Day 14 of 21 Days of Flesh

Pure Religion vs. Devotional life “This is pure religion that God your father considers...” James 1:27

The life of a Christian always veers toward solemn, solitary moments of private reflection. If we go beyond that, we say, “we’ll go to church, give money, be in a small group, or find a place of service in the church. As we grow, we expect to be involved in leadership: Leading a bible study, preaching a sermon, or going on a mission trip.

But what about all these things? How does God view them? Is this what he wants? According to James, if you add up all these spiritual activities and add a few more, you may miss the real deal. Religious activity that God gives a thumbs up to is actually to care for people in need.

Amazing isn’t how we can be so busy with everything that isn’t the main thing to the God we want to serve and please. I wonder at times if we use these things to make ourselves feel good when the whole time, we miss what would truly feed our souls and grow us into the type of people that Jesus would ask the world to emulate.

When God says, that “this is what I consider pure and blameless” we should look up and listen. Wow, to look after orphans and widows. No mention of church attendance or bible studies.

So if you have only 20 minutes today or tomorrow either to wedge in another devotion time or lend a hand to a neighbor, I think we may find, truly find God in the latter.

Day 13 of 21 Days of Flesh

Our heart follows our eyes “The eyes are the lamp of the body” Matthew 6:22-23

Most days, we go through our routine without much real emotion. We have the days work, the interruptive tensions of living, and a host of self focused thoughts. We know we should care for others and be deeply concerned with their spiritual state, but we make no change to our lives and then wait for the next moment of guilt over what we’re not doing for others.

How do we really become people that have compassion on the souls of others? It only comes when we look at people. The eyes are the lamp of our heart. What we see determines what we ultimately will believe or do and most of us only see ourselves. Look up!

Jesus, rounded the corner, ducked under a branch of a tree and as his eyes focused, he saw people like sheep without a shepherd. Immediately his heart felt compassion which is a deep emotion that moved him to speak and act toward them...eventually dying for them. Yesterday I saw people and it helped me to talk to them, to ask questions about their lives. As I see the furrowed brows of a business man while he yells at his wife on his cell phone, or the anxious teary eyes of a single mom trying to get her unruly children through the airport, or the blank stare of a homeless father holding a sign on the corner asking for help, it changes my heart and I move toward them.

Today, open your eyes. See people for who they are and you won’t need to ask God for compassion. It will just come.

Day 12 of 21 Days of Flesh

Getting Applause from God Alone How can you believe if you accept praise from one another, yet make no effort to obtain the praise that comes from the only God? John 5:44

In daily life, I don’t think most of ever stop to realize how much we do to please other people. If we take into account the pressure we feel around family members, co-workers, professional peers, neighbors, in-laws, or parishioners, and then add up the hours we spend working and worrying to gain their approval, it is a staggering percentage of our time. Added to that the time we spend pleasing ourselves, trying to get our own minds right, and get what we want, and it only adds to the mountain-sized garbage heap we build our lives around.

Jesus, asks a simple question. In regards to our true belief, why don’t we at least work that hard to gain praise from God? You might say, “Well, we don’t need to gain his approval, we already are approved through Christ.” Yes, we are accepted fully through Christ as we are. But this scripture is about living in such a way that we get God to wink at us, to smile over us, or to get a thumbs up, as it will. God doesn’t just see an ocean of souls he has accepted. He sees you and me all by ourselves and we can live in such a way that He knows that all we care about is pleasing Him.

Today, how can Jesus get the first appointment with you? What can you say “no” to on his account? What can you now say “Yes” to because you’ve made him first?

Day 11 of 21 Days of Flesh

Come to the depths In Luke 5, Jesus is making a separation between true disciples and the “multitude.” I wonder which one we identify with? As Dave Matthews says, there’s a ‘space between’ that is that uncomfortable tension between what we know the call of Jesus is, and what we presently live out and experience. What is sure from this scripture is that Jesus loves the multitude. He taught them, fed them, healed them, and eventually died for them. But he also called a few others to go deeper; beyond just being a part of the masses of people that go to Jesus for what they can get from him. The disciples become a smaller group of people who let Jesus take them somewhere different. Somewhere harder, and into a life of service and sacrifice for his purposes. It sounds attractive but we know it costs and so we hang back, hold back, and keep Jesus at a safe distance.

If Jesus loves the multitude, why shouldn’t we stay a part of the big group? Why should any smart person slowly move from the fray of consumer Christians and raise a hand asking Jesus to pour our lives out for others? Only one reason. That is that we want to be with Jesus wherever he goes. True apprentices don’t mind the cost if the cost allows them to be with their master, their trainer, their coach, or their father.

You don’t have to leave the crowd or the church pews. Grace is grace and God lets you sit there your entire life if you want. But some hear the clarion call of the depths and take on his mission to others.

Day 10 of 21 Days of Flesh

Street Cred “He grew in respect with God and man” Luke 2:52

In our day, the common man or woman feels completely unable to connect or identify with those who have taken a more formal or professional role for God. If we are one of the “pros” we tend toward lives of extraction from the real world, believing that our time on Mt. Sinai with God will useful to those who must live in the valley.

With Jesus, we see a picture of God in the lowlands, who watches his son live as a normal man and we see normal men being drawn to God. God favors his son as his son finds favor with people. What a farce it is to think that our “calling” sets us apart to do things others aren’t called to do. What a misconception that we can do more for God from the pulpit than from the porch on the front of our home.

How can we live a life where the lines become blurry between what is truly sacred, secular, religious or real.

Jesus showed us the way of integrated living where the way we work, the way we interact as human beings on the soccer field, the coffee shop, or cathedral all speak of him. If we become more like Jesus, we will become more favored by our friends. In fact, we will have friends and that is proof that God is pleased with how we live.

If you find that in all your spiritual activity, you are alone and the world does not want to be with you, quite possibly we are not growing at all.

Favor with God comes simply through our faith in Jesus, but favor with men comes only as we live like Jesus.

Day 9 of 21 Days of Flesh

He Came Eating and Drinking “The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.” Matthew 11:9

Enfleshing ourselves into the world isn’t as theological as we think it is. Incarnational life is about how we come to people. If I were Jesus, or a pastor, or someone who thought they were representing God, I suppose one could think of all sorts of serious ways to ‘witness’ to the world. But Jesus just came ‘eating and drinking.’ There is nothing more simple or more powerful that this. Jesus came and sat across the table, rested his elbows, crossed his legs, unfolded the napkin, and tipped a cup, sipped his wine, dipped the bread into olive oil, chewed his food, and enjoyed great conversation.

Then he did it again the next day. Each time, a person sat across from him, they felt accepted, warmed, and knew that someone close to God was focused on them. This is the simple, yet profound work of incarnational living.

According to this scripture, it is as if wisdom sits down and finally makes sense to the world. In other words, you will know what things work by what is produced. Sometimes we work really hard to plan a church service, pull off a small group, or hold a prayer meeting. The fruit is obvious and sometimes doesn’t show much wisdom.

But take an evening to spend with new friends, invite someone out to lunch, or take a hike up a mountain, and an hour or two of conversation will almost always show its worth and its wisdom. It’s God calling to us from the heavens. “Don’t be religious, be normal”

Flesh Week 2: Street Cred/Reputation

Last week we began a 4 week series entitled Flesh looking at the incarnation and what it meant when the Bible says “the Word (Jesus) became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood.” What it means that Jesus became 100% human and what it means for us to be more like Jesus. To talk through the idea that if we become more like Jesus we truly become more human.

So last week we talked about incarnation which means to take on flesh and live like Jesus so that people can perceive the glory of God. Jesus didn’t just come to die for our sins, but also to teach us how to be human. Last week we focus on the heart behind the incarnation, which is to invite people into the family of God, not just to make converts. If we claim to be a follower of Jesus, then we must live out 1 John where it says that if we claim the name of Jesus we are to walk as he walked.

This week we are going to talk about what is known as street cred or in other words the reputation of those who are called Christians. What is the rep that we have in the world? If you Google Christians are, the top few results are: Christians are annoying, Christians are hypocritical, Christians are mean, and Christians are fake. And in relation when you Google Jesus is… the top few results are: Jesus is savior, lord and alive. And if you ask other people about Jesus you would most likely get Jesus is love, grace, etc.. So why the gap between the street cred/reputation of Jesus and the street cred/reputation of Christians? The natural street cred of our movement is pretty bad. Yet as we watch people speak about Jesus, we find that he had and has a much better rep/cred than we do. People talked about Him all the time curiosity and intrigue followed His story. People were tweeting like crazy about what they saw in this life.

Remember the 5 Step grid that we talked about last week that goes like this. Incaranation/Reputation/Conversation/Confrontation/Transformation. Incarnation should naturally lead to a good, curious, interested and positive reputation among people. In Acts 5, when the church was just forming, a young couple were killed because they lied to the community. Word spread about what happened and Acts 5:13 tells us the end result of this. Acts 5:13, “No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people.” So here was the reputation of the early church. While people were scared to join them, they at the same time had huge street cred/reputation. As we follow Jesus, who had the greatest street cred/reputation, people should be watching and talking about us. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we are liked, because sometimes when we live the Kingdom of God it does fly in the face of the Kingdom of this world.

This week I was meeting with someone and we were reading and studying the Bible together and we were going through Matthew 3 together and looking at the story of John the Baptist. We talked about the idea that John was the opening band for the headlining band. We talked about the idea that John’s role, as he says it in Matthew 3 is that he was to make straight paths for Jesus. And John’s role is our role as well. A key point in incarnational living is this, we are the ones who prepare the way of Jesus. And what people say about you is important in whether they will say great things about Jesus later. Right now we know that the world isn’t that impressed with our movement, and the way to change that is to start walking as Jesus walked.

But how did Jesus walk? How did he get great street cred, even 2,000 years later? Let’s look at 4 things that Jesus did that I believe lead to his great street cred.

1. Jesus was human. This may sound unimportant but people thought the Messiah was going to be a cross between Billy Graham and the latest greatest action movie star. Someone who was almost otherworldly or so high and lofty and powerful that humans could barely related. Or if you would cut Jesus light would come shooting out and not blood. No Jesus gets street cred because he was a normal human being.

Look at Luke 3:23. Probably not a passage of Scripture that anyone knows by heart. But as we talk about flesh, it is probably one of the most important incantational verses in all of Scripture. Luke 3:23 simply says this, “Now Jesus himself was thirty years old when he began his ministry.” So how long was Jesus just living in the neighborhood before he started talking about the new Kingdom? 30 years. 30 years of being a normal guy. Living life with his family and friends. In fact something you never ever see in Scriptures is this idea coming from those who grew up with Jesus, like “Jesus, I always knew something was “not quite right” with him. He was always different and now I get why. No, it was more like Jesus? You mean Mary and “Joseph’s” boy? Can anything good come from Nazareth? Jesus was known as a local, a native, a human.

I wonder if people don’t like Christians because we try to act less human, more deity like. I wonder what might change if we instead tried to be more human in the way that Jesus was human?

2. Jesus worked a job. Just like you and I have to work a job, Jesus had one as well and I’m not talking about his “ministry” job. In Genesis, Adam and Eve sinned and brought curses upon humans. Women would now struggle with childbirth and men would have to work the land and toil to make a living. Think about this, when Jesus came to earth as a sinless Savior, he still submitted to work a 7-5 job, day after day. I wonder if our daily mundane struggle is more important than we living in living incarnationally? Prayer and work, according to Trappist monks, are the same. There, according to Jesus, is no division between the sacred and the secular.

3. Jesus picked fights in public. In all the 4 gospels we read the story of Jesus fashioning a whip, going into the temple, and overturning tables and driving out the merchants who were ripping people off. Imagine what people said about Jesus after that day. One of the reasons people don’t respect Christians is that we don’t do what our Scriptures say. The Kingdom of God talked about in Luke 4/Isaiah 61 is about deep systematic social changes. The book of James talks about pure religion being looking after the orphans and widows, yet so few of us fight for things that God fights about. I wonder if we should all start finding something to fight for? What could we as a community come together and fight for? Or what are we already fighting for together?

4. He was a friend of sinners. Jesus primary reputation or street cred, if you will, was that of a “drunkard and glutton”: another Scripture says that Jesu came “eating and drinking”. You don’t get a reputation as one of “those guys” by doing an occasional outreach event. You get that type of reputation because you actually do eat and drink with “those people” all the time. They called Jesus a friend of sinners, and this may be the main reputation we need to try to emulate.

To be a friend of sinners means you’re going to have to overlook sin. Yep, Jesus ate with people who were sinning, and eating with someone meant you accepted them as they were in that moment.

Get a context for sin. Jesus was able to overlook sin for the moment because he knew the undying reason people sinned. We need to take on the flesh of Jesus and instead of judging people, maybe the first thing we need to do is to get to know people and hear their story. And then maybe we’ll understand also what might be good news to them.

Be with them as fellow sinners. People struggle with Christian judgment not because we judge but because we separate some sins as worse than other sins. We become self-righteous, which means we don’t think our sins are as bad as other sins. We all have a list don’t we that we rank and classify sins by. You might put homosexuality up on top, and pride on the bottom. (Jesus probably would honestly reverse that one if there were actually a scale of sins)

To be incarnational, to take on the flesh and blood of Jesus in our world, means that we have to be friends of sinners as sinners ourselves so that people will in time want to have a conversation. We can’t fix people, but we can live a life where people come to us when they are ready to talk.

Consider this one fact this morning. Jesus who never sinned was the least judgmental person the world has ever met. If we truly follow Jesus, shouldn't Christianity be the least judgmental faith? This week maybe each of us could consider apologizing to someone we’ve judged.

So let’s unpack the concept of the street cred of Jesus vs. the street cred of Christians. Let’s talk about the 4 things that Jesus did that gave him street cred, and how we as followers of Jesus might live out these 4 things so that maybe the street cred of Christians would actually increase and that people then would want to know about the good news that we proclaim and profess to know and to live. Let’s talk about how we as Veritas can lives these 4 things out through us and into the community.

1. Share a story of a time when you became aware of the difference in the street cred of Christians vs. the street cred of Jesus?

2. What stood out to you the most in relation to the 4 things that Jesus did that earned him great street cred? (1. Jesus was human. 2. Jesus worked a job. 3. Jesus picked fights in public and 4. He was a friend of sinners.) Why did the one you chose stand out to you the most?

3. Out of the 4 things which one do you struggle to live out in your own life? Why? How could Veritas help you grow in that one thing?

4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what should we do about it?

Day 8 of 21 Days of Flesh

GRACE AND TRUTH (Part Two) As grace keeps us in relationship with God and allows us to be deeply related to those outside of faith, truth is what transforms a person. It’s a good thing to be a great friend; it’s beautiful when Christians show sincere mercy, friendship without strings, and love without expectation, but it’s not enough. People followed Jesus because they heard he was a friend of sinners, but they were changed as he called them to live by another wisdom. The wisdom of God.

Religious people drug an adulterous woman in front of an angry crowd and tested Jesus with her sin. She had not only sinned against the Law of Moses, many families, and a handful of men, she had sinned against the man who now was stooping down next to her, challenging her accusers, and advocating for her life. Grace was clear to her and she was cleared of her sin. Everyone left and she and Jesus were left. She knew Jesus loved her, relationship by his grace was sure. But Jesus didn’t just say “good-bye.” He said, “Woman... go and sin no more.” Truth cut through her pain, disfunction, and brokenness and Jesus was offering her knew life!

As we extend grace and relationship, let it not end there. As we win the heart of our friends; as they know we would never leave relationship; as they share their stories and pain, offer grace-filled words of truth.

Day 7 of 21 Days of Flesh

GRACE AND TRUTH (Part One) “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, an we have seen the glory, glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Grace isn’t just getting something we don’t deserve. Grace has a purpose. Christ paid the penalty of our sin, died our death, and it wasn’t just so that we would be forgiven and go to heaven. The purpose of grace is so that we can be in relationship with God again. Although we enjoy the benefits of knowing that God no longer thinks of us with anger and that we can now approach him with confidence, the more amazing thought is that God did all this because he wanted to be in relationship with us! He initiated the great plan of redemption that would cost him his very precious son. He is the one who continues to pursue us while we blindly but intentionally stiff-arm him and hold him at bay. But he keeps grace flowing and thus we never leave his sight or his side.

Because God has given grace to sinners, he can sit at our table or invite us to his. There’s no one who isn’t accepted by Him nor should there be any person we would not eat with. Grace and the relationship extended by grace must be the mark of a Christ follower and it is the front door to our ability to invite friends into truth that transforms. “Full of Grace and Truth.”

Day 6 of 21 Days of Flesh

JESUS IS OUR ONLY PEACE “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have trouble. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Jesus is severely honest about the tension of living in this world. It’s hard enough just to live: To care for our children and spouse; to work our jobs, to keep the house in order. Added to all this we have Christ’s call to mission which seems to only add a level of stress, carrying more burdens, and the simple addition of time constraints.

How is it that God expects us to find a balanced life? How are we to get the most out of this life and still bring life to others?

Maybe balance isn’t the issue. Maybe we can’t have deep impact and maintain our sensible life. Maybe life is hard and ‘in this world’ we will never find balance, harmony, or peace. Quite possibly Jesus is telling his disciples that only in him will they find peace.

The call to care for people outside your immediate world will almost surely add weight to your life, but that’s what makes a follow of Christ so beloved by God. We are the ones who put away grumbling and selfish ambition and like a herdsman driving his sheep through a tempest of sleet and howling snow, we put our heads down and keep moving forward.

When our ministry to people doesn’t come easy, we should not so quickly become upset. When it takes years of prayer, we should not lose heart. When our own world is vexed and perplexed, we should not leave the field.

What we should do is simply go to Jesus. In him and in him alone will we find peace. The people God has called us to are worth it to Him. So much so that He endured the cross. And because Jesus is our greatest worth, we will not shrink back and live for this world.

Day 5 of 21 Days of Flesh

Finding the Emotions of God And Jesus Looked at the Multitude and wept. Luke 18:41

People only do what they want to do or our compelled to do. We often feel as if we should do something for God or for people, and occasionally we muster up enough spiritual energy to do a quick good deed, but we go back to normal, which is life focused on ourselves. How are we to become people that actually wake up with intentions to give our lives away? How can we find a life lived out of passion and want to’s instead of should do’s. Well, for Jesus he just looked at people and loved them. There was something about the way Jesus saw people that moved him to emotion. For sure his head was in it. He understood the ramifications if people live and die without hope in a personal god, but his daily action of looking for people to give his live for, was way beyond strategy, theology, or doctrine. He was moved by watching people.

As you ask God to help you develop a pure and passion-full heart for people, consider looking at people. Peer up from desk in the cubical you work in and just watch people for a few seconds. Consider their human struggle. Stop and thank the barista that is pouring your coffee every morning; make solid and lasting eye contact with them. Instead of giving a head nod or a quick wave to neighbors you always drive by, pull your car over, get out, and give that person a few minutes. Look at people. You may know some of their stories and so you will know how to pray, but others you may have to keep looking at until you’re moved with unction to invite them to lunch to hear their story.

Looking at people, truly looking is a hidden key to finding your heart for people.

Day 4 of 21 Days of Flesh

Are you Settled? Can anything good come from Nazareth John 1:46

One of the greatest myths of life is that ‘its better over there, having what they have or doing what that person does.’ Our world is a transitional space and we move at a pace that pulls us away from being settled in the place God wants us to be. Most people move at least every three years. We get on planes to get away. We struggle to commit to people or to processes because we don’t want to lose our freedom, and at the end of our lives, we have very little legacy with people and often find a gaping hole in our own sense of faithfulness to God.

Christ was from Nazareth, and more specifically Bethsaida, he had a home town. Yes, he did walk around quite a bit. But before his ministry was visibly in full bloom, he lived 30 years in one area and learned both the discipline and benefit of staying put.

A great question for any leader or any serious follower is , “Lord, where have you called me to invest and live my life?” “What is my home town?” “Lord, why am I afraid of committing to this area or these people?” These are the questions that lead to not only the write answers but real kingdom legacy.

When you find what keeps you on the move, and the underlying insecurities and self- oriented concerns that wage war against ‘the simple life’, AND you let God speak into these issues, you will not only find rest for your soul, but you’ll see fruit begin to bloom all around you.

Day 3 of 21 Days of Flesh

Minute by Minute “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” John 5:19

Okay, who actually gets this? How can this mean anything for us. We don’t see the Father do things...or do we?

Jesus lived 33 years but only “worked” for God the Father three years. In that short time, he was able to pour enough into a few men and women, that they were able to carry out a global movement that reached us. This only happened because Jesus wasted no time. He didn’t try to change the whole universe. He poured his life into just a few, and for a few, 3 years was plenty of time.

None of us feel like we’re so tapped into the Father that we can be as efficient as Jesus was, but we can certainly learn that slow is fast, small is big, and reliance upon the Spirit is more fruitful than thrashing about in torrid ministry ventures, unhealthy exuberance, and immature attempts to reach out. Let us learn today to slow down and ask the Father to show us what he is doing. And when he does, let’s also ask him for wisdom to know how to respond before we jump off the boat and drown in fleshly exploits.

Day 2 of 21 Days of Flesh

A KINGDOM OF HARLOTS In the same way, was not even Rehab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? Hebrews 11:30 We so easily put a person “in” or “out” of God’s grace based on what we see them doing or how view their behavior. In our mind, the line is very clean and we think that Gods kingdom is reserved for only those live better. Or we at least think it should only be granted to those who live up to our standards. But are we sure we are right?

In the case of Rehab, a woman who gave her body to a different man nightly, and who lived a life of public and private humiliation, we would never think God might consider her to be an example for us all. But she is. In the book of James, she is to be honored for her faith and courage in hiding God’s warriors, Joshua and Aaron.

Such a thought, that people of deep brokenness not only participate in Kingdom ventures, but capture God’s favor is a mind blower for sure. Maybe it should blow our hearts apart too. I wonder if we spend too much time judging, writing off, or condemning people that don’t live as “clean” as we think we do. I wonder if we’re too harsh with our own friends, our children, or a spouse when they live out their brokenness.

If the Kingdom is anything, it is all around us, it includes people of all types, sin, behavioral disorientation, and immaturity. God in his great grace overlooks some small sins like prostitution and highlights her faith. At least, let us cast off all judgment and leave the wheat and tares to God. At best, let us thank God he includes us in his Kingdom and work with him in His “Grace-filled” redemptive plan. He overlooked our sin as he carried it to the cross. Maybe we should work on overlooking other people’s sin too.

Day 1 of 21 Days of Flesh

ITS ABOUT COMMUNITY...NOT CONVERSION “That they may be one, just as we are one.” John 17:21

There’s nothing more beautiful than a change of heart that results in a change of life. The scriptures call this instance and this process as being ‘born again.’ The thought that our lives can be different in the blink of an eye, or beautifully recrafted over 40 years, is a remarkable thing to hope for. Most of us minimize the beauty of this by simply calling it ‘conversion’ or the people involved as ‘converts.’ Sometimes we think it is our job to make converts and thus we strike out into unnatural conversations and awkwardly aggressive attempts to wins souls. What we find is that trying to win souls is often a losing experience for us and them.

We must remember that Jesus and the Holy Spirit had no intention or desire to convert people to the religion of Christianity. They were and continue to be concerned with bringing people into and including them in a relationship, community, and family of the trinity and His church. “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

When you consider the joy of being a part of the family of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it is impossible to stay focused on “converting” a friend or a stranger. As family members we instead nurture the life of the community in us and we gently nurture others toward the table that has been set for us. When we try to convert we come off as coercers, but when we offer adoption, we come off as brothers or sisters.