Life Here and There

Paul went from persecuting the church to being a persecuted apostle of the church. After his arrest in Jerusalem, during his first imprisonment, he wrote a letter to the Philippians in which he boldly declared this short but profound line…

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (1:21)

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photo credit: Sister72

Jesus said life can either be like a sandcastle, which is built for a day only, not for eternity. Or it can be built on a stone foundation. The difference is simple… build your life on liquid, shifting, unstable values and you’re bound to crumble in tough times. Build your life on the absolute truth of His teachings, His Word, you’re bound to stand. Paul first built his life on sand and later said he counted it all as dung, rubbish, loss in exchange for the excellency of personally knowing Christ. It’s our choice. We can be beautifully sculpted either way, but we’ll only last if our foundation is right.

Enjoy some examples from Flickr…

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Last night we had a very special dedication time for our Storehouse food distribution ministry. Everything has been done with excellence. We’re well prepared and ready to go. Tomorrow the doors will open and we’ll be feeding the hungry and providing groceries to families in need.

As part of our church family’s time together, I shared some general thoughts about feeding and serving from God’s Word. They’re random, but I wanted to post them here…

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John 17 is referred to as the high priestly prayer of Jesus. It’s the real “Lord’s Prayer” (the other one is Jesus’ model prayer for His disciples). In John 17, we hear the heart of Jesus. He’s purposely praying out loud in front of the disciples on His walk from the upper room to the garden of Gethsemane. It’s an amazing glimpse into the intimate and holy conversation between the Son of God and the Father.

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Prayer is a classroom, and God is the Teacher. In prayer, we learn just how big He really is. I’ve recently been teaching through Jesus’ model prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 and my friend Chris Price posted a picture on Twitter (follow Chris) of some notes he had jotted down about the attributes of God in the model prayer. As I came to the close of my series, I kept reflecting on that thought, and especially on the final line of Chris’ notes, “prayer is an expression of powerlessness.”

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We have, sometimes, the mistaken notion that when we get to heaven, we’ll be as God, knowing everything. Not only is this a duplication of Adam and Eve’s mistaken theology, it’s also quite unbiblical. What will be different there is that the hindrances to learning will have been removed. Listen to the way J. Sidlow Baxter puts it in Going Deeper:

Let us try to grasp it: the quintessence of heaven’s pure bliss for us will be just this, that with sinless minds, and raptured hearts, and perfected powers, through evolving aeons we shall be adoringly exploring an exhaustless Christ in whom are hid ‘all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,’ and who ever-unfoldingly expresses to us ‘the loving-kindness’ which lives in the infinite heart of God.

No, we won’t be all-powerful and all-knowing, but we will be ever-growing with only forward progress. As the old songwriter said, “what a day that will be, when my Jesus I shall see.”

Life is a pursuit. That’s true for all of us – no escaping it. You chase something, you know it, and you can’t quit – that would be crazy. So what do we chase?

• Money
• Pleasure
• Popularity
• Success
• Peace
• Beauty
• Acceptance
• Love

That list could probably go on for days. The endless chase, whatever it is, is what gets you out of bed in the morning. It’s what makes you check your inbox and your mailbox. It’s what causes you to ask the opinions and feedback of others. The chase wears you out at times, but alas, after resting from your panting, you run again.

Most of the objects we chase are moving targets. We’re left with daily frustration. At each benchmark, we simply receive a new baton and run for the next mark. It’s endless.

Moses chased vengeance and wound up expelled from Egypt. David chased sex and it cost the lives of thousands. Saul chased power and control and it cost the lives of early martyrs. For each of these, however, the chase abruptly ended in a sharp confrontation with the Almighty.

A burning bush, the words of Nathan, the Damascus road. Everything changed when two chases collide. In their pursuit of power and pleasure, they were oblivious to the fact that they were, in fact, being pursued… and they had finally been caught.

God has chased us down throughout history. With prophets and preachers, scholars and scribes, He has communicated His message. Through circumstances, events, and miracles, He has indicated His presence. And with His Son, He threw a net.

I hope your chase for anything other than God lands you at the foot of the cross. He’s the ultimate pursuit. When you come to Him, you’ve caught the ultimate prize. And as Paul put it, this is what you’ve been apprehended for. I’m gladly caught. Then again, I’m still passionately pursuing!

Paul said, “I have yet to apprehend that for which I have been apprehended… I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” He’s always just beyond my reach, but someday… someday this chase will be worth it. Is yours?

Early mid-morning yesterday, reports began trickling in from various sources that Walmart was laying off people from the home office (located here in Bentonville, Arkansas). By day’s end, I think the number was around 850, maybe more. Walmart, McDonald’s, and Dunkin’ Donuts were three of the only companies that I had read about in the last month or two that seemed to be doing well in the midst of the recession.

Something about the news reports, emails, and phone calls brought a sense of locality to the recession – it has hit the somewhat shielded northwest Arkansas economy now. Like an approaching thunderstorm, it’s here on top of us now. So the clouds have gathered. The thunder rumbles. Jobless people lie awake at night wondering where they will go next.

Poverty isn’t a new challenge to the church. In the New Testament, an interesting story unfolds about the church in Jerusalem’s suffering. People didn’t know where their next meal would come from. The churches across Macedonia (ancient Greece) were suffering from th economic downturn as well, but they responded in an amazing way… they gave. Without ever knowing or meeting their family-in-Christ across the Mediterranean, they dug deep into their pockets (and their hearts) and gave. Paul said it this way…

For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power (ability) they were willing of themselves; praying us with much entreaty (begging us) that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. ~ 2 Corithians 8:3-4 KJV (emphasis mine)

In dark times, God’s people have the opportunity to shine! How?

• By realizing and valuing the connections we have with the eternal family of God, regardless of geographic, cultural, and racial distances.
• By praying… after all, God has obligated Himself to do certain things only in response to prayer.
• By giving… even until it hurts.

I’m proud to be a part of Bethel Baptist Church in Bentonville. I’ve watched us give away about 1,000 pair of shoes in the last year. We’ve helped families within our church family, and without. Our people have made themselves available to neighbors and friends in whatever way is most helpful. And we’re in the planning stages of a major food supply initiative in our community.

We chose the slogan “the church on the hill” for two reasons. One, we’re on a hill and that’s how people identify us… “Yeah, you guys are that church on the hill!” Yep, that’s us. But then there is the issue of our mission within our community. Jesus said “a city set on a hill cannot be hid.” He went on to challenge God’s people to “so let your light shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” That’s the real reason I’m proud to be a part of the church on the hill.

So, God’s people, shine. Pray, give, love, go, and tell the life-changing story of Jesus. Interrupt the darkness with some real sunshine!

photo credit: macfanmd

Tonight, I’ll be talking about Luke 10:38-42 and using it to make a significant point about life. We live in a Martha world. Martha busied herself preparing a meal for Jesus, Mary sat at His feet and learned. Martha was upset about Mary’s lack of activity, but Jesus commended Mary for doing the more important thing.

Why is it that we have such a tough time getting at the feet of Jesus? Everybody’s busy in a multitude of ways…

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Based on Luke 2:52

ONE GREAT TRUTH: Instead of issuing New Year’s “resolutions,” I prefer to focus on some areas in which I want to grow in the upcoming year, and those areas are modeled by the growth of Jesus Himself.

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