Last week I had the extreme pleasure of attending the Innovate Church Conference at Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, with my two fellow pastors, Donnie and Ryan. What a phenomenal time! Absolutely incredible. Before I even continue, my thanks once again to Donnie, who was kind enough to take us there.
Two incredible areas of blessing come to mind as I reflect back on last week. One, this was the first get-away for the three of us since God has joined us together as a pastoral team. It was an intimate and fun time for us to get to know each other better, to grow and learn together, and to just plain laugh at and with each other, which we did quite alot of. Some of the main events took place in the worship hall and more than once I made the comment, amidst much laughter mind you, that we were probably going to get bounced out of there. We didn't. God loves a good laugh. I will always treasure those personal times with two great guys. I trust it's only the first of many.
Secondly, this conference was so full of events, speakers, workshops that it was almost impossible to not be blessed. I was in wonderful ways. There were times of great worship. To hear from the likes of prominent church leaders such as Rick Warren, Chuck Colson, and Jim Cymbala were incredible. Some of the guys in the workshops were inspiring to hear from too. Two major areas were reinforced to me through these men of God.
One, the work that God has called me to, no matter what the size of the tasks at hand, begins and depends of the health of my own soul before God. It starts at virtual home central, in my heart. The health of my ministry and leadership is directly proportional to my very own spiritual health. So, Stevie-boy, stay very close to Jesus. Thirst after the things of God. Always be a man after God's own heart.
The second area of significance was of being entrusted with God's truth. Of guarding it. Of effectively, unswervingly communicating it to a world that doesn't recognize truth anymore. A society that no longer places significant value on truth. A culture that believes that there is no absolute truth; that has ripped its definition out of the dictionary and thrown it away in the garbage bin. To many people, perhaps most, in our western post-modern culture, all truth is relative and not even up for grabs, it matters so little or not at all.
In contrast, here we are, the church of Jesus, the body of Christ, entrusted with the Holy Scriptures of the Most High, ambassadors to that very world that rejects the Absolute Truth. We need to ask God daily to write his Word on our hearts, transform us by the renewing of our minds, and share it with a community, a country, a culture, a world drowning in a sea of lies. What a privilege for us. What a daunting task. Only by the grace of Jesus. Pheeew! Thank you, Lord. And thanks for the great time with my brothers last week.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
The Name Explained
Sometimes, perhaps most of the time, we think we have a lock on the best way to do things. Being a disciple of Jesus doesn’t make me exempt from this; it actually opens me up to outside attacks from the enemy to take things into my own hands, rather than to depend on the loving instruction of my Master, the Author of all truth.
Peter was a fisherman and it’s more than fair to assume that this guy knew how to fish. He and his cohorts were doing nothing wrong in the way they were fishing. Did it actually make more sense to merely cast the net over the other side of their boat? I’m thinking not. Any fish at all, merely a hull’s distance away from the net’s current placement? But that distance might have well as been a thousand miles away, for it was the expanse between their finite understanding and the infinite knowledge and perfect will of the Creator of themselves, the wood their boat was made of, the water they were afloat upon, and the very fish they purposed to catch. That very Creator who stood a short distance away onshore.
Many times over the lifetime of one who follows Jesus, he is going to ask us to by faith, to rely on his grace and truth to accomplish what he wills for us. Sometimes those tasks will be the ones we need to do in order to serve him in humble obedience. Other times, it will be to relinquish our own “expert” understanding of something we are most familiar with, in order that he may simply provide for us in ways that will simply amaze us. I’m not merely referring to the material requirements of life, but of the spiritual requirements as well. If we open up our fists, clenched around our own efforts, and instead embrace the grace of God, he will never cease to provide our every need and to amaze us in doing so.
Peter, in all likelihood, was a tough dude. Being a fisherman is not an easy task. He was at times stubborn and unfaithful, but it’s easy for me to imagine him as a big guy, sometimes making big mistakes, with a big heart. Personally, I can’t wait to hang out with him in heaven. I love the fact that as soon as he discovered that it was his Lord on the shore, he couldn't restrain his urge to get to Jesus. He jumped in and headed for the Master. Peter simply had a heart that lovingly thrilled to the person of Jesus. I want to thrill to Jesus like that. I want that jump in the water and swim a football field to get to the feet of Jesus kind of passion every moment of my life.
Peter was pumped. After the boat arrived, he pulled the net to shore; this is the same net so full they collectively couldn’t pull into the boat, due to its abundant catch. I’m guessing it’s easier to pull the net through the water than up into a boat, but it was still no easy task. And the net didn’t even tear. It probably should have, most likely under normal conditions would have. But not then. We are told that the net was full of large fish, not puny, dinky ones. Not the throw ‘em back kind. So take note, OK? But John’s account also says that there were 153 of them.
Now I just dig this 153 thing! No, I don’t think it has any special, mysterious, spiritual meaning. And for me, therein lies the coolness. For me, it’s tremendous that in the recording of this miraculous event, God decided to mention the exact number of fish there were. Amazing! Our God is a God of details; he knows the exact number of hairs on our heads. He’s concerned for the tiniest little sparrow. He doesn’t miss one single solitary thing.
When Peter had arrived onshore, Jesus already had fish cooking and bread to accompany it. After the others arrived, the Lord invited them to breakfast and fed them. Our King is all about relationships. He sat down and visited with them. What better way to hang out than a feast on a beach. He was even inclusive about the blessing they had just received by his grace in asking Peter to bring some of the catch over.
The world has its own whirlwind of patterns, belief systems, models, values, and assumptions. They are not of God. They do not honor his truth. Sometimes, but rarely, they may very dimly reflect a small bit of the truth they have so greatly distanced themselves from over millennium. They each have their own idols they bow down to. And their end result is loss and death.
The paradigm of the God-Man Jesus is in direct contradiction to these. For those of us who partake of the grace and truth of the Lord Jesus, he offers delights beyond our own feeble ways and understanding. He provides all of our every needs. The blessings are huge, mind boggling, and life changing. He can make our hearts leap with joy and amazement. The Holy Spirit empowers us with the tools for a dynamic life with him, and those tools, unlike ours, don’t tear. He wants to sit with each of us, individually, and collectively, and feed us. He wants to delight with us in the excitement of his blessings. He is concerned with every last detail of our very lives which he has designed for his own glory. The Jesus paradigm. The only one of truth and love. The only one that answers the questions of life. The only one that offers exciting, abundant, eternal living. That is what this miraculous account reminds me of. And so therefore the name of this blog.
Peter was a fisherman and it’s more than fair to assume that this guy knew how to fish. He and his cohorts were doing nothing wrong in the way they were fishing. Did it actually make more sense to merely cast the net over the other side of their boat? I’m thinking not. Any fish at all, merely a hull’s distance away from the net’s current placement? But that distance might have well as been a thousand miles away, for it was the expanse between their finite understanding and the infinite knowledge and perfect will of the Creator of themselves, the wood their boat was made of, the water they were afloat upon, and the very fish they purposed to catch. That very Creator who stood a short distance away onshore.
Many times over the lifetime of one who follows Jesus, he is going to ask us to by faith, to rely on his grace and truth to accomplish what he wills for us. Sometimes those tasks will be the ones we need to do in order to serve him in humble obedience. Other times, it will be to relinquish our own “expert” understanding of something we are most familiar with, in order that he may simply provide for us in ways that will simply amaze us. I’m not merely referring to the material requirements of life, but of the spiritual requirements as well. If we open up our fists, clenched around our own efforts, and instead embrace the grace of God, he will never cease to provide our every need and to amaze us in doing so.
Peter, in all likelihood, was a tough dude. Being a fisherman is not an easy task. He was at times stubborn and unfaithful, but it’s easy for me to imagine him as a big guy, sometimes making big mistakes, with a big heart. Personally, I can’t wait to hang out with him in heaven. I love the fact that as soon as he discovered that it was his Lord on the shore, he couldn't restrain his urge to get to Jesus. He jumped in and headed for the Master. Peter simply had a heart that lovingly thrilled to the person of Jesus. I want to thrill to Jesus like that. I want that jump in the water and swim a football field to get to the feet of Jesus kind of passion every moment of my life.
Peter was pumped. After the boat arrived, he pulled the net to shore; this is the same net so full they collectively couldn’t pull into the boat, due to its abundant catch. I’m guessing it’s easier to pull the net through the water than up into a boat, but it was still no easy task. And the net didn’t even tear. It probably should have, most likely under normal conditions would have. But not then. We are told that the net was full of large fish, not puny, dinky ones. Not the throw ‘em back kind. So take note, OK? But John’s account also says that there were 153 of them.
Now I just dig this 153 thing! No, I don’t think it has any special, mysterious, spiritual meaning. And for me, therein lies the coolness. For me, it’s tremendous that in the recording of this miraculous event, God decided to mention the exact number of fish there were. Amazing! Our God is a God of details; he knows the exact number of hairs on our heads. He’s concerned for the tiniest little sparrow. He doesn’t miss one single solitary thing.
When Peter had arrived onshore, Jesus already had fish cooking and bread to accompany it. After the others arrived, the Lord invited them to breakfast and fed them. Our King is all about relationships. He sat down and visited with them. What better way to hang out than a feast on a beach. He was even inclusive about the blessing they had just received by his grace in asking Peter to bring some of the catch over.
The world has its own whirlwind of patterns, belief systems, models, values, and assumptions. They are not of God. They do not honor his truth. Sometimes, but rarely, they may very dimly reflect a small bit of the truth they have so greatly distanced themselves from over millennium. They each have their own idols they bow down to. And their end result is loss and death.
The paradigm of the God-Man Jesus is in direct contradiction to these. For those of us who partake of the grace and truth of the Lord Jesus, he offers delights beyond our own feeble ways and understanding. He provides all of our every needs. The blessings are huge, mind boggling, and life changing. He can make our hearts leap with joy and amazement. The Holy Spirit empowers us with the tools for a dynamic life with him, and those tools, unlike ours, don’t tear. He wants to sit with each of us, individually, and collectively, and feed us. He wants to delight with us in the excitement of his blessings. He is concerned with every last detail of our very lives which he has designed for his own glory. The Jesus paradigm. The only one of truth and love. The only one that answers the questions of life. The only one that offers exciting, abundant, eternal living. That is what this miraculous account reminds me of. And so therefore the name of this blog.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
What's In A Name? Sometimes Alot.
OK. I know exactly what you’re thinking. Really. I do. What in the world does the name of this blog mean? Thanks. Because that’s one of the reasons behind the name. Actually, the name is very dear to me, having been in my heart and mind for sometime. It was once the name I had come up with quite awhile ago for a ministry I wanted to start. Some years have passed and God has recently given me a wonderful home at Centerpoint Church. And in that context, this name finally finds itself attached to a ministry, my personal Centerpoint blog. So I am most thrilled.
So. Paradigm 153. Why? Well, let’s first take a look at what the word paradigm means. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them,” Another definition from Webster’s is “an example; a model; a pattern.” We now have to go and have a look at the events recorded in the 21st chapter of John’s gospel in the New Testament. It’s a very cool account as John closes out this wonderful book of the Bible.
Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples and some of his friends decide to go fishing. But they come up empty handed after that night’s efforts. Not fun. The next morning, the risen Jesus stands on the shore and calls out to them, asking if they’ve had any success. Not realizing it’s the very Man they’ve been following for years, they reply no. Jesus tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat and they’ll find some. They do. The net becomes so full of fish these guys can’t even haul the net into the boat.
When Peter realizes it’s the Lord who has given them this instruction he's so thrilled he can’t even consider waiting to bring the boat in to see Him. He throws himself into the water with what I imagine to be extreme delight and swims the length of a football field to get to Jesus on the shore, who already has a fire burning and breakfast prepared. At Jesus’ request Peter gets some of the fish from their catch. John records that there are 153 large fish contained in an untorn net, implying that such a catch would normally have broken a fishing net as theirs. They all proceed to have breakfast with the King of kings at his invitation.
That’s where I’m going to leave this for now. If you like, I’d suggest reading the account for yourself, and while doing so, you might as well just finish the remaining part of the chapter. If you don’t have a Bible handy, go to BibleGateway.com and use their online Bible.
In my next post, I’ll explain why the blog name comes from this passage and what it means. In the meantime, turn your own ideas around in your head.
So. Paradigm 153. Why? Well, let’s first take a look at what the word paradigm means. The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “a set of assumptions, concepts, values, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality for the community that shares them,” Another definition from Webster’s is “an example; a model; a pattern.” We now have to go and have a look at the events recorded in the 21st chapter of John’s gospel in the New Testament. It’s a very cool account as John closes out this wonderful book of the Bible.
Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples and some of his friends decide to go fishing. But they come up empty handed after that night’s efforts. Not fun. The next morning, the risen Jesus stands on the shore and calls out to them, asking if they’ve had any success. Not realizing it’s the very Man they’ve been following for years, they reply no. Jesus tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat and they’ll find some. They do. The net becomes so full of fish these guys can’t even haul the net into the boat.
When Peter realizes it’s the Lord who has given them this instruction he's so thrilled he can’t even consider waiting to bring the boat in to see Him. He throws himself into the water with what I imagine to be extreme delight and swims the length of a football field to get to Jesus on the shore, who already has a fire burning and breakfast prepared. At Jesus’ request Peter gets some of the fish from their catch. John records that there are 153 large fish contained in an untorn net, implying that such a catch would normally have broken a fishing net as theirs. They all proceed to have breakfast with the King of kings at his invitation.
That’s where I’m going to leave this for now. If you like, I’d suggest reading the account for yourself, and while doing so, you might as well just finish the remaining part of the chapter. If you don’t have a Bible handy, go to BibleGateway.com and use their online Bible.
In my next post, I’ll explain why the blog name comes from this passage and what it means. In the meantime, turn your own ideas around in your head.
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