First, let’s take a look at God’s giving of the Law in Exodus 21:

“But the slave may declare, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children. I don’t want to go free.’ If he does this, his master must present him before God. Then his master must take him to the door or doorpost and publicly pierce his ear with an awl. After that, the slave will serve his master for life.” (Exodus 21:5 NLT)

This is a slave who is choosing to remain in that position by choice, a choice made out of love and commitment instead of bondage.

Many New Testament writers, such as Paul and James, use this this terminology to introduce themselves:

“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” (Romans 1:1 NASB)

“James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ…” (James 1:1 NASB)

So, what are they saying?  They are identifying themselves as slaves to the Gospel and to the example of Christ, not out of bondage, but out of choice and devotion.

So, why the earring?  Nothing says that Paul or James pierced their ear for this reason, but, for me, it is an outward symbol (albeit from the Old Testament) to identify myself as a bond-servant of Christ Jesus.

“Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.” (Romans 6:18 NLT)

Man of Sorrows! what a name

for the Son of God, who came

ruined sinners to reclaim.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

in my place condemned he stood;

sealed my pardon with his blood.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;

spotless Lamb of God was he;

“full atonement,” can it be?

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was he to die;

“It is finished!” was his cry;

now in heaven exalted high.

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When he comes, our glorious King,

all his ransomed home to bring,

then anew this song we’ll sing:

Hallelujah! What a Savior!

So which part of his story got you the most?  For me it was the question, “how much do you have to hate someone to NOT
proselytize?”

I don’t believe in bible-thumping, turn-or-burn, proselytizing.  However, I do believe that our story and our faith should be shared because of its importance and the implications that it carries.  Do you agree that we’re “hating” the people we don’t share our faith with?  In what other ways could we be sharing our faith without walking up and handing the person a bible?

I think the key to the story in the video was the genuine and authentic attitude with which the man approached Penn.

How have you reached out recently?  How?  Were you “successful?”  What was the experience like?

Carlos Whittaker (@loswhit) recently wrote about an experience with reaching out.  I believe that what he did was definitely a form of proselytizing.

I want to know what you have to say…

Show me the ways that I can keep your name holy.

Bring your kingdom to fruition on the earth and pour out your Spirit on all of your people.

May we choose to live according to your will for our lives, just as Heaven operates by your will.

Provide for our needs so we do not have to worry about where our provisions will come from.

Forgive us as we continue to learn to live in your grace, and help us understand the power and freedom that comes from forgiving others.

Fill us with your spirit and write your word on our hearts so that we will not fall into the traps of temptation and sin against you, so that when the Enemy seeks to destroy us, he will be rebuked by your power within us.

We pray in the authority of your son Jesus Christ, who came so that we might have life.

Amen.

Christ sufferedt for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. So he went and preached to the spirits in prison — those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.
~1 Peter 3:18-20~

I had a lot of questions about this passage as I read it last night.  I would love to hear your thoughts on each of them.

• Christ died for the sins of all people, right?  But we also argue that those who have not heard Christ’s message go to hell.  This passage tells us that he even redeemed the sins of those who died before he came, specifically those who died in the great flood.  God knew that he would send Christ as an atonement, even thousands of years before, when all the people of the earth were wicked and were destroyed, but had not been given a chance to be redeemed.  This tells me that God is not ultimately a God of wrath and retribution, but that even those who were destroyed because of their wickedness were given a chance to hear the story of salvation and accept God.

• So, what implications does this have now?  What does this mean for people all over the world who have never been given the opportunity to hear the Gospel?  Do they automatically go to hell because they didn’t hear about and believe in Christ?  This seems unreasonable from the perspective of Grace.  So, do they get the chance to hear the Good News even in the afterlife?

• How does this apply to us, then, who are called to take the Gospel into all the world?  Should we just stop because those who haven’t heard will be okay, anyway?  What about people of other faiths?  Do you have to literally and physically reject Jesus as the Messiah in order to automatically go to hell?

I’m not necessarily trying to stir up a huge debate here, but these are questions that really need to be asked.  In some instances, I’m really playing “devil’s advocate” (for lack of a better term), but I am intently interested in all the perspectives.

This is a prevalent notion throughout America and the world right now, especially since the release of Rob Bell’s new book and all the controversy surrounding it (just do a google search and you’ll find out).  This isn’t meant to be a commentary on that particular subject, but it does fit closely with the same kinds of questions he is asking.

So, I’m not asking for answers.  I’m asking for your thoughts.  I want to hear what questions you have.  I want to open a dialogue, not a debate.  Because it’s not about you or me being right or wrong, ignorant or brilliant, holy or heretical.  It’s about us, wrestling with the Truths of the Kingdom here on earth.

I wish I wasn’t part of the problem.

I wish I didn’t feel like the only one that needed fixing.

I wish I knew how to talk about it.

I wish I could put my thoughts into words.

I wish I could tell you how I feel.

I wish I didn’t feel like crying.

I wish I wasn’t confused.

I wish I could understand you.

I wish this wasn’t so hard.

I wish I knew how it was going to end.

I wish.

I cannot keep from speaking.
I must express my anguish.
My bitter soul must complain.
~Job 7:11~

What do you wish for today?  How does your soul complain?  How do you respond?

Wllingness to fail is not an allowance of sin, but rather a determination to learn and grow from the experiences that result in and from our inevitable sin.

What are your thoughts?

1. How do we move from “playing instruments” to “making sound”?
2. How much are we “studying” the music that we would list as our influences?
3. We are all capable of writing and contributing to the music, lyrics, etc.  How often do you nurture that creative process in yourself?  How can we nurture that in one another?
4. How can we stretch ourselves and each other to create and incorporate new ideas in order to make our music unique?
5. In what ways can we each change what we do in order to “carve out” space for the other instruments in the mix?
6. How much time do you spend (mentally or physically) experimenting with your instrument? (sound, style, technique, etc.)

Please comment below.  I would love to hear from you!

It’s ironic that season 10 of American Idol started last night. It is one of my favorite shows, but I realize that so much of the contestants’ participation in the contest is based on their own desires and temptations.

They want to become an idol by worshiping one.

What are their idols?  Money?  Fame?  Acceptance?  Recognition?  We don’t really know.  Only God knows their hearts.

But, my thoughts throughout much of the last couple of days has revolved around the question, what idol am I seeking to worship by giving in, or even considering, my human temptations and desires?

No Other Gods Before Me

Throughout the Bible, idols were created to represent or take the place of God, and no matter the instance there was always one response:

“Be careful not to forget the covenant of the Lord your God that he made with you; do not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything the Lord your God has forbidden.”
~ Deuteronomy 4:23~

Then it goes on to say why:

“For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
~Deuteronomy 4:24~

God wants nothing else to take the place of Him in our lives.  He is jealous of all other idols that we choose to worship and will not bless any action if taken to satisfy the desires of our own hearts.  If we audition to become the next American Idol, it should be because God has directed us to that opportunity, and it should be for the purpose of being obedient to his direction and making him famous.  Nothing else.

So it is with every other desire that we have in our life.  The desire for acceptance.  The desire for prosperity.  The desire for a thrill.  They take the place of God, and they begin to mold how we make decisions, how we respond to temptation, how we interact with the people we come in contact with.

Idol Worship

So, you see, by focusing our decisions, our plans, and our lives around the wants and desires of our human hearts, we are worshiping those idols.  We are not living lives of worship of God by basing every decision on what gets us the best result, the biggest thrill, or what satisfies the temptation towards sin in our hearts.

One Final Thought

Psalm 37:4 states:

Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

I have heard this interpreted two ways.  First, God satisfies the desires that we have if we simply seek him first in all things.  Second, if we are seeking him only, then he will show us the true desires of our hearts.  In fact, he will place those desires in us so that his purpose can be fulfilled through us.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
~Matthew 6:33~

So, today, I ask you: What idol are you worshiping by giving in to the temptations and desires of your heart?

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?…faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
~James 2:14;17~

As a former science teacher I am inclined to perk up when I consider a spiritual concept that can be discussed in an empirical manner.  Faith is a concept, a state of being, an abstract idea.  However, we are called to have a faith that is living.  These two things don’t, seemingly, fit together.  They are an oxymoron of sorts.  But if we take a look at the biological definition of “life,” we begin to understand what James was talking about.

Definition of Life

In biology, a living organism is defined as something that has the following characteristics:

1. It undergoes metabolism
   • Metabolism is defined as the set of chemical reactions that take place in order to maintain life.  This would be our spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, fasting, etc.
2. It maintains homeostasis
   • Homeostasis is the ability to regulate the internal environment and maintain a stable, constant condition.  For me, this would equate best to our morality and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  However, I also am drawn to the idea of God’s provision and our contentment in all situations.
3. It possesses the capacity to grow
   • Growth can be both physical and abstract, where abstract growth includes becoming more complex and more mature.  This one is self-explanatory.
4. It responds to stimuli
   • Stimuli are detectable changes in the internal or external environments.  The fact that we respond to change is not necessarily important in our faith, but the question of how we respond becomes paramount.
5. It reproduces
   • This one is important.  Perhaps it’s easy to grow and maintain homeostasis individually, but are we reproducing our faith in others (our children, our spouses, our friends, etc.)?
6. It adapts to its environment
   • As stimuli come, we not only respond, but, hopefully, we change as a result.

Examine Yourself

So, is your faith alive?  Do you fit all the qualifications for life?  What parts of your faith life do you need to nurture?  Can your faith be considered alive if you do not fully fit all of the qualifications for life?