Wanna be a Servant? Know the Truth!

Wanted to share some insights i've been learning from my pastoral epistles class. Let me ask you, what does it mean to be a servant?I believe in 1 Timothy Paul brings to light an aspect of servanthood that we don't usually think of.

1Tim. 4:6 ¶ In pointing out these things to the brethren you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.

The "these things" Paul is telling Timothy to point out in this verse are the false doctrines he just mentioned in 4:1-5. But what's interesting is that in v.6, Paul makes a connection between pointing out false doctrine and servanthood. Now typically, when someone mentions the word servant, we think of things like washing eachother’s feet, putting the interest of others ahead of ourselves, or Christ Jesus who came to serve and not be served. We think of setting up chairs, or sound equipment, or going out of one’s way to help another, and these are all definitely characteristic of a servant.

But another part of being a servant is being sound in doctrine. For a servant, needs to be able to point out those things that hinder the faith and growth of others. A servant has to be able to see the truth and know it well enough so that when a counterfeit comes along, he or she can point it out. A servant of Christ Jesus has to be doctrinally discerning. And looking at the 2nd half of v.6, in order to be doctrinally discerning, we have to be constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of sound doctrine. In other words, we need to be in the word of God, nourished by it. The word “nourished” can also mean feed upon, to live off of.

And when we are individually saturated in the word of God, I believe that we will also be on our way to fulfilling the purpose statement of this letter in 3:14-15 where Paul says…

1Tim. 3:14-15 ¶ I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth

If we want to be the church of the Living God, we need to be the pillar and support of the truth, and in order to do so, in order to be a people who can dispense and proclaim God’s truth, we need to know God’s word well, and in doing so we will benefit ourselves, benefit others, and also be good servants of Jesus Christ.

3 more weeks...than i'll be a youth pastor

Just in case someone reads this that I havent told, I recently accepted a positon to be the jr.high pastor of about 40-50 kids at Nasung Wesleyan Church In La Habra area. I'll officially be starting Halloween weekend. I found out about 2 weeks ago, and I have to admit, my initial reaction, though I had been praying about it and knew I would accept the position if it was offered to me, was absolute fear. Since then i'm not quite as scared as I am excited (though i'm still scared).

During my devotional today, Luke 4:42-43 stuck out to me.

Luke 4:42 ¶ At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. 43 But he said, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

Though the people wanted Jesus to stay, he was committed to a specific mission, that is to preach the good news to the kingdom. It wasn't about him being staying somewhere he was comfortable, or even somewhere he was wanted, but it was about the kingdom! Jesus was so committed to his mission, his vision, his purpose. He didn't let anything distract him or get in the way of that mission.

Though I'm definitely still scared, nervous, and will definitely be taken out of my comfort zone, I feel confident in this decision. There are sheep without a shepherd, and my heart can't help but be pulled towards this new opportunity. But more than that, I want to see the kingdom of God furthered. I can't let what I want dictate my decisions, or even what other people think. Jesus had a clear purpose for being on earth. And as he was sent by the Father, Christ sent us out to preach the good news.

Please pray for me! Specifically, pray for everything you can think of =P But in particular, that I would cultivate an eternal perspective, focused on one mission, the spread of the gospel of the kingdom.

*By the way, if you're looking for a good read on what the kingdom is, I'd recommend Gospel of the Kingdom by George Ladd.

Abuse of the Gospel

Have you ever met anyone who quickly says "sorry" but in your mind you're wondering if they even know why their sorry? Does it even mean anything to them, or are they just words? I'm sure i'm guilty of this, especially in my relationship with God. Oftentimes I feel more sorry for myself, wanting to make myself feel bad so that I can eventually alleviate feelings of guilt that come following sin or transgression. Other times i'm sorry because I got caught, rather than feeling sorry because of the intrinsic evil of the act that I committed. Lastly, there are times I say sorry without any heart behind it, or in other words, in my heart I don't really feel that bad.

I often wonder what God thinks when we flee to the gospel without any thought as to the gravity of our sin. Let me ask you, how often do you repent? Following sin, It's easy for me to quote Isaiah 53 to myself, and simply move on with my life. But where is the mourning, where is the repentance? (Matt 5:4) How often do we take a good look at our sin?

Now don't ask me to elaborate on what it means to truly repent. I'm still trying to figure that out. But surely this is a neglected essential in the evangelical church? All I know is that God hates sin, so shouldn't it break our hearts when we disobey and grieve our Father? Grace may be absolutely free to us, but it wasn't cheap for the one who paid for it.

Don't short-circuit the repentance process......

Tired of Ordinary

"God preserve me from living a life which conforms to the general pattern!"

Been reading through Jim Elliot's biography since I got back from Indonesia. These quotes sum up a sentiment i've been feeling as of late. I feel unsatisfied living an ordinary Christian life, hesitating to be sold-out for Christ for fear of being labeled a fanatic. Shouldn't the life of a disciple of Christ look radically different than others?

I've been thinking about my "fellowship" with other believers. We hang out all the time, but do we invest in the eternal? Do we pray for another? Is there an actual sharing of Christ in some way or form? Surely we're impacting one another, but is it positive? Most likely we're just wasting time. I know its not right, but its fear that keeps me from pushing the cultural bounds. Fear of making others uncomfortable by saying "lets pray together". Fear of confronting others regarding their blindspots, thereby missing an opportunity to help sanctify them. Fear of being labeled "holier than thou".

...but what would "love" do? Probably not whats comfortable, but whats best. No longer do I want to do what will please people, but rather what will serve people. This is what i'll strive for.

"We are so utterly ordinary, so commonplace, while we profess to know a Power the twentieth Century does not reckon with. But we are 'harmless,' and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places.... We are side-liners, coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!

Damnable Good Works

During my Indonesia trip, I realized more and more how often I do righteous acts with unrighteous motives. So many things have become my "righteousness". Good things that I do to make myself my own functional savior. Yet, these good deeds are often done begrudgingly or with improper motives. What are my motives concerning my acts of "righteousness"? I think of Paul's words regarding what should be the proper motive for all that we do...

Gal. 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Paul also explains what actions done with improper motives are...

Rom. 14:23 But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

I'm not saying don't ever do anything if you have improper motives. Still do what you know is right. But when you do those things, repent over your wrong motives, and ask God to change them. Raise your expectations and seek to express your faith through love. Repent of your so called sin, as well as your so called righteousness. When put in this perspective, I believe we have a lot more repenting to do...Check your motives always...and thank God we're saved by grace!

"Irreligious people don't repent at all, and religious people repent only for their "sins." But Christians "repent of their righteousness." We need a deeper, more comprehensive repentance. We must recognize that the reasons for our righteous deeds have been the same as the reasons for our sins. We must admit that the other things besides God are operating as our functional trusts and joy, and that our main sin has been our efforts at self-salvation, at trying to be our own savior."

Tim Keller

Son or Slave?

Are you currently living as a slave, or as a son/daughter? During my Indonesia trip I realized more and more that i'm falling into a slave like mentality, failing to appropriate and live out the freedom for which Christ died for. As believers, we are sons and daughters of God, not servants nor slaves. Yet we often have a slave like mentality.

"The Parable of the prodigal son epitomizes the disposition of some Christians, even whey are restored to fellowship with God. Lurking in their hearts there often remains this sneaking suspicion: "I am not worthy to be God's son, but perhaps I can struggle through as one of his hired servants."

At the root of such thinking is an inability to believe that salvation is entirely of God's grace and love. We contribute nothing to it, we can do nothing to earn it in any way. We are often slow to realize the implications of that. We are sons, but we are always in danger of having the mindset of hired servants...the Devil...will try to produce in us what our forefathers called 'a bondage frame of spirit'."

- Sinclair Ferguson, Children of the Living God

Gal. 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Pray without ceasing?

It's 3:50 am...and I can't sleep. So i'm going to try and blog again...I just got back from Indonesia, and i'm going to share one thing I want to make sure I remember. They focus on Paul's words where he says....

1Th. 5:17 pray without ceasing...

Now before this trip, I intellectually may have understood what this meant. I knew it didn't mean that we're on our knees all day every day, but rather it was more like an attitude. A continuous feeling of dependence upon the Father. Yet, I wonder how much i had experienced it at the time?

Yet, God has been teaching me much these past 3 weeks. This was the theme for me. During the first week there, we prayed everywhere. We prayed out loud, by ourselves, we prayed while walking around, we prayed for it not to rain, we prayed for the city, the people, we prayed for amazing to happen, we prayed for the daily mundane to happen (ex. for the car to start). We prayed when we woke up in the middle of the night. We prayed everywhere and at any time. And this clearly effected my attitude throughout the day. I was definitely more thankful, for God was answering our prayers, and I believe I was more in tune with His Spirit.

But I kept thinking to myself, why am I not like this at home? What is hindering me from praying unceasingly in the states? Would not my faith be revolutionized if I had this kind of attitude at home? When im in a coffee shop praying for divine opportunities to share, when i'm driving on the road (thanking God for keeping me safe), when i'm with my friends (praying that they would grow in the gospel....why can't I go for a prayer walk at home?

Obviously I lack of feeling of desperation when i'm at home. I lack a dependency upon God that is typically awakened when one goes on an M. trip. But I want that...and i'll strive for it here...in california. No longer do I need to depend solely on a "Prayer time" (though i believe that's necessary), but everyday all day, will now be a prayer time.