Gospel

Getting over our cults of personality.

/ Craig / Leave a comment

IMG_0882

1But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human? 5What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, as the Lord assigned to each. 6I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor. 9For we are God’s fellow workers. You are God’s field, God’s building.  1 Corinthians 3:1-9

 

We’ve all got “personality.” Great leaders have personality too. Their confidence makes them seem larger than life. Servants of Jesus who are also great leaders point people to Jesus and not to themselves. The Apostle Paul is battling the cult of personality built into the fabric of Corinthian society. He lays out a new perspective for them.

 

  1. These leaders are servants of Jesus.
  2. Each leader has an assignment from Jesus.
  3. Each leader has relationships with the church given by Jesus.
  4. As each leader does their part, God gives the growth.
  5. Each leader answers to God.
  6. The servants of Jesus are fellow workers in God’s Field, In God’s Building working with God. So the church is not “their’s;” its God’s.

 

 

You have come to Jesus.

/ Craig / Leave a comment

IMG_7067

22But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, 23and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.  Hebrews 12:22-24

The writer of Hebrews is contrasting the people of Israel with the people of Jesus. Israel came with Moses to God at Mt. Sinai. There they were terrified at the display of God’s holiness. They shut their eyes in fear of the glory of God. And they would not dare to come close. They sent Moses alone. (Exodus 19-20)

But you have come to Jesus. Jesus has brought us into the Kingdom of God. Together. He has enrolled us in heaven. We have come to the judge. We have come as those declared righteous and made complete by Jesus. We come to Jesus, whose blood speaks better and longer than Abel, the one who suffered the first murder. The blood of Jesus who suffered at the cross, completes God’s promise for us in the new covenant established by Jesus.

You have come to Jesus with eyes wide open, with a heart wide open, and a desire to go with Him into the Presence and glory of God.

 

Unlimited Access

/ Craig / Leave a comment

IMG_0207

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:1-5

Through my online reader I see headlines from several national newspapers. When I see what interests me I go to it. But after I reach the mark of “ten articles per month” my access is limited. It is so disappointing to click on an article and then see the screen popup with the message: “For only $___ a month you can get unlimited access.” You see my frugality now.

Thankfully, God is not like this. When difficulties and challenges arise we do not run out of access to God. Through Jesus we have access to God the Father. We obtained access to this grace, the peace with God through Jesus Christ, by faith in Him. Access  does not run out. We have unlimited access. This is good news to me because the challenges that produce pain for me have not run out either.

Discipleship through challenges

The text describes a massive feedback loop essential to discipleship: A challenge, and then rejoicing because we have knowledge of a process and the experience of God’s love.

The process: suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

The experience: Love poured into our hearts. Jesus Christ mediates our access to God and has made peace. Our access to God is reality by the Holy Spirit. He has poured God’s love into our hearts. God’s love that takes the shame out of our suffering. God’s love that moves us into a growing, persisting, full, and hopeful life when we are hurt.

To rejoice in our sufferings seems ludicrous and impossible were it not for a firm conviction of God’s love for us through Christ Jesus and our unlimited access to Him.

 

A story of two trees

/ Craig / Leave a comment

IMG_0212

9And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Genesis 2:9

 

Two trees were notable among the many in The Garden of their communion. Only one had a boundary built around it: the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And that boundary was built on love. Here’s your freedom; you may choose to be in communion with God even as God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit keep choosing each other.

 

God said, “You may eat of all the trees in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God intended them to eat of the tree of life. But they chose the tree of knowledge of good and evil instead of remaining in His love and in the dependence of their communion with Him. So then, in this state of separation God gracefully put them out of the garden so they did not eat of the tree of life in this condition.

 

From the communion of God Jesus came to make a way for our life with God. He is the Tree of Life from which we may partake and enter in to His communion. It took at tree, a cursed tree, and there on the Cross we observe the terrible consequence of the tree of knowledge and evil borne by God Himself. Our forgiveness cost.

 

Which tree are you living under? Which do you see as a refuge? Which do you believe to be your life?

 

Jesus says,

1“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God;believe also in me.2In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.4And you know the way to where I am going.”5Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.7If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.From now on you do know him and have seen him.” John 14:1-7

Jesus is our Tree of Life!

Under Grace

/ Craig / Leave a comment

IMG_1460

For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
Romans 7:14

 

For me the whole book of Romans turns on this statement. Paul argues that Jesus has radically altered the environment in which we live. No longer are we under the law, but now in Christ we are under grace.

 

To be “under” is to be subject to the authority, rules, manners, and destiny of another. The phrase “a man under authority” (Matthew 8:9) was used by a Roman centurion to describe his character and position, and his understanding of Jesus’ ability to heal without actually coming to his house. Jesus was amazed at his faith.

 

Throughout the letter we call Romans, Paul, is working out what it means to be under law and subject to it and what it means to be under grace and to be subject to Christ Jesus. Our understanding of what we are living under has profound implications on our character and life.

 

What are you living under?

 

In Christ Jesus, I am under grace.

 

I am under the abundant riches of His work at the Cross.

 

I am under the extravagant expression of His love.

 

I am under the power of a new kingdom regime.

 

I am under grace.

 

Our world needs to see

 

a woman under grace;

 

a man under grace;

 

a community under grace.

 

It will be amazing!