I would be depressed if it weren't for the resurrection. Seriously.

"When a saint dies, he has no cause at all to grieve because he leaves his friends and relations whom he dearly loves; for he doth not properly leave them, he enjoys them still in Christ, because every thing that he loves in them, and loves them for, is in Christ in an infinite degree, whether it be in nearness of relation, or any perfection and good received, or love in us, or a likeness in disposition, or whatever is a rational ground of love." -Jonathan Edwards

For eternity, I will be able to enjoy and love my brothers and sisters in Christ. I don’t have to worry about the little time on earth that I get with them.

Ministries vs Minstry

As I was clearing out my emails, I read a few of the ministry updates that also ask for money. Some of these emails are from legit missions organizations, and I am all about that. (Really, I would love to convince you to give your money away for missions.) And the other organizations I get emails from (Ligonier, White Horse Inn, etc.) are legit too (otherwise I wouldn’t let them email me). But the amount of these ministries seems to get overwhelming.
So, I’m not against any ministry; they are good and God uses them. But I wonder if we have let these para-church ministries become so predominant in our thinking that it detracts from the life of the church. This is a gut-feeling post, not an analytical fact-based post.
I feel I know lots of people (or maybe this is all just me in my head) that want to make ministries that do this and that cool thing for the Lord, for the Gospel. Great, let’s spread the Gospel and do these great things. As the number of ministries go up, so do the number of financial needs, the need for monthly donors. So yeah, maybe I just wish that I could somehow support all these legit ministries (in addition to the missions organizations and missionaries) myself every month, but I think there is something more.
What would happen if many of these full-time support-raising entrepreneurial ministry-minded people devoted their time to working a job that makes money, and then they gave their life and limb and soul to the people in their local church. Instead of trying to reach thousands, they invested themselves into a few (Jesus picked 12, with a focus on 3). #discipleship
Are these mutually exclusive? Obviously not.
But let’s get personal. I’m just using this to preach to myself. I would love to do full time ministry!!! I would love to devote my time to my church or to being part of a Christian organization/college. Any of these would be super exciting! I would love to drop my mundane engineering lab reports and go plan events to minister to people, and spend time listening and loving others, and lead people deeper into God’s word.
Instead, I have a pre-lab due tomorrow.
Is either option better? I hope not. I believe God has gifted me to be an engineer. And I pray God does great things through the money that will come through my hours of laboring down the road. Will I vocationally be only an engineer for the rest of my life? Only God knows. But for now, that is where he is working and it is good. And being an engineer does not mean that I have to opt-out of the Great Commission! In fact, I have a unique area of God’s creation to handle, and in this I can still be a part of “teaching them to observe all that [Jesus has] commanded.”
I want to see more people who are die-hard for ministering to the church, building it up (read Ephesians), and are fully committed blue and white collar workers. [And I have hardly even brought up the role of these occupations have in the kingdom of God, but that is for another time #culturalmandate.]
Instead of thinking about what kind of ministry you can be a part of, consider how you can best build up your brothers and sisters around you, who can disciple you, who you can disciple, who needs to know the love of Jesus. All these things that we are called to can (AND OUGHT) to be done in all vocational varieties. We are all called to lives full of ministry even if you are not called to full-time ministry.
Just to make it clear, there are not two types of people: ministry-people (missionaries, pastors, etc) and the lay-people. We are all part of the same body, and we all have different functions. But NONE of those functions is to work a job, give away all your money for ministry/missions, and then to sit around. We are all called to ministry (being a member of the body of Christ), we are all called to disciple-making (fulfilling the Great Commission).

Blessed

Oh how humbling that God would use a poor wretch like me, use me to be a vessel of mercy. That my life might be something good, but it isn’t because of me, but because God is gracious and has a plan for those who love him. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.” Romans 8:29

"Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? " Romans 8:34-35

Home is where the heart aches?

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us...

…cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. - 2 Cor. 7:1

And what exactly are these promises, these sweet promises that are yes and amen in Jesus?!

For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,

“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Therefore go out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you,
and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:16-18)

Is there a place for joking about sin among the people of God?

Blessed is the man

who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,

nor stands in the way of sinners,

nor sits in the seat of scoffers;

but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2, ESV)

 

Lord, I know I must be a hypocrite as I bring this up, but clear my vision so I may see Jesus and delight in the way of righteousness, the way that is perfectly founded in the faithfulness of Jesus, the righteous son.

At what point do we just say,

"This isn’t redeemable, and we can better spend our time not filling our minds with perversion."

How do we get someone to understand that “friendship with the world is enmity with God.”

When will I just get down on my knees and say, “God, renew me, renew us all, set our minds on the things that are above, where Christ is seated.”

The Gospel cannot be Assumed

Britt Nicole’s Gold: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9PjrtcHJPo
Katy Perry’s Firework: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGJuMBdaqIw

The songs are nearly identical in message/theme, even as you watch the videos. Britt Nicole cannot make such “encouraging” statements without rooting them in God’s word, in the Gospel of Christ. It is not pointing people to Christ, but only to themselves and this American culture.

Day to day, what is my life about?

Am I stewarding what I have been given?

Bonhoeffer?!!

I have no idea whether I should read Eric Metaxas’ book on him because there have been scathing reviews by historians who say he just doesn’t understand the real Bonhoeffer, but rather it is catered to Evangelical thought. I own it, but should I read it?!!?! Arg.

Repentance+Forgiveness = bye bye death

and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46-47 ESV)

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:19-21 ESV)

Repentance = turning away from darkness towards light, away from evil deeds towards works carried out in God.

A salvation that works, by grace alone.

And that is exactly how meeting old friends ought to go.

What if the body of Christ was full of people, full of people who were able to share what is really going on, the joys and struggles. Now granted, not all times of authentic sharing would be a fountain of joy, because authentically sometimes life is really difficult and painful. But then we could get together, cry, and worship God together. But one the whole, this type of community would produce a lot more joy, and a lot more focus. Because you begin talking about life, and then you talk about what your learning because of what God is doing, and then you remember how Jesus is just central in everything. And then the Holy Spirit reminds you of how grand the story of redemption is, and how you are part of it.

I don’t know how much of that made sense, and I am too tired to read it over. But I love building relationships with my brothers and sisters, and am also looking forward to building up the body of Christ. If you love Jesus, you ought to love his body and obey him. So fulfill the great commission, and start discipling people. All you need is the Gospel. If you can’t express the Gospel, you need to sit down for a few hours with your Bible and pray to know God, to know his great love shown in the cross and why that matters to you.

I wonder what eternity will be like… it’ll be beautiful. Much more beautiful than this messy post.

God Saves! God Redeems! God Rescues!

Praise God, he hears our prayers and he answers! I found out an old friend is now my brother.

So much would be taken care of if our love of Christ would overflow in a love for others that would cause us to be missional in our relationships, aka “being interested in others and desiring them to know the riches in Christ Jesus”.

A student in my orientation group knew a high school student who died in a car crash a few weeks ago. This past week her boyfriend committed suicide. What do we do in situations like these but pray? Is there anything I can learn, or do I just mourn and pray, pray that God’s name be hallowed, his kingdom come, and his will be done.

Spurgeon = new best friend

Sometimes I just want to be with people all the times I am doing engineering stuff.

Yeah I am really really busy.

Yeah I am taking a minute to post this. But I trust God, he is my rock and my salvation. Jesus is always with me. I will succeed as a student, friend, ministry partner, orientation leader, streetlight leader, disciple of Christ because my life is powered by grace. May I rest in that. Oh God, may I rest in you.

Not to me, but unto You be all the glory.

The nations are less than nothing to you God, may I live realizing your loving kindness towards us, your infinite grace that you show us in Christ.

Faith

Is it belief or faithfulness? 

There is no differentiation in the word itself in the Greek New Testament. Saved by grace through “belief” or “faithfulness” or both?