So a year after our wedding we’re finally getting a married-couple-life-updates blog put together!
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Enjoy!
A couple of weeks ago I taught on Hebrews 13:1-17 in the Young Adults class at Dallas Bible Church. I have included both the audio as well as pictures of the notes I used while teaching*.
Audio:
Notes:
Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4
*I included the notes because lately I have been fascinated by this series by Josh Harris.
I hope you enjoy!
Throughout the Old Testament, the people of God were lead by many great men and women. Three of the more popular types of leaders were Prophets, Priests and Kings. In fact, each time a great prophet, priest or king was in power, Scripture made it a point to foreshadow a day when each of those three offices were going to be perfectly held by the Messiah. Moses, the great prophet, pointed to a day when THE prophet was going to come. Several promises throughout the Old Testament point to a great high priest who is coming to save His people. King David also spoke of the coming of the King of Kings.
Then, around 1 A.D. the Messiah came, and perfectly fullfilled the offices of Prophet, Priest and King. He is a prophet who speaks the truth of God into the lives of people. He is a priest who takes people to God, and mediates on their behalf. And He is a King who rules over everything, bringing God’s plan and design to the world. This is why John Piper can say “there is not one square inch in the universe over which Christ does not reign supreme.”
There are many different models for leadership, and different structures for how to set up a body of Christ followers. The one that we will chose to follow is the model of Prophet, Priest and King. We need to evaluate everything we do and everything we are in light of our body being faithful prophets, priests and kings. A prophet who has a vision for bringing God’s truth to people needs a king who can see the details and obstacles and can work out a plan to fulfilling that vision. A priest then needs to come along and make sure that this vision and plan helps the body serve and love each other well. We must avoid being a group of just prophets, just priests or just kings.
So where do you fit? Each of us has strenghts that lie in one or more of these offices. We are not limited by the personalities or the tendencies we have, but recognizing where we are strong and weak in the sense of prophet, priest and king will help us better love our God, our neighbor and our brother well.
For a longer, better explanation of Prophet, Priest and King, listen here.
This past Saturday night we had our first meeting for those who were interesting in finding out more and hopefully hopping on board! We went through the short, long and really-long term visions, and put our next step in motion. Once the group is formed and committed, we are going to start by forming a missional group and working through the details of what that should look like.
If you would like to keep up with what we are doing and where we are feel free to follow any of our team on twitter:
Zachary House, Matthew Simo, Vivien Jordan, Jon Jordan, The Gathering
We confess that we choose to love ourselves first and only.
We pray that everything we do as a community will be to better love our God, love our Neighbor and love our Brother. (Luke 10:27, Galatians 5:13)
I am pretty good at loving myself. There are times I have a hard time feeling compassion towards others, but I can always feel sorry for myself. I have a hard time giving away hard-earned money to those who need it, but it is very easy for me to drop $20, $30, $40 a month at Starbucks. I don’t think this is a new or difficult concept to grasp. Self-love is everywhere. From the image-conscious model to the homeless man who leaves dirt on his face to improve his chances of getting help, we all know how to love ourselves. What is difficult is loving others with the same – or even more – love that we have for ourselves.
But this is what we are called to do. When summing up the Law, Jesus says in Luke 10:27 that the greatest, most important thing we can do is love our God with everything we have. If we are following our Christ well, everything we do should create a deeper love for God inside of us.
Not only are we called to love our God, but our neighbor too. Jesus sums up what he meant by neighbor by telling the parable of the good samaritan. Long story short, neighbor is everyone outside of the following of Christ. From the friendly man down the street who believes that all religions lead to the same eternity to the crack addict living across town who can’t get a job because of his past, we are to love this group with reckless abandon. We are to love the un-redeemed sinner more than they love their own sin. This is not an easy or simple or even logical calling, but it is ours.
Lastly we are to love our brother. Simply put, this is anyone inside the following of Christ. Depending on our different personalities, we tend to either love our neighbor or our brother, not both. If loving our neighbor means serving the worst that society has to offer, loving our brother means loving those who think they are the best the church has to offer. In the parable of the prodigal son, the Father runs out to meet both sons, the prodigal (neighbor) and the older son (brother).
The end goal of loving the neighbor and the brother is to bring them into the body of Christ. How beautiful a plan is it that by following the command to love our God we are more willing and motivated to love our neighbor and our brother.
Let’s pray this week that everything we do as a community will be to better love our God, love our Neighbor and love our Brother.
Confession:
We confess that we often live our lives and make our plans for our own good.
Prayer:
We pray that we will live our lives in the truth that we are placed here and now in order to seek God and help others do the same. (Acts 17:26-27)
From the time I began learning about life, I was taught that everything I do is to better serve me. The better I paid attention in class, the higher my grades would be and the better chance I had of succeeding in life. The more I learned how to be around other people, the better I would be at making friends, and the happier I would be socially. It even extended to church. When it was time for Bible trivia, I wanted to make sure I was the one who knew the last book of the Old Testament or who begat the guy who begat David’s Uncle. As long as I did that, and attended regularly, and signed up for the leadership team I would learn how to be a Christian.
This isn’t the calling we are called to. God has us where we are and when we are in order to seek Him, and help others do the same. This means that we should make our plans, from the everyday to the long-term based around those two callings. What if our decision about where to get our coffee wasn’t based on location or price, but on our ability to engage the baristas with the gospel? Or what if we choose a career path based our ability to use our gifts to reach our surroundings for Christ, not based on salary or job security.
Let’s pray this week to change our mindsets about our mission in life. This won’t be easy, and it will require some painful and difficult changes. It will take intentional, authentic community that is committed to keeping each other accountable about living life on mission.
Confession:
We confess that we live our lives based on many truths found outside the gospel.
Prayer:
We pray that we would embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ as the most significant truth in all of life. (1 Corinthians 15:1-8)
Most of my life, and from what I observe, most of our lives are spent living by truths found outside of the gospel of Jesus Christ. For each one of us it may look a little different. I, for example, often operate under the assumption (or “truth”) that my life as a Christian should run relatively smoothly. I also live according to the “truth” that I should love, care for and reach out to my friends, while leaving my enemies or even people I just don’t know out in the cold. For others it might be the idea that we are here to live comfortably, and spend our lives working towards financial, emotional and physical security.
These sins are not as blatant, open or public as others, but they are just as detrimental. We must begin and continue to live our lives under the Truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This means viewing all of life in light of the gospel.
So instead of being hurt/bitter/angry towards a friend or enemy who has wronged us, we look back to the cross and what Christ did while we were enemies towards Him. This alone allows us to love people unconditionally, especially when we have been wronged or hurt.
Instead of being worried/upset/anxious about our financial, emotional or physical health, we look forward to the day when our risen savior will reign over our perfect bodies in a perfect world. This allows us to be a light of hope to those around us who are caught in similar circumstances.
This week let’s pray that we as people, and one day as a church will live our lives in light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This transformation will take prayer, meditation, and honest accountability amongst ourselves about where our hearts are.
About a year ago my heart began to be pulled towards church planting. It started with a general excitement about the idea of churches spreading and growing, then phased into a humble realization that pursuing church planting would carry with it certain costs that I would need to evaluate with myself and my wife. After going through this period of evaluation, including praying, reading, listening, studying and attending a conference we have decided that it is time to at least begin this process.
As my vision for a church began to develop, I realized that I needed to share this with people in my life who could give some positive and constructive feedback. The first person I shared it with was my wife. After talking through what needed to happen, she confirmed that this is something we (somewhat reluctantly) desired to do. The next step was to meet with men in my life who would help give me some direction. From my pastor Kyle Martin to graphic/web guys and buddies Zach House and Matt Simo I began to share, edit, and re-share this vision.
To make a long story short, here is where we are:
We want to develop an intentional, authentic, missional community in North Dallas starting in the city of Addison. To work towards this end, we are spending the next 7 weeks in prayer for our community and asking God to raise up fellow leaders to join us.
Every Wednesday I will post the prayer for the week as well as any updates. If you are interested in partnering with us in any way, we would love to sit and talk with you over a meal or coffee. We have a long road ahead of us, and know that we do not have all the answers about how to best run a church. That being said we have been called to serve in this way, and are passionate about pursuing this calling. At the end of the day, we want to be faithful for doing our part in making Christ known and treasured in our communities.
Can you lose your salvation?
Anyone who works with young (physically or spiritually) believers has dealt with this question countless times. Most of us have dealt with it personally. How many of us have prayed the “sinner’s prayer” 10, 20, 30 times? Regardless of your denomination, age, maturity or surroundings, the issue of lost salvation will come up at one point or another.
As a teacher I was discouraged from saying that there were bad questions. I hated that. And I’m not a teacher anymore. “Can I lose my salvation?” is a bad question. Really bad. It may be good to ask, and it reveals a lot about what we believe, but the question itself is bad. Why? Because it implies that (1) you are the one responsible for finding salvation and (2) you are the one that keeps you saved.
The question should be “Can God lose a Christian?”*, and the beautiful, Biblical answer to that question is a resounding “no”.
Look at John 10:27-30
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Who saves man?
I [Jesus] give them eternal life…
Who gives man to Christ to be saved?
My Father, who has given them to me…
Can the Father lose a Christian?
[the Father] is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand
Amen.
It is with this (and the many other passages in scripture like it) in mind that we should approach passages like Hebrews 6:4-8. This is what I will try to do during our study in Hebrews this fall in crossroads. This is why it is so important to regularly read and study scripture as a whole, not just in bits and pieces.
I hope this truth makes God greater in your heart and encourages you to desire the study of Scripture.
*Mark Driscoll and others have used this phrase before, can’t take credit for that!
This past Sunday morning I taught on 1 Corinthians 15 in our Young Adults class, here is a brief summary of what we covered:
Check out the iTunes Top 5 Downloaded Religion and Spirituality Podcasts. If you look into each of the ministries represented there, you’ll notice something that they all have in common. Each one of them focus much of their ministry on “victory” in Christ. They say that Christ died to give us victory according to 1 Corinthians 15:57:
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It sounds nice, but then they define victory. Victory to them and many Americans means that Jesus will make you healthy, wealthy, popular and happy. The idea is that Christ died to give you total victory in life, and if you are not experiencing this victory, you are doing something wrong. This thinking is sometimes called the prosperity gospel.
The prosperity gospel bothers me deeply. In fact I cannot stand it. Not just because it paints a dead wrong picture of my savior, but for another, more serious reason. I hate the prosperity gospel because it is so easy for me to believe it is true. I fight hard against the prosperity gospel because so many times it seems to make sense. This is why I love 1 Corinthians 15.
This chapter starts with a reminder of the Gospel, the good news. I used to think of “good news” as I would if I heard the good news that my good friends are getting married, or that so-and-so is pregnant. Good news, but not good news that changed my life. It wasn’t until I learned where the term “good news” came from that i started to appreciate the gospel.
In ancient Greece, the different city-states were constantly at war with each other. The losing side would almost certainly be enslaved to the other city-state. Being at war was not like it is many times today. A victory for your side meant freedom, and a loss meant your life as you knew it was over.
Imagine the feeling of looking up and seeing a messenger racing towards your town. With the rest of your neighbors, you drop what you’re doing to run out and greet him. As you watch him run closer and closer your insides begin to hurt. You see the look on his face. It is grim. He arrives, catches his breath, and announces that your military has been defeated. At best you could run, live a life of hiding and hope not to be caught. At worst you will be captured, beaten, separated from your family and spend the rest of your life as a servant to a cruel master.
Now imagine that same messenger running towards you with different news. Your wife, who you once though you might lose forever, is standing next to you. Your kids are also at your side, holding your hand like their life depended on it. The messenger gets closer and your heart begins to race. You don’t know for sure, but you think you see a glow to his face. He comes near, catches his breath and yells the word you have been dying to hear.
“GOSPEL!”
He says it again, “GOSPEL, Good News!”
Imagine that moment. Now imagine all the moments after that moment that are only possible because of that moment. That is the gospel, the good news. Not a simple announcement of some decent news.
That is the gravity of the gospel. In the next few verses, Paul shares the story of this good news with us:
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Christ died, for us. He was buried, proving that he was dead, for us. Then God raised Him from the grave, for us. Then he appeared to over 500 people.
Like many of us today, there were still doubters. In fact, in Corinth there was a crowd of people who believed that life ended at death. They believed that there was no hope after death, that death had the final say. Paul wrote this chapter to address these people.
Why would someone believe that? Maybe they had hope at one point in their life, and then lost it. Imagine being told that Christ was raised from the dead, and then watching your Mother die a painful death and stay dead. Or seeing Christ yourself after he was raised, and then watching your neighbors starve to death because it hasn’t rained in years. That would make many lose hope. That would make many question life after death. This was what many in Corinth were feeling. This was why the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write 1 Corinthians 15.
20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Yes, death is still here. Yes pain and suffering exist and effect all of us.
But not for good.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
There is a victory coming that is greater than all other victories.
Victory does not mean that Christ will make you healthy, wealthy, happy and popular. It doesn’t mean that in Christ you are free from the pain of this world. It doesn’t even mean that you will be able to fully understand and accept pain that comes your way.
Victory means that in the end, death does not win. This life may be full of pain, hurt and death, but they do not win. Victory means that we may be beaten, ridiculed and killed, but death does not win! That is something to celebrate! How else could we consider it all joy when we encounter various trials? Do not settle for false victory or a fake gospel.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.