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imagine

November 21, 2008 in ministry with 0 Comments

On Wednesday, we finished a two-part series with the students called, Do Hard Things. I got my idea for the series from a book by the same name.

In the first week, I shared from 1 Timothy 4:12. We talked about how society puts low expectations on teens and they often live up to those standards (i.e. goof-off, do enough to just get by, etc.). We challenged them to not only break through those low expectations, but as Paul says to Timothy, “set an example for others.”

This week I dealt with Ephesians 3:20-21. Paul tells the believers at Ephesus that God is able to do beyond what they can imagine. The problem is, however, that something happens to us as we grow up: our dreams die. There are several ways this can occur:

  • Our dreams are forgotten
  • Our dreams are rationalized
  • Our dreams are stolen

To avoid this, we need to keep our imaginations alive. We need to dream big. Andrew Lincoln, in the Word Biblical Commentary on Ephesians says the following about this passage:

Something of the force of the writer’s rhetoric can be captured by showing the build-up of the thought reflected by his language. God is said to be able to do what believers ask in prayer; he is able to do what they might fail to ask but what they can think; he is able to do all (panta) they ask or think; he is able to do above all (huper panta) they ask or think; he is able to do abundantly above all (perissou huper panta) they ask or think; he is able to do more abundantly above all (ekperissou huper panta) they ask or think; he is able to do infinitely more abundantly above all (uperekperissou huper panta) they ask or think. And what is more, says the writer, this inexpressible power is at work within us!

What can you imagine? God can do even greater things.

But what about this power? According to Paul it’s already at work within us! In fact, Paul has already referred to “power” in this letter.

  • Chapter 1:18-23 – Power to raise Christ over everything.
  • Chapter 2:1-6 – Power to raise us up with Christ.
  • Chapter 2:7-9 – Power to show us grace.
  • Chapter 2:10 – Power to give us purpose.

The power Paul refers to is the power to bring us into right relationship with Him. It’s the power to show us mercy and extend his grace to us. It’s the power to give us meaning and direction in life.

This power is alive and at work within each of us. Our responsibility is to break out of low expectations. Recognize and allow that power to work within us.

Dream big.
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to yourself

November 17, 2008 in spiritual with 1 Comment

Yesterday I posted about a podcast I’ve been listening to recently. In the same session, Tim Keller told an illustration that Charles Spurgeon used about a King. I did a quick search online and only found it here. The post refers to the same podcast I’m listening to, so I’m not sure if it’s the original illustration or if he typed it up in his own words. Either way, I copied and pasted it here.

There once was a good king. He had a vast kingdom and many, many subjects. One day, one of the king’s subjects, a gardener, came into his courts. He brought with him a huge carrot. He presented the carrot to the king saying, “thank you, o king, for ruling justly!” The king was impressed with the gift, and perceived that the gardener was skillful and hard working. He said to the gardener, “because I can see that you are a skillful gardener, and would be a great service to me, I am giving you the much larger land next to your garden to farm. Go and produce good fruits!” The gardener left and did as the king had commanded. Meanwhile, a horse breeder, another of the king’s subjects, overheard their exchange. He noticed the king’s generosity and favor on the gardener and so the next day, he brought one of his choice horses before the king as a gift. The king, putting together what had happened, took the gift from the breeder saying, “thank you.” Turning to leave, the king was interrupted by the breeder who said, “o king, but what about the favor you had on the gardener?” the king turning to look at the breeder said, “Ah yes, that gardener gave his carrot to me, but you have given this horse to yourself.”

What are you doing for God that you are really doing for yourself/recognition/acceptance/etc?
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mandles

November 16, 2008 in funny with 0 Comments


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faith

November 16, 2008 in spiritual with 0 Comments

My iPod is more of a podcast player than a music player. Sure, I’ve got a ton of songs on it, but day to day, I’m listening to podcasts an overwhelming majority of the time.

I’ve recently been (slowly) making my way through a series of teachings called Preaching Christ in a Postmodern World by Edmund Clowney and Tim Keller. I recommend it, with the mention that I have a hard time listening to Clowney’s sections. They’re not bad regarding content, but I just can’t get around his style and presentation. Keller, however, is an excellent communicator and his sections are well worth your time.

On the way home tonight, Keller was speaking in Session 5 about justification and sanctification. He says, “We tell people, ‘You’re justified by faith’, but when it comes to sanctification, we essentially say, ‘Now you’ve got to get to work.’ ” His point is that we trust Christ, in faith, to save us, but that’s where faith stops. After the “sinner’s prayer” moment, the Christian life becomes something we must work and try hard to live out.

Instead, he correctly states that not only are we justified by faith, but we are sanctified by faith as well. In other words, we come to Christ in the first place because we are broken, helpless sinners. Then we continue to put our faith in Him to live our lives for Him. To remove Christ from the second part is to reduce our experience to moralism. Keller says, “A failure to live a holy life is not just due to a lack of commitment and a lack of hard work. (That doesn’t mean that commitment and hard work isn’t part of it.) The most fundamental root is I’m not living ‘as if’. I’m not living in faith that Christ is my savior.”

I’m not sure why this struck me so much, but there is great comfort in knowing that Jesus has already met the requirements and imparted that to me on the cross. My works didn’t save me and they don’t make me any holier after I’ve begun the journey. Christ is all from start to finish.
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barack paper scissors

November 12, 2008 in Uncategorized with 1 Comment

Someone clearly has too much time on their hands to make this. Very clever.

Though I didn’t come across anything offensive when I played, I’m not endorsing any of the content here. There are several possible outcomes and I didn’t try them all.
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