Strive For His Kingdom
Recently I attended a spiritual retreat lead by Brennan Manning (author of the book The Ragamuffin Gospel). While at the retreat, Brennan provided the audience on two occasions with a homework assingment. The two assignments were similar in that both times we were told to meditatively pray over certain passages of scripture.
This morning, while prayerfully and meditatively looking over the passage of Luke 12:22-32 something hit me while I was journaling. After Jesus tells His peeps to stop worrying so much about every little thing, He gives them the same advice that He gave the crowd toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount: ”strive for His kingdom” (Luke 12:31 - NRSV). Have you ever stopped to think about what Jesus is saying here? How do you “strive” for His kingdom? And before we even get to that, WHAT IS HIS KINGDOM!?
As I journaled, I came to the conclusion that God’s Kingdom represents His values, teachings, and realities. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we ask that “Thy Kingdom come.” When we do so, we are praying that God’s will will be done in our lives. His will is found in the things that he values which becomes a reality through the discipled life that has been transformed. But, there is one issue. I have a kingdom of my own with my own values, teachings and realities.
To strive for His kingdom means to wave the white flag and surrender my kingdom, with all its baggage, to Jesus and receive His kingdom instead.
Mission Conference - Budapest, Hungary
I am writing this from a computer here in town just outside of Budapest in Hungary. The name of it is Gödöllö and it has been my home for the past few nights as I have been speaking at a Mission Conference during the day and an outreach meeting at night. The time here has been amazing.
What I have loved the most about this trip is being able to teach during the day and then preach at night. I like the teaching aspect because it is a more intimate setting with believers who are wanting to learn different ideas and concepts about what it looks like to be a Christian in this day and age. Then in the evening, the organization that has brought me out has rented an outdoor courtyard in the Cultural Center Building in downtown Gödöllö. It is there that the aspects presented in the morning are coming to life as we saw many unchurched people come into a deeper appreciation of Jesus. The outreach endeavor that was put on during the day was amazing. They had a climbing wall, games for the youth, puppet shows for the kids, etc. And then they would invite people out to the evening outreach. Needless to say it was a blessing.
I invite you to pray in behalf of the people of Gödöllö that the seeds planted would spring up to life and life more abundant!
I thank Jesus for the opportunity to be here.
Sziget Music Festival - Budapest, Hungary
I am writing this blog from the Sziget Music Festival in Budapest. Can you believe that they offer free internet?!
This is an eight day music festival with bands playing from all over the world. Last year they estimate that over 70,000 people attended this event. Who knows how many this year.
The thing that has been bouncing around in my brain is what is God’s will for my life here during this festival? I am hear with a church plant from downtown Budapest and they have a team of about 20 people staying here all week. They have a huge tent that they open from 4pm to 4am every night where they serve free tea and free atmosphere and free counseling. It seems to me that this is one way that we can bring the church to the people (and that is something else that I am really wrestling with too; how to bring the church to the people as opposed to expecting the people to come to the church).
If Jesus were here (which I believe that He is, especially with the team that I am working with) in the flesh, what would he be doing? Would He dance? Would He mingle with the people? Would He be inviting people to follow Him. Some people in the church would be upset if they knew that we were in a venue like this ministering to people. They would say that this is not a place for Christians. That we should be on the outside passing out tracks that warn people about their destiny to hell if they walk through the gates of the Sziget Festival.
What do you think is the best way for a follower of Jesus to minister to people in an event like this? Does your natural inclination lean more towards passing out tracks outside, or would you rather be inside mingling with the people? If it is the latter, what would your approach be to be Jesus’ representative?
Let me hear from you.
Live from Budapest… I’m out to go and mingle with the people!
You Can’t Please Everyone
So yesterday I am driving back from Buckley, WA after performing a wedding. I am mackin’ my four-door, ’91, five-on-the-floor, pink (it literally says PNK under the COLOR column on the title), with 219,000 miles to-YO-ta Corolla. My wife is on my right side chillin’ with the seat laid back in hopes to catch more wind that is passing through the window as there is no AC in my hoopty. I love the car primarily for its fuel economy as I can get roughly 40mpg on the highway. So there we are, just the two of us, riding along in the commuter lane on a sunny Saturday afternoon with not a care in the world.
Before I continue, I must share with you that I used to drive like a bat out of worm fiery cave. It was not uncommon for me to receive regular horns beeping or friendly finger jestures flying while I was tooling down the road. Since getting the pink ride, I have committed to slowing it down a bit. It is not uncommon to find me kicking it in the slow lane with the cruise control set to 64mph.
So back to the story – I am kicking along with my wife at my side at 64mph in the commuter lane with light traffic all around. When all the sudden hommie G (some 60+ year old guy) in his caddy comes flying up on my tail flashing his lights at me. I’M IN THE COMMUTER LANE! I’ve got the cruise control engaged. I’m chillin’ with my wife have just finished officiating a wedding! I am trying to do the good thing and now I’ve got this guy on my bumper. Eventually he somewhat recklessly makes his way around me and then proceeds to mouth some words that started with an … sailor fell into A HOLE… and then flashed a gang symbol that I could hardly recognize as not only was his middle finger in the air but his pinky and thumb were also extended.
Moral of the story, I can’t please everyone with my driving.
It’s All About Jesus
This past week was hectic for yours truly. For 10 days straight (from Thursday June 15 thru June 24) I was participating in the Washington Conference Campmeeting. Campmeeting is an annual event where thousands of people gather to grow spiritually as well as connect with family and friends.
This year the theme was “Its All About Jesus - Tell Everyone.” I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am that it is all about Jesus, but what does that mean? Think about it. What does it mean that it is all about Jesus? Were the two ladies who complained to me about how loud the music was or about how disturbing the content of one of the speakers was, focused strictly on Jesus? What was Jesus all about? Maybe it is worth close examination to help us understand what it means to be all about Jesus.
Liberals vs. Conservatives
A good friend of mine recently wrote and asked me some questions about my thoughts on Liberalism and Conservatism. Here were his statments and you will find my response below…
Hello UNCLE Matt, (I’m not his uncle)
So how much more liberal is it out there in the Adventist Church? I know, big ambiguous question. I hear anywhere is more liberal than Michigan but that is just hear say. We are currently going to ____ _______ Church - Pastor John A. Lately he has been sort of offending ______, I haven’t been offended because I have been chasing Luke around during services lately, anyway. I guess he used the term “liberals” in his sermon and it wasn’t in a good way. I guess we are really liberal to put it one way. I just feel that if you are not liberal then you cut a lot of people “off” for having a different opinion or belief that is just that, different, maybe not even wrong. I have been thinking a lot about opinions lately. They seem to turn themselves into beliefs. So then who is right. There are about as many opinions about right and wrong as there are about interpretations of the Bible. Maybe you have some light to shed on the idea of opinions verses beliefs. Please don’t think about this as a loaded question or anything. I just don’t get a lot of chances to bounce questions like this off anyone thats all.
-S.
Here is my response:
Yeah bro, great question about being liberal. To me the question about being liberal or conservative needs to be clarified more. Are we talking about theology or methodology? If the prior, then it seems that we need to be conservative; if the later, then it seems to me that we need to be open to culture and context (which would translate to some as being liberal).
When we planted 24-SEVEN, we had to stop and ask ourselves, “What is tradition and what is Biblical (because they don’t always go hand in hand [i.e. you can only go up to your knees in the ocean on the Sabbath day]). After much contemplation, prayer and consideration we felt like musical trends, dress codes, preaching styles, settings for worship, behavior in church, etc. where all issues that were largely tainted by tradition. As a result we backed up and created “space” for these things to be impacted by culture.
It seems to me that Jesus was in a posture where He was able to impact the culture from the front back. Whereas now adays it seems that the church is a couple of decades behind the culture. Why should we not be the ones leading the charge as opposed to be accused of being so out of touch. Especially in the realm of good ol’ Adventism it seems that so many are almost an embarrassment to introduce to pre-Christians/unchurched people. Many es-dee-eh’s don’t even know how to communicate to unchurched folk and this seems to be in direct opposition to Jesus modus operandi.
Take a look at the accusations that Jesus spits with vengeance in the face of the Pharisees and ask yourself, “Where do I see the trends of the Pharisaic mentality in society today?” It seems to me, whether liberal or conservative, that the Pharisaic mentality is found in anyone that puts tradition over the Truth (yes Truth with a capitol T) of the Gospel, and/or puts their will over the will of the Father. Many people will never hear the Truth because we are to set on our rules, as though the law is our salvation. Too many of us are so focused on the Law (10 Commandments) and not on Jesus. If I recall correctly, Jesus was never walking around with cardboard signs in His nail scared hands telling weed smokers, porn stars, rock stars, and the like that they were headed to a place called hell. Rather He was out befriending those people, eating meals on the regular with them, sleeping over at their homes and attending their parties. And for the “religious people” of His day that would not be caught dead seen with a prostitute or rock star, He verbally slammed them and flipped their world upside down for making His Father’s house a temple for their own gratification. And I ask you, as I ask myself, where do I stand on the spectrum? Have I distanced myself so far from those that are in the world that God through His Spirit could never reach anyone through me because there is no one there that would be open to being reached? Am I too focused on making sure that people worship on a particular day, that I loose sight of the importance of who they are worshiping?
In an attempt to wrap this passionate email up, I would ask the question, “Was Jesus a liberal or conservative when it comes to tradition?” Obviously He was conservative when it comes to theology, seeing as He is the author of it all! But when it comes to tradition it seems to me that the answer is obvious. He was so liberal that He broke stereotypes and traditions! He talked to Samaritans (which Jews did not do) that were females (which Jew would never do publically) who were prostitutes (which Jews would stone)! In my estimation, it would be well for us to repent, get off our Laodicean back sides and make friends with someone steeped in sin. In so doing, I believe that we may catch a glimpse that we are really no better off than they are (maybe even worse because our own righteousness has become our legal and accepted drug of choice). And then when we see this person inter into a life changing, dynamic relationship with Jesus, we may just follow suit.
Keep the thoughts and questions coming. God is up to something huge and I love being a part of it!
Getting Mad @ God
A friend of mine recently wrote on his Myspace Blog this great question:
Sometimes I truely feel like getting good and upset with God. I don’t understand the things He allows. Part of me feels guilty, like I should be a good Christian boy and roll with the punches like Job. Granted, I’m not to the point that Job’s friends were advising him to be: I’m not a the “curse God and die” stage, but I still have questions.
See, my brother’s daughter, my innocent little neice, has been diagnosed with glaucoma, and by the time it was discovered, she has already lost over 50% of her vision in one eye and can only see with tunnel vision. It seems God has given her grace beyond her years to deal with this because she has the best, sweetest attitude of any person, adult or child alike, that I’ve ever met. Appartenly this is something that’s been developing since childhood. The irony is that between her brother and sister, she’s always been the one to appreciate the beauty in the simple things of this world. ie, an “intresting blade of grass”. She’s also the one who’s been most into art and drawing. No matter what has come her way, she’s been positive and an encouragement to others around her.
Why does this have to happen to her? I know my pre-packaged Christian answer that directs me to look at the example of Job, but somehow that doesn’t seem to make it make any more sense.
Pray for her healing.
Here is my response… May we continue to pray for the niece who seems to be revealing a side of God’s character:
Greet question Brad!
Not that I claim to have all the answers, but I have been faced with this question myself many times (both in my own life and in the lives of others). The question comes down to, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Or even, “Why do bad things happen… period?”
When I was about 13/14 years old, I hated life. I literally wanted to die. I had just moved from my closest peeps for the third time. I had been living in the woods of New England and now I was living downtown St. Louis, MO. And my “M.O.” was everything but city living. AND I had to start wearing a tie to the Catholic private school that I was attending. I was straight up depressed. I had no friends and could not understand why if there even was a God, why He would allow life to suck so bad. Not too long after I became and atheist, denouncing the existence of God all together. Some years passed and after a chain of events I could not explain away by mere coincidence, I moved into the agnostic realm beliving that there had to be something out there greater than my puny backside (if speaking in algebraic terms it would look like:[ ____?_____ > my puny az]). After some searching through Rastafarianism, Buddhism, Shinto-ism, etc. I came to conviction that Jesus was what He claimed to be “The Way, The Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).
But that still doesn’t answer why bad things happen to good people. Why your niece, as precious as she is with such a great outlook on life, would be stricken by something so bad. Here is my understanding:
1. After God created the earth, with everything in it, including two naked people (one male and one female) He in many respects let nature take its course. In so doing, He gave humankind freedom of choice and whether you believe they ate an apple or a mango or a carrot, the bottom line is that our fore-parents decided to turn their backs on God and do their own thang.
2. Many people see God as some vindictive God with a Gatlin Gun ready to destroy sinners for their bad behavior. The Bible (which I have come to believe is a book that reveals to us God’s character) would say otherwise. Even in the Garden of Eden, God comes running back to His creation, and the creation decided to run and hide (much like you and me when we screw up or do the very thing that we promised ourselves, others, and God that we would never do again). So when we hide, God initiates restoring the relationship, which to me would indicate that God is a God of love rather than vengeance and wrath.
3. Still the question remains, why does bad things happen to good people? My understanding is simply that God, being a God of love, honors our freedom of choice. Our fore-parents opted to turn their backs on God and do things their way. Ever since, we’ve been following their pattern as it seems innate in us to rebel. But God permits it to continue on. We may ask the question, “Well then, why doesn’t God just snuff sin/rebellion out and start over?” He could do that, but it seems that He is permitting sin to run its course and in my opinion He is allowing it to take place so that we will taste the full measure of what sin has to offer and never desire it again. All this to say that your nieces ailments are occurring, not because God is sticking her down or punishing her, but because He is allowing sin to manifest itself completely on this earth. And along with sin, comes sickness, defects, and streaks of bad luck that we just can’t explain.
I am not sure if this provides any help to the matter at hand. From what I can tell about Jesus, I am fairly positive that His heart is breaking more than any of ours when one of His children face hardships.
In closing, Jesus says, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). It seems to me that we could all benefit from spending time with your niece and learning to see the world through her eyes. My prayer for her is that she holds onto her innocence, creativity and ability to see beauty even in a blade of grass despite her ailment.
“And the world is passing away… but s/he who does the will of God abides forever” (I John 2:17).
Prayers ascend…
NOISE!!!
The first thing that I do when I hop into my phat ‘93 To-YO-ta Corolla is turn on some music. Seeing as I don’t even have a CD player in my car, I scan the FM dial to find something that catches my attention. It’s the worst is when there’s a lull on the airways and I can’t find anything that I want to hear. I keep scanning, though, just to fill the silence. Sometimes I go through every station in Seattle nine times before I find something to listen to.
As much as I hate to confess this, I am a huge fan of ol’ skool, underground hip-hop. One of my favorite groups from back in the day is a group called Digable Planets (you may remember the song, “Cool Like That"). In one of their songs the three band members chant for their chorus, “We make noise, noise, noise, noise.” What is it about us that we must have noise all the time? Is it just me, or is silence something that we’re afraid of? It is almost as if noise is an addiction of mine; I have to have it and if I can’t find it, I make it.
Breaking an addiction is always hard. Addiction is selfish, so leaving it behind means you have to let go of something. It’s a strange, poignant place to be in, but it’s also life-changing, life-beginning.
Last Thursday I was on my way home after a long day of meetings. Knowing that I had a 40 minute commute home, I assumed that the time would be spent returning phone calls and listening to the radio. God had other plans for me though. As I turned the car on, I set my cell phone aside and turned the radio off. As I started my trek home, something was different. I entered into an encounter with God. Suddenly my Corolla was converted into a confessional whereby I entered into dialogue with the Divine. It was as though I was in a sanctuary with Jesus. Suddenly life slowed down to a pace where I was able to hear Him. It was in the silence that I found Him.
For the remaining 40 minute drive, I put my car into cruise control at 60 mph (a miracle in and of itself!), got into the slow lane (miracle #2), and experienced sacred space on I-5.
:: ENCOUNTER ::
When was the last time you heard Jesus speak to you? When was the last time you embraced silence? Today on your way either to or from work, turn the radio off, set the mobile phone down and enter into sacred space with Jesus.
Sabbath Wrest?
Wrest - v : obtain by seizing forcibly or violently
Does Jesus order us to obtain rest by means of wresting? The definition for wrest continues, “To obtain by or as if by pulling with violent twisting movements.”
I recently saw a short film clip where an alligator trainer was sticking his arm into the mouth of one of his “house trained pets”. Suddenly, without warning, the jaws clamped down on the trainer’s arm and the animal began to twist violently as he would when encountering an enemy or a bit of prey.
Our society has painted an elegant picture of a dog eat dog world; what’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is mine! The mentality of entitlement is rampant. On the other hand we have Jesus’ Kingdom modus operandi (MO): what’s mine is yours and what’s yours is yours-to do with as you please. The confusion comes in when we take something that Jesus is giving us freely (Sabbath rest), and we twist it around until it becomes a burden; even bringing us to the point of seeing Him as the enemy. “The Sabbath, designed originally to afford man an opportunity to know his Maker through a study of the things He had made, and to reflect upon His love and goodness, became, instead, a reminder of the selfish and arbitrary character of Pharisee and scribe. It effectively misrepresented the character of God, by picturing Him as a tyrant."[1]
Jesus taught that, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) Somehow, we have mistaken the blessing of the Sabbath with seeing it as a curse (at times). God made the Sabbath for our benefit. His intent was never for it to be a burden. He wasn’t thinking, “I want to make a rule so that people everywhere won’t do anything fun until they see the last ray of sun dip beyond the horizon on Saturday night.” Nor was He thinking, “It’ll all be OK just as long as they don’t go into the water past their knees on the Sabbath” (where did that rule come from anyway?). God reserved the Sabbath day as an opportunity for you and me to enter into a zone of Sacred Space with the Divine. May God forgive us of the times where we have taken the Sabbath and violently twisted it into something that God never intended it to be.
:: ENCOUNTER ::
Do you see the Sabbath as a blessing or a curse? Take a moment to reflect on where in your life journey this invitation that Jesus offers us started appear burdensome. Spend a couple of moments listening to Jesus speak to you and tell you what He actually intended the Sabbath to be.
[1] The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol 5, p. 587
