Un trivial pursuit: Jesus' timeless wisdom

Jesus is a wise master builder.  His words are the foundation of life.  They are meant to be taken seriously and learned through active pursuit and practice.

We used to play a board game called trivial pursuit.  Someone even invented a “Christianized” version of the game.  We might have even owned the game at one time.  I know we have a copy of Bible win lose or draw.  My purpose is not to either exalt the use of such games or decry them; my purpose is to say that we it seems we often trivialize the bible.  We engage the bible as the pursuit of trivial (useless, meaningless factoids) information, rather than approaching the scriptures as a means of relationship with a wise mentor whom you desire to please; demonstrating respect by both hearing and heading His vast reservoirs of wisdom.

Wisdom is timeless, therefore always relevant

Jesus is Lord

Learning through doing

Join me in pursuing and practicing Jesus’ teaching

Wisdom, timeless and relevant

Recently a friend called because they were in a conversation about the Bible and the topic of relevance came up.  Is the bible relevant?  While I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this, I will just make the quick point that the Bible is (even if you don’t believe it is the inerrant Word of God, which I do) a book chocked full of wisdom.  Most everyone will say that Jesus was a great teacher and that his teaching would make our lives better.  In fact Gandhi attributed much of the success of India’s secession of India from Great Britain to Jesus’ teaching of none violence and social change.  A most quoted adage that people use, even if they generally don’t read and accept Biblical teaching is Jesus teaching about non-judging.  Of course it is usually misquoted and taken out of the genuine context of Jesus’ teaching, but hey, they are using an argument that is based in the wisdom of the Bible.  In fact it has often been the practice of people who are trying to appear smart to quote from some ancient literature.  They may quote Confucius, or Plato, or Aristotle, or Solomon, or Jesus.  Why?  Because the wisdom that they glean from these people is often valid and relevant.  In fact the reason they quote it is because it is true wisdom that has born itself out time in again in space, time and across culture. 

We would say that wisdom like this is true.  I find it interesting that when Jesus speaks of his words and teachings they are not merely true, but He describes them as ‘truth.’  They are not just factually true; ‘I am wearing blue jeans,’ but they are existential truth.  They don’t just conform to reality, they actually describe the way things really are. At Jesus’ trial, Pilate asks, “So You are a King?  Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king.  For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify about the truth.  Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.  Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (John 18:37-38)

Jesus is the truth and His words are truth.  They reveal to us the way things really are.  There is a God who rules over the whole creation.  Man is in a state of rebellion against this loving rule.  God, in his freedom and because of his great love sent Jesus to reveal God and to be the sacrifice that restores the whole created order to God.  Therefore Jesus says concerning himself, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No man comes to the Father (God) except through me.”  (John 14)  This is truth as revealed through the Bible.  See how important it is?  It describes life the way it really is.
To be continued

Travel Day

What a long day of travel.  Fort Scott to Long View, TX from 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM.  I caught up with Levi and Mariam Self.  We toured the LeTourneau Campus and ate at Bodacious Barbecue (delicious).

LeTourneau  has a nice campus.  Levi and Mariam's apartment is pretty sweet for a college apartment.  I really like those guys.

I finally got here to the Radisson in Keller, TX about 9 PM.  That is way to long in my little Malibu. 

I did listen to several seminars form Together on a Mission 2010.  "I Can't Preach on That" with Greg Haslam (Preaching the OT), John Hosier (Preaching through Revelation) and Stephen Van Rhyn (Sex) was really challenging.  "Fighting for Charismatic Life in the Church was challenging in quite a different way.  Stef Liston's talk on worship is exceptional.  We can over program meetings and miss out on all that God has for us in our church meetings.

OK, I need to sleep and get ready for tomorrow.  I already miss my family.

Global Faith Forum

I leave tomorrow for Texas to go to Northwood Baptist Church led by Bob Roberts, Jr.  He is hosting the Global Faith Forum.  It will be interesting for me as a mid-west small town pastor to be in a room with people from all over the world, some of whom will have very different perspectives than I do on God, worship and life.  Why would I want to do such a thing?  I want to be a part of this because I realize that I am called to love people. 

It may seem simplistic to say that we need to love people, but I realize that loving people means I must know them, listen to them and treat them with respect.  I don't know many people who hold vastly different perspectives than I do. I am usually afraid of that which I don't really know.  Therefore I am going to Keller, TX to get to know people and perspectives that I probably won't agree with.

I am reminded of a couple of things from the Scriptures that really help me. John the apostles says that perfect love casts out fear and Jesus tells me that I am sent just like he was sent into the world.  The reason that Jesus came was that He was sent.  He loved perfectly and in the face of certain death, he overcame fear.  I don't expect anything terrible to happen in this conference.  I certainly don't think I will die, so I can proceed fearlessly in the love of God.

I am deeply loved and I can afford to love people.  Jesus didn't say to just love the people who were like us, but to honestly love the people who were even against us.  This is a powerful gospel that we believe in.  I am looking forward to practicing loving people who aren't like me.

You may not be going to a conference, but are there people that you are having trouble loving?  What are you afraid of?  How can the Lover of your soul help you to overcome your fear and actually love your enemy? 

I will try to post my thoughts throughout the week.  Stay tuned.

The Seed and soils

Check out my post on www.abundantgrace-fs.org/blog.

Celebration Midwest 2010

Like most people, I am inspired when others make sacrifices for others. Recently, 23-year-old Megan Moss caught the attention of the St. Louis area with her deteriorating heart condition. However, on April 18, she received a miracle heart transplant that saved her life. What a story! But let's not forget, she got to live because someone else died.
This story for me communicates a Kingdom reality that I want to encourage you to pursue. Consider John 12:24, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
You have a choice to make in your life. You can hold on to your life (these 80-90 years) and your life is all you have. However, you can invest your life (die to yourself) and it will bear much fruit...30, 60 or even a 100-fold.
If you belong to Abundant Grace Church, you have an opportunity in front of us with Celebration Midwest to make an investment that will require personal sacrifice, but if we make it, will produce life in others. Here's how:
1) Sign up for Celebration Midwest.
2) Give money so that others can go. I would suggest paying the amount it would cost you to go and someone else. Cost varies (see brochure), but a single adult would pay $110 and a family of four would pay $330. Even if you can't make it to Celebration yourself, I would encourage you to give as an expression that we are all in this together. You can simply place "abungrach100" in the memo of your check.
In order to do both 1 & 2, it requires a desire in you to die to yourself. There are perhaps other things you would rather do the weekend of June 4-6. You will have to die to your own preferences, to join a community vision. Or maybe, you have other ideas of how you want to use your money and to give to this would require real sacrifice. I do not want to minimize the sacrifice. It is real and if it's producing fruit, it's usually significant. So I don't want to minimize the sacrifice, but I do want to highlight the benefit. Dying to yourself WILL breed life in others. It's a kingdom principle that will never go void.
If you want your life to be about more than just your life, I want to encourage you in this principle and to practice it today!


(Shamelessly stolen and modified from Bryan Mowrey.)

Week of Prayer

We are praying this week during the evenings from 7-8.  We are praying for our connections in the city of Fort Scott, outreach to the East side of Fort Scott, Church planting in the top 100 cities and working into Ethiopia.

These are some big vision items that we feel God has given us to go for.  We are taking simple steps as we seek God and hear from him what to do next.

The men met last night and had a great time.  Guys were really going for it.  We felt God raising our faith to meet the agenda He has set for us.

The teens are meeting tonight at Max and Karen's to pray.

Wednesday our Small groups will be meeting.

Thursday is time for families to stay home and pray together.

Friday the whole church will gather to worship and pray.  I encourage you to consider fasting from food or activity through the day and set your heart to seek God.  We are planning to do great things for God and expect great things from God.

Resurrection in the Psalms

I am excited about this week. It is a chance to reflect and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Maybe that is what influenced my thinking this morning as I was reading in Psalm 49.

"Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast of the abundance of their riches? Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice, that he should live on forever and never see the pit."

The ransom of a life is costly. You and I can't pay it, but Jesus did. He is the one who will live forever and never see the pit. Yes, he was buried, but he did not suffer decay.

This means great hope is available. The Psalmist asks, "Why should I fear in times of trouble?" God paid our ransom through the death of the perfect and holy Son of God, Jesus. Because he lives, I don't have to fear. I know he is with me.