What the world thinks about when they think about God

Ever had one of those nights in which you are absolutely exhausted but can't sleep because you have some thought racing through your mind? You know, one of those nights that you think of something important before you go to bed then wake up all through the night with a new perspective on the same thought. Lastnight was one of those nights...

I'm the kind of guy that likes to read a few verses of God's word in the mornings so it gives me something to chew on for the rest of the day (my simple mind can't handle much more than a few verses at a time). Well yesterday was one of those days that God decided to shake up a bit. Right before I went to bed I had one single verse really resonating between my ears so decided to read through it before I crashed for the night.

2 Corinthians 5:20"We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us."

After thinking through this verse I realized that the implications that come with this verse are two fold...

First of all we are Christ's representatives in this world. That speaks volumes for itself! God created us in His image, to be His ambassadors in this dark hurting world. He didn't have to create us, but He chose to create us. Then to take it further He gave us the privilege of representing Him to the world. As mind boggling as this is, it is not even the thought that kept me up through the night...

The aspect of this verse that kept me up through the night was not the excitement or humility that comes with being one of God's representatives (don't let me water that down because that portion alone is the single most mind blowing thought ever, but was simply not the thing that kept me up). But it was the other side of the coin.

A.W. Tozer said, "What you think about when you think about God is the most important thing about you."

Now, when I read 2 Corinthians 5:20, it immediately collided with Tozer's quote and forced me into a cold sweat. If you take Tozer's quote and add to it you'll see a new perspective that hits home pretty hard.

"What you think about when you think about God is the most important thing about you." AND since we are representatives of God, what the world thinks about when it thinks about God is what they see in you (second half added).

This thought almost had me in tears lastnight simply because I began to wonder what we as "Christ's ambassadors" are telling the world about our God. Are we saying that He is faithful, loving, and holy? Or are we telling the world that our God is unfaithful, unloving, and unholy?
After all we bear His image in this world...

Couch Christianity

I honestly cannot come up with some witty story or analogy that segways into the thought I have bouncing around in my head rightnow, so I think I'll start by saying "Let's go to work"...

While sitting in my living room drinking my green tea (giving up coffee is ruff, but that's a story for another day) and doing the best I can to chase after the heart of God I stumbled on a statement in Exodus 14 that really boggled my mind. To set the stage for this event Moses and the Israelites just made a grand exit from Egypt after 430 years of slavery. The place that I want to key in on is the event immediately following their exit.

Let's jump into the psyche of Moses for a minute as the Israelites make their approach on the Red Sea and realize that Pharaoh changed his mind and wanted his slaves back. I can only imagine the thoughts that crossed Moses' mind when he turned around and saw the army of one of the most powerful empires of that time breathing down his neck, only to realize there was another problem... Let's call that problem the Red Sea! Brother was surrounded on all sides with an Egyptian army on one side and a Red Sea on the other.

I can only imagine the thought that crossed Moses' mind that very moment in time. The first thing out of his mouth is "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only be still."

The statement I was talking about earlier that caught my attention was God's reaction to Moses' comment. God spoke up and said "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on." God basically told Moses to get off his butt and move!

Now being still and knowing that He is God is a good thing, but knowing that He is God coupled with action takes it to a whole new level.

I get the gut feeling that we often take Christianity and sit on the couch with it while passively allowing life to creep by so we can escape the other side unscathed. I feel that we were created to do so much more...

That being said I wonder what faith would look like if we put our feet to action. What would faith look like if we were surrounded by an Egyptian army on one side and a Red Sea on the other... Would we have the audacity to march forward toward the sea while expecting dry ground when we get there?

God is da Man

Some of the coolest comments come out when people are just sitting around shooting straight with each other without fear of getting looked at funny. Thursday night a group of friends and I were sitting around chewing on a thick passage of scripture when out of the blue one of my buddies screams "God is da man"! As a first response everyone rolled on the floor laughing, probably for good reason, but afterward I got to thinking about the impact of that comment.

What would it look like if we approached our faith with a "God is da man" mentality?

I feel that Paul had the same mindset when he addressed Corinth in 1Corinthians by saying "For I resolve to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified". I wonder if "Jesus Christ and him crucified" is good enough to float our proverbial boats today. If that statement was all that we had to hold on to would our faith hold up or unravel completely?

I have a knack to try and understand everything about most situations before I make a move. Seems to be a common problem among almost everyone today. Faith on the other hand doesn't work that way... Faith is like saying "God is da man" and that's all I need to know! Now don't hear me saying that knowledge of Christ is unnecessary, because the transformation of our minds is what causes us to take on a Christlike image. But when everything is stripped away the only thing that seems to matter is "Christ and him crucified".

Let's just say we've got two people standing at the base of a mountain. The first guy looks at the mountain and starts formulating the amount of man power and dynamite he needs to make it move. The second simply looks at the mountain and says "I don't know how it's going to happen, but God said you'd move". Which is more likely to see the mountain take a swan dive into the ocean?

I wonder whose faith is stronger... The man who has to know all the angles before he acts, or the man that banks everything on the thought that "God said, and he's da man".

2 Cor 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in your weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weakness, because when I am weak then you are strong.

This verse has been ringing between my ears for the past couple of days. I started comparing my typical prayers of "give me strength, make me bold, help me love" to guys like Moses who "needed more boldness", David "who wasn't old enough", Sampson "who wasn't strong enough", Peter "who doubted", and Gideon "whose army wasn't big enough".

I noticed a similarity between these guys. Every one of them had a major weakness, but are known for epic things that resulted from those weaknesses. God has a way of taking what we see as weakness and making them into the most significant periods of our lives. Our weaknesses allow God to show off His strength. It minimizes our tendancy to steal God's glory, and maximizes His right to receive the all of glory He deserves.

Instead of asking for our weak areas to disappear, maybe we should thank God for them because they make a golden opportunity for Him to put His power on display.

I Will Not Be Silent

---If we stay silent and do not fulfill our commission to fight for the truth and the purpose of winning people to Heaven, does that mean we are fighting to win them for hell? After all, one of Satan's tactics is keeping us silent. So if we are quiet we are a part of his scheme... Right?!

---It is selfish of us to withhold the proclamation of God's amazing grace. When we do it minimizes the power of God's ability to forgive. I can speak for many people, myself included, and venture to say we have a skewed idea that we somehow are more deserving of salvation than the rest of the world. My salvation is no better than anyone elses, and it is selfish of me to think otherwise. After all "nothing any of us has done is bigger than a dead Jesus. Christ had shed his blood for me to no less degree than he did for them. We are standing at the foot of the cross and the ground was, indeed, level." It is crucial that followers of Christ remember that we, too, need a savior. Alone we don't measure up to God's standard for righteousness. So it is important that we do not keep from sharing this grace that we also do not deserve.



-- Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."



-- Matthew 28: 18-20 "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

What's in a Name?

----I have to ask the question…we can “say the names of Gandhi, Churchill, and Einstein and people immediately recognize the person about whom you are speaking” (Voddie Baucham). These names are not seen as shameful in our culture, infact use these names and their teachings in society and you will be seen as intellectual, philosophical, and passionate. However, if you use the most intellectual, philosophical, and passionate name ever spoken off of human lips you are considered an outcast in society. Just ask the Pledge of Allegiance, and Christmas (Happy Holidays). I ask the question, why of all names is this name ridiculed???
----In the book of Acts John and Peter are commanded by the Sanhedrin to stop using the name of Jesus in the city of Jerusalem (Acts 4). The rulers, elders, and teachers of the law watched as this name caused the masses to follow God, and these leaders deemed it forbidden to say it. It’s funny because this is an ongoing practice today, and should not surprise us because “that name brought shame and reproach to Pre-Christian culture, why should we be surprised that it brings shame and reproach in Post-Christian culture” (Voddie Baucham).
----The only explanation for this is the truth that there is POWER in this name, whereas the other names are merely names. No other name has the power to make the lame walk, the blind see, mountains tremble, and most importantly the dead (lost) live (salvation).
----“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Sustainer

Hebrews 1:3-4

3>>The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4>> So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

1:3 Jesus is an exact representation of God’s glory. He sustains all things through his powerful word.
--- He upholds everything

At the sound of his “words” He sustains everything… He holds it all together
On the reverse side, if he can hold everything together He also has enough power to allow things to fall apart.

I would think with this much power (this much to uphold) would come much stress. After all if Jesus opened His hands (which hold everything together) the world would shift into mass pandemonium and chaos. Kind of a stressful situation HUH???

WRONG—Vs 3 says “After He had provided purification for sins, He SAT down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”

--- Jesus went through his painful death, marvelous resurrection, and now he has the task of holding every corner and crevice of the world together. And all he does is sit at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
--- Jesus keeps every faucet and gear in this world oiled and working properly without breaking a sweat , getting stressed, and for a matter of fact He does it sitting at the right hand of God with His feet up relaxed!

Case and Point
If Jesus is so big and He can hold every seam of this world together without as much as twitching in His seat next to God, and we are His most valued possession, wouldn’t He be big enough to handle all of the problems in our lives which seem microscopic to Him anyway?!