Knowing Christ (Part III)

Therefore be alert, since you don't know what day your Lord is coming. But know this: If the homeowner had known what time the thief was coming, he would have stayed alert and not let his house be broken into. This is why you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Matthew 24:42-44 (HCSB)

After 2000 years is it much more difficult to be in watchful anticipation of the Lord's return.  Part of that is the time that has passed, and part is do to the many false prophets that have predicted his coming and we have seen the date come and go.  This passage here clearly indicates that the day of our Lord's return is a mystery.  However, it also indicates that we are to live in a perpetual state of readiness for his return. 

I think of when I was a kid when I was waiting for someone to come pick me up.  I would wait in the living room watching for the car.  There was anticipation of getting to see them arrive.  My bags were packed and they would drive up and I would be ready to go.

This is a bit different than being ready for Jesus' return.  We do not have any luggage to take with us, nor does he expect that we are staring up at the sky wondering, "When will He get here."  Readiness has more to do with what Jesus will be finding you doing when he returns.  I think of another time when my brother and I had messed up the house while my parents were gone for a while.  We knew they were going to be gone for a while so we relaxed.  When we realized that the time was short for their return then we got the house in order.  That is how it is with Christ.  We should perpetually have our house in order so that we are prepared for his return. 

What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:21-23 (NKJV)

There are three things that would leave a person unprepared for Jesus' return.  First would not having a relationship with Him.  When Jesus returns he will gather those that have a relationship with him.  Those that do not will be "left behind."  Second for those that have a relationship with him to be caught up in some habitual sin.  This sinning on and on destroys our intimacy with Christ.  In some ways living in anticipation of His return is preventative of habitual sin.  When you ask yourself, "If Jesus were to return at this moment would I be honoring him?" it keeps you from those things that would make you ashamed!  The third thing that keeps you from being prepared is actively doing the things that God has prepared for you to do.  We should live every day to its fullest.  Not in anticipation of what will happen tomorrow, this weekend, next week, next month, next year, but rather in anticipation that this may be the last day we have.  This anticipation is not dread like one that has a terminal illness seeking to get all the things done they ever wanted to do, but is life and life to its fullest in anticipation of greater things yet to come. 

Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn't do it.
James 4:15-17 (HCSB)

I must admit I have much growing to do in the area of anticipating our Lord's return.  So much of my life is guided by what I will be doing days and weeks from now.  I hope that today I can begin afresh living for today, planning for tomorrow (Lord willing), anticipating our Lord's return at any moment, and be doing good when he does that I might receive honor and give him glory. 

Defining "Christian Mindfulness"

Image by TW Collins via Flickr

"... he who is spiritual appraises all things..." 1 Cor 2:15 (NASB)

Imagine that I invited you to worship and told you that I was going to pick you up in my car.  You would not necessarily care what the make and model of my car was, but rather where we were going to worship.  Using this analogy mindfulness is the vehicle that takes us to greater awareness and connection to the object of our worship and the world around us.  There are some distinctions between eastern mindfulness and Christian mindfulness which I will do my best to point out.  Just as prayer and meditation are a part of other world religions, I believe mindfulness legitimately holds a place as a mode of worship within the Christian faith.

Christian Mindfulness at its core is contemplative awareness by the Spirit (note: links to Scripture references).   This is contrasted with Eastern mindfulness which is non-judgmental awareness.  Contemplation is an act of the will which requires that we be fully engaged in the present moment and dependent on God's Holy Spirit, not passively experiencing the moment as eastern thought would suggest.  Contemplation is where what we know meets what we experience.  It is the process of wisdom. 

Mindfulness for the Christian necessarily involves some level understanding of the scriptures.  Without scripture our knowingness is based on experience and feelings which can lead to all sort of problems.  In order to grow in Christian mindfulness a person must develop a habit of regular meditative study of God's Holy Word.  It is His Word that makes mindfulness "Christian."  Mindfulness is a type of worship  and His Word will lead you to worship Him.  Absent of this your worship and mind will be directed at some other object (this can easily become idolatry).  Perhaps this is why we see many objects of worship (Idols) in the eastern traditions. 

Mindfulness as we already mentioned is awareness.  This is an awareness of God, others, and surroundings.  This awareness is much deeper than knowing these objects exist or are there.  This mindful awareness occurs when there is a deeper connection to the thing that one is becoming aware of.  There is a danger (especially with awareness of God) of knowing about something without knowing it.  This level of awareness is knowing the thing that you are being mindful of (intimacy).  When we know about God we are studying some theological truth;  on the other hand when we know God we experience the riches of His wisdom and the Glory of his presence.  It is the deeper sense of knowing that is mindfulness.

Mindfulness is acting out of intention rather that reaction to the world around you.  We have integrity in what we know, say, and do.  It is an acting out of God's love for you and others.  It is fulfilling moment by moment the purpose that God has for you.  It is acting without ulterior motives, but out of sincerity of heart.

Mindfulness is being filled.  This is a sharp contrast from eastern mindfulness which teaches emptying.  Emptiness is not a virtue in the Bible.  Emptiness is consistently pointed out as a danger.  So then for the Christian mindfulness is being filled with the things of God as you go through your day.  First and foremost it is being filled with the Spirit.  Then God's love and grace.  The list goes on and on as to what can fill you.  This filling comes from the Word of God and the things that he reveals to you through study, prayer, and meditation, so that is a good place to start.  Note: any meditative practice that teaches you to empty should be a red flag.  This is not Christian and can be quite dangerous in light of God's Word.

Mindfulness is the peace and contentment of God.  It is a quietness of soul that allows you to face uncertain circumstances.  It is the time when you stop wrestling with life and quietly accept the peace that God desires to give you.  It is a joy that is present regardless of external circumstances. 

Mindfulness is unreservedly giving yourself to the will of God.  Most people think of God's will as something that He wants them to do some day.  Mindfulness is accomplishing the will of God in this moment.  It is forgetting what is behind, it is letting go of future worries, and living for God in the present.  Often we imagine ourselves doing some great thing for God.  We plan on doing it "someday."  Unfortunately someday never comes for most of us and the ideas of fancy never become reality.  Mindfulness allows us to accomplish the will of God in the present moment.  At this moment you are accomplishing the will of God if you are willing.

Christian Mindfulness necessarily involves knowing Christ.  It is hearing His voice.  It is being identified with Him, His power, His ministry, and His purpose.  It is placing your faith in Him and understanding the power of His resurrection.  Interestingly it is actively striving to take hold of what God has given you.  This striving continues as long as you continue to live.  Striving is contrasted with "letting go" concept in eastern thought. 

Christian Mindfulness is Spirit Mindedness.  Romans 8 has the best description of this that I have found.  Understanding this passage of the Bible will help you grow in this area if you study it and meditate on it day by day.  Essentially Spirit mindedness is setting the mind on the Holy Spirit of God.   Contrasted with eastern thought on mindfulness which involves emptying the mind with the goal of unconditioned perfection and transcendent happiness, Christian mindfulness finds joy when the mind is set on (and dependent on) the Spirit and puts to death the things of the flesh. When cultivated this Spirit mindedness becomes moment by moment awareness of God's Holy presence and acting out of faith.  In this way Christian mindfulness comes full circle with greater (spiritual) awareness leading to increased awareness of God's Holy Spirit, leading to stronger faith, leading to increased action based on this faith, leading to greater awareness.  This process is ever growing and will become a completed work in heaven. 

Christian Mindfulness is deeper awareness of the world around you and what God is doing in you and in your surroundings;  then you taking intentional action based on faith in God and the empowering of the Holy Spirit. 

 

Next Topic "Being Unmindful"

The Lord of the Harvest

I would like to talk with you this morning about something that deeply stirs the heart of Jesus Christ. I pray that we are ready to be moved by what moves our savior. I hope that we can share in his compassion that he feels for a lost and dying world. I pray that if you don't have a relationship with Christ that you would consider today whether Christ may be holding open arms ready to receive you and heal your physical, emotional, and spiritual brokenness. Lets read from Matthew 9 verses 32-38

32 Just as they were going out, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to Him. 33 When the demon had been driven out, the man spoke. And the crowds were amazed, saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel!"

34 But the Pharisees said, "He drives out demons by the ruler of the demons!"

35 Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest." Matt 9:32-38 (HCSB)

I was moved as I learned what moved the heart of our Savior. Looking at verse 36 we can see into the heart of Jesus. He say that he was moved with compassion. Compassion is a wonderful emotion that we do not often experience. We are not moved nor do we typically see it as a quality in others. There is something deeply spiritual about compassion. There is a strong connection between the person feeling the compassion and the object that compassion is felt for. Jesus looked out at the people as he was traveling from village to village town to town city to city and was moved with compassion.

Jesus saw how they were weary, worn out, and like sheep without a shepherd.

Weariness is a hard place to be. The Greek paints the word picture of being flayed, troubled, or harassed. Life is filled with conflicts that lead a person to feel weary. At times it may feel like you are being cut up by the world around you. Maybe some other person is tearing you apart. There is trouble in this life. We all face difficulties (some more than others), but I think that we all can understand trouble. Harassment is weary when it does not stop. The devil likes to harass. He continues on and on and on. He gets a foothold in your life and mounts a harassing attack that is difficult to recover from. Sometimes other people can harass. They keep on bugging you with distractions, interruptions, or with words you do not want to hear. We all can relate to the weariness. I have good news for you Jesus sees your weariness.

As if weariness is not enough then we can become worn out. There are some here this morning that are worn out by life. It has become "too much" You are cast down, flung out, and tossed about in this life.

Jesus looked out and saw that they were like sheep without a shepherd. I know this is not going to sound pleasant, but I become more and more convinced that people are like sheep. We need a shepherd to guide us through life. Give us freedom and we certainly make the worst of it and get ourselves into all kinds of trouble. The people were starving for Spiritual truths with no one to guide them to green pastures. They were lost without hope. And this moved the heart of our savior. He did not say pitiful creature. He was moved with compassion. Pity and compassion are similar. However pity is the sorrow and regret that is felt toward another's misfortune. It is possible to feel pity and not be moved. It is possible to feel pity and keep on walking by. It is possible to feel pity and do nothing. Compassion is different in this way. Compassion is an awareness of another's suffering with a deep desire to relieve the suffering. You are moved with compassion. It is not possible for compassion to walk on by. It is not possible to feel compassion and do nothing.

Jesus felt compassion for these that were weary, worn out, and like sheep without a shepherd. This morning Jesus feels compassion for those that are weary worn out, and like sheep without a shepherd.

Jesus does three things when he is moved with compassion in this passage. First he heals. There was a man possessed by a demon. This demon caused the man to be mute. When the man was brought to Jesus he cast out the demon and the man talked. The ailment was cured. Jesus also would heal various sickness and diseases. His compassion led him to act and bring healing to those people. I have recently come to understand that miraculous healings are given to us as a sign of authority of Christ. These healing were no doubt amazing to behold, but they were not an end to themselves. They were a sign to give audience to what he was saying.

Jesus taught. Everyday Jesus was teaching the Word of God. He was enlightening the people with wonderful and uplifting teachings. He also was confronting error and sin with his teaching as well. Jesus brought hard teachings as well as explaining that His yoke was easy. At first this might seem a contradiction. It has to be received by faith. You see everything that Jesus taught was hard if it was not received by faith. But if it was believed then it becomes the most glorious truth that one can experience. It brings peace and comfort to the weary, worn, and lost soul. The whole of this book the Bible is filled with the wonder of God and if we receive it by faith then we ourselves will certainly be blessed.

Jesus preached the Good News. The good news is the Gospel. It is the message. It is the path from this life into eternity with God. Good news is the path of peace. Good news is the power of spiritual victory and life. Good news is to all, but only some will receive it. Like Jesus' teachings it also must be received by faith. It is Good news to those that receive it. Jesus preached the Kingdom of heaven when he shared the good news. John 3:16 is the good news summed up.

For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

John 3:16 (HCSB)

God loves you so much that he sent his son (Jesus) to die for you. Why did Jesus have to die? Sin. Your sin, my sin, the world's sin. Sin means that we miss the mark. Let's face it we all miss the mark. We cannot even live up to our own standards let alone God's standards for life. We fall short. When we fall short then we are helpless without any hope of entering into a relationship with God. That is until God sent His Son Jesus Christ. It is not enough that He sent Him though. There has to be a response. We have to believe in Christ to be saved. When we believe in God's son Jesus then we have eternal life. We will live on with God in Heaven in His Kingdom. What must one do to believe in Christ. We have to turn our lives over to Him. We are sheep without a shepherd at best, but we are sheep with doubting, hateful, hurtful shepherds at worst. We need a shepherd. You may not want to admit it, but we need to be shepherded in this life. Believing in Jesus is allowing Him to be the Shepherd of our live. If you have never submitted your life to Christ as the shepherd of your life would you be willing to do that today. He is moved with compassion for you and is willing to bring you peace. Are you willing to receive it? Jesus preaches the good news.

So how did the people respond? Some by faith! The people that witness the miraculous healing of the mute man were amazed. The recognized that nothing like this had ever been done before. I have to say that in my work as a counselor I have the opportunity to be amazed. Jesus now works through the Holy Spirit of God to bring healing into people's lives. I see it every day where God is working to bring some kind of healing. Unfortunately not everyone was amazed. The Pharisees doubted. Some respond by faith others by doubt. The Pharisees took their doubt to the next level. They accused Jesus of casting out demons by the ruler of demons. Their doubt was not a lack of faith, but rather an out and out rejection of the person of Jesus Christ as well as profaning the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about these miracles of God. They were rejecting the sign of Jesus' authority given by the Holy Spirit's Power!

Jesus asked the disciples to pray. He was a man and could only be in one place at a time. As he looked out at the people he saw a task that was greater than his humanity. While on earth Jesus limited himself to dwell in the flesh as we are in the flesh. Imagine a God sized compassion bound to live with the limit of the flesh. The sheer agony that he must have felt as he looked upon those people. So he asked the disciples to pray that the Lord of the Harvest would send out workers. So they prayed.  Consider this story.

One Sunday morning after preaching, I was standing at the exit of our Church shaking hands and thanking people for coming. A young man who was a first time visitor began to exit with tears in his eyes. He paused as if to ponder something over deeply and then walked in my direction. He extended his hand towards mine and with a firm handshake began to tell me that he had made a decision to take a different course for his life. "I know that I will be all right now," he said, "I have carried this too long and now I have made up my mind to live." He did not want to speak more . . . just thanked me and shook my hand once more as he left.

I have often received things in a hand shake. People have "palmed" me money for special needs within the church. But, I have never received anything like what that young man gave me as he shook my hand and left the church. Inside a folded up one dollar bill was a live round from a 38 caliber hand gun. The young man had been pondering committing suicide and with the encouragement found in God's word -- had changed his mind.

Every now and then, I take out this little "treasure" that I keep in a drawer of my desk. It helps me to focus on how important the work of the Lord is. My prayer is that each Christian could realize the impact that they can have -- and treat each day as if it might just be -- somebody's last. (My Little Treasure, Rev Shelton Cole, http://www.sermon.org)

Is it possible for us to be moved, filled with the compassion of Christ to make a difference in somebody's life?

Some responded with faith, Some responded with doubt and some looked on with compassion and awareness of the size of the task before them.

We have the same choices this morning as the people present before Christ did on that day.

Are you weary this morning? Have you been flayed by the circumstances of your life? Good news Jesus sees and is moved with compassion!

Are you worn out, cast down? Have you been flung out like trash? Do you feel tossed about? Good news Jesus sees and is moved with compassion.

Do you feel lost? Has your life lost direction and purpose? Are you looking for something someone to believe in? Have you become hardened by the lies and deceit of the politicians and grieved by the infidelity, lack of morals, absent integrity of our leaders? Good news Jesus sees and is moved with compassion.

So how will you respond? Please do not harden your heart as the Pharisees did. Jesus wants to bring healing and hope into your life, but he cannot do this unless you receive him by faith. You need to turn your life around! Why not make today the day you turn around and received the gift of salvation that God is providing right now. Don't wait. We don't have any guarantees of how long we might live. Tonight your soul may be required of you. Can you meet Jesus knowing that you have trusted in him? Please do not wait until it is too late.

The workers continue to be few. As I look at the task of rescuing souls I am personally overwhelmed at the task. One of the reasons I feel it is so important to teach faith evangelism class is because I see a harvest of souls that is way beyond anything I could hope to reach in a billion life times. And I only get one. We need workers. We need them now. We are nearing one of the saddest times in the life of the Body of Christ. If we continue the path we are on now there will be a tipping of Christians here on this earth. That is to say more people will be going to meet Jesus in heaven than those who are being reborn by faith. This is a desperate time. Every generation of the churches has experienced growth in the Body of Believers. Ours is a time of decline. In the last decade in the United States there was a 9% decline in church membership. There was an 11% growth in the population over that same period. Taken together that would a 20% total swing in just the last ten years. Could it be that we now stand at one of the most infamous moments in church history a decline in the Body of Christ? I say no! I say we take our stand here! I say no more walking though life with pity and no compassion! I say no more lost souls never hearing the Gospel on our watch. Will you stand with me. Will you look on the people with the eyes of Christ. Will you dare to be moved with compassion to reach the weary, worn out, lost souls. The harvest is ripe! Pray that the Lord of the harvest would send out workers to bring in the harvest. Pray that God would fill your heart with compassion, that he would move you, that you would take action to bring light to a lost and dying world. The time is now, the harvest is ripe. Let's pray!

Introduction to the Christian Walk: Salvation

Image by arti47 via Flickr

John 3:16 is arguably the most popular Bible verse in the whole Bible. A recent sample taken on Bible Gateway John 3:16 was at the top of the list (The 100 most-read Bible verses at BibleGateway.com, May 15, 2009). It was actually that blog that got me started thinking about a study on the "Introduction to the Christian Walk." So the question is "what does John 3:16 mean?"

To start with we have to understand that we fall short. You probably did not need me to tell you that, but it is true. Think about your own standards of a good moral person. What are the core values of morality? Honesty? Kindness? Generosity? Friendly? Not Stealing? Not Lying? The list goes on and on. Now think about those things that you hold dear. Do you measure up? For most of us (if we are honest) it is impossible to measure up to our own standards let alone God's standards. That is a problem! When we miss the mark the Bible calls that Sin. Sin is missing the mark. The Bible says "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23; HCSB)" You see we all have missed the mark in some way. Now we tend to look at a person that has missed the mark more than ourselves and say "I am not as bad as that person over there!"
Consider this Story:

With 15 minutes to spare, he ran through the confusing terminals of JFK, sprinting from the gate his delayed flight had left him to the gate of his connecting flight. Out of breath, he reached the counter of his international flight and seeing the giant plane through the window, he breathed a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, it was a sigh prematurely taken. Complications were explained politely, though he ceased hearing much of anything after "too late to board" hit him like the 250-ton airplane at which he was staring. Frustrated beyond belief, he watched his 17-hour flight take off without him.

Needless to say, my husband's first bout with international travel did not set well with either of us. I was on the other end of that flight waiting for his arrival, and like him found myself maddened with helplessness. Being that close to making a flight, and yet missing it, left a sickening twinge in both of our stomachs.

Those who have heard his dramatic telling of Murphy's Law in action have responded similarly. In fact, everyone seems to cringe on cue, particularly at the part where he watches his plane sit for several long minutes until taking off, all from the vantage point of the airport window. Missing the flight seems incredibly intensified by the reality of being oh-so-close. And yet, it was missing the flight at all that was the problem. Whether he missed the plane by five or fifty minutes, he still missed the flight.
(From The Wrong Side of the Window)

Sin is like missing that flight. No matter how close we thing we are to meeting God's moral standards we still have missed the flight. Why is that important? When we miss the mark with God then we cannot have his favor. Sin separates us from God. What is more we cannot make it up. Missing means missing. What can we do then? That is where John 3:16 comes in. Let's take a look...

"For God loved the world in this way..."

God loves each one of us. His passion and desire (the type of love He has for us) cannot be measured. He is the very essence of love. His Compassion for our state is great. He desires that none would perish in sin.

"...He gave is one and only Son..."

Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is the one that spoke the words of this verse. He came to the earth and lived a perfect life. He suffered and died so that we could have the forgiveness of sin. When we miss the mark then it creates a gulf between us and God. Jesus bridges that gulf. His death allows for the possibility of a restored relationship with God. His death was a sacrifice. He laid down His life because he loved us. God (the Father in Heaven) sent Jesus for this mission. He gave Jesus to the world for this purpose. Jesus also rose up from the dead. He died for three days and appeared to many. After 40 days He ascended into heaven. His victory over death into life allows us to move out from under sin's curse of death into a new life.

"...so that everyone that believes in Him..."

Believing in Jesus is an act of faith. It means that you turn your life away from sin and selfishness and wholly rely on Him. When you do this then you enter into a relationship with Him. His power over the the grave allows for you to have peace as well as victory in this life.

"...will not perish, but have eternal life."

We all will die someday. This verse is not saying that we avoid death. There is a second death which forever separates us from God. I pointed out that our sin creates a gulf between us and God. We have missed the plane and there are no other flights to make it to eternity with God. This eternal separation from God is called hell. It is a place of torment with no hope for relief. Eternal life on the other hand is called heaven. To be in heaven is to be with God. Everyone that believes in Jesus will spend eternity in this blessed life.
I remember when I received Jesus Christ. Someone asked me, "Do you want to go to heaven with God?" I said, "yes" And then they asked me to pray a prayer similar to this:

"Dear God, I know that You love me. I confess my sin and need of salvation. I believe that Jesus died on the cross for my sins and arose from the grave. I turn away from sin and place my faith in Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I want to follow you with my life. Amen"

If you have never received the forgiveness of sin that God offers through faith in Jesus perhaps you might pray that prayer right now. If you do please let me know by leaving a comment at the bottom of this page (I would like to pray over your new commitment). If you are already in a relationship with Jesus Christ then perhaps you would take a moment to write a few words of encouragement to someone that is considering the faith, by sharing what Jesus has done in your life.

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