Frankly, I’m tired of hearing about fake news. Fake news draws in the gullible at an alarming rate. You’ve certainly had friends on social media post links about all sorts of deliberately crafted lies in order to press an agenda. And It’s not just the world outside the church. We see incredulous, hyperbolic news to support the Christian worldview also. But we all know that the concept of fake news is not new. And it’s not confined to social media. It’s not only from TV preachers and Christian music that doesn’t square up to the truth about life or God. Lots of fake news just sneaks into our consciousness like a theif, stealing our joy, courage and authenticity. The enemy has been posting fake news for centuries. Here are four examples of fake news many Christians believe.

God will accept you once you get your act together.

We so often fail to approach the throne with confidence because we feel that Jesus is angry and dissatisfied with us as followers. We magnify all our failures and live in a shadow of shame and self-condemnation.

Here’s a truth bomb from Brother Paul:

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:1

After the resurrection Jesus pursued a reunion with a denier, a doubter, and a number of deserting disciples.

He’s not the ogre waiting for us to forget to floss so he can swat us with his golden fly swatter. He’s not a passive god who sits around drumming his fingers on the throne, watching CNN for the latest on world-sized problems while yawning at our infinitesimal requests.

That’s not who God is. He is with you and He is for you.

Salvation happens when you get all the facts right.

Salvation is not an intellectual hoop to jump through. It is belief in Jesus even though you are sometimes struggling to understand everything. Children certainly don’t understand everything and yet Jesus tells us to come to Him as children with all our uncertainties and struggles.

The church often minimizes the process of salvation to a doctrinal game of jeopardy. On the contrary, your faith is not dependent upon you having the correct view of the 70 weeks of Daniel. Thank you, Jesus!  It has always been about faith and faith is not without its mysteries. In fact, faith is all about the mystery. Celebrate the mysteries and love Jesus.

If you pray right, you’ll get everything you request.

One of the greatest struggles most believers experience is the perplexity of unanswered prayers.  It’s easy for us to view prayer as a giant vending machine with the candy bar stuck in the machinery. The more we invest in it the more frustrating we become with the process. This is the time to move forward in prayer knowing that God has a better view of our lives than we do. Trust that He will work in His own way and His own time. But NEVER stop partnering with Him in prayer. You will find the reward of unanswered prayers: greater faith and dependence upon God.

God wants you to be pain free. 

Pain is one of God’s greatest teaching tools. The pain you experience will further your growth, cause you to depend on Him, and allow you to help others.

Paul’s thorn in the flesh, though a mystery, was painful. Still he writes:

 

So there you have it–Four fake news items all Christians struggle with from time to time. What fake news have you discovered. I’d love to here about it. Hopefully discovering fake news is good news today!

A hymn or worship reading.

#1:The gospel is the story that pierces,

#3: molds,

#1: feeds,

#2: reveals,

#3: penetrates,

#1: sanctifies,

#3: heals,

#1: humbles,

#2: and saves.

#3: “Tell me the story,” we sing,

#1: and they did—

#3: that great cloud of witnesses.

#2: And the story continues—

#3: the story of Abraham, the pilgrim,

#1: Isaac, the miracle,

#2: Joshua, the conqueror,

#3: Amos, the prophet,

#1: Moses, the deliverer,

#2: Elijah, the challenger,

#3: John the Baptist,

#1: Mary Magdalene, the redeemed,

#2: Peter the Rock,

#3: Paul the apostle,

#1: and John the Beloved,

#2: whose mortal ears heard what we long to hear:

#3: the voices of the angels singing around the throne of our King Jesus.

All: Holy—Holy—Holy!

#3: The story marched through the ages with resolve and purpose. These were the men and women who trusted the ancient truthes found on the pages of God’s word

#2: Martin Luther,

#1: Joan of Arc,

#3: St. Francis of Assisi,

#3: William Carey,

#1: John Knox,

#2: John Wesley,

#3: B. B. McKinney,

#1: R. G. Lee,

#2: Jim Elliot,

#1: Karl Bart,

#2: Annie Armstrong,

#3: Fanny Crosby,

#1: Lottie Moon,

#2: D. L. Moody,

#1: Corrie Ten Boom,

#3: Watchman Nee,

#1: Martin Luther King, Jr.,

#3: Mother Teresa,

#2: and all those who are called to listen

#3: and to serve

#1: and to tell the story.

#2: to write on their heart every word.

#3:And the story continues.

#1: What story will you leave on Earth?

#3: Will it be your story?

#2: Or will it be His Story?

#1: What story will you tell throughout your days?

#3: Let us tell it well.

All: (Whispered) Amen

 

 

The second chapter of Joel reminds us to not only live for today. We must live for THE DAY. It’s a constant struggle to keep our focus on the fact that everything around us that we can touch with our hands will all be gone, leaving only our relationships and connection with our Source, Jesus. So how do we live for THE DAY when things once clouded will be seen face to face?

1. Return to God (v12)

 “Turn to Me with all your heart, With fasting, with weeping, and with mourning.”

Spiritual preparation begins and ends with prayer. All our striving to be somebody must be overshadowed and minimized. Our prayers should reach the throne of God in wholeheartedness. Turning to God means that we cast aside our own desires for a greater calling: knowing and trusting Him.

2. Reunite the Family (v.16)

Gather the people, Sanctify the congregation, Assemble the elders, Gather the children and nursing babes; Let the bridegroom go out from his chamber, And the bride from her dressing room.

God invites us into the celebration of the feast to come. Our task is to gather and unite the often splintered family to receive the groom.

• This happens before THE DAY.
• It requires forgiveness and reconciliation in the face of our deepest wounds.
• We are instigators of grace in all its aspects.
• This is the hard work that brings the Kingdom of God to this blue marble called Earth.

3. Receive the Savior (v. 19)

“Behold, I will send you grain and new wine and oil, and you will be satisfied by them”

The symbolism of bread, wine and oil tells the entire story of redemption.

• Bread- His Body
• Wine- His Blood
• Oil- the ointment of healing

4. Restore the blessings (v. 25)

“So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the crawling locust, the consuming locust, and the chewing locust.”

The locusts have ravaged the cosmos. They’ve wrecked our world. They eat into blessing. Whether it is a wound, a broken relationship, or a death. The story of redemption is a story of reconciliation of the things that were taken from us. God’s promise is strong. We must celebrate that He will make all things new.

5. Recapture the dreams (v.28)

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams. Your young men shall see visions.

Beloved, live in the reality of the redemption story and your dreams will be rekindled and will flourish like the opening of a rose. Dead dreams will rise from the ashes of our brokenness and pain. We will look forward and not backwards We will view life as the great saga of grace that it truly is. If only we will could celebrate the majesty and holiness of today! This morning we are one step closer to the coming of the Bridegroom amidst the perils of the present.

Even so Lord Jesus, Come!

Download Listening Sheet

For some people, church growth can be rather tedious. Parking problems, the new people to get to know, the reduction of political power due to the influx of new people that don’t know you, the extra wear on the carpet, the noise of young children, the overuse of bathroom facilities…you name it. So as we contemplate growth I thought I’d share a few ideas that could very well solve the spread of people throughout the foyer of your church’s worship center.

So, just for fun, may I submit to you 25 tried and true ideas for solving the annoying problem of church growth. Pick a couple and see what happens.

1. Begin your message with the phrase, “You know what’s wrong with you people…”
2. Place the Student Sunday school space near the “Ruth class” for ladies 70 and above.
3. Move Business Meetings to Sunday Morning and open up the floor by asking, “So does anybody have beefs?”
4. Begin that year-long sermon series on the 70 weeks of Daniel.
5. Place a Polygraph machine on the front pew to be used during the invitation time.
6. Place tire puncture strips in the parking lot for cars going the wrong way before Sunday School.
7. Pick a NASCAR driver as your favorite and complain about all the other drivers (this works best in Alabama).
8. Place the Roller Coaster “You must be this tall” sign at the entrance of the Worship Center. (And make it stand about 5’8 ½”)
9. Keep the Christmas Pageant livestock in the church choir room year round.
10. Announce that on high attendance Sunday, if the goal is met, everyone will kiss the pig!
11. If your auditorium slopes downward to the platform give every kid under 12 a handful of marble before the service.
12.  Give the deacons the ability to “gong” the special music.
13.  Place the outdoor welcome center tent a few feet from the septic tank.
14.  Replace the pictures of former pastors with pictures of Larry, Moe, and Curly.
15.  Start arranging marriages in the single department.
16.  Put a blank for weight on the membership forms.
17.  Invite the “Cops” crew along during hospital visits.
18. Demand madatory drug tests for all senior adult excursions.
19.  In order to feel relevant, say “Dude” 15 times from the pulpit each Sunday.
20.  Have organist play hockey cheers at pivotal moments of the sermon.
21. Place armed guards in front of the Sunday School Supply Closet.
22. Before the offertory hymn have the worship leader scream, “Show Me the Money”
23.  Charge tolls for use of restrooms.
24.  Illustrate all sermons or Sunday School lessons with scenes from “Walker Texas Ranger.”
25.  Use the “The Voice” format for staff hirings.

Before the first man had first breath

Before the mystery of death

Angels worshiped the Holy one

The majesty of God’s own Son

From infinite past he was and is and is to come

Holy

Holy above all living things

Before the glory of every king

Holy beyond man’s striving for power

Holy beyond man’s grandest hour

Holy

His fingers cast the stars in place

Holy

The fiery jewels in distant space

Separating land from sea

The master of eternity

His grand design, His perfect plan

To reconcile the fate of man.

Holy

He could not look on sin

Holy

And on a cruel hill

Among the vulgar accusation

The wreck of every wayward nation

He took the cruel condemnation

The dagger deep of dark damnation

The angels watched in disbelief

The sky was torn. a mother’s grief

This God who crafted night and day

This Son of God, had found a way

To take the burden of the sin

The holy one in human skin

No peace on Earth

No Kings would bow

Betrayed, alone

Our punishment- a tragedy

God, why have you forsaken me?

The grand moment of redemption and

The death sentence of hate

History’s darkest hour

The triumph of sins power

Or so it seemed

But in this act

Man’s deepest shame

Is now redeemed.

Saviors will ascend Mount Zion to rule over the hill country of Esau, but the kingdom will be the LORD’s.

Obadiah verse 21

We live among people longing for saviors. How great would it be if someone would ascend the hill and plant a flag of victory over the world’s conflict and injustice?

We cry out, “Give us prosperity. Give us equality. Give us revenge against the poorly measured scales of righteousness.” 

Ever since our feet have trod on the terra firma east of Eden, we have experienced conflict. Political and social saviors emmerge, ascend and fall. But Obadiah reminds us in the midst of a difficult time in our nation’s history that there is a greater Kingdom to defend than health care, homeland security and the scandalous backroom deals of politicians whose hands drip with the blight of corruption.

There is an everlasting kingdom that isn’t shaken in the least.

The church must carefully avoid foolish arguements over predestination, judging each other’s spiritual or theological leanings and remember that there is a world we have been called to die for. It’s possible for people to have correct theology inside their heads and yet no courage, connection or compassion in their hearts. Even the demons know theology.

There will be a day of reckoning. We must be scrupulous with our words. We must focus on the King, not the president. We must test our thoughts.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5

I don’t know what the future will hold. We are all in unknown waters today.

Lord, test our hearts and teach us to trust you in all the uncertanties of this pricarious moments.

A worship experience around the cross. 

by Matt Tullos

This is a simple, yet powerful Good Friday experience which includes Communion, readings, visuals, music, and candle. It’s yours to use and adapt.

 Acoustic Instrumental Music

Reader 1: The greatest story ever told is grace.

Reader 2: The greatest man to ever walk the earth.

Reader 3: The greatest burden

Reader 1: laid on this one man.

Reader 2: The greatest injustice.

Reader 3: The greatest faith.

Reader 1: The greatest pain.

All: The greatest moment in history.

Reader 2: It is the reason guilty men go free.

Reader 3: It is the reason for all hope worth having.

Reader 1: Love worth giving,

Reader 3: And truth worth sharing.

Reader 2: Around a table God built a church.

Reader 3: This is My body.

Reader 1: Jesus said,

Jesus: “I have looked forward to this hour with deep longing, anxious to eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins. For I tell you now that I won’t eat it again until it comes to fulfillment in the Kingdom of God.”

Reader 1: The Garden of Eden.

Reader 2: The flood.

Reader 3: The exodus.

Reader 2: The foreshadowing words of the prophets.

Reader 3: They all looked toward this meal.

Jesus: This bread is My body.

All: Broken for you.

Jesus: This is My heart.

All: Broken for you.

Jesus: This is My will.

All: Broken for you.

Jesus: This is My destiny.

All: Broken for you.

Reader 1: This is the Son of God.

Jesus: I am.

All: Broken for you.

Your Grace Still Amazes Me: Solo with video

Reader 1: In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying,

Jesus: “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

Reader 2: This cup is a promise that slips through the corridors of death.

Reader 1: It reflects surrender.

Reader 3: A cup of payment.

Reader 2: A cup of mercy.

Reader 1: A cup of grace.

Reader 3: Aware of the wrath to come.

Reader 2: Aware of betrayers.

Reader 1: Aware of the loneliness.

Reader 3: Jesus said,

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 2: Aware of the wars to come.

Reader 3: Aware of the wretched nature of man.

Reader 1: Jesus said,

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 2: Lonely wife.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 3: Angry son.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 2: Disillusioned daughter.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 1: Helpless victim.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 3: Anxious father.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Reader 2: Broken child.

Jesus: Take this cup.

Lord’s Supper—Serve at stations near the front of the auditorium.  “Instrumental: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”

(after elements have been served)

Reader 1: See our Savior.

Reader 3: Praying in agony.

Reader 2: Alone.

Reader 1: See Him betrayed.

Reader 3: Deserted.

Reader 2: See Him innocent, yet arrested.

Reader 1: Almighty, yet submissive.

Reader 3: Dare to look at the face of grace offered to us.

Reader 2: Then Pilate took Jesus and had Him flogged.

Reader 1: Completely naked with His hands tied against a pole. A centurion held a cat of nine tails.

Reader 2: A whip laced with bones.

Reader 3: Glass.

Reader 2: And metal.

Reader 3: The whip would gouge into His back.

Reader 1: The full torture would occur with the return of the whip with a firm jerk that would tear His flesh.

Reader 3: They continued this process.

Reader 2: Thirty-nine lashes He would endure.

Reader 1: Thirty-nine lashes, tied to the whipping post.

Reader 3: Endure each blow in our place. Stand with us now in honor of this dark moment in history.

All: One.

Reader 2: For the times we proudly did what we wanted.

All: Two.

Reader 1: The weight of senseless violence.

All: Three.

Reader 3: The flattering tongue.

All: Four.

Reader 2: Gossiping lips.

All: Five.

Reader 1: Inhumanity.

All: Six.

Reader 3: Lust and perversion.

All: Seven.

Reader 3: Terrorist plots.

All: Eight.

Reader 1: Child abuse.

All: Nine.

Reader 3: Prejudice.

All: Ten.

Reader 2: War.

All: Eleven.

Reader 1: Blasphemy.

All: Twelve.

Reader 2: Stubborn disbelief in God.

All: Thirteen.

Reader 3: Thievery.

All: Fourteen.

Reader 1: Unforgiveness.

All: Fifteen.

Reader 2: Pornography.

All: Sixteen.

Reader 3: Lies.

All: Seventeen.

Reader 1: Abortion.

All: Eighteen.

Reader 2: Legalism.

All: Nineteen.

Reader 3: Greed.

All: Twenty.

Reader 1: Boastfulness.

All: Twenty-one.

Reader 3: Heretical teaching.

All: Twenty-two.

Reader 2: Pride.

All: Twenty-three.

Reader 3: Murder.

All: Twenty-four.

Reader 2: Contempt for holiness.

All: Twenty-five.

Reader 1: Apathy.

All: Twenty-six.

Reader 3: Betrayal.

All: Twenty-seven.

Reader 2: Gluttony.

All: Twenty-eight.

Reader 1: Drug abuse.

All: Twenty-nine.

Reader 3: Infidelity.

All: Thirty.

Reader 2: Cruelty.

All: Thirty-one.

Reader 1: Rape.

All: Thirty-two.

Reader 3: Jealousy.

All: Thirty-three.

Reader 2: Apathy.

All: Thirty-four.

Reader 1: Lynching.

All: Thirty-five.

Reader 3: Prostitution.

All: Thirty-six.

Reader 2: Witchcraft.

All: Thirty-seven.

Reader 1: Pride.

All: Thirty-eight.

Reader 3: Mocking.

All: Thirty-nine.

Reader 2: Sin.

Reader 1: Stand in silence as we remember that by His stripes we are healed.

Congregation stands for approximately 20 seconds, and then is motioned to be seated.

Amazing Love

Reader 1: He was despised.

Reader 2: “What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?”

Reader 3: Pilate asked them.

Reader 1: And rejected.

All: “Crucify Him!” they shouted.

Reader 1: And forsaken by men,

Jesus: Peter, could you not pray with Me one hour?

Reader 1: A man of sorrows

Reader 3: When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered,

Reader 2: and harassed,

Reader 3: and distressed,

Reader 2: and dejected,

Reader 1: and helpless,

Reader 2: like sheep without a shepherd.

Reader 1: A man acquainted with pain,

Reader 3: The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on His head. They tore the robe from His back. The robe had already become adherent to the wounds from the scourging. Once again intense pain, bleeding.

Reader 1: And acquainted with grief

Jesus: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killer of prophets, abuser of the messengers of God! How often I’ve longed to gather your children, gather your children like a hen, Her brood safe under her wings— but you refused and turned away!

Reader 1: and like One from whom men hide their faces. He was despised, and we did not appreciate His worth or have any esteem for Him.

All: Surely He has borne our grief.

Reader 2: Divorce, shame, rejection, disillusionment,

Reader 1: sicknesses,

Reader 3: leukemia, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer,

Reader 1: weaknesses,

Reader 2: depression, anger, failure, ignorance.

Reader 1: Yet we ignorantly considered Him stricken, smitten, and afflicted by God

Reader 1: But He was wounded for our transgressions.

Reader 2: Sharp pain coursing through His body.

Reader 3: Bludgeoned by the closed fists of hardened soldiers.

Presentation of the cross

From the back of the auditorium a large cross is carried in and erected on the platform.

Reader 1: He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities.

Reader 2: Now the men who held Jesus mocked Him and beat Him. And having blindfolded Him, they struck Him on the face and asked Him, saying,

Reader 3: “Prophesy! Who is the one who struck You?” And many other things they blasphemously spoke against Him.

Reader 1: They precisely placed the large eight-inch spike into the wrist of Jesus—a place where nerve and muscle would be intertwined to cause torture beyond what we could imagine.

(The sound on the hammer on nails: Six times)

Reader 2: Mocking.

Reader 1: Vulgarities.

Reader 3: Perversion.

Reader 2: Spittle.

Reader 1: Mud.

Reader 3: Harassment.

Reader 2: Religious condemnation.

Reader 1: Naked shame.

Reader 3: Blasphemy.

Reader 2: Loneliness.

Reader 1: Abandonment.

Reader 3: Thirst.

Reader 2: Shock.

Reader 3: Convulsion.

Reader 1: Blood.

Reader 2: Puncture wounds.

Reader 3: And a burning, bleeding back.

Reader 1: Their words spewed forth from all directions and all eras.

Reader 2: He saved others, but He cannot save Himself.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 3: If You are the Son of God, save Yourself.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 1: King of the Jews? You have no kingdom.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 2: I’ll do what I want.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 3: I don’t need You!

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 1: Leave us alone.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 3: You are a liar. There is no God.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 2: We have the right to choose life or death.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 1: I’m the master of my own life.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 3: Leave us alone. We don’t want Your love.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 2: We’re doing fine without You.

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 1: You are not wanted here!

Jesus: Father, forgive them.

Reader 3: The crimes of all people.

Reader 2: The sins of all nations.

Reader 1: The climax of history.

Reader 3: The perilous chasm between heaven and hell.

Reader 2: Do you see Him?

Reader 1: Can you feel His isolation?

Reader 3: The shame of His death?

Reader 2: Naked.

Reader 1: Bleeding.

Reader 3: We dare you right now to look squarely and soberly at the cross of Christ.

Reader 1: We invite you to stand and remember.

Reader 3: Oh sacred hands now wounded

That loved this wretched throng

The tortured one discarded,

disfigured, and alone

How cruel the shame and terror

The sacrificial lamb.

Transgressions laid upon him

The dying Son of Man.

Song: How Can You say No to this Man

Congregation stands.

Reader 1: See, from His head, His hands, His feet,

Reader 2: With thorns Your only crown.

Reader 2: So pale are You in anguish.

Reader 1: Blessed Redeemer!

Reader 3: Seems I now see Him.

Reader 1: Blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins.

Reader 3: Precious Redeemer!

Reader 2: On Calvary’s tree

Reader 1: Sorrow and love flowed mingled down.

Reader 3: Wounded and bleeding, for sinners pleading.

Reader 1: With grief and shame weighed down.

Reader 2: He took my sins and my sorrows.

Reader 1: Did e’er such love and sorrow meet.

Reader 3: Now scornfully surrounded.

Reader 2: Blind and unheeding—dying for me!

Reader 1: Sinners plunged beneath that flood,

All: Lose all their guilty stains.

Reader 3: He suffered and died alone.

Reader 2: I stand amazed.

Reader 1: What wondrous love is this.

Reader 3: Amazing love.

All: Amazing . . . grace.

(Candles slowly extinguished)

Lead in Amazing Grace (Voices Only)

__________________________________

Reading is based on Scriptures quotations from the following: From the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright© 1996. used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton,

IL 60189. All rights reserved.

From the Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Courage is a high virtue. But fear can be our friend. Fear is actually a lifesaver. I agree with writer Elizabeth Gilbert who says,

Don’t leave home without a good healthy fear reflex, or you may find yourself wandering drunk through dangerous neighborhoods at 3am, or riding your bike through city traffic with earbuds in. In these situations, your fear may indeed save your life.

Indeed, fear can save us a lot of pain and heartache. Jesus warned us:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

Matthew 7:15

Here are five types of people we should love but also, may I propose, fear.

• Jekyll and Hyde People

These are the emotionally unhealthy, unpredictable, and combative people who swing from one emotion to another. We all have Jekyll and Hyde people in our lives. They can be devastating, causing you to walk on egg shells and doubt your standing with them. Love them because you are called to love them, but limit your exposure to them because they can knock you off your mission.

They will deliberately say something to harm you while acting like they didn’t know it would bother you.

They waver in their support of you based on your performance. And if you don’t live up to their expectations, they will pout and alienate you.

Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.

James 1:6

They will enthusiastically agree to do something but then act moody and irritated while performing the task.

• Werewolves People

 The werewolf is the person in your life who supports you until they have a “full-moon” moment. Their “full moon” moment may be instigated by a crisis or it may just occur without any measurable cause. They are secretive and love the darkness of anonymity. 

Henri Neowen offers some questions for us to ask ourselves as we consider the werewolf:

Did I offer peace today? Did I bring a smile to someone’s face? Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment? Did I forgive? Did I love? These are the real questions. I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.

• Frankenstein People

Frankenstein people have a head transplant when they really need a heart transplant. These are the people who have correct doctrine and know all the right answers, but they have no compassion for the strugglers. They are not swift in their walk because they are constantly running into people with whom they disagree on an intellectual level. Their heart is not engaged and compassionated because they are too busy judging people. Therefore they are the original walking dead.

• Blob People

Blob people take up space and have no arms or legs for service and mission. These are the people that focus on feeding themselves, satisfying themselves and justifying themselves but never do any good for the people around them. Everything is focused on how it affects their standing and not the overall health of the church or organization. Blob people are analysts and taste testers. They attend but rarely volunteer. 

• Godzilla People

These folks are bigger than life, ego-driven, and often destructive. Godzilla people display many talents and lead many organizations, but their success, while initially undeniable, is often short-lived because they leave so many people in their wake. They are excellent at tearing down and shaking up– a necessary task from time to time, but they don’t have the desire or acumen to build. 

St. Paul encourages us to use our words to build up:

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29

So what’s the silver bullet for these villains?  

Community!

Chances are, you’ve been the monster from time to time. I certain have!  We tame the beast through community. We must work on each other. Monsters have allies but few deep friendships. To overcome monstrous episodes we must find communities that nurture authenticity and truth-telling. 

And if you find yourself in relationship with a monster, speak the truth but also avoid feeding the beast. Their curse is infectious.

 

 

A Baby born—outcast and obscure

You are still Jesus

Master Craftsman of the universe

born a carpenter’s Son.

You are still Jesus

Walking in the wilderness 40 days without.

You are still Jesus

In a borrowed tomb, the casualty of my sin.

You are still Jesus in the middle of my struggles,

In the center of my life.

In my dreams, tears, brokenness and fears

You are still Jesus.

Comforting, guiding, loving, filling

You are still Jesus.

When an upside-down world quakes and trembles

You are still Jesus.

In the silent nights and fragile days

You are still Jesus.

~

Maybe it was the the election of 2016, or the shootings of police officers and unarmed black men, or maybe it’s the peril of social media where people make blanket statements about race, or party or policy. No one can doubt that we are more divided and in need of a revolution. Not a national revolution but a soul revolution. This revolution will occur when we are weary of people who claim to be Christians and yet support, for their own culture, people who act contrary to the teachings of Jesus for the sake of their own good causes. We are in need of a revolution.

 Jesus was the greatest revolutionary figure in history. Jesus shattered the religious systems of the world with a new commandment, “Love.” He overthrew the greatest empire with one weapon: “Love.” He served the greatest meal ever eaten and the primary ingredient is the recipe was (you guessed it) “Love.” It was a different kind of love than the world had ever truly experienced. God’s love is revolutionary because it is redemptive, unearned and holistic. While others were involved in a debate about who was holier, who was more righteous, Jesus was uprooting hatred and dispatched violence through love. It’s practical, astounding, freeing and, yes, revolutionary.

 

A Revolution of Love

But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies, do what is good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Luke 6:27-28

Where does your mind go when it’s in idle? Our natural tendency is to go to places that we have experienced hurt, worry and uncertainty. We all have rehearsed future exchanges with enemies and rivals. We think, what could I have said that would straight this person out?
What could I do to get the upper hand in that relationship? How could I prove my own righteousness and legitimize my place in this situation or that predicament.” In short we have a taste of revenge. We can too quickly be drawn into greed, defensiveness and self-pity.  When we go into those shadowy places of self-preservation we are on a collision course with something that goes against our natural bent. It’s the unconditional love of Jesus. This is the very essence of grace that draws us out of the path of destruction and draws us into the life Christ offers. We must ask ourselves, “Does my living, walking, doing and reacting square up with this teaching?”

 

A Revolution Against Hypocrisy

“Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the log in your own eye? 42 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the log in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck in your brother’s eye.
Luke 6:41-42

 

Have you ever known someone who was constantly on a witch hunt? There are people who gain a sick gratification through the process of analyzing, condemning and judging even their closest of friend. Many times this judgment never reaches the ears of the person being judged. In these two verses we see Jesus commending believers not to sit in judgment of other people. Jesus is saying, work on yourself, first and foremost. We can’t go into relationships say, “I bet I can fix this person.” And can I say this just between me and you? Nobody really wants to be your project. The first person in your life that God wants you to fix is you. This is so true when it comes to marriage. So many times couples come to me, asking how they can fix their spouse and I have to say, “Perhaps God is using the faults of your spouse to fix YOU! Maybe He wants to teach you about patience, meaningful dialogue, prayer, and unconditional love.” College is a great place to work on yourself so that you are ready to enter into a lifelong relationship. You’ll also find that once the two by four is out of your eye, you are able to watch God change the people whom you love because you are emotionally free and healthy.

 

A Revolution of Action

“Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say? 47 I will show you what someone is like who comes to Me, hears My words, and acts on them: 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the river crashed against that house and couldn’t shake it, because it was well-built.
Luke 6:46-48

In this ancient sermon, it becomes clear that Jesus is not looking for people just to tip their hats to Him. He’s doesn’t want people to simply affirm Him as a good teacher or as some sort of life coach that can tweak their lives. He wants to be Lord, not just hear the word “Lord.” Jesus posts a warning sign and the very end of this message. He says “Danger! Religion ahead!”  Jesus didn’t come to establish another religion. He came to make dead people live. If you build too close to a sandy beach you will one day face a spiritual tsunami. So what is the sand you need to back away from? Is it self-reliance? An addiction you lean on more than God? Is it your physical appearance? Is it your popularity? We all have some beachfront property and it’s tempting to want to build on it.  Please don’t.

 

Jesus wants the best for you, but often it doesn’t feel like it. Revolutionary living requires us to have a spiritual coup a regime change. Jesus desires more than anything for you to trust him. How do we trust Him? We say, “Lord,” but we don’t stop with that word. We treat Him as Lord. We live by this new life principle of love. We invite God to change our hearts and we stop trying to change other people. We make our core value to be the teachings of Jesus and we listen patiently to get direction from Him and not our baser instincts.