Thankful - Community

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. – Acts 2.42-47

I love this passage. I love how the family of God is described. I love how their focus is outward, how they are concerned for everyone but self. I love that they spend time together, pray together, eat together, and sing together. I love that they willingly and joyfully meet needs.

I love that I have this kind of community.

The past couple weeks have been incredibly difficult. There is a lot going on in my life, in my job, and in my family. It has been stressful and chaotic. There is a part of me that would try to handle all of it myself; bear all of the weight myself. I am always tempted to just handle my own business so that I am not a burden on anyone. It’s very appealing to me to not burden anyone else.

But nowhere in the passage from Acts does it say, “…and whatever you do, don’t inconvenience or burden anyone else.” If no one ever expressed any need, the people in the early church would not have had the opportunity to sell their possessions and meet those needs. And if I never shared any needs, no one would have the opportunity to bless me.

It has been difficult, but over the past couple weeks, I have sent emails, made phone calls, and had conversations with numerous people – all of whom genuinely wanted to hear how I was doing. They truly wanted to hear what was going on. They wanted to pray for me and with me. They carried my burden with joy.

It is so humbling to ask for help, to express need, and I am really bad at it. I still refuse to ask for help many times that I need it. But when I am able to humble myself and ask, the blessing that comes is more than sufficient to cover the pride that I have lost.

Thankful - Blessings

Many of the things I ask God for, I never get - at least not the way I imagined. Many times the answer to my prayer is "no." I am so thankful for that. As I look back at all of the things God has mercifully said "no" to in my life, the reason He said "no" is so clear. Either I was not ready for them at the time or just didn't need them in my life at all, ever.

All of those "no" answers are blessings.

It's hard to see that in the moment, though, when I'm in the midst of a situation I believe I know the answer to. It's hard to see that when I think that one thing is just what I need in my life. It's hard to trust that God knows me better than I know myself and knows what I need more than I do. But that's just what I need to do.

In the midst of prayer, no matter how desperate or how sure I am of what I'm praying about, I need to remember that any answer God gives me is a blessing.

That's why I love this song. I first heard it when I was in Nicaragua - a teammate played it during devotions. Then, shortly after that, another friend emailed out the lyrics. I've heard it a few times since then, and this past week listened to it several times. It's such a great reminder of our Sovereign Lord's merciful hand in our lives - loving, sanctifying, and drawing us closer to Him.

Sent

I’ve been trying to write more lately. It’s a really good way for me to think and process, and most of it I really enjoy sharing and getting feedback, so blogging has been a good outlet. I didn’t write much last week, though. That’s because I spent 4 evenings/nights with high school students from Grace Church who were on their Spring Break mission trip.

They stayed at our downtown campus Sunday-Thursday and did service projects around our city each day. At night, one of our high school pastors taught and we had small group discussion. Since I had to work, I was only able to go for the message and small group time (and of course dinner, because I love to eat). Some nights were better than others due to fatigue and how late we started discussion a couple times, but overall I think we had great dialogue.

The theme of the week was “Sent.” We talked about Isaiah, Abram, Jonah, and the Disciples. One of the first things said during the talk Sunday night was that God has a plan to bring people to Himself and He’s using people to do that. He’s using His children – created in His image, loved by Him, chosen by Him, forgiven by Him, and sent by Him.

Each night, we talked about how each passage we studied pointed to Jesus, as does all of Scripture. We talked about how in order to be sent, we must first be forgiven because we, like Isaiah (Isaiah 6.5-7), are men of unclean lips. We talked about how we must have faith, as Abram did, to be sent, but that God’s covenant promise to Abram (Gen. 12.2-3, 15.18-21) includes us and is accomplished through Christ. We talked about how in order to be sent, we need to die to self and our sinful prejudices, as God showed Jonah, and instead look to God for perspective (Jonah 4.9-11). We talked about how our faith is weak if it doesn’t cost us anything and how being sent is worthless unless we point people to Christ, as it was with the Disciples (Luke 10.20).

I love that these teenagers are being challenged. I love that they are being pushed and held accountable. I loved watching them process, discuss, and ask questions. I loved that for at least a few minutes, they counted the cost of discipleship. In America, it is often hard to truly count the cost of following Jesus, but when we look to His words we begin to understand just what it will cost:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ – Luke 14.26-30

I love that they are counting the cost because though it may be difficult for them and it will cost them something, God will use them to impact the world. He will use any of us who are willing. Because the reality is, if we call ourselves followers of Christ, we are all sent. He sent us.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28.18-20

Picture of Obedience to Christ

I wrote yesterday about celebrating baptism at Grace Church. Baptism services are always so special to me and I usually cry…sometimes a lot. This weekend was no different. But I kind of cheated.

I saw Saturday night that they were putting the baptism videos on our pastor’s blog, so I watched them all Sunday morning before church. It was fantastic. One video made me more emotional than all of the others, though. Usually it’s hearing small children explain the Gospel that gets me, but this time it wasn’t.

One of our high school students began sharing how he became a follower of Christ. He spoke of how he always knew a little about God and Jesus, but never saw the need for God in his life. Then he shared the turning point for him – hearing another high school student share how Christ completely changed his life. That’s pretty much when I lost it.

I couldn’t stop the tears from coming as I thought of how these two teenagers have given us a beautiful picture of obedience to Christ, discipleship, and inviting others to join. I didn’t know the first student before he became a Christ follower, but I know that hours and hours were poured into him by leaders and friends. I know that it was a difficult process. And though I didn’t get to see the whole process, I get to see the result – a young leader growing daily in Christ, and inviting others to do the same.

Faithfulness by many in this teenager’s life led to the salvation of a peer. And this is just one life that he touched. I don’t know either young man very well, but I know that they are both natural leaders. They have it in them – the ability to impact and lead people. Now, they are leading people to Christ.

I know they will still struggle. I know they will fall. I know they won’t always succeed. But I pray they will continue to live lives sold out to Christ. I pray that they will continue to be an example to all of us – young and old – of what Christ calls us to.

Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. – 1 Timothy 4.12

New Life

Several years ago, my sister said something to me that completely changed our relationship. I can’t remember if it was on the phone or on skype or over email, but I remember being in my apartment in China being completely overwhelmed with God’s grace and power.

My sister had recently begun moving back towards God, very much like I had years before. We had both decided to follow Christ at a young age, and had periods of obedience and great relationship with Him. However, we also had times of blatant disobedience. There were areas of life that we had not surrendered to Christ. We were not living lives true to who we were – children of the Lord.

So what did she say that changed our relationship? She shared with me that as she had been reading in 2 Corinthians, one verse jumped out at her. That verse was 2 Corinthians 5.17:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

The power of Christ in our lives means that we are a new creation. We have new life. We are no longer held captive by our flesh. We live in freedom from sin because of Christ’s death and resurrection.

This verse changed our relationship because from then on, we truly began to relate and interact not just as sisters, but also as sisters in Christ. I am so thankful for Christ’s work in our lives, and for the opportunity to celebrate His victory over death.

This weekend at Grace Church, we are celebrating victory in the lives of 44 people. That is 44 brothers and sisters in Christ, each of whom have powerful stories of redemption. You can hear their stories on our Pastor’s Blog, be encouraged by their stories, and celebrate with them.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you…” - 1 Peter 1.3-4

This Is Our God

This is currently one of my favorite songs. I think my favorite line in it is:

"He will wipe away your tears and return your wasted years"

There is just so much promise and hope in those words. I love it.

This Is Our God

- Chris Tomlin

A refuge for the poor, a shelter from the storm
This is our God
He will wipe away your tears and return your
wasted years
This is our God
So call upon His Name
He is mighty to save
This is our God

A father to the orphan, a healer to the broken
This is our God
And he brings peace to our madness and comfort
in our sadness
This is our God
So call upon His Name
He is mighty to save
This is our God

This is the one we have waited for
Jesus Lord and Savior
This is our God

A fountain for the thirsty, a lover for the lonely
This is our God
He brings glory to the humble and crowns for the
faithful
This is our God

Sometimes We Just Need to Move

I think too often we trust our hearts much more than we should. Even when we know our hearts are in the wrong place, we believe that’s where the change will begin; where the good will come from. The Bible doesn’t say that.

But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. – Matthew 15.18-19

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? – Jeremiah 17.9

What we should rely on for change is the redemptive and regenerate work of Christ through the Holy Spirit. Christ cares about the condition of our hearts. He came to bring salvation and rebirth – that includes our hearts. I’m just not sure we have paid much attention to examples of change in the Bible or to Christ’s words.

We wait after hearing God’s call, believing or hoping that He will change our hearts on things before we are required to move or act, but that’s not the case.

Jesus didn’t instruct His first disciples to sit, think, and pray about following Him, and then when their hearts were right to come join Him. No, He just said, “Follow me,” (Matt. 4.7, 9.9; John 1.43)

He gives similar instruction to anyone who would be called His disciple. There is the same urgency; the same call to follow.

…”If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” – Matt. 16.24

He doesn’t say think about it and when it feels right, take up your cross and follow. He says deny yourself, now, and take up your cross. He knows that our hearts will follow. He knows that what He has in store for us is better than anything we could plan ourselves, but he knows that in order to get there, we must get past ourselves.

Jesus isn’t about behavior modification. That’s not what this is about. Jesus cares deeply for our souls, but He knows that our hearts and souls are connected to our bodies. Our bodies can lead our hearts – either toward sin or toward Christ.

Has God showed you a particular sin in your life that you need to give up? Don’t wait until your heart is “ready” – it may never be. Just move. Is God leading you through an open door for a new ministry? Certainly take time to ask God for discernment and understanding of His call, but don’t expect your heart to fully be on board before you start. Your passion for it may never have an opportunity to flourish if you never experience it. Just move. Is God asking you to adopt or renew a discipline in your life? Don’t wait for your heart to get excited about it. Discipline means work, and that’s hard to get excited about. Just move.

There are times when our hearts are moved to change before our actions, but many times it is the willful act of discipline in the physical realm that leads our hearts to follow Christ with greater abandon. Sometimes we just need to move.