How do you see it?

I have thought for quite a while on what it truly means to see life through a different lens. What if we could see past what is so prevalent and begin to see what is seemingly obscure? For followers of Christ this is a reality from the scriptures; we can see in Ezekiel 36:26 that we have been given a new Spirit. The gift of the Spirit is one that will change us to the very core of who we are.

The Spirit is the one who gives us this lens that I am referring to–a lens that allows us to refocus on what is truly important to God and then as a result it becomes (or should become) important to us. This is where I feel so many struggle, along with myself–How do we live our lives through this lens? How do we start to live our lives in the refocused view on God’s priorities and not our own?

 

For me, this is where it gets tough. I know how to see through this lens. I know how to refocus, but it seems to be one of the greatest struggles in my life. I have to die to myself. I have to leave the earthly wants and desires on a daily basis and choose to look at this life differently. I have to look at my neighbor as more than just the person next door. I have to see the girl at the gas station as more than someone who I see daily and give no thought to or about. It means for me that I need to get up earlier, schedule less and it also means I have to slow down! All of this may be very easy for you, but it’s a struggle for me. I want to refocus my life to see things that matter.

If you’re looking for 10 steps to refocusing, I’m sure I could come up with them but I don’t think we need it. The key to refocusing is listening and acting on the direction from the Holy Spirit. It’s changing the way we listen to Him and changing how we react to His bidding and nudging in our lives. This is the key. Listen and act on what we hear. The Spirit will direct you to focus on what is most important to God and His purpose in our lives.

Just some thoughts.

Chris Smith – Youth Pastor

 

Looking at Luke 15 verses 4-7, Jesus is talking about the priorities of a shepherd. If you have 100 sheep, he says, and one of them runs off, you would leave the 99 temporarily just to find the one stray. Furthermore, when you found the sheep, you would celebrate! You would tell your friends and they would understand what a big deal that was and be excited as well!

We can look at this parable and take away a few different thoughts.

The initial take away from this passage is that God cares for us like the shepherd to his sheep. God would chase after us each time we go astray, and that’s true.

I’m also starting to grasp another application from this parable: Who is the one person in our lives that God is chasing after? Who is that one lost sheep that God has placed under our care, and if they were lost, you’d leave the 99 others in your life to find?

Is your heart so broken for just one lost person? God’s is.

Also, in thinking about the job description of a shepherd, I’m realizing that his work is never done. It’s a commitment to the whole life of the sheep. Its not enough for a shepherd to just watch his sheep.  Feeding, shearing, cleaning, protecting, guiding, disciplining, loving, and so many other jobs are required of a shepherd.

If we find one of our lost sheep and they are saved, are we done with them? Do we forget that salvation is only a starting point sometimes? Do we treat it like the finish line? Yes, we celebrate that, but it’s not a final triumph, it’s the beginning of a journey. Let’s do the dirty work of the shepherd to help the sheep grow after they’ve been found. We should be disciples of Jesus who make disciples and disciple makers, and look in our lives to find the one that God is chasing. He may have us right here, right now for that purpose.

Andrew Lewis, Worship Pastor

 

The 10th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew is intense. It has some serious implications. Jesus is sending the 12 disciples out on a mission. The scene Matthew sets up reminds me of a very important briefing to a police unit or soldiers before an important special operation. Their leader is giving them logistical, tactical, and missional instructions, as well as motivation.
Some of what Jesus says to them was probably hard to understand at the time.
He warns them to beware of many dangers, but also to use those situations to share the gospel without anger if need be. He says to be shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves. He tells them not to take any money and rely on the generosity of those who give it. A great task is laid out before them with many challenges and specific instructions, and He lets them know that if they claim to follow Him they will be treated with great hatred…that they may be overtaken, arrested, beaten, or even killed. In verse 28, he says: “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”
I can only say at that point, if I had been in their shoes (or sandals), I would have been very afraid of the possibilities that lay ahead.
But that is something for us to consider…
The same God that sent them out has sent us out for the same cause. We could see a day when the dangers that met them find us out as well. In fact, so many brothers and sisters in Christ around the world meet similar challenges every day. The prevalence of the Christian Martyr in our world is staggering.
Not only must we pray and stand with these fellow believers, but we must take up our cross as they have theirs.  Jesus tells His disciples in verse 38 and 39: “If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”
Many who claim Christ will not live this calling out. If mild American persecution is too much for us, then we can safely say we wouldn’t do too well with this same mission given to the disciples. If we get offended by Facebook posts to the point of disengagement, then getting arrested and beaten while loving the captors would probably be too much for us to handle.

I pray that we are ready to meet peril for the cause of Christ, as many are every day. There will probably be someone being slain for the Christian mission they chose to accept as I’m writing this. Let us pray with and for them, and be ready to follow Jesus at any cost as they have.
This is our calling as Christians, and when we accept the highest calling, we will realize how unimportant some of our past personal crusades have been.

To what and where may God be calling you today? We all have to explore that our lives today. We may not have tomorrow to do it.

http://www.persecution.com

 

So, I have been thinking a lot about this idea that since we’re Christian we do certain things and don’t do certain things. Why is this a broken idea that we have seemly grasped with all of our strength?

So, here is the problem that I have been seeing in my own life, that since I have seemingly tamed the external behavior in my life I have succeeded…

We know that since we are followers of a Risen Savior that Jesus attacks the idea that external behavior is the goal. Jesus is relentless when it comes to matters of the heart. He rebukes the Pharisees for their seemly flawless external behavior and the weight that they cast on others as they try to obtain it. We also see in Proverbs 4 that the heart is the central issue for all things in our lives.

So, here is the question. How do we obtain spiritual growth that is not motivated by external evidence?

I feel that our motivation has to be growing in the new heart that we have been given (Ezekiel 36:26).  This must be motivated by our love for Christ and what He has done for us. Not the idea that Sunday morning appearance is the goal. Projecting the idea that we have made “it”, to whatever we as churchgoers deem to be the “it” that we are after.  We must realize that our effort isn’t ever going to be enough, or even for what we should be striving. That there has to be a sincere love based off a desire to grow closer to the One who has given everything to be able to engage into a relationship with us.

Which leads us to the question how do we make this happen? For me it has started to look like this, I don’t claim that this is the only way or even a good way, it’s just becoming my way. I have seen in my life that prayer has to be a living and active element on a daily and hourly basis. I must be consumed with prayer. If you look at King David and his relationship with God and the way he would continually run to Him, their relationship developed to one that I have a great desire to obtain. Prayer is a must.

I have also begun to re-realize that I have to stop seeking the approval of men. This is something that I struggle with but as we evaluate common traits of men and woman of God in the scriptures, we see that they are consumed with this idea that Gods approval is enough. This is a goal of mine.

Lastly I am starting to understand true growth is something that can’t be portrayed. What I mean by that is we can only put on the act for so long before our cover is blown away. We have to put in the time; growth doesn’t happen overnight but over time, day by day everything can change, put in the time! It will be worth it.

Philippines 3:12 Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect but I press on…. to make it my own, because Jesus Christ has made me His own.

Chris Smith,  Youth Pastor