Looking at The Great Commission

Last week at youth group we had an interesting discussion about missions and the act of “converting” people. Some students wanted to know why it was necessary to become a “Baptist” or a “Pentecostal” or some other denomination in order to serve God. They also wanted to know why it was necessary to parade around those names when we were doing the work of Christ.

            This was a great discussion and it has had me thinking and meditating all week. So with the meat of our conversation still left in my teeth I set out to find some answers to these questions.

            One person had brought up the Great Commission as a means to explain some of this. I agreed that this was a good place to start so I too looked into this verse.

(Matthew 28.16-20)

-Before I begin I just want to let everyone know that I am not bashing any denomination or sect. I am just simply stating my mind and you can do with my words what you please.-

As I looked in Matthew I noticed in verse 18 that Christ said something phenomenal. He said that ALL authority in Heaven and on Earth had been given to him. So right off the bat, Christ takes all power away from man and puts it upon himself. We have no authority to make up any law or rule or “way,” we can only do and follow what Christ has commanded and taught us.

            If we look at what Christ commanded us to GO and DO (verses 19-20) it was simply to make disciples, baptize people and teach people to obey what he said. I have not seen anywhere in the Bible where it says to go and make people; Baptists, or Assembly of God, or Catholics, or Mormons, or Methodists, or Calvinists, or Puritans, or Lutherans, or anything else for that matter. All that Christ said was to make disciples and baptize and teach people to obey what HE commanded.  

            Why then, when we go on mission trips to help people in our country or abroad, do we parade around our denominations? Why can’t we simply go in the name of Christ? Why can’t we just simply go and help people and let our actions speak for us? I think people would be more interested in Christ and his commands if it were all about him and less about us and our denominations.

 

            What have we turned Christ into? A formula for saving souls, a way to increase our church numbers, a means by which to make ourselves look better? Have we taken ALL authority from him and placed it upon ourselves?

            When we are caring for the “least of these,” are we really doing it out of a heart of compassion and a love for Christ, or do we have ulterior motives?

Is it our Great Commission or Christ’s?

Food:

Matthew 28.16-20

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28:16-20&version=NIV

Matthew 25.31-46

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+25:31-46&version=NIV

Disciple 

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/disciple

Just Like Me

You could easily accuse me of "over spiritualizing" situations at times, because I like to look for Gods finger prints everywhere. I can't help it, it's just a part of who I am. So... the following is one of those moments of noticing Gods fingerprints somewhere.

I recently watched the movie District 9 and was really moved by a scene in it. *SPOILER ALERT* It was when the little alien boy, was holding his arm up to the humans arm that had been grafted with an alien arm. He did it over and over and the alien boys father said "He likes you" and then the little alien boy said "Your just like me."

I kept thinking about that part for a while, and I am still thinking about it now. This human, whom to start with, was nothing at all like the aliens had been genetically changed to become like them. The little boy was just fascinated with the humans arm. Studying it, looking it over, analyzing it, wondering if it could in fact be real.

It made me wonder if thats how the Disciples were with Christ. Knowing he was God but yet he was wearing their flesh. I wonder if they pulled his skin or just sat back and analyzed in awe. I wonder if they watched him sleep to see if he slept or breathed differently then they did. I wonder if they sat next to him and compared arms or facial hair, or looked deeply into his eyes to see how "human" he really was. I wonder if they ever told him as they looked "your just like me."

Not of this world - Yet Human.
Light and Word - Yet Flesh
God - Yet Man

God became like me. I wonder if thats why the children flocked to him, because they could see the true nature of who he was. They could just sit there in his lap and call him abba God, and then also see that he was just like them.

God bled just like me. When he was beaten and when he bled, I wonder if the Disciples noticed and talked about how he bled like them as well.

A human that became an alien, what a strange concept.
Almost as strange as God becoming a man, just like me.


Food;

Philippians 2:5-11
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Philippians%202.5-11&version=NIV

John 1
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%201&version=NIV

The Good Gift

Recently a close friend of mine had to take their child to the emergency room. There was tension, fear, worry, and uncertainty. There was praying and crying, despair and hope. Such is the trial of being a parent. As I prayed I kept trying to put myself in his shoes, trying to relate so I could intercede for him. To a certain degree I was successful. I mean, I have taken my child to the dentist where they had to sedate him and that was scary, so I could relate with the tension/fear/worry part. There was one difference here though, I knew the outcome. Teeth had cavities and in the end, teeth would not have cavities and my pockets would have less coin. In my friends case the outcome was a mystery. Would his child be better? Would there be death? Would there be a life change? Was there a disease? This was all very troubling to me as I prayed and awaited the outcome. I could not imagine what he and his family were going through.

Uncertainty.

A couple of days later with this event still fresh on my mind, I began to think about God sending his Son to earth. After all, it is getting close to Christmas and that is the reason we celebrate it. I kept wondering what it must have been like to send your son to the wolves. I could never do what God did. I could never willingly bring upon myself all of the feelings and uncertainty mentioned above.

I would never willingly place my son in a situation were he would endanger himself.
I would willingly send him somewhere where he would be safe

I would never let my son be ridiculed publicly and not stand up for him.
I would willingly place him in front of people to be praised.

I would never stand by and watch someone beat my son and...do...nothing.
I would do anything to make sure that my son was comfortable and warm.

I would never watch my son get hurt and not run to him and help him and kiss it better.

I would never forsake my son in his time of need.

I would never watch my son be condemned to death for doing nothing wrong and do nothing about it.
I would fight for my son and support him in his time of need!

I could never send my son to a place knowing he would die and then...watch...him...die.

Certainty.

God knew the outcome before it happened.
He knew he was sending his Son to a world full of sinners and ignorant mean people.
He knew his son would be laughed at and ridiculed and punched and whipped and bleed and...die.
He knew it all, before it happened. Such is the trial of being a parent.

God sent his Son as a Gift for us, a good gift.

He knew he was sending his Son to befriend the poor, the blind, the depressed, the outcast, the lost.
He knew he was sending his Son to kiss the wounds of the sick and mend the hearts of the broken.
He knew he was sending his Son to set the captives free, to save a people from their selves.
He knew he was sending his Son to be a hero, a savior.
He knew he was sending his Son to defeat death and to rise again.
He knew it all, before it happened. Such is the joy of being a parent.

He sent his son to be The Good Gift to all and he was certain that he would be.
The only uncertainty is us...
Will we accept The Good Gift.

Food;
Isaiah 53
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=isaiah%2053&version=NIV

Colossians 1:19-20
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians%201.19-20&version=NIV

God seeking us

THIS IS A REPOST OF AN OLDER BLOG OF MINE FROM ANOTHER SITE.

I wanted to share this older blog on my new blog site because it got so many reads on my old one.

Enjoy, the date of this blog was – Feb.18-2008

I recently went to the Colbie Callait concert in SLC Utah and it was amazing. I heard a new artist there named Trevor Hall. This guy is GOOD so check him out. Hes got a song on his new EP titled "The Lime Tree". This song is very catchy and just gets stuck in your head, and as i was singing it this morning it led me to think about something. The song is about someone hiding and then someone finding them, so I was thinking about God finding us. I've heard my Pastor say that we don't find God, he finds us because we don't know where to begin to look for God. After all, we are the ones that are lost.

I think we also try to hide from God at certain times in our lives; like when we sin or when he is trying to get us to serve and we don't want to, etc. So as I was singing this song in my head I thought about Adam and Eve in Gen 3v10 and how they hid from God. I thought, If God is omniscient and omnipresent then why did he call out for Adam and ask where he was? If God is omniscient and omnipresent then God should already have known where Adam was and why Adam was hiding. So I thought deeper, why did God call out to Adam?

I then realized that the voice of God calling out wasn't for Gods benefit, it was for Adams.

Think about it.

When someone gets lost in the forest and another party is searching for them, they call out for the person. The people searching are not lost, they know where they are. They are calling for the person so that the person that is lost knows that someone is coming for them. This calling also gives the person that is lost; hope that there is help is coming. The calling also gives the person that is lost a point to go to for help and the person that is lost calling back gives the pursuer a place to go too as well.

So think about it again, there are much more benefits of a voice calling in the wilderness to the lost person than the lost person calling back. So God calling for Adam was Gods way of letting Adam know that he was coming to rescue him. God knew Adam and Eve were in trouble and his voice (even though it may have been frightening at first) was a welcome sound of hope in a time of trouble, and a beacon of truth to guide Adam and Eve back home.

Remember that when you are lost, God knows where you are.

Remember that when you are in trouble, God knows how to get you out of it and back on the right track.

Remember that when you hide from God, he still cares about you and is calling for you to be with him.

Listen for his voice, he’s calling for you to come to him and his voice is guiding you to the place where he is.


Food:
Genesis 3
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203&version=NIV
Luke 15
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+15&version=NIV

Swine Flu Side Effects

In honor of the Swine Flu pandemic that is sweeping the nation I thought I would share some thoughts on one of the overlooked side effects that is not getting as much attention. ("run" on sentence intended)

Swinarrhea [swine-uh-ree-uh]

Yes this dastardly side effect can have some gruesome results if you are not prepared. I have heard horror stories of decimated pants and beds, this is no laughing matter. Some have even ejected themselves from the place where they had been sitting.

I have only one tip: if you smell bacon and you have not cooked bacon nor ate bacon within the last day - RUN!!!!

Perfection in Imperfection

I am a sinner - there I said it. I sometimes laugh at a dirty joke, stare too long at an image I know that isn't good for me, I judge people, gossip, lie, I entertain curse words in my mind, even though I don't say them all.  I am a human, a man, a descendant of Adam, a sinner... and yet, Christ still loves me and finds his home within my heart. Why?

Why did Christ choose humans to dwell in?
Why did he pick the one being that let him down in the beginning, to put his life, breath and spirit into?
Why make this body of rotting flesh and good for nothingness a temple for himself?

Why dwell in imperfection?


Do we put our most precious items in a dilapidated clay jar that may crumble at any second?
Do we take our finest brew that is $16 a pound or $4 a cup and put it into a broken mug?
Do we put new wine into old wine skins?

So why does God dwell in us?



Why does Perfection dwell in Imperfection?

A Psalm came to mind as I was thinking about this post. Psalm 51, verse 10 in particular stood out to me where it says "Create in me a clean/pure heart..." I like the word CREATE here.
Here is one definition from dictionary.com -

1.	to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes

God caused us to come into being, he makes us new (unique) if we are in him. We would not naturally evolve into the believers we are supposed to be unless he made us new.

God is a creator, he has to create, he loves it, he is addicted to it if you will. I think it brings him joy to create new hearts and minds and souls within his people. Maybe that is why he likes to dwell within us, he gets to create.

The Uncreated God creating within the Creation.
The Perfect God dwelling within the Imperfect being.
The Old Man becoming New at the hands of Perfection.
Perfection dwelling in Imperfection creating it to be like itself every day.

Food:
Psalm 51
2 Corinthians 4:7 and 5:17

The Truth

I had a dream last night. The dream stemmed from a teaching that I had taught on Saturday about the truth, what/whom it was and why we need it. The teaching stemmed from a commercial that I kept seeing during the Red Sox versus Angels ALDS series on TBS. The commercial was for The Church of Scientology; now I do not agree with Scientology nor do I endorse it BUT... the commercial got me thinking. The commercial had passionate music and passionate words and ends with the phrase "we all have this emptiness that can only be filled with one thing...The Truth. I agree with that and that is what my teaching was about, The Truth - Christ.

This takes us to my dream. In my dream I was telling a group of people what made God so awesome, what I said in the dream never had occurred to me while I was conscious. In my dream I told the people that each one of us has an emptiness that is custom made for that individual. We all have different needs that need to be met, different sins that need grace, different hurts that need comfort, different hopes and dreams that need prayer and blessing and so on  and this is why God is so awesome. He custom makes himself to fit each one of those empty spots in our lives. No other God that I know of can be so many things to so many people. No other God that I know of can fit so many people into his life and desire nothing but mercy and love. No other God that I know of freely loves and expects nothing in return.

NO OTHER GOD.

Jesus truly is I AM....
Jesus truly is THE WAY...
Jesus truly is THE LIFE...
Jesus truly is THE TRUTH.... that custom fills our emptiness and that sets us free.

Food:
John 8.31-36 - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%208.31-36&version=NIV

John 14.6 - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14:6&version=NIV

Matthew 9.13 - http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+9:13&version=NIV