Well, after a few weeks of going silent I am happy to announce to you all that I am officially a "gold member" Starbucks cardholder. I will get my special gold card in the mail any day now.
Besides the fact that this tells you all that I drink a disgusting amount of coffee beverages, it encourages me! Each "swipe of the card" is an opportunity for me to do what Jesus calls His disciples to do in the great commission (Mt. 28:18-20), to share His truth and good news with the world. And although I haven't posted a lot, there are a lot of people I want to introduce you to. These are people from a plethora of backgrounds who may be hurting and needing Jesus, to the callous who think I am wasting my time when they see my Greek or Hebrew study tools sitting out, who also are in desperate need of Jesus. I can tell you these people have had such a profound impact on me and my discipleship relationship to Jesus. And I am very excited to share their stories with you for the purpose of encouraging you.
Why, you ask? Because I believe when you walk into Starbucks, Walmart, Albertsons, or any local place of business, you have an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone. I don't mean that you have an opportunity to jam the bible down someones throat. No, you have an opportunity to share verbally with someone, but it also involves sharing your life with them. Be open, share your story, and listen to theirs, because they are in desperate need of a savior to breath life into them for the first time.
I recently preached on Colossians 1:1-14 and discussed in three applications how this passage practically plays out in our lives.
I. The Gospel Goes (v. 3-5, 12-14)
We see here that not only does the Gospel go to Colosse and is received, but Paul and his associates hear of their faith in Christ and how they were rooted in the Gospel
II. The Gospel Grows (v. 6, 9)
Again here the Gospel grows in the lives of the believers of this church as such a way that is evident.
III. The Gospel overflows (v. 10)
Then the Gospel bears fruit and causes an outward growth in the believer.
BY no means are these tag lines exegetically dissected, however after good exegesis we can glean from this introduction how the Gospel functions in the life of a believer. The Gospel Goes forth, grows in the believer, and overflows out of the believer. Does the Gospel display such a role in your life? Does it grow within in such a manner as to change your identity, pushing that identity in conformation to Jesus? And as it grows and its power is evidently displayed, does it cause you to erupt with such joy and satisfaction that you have no choice but to share it with others? This is how I feel when I get into Starbucks and swipe my card!
So remember, every swipe of the card is an opportunity to share the Gospel with someone in need. Simply be open to what and who is around you. May we continue to pray for and encourage each other as we share this Gospel with those around us!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
what do a middle school kid, Ancient Greece, the Getty Villa museum, and I Peter 3:15 have in common?
As I was walking out the door to go study at my local Starbucks this week my wife said, "Please, no evangelism today hon', we have stuff to do." Since I did not want to be in the "doghouse" I said in reply, "yes honey!" So I did what she wanted. I went to Starbucks and put my head down to read and get my work done. This was so hard for me because every few minutes that a person was within my striking radius, I was tempted to strike up a conversation, but I refrained.
Proud of myself, I decided to go even further and bring my wife her favorite drink, one that the team at this particular Starbucks has memorized by now. As I was waiting I saw this middle school kid sitting with a grip of papers and his computer opened. Imagine for one moment being a Bible nerd, like myself, seeing a kid this age with a poster labeled, "Ancient Greece". It was too tempting and I dove into a conversation with him. I asked him about the project then told him I was a student "of sorts" of ancient Greece.
As we spoke I asked him what exactly him project was on, meaning what aspect of Ancient Greece was he reporting on. I asked him if he knew who the apostle Paul was, and he said yes. I then talked with him about Homer's Iliad at the Getty Villa. I was so excited that this kid was stoked to hear about the Getty Villa and it reminded me of a charge Peter gives to his recipients of his first letter, in 1Pet. 3:15 "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;" I didn't ask this kid whether or not he was a believer, but I was so impressed with his facts about this stuff.
So, if you are reading this I have a very simple encouragement/challenge. What do these things have in common? If this 12 year old kid can have any sort of grasp on this stuff, then man, how much more should we be able to articulate and understand this stuff. Unfortunately, the church in the western world faces two very scary problems. One of them is anti-intellectualism. The thought I had leaving this conversation is "I doubt very many Junior high kids from churches in Southern California, in general, know as much." I am not saying kids need to kick it into gear, I am saying I DO as a pastor. Our church, in the general, universal sense, is facing this problem of anti-intellectualism, and it will drive us to extinction if we aren't prepared to right the ship.
So I get excited when I read this encouragement from Peter. The centrality of this verse is the Gospel. We, as believers must sanctify Christ as Lord...this means to set him apart. Nothing else takes the place of Lord, not popularity, fame, love, money, or any physical comfort can take the place of Jesus as Lord. Nothing at all. If our church is not saturated with making Christ Lord of our hearts, if we are not making the Gospel central, we are doomed. The second challenge is to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in us. Again, the Gospel is central. We need to be ready to give a reason for our change which the Gospel produced. I think Peter expects life to look different for followers of Jesus and expects this hope to flow out of them. Which is why people will be asking and questioning why life is different for us. Also, Peter expected a change in our thinking. He expects that believers can explain this hope. To give a defense in academic discipline (i.e. law, debate, scientific hypothesis) is to put together a well thought out, systematic, and logical sequence to defend a position. That is essentially what Peter wants us to do with gentleness, give people a logical reason for a truthfully tangible change in believers.
If you are a believer: Live as you were intended, with a life altering hope, set Christ as Lord in your life, make the Gospel central everyday. Show people this overflowing living hope you have. And know the things you believe and grow in them. Do not represent Jesus falsely. Those facts I was sharing with the young boy at Starbucks are just that, facts. But the Bible and everything in it is more than that for us. The Word of God changes us (Hebrews 4:12). Not to upset anyone reading this, but if you party hard on Friday and Saturday night, wake up and go listen to a 30 minute monologue, and claim to be a Christian, think again. If you live a totally normal life, go listen to a 30 minute monologue on Sunday and call yourself a Christian, think again. In fact if you are even more involved than on Sundays, and call yourself a Christian, think again. You are a Christian because of the hope that is in you...THE GOSPEL. This should cause change in you. It changes a person. Be a change agent, be irresistible, be a Christian that has such an overflowing hope and joy, that you want every single person in the whole world to know and experience it...our church depends on you surrendering to Jesus as Lord of your life, becoming obedient to His Word, and telling people about it because you cannot help it.
Proud of myself, I decided to go even further and bring my wife her favorite drink, one that the team at this particular Starbucks has memorized by now. As I was waiting I saw this middle school kid sitting with a grip of papers and his computer opened. Imagine for one moment being a Bible nerd, like myself, seeing a kid this age with a poster labeled, "Ancient Greece". It was too tempting and I dove into a conversation with him. I asked him about the project then told him I was a student "of sorts" of ancient Greece.
As we spoke I asked him what exactly him project was on, meaning what aspect of Ancient Greece was he reporting on. I asked him if he knew who the apostle Paul was, and he said yes. I then talked with him about Homer's Iliad at the Getty Villa. I was so excited that this kid was stoked to hear about the Getty Villa and it reminded me of a charge Peter gives to his recipients of his first letter, in 1Pet. 3:15 "but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;" I didn't ask this kid whether or not he was a believer, but I was so impressed with his facts about this stuff.
So, if you are reading this I have a very simple encouragement/challenge. What do these things have in common? If this 12 year old kid can have any sort of grasp on this stuff, then man, how much more should we be able to articulate and understand this stuff. Unfortunately, the church in the western world faces two very scary problems. One of them is anti-intellectualism. The thought I had leaving this conversation is "I doubt very many Junior high kids from churches in Southern California, in general, know as much." I am not saying kids need to kick it into gear, I am saying I DO as a pastor. Our church, in the general, universal sense, is facing this problem of anti-intellectualism, and it will drive us to extinction if we aren't prepared to right the ship.
So I get excited when I read this encouragement from Peter. The centrality of this verse is the Gospel. We, as believers must sanctify Christ as Lord...this means to set him apart. Nothing else takes the place of Lord, not popularity, fame, love, money, or any physical comfort can take the place of Jesus as Lord. Nothing at all. If our church is not saturated with making Christ Lord of our hearts, if we are not making the Gospel central, we are doomed. The second challenge is to be ready to give a defense for the hope that is in us. Again, the Gospel is central. We need to be ready to give a reason for our change which the Gospel produced. I think Peter expects life to look different for followers of Jesus and expects this hope to flow out of them. Which is why people will be asking and questioning why life is different for us. Also, Peter expected a change in our thinking. He expects that believers can explain this hope. To give a defense in academic discipline (i.e. law, debate, scientific hypothesis) is to put together a well thought out, systematic, and logical sequence to defend a position. That is essentially what Peter wants us to do with gentleness, give people a logical reason for a truthfully tangible change in believers.
If you are a believer: Live as you were intended, with a life altering hope, set Christ as Lord in your life, make the Gospel central everyday. Show people this overflowing living hope you have. And know the things you believe and grow in them. Do not represent Jesus falsely. Those facts I was sharing with the young boy at Starbucks are just that, facts. But the Bible and everything in it is more than that for us. The Word of God changes us (Hebrews 4:12). Not to upset anyone reading this, but if you party hard on Friday and Saturday night, wake up and go listen to a 30 minute monologue, and claim to be a Christian, think again. If you live a totally normal life, go listen to a 30 minute monologue on Sunday and call yourself a Christian, think again. In fact if you are even more involved than on Sundays, and call yourself a Christian, think again. You are a Christian because of the hope that is in you...THE GOSPEL. This should cause change in you. It changes a person. Be a change agent, be irresistible, be a Christian that has such an overflowing hope and joy, that you want every single person in the whole world to know and experience it...our church depends on you surrendering to Jesus as Lord of your life, becoming obedient to His Word, and telling people about it because you cannot help it.
Friday, November 4, 2011
When it's more than Coffee
There is nothing more that I love than to introduce someone to the truth of who Jesus is and tell them what He did for the world. A close second is seeing people come into Starbuck that have something in common with me that goes beyond a delicious cup of coffee, JESUS. Today has been filled with running into people that I haven't seen for a while that are connected to my past as a Bible teacher and a Pastor.
But one past relationship filled with ambiguity regarding the church and enigmatic encounters came rushing back to my memory as this person yelled from across the store, "PONCY!!!" I have not nor will I ever forget the specific tone and volume of this voice. To be clear, it was awesome to bump into this person, but one issue in particular came to mind...the dreaded Catholic v. Protestant issue.
You can now begin to imagine the encounters we had working together, and yes the issue ALWAYS came up, in fact it did today. This person still a fiery catholic, and me, well, still a devoted protestant dedicated to the facts behind the reformation. So as we spoke she mentioned, and I quote, "Catholics and Protestants will not ask what 'religion' they are to each other when they are hiding under the rocks and in the caves away from the beast in the end times".
I got to reflecting on this and initially my "context" strength came out and I was thinking, "that is definitely not the context of that passage"(Revelation 6:15). But the important aspect to this conversation I would like to write about is this, "What is a Christian?". Namely, how do I know this person or that person is a Christian. Of course, God alone can judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart, but are there ways we can identify fellow followers of Jesus. The answer is yes, absolutely.
True discipleship is something I am extremely passionate about! If you bumped into an old student of mine around town, they would tell you how adamant I was about them surrendering to Jesus and allowing Jesus to transform them. This included one's lifestyle. So are there any telling passages in Scripture that gives an idea of what it means to truly follow Jesus? Well, one that I have studied recently and have grown to love, is a passage that we overlook, possibly because of the difficulty in understanding, but surely because of the implications for our lives after understanding it.
1) Matthew 8:18-22: Here we have a passage were the reader encounters 2 "would-be" disciples. What I mean by that is that Matthew places them as disciples which are the crowds following Jesus literally, but not yet committed to following the person of Jesus. In other words, he's a neat guy and I'm checking him out. The first of these guys is a young teacher of the law. This guy was probably well respected and saw some sort of opportunity by making Jesus his rabbi. Most likely thinking he'd gain notoriety, fame, and possibly some sort of financial benefit. This is the reason we get the statement from Jesus, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." Jesus, clearly having financial support from His ministry, was not saying he was homeless. No, He was proclaiming to this young man the radical requirements of following him. No fame or fortune was to be had by His followers, but there was something much greater. The second was actually called a disciple. He wanted to fulfill the Law requirements of a son and go bury his father. Scholars say that either his father was dead for a year and he wanted to collect his inheritance before following Jesus, or others say he was trying to obey the Jewish tradition and responsibility to bury his father. I believe it was the second, due to Jesus radical response, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead." What I believe Jesus is saying is that this young disciple place following him over any other responsibility that he has, even burying his father. In basic terms, these two dudes are placing their own requirements on what they need to follow Jesus (i.e. I will follow you Jesus, if...)
Three things I glean from this radical call to discipleship by Jesus.
Discipleship (following Jesus/being a Christian) is costly, it's a person's top priority, and it's unconditional or there can be no conditions on our part.
So to bring it back around to my day at Starbucks is that my friend is absolutely right about one thing, it is not about Catholic v. Protestant but about whether or not we have responded to this radical call to follow Jesus, to follow Him without putting any conditions on it (I will follow you Jesus if you give me
fill in the blank), to count the cost and to fix our eyes solely on Him and nothing else. True discipleship is NOT prescribing to a certain religion or building, but through surrendering utterly and wholeheartedly to Him, giving Him your life completely. That is what a Christian is.
And to be honest, I do believe this prescription to Jesus has to be to the Jesus of the Bible. To follow Jesus wholeheartedly is to believe not only that Jesus lived and died for our sins, but to believe in the person of Jesus, who He is. To understand this better you can do a comprehensive study of John 6, where hundreds of disciples turn and leave Jesus because they do not want to believe in Him but still want to receive the benefits of His miracles. When they are called to respond, they turn and walk away. Believing in Jesus and surrendering to Him results in a radical change, one that Jesus wants from His followers. Hence the proclamation by Peter after Jesus turns and asks if they want to leave also, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."(John 6:67-68) That word for believe is the greek word "pisteuo" and every time it is used in John, like here, it is used as an action word, a verb. So believing is not just a thought in your head but a proclamation with a response or action.
My prayer is that Christians start becoming the followers Jesus demands, unified, loving, and full of truth who become irresistible to those in need of salvation.
Three things I glean from this radical call to discipleship by Jesus.
Discipleship (following Jesus/being a Christian) is costly, it's a person's top priority, and it's unconditional or there can be no conditions on our part.
So to bring it back around to my day at Starbucks is that my friend is absolutely right about one thing, it is not about Catholic v. Protestant but about whether or not we have responded to this radical call to follow Jesus, to follow Him without putting any conditions on it (I will follow you Jesus if you give me
fill in the blank), to count the cost and to fix our eyes solely on Him and nothing else. True discipleship is NOT prescribing to a certain religion or building, but through surrendering utterly and wholeheartedly to Him, giving Him your life completely. That is what a Christian is.
And to be honest, I do believe this prescription to Jesus has to be to the Jesus of the Bible. To follow Jesus wholeheartedly is to believe not only that Jesus lived and died for our sins, but to believe in the person of Jesus, who He is. To understand this better you can do a comprehensive study of John 6, where hundreds of disciples turn and leave Jesus because they do not want to believe in Him but still want to receive the benefits of His miracles. When they are called to respond, they turn and walk away. Believing in Jesus and surrendering to Him results in a radical change, one that Jesus wants from His followers. Hence the proclamation by Peter after Jesus turns and asks if they want to leave also, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."(John 6:67-68) That word for believe is the greek word "pisteuo" and every time it is used in John, like here, it is used as an action word, a verb. So believing is not just a thought in your head but a proclamation with a response or action.
My prayer is that Christians start becoming the followers Jesus demands, unified, loving, and full of truth who become irresistible to those in need of salvation.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
What this is about
Hello All!
Thanks for visiting my blog! I have thought a lot about whether or not blogging would be something that I would enjoy or if it would just suck my time up. But over the past several months I discovered something; people for some inexplicable reason feel comfortable enough to talk honestly and openly with me. Now, I know some of you who know are thinking, "ya that's because you do not have a 'question filter' and you ask people anything and everything!". Well, you are right, but that fact remains that people share their stories with me.
I'm also a people person who finds it extremely effective to travel down to my usual Starbucks to study rather than go to the Library. I enjoy this for a number of reasons. But the biggest reason that I do this is because I need a "people break". I need a break from the books and the best way to get reenergized is by talking to anyone and everyone! I know, I know...and yes, I am that guy that you dread making eye contact with at your local Starbucks!
In discovering that people tend to share their stories with me, I became passionate about sharing the Gospel with those people; not just in word but also by listening, loving, and caring for them. Yes they do not know me a lot of the time, but I love leaving a conversation with someone knowing that I someway and somehow encouraged them or made their day better. This blog is about my reflections and thoughts about these people, their stories, and my interaction with them. In telling these stories I will be writing about all sorts of issues (in the last week I spoke with a Jewish guy about the Hebrew Scriptures' explicit references to Jesus, a special ed teacher upset that the church has shunned the Homosexual community, and ran into some old students of mine that I hadn't seen in ages). These issues will cover the areas of Theology, Philosophy, Politics, and Relationships. Of course, I will have opinions, get fired up, express emotions about relationships, and you may not agree with me, and that's okay.
But most importantly I want you to catch the flame that ignited my soul. I have discovered that this world is full of people perishing who need the love of Jesus in their lives. But our God is so creative and omniscient, so much so that He purposefully and intentionally made such beautiful people with amazing stories. We just need to pause to listen. Here is a video that expresses my heart:
Thanks for visiting my blog! I have thought a lot about whether or not blogging would be something that I would enjoy or if it would just suck my time up. But over the past several months I discovered something; people for some inexplicable reason feel comfortable enough to talk honestly and openly with me. Now, I know some of you who know are thinking, "ya that's because you do not have a 'question filter' and you ask people anything and everything!". Well, you are right, but that fact remains that people share their stories with me.
I'm also a people person who finds it extremely effective to travel down to my usual Starbucks to study rather than go to the Library. I enjoy this for a number of reasons. But the biggest reason that I do this is because I need a "people break". I need a break from the books and the best way to get reenergized is by talking to anyone and everyone! I know, I know...and yes, I am that guy that you dread making eye contact with at your local Starbucks!
In discovering that people tend to share their stories with me, I became passionate about sharing the Gospel with those people; not just in word but also by listening, loving, and caring for them. Yes they do not know me a lot of the time, but I love leaving a conversation with someone knowing that I someway and somehow encouraged them or made their day better. This blog is about my reflections and thoughts about these people, their stories, and my interaction with them. In telling these stories I will be writing about all sorts of issues (in the last week I spoke with a Jewish guy about the Hebrew Scriptures' explicit references to Jesus, a special ed teacher upset that the church has shunned the Homosexual community, and ran into some old students of mine that I hadn't seen in ages). These issues will cover the areas of Theology, Philosophy, Politics, and Relationships. Of course, I will have opinions, get fired up, express emotions about relationships, and you may not agree with me, and that's okay.
But most importantly I want you to catch the flame that ignited my soul. I have discovered that this world is full of people perishing who need the love of Jesus in their lives. But our God is so creative and omniscient, so much so that He purposefully and intentionally made such beautiful people with amazing stories. We just need to pause to listen. Here is a video that expresses my heart:
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