Untamed

February 20, 2009
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Title: Untamed

Thoughts:

For the most part, our thoughts of elephants are generally limited to what we’ve witnessed in the local zoo or visiting circus. We have all been mesmerized by the taming display that brokenness has produced. Natural warriors and rulers of their domain, these giants have been humiliated into submission. Even the smallest of cords hold them at bay.

This taming process is a brutal one. Once captured from the wild, these beasts are tied, starved, and beaten. Even in the midst of its beating, the mahout (trainer/rider) speaks to its subject in a calming voice. When its spirit has been broken the animal is moved through the restrictive process until it becomes a working elephant.

Imaging this tamed beast this morning, I couldn’t help but picture the church. Established as a dynamic, unstoppable force that not even the organized powers of death and Satan can overpower, in many ways Christianity has become a circus animal. We shine in the ring of performances, highlighting our power that has been limited to the spotlight. When the lights are off, the seats are empty, and the people go home, we return to the post and shackles awaiting the next big show.

Where is the victory that Christ proclaimed in His resurrection? Where is the unstoppable force that is the church?

Reading the article on training this morning, these words captured me:

“Fear, pain, thirst and hunger finally make the elephant give up all resistance.”

I wonder how many believers in Christ have allowed fear, pain, thirst and hunger to rob us of our resistance to the enemy? There are certainly traces of it in my walk with Christ. When the doors of the “church” are closed, the people have gone home, and I’m alone at my job, I’ve panicked at the voice of the enemy. However, the victory of Christ’s church exceeds the congregational meeting and the confines of home and office. Christ’s victory shatters even the authority of death.

What could possibly have tamed us to believe that Christ’s power is not strong enough to overcome?

Application:

In your walk with Christ, how have fear, pain, thirst, and hunger affected your victorious living?

Has the enemy ever spoken a calming voice over you, all the while beating you? Did you surrender to it?

When is your faith most powerful: In the spotlight of the gathering? Or in the wild (everyday life)? Is there a difference?

Prayer:

Father,

My, how I have bought into the lies of the enemy. Created, established, and empowered to be victorious, I have succumb to brokenness and given up my resistance to Satan’s powers. In many ways, my life and faith have become most victorious in the realm of the big show. Yet, when the lights are off and “church” is over, I go home defeated. May You arise in my life today. May my strength be  represented most in the wild and not under the canopy of the gathering. May I become untamed.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Selected, Connected, and Protected

February 19, 2009
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Title: Selected, Connected, and Protected

Thoughts:

If you’ve ever been around a “preacher” or “church” you know that all things must be in three’s. Every sermon has three points, regardless of whether it turns into one big point or twelve big points, it is introduced as three points. As I was driving and contemplating the church yesterday, I thought of this marvelous movement we call the church. These three phrases came to mind:

Selected: A couple of weeks ago, we discussed the idea that we, the church, have been called to God Himself. This call is not a secret society meeting. It is an open invitation to all who will respond. Yet, it is those who choose to come, listen and obey that become the church. Peter describes this new people as a chosen people (1 Pet. 2:9-10).

Connected: The beauty of the body of Christ, the church, is that we are intricately connected together. Again, Peter notes that we “once were not a people, but now [we] are the people of God” (1 Pet. 2:10). Paul describes each of us as a member of a body. Together we are connected to form the whole.

Protected: This is one of my favorite parts of what it means to be the church. When Christ established His Church He proclaimed that the Gates of Hades would not overpower it. It is with reason that sheep and other animals travel in herds…there is protection in connection. As the Good Shepherd, Christ has promised that He would indeed protect His sheep (Jn 10:11-18). He declared they would all come together as “one flock with one Shepherd”(v.16).  (And, aren’t we glad He’s not a hired hand who is not going to lay down His life for His sheep?! He willingly gave His life for our lives.)

Though it sounds a bit Waffle House-ish, Selected, Connected, and Protected are great phrases to remember all that Christ has infused into this beautiful thing called church.

Application:

What does it mean to be selected?

In what ways are you connected to the church?

What confidence do you take in His protection?

Prayer:

Father,

Thank You for this beautiful thing called the church. With it You have selected those who will respond to You, connected them with like-minded and hearted people, and protected them with Your very own life. How humbling to know that You have done this for me.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Who’s Driving Your Big Car?

February 6, 2009
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Title: Who’s Driving Your Big Car?

Thoughts:

As most of you are aware, my wife and I have recently become foster parents to a wonderful 6 yr. old. What an absolute joy! It’s life-changing to say the least.

In the first few weeks, my wife and I were continually enamored by his presence. Thus it stands to reason that whenever given the choice to ride with one or the other, we always desired that he would ride with us personally. Because the initial weeks of our experience were the holidays and Julie’s work schedule is more rigid than my own, I spent more time with him than did Julie. So when he continually chose to ride with Julie my feelings and ego were a bit crushed.

Sure, I tried to play it off casually and jokingly, but it really did bother me. To top it off, my wife gloated in his choice. It was a lonely ride home from the church.

After a several episodes of this, my wife finally nailed him down on why he chose to ride with her rather than me. Completely deflating her ego, he replied, “Because you’re driving the big car.” It was neither personal, nor intimate. It was simply a matter of who was driving the big car.

In this whole matter of church, I couldn’t help but think of how often we make choices based upon the big car mentality. Many times our choice of church is not so much on the intimate and personal call of God. Rather, it’s really about who’s got the bigger car…the bigger venue, draw, or attraction.

I can’t imagine how personally God must take our elementary decisions and reasoning. After all, He has given His Son and His Son has given His life in order that we might have the opportunity to hear Him speak. Perhaps, the next time we are facing the choice of whom to ride with, we should remember to choose based upon the relationship and not the attraction.

Application:

Have you based your church involvement based upon the big car mentality?

What price has God paid in order for us to have an opportunity to choose Him?

Does God have a right to take our choices personally? Should He?

Prayer:

Father,

How infantile I have been about church. Regretfully, I have chosen big venues, draws, and attractions over an opportunity to meet with the One who has given His life for me. Please forgive me. Create in me a mature heart that chooses on the matter of eternal value and not merely the activity. Nothing could be greater than meeting with You. You have something to say and I want to hear it!

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Called To

February 4, 2009
Text: Matthew 16:13-20
Title: Called To

Thoughts:

I can’t really explain how crucial this new understanding of church is for me. Though I certainly knew God was calling me to Himself and that He wanted to speak in our services, I didn’t always live with that end in mind. My attitude toward church, to which I am deeply committed, was that it was my choice, something that I chose to be of incredible importance.

But I realized through this study that church is not necessarily something we chose, it is what God is doing. He is calling people ‘out of’ their homes, situations, and scenarios and “to Himself”, in order that He might speak His words of life. That’s vastly different than my definition of church as a building, religious institution, or Christian organization.

When Christ referred to the church as ekklesia in Matthew 16:18, His immediate audience would have recognized that Christ was speaking of more than a meeting place, building, or denomination. In the Greek community ekklesia described the church as “God’s assembly, God’s muster, and the convener is God” (Barclay). In the Hebrew community it also described “God’s people called together by God, in order to listen to or to act for God.” (Barclay). Both cultures and contexts “put all the emphasis on the action of God.” (Barclay).

Church is not something you or I choose. Church is something God has called. It is His beckon to come and hear His voice and to corporately and individually respond to it. It is His meeting place where He speaks and gives instruction and insight to His people so that even the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Therefore, church is as much about being ‘called to’ as it is being ‘called out’.  But may we always remember that our destination is not to a building, time, or religious machine. We are called to a living God who contains words of life and offers revelation to His people.

Application:

Describe what it means to be ‘called out’ and ‘called to’. How does this affect our current model of church?

Is church a choice? Why or why not?

Recognizing that God [not your church, pastor, or responsibility] has called you to Himself [not a building, denomination, or organization], how will this week’s worship service be different for you?

Prayer:

Father,

What an incredible invitation You have extended to me. You have beckoned me out of my home, life, and world and invited me into Your chambers where You are preparing to speak to me. This is far beyond my comprehension and so much more than I have made church at times. In preparation for meeting with You this week, may You reveal Your word and purpose for our time together. You set the agenda, I’ll respond to Your call.

In Jesus’ name. Amen.