Your Leading Instinct!

There was a recent article in Macleans magazine that caught my attention. The title was, 'Why Hockey Is The Smartest Game In The World'.  The reasoning according to Adam Gopnik is that in hockey you have the finest theatre to display the power of spatial intelligence and situational awareness!  It is the ability to make quick decisions, size up relationships in a fast paced, changing array of circumstances.  It is also a heightened consciousness of your surroundings, both to the intentions of the people around you and their location.  It is an instinct that some players just have in leaps and bounds and no one had it better than Wayne Gretzky and the way he connected with Jari Kurri.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF3oyoyKZcE


Gretzky spoke of instinct and the ability to go where the puck was going to be and not where it is.  In many sports there is this balance between open and closed information; however in hockey you see it all happen right before you very eyes and pivotal moments are discovered after the fact.


In the church we also need players with spatial intelligence and this will only come as we fully identify with the environment that God has placed us in.  It couldn't be said better than Paul's prayer for the Ephesian believers in 3:14:19


 ¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.¹⁶ I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God


So, are we ready to talk about spatial awareness for the follower of Jesus?  It is inner strength fueled by the Spirit of God.  The more we listen to the Holy Spirit's promptings, the more we rest in His strength, the more confident we will be in the indwelling presence of Jesus Christ.  How do we move forward with this incredible assurance?  We need to recognize that is our first place, our top priority, the place we need to be in before all else.  It is not adding to my strength, but an exchange of my strength for His strength. In  Isaiah 40:28-31, the word for renew is better understood as an exchange and this comes as we wait on Him.  This passage also speaks about love in all its vast dimensions that also comes from Jesus.  This is the kind of love that brings healing not only in our relationship with God but also in our relationships with each other.  This kind of love takes a revelation that goes beyond our senses.


In Ephesians 3:20, 21 we have a serious reflection on the kind of 'situational awareness' that Paul wants all of us in the Church to have!


²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.


As I reflect on what God wants to do in this local church at Grace, I pray that my leading instinct will take me further and further into the redemptive potential that comes from believing what He wants to do.  


Lord Jesus, keep stretching us more and more for what is beyond our reach but always close in view for You!  Enable us to make the kind of decisions that put no limits on what You want to see for all generations!

Day 40 - Eyes On The Finish Line!

Read Hebrews 12:1-3

Tom and Sheila Ward’s son, Matt, just completed Hawaii’s Ironman World Championship and finished the race in 11hrs 5min!  So, what were the distances that he had to perform you might ask?  It consists of a 3.8km swim, a 180km bike ride and a 42km run!  Now, that is pushing your body to it’s very limits and you can appreciate the training regimen that goes along with that kind of commitment.  Matt received the opportunity to compete by winning a lottery spot because the average person has little chance to qualify. The people who qualify are genetically gifted and dedicate most of their time to training.  He dedicated 15-16 hours a week to training which is significant but even that is on the low side compared to most that will spend 20-25 hours per week.  As I had the opportunity to connect with Matt about triathlons, one thing stood out to me.  He shared with me how many people will drop and fall out of the race sometimes within 100 to 150m away from the finish line.  I was really surprised by that, but he shared how often the mental battle is as real as the physical one.  One thing that Matt will do prior to a race is to take a significant amount of time just staring at the finish line.  He wants to have a clear picture in his mind of what he will need to focus on to see him through to the end and for him it works.

I believe focusing on the finish line should be the same for us in the Christian life.  Often we get wrapped up in all the details and distractions of life and before long we can easily forget that we are in a race as well.  We need to continually keep asking ourselves the question, ‘In light of eternity, what difference will this make?’  I want to make sure that everything I do really positions me to finish well.   My ability to persevere through the tests of life will be directly related to how well I am fixated on Jesus Christ and the life that He lived for me. 

So, here we are at the end of 40 days of our journey together and my desire for each of us would be to       continue to listen to His still small voice.  The only way that we get to where we need to go is by getting a fresh vision of Jesus and letting His words permeate our lives.  So, yes the devotionals, go blank tomorrow. However, my prayer is that as you read His Word and listen, He will give you the fresh insights that you need each day!  Run the race with the finish line in mind!  

Be Blessed! 

Day 39 - Consumers or Investors?

When God gave Israel its rules for living, what it would mean for them to be a God honoring fully alive community, he spent a great deal of time instructing them in what it meant to reflect his character to the    surrounding nations. God is a giver; He’s generous rather than stingy, greedy consumer, so he wanted Israel to reflect his character to other nations. In order to make sure this happened he laid out some principles that he wished his community to follow. These principles reflected God’s character and concern and what He desired to be mirrored.

“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.” (Deuteronomy 14:22) So ten percent seems to be the number the community is to give to God. But it doesn’t stop there. God says that there’s also to be what’s called a “Sabbath year.”  “But in the seventh year the land is to have a Sabbath of rest, a Sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.” (Leviticus 25:4)  God says, “Out of concern for the earth that I made, I want the land to have a rest one year out of every seven.” This practice used to be followed. Now, with the advent of strong fertilizers it is seldom practiced – because every ounce of life is to be sucked out of the land to be profitable.  But God says “let the land go.  I think my people need to do this because if they don’t they will become greedy and will loose faith in trusting me that I will provide for them.” 

Then God challenges them on this front, ‘At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts.’  (Deuteronomy 15:1)  Imagine if that might happen today and what that would look like.  Hey hon, Visa called, “Good news! It’s the Sabbath year!  They don’t want our money.”! ... Well, we know that won’t happen, but what about us?  How do we respond to those who ‘owe us’?

“If there are poor among your people in any of the towns of the land that the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted towards them. Rather be openhanded and freely lend them what they need.  Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: ‘The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,’ so that you do not show ill will toward your needy among your people and give them nothing. They may then appeal to the Lord against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart.” (Deuteronomy 15:7-10a)

Previous to this God says in verse 4 if they live this – if they choose generosity - there will be no poor among their community. But not just that, there was something else called the year of Jubilee.  God’s concern here is to prevent chronic poverty, so every 50 years all the land was supposed to go back to the original owner.

Also they also lived by what are called ‘gleaning laws.’ “When you are harvesting in your field and you       overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow.” (Deuteronomy 24:19) God was saying, ‘Listen, don’t try to squeeze every last bit of your profits out when you farm!’

Now, why are people supposed to do this? God wants them to choose life.

After the word “no” what do you think is a two-year-old’s favorite word in the whole world? “Mine!” 

God wants to root that word out of his people. So he says, “I want you to learn how to share.  God wanted them and us to understand a life giving principle – that there is no cause and effect relationship between well-off and well being. In the past 30 years our material standard of living has sky rocketed, yet it has happened with no measurable increase in any standards of happiness and peace.

If an Israelite was simply devoutly following the law, all together they’d be giving away close to thirty percent of their income!  Now some of that giving was likened to what we have to give in taxes.  However, I generally tended to think that giving in the Old Testament was kind of a mechanical deal, but that’s not true.  God’s goal was never to have a mechanical gift given to him. Deuteronomy 15:7 says, “Do not be hardhearted or tightfisted. Rather be openhanded.”  Now, imagine a community where everybody was openhanded. Stop and think how beautiful that would look. A community marked by its generosity.

If Christ followers continue to understand and experience God’s grace on a daily basis then that grace    changes them. It changes them from being people that always think about themselves. It changes them into people who are not only recipients of God’s love, but desire to express God’s love to those who are hurting, less fortunate and the poor around them. The parable of Jesus in Matthew 10:37-42 illustrates that a           community that has received God’s grace does not hoard it but generously gives it away. A fully alive            generously gives of their time, talents, and treasures doing the things that Jesus would be doing – going about doing the business of his kingdom.   

Last week at the Saturday Night Supper at the Royal City Life Center was a beautiful example of our people young and old together being investors not consumers in the kingdom of God.  Let’s keep this kind of spirit going and thanks to all those who made amazing meals because they truly notice.  It was such a joy for me to sit with the people gathered there and listen to talk with amazement at the variety of food and how incredible it was.  We also had good conversations about faith and life.

Day 38 - Security or Generosity

Read 1 Timothy 6: 3-18

Let’s talk about the touchy subject of money for a moment. Society tends to classify people in two camps – the haves and the have-nots or rich and poor.  However, the Bible doesn’t split things up this way. There are actually four classifications and two categories that ties rich and poor together. Let me explain by describing the four classifications. A great deal of this is fleshed out in the book of Proverbs found in the Old Testament in the Bible. 

1) The Righteous Rich

These are the people who work hard and work smart. They save provisions for possibly difficult days ahead. They make wise investments. They are frugal. They don’t “love money” but they love God and they realize any blessing or provisions or riches they do have is because of God and belongs to him anyway. They don’t “hoard” their riches but are generous because they see themselves as being blessed to be a blessing to others. They know that somehow they are blessed, not for an exclusive and elite privilege, but for service and       sacrifice. They are thankful.

2) The Righteous Poor

These are also people who work hard and work smart. They save provisions for possibly difficult days ahead. They don’t “love money” but they love God and they realize all they have is belongs to God. If possible they are generous with what they have but working smart and hard in this world doesn’t guarantee fiscal reward. The book of James says that those in humble circumstance might actually be blessed because they don’t    experience the same temptations that riches can bring. In their life situation moving up the ladder might have meant compromising some core values so they have been held back. They could have also been born into poverty and find their social class difficult or impossible to break out of. They are thankful regardless of their circumstances.

3) The Unrighteous Rich

These are people who have moved up the ladder by compromise. They oppress their workers and are unfair. They have gained their wealth in underhanded ways. They are greedy and love money. They care little about God and see themselves as the sole reason for their own success. They see themselves as being blessed  they deserve it. The see those less fortunate than themselves as deserving their lot in life and if they would just work hard and get a job then they would get ahead.

4) The Unrighteous Poor

Proverbs describes these people as “fools.” They would rather see themselves as victims and keep placing their bets.. They care little about God and find themselves in their situation in life because of their poor choices and behaviors. They don’t work hard; they don’t save; and they are not frugal. What little they have is theirs, and there is no way they are going to share it, because they have no trust in God to provide for them.

Now, what counts to God, it is not whether a person has riches or not but whether they live for him or not. Fully alive followers of Christ see themselves as blessed to be a blessing. They see that everything they have belongs to God. They trust in God to provide for them tomorrow and they live with a spirit of generosity whether they are rich or poor. 

Day 37 - Better Givers

Read Luke 12:24-34

I think there is something wonderful about God.  He just loves to share. Everything we have and our very lives are not our own; ultimately they are God’s.  But he allows us to live and enjoy all that is his.  Having possessions is not wrong.  God owns everything, but he has within him the incredible capacity to share what he has with all of us.  He owns it; it’s all his, but he allows us to enjoy, use and consume his world. What would it be like if he didn’t do this?  What would it be like if God was not a giver?  What would it be like if all he ever did was consume rather than give and share?  Actually the very thought is frightening and brings to mind images of slavery. Fortunately for us God is a giver.  That was never more evident than in the ultimate demonstration of Jesus who gave his life for us.  He demonstrated his incredible capacity to give by sacrificing his life.  If Christ was a giver, shouldn’t his followers demonstrate this same capacity?  Shouldn’t we also display an incredible capacity to hold on loosely and share?  I have said it before; here is a paradox of the Christian faith – you are never fully alive until you are dead.  Full life is not experienced until we put off some of our selfish inclinations and put on the character of the creator.  God is a giver.  It’s part of his character. Furthermore, it is how we were created to be. But how do we give?  How do we reflect his character and become fully alive?  Rick Warren outlines some simple characteristics and guidelines in giving like God:

Remember it all belongs to God.  Our harvest comes from God, who even gave us the seeds to grow the crop: “He gives you something you can then give away, which grows into full-formed lives, robust in God” (2 Corinthians 9:10, The Message).

Give with a cheerful heart.  God doesn’t want your possessions; he wants your heart (Matthew 6:21).  What motivates your giving?  Paul wrote, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7b).

Never give under pressure.  God wants you to “make up your own mind what you will give.”  This will “protect you against sob stories and arm twisting” (2 Corinthians 9:7, The Message).  If you feel pressured to give, don’t.  God wants you to carefully consider your generosity, and to then give voluntarily.

You really do have more to share than you realize.  And the Bible promises, “A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed” (Proverbs 11:25).  Learn to live generously.  You’ll be richer for it in the end.   (Warren, Rick, Better Together, 134,135)

Day 36 - Koinonia

Read Philippians 2:1-11

The word for community in the Bible is fellowship  and in the greek it is called koinonia.  It is such an  important word.  It is translated – participation, contribution, generosity.  It is  participation on all parts our time, our energy, our money.  Hebrews 13:16  tells us  to share with others (koinoneo) In the Amplified Bible, it reads, “Do not forget or neglect to do kindness and good, to be generous and distribute and contribute to the needy of the church as embodiment and proof of fellowship, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”  Keep doing good and ‘sharing your resources’ – that’s the word for community.  So we can’t complete our focus on community without looking at how to be more generous with each other.  Karl Menninger, the  famous psychiatrist, who opened up a psychiatric clinic in his name said this, “Generosity is one of the essential components of mental health.”  We have found that generous people are rarely ill.  So, for the sake of your mental health, let’s look at this.

This new reality comes when you begin to look beyond yourself. You see, when human beings give themselves to something beyond themselves, they have an incredibly powerful and life-giving experience.  Why is it so powerful? Simply because when you give of yourself, you are fulfilling your purpose in life. You are becoming like Jesus who demonstrated what it means to give.

Christ generously gave all of himself for us. Fully alive Christ followers are never more alive than when they follow the example of Jesus and they live outside of themselves for something bigger than themselves. I don’t know anything more worthwhile, more fulfilling than to live for what Jesus proclaimed, talked about and demonstrated every chance he had – the kingdom of God.  

As one theologian said, ’we live in a now, not yet world’.  We are called to bring the kingdom of God to a world that experiences little or nothing of it.  We are called to show Christ’s unconditional love to others and it’s going to cost us in terms of our time and money.  Who is someone this week that you can show that kind of love to?  Allow the Holy Spirit to prompt you and enable you to show someone ‘koinonia’ this week.

Day 35 - Grace Staff Values!

Read Deuteronomy 6:1-9

In a message last month, I shared how I was inspired by a family who stated their family values and placed them in a frame in their home for all those to see who entered in.  As you have been reading earlier this week about our Team Day,  I want to share with you the values that we have affirmed and possibly inspire you to consider what you may create in your home as a commitment to the values that you will affirm!     

PRAY

SEEKING His face              John 7:37-39; 1 Peter 2:4-12

We will pray for each other and our three friends that we are seeking to lead to Jesus

·         We will seek to encourage others to interact with our friends in meaningful ways

·         We will learn to be led by the Holy Spirit in our conversations

·         We will look for God given divine appointments and share our ‘God stories’ with each other

·         Each member of the team will be encouraged to lead and share insights

·         We will spur each other on with the passions and gifting God has given us

SPEAK

SHARING our hearts                       John 15:9-17

We will commit to a high level of open communication with each other. 

·         We will be transparent and honest with each other, looking for opportunities to encourage

·         We will commit to submitting a clear ‘week at a glance’ with a breakdown of office hours and ministry commitments and administrative projects as well as a ‘month at a glance’

·         We will not let conflict go underground

·         We will collaborate on our ministries and meetings.

·         We will sharpen each other in our focus and execution of ministry plans and mentor each other through the process

SERVE  Colossians 4:2-6

SERVING in His strength

We will commit as a staff team to serving with our community partners on a quarterly basis

·         No job is too insignificant for us and we will be prepared to serve in any role

·         We will continue to share how we can work together more efficiently as a team.

Day 34 - This Is Our Time

Read Acts 26:12-29

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27) A body needs a reason to move. If it has no reason to move it will lose its energy and capacity to be put in places of exertion. When all of the body is healthy –working together for its goal – it is strong and is able to achieve the life it was meant to live. The body is more than just a nice group of people who get along – it is the body of Christ.

Christ did some pretty amazing things while he was on this earth.  His Spirit is still here and he has chosen you and me to do his work.  “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)

In light of what God has called this community to do, we need every member of this body, who calls this place home, to move into the area where they have been best designed by God to serve. There is just too much at stake to sit and not serve. We are serious about this mission. We believe this is the most important mission on the planet. We link people with the Heavenly Father through Jesus who we believe can transform lives and the world. 

This mission defines who we are as we are led by the Holy Spirit into the lives of others.

Somewhere in Guelph a family is ready to throw the towel in. A husband and wife are going to sit down at the table with a business card from a divorce attorney and they are going to ask, “What are we going to do?”  And maybe, just maybe, they have a friend who goes to Grace who asks them to come to church. The      husband is hard and antagonistic to the idea but by a miracle he agrees, just this one time.  This member knows she has just one shot at this and all week long she prays, “Let this Sunday be perfect.”  

She prays “God help them find a parking spot because they are late to everything. He really doesn’t want to come.  When their children come to Compass, may they have the time of their life.  I pray that they see their boys faces light up after because they love hanging out in the youth room. Also, when they come into the coffee room, please let someone shake their hand and make them feel welcome. When they come into the gym, please may there be a place at the back where they can sit because it will be so intimidating for them to have to walk down to the front and feel like there are all these eyes looking at them.  Let the music minister to their hearts and let the message be understandable and relevant to their lives.   May our people be filled with smiles and not glares and gestures like they are used to fighting every day. Let this place be different.”

And what she is praying is, “Will you partner with me in the redemption of my friends because I believe that Jesus is their only hope.

Day 33 - Diversity In Unity

Read 1 Peter 4:7-11

I've gone through so much other stuff
That walking down the aisle was tough
But now I know it's not enough -
I want to be a clone.
I asked the Lord into my heart.
They said that that's the way to start,
But now you've got to play the part.
I want to be a clone.

Be a clone and kiss conviction goodnight.
Cloneliness is next to godliness - right?

So now I see the whole design:
My church is an assembly line.
The parts are there, I'm feeling fine.
I want to be a clone.
I've learned enough to stay afloat,
But not so much I rock the boat.

From ‘Be A Clone”  Steve Taylor

One of the common criticisms of the Christian faith is that it creates a bunch of clones, with everyone    believing the same thing.  Some think this results in a homogeneous religion, without creativity or diversity.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The Bible actually celebrates differences within community. Throughout the pages of the Bible we witness this wonderful distinctiveness.  It reveals to us that everyone is created uniquely and encouraged to develop interdependently.  We are most connected to God in worship when we are drawn into that place of community. We, as followers of Christ, are to serve in community through our originality, through our distinctive God-given gifts. 

It is really comical to imagine that a body could function if we were all the same body part so then why do we try to fit people into our box?  Why do we want people to look like us?  It is our natural learned tendencies that get us stuck here.  You don’t have to go very far to see this in branding and merchandising.  The enemy would love nothing more than to get us all looking the same because his goal is for us to blend in and not stand out.  Imagine if we all understood our diversity in its fullness.  It would open the door to greater understanding and freedom and open us up to seeing who we can be for the glory of God.

Day 32 - Your Vantage Point

Read John 15:9-17

The last part of our journey together on our Team Day was a hike around Rattlesnake Point.  It was here that we took in an incredible view from the ‘Pinnacle Lookout’.  I then asked each member to share what stood out most to them from what they could see and each one of us had such a different vantage point. One was struck by how peaceful we were compared to the busyness of the cars travelling in the distance all seemingly in a rush to get somewhere.  Another noticed how busy and active the bees below us and it      reminded them of their life and how they are always on the move looking for ways to serve others.  One team member was struck by just how much land we have to live on compared to the places in the world where there is so little space to sustain such a meager existence.

It was a great reminder that we all have a different perspective on life as well as ministry and we can all bring so much to the table.  Other believers can help us see things that we may have not even considered or even inspire us to do things we may have not done had we tried to do it on our own.

Later on our hike we climbed a pretty long set of stairs to view an incredible limestone wall.  Nathan moved on right away and began to climb the rock wall with any hesitation.  He managed to pull himself all the way to the top through a crevice where he could push back for grip as well.  As I saw him do it with relative ease, I thought, ‘why not,’ and I began to free climb as well.  It was exhilarating and challenging at the same time and I have to admit had he not done it, I probably wouldn’t have even considered it.  So, in community, we are called to lead and we are called to follow.

Jesus gave us the ultimate vantage point when he showed us what it means to love others.  He called us to a sacrificial love, a love that lays down it’s own agenda, it’s own life for the life of others.  He called us to      follow His example, obey His commands and in doing so we would find pure joy.  He also called us His friends and it is never hard to follow a friend who stays close to Jesus.

What is one thing that another person has shown you about yourself that while maybe not easy has made you better because of it?

Day 31 - Serve In His Strength

Read Colossians 4: 2-6

It has been said that we have put so much emphasis on avoiding evil that we have become virtually blind to the endless opportunities for doing good.  We have defined our holiness through what we separate ourselves from rather than what we give ourselves to.  I am convinced that the great tragedy is not the sins that we commit, but the life that we fail to live.

Another challenge that we face is that we are still influenced by a “Greek” or Hellenistic way of thinking,   rather than a Biblical or Jewish way of thinking. The Greeks saw their lives completely compartmentalized. You are body, mind and spirit. Whatever you do in each category doesn’t affect the other. For the Greeks they could do all sorts of things to their body and the believe was that it would have no affect on their soul.

We still have to fight this tendency to compartmentalize our lives. Now, we don’t necessarily think “body, mind and spirit”, but we can easily separate ourselves into our work life, our home life, our social life, our leisure life and our church life.

There shouldn’t be a split between a person’s spiritual life and a person’s leisure life. Jewish thought and the Bible sees it that way – there is just your life – period. 

God is not interested in some abstract thing called your “spiritual life,” he is interested in you!  Furthermore Jesus talks about this word called “abide.” That means that His living presence goes where you go.  Fully alive followers of Christ have Jesus transforming every aspect of their life. They live out how they where created in their work, homes, leisure and everywhere they go.  

As we continued our hike on our ‘Team Day’ we hit Kelso Park and over lunch we talked about stories where God gave us opportunities to serve others outside of our church commitments.  All too often as pastors we can be so compartmentalized to the point where everything we do is part of our job.  As we shared with each other, we were inspired by the stories that God gave us to serve those in our community.  It was done in a way that was such a natural overflow of the people that God had designed us to be.  It wasn’t because we had to, but because His Spirit inspired us to serve with open hands which led to open doors in our conversations with others.  We shared how it happened while doing home renovations with others, it happened when someone took the time to give their neighbours some tomatoes from their garden,  it happened while connecting with some guys after a hockey game.  In what way is God allowing it to happen with you?

Day 30 - Perfect Flow, Perfect Fit

Read John 7:37-39; 1 Peter 2:4-12

This past week we had a team day for the staff at Grace and we took time to go to Hilton Falls, as part of the Halton Conservation Parks.  It is one of my favorite places to go hiking and I went there often when I lived in Milton.  As I reflected on what I should share, I was drawn to the constant overflow of the falls first as a reminder that Jesus said to us who believe, that, ‘streams of living water will flow from within him’.  It is the living Spirit of God that we need to encounter everyday so that there is flow in our lives!  As I am drawn into His presence, He ministers to me, floods my soul with His truth, His affirmation and His grace.  It is only as a result of that overflow that my life is used to minister and speak into the lives of others. Our service for Christ should naturally be an outflow of our relationship with Him.  It was that very  picture that Jesus wanted to create at the Feast of Tabernacles where the pitchers of water would be poured out and flow to the south side of the temple.  He was saying in effect, the temple is no longer a building, it is a people from whom God’s presence will flow.  Look at Ezekiel 47:1-12 to see the context.  It is a perfect flow!

The next truth that really hit me while I prepared for our walk was the fact that this was the site of an old sawmill from the mid 1800s.  There was a dam created there to harness the energy of the falls and the remnants of that dam are still there today.  The unique quality of its structure is that the dam was constructed of dry stone walls on the up-and-down sides.  The core consisted of loose stone and fill, not bound with cement.  So, here’s the other truth, we were designed as believers for a ‘perfect fit’!  We are the living stones that God has uniquely fitted into place built on the cornerstone or capstone of Jesus Christ.  We are being designed as a living temple where we are all being built up in each other and so we were meant to complement and strengthen each other!  There is nothing artificial or manmade about the community of faith that God in His divine wisdom fits together.  So, while it was pretty neat to sit on a structure that had lasted for over 150 years, we are part of a living, active design that has gone on for 2000 years.

So, if your soul is weary and thirsty, go to that place where He can fill you with more of Himself and then allow that overflow to strengthen your commitment to fit with others in this place!  As a team we spent time sharing what we felt was one of our defining moments and how that really changed the trajectory of our lives.  We then took turns praying into the way God designed us.  Take time to discover this with your family or small group this week!

Day 29 - You Were Made For Action

Read 1 Corinthians 12

Atrophy is described as “a wasting away of the body, or an organ, or part, as from disuse.” Simply put, if a body part lies dormant it atrophies. It becomes weaker and weaker and if it lies there long enough disease can set in.

My stepfather Jim had a love for classic sports cars and he owned a 1961 green MGA fixed head coupe and a red convertible ’81 Triumph Spitfire roadster. They were restored and are sharp looking vehicles.  However, it was his ‘58  blue Austin Healy Sprite ‘bug eye’ Roadster with it’s right-hand drive, right from the Great of  Britain that was my favorite.  Every spring they would come out of the barn. He would put the battery back in, warm up the engine, check the necessary lubrication, cross his fingers and hope they were ready for a drive on the lazy roads of Belwood!   Cars are built to be driven and after winter he has to do the necessary checks to get them into gear.  Left alone, seals would begin to harden and crack, parts would begin to lose lubrication and stiffen up, causing its life expectancy to go down dramatically or result in a major breakdown.

The same goes for the human body. Your body is meant to move. The apostle Paul describes what a church is like by calling it a body.  If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. (1 Corinthians 12:15) I want you to think about what it would be like if your left foot decided to pack it in – “I have been holding things up around here way too long; I am out of here.” You could still move, but it would be with great difficulty and it would put strain on your whole right side.

Listen, if you call Grace Community Church your “body” but are not functioning as a part of the body then unknowingly you are hurting the body.  If you stay that way – if you stay atrophic, you will get sick, then   infected and eventually you will be contagious in a bad way because you where made for a purpose. Body members have a function; they are made for action!  You where made for action and you where made for service. A united community is a community that moves, that is, actively doing what each part of the body was gifted and created to be.

Day 28 - Go Outside The Camp!

Read Luke 10:25-37

I know this may seem like an odd story to begin with, but trust me it as it relates to individualism vs living in community and the ramifications of our own decisions. 

When the Israelites were fleeing Egypt and were camped out in the wilderness God gave them this            instruction:  “Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your     equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your           excrement.” (Deuteronomy 23:12-14)  Imagine with me being an Israelite in this situation.  “What do you mean I can’t go in the camp.” Remember too that this isn’t some little camp by Guelph Lake, this is a camp that was estimated to be 2.5 million people.  Think of it right now.  You would have to pick up a shovel and walk a long way outside of a very large community!  Try to understand what must have been going through the mind of these Israelites. Why does God insist that we do this? Nevertheless they trusted in his authority and followed his instructions and for forty years they “went” outside the camp.

Now for over three thousand years people would read this story and not really understand why God would declare such a thing. It has been only in about the last one hundred years or so that we know about            microbiology, bacteria and disease. If they had made a habit of relieving themselves in the camp, bacteria would grow, and disease would spread killing many in the camp without some form of sanitation system. They trusted God’s word and came under its authority even though they didn’t fully understand why God would give this command.

We have an innate temptation towards individualism, fueled by our culture, which leads us to believe that “I” am the final authority, “I” decide what is right and what is wrong, and “I” only really trust myself. If this is true, then there are six billion people on this planet who all are the final authority. But in such a small and strange way Israel avoided this devastating, inevitable outcome of rugged autonomy.  Fully alive followers have as their final authority a commitment to God’s Word rather than their own. This can be tough at times. 

Sometimes it means doing and believing things that we just can’t quite figure out. But some of those         questions might fall under the category of “go outside the camp” sort of deal – obvious to us now, deadly if not followed, and beyond an ancient Israelite’s comprehension. Maybe the answer is not obvious to you now, but it might be later. There may even be explanations for disasters, calamities, or tragedies that we do not know; however we have to live without knowing them and trust God. 

Trusting God doesn’t mean having a blind faith or never having questions. It means that trusting the authority of God when you don’t understand is always wise and just might save your life. 

Day 27 - Spiritual Formation

Read James 1:22-25

One of the best things we can do to shape our lives and become fully alive is to spend regular time in the presence of Jesus by reading and listening to his teachings. But reading the Bible is different than just reading a text book or a novel. The Bible is the story of God and humanity and how we are to relate to God, live, find and experience full life. Because of this it needs to be read “formationally” rather than simply “informationally.” This difference affects how and why we read the Bible. Either we read the Bible, join a life group Bible study, or attend a weekend service to learn more or we do these activities to be changed.  

In informational learning we:

Cover as much as possible

Read line after line

Have a goal to master the text

Treat the text as an object

Read analytically

Solve problems

In formational learning we:

Cover what we need to

Read for depth, perhaps only one word

have a goal of being changed by the text

Treat ourselves as objects of the text

Read receptively

Are open to mystery

(Robert Mulholland, Shaped by the Word, 49-63)

 Formational learning pushes us away from the process of simply “knowing information” to the transformation of “becoming.” Fully alive Christ-followers become alive when they allow what they know about God, that is, what it means to become fully alive, to become who they are. 

Q  How is His Word changing you?

Q  How can we intently follow through on what God speaks to us in His Word?

Day 26 - New citizens in the old country

Read Matthew 13:44-46

Living out the teachings of the Bible means living as a part of the kingdom of God. Jesus talked at great lengths whenever the occasion arose to talk about what it means for his followers to be a part of of this     kingdom and how to live it out. When we read Jesus’ description of this new world often it is shrouded in mystery because in some sense it is indescribable. He used common terms of the day and described it as being like a mustard seed, yeast, weeds and a pearl just to name a few.   It looks a lot different from the conformist mentality of our culture that wants us all to look the same and just fit in.

One writer described it this way: “Imagine you live in a country ruled by a cruel dictator. He controls the army, he controls the government, he controls the media. He controls the economy. It is a very subtle yet a very real type of control. Everything is done in this country to keep you compliant but somehow you know inside that you are not free. He uses his media to tell you  conform,  conform, conform and it is all about branding.  Have you seen enough ‘Aeropostale’ or ‘American Eagle’ shirts out there??  We wonder how we can keep ourselves from being absorbed by our culture way of living?  Is it possible to live, look and feel different as followers of Christ? 

Imagine with me if you met visitors from another country who seem very happy with an inner beauty that is indescribable and you wonder why they would ever want to come to our country  since our country is so self absorbed and they seem so happy.   You notice that whenever these people come they tell you about their beautiful country where everything seems “topsy tervy”.  So you decide to sneak over for a visit; however, your borders are tightly controlled so you have to go through the mountains on foot to get a glimpse of a country.  You observe that people don’t compete but serve one another.   They don’t keep reminding each other of their faults, but they speak about being perfectly loved, accepted, precious and wonderful. There is a sense of reverence in the air in this country instead of a sense of haste and rush and hurry.  And you notice that the people that are last in your country, the handicapped, the uneducated, the minorities, the sick, the elderly are treated with unusual extra respect here.  People are full of love, joy, peace,  patience, goodness and kindness.  People are gentle, full of faith, and don’t fly off the handle.

So you decide to become a citizen of the new country of this new kingdom but you must go back and live and work in your old country because it needs to be transformed by your very presence in it but you always      remain a citizen of the new.” (Brian McLaren, Living Now in the Kingdom of God)  I  think it is so amazing that the Apostle Peter describes those who are a part of the Kingdom of God as aliens and foreigners. Fully alive followers of Christ know and live as citizens of a new kingdom and take that reality and transform the world around them.

Day 25 - Love, Dad.

Read John 1:10-13

When we say a community turned inside out should live out the teachings of the Bible, we don’t mean that it should be somehow followed mechanically, like following the owner’s manual of a car.  So many people approach the Bible this way, as a sterile, informational, owner’s manual for life.  No wonder they struggle to read it, understand it and make some attempt to live it out.  Personally I even find the word “Bible” to be a little cold and sterile since “Bible” simply means book.   But what kind of book is it and how do I read it?  Is it a science book? Is it a history book?  Is it a textbook?  

Well it’s some of these and none of these.  Each description just comes up short. Usually people approach the Bible using only one or two of these categories.  So what is the Bible and how do we look at it and live it out as a community?  It is the record of God’s words.  Think about it.  The creator of the heavens, earth, the   universe has spoken and those words are available for us to read.  But more importantly, the Bible is the story of God and us.  It’s about how we relate to him and he to us in community.  Primarily, it is a love story of God’s desired relationship with His people and we should approach it with this understanding. 

 

I loved my Dad and I know he really loved me, but we each have our own unique way of expressing our love for one another. My father’s heritage was Dutch. Not to be hard on the Dutchmen or anything, but the great written works, love songs and poems of our time, were not written by the Dutch.  In keeping with his       heritage, my dad didn’t always express himself well in words or writing; he was more of a man of action. I will never forget his simple words to me to love the Lord my God with all my heart and soul and a call to serve Him.  He wrote it in the cover of a study Bible he gave to me when I was in Grade 11.  I have never turned back.  He also inspired us with a family verse in Nahum 1:5 where it says, "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble.  He cares for those who trust in Him." 

The Bible was given to us for a purpose, and yes, some of that does have to do with history and passing along information and truth.  However, I don’t think these are primary objectives.  The way we read the word of God influences how it affects us.  If we can understand that it is a love letter, written from a dad to his children, then it changes us.

Day 24 - Praxis

Read John 8:31-36

A lot of churches have stated in their values that they want their community to “know the Bible.”  So, this affects everything they do, especially how they teach the Bible. The assumption is that knowledge equals practice or that “orthodoxy” equals “praxis.”  The prince of Grenada, an heir to the Spanish crown, was sentenced to life in solitary confinement in Madrid's ancient prison called "The Place of the Skull." The fearful, dirty, and dreary nature of the place earned it the name. Everyone knew that once you were in, you would never come out alive. The prince was given one book to read the entire time... the Bible. With only one book to read, he read it over hundreds and hundreds of times. The book became his constant          companion.  After thirty-three years of imprisonment, he died. When people came in to clean out his cell, they found some notes he had written using nails to mark the soft stone of the prison walls. The notations were of this sort: Psalm 118:8 is the middle verse of the Bible; Ezra 7:21 contains all the letters of the alphabet except the letter j; the ninth verse of the eighth chapter of Esther is the longest verse in the Bible, no word or name of more than six syllables can be found in the Bible.   When Scot Udell originally noted these facts in an article in Psychology Today, he commented on the oddity of an individual who spent thirty-three years of his life studying what some have described as the greatest book of all time yet could only glean    trivia. From all we know, the prince never made any religious or spiritual commitment to Christ, but he   became an expert at Bible trivia.  (Wayne Rice, Youth Specialties, ‘94)

There's a difference between knowing facts about God, Jesus Christ, and the Bible, and allowing God to change you from the inside out. Many people can grow up knowing a lot about the Bible but never let it affect or change their life. A biblical community needs to know how to live out the Word of God    because it is not enough just to know the Bible.  John Eldridge describes his journey this way: “I began to   believe the truth, and it set me free. The doctrine I knew – kind of, but having a doctrine pass before the mind is not what the Bible means by knowing the truth. It’s only when it reaches down deep into the heart the truth begins to set us free, just as a key must penetrate a lock to turn it, or as rain fall must saturate the earth down to the roots in order for your garden to grow.” (Eldredge, John, Waking The Dead, 126).  

Whenever we teach at Grace, whether in a small group or during a message, we need to ask the question, so what difference does this make for us today?  How will we do life differently now that God has revealed His truth in our lives because we can’t stay the same.  There is no room to rest on our laurels, we must change  from the inside out.