So yesterday, Tuesday 1 September, we finished going through Brother Yun's book: Living Water.
It was a good study. Very thought provoking. And very challenging.
And very long. It took almost eight months to finish at about a chapter a week.
And we finished on 1 September which was the anniversary of Marie Monson setting foot in China in 1901.
Marie was a Lutheran missionary to China who often challenged the leaders of the Chinese church on their faith. She challenged them to repent and have more than head knowledge. They were to have heart knowledge of the Holy Spirit. And they were personally responsible before God for their own inner spiritual life.
Marie showed up in China one year after the Boxer Rebellion where over 150 missionaries and thousands of Chinese converts were killed. She stepped out boldly.
In faith.
When she arrived in China, the church was weak and there were few Christians. Today, millions of Chinese Christians hold her in high regard for they consider themselves her spiritual decedents.
And today we are challenged to step out boldly.
In faith.
Not in comfort.
In faith.
Not in security.
In faith.
It may not be to go to a foreign country to live for 31 years. It might be to just go next door and start building a relationship with our neighbors.
It might be to stand up in our congregation for what we know is right.
It might be to put our agenda on hold to help some stranger in need.
It might be to not give in to pressure at work to "fudge" the numbers a little and to take the consequences.
It might mean having to leave the church that you have been comfortably attending for years to go where you see God working and join them there.
It is to not live in fear of what others may think about us. But to live secure in the knowledge that we are doing what God wants us to do and we are where he wants us to be.
To live in faith and step out boldly is to live the Great Adventure, the only adventure that truly matters for time and for eternity.
And that is scary indeed. For we look about us and see what we have and then we want to hold on to it.
And the unknown can be pretty fear inducing. But if we believe that Christ died on the cross for our sins, we know how the story ends.
And let me never forget that...
Showing posts with label Living Water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Living Water. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Monday, June 15, 2009
Rain Barrel
This last Saturday we went out to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore to look around. While there we bought a rain barrel kit. And we had a free hot dog, chips and iced tea.
Saturday afternoon, I put it in place and put it together. Then I waited for rain. And I waited. Prior to Saturday it rained eight days in a row. Finally, early this morning, it rained. A third of an inch. And the barrel overflowed. It is placed under the shortest length of gutter on the house.
Later this morning it poured again. But the barrel is not any fuller than it was before. It is just as full as it was and will remain so until I empty something out.
I'm reminded of our Christian life. God gives us a little and it is enough. We need to empty some out so that he can put something back in. Otherwise we will just sit in place slowly going stale and moldy.
So our goal is to empty ourselves to others. We have to look for those places that need water and be ready to give water.
And be ready and available to be filled again.
Saturday afternoon, I put it in place and put it together. Then I waited for rain. And I waited. Prior to Saturday it rained eight days in a row. Finally, early this morning, it rained. A third of an inch. And the barrel overflowed. It is placed under the shortest length of gutter on the house.
Later this morning it poured again. But the barrel is not any fuller than it was before. It is just as full as it was and will remain so until I empty something out.
I'm reminded of our Christian life. God gives us a little and it is enough. We need to empty some out so that he can put something back in. Otherwise we will just sit in place slowly going stale and moldy.
So our goal is to empty ourselves to others. We have to look for those places that need water and be ready to give water.
And be ready and available to be filled again.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Best Laid Plans
On Tuesday morning I was ready.
I had studied the chapter of Living Water by Brother Yun. I had underlined key sentences and looked up relevant Bible passages. I spent time in prayer and contemplation.
I was ready.
And then I went to the study that I (loosely) lead. And after prayers as we were eating one of the guys had a comment about Twitter. And this lead to a discussion about social media and the impact on society and we talked about engaging people.
And we talked about how people of different ages are connecting in different ways. And forming relationships.
A couple of guys are kind of technically challenged. They would admit it. I was reminded how evangelism has changed as society has changed. Not the message of evangelism, not the goal of evangelism, but the tools that we use. Where in the 30's and 40's street evangelism was the norm, in the fifties it moved to radio and TV and then to outreach lunches and breakfasts and stadium events.
While God will still use any and all of these tools today, they are not always as effective as they once were. We have to find new and innovative ways to engage people and build relationships and tell them about our faith.
We didn't get to go over the study that I had planned to do, but I think that we got through the stuff that God wanted us to get through.
My plans are not always His plans. My ways are not always His ways.
But I do know that His plans and His ways are always way better than mine..
I had studied the chapter of Living Water by Brother Yun. I had underlined key sentences and looked up relevant Bible passages. I spent time in prayer and contemplation.
I was ready.
And then I went to the study that I (loosely) lead. And after prayers as we were eating one of the guys had a comment about Twitter. And this lead to a discussion about social media and the impact on society and we talked about engaging people.
And we talked about how people of different ages are connecting in different ways. And forming relationships.
A couple of guys are kind of technically challenged. They would admit it. I was reminded how evangelism has changed as society has changed. Not the message of evangelism, not the goal of evangelism, but the tools that we use. Where in the 30's and 40's street evangelism was the norm, in the fifties it moved to radio and TV and then to outreach lunches and breakfasts and stadium events.
While God will still use any and all of these tools today, they are not always as effective as they once were. We have to find new and innovative ways to engage people and build relationships and tell them about our faith.
We didn't get to go over the study that I had planned to do, but I think that we got through the stuff that God wanted us to get through.
My plans are not always His plans. My ways are not always His ways.
But I do know that His plans and His ways are always way better than mine..
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Living Water: Hearing God's Voice
Chapter 13: Hearing God's Voice of Brother Yun's Living Water
Brother Yun says that his theology is simple. All we have to do is listen and obey.
All too often we Christians do not stop and listen to God.
We are too concerned with giving God our concerns and listing out our problems and not stopping long enough to listen for what God wants to tell us.
Our prayer becomes a one way conversation which is not a conversation at all, it is a speech. And that is not the way to communicate with the God of the universe.
Brother Yun also says in this chapter that the Christian who hears the Word and then does not go out and do it is deceived. Sobering thought.
The other point that really jumped out at me is that God does not often shout. And there is so much "noise" coming at us through the media, through the pace of life, through our world. And God whispers.
We have to be willing to hear, to get away and listen, be willing to shut out the world and hear what God is telling us. This is difficult.
As I drove away from this meeting I was totally convicted that I need to quit trying to please man and be more concerned with pleasing God. Even if the men I am trying to please are godly men (at least on the surface). That doesn't mean that I will go out of my way to irritate or turn people off, but instead it means that instead of caring what people may say or think of me, i need to care about what God thinks of me.
Time to be a God pleaser and not a man pleaser...
Brother Yun says that his theology is simple. All we have to do is listen and obey.
All too often we Christians do not stop and listen to God.
We are too concerned with giving God our concerns and listing out our problems and not stopping long enough to listen for what God wants to tell us.
Our prayer becomes a one way conversation which is not a conversation at all, it is a speech. And that is not the way to communicate with the God of the universe.
Brother Yun also says in this chapter that the Christian who hears the Word and then does not go out and do it is deceived. Sobering thought.
The other point that really jumped out at me is that God does not often shout. And there is so much "noise" coming at us through the media, through the pace of life, through our world. And God whispers.
We have to be willing to hear, to get away and listen, be willing to shut out the world and hear what God is telling us. This is difficult.
As I drove away from this meeting I was totally convicted that I need to quit trying to please man and be more concerned with pleasing God. Even if the men I am trying to please are godly men (at least on the surface). That doesn't mean that I will go out of my way to irritate or turn people off, but instead it means that instead of caring what people may say or think of me, i need to care about what God thinks of me.
Time to be a God pleaser and not a man pleaser...
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Living Water: Vessels of Refreshment
A pivotal chapter in Brother Yun's book Living Water.
This is titled: Vessels of Refreshment. I was really amazed at the depth of the chapter.
The explosive growth of the church in China is explained through a sort of "power month" where every believer was asked to lead three people to Christ and each leader asked to bring five people to Christ between Christmas and New Years. Then they are supposed to disciple those people and train them to reach others. And they did it!
This is so foreign to our practices in the US. We want to be comfortable and not reach out of our comfort zone. Telling someone about Christ is scary since we want to be liked and not looked at as strange.
Brother Yun points out that before we can expect to see a revival in our nation, believers need to have a revival in our hearts. We tend to pray for revival and then ignore the work that needs to be done bring it about. Or we expect others to bring it about while we stand on the sidelines and cheer them on. Maybe write a check once in a while. Sanitizing our faith instead of living it out in a world that desperately needs us to be real and authentic.
We're going to look at the chapter more next week. Too much meat in this chapter for one week.
This is titled: Vessels of Refreshment. I was really amazed at the depth of the chapter.
The explosive growth of the church in China is explained through a sort of "power month" where every believer was asked to lead three people to Christ and each leader asked to bring five people to Christ between Christmas and New Years. Then they are supposed to disciple those people and train them to reach others. And they did it!
This is so foreign to our practices in the US. We want to be comfortable and not reach out of our comfort zone. Telling someone about Christ is scary since we want to be liked and not looked at as strange.
Brother Yun points out that before we can expect to see a revival in our nation, believers need to have a revival in our hearts. We tend to pray for revival and then ignore the work that needs to be done bring it about. Or we expect others to bring it about while we stand on the sidelines and cheer them on. Maybe write a check once in a while. Sanitizing our faith instead of living it out in a world that desperately needs us to be real and authentic.
We're going to look at the chapter more next week. Too much meat in this chapter for one week.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Living Water: As Bold as a Lion
Chapter Ten in our weekly bible study of Brother Yun's Living Water: Powerful Teachings from the International Bestselling Author of The Heavenly Man
.
The chapter is about being bold.
As Brother Yun says: "The will of God should be the primary focus of all Christians. To glorify Him should be our greatest honor and privilege. All else is a waste of time, and this world is perishing while too many Christians live out fleshly lives full of compromise and selfishness."
This is all too true of me. But I think that Brother Yun forgets that our life is lived here on earth. And the earth is full of sin. We have to die to ourselves daily in order to live forever.
But God uses us in our imperfection to advance His purposes.
We have to die to ourselves and depend on the Lord to change us. It is not something that we can do in our own power.
But as the Lord changes us we can be bold in telling others about Christ. We must be bold and we must look for the opportunities that come our way to tell others about Jesus while we live our lives in this imperfect world.
Anything else falls short...
.The chapter is about being bold.
As Brother Yun says: "The will of God should be the primary focus of all Christians. To glorify Him should be our greatest honor and privilege. All else is a waste of time, and this world is perishing while too many Christians live out fleshly lives full of compromise and selfishness."
This is all too true of me. But I think that Brother Yun forgets that our life is lived here on earth. And the earth is full of sin. We have to die to ourselves daily in order to live forever.
But God uses us in our imperfection to advance His purposes.
We have to die to ourselves and depend on the Lord to change us. It is not something that we can do in our own power.
But as the Lord changes us we can be bold in telling others about Christ. We must be bold and we must look for the opportunities that come our way to tell others about Jesus while we live our lives in this imperfect world.
Anything else falls short...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Living Water: True Freedom
Chapter Eight of Brother Yun's book Living Water: Powerful Teachings from the International Bestselling Author of The Heavenly Man. The chapter is titled: True Freedom.
In this chapter, Brother Yun recounts how it took prison for him to realize the freedom that he had in Christ and that "prison is mainly a state of mind rather than a physical place." He realized that by praising God in all things and for all things he could still be a witness for Christ in the midst of filth squalor and violence.
But even more powerful was how he talked about people in the "free" world who are tightly bound. People's hearts are "tightly chained with sin and addiction" and even though they look normal "they are prisoners within." Furthermore he states that this is the condition of many who attend church and: "They need the truth of Jesus to set them free!"
How true! We walk around with our smiling faces and we pretend that every thing is OK when we desperately need to get well. The problem is that our addictions, bitterness, sin, unforgiveness, lusts, greed, hate, etc, etc are comfortable to us. Christ is asking us if we want to get well and we are going: "Uh, let me think about that for a while. I am not sure that I want to give this up right now."
Once we let Christ heal us he can use us to reach others who are bound to the same sort of sin that we have been freed from. This process may be instantaneous or it may be gradual but the healing will take place.
And true freedom is ours for the asking.
We just have to ask Christ to set us free.
And He will.
. The chapter is titled: True Freedom.In this chapter, Brother Yun recounts how it took prison for him to realize the freedom that he had in Christ and that "prison is mainly a state of mind rather than a physical place." He realized that by praising God in all things and for all things he could still be a witness for Christ in the midst of filth squalor and violence.
But even more powerful was how he talked about people in the "free" world who are tightly bound. People's hearts are "tightly chained with sin and addiction" and even though they look normal "they are prisoners within." Furthermore he states that this is the condition of many who attend church and: "They need the truth of Jesus to set them free!"
How true! We walk around with our smiling faces and we pretend that every thing is OK when we desperately need to get well. The problem is that our addictions, bitterness, sin, unforgiveness, lusts, greed, hate, etc, etc are comfortable to us. Christ is asking us if we want to get well and we are going: "Uh, let me think about that for a while. I am not sure that I want to give this up right now."
Once we let Christ heal us he can use us to reach others who are bound to the same sort of sin that we have been freed from. This process may be instantaneous or it may be gradual but the healing will take place.
And true freedom is ours for the asking.
We just have to ask Christ to set us free.
And He will.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Living Water: Lazarus, Come Out!
Chapter Seven of Living Water by Brother Yun: Lazarus, Come Out!
Interesting in that Brother Yun draws the two stories of Mary and Martha together. He points out that in the West He has come across three types of people in the church.
The first is like Martha: busy serving others. They do lots of good things but mostly they are done for the sake of doing those things. As a result they miss Jesus in their midst.
The second is like Mary: sitting at the feet of Jesus.
The third is like Lazarus: dead. Spiritually dead for three or four days. Yet the parables show that Christ can bring the cold dead back to life. What hope there is for the churches of today where there is little or no apparent life or joy!
The Western church is generally like Martha: "You know the truths about God's Word in your head, but you still like to run your own lives." What a condemnation!
But even more: "So many churches and individual believers think they should make their own plans and strategies, then ask God to bless them."
I know that I and my church have been guilty of this recently.
And this is so contrary with what God wants us to do. He wants us to approach Him first and listen to what He has to say instead of arrogantly assuming that He will bless what we want to do because we want to do it.
"All that matters is that Jesus loves you and He wants to be your best friend."
Interesting in that Brother Yun draws the two stories of Mary and Martha together. He points out that in the West He has come across three types of people in the church.
The first is like Martha: busy serving others. They do lots of good things but mostly they are done for the sake of doing those things. As a result they miss Jesus in their midst.
The second is like Mary: sitting at the feet of Jesus.
The third is like Lazarus: dead. Spiritually dead for three or four days. Yet the parables show that Christ can bring the cold dead back to life. What hope there is for the churches of today where there is little or no apparent life or joy!
The Western church is generally like Martha: "You know the truths about God's Word in your head, but you still like to run your own lives." What a condemnation!
But even more: "So many churches and individual believers think they should make their own plans and strategies, then ask God to bless them."
I know that I and my church have been guilty of this recently.
And this is so contrary with what God wants us to do. He wants us to approach Him first and listen to what He has to say instead of arrogantly assuming that He will bless what we want to do because we want to do it.
"All that matters is that Jesus loves you and He wants to be your best friend."
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Living Water: The Person God Uses
My copy of Living Water by Brother Yun is getting pretty marked up.
This week it is chapter six: The Person God Uses.
One of things that stood out to me was the statement: "There is so much Christian activity being done in the name of the Lord today that does not have His power or presence at its core."
I totally agree with this statement. There is so much being done in our humanity. When we do human things in human power we get human results. Whether it is a sermon or a meeting or a fundraising campaign, if God is not in it, it will not have Godly results.
The last sentence of the paragraph stood out: "Such "work" is tragic and never produces true fruit for the kingdom of God." I disagree with that statement. I think that it limits God and I think that God will use even our feeble efforts as it suits him. I came to know Christ through a preacher who has been discredited as a false faith healer and called a heretic.
We are also cautioned to let our ministry become an idol. "We can trick ourselves into thinking that everything is alright because the people seem to be blessed by what we have to say." this happens when we lose sight of why we are doing what we are doing and who gets the glory. If we let the "glory" get in our eyes we start to rely on ourselves and not on God.
We are cautioned to remember that we are nothing without God! How different this is from what we are told in the West! We are told to be self sufficient, to get ahead, to get promoted collect the toys and the house and the cars. Rely on yourself.
Not how I want to live. Anymore...
This week it is chapter six: The Person God Uses.
One of things that stood out to me was the statement: "There is so much Christian activity being done in the name of the Lord today that does not have His power or presence at its core."
I totally agree with this statement. There is so much being done in our humanity. When we do human things in human power we get human results. Whether it is a sermon or a meeting or a fundraising campaign, if God is not in it, it will not have Godly results.
The last sentence of the paragraph stood out: "Such "work" is tragic and never produces true fruit for the kingdom of God." I disagree with that statement. I think that it limits God and I think that God will use even our feeble efforts as it suits him. I came to know Christ through a preacher who has been discredited as a false faith healer and called a heretic.
We are also cautioned to let our ministry become an idol. "We can trick ourselves into thinking that everything is alright because the people seem to be blessed by what we have to say." this happens when we lose sight of why we are doing what we are doing and who gets the glory. If we let the "glory" get in our eyes we start to rely on ourselves and not on God.
We are cautioned to remember that we are nothing without God! How different this is from what we are told in the West! We are told to be self sufficient, to get ahead, to get promoted collect the toys and the house and the cars. Rely on yourself.
Not how I want to live. Anymore...
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Living Water: Pregnancy of the Holy Spirit
Chapter five of Living Water by Brother Yun this morning.
Interesting chapter (as usual). The author uses the story of Mary becoming pregnant through the Holy Spirit as his primary illustration.
Brother Yun makes the statement: "Do you realize that God wants all Christians to be pregnant with the Holy Spirit today? He wants to give you a vision for His kingdom that originates from Heaven, not from yourself. He desires that all of His children would be overshadowed by His presence in such a way that they are changed and give birth to something in their lives that brings many into His kingdom."
I think that the idea of being "pregnant with the Holy Spirit" is a tough thing for men in particular to relate to. I think that it is much easier for women to relate to especially when the metaphor turns to giving birth.
Unfortunately I think that today many people are not seeking the Holy Spirit in their lives. They are content to do the religious activity that is often required by the organized church and not truly seek God's will in their lives. To many, "worship" is an hour or so obligation each week where they want to be entertained. They watch the praise band perform because they don't know the words to the songs. They listen to a lecture from center stage. They smile fake smiles and say fake things and then go home and live life as if they don't know Christ.
They are the Christians who have found Christ and pulled out the lawn chair and plopped down and said: "Made it. Wake me when Christ returns. Let me know if you need anything."
And then if the church calls they may be willing to go to work if it doesn't get too spiritual.
Again to quote Brother Yun: "Today much Christian activity seems to originate with human plans, and it is then carried out in human strength with human results. It has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God."
Unfortunately, I have seen far too many church projects bathed with a minimum of prayer and then presented to "the body" as the Lord's will and then miserably fail because they are actually our human wants and desires and not actually God's will.
The last quote from the book for today: "Unfortunately, there are many in the church today who will do all they can to stamp out your call and enthusiasm for the Lord." I have experienced this first hand.
This comes under the guise of: "We've never done it that way before." or "We've prayed about it and it is not the Lord's will." or "We have to make things suitable for the community." or "You'll have to go through training." or "What you want to do just won't work out." or any of a hundred other excuses to just keep on keeping on and not seek the Lord's will for His Church.
And we have to keep that in mind: It is His Church, not our church.
Interesting chapter (as usual). The author uses the story of Mary becoming pregnant through the Holy Spirit as his primary illustration.
Brother Yun makes the statement: "Do you realize that God wants all Christians to be pregnant with the Holy Spirit today? He wants to give you a vision for His kingdom that originates from Heaven, not from yourself. He desires that all of His children would be overshadowed by His presence in such a way that they are changed and give birth to something in their lives that brings many into His kingdom."
I think that the idea of being "pregnant with the Holy Spirit" is a tough thing for men in particular to relate to. I think that it is much easier for women to relate to especially when the metaphor turns to giving birth.
Unfortunately I think that today many people are not seeking the Holy Spirit in their lives. They are content to do the religious activity that is often required by the organized church and not truly seek God's will in their lives. To many, "worship" is an hour or so obligation each week where they want to be entertained. They watch the praise band perform because they don't know the words to the songs. They listen to a lecture from center stage. They smile fake smiles and say fake things and then go home and live life as if they don't know Christ.
They are the Christians who have found Christ and pulled out the lawn chair and plopped down and said: "Made it. Wake me when Christ returns. Let me know if you need anything."
And then if the church calls they may be willing to go to work if it doesn't get too spiritual.
Again to quote Brother Yun: "Today much Christian activity seems to originate with human plans, and it is then carried out in human strength with human results. It has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God."
Unfortunately, I have seen far too many church projects bathed with a minimum of prayer and then presented to "the body" as the Lord's will and then miserably fail because they are actually our human wants and desires and not actually God's will.
The last quote from the book for today: "Unfortunately, there are many in the church today who will do all they can to stamp out your call and enthusiasm for the Lord." I have experienced this first hand.
This comes under the guise of: "We've never done it that way before." or "We've prayed about it and it is not the Lord's will." or "We have to make things suitable for the community." or "You'll have to go through training." or "What you want to do just won't work out." or any of a hundred other excuses to just keep on keeping on and not seek the Lord's will for His Church.
And we have to keep that in mind: It is His Church, not our church.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Living Water: No Turning Back
Interesting chapter of Living Water by Brother Yun. We are told that we must expect opposition to when we obediently follow God.
The first thing that struck me is the statement: In fact, it could be argued that Satan only attacks those plans that he knows originate from God's throne. Brother Yun states that there are many things that Christians are involved in that have little impact on Satan and his plans.
I think that is a huge problem in the church in the United States today. We are so wrapped in all sorts of activity that drain our focus from what God wants us to do that we have little impact for the Kingdom. We are lukewarm and we are not hot for the Gospel and spreading the message that Christ died for our sins.
We are so distracted that we fail to focus on God's calling for each one of us.
I think that one reason we don't have a lot of persecution in the United States today is that we as a church are indistinguishable from the rest of society.
Brother Yun also states that we are called to suffer for the kingdom and to endure until the end. This is the central theme of Steve Farrar's excellent book: Finishing Strong. The Bible has numerous cases of people that start out well and don't endure to the end. David is the one that springs to mind as well as Saul and Solomon.
Looking forward to the conversation about this tomorrow.
The first thing that struck me is the statement: In fact, it could be argued that Satan only attacks those plans that he knows originate from God's throne. Brother Yun states that there are many things that Christians are involved in that have little impact on Satan and his plans.
I think that is a huge problem in the church in the United States today. We are so wrapped in all sorts of activity that drain our focus from what God wants us to do that we have little impact for the Kingdom. We are lukewarm and we are not hot for the Gospel and spreading the message that Christ died for our sins.
We are so distracted that we fail to focus on God's calling for each one of us.
I think that one reason we don't have a lot of persecution in the United States today is that we as a church are indistinguishable from the rest of society.
Brother Yun also states that we are called to suffer for the kingdom and to endure until the end. This is the central theme of Steve Farrar's excellent book: Finishing Strong. The Bible has numerous cases of people that start out well and don't endure to the end. David is the one that springs to mind as well as Saul and Solomon.
Looking forward to the conversation about this tomorrow.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Living Water: Forgiveness
Tomorrow at the Men's study we look at the third chapter of Living Water by Brother Yun: Forgiveness.
This book keeps driving me to my knees.
As I looked at the necessity of forgiving others for their injustices (real or imagined) against me, I came to the realization that I need to approach God for forgiveness for I often fall short. And there are others that I need to ask for forgiveness. This is the tough one to tackle.
Brother Yun points out that forgiveness takes one. Reconciliation takes two. I can forgive someone and they may not ever realize or acknowledge that they have hurt me. But I have to let go of the bitterness that I often want to hold on to and nurture. I can only do that if I really, truly forgive them.
"Unforgiveness would achieve only two things. First, it would harden
my heart and cause a root of bitterness to take hold and second, my
relationship with Jesus Christ would be damaged."
We seem to think that we have a special relationship with God. We do, but not in the way that we like to think. When we don't forgive we seem to be saying that: Everyone else should get what they deserve but I should get special grace.
That is the wrong way to think.
Forgiveness of others is an offer not a burden. In fact it releases us from the burden we carry around. Again, they may not even admit that they have done anything wrong. They may never know that we have forgiven them. But forgiveness turns them over to God and takes me out of the judgement business. Let God decide how He will deal with them.
Unforgiveness puts us in a spiritual prison. It sucks the joy out of our lives.
Forgiving someone else set us free.
This book keeps driving me to my knees.
As I looked at the necessity of forgiving others for their injustices (real or imagined) against me, I came to the realization that I need to approach God for forgiveness for I often fall short. And there are others that I need to ask for forgiveness. This is the tough one to tackle.
Brother Yun points out that forgiveness takes one. Reconciliation takes two. I can forgive someone and they may not ever realize or acknowledge that they have hurt me. But I have to let go of the bitterness that I often want to hold on to and nurture. I can only do that if I really, truly forgive them.
"Unforgiveness would achieve only two things. First, it would harden
my heart and cause a root of bitterness to take hold and second, my
relationship with Jesus Christ would be damaged."
We seem to think that we have a special relationship with God. We do, but not in the way that we like to think. When we don't forgive we seem to be saying that: Everyone else should get what they deserve but I should get special grace.
That is the wrong way to think.
Forgiveness of others is an offer not a burden. In fact it releases us from the burden we carry around. Again, they may not even admit that they have done anything wrong. They may never know that we have forgiven them. But forgiveness turns them over to God and takes me out of the judgement business. Let God decide how He will deal with them.
Unforgiveness puts us in a spiritual prison. It sucks the joy out of our lives.
Forgiving someone else set us free.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Living Water: Lessons from Esau 2
One of my goals for the years is to read three chapters a day of the Bible.
One of the chapters for today is Hebrews 2.
I was struck by how closely it relates to the Lessons from Esau from Living Water.
The chapter starts: We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
And it ends: Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
In between is the case for Christ as a man and as God, but those two verses struck me as being directly related to Living Water.
See, I don't think we pay careful attention to what we have heard. All too often we take it for granted. We don't chew on it and mull it over and ponder. The sermons and Bible studies and radio and TV shows and conferences are all really nice but we don't let them impact our lives,(And to be honest some of them we shouldn't let impact our lives). We just slowly fade away from our faith.
We forget too that Christ was a man, tempted as we are tempted. He was sinless and he overcame that temptation. We try to overcome the temptations in our lives through our own strength and we turn to the Lord as a last resort...if we remember to turn to Him at all.
How sad it is to forget what we have heard and not use the tools that God has given us and slowly fade away to a dirty shade of beige...
One of the chapters for today is Hebrews 2.
I was struck by how closely it relates to the Lessons from Esau from Living Water.
The chapter starts: We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away.
And it ends: Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
In between is the case for Christ as a man and as God, but those two verses struck me as being directly related to Living Water.
See, I don't think we pay careful attention to what we have heard. All too often we take it for granted. We don't chew on it and mull it over and ponder. The sermons and Bible studies and radio and TV shows and conferences are all really nice but we don't let them impact our lives,(And to be honest some of them we shouldn't let impact our lives). We just slowly fade away from our faith.
We forget too that Christ was a man, tempted as we are tempted. He was sinless and he overcame that temptation. We try to overcome the temptations in our lives through our own strength and we turn to the Lord as a last resort...if we remember to turn to Him at all.
How sad it is to forget what we have heard and not use the tools that God has given us and slowly fade away to a dirty shade of beige...
Monday, January 26, 2009
Living Water: Lessons from Esau
The next chapter of Living Water by Brother Yun is Lessons from Esau.
I hadn't thought too much of Esau as having lessons for me before now.
I always thought that Esau was one of those Old Testament stories that is nice to read about how Jacob stole Esau's inheritance.
Brother Yun points out that there are lessons to be learned.
The Bible says that Esau: "despised his birthright" (Genesis 25:34).
This relates to us today. God has given us a tremendous gift of eternal life. And yet all too often I despise it for a "bowl of stew."
Esau wanted that bowl of stew to satisfy his own desires, his immediate needs of the flesh. When I satisfy the immediate needs of my flesh at the expense of my walk with God, I am doing the same thing as Esau.
There are so many stories in the news of Christian leaders who have given into the immediate needs of the flesh and been caught at it. Their testimony is damaged and the world's view of the church suffers for it. In fact, many times it seems as if the world takes glee at the downfall of the Christian.
And while we often think of the needs of the flesh as being sexual, it is not always true. Our "bowl of stew" may be prestige, food, money, toys, sleep, golf, career or any other thing that we put between us and God's call for our lives.
Brother Yun points out that "it is only the grace of God that can help and train us to overcome temptation." This is so easy to forget. I too often try to do things in my own strength and ability because after all, I am an American Man. I have an image to uphold.
And the other thing I take away from this is not only can I lose my way but churches and nations can lose their way. Churches trade their birthright to be Politically Correct instead of being Christ Correct. Or making people be comfortable instead of confronting them with the truth of the Gospel. Or of being the biggest or the most popular.
I must remember I have to let go and let God be God. For no matter what structures and rules I put in place they will fail me unless I am relying on God's grace to get me through the trials and temptations that I don't have to look very far to see.
And I must always take heed lest I fall.
I hadn't thought too much of Esau as having lessons for me before now.
I always thought that Esau was one of those Old Testament stories that is nice to read about how Jacob stole Esau's inheritance.
Brother Yun points out that there are lessons to be learned.
The Bible says that Esau: "despised his birthright" (Genesis 25:34).
This relates to us today. God has given us a tremendous gift of eternal life. And yet all too often I despise it for a "bowl of stew."
Esau wanted that bowl of stew to satisfy his own desires, his immediate needs of the flesh. When I satisfy the immediate needs of my flesh at the expense of my walk with God, I am doing the same thing as Esau.
There are so many stories in the news of Christian leaders who have given into the immediate needs of the flesh and been caught at it. Their testimony is damaged and the world's view of the church suffers for it. In fact, many times it seems as if the world takes glee at the downfall of the Christian.
And while we often think of the needs of the flesh as being sexual, it is not always true. Our "bowl of stew" may be prestige, food, money, toys, sleep, golf, career or any other thing that we put between us and God's call for our lives.
Brother Yun points out that "it is only the grace of God that can help and train us to overcome temptation." This is so easy to forget. I too often try to do things in my own strength and ability because after all, I am an American Man. I have an image to uphold.
And the other thing I take away from this is not only can I lose my way but churches and nations can lose their way. Churches trade their birthright to be Politically Correct instead of being Christ Correct. Or making people be comfortable instead of confronting them with the truth of the Gospel. Or of being the biggest or the most popular.
I must remember I have to let go and let God be God. For no matter what structures and rules I put in place they will fail me unless I am relying on God's grace to get me through the trials and temptations that I don't have to look very far to see.
And I must always take heed lest I fall.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Living Water: Repentence 2
First time today on the book Living Water by Brother Yun.
It was interesting to see how different guys are impacted by different sections of the book.
I think it is the Holy Spirit at work.
Some thought it was interesting that a Lutheran missionary in China was so "hard core" in telling others to repent. Others were impacted by different sections of the chapter.
Others thought that grace is so preached much that we lose sight of actually working for the Lord. This really hit home. As a Lutheran, we are taught that we are saved by the blood of Christ and that He foreknew who was chosen before the world began. In effect: we have absolutely nothing to do with our salvation.
So that begs the question: Where does repentance come in to Lutheran theology? And I am not sure so sure that I can answer that. And to be honest, I am not sure that I really care that much. Because I am not concerned with Lutheran theology, I am concerned with theology. That means that I am more concerned with what the Bible says rather than what a denomination says.
You see there are all these rules and structures that are put in place to prop up and justify our form of worship and a lot of these tend to divide us into groups and separate us from other believers. Don't get me wrong though, I do not think that there is one religion that has a lock on salvation. Religion is the man made structure we put in place to worship.
It is the doing.
And Christ is about done.
No church can save me.
I do not have eternal life through a church I have it through Christ's death on the cross.
And it is not enough to believe (after all even the demons believe), I have to turn from my sins and repent.
And this is an action that I have to take.
It was interesting to see how different guys are impacted by different sections of the book.
I think it is the Holy Spirit at work.
Some thought it was interesting that a Lutheran missionary in China was so "hard core" in telling others to repent. Others were impacted by different sections of the chapter.
Others thought that grace is so preached much that we lose sight of actually working for the Lord. This really hit home. As a Lutheran, we are taught that we are saved by the blood of Christ and that He foreknew who was chosen before the world began. In effect: we have absolutely nothing to do with our salvation.
So that begs the question: Where does repentance come in to Lutheran theology? And I am not sure so sure that I can answer that. And to be honest, I am not sure that I really care that much. Because I am not concerned with Lutheran theology, I am concerned with theology. That means that I am more concerned with what the Bible says rather than what a denomination says.
You see there are all these rules and structures that are put in place to prop up and justify our form of worship and a lot of these tend to divide us into groups and separate us from other believers. Don't get me wrong though, I do not think that there is one religion that has a lock on salvation. Religion is the man made structure we put in place to worship.
It is the doing.
And Christ is about done.
No church can save me.
I do not have eternal life through a church I have it through Christ's death on the cross.
And it is not enough to believe (after all even the demons believe), I have to turn from my sins and repent.
And this is an action that I have to take.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Living Water: Repentance
Tomorrow (Tuesday) we start looking at Living Water by Brother Yun during our Tuesday morning Bible Study.
Brother Yun is a Chinese Christian evangelist who has had both persecution and miracles in his life. This is a call to radical faith.
This is a very interesting book. During the study we are going through it roughly a chapter each week. The first Chapter is titled: Repentance.
As I read through the chapter I was struck by several things that I have been feeling for sometime. The first is summed up in this quote:
"thousands of sermons are preached every Sunday in which Jesus is presented as Savior only, but not as Lord and Master. People are told "Jesus will help you, bless you, forgive you and empower you." But very little is said about repentance, humility and sacrifice."
This really hits home. Sermons are taught where we here the salvation message but not how to live as Christians. Or we are told to continue in the way we currently live just relabel ourselves from nonbeliever to Christian.
As the Brother Yun points out: "The result of the false gospel so prevalent today can be seen in churches full of half hearted Christians whose lives are still centered on selfishness and the principles of the world."
I remember attending a new members class a few years ago and as the leader went around the room asking why each couple was there, most of the people responded that "it was time for the kids to have some training in the church." And that is why so many people are in church: my father made me go so I am going to make the kids go. There is no change of heart.
Brother Yun's central thesis here is that repentance is the first step in maturing as a believer. consequently we end up with churches (and pulpits) filled with immature Christians who are unsure of what it means to be a Christian and who are not growing in their faith. Don't get me wrong, many of these people are good people who do good things (from time to time) but they are not living their Christian walk to the fullest.
As I heard it put one time: their faith is a mile wide and an inch deep.
The roots are what make our faith stand against the storms that will come if we are truly following Christ. The roots have to be more than an inch deep to stand against anything other than a light breeze.
I found myself convicted on reading through this chapter. I tend to do the normal thing of trying to fool myself that things are alright with me and God and not truly repenting of my sins. Especially those sins that I kind of like so I don't want to let God deal with them. Or the sins that I don't want God to deal with because I think that they will be painful for me to confront.
But if I am going to live the life that God wants me to live to the fullest I must:
"Ask the Holy Spirit to take full control of my life and to help me daily walk in humility and dependence on Him."
Brother Yun is a Chinese Christian evangelist who has had both persecution and miracles in his life. This is a call to radical faith.
This is a very interesting book. During the study we are going through it roughly a chapter each week. The first Chapter is titled: Repentance.
As I read through the chapter I was struck by several things that I have been feeling for sometime. The first is summed up in this quote:
"thousands of sermons are preached every Sunday in which Jesus is presented as Savior only, but not as Lord and Master. People are told "Jesus will help you, bless you, forgive you and empower you." But very little is said about repentance, humility and sacrifice."
This really hits home. Sermons are taught where we here the salvation message but not how to live as Christians. Or we are told to continue in the way we currently live just relabel ourselves from nonbeliever to Christian.
As the Brother Yun points out: "The result of the false gospel so prevalent today can be seen in churches full of half hearted Christians whose lives are still centered on selfishness and the principles of the world."
I remember attending a new members class a few years ago and as the leader went around the room asking why each couple was there, most of the people responded that "it was time for the kids to have some training in the church." And that is why so many people are in church: my father made me go so I am going to make the kids go. There is no change of heart.
Brother Yun's central thesis here is that repentance is the first step in maturing as a believer. consequently we end up with churches (and pulpits) filled with immature Christians who are unsure of what it means to be a Christian and who are not growing in their faith. Don't get me wrong, many of these people are good people who do good things (from time to time) but they are not living their Christian walk to the fullest.
As I heard it put one time: their faith is a mile wide and an inch deep.
The roots are what make our faith stand against the storms that will come if we are truly following Christ. The roots have to be more than an inch deep to stand against anything other than a light breeze.
I found myself convicted on reading through this chapter. I tend to do the normal thing of trying to fool myself that things are alright with me and God and not truly repenting of my sins. Especially those sins that I kind of like so I don't want to let God deal with them. Or the sins that I don't want God to deal with because I think that they will be painful for me to confront.
But if I am going to live the life that God wants me to live to the fullest I must:
"Ask the Holy Spirit to take full control of my life and to help me daily walk in humility and dependence on Him."
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