Ruts

Things always change this time of the year. Earlier this week I moved chairs, tables, plants, couches, and lamps in our house. Moving these things in one room changed the configuration in other rooms because all that stuff had to go somewhere. There is a domino effect that happens. It is all because we have brought a new piece of decoration into our home. Monday (yes, on one of the coldest days of the year) we cut down a Noble Fir and it now resides in our living room along with the two pianos and couch. The tree is decorated with…
• 39 years of decorations
• numerous musical ornaments (tiny pianos, bells, treble cleffs, and musical notes) Carol has received from her students
• Ornaments reminding us of various vacations and friends
• Multiple angels and stars
• Pictures of our 5 grandchildren and 3 children at various ages.
• An angel at the top that Amy made in kindergarten.

Yes, things change in the Grant household in December! And, it’s not all inside, either. The exterior has more lights (waiting for the cold to moderate to complete this project). December changes things. It blasts us out of our decorative ruts and routines. When the tree invades, things change!

Christmas also celebrates Christ’s invasion of earth. When Jesus began his ministry at the synagogue in Nazareth, recorded in Luke 4:14-30, He announced the changes that His invasion were going to make. He read these words from Isaiah 61:
LK 4:18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

Jesus came to do more than move our furniture. He came to blow us out of the ruts and routines of business-as-usual, make-a-buck-at-others’ expense, climb-on-others-to-get-to-the-top. His invasion was God stepping into our lives to change things. Jesus came to change the lives of the poor, and this would domino over into the changes in the lives of the rich—they would have to detach themselves from a bit of their wealth. Jesus came to release people from bondage and imprisonment whether physical, spiritual, or emotional. He came to open blind eyes to the light of God’s glory. He came to lift up those who are stepped on and to let them know that God’s grace will make things different in the new year.

More than at any other time of the year, Christmas is when people open their hearts to the poor. But, Jesus’ invasion promised more than a new path for the poor. When Jesus invades, things move and routines and ruts are changed. Instead of rushing through our lives, struggling to make ends meet, Jesus will open our hearts to those who are bound in prisons physical and emotional. Too often our ruts and routines blind our eyes to those on God’s heart. His invasion will open our blind eyes so that we see the weak and helpless, the children and the mentally ill.

The Christmas tree and decorations will all come down in three weeks, but the changes Jesus’ invasion will make in our lives won’t stop at December 25th. They will go on all year long.

Diesel in My Day

MT 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

The diesel truck goes by and I quickly roll up the window, turn off the air conditioner, and wait out the stink in the atmosphere left from its exhaust. Worse than an Italian on garlic, the left-over smell from a diesel truck must not be good for me any more than second-hand smoke. But, when does my desire for pure air impact people’s freedom to drive diesel?

Does purity become legalism? Does my desire for purity of heart drive me to legislate my standards upon others’ lives? Let’s face it, in my desire for a pure heart, I avoid certain TV programs, movies, books, and music. I’m considered a prude, a goody-two-shoes.

Why is my desire for purity seen as legalism? Is it that I demand others to follow my standards…or does purity of heart convict the impure and they try to extinguish the light with ridicule?

If I hold my purity as a way to keep me from loving, from engaging, as a standard that I demand for others, it can become legalism. That is, it is legalism for them…something they are doing because I’ve laid down the law. For me, it is purity of heart, a desire to be uncluttered in my devotion to the Lord. Unfortunately, what is purity of heart for me can too easily be just legalism for the next person who isn’t concerned about an uncluttered heart and unfettered love for Jesus.

For, bottom line—purity of heart is all about a desire for Jesus and a distaste for anything that gets in the way of seeing Him.

And, my next question…are purity of heart and a cluttered desk inconsistent?

Pseudo Lover

“Good morning. How are you?” I asked Jane as I walked into the church foyer.

“Terrible!” she answered.

I was five steps further along when it registered that she hadn’t given me the expected answer. Now I had a choice to make. Would I turn around and care (and interrupt my busy morning for what could be a 15 minute recitation of the current problems)? Or would I go on with business as usual? Would I love or just pseudo love?

How often our cliché greetings are pseudo love. They are ways that we appear to express polite concern without inviting real heart interaction. The normal answer to “How are you?” is “fine!” We have recognized their existence, but not advanced very far into love. We’ve gone far enough to show we care without investing too much to alter our agenda.

Perhaps it helps us to be on the receiving end. “Hey, Buddy,” my fellow worker would say. There was affection in that “Buddy” until I realized that it was a substitute for my name, which he didn’t remember even though he had worked with me for months. It felt like pseudo love. His “how are you? How’s the family?” seemed like real love, until in my mid-update of a huge stress in my life, he turned and began talking to someone else. That’s when I recognized pseudo love in action…because I was looking in a mirror and seeing myself!

How easily I can act interested in a person to show them I care, and in mid-story get distracted by something or someone else. How easily I can ask questions, even make listening noises, while all the time wanting to get on with my agenda, anxious that my nonverbals belie my listening attitude and reveal that I’m really a pseudo-lover! I’d rarely be so crass or as obvious as my friend. I’d rarely “Hey Buddy” someone and then drop them for a more interesting person. But, too often my eyes flit to the football game on TV, to the headline on the newspaper, and tell my wife that I’m really just a pseudo-lover.

“Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.” I John 3:18.

So, I position myself to be a lover. I turn my back to the TV, put down the newspaper, turn away from the computer monitor, and give full attention to the speaker. I turn my back on the lobby and focus my attention on the speaker, recognizing that God brought them into my day so I could be Jesus to them and listen to Jesus in them. I open myself to His Spirit to transform me from a pseudo lover into a genuine lover. And, sometimes I make it. Other times I’m just a……pseudo lover!

Peace

Driving along the south shore of Lake Crescent in mid October is an awesome experience. The yellows scattered across the green hillsides reflect across the water. The water is still as glass. The hills, the greens, and the yellows in the bright sunlight like the original Impressionist canvas. Every turn brings on a new vista, but I whip past the turnouts and picture opportunities because I’m on a mission. I don’t have time to stop!

Climbing out of the Lake Crescent basin gouged by an ancient river of ice, we hit the reds dabbed across the hillsides. We oh and ah, but, I’m on a mission. No time for a picture! We gotta get there! Perhaps on the way home they sun will still be out and there’ll be time.

We conclude our visit and head home in the late afternoon, still in daylight. However, while were inside the Big House with our friend, the clouds had rolled in from the ocean. I stop at chosen spots for pictures of the firestorm on the hillsides and roadsides. By the time we get to Lake Crescent, however, the brilliant colors are faded in the fast growing twilight. A light breeze on the water has ruffled the surface. Although we stop at a few places, I’ve passed every opportunity for capturing that most glorious the original Impressionist’s artwork.

God used this picture to remind me of one of the themes He has been working into my life lately. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable. Too often in life I’m in a hurry. I whip by opportunities to slow down and capture what He is doing. I delay doing until the clouds of struggle have obscured the opportunity or the stress has ruffled the waters of my day. When I’m stressed, when I’m struggling, when I’m hurrying, I can’t see the reflection and beauty as clearly. When I’m stressed, when I’m struggling, Jesus’ reflection gets obscured and I miss out on the beauty He is painting for me to enjoy. It is all still there. I just don’t see it as vividly. The clouds of circumstances obscure His light, so I see more darkly. I miss what He wants me to enjoy. His peace will slow me down, unruffled my waters, and reflect the reds, yellows, and greens as I pass through life. Not only will I enjoy it more, so will those who see God painting in me.

Nuts!

In one of the more memorable scenes from WWII, the American 101st Airborne found themselves surrounded by German troops at the small Belgian crossroads town of Bastogne. Confronted with a demand for surrender, General Anthony McAuliffe gave a famous one word answer, “Nuts!”

According to the Bible, we are in a spiritual battle and “Nuts” doesn’t sound like a very good answer. 3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. (2 Corinthians 10:3) 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. (Ephesians 6:11).

We often find ourselves surrounded by conflict and struggle. Images of war flood our TV screens, radio newscasts, and newspaper headlines. And, then, there are the “culture wars”, conflicts over what philosophy of life will govern our laws, morals, and media. Political conflicts rage over issues like abortion on demand, health care, immigration reform, taxes. Our neighborhoods and schools often seem like war zones, with bullies and shootings sowing fear. The battle even invades our homes: conflicts in our marriages dissolve the family structure. Parent-child conflicts erupt and tear at the fabric of our families.

The great danger for us, however, is to be mistaken in who we are fighting, how we are fighting, and what it will take to win in this spiritual conflict.
Paul is clear that it is not people we are fighting when he says, 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

People are the victims of the battle not the enemy. In all these arenas, spiritual forces are the enemy. It is not the drug dealer, the pro-death politician, the greedy salesman, the brain washing rapper, the selfish mate who is the enemy. They are the victims of the spiritual forces fighting against God. But, even bigger than the culture wars, there is the internal war for control of our own mind and heart that Paul labels as strongholds in 2 Corinthians 10. Negative thinking, fears, addictions, self-indulgence, greed all sink their hooks into us to pull us away from the life God intends us to enjoy.

And, because our enemies are spiritual, not human, our weapons can’t be what the world uses. The world uses physical weapons, political gambits, persuasive words imbedded in catchy tunes to fight their battles. The world uses the ballot box, the petition, letter writing campaigns, the editorial pages and the switchboards of our legislators to fight the battle.

God, however, calls us to use spiritual weapons to fight the battle: Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand (Eph. 6:13). Paul goes on to mention truth, righteousness, sharing the good news, faith, the Bible, and prayer as weapons we use. In addition, God uses our loving good works (Matthew 5:16) and our attitude under trial (2 Corinthians 4:7-12) to break through in the battle for our minds and hearts.

Winning is more than just saying “Nuts”! It is yielding to God’s Spirit and God’s Word and letting them loose in our lives to set us free… if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed John 8:36.

Serving is the New Sexy

OK, now that I have your attention, I’m not talking about showing skin on the food line of the local homeless feeding ministry. One meaning for the word “sexy” is “generally attractive or interesting, appealing” according to www.Merriam-Webster.com.. So, I’m saying that serving rather than talking is what the world sees is attractive about Christianity. The world generally rejects the message of Christ because they feel that Christians are condemning and critical of others while ignoring their own lovelessness toward gays and people of other religions. However, when the world sees Christians acting loving, they give new credence to the gospel message.

And, right here is where we run into a problem: Too easily churches develop sitters, not servers. If all we do is come to the weekend service, week after week, soaking up what is in some cases gourmet preaching, we may be infected with a disease called “spectatorism.” One author says, Spectatorism generally creates flabby, weak, spoon-fed believers who have grown old, but not up, in the Lord.

Yes, sometimes the best way to serve people is to tell them the Good News that Jesus can make a difference in their lives. The good news that God accepts us and forgives us changes the lives of Khmer Rouge Murderers, of Indian low castes, of empty hearted communists in East Asian countries, and drunken fathers who are drinking up all their children’s food money in order to find peace. Sometimes the good news is the best way you can meet someone’s needs, because the Good News does change lives as well as eternity.

But, the Matthew version of the Great Commission tells us to teach people to Keep the commands. That feels more like action than talking. Keep has a custodial flavor—We are given "custody" of the message that Jesus is good news, and Jesus in us is how He intends to touch the world. Our Message that Jesus is in us presumes that we will Serve with it. The only way Jesus can touch the world, heal the world, feed the world, show compassion on the world is through His body. We are His body, His instrument to touch a hurting and hopeless world. We are the only good news that many will ever see.

Serving is being the good news, being Jesus to a pain filled and broken world. The Bible includes serving in how we SHARE the good news: Peter tells us in his first letter to use whatever gift we have received to serve others (I Peter 4:10). Twice in Titus 3 and in Eph. 2:10, Paul says that God brought us into His forever family so we would be devoted to doing good. In Galatians 2:10, Paul says that there was only one thing that the Apostles asked him to do when he went to the Gentiles: to continue to remember the poor. Peter tells us to 1 Pet. 2:12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God

To often the pain of life shouts louder than our words and people can’t hear the good news until they see the good news. But, when they see the good news working in us, changing us, unleashing us from being anchored to our houses and toys, and connecting us to the hurting, hopeless, and disheartened in practical love in action, they find that Christians are attractive. Former atheist and now Christian author, Lee Strobel, says, “when we put our love into tangible action as Jesus modeled…this can open up the hardest of hearts otherwise impervious to the message of Christ.”

Share It!

The Great Commission is about making disciples. And making disciples involves teaching them to keep whatever I have commanded them. In other words, following Christ’s last words on earth gives us custody of a world changing message—Share it!

The Acts 1:8 version of the Great commission says God will make us His witnesses, to tell what we have experienced. Words are part of what we use to witness.
The Mark 16:15 version of the great commission says to share the Good News. The first church, in Acts 8:4, when chased out of Jerusalem by persecution, preached the word wherever they went. Sharing the good news generally goes verbal in some way.

Sharing the good news is part of what we do with the great commission. And, while words are usually part of sharing, there are multiple ways to sensitively share in a world that rejects verbal Christians as offensive. My friend Paul just returned from a trip to England, Northern Ireland, and Wales. On the train in Wales, he spied a sign that said, ‘NO SOLICITATIONS!” A man got off the train in front of him, opened his satchel, and pulled out a pile of calendars to hand out. He wasn’t soliciting. He was giving. The calendar was contextualized for Wales, about sheep, and animals, with Bible verses that shared the good news.

Perhaps handing out a calendar with pictures and verses on it isn’t your style. However, sharing that message of GOD LOVES; GOD GIVES; WE BELIEVE; WE RECEIVE (John 3:16) is vital…because we live in a world that is rapidly becoming Biblically illiterate. Many Christians suppose that just doing loving things is witness enough. However, Buddhists are good people. Muslims do good deeds. Our society values doing good deeds, even setting aside weeks and days to “make a difference.” In fact, doing good is how most people think they are going to get to heaven. All the religions in the world suppose that God grades on the curve. Their religious efforts to do good are attempts to make themselves acceptable for the next life. People don’t know the good news that God has already sent Jesus to make them acceptable for the next life…they just have to accept Him. People don’t know the good news, so we need to be prepared to tell it.

But, how do you share it without an argument? One way is to write out your story of how God has worked in your life (your witness). Print some copies to give to friends and family. Include how you responded to the good news. Generally, people will listen respectfully to someone’s story as long as it doesn’t turn into condemnation or a sermon. It might open the door of their heart to find Jesus, too.

Another way is to ask people to read the good news for themselves. Give them a modern version of the Gospel of John, and ask them for their honest opinion of what they read. Don’t argue. Just ask them if they have what John talks about in 20:31.

And, of course, when someone asks you why you are doing something kind for them, be ready to “give an answer for the hope that is within you.” Tell them it is because Jesus is living in you and loves you that you want to pass His love along, that you hope they can experience His love, too.