“For the Glory of God”

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” (Romans 15:5-7)

“We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves.” How does that statement grab you?  Do you naturally align with the statement as a member of the “we” or a member of the “weak?”  Are you quick to embrace the sentiment of this statement, or do you scrutinize it?  Before you throw out the statement altogether, please note that it is a direct quote from Romans 15:1 and it helps to frame the context of Romans 15:5-7 quoted above.

In reality, some of us are “strong” and others are “weak,” but we are all in this together.  Passages such as 1 Cor. 12:12-27 and John 17:20-23 demonstrate the heart of God for our unity and interdependence as the body of Christ.  But this is not unity simply for the sake of unity.  There is something greater that is happening.

The NIV translation uses the words “glorify” (vs. 6) and “praise” (vs. 7) to convey variants of the Greek word “doxa.”  Simply put, this word “doxa” can be defined as:  to make renowned, render illustrious; to cause the dignity and worth of some person or thing to become manifest and acknowledged (www.blueletterbible.org).  Here’s the simple and profound truth – when we bear with one another, demonstrating unity and acceptance of one another, we bring glory to God.  This is not easy (perhaps that is why the prayer starts with “May the God who gives ENDURANCE and ENCOURAGEMENT…”), but it is vital to our ability to glorify God.

“Father, draw your church together with such a unity and love for one another that you might receive the glory that you rightfully deserve.  Please give me endurance and encouragement as you use me to be an agent of unity in my home, my small group, and my church.  Amen.”

1. Prayer and Fasting – Join us this Thursday morning at 6:30am for a time of prayer to kick off our day of prayer and fasting.

2. Love Costs Everything – Sunday, March 11 from 6-8pm in the main auditorium, Global Outreach will be airing this documentary that details the persecution of Christians around the world. It features interviews and stories from Francis Chan, Ajai Lall, Central India Christian Ministries (CICM is Eastview’s global partner in India), and others. Your group is encouraged to attend.

3. Small Group Surveys – if you have not completed the annual small group survey here is the link https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZG2R5MK 

4. Resource Videos – we hired professional actors to create short, creative training videos to help you as a leader. They can be found at http://www.eastviewchurch.net/ministries/small-groups/leadership-resources/ Topics include service and prayer in your small groups.

5. Leader Retreat Teaser – we are in the planning stages of a retreat for leaders that will focus around spiritual formation and tools for personal growth. More details soon.

On Sunday, Mike preached about accountability and the need for strengthening and encouraging each other. There’s no better way for us to provide Biblical accountability than in our small groups. Be encouraged! Through God’s grace you are making a difference. We appreciate all you do.

As always – please let Jim or I know how we can be a resource for you.

Blessings,

Jason Sniff

“Christian Inventory: Lust”

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

A Christian winter inventory of the Seven Deadly Sins has been our focus for the past eight Tuesdays. If you have been reading these devotional reflections you know we’ve examined ourselves in the area of gluttony, greed, sloth, anger, envy, and pride. We now come to the seventh and final piece of our exploration – lust. Somewhere in my reading years ago I encountered a statement about lust that has stayed with me. I think it was the articulate and poetic Calvin Miller who shockingly wrote: “Lust is like a cannibal chewing on his own flesh eating himself to death.” Quite a picture, right? Early Jesus-followers defined lust as an unhealthy preoccupation with sex outside of marriage. They believed that all people should be treated with reverence and respect. Socializing relationships, rather than sexualizing them, was the holy habit of those first Christians.

There is an early letter, dated 111 AD, from Governor Pliny to Emperor Trajan asking what should be done with Christians. It seems that Pliny had arrested and subsequently tortured two Christian deaconesses. To his amazement he discovered the following, “They meet at dawn to sing a hymn to Christ as God. They take a solemn oath not to commit fraud, theft, adultery, or lie. It is their custom to depart, assemble again, and share a meal…” I want you to particularly note the solemn oath part. Each and every day early believers promised to live a life of purity. Lust, fundamentally, is not a hunger for physical intimacy, but a hunger for spiritual intimacy with God. It is Him we long for and desire. Today’s question is enormous: What safeguards have I built to insure that I live out a life of sexual purity?

“Father, remind me moment by moment today that it is You that I long for and desire. Help me to treat other people as brothers and sisters in Christ. And for those who do not know You, grace me to treat them as children created in Your image, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Devotion: Paul clearly understood that his ministry for the gospel of Jesus (specifically to the Gentiles) was something that had been entrusted to him by God. Don’t get caught up in the “secret things” line in this passage. I don’t believe he’s talking about mystical stuff that only Paul knows, but thoes things hidden from worldly people who don’t understand the message and power of the cross. Paul has been given this message as a servant and he understood that this in turn meant he would have to answer for what he did with this trust.
This kind of understanding is true for us as well. On a personal level, what has God entrusted to you? Take some time to make a list today. Think of what God has given you specifically in the following areas: family, life experience, Holy Spirit giftedness, money/possessions/job, relationships (work, family, neighborhood, school), and physical strength. In fact, God has entrusted literally thousands of things to each of us on many different levels.
Now, here’s the tough part. If he returns today and asks you for an explanation for all that you have done with all that He has given you; what would you say? This is not a hypothetical situation. We are responsible for all that has been given. Now, don’t freak out…the grace of Jesus covers our mess ups and the Holy Spirit is working in us powerfully to help us be good stewards. Our job then is to cooperate with all God has given us and all He is doing in us.

Prayer: Father, you have graciously entrusted me with the following things: _____________________________________________. May I be found faithful this day with all of these gifts. Amen.

“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”           Matt 21:31

Jesus told a parable where a man instructed his two sons to go work in his vineyard.  One denied his request but later changed his mind and went to work.  The other initially accepted his request but changed his mind and stayed away.  

Jesus asked, “Which of the two did what his father wanted?  The first, they answered. Jesus said to them,  I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.  For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.  And even after you saw this you did not repent and believe him.”  Matthew 21:31-32. 

It is not the ones who talk the talk but walk the walk that enter God’s kingdom.  What is the walk?   How do we please God?  What does he want from us? 

Our Father in heaven, wants repentance and faith.   Repentance is an action term which means to turn from behaving ways that do not please God to behaving in ways that do please God.   Repentance means changing directions from walking away from God to walking towards God.  The primary part of this action involves faith or belief in a God who loves and forgives you through Jesus Christ.   

You have work to do today.   Dedicate today to trusting and believing in Jesus.  Your actions today should involve turning towards Jesus and believing He can direct your decisions and behaviors. 

Prayer . . . Gracious Heavenly Father, help me to walk the walk of repentance and faith today. 

“Highs and Lows”

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven – Luke 10:20

If you’re like me, you’ve thought about what it’d be like to live during the life and ministry of Jesus. Imagine witnessing firsthand his sermon on the mount, or seeing him cure the sick, heal the crippled, raise the dead, or see the fanaticism of the crowds press in on him. It would have been incredible. 

Imagine one day, Jesus turns and asks you, along with seventy one other guys to travel ahead to preach the good news. What an incredible assignment! And not only do you get to be his representative but you exercise a portion of his authority. You’ll preach the good news and even demons submit to you in the name of Jesus. This is the story we read about in Luke 10. It’s no wonder that these men return to Jesus with great joy and excitement. They just experienced firsthand the miraculous power that comes through the Holy Spirit. Luke 10:17 records their reunion for us. Can’t you see them coming back together, high fiving each other, barely finishing one incredible story before someone tells the next one. There’s excitement, celebration and euphoria. 

Then Jesus says something interesting. There’s no doubt he was proud of the seventy two for their faithfulness, but in the midst of the celebration he re-directs their joy. Jesus encourages them to celebrate the fact that their names are written in heaven more so than a passing victory. Don’t misunderstand me, as Christians we should stop and celebrate the amazing work that God is doing in our lives, that’s a holy habit. But I wonder how often we let one major victory, or one major failure define us for an entire season of life. Mountaintop experiences are incredible. They’re worth celebrating and they’re gifts from God. Eventually though, we come back down the mountain, and guess what, our names are still in the book of life! On the other hand, we may let one major failure, or multiple failures in the same repeated area, loom over us and begin to define us. Guess what, even in that season, your name is still written in the book of life.

No matter how you’re feeling about yourself today, if you’re in Christ, your name is in that Book! Jesus reminds us that that is worth celebrating!! Are you letting one major victory or one major failure define you today? Christ reminds us in II Corinthians 5:17 that we are new creations and because of that we can celebrate the eternal as we experience the temporary!

“The Two Tales of a City”

“But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well.  Should I not be concerned about that great city?” (Jonah 4:11)

“Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal.  Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?” (Nahum 3:19)

There are only two books in the Bible that end with question marks (noted above).  These two books are Jonah and Jonah’s sequel – Nahum.  I rarely think of Nahum as a sequel, but in many ways that is a helpful perception.  Both Jonah and Nahum were prophets who spoke to the Ninevites on behalf of God.  Jonah’s message preceded Nahum’s by about 100 years.  Although there were some striking similarities, the differences between the books have captured my attention. 

Jonah was frustrated about sharing the message with the Ninevites because he knew that they would repent and turn to God.  The overarching theme of the book is God’s compassion, yet the prophet was reluctant to speak about it. 

Nahum, on the other hand, demonstrates no hesitation in sharing his message with the Ninevites.  However, much of this message was one of judgment for an unrepentant people.  He wastes no time in revealing some often overlooked attributes of God.  Just two verses into the letter he declares, “The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies.” 

The final verses of each book form questions that highlight the distinct differences in the messages.  Jonah 4:11 reads, “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well.  Should I not be concerned about that great city?” The context and the question highlight the compassion of God for those who turn to Him.  In contrast, Nahum 3:19 says, “Nothing can heal your wound; your injury is fatal.  Everyone who hears the news about you claps his hands at your fall, for who has not felt your endless cruelty?” Here, the context and question highlight the judgment of God on those who remain unrepentant and turn from Him.

What are we to do with these “two tales of a city?”  It is interesting how quick we embrace the compassion of God and how we bristle at His judgment. We see in the stories that with every new generation comes the necessity of an individual response to God.  His message is as true today as it was thousands of years ago: judgment for the unrepentant but compassion for the repentant.  How do you respond?

“Christian Inventory: Pride”

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you – unless, of course, you fail the test?” (2 Corinthians 13:5)

My mother was at war with any hints of pride that might rear its ugly head in my siblings or me. She took it on as a personal combat mission. Mom believed that the Jesus-following life left no room for “hubris.” She often reminded us that “God opposed the proud, but gave grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). It was God’s business to “lift us up in due time,” not us. The early Christians would have supported mom’s battle against this demon-pride. They considered pride the original and most serious of the “Seven Deadly Sins” we have been examining. Their belief was based on understanding God’s story. They were convinced, as I am, that God had created a perfect world until the devil, in arrogance, desired equal billing with God and formed a coup d’e-tat (See Ezekiel 28:13-19). A galactic war broke out and God threw Satan out of heaven. The prideful accuser lied to Eve, seduced Adam and sin fractured the beauty of God’s creation. God, in response, ultimately crushed the devil at the cross through the voluntary and sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The war was won in 33 AD, but the battle goes on and ultimately will conclude with Jesus’ triumphant return and the enemy’s final destruction. Until then, like my mom, we wage war against pride.

Humility was and is the weapon of choice against hubris. It is a razor sharp combat knife. Like a surgical scalpel humility has the ability to remove egotistical thinking. It’s been said and rightly so, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking of yourself less.” Take some time today to read Philippians 2:3-11. So, on this mid-winter day I ask another Christian inventory question: Is there any pride in me?

“Father, You are the Great Physician. Look me over. Search my heart. If there be any pride in me remove it. Put me back together in order to give You all the praise and glory, in Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

Scripture:  “Ask all of the people of the land and the priests, ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted?  And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?’”

Devotion:  The Israelites were only required to fast one day a year, on the Day of Atonement according to the Law of Moses.  This same Law also prescribed three major, yearly feasts for the Hebrew nation.  They also added several “holy” fasts and feasts at other times of the year.  As far as we can tell, they kept all of these religiously and still do even to this day (Yom Kippur and Passover sound familiar?). 

            But as far as God was concerned going through the holy motions of these designated days was not enough.  According to Him, all the fasts from the last seventy years was a waste of time and had no sacred bearing on Him at all.  That means that some of them had gone 140 days without food for no reason at all.  So, fasting in and of itself doesn’t mean anything to God.

            How then, should we fast?  We should fast for God and not for ourselves.  How can fasting be for ourselves, when we are sacrificing food?  Well, it lies in the expectation of results.  Fasting that is for God is being hungry for God.  Fasting that is for ourselves is hoping to get something from God.  This is not limited to fasting either.  Any holy act we participate in can be sincerely seeking God or selfishly seeking God to bless us. 

            The question for us is: “Why am I really praying, going to church, serving, loving others, reading the Bible, and avoiding worldly things?”  Is it because I desire God more than these, or is it because I want God to somehow reward me for giving these things up?  The answer is subtle, but it makes all the difference.

              Prayer:  God, search my deepest motives in the most remote parts of my heart. I’m not sure I even know all that is there sometimes; but I want to truly and honestly worship you in the spiritual acts I participate in.  Help me sincerely worship you today.  Amen.

“What do you want me to do for you?”   Luke 18:41              

A blind man, Bartimaeus, was begging by the road side leading into Jericho when Jesus, the disciples, and a large crowd passed by him.   When the man heard it was Jesus passing by he began to shout “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.”  Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet but he shouted all the more.  So Jesus stopped and called the man to him and asked him:  “What do you want me to do for you?”  

Why does Jesus ask a blind man what he wants?   Isn’t it obvious?  The Lord knows all things and sees all things.  Jesus clearly sees the man is blind . . .so why ask? 

We could just go through life knowing that since God knows and sees all things and since he is just and righteous he is going to do what is best . . . so there is no need to ask God anything.  He can read our minds. . . right?    No, God wants more than a distant relationship.   The story says: “when he came near, Jesus asked him.” (vs. 40).  He replied, “Lord, I want to see.”  The result was that Bartimaeus received his sight and everyone praised God!  (Luke 18:35-43)

The Lord’s way of dealing with man is consistent whether he is on earth or in heaven.  God wants you to draw near.  He wants an intimate relationship with you.  He wants you to tell him your deep and personal desires. 

Today God is wanting you to draw near to him.  He is asking you the same question:  What do you want me to do for you? 

Prayer:  Talk to the Lord about your deepest desires.