attempting humility…creating space
Archive for March, 2008
I love being daddy
Mar 10th
This was Micah on the plane ride back from Cali. He loved looking outside and watching us take off and land. My heart overflows with love for this lil guy.
Favor of All People – Acts 2:47
Mar 8th
Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (43) And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. (44) And all who believed were together and had all things in common. (45) And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. (46) And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, (47) praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (ESV)
I was reading in Acts yesterday and read this verse, I’ve read it many times before…but something this time really stuck out to me. The verses right before this one is Peter preaching after the Holy Spirit came and baptized/filled/endwelled the believers in the upper room (for the first time). Also right before this verse about 3000 people repented and came to saving faith/grace in Christ. The Pentecost (meaning 50th day) also happen exactly on another large Jewish Holiday called the “feast of weeks” (Exodus 43). The “feast of weeks” was one of 3 times a year when every Jewish male was required to goto the Temple in Jerusalem. All this to say – Anyone who was anyone in Jewish culture, life, religion would be there at that time. Dare I saw hundreds of thousands would be in Jerusalem to celebrate.
Stay with me on this one – you have all these very devout Jews, that love the Hebrew Scriptures and follow the Torah with all their heart. That are gathered together in Jerusalem at the Temple for on of the largest conferences in the world. I am sure alot of them would be talking about that “Jesus” radical that they finally got rid of, and just in time to make sure he didn’t interrupt one of the biggest Jewish Parties that would happen every year. All of the sudden there is alot of commotion and people are hearing (what appears to be drunken Jesus followers) the Good News of “Jesus Christ” in their native tongue.
Fast forward – Peter preaches 3,000 people repent and are saved by the name of Jesus Christ. Wait…did you catch that. Lets put it this way…lets say Christmas Eve service, at Saddleback Church – can you imagine if a Buddist Monk stood up and brought a large number of people to Buddhism ? There would be outrage. In Acts 2 it should have been the same uproar – so you would think. But instead just a few verses later the Bible says, of the new Christ followers, that they were “having favor with all the people”
In todays church – we do not enjoy such favor of all people. We also do not do things so offensively as going and trying to convert people publicly at other religions conferences. So my question to you is this…what do we have to do to have such favor again ? Please remember – the new believers were still meeting in the temple – a very uncool thing to do at least.
As I read the context of this verse I see things that I believe are key to that favor. But I am wondering what your thoughts are.
Stop Comparing
Mar 6th
One of the biggest struggles of my life has been comparison. As long as I have been saved I have looked at others, their age and what they have accomplished in their lives. When I was 19 starting my own youth group (from 0) I was looking at a 18 year old who was pastoring 250 kids…and wondering why God didn’t allow me to do that. A few years later, at 20, when I was the worship leader for a church of about 250 I was looking at worship leaders like Matt Redman and Tim Hughes and wondering why I didn’t have a worship CD out and leading worship to 1,000′s. When I was 22 and a youth pastor of about 100 at another church I was looking at others that I knew that were starting churches and writing books about ministry and wondered why I wasn’t already at that place.
I left “full time” ministry when I was 26, and took a job in the “real world.” I didn’t leave Jesus, just the ministry. I worked for a VW Dealership for a while, then a photography company for a while, back to the VW place for a while and now I am working for a media company. This is what I have learned – it’s really not about me ! It’s about Jesus and His glory and His love and His grace and His redemption in my life.
I wish I could say that I don’t still struggle with this issue, at times I do. When I look back to Jesus, I remember that he is the center of my life. He is the reason that I have joy and peace and love and truth.
Now as I sit her as a 30 year old ( 31 in just a few days) not in full time ministry, no worship cd, no titles, no youth group, no church plants – I look to my wife of 6 years (with a prego belly), my 13 month old son and I thank Jesus that I do not need to compare. He has given me everything I need and most of what I want. I thank you Jesus that I know you, I thank you that you know me – in my innermost being – and still you are deeply in love with me. I thank you that my son will know you and love you, and be raised in a way that will honor you. I thank you thank you that you have brought me into your wonderful truth and that I can rest my life in your hands.
