love.

As much as God is holy, that is also as much as He is love.

It is a mystery that we simply have to accept. Yes, the Holy God of the Old Testament demonstrated His holiness by methods unholy humans do not understand.

But the Loving God of the New Testament did the same. He sent His only son to pay the price we could never pay. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21-NIV®)

God is the ultimate enigma wrapped in mystery to loosely quote Winston Churchill.

And maybe that is where faith needs to step in. Maybe it is through faithfully accepting that God is holy AND God is love, we are able to accept His love despite our fear in the face of His holiness.