Sonlight

"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

Why are my sins important to anyone else - unless I happen to sin against them? James seems to indicate that my sins could be a problem to you and and yours to me because the church is a body - The Body of Christ!

I guess the first question to ask is, "What is the Church?"

As I mentioned, the church is the Body of Christ, but the name for the Church in Scripture is "eklessia". It literally means "called out". The Church is the Body of the "called out ones".

Called out from what? Called out to what?

Good questions!

Being the Body of Christ you can easily reason that the Church would be called out from sin. Don't you think that is reasonable? So, if you are called out from sin and you continue to sin how does that impact the Body? If I continue to sin or if I sin against you, doesn't that impact the Body?

Being the Body of Christ you can also logically assume that we are called out to God. I mean, who is it that would call us out of the world other than God? So, if the Church is called out from sin and to God, how do you think sin affects that?

Being the Body of Christ we are called together. You are called out and I am called out and together we are the Church. So, if we are called out together how does sin impact that relationship? If I sin against you doesn't that create some stress or tension in our relationship? Of course. And vice versa.

Think about what sin does. Sin separates us from God. How can that be good for the Church that is called out by God for God?

Sin also complicates. Once Adam and Eve sinned their lives got immediately complicated. Sin harms relationships, impairs judgment, stirs up guilt and alienates us from God. How does complicating life enhance the Church? It doesn't!

Just those two problems caused by sin are damaging enough to the Church to make the case that sin needs to be dealt with within the Church if the Church is to fulfill its mission as the Body of Christ called out of the world.

James prescribes drastic action to deal with sin. Confess them to each other and prayer for each other. When you know what my sins are and I know what your sins are then I can pray specifically for God to strengthen you. I can also do something else significant, I can hold you accountable. You can hold me accountable. We will each know how seriously the other is dealing with our sins. Transparency and accountability are effective weapons against sin in the church. If I am intentionally standing against my sin and you are standing with me against my sin, doesn't it make sense that I will be stronger in resisting sin?

Sin prospers in the darkness but withers in the sunlight (Sonlight) of truth. James says expose it to the light of truth and shine the searchlight of accountability on it and you will be healed! When you are healed and I am healed guess what happens to the Church? Health!

So, why wouldn't you want to do that? 

There is a direct connection between holiness and church health! The holier a church becomes the healthier it grows. 

What church wouldn't want that?

May15, 2016

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit." Psalm 32:1-2

This is a GREAT Psalm!

Why?

Because it reminds you that you can live life in "3-B"!

Shouldn't that be "3-D"?

No, it is "3-B", as in "three times blessed"!

How so?

Look at those first two verses of Psalm 32. Blessed is he whose:

1) "transgressions are forgiven"

2) "sins are covered"

3) "sin the Lord does not count against him"

Doesn't that sound good?!

Let me make it sound even better!

Transgressions refer to the deliberate disobedience of a known law of the God. It is severe because it involves a willful sin against God.

Sins involve doing what I want without considering what God wants. It means satisfying the flesh at the peril of the spirit.

The other reference to sin denotes an act committed in a moment of anger or passion. It is something done thoughtlessly that hurts you, others and God.

Some believe that this Psalm was written in regard to David's terrible sin with Bathsheba and against her noble husband, Uriah. In committing those despicable acts he sinned willfully, he sinned selfishly and he sinned in a moment of unchecked passion.

Imagine the shame and guilt that came as a result of those heinous acts. His remorse is evident in the 51st Psalm as well as in this one.

No wonder David rejoiced in the "3-B" grace he received from his God. Imagine the joy of having his transgressions forgiven, his sin covered and his sin not counted against him!

He lived life in "3-B"!

What about you? Are you living in "3-B"?

May 14, 2016

"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothingby taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming 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 acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-11

Jesus’ descent into greatness is chronicled here in Philippians 2:5-11. Or, in other words, here is how Jesus became an "I AM 3rd" person.

Sovereign, V. 6 - “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped.”

Jesus voluntarily gave up what most of us secretly desire - sovereignty! He didn't grasp or cling or crave His power and nature but relinquished it to become human.

Servant, V. 7 - “He made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.”

Jesus went from sovereignty to servanthood.

The Greek literally means that “He emptied Himself.” He was still God BUT:

• He willingly gave up His glory to become a servant.

John 17:5 - “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” 

• He gave up His honor.

Isaiah 53:3 - “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”

• He rejected His riches

2 Corinthians 8:9 - “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

It wasn’t that Jesus lost any of His divine attributes; He simply chose to not use them. He had the prerogative of Majesty but chose the place of a menial servant.

Submission, V. 8a - “And being found inappearance as a man.”

As God, He emptied Himself, as man He humbled Himself. In this step down, Jesus voluntarily submitted Himself to hunger and pain and tiredness and emotions and other human limitations, and yet never sinned.

Hebrews 4:15 says that Jesus “has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.” 

Sacrifice, V. 8b - “He humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!”

In this final step down, we see exactly why Jesus came to earth. He was born to die. His death was no accident; He came on purpose to die in our place.

Death on a cross was brutal and barbaric and was not even talked about in polite Roman society circles. Ancient writers used to say that to die on a cross was to die a thousand times before you take your last breath. May I suggest that this was not the worst of it for Jesus? The most painful element of his death is that when He died, all the smelly sins and terrible transgressions of the entire world were placed on His shoulders. And when He hung on the cross as our sacrificial sin substitute, God the Father had to look away, causing the Son to cry out in agony,  Matthew 27:46, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Because He was fully man He could take our punishment upon Himself and because He is fully God, the shedding of His blood satisfied divine justice. Jesus is both just and the justifier.

 1 Peter 3:18: “For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.”

Aren't you thankful for your salvation?

Jesus became an "I Am 3rd" person in order to purchase your salvation. In so doing, He changed our world for time AND eternity! He descended into greatness! He lowered Himself from a SOVEREIGN, to a SERVANT, to SUBMISSION and to a SACRIFICE.

That's the process of an "I Am 3rd" person and the source of it's power.

Are you ready to be an "I AM 3rd" person and descend into greatness?

May 13, 2016

The Apostle Paul was locked up in a prison and the Philippian Church was struggling due to self-serving and self-seeking people.

Since Paul was unable to preach or teach many of the preacher "wanna be" types were taking the occasion to promote themselves and attempting to out-preach each other.

Concerned by the rising tensions in that church he wrote this letter to address the issues truthfully and directly. Essentially, he called on them to become "I Am 3rd" people like him and like Jesus.

Essentially, Paul reminds these believers of the power of an "I Am 3rd" fellowship. They have had a good thing going in the Philippian church if they were to lapse into selfishness it would destroy their fellowship. He writes:

"If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion.”  Philippians 2:1

Normally the word “if” conveys doubt. But here Paul is using a Greek grammatical form that actually expresses certainty. He’s really saying, “If such-and-such is true – and I know that it is.” A better translation than "if" would be “since.” 

Since you have encouragement in your relationship with Christ AND since you have the benefit of His comfort through His love and His Spirit And you enjoy His tender compassion you should be an "I Am 3rd" person!

Every Christian has received these blessings and every fellowship should be united around these blessings!

II Peter 1:3 says, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."     

So, if God has given us everything we need why are we why have we lost our culture?

Could it have anything to do with the fact we have made our church fellowship too much about us and not enough about Him?

Here's a couple of hints:

Jesus was an "I Am 3rd" person and He STILL impacts culture more than anyone who ever lived! He changed the world every time and every place that His followers were willing to be "I Am 3rd" people.

Paul was an "I Am 3rd" person and He changed the world with his preaching, his teaching, his writing his holy life and his missionary/church-planting journeys.

The "I Am 3rd" life works every time it is tried. Give it a try in your family first and then in the fellowship of your church!

May 12, 2016

"Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth—even those long ago dead and buried—will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-11

The "I am 3rd" lifestyle means that you put God first in your time commitments, in your caring for others and with your cash. These truths are illustrated powerfully by the parable of the Good Samaritan.

If you want to obey the Great Commandment and live it out the "I am 3rd" lifestyle is how you are to live.

That matters!

It also matters because that is the lifestyle Jesus lived when He came to redeem the world. The man Who did more than anyone else to change the world lived the "I am 3rd" lifestyle.

Would you like to change your corner of the world? Then who better to imitate than Jesus!

Paul says, "Think of yourself the way Jesus did!"

How was that?

Jesus thought third!

Thinking third means:

• Not clinging to privilege
• Not clinging to position
• Not clinging to power
• Not choosing pride

Are you thinking third?

As a believer you are called to think like Jesus. Why not compare His mindset and attitude with His?

How do you handle privilege?

Do you covet a position?

How do you deal with power?

Are you clinging to pride?

"I am 3rd" Person

"If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand." Philippians 2:1-4 (The Message)

Paul was an "I am 3rd" person. 

He wasn't always that way having been educated and groomed for success as an "I am first" person. You don't get more "I am first" than killing people who present a challenge to your faith.

So what happened to change him from an aggressive "I am first" person to one of the greatest "I am 3rd" people who ever lived? He met Jesus up close and personal on the road to Damascus. As a result he submitted to God, surrendered to God's Spirit and began serving God's people.

I dare say you never would have heard of Paul's greatness if he had not become an "I am 3rd" person. He became great by dedicating the rest of his life to making other Christ-followers great. That becomes obvious in his letter to the members of the Church in Philippi.

Writing from jail, Paul gives some specific practical advice on how to be an "I am 3rd" person. He shares six things they SHOULD do as an "I am 3rd" person and three things "I am 3rd" people don't do.

"I am 3rd" People:

• "Agree with each other." Literally, "have the same mind" or "think the same way". How do you do that? By coming into agreement around God's Word and thinking like Jesus thinks.
• "Love each other." Jesus said, "Love others as you love yourself." So loving others means giving them something you wish you had or meeting a need for them that is going unmet in your life.
• "Be deep-spirited friends." Connect with other believers at a deep spiritual level. Love deeply and allow others to love you.
• "Put yourself aside." Bypass your own desires and needs in favor of the needs of others.
• "Help others get ahead". Become a cheerleader, a promoter and a fan of others. Use whatever influence or power you might have to advance their status and standing.
• "Forget yourself long enough to lend a helping hand." Another way to put this is remember to be third as you help others be first.

"I am 3rd" people don't:

• "Don't push their way to the top." - "I am 3rd" people are not self-seeking or self-centered. They rise as a result of lifting others to the top.
• "Don't sweet talk your way to the top." - "I am 3rd" people don't use flattery or compliments to gain an advantage in their organization.
• "Don't be obsessed with getting your own advantage." "I am 3rd" people don't use others they use whatever influence or advantage they may have to give the advantage to others.

"I am 3rd" people live a counter-intuitive lifestyle! They do for others exactly what they want or need others to do for them! They obey the First Commandment admonition to "do unto others as you would want the to do for you!"

You should know by now if you are an "I am 3rd" person or not by what you are doing and by what you are NOT doing!!

What will you do now?

May 10, 2016

"Then he said, “There was once a man who had two sons. The younger said to his father, ‘Father, I want right now what’s coming to me.’ “So the father divided the property between them. It wasn’t long before the younger son packed his bags and left for a distant country. There, undisciplined and dissipated, he wasted everything he had. After he had gone through all his money, there was a bad famine all through that country and he began to hurt. He signed on with a citizen there who assigned him to his fields to slop the pigs. He was so hungry he would have eaten the corncobs in the pig slop, but no one would give him any." Luke 15:11-16

When Jesus wanted to illustrate the Great Commandment He told a story about a good Samaritan so you can always have a vivid picture of what it looks like to be an "I am 3rd" person.

This Samaritan thought 3rd at every point in this parable, he thought third in his time commitment, he thought third in his compassion for the injured man and he thought third with his cash when he paid the cost of medical care for the man who was mugged.

It was for the purpose of illustrating how God loves you He told another well-beloved story known as the Prodigal Son. In this moving parable you see the "I am 3rd" love of the father (who represents God).

I'm sure you are familiar with this parable but you may not realize the word "prodigal" means "extravagant". So this is a story of extravagant love. Who in the story demonstrated an extravagant love? The only thing extravagant about the wandering son was his foolishness.

But therein lies the power of this parable. The extravagant "I am 3rd" love God has for you is in spite of your extravagant foolishness!

I can't speak for you, but when I read this story my lack of "I am 3rd" love gets exposed because I tend to think the father got it wrong by giving his son the inheritance he demanded. The son was clearly in an extreme "I am first" mode or maybe even an "I am only" mode and was on a self-destructive path. Why would the father fuel the foolishness of his son by financing his fantasy with the family fortune?

Only as you consider this story from an "I am 3rd" perspective do you begin to understand the extravagance of the father's love. His "I am 3rd" love had the courage to allow the foolish son to imprison himself with his selfish "I am first" love. He understand that only a steady diet of self-centered slop would cultivate an appetite for the "I am 3rd" love he offered.

Such is the power of "I am 3rd" love. The wise loving father knew that!

You and I need to learn the power and depth of "I am 3rd" love and often it takes some time in the pig-pen to figure it out. Ultimately it was the longing for the "I am 3rd" love of the father that brought the son home.

Regardless of where you find yourself this morning will you surrender to His "I am 3rd" love?