This week in our small group discussions at Southwest Church, we are examining the Biblical teaching on the subject of Spiritual Gifts. Each small group participant is being provided with a questionnaire to help discover their personal gifts. In the Spiritual Gifts Questionnaire booklet there is also a list of 24 specific gifts described in the Bible. This list contains the gift of craftsmanship, wisdom, leadership, mercy, and administration (to name just a few).
What is your spiritual gift? Are you activating your gift in the life of the church? Have you taken to heart the following Biblical command to use the gift that you have been given? “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” (Romans 12:6-8 NLT).
Personally, I find the discussion of spiritual gifts a fascinating one and it leads me to dream of the potential that exists within the church! What would be the result of every believer discovering and activating the spiritual gifts that have been given to them by God to serve others? Let’s dream together as we all activate our spiritual gifts to serve God and others
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Kingdom Living
All week, I have been struggling with the phrase, “Kingdom Living.” In other words, what does it mean to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NIV)? What does it mean to “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else” (Matthew 6:33 NLT)? And … How many of us are actually seek God’s Kingdom as the highest priority of our lives?
Jesus taught a revolutionary way of doing life. He taught that we are to replace “self” as the center of the universe, and instead place God at the center of our lives. After making that realignment of focus and priority, we are then called to live the rest of our lives as servants of Christ; not seeking attention, glory, or comfort, but instead seeking God’s will to be fulfilled.
Now I acknowledge that this is a challenging calling and it is easier to describe in words than it is to live out in reality. And yet I am convinced this is the call to follow Jesus! Jesus calls us to learn life from him with the following invitation: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34 NLT).
In a practical sense this means that you and I must be willing to deny selfish desires, to be willing to sacrifice, to be willing to be ridiculed by others, and to even endure suffering so that God’s will can be accomplished in our lives and in our relationships with others. Jesus did not promise that following him would be an easy life, but he did promise that it would be worth it. In fact Jesus said, “I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come” (Luke 18:29-30 NLT).
Are you embracing “Kingdom Living?” If not, what is holding you back from experiencing the rewarding life that Jesus promised?
Jesus taught a revolutionary way of doing life. He taught that we are to replace “self” as the center of the universe, and instead place God at the center of our lives. After making that realignment of focus and priority, we are then called to live the rest of our lives as servants of Christ; not seeking attention, glory, or comfort, but instead seeking God’s will to be fulfilled.
Now I acknowledge that this is a challenging calling and it is easier to describe in words than it is to live out in reality. And yet I am convinced this is the call to follow Jesus! Jesus calls us to learn life from him with the following invitation: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34 NLT).
In a practical sense this means that you and I must be willing to deny selfish desires, to be willing to sacrifice, to be willing to be ridiculed by others, and to even endure suffering so that God’s will can be accomplished in our lives and in our relationships with others. Jesus did not promise that following him would be an easy life, but he did promise that it would be worth it. In fact Jesus said, “I assure you that everyone who has given up house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the Kingdom of God, will be repaid many times over in this life, and will have eternal life in the world to come” (Luke 18:29-30 NLT).
Are you embracing “Kingdom Living?” If not, what is holding you back from experiencing the rewarding life that Jesus promised?
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Lessons from a Miraculous Rescue
This week, the world has followed with amazement of the miraculous rescue of the 33 Chilean miners trapped for 69 days in a collapsed mine nearly a half mile underground. Last night like many Americans, I watched with wonder the inspiring news reports about this daring rescue effort. It was refreshing to hear of the unified effort that transpired both underground with the miners and above ground with the rescue workers.
It has been reported that when the mine initially collapsed that there were a number of chaotic and confusing days. These first few days appeared to include some pretty intense disagreements between the miners, but eventually the group of workers came together with an incredible unity. The unity was attributed to strong leadership of the 54 year-old foreman, Luis Urzua and the miners’ collective focus of surviving in spite of their dangerous situation.
Above ground the Chilean government carried out a successful rescue effort attributed to their willingness to act with urgency and with humility. Their urgency was demonstrated through successfully redirecting the necessary resources to aid in this project (an estimated one million dollars per miner). Humility was seen in their willingness to accept help from numerous foreign countries including equipment, expertise, supplies, and volunteers.
As I reflect on this successful effort, I believe there are many inspirational lessons to observe from this good news story. One lesson is that a truly unified effort among people can accomplish what at first glance seems impossible. Secondly, for people to remain unified and focused, it takes strong, consistent leadership. In the case of the miners, their foreman (Urzua) demonstrated selfless leadership throughout the ordeal insisting on being the last man to be pulled to the surface. Finally, the shared victory was accomplished through the answer of countless prayers and the unified focus of a singular goal of successfully rescuing all 33 men.
The above observed lessons resonate in my heart during a week that our small groups are examining the unified focus of the earliest followers of Jesus. Let’s take to heart the example of the earliest Christians and remember to keep our collective focus on our selfless leader, Jesus. Let’s make every effort to protect unity within the church, so that God can be glorified through our fellowship and through our collective ministry efforts. Remember the early church was described in the following way: “All the believers were united in heart and mind” (Acts 4:32 NLT).
It would have been great to have been present during the celebration that occurred in Chile last night as the men were successfully rescued. But let’s remember that we have all been invited to embrace a mission to rescue as many people as possible who are presently living in spiritual darkness who can be raised to a new life in Christ. This is a rescue mission that is worthy of our prayers, our resources, and our unified effort!
It has been reported that when the mine initially collapsed that there were a number of chaotic and confusing days. These first few days appeared to include some pretty intense disagreements between the miners, but eventually the group of workers came together with an incredible unity. The unity was attributed to strong leadership of the 54 year-old foreman, Luis Urzua and the miners’ collective focus of surviving in spite of their dangerous situation.
Above ground the Chilean government carried out a successful rescue effort attributed to their willingness to act with urgency and with humility. Their urgency was demonstrated through successfully redirecting the necessary resources to aid in this project (an estimated one million dollars per miner). Humility was seen in their willingness to accept help from numerous foreign countries including equipment, expertise, supplies, and volunteers.
As I reflect on this successful effort, I believe there are many inspirational lessons to observe from this good news story. One lesson is that a truly unified effort among people can accomplish what at first glance seems impossible. Secondly, for people to remain unified and focused, it takes strong, consistent leadership. In the case of the miners, their foreman (Urzua) demonstrated selfless leadership throughout the ordeal insisting on being the last man to be pulled to the surface. Finally, the shared victory was accomplished through the answer of countless prayers and the unified focus of a singular goal of successfully rescuing all 33 men.
The above observed lessons resonate in my heart during a week that our small groups are examining the unified focus of the earliest followers of Jesus. Let’s take to heart the example of the earliest Christians and remember to keep our collective focus on our selfless leader, Jesus. Let’s make every effort to protect unity within the church, so that God can be glorified through our fellowship and through our collective ministry efforts. Remember the early church was described in the following way: “All the believers were united in heart and mind” (Acts 4:32 NLT).
It would have been great to have been present during the celebration that occurred in Chile last night as the men were successfully rescued. But let’s remember that we have all been invited to embrace a mission to rescue as many people as possible who are presently living in spiritual darkness who can be raised to a new life in Christ. This is a rescue mission that is worthy of our prayers, our resources, and our unified effort!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
“Test Me”
I have vivid memories of walking out of my last final exam during my senior year in college feeling a great sense relief. Thinking to myself, “I have just completed my last “test” of my life.” Little did I know that there would be more schooling and more difficult tests to face in the years ahead. And little did I realize that the toughest tests are not completed with pencil and paper, but are faced in real life. The truth is … life is filled with tests!
As an educator, I thought it would be a lot easier to sit on the other side of the desk and administer tests instead of taking them. Later I learned that in many ways, I was being evaluated by how successful my students were in demonstrating their competency on exams. So honestly, I didn’t really like tests from either side of the desk!
My avoidance of tests leads me to admire individuals who face tests with courage and confidence. There is no greater example of someone welcoming a test than the one recorded in the Bible in the book of Malachi. And the surprising “test worthy hero” is the LORD. The prophet Malachi recorded the following promise to God’s people:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:10 NIV
Often as believers, we approach the subject of financial giving and tithing as a test of our faith. And yet the promise above reminds us that our obedience in giving back to the LORD our “first fruits” is actually an opportunity to test the LORD. Here is the good news … the LORD always passes His tests in an amazing way! And that is a test that you and I can learn to enjoy!
As an educator, I thought it would be a lot easier to sit on the other side of the desk and administer tests instead of taking them. Later I learned that in many ways, I was being evaluated by how successful my students were in demonstrating their competency on exams. So honestly, I didn’t really like tests from either side of the desk!
My avoidance of tests leads me to admire individuals who face tests with courage and confidence. There is no greater example of someone welcoming a test than the one recorded in the Bible in the book of Malachi. And the surprising “test worthy hero” is the LORD. The prophet Malachi recorded the following promise to God’s people:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” Malachi 3:10 NIV
Often as believers, we approach the subject of financial giving and tithing as a test of our faith. And yet the promise above reminds us that our obedience in giving back to the LORD our “first fruits” is actually an opportunity to test the LORD. Here is the good news … the LORD always passes His tests in an amazing way! And that is a test that you and I can learn to enjoy!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Long Awaited Good News!
This week has been filled with long awaited good news on many fronts! On Sunday, we announced some revised plans for the future Southwest Church Worship and Community Center. We also announced that we had received from a financial institution a letter of interest for a construction loan on that projected building. More news will be shared this Sunday regarding this exciting faith project which we have been praying as a church for years!
On Tuesday, my favorite professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds, clinched a playoff spot following a 15 year stretch that fans suffered through numerous disappointing seasons. On Thursday, I was able to celebrate with my mother some recent home improvements on her 56 year old house that she had been dreaming for years.
But the best news that I have experienced this week was not letters of interest, winning baseball teams, or finished home improvements. The best news that I “heard” this week was the long awaited fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for the human race!
Now some might question the credibility of a church leader who has just “heard” this news, but let me explain. Throughout this year, I have been reading the Bible in the chronological history that it occurred, and frankly there were some days this year that I “struggled through” the readings of Leviticus, Lamentations, and 2 Chronicles. But following nine months of Bible reading, I was prepared to “enter” the New Testament with a new perspective.
As I read with fresh eyes the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ, I received once again the joy of the long awaited Good News of God’s salvation. Listen to this beautiful description … 68“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. 69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, 70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Luke 1:68-70 NLT
Now that is Good News worth waiting!
On Tuesday, my favorite professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Reds, clinched a playoff spot following a 15 year stretch that fans suffered through numerous disappointing seasons. On Thursday, I was able to celebrate with my mother some recent home improvements on her 56 year old house that she had been dreaming for years.
But the best news that I have experienced this week was not letters of interest, winning baseball teams, or finished home improvements. The best news that I “heard” this week was the long awaited fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation for the human race!
Now some might question the credibility of a church leader who has just “heard” this news, but let me explain. Throughout this year, I have been reading the Bible in the chronological history that it occurred, and frankly there were some days this year that I “struggled through” the readings of Leviticus, Lamentations, and 2 Chronicles. But following nine months of Bible reading, I was prepared to “enter” the New Testament with a new perspective.
As I read with fresh eyes the announcement of the birth of Jesus Christ, I received once again the joy of the long awaited Good News of God’s salvation. Listen to this beautiful description … 68“Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people. 69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David, 70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago. Luke 1:68-70 NLT
Now that is Good News worth waiting!
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