Second Week of Advent

Joy

The source of our joy is in God Himself.  God is good.  God is trustworthy.  God is love.  He sees us in our great need, marred by sin, unable to save ourselves, destined for an eternity without Him.  And so, driven by love, grace, and mercy, God plans on sending us a Rescuer; One who will save us from our sin and create peace between us and the Father.  This plan for salvation, birthed in eternity past, began to come to fruition in the birth of the Christ Child.

Scripture: Isaiah 52:7-10

How beautiful upon the mountains
are the feet of him who brings good news,
who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness,
who publishes salvation,
who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”
The voice of your watchmen—they lift up their voice;
together they sing for joy;
for eye to eye they see
the return of the Lord to Zion.
Break forth together into singing,
you waste places of Jerusalem,
for the Lord has comforted his people;
he has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has bared his holy arm
before the eyes of all the nations,
and all the ends of the earth shall see
the salvation of our God

Song: Sing or listen to the Christmas hymn "Joy to the Word" and celebrate the great joy of the Gospel that is promised us through the birth of the Christ Child.

Practice: Share some 'Christmas joy' with your neighbors or co-workers this week.  Personally deliver a Christmas card, some homemade cookies, or a handmade gift.

First Week of Advent

We are officially in the Advent season, which begins four Sundays before Christmas.  At Delta, we have customized our Advent themes this year, and are encouraging tangible practices of each theme.  This week, our theme is "glory."

Glory

Our God is a glorious God who had made a promise to rescue us from our sin.  The birth of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of that glorious promise.  And as 1 Peter says how even angels longingly look at the wonder of the Gospel, we see the angels present at the birth of the Christ Child announcing the miracle and proclaiming the glory of God to the shepherds; who in turn gave glory to God for the fulfillment of sending our rescuer.

Scripture: Luke 2:8-15, 20

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”  And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”

 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”

 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

Christmas Hymn to sing: “Angels we have heard on high”

Practice: Spend this week in meditation on God’s Glory, God’s Word, and repenting of any selfish desires that the holiday season can bring.

Living with True Joy

Yesterday at Delta we looked at John 16:16-33 and unpacked what Jesus taught about true, Gospel-centered joy.  Joy is intrinsicly different from happiness, as joy is not dependent on things that will ultimately fail or disappoint like people, things, or circumstances.  Too often people put too much stock into these things but just end up frustrated, easily agitated & angered, confused, depressed, and have no direction for their lives.  So the question is, how do you find true joy?  Here is the process I am working through:

-First, you have to jump deep into your sin.  You have to begin to see just how depraved and far from God you are.  This is not easy, and it's not fun by any means.  But it's a necessary first step.

-Second, as you jump deep into your sin, you must jump high into God's love and holiness that he has available to you through Jesus. The principle at work here is Luke 7:47 "...her sins, which are many, are forgiven - for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." Jumping deep into your sin and high into God's love allows the cross to be really big in your life, which serves as an anchor for your joy.

*Intermission note:The above "jumping" illustration is borrowed from my friend Darrin Patrick who will be soon releasing this material

-Also, you need to get away.  You need to remove yourself from your regular context in order to gain a more objective outlook on yourself and your life.  Practicing the spiritual disciplines of solitude and silence are key in the process.

-Then, you need to get in God's Word.  I strongly suggest living in Romans chapters 5-8.  Read them.  Journal them.  Personalize them.  Journey with Paul as he dove deep into his sin through chapters 5-7 and then rose high into God's amazing love in Chapter 8.

-You also need to be honest with yourself and others.  Be specific when identifying areas of sin in your life and how you're feeling and living; you have to get it all out.  Part of this is also bring people who are mature and who love you on your journey with you.  These people will be those who are good spiritual peers (people in your community group, church, etc.) and people who are spiritual directors who can give you insight and direction (people who are in leadership or are mentors to you).

-Lastly, take advantage of godly, theologically sound, gospel-centered preachers, teachers, and authors. Soak up Gospel-centered resources.  I highly recommend the books "The Cross Centered Life" and then it's sequel "Living the Cross Centered Life" by CJ Mahaney.

Living a life of true, gospel-centered joy is a process that is difficult because our world doesn't have any idea of what true joy is.  Living in joy involves a transformation of your heart by first surrendering your life to Jesus as your Savior and Leader, and then changing the way that you think and view your life, because of the the great mercy that God has shown us.  

Blessings on your path to joy!

The Great Nation of Texas

I'm currently in Dallas at the Depth Conference - http://acts29network.org/event/2008-11-19-dallas-boot-camp/ - with all of the Acts 29 "superstars": Matt Chandler, Mark Driscoll, and Darrin Patrick.  It's been great so far.  Be sure to grab the audio when it gets posted on the Acts 29 website.

Best quote of the day so far has come from Matt Chandler (I'm actually paraphrasing): "I'm a Baptist, and a non-apologetic one.  I'm just a weird Baptist. We give to the Cooperative Program, we're Elder-led, I occaisionally enjoy a beer.  But I'm a Baptist, just a different one."  That was refreshing to hear, seeing as how I fit that profile.  I guess he gets to be more vocal about it because his church has grown from around 130 to 5000 in 6 years, is a tredmendously gifted teacher, and a movement leader.  And I'm nowhere near that...yet :-).

Internalizing the Gospel

You cannot begin to understand and appreciate the Gospel until you begin to really deal with the depth of your own sin. Until you realize how depraved you are apart from Jesus, he will remain a God of convenience and your Christianity will be more like being a part of a social club than a transforming movement that will change the world.

This is the journey I've been travelling on for at least the last 3 months.  Now I've thought that I've dealt with things and have understood my sin.  I've had many dark times in my life where I was face to face with my depravity. But I had no idea how deep it went.  And man, is it deep.

This is what Paul consistently reminded himself of, specifically in Romans 5-7.  He says that "nothing good dwells within him" and that he's a "wretched man" and in other places, the "chief of sinners."  Now Paul isn't wallowing in self-pity, but rather he is reminding himself of how great God's mercy is, shown to us through Jesus Christ.  Paul is practicing the principle that Jesus taught us in Luke 7:47 "Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven - for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little."  Paul loved much because he was forgiven much - and he reminded himself of that.

The Gospel then is this: I am worse than I could ever imagine; yet I am loved more than I could ever comprehend.

It is a dangerous prayer to ask God to show you the depth of your sin, but it is a necessary one.  Walking that journey will bring out the worst in you, but it has to be brought out to the light so it can die as Christ shines on you.  Not dealing with your sin will only lead to  arrogance, pride, selfishness, and consumerism - the very things we see rampant in the modern church today.  The more we realize how much we've been forgiven, we become radically more loving, forgiving, compassionate, and gracious to others.  We serve and give all that we can because we have been served and given so much.

I've been greatly identifying and appreciating these words of the song 'Thy Mercy My God', and I hope they minister to you:

Without Thy sweet mercy I could not live here

Sin would reduce me to utter despair

But through Thy free goodness, my spirits revive

And He that first made me still keeps me alive

Vote for Jesus

Yesterday at Delta we took a long look at Romans 13:1-7 to discover what exactly God has to say about the Christian's responsibility in and to the government.  The audio should be up soon at www.deltachurch.net for those you who weren't there.  I just want to highlight the takeaway points in how we as Christians exactly "vote for Jesus":

• Submit yourself to Jesus.  Following Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords begins with you and in your heart.
• Work for conversions.  We can’t expect those in public office (or who want to be in public office) who don’t love Jesus to lead according to God’s standards…so we need to do the work of making disciples.  Faith can’t be forced by physical means like voting; that’s not how we influence our city, state, & nation with the Gospel – the influence of the Gospel is proclaimed and lived out by Christ-followers to those who are disconnected and far from God.
• Stay informed.  Christians are already caricatured as unintelligent, archaic, backwoods, NASCAR fans…don’t fuel that fire…love God and your country with your mind and don’t make simply emotional and single-issue decisions.
• Don’t look to the government for a moral compass.  We’re dealing with fallen, sinful people…add on top of that politicians!  Jesus is our only true and reliable standard for righteousness…everyone else falls terribly short.
• Trust in God’s sovereignty.  If your guy doesn’t win, that’s OK – the person that God wanted there to achieve His purpose for His glory is sitting in the seat of authority.

My challenge to everyone is this: if you indeed want our unChristian nation to become a Christian nation, it begins with you and you bringing the Gospel to those who are lost and disconnected from Jesus, including those in government.  So, how can you do that?  Where can you volunteer?  If your line of work can get you a government job, can you work there?  What boards or committees can you be a part of?

So I encourage everyone to do your duty as a citizen and vote tomorrow!  And if you are a Christ-follower, remember your citizenship that is in heaven and honor Jesus with your vote, however He leads you to do that.

You can check out a short video piece about Delta and our "Vote for Jesus" day yesterday on our local FoxNews affiliate here in Springfield: http://www.myfoxspringfiel

d.com/myfox/pages/News/Detail?contentId=7778662&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=3.2.1

Happy Missional Halloween!

Here we are yet another Halloween.  All of the horror/monster movies are moved to the front of the video stores, ungodly amounts of candy are being bought, and parents are freaking out about their kid's costumes (my kids choice in costumes this year: Wednesday Addams (Hannah), an Angel (Ellie), Obi-Wan Kenobi (Aiden, or as we call him 'Obi-Wan KeMobley'), a Zebra (Rachel), and a Chili Pepper (Lydia).

Some parents and churches don't like this holiday.  They believe that it's "of the devil" so they either don't do anything with it (no candy, no costumes) or they come up with some silly "Christian alternative" like a Fall Festival where they basically do Halloween, but only with other Christians and they outlaw costumes that have to do with witches, monsters, or people beheaded by guillotine.

Here's my take on Halloween.

I would venture to say (by experience) that the vast majority of people who celebrate Halloween don't know and don't care about it's origin - it's simply the "dress up and get candy day".  Is the origin of Halloween important enough to abstain from it?  I don't think so.  You can argue that the time of year and traditions that surround Christmas and Easter have pagan roots.

Think about the major holidays in our country: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, 4th of July.  Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving are very family-focused events, and rightly so.  On the 4th of July, we see friends gathering together for BBQ's and communities gathering for parades and carnivals.  I guess you can even throw in St. Patrick's Day, where communities gather for parades and public drunkeness.  But there's something unique about Halloween: it's the only holiday where people in your neighborhood open up their homes to each other!  Families en mass are walking the streets of your neighborhood, kids are running and laughing, and people are greeting each other.  The opportunities for showing hospitality are incredible!

My suggestion on celebrating Halloween is this: just get over the "evilness" of it and use it as an opportunity to get to know your neighbors.  Have some fun, dress up, and hit the streets!  If your kids are older or you don't have any kids, turn on the porch light, make some hot chocolate for cold parents, stock up on the chocolate (if you want to be really popular, give out full-size candy bars!), and meet people.  Strike up conversations.  Talk with parents and tell them how cute their kids are (because they really are!).  Make Halloween a missional event in your neighborhood.  Once you're introduced to people, look for them as they're out and say "hi".  Send them a Christmas card.  Maybe host a block party or community BBQ when the weather warms up. Don't miss this opportunity to show some hospitality, love on your neighborhood, and build some bridges with people who need Jesus.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

My wife Dawn was taking our kids to class this morning and on her way was reviewing some of the bible studies we've been doing with our kids.  We've begun going through the Gospel of Mark and spent the first week on talking about "Preparing the Way" (I'll blog on that next week).  But Dawn and the kids read about John baptizing Jesus and was talking to them about baptism.  She asked the kids (Hannah, who's 10; and Ellie, who's 9) what baptism means and why Jesus got baptized.

Ellie answered that Jesus got baptized to give us an example to follow.

Hannah said that baptism was "pledging your love to Jesus."

Both correct...both beautiful answers.

Let's never forget that the Gospel is deep enough to confound the most brilliant of minds, but simply enough that even a child can understand it.

Mythbusters

This past Sunday we began a new teaching series at Delta called "Mythbusters."  What we're doing is looking at different myths that surround Christianity such as "The Bible is a fairytale," "God can't be good because of suffering in the world," "God is just mean and sends people to hell," and "There can't be only one way to heaven."  We'll then spend the final week looking at the clues of God in this world that reveal the Heavenly Father to us all.  I'll also be using about half of the sermon to do some Q & A from question cards, emails, Facebook posts, and comments from this blog.

If you're looking to do some extra-credit reading, the following books will be helpful:

• The Reason for God, Tim Keller
• Beyond Opinion, Ravi Zacharias
• The End of Reason, Ravi Zacharias
• Simply Christian, NT Wright
• They Like Jesus but not the Church, Dan Kimball

There are other great apologetic books by the likes of C. S. Lewis, Lee Strobel, and Josh McDowell.  I'm also reading the new book by Al Mohler called Culture Shift which addresses some of these issues, but have not finished it yet but it looks very promising. Here's my book disclaimer: Read with discernment, and don't take anybody's word as 'gospel' other than Jesus.  I may not agree with everything in the books I recommend, but I do in general.

So please, send in your honest questions about God & Christianity.  If you're looking for a fight, don't bother because we're not.  But if you sincerely have some questions and have an open heart and mind and are willing to thoughtfully engage your questions, then please participate with us.

Blessings...

Stories of Transformation

We took some time going through our mission statement for Delta the first few weeks of September.  We spent a week on "Loving God", then "Transforming Lives", and finished with "Changing the World".  The second week was particularly powerful, as at the end of the service our worship team played through 'Amazing Grace' and our people filled out cards that read "I once was ______________, but now I'm _____________" as they reflected on the transforming power of the Gospel in their lives.  They then posted their cards up on some posterboards as acts of worship.  The following list is a sample of the cards that were filled out.

I once was an unlovable mess, but now I’m loved.

I once was filled with fear, but now I’m filled with love.

I once was selfish and lived for myself, but now I’m a servant and find joy in meeting other’s needs.

I once was lazy and sluggish, but now I’m active with a goal.

I once was alone, but now I’m surrounded with love.

I once was unforgiven & lost, but now I’m forgiven & found.

I once was confused, but now I’m hopeful.

I once was not telling my friends about God, but now I’m doing it more.

I once was a wretched sinner, but now I’m a saved sinner.

I once was prideful & bossy, but now I’m learning to let Jesus be the boss.

I once was trying to be in control, but now I’m letting go.

I once was guilty, but now I’m free.

I once was scared, but now I’m confident.

I once was empty, but now I’m full of love & hope.

I once was abandoned, betrayed, & lost, but now I’m treasured, loved, & redeemed.

I once was terrified, but now I’m hopeful.

I once was hopeless, jealous, joyless, & restless, but now I have purpose, hope, and a Christ who is sufficient.

I once was timid, but now I want to be bold.

I once was all alone, but now I’m feeling at home.

I once was self serving, but now I’m serving others.

I once was unconfident in myself, but now I’m confident in Christ.

I once was fake, but now I’m real.

Transforming Your Life

A couple weeks ago we began a new series called "Transformissionary" (named after this blog) at Delta where we're looking at our mission statement of "Loving God...Transforming Lives...Changing the World."  Yesterday was on "Transforming Lives", and I realized that I had a lot of information, so I thought I'd post it here to save people from writing their hands off from taking notes.  Here's the highlights:

2 Corinthians 5:17 gives us the promise of our transformation through the Gospel.
Acts 3:1-10 gives us an example of this Gospel-transformation in action.  The man was:

• Regenerated: He became a new creature...his depression was turned to joy!
• Justified: He longer sits outside the Temple; he now IS a temple of God!
• Sanctified: His new ability to physically walk mirrors his new spiritual walk with Jesus, becoming more and more like Him.
• Glorified: His physical healing is a foreshadowing of his complete future restoration when he'll be in heaven with Jesus.

But when Delta talks about your transformation and my transformation, what exactly are we talking about?  We mean that we desire that you transform from:

• Unchristian to Christian - Ephesians 2:1,4,5.  You have no hope for anything else unless you are a Christ-follower.
• Self-centered to God-centered - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15. Jesus gave us everything, and our only appropriate response is to give everything back to Him.
• Consumer to Servant - 1 Corinthians 9:19. Being an inward-focused consumer will only lead to your isolation and ineffectiveness.  Being an outward-focused servant will bring you friendship and bring about Gospel-transformation in others.
• Member to Missionary - John 20:21. Church is not about belonging to an elite club that just sits and soaks.  Church is about being infused into the world, bringing the transforming power of the Gospel with you.
• Fence-sitter to Influencer - Matthew 9:9,10. We stop letting life pass us by and taking what we can get.  We begin influecing those in our lives toward Jesus.

We know that Jesus is the initiator and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 1:6).  But what about the inbetween?  How do we best join Jesus in his transforming work in our lives?  The answer lies in community.  We need to fully engage in the community of Christ-followers in obedience to what the Bible says about community

• There's importance of being together - Hebrews 10:24-25.  Being together at church, in homes, in community group, or any other gathering is how we're loved and encouraged to live for Jesus.  And we are to "consider" this: planning it, prioritizing it, making the most of it.
• There's importance of those who have gone before us - Hebrews 12:1. We find encouragement and victory over sinful, destructive patterns in our lives by learning about saints that have gone before us.  God has always used common, fallen people to do great things for Him through their simple faith.
• There's importance of submitting to spiritual leadership - Hebrews 13:17.  God gives us Elders and Deacons to teach us, guide us, comfort us, and discipline us so we can love Jesus more.  We submit to their leadership willingly for our own good, and for their own good as they will stand before Jesus one day to give an account on how they led and cared for people.
• There's importance of the community's role in healing - James 5:16.  Confession to other people doesn't provide forgiveness of sin (only Jesus does that); but confessing our sin to others who love and care for us helps unload the burden of sin, finds that we're not alone in our struggles, and allows the Body of Christ to love like Jesus does.

Remember that we are all like the lame beggar.  We all need our lives radically transformed as only Jesus can do, but we also need someone to grab our hand and help us up.

Theology of the Lord's Supper

a pdf download of this post is available here

Remembering and Proclaiming the Gospel

Primary texts regarding the Lord’s Supper:

• Matthew 26:26-29 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.”
• Mark 14:22-25 And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. Truly, I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
• Luke 22:14-20 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.
• 1 Corinthians 10:14-21 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
• 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
  

Supplemental text regarding the Lord’s Supper:

• John 6:47-58 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the bread the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”
  

Who partakes of The Lord’s Supper?

• Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper with his disciples. Paul wrote his instructions (as was given to him by Jesus) to the church when they “come together”. The Lord’s Supper is meant for Christ-followers, those who believe in the Person and finished work of Jesus Christ and confess Him as their Lord and Savior, to be taken in context of the gathering of the church.
  

What happens when one partakes of the Lord’s Supper

• Physically, you eat and drink.
  Jesus blessed the bread and cup and gave it to his disciples for them to eat and drink. The Lord’s Supper is not an idea or a feeling. It involves the physical act of eating the bread and drinking the fruit of the vine.
• Mentally, you remember.
  Jesus said to “do this in remembrance of me.” What are we remembering? We are remembering a historical act. We remember the life of Jesus. We remember the teaching of Jesus. We remember the example of Jesus. We remember the sacrifice of Jesus. We remember the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus that atoned from our sins and redeemed us. We remember the forgiveness of Jesus. We remember the love of Jesus, shown to us while we were his enemies and in no way deserved his love.
• Spiritually, you participate.
  Unbelievers can eat, drink, and remember things they may have learned about Jesus and his teachings. It is this point of spiritually participating that makes this an act that only Christ-followers can enjoy. The word rendered “partake” (koinonia) in 1 Corinthians 10:16-18 literally means “sharing”. When believers partake of the Lord’s Supper, they are experiencing a partnership in Jesus’ death, in which accomplished our forgiveness and restored relationship with God.
  Does this mean that we literally participate in eating the body of Christ and drinking the blood of Christ? That is not what the text is saying. In the Gospel accounts of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus says, “This is my body” and “This is the new covenant in my blood.” One reason that this does not mean that the elements become the body and blood of Jesus is that when he instituted the Lord’s Supper, he had not yet died (besides, Jesus didn’t say that the cup was his ‘blood’, he said it was the new covenant). So his language was meant to be figurative. Additionally, when Paul explains this in 1 Corinthians 10, he compares the Lord’s Supper to participating with demons in regards to pagan sacrifices. Just as you wouldn’t think that you literally ‘eat a demon’, you are not literally eating Jesus’ body nor drinking his blood. The supplemental text of John 6 also supports this. Jesus was a couple years away from his death, so his teaching on Him being the Bread of Life and ‘eating his flesh and drinking his blood’ was figurative; a foreshadowing of what was to come. This was confusing even to the disciples. Later in John 6:63, Jesus explains to them the spiritual meaning of participating, or sharing in his flesh and blood: “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is of no avail. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.”
• Outwardly, you proclaim
  Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:26 “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Partaking of the Lord’s Supper is an outward, visible act of proclaiming the Gospel. Aside from baptism, there is no other clear picture of Jesus death and resurrection (Paul including ‘until he comes’). Additionally, there are three key things we proclaim, in light of 1 Corinthians 11:23-24. First, we proclaim Jesus is Lord (v. 23). Right away we are clear on which God we’re talking about. Second, we proclaim Jesus gave thanks (v. 24). Jesus trusted in God the Father, even in the face of his own death, because he knew his resurrection was on the other side of it. Lastly, we proclaim that he broke the bread (v. 24). No one else broke the bread. No one took Jesus’ life from him. He willingly laid it down out of love for the Father and for his followers. We recognize Jesus’ authority by Him breaking the bread. The Lord’s Supper is a wonderful proclamation of the whole Gospel message.
• Corporately, you love
  The Lord’s Supper is a table open to anyone who is a Christ-follower, no matter their position in life. It is a table where everyone comes equally – all spiritually poor and needing Jesus. The Corinthian were reprimanded by Paul because they were partaking of the Lord’s Supper in an unloving manner. Some would drink all the wine and get drunk. Some would eat all the food and leave none for their brethren. Some were being insensitive to the poorer among them and created division. The Lord’s Supper is designed for followers of Jesus to come together in love for Jesus and one another, all expressing our need for Jesus.
• Personally, you examine
  Paul is clear that we are to partake of the Lord’s Supper in a worthy manner and thoroughly examine our hearts before we eat and drink. Does this mean that we need to be perfect and sin-free? No, that’s impossible. But this does mean that we examine our hearts and confess where sin has taken hold. We need to repent of ways that we have tried to be our own Savior. We need to make things right with our fellow believers by apologizing for ways we have sinned against them. We need to show grace and forgiveness to each other and receive the grace and forgiveness that God has given us. Not respecting the gravity of the Lord’s Supper does have its consequences. Some in the Corinthian church were ill and most unrepentant has died! But this was not a death who’s destination was hell (1 Corinthians 11:32). The consequences of misusing the Lord’s Supper do not result in losing one’s salvation, for once you are Jesus’, you are His always (John 10:27-30). But like a good Father, God does indeed discipline his children for the purpose of personal and corporate sanctification.
  

The Lord’s Supper champions the Gospel and defeats Idolatry

• The Lord’s Supper is about the Gospel – Jesus’ life, his death, and his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). Another problem of the Corinthian church that Paul had to address was their over-realization of the meaning of the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 10:14-21) and turned the meal into an act of idolatry. Some of the Corinthians had turned the Lord’s Supper into grace-giving sacramental food verses the spiritual act of remembrance that Jesus had ordained. Neither ordinance of the church (baptism and the Lord’s Supper) is what provides us with grace. Grace is provided to us through our faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9). No work, including the acts of baptism or partaking of the Lord’s Supper, provide us with grace. The Lord’s Supper does not provide us with grace; rather, the Lord’s Supper reminds of the grace that God has already given us.
  

The Junk Drawer: Frequency, Methods & Children

• Question: How often should a church celebrate the Lord’s Supper?
  This is an open-handed issue that depends on each particular church. I’ve been a part of churches that partake of the Lord’s Supper quarterly, monthly, and weekly. In my experience, taking the Lord’s Supper quarterly (4x’s a year) seemed much too infrequent and unfamiliar. Doing it monthly kept it a regular practice and seemed to uphold the gravity of the event. One church I was part of practiced it weekly, but it became just a ritual.
  It would seem that the early church did indeed partake of the Lord’s Supper each time they gathered (Acts 2:42). With this in mind, Delta offers the Lord’s Supper each week. To help prevent the table from just becoming a religious ritual, we work very hard in applying the scripture that was preached that day in the taking of the Lord’s Supper, so our church has the opportunity to repent and celebrate what Jesus has done for them. Our people come on their own accord to a pre-set table, pray, and take the elements. We actually discourage people from taking it if they feel it is losing any personal meaning. Once a month, we also practice “Family Communion”, where we invite whole families and friends to come together and have an Elder of Delta personally lead them through the Lord’s Supper.
• Question: How should a church distribute the Lord’s Supper?
  There are various methods and elements used such as: intinction (dipping the bread in the cup), using a common cup, passing out the elements in individual cups and pieces of bread or crackers, coming up to a table or servers, using grape juice or wine, etc. This is an issue of context. Jesus referenced “the fruit of the vine”, so it then becomes a cultural call between juice and wine (offering both can minister to those who feel that drinking wine is literally how Jesus ordained it and also is sensitive to those who may struggle with alcohol). Using a loaf of bread, matzo, or unleavened bread (like pita bread) becomes just a matter of preference. At the same time, substituting potato chips for the bread and Mountain Dew for the cup (like many a youth pastor has done) is not appropriate as there was intentionality on Jesus’ part in using bread and the fruit of the vine.
  Good questions to ask are: what is appropriate to our cultural context? What method and elements work best for the size of our congregation? What theological convictions do our Elders feel most strongly about? What would give our people, in our city, in our time the best picture of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?
• Question: Should children partake of the Lord’s Supper?
  Children should be held accountable the same way that adults are. So, the following questions should be addressed by the believing parents:
  Does my child trust in Jesus alone for forgiveness?
  Does my child intend to follow Jesus as their Leader and obey Him?
  Does my child understand the significance of the Lord’s Supper?
  Has my child given a credible profession of faith in Jesus?
  Does my child show remorse of sin in their life?
  Does my child consciously honor and obey his/her parents as to the Lord?
  We have seen the Lord’s Supper be a key element in seeing the children in our church come to faith in Jesus. We have seen the Lord’s Supper be instrumental in the spiritual growth of families as a whole in our church. But ultimately, this is a question that a believing parent needs to answer in discernment regarding their young disciple.

DNC

I didn't see it live, but Donald Miller (of Blue Like Jazz fame) delivered a really good benediction at the Democratic National Convention last night. You can read it and see it here. Looks like he's also dropped some weight. Good job, Don.

Non-Missional Traffic Sign

I thought this was funny...especially since it was in a church parking lot!

How Love Moves

John 13:31-35 gives us a great picture on how love moves...the directions love should take.

Movement 1: Love moves UPWARD.

Verses 31-32 preface the rest of Jesus words by putting everything in the perspective of God's glory. Love begins and ends with God...always.

Movement 2: Love moves INWARD.

In verse 34, Jesus communicates to his disciples to love each other like he loved them...through service and sacrifice. Love has to be central to any church community. If there's no love, there's no church.

Movement 3: Love moves OUTWARD.

In verse 35, the love that the church shows each other is what points to Jesus. If the church would love each other as it should, many people's criticisms about Christianity would go away because a lot of people don't necessarity have a problem with Jesus, but they have a big problem with his so-called followers.

Spiritual Formation

Discipleship. Sanctification. Growth. Whatever you call it, Spiritual Formation (my preferred term) is necessary as a Christ-follower. If you are not developing a deeper love for Jesus which will express itself in mission and service, you're probably not a believer in the first place. So what are the necessary components of Spiritual Formation? Basically, I believe there are four:

1) Participation in the larger body of Christ. This includes worshipping together, learning together, and serving together.

2) Involvment in a smaller body of Christ. Gathering in a small group of believers allows for better encouragement & support, care, and simply developing friendships.

3) Exercising contemplative disciplines. This includes times of personal prayer, meditation, scripture reading, silence, & solitude. This is 'you and God' time where you listen to Him through his word and internal leadings and where you talk to him through prayer, giving praise, confessing, receiving forgiveness, and making petitions.

4) Exercising active disciplines. Active disciplines are along the lines of serving, witnessing, giving of your resources, and depending on your gifting, leading or teaching. These active disciplines can be done in a personal or group context, but always involve you demonstrating God's love to someone else for God's glory.

It is easy to boil down spiritual growth (or formation) to a bible study or prayer time. But it is detrimental to exclude the components of community and active service, for this is what Jesus Himself modeled for us. We see him taking much time alone between Him and the Father, but we also see Him living in community with the disciples (and spending time with Moses & Elijah on a mountaintop, as well as hearing His Father speak to him a couple times in quite the thundering voice), and we see him actively loving people through His teaching, friendship, and healings.

If you're not already, begin to look at your spiritual life holictically. Don't just reduce it disproportionate times alone. Allow the church to speak into you and put some feet to your faith just like Jesus did.