You may be asking what in the world does that mean. Carrying my Cross or my Cupcake? Me no understand... This is a simple question of Salvation and bearing fruit. Christ said that in order for us to follow Him we must pick up our cross. Some might argue that this simply means living a good moral life and nothing more, but I would argue that His audience (Jews) were already living a good moral life as they were living deeply in the Law of God (although legalistically). So what this tells me is that it means much more than this, it means just that...picking up our cross. Submitting to Christ in every area and following the Will of God.
First of all this is a salvation issue. Have you ever had a time in your life where you submitted and committed to Christ? If not you need to seriously examine your faith. But what about Christians? Are we carrying our Cross? Or our we simply indulging in our Cupcakes? The reason I use this term is because you are either a cross carrier or a cupcake. You are either seeking after the Kingdom of God or the things of this world. We involve ourselves in "ministries" so we can appease our guilty conscience. "Well, Junior is involved in awana so I am going to be there and help out." or "I like to Sing so I will be involved in Choir." When in fact true ministry is sacrifice. True ministry is doing the things you may not want to do. Its going and ministering to someone in their home on a Tuesday night, not just when you happen to be at church on Sunday. We need to be setting up our budgets so that we can give more than 10% to the Lord. "Hey, lets not eat out this weekend let's eat Ramen Noodles for Jesus!"
So are you carrying your cupcake, the light delicious flesh pleasing dessert that makes you feel good? Or are you carrying your cross, looking for others to minister to and looking for ways to benefit and build up the Kingdom of God glorifying the name of Jesus even when it means sacrificing your time, money or pleasure?
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Yet it was kind of you to share my trouble. (Philippians 4:12-14)
Friday, January 28, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Haiti Preparation
I will be going, Lord Willing, to Haiti in a month to help out missionaries and I believe their orphanage. I wanted to write about my perception of going there before I actually went and contrast it with my actual experience when I get back.
What will I do? How will I minister? With a language barrier I will not get much chance to witness or preach the gospel. I know they speak a version of French called Creole, but I know very few words in French if they even would carry over. The entire idea of ministry for Jesus Christ is to be a servant. So that is what I will do is serve. I will be a slave for a week to the weak and the least of people. I will let those in poverty be my master (through Christ).
What will I do? How will I minister? With a language barrier I will not get much chance to witness or preach the gospel. I know they speak a version of French called Creole, but I know very few words in French if they even would carry over. The entire idea of ministry for Jesus Christ is to be a servant. So that is what I will do is serve. I will be a slave for a week to the weak and the least of people. I will let those in poverty be my master (through Christ).
Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' (Matthew 25:34-40)
Today there is such a view that ministry means you will have power, you will have comfort, you will simply have. However, true ministry for Christ means you will give up, you will follow, you will suffer. Will this be an amazing trip for me? I hope that it will be spiritually, but in the natural I would much rather go to Europe, the Middle East or a cruise in the Caribbean where I could have fun and relax. Africa would be amazing or maybe checking out China or India. I would love to go mountain climbing in Argentina and Chile where the largest mountain outside the Himalayas resides.
My point is not to boast in anyway (as I have nothing to boast about) but to provide a real life experience where as God works in my life you can see where it is a potential reality to move to in yours. Stop buying into the lies of this world and start living for Christ.
Bon Jour!
Today there is such a view that ministry means you will have power, you will have comfort, you will simply have. However, true ministry for Christ means you will give up, you will follow, you will suffer. Will this be an amazing trip for me? I hope that it will be spiritually, but in the natural I would much rather go to Europe, the Middle East or a cruise in the Caribbean where I could have fun and relax. Africa would be amazing or maybe checking out China or India. I would love to go mountain climbing in Argentina and Chile where the largest mountain outside the Himalayas resides.
My point is not to boast in anyway (as I have nothing to boast about) but to provide a real life experience where as God works in my life you can see where it is a potential reality to move to in yours. Stop buying into the lies of this world and start living for Christ.
Bon Jour!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Why Does God Test Us?
About two weeks ago my curiosity was peaked with the question of Why Does God Test Us? I studied this subject with the Western Philosophy and way of thinking and came to this conclusion: He tests us to prove to us where we fail so that we can learn from it. Afterall this is the orginal purpose for testing in our educational institutions not just to grade but to find out where we are weak and improve in those areas. I was satisfied with this answer and therefore put it to rest for a week or so.
However, God used someone else to show me there was something much deeper and less self-oriented in the testing process. This began through the Faith Lessons DVD series where the host looks at the Word of God based on the Culture, Thinking, Geography and History of its original audience and let's be honest most of the World's way of thinking before the 16-1700's.
Once he put the seed of this truth into my mind the Lord began making it grow and blossom.To understand why God tests us we must understand a few other things first. We can look at Israel as they wandered through the wilderness out of Egypt as a prime example of how God tests His people. What is the first thing we know about testing? It is to gain knowledge. But one could say God is omniscient so there is no need for Him to test us for Him to gain knowledge. That is where we have to stop thinking as children of the European Age of Reason and begin to think like Israel when they were treking across that desert wasteland.
The second thing that we have to understand is the Law itself and what God wants for us. The message of the Law is that God is the most important being in this universe and other humans are more important than you. Which by the way Christ fulfilled this when he humbled himself and became obedient dying on the cross. (Phillipians 2:7-8)
The third thing is remembering one of the messages of James in which our Faith is dead without action. These three together begin to interweave a mosaic of what it means when God tests us. First let's look at God knowing us.
When God tests us he wants to know us. This word "know" in the Hebrew and Jewish way of thinking is an experiential and relational way of knowing someone. This is not referring to simple data collection or a factual knowledge of a person.The word know in the Hebrew is the same word that describes a man and woman having sexual relations...a very intimate experience. To explain it best let me use a personal example- A few months after my son, Colton, began to walk, when we told him to put something in the trash he knew exactly what to do. So when we told him he obeyed and we experienced his obedience and this developed our relationship as well as brought joy to us to see him perform and obey. Now he did have the option not to obey and when he did this it caused us to have to "discipline" him. This is the kind of knowing that God wants from us. Not just a gathering of knowledge like some computer, but a living breathing relationship.
Secondly, when he tests us he gives us opportunity to live out the law and help others. Going back to the example of my son, when he would throw something away in the trash can that helped the rest of the family out because now we would not have to worry about that piece of trash. (This may seem small but give him a break he was a baby)
Finally, we get an opportunity to put faith into action which benefits God, others and ourselves by showing Christ to others and in turn, yes, maybe learning a little bit about ourselves and where we may need to improve. So why does God test us? Well, because He wants to and what a great opportunity for us to be able to excite and please our Father in Heaven. To grow closer to Him, not because we failed and learn from it, but because we succeeded and can rejoice with Him.
However, God used someone else to show me there was something much deeper and less self-oriented in the testing process. This began through the Faith Lessons DVD series where the host looks at the Word of God based on the Culture, Thinking, Geography and History of its original audience and let's be honest most of the World's way of thinking before the 16-1700's.
Once he put the seed of this truth into my mind the Lord began making it grow and blossom.To understand why God tests us we must understand a few other things first. We can look at Israel as they wandered through the wilderness out of Egypt as a prime example of how God tests His people. What is the first thing we know about testing? It is to gain knowledge. But one could say God is omniscient so there is no need for Him to test us for Him to gain knowledge. That is where we have to stop thinking as children of the European Age of Reason and begin to think like Israel when they were treking across that desert wasteland.
The second thing that we have to understand is the Law itself and what God wants for us. The message of the Law is that God is the most important being in this universe and other humans are more important than you. Which by the way Christ fulfilled this when he humbled himself and became obedient dying on the cross. (Phillipians 2:7-8)
The third thing is remembering one of the messages of James in which our Faith is dead without action. These three together begin to interweave a mosaic of what it means when God tests us. First let's look at God knowing us.
When God tests us he wants to know us. This word "know" in the Hebrew and Jewish way of thinking is an experiential and relational way of knowing someone. This is not referring to simple data collection or a factual knowledge of a person.The word know in the Hebrew is the same word that describes a man and woman having sexual relations...a very intimate experience. To explain it best let me use a personal example- A few months after my son, Colton, began to walk, when we told him to put something in the trash he knew exactly what to do. So when we told him he obeyed and we experienced his obedience and this developed our relationship as well as brought joy to us to see him perform and obey. Now he did have the option not to obey and when he did this it caused us to have to "discipline" him. This is the kind of knowing that God wants from us. Not just a gathering of knowledge like some computer, but a living breathing relationship.
Secondly, when he tests us he gives us opportunity to live out the law and help others. Going back to the example of my son, when he would throw something away in the trash can that helped the rest of the family out because now we would not have to worry about that piece of trash. (This may seem small but give him a break he was a baby)
Finally, we get an opportunity to put faith into action which benefits God, others and ourselves by showing Christ to others and in turn, yes, maybe learning a little bit about ourselves and where we may need to improve. So why does God test us? Well, because He wants to and what a great opportunity for us to be able to excite and please our Father in Heaven. To grow closer to Him, not because we failed and learn from it, but because we succeeded and can rejoice with Him.
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