And He rested…so should we

Genesis 2: 2, 3 : And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

A good friend and I have had several conversations about the Sabbath. Each time we seem to bring up the same point time and time again – the Sabbath has somehow lost its holiness. I’m not saying the Sabbath is not holy, it is! But in many of our churches today, we’ve filled it with so much activity that the true meaning and sacredness of God’s wonderfully blessed and holy day has ceased to exist in the hearts of His people.

For many, the Sabbath meaning of rest has been taken literally as an excuse to sleep the day away. For others, its become the time for  meetings, choir practice, and almost non-stop programming. I’m not saying that activity on the Sabbath is a bad thing, but we must remember the kind of activity we do must be God focused, spiritually lifting, and faith strengthening. When God rested on the seventh day, He did not sleep the day away or fill it with meetings and activities to keep busy.  He rested from the work of creating by spending time with the created, specifically us.

I’ve grown tired of how complicated life has become. I will admit my fault in it, in that I have, like most, made life complicated by bringing it upon myself. I’m weary and long for the simplicity and purity God has given the Sabbath.  God knew what He was doing when He made keeping the Sabbath a commandment – He knew we would need it. I pray for forgiveness for turning what is sacred and holy into something altogether ordinary.

“I’m coming back to the heart of worship, because its all about You, its all about You, Jesus. I’m sorry for the thing I’ve made it, when its all about You, its all about You, Jesus.”

So the next time a meeting or practice is scheduled during the Sabbath, when it really could be set for another day, let us remember the seventh day to keep it holy, and schedule it for another time. Let us rest on the Sabbath by spending the day with God and one another – visit, fellowship, worship …the created resting by spending time with the Creator.

If you can relate, pull up a chair, come sit awhile,  and share your thoughts…

warning: cannot be contained…

God cannot be contained. It’s a fact: You cannot put God in a box. It’s obvious, isn’t it? I mean, this is God we are talking about, not some bargain item you bought at the mall the other day. God cannot be contained, right?

So many times, without realizing it, we try to do just that. We try to put God in a box and wrap Him with a nice little bow. We try to go and do things our way and tell God how we are going to do His work, instead of listening to how He wants it done. It’s a dangerous  thing to think that way, but some churches do it more often then they are willing to admit.

Many times in our personal walk we emulate that mentality. We do the right things, say the right words, and try to act as how we believe a Christian should act. We take religion and the concepts of Christianity and try to put it in a little box with a nice little bow. Many times we take it and categorize God together with it and call it Christianity. But God is not bound by the rules of man; He is a star Maker and life Breather and He is too large for us to even wrap our minds around Him.

I recently watched a sermon by Louie Giglio, in which he spoke of just how big God is. On the map of the universe, the earth on which we live is not even visible to the human eye. The God we worship is so huge, yet He cares for us who live on this spec of dust we call the planet earth.

Science proves God’s greatness. I can’t recall the star that scientists recently discovered, but in the picture of this star that is billions of light years away, a distinct shape can be seen in its center – a silhouette of the cross.  Amazing, huh? I’m so glad that the God of all creation is that big because that means that there is no problem, no situation, no circumstance, and nothing that I go through that He cannot handle. But God cares about the small details too.

In part two of his sermon, Loui Giglio introduces his audience to lamenin. Its a tiny protein that basically acts as the glue that holds us together. If you were to see a diagram or see a picture of lamenin, it would blow your mind. Why? Because it just so happens that this protein is in the shape of the cross. I love what Mr. Giglio says when he points out that this proves that “in Christ all things hold together.”

The complexity of the human body is so precise and wonderfully constructed with detail, that scientists still don’t know everything about it. This is proof that God is not only huge, but also cares about the small things. I’m glad of this evidence, because it  shows that my problems, situations, and circumstances are never too small for Him to deal with. God is in the big picture and in the details.

Sometimes I think that when someone picks up God’s word for the first time that they should see a warning label on the cover. The label should read: “Warning: cannot be contained”, because when we get to know the Lord and receive His love, we should not be able to to keep it to ourselves. God and His love cannot be contained! It doesn’t always come in the ways we want or expect it, but that’s the wonderful thing about Him. He is not bound to the ways we think, but expresses Himself in the utmost creative ways beyond our imagination!

If you claim to know Christ and no one else around you knows you follow Him unless you tell them,then  re-evaluate how you know God. I’m not saying you should go around to each person you meet and announce you are a Christian, but be honest about your walk with Christ or lack of one. When each individual, who makes up the body of Christ, is truly walking with Him, the impossible becomes possible; mountains can be moved; the earth can be shaken; His work completed  and His  second coming hastened.

When Christ is not the only option in your life and you can choose to take Him or leave Him, you might as well not have Him.  Because God will not be taken half-heartedly. Being in a relationship with Him requires all of you -  mind, body, and heart.

So, if you have been praying or doing what you think God wants, and haven’t seen His hand moving or seen His blessings, then maybe you haven’t really been listening to what He’s trying to tell you.  Maybe you’ve limited what God could do through you – maybe you tried putting Him in a box with a little bow. Remember that it’s God you’re dealing with and He cannot and will not be contained…

let’s talk

After reading the article by Jan Paulsen in the Adventist World, it got me thinking about ministry to young people. It reminded me how helpless, angry, and frustrated I felt in my teens to look around and see many of my friends no longer attending church. If you had told me that I could have ministered to my friends probably more affectively then my church pastor I would have scoffed and told you you were crazy.

Today’s generation is all about keeping it real. They know plastic people when they see them. Sad to say, many of them view the church as being just that – full of plastic people hiding behind a plastic steeple. When they enter the doors a church, they aren’t looking to be told that God is love, they want to see it. They want to experience it. They know that the church is not made up of four walls, but of the members within. If you ask why they don’t attend one church or the other, a common response is, “that church isn’t that friendly” or “I don’t feel like I belong there.” What they are looking for is a place to belong, where they are part of a community and family.

If I’m anything like the youth in our church today, then they feel just as helpless, angry and frustrated about the number of youth leaving the church. But its the youth of today, currently in church, that are probably the best underused resource and channel to reach their fellow peers. Yes, you have those up and coming leaders who are doing their part, often over worked and overwhelmed, but the the vast majority are untapped. A lot of has to do with perspective, trust, training, and empowerment, but its more.

Its physically impossible to minister to every individual young person, but that doesn’t mean they can not be reached or that they are not capable of ministering to one another. I recently met with our youth director and the young leaders he has chosen to reach the youth of today. I learned that a lot of it is getting back to basics. Regardless of when many may think, the methods and means for which Ellen White ministered in the days of her youth, are and still can be affective. The times have changes but biblical principles still apply.

It is said that it takes a minimum of 15 hours per week to establish a good friendship with someone. Think about how much time the church spends together through out the week. If its no more than the hour or so during the main service on sabbath morning, prayer meeting, and vespers, then not only have we failed our youth, but the church as a whole – and we wonder why so many youth are leaving and many churches are dying. Sometimes we try so hard to attract people and compete for the attention of the people we try to minister to, that we fail to retain them. We get them through the door, into the baptismal tank, but fail to connect and build the relationships needed for their growth.

Jesus ministry was personal, that hasn’t changed. Its personal, always has been and always will be.

call me captain awesome

“It was so awesome!” Those are the only words I could use to really describe Sabbath morning’s worship in the Green Room. For the first time ever, I was able to worship through song without having to stress or worry about what chord to play next. The collegiate group was probably the smallest in number at camp meeting that day, but I think we were the loudest.

I had never felt comfortable raising my hands in praise and song to God before. I’d grown up taught that any outward expression other than saying “Amen”, wasn’t really acceptable. But how can anyone who knows the love of God keep from shouting and praising Him?

For the first time, I raised my hands high to God in praise without shame of who might see or what might be said. Hands lifted and voices raised, praise was heard over the worship leaders singing into microphones. It was a heart and God exulting moment! God was in the room, He was in our hearts, He was in every word sung, every drum beat, every bass note, and guitar strum. God was there. What can I say? “It was awesome!”

missing link

Imagine a simple wooden chair in the middle of a large room. Let’s say Jesus is sitting in that chair, His eyes seeing down into the depths of your soul. Now, think about your walk with Christ and where you are in your relationship with Him. Don’t think about where you would like to be, but where you really are in your relationship with Him. Now imagine standing in the room the distance from the chair that reflects your relationship with Jesus. Where would you be? Are you sitting in the chair? Are you a few feet away? Are you out the door facing the other way?

I didn’t want to admit the reality of my relationship with Jesus because I wasn’t nearly as close as I would like to be. Honestly, I wasn’t even just a few feet away.  But as I looked up, I saw others just as far or near as I was, I began to feel less alone in my personal struggle. Not more than one person was touching the chair that day. It put into perspective that we all have difficulties in our walk with Christ, even youth leaders and those who seem like they have it all figured out.

This powerful moment helped to make clear what Damian Chandler spoke about earlier that morning. He focused on the parables of the lost sheep, the prodigal son, and the lost coin. The sheep and prodigal son were lost outside but the coin was lost in the house. How many of the young people in attendance that day were like the lost coin? How many of young people, just like me, were in church, active, or leaders, but still lost? How long before they gave up on being found within the walls of our church and started looking elsewhere?

This got me thinking. Luke 15 doesn’t just talk about the different types of lost people God pursues and searches diligently for. It gives us a picture of the kind of lost souls that we should be looking to reach, not just outside our church walls, but within them too. Of all the lost sheep and prodigals in this world, how many of them started out as a lost coin? How long did they sit, lost, in the pews before finally deciding not to attend church anymore? Did anyone notice? Did anyone try to contact them?

The woman in the parable searched desperately for the lost coin. In those days, when a man and woman were engaged, the groom would give his bride ten coins, which she wore around her waist on a chain. If she did not have all ten coins, her fiancé could only assume that she used the coin to buy the affections of another lover. This gave him the right to have her stoned. So, the woman searched desperately for the coin lost somewhere in her home. She lit a lamp and searched carefully, sweeping her dirt floor to see if it would be uncovered. This coin would not have been lost had its link been strong.

Many young people my age and the generations after, look for connection. A link through which they can stay connected. Until I developed a personal relationship with Jesus in college, it was my friendships that kept me coming back. In many ways its true today, I look forward to see my church family and worshiping together. Just as important as it is to minister to those outside the church, we need to remember to minister to each other.

We can only be as strong as our link is to Jesus Christ and each other.