Into The Sky

This past weekend, Mike and I were able to go to Grove City Church of the Nazarene to experience an incredible night of worship called A Night with The King. The music was awesome and the presence of the LORD fell heavy on both of us. I was incredibly grateful for the time we got to spend talking with friends and for this time of refreshing. When the music started, we saw the little children dancing and singing, twirling around, and smiling. Not one of them was fussing, fighting or crying...just dancing...free. I watched them and so did Mike. During this time, I think we both somehow discovered how caught up in our lives we have been and how much we need Jesus. I think we also discovered a new way to approach Him. This song is written by Jason Upton. Jason has a 6 year old son named Samuel. One day Samuel came into the worship room and said, "Hey Dad, I'd like to write a song for Jesus". So, they wrote this song together. I was reminded of it on Friday while we were watching those children. It goes like this:

Hey Jesus, are ya still on the cross

or are You feeling better?

Hey Jesus, can You come play with me

I am ready and willing

Won't You come down, down, down

down to the ground

To the "next to me" place
with a smile on my face
and a song in my ear...
Around and around

and around and around

and around we go

Hey Jesus, when I wave at You

do You wave back too?

Hey Jesus, when I'm feeling sad

do You feel sad too?

Hey Jesus, if we throw these books

do you think they will fly?

Hey Jesus, can I touch the moon?

throw me into the sky

And then I'll come down, down, down

down to the ground

to the "next to me" place

with a smile on my face

and a song in my ear.

The Least Among Us

Is it profoundly unrealistic to expect people to exercise compassion outside of the communities in which they live? Is compassion segregated, and if so, why is there a fundamental disconnect between the reservoirs of compassion and the communities that need it? It sometimes seems as though many people only have compassion for those who are most like themselves.
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. The He said to His disciples, "the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few." Luke 10:2,3.
The fact is, very few inner-city residents experience the benefits of programs run by suburbanites who abandon their cushy pads to live beside "the least among us." For the last five years, I have worked with homeless people and children in youth ministries, only to find that it is just as much emotionally draining as it is rewarding. One cold night when our ministry was handing out coats on the streets downtown, someone asked me how I knew who to give to and who to refuse. I guess I had never thought to have an answer to a question like that. It has never been my mission to judge who is more in need, this one or the next. As far as I knew, we were all in need of something, including myself. Aren't we all in a place of need at sometime or another? Who am I to judge the drug addicted, the single unmarried mothers, or the absentee fathers? I do know one thing, or should I say from my experience, I have never seen judgment lead a person to the Savior. However, I have seen prayer, support, genuine love, and let's not forget compassion, lead them there and onward. Some might say my optimism lacks a basis in reality when it comes to these matters. I'll never win them all, but I'll keep trying.

In The Vine

Think of some things that Jesus did not put in His hand to make His point that night in the garden. He didn't have any money, nor did he have a map for a military (or angelic) invasion of Jerusalem. He didn't have a letter to His wife back home explaining what the last three years were supposed to be about. No, Jesus was thinking about grapes. As He held the grapevine in His hand, he said: "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine dresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit. By this, My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit." John 15:1-2,5,8.
Jesus loved to convey the truth with simple earthly examples. In His last message before His death on the cross, He wanted us to comprehend that we have been left on this earth for one compelling reason...to bear fruit. The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Notice, they are not fruits of the spirit (plural) because you must have all of them to possess any of them. How important is fruit then? So important, that our baskets should be overflowing.

Love Them Like Jesus

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines character as the combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another. It is also considered a moral or ethical strength or public estimation of ones reputation. When we refer to Jesus, and his reputation, we can see how the public viewed His character. Many people followed Jesus for many different reasons. Some of them had selfish motives and were following out of their own accord, while others were hungry to see miracles unfold. Who was this mere man that distinguished Himself apart from all the others? When Jesus challenged the people to throw the first stone at the adulteress, He showed us forgiveness. When He commanded her to go and sin no more, he showed us patience. When He saw the multitude and prayed for laborers, He showed us compassion. By His countless teachings, He shows us the way to true rest. By His death on the cross, He showed us strength, love, and most of all...sacrifice.
Publicly, Jesus was a nuisance to many. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus says," Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." He also healed on the Sabbath, which was not lawful and He spoke in parables that most people could not even understand. He spoke with the authority that many thought was not His and became known to the Pharisees as a blasphemer.
As Christians, we are called to like Christ in every aspect. Yet, our society is teaching our future generations tolerance in place of Biblical truth. The private issues of peoples lives that were not openly discussed twenty years ago, are now public issues discussed on the forefront of American Politics. One issue that comes to mind, is gay marriage. Some people skip over the scripture in the Bible that warns us that homosexuals will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. That only leads me to one other assumption...that the only other option is to spend eternity in a lake of fire. In fact, it is that way with all sin, not just homosexuality. Is homosexuality worse than murder? Or is smoking cigarettes worse than gluttony? Are we not all required to confess our sins DAILY? This brings about the question of winning souls. How are we to win the souls of those who are living life in the midst of every type of indecency, if we are not equipped with the Truth? The answer is Jesus. If we use the tools that we are given to develop a like minded attitude of Christ, then we can win souls. I do believe the number one reason that people do not want to become Christians is because they see other Christians talk the talk, but not walk the walk. You will find that when the blind are leading the blind, they both fall into a ditch. Are you learning to love like Jesus did?

Material Reduction

Jesus had tough words for the wealthy. Think of his words to the rich young ruler to “sell everything you have and give to the poor . . . then come, follow me” (Luke18:22). Or consider his “woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort” (Luke 6:24). The inauguration of the Lord’s ministry is framed by the words of the prophet Isaiah: “the Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor” (Is. 61:1; Luke 4:18).
It is not surprising that the wealthiest culture in the history of the world would be uncomfortable with this aspect of the gospel. We prefer ignoring this teaching or, if we cannot ignore it, domesticating it. Yes, we say to ourselves, Jesus said these things, but we know that wealth and possessions are not the real problem. It is our attitude toward money and things that Jesus is really concerned about. After all, Abraham was a wealthy guy, etc., etc. In some circles we are even told that God wants us to be rich. Now my point is not to argue against a nuanced understanding of the biblical teaching about wealth and possessions. Nor is is to set a Christian standard for “maximum earned income” or to advise you to give away your retirement savings. Rather, my concern is that as well-off western Christians, we should not get comfortable with the Lord’s teaching about wealth.
His first hearers were shocked by his teaching (“who then can be saved?!). But we are not shocked. That we are so comfortable with his words suggests that there is some serious reductionism taking place. Our culture is driven by the “need” to spend, acquire, and consume far beyond what is healthy for any of us. The constant bombardment of slick advertising fans the flame of desire. We are consumed by consumption. But in our quest for more, we find that we have less, particularly in the realm of the Spirit. Jesus, of course, knows full well how distracted we are. We should expect that he would address these questions, expect that the gospel would lay the ax at the root of the tree of our consumption. We should also expect that as western Christians our tendency would be to avoid the cutting edge of the kingdom message at just this point. And so we do. What would happen in our churches if we were more open in speaking with each other about how we use our money, how much “stuff” is enough, or how our daily lives are structured around the pursuit of things? I suspect that much of our silence on these issues is also a reflection of the Christian narcissism which says that spirituality is about my private relationship to God but has little place for mutual accountability within the body of Christ. Written by: David Dunbar