April 23, 2013

"But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1:6-8

I don't know if you have ever played golf but if you have you know it is a hard game. If you haven't you can take my word for it. But I have noticed it is easier when I can fully commit to a shot. My last round I had one of those days where it seemed like every shot was from an awkward lie or an uncomfortable distance so that I was never quite sure whether to go up a club or down a club. So I really struggled to hit those shots with confidence. When there is the slightest bit of doubt as I hit the shot, it seldom turns out well.

Anytime I stand over a shot with uncertainty in my mind the result is seldom good.

In other words, it is hard to play golf when I have conflicting thoughts about the club selection or the correct distance or what sort of shot I should hit from the lie I have. When I am double-minded my game is unstable and results in double bogeys.

However, when I am facing a shot that has a comfortable distance and a good lie and I know exactly what club to hit, then I can commit to the shot and hit it with confidence and the result is much better.

In the same way, life is more difficult when I am uncommitted. Any time there is doubt or confusion or indecision life gets more difficult. When I doubt God or am not fully convinced about His Word or indecisive in regard to His will, life gets harder.

James, in these verses admonishes believers to be fully convinced about God's goodness and His grace and the truth of His Word. When I am committed to God in these ways, my life gets immediately better.

I want to be a single-minded follower of Christ. I don't want to second-guess Him nor live in confusion or doubt. I want to walk with faith and confidence in my Christian life. That is what commitment is. Commitment is being single-minded and fully convinced God is Who He says He is.

When Jesus was facing the temptations from the Devil in the wilderness, what the devil was after was getting Jesus to doubt the goodness and the holiness of God. He wanted to shake the Lord's confidence in His Father and under mind His faith. In short, the Enemy wanted to offer the Lord a "Plan B" in place of the suffering on the cross.

But the Lord would have nothing of it! He countered each time with truth from the Bible. He affirmed truth in the face of deception. He was committed to "Plan A" completely and exclusively. That is what commitment is!

Is commitment hard for you? Are you struggling with double-mindedness? Do you struggle with doubting God and/or yourself?

"A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways!" Stablilize you heart and you spirit and your mind by fully committing to Christ. Commitment is easier when there is just a Plan A!

April 22, 2013

"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near." James 5:7-8

My mother always told me, "Good things come in small packages." I always wondered if she said that because she is pretty tiny.

But in her case and in reference to the Book of James that we have been studying, it IS true.

In just five brief chapters James hits on some issues crucial to being an effective Christian and building a healthy church. I found it particularly timely for where FredWes is in the Summer of 2010.

One of the persistent themes of James is how to respond during suffering and struggles. Perhaps that was because these believers were facing both on a daily basis. Because they took a stand for their Christian faith they were targeted for abuse and discrimination. Even some within in the church were cheating them - as we just learned in the previous verses.

So, how should Christians respond in the face of suffering?

James offers four pieces of helpful advice here in the middle portion of Chapter 5.

 

The first thing he tells you is: Look Up And Be Courageous!

 

V. 7 says, "be patient". The word for "patience" is "makrothumeo". It literally means to wait! Wait with steadfastness. Wait with certainty. This is the same thought the Psalmist expressed when admonished "be still and know that I am God".

 

This is the same mindset you have when you hold on to your old clunker of a car for one more year knowing that at that time you will be able to trade it on a shiny new one!

 

The reason you can be patient and wait calmly and courageously is because you are certain of God's return. You live with certainty that one day He will return and all will be made right OR you will go to be will Him and suffering and strife will be over!

 

Another mindset you can develop to help you wait with patience is to understand that just like there are seasons in nature, there are seasons in life. Seasons come and go and change and it happens every year so you adjust and find things to enjoy about each season while you await the next one.

 

When life gets tough and you are struggling - LOOK UP! You can live courageously knowing that suffering is only for a season! You can be patient. You can be passionate. You can rest on His promises! You can live with purpose and power knowing that God has it all under control!

April 21, 2013

^"About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.  He became hungry and wanted something to eat, and while the meal was being prepared, he fell into a trance. He saw heaven opened and something like a large sheet being let down to earth by its four corners. It contained all kinds of four-footed animals, as well as reptiles and birds. Then a voice told him, “Get up, Peter. Kill and eat.”  “Surely not, Lord!” Peter replied. “I have never eaten anything impure or unclean.” The voice spoke to him a second time, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” This happened three times, and immediately the sheet was taken back to heaven."  Acts 10:9-16

 

God was preparing Peter to help an entire new group of people belong to the Faith and particularly, the Church.

 

Belonging is a very important and necessary thing for everyone. It is essential to the human psyche and soul. The breakdown of the family over the past several generations has only intensified that need.

 

While the need for belonging is evident, the dynamics of it are not so clear. I think our Soulshift on "Me to We" has given me some fresh insights that have been helpful. When I find something helpful I like to share it!

 

What is involved in belonging? What needs to happen in order to feel like you belong?

 

There is a "Me" aspect to belonging and there is a "We" aspect to it. Belonging involves acceptance but it also involves commitment. Here is how it works:

 

Obviously, you or I cannot belong to something unless we are accepted into that group by the members. Acceptance is a warm welcome. Acceptance is permission to enter the group. You can't really be part of a group until the group allows you to join it.

 

Of all the groups that are available for people to belong to, a local church should be among the most welcoming. Anyone who comes to worship at a local church should find an immediate and sincere acceptance from the members of that body. No one should ever leave a worship service with the feeling they were not accepted.

 

Acceptance is essential but it is not enough. No matter how accepting a group is and regardless of how warm the welcome, a person doesn't belong until he is willing to commit to belonging and submit to its ways.

 

If you were to read on to the "rest of the story" followings Peter's vision of the clean and unclean animals you will see that Peter did extend acceptance to Cornelius and his family as God commanded. That obedience and acceptance allowed God's Spirit to work in a powerful way. But, then it became incumbent on Cornelius and the other Gentiles to respond with a commitment. Acts records that they did! They believed and were baptized and as a result, truly belonged to the Faith and the Church!

 

Acceptance is the role of the "We" in belonging and that acceptance should be as sincere as possible. But in order to belong, there must be a commitment made to the "We" by the "Me".

 

In my considerable experience in local churches, those who struggle to belong struggle as a result of a "Me" problem rather than the "We" problem. If you are not willing to commit and to submit to the group you will have trouble belonging.

 

Does that make sense?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cross references:

1. Acts 10:9 : 10:9-32Ref — Ac 11:5-14
2. Acts 10:9 : S Mt 24:17
3. Acts 10:10 : Ac 22:17
4. Acts 10:11 : S Mt 3:16
5. Acts 10:14 : Ac 9:5
6. Acts 10:14 : Lev 11:4-8, 13-20; 20:25; Dt 14:3-20; Eze 4:14
7. Acts 10:15 : ver 28; Ge 9:3; Mt 15:11; Lk 11:41; Ac 11:9; Ro 14:14, 17, 20; 1Co 10:25; 1Ti 4:3, 4; Tit 1:15

April 20, 2013

Toward the end of WWII, a group of American soldiers carried the bodies of their fallen comrade to a nearby cemetery for burial. They were greeted by a priest who let them know he could not bury their friend in the cemetery because it was a Catholic cemetery and their friend was not Catholic. Disappointed, the soldiers carried their friend to a nice spot just outside the fence wanting to get him as close as possible to the sacred ground. There they dug a small grave and buried him following a humble ceremony. The following day when the soldiers returned to pay their final respects, they were surprised that they could not find their friends grave. After a brief search they went looking for the priest to inquire about what happened to the grave. The priest enlightened them, “After you left I spent the first half of the night feeling sorry for what I told you, and the send half I spent moving the fence.”

 

Me to We is about belonging. There is a ME part to belonging and also a WE part. Belonging is part acceptance and part commitment. Belonging begins with being accepted but you don’t fully belong until you commit to the group that accepted you.

 

It means you commit to becoming as more concerned about others belonging as you are about belonging.

 

It means you commit to trusting God’s people in the same way you trust Him and submit to them like you submit to Him.

It means submitting to the mission of the church even when that means you move some fences and soften some boundaries to allow you to open up to people who aren’t like you.

Do you want to make the move from “Me to We”? Then you will want to take some of the following steps:

·         Get involved in a LIFE Group

·         Find someone to mentor or shepherd

·         Sign up for a membership class and take the step to join

·         Get better acquainted with someone you don’t know well in the church

·         If you know someone who has trouble belonging and help them.

·         Look for a need in the church and commit to serve there

·         Find something completely out of your comfort zone and tackle it

 

When a church can make the shift from ME to WE, we can see people of every race and class and social strata coming together community to worship and serve. When the shift happens belonging is easy and fellowship is real and people feel safe.

 

Are there some fences you need to move?

 

 

 

April 19, 2013

^"Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 2:13-15
 

One of the reasons sports have always been so meaningful to me is the “we” nature of being part of a team.
 

The first day of tryouts is very tense and pressure-packed because several dozen “me’s” show up hoping to make the team. As I looked around at all the other “me’s” I wondered how good they were. Were they as good as me? How many were trying to beat me out for my position? Would I be good enough to beat them out? Would the coach like me?

As the tryouts progress it begins to sort things out I you get the chance to show how I can hit and throw and catch the ball. By the end of the day you have a better idea how many of the “me’s” will be part of the “we”.

 

On the fateful day when the “list” is posted, all the “me’s” anxiously gather around to search for their names on the “list” that defines which “me’s” will constitute the “we”.

 

What a relief to see my name on the “list”! But the list isn’t where the “me’s” become the “we”. It is only through those grueling days of conditioning and training and drills and scrimmages that the “me’s” begin to trust one another and respect one another and rely on one another that the “we” emerges from the group of “me’s”. Now it is about the TEAM! There is no “I” in TEAM!

 

It feels great to be part of the TEAM! Few things in life are better than when the “me’s” are molded into the “we”! The group of individuals has chosen to submit to the same coach and have committed to the same goals and sacrifice for the same purpose so OUR TEAM can win!

 

The key to shifting from “Me” to “We” is submission to something bigger and better and more important than just being me. “We” is always more effective than “Me”. In fact, each “Me” becomes better as part of the “We”.

 

Steve Packer, Dick Wickstrom, Jay Winterholter and me are forever linked because of what "we" accomplished as teammates on the Indiana Wesleyan University baseball team. We were all part of the first collegiate baseball team to represent that great university and this was just the second college baseball game of what has become a highly respected athletic program. But Steve, Dick, Jay and I pulled of the first triple-play in the history of IWU baseball.  Triple plays are very rare. Obviously, not one of us could have done it alone. It took all four of us!

 

This forever moment happened when Steve threw the pitch on a 3-2 with baes loaded and no one out.  The batter ripped a sinking line toward left field where Dick made a diving shoestring catch. Because it looked like the ball would fall for a hit, all the runners were running. Dick jumped to his feet after making the catch for the first out and threw to Jay at second base to make the out on the runner there. While all this was going on the runner on third had gone back to the base, tagged up and was barrelling down the line toward home plate. When Jay fired the ball to me and I put the tag on the sliding runner, the triple play was completed!

 

What is true of great team is also true of great churches.They accomplish great feats for God that no one Christian could do alone!

 

Will you help your pastor build a great church? Will you submit to that team?

 

 

 

 

 

April 18, 2013

'He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him he iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished." Isaiah 53:4-8

 

The "Me to We" soulshift is a shift from building barriers to building bridges.

 

By nature we build barriers instead of bridges.

 

If you own a home you probably have a fence around your back yard. Your fence sends the message, "Everything inside this fence belongs to me!"

 

Fences have pros and they have cons. While they keep some things in they also keep some things out. They keep strangers from wandering into your yard, but they also keep friends from coming in. If it is a privacy fence it prevents people from looking into your yard, but it also keeps you from looking out. Fences have a certain beauty and a serve a purpose but they also are expensive and require a lot of maintenance.

 

Unfortunately, not only do we build fences to protect our houses but we often build fences around our hearts because we feel the need to protect them, too. Sometimes these fences are constructed intentionally but more often they are put up subconsciously.

 

Often it happens when we mentally size up others with "ME" questions like these:

 

1) How is this person like me?

2) How is this person different from me?

3) How am I better than this person?

4) How much should I trust this person?

5) How much can I benefit from this person?

 

In the very process of uploading these questions we begin considering where we need to stake out our boundaries and construct fences.These fences become barriers to intimate and meaningful relationships in our families, our workplaces and in our churches, in other words, the places where belonging is most necessary and needed.

 

Amazingly, Isaiah tells us that Jesus refused to construct any barriers to protect His self from those who were a mortal threat to Him. Rather, He submitted to the will of His Father and let the power, grace and love of the Father be His protection as He died to remove the need for fences.

 

This morning prayerfully consider, "Do I tend to build barriers or bridges?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 17, 2013

^"He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God."  John 1:11-13

 

Sadly ironic isn't it?

 

Jesus came from Heaven where He was not only accepted but exalted and worshipped to earth where He would be largely rejected. As the Prophet Isaiah foretold, "He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem." Isaiah 53:3

 

If anyone SHOULD have been accepted it would have been Jesus, the Son of God Who shared in the creation of the world. Don't you agree? But clearly, these Scriptures tell us He wasn't.

On further thought, acceptance implies among other things, belonging. From that standpoint Jesus didn't really belong here, He belonged in Heaven. He certainly didn't belong in a feed trough in a stable in a tiny place like Bethlehem. Nor did He belong on a cruel cross beaten to a pulp though innocent and holy. The Son of God was out of place in a borrowed tomb for three days.

Maybe those are reasons to exlpain why He wasn't accepted even by His own. Maybe He wasn't accepted because He didn't belong. Maybe He was too good for this planet.

This wasn't a surprise to Jesus. He was well aware of Isaiah's prophecy when He came to earth. Not only did He know He would be rejected and reviled and crucified, it was the very reason He came!

What if He HAD fit in? What if He would have been accepted and lauded? What if he had been wildly popular and loved by all the religious establishment? Either He would not have been crucified OR it would have made it MUCH harder for Him to have submitted to such a degrading torturous death.

He had to be rejected on earth so you would have a chance to belong in Heaven. It isn't important that He be accepted by all those who rejected Him but it is extremely important for Him to be accepted by you!

".......Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God....."