Luke 10:27 (NASB)
And he answered, "YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND; AND YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF."
Examining
How are we to view the human being? How do we decipher the many complex layers that encompass a human? This question has been around for milleniums and is essential to understanding our journey into Christlikeness.
The best way to understand the human is to take what the Creator of all human beings tells us. Jesus says we have a heart, soul, body, mind, and relationships (social arena). So we have five distinctive parts to the human being, and inside each one of those we see several layers that differentiate each other.
Complexities
The human being is complex and these five elements intertwine with each other making any study into the depths of human beings a massive and collossal one. The best illustration I have come up with is a computer, if you think on the workings of a computer and everything that goes into it then you only begin to scratch the surface of the complexities of the human.
"Making It" In This Life
There is an awful lot of talk about purpose, specifically your own purpose or destiny. We see it in our bestselling literature and most popular movies. Someone is fulfilling their destiny; there is nothing greater than witnessing someone rise to the occasion and fullfil their call in life. Calling, destiny, purpose are great things and I don't want to discount them too much, but I do want to say that we have the tendency to replace God (Trinity) with our purpose.
Most people are living their lives to fullfil whatever their destiny may be, so they use every effective means to be able to achieve this end (even God). God is never a means to an end. God is never the end in itself. God is the means and the end! Let me say as clearly and precisly as I can, that you, reading these words right now have no greater purpose than to become like Christ. You have no greater destiny than to be like Jesus. You have no greater calling than to be with Jesus learning to be like him. Thats it.
True Purpose Unveiled
Everyone who is searching for significance, purpose, destiny, and calling you need not look any further. When Jesus Christ stood amongst the needy people of Judea and said "Follow Me" there was the most challenging, gracious, and fullfiling statement ever uttered to man. When Jesus said those two words His intention was that you and I would become the kind of person whom would naturally take on His way of living. Period. There is so much more to say about this, unfortunately I will get off track if I continue any further. If you would like to know more please read the Gospels in light of the calling of Jesus. Follow Me.
The reason I mentioned this is to say that each element of the body is to become transformed. It is to take on the character of Christ. Your heart will begin to reflect the heart of Jesus, your mind will begin to think like Jesus, your soul will oreint itself like Jesus' did, your body will respond like Jesus, your mind will unconsciously and consciously dwell on the goodness of God, and in your relationships you will begin to promote the good of others instead of your own (primarily).
A Call Worthy of Your Entire Life
Such a life seems out of reach, but that's the point! It is so far out reach that we are going to have to rely on He who is willing and able. Jesus' call is such an enormous transforming event, that it will require all of your life. And Jesus recognizes this and tells us this over and over, "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple (Luke 14:27). "For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it (Luke 9:24). So Jesus calls us to come under the radical renovation of the heart by living the life Jesus lived and constantly responding to the overtures of His grace.
Let's take the journey: to be with Him, learning to be like Him.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
What's Been Hidden: Song
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
We toil, We try, We fail a hundred times
We stop, We rot, We replace the Son of God
Our Master we know not of
Your yoke is hidden amidst Your blood
Chorus:
O Master can I follow You
O Master teach me what to do
O Master make me into you
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
I am tired of trying to act like you
I’ve tried to change and forgot you
My Master I know not of
Your Yoke is hidden amidst Your blood
Chorus:
O Master can I follow You
O Master teach me what to do
O Master make me into you
Bridge:
Shadows, Reflections, Imitations of you
What I need is to journey with you
On the Path of Eternity is where you’ll find me
On the Path of Eternity is where you’ll find me
On the Path of Eternity is where you’ll find me
On the Path of Eternity is where you’ll find me
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
We toil, We try, We fail a hundred times
We stop, We rot, We replace the Son of God
Our Master we know not of
Your yoke is hidden amidst Your blood
Chorus:
O Master can I follow You
O Master teach me what to do
O Master make me into you
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
I am tired of trying to act like you
I’ve tried to change and forgot you
My Master I know not of
Your Yoke is hidden amidst Your blood
Chorus:
O Master can I follow You
O Master teach me what to do
O Master make me into you
Bridge:
Shadows, Reflections, Imitations of you
What I need is to journey with you
On the Path of Eternity is where you’ll find me
On the Path of Eternity is where you’ll find me
On the Path of Eternity is where you’ll find me
On the Path of Eternity is where you’ll find me
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
It’s not easy, to be Jesus, When it pleases, It can’t be done
Painting The Kingdom
The Kingdom of God can be fairly abstract. If we take an honest look at the Gospels we see this was indeed what Jesus was heralding, this was His message—the kingdom of God is available; whoever will, may come; I have come to declare the favorable year of the Lord.
But what was the Kingdom of God and does it have any relevance to my life today? How am I in the 21st Century to relate to the Kingdom? Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his wonderful book, The Cost of Discipleship echoes this same idea, “What can the call to discipleship (life in the Kingdom) mean to-day for the worker, the business man, the squire and the soldier?” 1
In order to understand the Kingdom we cannot simply define it--we have to paint it. Teachers of the Kingdom have to bring the Kingdom before their students in so many different ways. This is why Jesus never gives a definition of the Kingdom, rather He gives parables of the Kingdom in hopes that His followers would wrestle with the idea of the Kingdom and then come to it with a fuller understanding. A parable allows us to compare something to another, which helps us to understand the nature of the thing being compared.
WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
The Kingdom of God very simply put is God’s action. It is what God is doing here on earth. It is his will being done. You will remember in the model prayer Jesus instructs us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” You see God has allowed a small and remote place called earth in which humans can actually do something other than the will of God. Remember in heaven and everywhere else in the physical Universe God’s will is followed—beings like the angels are so enthralled with God and His life, that to do anything different would be for us like sticking a pen in our eyeball! This is what it means to do God’s will, or to be obedient. Obedience into Christlikeness is not raw exertion of will, but rather an act of joy precipitated by an eternal desire—precisely God’s.
If we look into the Greek language we also find some very interesting things. The word Kingdom in the Greek is Basileia: royal authority, the power of the king. So what Jesus said to those destitute souls in Judea was "People of God! Listen! It is now the favorable year of the King of all Kings! The God of the Heavens! The royal power of the King is now available, repent and believe in the gospel of God." (Mark 1:14-15 emphasis obviously added) You may be asking yourselves, why would I want the royal power of the King--Jesus? Because this royal power is the only force capable of changing a human heart! It changes it in such a way, that it literally becomes like the heart of the King himself--Jesus. And that is the goal of Christian Spirituality, that is the goal of the Christian life, to become like Christ. So what we find is that the only way to become like Christ is to have access to the Kingdom of God: the royal authority of the King, the King's action, or the Kings will.
Why would I want to learn how to live in the Kingdom of God? This is a very important question. To be honest most people do not see the Kingdom as something of delight or joy--if they see it at all. The Apostle Paul tells us that "The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).
Jesus tells us in Matthew 13:44, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Do you see the Kingdom of Heaven as that man saw the tresure? These are the questions we need to start asking ourselves. Do I really want the Kingdom of God as much as that man wanted that treasure? May God give us the grace to see His Kingdom as treasure.
What is the relationship between the disciple and the Kingdom of God? In the words of Dallas Willard, "You can't learn how to live in the Kingdom of God without becoming a disciple of Jesus." If we are going to learn how to live in this Kingdom then we will have to keep constant company with the King.
In Luke 9:62 Jesus tells us, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God." Putting your hand to the plow means that I am trusting Jesus to show me how to live in the Kingdom. It means that I believe Jesus was right about everything he said. That he knows more about life--my life--than I do. Thats what it means o put your hands to the plow. I am going to plant the seed and do everything in the power that has been given, and then allow His grace to come and transform me.
But what was the Kingdom of God and does it have any relevance to my life today? How am I in the 21st Century to relate to the Kingdom? Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his wonderful book, The Cost of Discipleship echoes this same idea, “What can the call to discipleship (life in the Kingdom) mean to-day for the worker, the business man, the squire and the soldier?” 1
In order to understand the Kingdom we cannot simply define it--we have to paint it. Teachers of the Kingdom have to bring the Kingdom before their students in so many different ways. This is why Jesus never gives a definition of the Kingdom, rather He gives parables of the Kingdom in hopes that His followers would wrestle with the idea of the Kingdom and then come to it with a fuller understanding. A parable allows us to compare something to another, which helps us to understand the nature of the thing being compared.
WHAT IS THE KINGDOM OF GOD?
The Kingdom of God very simply put is God’s action. It is what God is doing here on earth. It is his will being done. You will remember in the model prayer Jesus instructs us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” You see God has allowed a small and remote place called earth in which humans can actually do something other than the will of God. Remember in heaven and everywhere else in the physical Universe God’s will is followed—beings like the angels are so enthralled with God and His life, that to do anything different would be for us like sticking a pen in our eyeball! This is what it means to do God’s will, or to be obedient. Obedience into Christlikeness is not raw exertion of will, but rather an act of joy precipitated by an eternal desire—precisely God’s.
If we look into the Greek language we also find some very interesting things. The word Kingdom in the Greek is Basileia: royal authority, the power of the king. So what Jesus said to those destitute souls in Judea was "People of God! Listen! It is now the favorable year of the King of all Kings! The God of the Heavens! The royal power of the King is now available, repent and believe in the gospel of God." (Mark 1:14-15 emphasis obviously added) You may be asking yourselves, why would I want the royal power of the King--Jesus? Because this royal power is the only force capable of changing a human heart! It changes it in such a way, that it literally becomes like the heart of the King himself--Jesus. And that is the goal of Christian Spirituality, that is the goal of the Christian life, to become like Christ. So what we find is that the only way to become like Christ is to have access to the Kingdom of God: the royal authority of the King, the King's action, or the Kings will.
Why would I want to learn how to live in the Kingdom of God? This is a very important question. To be honest most people do not see the Kingdom as something of delight or joy--if they see it at all. The Apostle Paul tells us that "The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).
Jesus tells us in Matthew 13:44, "The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field." Do you see the Kingdom of Heaven as that man saw the tresure? These are the questions we need to start asking ourselves. Do I really want the Kingdom of God as much as that man wanted that treasure? May God give us the grace to see His Kingdom as treasure.
What is the relationship between the disciple and the Kingdom of God? In the words of Dallas Willard, "You can't learn how to live in the Kingdom of God without becoming a disciple of Jesus." If we are going to learn how to live in this Kingdom then we will have to keep constant company with the King.
In Luke 9:62 Jesus tells us, "No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God." Putting your hand to the plow means that I am trusting Jesus to show me how to live in the Kingdom. It means that I believe Jesus was right about everything he said. That he knows more about life--my life--than I do. Thats what it means o put your hands to the plow. I am going to plant the seed and do everything in the power that has been given, and then allow His grace to come and transform me.
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