I got a speeding ticket in November. I admit that I was speeding, but not maliciously. That isn't relevant in the story except the fact that I was guilty.
I wrote down the court date in my calendar as January 9th. I wouldn't be able to make it, so I was going to send my payment on Monday, January 8th. Today, I looked on my ticket to see what form of payment was accepted, and saw in horror the date the officer had written for my court date: January 5th, 2012. Noon.
I had missed my court date by 28 hours. Frantically, I searched the ticket for what penalty I had just brought on myself: a $300 penalty or 30 days. I immediately head to the bank, take out the amount the officer had reduced it to- and went to Municipal Court.
When I got to the counter to pay and explained my mistake, the worker behind the counter said that I now owed the original amount, not the reduced amount. Not a huge deal, but not fun. And they were adding on 2 more points to the ticket, so it would add 4 points to my license. My heart sank. I went back to the bank and got some more cash.
When I returned to the counter, the clerk commented that the computer was slow, and I joked that it was having mercy on me. The computer finally fired up, and he took my ticket to put in my information.
"Josh Williams? 1753FS?"
"Josh Williams? That's me. Do you need my license?"
"It says here that you paid yesterday. You are free to go."
I stood there for a second, and then asked, "What do you mean?"
He repeated himself, "The debt has been paid. You don't owe us anything."
This happened 20 minutes ago, and I am still blown away. To whoever paid this for me: thank you. You went above and beyond any relationship we have, and I owe you so much.
But on my way home, I started thinking- this is the Gospel. We all have a debt that we planned on paying ourselves. We planned on taking care of it, eventually. Christ paid our penalty, so that we would be free men and women.
And when we come before Him to receive Him as our Savior, our Lord, we realize the debt he paid, and the penalty we would have received.
This is the Gospel- that our debt that we sinful humans could not pay, was paid for by a sinless God, that we might live and abide in Him.
I was reading today in Acts 2, the story of the Holy Spirit coming to man on the day of Pentecost. If you don't know the story, the Holy Spirit fills each believer and they begin to speak God's word. The cool thing is those who were listening heard it in whatever was their native language.
This opened up an opportunity for Peter to preach and teach those around that Jesus was the Christ. What I want to talk about is verse 41.
"So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls." (ESV)
Three thousand souls! Wow. In one day! It doesn't say how many believers there were before this, but we know that there were twelve people (the twelve apostles) who were present (v.14).
Let's look at that math: 14 believers turns into 3,000 believers.
And today, in our culture, if we have a hundred salvations it is a huge deal. Don't get me wrong- even one salvation is worth celebrating! Even one soul coming from death to life is huge!
What I mean to say is this: we have the same Holy Spirit that the apostles had. We can change the world.
Yes, in the beginning of Christianity there were larger numbers of salvations because people hadn't heard it yet, and when they did they were convicted. But there are still billions of people in the world who need Jesus. Yep. Billions.
I am a strong believer that if every Christian let themselves be used by God to lead one person to God we would see a radical, extreme movement. It would change everything.
So don't read this as a "we are doing a terrible job" post- read it as encouragement! The apostles were ordinary men. Acts 2:4 says that "they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance." Which means this: God poured out His Spirit into them, using them as vessels. The Holy Spirit did the work.
The same Holy Spirit that filled these men fills us. The same Holy Spirit who worked then is working now.
We can change the world.
Are you ready?
In John 1, two of John's disciples begin to follow Jesus. Jesus turned and asked them a question we need to continually ask ourselves. He asked "What are you seeking?" (John 1:38)
One of the disciples was Andrew, who went to his brother Simon (who becomes Peter), and said "We have found the Messiah" (1 John 1:41)
What are you seeking? What are you wanting out of this journey with Christ?
Salvation from Hell? Education? A good life? A good feeling? For us in the ministry- fame or money?
Or do you simply want Christ. Oswald Chambers wrote "The Redemption of Christ is not an experience, it is the great act of God which he has performed through Christ, and I have to build my faith upon it."
Are we seeking experiences? Or are we seeking Christ by following Christ. Seeking light. Seeking life. Not seeking salvation from death, but life. True life. Abundant life.
And that is found in a continual and lifelong journey of seeking Jesus.
If you wanted 'fire insurance'- call State Farm. Not Jesus.
If you want a transformed life- dry bones into a life dedicated to the glory of God- then call upon the name of Jesus.
What are you seeking? Why are you following Christ? What are you wanting out of this journey?
You looked at me with deep compassion,
not the kind of compassion commonly showed through veils of judgement, but in the way it was meant.
What the dictionary calls a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.
You looked at me with compassion.
You didn't blink. Didn't turn away.
You didn't change the channel because there were pictures of me paired with a Sarah Mclachlan song.
You didn't simply say, "That's a shame"
You came for me.
You broke open the door that I had locked myself in, picked me up, treated my wounds.
You were hurt for me.
You set me free.
You took apart my jail cell brick by brick.
Nail by nail.
You destroyed its foundation so that it could not be built again.
You traded my bruises for Your righteousness.
My life for Yours.
You showed compassion for me.
Right now I'm reading through the story of Joseph. Today I was in Genesis 41, the part of the story when Pharaoh appoints Joseph to be second in command in all of Egypt. I love what Pharaoh told Joseph in verse 40:
"You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command. Only as regards the throne will I be greater than you."In my footnotes it says the Hebrew manuscript read: "and according to your command all my people shall kiss the ground." Wow.
To say Joseph had a rough life would be an understatement. Joseph had been sold by his brothers, taken to Egypt as a slave, bought by an officer of Pharaoh and then accused of rape by his wife, and he was thrown into prison.
In one view of this- Joseph has been dealt some crappy cards. But you can see something cool here: Joseph was put in charge of everywhere he was! Potiphar made him in charge of his household, even in jail he was put in charge of the other prisoners. You can see God all in that!
But here is where it gets simply astounding: Pharaoh brings a slave out of prison to interpret his dreams, and appoints him head over all Egypt, answering only to Pharaoh himself!
And this reminds me of what God did with us. We where dirty, sinful, wretched people. He is perfection and purity defined. And He brings us in and not just allows us to be in his kingdom, but calls us Sons. He makes us family!
It is simply astounding.
Easter, the Superbowl of Christianity, is tomorrow. We just finished our run through here at Capstone, and I couldn't be more excited about the Gathering tomorrow!
I get excited each week, but this Sunday is different. It is a day set aside as a special celebration of the resurrection of our Lord! People who never come to church come to church on a day like tomorrow. And while it saddens me that people believe it is okay to only "go to church" twice a year, it excites me that there will be lots of lost souls hearing the gospel.
There will be souls that are resurrected tomorrow, just like Christ raised from the dead. People will walk in dead, and walk out living!
I hope you don't take tomorrow lightly. Have fun, do an egg hunt if you so desire, but don't lose track of the resurrection. Keep your eyes on Christ
Remember, The story of Easter is not about a bunny. It is not about a dude who lived a pretty rad life, died, and pulled a magic trick and came back to life. It isn't about family. yep, I said it: Easter is not about family.
The story of Easter is about a Divine Being who created the world. The world decided it would rather indulge in sin than worshipping that Being, and the world was doomed to death. The Being wanted the people of the world to be with Him, but the world's sin and evil kept them from being in the presence of the Being's purity. Purity cannot be with evil. God came to Earth, as a man, and took the weight of the world's evil upon His shoulders. And for this, the world hated Him, and killed Him. What the world didn't know was that by killing this man, he had paid a debt on each soul, allowing mankind to once again be in the presence of God. Christ, after death, rose again three days later, showing his power and authority over death. And for this, we celebrate. For this, we worship. For this, we serve.
The song got it right- it's all because of Jesus I'm alive.
David Platt offers his opinion on the whole Universalism debate floating around via Rob Bell. I have to say, he hits it dead on the mark!
In school as a Christian Ministry major, I learned how to argue. But I didn't necessarily always enjoy it. I thought many times "What does it matter?!?" This is what Platt is saying. But whereas I was saying it because I was lazy and not wanting to argue, Platt is saying "We don't have time to argue- there are people dying and going to Hell!"
This will shake you up.
In Luke 18, there is a story about a blind man who hears a ruckus. He normally spent his days sitting on his blanket begging, and he asks the people around him why all the noise. They respond "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." And the Scriptures say he began crying out "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!" (Luke 18:39)
This is one of those times when words are unable to portray the atmosphere of the moment. I always thought he was "yelling" like when we see a friend and call his name loudly. But I have a feeling this was not that at all. You see, the people around him told him to quiet down, I always assumed it was just because they didn't want him to bother Jesus. I think, honestly, it was because the blind man was so loud that it hurt their ears! (It says the people in front of him told him to quiet down, not 'the people around him') Jesus was his only hope
The rational thing to do from the blind man's perspective would be to ask one of the people to bring Jesus over to him. But here' the funny great thing about when you are near your only hope- rational thinking goes out the window. There is no place for reason and desperation in the same place.
The blind man heard that Jesus was near, and he used every ounce of strength he had to scream the name of Jesus as loud as humanly possible. Like a lost traveler in the desert crying out, in hopes that someone miles away could hear. And he didn't stop. It wasn't a "eh, I'll scream once, if he doesn't hear me, oh well, I tried my best. Besides, he's a busy man." This man screamed until Jesus heard him. I'm sure his voice was raw.
Jesus asks what the man wants Jesus to do, the blind man replies he wants his sight back, and Christ gives him his sight, saying his faith made him well.
I watched the movie 127 Hours last night, so I was already in a 'desperate cry for help' mood. This story, while not saying that it was, reeked of a desperate man who knew his only chance at sight was a man in the midst of a crowd of probably thousands! The chance of 1 man's cry to be heard over all the others is low. Then put that man on the ground, where his voice would travel into the backs of the people in front of him, not raising over the noise, but actually die into it- the chances are slim to none. And the blind man probably knew that. But his only hope was to get Jesus to hear.
People do crazy things when they are near their only hope. And people do crazy things when they are near Jesus. Do you see the correlation?
Let's take a lesson from the blind man- and when we are at the end of our rope, and help is nearby- let's not sit and wait, not wanting to disturb them- let's make sure that even if they can't or won't help us- they will hear us! And the best part- when we are screaming for Jesus, he will hear us, and he will help us!
Let's stop trying to act elegant around Jesus, like we got everything pulled together. Let's show ourselves for what we are- dysfunctional, messed up, hopeless wrecks!
So goodbye rationality. You held me back when I needed to break free and run.
Here is the video for "Grace Amazing" by Jimmy Needham featuring Tripp Lee.
The first time I heard this song I fell in love with its message, beat, lyrics, and melody. Its just a killer song. And when I watched the video, at first I was like "O, ok, another 'we're driving around' video"- but then it totally makes you go WOW! That is awesome!
This song is off his album "Nightlights" which is an amazing album, and I would recommend buying it immediately (already owning it is no excuse)
I have heard it said far too many times that the world has gone so far astray, and if only the world would come back, that that he church needs to pray for those people to come back to church, etc. I would just like to say- I vote to stop that.
We have to stop 'trying to get people to come back to the morals they were at' and start pushing them to leave where they are at in search of higher ground.
I have no problem with traditional churches, so don't kill me for saying this- but churches with huge pipe organs singing "Just As I Am" while the pastor yells that the congregation needs to avoid things like movies and music because the world is going to hell in a hand basket- those kinds of churches are extremely ineffective.
Why? Because the world is going to hell. And why would a lost person in their 20's (or even 30's), want to walk into a stuffy room and sing songs written by dead guys?
It is all about relevance. The Gospel doesn't change, its message holds true each and every day. But the world around it is changing daily. The methods of getting the Gospel into the hands of the people needs to stay relevant. Once you get the people in, the Gospel and power of God will take care of the rest.
The church has changed with the times in order to effectively reach people. There was a time with music was not used, and songs took the form of chants. The chants were the same Scriptures we read and quote today, it was just a different way of reaching. When hymns were introduced (Oh no- I am talking about hymns!), church members were outraged at the fact that instruments were being used. The church split over using drums looks like more of a 'misunderstanding' when compared to these splits! But the point is- the church has changed in order to effectively reach people, but in changing the way it reached people- it didn't change the Gospel!
Now- this isn't a bashing session on traditional church. My wife loves traditional church, and I, while it is not my style, appreciate everything its given us. I enjoy traditional services occasionally, and just like contemporary or modern services- when they are done well. This post isn't saying we should do away with traditional churches- because, for some people, the relevant thing is tradition. What this post is saying is that we need to stop praying that the world would walk into our stuffy, judging building, get off of our butts and do something!
Would a lost person want to walk into your church building? Or would they feel so judged and so tired of being told how terrible they were that they would sprint out of there like a gazelle from a lion.
Pastors and church leaders- ask yourself if you are effectively reaching the lost. Christians- think about ways you can reach the lost in your day to day life! Jesus didn't have a church building with a weekly service, He was out in the community, sharing as it came up.
We can change the world. If you want to.
don't stop growing. ever. whether it be musically, spiritually, intellectually. as Christians, we are not called to stop, we are not called to retreat. we know these things. but what we forget many times is that we are called to not stop growing.
as a child I compared Christianity to a club, and when I was saved, I stood just inside the doorway. at that time, i was fine with it- saying to myself that "at least i'm inside, that's all that matters. other people can do all the big jesus-y stuff."
and about 25% is true- people can do all the big jesus-y stuff. but those people need to include me. not for anyone's sake but mine. the reason for that lies in the lie that took of the 75%.
it all comes down to heart. if i am content just "saving my own neck" and then just standing in the doorway- then i need to seriously check my salvation, because that is the exact opposite of why Christ came. as a child i didn't realize that, but i do now- if i am a true follower of Christ I will do several things- i will continually grow in Christ, i will be a vessel for Christ to work through me to be a light in the dark, and I will try to live my life as the best example of Christ that I can.
don't stop growing. you can't lose height, but you shrivel up and slouch and begin to shrink over the years. what you think is a very small "slouch" will become a huge problem later.
the elderly don't simply wake up one morning with a spine resembling a bendy straw.
Matthew 18:12 tells the parable of the shepherd leaving the 99 safe sheep to find the one lost sheep. It is a beautiful picture that Christ goes out in search of the lost, no matter how many he has saved.
At Capstone this is our motto, that we are called the reach the one. But to what extent can this be true? Obviously through God all things are possible, but there are certain situations that just seem, well- interesting.
For example, I recently found this website- Godblock.com, that blocks religious content from website, much like parental control softwares block and filter pornography. The website says nothing about God and religion being evil, and it doesn't discriminate- all religions are filtered equally- but something troubled me far more than the site itself.
leaning one way or another
Posts
