jesus « Ramblings On. . .

Tag Archives: jesus

Gospel Urgency & Gospel Patience

Yesterday was a great day at Creekside. I got to preach about Livin’ Single, (not the tv show) and I got to play a bit of Pomplamoose’s cover of Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” which is probably one of my favorite songs. I’m not even ashamed to admit that. Pomplamoose’s arrangement is amazing and totally creative. Love it!

Between services we had the opportunity to gather some of our group leaders and potential group leaders and start to talk about our fall goal of launching 40 groups.

I was reminded of something after the service that. I had to share.

We should live with a gospel urgency. We need as many people to hear the gospel as possible. The gospel has the power to transform lives and to transform the world. The church, every single christian, is tasked with Sharing the gospel, both in words and deeds.

But as we do this we need to balance gospel urgency with gospel patience. We need to be sure to do the work that God has called us to do. But we also need to trust God and his timing. Whether we are developing leaders or systems in the church we need to be mindful that Jesus took three years to train 12 guys. He took a long view at what these 12 guys could do and invested in a few instead of trying to gather masses of people and training them poorly.

I think too often I want things to just work and have everybody do them and the system to be perfected so I can move on to the next goal. That’s the urgency in my heart. But I need to be sure to model Gospel Patience, and not push people before they are ready or require that every e be at the same place so we can keep moving.

It’s a lot harder than it seems to balance Gospel Urgency with Gospel Patience but if we look at what Jesus did, it seemed to work really well.

What if churches didn’t add any new initiatives for a year and just developed what they had and built a system that could be expanded.

Just some thoughts. I had to get off my brain

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories church

Why I Follow Jesus

18 Mar

I am not ashamed to call myself a Christian. Something that I’ve been realizing while I practice my hobby stand-up comedy is that there are a lot of people who do not like Christians, Christianity or church. This honestly breaks my heart because my relationship with Jesus has been so important to me, and I go to the open-mic and I always here something that is anti-Christian.

I can’t be ashamed of Jesus because as cheesy as it sounds he is never ashamed of me. Even when I’m a complete idiot he still loves me and desires the best for me, more that I do for myself. He is not afraid to associate with me.

Let me explain with Peter.

Jesus calls Peter by going fishing with him. Peter was a fisherman. Peter was having a horrible morning of fishing and Jesus said, “Hey Peter, through your net on the other side of the boat.” Peter’s thoughts were probably, “Hey dude, what do you know about fishing? Aren’t you a carpenter? Why don’t you go and build something and leave the fishing to the professionals.” But Peter obliged Jesus and threw his net on the other side of the boat, and they caught a boat load (literally) of fish.

From that moment on Peter decided that following Jesus was the way to go. Now Peter wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He was impulsive, sometimes reckless, didn’t think before he spoke, said he would never desert Jesus, but he did. Jesus was crucified, Peter probably watched him die from a distance.

So what does Peter do? He goes back to work to fishing. Jesus was died, rose from the dead, appeared to the disciples, spoke to them, but what does Peter do? He went back to fishing. Maybe he felt like Jesus was disappointed with him, maybe Peter felt like he was out of favor. So he goes back to what he knew.

While he was fishing someone yells from the shore, “Cast your net on the other side.” I wonder if that story had spread, and Peter may have been sick of it. I don’t know. But he throws the net on the other side, and what do you know, they catch a ton of fish.

Peter jumps out of the boat and swims to shore and there’s Jesus. Jesus restores Peter, even thought Peter was ashamed of Jesus, Jesus was not ashamed of Peter. I love that story. Because I’m an idiot and I need Jesus because he’s not ashamed of me. His grace is enough.

I follow Jesus simply because he sees more in me than I see in myself. He believes in me when I don’t. Am I embarrassed by some things some christians do? yeah. Am I ashamed of somethings churches do in the name of Jesus? sadly, yes. Kind of like a crazy uncle. I love them because we are family, but I wouldn’t say the things they say.

I can’t speak for them and Jesus. I can only speak for me and my relationship with Jesus. And I know that Jesus is not ashamed of me.

Comments 1 Comment
Categories reflections

The Pastor’s Job

13 Jun

I read this today in John 21:

15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18 Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” 19(This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Here Jesus gives Peter, who would become the leader of the church two jobs. Feed and Follow Jesus. That’s it. If we love Jesus, we will follow him, and if we follow him we will feed other followers of Jesus. It’s that simple.

Just some thoughts.

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories leadership

He Did it! we did it – Reflections on Easter Sunday

13 Apr

Our first Sunday morning gathering at our church’s new campus is behind us. The exictement of the new campus, Easter Sunday, and neighborhood buzz led to a pretty exciting morning. I am so blessed to work with the great volunteers that I do. Every week I am amazed by these teams, and I’m truly humbled to get to work with them.

And today reminds us why we get up early on Sunday, to help park cars, or make coffee, or hand out programs. We do all of these things, becuase Jesus is alive. Jesus’ resurrection changes all of history. It’s the reason we get out of bed in the morning, and the reason that we spent the past four years moving to Mountlake Terrace, to tell more people about Jesus, who has conquered death and has provided a way for us to be freed from sin. It’s all for Jesus.

What a great day. We can b e happy for the accomplishment four our church, but ultimately Jesus is the Hero of the Day, of our lives, and of all of history.

HE DID IT!

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Uncategorized

The Prophet Like Moses = Jesus

13 Mar

This was a pretty cool happening. In my bible reading this morning I read Deuteronomy 18 which talks about the Prophet like Moses, and Mark 13, where Jesus is speaking as a prophet in the temple. Pretty awesome “coincidence.” Thanks Biblegateway.com

A New Prophet like Moses

¹⁵ “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— ¹⁶just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly, when you said, ‘Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.’ ¹⁷And the LORD said to me, ‘They are right in what they have spoken. ¹⁸ I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. ¹⁹ And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him. ²⁰ But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die.’ ²¹And if you say in your heart, ‘How may we know the word that the LORD has not spoken?’— ²² when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him.

Mark 13

Jesus Foretells Destruction of the Temple

¹ And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” ²And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”

Signs of the Close of the Age

³And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, ⁴“Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?” ⁵And Jesus began to say to them, “See that no one leads you astray. ⁶ Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. ⁷And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet. ⁸For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

⁹ “But be on your guard. For they will deliver you over to councils, and you will be beaten in synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them. ¹⁰And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations. ¹¹And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² And brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death. ¹³ And you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

The Abomination of Desolation

¹⁴“But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be ( let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. ¹⁵ Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, ¹⁶and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. ¹⁷And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! ¹⁸Pray that it may not happen in winter. ¹⁹For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. ²⁰And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories Theology

Forgiveness

9 Mar

Today I was reading from Mark and this verse struck me.

Mark 11:25 – “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

Whenever you pray, forgive. Who do you need to forgive? I think we all have things that tweek us throughout our day, week, month, and when we let those things build up we can create a grudge. But I love this little verse because we need to be the first to forgive. We should not wait for people to apologize. I know I needed this verse today.

Comments Leave a Comment
Categories reflections

The Bible still challenges me, and it should.

5 Feb

If I’m being totally honest, when I read the Bible I get really messed up with what I think, today I was reading in Matthew 23 and Jesus said this:

² “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat, ³so practice and observe whatever they tell you— but not what they do. For they preach, but do not practice. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. ⁵ They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long, ⁶and they love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues ⁷and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. ⁸ But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. ¹¹ The greatest among you shall be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Jesus was telling the disciples a lot about leadership in this passage. First of all he was instructing them to honor the pharisees, which is contrary to the what I feel about pharisees. But Jesus tells his followers to listen to them because they are in a position of honor. And what they tell us to do, we should do out of honor. But we should not be like them. We’ve all followed leaders who we didn’t want to be like, but we should not just follow begrudgingly, we should honor the position they hold. I heard Steven Furtick talk about honor on the Catalyst Podcast a few months ago and it blew me away.

Jesus says to honor them by obeying them but don’t strive to be like them, because they don’t practice what they preach. My prayer is that as a leader I will always be able to say I practiced what I preached. I’m not perfect, but I’m press on to be more and more like Jesus. I don’t want it to be said of me that I asked people to do things that I’m not willing to do myself. There is not job too small for me, just like there is no job that is too big for me. If I ask people to read the bible everyday, then I better be willing to read the Bible everyday too.

Verse 8 is where things get tricky for me. As a pastor am I missing the point of this verse, “But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. ¹⁰Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ.” I’m a teacher, a pastor, a modern day rabbi, that’s part of my job. I think this passage is why I don’t really like to be called “Pastor Jason.” Because I know how human I am, and I really want to be normal like everyone else. When people want the job of Pastor for the title, that makes me nervous for them and the people they lead.

I do believe that God calls certain people to a life of service in the local church. The job title that we have given to those people is pastor, so I can totally get behind calling people pastor. But maybe Jesus is saying that when we listen to our Pastors more than we listen to Jesus, our true instructor, then we are in effect practicing idolatry.

Ministry should never be about putting on a show so that you can be honored in public. Should ministry really be about living a life in private that honors God and helping others to live that same kind of life. The pastors job is to help people to learn to hear from God. That’s spiritual growth, when our people are coming to church not to encounter the communicators on the stage, but to encounter the presence of God in their heart. If our church is a place where people learn to meet with Jesus and learn how to carry out their life with the Holy Spirit every day of the week, I believe that church can’t help but grow.

Jesus didn’t really present a church growth model, neither did Paul, or Peter, or James, or any of the Gospel writers. What they seem to be presenting is a model of living every day with Jesus, getting out instruction directly from him. And we do this through Bible reading, through prayer, through community with other believers. It is good to have a plan for the growth that God will bring to your church, but if people are not connecting with Jesus for themselves then that growth will burn up in the sun. Good disciples make disciples.

Just thinking digitally.

after I wrote this post, i read this. good thoughts.

Comments 2 Comments
Categories church, leadership

Wise as Serpents?

14 Jan

Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

This verse has always confused me. I don’t understand why Jesus would reference the serpent.

In the context of the verse Jesus is talking about the risk of being a disciple and the coming persecution. I can understand being gentle as doves, but I don’t really get why the serpent is so wise. Is it because snakes are hard to grab? Not saying that Christians are supposed to be evasive, but we should also not try to cause trouble.

I know it’s not saying that we should strike like a serpent, because that’s not gentle like a dove. When the disciples where arrested in Acts we never saw them fighting the arrest.

I don’t know, this verse has always confused me.

Comments 3 Comments
Categories Uncategorized

Prisoner of Christ

5 Nov

At Creekside we have been experimenting with extending the dialogue on Sunday mornings. We’ve been playing with the idea of text messaging questions that people have from Sunday’s sermon. If you are interested in doing this check out PollEverywhere.com.

Well I spoke on Philemon 1-7 this week and I received this question:

In vs. 1 prisoner of Christ why does he say prisoner. figurative and literal? language a bit morbid?

So why did Paul use this phrase? The simple answer is that he was actually a prisoner. Paul is uses this phrase twice in Philemon (vv 1, 9), and then again in Ephesians 3:1. For the writing of both of these letters, Paul was in Jail for preaching the Gospel. Paul spent a lot of time in prison, and he references prison and his chains often.

Prison during the first century was generally a miserable experience. Our prisoners today have it way easier. Paul never would have received free cable and a gym membership. But Paul wasn’t always in the deepest, darkest pit that Rome could find. In at least one of his imprisonments he was on house arrest. During this time he literally had a Roman soldier chained to him at all time. So Paul had someone to share his faith with every day of his captivity, so he had something to do at least. Paul took his chains and used them as an opportunity to preach the gospel

12Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. 13As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard^[a] and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. 14Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. Philippians 1.12-14

Paul was able to take a bad situation and make it a gospel opportunity. He had nothing to lose, he only had souls to gain for the Kingdom of God.

Part of the power of Paul’s Prison imagery, was the freedom that he found even though he was in physical chains. No prison could hold his spirit. And he was truly free from the chains of the law, and he was free to live in the grace and mercy that Christ purchased for him on the cross.

So Paul’s references to prison are, in a way, ironic. Yes he is in physical chains, but the chains around his heart are gone. And that’s what happens in our lives when we surrender our lives to Christ. No matter what situation we are going through in our lives. We are free in Christ. The real trick then is to acutally live in the freedom.

In Galatians Paul is talking to a group of people who are reverting back to the prison of legalism. They are putting themselves back in prison and closing the door, behind themselves. Jesus broke the locks, he’s set us free. Whenever we try to earn God’s favor, or live in a law-based, legalistic way, we are putting ourselves in prison and are denying the power of the Grace of Christ in our lives.

Whenever we play around with temptation and sin, we are putting ourselves back into the prison that Jesus set us free from.

The contrast between Paul’s physical chains, and his message of hisFreedom in Christ, should remind us that we truly can be free, and that we can only find that freedom through the Grace of Christ. We just need to walk out of those open prison doors and into the grace of Christ.