The Slow Drip

Posted: 05/09 in Chris Hemphill
0

chris blogToo often in life, I seek the quick fix.  I want to find the silver bullet that will take me to where I want to go almost instantly.  Microwave meals, minute rice, movies on demand–I can almost always find a modern convenience to fill and feed this desire, until it reaches a ravenous level, affecting all parts of my life.

This penchant for quick results is ingrained quite deeply in all of us, and often spills over into our spiritual lives.  We expect that we should advance on the fields rather quickly, leaping over tall obstacles and tough temptations in a single bound.  We expect through a prayer or two that all our wants will be met, or that one truly deep Bible study will help us conquer our sins.  We expect the watershed moment of rapturous revelation through which our hearts will be radically changed.

However these moments are incredibly rare.  Many people will go their whole lives while experiencing very few of these moments.  And so this noticeable absence drains them of their spiritual fervor and joy.  But maybe the problem lies not so much with us, but with our method.  Maybe the Lord’s design for sanctification doesn’t rely so much on these watershed moments, but on something more steady and substantial.

I read a book recently called, “Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus.”  In it, the author tells a story about Rabbi Akiva, who lived in the 1st century AD, and was eventually killed by the Romans.  It’s a bit of a long quote, but I thought it appropriate:

“One day as Rabbi Akiva was shepherding his flocks, he noticed a tiny stream trickling down a hillside, dripping over a ledge on its way toward the river below.  Below was a massive boulder.  Surprisingly, the rock bore a deep impression.  The drip, drip, drip of water over the centuries had hollowed away the stone.  Akiva commented, ‘If mere water can do this to hard rock, how much more can God’s Word carve away into my heart of flesh.’  Akiva realized that if the water had flowed over the rock all at once, the rock would have been unchanged.  It was the slow but steady impact of each small droplet, year after year, that completely reformed the stone”  (p. 152).

This story has much to say to Christians about our spiritual growth.  It’s the steady drip of prayer and Scripture that the Lord uses to mold our redeemed hearts.  It’s the simple choice of letting the drops of the Word fall onto our hearts that leads to life-change.   Rarely will there be one sermon or song that will so heavily impact our hearts.  But a steady diet of Scripture and prayer will most assuredly result in a life that grows in acts of righteousness.

We don’t have to wait for the big moments for our hearts to be changed in a flash.  We don’t have to conjure up emotional spiritual highs in order to see our faith grow.  All we need is the small choice of obedience and submission to the Word of God.

Through the slow and steady impact of each small droplet, day after day, year after year, our lives will be radically changed, and we will shine as the image-bearers of God.

 

Everybody Loves Soup

Posted: 04/17 in Chris Hemphill
1

IMG_4948I like soup.

Not all the time, mind you.  But if it’s cold outside or I’m sick inside, a good bowl of soup seems to be just the ticket.

My favorite soup is Chicken Tortilla from Chick-fil-a.  Big surprise, I know.  If you’ve never had it, as soon as you’re finished reading this, you should go get some.

I’m kidding………….But seriously, go.

What I never knew until a couple years ago is we all are lovers of soup.  Not that some of us like Campbell’s and some of us like Progresso, but that we all love the soup around us–our culture.  This set of values, virtues and vices which seem so basic and natural to us.  We love it.  Sometimes we hate it, but if we do, we simply seek out a different soup that is more suitable to our palate.

We are products of the soup around us, whether we like it or not.  It seeps into every part of our lives, and affects our thoughts and perspectives.  Which isn’t a bad thing.  We just have to know and acknowledge it’s out there.

‘Merica.

I’m an American.  This means many things, but for one it means I like democracy.  I think it is the best form of human government out there.  I’m in favor of human kingdoms being run as democracies.  This is part of my soup.

But God’s kingdom isn’t a democracy.  We don’t get a vote, though He does allow us to have a voice.  We do what he says; He decides the way we go; His will is supreme.  God’s kingdom is a dictatorship.

As an American, and a product of American soup, this gets at me.  Just seeing the word “dictator” causes me to stiffen up.  It just feels wrong to have someone tell me what to do, to have total control over my life.  And seeing it attached to God’s name seems sacrilegious.  This is because I’m a product of American soup.

But not all soups think this way.  There are billions of people throughout history who wouldn’t have the same problem.  Their soup includes dictators and monarchs, and they would say that’s just life.  They are products of their soup, and I am a product of mine.

“God is Good, and He does Good”

We need to know how our perspective is shaped by our soup.  We don’t need to be afraid of it, but we do need to be aware of it.  Otherwise, our view of the world will begin to shape our view of God instead of letting God shape our view of the world.

That is a dangerous place, and not the way life works.  God is truth, and all we believe must conform to him.

We don’t decide what He’s like; He tells us.

We don’t decide what’s good; He tells us.

We don’t decide how our lives will go; He tells us.

We don’t decide who we are; He tells us.

As an American, and a product of American soup, that is sometimes tough to hear–that another can decide who I am and what I’ll do.  But it’s at the heart of the gospel, and praise God for it.

Because now, by grace through faith, He can declare that I am holy, righteous, forgiven, and a son of the Most High.  He can set a course for my life that will make me lie down in green pastures, that will lead me beside still waters, that will restore my soul.  He can promise that He will work all things together for my good.

Now that’s a soup I wouldn’t mind eating more often.

Boy or Man? The Lie of ‘Adolescence’

Posted: 04/08 in Caleb Carter
1

photo 2Last night we held our Grace Student Ministry “Community Groups.”  This is where the students meet twice a month to connect with other students in a smaller group.  This year I am leading the 7th grade boys group.  This is quite a group with a LOT of personality.  Much of the time we have difficulty getting the male groups to settle down and just talk.  They are very high-energy and would usually rather have an activity going on than a bible study.

However, the last 3 meetings with the 7th boys have been different.  I started taking a different approach with them.  My normal plan is to open up a passage in the Bible and dig into it, or try and take a deep truth from the Word and teach it to them.  That approach has worked well in the past with rare groups of guys with long attention spans—not so with my guys this year.  So, for a while, we started just ‘hanging out’ for the most part each week.  We like ultimate Frisbee, we like pretty much any activity.  While there is value in simply hanging out, I have grown weary of not connecting.

So for the last 3 meetings, I have started asking simple questions with biblical motivations behind them.  I’d tell the guys “Hey give me just 10 minutes of focus while we discuss this simple question.”  Before you know it, we’ve been discussing for over 45 minutes!  [I got ‘em with the sneak attack.]  Last night’s simple question was: at what point in YOUR lives can you start taking steps toward manhood?  I explained to them that the male species only has 2 real designations: you’re either a boy, or you’re a man.  Our modern society has created terms like ‘adolescent’ and ‘teenager’ which may have some usefulness, but ultimately give people an excuse to remain children as long as possible.

I asked the guys first, “What are some differences between boys and men?”  As always, I got some silly answers: “Men don’t slap each other really hard in the calf muscles.”  (He was clearly alluding to an occurrence that happened moments before.  A guy literally left a perfect handprint on another guy’s leg.)  Some did give pretty spot-on answers too.  My favorite answer was that “men take responsibility for their lives while boys just mess around all the time.”  I mean that was a great answer and I think it strikes at the core of what our society is dealing with.  And interestingly enough, based on that answer, haven’t we all met some 30 year old boys in our lifetime?

One of our kids said that “age” is the distinguishing factor between boys and men, and I lovingly told him that he was wrong.  Manhood is all about what you are focused on, and what you do in response to that focus—and it all starts with knowing the Creator.  I am a firm believer that if you don’t know the Creator and haven’t been taught by Him what manhood is all about, then all you are capable of being is some distortion of a man.  If we want to know what an ideal man looks like, we look at Jesus Christ.  During His 33 years on earth, He owned who He was and did what was required of Him.  Even at age 12, He was found searching out His heavenly Father’s business.  Men take ownership of who they are and what is required of them, that the Creator would be glorified.

So what about this group of 7th grade guys?  When is it POSSIBLE for them to begin taking steps toward manhood?  When is it possible for them to begin just thinking about manhood?  To this question, I got various answers: “When you’re 18/21 because that’s when you can vote, smoke, drink.”  “When you’re 16 because that’s when you can drive a car.”  “When a life circumstance forces you to step up, such as a dad dying, etc.”  Now these answers have some logic behind them for sure.  With more given responsibility comes more of a need to own it.  Totally.  The problem I have with the first two answers is that you’re waiting on some external thing to happen, when the truth is, there is no magic to those ages.  And that third answer is pretty true, but what about those that haven’t had a traumatic life experience?  Are they exempt from manhood?

The answer that was given that I enjoyed the most was when a kid said “As soon as possible.”  Now I know that may not seem profound, especially when the question was “When is it possible?”  But it really is profound.  For a young male around the age of 13, it is such a powerful thing for him to say “As soon as I am able to even comprehend what manhood is all about, that is when I should start preparing.”  I love that because the heart behind it is to not waste years of his life, stretching out boyhood as long as possible.  When I asked what was so appealing about boyhood, some of them answered that it is more fun, easier, and ultimately the lazy option.

I told the guys last night that they could really stir some things up in this world if they would begin to cognitively approach manhood and embrace it with a mindset of “as soon as possible.”  Gosh I just love that.  Now, I know that there is a time for boyhood.  There are many lessons to be learned in boyhood about humility, being a follower, and being needy.  These are all relevant to our relationship with God Almighty.  But what we need in our society and in the church are for young men to begin preparing for manhood and looking forward to manhood!  Oh, the benefits that may follow.  And the beauty is, the more you embrace responsibility, the more you rely on Christ as your strength.

The Dust of Jesus

Posted: 02/28 in Chris Hemphill
0

ImageLast night, we wrapped up our latest FOCUS series, “In the Dust of Jesus.”  For the past 6 weeks, we talked about what it looks like to live out the teachings of Jesus—to follow him so closely that you would be covered in the “dust” his sandals would kick up as he walked.

I’ve been thinking about this following a lot recently—how to do it increasingly, how to do it effectively, how to do it consistently.  I have come across many thoughts and opinions, some of which have been helpful, some of which have not.  But through it all, I have come to one undeniable conclusion:

OBEDIENCE TO JESUS IS IMPORTANT.

To be clear, I’m NOT saying obedience is important to our SALVATION.  The Bible is clear that salvation comes “not as a result of works, so that no man may boast” (Ephesians 2:9 NASB).  But it is clear that once one has been saved, obedience to Jesus’ teachings will become priority #1.  As Jesus says, “’If you love me, you will keep my commandments’” (John 14:15 ESV).

There are many teachings to follow, and sometimes it’s hard to know exactly how to apply them.  I know I am supposed to love my enemies, but does that mean turning in someone who has cheated me, or merely turning a blind eye?  For guidance here, I look to the example of Jesus, and I find Jesus over and over seeking one thing:  TO DO GOD’S WILL.

Listen to these words of Jesus:

            John 4:34 — “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”

            John 5:30 – “As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

            John 6:38 – “For I have come down from  heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

            Luke 22:42 – “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.  Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.”

As believers in Christ, as children of God, as worshippers of the Most High, our #1 priority in life should be to do the will of God.  Admittedly, that can be tough.  Sometimes we will conquer and escape and shut the mouths of lions; sometimes we will be mocked and flogged and eaten by the lions.  Of all people, Jesus knew the pain that can come in following God’s will—it sent him to the Cross.  But if we are truly to live as children of God and not merely pretend to be, the will of God needs to be our priority.

It needs to be our delight.

It needs to be our joy.

It needs to be the passion of our hearts.

I am a work in progress, as I’m sure you are too.  I don’t always pursue the will of God.  I don’t always thirst for it.  I definitely don’t always delight in submitting to it.  But the Spirit inside of me keeps driving me to it.  And little by little, He conforms me more to the image of Christ, and the will of God becomes more of a priority.  By consistently choosing to obey it and submit to it, I can quicken this process of sanctification.

“Being a Christan is less about cautiously avoiding sin than about courageously and actively doing God’s will”    (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

 Where is the will of God in your life?  Is it a priority for you?  Believers in Christ, I encourage you to seek the will of God.  Be fervent.  Be radical.  Be passionate.  It will be difficult at times, but you can guarantee that with obeying the will of God comes the peace of God, “which surpasses all understanding,” and which made all the difference in Jesus’ life.

I don’t know about you, but that’s a little bit of dust I wouldn’t mind being covered with more often.

I Was on Medication

1

Found this little nugget of a video today and thought it might be fun to get some feedback.
So watch and make your selection in the poll, or if you are really creative, leave your own comment of what comes to mind.
(No teenagers were harmed in the filming of this video)

Video  —  Posted: 02/27 in GSM Videos

Life on Life: The Way of Disciple-Making

Posted: 02/13 in Caleb Carter
0

DSC01451I was asked once in a summer bible study, “Can you be a Christian and not be a disciple?  In other words: are ‘Christian’ and ‘disciple’ synonyms?”  After a few minutes of confusing dialogue between us college students, the leader of the bible study finally gave us his thoughts.  He walked us through some passages and it quickly became clear that the only thing Jesus really talked about was DISCIPLES!  There were some who began to label Jesus followers as ‘Christians’ but when it came to the teaching and instruction of Jesus, the only real model for life in Christ is to be a disciple of His.  “Aw, man!  But what does that MEAN?”

It’s strange for some to think of themselves as disciples, but let’s take a look at our lives—at some point did we receive a call to follow Christ?  Since then have we been impacted over time by different events, and had our eyes opened more and more to who God really is?  Sounds like a disciple to me!  I do think, however, that it is possible to miss out on a lot of good stuff if we aren’t intentional about being disciples and making disciples out of others.  As always it is most beneficial to look at the Word and find out what discipleship is through the Jesus lens.

What did we see Jesus doing over the 3 years he spent with His disciples?  Well in the big picture we see that He was teaching them to walk as He walked: with the Father.  His sacrifice on the cross enables all who believe to have perfect, guilt-free communion with God.  We see from His 3 years of life and ministry what it looks like to move to the beat of the Father’s drum.  A good illustration of Jesus replicating His lifestyle in the disciples is when He was seen walking on the water at night.  The guys saw Him and were terrified, but Peter made a strange request: “Lord if it’s you…tell me to come to you on the water.”  What was that, Peter?  He was starting to understand Jesus’ method of discipleship.  It’s about inviting others into your experiences, your lifestyle, and your beliefs.  So step 1 in discipleship is doing a self-inventory to understand “exactly what is it that I am inviting others into?”

The next step is the method: how am I going to replicate myself, namely my walk with Christ, in others?  Well look at that!  Jesus has the answer for this too!  Now, this is where things get tricky for Americans.  Look at how much time Jesus spent with the people He was leading.  I mean, apart from the times when He needed to get alone with the Father, they were with Him all the time.  There was no aspect of Jesus’ personal life that was off limits for His disciples.  Now, I know where your mind may be going.  No, Jesus wasn’t married and no, Jesus didn’t have a 9 to 5 office job.  Obviously there are going to be certain times and places that are inaccessible for people that you disciple.  The point is: discipleship is all about life.  Not a structured curriculum, not an hour at a time over “lunch” or “coffee.”  Curriculums and hour-long scheduled talks can certainly be a part of discipleship, but that can’t be it.  We learn from people as we live life with people.

The question is, how accessible are we?  We don’t exactly live in a “village” culture.  People hop in their cars at the end of the day and journey into their private little worlds that they have created; and no one has access!  But that world, the place where you live, the place where you love your spouse, the place where you raise your children, where you eat meals and discuss life, the place where you devote yourself to the Lord, that is where the majority of life is lived!  I can only learn so much from someone in a structured conversation.  But man, how much I can learn by watching a man interact with his family!  How much I can learn by watching a man dedicate every area of his life to the Lord!  This is why studies show that parents are the #1 influence in the lives of their own kids—because the kids watch their parents.  Their grid for what life is really about is formed by those that they watch and learn from.

This does, however, bring us back to a question presented earlier.  If we are to invite others into our lives, what life are we inviting them to?  Jesus Christ walked this earth in complete unity with the Spirit and the Father; no other human could say that before Him.  Therefore, He could confidently invite His disciples into every area of His life.  There was nothing to hide!  But as he purchased for us an adoption into His family, He gave us the opportunity to walk in the same righteousness.  So now we have Paul saying “follow me as I follow Christ.”  This is a guy who was trying to destroy the church, sort of an Osama Bin Laden of his age.  If he can get to a place of intimacy with Christ where he is confident in leading others, so can you and I.

What we have to ask ourselves is: are we in submission to Christ?  Are we willing to obey by making disciples the way it was modeled for us?  Or are we too protective of our private lives?  The way to reproduce faith in others is to model that faith in a life on life relationship.  Here’s some good news as you start your journey: you don’t have the pressure of changing people’s lives; rather, you are to position yourself in such a way that Christ in you can do the work in them.

Jesus the Teenager

Posted: 02/04 in Mickey Akin
1

DSC03274What an interesting thought, right?  Jesus as a teenager.  It’s hard to think his life would look much like that of a current American teenager.  So my question is, are we doing all that we can to help our students look like him?  In the scriptures, we have Old Testament prophecies foretelling of the coming Messiah. And then we have the Christmas story with the angels, shepherds, Mary and Joseph, and the virgin birth.  Skip to the wise men and little 2-year old Jesus and family fleeing to Egypt.  From this point on, we get one tiny little account of Jesus before the age of 30.  At 30-ish he is baptized, tempted for 40 days, and starts his 3-year ministry leading to his death burial and resurrection. But what’s happening in that middle period of life?

When I think about what the years at home must have been like for Jesus, the God-man,  I personally think it’s telling that we don’t know much more.  We are left to place him as a normal Jew, fulfilling his family and community responsibilities as any other young man would have done.  I mean, if we don’t think that of him, we miss the whole point that he was fully man, like you and I, and yet he lived that life perfectly, with no sin. He was the oldest child of Mary, obviously, and would have been taught Joseph’s family trade of carpentry, and the absence of Joseph later in life suggests Jesus helped at home with business and taking care of siblings. Please don’t quote me on any of that as scripture, I just like working through the logical assumptions.

But really, I want to focus on that one account I mentioned of Jesus as teen.  Luke 2 tells us the family went to Jerusalem every year for Passover, but on his 12th year trip, Mary and Joseph played the “I thought he was with you” game and left him behind as they traveled home.  Scripture says “after three days” they found him in the temple courts, sitting with the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. Now remember, it isn’t fair to play the “oh, but he’s fully God” card here without retaining the “fully man” one too.  So if he’s a normal teenager, aren’t you amazed? Listening to the rabbis.  Wanting to learn, understand, discuss the things of God. At twelve?

And verse 52 says Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.  So let’s break it down parents and students. If this is all we get from 12 to 30, how willing are you to evaluate your life, or your teen’s life today based on this criteria?

*Wisdom – Is there ongoing growing in wisdom, learning how to apply knowledge, maybe specifically related to God’s Word? For Jesus, we see his desire was to hang with the rabbis, and discuss.  Is that a foreign concept to your teen today? Is scripture just information, routine, or are they learning it’s value and importance as they move from childhood to adulthood?

*Stature – This may be the one that comes without much effort during adolescence because students are just gonna grow.  But learning the importance of physical health as they get older will become crucial for fulfilling all that God has purposed for them to be.

*Favor with God – This may be the toughest.  Are we teaching and thinking about obedience, seeking God and His kingdom first?  Priorities. Time management.  What does it mean to grow in favor with God, if not the idea that our personal relationship with Him is being strengthened and that our obedience and fruitfulness is pleasing to Him?

*Favor with Men – If we are growing in favor with God, we know that the overflow of that is most often seen in the way we love others. That those around us, whose opinions we trust and value, are seeing and affirming the presence of God in us.  I don’t think it’s about how popular teens are, or how many worldly friends they have, but how they are bearing the image of God in life. And as a result of that, men find favor.

So there you go.  One statement, from one account, for Jesus as a Teen.  Not a bad goal for our teens today either.  Are you willing to help evaluate? Which ones are toughest for your family? Easiest?

So may the scriptural account of Jesus’ teenage growth, be the model and goal that you set for your students today.

Mick

Older Entries