MINISTERS MATTER

"Our Father, who art in heaven."

Today we are going to talk about heaven from the bible. I will need to build understanding of the storyline of scripture first.

Jesus left heaven to come to earth, so His words on the subject call for our full attention.

Jn 3 “I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.”

Jn 3 “I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?”

Jn 6 “For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

Jn 14 “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Mt 13 “The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you.”

Mt 25 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”

Mt 26 “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Lk 10 Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

Mk 12 “When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”

He told parables about heaven. Stories that explain what the kingdom of heaven is like.

Seeds and Weeds. Matthew 3:24-30

The Sower and the Seed. Matthew 13:3-9

Leaven (Yeast) in Dough. Matthew 13:33

Treasure Hidden in a Field. Matthew 13:44-46

Pearl of Great Price. Matthew 13:45-46

The Dragnet. Matthew 13:47-48

A King Settling Accounts. Matthew 18:23-25

King’s Wedding Banquet. Matthew 22:2-14

The Ten Bridesmaids. Matthew 25:1-13

Mustard Seed. Mark 4:30-32

Do you have eternity stamped in your eyes?

I want to talk about...

1) Heaven as Home

2) Heaven as Holy

3) Heaven as Eternal

Many biblical characters and people have been taken up to heaven for a visit but only Jesus is a resident who alone is qualified to speak about where He came from and where He returned.

Jesus’ Talk on Life After Death - Luke 16:19-31

 19-21 "There once was a rich man, expensively dressed in the latest fashions, wasting his days in conspicuous consumption. A poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, had been dumped on his doorstep. All he lived for was to get a meal from scraps off the rich man's table. His best friends were the dogs who came and licked his sores.

 22-24 "Then he died, this poor man, and was taken up by the angels to the lap of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell and in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham in the distance and Lazarus in his lap. He called out, 'Father Abraham, mercy! Have mercy! Send Lazarus to dip his finger in water to cool my tongue. I'm in agony in this fire.'

 25-26 "But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that in your lifetime you got the good things and Lazarus the bad things. It's not like that here. Here he's consoled and you're tormented. Besides, in all these matters there is a huge chasm set between us so that no one can go from us to you even if he wanted to, nor can anyone cross over from you to us.'

 27-28 "The rich man said, 'Then let me ask you, Father: Send him to the house of my father where I have five brothers, so he can tell them the score and warn them so they won't end up here in this place of torment.'

 29 "Abraham answered, 'They have Moses and the Prophets to tell them the score. Let them listen to them.'

 30 "'I know, Father Abraham,' he said, 'but they're not listening. If someone came back to them from the dead, they would change their ways.'

 31 "Abraham replied, 'If they won't listen to Moses and the Prophets, they're not going to be convinced by someone who rises from the dead.'"

The story shows that after death you will retain your identity. Be conscious. Have personality, memory and feelings.

The Mount of Transfiguration - Luke 9

Peter, James and John recognized Moses and Elijah alongside Jesus. How? They had never seen them before yet knew who they were.

God’s Word is our only authority on things beyond this life.

If you asked Jesus today, ‘What is heaven like?’ he’d answer, ‘You’re asking the wrong question.’

He would correct us, ‘Don’t think about heaven as some future hope – ask whether or not you have reason to believe that it is your hope.’

And then He would say, “Heaven is only a blessed hope for those who have repented of and been forgiven of their sins and chosen to follow Me all the days of their life.”

Do you have eternity stamped in your eyes?

We cannot see heavenly realities clearly now that is why we are called to live by faith in what He has revealed in His Word.

2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

The bible is a love story from the beginning in which God invites each of us into His eternal plans.

Garden of Eden - the love of God ejects Adam & Eve out of the garden after they sinned and removes their access to the tree of life. Angels could not be redeemed but people could.

Suffering, pain, heartache, anguish, even physical death becomes a tool God uses for our ultimate benefit.

His eternal plan requires an eternal, resurrected and glorified body. We must put off this outer garment through death. Our body, our earth suit, is only good for this life.

Most Christians have no theology of suffering and yet life all over the world and all around us is full of it in so many forms.

We must trust Our Father with our life and affirm that all things are working together for our good - because we love God and are called according to His purpose.

What is His purpose? Conform us to the likeness of His Son.

2 Corinthians 4:17 “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.”

Because of death we are no longer trapped forever in our sinful state but given the joy of being forgiven, restored and released into His original plan which is eternal.

Earthly life has gone from living 950 + years to 70 or 80 today.

The grace of God enables redeemed humans to experience becoming new creatures able to live as a new creation in a kingdom that is both present and future.

What God did for human beings in redeeming them, He is also doing for His whole creation as it continues to groan.

There will be a new heaven and new earth in our future.

Do you have eternity stamped in your eyes?

What happens after you die?

When we exit time, we enter eternity.

I will not touch on Eschatology - end time events.

We read the scriptures for revelation because no eye has seen, no ear has heard and no mind can conceive the things God has prepared for them.

Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”

To be absent from the body means to be present with the Lord.

Judgment is on the basis of dying a) in our sins or b) forgiven of our sins.

Believers will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ. 

It is called the Bema.

Where we will give an account of our time on earth.

What did we do with the life God entrusted to us? What about our time, talents, and treasures placed into our hands?

1 Corinthians 3:13 “Each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.

Life is all about stewardship.

Unbelievers will appear before the Great White Throne judgment.

They will be judged based on their rejection of God’s one and only provision for salvation - His Son Jesus.

Revelation 20:15 “And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.”

We can’t talk about heaven and all that it represents without mentioning what happens to those who choose to remain unbelievers and reject Jesus.

What about near death experiences?

Clinical death can be reversed.

What it shows is you can separate from your body but return to it. Varied experiences.

Biological death cannot be reversed.

Even those raised to life in scripture died again. Only Jesus established supremacy over death with His death on the Cross, His burial and resurrection never to die again.

When most people think of heaven they look up.

In both Hebrew and Greek, heaven means sky. 

There are three heavens.

1) First heaven. The atmosphere with clouds and oxygen. Prince of the power of the air. Spiritual warfare among the nations.

2) Second heaven. Outer space. Planets, constellations, galaxies. The Book of Nature and The Holy Bible declare the glory of God.

3) Third heaven. The place God dwells in righteousness.

Heaven as home...

The dwelling place of God. Father’s house. Throne room. Where Jesus is glorified. Saints of all ages dwell. The church triumphant is gathered for worship. 

Philippians 3:20-21 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

1 John 3:2 when he appears we shall be like him;

2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that if the tent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

1 Corinthians 15:42-50 “So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45Thus it is written, "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual. 47 The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. 48As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

After a vacation or an extended trip as you are preparing to go home, packing and getting everything in order, you are excited to be going home. 

God wants that to be our anticipation as well.

It is called the blessed hope.

Heaven is about intimacy, celebration, relationship, a place of eternal treasures.

What began on earth in a garden will end on earth in a city whose maker and builder is God. Jesus called it a place prepared for you.

Revelation 21 shows us the future.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." 5And he who was seated on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new."

Do you have eternity stamped in your eyes?
 
Heaven as holy...

Home for the righteous of all races.

God is holy and His people are called to be holy.

Without holiness no one will see the Lord.

A place prepared for us from the foundation of the world through the blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross, His body in the grave, and in His glorified body in the resurrection and ascension into heaven.

In John 14:1-6 Jesus tells us the way to heaven.

We will behold the face of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit without a veil.

We will love Him and He will love us.

Fellowship with all the redeemed will be enjoyed. We will continue to grow, mature, learn, and do God’s work for all eternity.

No unfulfilled desires. On earth we sometimes say, “I don’t want this to end, but it does. In heaven, it goes on forever. That is good news forever.”

Do you have eternity stamped in your eyes?

Heaven as Eternal...

Very different than earth where we live amongst sin and death.

Heaven will not have sin, sickness, pain, sorrow, crying, violence, war, hunger, thirst, or death and mourning.

It will be an eternal place of His presence accompanied by praise and worship, rewards, joy, feasting, rest and work.

A place of intimacy of relationship with God and one another. 

What God planned in the Garden, He will continue on forever with His redeemed people in a new earth and new heaven. Therefore...

Colossians 3:1-2 ‘If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”

Do you have eternity stamped in your eyes?

17 SIGNS YOU ARE AN EMPIRE BUILDER - Joseph Mattera

Ever since the Western and Eastern branches of Christianity divided in the eleventh century, some of the greatest fears of the once-united Christendom have been realized: fragmentation and division. Even in the sixteenth century when Martin Luther led the Protestant Reformation, there was hope there would only be a few major expressions of the Body of Christ. Never in their wildest imagination did the Reformers envision all of the denominations and various branches and networks of Christianity that have evolved.

This has given opportunity for a spirit of lawlessness, independence, and empire building among some insecure but gifted leaders. Whether all these expressions are of God or not is not the purpose of this article.

The following will show us some signs revealing when the motivation to build a church, ministry, or network is akin to when the human race attempted to build their own empire, epitomized by the “Tower of Babel” which God judged and scattered across the whole earth (Genesis 11:1-18). Also, in 1 Kings 11:11 and 12:16 God divided the Kingdom of Israel because of religious apostasy.

This is the same reason the Catholic church was judged and fragmented; there was too much concentration of power in the hands of humans who deviated from the true way of Jesus and the Apostles. God will judge His church and hold back revival from certain churches, ministries, and regions when their key spiritual leaders are attempting to build themselves empires rather than build the Kingdom of God. Leaders talks the talk but their actions speak louder than their so-called “kingdom first” words.

The following are 17 signs you are an empire builder instead of a kingdom builder:

1. You rejoice when other key leaders in your region are struggling.

Although all leaders say they are sad when another church, pastor, or leader in their area is struggling, I have observed that some leaders seem to privately gloat or compare themselves with other failing leaders in their area. Whether the failing church or leader is right or wrong, it never pleases God when we internally rejoice or gloat when the Body of Christ is not advancing in our region.

2. You are territorial and only work with those under your covering.

Some leaders and denominations will only do outreaches with churches and leaders who have a ministerial and financial allegiance with them. If we are going to reach our communities we must be willing to cross denominations and networks, and work with the leaders who are sincerely committed to advancing the Kingdom of God.

3. You only support events that give you a platform.

I have seen leaders actually pull out of a citywide or community event because their name was not advertised on the program, or because someone they are rivals with was part of the program. This shows their concern was not advancing the kingdom but on advancing their own name and empire-building goals.

4. You tend to exaggerate your own importance and influence to outsiders.

Empire builders treat their ministries like sporting events; they are constantly throwing around numbers, stats, and comparing their numbers to the numbers of other ministers. They say things like “we are growing in record numbers” or ‘this was the most significant event in our city” or “we have the largest network in our city” or worse yet: they claim something like their ministry is the reason why the crime rate went down in their community or region. They tend to exaggerate their influence, importance, and results in their region or community.

However, kingdom builders brag about what God is doing through His church in His city. They also attempt to applaud the success of others whose feet they wash instead of propping themselves up for photo shoots and publicity. I have observed that several so-called revivals in our country over the past ten years have been nothing more than good advertising and marketing rather than real moves of God.

5. You are jealous of successful key leaders in your region.

I know I am with an empire builder when the person is always attempting to dig up dirt on other leaders, criticizing key leaders in their community, or giving faint praise when asked about other key leaders in their region.

6. You speak about kingdom unity as a smokescreen to hide your own selfish agenda.

Some of the most self-centered empire builders I have known in the past thirty years have spoken the most in public about the need for unity in the Body of Christ. They use this kind of talk to get sheep, pastors, and ministers to forsake their own agendas and follow them to aid in building their empire! They know all the lingo and have the biblical passages down, but unfortunately their actions do not correspond with their words and preaching.

7. Your name and picture must be highlighted in every event in which you participate.

There are leaders I have heard speak about God raising up a movement of nameless and faceless people, yet in all their conferences, literature, and advertising their picture and name are highlighted more than anyone or anything else in the program! I even attended one conference in which there was a life-size picture of the leader in the lobby, with the event and program advertised in small print under his picture!

8. You try to steal the loyalty of people connected to other ministries.

I have observed one of the key signs someone is an empire builder is when they go after key leaders in other leaders’ churches or networks. I myself have had leaders representing our Christ Covenant Coalition approached by another leader in my city asking them to join his network as a representative--even though these leaders have been part of CCC’s leadership for over ten years! When leaders do this, they make themselves look bad--both to the loyal leaders they approach and to other key leaders in the city who eventually find out about the M.O. of this empire builder.

9. You love those who follow you and disregard all others.

Empire builders have an “either you are with me or against me” mentality and approach to life. Empire builders will not be friends with a person if they are also connected to the ministry of a rival. One of my regional leaders was actually told several years ago that he was no longer welcome to preach in a particular church because he was keeping the company of certain other leaders (i.e., me).

Because empire builders are untrustworthy and use their pseudo-friendships as a platform to perpetuate their own empires, they project that same spirit and mentality on other leaders in their region. Thus, they cut off people loyal to other networks and ministries because they suspect others are all untrustworthy like they themselves are!

10. You have a top-down leadership approach and thus struggle to attract strong, successful leaders.

Empire builders surround themselves with “yes men” and actually discourage strong, resourceful leaders from working or partnering with them since doing so does not fit their top-down leadership style. Unlike mature leaders who take a bottom-up approach in which they try to lead through consensus with multiple participation at various levels with people taking responsibility in ministry (so that all have ownership in the process), empire builders surround themselves with leaders of ministries they deem less significant and who want to follow their dictates without meaningful, strategic dialogue.

11. You are self-driven and not led by the Spirit.

Empire builders have an intense need for affirmation because their insecurity drives their need for success, not the glory of God and work of advancing the kingdom. Thus, there is rarely inner peace or rest because they are striving, constantly trying to create a platform and expand their ministry on their own efforts instead of being led by the Lord and letting Him bring the opportunities and open doors.

12. You are an opportunist when other ministries are struggling.

Empire builders make believe they are concerned when other churches or ministries are struggling, but they attempt to maneuver themselves so they can capitalize on the struggles of other ministries and either seize their property or, more likely, their choicest leaders and key people.

13. Your main goal in life is to build some kind of monument to your success.

Empire builders are obsessed with building bigger and better buildings, and acquiring more and more property--even if they have to go into huge debt. The lower their self-esteem the bigger they have to build to compensate for their internal lack. Unfortunately, they are often risking the future of their ministries with excessive spending and they rarely, if ever, think about how their successor is going to fill all these buildings and pay off the mortgage! Remember, there is never any real success without a successor!

14. When possible, you will sabotage the influence and ministry of other leaders you deem a threat to your influence.

Recently I reunited with a key leader in another country after almost twelve years of disconnect. I tried numerous times to stay connected but I could never understand why there was some kind of obstruction in our relationship. After speaking for three hours it finally dawned on us that another leader who was jealous of my influence in this country sabotaged our relationship because he wanted to supplant me as the covering of this key leader. I have also witnessed firsthand one leader insinuating lies about another key leader behind their back to try to stop their influence from spreading to other regions. In instances like this we need to speak up and defend the honor of those not present in the room.

15. You tend to copy those you are jealous of in your region.

It is said that when someone copies your ideas it is the highest form of flattery. Empire builders will attempt to replicate and outdo many of the things other key leaders in their region are doing. They may call it something different, but in the end it is essentially the same model but with an attitude to make it bigger and better than anything else in their region. It is like Dunkin’ Donuts and McDonald’s trying to reinvent themselves to keep up with Starbucks; it is born out of personal competition and not a pure love for Christ and His kingdom.

16. You are a narcissist in relating to your desires in life.

Ultimately, empire builders are lovers of themselves. Thus, they will sacrifice the dreams and lives of others so their own dreams can be fulfilled. They will throw everyone and anyone under the bus to advance their goals or save their own skin! Their incredible commitment to the ministry is really only a commitment to advance their own ideals and dreams. This is narcissistic in nature, unlike the model of Christ who laid down His own life for the sheep. Ezekiel 34 speaks about the judgment God will bring on shepherds who use and abuse the sheep for their own pleasure.

17. You tell people that your church or network is the main key in your city for true revival and transformation.

When giving reports about your ministry you exaggerate the results of your work and utilize self-serving testimonies that back up your claims for spiritual dominance in your region. Many pastors I know have told me of prophecies that have come forth alluding to the fact that it is their church that is going to start a revival for the nation or their community, or that revival is going to start in their region and go to the world because their region is the gate to the rest of the country. I am so tired of hearing these prophecies and so-called words from the Lord. Unfortunately, some prophets are motivated to give these flattering words so they can be invited back to preach because they know that most inexperienced leaders fall prey to prophetic flattery.

That being said, empire builders use these words, visions, and experiences to back up their claims that their particular church or ministry is “the church” in their region which God is going to use. This way, they can garner the loyalties of unsuspecting and naïve sheep and even pastors.

In my experience, most churches with this attitude are judged by God and actually begin to decline until the leaders repent of pride. Although it is possible that revival can come through one church to the whole world (e.g. the Azusa Street revival in 1906) it is the exception to the rule because community, city, and national transformation usually take place when God visits a region or nation and multitudes of churches receive “times of refreshing” all at the same time, thus resulting in the formation of informal apostolic networks who partner together to continue to perpetuate the advance of the Kingdom of God.

THE BOOK IS CALLED 'UNFASHIONABLE' - Part 1

Enjoy this conversation between Ed Stetzer and author Tullian Tchividjian.

Tullian Tchividjian's new book, Unfashionable, boldly addresses the issue of what it means to be the church in the world, while refusing to be of it. This is a theologically driven book that calls the church to "contextualize without compromise."

Tullian's is a voice of reasoned, biblical sanity when many who are having this discussion are talking past one another with unhelpful and exaggerated rhetoric.

I spoke with Tullian recently and asked him to talk to us about this new book.

ES: Tullian Tchividjian. I hope I got the name right.

TT: You got it perfect. I'm actually very, very impressed. It's Tchividjian, which rhymes with "religion."

ES: Which rhymes with religion. That's how I learned it. I remember sitting in New York City, and you telling me that. So I never forget. Well, so glad to talk to you about Unfashionable. I really enjoyed the book, but if you remember, during our conversation you asked me to endorse it. I almost didn't. I was kind of reading, and it seemed very negative about engaging culture, but then I'm thinking I know Tullian, and he's very positive about engaging culture, and you have kind of blazed this trail between the two. There's this one quote in your book that says, "It's both sad and ironic that the shift is now putting the church in the wrong place at the right time. Just when our culture is yearning for something different, many churches are developing creative ways to be the same. Just as many in our culture are beginning to search back in time, many churches are pronouncing the irrelevance of the past." So tell what's the big idea here that's driving Unfashionable, Making a Difference in the World by Being Different when you're a pretty culturally relevant guy? What's your message here that you're trying to communicate?

TT: Well, about two and a half years ago I was asked by an interviewer what troubling trends do you see emerging in the evangelical world amongst young evangelicals, specifically in America? And I said, right away our fascination with fitting it. And I said to the interviewer that it seems that when you scan the landscape of evangelicalism across America, many churches and Christians have come to the conclusion that the best way to reach the world is to become just like the world, so we go out of our way to convince the world in a thousand different ways that there's really nothing different between us, between the church and the world, that we want to go out of our way to convince the world that we're really the same.

And so the overarching thesis of Unfashionable is this: Christians make a difference in this world by being different from this world. They don't make a difference by being the same. And over and over again in the book I borrow this line from sociologist Peter Berger where he said that the church is to live against the world for the sake of the world. And so there's this tension that exists between being in the world, but not of the world. What I seek to do in the book is really tease out what does it mean to be in the world, but not of the world; what does it mean to live against the world for the sake of the world; what does it really look like for Christians to make a difference in the world by being different from the world? My goal is to really spell that out theologically, to spell it out practically. I talk about the fact that according to Jesus, Christianity is not cool. Jesus says some pretty remarkably unfashionable things, like if you want to live you must die, that if you're eye or your hand causes you to sin, pluck it out or cut it off. He just - the way up is down, the way down is up. I mean everything in God's kingdom moves backwards according to the world's standards, so to speak. And so I try to tease out that tension so that the reader can understand what it really means to engage this world in an unfashionable way.

ES: And I think you do a wonderful job with those. Very encouraged and challenged by the book. It seems that right now, we're in the midst of a conversation on this. How do we engage culture? How are we in the world, but not of it? Your book stands out, I think, as a fresh voice in the midst of that, perhaps for me, because the ways in which you are calling people to be different than the world are not the ways that many of the; to be blunt, the angry voices of some parts of evangelicalism are saying, "Listen, put your suit and tie back on, cut your hair, don't listen to any music that was written in the last 100 years." and then you're godly. So in what ways are we talking about being different cause I mean I know your church plant does some progressive things. Now you're serving at Coral Ridge. In what ways, give me some examples what you are taking about and some ways that you're not talking about?

TT: Yeah, that's good. Well, obviously, by unfashionable I'm not talking about the clothes you wear, your hairstyle, the music you listen to. I'm talking about something much deeper, and I'll give you a couple of examples. There are some silly and there are some more serious mistakes that I think the church makes by trying too hard to fit in. A silly way would be, for instance, and I talk about these things in the book, walking into a Christian book store and seeing, instead of Abercrombie & Fitch t-shirts, a breadcrumb and fish t-shirts.

ES: Those Testamints.

TT: Yeah, Testamints. I walked into one Christian bookstore a while back and there was this comparison list between secular bands and Christian bands. So if you like Dave Matthews Band, you'll love such and such. If you like Counting Crows, you'll love such and such. If you love Beyonce, you'll love - . We're trying way way too hard to convince the world that we're really no different than they are. We've basically created a parallel universe, a copycat culture. And so that's kind of silly because, and it's somewhat frustrating because we think, are we really being creative in a pioneering way, or are we just looking around at what's cool in the world and then copying it with a little sprinkle of Jesus on top?

So those are silly ways, but there are some more serious ways, I think, in which we are capitulating to what's fashionable. For instance, it's very, very common in our culture today, as everybody knows, for there to be a tremendous amount of ambiguity regarding the notion of truth. I mean it is vogue to be vague, for instance, that the more uncertain we are, the more cool it is, that we don't want to fully embrace the fact, our culture I'm talking about, we don't want to embrace the fact that there is such thing as universal objective truth that is true for everyone everywhere all the time. I mean there are very, very few people in our culture today who would admit that that is true. They would say there is no absolute truth. We've heard it a thousand times.

Well, the church has always been the pack of people on this planet who have embraced Jesus' words in John 14:6, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the light. Nobody comes to the Father but by me. We have been that society in society. The church has been that society in society where truth is belief. We do believe there is objective universal knowable truth, that we cannot know truth exhaustively, but we can know truth truly because God has revealed it from outside of us. Well, these days there's so much pressure from the outside world to become ambiguous about the reality of truth that you find even many voices in the Christian church today shying away from their firm belief that universal objective outside of us truth exists for everyone, revealed by God to his people. And so that's a much more serious, much more dangerous way that we're trying to be fashionable, that we're trying to fit in the notion of truth, which is a big one, obviously.

So I'm not addressing what kind of music we should play in worship, because those things, to me, are just, they're unimportant. You can be too fashionable and be traditional. You can be too fashionable and be contemporary. You can be unfashionable and be traditional. You can be unfashionable and contemporary. That's not what I address at all. I'm addressing much more of this idea that we have adopted or absorbed a worldly mindset in the way that we think about money and relationships, truth, all of those things that I outline in the book. And I define worldly

Continues tomorrow.

CALLED TO CARE!

I had a wonderful time on Sunday speaking at the Lifecentre. I was asked to talk about the subject of care so I used the Good Samaritan as a backdrop. Here are my notes.

CALLED TO CARE

1 Peter 2:21

“For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in His steps.”

Love Him or hate Him, one thing is absolutely undeniable - Jesus cared about honouring His Father, fulfilling Scripture, training His disciples and proclaiming the gospel in practical ways for tax collectors, prostitutes, sinners, and even those who thought they were saints.

He cared for the sick, poor, dying, marginalized, lost, successful, and those who thought they had it all together.

Jesus cared. Yes, but that is long ago and far away in most people’s minds.

He cares as much today as He did then through us.

Today we want to wrestle with one probing question.

Do we care? Do I care?

Jesus told an amazing story about care.

Luke 10:25 - 37
The Good Neighbour. We know it better as ‘The Good Samaritan’

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
26 He said to him, What is written in the Law? How do you read it?
27 And he answered, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.
28 And he said to him, You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
30 Jesus replied, A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead.
31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side.
32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 And the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.
36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?
37 He said, The one who showed him mercy. And Jesus said to him, You go, and do likewise.

We must do more than fulfill the letter of the Law.  We are called to fulfill the Spirit of the Law as well by demonstrating human kindness.

Jesus penetrates religious hatred/tension by His words and actions and uses the Good Samaritan to enlarge the border of who is a neighbour.

He is raising the bar beyond just ‘I believe’ to... ‘I care’!

True faith cares for others.

What is the lesson for us today?

That there are people, who do not understand or follow Jesus’ teachings, that demonstrate great moral behaviour, kindness and care, more than we, who follow Jesus.

God’s moral law is at work all over the earth as men and women live out care for others and especially those who are not like them. Human love and compassion is a gift from God and it is not restricted to one people group or religious affiliation. We are made in His likeness after all!!!

Had the Jews of Jesus’ day forgotten to love, even the Samaritans? Did they forget to read their own scriptures?

"For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice: and the knowledge of God more than burnt sacrifice." Hosea 6:6

The Early Church, even in the 2nd century, taught on fallen man and God’s redemption using the Good Samaritan as their text.

It shows the importance of ministry to the whole person in the proclamation of the gospel. The gospel is spelled I CARE.

It was taught by the ancient followers of Jesus, and was virtually universal throughout early Christianity, being advocated by Irenaeus, Clement, and Origen, and in the fourth and fifth centuries by Chrysostom in Constantinople, Ambrose in Milan, and Augustine in North Africa.

The man who was going down to Jericho is Adam.
Jerusalem is paradise.
Jericho is the world.
The robbers are hostile powers. Godless men.
The priest is the Law.
The Levite is the prophets.
The Good Samaritan is Christ.
The wounds are disobedience.
The animal he put him on is the Lord’s body.
The [inn], which accepts all who wish to enter, is the Church. …
The manager of the [inn] is the head of the Church, to whom its care has been entrusted.
And the fact that the Samaritan promises he will return represents the Savior’s second coming.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” James 2:14

The lawyer in the dialogue with Jesus, just before Jesus told the story of the Good Samaritan, lived a life of excuses. What was the legal border he could operate in? The least yet legal requirements of the Law. Leviticus 19:33-34 said it this way:

“When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”

Luke 14:15 - 24

A very broad border indeed!

If we want to go to a Fine Restaurant, we call to make a reservation.

Preparation time for staff begins as each day’s reservations are noted.

X marks the spot on the calendar where your name is recorded.

The day finally arrives. Your reservation is confirmed by phone the day before.

Come and dine. Yes, we will be there. Or, will we make excuses why we cannot go?

In the things of the Kingdom, God calls us whether we are young, busy or old. What will we do when the call comes in? Will we respond with a yes, or will we make excuses?

Luke 14:18

18 But they all alike began to make excuses.
The first said to him, I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it. Please have me excused.
19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them. Please have me excused.
20 And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

Jesus addressed excuses given by those invited to God’s Banquet. The Father’s Table.

The Invitation...

Represented the arrival of the kingdom through Jesus.

A new relationship with God NOW. Veil torn from top to bottom when He gave up His spirit on the cross.

We often think of the future kingdom and the marriage supper of the Lamb but Jesus is talking about His kingdom NOW.

What excuses am I making to avoid Jesus’ invitation to care right NOW?

Used my cell phone ringing four different times to illustrate how to respond to God's call with a positive response or an excuse. Talked about the excuses at all levels of life.

CELL PHONE RINGS

Excuse #1. Too young! I am busy playing now.
When did Samuel’s call come? David? Mary? The disciples? What if he had been too busy playing?

CELL PHONE RINGS
Excuse #2. Too busy! I am working too hard. Looking for a mate. Building my career.
What about Saul of Tarsus? Religious and zealous but without true understanding. What if he had stayed religious and said no to God’s call? Lost forever!

CELL PHONE RINGS
Excuse #3. Too old! I am retired now.
What about Moses at 80? His best years were his last 40 years! What if he had been content to just stay in the quiet wilderness? He would have missed God’s best for his life.

CELL PHONE RINGS
Excuse #4. Ignore His call. When you know who is calling and you don't want to pick up???
Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.

Failure to see the kingdom NOW results in excuses.

Will I accept God’s call to care?

THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE

We all know that Jesus died for the sin of the entire world and that the ‘Great Commission’ goes beyond the 10/40 window ( the area least reached by the gospel) to include our own city, province and nation. What are a few of the things preventing the Church from reaching others with the gospel in an effective manner?

It is crucial to understand that we don’t understand our own arrogance, pride and self-centeredness in doing ministry. We have ancient rifts and divisions that keep us apart and reduce our corporate effectiveness. We show little effort engaging in the ministry of reconciliation that we have all been given. We waste and duplicate the Lord’s resources with so much duplication and competition. Why? To build our own kingdoms instead of His Kingdom!

Haggai 1: 9-10 is a reminder that we can be busy about our own things while His house lies in ruins. This verse is a wake-up call in our generation as much as in Haggai’s day.

In David Cannistraci’s book ‘God’s Vision for your Church’, he highlights three important areas for our consideration as ministers, churches, denominations and networks. He reminds us of the twelve tribes with a single root yet each carried a different anointing, responsibility and function. One nation, many tribes.

He describes blessing in the life of the church not in sameness and uniformity but rather creativity and diversity. Imagine what could happen if we celebrated our differences and really honoured one another?

What are the three pivotal points?

Revival: Restoring our devotion to Jesus. Falling in love with Him all over again.
Unity: Healing our divisions. Becoming a reconciler with our peers.
World Evangelism: Completing the Great Commission. Serving the city together.

How in love with Jesus are you? Do you need reviving?
Are you active in reaching our to your peers? Beyond your fellowship?
Would you be willing to serve your city with others in the Body of Christ?
_______________________

AN OPPORTUNITY TO PUT UNITY INTO PRACTICE

Join us on Sunday, May 11, 2008 for the Global Day of Prayer at Dominion Chambers Church at 6 pm. Corner of O’Connor and Lisgar St.

See www.gdopottawa.com

At Mission O, Ministers Matter!