"Between her feet
he sank, he fell, he lay still;
between her feet
he sank, he fell;
where he sank,
there he fell—dead."
Judges 5:27
I think I could have said it in not quite so many words. Just sayin.
22 June, 2011
21 June, 2011
Nehemiah
Reading Nehemiah today.
Encouraged by this man of God:
My imaginary conversation (1-sided) with him.
Chapter 6 - "Okay, Nehemiah. People want to kill you and destroy your credibility and all that you are laboring for. That's pretty serious. What are you going to do?"
Chapter 7:1-4 - "So . . . the news isn't getting any better, Nehemiah. Your people are vulnerable to being attacked by your enemies. What are you going to do? It's about time you hit the panic button!"
Chapter 7:5-73 - "Seriously?! You're making a list!? A list of everyone who is with you!?"
Chapter 8 - "Seriously?!! You're reading the Bible out loud to everyone??! You really think that's gonna solve everything? Wow, Nehemiah. That's clever."
End of Chapter 8 - "Okay. Point well taken."
Nehemiah was courageous. He did some crazy stuff and I wouldn't have wanted to mess with him. Perhaps the most courageous thing he did, though, was that he actually believed that the Word of God was exactly what was needed to sustain, provide, and protect the people of God.
I'm hoping to be like Nehemiah- and trust the Word to produce fruit & perseverance in our people's lives.
The guy from Kenya- his name is Nehemiah. Probably a different Nehemiah than the one in the Bible- but his name is identical. Boom. Relevance served.
Encouraged by this man of God:
My imaginary conversation (1-sided) with him.
Chapter 6 - "Okay, Nehemiah. People want to kill you and destroy your credibility and all that you are laboring for. That's pretty serious. What are you going to do?"
Chapter 7:1-4 - "So . . . the news isn't getting any better, Nehemiah. Your people are vulnerable to being attacked by your enemies. What are you going to do? It's about time you hit the panic button!"
Chapter 7:5-73 - "Seriously?! You're making a list!? A list of everyone who is with you!?"
Chapter 8 - "Seriously?!! You're reading the Bible out loud to everyone??! You really think that's gonna solve everything? Wow, Nehemiah. That's clever."
End of Chapter 8 - "Okay. Point well taken."
Nehemiah was courageous. He did some crazy stuff and I wouldn't have wanted to mess with him. Perhaps the most courageous thing he did, though, was that he actually believed that the Word of God was exactly what was needed to sustain, provide, and protect the people of God.
I'm hoping to be like Nehemiah- and trust the Word to produce fruit & perseverance in our people's lives.
The guy from Kenya- his name is Nehemiah. Probably a different Nehemiah than the one in the Bible- but his name is identical. Boom. Relevance served.
16 June, 2011
"Christianity is about being, not doing."
I hear it quite often. It is perhaps one of the most popular phrases that Christians like to say today in the church. "Christianity is about being, not doing." Normally it's said in a defensive posture as soon as expectations are placed on someone. I've run across this phrase a few times as we have changed the way that we do church membership at 412. According to popular Church culture, Church Membership = Acceptance. Be a Christian and just . . . be.
Praise God that this is true when it comes to our standing before Him! We do not have to work in order to be accepted by Him. But the truth is that once we have been "Justified" before him, it's time to joyfully go to work. The Christian faith is a faith that works. You cannot even gloss over the New Testament and come away with a message that says "Christianity is about being, not doing." As a matter of fact- you might come away with (if you are just skipping through it) the exact opposite: "Christianity is about doing." It's about humbling ourselves, submitting ourselves to each other, praising God, sharing our faith, defending our faith, cherishing the Word of God, and loving our wives as Christ loved the Church. It's about loving our enemies, sharing with those who have need, encouraging others, obeying God, serving the church and speaking the truth. It's about ceasing to lie, steal & curse. It's about getting rid of rage and anger, bitterness, slander & gossip. It's about forgiving others. It's about imitating God. And God did not simply "be." He always showed us that he loved us by doing something for us. We have a God that works. We have a God that not only is, but does.
See Romans 12 and Ephesians 4-6 if you don't believe me.
Justin DeYoung just posted a very helpful blog today- and he reminded me that I must not confuse the way in which I became a believer (by faith alone) with how I am to live my life as a believer (by faith, yes, but with works as well). These works that I do are ONLY a result of my standing before God through faith in Jesus Christ. So in one sense, yes, Christianity is about being, not doing. But when we use it as a defense against raised expectations for Christians to behave like Christians, we lose sight of the Scriptures.
So there are too errors that we far too often embrace:
1. If I do enough good things, God will accept me.
2. If God has accepted me, I don't need to work anymore.
One error is deadly. The other is dangerous.
Let's avoid both and praise God for justifying us before Him through our faith in Jesus, and let's continue to praise Him by working to make His name known to a watching, unbelieving world.
Praise God that this is true when it comes to our standing before Him! We do not have to work in order to be accepted by Him. But the truth is that once we have been "Justified" before him, it's time to joyfully go to work. The Christian faith is a faith that works. You cannot even gloss over the New Testament and come away with a message that says "Christianity is about being, not doing." As a matter of fact- you might come away with (if you are just skipping through it) the exact opposite: "Christianity is about doing." It's about humbling ourselves, submitting ourselves to each other, praising God, sharing our faith, defending our faith, cherishing the Word of God, and loving our wives as Christ loved the Church. It's about loving our enemies, sharing with those who have need, encouraging others, obeying God, serving the church and speaking the truth. It's about ceasing to lie, steal & curse. It's about getting rid of rage and anger, bitterness, slander & gossip. It's about forgiving others. It's about imitating God. And God did not simply "be." He always showed us that he loved us by doing something for us. We have a God that works. We have a God that not only is, but does.
See Romans 12 and Ephesians 4-6 if you don't believe me.
Justin DeYoung just posted a very helpful blog today- and he reminded me that I must not confuse the way in which I became a believer (by faith alone) with how I am to live my life as a believer (by faith, yes, but with works as well). These works that I do are ONLY a result of my standing before God through faith in Jesus Christ. So in one sense, yes, Christianity is about being, not doing. But when we use it as a defense against raised expectations for Christians to behave like Christians, we lose sight of the Scriptures.
So there are too errors that we far too often embrace:
1. If I do enough good things, God will accept me.
2. If God has accepted me, I don't need to work anymore.
One error is deadly. The other is dangerous.
Let's avoid both and praise God for justifying us before Him through our faith in Jesus, and let's continue to praise Him by working to make His name known to a watching, unbelieving world.
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