Malcolm Glidewell spoke in Vancouver at a conference on online technologies this week. “If social media tools are going to make a meaningful commitment to the way our world is run you have to remember to build trust, to build institutions and to build strong ties.” Read the whole article here.
Author: Craig
the Resurrection of Jesus & the “new normal”
Jesus who was crucified, is Risen. To accept the Resurrection of Jesus as a new normal is to challenge what you believe about God, life, and yourself, it is to begin a journey with a new guide, and with new rules: live by faith, not by sight. The resurrection of Jesus as a new normal changes the way you do business.
1. God matters. Life is not about me. God becomes the main character in the story of my life. Its not about me or my family, or my country, its about Him. The glory, honour, praise, of life is to be His. True worship is something that seeps from my life because of WHO God is, not what I want Him to do for me. To stand before the Resurrected Lord with Pride in my heart seems ludicrous and in fact can only produce fear or denial of Who Jesus really is. To stand before the Resurrected Lord with humility and with the confidence of His acceptance of me is to know that life is not about me. Its about Him.
“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen!”
If God is the main character of our life story, then our acceptance of the Resurrection of Jesus as the new normal promotes Him rightfully into the star role and not just our audience for whom we are performing.
“He became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2:9-11
The Sovereignty of God or the supremacy of Jesus over all things is not something we run from, but something we joyfully embrace. For then life’s pain, suffering, trails, are not meaningless, but instead are made meaningful by the knowledge that the one who suffered on the Cross and was raised to life is able to accomplish His purposes and retain His glory in them and through them.
2. Jesus is the victory. Jesus has victory over death. Jesus has the power. Jesus has been promoted by God as judge over the living and dead. By entrusting myself to Jesus and believing on him I have one who claims me as His own and is able to judge between all situations.
When a day’s work is done…you go home.
“He is headed to Galilee.” Jesus is going home. Death did not keep him down. He is not stuck outside Jerusalem in shame. He is going to Galilee. He is going home. He is going home victorious.
The new normal. When confronted by my fear of people and the “death” they may inflict on me, the new normal of Jesus’ resurrection, reminds me that my life is hidden in Christ. He is victorious over death. Death is not the end. physical death By entrusting myself to him and by believing on Him I am freed from the bondage of sin, of my sin, of the fear of death.
This is a new normal that I confess I am still getting used to. This past year to be at the bedside of one of our members who was dying… To share in that moment with the family… to have confidence of our eternity in Christ. Jesus is the victor. Paul said, “Oh death where is your is your victory where is your sting?” The sting of death is sink and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:56-57
3. My life matters to God. The angel said, “Tell his disciples and Peter.” To take a big view of creation is to be confronted with the smallness of ourselves. To read the Scriptures is though is to be confronted with the bigness of God and His big interest in people. I matter to God. You matter to God.
Because the Resurrection of Jesus is the new normal the Cross of Jesus becomes a sign pointing to a new reality: my life matters to God.
John 3:16 becomes personal
“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose…” 1 Cor 1:26-27
“I chose you…” John 15:16
God has chosen to share His mission of redemption with people. He entrusts his Gospel to women and to men and says share this. He takes an interest in the lives of people. God is big enough for this. And you matter enough to Him. He knows your name.
The resurrection of Jesus created a new normal for the disciples’ view of the cross. They would come to know that the cross showed that God would take extraordinary measures to show the glory of His grace. Your life matters to God for it is intended to show the glory of His grace. Sin distorts and hides His grace and glory. You matter so much to God, that Jesus accepted the cross for the joy set before Him—the glory of the Father and the incredible treasure that would be His—people redeemed and saved.
4. What Jesus says matters to me. “There you will see Him, just as He told you.” Christ is the authoritative voice in my life. To accept the Resurrection of Jesus as the new normal is to accept that Jesus is now the authoritative voice for life. Everything Jesus taught has new authority. And now by the power of His Holy Spirit made available by the Resurrected Jesus I enter into a real living relationship.
Jesus is exalted as Lord of my life, and has become my shepherd’s voice. So as I look back on His teachings I am also seeking to hear his voice for today. Jesus is a living Lord, not a dead voice speaking from the past. His voice and word is present, not just past or future. Today Jesus can speak to me and guide me into his paths of life. I expect that the Word of God is a living Word giving not only wisdom for my relationships, but directives about what I do in response to this grace of God. I am united with Jesus in his death. I am united with Jesus in his resurrection. The disciples were to go to Galilee to meet Him. But now by His Spirit He meets me wherever I am. Learning to hear His voice and know Him is the essential relationship I now enter into when I accept the Resurrection of Jesus as the new normal.
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he will strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” Ephesians 3:16-17
You and I lack spiritual comprehension. Unless the Holy Spirit intervenes we are left with only. hearing about the resurrection of Jesus. By the power of the Holy Spirit we We miss the new normal.
A new normal is on your doorstep. To be with Jesus in His Resurrection is to let Him create a new normal in your life where
1. God matters to you & life is not all about you.
2. Jesus is the victor.
3. Your life matters to God.
4. What Jesus says matters to you.
To face life with the Resurrected Jesus means that when life presents me with “new normals” that challenge the very core of who I am, I face them not alone, but with Him.
seeking the cultural compass pointing to Jesus
Don Richardson is a Canadian pastor and missiologist perhaps best known for the work the Peace Child and his book Eternity in their Hearts. In this talk last October in Hawaii in talks about cross-cultural communication of the Gospel of Jesus and Richardson highlights the importance of listening to discover the cultural compass pointing to Jesus providentially woven into the fabric of a culture.
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the first problem with a grudge
Have you ever found yourself in a thought-loop unable to get your mind on something else? Really its worse than the time I was unable to find my way out of Oklahoma City. Around and around I drove for what seemed like an eternity trying to find the way out of that city and head back towards Fort Worth. I was trying to leave but couldn’t find the way.
The problem with a grudge though, is that we aren’t trying to leave. We harbour, nurse, feed our offendedness with rationalistic reasons for why we are right to feel the way we do and to keep holding onto it. Before we know it a root of bitterness and resentment has turned into a habitual way of relating in relationships making us over-sensitive, proud, and very self-righteous. I know, I’ve been there.
As we have been reading through Mark in our journey with Jesus at Cityview I have been surprised at the way Mark correlates Jesus’ teaching with Jesus’ activity. This pattern is evident in the text associated with Palm Sunday.
A. Jesus enter Jersusalem as a triumphant king and proceeds to the temple where he looks around. Mark 11:1-11
B. The next day, Jesus examines a fig tree for fruit, and finding none, judges it. 11:1-17
C. Jesus returns to the Temple and clears the Court of Gentiles, and announces that the redemptive purpose of the temple is not being fulfilled: Is it not written, “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?” But you have made it a ‘den of robbers.’ Mark 11:13-19
D. The chief priests and teachers are deeply offended and begin to seek in earnest a way to get rid of Jesus.
E. The Disciples observe the withered fig tree and Peter is astonished.
E. Jesus addresses two concerns He has for the Disciples:
1. Faith-full prayer/conversation with God.
2. Forgiveness in prayer of any people with whom they might hold an offense.
I believe Jesus recognizes a challenge for the disciples that will keep them from realizing their full redemptive potential in His Kingdom. In the course of the ministry with Him, Jesus’ disciples will run into confrontations with people. The Kingdom of God and the Gospel of Jesus confronts what is wrong in the world: unbelief, abandonment to the flesh, idolatry, misuse of God’s gifts, and the abuse of people. The disciples had just accompanied Jesus on such a foray and I believe it would have been easy for them to hold “something” against the people who were now planning Jesus’ death.
An enemy thinks the world would be a better place without you. And clearly these enemies of Jesus were headed down that path. However, Jesus would have nothing to do with holding a grudge, planting bitterness, and nursing resentment.
In the future, these disciples of Jesus confronting a world of unbelief and opposition at times to the Gospel would discover that the world would not change as quickly as they might have hoped. The now-but-not-yet nature of the Kingdom of God meant that they must look forward with faith in a good God who does complete what He says that he would complete. Even Israel in celebration of the Passover where called out in this week to persist in their faith that God would prevail. They must not retreat into despair or un-believing doubting prayer. I do not believe the issue here is whether or not the disciples believed God could do something miraculous. The real issue was in doubting the fundamental nature of God as one who cares. Faith-full believing prayer maintains the revealed character of God in His Word as fundamentally good. It is this quiet confidence and faith then that allows us to engage the sovereignty of God with faith in prayer. His “no,” “yes,” or “wait” can be accepted and trusted.
And it is this observation that brings us to the first problem with a grudge. We want to believe that a grudge or resentment is first and foremost a problem between me and the person, or me and the company, or me and that race of people, or me and individual in the past. But Jesus makes a grudge or sensitive offendedness to a first and foremost a problem between me and God.
“And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25
The first problem with a grudge toward a person is that it is a problem between me and God. If I am holding something against another person and believing that they owe me, it is a problem between me and God. And it is such a problem that I will not be able to fulfill the full redemptive purpose of God for my life. Jesus tells me that God refuses to bless this course of action in my interior world. A grudge will cause me to be as lifeless and fruitless as the fig tree Jesus examined the day before this teaching. A grudge will cause me to be as cluttered, busy, and void of the redemptive purposes of God as Israel was in the Court of the Gentiles. A grudge, you see, is actually an persistent act of unbelief and treats the Gospel of Jesus’ grace, God’s unmerited choosing, as something small, trite, and of little consequence. God will not bless grudge keeping, bitterness, and nursed resentments. Unforgiveness keeps me from fulfilling the redemptive purposes of God and limits my generosity, kindness, compassion, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, joy, peace, self-control, and love.
What to do?
Well we can’t wait to forgive until the other person changes. To pray is to change. If I am in conversation with God I am the one called to forgive. Choose over and over to say, “This person owes me nothing.” I entrust them to God. I entrust myself to God’s grace in the Gospel of Jesus. God has abundantly blessed me…I can afford to extend such grace to others…even to others who wish ill of me. Jesus has shown us how, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Our challenge is that because most of us who are habitually confronted with our ability to keep a grudge rarely enter into that pain because of our commitment to Jesus’ mission, we fail to make the connection between grudges, grace, and our experience of God’s power. Our experience of such pain derives mostly from unmetabolized pain in our past and/or from the irritants that accompany daily relationships common to us all.
When we stand praying and God reminds us of a offense we are holding onto, he is inviting us to a new level of living and relationship in the Kingdom of His Son, Jesus Christ.
It is possible that unforgiveness can become such a mountain in our soul that we are not sure we will ever be free of it. The 70 times 7 challenges to forgiveness have shown me that forgiveness is sometimes a process of growth and experience of Jesus grace. Thankfulness for the other person(s), Surrender of myself to God, Interecssion for God to bless the other person(s), and then finally imagining what the full redemptive work of Jesus’ grace could look like. On the later, let me paint the picture I have: Seated at the banquet table of heaven we raise our glasses to toast Jesus, the King of Kings, but instead he begins to toast us…he makes his way to me and blesses me, toasts me, welcomes me to His table as a loved and cherished son…a tear slips down me cheek and Jesus reaches out to wipe it away…I turn away and find that beside me is one who was an enemy, recognition crosses our eyes in an instant, and all I can think to say is, “Jesus is awesome isn’t He?”
.3 seconds on the clock and the puck in the back of the net
Ok, it was breathtaking! When Detroit’s Zetterberg shouldered his way from the boards to the front of the net to zip one in past Luongo with .3 seconds on the clock in overtime, it was beautiful. Yes I’m a Canucks fan, but this time we didn’t pull off the come-from-behind-win. It was the second time in days that I found myself painfully admiring a winning goal in the closing seconds. Norway defeated Canada in sledge hockey with an arcing shot from Eskel Hagan with just 3.6 seconds on the clock. With our thoughts headed towards overtime and the possibilities for the next period, it was a shocker!
And therein is the leadership lesson for me. While there is still time on the clock, there is still “a game” to be won or lost. The minutes of our lives count and while we still have time, living for the glory of God still matters. When we are tied or behind by one, urgency, passion, pursuit of Jesus Christ and His Kingdom must be nurtured. When there is time on the clock there is still time to shape the story. No one else will do this for me.
No one else will seek strength of character formed through a persistent gaze at Jesus and His Gospel for me. No one else will prioritize my life, days, and hours with Christ for me. No one else will put in the behind the scenes effort and learning for me. No one else will say “no” or “yes” for me. No one else will push through the inertia to engage in the most rewarding but hard ways of Kingdom living for me. I regularly pray with the Psalmist, “Lord, teach us to number our days aright, that we might gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
These guys on the ice push through difficulty and pain to the last second for a number of reasons. But what vision is compelling, shaping, and energizing me? You?
urbanfoot 