Lord, as I prepare this week to speak to the others in Exodus Community in a sermon for the first time, I want to make sure (well, I guess every time after this I want to make sure to but, well, you know) that what I'm saying is simply what You are saying. Nothing that is meant to just be shocking, nothing that is just meant to rattle people's cages...unless that's what the truth is. I guess I'm saying, help me speak Your truth and nothing else.
I don't mean to be humble. I don't mean this in the way that I pray a prayer for Courtney or I to get a job or better from sickness just because I feel like if I don't pray then You won't let us get a job or feel better. No I pray this because I know only You can take my words and make something greater of them. Without Your Spirit, the words will fall where they will and continuing being just words. But through You, through Christ, the Word lives.
All that to say, I'm studying one word in particular and I want to make sure that I get this word right. It's kind of the title of my sermon, and maybe I was a little premature in naming it, because I'm finding it really means something totally different than I originally thought. It's the word "go" and it's in the context of Matthew 28:19...
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,"
I thought it meant go, like leave where you are and go somewhere else. Not in the sense of, for example, moving from my home to some place else. No, instead, more in the sense of leave what you are doing right now, the lifestyle you are living right now, the people you are always worried about, the self you are always worried about and "go" to many different types of people.
But I looked the verb up in a Greek dictionary. It's the word "poreuqente" in Greek, a form of poreuomai. Poreuomai has this definition, offered up by www.greekbible.com: to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one's journey.
To continue...to keep doing what you are doing...that seems totally different to me. It seems like a big miss of translation too. I mean, it makes total sense. Instead of going all over the place and making new relationships all over with the goal of making disciples, work within the relationships you already have established, the places you already know, and make disciples there. Teach and show Christ there. Be Christ where you are at, wherever that is on your journey.
It's very thought-provoking stuff to me. I pray that You reveal to me the truth of this translation and its implications as I continue to study. Then let it be as impactful on others as it is becoming for me.
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teaching. Show all posts
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Friday, March 16, 2007
Moses + YHWH = Deliverance
This last week, one of my favorite experiences was our newly started Exodus Community teaching sessions. We meet in my dank basement, filled with storm windows that should be hung outside the house, porch furniture that we currently use to sit on or to hold the two whiteboards that hold our flighty thoughts. Oh my goodness, it is one of the funnest times of the week. Not only am I surrounded with good friends, I also am wading through theological depths and corners and wandering into questions and revelations. I can't quite describe the feeling of those nights without art, and I've not got that done yet, so there's my attempt.
But Joel brought up a really interesting point last night as we watched basketball, that maybe the first part of getting our hands around these teachings is to live them ourselves. I've been very convicted about living the text of the Scripture throughout the past few months, and especially during the fast. So as I rolled my tongue around this today, the taste that just coated my mouth was one of fear. Yea, fear.
Living the text is daunting. The text is immeasurable in its depth. It seems to me that the text is somewhat like a dark sea trench, and if I fall into it in intent to live, I may be as a swimmer with no underwater light. What I mean to say is that the text of Scripture is so vast I am afraid to live it for I know I'll get lost in it.
But that's exactly the point right. It's funny how just facing my fear of this idea made me think of the first lesson we are thinking of teaching from the book of Exodus: Fear. Facing our fears and realizing that if any fear controls us more than the fear-of-the-Lord, then that fear is really our God. And when I sit here afraid to fall into the text of Scripture and thus making excuses, I am making excuses of how to not fall into God, for the text is God and its Your revelation to us.
So, walking past this fear a bit I wade into our next topic from Exodus teaching: that only human participation combined with God's divine hand will bring about deliverance. Deliverance? Deliverance from what? Well, in the text it is deliverance from Egypt, the people whom the Hebrews feared. For us, it is deliverance from what we've made our gods by fearing them more than You, the Lord Almighty.
This makes me finally face a tough question. A question that will help me live. What do I truly fear? For some reason I fear not being sexually satisfied, but that's a rather minor issue compared to others. I fear failure, especially failure to do God's will, to lead well. I fear failing to walk faithfully with the men and women You have placed in my hands. But even more defeating is my fear of conflict and confrontation.
It's strange, Lord, I've always thought that this was somewhat of a good thing, allowing me to settle conflict without anger and such. And one thing that I've always hated was how quick many Christians are to "rebuke" in the name of the Lord. But Lord, I believe that their are really people that I'm trying to disciple that need to be delivered from some thing in their own lives. And to deliver them from that You need my human participation. And the thing is that the participation You need is to be a source of truth for them, showing them their lack of right attitude or understanding. But this presents the opportunity for conflict.
But I go back to this: What I learned with my Exodus teaching group is that Moses + YHWH = Deliverance. I want to bring teaching and discipleship to people's lives, but I can't go it alone. You want to bring teaching, discipleship and deliverance to people's lives, but You can't go it alone. We must be one. And You must be in control.
I'm ready to be delivered from fear. I am ready to fall into the depth of You. I am ready to join You in doing the work of deliverance. Help me take steps.
But Joel brought up a really interesting point last night as we watched basketball, that maybe the first part of getting our hands around these teachings is to live them ourselves. I've been very convicted about living the text of the Scripture throughout the past few months, and especially during the fast. So as I rolled my tongue around this today, the taste that just coated my mouth was one of fear. Yea, fear.
Living the text is daunting. The text is immeasurable in its depth. It seems to me that the text is somewhat like a dark sea trench, and if I fall into it in intent to live, I may be as a swimmer with no underwater light. What I mean to say is that the text of Scripture is so vast I am afraid to live it for I know I'll get lost in it.
But that's exactly the point right. It's funny how just facing my fear of this idea made me think of the first lesson we are thinking of teaching from the book of Exodus: Fear. Facing our fears and realizing that if any fear controls us more than the fear-of-the-Lord, then that fear is really our God. And when I sit here afraid to fall into the text of Scripture and thus making excuses, I am making excuses of how to not fall into God, for the text is God and its Your revelation to us.
So, walking past this fear a bit I wade into our next topic from Exodus teaching: that only human participation combined with God's divine hand will bring about deliverance. Deliverance? Deliverance from what? Well, in the text it is deliverance from Egypt, the people whom the Hebrews feared. For us, it is deliverance from what we've made our gods by fearing them more than You, the Lord Almighty.
This makes me finally face a tough question. A question that will help me live. What do I truly fear? For some reason I fear not being sexually satisfied, but that's a rather minor issue compared to others. I fear failure, especially failure to do God's will, to lead well. I fear failing to walk faithfully with the men and women You have placed in my hands. But even more defeating is my fear of conflict and confrontation.
It's strange, Lord, I've always thought that this was somewhat of a good thing, allowing me to settle conflict without anger and such. And one thing that I've always hated was how quick many Christians are to "rebuke" in the name of the Lord. But Lord, I believe that their are really people that I'm trying to disciple that need to be delivered from some thing in their own lives. And to deliver them from that You need my human participation. And the thing is that the participation You need is to be a source of truth for them, showing them their lack of right attitude or understanding. But this presents the opportunity for conflict.
But I go back to this: What I learned with my Exodus teaching group is that Moses + YHWH = Deliverance. I want to bring teaching and discipleship to people's lives, but I can't go it alone. You want to bring teaching, discipleship and deliverance to people's lives, but You can't go it alone. We must be one. And You must be in control.
I'm ready to be delivered from fear. I am ready to fall into the depth of You. I am ready to join You in doing the work of deliverance. Help me take steps.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Like a Dog with His Bone
I'm starting to realize how You've been changing me and working in me throughout these forty days Lord. I'm starting to realize how it is all coming together, and it's amazing.
You started by telling me to savor my experience, a lesson that could be applied to a lot of things.
Then you lead me through a tough time of realizing the necessity of balance between silently waiting and moving to do, where I realized that to do Your will, I'm going to need to slow down significantly, lingering over Your touch in my life.
You lead me to a realization that I need to put my feet on the floor and hold things up in You. It is the way of fear-of-the-Lord.
As You did this, You started to lead me in considering my next forty days. You convicted me that it should be one of silence and study.
And today You've started moving me again in that way. In combining all the stuff that I've been learning into one central concept. It's a concept that I have been dabbling with and now am extremely excited to move into full force. You have brought me to begin a new type of relationsip with You and Your Word. You are teaching me to "Eat Your Book."
That's right, like a dog delighting in his bone so I should savor, linger, roll my tongue around, and hold onto the words of Your Word. I am seeing (with the help of Eugene) that spiritual writing (we accept that the writing of the Bible is guided by the Holy Spirit) requires spiritual reading. This spiritual reading means taking my time, moving off like a dog taking his bone to a private place, and devouring the Words of Scripture.
This means finding silence and space. You were already moving me toward this with the prompting of my next forty days. This morning I found myself caught up in this Scripture:
Lamentations 3:25-28: The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him.
Yes Lord, You have laid it on me to sit alone in silence, to wait quietly for my salvation. And in so waiting on the Spirit, to take up the Holy Text and savor it, linger over it, taste it deep in my soul. How certainly it will be sweet as honey on my lips, and there will be days where it will cause my stomach to be bitter. But I am awakened by the thought of taste.
And of course, a fast where I have refrained from eating. In the end, God of amazing foresight, You are teaching me that it is not about refraining from eating. Instead, taste and appetite are Your gifts, and I should instead turn these metaphors directly to Your Book. With the true hunger that I have for food for my body near day thirty, let me always have that hunger for Your Word. And let me expect for it to be quenched as I eat Your Book.
You started by telling me to savor my experience, a lesson that could be applied to a lot of things.
Then you lead me through a tough time of realizing the necessity of balance between silently waiting and moving to do, where I realized that to do Your will, I'm going to need to slow down significantly, lingering over Your touch in my life.
You lead me to a realization that I need to put my feet on the floor and hold things up in You. It is the way of fear-of-the-Lord.
As You did this, You started to lead me in considering my next forty days. You convicted me that it should be one of silence and study.
And today You've started moving me again in that way. In combining all the stuff that I've been learning into one central concept. It's a concept that I have been dabbling with and now am extremely excited to move into full force. You have brought me to begin a new type of relationsip with You and Your Word. You are teaching me to "Eat Your Book."
That's right, like a dog delighting in his bone so I should savor, linger, roll my tongue around, and hold onto the words of Your Word. I am seeing (with the help of Eugene) that spiritual writing (we accept that the writing of the Bible is guided by the Holy Spirit) requires spiritual reading. This spiritual reading means taking my time, moving off like a dog taking his bone to a private place, and devouring the Words of Scripture.
This means finding silence and space. You were already moving me toward this with the prompting of my next forty days. This morning I found myself caught up in this Scripture:
Lamentations 3:25-28: The LORD is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the LORD has laid it on him.
Yes Lord, You have laid it on me to sit alone in silence, to wait quietly for my salvation. And in so waiting on the Spirit, to take up the Holy Text and savor it, linger over it, taste it deep in my soul. How certainly it will be sweet as honey on my lips, and there will be days where it will cause my stomach to be bitter. But I am awakened by the thought of taste.
And of course, a fast where I have refrained from eating. In the end, God of amazing foresight, You are teaching me that it is not about refraining from eating. Instead, taste and appetite are Your gifts, and I should instead turn these metaphors directly to Your Book. With the true hunger that I have for food for my body near day thirty, let me always have that hunger for Your Word. And let me expect for it to be quenched as I eat Your Book.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Holding It Up
Today didn't seem special, but what a special feeling of electricity shot through me to meet with Bryan and Joel to talk about the teaching plan of Exodus Community. The power and wisdom in the words of the Scriptures is overwhelming at times, and to get to sort through that stuff with guys that I love and then hopefully bring Your words to the people You love...overwhelming. But yet, when it is the thing that You call my heart to I have an excitement that is also amazing.
Also, the creativity that You've placed within each of us is a sight to behold in and of itself. I cannot believe the thoughts and the ideas that fly through my brain when I sit and talk about You and Your Scriptures. The questions and the wading into deep areas of the faith, the turning and examining of the jewels that are there. It makes me really feel alive. Your words make me feel so alive.
So in this freshness of excitement and promise, I want to remember what a big task this is for us. I want to each day hold the Exodus Community before You. In the study we do, in the words we proclaim, in the stuff of life, in the daily mundane, let me continue to hold the community in my heart, and hold my heart in You. You know exactly where to lead, so keep us in You.
This is my prayer, I am constantly going to be holding it up.
Also, the creativity that You've placed within each of us is a sight to behold in and of itself. I cannot believe the thoughts and the ideas that fly through my brain when I sit and talk about You and Your Scriptures. The questions and the wading into deep areas of the faith, the turning and examining of the jewels that are there. It makes me really feel alive. Your words make me feel so alive.
So in this freshness of excitement and promise, I want to remember what a big task this is for us. I want to each day hold the Exodus Community before You. In the study we do, in the words we proclaim, in the stuff of life, in the daily mundane, let me continue to hold the community in my heart, and hold my heart in You. You know exactly where to lead, so keep us in You.
This is my prayer, I am constantly going to be holding it up.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
