Month: June 2016

Jesus is really messing me up. I was content just being a right-wing conservative American Christian. I was comfortable with my traditional understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Then Jesus started tearing down my beautiful religious structure one brick at a time. It all began with a simple prayer uttered many years ago – “Lord, I want to be like You.”

Of course I’m not the only person who has ever said that. Many millions of Jesus followers through the centuries have stated that same desire and it cost them dearly, some giving the ultimate sacrifice of their lives.

So then, what is it costing me? Not much, compared to others, however I feel like it will eventually cost me my reputation. Not so much my reputation with non-believers, but with some of the church crowd. It will cost me my reputation with some who have come to the conclusion that being a Christian is simply reduced to praying the “sinner’s prayer” and vowing to go to church as often as I can.

Praying that “Lord, I want to be like You” prayer is indeed a dangerous one if you mean it.

Only if you mean it.

How do you know if you really mean it? I knew I really meant it when I finally became willing to shut out all the other voices from western civilization and the American church that clamor for my attention to be turned to a Jesus who has been made in their image. What image is that? There was actually a time in my life, not too many years ago, that I made statements like “there’s no way you can call yourself a Christian and vote any other way than Republican.”

Here in the United States we have a constitution by which we are governed. I have great respect for that document, but there is one I hold in much higher esteem – The Beatitudes, also known as the Sermon On The Mount. I wonder what things would be like if we as Jesus followers here in America held the Beatitudes in higher regard than our country’s constitution. I call The Beatitudes the constitution of the kingdom of God.

Jesus began his teaching by saying

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:3)

The more I look at this man called Jesus, the more I recognize my need to be like Him. The more I look at Him, the more I begin to look like Him.

I don’t want to be like the ones Jesus spoke to in Laodicea when He said,

“You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” (Rev. 3:17)

The Jesus I’m discovering looks quite different than the one I seen most of my life. I love Him. I want to be with Him. I want to be like Him. To be like Him might cost me my reputation, but I’ll be in pretty good company.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Phil. 2:5-8)

I have a suggestion for you. Turn off all the noisy voices, open the Gospels, and see Him for who He really is.

 

Be like Him.

 

Kevin

Have you ever met a know-it-all? You know, that person who has it all figured out. I’ve met quite a few in my life, but there’s one in particular who stands out among them all – me. I wasn’t a know-it-all in every category of life, but I was when it came to certain theological issues.

I won’t discuss those issues right now, but perhaps in a future blog. What I will talk about is how I left the know-it-all life behind.

We would all like to think of ourselves as seekers of truth, people who genuinely have an open mind and are ready to accept truth when it is presented to us. I heard this statement from a great man of God named Simon Purvis a few years ago –

 

“Truth is not a destination, it’s a journey.”

 

What? I thought truth was truth. Period. Yes, that is right. Truth is truth. Here’s the issue, truth is not an “it” that we arrive at, drive our stake in the ground, and build a monument there. That is how most denominations were formed. We discovered a sacred truth, set up camp there, and proudly sang “We shall not be moved” for the next hundred years, never realizing that God had already moved.

 

Truth is a person.

 

Remember the words of Jesus, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me?” All who are in Christ began the journey there. He is the foundation of truth. He is the truth by which all truths must be measured. It all begins with Him.

When we focus our pursuit on finding out what He is really like and discovering the nature and character of God the Father as revealed in Christ, the Son of the living God, then He becomes the lens through which we view scripture.

 

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb.13:8)

 

Few, if anyone, reading this would disagree with that. He is the same as He always was and will never change. However, if you’re understanding of Him hasn’t changed in thirty years, let alone one, then you’re not growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (see 2 Peter 3:18).

It takes grace to change, and it takes humility to receive grace. In fact, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). He resists the proud! The word resist here literally means “to range in battle against, to oppose one’s self.” I cringe at the thought of God opposing me!

I have often pondered the fact that the kingdom of God is expanding and the church is exploding at such an exponential rate in other parts of the world, but not here in the good ole’ USA. Why? Do we not have enough churches? Hardly. There is no shortage of those in America. In some towns you can find one on practically every street corner.

 

We are proud. We’re proud of our American Jesus that we’ve made into our image.

 

When I began to immerse myself in the gospels again and take another look at The Son of God, I asked God to give me new glasses with which to see. These new glasses are not tinted with another man or denomination’s image of Him. It means I can now read the Beatitudes where Jesus said, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” without adding a “but you know, sometimes there are exceptions.”

My journey of discovering The Truth, which began 48 years ago, has become even more glorious since I removed those tinted glasses. A new wave of grace is washing over me now. I’m seeing Jesus more clearly and its made the path ahead of me brighter than ever. The more I get to know Him, the clearer I see Him, and the clearer I see Him, the more I want to know Him.

Sometimes you just have to read the story like it’s the first time you’ve ever read it.

We need revival in our land. We need awakening in America. When it happens, what will it look like? It will look like us looking like Jesus. You know, the one in the Bible. It will happen when we humble ourselves and confess that we have misrepresented Jesus.

 

Lord, give us the grace to RE-present You!

 

Kevin

Do you know someone who is very opinionated and is not afraid to let everyone know it? I knew someone years ago who was very opinionated and made sure that everybody within hearing distance knew it. In fact, most of his opinions were very abrasive. One time I asked him why he felt like he had to share his opinion about everything with everyone. His answer- “I just say what I think!” How true.

What we think will eventually make its way out of our lips, some sooner than others. One of my favorite Proverbs says:

Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;With their mouths shut, they seem intelligent. (Prov. 17:28 NLT)

And of course, Jesus had something to say about it:

“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45 NKJV)

If words originate in our thoughts, then we have to learn how to change our thinking.

“Thoughts occupy mental real estate.” – Dr. Caroline Leaf

Have you ever thought of it that way? Thoughts are occupying mental real estate in our heads because we’ve allowed them to trespass!  We get to choose what we put in our brains.

Over two and a half years ago my wife and I went to a chiropractor who  runs a health and wellness clinic. Through changing my eating habits and taking some natural supplements, I lost 50 lbs. and got off of two prescription medications. It was all because the doctor said I had put toxic things in my body and now I needed to eliminate them and replace them with healthy things. Pretty

There is a prescription for toxic thinking:

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. (Philippians 4:8 MSG)

Thinking about these things brings about health – mentally and physically.

Jesus told us that it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles a man.

God has the perfect prescription for our brains – His word. It has been my experience that three things will change if you’ll look to His word for change:

1. What you think about God.
2. What you think about yourself.
3. What you think about others.

This holds true because what we think about God determines what we think about ourselves and what we think about ourselves determines what we think about others.

True transformation can only begin with true humility.

God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5b)

Talk about a double-edged sword!

The proud man says, “I’m entitled to my own opinion. Who cares what anybody thinks?” The humble man says, “I want to change. Lord, show me how to do that.” When we humble ourselves, grace is released to us, and when grace is released, change happens.

That’s what happened when I went to the doctor. I humbled myself, he gave me a plan, and I put it into practice.

I’ll share more on what it means to humble yourself in my next blog.

Till then,

 

Kevin

 

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”  That was a familiar saying in the neighborhood where I spent my early childhood. Knowing that a good parental whoopin’ awaited the child who dared to throw a rock at or hit a playmate with a stick, words were the weapon of choice in most disagreements. If you hit or pushed someone down, punishment surely came your way as opposed to name-calling, which when told to the parent was usually met with “just forget about it, those names can’t hurt you.”

 

But they did. Words are powerful. They can hurt and they can heal. They stick in your soul like a barbed hook.

 

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me” was simply a meaningless defense mechanism that made us feel better for the moment by implying that those words didn’t really hurt, but we knew better. Those words stung.

I was the fat kid on the block. Bobby (fictional name) was the neighborhood bully. I can still hear that clever rhyme in my head – “Fatty, fatty, two by four, can’t get through the bathroom door.” Bobby would start the chant and the other kids would join in.

We adults may not use childish rhymes like that in our communication now, but we do know how to use words to our advantage and we’re fully aware of their power most of the time. Those words I heard in the neighborhood were hurtful, but not near as much as those I heard in my own home. I remember going to bed most nights hearing my dad yelling and cursing at my mother, permeating the walls of our home with degrading speech.

 

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,

But perverseness in it breaks the spirit. (Proverbs 15:4)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue,

And those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:21)

 

I’ve read books and heard many sermons and teachings on the power of our words. There have been entire movements centered around this truth. And it is truth. However, I believe there is something that gets lost in the emphasis on words and it’s this – words come from thoughts. I think, therefore I speak.

How many times have I caught myself saying, “I know I shouldn’t say this, but…?” If I know I shouldn’t say it, then why am I saying it? Because, If I’m honest with myself, I’ll admit that I really wanted to say it, even though I know I shouldn’t. Kind of sounds like that Romans 7 thing doesn’t it?

I’m writing this under the assumption that the majority of you who read this are born-again followers of Jesus. You are a triune being – spirit, soul and body. Your spirit has been brought to life by the Spirit of God. Your soul is your mind, will, and your emotions. Your soul must undergo the process of coming under the rule of your spirit, which has been made perfectly new in the image of Christ.

It becomes much easier to control my tongue once my soul (mind) has been renewed.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)

 

For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?

But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:16)

 

These two scriptures seem to contradict themselves, don’t they? Actually, they work hand-in-hand. As a child of God, I have the capacity to think the thoughts of God. Through the process of renewing my mind, I am then able to conform my mind to His thoughts. In essence, I am training my brain.

Our brain is the one organ in our body that we literally have the power to change daily.

Whatever damage may have occurred due to emotional trauma through negative words can be healed and restoration take place. I know because I’m experiencing it. How is this happening? One thought at a time.

 

There is hope.

 

I’ll explain in my next blog.

 

Kevin