echoes of redemption

This week I want to discuss some of the things central to the expression of Jesus’ faith. Because when you get around a person worth following you learn a lot by walking with them.

This isn’t a discussion about key issues in faith and culture – and that’s actually the point. Jesus’ faith wasn’t issue driven.

It’s easy to leverage religion for a cause. To rally, picket and protest. If you can tie your issue to eternity that’s even better. (Anyone who believes or does this is going to hell. The only people in heaven will think, live and vote exactly as I do.)

Jesus was masterful at keeping himself from becoming entangled in the issues of his day.

Slavery was a massive global injustice. And instead of organizing protestors, Jesus seems to be publicly silent. His followers taught slaves and masters to live more like Jesus modeled and how God created people to live.

Taxes were an oppressive system that essentially equated government-sanctioned robbery. Instead of creating a political movement, Jesus taught people to respect their government. (He actually ate with the tax collectors – thus sharing in the benefits of their injustice.)

In fact, nearly everything the Jews expected from Jesus was political. And Jesus refused to engage publicly. He worked with people’s hearts, built relationships, showed respect and was patient with people.

One of the most amazing things you’ll see when you watch Jesus in the New Testament is how much tangible impact he made. He brought measurable change into people’s lives. He brought the fulfillment of the law (living every letter perfectly, so as to complete the fullness of the law). Oh, and there’s the whole savior-of-the-world thing.

Jesus respected, spent time with and seemed to enjoy hanging out with people whose political views differed from his.

Jesus befriended (and defended) people who didn’t hold his views on marriage.

Jesus told stories where the heroes were people who sacrificed from their surplus to provide for those who did not have access to healthcare.

And because he wouldn’t engage politically, because he cared for people so deeply, the religious people of his day hated him. They talked about how far off base he was spiritually. They killed him.

But they couldn’t stop the tide of change that Jesus brought with his radical faith. He worked with people. He cared deeply. He sought to know people for who they were. He didn’t view people as targets for change, but accepted them where they were.

And that kind of faith changes things.

Four years ago I would have given my left arm to speak on the stage at Fellowship Church in Grapevine. I was on staff, I knew I could do it (whatever that means) and I felt I was ready.

But the opportunity seemed to pass by endlessly.

As time passed, I loosened my grip on this as a driving goal in my life. Slowly it was replaced with a passion just to follow God and do what I felt he asked me to do.

A few month ago while I was praying, God reminded me that this had been a goal in my life – because just two weeks earlier I was teaching a group of children’s pastors at a conference held at Fellowship in Grapevine.

The moment had come and gone without me even realizing how big it was in my journey. Because I was simply following God, and that’s where he took me.

I have noticed God gives me things in my life when I no longer care about them more than him.

And I’m keeping that lesson in mind today. Right now we’re planning a church in New York City – but our passion for the city, our passion for measurable change globally – none of that can replace a simple passion for God.

And so we hold our dreams with open hands.

We believe God has called us to do something, but when, how and with whom that gets accomplished we are completely open to. It’s possible to dedicate yourself to your dreams above all other things and force them into existence.

But that’s the hard way to do anything.

The problem with taking what you’re passionate about and using it as your primary goal/motivator/reason to get out of bed in the morning, is that it’s idolatry.

We want to wait on God. To move forward passionately and aggressively when the opportunity is right, but be willing to sit and be shaped, molded and prepared when the opportunity is right for that. We want to stay sensitive to what he is doing in our souls.

We want to be a church that is more passionate about God than anything else – and that starts with guarding our hearts today.

It begins by realizing we have a soul and allowing God to shape it on this journey.

It means holding everything with open hands, allowing it to be shaped and molded as we travel.

And one day I fully expect to look back and be amazed by what God has done.

Learning to study the Bible for myself was probably one of the greatest skills I’ve ever learned. You can read commentaries, you can graze on websites and you can pull loads out of good sermons – but there is nothing like discovering something in Scripture yourself.

It’s also one of the harder skills to learn.

A few years ago I came across a book called, Living by the Book. It is a manifesto for interacting with Scripture.

At first what I found in the book could only be used as a rigid method. (And I almost gave up on it here… because I’m not a big methods kind of guy.)

Skills take practice.

It wasn’t long before I could read Scripture and, without even thinking about it, utilize the tools I had learned to interact with the text. I discovered that as I got comfortable with the method it became second nature.

What have you come across that helps you interact personally with Scripture?