I heard a great sound bite today: If living generously is so great, think of Acts 2, Jesus’ mantra of giving up everything including your life to live an abundant life, the constant parables in the bible, etc etc. Then why don’t we do it?
Take into context that this is not just a black and white issue, what is generous to one may not be to another, but even in my generosity I am still convicted by this…I think that is a good thing.
We’ve obviously found out that chasing and obtaining the American dream wont change the world, so why am I still chasing it…fear is the first thing that comes to mind, what about you?
This Sunday we are starting a new series at church. I always like the simple stuff that we professional Christian’s take for granted, like what does the Lord’s prayer mean? Why do we go to church anyways? Lots of people call themselves Christians, but what does that really mean? Head on over to the Church’s Twitter Page and help me out by answering the question… And please keep praying for me…
Oh I ordered a sweet custom T-shirt…but you’ll have to come to church to check it out…
…will do you good
The Music Industry has changed: Vinyl – 8 track – CD – mp3
The car has changed – Muscle Car – Woody – SUV – Hybrid
Fashion has changed – Skinny Jeans – Bell-bottom Jeans – Baggy Jeans – Skinny Jeans
People Change – Kid – Teen – Adult – Senior
The Church Changes – Organ music with a Pastor in a Robe — Electric Guitar with a pastor in a T-Shirt
God doesn’t Change – Still Loves US, all of us.
But if you go back and read about the churches in Corinth and Ephesus, they have more in common with us than we think…maybe we aren’t changing as much as we think we are?
Even the title is hard for me to read, as I am finding out more and more everyday it is less about building, sure that word works but it implies that progress comes from my work, and more about tending or nurturing God’s Church. You see God doesn’t need me, or anyone for that matter to sing a pretty song or preach a witty sermon, that in its own right is just noise. He doesn’t need me to organize and administrate a network of home-groups and social gatherings. Rather He calls us to seek first His Kingdom and righteousness!
Life is often a cause and effect relationship, jump you land, buy you pay, etc etc. But what we often forget is that this is true in His kingdom as well. Seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be answered, ask and it will be given to you…but it doesn’t end there, where our world is governed by physics and such, God’s kingdom is beyond our comprehension, way beyond it. We can apply the principles that we know, i.e. seek, knock, ask and then God comes along and picks up where Einsteins theories left off. On earth there is a equal and opposite reaction for every action. God, however, is not equal nor opposite; we seek and He pours His Spirit on us and radically transforms peoples lives, performs miracles. We ask and He gives an abundance, more than we even realize.
As we tend to God’s Church our first instinct is to “fix it”. We can’t! But what we can do is Seek God with all that is within us and in that place, the presence of God, flows community, missions, passionate worship and teaching. God works! it is documented on page 1005 of this book on my desk.
Read Mat 6, there is even a prayer in that chapter for you to pray, and join me as we seek God, His kingdom and righteousness.
Loren
Don’t have much time here right now, have to scoot on home to “relieve” the pup…but just wanted to let you in on the presence of God. As my friend Greg was writing about in his post today, Life is cyclical! Even in Isaiah 6 when God said that He would wipe away any remnant there was still a seed that became Jesus Christ. Same goes for our lives, jobs, churches, friends pretty much everything. Resurrection follows death…
If you read this blog I would love you to Listen to this sermon from last night and join with us in prayer for Vision, for God’s Voice, for His presence.
More to Come:
