What Am I Doing?

The current edition of Blog Carnival has me focusing on one word - Goals. (The first goal being to actually write something here and post it this morning).

It made me think think not about what goals I currently have, but what goals should I be setting.

Me Goals: 

I hope I have reached a point in my life that I am spending a minimum of time chasing things that are only for my benefit. I hope my material goals are more about sustenance than about success as I used to define it. (For I could define it in the past by three words: Me. Me. Me.) When I think about "me" now, I want to focus on things like keeping myself healthy and keep me walking with the Lord and walking in His Word. I am hoping my spiritual sustenance is much more important to me now than my physical sustenance. I realize that the spiritual will last longer (for eternity) and will feed me so much better. And this leads me to the second set of goals I hope to be pursuing more diligently.

Kingdom Goals:

By kingdom I mean big "K" (His Kingdom) and not little "k" (Me. Me. Me.) I am in His Word to study and share, not just reflect on internally but to deepen relationships with others by sharing His Word and what it means in my life; sharing His Word and what it can mean in the life of another if they accept Jesus as the only way to their salvation. Am I sharing the Gospel, fulfilling His commands that I do so in love, as He loved me? Have I made Christ the central focus of my life? Do I know that deep in my heart? More importantly, do others see and know that?

The Bottom Line:

If I am not doing things that are big K focused, I am wasting my time, and that is time He has given me to spend here, so I am wasting His time in a way.

I only have so much time here to work in His Kingdom to share it with others.

If I focus more on Him, I will focus more on others, and will focus much less on myself.

I think that is a pretty good goal to strive for.

Be Ready and Doing

Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
Matthew 24:42-44(New American Standard Bible)

Just because you do not know what the future holds, you should not wait your way into the future; you should do your way into the future. You wait for the Lord, but you do life. A work has been begun in you in Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:6), so God is clearly working on you, and in this life, you need to continue working for Him. You are waiting for Him, but you are not waiting for life. It is happening around you and there are people in your life (careful or you may trip over them) that so desperately need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Scripture speaks of doing a servant's work (Matthew 25:14-30), of doing works of mercy and love in His name (Matthew 25:40). Scripture speaks of waiting for the return of Jesus.

Scripture speaks of waiting, but I do not see anywhere where it says to wait around doing nothing.


Technorati Tags: Jesus, God, waiting, doing, Gospel

The Means May Change, But My Lord Does Not

It should be apparent from the lack of activity in this blog for the past few months that I am struggling with blogging. It seems that I have been revisited with that old nagging feeling that I have had since I started doing this in the middle of 2008, relevance. Is what I have to say even worth writing down, let alone reading? I am still not sure and that is why I struggle, from the hiatus I took the summer of last year, the barren desert of blog posts this summer (maybe it is a seasonal thing, I hadn't thought of that until just now).

I have blown up my twitter account (for the second time, this time wiping it out just north of the 16000 follower mark, the first time making just a little over 8000) and now bump along just under 50. I also have limited my tweeting. So it appears I may questioning the effectiveness of the methods I am using. As an aging boomer in my mid-50's, born in the mid-50's (that conjunction of facts will get out of alignment soon), I wanted to explore the methods of communication being used today. I am still unconvinced I have a voice to add to this arena. I am not sure anyone wants to hear me here. I am not sure I want to be hear. Maybe I am better off with an old 8 track and a couple hard copy books (the bible and maybe LOTR by Tolkien).

Maybe I just need to focus on what I do not want to see change: the Gospel message and my saving faith. In the ministry I now work in, we define the Gospel as ten words taken from Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8,

Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead

We also hold that one needs to have saving faith:

Knowledge of who Christ is
Acceptance of His person and work
Trust in Christ alone for salvation

Some really clear and simple concepts to state, yet incredibly broad and complex in how they can change your life and you can change others. So maybe rather than worrying about the method I need to use I should just focus more on the message, and let the Lord take care of the means.

I would say I am back, but based on my beliefs, I was never away. I just might not be here as much, and I need to be OK with that. As long as I am doing the work He puts before me, do I really need to worry about how I go about doing it?



Technorati Tags: Jesus, Tolkien, LOTR, Gospel, EvanTell

A Simple Message

I guest blogged this post on Worldprayr a few days ago. I participated in an evangelism seminar at my church yesterday. I thought this was worthwhile posting again here in my own blog. Here goes.

The Gospel of our Lord is a very simple message, and incredibly powerful in its simplicity:

• Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead
  

There it is in ten words. See, simple, really. If you do not believe me, check out what the apostle Paul has to say:

• Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
  

But in that message there is so much more we can say to those who do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

• for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23)
  

Yes, that means all of us, no exceptions. All of us fall short of the mark. (The Greek word for sin hamartia, comes from the root meaning to miss the mark). I am no better than you, with or without Jesus in my life. I am a sinner, and so are you.

• For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
  

Yes, we are all sinners and earn the wages of our sin, eternal separation from a holy and just God. As sinners we earn that payment in full. So far, the message is not too hopeful. But wait, there is more.

• But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
  

It is the divine escape clause. We cannot escape our sin, we cannot pay the penalty for it, but someone came who can. Jesus Christ.

• For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
  

And the Lord gives us eternal life, gives us salvation, as a free gift because He loves us so. He loves us enough to send His Son to die in our behalf. And if you truly accept him as your Savior, if you tell Him you know you are sinner deserving of eternal punishment, if you tell Him you believe Jesus died for you and rose from the grave as the only way to your salvation, this gift is yours forevermore.

• Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24)
  

No one can take form you what God has given you here. You have eternal assurance of eternal salvation. The gift of God cannot be shaken.

So you see it is a pretty simple message:

• Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead
  

It is a simple message. Coming from the despair of a sinful life to the hope brought by a Redeemer. Eternal salvation, eternally assured as a gift from God once you accept Jesus as the Savior of your life and the only way to eternal life. Ten words that pack the most meaningful punch that your life can ever experience.

If you want more, check out http://www.evantell.org/ for more on as clear gospel message, and http://www.act111.org/ for free on-line evangelism training to help you share the message.

If you have some time, here is a short video to watch:

God is Always in Season

We are the ones that either fall out of season or have not ripened enough into the fruit of the Lord.

Many of us suffer from the unbalanced tendency to "be ready" only "out of season." The season does not refer to time; it refers to us. This verse says, "Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season." In other words, we should "be ready" whether we feel like it or not...One of the worst traps a Christian worker can fall into is to become obsessed with his own exceptional moments of inspiration...If you make a god out of your best moments, you will find that God will fade out of your life, never to return until you are obedient in the work He has placed closest to you, and until you have learned not to be obsessed with those exceptional moments He has given you.

Oswald Chambers - My Utmost For His Highest: April 25 Devotional

God is always in season and as such we need to be ready to sample what he is offering us every day, whether we feel in the season or not.

Service to the Lord is unending (it is for our lifetime), it is uncompromising (it is paramount in our lives), but it is incomparable (there is nothing else in our lives like it).

You can serve for a season in a specific role or purpose and then move on, but be sure that serving the Lord is an eternal state once you place your trust and faith in Jesus.

But just because it is for eternity, do not think you should sit around thinking about it for a long time. Do it now.

How long should you think? I'll give you as long as it takes to share the Gospel:

Jesus died for our sins and arose from the dead.

There, I'm done. What are you waiting for?

Get busy.

Show and Tell

Maybe I should call this post show and share. I have recently seen a video done by Penn Jillette of Penn & Teller on the blogs Caffeinated Thoughts and Beauty for Ashes in which he talks about not respecting those who do not proselytize. Penn Jillette is a self described atheist, but you can see the respect he has for the man who approached him and was willing to share his faith. I call it the courage of your convictions.

I know a lot of people who talk about showing Jesus to the world through their actions, of how they interact with others, showing the love of Christ. I think that is great, but often they do it and want to do no more. They do not want to talk about Jesus to the world.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 29:18-20 (NASB)

I know most times The Great Commission is shown as verses 19 & 20. I like to add verse 18 because it shows clearly by what authority this commission generates. This is something God the Father, the Son and Holy Spirit is behind.

We are called to be witnesses, not silent servants. Modeling Christ in behavior is fantastic, and extremely difficult, given the high standard He set for us to follow. But that is not enough. That is the silence of one hand clapping. We need to behave in that way and share the gospel as well.

This is a big task and needs both hands. We should celebrate those who share, but we should also use our hands to do and not to just clap. I want to thank Shane and Laurie for putting this video up for me to see.

Ockham's Razor

Since I shaved this morning for the first time since Thursday morning, it seemed like a good time to talk a little bit about Ockham's Razor and how it works in my life.

It is a very interesting way to face life. Strip away the unnecessary and get to the answer that is simplest. I know I am butchering the definition (AndyC's cleaver) somewhat, but it is an elegant approach to employ Ockham's Razor in viewing life's questions.

For me it works in this way. The simplest way to explain the world is with an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God. The simplest way to explain how such a God would want to love me is through grace and mercy. The simplest way to manifest that in the world is Jesus Christ.

I can explain my brokenness, my redemption, my willingness to try to be obedient to God's Word even knowing I will fail by the fact of Jesus Christ. Plain and simple. Eternity does not work for me, I do not fit into eternity given my failings without the atoning, substitutionary death of my Lord and Savior upon the Cross. Cut away all the rest and you come down to Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. Basic Gospel in simplest terms. Seems right to talk about on the Lord's day.

This may not be what William of Ockham had in mind but it works for me. And since it is my blog, that is how it goes this time around.

The Mudslide

As you read the Gospel accounts, you often see where the most casual encounters Jesus has with people lead to huge changes in their lives. As I think about my own interaction with people, I want meaningful connection, I want to share my faith and my life, hear about theirs, and hopefully encourage and exhort each other. As I think about what is available to us in the way of social interactivity, I wonder how is it we are to go about managing it all.
The Internet is about more than information these days, it is about interactivity, communities of participation, social networking. What blogs you read or write, what videos you watch or send to others, how many friends you keep up with on a social networking site. But there is so much available to interact with I wonder if we are we doomed to a life of casual interaction as we glance off each other in these snippets and sound bites. Is life becoming a series of drive by postings?
How easy is it to get buried under the weight of “stuff” as you review or send out links, requests, applications, videos and on and on. Everyone has a favorite something or other that they want to share with everyone else they connect to. Before I worried about information overload, today I worry about an interactivity mudslide, an overwhelming volume and diversity of interactive choice too broad in scope to manage other than superficially. I wonder if life is becoming harder to manage with the tools we have instead of easier. I wonder if we can manage deeper personal relationships in an era of ever expanding options.
I am looking for suggestions, I am searching for answers, I’ll settle for reassurance. I am willing to be told I have unfounded concerns.
Any takers?