What a sermon to preach this week...or should I say, what a text in 1 John 2:3-11. Read it http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John%202:3-11&version=31 ...
As I wrestled with this text it was quite easy to see, John wasn't talking to the religious leaders who practiced a lot of good things, he was talking to those who really thought they knew God, who studied well, and had a "deep connection" through knowledge with him. John challenges the readers to realize that knowing God is about obeying his commands. The proof of our claims to follow Jesus, will be seen how we act.
So, when God calls us to change, to conquer an addiction, to start a new discipline, to forgive someone that's really made us angry, will we obey?
To hit home the point even more, John speaks about how God's love is made complete when we obey his commands. The completeness of God's love is made by having us unite faith and action. How profound - a bottled up faith, an ignored faith, without action hasn't revealed that God's love is at work.
Thankfully, we realize that in God's grace for us, he will call us to change only what we are capable of. We don't have to be overwhelmed, but know God's spirit will work in us, one area at a time.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Wearing a tux in a gas station
On Sunday night God really challenged me through a message I listened to by a passionate preacher named Steven Furtick (www.elevationchurch.org) on Leadership, called "Dress for the Wedding."
As he explained, when God has called us to live out a mission in life, will we listen. He reminded us of the story of Noah, who was called to build a boat. Not a little fishing boat. Not a small pleasure craft - it was a cruise ship - and they never saw rain. Noah heard from God and listened.
Then Steven gave the example of how times we head off to a wedding, this has happened to me & probably you, you're all dressed up and you stop for gas (or a slurpee) and you feel like you have to explain yourself. "I'm heading to a wedding, that's why I'm dressed up." So you stick out, what will you do....do you care, or think, yikes maybe I should just dress down and hang out here.
God really hit me- it's time to live out the mission God has put on my life - to point others to Jesus and stop worrying about other's opinions. I can't be like the Israelites who headed to Canaan and said, "No way Moses, those people are scary & big, so we can't conquer that land!"
Quit taking God out of the equation of your life. Quit saying and believing the doubters, the nay-sayers, those who are stuck at the gas station and haven't been invited to the wedding. God really challenged me that night (Sunday, Feb. 22nd), "Paul, will you step up and move forward, enough talk, now put some plans in place and persevere for my glory?!!"
Put that tux back, on...get that fire of God in your heart and see where he leads....
As he explained, when God has called us to live out a mission in life, will we listen. He reminded us of the story of Noah, who was called to build a boat. Not a little fishing boat. Not a small pleasure craft - it was a cruise ship - and they never saw rain. Noah heard from God and listened.
Then Steven gave the example of how times we head off to a wedding, this has happened to me & probably you, you're all dressed up and you stop for gas (or a slurpee) and you feel like you have to explain yourself. "I'm heading to a wedding, that's why I'm dressed up." So you stick out, what will you do....do you care, or think, yikes maybe I should just dress down and hang out here.
God really hit me- it's time to live out the mission God has put on my life - to point others to Jesus and stop worrying about other's opinions. I can't be like the Israelites who headed to Canaan and said, "No way Moses, those people are scary & big, so we can't conquer that land!"
Quit taking God out of the equation of your life. Quit saying and believing the doubters, the nay-sayers, those who are stuck at the gas station and haven't been invited to the wedding. God really challenged me that night (Sunday, Feb. 22nd), "Paul, will you step up and move forward, enough talk, now put some plans in place and persevere for my glory?!!"
Put that tux back, on...get that fire of God in your heart and see where he leads....
1 John - 1st Intermission
So...yes being a hockey fan, there are times where there are going to be intermissions. After two pretty hardcore and heavy weeks of preaching in 1 John, I get to pause and take a breath about what God has been teaching me and Gateway. (The reason for the break in my preaching this week is b/c Gord Fleming, church planting director, is coming out to preach).
As I was recovering from trying to explain in less than 40 minutes
As I was recovering from trying to explain in less than 40 minutes
- how God is light
- How we could really be sinners
- How Jesus covers sins
- How Jesus is the only atonement for sin
I have to say, what an enjoyable exercise in realizing the depth of my need for God and extravagant his love is, in the form of Jesus!
How do you deal with accepting the love of Jesus? Is it easy to do? Are you ever brought to tears, or is your heart overwhelmed, by what God has done for you?
Thanks God for your abundant love!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
1 John...the second week on Sin
After passionately preaching on 1 John, it's time to move forward on why we really need God's love. This week's passage, 1 John 1:5-2:2, is quite a challenge to digest.
What's the big deal? God really hits me with my great need for God.
John says in verse 8, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Then he says, "If we claim to be without sin..."
- Am I guilty of sinning? Am I a sinner? It would help to define sin. As many would think this means some rule (like the Ten Commandments), or moral code, of right and wrong...and hey if I don't break this "law" then I haven't sinned?! Right?
But what if sin is more accurately defined as missing the mark. Don't we all miss the mark compared to God? Or another definition I heard yesterday by Tim Keller was that sin is "building your identity on anything but God." Then he went on to explain, "Sin is turning a good thing into an ultimate thing."
Hmm, a good thing into an ultimate thing. Taking a our job and making it the end all. Hoping for a vacation...but once it comes, then what. Focussing on our family, and smothering them and hoping for more than they can give.
Do you see the problem?
I know I am more aware of the sin in my life. Yes there is sin which encompasses my human nature, but there are also times when I turn a good thing (my marriage, a sport, a holiday) into an idol/ an ultimate thing. Thankfully Jesus is ready to give us a new hope and a strength (named the Holy Spirit) to resist sin and be overcomers...who still always need Jesus.
PS. - hope to see you on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 8pm at Starbucks to discuss the relevance of Jesus and his offer of love and freedom from sin.
What's the big deal? God really hits me with my great need for God.
John says in verse 8, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Then he says, "If we claim to be without sin..."
- Am I guilty of sinning? Am I a sinner? It would help to define sin. As many would think this means some rule (like the Ten Commandments), or moral code, of right and wrong...and hey if I don't break this "law" then I haven't sinned?! Right?
But what if sin is more accurately defined as missing the mark. Don't we all miss the mark compared to God? Or another definition I heard yesterday by Tim Keller was that sin is "building your identity on anything but God." Then he went on to explain, "Sin is turning a good thing into an ultimate thing."
Hmm, a good thing into an ultimate thing. Taking a our job and making it the end all. Hoping for a vacation...but once it comes, then what. Focussing on our family, and smothering them and hoping for more than they can give.
Do you see the problem?
I know I am more aware of the sin in my life. Yes there is sin which encompasses my human nature, but there are also times when I turn a good thing (my marriage, a sport, a holiday) into an idol/ an ultimate thing. Thankfully Jesus is ready to give us a new hope and a strength (named the Holy Spirit) to resist sin and be overcomers...who still always need Jesus.
PS. - hope to see you on Thursday, Feb. 19 at 8pm at Starbucks to discuss the relevance of Jesus and his offer of love and freedom from sin.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
1 John -God's Love... the First week
Here's my quick beef (I can't seem to figure out how to organize my posts under different headings - ok maybe I'm blind).
But as you can see this one is all about the new series 1 John.
After a couple days of studying the first passage I will preach on this week. I throw out some thoughts that have hit me:
But as you can see this one is all about the new series 1 John.
After a couple days of studying the first passage I will preach on this week. I throw out some thoughts that have hit me:
- The author's message is heading toward the point that we must embrace the idea that Jesus came as fully God to this earth. Now can we accept that notion--- God living on earth, in a defined place & time? Ok, maybe in theory we can live without really wrestling with God, but here's the kicker - if Jesus lived on this earth, now we must listen to his exclusive words of life & truth! YIKES!!! I am now faced with the big question, which I am hearing John address in the first couple verses of 1 John, will I embrace the same Jesus that John said he turned his life over to?
- The other huge point of these first 4 verses is how Jesus had to be around from the beginning. Jesus' life didn't begin in a stable with a mother named Mary. Jesus' earthly life began then; however, John says, he must have lived all the time with God. John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word and the word was with God and the word was God." When you think of Jesus, are you amazed at his eternal and timeless existence? Do we understand that Jesus was around at the beginning of the world? (This sure expands my view of Jesus as simply a man walking around the dusty villages of Israel!).
Take a read from 1 John 1:1-4--- if you don't have a Bible handy - here's a link: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20John;&version=31
What do you think of John's words? That he actually touched Jesus. He was able to see and hear Jesus. Can you believe the word of John, the author?
Monday, February 2, 2009
1 John
Yes, I have taken a bit of a blogging "vacation."
As I was sharing to a friend the other day, blogging is a tough slog...but I know it is still worth it.
This week I am preparing my next sermon series based on 1 John. As I read through the book this afternoon, I was amazed the number of times that John repeated himself. Over and over he stressed the importance of "loving your brother" and how this really was a sign that we loved God.
Now this is quite a challenge, because often we are not going to care much about what somebody in another country does, or some actions that another person takes that doesn't personally touch us; however, when someone close to us - a family member, a friend, sibling, another person at church or work, offends us....watch out!!
People who push our buttons and cause us stress who are supposed to be our supporters, can really annoy us. So, how do we respond? Love or Anger? Bitterness or care?
John is going to challenge my heart as he calls believers to do a litmus test to see if they are really understanding, and just as important, living out God's love.
As I was sharing to a friend the other day, blogging is a tough slog...but I know it is still worth it.
This week I am preparing my next sermon series based on 1 John. As I read through the book this afternoon, I was amazed the number of times that John repeated himself. Over and over he stressed the importance of "loving your brother" and how this really was a sign that we loved God.
Now this is quite a challenge, because often we are not going to care much about what somebody in another country does, or some actions that another person takes that doesn't personally touch us; however, when someone close to us - a family member, a friend, sibling, another person at church or work, offends us....watch out!!
People who push our buttons and cause us stress who are supposed to be our supporters, can really annoy us. So, how do we respond? Love or Anger? Bitterness or care?
John is going to challenge my heart as he calls believers to do a litmus test to see if they are really understanding, and just as important, living out God's love.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
thoughts...
Wow! What happened to my daily blog? Well, last week, I was hit with a vicious case of a chest cold, plus really battling through some emotional battles.
Do you ever battle through the fog? I'm not meaning the fog that some of our West Coast cities can/ are trapped in right now...but the even more dense and demoralizing mental fog, that seems to wear us down. Last week, I again needed God, myself and others, to be reminded of the purpose of my life. Am I hear to live for myself...no. Am I hear to just set up a church...no. But could my purpose to be persevere with God in a great mission to empower and encourage those who too battle through their own fog (maybe of doubt of their own personal mission, a relational battle, a financial crisis)?
I like my friend's, Kristian's comment on how sometimes we need to be get above the fog. Jump in our vehicle and see the reality. See the reality that the sun is actually shining. See that there is a blue sky and an incredible mountains and valleys that are made unique and magnificent. The only way to so often recognize the reality is to push ourselves to get through the fog. The journey may not feel easy, or fun, but wow - to get through and see reality - the way God does is amazing.
I do realize there are times that we have to head back into those dark and dreary areas of struggle, but seeing that God is with us. I love Paul's words in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" I like that, who can compare to God, when we see he is with us?
.....on a different note...today I had the sobering time of taking our daughter to the hospital (due to a cold for some tests).
At first to see her curiousity and surprise as she entered a hospital in our home town. "Wow, Dad, look there is a playhouse!" "Look at the trees!" But soon she started seeing the many people hurting. She noticed people dressed different (guys in "dresses" waiting for x-rays). She started complaining as she was tired of waiting. It was hard for me, as her Dad, to try to console her.
I draw this parallel to those who have suffered before her. Those to a much greater extent. Relatives who have battled cancer - some who have won the battle, and others...not.
But the greatest strain, sometimes, is for those who watch those they love suffer.
I am reminded of the heart-wrenching pain of watching Jesus be beaten, tortured, bleeding, that his mother had to go through. We don't hear much about his Father's response, but of course the sorrow was there for his son.
As I think today, I am a wimp when it comes to pain. Even more, I feel the pain of those around me and can't imagine walking with someone I love as they battled a disease.
...God, help us all to understand the compassion which we so naturally show some, to extend to all who are hurting and lonely.
Do you ever battle through the fog? I'm not meaning the fog that some of our West Coast cities can/ are trapped in right now...but the even more dense and demoralizing mental fog, that seems to wear us down. Last week, I again needed God, myself and others, to be reminded of the purpose of my life. Am I hear to live for myself...no. Am I hear to just set up a church...no. But could my purpose to be persevere with God in a great mission to empower and encourage those who too battle through their own fog (maybe of doubt of their own personal mission, a relational battle, a financial crisis)?
I like my friend's, Kristian's comment on how sometimes we need to be get above the fog. Jump in our vehicle and see the reality. See the reality that the sun is actually shining. See that there is a blue sky and an incredible mountains and valleys that are made unique and magnificent. The only way to so often recognize the reality is to push ourselves to get through the fog. The journey may not feel easy, or fun, but wow - to get through and see reality - the way God does is amazing.
I do realize there are times that we have to head back into those dark and dreary areas of struggle, but seeing that God is with us. I love Paul's words in Romans 8:31, "If God is for us, who can be against us?" I like that, who can compare to God, when we see he is with us?
.....on a different note...today I had the sobering time of taking our daughter to the hospital (due to a cold for some tests).
At first to see her curiousity and surprise as she entered a hospital in our home town. "Wow, Dad, look there is a playhouse!" "Look at the trees!" But soon she started seeing the many people hurting. She noticed people dressed different (guys in "dresses" waiting for x-rays). She started complaining as she was tired of waiting. It was hard for me, as her Dad, to try to console her.
I draw this parallel to those who have suffered before her. Those to a much greater extent. Relatives who have battled cancer - some who have won the battle, and others...not.
But the greatest strain, sometimes, is for those who watch those they love suffer.
I am reminded of the heart-wrenching pain of watching Jesus be beaten, tortured, bleeding, that his mother had to go through. We don't hear much about his Father's response, but of course the sorrow was there for his son.
As I think today, I am a wimp when it comes to pain. Even more, I feel the pain of those around me and can't imagine walking with someone I love as they battled a disease.
...God, help us all to understand the compassion which we so naturally show some, to extend to all who are hurting and lonely.
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