It's Not About Me

I have not blogged before and I may never again. We will see how this goes...
I have finished the book and feel very challenged to live a life that is not all about myself. I don't think we realize (or I didn't) how many decisions I make or responses I have a day that are motivated by the very thought that IT IS about me even when I don't realize it!
I have been studying Gideon and unbelievably this concept keeps coming up in that story as I read and study. Gideon was very motivated by this kind of thinking when he was being called: He had no recall of what God had already done for him but rather wanted to know where He had been and where were the wonders? (Judges 6:13) It is also easy to find Gideon after his victory becoming a snare to himself (Judges 8:27). His sudden rise to fame caused him to see himself as something more than he was where initially he saw himself as something less. Both mindsets were focused on himself and what he was capable of on his own without factoring in God. Really the time we see him completely dependent and focused on God is in the heat of battle. Gideon is his most faithful and his least focused on himself when he is called into a battle (and responds) with little chance of victory. When he could never have been successful on his own, we see him worshipping (Judges 7:15) and transforming (Judges 7:17).
I am led to consider how often this is the case for me. For a variety of reasons I find myself not factoring in God. When I am only thinking of myself or my needs there is no room for God to work...to transform. He can only accomplish that when we are in complete submission to Him. When we find ourselves going about the business and work of the Father and not our own, He is faithful to bless our work and to transform us into His likeness making us look like so much more than we could ever be on our own. But then we must be careful not to think that we had something to do with that as well; that we were actually the change agent and all the credit or glory goes to us. That thinking is dangerous, a snare if you will. "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" I Cor 10:12 NIV. "It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalm 18:32 NIV.
If I asked myself more, "If this really wasn't about me...." how would that impact the way I respond to my spouse, the way I parent, the attitude I have at work every day? If I asked myself this in the body, how would I respond differently to those who have a different view point than I do or don't always treat me the way I want to be treated? Can people watch me, look at my life, and get an idea of what my Father is like? I have to confess that most of the time I am completely motivated by my own selfish desires and thinking. Thinking of myself is what occurs naturally and doing something different requires sacrifice, perhaps suffering, and always a mirror that I should not turn away from.
I pray that as we press forward in this study, God will lead us into a way of thinking about Him and others in a way that we never have before. I know that when we lay ourselves aside God is faithful to work.
"...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Phil 1:6 NIV

What If It Wasn't About Me?

I was sitting in class this morning and Travis directed us to Matt 19:16-30. As we were reading through it (stop right here, get your Bible, and go read), it started me thinking about our next set of classes, “It’s Not About Me” by Max Lucado. In our meeting the other day, we came up with some great examples that God left for us in the Bible. The examples included Joseph, David & Goliath, Hosea, the Transfiguration, Esther, and Paul in prison (he brought the Message to the jailer instead of escaping), Rizpah, and Jephthah’s daughter.

This particular passage in Matthew is more an example of “It’s All About Me”. This rich, young man wanted to “do” or “work” or “buy” his way into eternal life, but he couldn’t quite make the leap to get rid of his money. It doesn’t have to be money that gets in the way of our relationship with Christ, but it’s a common hurdle. However, in reading this, I was more intrigued in Peter’s response in 19:27. Essentially, he said, “Okay, Jesus, You told this guy to obey all the commands, and if he really wants to do the right thing, he should go sell his possessions and give to the poor then come follow You. I did that! I walked away from my life as a fisherman to come follow You! I left everything and so did these other guys here with us! What do we get?”

I’m sure Peter liked the answer he received, but he was still concerned about what was in it for him. What do you think our answer is to that same question? “Jesus, I’ve expressed my faith in You and I’ve been baptized. I’ve done this, that, and the other thing for You, so what do I get?” I get eternal life with God and Him (Of course that last bit about doing doesn’t get us into heaven, but it’s relevant to the question). Heaven is a fantastic, wonderful gift (not a reward, but a gift). Here are my questions: What if we were in it for Christ? What if we were in it for God? What if we were in it for the Holy Spirit? What if we were in it for Them out of love for Them and not for the gift of heaven? I’m certainly not turning that gift down and am fall-down-on-my-knees thankful for it, but what if that wasn’t our goal? What if our goal was simply to please the Master so He would say “Well done good and faithful servant.”?

More Questions Than Answers...Your Welcome

(This was originally typed at about 1:30am, but couldn’t get it posted due to technical difficulties)

I'm typing this late at night, so can’t be held accountable for anything written, that is, unless you agree. :) Don’t worry if you don’t; Christ loves you & I love you. Who knows, maybe you’re right & I’m wrong. It could be that (gasp of astonishment), we’re both right.

I hope this doesn't sound bitter or cynical like an old curmudgeon, because I'm not bitter or cynical; just an old curmudgeon. As Ben said recently, we should first seek to understand, then be understood. I want to understand this post-modern way of thinking so, like Paul, I can be whatever I need to be to bring others to Christ (1 Cor 9:22), but do it so that the gospel of Christ is not watered down or changed (Gal 1:6-10).

There are people of all ages who think this post-modern way, but it seems to manifest itself more in young people, so I’ll focus there (not necessarily the young people at Oakcrest, but in general). My first thought, initially, would seem bitter & cynical. They are young. What do they know? To paraphrase M. Twain, “When I was 14, I thought my father was an idiot. When I turned 21, I was amazed at how much he had learned in 7 years.” (In Ben’s class, he put the age group at 16-29, but I think you get the point.) What of life have they experienced? How many times have they been knocked down & had to get back up? Have they worked for anything or has it all been handed to them? How will the touchy-feely, I-don’t-like-church-but-I-love-God religion hold up under Satan’s pressures?

If it is based in faith in Christ as their Savior & He’s the only way to God, then it will hold up. If not, it will fail. Gamaliel was right (Acts 6:38-39). If you can’t get past the youth factor, you are selling them too short. Being old doesn’t make you right (or wrong, either).

If we are to imprint Christ on them, we first need to know what questions they are asking. I've been 20 & not liked church, but that’s another discussion. We talk about wanting to know Christ. I think they want to feel Christ. We need both. We’ve been pretty good about teaching one (at church), but maybe not the other. That is to our detriment. By & large, they want to feel Him, but through some kind of service, not necessarily through the Word. That is to their detriment. It’s not that service isn’t worthy, but service alone is action with no reason. It’s the same mentality of “How many gold stars does it take to get into heaven?” Faith without deeds is dead (Js 2:14-17). That’s 100% true, but it still starts with faith, not deeds.

Regarding the relevancy of church, I think they want a relational experience with God. What about church is relational? Personally, I feel God when I’m with my brothers/sisters & through the service, especially communion & singing (Sorry Ben. I love your preaching/teaching & appreciate many of your insights. I wouldn’t change you if I could…well… your preaching anyway ;)). I agree that church service is not the only time or place to feel connected to God, but for whatever reason, they don’t get a connected, relational experience from a church service at all.

Could it be that because of their desire for a relational experience with God through deeds, that they feel a hypocrisy coming from some of those sitting in the pews? They don’t see the deeds? That’s not to say that no one is thinking about or doing good deeds. That would be a ludicrous statement. But is that what they perceive? In the mind, perception can be cemented into “truth”. Could it be because of this perception, church service is seen as hypocritical? I don’t know if it’s true & certainly don’t agree with that thought, but if true, what can be done to change that perception?

Well, it’s late & I apologize for the long post and over generalizations. I’m not sure I’ve made any valid points (or any points at all). I may read this later & regret every word or feel the same way. However, I find comfort in the fact that all of this is in God’s hands. I pray for His wisdom & guidance for us all as we share the message of His Son.

(I have re-read this before posting and still don’t know if I regret it or agree with it)

The Body of Christ: Body Preservation

Thank you James T. and Ben G. for allowing me to completely rip off your class ideas and post them here!!! Sunday morning's class and Ben's Wednesday night's class seem to coincide with each other very well. Here are my thoughts based on two fantastic presentations. (Give credit where credit is due!)

In this post-modern culture, the question has to be asked by our congregations, "Why don't they like church? Why are the numbers dropping? How do we maintain the church? How do we reach them? Are we relevant, if not, how do we become that again?" How? Why? James T. put it this way, "How do you protect, maintain, and uphold the body of Christ?"

Now, I am going to stop you right here. Let there be NO suspense. I'm pretty sure I don't know how to answer any of the questions above. There, have I lowered your expectations a little? Good, let's continue.

I consider myself a modernist living in a post-modern world. Like it or not, post-modern is where we are at. Truth is easy to come by, because you stretch it. Faith is easy to come by, because you feel it. Goodness is easy to come by, because you dictate it. Happiness is easy to come by, because you steal it. Love is easy to come by, because you see it. God is easy to come by, because you sat in it's shade (or hugged it.) Sound familiar? Do you know some folks that fit this description? I bet you do.

I think we have been asking ourselves these questions for awhile. These questions are in the back of my mind quit often, how do we do it then? That is the question I want to leave on the table. I have some thoughts, but for now I would like to know yours? What do you got?

my first blog, I'm a little nervous

The Body of Christ: Learning to Love a People

Interesting isn't it? That God could bring together such a pool of people to him. It has been evident since the beginning of time that God enjoys a diverse church. And this diverse church makes up the Body of Christ. Now, if you were to sit in my seat and look around you would see a group of folks from all types of backgrounds. Some grew up in church, some not. Some good, strong families, some not. Some come from other denominations and brotherhoods, some grew up in C.o.C. We haven't even touched on monetary backgrounds, or ethnic, or race. One thing is for sure, not many of them look like me and that makes them different and that makes us diverse (good thing too, although it would be one of the better looking churches!).



Most of us have to realize at this point that loving a diverse church is not the easiest thing to do. I'm thinking of Paul's words in Ephesian 4:2-6



"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit - just as you were called to one hope when you were called - 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."



So Paul says, "Make every effort." Sometimes that's what it takes, a lot of effort to be loving, encouraging, humble, and peaceful. It takes a lot of effort to build relationships and keep the unity. It's a lot easier to go your separate ways, and not invest too much of your time or energy. That is the road usually traveled.



Travis Hughes stated in his Sunday morning class that there comes a time when we have to grow up, we have to start investing into relationships. After all, the Body of Christ is all about relationships; to Him, to each other, to ourselves. So my encouragement is to put forth the effort. There is a member of the "Body" that could use me right now, somewhere I can help. I think I'll go find that person, are you coming with me?

Testing. . . Testing. . . 1.2.







Grace and Peace.



Welcome to the AdultEd blog. I was trying to think of something profound to say to start the blog off, but I have come to realize my potential for profound thought is shrinking and the effort makes my head hurt. So, let's start it like this.



I wanted to take the opportunity to bring more discussion about the topics of our Sunday morning classes. Give folks the opportunity to comment, post notes, share ideas, encourage, and provide feedback for what we see, feel, and hear in our classes. If we've been reading a great book, post it; if we liked the discussion, post it; if we didn't have an opportunity to discuss, post it; if I found the recipe to the best chocolate pie in the universe, definitely post it; if there is something cool going on in small group, post it; if we can do it better, post it (somewhere else!).



God has been working in the Adult Education at Oakcrest, it is evident in all that has been done. I have to admit I am excited to see what else God will do.