We are learning new meaning to what the Apostle Paul instructed the Christians at Thessolonica to do... "Pray without ceasing" he told hem. Our church family at Washington Street has been doing just that these last few days and we would like to ask the entire Christian community in Fayetteville to join us today in prayer for a little boy so dear to us .
Curt Cannon, the 7 yr old son of David & Marcia Cannon was injured in an accident on Sunday evening, was med-flighted to Vanderbilt and remains there in very critical condition. David, Marcia, Curt and his sister, Amy Ann are dear members of our church family as are his grandparents, Curtis & Ruth Ashby. Our hearts go out to them, our thoughts are with them, and our prayers are covering them through this difficult time. They would cherish your prayers as well as they wait.
Tonight, following an abbreviated Bible class time, our church family with gather for a concentrated period of prayer. All are welcome to join us around 7:30pm for this. We'll ask all of our teachers to excuse their classes at that time so that we can all gather in the auditorium to lift this precious little boy up in prayer. We would love for other churches to do the same.
God bless & thank you for your concern,
Jim Black
for the Washington St Church Family
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Missio Dei: The Role of Christ... "A Savior Has Been Born!"
Luke 2:1-14
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." NIV
What a beautiful text to read… I can’t help but remember the Charlie Brown Christmas special… and Linus reading these words every year… the children singing around that poor pitiful little tree. This story is especially important this time of year as the world pauses to remember the significance of what God did in the sending of his Son! Today amidst all the hustle and bustle of the season… and the battles that wage over Santa Claus & Snowmen… that those of us who know of the truth of THIS story won’t let it die… and won’t let it be heard ONLY this time of year… but all year round! It is perhaps THE most significant story in all of human history… it was certainly the biggest NEWS story as far as Heaven was concerned on that day… “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you!” But what does that mean? “A Savior has been born to you”???
We’re talking about the Missio Dei- the Mission of God… and looking at what his grand plan has been for his fallen world. How God has been working his plan to bring all things “in heaven & on earth” back unto him… (cf. Col 2) … to rescue his fallen creation from the dominion of darkness & into the kingdom of Christ! That is what he has been up to since the very beginning… even taking Abraham & Sarah (an elderly childless couple living in Babylon) and forging their descendants into a nation… a people who existed for the purpose of “blessing the nations.” We know now that one of the ways they were a “blessing” was in their being the family thru which the Messiah would be born. Joseph & Mary both trace their ancestry straight back to Abraham & Sarah!
Today, I want to focus our lens on Jesus… not because its Christmas… but because He has been at the center of this grand Missio Dei all along! The Bible doesn’t give us much about Jesus in the years that immediately followed those events in Bethlehem… The gospel of Luke gives us more than the others. In ch. 2 we read about Mary & Joseph presenting the baby Jesus at the Temple and the blessing by Simeon who had waited his whole life for the Messiah. We also get the story of Jesus getting left behind in Jerusalem and his distraught Mom finding him in the Temple, listening to the teachers. (that’s right where your kids would go if you left them, right? School.) In ch. 3 (at the age of 30) we see Jesus presenting himself for baptism at the Jordan River… and the great moment when John baptizes him… the heavens open, the Spirit comes down, the Father speaks “THIS is my Son!” and Jesus is anointed for ministry. Of course in ch. 4, not immune to the temptations of the devil, Jesus squares off against the Tempter himself… but unlike Adam & Eve, Jesus stands & doesn’t succumb to the tempter’s snares.
But its his first official act of ministry in Luke’s gospel (ch. 4) that I want to look at more closely this morning… because it’s a fundamental text for understanding Jesus’ mission. If you were to ask Jesus, what’s YOUR mission statement… I think this would be it. It’s a hugely significant text… and for us Gentiles we may not get the full sense of whats going on here without a little background. Let’s look at it…
Luke 4:14-22
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked. NIV
Galilee—we know Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just outside of the big city of Jerusalem… but Nazareth was home. That’s where his Momma & Daddy were from and that’s where he was raised… and that’s where people knew him. News about him spread—we know about how news travels in small towns, right? The Synagogue—of course this was something Jesus did every week… not once or twice a year, but this was his custom. It was just a natural part of his life. And folks were used to men standing up to read scripture… but look at what he reads. It says he “found the place where it is written”… he deliberately selected Isaiah 61 to read. Why? Was it the random selection that day? No, he chose it and he chose it for a reason!
Isaiah 61… which Isaiah wrote some 800 yrs before Jesus… was about the Messiah. Clearly that was understood as a Messianic text. When Isaiah spoke of the “Lord’s Anointed” he was talking about the Messiah… who would bring good news! And so when Jesus selected that passage and then said, “Today this is fulfilled in your hearing” he was saying to them, “I’m him! I’m the anointed one. I’m the messiah. And I’m the one who has come bringing good news! THIS is the year of the Lord’s favor!” More than just being a great quote from a great prophet, Jesus was setting the stage for the rest of his ministry. As you read thru the gospels, you see that this mission is really the framework for what Jesus would do in the next 3 yrs.
THIS was his mission… and it ought to be ours, too!
Notice Jesus saw it as his mission to…
“To Preach Good News to the Poor”
Who needs ‘good news’ more than the poor? The poor are constantly the focus of Jesus’ attention. In Luke 6:20 he said, “Blessed are the poor.” In Luke 12:32-33 he told an audience of hearers, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” NIV In Luke 14:13 he said, “When you throw a party, invite the poor… b/c they can’t repay you.” Over & over again, Jesus taught & modeled looking after the needy.
Matthew 6:2
2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. NIV
And when he told stories as he loved to do… the poor were often the heroes! Like in the story of the rich man & Lazarus in Luke 16. The rich man is portrayed as proud & arrogant. Lazarus has nothing… and yet the point of the parable is that it’s the poor man who ends up at Abraham’s bosom… while the rich man burns in torment.
Why all this attention given to the poor? Maybe it’s because the poor often responded to Jesus more readily than others? I think of the story in Luke 21 of the widow who put in two very small copper coins (worth only a fraction of a penny) into the Temple treasury. Yet when contrasted to the fellow who threw in a massive amount, SHE was commended for her offering… because he gave out of his abundance and she out of her poverty. Maybe it’s because God has always had a heart for those who realized they needed NOTHING but Him in this life. So, when Jesus came… he ministered to the poor, and he fed the hungry… not because it was the politically correct thing to do… but because it was a heart of God thing to do! And we could do that, too!
“To Proclaim Freedom for the Prisoners”
The word transl. ‘freedom’ here is elsewhere in Luke translated ‘forgiveness’… and that makes sense doesn’t it? That’s what most prisoners need most… forgiveness. Now is Jesus/ Isaiah speaking of those literally imprisoned? I think so. But is he also speaking of a spiritual bondage… a spiritual imprisonment? That too! Unforgiven sin holds each of us prisoner… and in a way no physical jail cell can accomplish! When we have unforgiven, aka unconfessed sin, in our lives… it holds us back… enslaves us…
But OH, how liberating it is to be set free from all of that! What do you suppose it feels like to be a prisoner? I’ve never been in jail (other than at Cahoots) but it can’t be a good feeling… can’t go where you want to; can’t do whatever you want to; can’t act on your own; completely at the mercy of the one who has bound you. Like sin? I understand that. We just this Fall finished a 9 week series in Galatians… and the theme: “Finding Freedom in Christ.” It could have just as easily been called… “Finding Forgiveness in Christ” because that’s what freedom is! Jesus said in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” NIV
Paul wrote to the Galatians 5:1
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. NIV
There were those who did not understand that freedom… either wanted to take it away from others… OR wanted to turn it into a license to sin. T for those who understood!
They understood that THIS was the very reason Christ had come! To secure their freedom!
Matthew 20:28
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." NIV
What’s a ransom? It’s the price you pay to free somebody from bondage! When the jailer is the government you call it ‘bail’ but when it’s a kidnapper or the devil… it’s a ransom! Jesus paid it… with his own life! We could tell people that message, too, couldn’t we?
“And Recovery of Sight for the Blind”
Do you think Jesus is talking about a literal, physical blindness or a spiritual one? Yeah, probably both! We know that Jesus healed many blind folks! (almost a specialty!) In Luke 18, there was a beggar on the side of the road as Jesus was going to Jericho. He cried out to Jesus, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” Even though he was annoying everybody around, Jesus took the time to go to the man, talk to him, and he healed him. And people praised God b/c of it. In Matt 9, there were two blind men… same thing. In John 9:25, the authorities hauled in a man whom Jesus had healed and they were questioning him… he told them, “I don’t know who he is, but one thing I DO know… I was blind but now I see!” (sort of sums it up well!)
There was a lot of spiritual blindness, too… in Jesus’ day AND in ours. Jesus in fact said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." John 9:39 NIV What was he talking about? For those “who had eyes to see” who were ready to believe… Jesus lifted a veil from their eyes! But for those who weren’t ready… the veil remained. Isn’t it a shame… that there are so many with 20/20 vision who cannot see that God is real! Or cannot see all that he has done!
Our world is darkness… that’s the way John describes it…
John 3:19-20
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. NIV
Jesus came to shine a light into our dark world… “I am the light of the world,” he said (John 8:12). Isn’t that what WE ought to be doing, too? Shining our lights? Its going to make some uncomfortable. Its going to make some run & hide from us. It may even make a few folks mad at us. But the world doesn’t need any more darkness! It needs light!
“To Release the Oppressed”
The 21st century is much different from the 1st, but we know a thing or two about oppression, too! Have you ever felt beaten down by the world… by the drudgery of life? By sin, sickness, circumstances? Has the hurt & heartache of the world ever gotten you down? Ever felt like the score was “The World - 17…. Me- 0”?? Ever felt like life wasn’t fair… (you’re right!)
This world is a fallen place and part of what Jesus came to do was to release people from the oppression… from the cares… from the burdens & worries of this life! He said, “If your Father in heaven cares about the birds of the air and the grass in the field… how much more do you think he’ll take care of you?” (paraphrasing here –Matt 6)
“To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor!”
What a proclamation! “The Lord loves you! The Lord is looking with favor/ kindness upon you!” Wouldn’t you love to get THAT in a Christmas card from God? And it harkened back to the year of Jubilee. Built into the law (Lev. 25:8-17) was this provision, that every 50 years Israel would celebrate the “Year of Jubilee” as a reminder to them of God’s grace and provision! Debts were forgiven. Slaves were freed. It was a time when God would bring freedom from the guilt & effects of sin and a time in which Israel would look expectantly towards a new age when these problems would be done away with once & for all!
Jesus was proclaiming, “That time is NOW! NOW is the time of the Lord’s favor!” With Jesus, God was ushering in a new era… an era in which God would act to finally do away with the problems of sin & death once & for all! Jesus would go to the cross and take those with him… so that we wouldn’t have to!
THIS was Jesus’ mission… the center of the overarching Mission of God (Missio Dei)… and it is OUR mission, too!
Not to get ahead of myself… because I want to talk about the role of the church in the next post… but as the body of Christ on the planet today… isn’t it incumbent on US to continue the work of Christ in our day & time? To continue his ministry to the poor, the imprisoned, the blind, the oppressed? Including those who are poor in spirit, those imprisoned by sin, those blinded by the glitter of this world AND those oppressed by the fallen structures of this world?
WE have good news to share! “A Savior has been born!” It doesn’t get any better than that? What are we doing to proclaim that message? What are YOU doing?
1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to his own town to register.
4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." NIV
What a beautiful text to read… I can’t help but remember the Charlie Brown Christmas special… and Linus reading these words every year… the children singing around that poor pitiful little tree. This story is especially important this time of year as the world pauses to remember the significance of what God did in the sending of his Son! Today amidst all the hustle and bustle of the season… and the battles that wage over Santa Claus & Snowmen… that those of us who know of the truth of THIS story won’t let it die… and won’t let it be heard ONLY this time of year… but all year round! It is perhaps THE most significant story in all of human history… it was certainly the biggest NEWS story as far as Heaven was concerned on that day… “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you!” But what does that mean? “A Savior has been born to you”???
We’re talking about the Missio Dei- the Mission of God… and looking at what his grand plan has been for his fallen world. How God has been working his plan to bring all things “in heaven & on earth” back unto him… (cf. Col 2) … to rescue his fallen creation from the dominion of darkness & into the kingdom of Christ! That is what he has been up to since the very beginning… even taking Abraham & Sarah (an elderly childless couple living in Babylon) and forging their descendants into a nation… a people who existed for the purpose of “blessing the nations.” We know now that one of the ways they were a “blessing” was in their being the family thru which the Messiah would be born. Joseph & Mary both trace their ancestry straight back to Abraham & Sarah!
Today, I want to focus our lens on Jesus… not because its Christmas… but because He has been at the center of this grand Missio Dei all along! The Bible doesn’t give us much about Jesus in the years that immediately followed those events in Bethlehem… The gospel of Luke gives us more than the others. In ch. 2 we read about Mary & Joseph presenting the baby Jesus at the Temple and the blessing by Simeon who had waited his whole life for the Messiah. We also get the story of Jesus getting left behind in Jerusalem and his distraught Mom finding him in the Temple, listening to the teachers. (that’s right where your kids would go if you left them, right? School.) In ch. 3 (at the age of 30) we see Jesus presenting himself for baptism at the Jordan River… and the great moment when John baptizes him… the heavens open, the Spirit comes down, the Father speaks “THIS is my Son!” and Jesus is anointed for ministry. Of course in ch. 4, not immune to the temptations of the devil, Jesus squares off against the Tempter himself… but unlike Adam & Eve, Jesus stands & doesn’t succumb to the tempter’s snares.
But its his first official act of ministry in Luke’s gospel (ch. 4) that I want to look at more closely this morning… because it’s a fundamental text for understanding Jesus’ mission. If you were to ask Jesus, what’s YOUR mission statement… I think this would be it. It’s a hugely significant text… and for us Gentiles we may not get the full sense of whats going on here without a little background. Let’s look at it…
Luke 4:14-22
14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. 17 The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, 21 and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked. NIV
Galilee—we know Jesus was born in Bethlehem, just outside of the big city of Jerusalem… but Nazareth was home. That’s where his Momma & Daddy were from and that’s where he was raised… and that’s where people knew him. News about him spread—we know about how news travels in small towns, right? The Synagogue—of course this was something Jesus did every week… not once or twice a year, but this was his custom. It was just a natural part of his life. And folks were used to men standing up to read scripture… but look at what he reads. It says he “found the place where it is written”… he deliberately selected Isaiah 61 to read. Why? Was it the random selection that day? No, he chose it and he chose it for a reason!
Isaiah 61… which Isaiah wrote some 800 yrs before Jesus… was about the Messiah. Clearly that was understood as a Messianic text. When Isaiah spoke of the “Lord’s Anointed” he was talking about the Messiah… who would bring good news! And so when Jesus selected that passage and then said, “Today this is fulfilled in your hearing” he was saying to them, “I’m him! I’m the anointed one. I’m the messiah. And I’m the one who has come bringing good news! THIS is the year of the Lord’s favor!” More than just being a great quote from a great prophet, Jesus was setting the stage for the rest of his ministry. As you read thru the gospels, you see that this mission is really the framework for what Jesus would do in the next 3 yrs.
THIS was his mission… and it ought to be ours, too!
Notice Jesus saw it as his mission to…
“To Preach Good News to the Poor”
Who needs ‘good news’ more than the poor? The poor are constantly the focus of Jesus’ attention. In Luke 6:20 he said, “Blessed are the poor.” In Luke 12:32-33 he told an audience of hearers, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.” NIV In Luke 14:13 he said, “When you throw a party, invite the poor… b/c they can’t repay you.” Over & over again, Jesus taught & modeled looking after the needy.
Matthew 6:2
2 "So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. NIV
And when he told stories as he loved to do… the poor were often the heroes! Like in the story of the rich man & Lazarus in Luke 16. The rich man is portrayed as proud & arrogant. Lazarus has nothing… and yet the point of the parable is that it’s the poor man who ends up at Abraham’s bosom… while the rich man burns in torment.
Why all this attention given to the poor? Maybe it’s because the poor often responded to Jesus more readily than others? I think of the story in Luke 21 of the widow who put in two very small copper coins (worth only a fraction of a penny) into the Temple treasury. Yet when contrasted to the fellow who threw in a massive amount, SHE was commended for her offering… because he gave out of his abundance and she out of her poverty. Maybe it’s because God has always had a heart for those who realized they needed NOTHING but Him in this life. So, when Jesus came… he ministered to the poor, and he fed the hungry… not because it was the politically correct thing to do… but because it was a heart of God thing to do! And we could do that, too!
“To Proclaim Freedom for the Prisoners”
The word transl. ‘freedom’ here is elsewhere in Luke translated ‘forgiveness’… and that makes sense doesn’t it? That’s what most prisoners need most… forgiveness. Now is Jesus/ Isaiah speaking of those literally imprisoned? I think so. But is he also speaking of a spiritual bondage… a spiritual imprisonment? That too! Unforgiven sin holds each of us prisoner… and in a way no physical jail cell can accomplish! When we have unforgiven, aka unconfessed sin, in our lives… it holds us back… enslaves us…
But OH, how liberating it is to be set free from all of that! What do you suppose it feels like to be a prisoner? I’ve never been in jail (other than at Cahoots) but it can’t be a good feeling… can’t go where you want to; can’t do whatever you want to; can’t act on your own; completely at the mercy of the one who has bound you. Like sin? I understand that. We just this Fall finished a 9 week series in Galatians… and the theme: “Finding Freedom in Christ.” It could have just as easily been called… “Finding Forgiveness in Christ” because that’s what freedom is! Jesus said in John 8:36, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” NIV
Paul wrote to the Galatians 5:1
1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. NIV
There were those who did not understand that freedom… either wanted to take it away from others… OR wanted to turn it into a license to sin. T for those who understood!
They understood that THIS was the very reason Christ had come! To secure their freedom!
Matthew 20:28
28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." NIV
What’s a ransom? It’s the price you pay to free somebody from bondage! When the jailer is the government you call it ‘bail’ but when it’s a kidnapper or the devil… it’s a ransom! Jesus paid it… with his own life! We could tell people that message, too, couldn’t we?
“And Recovery of Sight for the Blind”
Do you think Jesus is talking about a literal, physical blindness or a spiritual one? Yeah, probably both! We know that Jesus healed many blind folks! (almost a specialty!) In Luke 18, there was a beggar on the side of the road as Jesus was going to Jericho. He cried out to Jesus, “Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!” Even though he was annoying everybody around, Jesus took the time to go to the man, talk to him, and he healed him. And people praised God b/c of it. In Matt 9, there were two blind men… same thing. In John 9:25, the authorities hauled in a man whom Jesus had healed and they were questioning him… he told them, “I don’t know who he is, but one thing I DO know… I was blind but now I see!” (sort of sums it up well!)
There was a lot of spiritual blindness, too… in Jesus’ day AND in ours. Jesus in fact said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." John 9:39 NIV What was he talking about? For those “who had eyes to see” who were ready to believe… Jesus lifted a veil from their eyes! But for those who weren’t ready… the veil remained. Isn’t it a shame… that there are so many with 20/20 vision who cannot see that God is real! Or cannot see all that he has done!
Our world is darkness… that’s the way John describes it…
John 3:19-20
19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. NIV
Jesus came to shine a light into our dark world… “I am the light of the world,” he said (John 8:12). Isn’t that what WE ought to be doing, too? Shining our lights? Its going to make some uncomfortable. Its going to make some run & hide from us. It may even make a few folks mad at us. But the world doesn’t need any more darkness! It needs light!
“To Release the Oppressed”
The 21st century is much different from the 1st, but we know a thing or two about oppression, too! Have you ever felt beaten down by the world… by the drudgery of life? By sin, sickness, circumstances? Has the hurt & heartache of the world ever gotten you down? Ever felt like the score was “The World - 17…. Me- 0”?? Ever felt like life wasn’t fair… (you’re right!)
This world is a fallen place and part of what Jesus came to do was to release people from the oppression… from the cares… from the burdens & worries of this life! He said, “If your Father in heaven cares about the birds of the air and the grass in the field… how much more do you think he’ll take care of you?” (paraphrasing here –Matt 6)
“To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor!”
What a proclamation! “The Lord loves you! The Lord is looking with favor/ kindness upon you!” Wouldn’t you love to get THAT in a Christmas card from God? And it harkened back to the year of Jubilee. Built into the law (Lev. 25:8-17) was this provision, that every 50 years Israel would celebrate the “Year of Jubilee” as a reminder to them of God’s grace and provision! Debts were forgiven. Slaves were freed. It was a time when God would bring freedom from the guilt & effects of sin and a time in which Israel would look expectantly towards a new age when these problems would be done away with once & for all!
Jesus was proclaiming, “That time is NOW! NOW is the time of the Lord’s favor!” With Jesus, God was ushering in a new era… an era in which God would act to finally do away with the problems of sin & death once & for all! Jesus would go to the cross and take those with him… so that we wouldn’t have to!
THIS was Jesus’ mission… the center of the overarching Mission of God (Missio Dei)… and it is OUR mission, too!
Not to get ahead of myself… because I want to talk about the role of the church in the next post… but as the body of Christ on the planet today… isn’t it incumbent on US to continue the work of Christ in our day & time? To continue his ministry to the poor, the imprisoned, the blind, the oppressed? Including those who are poor in spirit, those imprisoned by sin, those blinded by the glitter of this world AND those oppressed by the fallen structures of this world?
WE have good news to share! “A Savior has been born!” It doesn’t get any better than that? What are we doing to proclaim that message? What are YOU doing?
Monday, January 3, 2011
2010 in review
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here's a high level summary of its overall blog health:
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.
A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.
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In 2010, there were 25 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 133 posts. There were 23 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 7mb. That's about 2 pictures per month.
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These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
Why I love Riverside Christian Academy June 2010
Ezekiel and the Valley of the Dry Bones September 2009
"Whatever you do for the least of these..." April 2009
Melody Roach November 2009
3 comments
Faith & Politics October 2008
The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is doing awesome!.
Crunchy numbers
A helper monkey made this abstract painting, inspired by your stats.
A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 5,000 times in 2010. That's about 12 full 747s.
In 2010, there were 25 new posts, growing the total archive of this blog to 133 posts. There were 23 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 7mb. That's about 2 pictures per month.
The busiest day of the year was June 1st with 62 views. The most popular post that day was Why I love Riverside Christian Academy.
Where did they come from?
The top referring sites in 2010 were washingtonstreetchurch.org, facebook.com, preacherjim.blogspot.com, thentchallenge.blogspot.com, and search.aol.com.
Some visitors came searching, mostly for ezekiel, ezekiel dry bones, whatever you do to the least of these, ezekiel bones, and whatever you do for the least of these you do for me.
Attractions in 2010
These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.
1
Why I love Riverside Christian Academy June 2010
2
Ezekiel and the Valley of the Dry Bones September 2009
3
"Whatever you do for the least of these..." April 2009
4
Melody Roach November 2009
3 comments
5
Faith & Politics October 2008
Monday, December 20, 2010
Missio Dei: #2 The Role of Israel
We’ve been talking this month about the Mission of God (the Missio Dei) and looking at what he has been doing in our world… what he is doing now… and what he wants to do in the future. And we’ve asked this question… because we want to know what He wants US to do as a church… what role WE have to play in this mission? We’ve seen that his intention/ goal is… to reconcile “all things in earth & heaven” back unto Himself. (cf. Col. 2) It is a rescue operation! He wants to RESCUE his fallen creation from the dominion of darkness and into the kingdom of Christ! That is what he has been up to since the very beginning and will continue to work towards until all things have actually been brought back unto him.
As we think about the Mission of God… and as we try to find OUR mission as a church within God’s mission… I want to zero in on the role that Israel has played in that mission. How did God use his chosen, covenant people to further that plan? I realize, we don’t usually begin here. Usually when we’re talking about the mission of the church we only go back so far as Acts and the “birthday” of the church on Pentecost. Or we talk about the acts of worship and Rick Warren’s five purposes of the church. But I believe it the mission of the church today is not only rooted in the mission of God but is also seen in the mission he gave Israel! WE are the chosen, covenant people of God… chosen IN CHRIST to fulfill his mission… to continue that mission!
Let’s go back to the Biblical story… as we have it in the OT. The situation presented by the end of Gen. 3 is a bleak one! Sin had entered into God’s good creation and wreaked absolute havoc! With sin had come death, disease, decay, the curse of the ground, fracture in human relationships, separation & alienation from God! Mankind is cast out of the Garden of Eden and into a world of sin & death… ruled by the one who deceived them in the first place! And as you read further… things don’t get much better! In fact, they get progressively worse! In ch. 4… brother kills brother… the sons of Adam & Eve turned against one another. In ch. 6 & 7… things had gotten so bad (in fact it says that every inclination of their hearts were evil all the time) that God decided to bring judgment in the form of a massive flood to wipe the slate clean… choosing to save only Noah & his family.
But the fundamental nature of man hasn’t been changed… and by the time ch. 11 comes along civilization is right back where it was before Noah. At the height of human arrogance and pride… mankind chooses to build a tower that reaches into the heavens. Driven out of an ambition to “make a name for themselves” they set about building the tower of Babel! When God acts to scatter them across the land… we get a sense for just how far mankind has fallen. Instead of glorifying God… they have sought a name for themselves. Instead of spreading out & multiplying… they have come together to see if they could be gods themselves. Instead of tending to God’s good creation as He had intended in the Garden… they had to work the cursed ground it by the sweat of their brow. Even the blessing of childbirth… would come with pain & labor!
By the end of ch. 11 the reader is left to ask… “What can be done? What could God do?” Then he does something only God could have come up with! God sees an elderly, childless couple in the land of Babel itself and decides to make them the launching pad of his whole mission to rescue all of creation! The call of Abraham in Gen. 12 is the beginning of God’s mission to restore his fallen creation and fix once & for all the sin-problem within the human heart. Who would have thought?
Our mission begins here.
GOD CALLS ABRAM AND PROMISES HIM GREAT BLESSING!
Genesis 12:1-3
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." NIV
In spite of everything that has happened… in spite of the sin, the rebellion and all the chaos that has ensued… God still wants to bless his people! The word “blessing” is used 5 times here… in 3 verses! And indeed he was greatly blessed! As an old man he became the father of Isaac, the child of the promise! And the patriarch of a great nation! His descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashores! His flocks were bountiful and his family prosperous. But look at the WHY…
“I will bless you… & you will be a blessing.” “I will bless those who bless you & all peoples will be blessed through you.”
The purpose of the blessing wasn’t just to make Abraham or the nation of Israel healthy, wealthy & wise… it was to bless others! But the story doesn’t end there…
AS WE READ ON, GOD ACTS AGAIN IN A MIGHTY WAY TO REDEEM/ RESCUE HIS PEOPLE WHEN THEY FALL INTO SLAVERY IN EGYPT.
Exodus tells of the incredible Rescue Operation… the sending of Moses, an unlikely hero, back to secure the release of his people from the clutches of the powerful Pharaoh! It isn’t accomplished by clever diplomacy or military might… but by the power of God as the mighty Pharaoh pits himself up against the power of God… and loses! The children of Israel are led up out of the land and into a land flowing with milk & honey. And again, so long as they were obedient & faithful they were blessed by God. They received the land of promise just as God had said.
IN THAT PROCESS… GOD DOES SOMETHING UNHEARD OF! HE ENTERS INTO A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.
That was the point of Sinai and the giving of the Law. God says to his people, “I’ll be your God and you be my people.” This is the way I want you to walk… and in turn, I’ll always be there for you. I’ll give you this land and again, I will make you a light unto the world! And the bulk of our Old Testaments is the telling of this story… how as Israel did what God had for them to do… everything went well… but how so very often they forgot or failed… and God used every tool at his disposal to discipline them… to rebuke them… to teach them. He used prophets & priests & kings…
We understand the mighty things God did… all of the mighty ways he acted in the Old Testament… but to what end? For what purpose? Again… “to bless the nations.” Over & over again in Scripture… we are told that Israel existed for the purpose of “blessing the nations.” God hadn’t called Abraham just so he could save Abraham or even Abraham’s family… but so that he could save the world! In Isaiah 49 (the text that Paul had quoted from at Antioch.) God spoke to Israel directly and says, (vs. 6) “Its too small a thing for you to be my servant and for you to just restore the tribes of Jacob… or rescue those of Israel.” In other words… I’ve got BIGGER plans for you! I want to make you a light for the Gentiles.. so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth! God chose Israel and he blessed them… so that they would be a blessing to the nations. Isn’t that what Jesus meant for the church when he told his disciples to go and make disciples of the nations?
Israel WAS a blessing to the nations… As long as they modeled God’s character before the nations…! Did you ever wonder why the OT Law seems to be so… difficult? So harsh? Why was God so hard on the people he loved? Its because their mission was to model God’s character before the nations! God called Israel to a higher standard than everybody else—NOT because they were better or because God loved them more—but because their job was to show the world who God was! They wore the name of God… in a sense… and their conduct was a reflection of who HE was! He said in 2 Chronicles 7:14
“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” NIV
Did your Momma & Daddy ever tell you as you headed out the door with your friends… “Remember who you are”? You bear the family name and what you do out in the world comes back as a reflection on the whole family… and particularly your father.
God didn’t want Israel doing anything out in the world that went against His nature, His character…. b/c they were representing him! Lev 11:45 God tells them, “Be holy because I am holy.” The ethical standards for Israel were high because they were representing God! By the way, that admonition is repeated in 1 Peter 1:16 to the church! “Be holy… because I am holy.” As long as they modeled God’s character before the nations… and so can we!
Israel WAS a blessing to the nations…As long as they were faithful to God’s covenant before the nations. The promise of blessing was dependent on their obedience to the covenant. They hadn’t done anything deserving of being God’s chosen people per se… BUT in order to receive the blessings that were promised… they had to abide in that covenant relationship! As long as they were obedient, they were blessed… but as often happened, when they were disobedient, there was trouble! That’s because God created this life and he knows how to live this life in a way that brings great blessing! Israel was supposed to live the righteous life and provide an example to the rest of the world.
It wasn’t the Pavlovian idea of performing certain behaviors and God rewards with certain blessings. That’s how you train dogs, but that’s not what God was doing! Rather, its more the idea of being in a relationship with someone… like in a marriage. As long as you are in that relationship, you receive great blessing from being in it. The relationship itself is the blessing! It’s the same with God! As we walk with him, we enjoy the blessing of fellowship with our Heavenly Father! With that comes so many good things! As long as they obeyed the commands of God… and so are we! Israel was a blessing to the nations as long as they were faithful to the covenant… and so are we!
Israel WAS a blessing to the nations…As long as they prepared the way for Christ before the nations. Part of their mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah! John the Baptist took that on as his personal mission… but it had been what Israel was supposed to have been doing since Sinai! THAT had been the purpose of the law!
Galatians 3:24
24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ…. NIV
The people of Israel were supposed to be looking for the Messiah and pointing the people to Him! Of course, we know this is where they didn’t do such a ‘bang up’ job because when the Messiah DID come, so many of them didn’t believe. This is what Paul & Barnabas were pointing out to them in Antioch… how they had failed in this.
Are you still asking… What does this have to do with us?
Galatians 3:29
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. NIV
If we are in Christ, church, then we are in Abraham as well… we are Israel today! We are his heirs… heirs of his promise… AND (could I add) heirs of his mission? So, today, WE bless the nations (as Israel) by doing the same thing! WE, too, are called to represent God’s character before the nations! (1 Pet. 1:16 “Be holy because I am holy”) WE, too, are called to abide in his covenant… to be obedient to Christ. (Jn 14:15 “If you love me, you’ll do what I command.”)
The church is the one organization on earth that exists to bless OTHERS… those outside the church! THAT is our mission! The church does not exist for us… it exists for them! God has blessed us, not just so we can sit back in our comfortable, warm pews & nice buildings singing catchy songs about him… He has blessed us so that we will go out there and bless others! What are we doing, church, to be a blessing to the nations? Our “Give Thanks” bags are great… but they are just the tip of the iceberg of what we could be doing!
What will we do?
As we think about the Mission of God… and as we try to find OUR mission as a church within God’s mission… I want to zero in on the role that Israel has played in that mission. How did God use his chosen, covenant people to further that plan? I realize, we don’t usually begin here. Usually when we’re talking about the mission of the church we only go back so far as Acts and the “birthday” of the church on Pentecost. Or we talk about the acts of worship and Rick Warren’s five purposes of the church. But I believe it the mission of the church today is not only rooted in the mission of God but is also seen in the mission he gave Israel! WE are the chosen, covenant people of God… chosen IN CHRIST to fulfill his mission… to continue that mission!
Let’s go back to the Biblical story… as we have it in the OT. The situation presented by the end of Gen. 3 is a bleak one! Sin had entered into God’s good creation and wreaked absolute havoc! With sin had come death, disease, decay, the curse of the ground, fracture in human relationships, separation & alienation from God! Mankind is cast out of the Garden of Eden and into a world of sin & death… ruled by the one who deceived them in the first place! And as you read further… things don’t get much better! In fact, they get progressively worse! In ch. 4… brother kills brother… the sons of Adam & Eve turned against one another. In ch. 6 & 7… things had gotten so bad (in fact it says that every inclination of their hearts were evil all the time) that God decided to bring judgment in the form of a massive flood to wipe the slate clean… choosing to save only Noah & his family.
But the fundamental nature of man hasn’t been changed… and by the time ch. 11 comes along civilization is right back where it was before Noah. At the height of human arrogance and pride… mankind chooses to build a tower that reaches into the heavens. Driven out of an ambition to “make a name for themselves” they set about building the tower of Babel! When God acts to scatter them across the land… we get a sense for just how far mankind has fallen. Instead of glorifying God… they have sought a name for themselves. Instead of spreading out & multiplying… they have come together to see if they could be gods themselves. Instead of tending to God’s good creation as He had intended in the Garden… they had to work the cursed ground it by the sweat of their brow. Even the blessing of childbirth… would come with pain & labor!
By the end of ch. 11 the reader is left to ask… “What can be done? What could God do?” Then he does something only God could have come up with! God sees an elderly, childless couple in the land of Babel itself and decides to make them the launching pad of his whole mission to rescue all of creation! The call of Abraham in Gen. 12 is the beginning of God’s mission to restore his fallen creation and fix once & for all the sin-problem within the human heart. Who would have thought?
Our mission begins here.
GOD CALLS ABRAM AND PROMISES HIM GREAT BLESSING!
Genesis 12:1-3
1 The LORD had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." NIV
In spite of everything that has happened… in spite of the sin, the rebellion and all the chaos that has ensued… God still wants to bless his people! The word “blessing” is used 5 times here… in 3 verses! And indeed he was greatly blessed! As an old man he became the father of Isaac, the child of the promise! And the patriarch of a great nation! His descendants as numerous as the sand on the seashores! His flocks were bountiful and his family prosperous. But look at the WHY…
“I will bless you… & you will be a blessing.” “I will bless those who bless you & all peoples will be blessed through you.”
The purpose of the blessing wasn’t just to make Abraham or the nation of Israel healthy, wealthy & wise… it was to bless others! But the story doesn’t end there…
AS WE READ ON, GOD ACTS AGAIN IN A MIGHTY WAY TO REDEEM/ RESCUE HIS PEOPLE WHEN THEY FALL INTO SLAVERY IN EGYPT.
Exodus tells of the incredible Rescue Operation… the sending of Moses, an unlikely hero, back to secure the release of his people from the clutches of the powerful Pharaoh! It isn’t accomplished by clever diplomacy or military might… but by the power of God as the mighty Pharaoh pits himself up against the power of God… and loses! The children of Israel are led up out of the land and into a land flowing with milk & honey. And again, so long as they were obedient & faithful they were blessed by God. They received the land of promise just as God had said.
IN THAT PROCESS… GOD DOES SOMETHING UNHEARD OF! HE ENTERS INTO A COVENANT RELATIONSHIP WITH THEM.
That was the point of Sinai and the giving of the Law. God says to his people, “I’ll be your God and you be my people.” This is the way I want you to walk… and in turn, I’ll always be there for you. I’ll give you this land and again, I will make you a light unto the world! And the bulk of our Old Testaments is the telling of this story… how as Israel did what God had for them to do… everything went well… but how so very often they forgot or failed… and God used every tool at his disposal to discipline them… to rebuke them… to teach them. He used prophets & priests & kings…
We understand the mighty things God did… all of the mighty ways he acted in the Old Testament… but to what end? For what purpose? Again… “to bless the nations.” Over & over again in Scripture… we are told that Israel existed for the purpose of “blessing the nations.” God hadn’t called Abraham just so he could save Abraham or even Abraham’s family… but so that he could save the world! In Isaiah 49 (the text that Paul had quoted from at Antioch.) God spoke to Israel directly and says, (vs. 6) “Its too small a thing for you to be my servant and for you to just restore the tribes of Jacob… or rescue those of Israel.” In other words… I’ve got BIGGER plans for you! I want to make you a light for the Gentiles.. so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth! God chose Israel and he blessed them… so that they would be a blessing to the nations. Isn’t that what Jesus meant for the church when he told his disciples to go and make disciples of the nations?
Israel WAS a blessing to the nations… As long as they modeled God’s character before the nations…! Did you ever wonder why the OT Law seems to be so… difficult? So harsh? Why was God so hard on the people he loved? Its because their mission was to model God’s character before the nations! God called Israel to a higher standard than everybody else—NOT because they were better or because God loved them more—but because their job was to show the world who God was! They wore the name of God… in a sense… and their conduct was a reflection of who HE was! He said in 2 Chronicles 7:14
“…if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” NIV
Did your Momma & Daddy ever tell you as you headed out the door with your friends… “Remember who you are”? You bear the family name and what you do out in the world comes back as a reflection on the whole family… and particularly your father.
God didn’t want Israel doing anything out in the world that went against His nature, His character…. b/c they were representing him! Lev 11:45 God tells them, “Be holy because I am holy.” The ethical standards for Israel were high because they were representing God! By the way, that admonition is repeated in 1 Peter 1:16 to the church! “Be holy… because I am holy.” As long as they modeled God’s character before the nations… and so can we!
Israel WAS a blessing to the nations…As long as they were faithful to God’s covenant before the nations. The promise of blessing was dependent on their obedience to the covenant. They hadn’t done anything deserving of being God’s chosen people per se… BUT in order to receive the blessings that were promised… they had to abide in that covenant relationship! As long as they were obedient, they were blessed… but as often happened, when they were disobedient, there was trouble! That’s because God created this life and he knows how to live this life in a way that brings great blessing! Israel was supposed to live the righteous life and provide an example to the rest of the world.
It wasn’t the Pavlovian idea of performing certain behaviors and God rewards with certain blessings. That’s how you train dogs, but that’s not what God was doing! Rather, its more the idea of being in a relationship with someone… like in a marriage. As long as you are in that relationship, you receive great blessing from being in it. The relationship itself is the blessing! It’s the same with God! As we walk with him, we enjoy the blessing of fellowship with our Heavenly Father! With that comes so many good things! As long as they obeyed the commands of God… and so are we! Israel was a blessing to the nations as long as they were faithful to the covenant… and so are we!
Israel WAS a blessing to the nations…As long as they prepared the way for Christ before the nations. Part of their mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah! John the Baptist took that on as his personal mission… but it had been what Israel was supposed to have been doing since Sinai! THAT had been the purpose of the law!
Galatians 3:24
24 So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ…. NIV
The people of Israel were supposed to be looking for the Messiah and pointing the people to Him! Of course, we know this is where they didn’t do such a ‘bang up’ job because when the Messiah DID come, so many of them didn’t believe. This is what Paul & Barnabas were pointing out to them in Antioch… how they had failed in this.
Are you still asking… What does this have to do with us?
Galatians 3:29
29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. NIV
If we are in Christ, church, then we are in Abraham as well… we are Israel today! We are his heirs… heirs of his promise… AND (could I add) heirs of his mission? So, today, WE bless the nations (as Israel) by doing the same thing! WE, too, are called to represent God’s character before the nations! (1 Pet. 1:16 “Be holy because I am holy”) WE, too, are called to abide in his covenant… to be obedient to Christ. (Jn 14:15 “If you love me, you’ll do what I command.”)
The church is the one organization on earth that exists to bless OTHERS… those outside the church! THAT is our mission! The church does not exist for us… it exists for them! God has blessed us, not just so we can sit back in our comfortable, warm pews & nice buildings singing catchy songs about him… He has blessed us so that we will go out there and bless others! What are we doing, church, to be a blessing to the nations? Our “Give Thanks” bags are great… but they are just the tip of the iceberg of what we could be doing!
What will we do?
Monday, December 6, 2010
Missio Dei: Pursuing the Mission of God
Over the next few weeks I want to talk about MISSION… the church’s mission, but more importantly, the MISSION OF GOD in our world. What’s he up to? What is he doing and what does he want to do? I’ve borrowed the term ‘Missio Dei’ to describe this series of lessons because it makes me sound a whole lot smarter than I really am! Actually, it is a Latin term meaning “the Mission of God” and It comes from a German theologian named Karl Hartenstein who, in 1934, coined it to describe the context and motivation for mission in the church.
“When kept in the context of the Scriptures, Missio Dei correctly emphasizes that God is the initiator of His mission to redeem through the Church a special people for Himself from all of the peoples of the world. He sent His Son for this purpose and He sends the church into the world with the message of the gospel for the same purpose.” (Hartenstein)
The mission of the church… is rooted deeply in the mission of God. We don’t often think about it that way, but I think it really is the correct way to view it. That is to say: The church doesn’t have a mission… God has a mission! And he has invited the church, those called out from the world to be His, to be a part of that ongoing mission to the world!
It has been pretty standard operating procedure these days for companies, organizations and even most churches to come up with a “Mission Statement.” Mission statements help define purpose. They help organizations focus on what is really important to that org. It helps them be able to set goals & objectives… and then provides them a way to make decisions that will help them reach those goals. Its also a way to communicate to others (customers, clients, even employees, etc.) what is really important to that organization.
- Some examples of famous mission statements…
McDonald's vision is to be the world's best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile.
Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.
The Walt Disney Company's objective is to be one of the world's leading producers and providers of entertainment and information, using its portfolio of brands to differentiate its content, services and consumer products. The company's primary financial goals are to maximize earnings and cash flow, and to allocate capital profitability toward growth inititatives that will drive long-term shareholder value.
Interesting, huh?
Washington Street even took a stab at it a few years back. Do you remember what our mission statement is? After much thought, reflection and prayer, our Elders and deacons at that time settled on the phrase “Seeking, Serving & Sharing Christ” to describe what we are about here at Washington Street. That means that everything we do, every ministry we’re involved with, every decision we make ought to have some function in either Seeking God… Serving Others… or Sharing Christ in our community. How are we doing at that?
Ever wonder… what would God’s mission statement be? How do you think he would define his mission in the world if he had to put it into words? I realize “mission statements” are a fairly new thing… He probably wasn’t that interested when he was inspiring Scripture in coming up with a catchy slogan or a slick marketing strategy, but… Here in the text we read a moment ago, Colossians, Paul does a pretty good job summarizing the mission of God. Let’s back up just a bit to get the context…
To the church in Colossae, Paul was writing to encourage them… and he makes the statement in vs. 6 “…all over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood it!” Doesn’t that sound good? Wouldn’t you like to know how this was happening? So that it might happen again? Notice Paul’s prayer for the Colossian church.
10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
Paul’s aim, his wish, his desire, his prayer is for the Colossian Christians to be successful… to continue to grow & bear fruit… to be strengthened and to grow in every way! And so it is interesting that in doing this… he reminds them of God’s mission.
13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Mission of God is essentially a RESCUE OPERATION!
God has rescued us from the dominion of darkness… and set us safely in Kingdom of Christ. I think about those Chilean miners rescued last month on t.v. After an explosion rocked the mine where they were working, 33 miners were trapped thousands of feet underground for 69 days until rescue workers finally pulled them out (Oct. 13, 2010). The whole world was glued to their television sets watching it unfold live! I don’t usually get claustrophobic, but the few times I have… it has been in caves. The thought of thousands of square feet of nothing but rock overhead and below… darkness… I can’t imagine how these miners must have felt! But through determination and ingenuity and working together, rescue workers got every single one of them out alive! The mission of God is like that. He is all about RESCUING us from out of the darkness!
We live in a fallen world… a dark world. As we reflect back on the Biblical narrative… we remember that things started off pretty good! Genesis 1 & 2 are bright & cheery! God creates the heavens & the earth… every living thing… and everything is “good.” In fact he says about humanity that it is “very good.” And chapter 2 comes along… and Adam gets a wife… which makes him happy… and everything seems even better! What could go wrong? But then comes ch. 3… and the serpent… and the lie… the temptation… and the SIN! And the story is forever changed! Nothing is ever the same again! With sin came death, disease, decay, the curse of the ground, the fracture in human relationships, alienation & separation from God. Mankind is cast out of the Garden of Eden… and into a world of death… characterized and dominated by Sin… and ruled by the Tempter himself! And this is the world WE still live in today! Where else but in a fallen world will people celebrate the birth of the Messiah by getting up at 3am, driving to the mall and fighting one another over parking spaces and door-buster deals?! What sense does that make? Our world is fallen, there is no doubt.
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:19 NIV
BUT… God chooses to act to rescue us from that darkness!
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8NIV
Jesus is at the Center of that Rescue Operation… from the very beginning!
Col 1:15 He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
Now, God had begun to put the plan into motion way back with Abraham and the promise made to him… then he used Moses to rescue his people… to forge the ‘children of Abraham’ into a great nation (Israel) that would be a light to the rest of the world and bless the nations… and he gave them the Law to lead them to the Christ. Then the Bible says… when the “time had fully come… God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” -Gal 4:3-5 NIV
The plan was Christ the Messiah… from the very beginning! Some have misunderstood God’s intention… thinking that the OT was God’s “Plan A” at rescuing the people and when that didn’t work he put into motion “Plan B”… and sent Jesus. No, Jesus was there in the very beginning… and notice the goal.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
But, wait! The Goal of the Operation isn’t just to rescue US… but to rescue… “all things!”
God was interested in our souls, to be sure! But that’s just a part of a larger rescue mission! God intends to redeem, to restore, to rescue all of creation! “All things… on earth & in heaven” thru the blood of his Son! That’s what he’s about! He doesn’t just want to pull us out of the world… he wants to re-make the world! Ever notice how the Bible begins AND ends with creation. In Gen. 1 its creation… “God created the heavens & the earth”… but in Revelation 21 its “New Creation.” “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth…” John writes.
This tells us that God has an “END” in mind for the entire creation… a goal that he is working towards… and that he is moving all history towards. He speaks of it again in
Romans 8:19-24
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? NIV
THAT is our hope! Not just in going to heaven when we die… but in the redemption of God’s creation! In its liberation from its bondage to decay & death!!! In this final reconciliation of all things back unto God! Back to Colossians…
Col. 1:21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. NIV
Its interesting to me that this is also how Paul thinks of his own mission… in terms of reconciliation… in terms of what God did.
2 Corinthians 5:16-19
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. NIV
Paul very much saw his ministry, his mission… in light of God’s mission! This is what I mean when I say, the church doesn’t have a mission… God has a mission, and the church is called to participate with God in that mission of reconciling the world unto Him!
And God is relentless about this pursuit of His Mission!
He is determined… he is set on it… nothing in all of creation is going to stop him from making it happen! I told you last week about losing Michael at host. Well, while I was looking for him I didn’t stop to talk to anyone. I felt bad and went back to apologize to a few friends later… folks I dissed and didn’t talk to. See, I was a man on a mission! And I was single-minded… determined. I wasn’t going to stop until I found him! You see, God is a God on a mission… and he’s not stopping until “all things” are reconciled unto Him!
If that doesn’t get you fired up… I don’t know what will! But what do we DO with it?
But what does all of this tell us? What does it mean? How does it change what we do or how we think?
Implications for us…
It ought to give us a new respect for God.
God has not quit or gone anywhere! He is still living and active and working in his creation to bring about his intended goal… the restoration of all things. Some have the mind that God created and then left the world to wind on its own… but I don’t get that sense from Scripture. On the contrary, it tells us that there is an END, a goal… a purpose towards which God is moving us, and thus a purpose for us!
It ought to give us a new sense of Purpose.
It tells us that we have a mission… and it is not ours, its God’s! We are partners (in a sense) with God; Paul calls himself a “coworker” with God. Like the Blues Brothers… we really are “On a Mission from God!” There is no loftier purpose than that! There is nothing better that you can give your life to!
It ought to change the way we think about ourselves as the church.
‘Missions’ is not just one of our many programs… MISSION is who we are, because it is Who God is! In other words, it is not just another ‘activity’ of the church… it becomes our ‘identity’ as the church. We are a people on a mission!
It ought to broaden the scope of how we think about Mission.
I used to think about missions as something we supported ‘missionaries’ to go off to foreign lands and do. Now I realize that its something we are all called to be involved in wherever we are and wherever we go. I used to think that mission work was primarily as preaching & teaching; door-knocking & studying. Those things are certainly included in mission… but the mission of God is even larger. Wouldn’t it also encompass… ministry to the poor, the sick, the weak, and to the brokenness of our world.
What implications do you see? How does thinking about our mission in the context of the larger mission of God affect how you think or what you do? How should it?
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
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Monday, October 11, 2010
Finding Freedom in Christ... Together.
I plan to wrap-up our reading through Galatians this Sunday with a final message on the “Fellowship of Freedom.” What an amazing study this has been for me! To understand that I have been set free through the blood of Christ… set free from legalism, set free from my past and the sins of my past, and set free from my own sinful nature… what an inspiring message this book has been to me! Many Christians who have found themselves set free from these things of the world still struggle, though. Many flounder about in their new-found freedom trying to live the Christian life on their own, but the Christian life was never meant to be lived alone. It was meant to be lived in community… in a fellowship of other Christians… like-minded believers in Christ who are there to support one another, to love one another and to encourage one another. This world is a cold and harsh place, unfriendly to those who take the call of Christ seriously. It wants to devour us. It wants to crush us. Apart from the power of God, the only hope we have is to lean on one another through this life.
This has been an especially tough year for us at Washington Street. We have experienced much in the way of death, disease and family upheavals. Satan has used every tool at his disposal to come at us and at our families. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Whenever he sees God’s people on fire for the Lord, he gets concerned and steps up his efforts to undermine what God is doing. That’s why it is more important than ever before for us as a church to stand together against Satan’s fiery darts! Its more important than ever before for us to lean on one another and to share each other’s burdens. That’s exactly the message that Paul concludes his letter to the Galatian churches with… an admonishment to be the “fellowship” of freedom that God has called us to be. I hope you’ll be here Sunday morning to study together this great message.
This has been an especially tough year for us at Washington Street. We have experienced much in the way of death, disease and family upheavals. Satan has used every tool at his disposal to come at us and at our families. I guess we shouldn’t be surprised. Whenever he sees God’s people on fire for the Lord, he gets concerned and steps up his efforts to undermine what God is doing. That’s why it is more important than ever before for us as a church to stand together against Satan’s fiery darts! Its more important than ever before for us to lean on one another and to share each other’s burdens. That’s exactly the message that Paul concludes his letter to the Galatian churches with… an admonishment to be the “fellowship” of freedom that God has called us to be. I hope you’ll be here Sunday morning to study together this great message.
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