A Christmas Message

(Excerpted from Knowing God by J.I. Packer-1973)

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich."-2 Corinthians 8:9

It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. "The Word became flesh" (John 1:14); God became man; the divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises. Needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. And there was no illustion or deception in this; the babyhood of the Son of God was a reality. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in a fiction is so fantastic as is this truth of the incarnation.

How are we to think of the incarnation: The New Testament does not encourage us to puzzle our heads over the physical and psychological problems that it raises, but to worship God for the love that was shown in it. For it was a great act of condescension and self-humbling. "He, Who had always been God by nature," writes Paul , "did not cling to His prerogatives as God's equal, but stripped Himself of all privilege by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born as mortal man. And, having become man, He humbled Himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal" (Phil. 2:6, PHILLIPS). And all this was for our salvation.

The key text in the New Testament for interpreting the incarnation is not, therefore, the bare statement in John 1:14, "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us," but rather the more comprehensive statement of 2 Corinthians 8:9, "you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." Here is stated, not the fact of the incarnation only, but also its meaning; the taking of manhood by the Son is set before us in a way that shows us how we should set it before ourselves and ever view it--not simply as a marvel of nature, but rather as a wonder of grace.

For the Son of God to empty himself and become poor meant a laying aside of glory; a voluntary restraint of power; an acceptance of hardship, isolation, ill-treatment, malice, and misunderstanding; finally, a death that involved such agony--spiritual, even more than physical--that his mind nearly broke under the prospect of it. It meant love to the uttermost for unlovely men, who "through his poverty, might become rich." This Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity--hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory--because at the Father's will Jesus Christ became poor and was born in a stable so that thirty years later he might hang on a cross. It is the most wonderful message that the world has ever heard, or will hear.

We talk glibly of the "Christmas spirit," rarely meaning more by this than sentimental jollity on a family basis. But what we have said makes it clear that the phrase should in fact carry a tremendous weight of meaning. It ought to mean the reproducing in human lives of the temper of him who for our sakes became poor at the first Christmas. And the Christmas spirit itself ought to be the mark of every Christian all the year round.

It is our shame and disgrace today that so many Christians--I will be more specific: so many of the soundest and most orthodox Christians--go through this world in the spirit of the priest and the Levite in our Lord's parable, seeing human needs all around them, but (after a pious wish, and perhaps a prayer, that God might meet them) averting their eyes, and passing by on the other side. That is not the Christmas spirit. Nor is it the spirit of those Christians--alas, they are many--whose ambition in life seems limited to building a nice middle-class Christian home, and making nice middle-class Christian friends, and brining their children up in nice middle-class Christian ways, and who leave the sub-middle-class sections of the community, Christian and non-Christian, to get on by themselves.

The Christmas spirit does not shine out in the Christian snob. For the Christmas spirit is the spirit of those who, like their Master, live their whole lives on the principle of making themselves poor--spending and being spent--to enrich their fellow men, giving time, trouble, care, and concern, to do good to others--and not just their own friends--in whatever way there seems need. There are not as many who show this spirit as there should be. If God in mercy revives us, one of the things he will do will be to work more of this spirit in our hearts and lives. If we desire spiritual quickening for ourselves individually, one step we should take is to seek to cultivate this spirit. "Ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich." "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." "I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free" (Ps. 119:32)

Knocked Off My Feet

"Fall on your knees..."
So goes a line from my favorite Christmas carol which I have been singing and meditating on today. When was the last time you fell on your knees? I am not talking about kneeling during prayer--although that is a powerful place to be as well. I'm talking about literally having your feet kicked out from under you as you come into the awesome presence and holiness of Almighty God. When...OK, if we will just stop and take some time during our busy lives to seriously pursue and experience standing in the presence of God, I don't think we will be standing very long. Instead, I think we will find ourselves falling to our knees in overwhelming thankfulness, humbleness, unworthiness, joy and pure love. What other reaction can there possibly be as we come to the God of the universe and sustainer of all things?

John paints us a very powerful image about this in Revelation 7:11, "All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: 'Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!'"

Oh God, how I long to daily be knocked off my feet by you, falling to my knees in your presence so that I may be able as Paul rightly says,
"...to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."
-Amen

A God Experience

I had a true God experience two weeks ago. You see, I REALLY enjoy hiking but this isn't something my wife particular shares my enthusiasm for. So, you can imagine just how surprised I was when on our recent vacation to the Davis Mountains, Denise got up early one morning and agreed to hike up to the top of a mountain with my son and I. What? You want to do what? This was a first! And it wasn't an easy climb. Over 1.5 miles of hiking ascending some 1,000ft to the top (and no there wasn't a Starbucks when we got up there).

What a beautiful climb it was. A huge cloud bank conceled the tops of the mountains from our view below. So, as we climbed higher, the air cooled and the mist swirled until we found ourselves moving through the cloud inching closer to the top. AND THEN...it began to rain. Wow! An experience like none I have ever had before. Finally, with our boots a little muddy and our hair a little damp, we made it to the top of the mountain and watched as the clouds floated through the valleys far below us.

As amazing as all of this was, I will be forever grateful to the Lord for allowing me to experience this moment with my wife and son. Watching their faces as we reached the top and seeing their smiles as they gazed on the valleys below and mountains far into the distance will forever be etched in my mind. In fact as I sit here at 1:15am writing down these memories, I can't help but smile. This experience has forever bound us together in a whole new way, a whole new God way. And if this is what running the race of life is all about, I can't wait to get up tomorrow morning and get back out there!

Prayer of Love

Jesus, I am SO in love with you today. I am SO in love with you!

You are the air that I breathe, the muscle that allows me to move, the nerve that lets me blink. In you, I am known and loved and defined. You have become my all consuming everything. Through you, I have learned it is not what I do, but who I have become and am becoming.

Because of you Jesus, I love my wife today more than I did when we were first married sixteen years ago. I LOVE MY WIFE MORE TODAY THAN EVER BEFORE! Because of you Jesus, I see life as a child through the eyes of my three children. Because of you Jesus, I realize my need for people to love and be loved by. Because of you Jesus, I desire to forget the things of this earth, and long to know the things of Heaven. I LONG TO KNOW THE THINGS OF HEAVEN!

Jesus, I want to know you more and the power of your resurrection. I thirst and hunger for you and desire to passionately pursue you the rest of my life. And Jesus, I want others to know you. I want them to experience you as life, AS LIFE!

JESUS, I LOVE YOU! -Amen

Weaving Together the Perfection of CommUNITY

Thread count- The number of horizontal and vertical threads in one square inch of fabric.

I did some research this week and found out that thread count in sheets can range from 80-700, although most stores sell sheets that range from 180 to 320. Many linen manufacturers tout that the thread count is the best way to choose a sheet. Generally, the higher the thread count, the softer the fabric feels. In other words, the tighter the threads are woven together, the better the sheets feel.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the sheets will last longer. In fact, many experts point out that the quality of the fibers and finish are more important to the sheet’s comfort and durability than thread count alone.

Now why in the world you might ask am I writing about sheets? Well, they are a great illustration of the concept of true and authentic community, which is what Paul writes to us about in the third chapter of Colossians.

11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:12-17)

Notice that Colossians 3:11 says, “Here there is no Greek, or Jew, circumcised, or uncircumcised, Barbarian, Scythian, slave or free. BUT CHRIST IS ALL AND IS IN ALL. In God’s economy, there is no division of the elect. Just like Father, Son and Holy Spirit, there is Perfect Unity!

From a distance, we don’t really see the individual thread counts in sheets. From a distance, sheets look like, well sheets. But yet, when we examine them a little further, we will begin to see the individual threads.

What might we see if we looked at these sheets through a magnifying glass?
What might we see if we looked at these sheets through a microscope?

With the magnifying glass, we would begin to see that these sheets were made up of different threads woven together in different ways. We might even be able to count the threads in one square inch. With the microscope, we might even be able to tell the kinds of fibers and finish that make up the thread which ultimately could tell us what kind of quality these sheets have.

What do people (especially non-believers) see when they closely examine our Biblical communities: our churches, our small groups our Sunday school classes, our home groups?

From a distance, they might look really good, really holy, really together, really tight. Even with a magnifying glass, someone might conclude that the group is a unified community, a family made up of different threads that love and care for one another. In essence, the group might look like they have a very high thread count. But in reality, when you took the microscope to the task of examining the community, you might find that the community really has no unity at all. You might discover (as some experts tell us) that while the thread count (the tightness of the weave) is high, the quality of the fibers and the finish is lacking.

Indeed thread counts can make the sheets and clothes comfortable, soft and warm. Closeness in community can do the same. But the real question is how durable are the clothes? How durable is the community? And is it built on the PERFECT UNITY of Christ?

A 168 PURSUIT!

As Christians, we cannot deny that we still face many difficulties and challenges in life. Yet most of us would agree that we want our lives to be radically transformed by the saving and renewing power of Jesus Christ. At the same time, many of us spend just one hour a week in prayer and worship usually occurring on Sunday morning.

Now think about that for a moment. Each of us has 168 hours in a week. If we spend just one hour on worship, prayer and Bible study each week how can we reasonably expect that one hour with God will radically change 167 hours without God? The question is not WHAT do we DO on Sunday morning, but WHO do we PURSUE Monday through Saturday?

"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified."
-1 Corinthians 2:1-2

Ramblings from THAT Guy

I feel like that guy! You know that guy, the one that sticks out like a sore thumb, the one that is just a little bit different and doesn’t go along with the rest of the pack. Who am I? I am a 38 year old man being led by God to start a new church. Because of that calling, I have recently been reading books and magazine articles about ministries around the country and how innovative pastors are leading more and more un-churched people through the doors of their churches. These stories are usually well written, inspirational and insightful. However, I am confused. I am confused because my soul continues to be conflicted with each passing article.

First, I must say praise God that people who have never been to church before are now coming through the doors in many communities to hear the good news of Jesus. I know that this is a good thing (or should I say God thing). But I think I am going to spiritually vomit if I hear one more pastor or ministry leader write that our churches today need to be culturally relevant, that it is important to keep up with the changing times. Now, I am not trying to be difficult here or sound holier than thou but isn’t God already culturally relevant? Hasn’t he always been culturally relevant? And isn’t He the reason the church exists to begin with? I am told that I must continue to make my church attractive. You know, get them in the doors with contemporary music, video screens, pod-casting, etc. (culturally relevant). I am not against any of those things and I don’t think God is either But isn’t Christ attractive without any of those things? I am constantly told that I must compete with the world, use the things of the world if I am going to get people out of the world. Since when did Christ need to compete with anything or anybody? And what the world needs is not more of the world. They need something that is different, something that stands out, something that stands alone. They need Christ!

It seems as though our present day church culture takes the position of “get’em in the doors and we will get’em saved.” Now, I know that true Bible believing, vine abiding pastors and ministry leaders would never say this or truly believe this. But isn’t this in essence what is happening? I just wonder at what point did we give up on people; truly transformed Christ followers (you know people) to BE the church and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ wherever they are? Most everything I read these days is about being the church so we can invite unbelieving friends TO the church. As I hear it said, there they will be comfortable and accepted, you know the come as you are principle? I do believe that Jesus wants us to come to Him as we are but through what I call the Philip principle?

In John 1:43-46, Philip is called by Jesus to follow Him. Philip then goes and finds Nathanael to tell him that he has found the Messiah. Did Philip invite Nathanael to his church? No. He invites him to Jesus, to sit in the presence of Jesus himself! Philip found Jesus and he wanted Nathanael to find him as well. To my untrained mind (what little mind there is) it seems as though that same principle had applied for centuries throughout the Bible. People found God and then lived out a Godly faith life telling other people about the wonders of God and what He had done. God was enough! Supernaturally God brought them to faith where they surrendered to Him. But yet today, we say that the church must be culturally relevant to attract unbelievers. What about simply teaching the truth and holiness of God (the never changing truth and holiness of God) and allowing Him to bring them to Himself without church being their first stop?

I can guess what you might be thinking right now, “Oh that Greg is old fashioned, stuck in his ways and not a very innovative thinker.” I might even be called boring! But what I find so funny is that I only came to Christ eight years ago at the age of 30. I am not coming at this from the perspective of someone who grew up a Christian all my life and just stuck in my “all my life” Christian ways. I was attracted to Jesus because I saw Jesus being lived out in people around me every day. These people were different than the world and never hesitated to confront me with truth and the good news of Jesus Christ. They never invited me to church or brought me to church. They brought the church to me. They brought the living, breathing, active church (Jesus living inside each of them) right to where I was. Not the other way around. It wasn’t “come as you are.” It was “I will come where you are.” That is what changed me. And, I am convinced that because we don’t see people in our congregations actively doing this today, we have given up on them and have instead replaced them with a place, a building, a program, that can let them off the hook and do the work for them.

Now, the Holy Spirit has given me enough wisdom to understand that God can work in all ways, through all means necessary to reach the lost. And I understand that my salvation experience may not be the same for everyone. However, I am genuinely holy discontented that these well meaning, Christ following, called out pastors and ministry leaders have forgotten their first love and forgotten that it is all about Jesus. No gadgets, no gizmos, just Jesus (Jesus + NOTHING)! The place we meet and call church is a wonderful place to be. It is the place where we can come to be encouraged, taught, prodded, built up and then sent out to pursue Christ and those that don’t know Christ. But, I don’t believe that it was ever intended to be the place to invite our friends so they can get saved. This is Christ’s job working in and through us each day; the mobile church. These churches shouldn’t have to worry about being culturally relevant. If they are teaching Jesus and Him crucified and resurrected, they ARE culturally relevant. This message will always be relevant!
I know that many of you at this point have dismissed my ramblings as crazy talk from a guy that may be out of touch with modern society (that is if you have even finished reading to this point). But hey, I warned you at the beginning, I am that guy!