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Baptism and the Great Commission

// September 24th, 2009 // No Comments » // faith

I was recently discussing the importance of baptism at our Starting Point class and I find it hard to understand why some choose to live in disobedience.  Every time I get the privilege of participating in (or observing)  a baptism service, I’m reminded of a few of Jesus’ last words before ascending in to heaven:

Matthew 28:
18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

In this final teaching moment Jesus aligns obedience and baptism with discipleship, I don’t think I’ll ever understand why some choose to ignore it.

July & August 2009 Baptisms from CHRIST'S CHURCH OF THE VALLEY on Vimeo.

When God Speaks To You

// July 27th, 2009 // 9 Comments » // faith, relationships

Does God speak to you? I think he does, and I think he uses people around us more than we give the “Big Guy” credit for. We often look at the Bible as a method that our creator uses to communicate (it is certainly the best place for us to get a glimpse into the mind of the almighty), and sometimes we will acknowledge that God is using our life circumstances to tell us something that we need to know. However, I don’t often hear others tell me, “God used Joe to tell me something today.”

We see this demonstrated for us all over the Bible. There is probably more documented confrontation with Paul than any other person in scripture. God regularly used Paul to instruct and correct the early church, but how does that translate to the present? How do I really know God is using someone to tell me something important?

I think the key to knowing (or maybe I should say attempting to discern) this is from God is that the information being communicated is usually something you DON”T want to hear… here is an example:

I love my brothers. They have always been there for me when I needed them most. After leaving the military I brought Shelli to New York with me to be closer to my family, but it was sooooo challenging. She was working full time at a law firm as a legal secretary and I actually had two jobs so we could make ends meet. I felt bad about it because she was often alone while I was at my second job. Thank God for my brother Pete. He was there for us any time Shelli needed a friend or I needed someone to lean on when the crap in life seemed overwhelming. God used Pete to express care and concern for us through a tough transition.

After a challenging 9 months in New York I had a difficult conversation with my brother Dave that completely took me off guard. We were at my parents house for a Sunday dinner and he asked,

“Frank, why are you still here?”

I replied, “What do you mean?”

“You should just go…”

“Uhhhh.. go where Dave?”

“To college Frank, just leave and go to college.”

“Yeah sure, hehe, its not that easy bro.”

“Frank, it is that easy. You said living here is killing you financially and you know you want to go to school for ministry so why not just go. If your money situation is going to be bad, why not go to PA anyway and at least be productive. It has to be better for you in PA.”

I don’t know if I ever thanked my brother for that confrontation. God used him to change the course of my life in that moment and we moved to PA on New Years Day. I know it sounds cliché but, January 1st, 1998 was the first day of the rest of my life. It is kind of weird reflecting back on that day because I never expected God to tell me something through my brother. It was almost as if it wasn’t my brother speaking to me, but I think that is the key to recognizing God’s voice. Plus, as I reflect further I don’t think I’ve ever noticed it in the moment… its often sometime later when I can see the impact that person has had on my life.

When these sorts of things happen (to me) it seems to come from a source that I don’t expect and they often will tell me something that I don’t want to hear.

Has God ever used someone to tell you something that you didn’t want to hear?

Are You A Productive Christian?

// May 12th, 2009 // 1 Comment » // faith, spiritual growth

Do you ever wonder you are making a difference?  If God is actually using you? Are you a productive follower of Jesus?  One of my favorite verses in the Bible was a part of my devotional time today.  We actually studied these verses in my Home Team just a few weeks ago.  1 Peter 1:5-8 says,

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter is so clear in his explanation: if faith, goodness, knowledge, self control, and these other qualities he mentions, are growing in your life you will actually be productive as a follower of Jesus.  What that means is that we have to take time for self reflection.  We need to stop and take a moment out of our busy lives and do the hard work of self-evaluation.  Often I think we are afraid to evaluate ourselves.  At least I am.  I want to avoid asking myself the hard questions like, “Am I demonstrating brotherly kindness more frequently in my life?”  Or, “Am I able exersicse self-control more effectively?”

I think we can fall into the trap of becoming a lazy Christian and get stuck in routine.  We go to church, maybe attend a small group, or serve as an usher or in a kids classroom on Sunday and think, “God and I are on good terms!”  I think following Jesus is more than that, and we need to get our act together and be productive Christians.  We need to hold ourselves accountable and make sure these qualities are increasing in our lives and be certain we are not maintaining status quo.

Live Like Jesus For A Year

// January 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // faith, stories

I do my best to live Christ-like on a daily basis but this guy took it to a whole new level last year. Ed Dobson is the Vice President of Spiritual Formation at Cornerstone University and he decided to spend 2008 living like Jesus.

Faith And A TV Favorite

// December 26th, 2008 // No Comments » // faith

One of my favorite TV shows over the last year has been Heroes. I’ve always been a fan of the superhero genre ever since I read the early Superman comics that my dad kept from his childhood. I thought it was so cool that my dad kept that stuff and I was facinated by the struggle that these super humans had with evil depsite the fact that they were gifted with special power.

Tim Stevens has a blog that I follow and he recently pointed out that the show Heroes about good, evil, and out creator. Here is how this particular episode began and concluded:

Opening narration:

“On the sixth day, God created man in his own image. Now it’s up to us to figure it all out. Right… wrong…good…evil. In each of us is the capacity to decide what drives our actions. So what is it that makes some choose selflessness–the need to devote one self to something greater–while others know only self-interest, isolating themselves in a world of their own making? Some seek love even if requieted, while others are driven by fear and betrayal. There are those who see their choices as dark proof of God’s absence, while others follow a path of noble destiny. But in the end, good, evil, right or wrong, what we choose is never what we really need. For that is the ultimate cosmic joke…the real gift that God has left behind.”

Closing Narration:

“There is good, and there is evil. Right and wrong. Heroes and villains. And if we are blessed with wisdom, then there are glimpses between the cracks of each where light streams through. We wait in silence for these times, when sense can be made, when meaningless existence comes into focus and our purpose presents itself. And if we have the strength to be honest, then what we find there staring back at us is our own reflection–bearing witness to the duality of life. And each one of us is capable of both the dark and the light, the good and evil. Of either. Of all. And destiny, marching ever in our direction, can be re-routed by the choices we make, by the love we hold on to, and the promises we keep.”