What does God expect from us?

Some of the answers to that question are simple ones.  God expects us to love Him with everything we are and have (Matthew 22:37-38).  God expects us to love others, people, as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:39).  God expects us to live a life of obedience to Him and His Word (John 14:23).  God expects us to make disciples as we go through life (Matthew 28:19-20).

I’m reading Erwin McManus’ newest book, Wide Awake, right now and he said something in what I read this morning that has caused me to pause and think.

When Jesus gives us insight into the kingdom of God, he focused not so much on what God would do for us but instead on what he will expect from us.  Jesus clearly expects us to be fully engaged in this life and the creation of the future.

I’m not sure I’ve always looked at all of the “kingdom of heaven is like” passages through the filter of what my role is today - here and now.  I think many times we tend to look at these parables in light of our future and what we think God is going to do for us as His followers.  McManus’ suggestion is that these passages are not only about the future but more about our role today and what God expects from us as His followers.  Here are some of the “kingdom of heaven” passages.  What do you think God is expecting from us in light of each of these passages?

• Matthew 13:1-23
• Matthew 13:24-30
• Matthew 13:31-35
• Matthew 13:44-46
• Matthew 13:47-52
• Matthew 18:1-9
• Matthew 18:21-35
• Matthew 20:1-16
• Matthew 21:33-46
• Matthew 22:1-14
• Matthew 25:1-13
• Matthew 25:14-30
• Matthew 25:31-46

Looking Out @ the World

It is always good for me to have regular reminders that my eyes need to stay focused on more than the here and now, the present world and situation I live in, my present circumstances.  That’s one of the reasons why every Sunday night @ LIFT we briefly look at another country and how we can be praying for those people the coming week.  I think we all need constant reminding that God so loved the world, not just us.

It was great having Jonatan and Shantal Odicio with us this past Sunday night.  After LIFT we spent a few hours together talking about Peru and their ministry and the Church worldwide.  Seeing from the eyes of people who not only live in other countries but were born and raised there alters our own often skewed perspectives. It keeps my eyes on the world and the people God loves.

Yesterday I spent the day out in Lancaster as we began planning for VISION ‘09 coming up in March.  For several hours eleven of us talked about how to better engage students in God’s world-wide mission and foster hearts and eyes for the world.  I am excited about this year’s VISION conference - from the main speaker to the breakouts to the worship times and band to the concert that night.  I’ll reveal some more as things begin to get locked completely in.  But it will be a great day that I trust will open our eyes to the part that we all must play in world evangelization.

Speaking of missions and world evangelization, we’re down to just a month and a half for those of you in the high school group to get your applications in for Honduras. I trust that many of you will join us for this life-altering trip this July.  Have you been praying about it?  What’s holding you back?  I love what Francis Chan says in his book, Crazy Love, about getting out and serving God:

Most of us use “I’m waiting on God to reveal His calling on my life” as a means of avoiding action.  Did you hear God calling you to sit in front of the television yesterday?  Or to go on your last vacation?  Or exercise this morning?  Probably not, but you still did it.  The point isn’t that vacations or exercise are wrong, but that we are quick to rationalize our entertainment and priorities yet are slow to commit to serving God.

Will you join us this July and further expand your view of what God is doing around the world and what He can do in and through you?  WIll you commit to serving God with us this summer?

Make it a priority this year to see the world through God’s eyes, to make world evangelization (missions) a priority in your life, and to stop praying about whether God would have you serve and just start doing it.

Real Life

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  - Jesus (John 10:10, NIV)

“Jesus came so that you could squeeze out all the joy and beauty and value and importance of every breath and every moment you exist.”  - Erwin McManus, Wide Awake

If that’s what Jesus offers those who will follow Him, why do we settle for less?

HS Kickball Tournament

Pictures from the High School’s Kickball Tournament are up on the website.

Why are you a Christian?

Why am I a Christian?  Do you ever ask yourself that question?  Do you, like me, ever sit and recount the reasons you accepted Christ and became a Christian?  What is this Christianity thing all about, really?  I mean, is it about going to church?  Doing the right things?  Not doing the wrong things?  Being good - and not being bad?  

Over the past year or so I cannot get away from Mark 12:28-31.  It continually reminds me of what this is all about.

²⁸One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

    ²⁹“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”

Love God.  Love people.  The greatest command.  Am I loving God as I should?  Do I love people like I need to?  As I sat eating my Raisin Bran for breakfast this morning, I was reading Erwin McManus’ book, Wide Awake, and came across a paragraph that made me stop, think, re-read it, think again, and re-read it again.  It hits at the crux of what being a Christian is really about - and what it isn’t about.

Your faith, your religion or spirituality, is not supposed to serve as a way to get God off your back.  It’s not supposed to be a way to leverage your bets so that maybe you can get to heaven when you die.  It’s not supposed to be just about some way to relieve your guilt and shame.  Dreaming with your eyes open is about living life to the fullest and enjoying God and having Him enjoy you.  It’s about getting God into your soul, your heart, and your head, and letting Him show you the dreams and plans He has for your life.  When an infinite God comes to dwell in a finite being, dangerously beautiful things begin to happen.  It is here where you become indomitable.  The fire within you becomes an eternal flame that cannot be put out.

So, why are you a Christian?  Has loving God become your all-consuming, passionate pursuit in life?  Or is it just fire-insurance or what makes the parents happy or seems like a good thing to do or just the way you  were raised or whatever?  Anything other than a hot and passionate pursuit of loving God becomes burdensome and honestly, just a game we play.  And it sucks all the life out of us.  There’s only one way to live life to it’s fullest - a life beyond our wildest dreams, and that’s to live a life that is running after God.

When an infinite God comes to dwell in a finite being, dangerously beautiful things begin to happen.

Confused People

We, followers of Jesus, are often a confused bunch.  

Following is a great quote from one of my favorite speakers and authors, Erwin McManus, from his new book, Wide Awake.

We have confused comfort with peace, belief with faith, safety with wisdom, wealth with blessing, and existence with life.

Lord, may you help me to follow Jesus and to not confuse a life with Jesus with the one the world and the Church in the United States often propagates.  Amen.

SYATP

How did SYATP go at your school this morning?

SYATP

Don’t forget tomorrow morning at 7:00 around your school flag pole.  Take part in SEE YOU AT THE POLE and pray for your school, your friends, your teachers and administration, our country.  I’ll be praying along with all of you.

More

I recently re-discovered a song that I used to listen to back in the day.  Mylon LeFevre & Broken Heart was a rocking Christian band back in the 80s and they did a ballad called “More.”  As I was driving to Home Depot (yet again) last night around 9:30, this song came on the iPod in the van.  It reminded me that this should be the daily prayer of my heart.  It’s based on the passage John 3:30 :: “He must become greater; I must become less.” 

 

Break my heart and change my mind
Cut me loose from ties that bind
Lead me as I follow You
Give me strength to follow through

Oh, Lord, Lord, I want to be more like Jesus

More of Jesus - less of me
By His power I will be
Like a flower in the Spring
Brand new life in everything

Holy Spirit fill me up
Gently overflow my cup
Touch my eyes and let me see
Me in You and You in me

Oh, Lord, Lord, I want to be more like Jesus

More of Jesus - less of me
By His power I will be
Like a flower in the Spring
Brand new life in everything

I want to know You more, more, more, more, more
I want to be more, I need to be more like Jesus
More, more, more, more - I want to be more, I need to be more like Jesus
More, more, more, more - I want to be more, I need to be more like Jesus
More, more, more, more - I want to be more, I need to be more like Jesus
More, more, more, more - I want to be more, I need to be more like Jesus

 You can listen to the song on our website.

Caption Contest

Alright.  Here’s a great picture from the HSM Kick-Off BBQ a couple weeks ago.  Who knows what Tammy was saying or doing but it’s a good picture.  Here’s what we’re going to do.  Create a caption for this picture and leave it in the comments.  We’ll vote on the best caption in an upcoming Underground and winner gets a prize.  Tell everyone about it and let’s have some fun with this.

Create-A-Caption