"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men (people) will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:34-35)
During holy week we are reading through the second part of John's gospel together. Today we begin in John 13 (Read John 13:1-38). Here Jesus shows the extent of His love to His disciples by serving them.
What stands out to you in this reading? How do you see Jesus revealing more of His glory? Why do you think Jesus gives "a new command"? What does this "new command" mean for those of us who have chosen to follow Jesus? How can we obey this "new command" today?
Monday, March 25, 2013
Monday, March 18, 2013
Blog post for the week of March 17, 2013
Think about the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. (Read John 11:1-44)
It is a truly remarkable story, and in this miracle Jesus reveals His greater glory! He reveals that He truly is the Christ, and more than that is the Son of the Living God who came to bring life to all who believe!
And that is the challenge we all have to face. Do we really believe Jesus is WHO He says He is? And if so, how can that belief make a difference in our lives?
Certainly that belief has changed our eternity ("I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:24), but what about our everyday lives? How can this belief change our everyday lives?
I am anxious to hear your thoughts, as I too am wrestling with this question along the way ...
It is a truly remarkable story, and in this miracle Jesus reveals His greater glory! He reveals that He truly is the Christ, and more than that is the Son of the Living God who came to bring life to all who believe!
And that is the challenge we all have to face. Do we really believe Jesus is WHO He says He is? And if so, how can that belief make a difference in our lives?
Certainly that belief has changed our eternity ("I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." - John 5:24), but what about our everyday lives? How can this belief change our everyday lives?
I am anxious to hear your thoughts, as I too am wrestling with this question along the way ...
Monday, March 11, 2013
Thoughts for the week of March 10, 2013
Last week I asked if we shine the light of Jesus more through what we say and do, or through who we are? I also said I had my own ideas about that, but before I shared them I wanted to know your thoughts. So what do you think?
In my humble opinion, I believe it is more important that we shine the light of Jesus through who we are than by what we say and do. Of course, who we are will shape what we say and do, and I think that is why I believe who we are is more important.
For example, Paul says in I Corinthians 13:1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal ... If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." So what we say and what we do mean little if our motivation is anything other than love; true, self-giving love.
And that kind of love comes from a character that is being formed by the Holy Spirit so that we look more and more like every Jesus every day along the way ....
In my humble opinion, I believe it is more important that we shine the light of Jesus through who we are than by what we say and do. Of course, who we are will shape what we say and do, and I think that is why I believe who we are is more important.
For example, Paul says in I Corinthians 13:1-3, "If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal ... If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." So what we say and what we do mean little if our motivation is anything other than love; true, self-giving love.
And that kind of love comes from a character that is being formed by the Holy Spirit so that we look more and more like every Jesus every day along the way ....
Monday, March 4, 2013
Thoughts for the week of March 3, 2013
In our journey along the way ... we are called to shine the light of Jesus in this world. He is the light of the world, and by His Holy Spirit at work in us so are we. (See Matthew 5:14-16)
So my question is this? How do we shine that light? Do we shine it most clearly by what we say and do, or by who we are? Or is there a combination of these? What are your thoughts? I have my opinion, but I will reserve it for later this week. For now, let's discuss, as we journey together along the way ....
So my question is this? How do we shine that light? Do we shine it most clearly by what we say and do, or by who we are? Or is there a combination of these? What are your thoughts? I have my opinion, but I will reserve it for later this week. For now, let's discuss, as we journey together along the way ....
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Right Companion
Yesterday we saw that Jesus is the "bread of life" (John 6:35 and 48). He is all we need, all sufficient, to receive God's blessings, and we receive them by faith. I will remain continually struck by the simplicity of it. Jesus says, "The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent." (John 6:29)
Believing God is really all that is needed, but it is believing God via the ONE He has sent. It is all about Jesus!
You see on this journey of life it is all important that we choose the right companion. Those who believe in the ONE (Jesus) that God has sent receive God's promises and all of them are "yes" in Him!
(see also 2 Corinthians 1:20) It is simple, yet so very profound! Believing in the ONE God has sent has implications for every aspect of life.
Believing God's promise fulfilled in Jesus affects every choice we make because believing is also "listening". Remember Deuteronomy 18:15, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you ... you must listen to Him!" Believing is about listening, and listening is about obeying; doing what God says in His word - the words of Spirit and Life (John 6:63) - spoken by Jesus "the Prophet" (see also John 6:14).
What other aspects of believing God's promise in Jesus can you think of that make this statement, simple as it is, also so very profound?
Believing God is really all that is needed, but it is believing God via the ONE He has sent. It is all about Jesus!
You see on this journey of life it is all important that we choose the right companion. Those who believe in the ONE (Jesus) that God has sent receive God's promises and all of them are "yes" in Him!
(see also 2 Corinthians 1:20) It is simple, yet so very profound! Believing in the ONE God has sent has implications for every aspect of life.
Believing God's promise fulfilled in Jesus affects every choice we make because believing is also "listening". Remember Deuteronomy 18:15, "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you ... you must listen to Him!" Believing is about listening, and listening is about obeying; doing what God says in His word - the words of Spirit and Life (John 6:63) - spoken by Jesus "the Prophet" (see also John 6:14).
What other aspects of believing God's promise in Jesus can you think of that make this statement, simple as it is, also so very profound?
Monday, February 18, 2013
Feeling inadequate?
My blog is getting a makeover. Rather than looking at specific scriptures for "Going Deeper", I want to encourage more interaction and dialogue. Therefore, I am going to use questions related to the sermon I preach each week to offer opportunities for dialogue. Don't worry. If you did not hear the sermon, I will provide a small summary to keep you in the loop. So let's discuss, let's talk, let's share, pray, and offer support as we walk with Christ together ... Along the Way.
Yesterday I spoke about God's call to join Him in His mission (Exodus 2:23-3:15), and our feelings of inadequacy in answering that call. The mission is God's (Exodus 3:7-8), yet He calls us to accomplish it (Exodus 3:10). So how do we deal with our feelings of inadequacy (feeling "Who am I?") when God calls?
Moses dealt with it by being honest. He was honest about his feelings of inadequacy. He laid it out right before God, and God answered him by showing that only God is adequate because He is "I AM".
So what about you? How do you deal with feelings of inadequacy? Is there something God is calling you to do, yet you feel inadequate? That's okay. I believe that our inadequacy is our only qualification to answer God's call because in our weakness God displays His own strength. So how do you feel inadequate, and how might we be able to pray that God will show you that He will give you what you need to do what He asks?
Let's discuss, let's talk, let's share, pray, and offer support as we walk with Christ together ... Along the Way.
Yesterday I spoke about God's call to join Him in His mission (Exodus 2:23-3:15), and our feelings of inadequacy in answering that call. The mission is God's (Exodus 3:7-8), yet He calls us to accomplish it (Exodus 3:10). So how do we deal with our feelings of inadequacy (feeling "Who am I?") when God calls?
Moses dealt with it by being honest. He was honest about his feelings of inadequacy. He laid it out right before God, and God answered him by showing that only God is adequate because He is "I AM".
So what about you? How do you deal with feelings of inadequacy? Is there something God is calling you to do, yet you feel inadequate? That's okay. I believe that our inadequacy is our only qualification to answer God's call because in our weakness God displays His own strength. So how do you feel inadequate, and how might we be able to pray that God will show you that He will give you what you need to do what He asks?
Let's discuss, let's talk, let's share, pray, and offer support as we walk with Christ together ... Along the Way.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Going Deeper for the week of January 6, 2013
The question: "Why are there so many churches?" is the "real" question we will consider for this week.
This is a very real question in the hearts of lots of people. This weekend I saw a vehicle with a bumper sticker that said, "Jesus Saves; Church Enslaves". I don't know what is behind that sentiment, but I imagine it involves a perception that church tries to control people by regulating beliefs and practices in line with personal preferences rather than in obedience to God's word. And I have to admit that is part of the reason why there are so many churches because churches are made up of sinful human beings.
(Read I Corinthians 1:10-13 and I Corinthians 3:1-23)
The key issue in my mind as relates to this question, is that Christ is not divided. Human beings make false distinctions within the one body of Jesus, which is made up of ALL those who have placed true faith in Jesus and have been united to His person through the work of the Holy Spirit by that same faith.
So as Paul says here and reiterates in I Corinthians 3, since Christ is not divided we must not overemphasize the divisions we make in the body of Christ. (see especially I Corinthians 3:21-23)
Yet I am aware of how this sounds coming from someone like me. I am an ordained minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church in North America; a denomination with roots in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century in Europe. So if this is how I feel about church divisions, then why am I a minister in a particular denomination?
Good question. I chose to be a minister of the Word in the CRCNA because first of all it is the church fellowship in which I was raised. It is my spiritual "mother" and I want to serve the church as a way of saying "thank you" as to my mother. I also chose to be a minister of the Word in the CRCNA because I appreciate the theological heritage; a conversation passed down over several centuries into which I have been invited to join. The basic biblical truths confessed in the Ecumenical creeds and confessions of the CRCNA give me a good foundation from which to continue the conversation in light of God's word and the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Nevertheless, although I am thankful to be able to serve as a minister of the Word in the CRCNA, I do not believe everyone needs to think or even believe the same way as I do in order to be "in Christ". The body of Christ is richly diverse (culturally and theologically) and yet we find our common ground in the person of Jesus Christ; the eternal Word who became flesh so that we might gain the right to become children of God by faith. I appreciate the richness of the diversity of Jesus' one body and I enjoy the beautiful dialogue we can share as brothers and sisters in Christ about God and the wonderful gift of His Son and the relationship we can have with Him through the Holy Spirit.
So what about you? What do you like or dislike about the multiplicity of "churches" within the one body of Jesus Christ?
This is a very real question in the hearts of lots of people. This weekend I saw a vehicle with a bumper sticker that said, "Jesus Saves; Church Enslaves". I don't know what is behind that sentiment, but I imagine it involves a perception that church tries to control people by regulating beliefs and practices in line with personal preferences rather than in obedience to God's word. And I have to admit that is part of the reason why there are so many churches because churches are made up of sinful human beings.
(Read I Corinthians 1:10-13 and I Corinthians 3:1-23)
The key issue in my mind as relates to this question, is that Christ is not divided. Human beings make false distinctions within the one body of Jesus, which is made up of ALL those who have placed true faith in Jesus and have been united to His person through the work of the Holy Spirit by that same faith.
So as Paul says here and reiterates in I Corinthians 3, since Christ is not divided we must not overemphasize the divisions we make in the body of Christ. (see especially I Corinthians 3:21-23)
Yet I am aware of how this sounds coming from someone like me. I am an ordained minister of the Word in the Christian Reformed Church in North America; a denomination with roots in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century in Europe. So if this is how I feel about church divisions, then why am I a minister in a particular denomination?
Good question. I chose to be a minister of the Word in the CRCNA because first of all it is the church fellowship in which I was raised. It is my spiritual "mother" and I want to serve the church as a way of saying "thank you" as to my mother. I also chose to be a minister of the Word in the CRCNA because I appreciate the theological heritage; a conversation passed down over several centuries into which I have been invited to join. The basic biblical truths confessed in the Ecumenical creeds and confessions of the CRCNA give me a good foundation from which to continue the conversation in light of God's word and the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Nevertheless, although I am thankful to be able to serve as a minister of the Word in the CRCNA, I do not believe everyone needs to think or even believe the same way as I do in order to be "in Christ". The body of Christ is richly diverse (culturally and theologically) and yet we find our common ground in the person of Jesus Christ; the eternal Word who became flesh so that we might gain the right to become children of God by faith. I appreciate the richness of the diversity of Jesus' one body and I enjoy the beautiful dialogue we can share as brothers and sisters in Christ about God and the wonderful gift of His Son and the relationship we can have with Him through the Holy Spirit.
So what about you? What do you like or dislike about the multiplicity of "churches" within the one body of Jesus Christ?
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