The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

AllanStanglin.com

Category: Discipleship (Page 28 of 30)

Be Perfect

December 13, 2007 / / 3 Comments

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” ~Matthew 5:48

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes six specific commands from God’s Law, corrects the faulty interpretation and selfish external applications, and then points his disciples toward the true nature and true intent of the Law: living selflessly with others in community. God reveals himself to man through the Law. The Law is the perfect reflection of our God. And as we pursue this true intent and motive of the Law, as we strive to emulate our God in the ways we live with each other, we are pursuing that perfection of God. It’s a goal that shapes the disciple’s entire life. It’s the ultimate object of our behavior and our thoughts and our will. We accept nothing less than the perfection of God. We’re always striving toward it.

 OK. We understand all that. We also are assured by Holy Scripture that our perfection is found only in Jesus. We are righteous only through the blood of the Son. All have sinned. None are perfect. It’s only by participating in the salvation work of God through the Christ that I can be viewed as righteous in God’s sight.

OK. We get that, too. But here’s where it gets weird.

1) I’m saved by grace. I know I’m going to sin. I’m human. I can’t not sin. And so I wake up every morning resigned to my fate as a sinner. I’m going to sin before I make it out to my car today. When I go to bed at night, I know I’ve sinned. And I’ll sin again tomorrow. I’m human. But I’m saved. As a natural result, I’m not quite as bothered by my sin as I used to be.

or 2) The Holy Spirit dwells in me. I’ve been changed by God. I’m a new creature. Every sin I commit I do so by my own choice. Nobody’s making me sin. So it’s up to me to be perfect. And I will be. From this point forward I will not sin again. God calls me to be perfect. Paul tells me to stop sinning. And I will. As a natural result, I’m continually disappointed. I’m setting myself up for failure.

I struggle with finding the balance between the two extremes. I believe I’m not alone in that. I try to live it one day at a time, like most of us do. I pray every morning that God will give me the power to remain free from sin all day until my head hits the pillow that night. I am confident in my salvation. But I should be grieved by my sin.

Michael J. Wilkins calls the balance “restful dissatisfaction.” He elaborates in his NIV Application Commentary on Matthew:

 “I rest content with what Christ has done in my life and with the growth that has occurred, yet at the same time I balance that contentment with the desire to move on. At any one point in my life I want to be satisfied with what God has been doing in my life, yet I want to be dissatisfied to the degree that I press on to complete maturity. I accept my imperfection, yet I have the courage to press on to perfection. I rest in the indicative of what God has accomplished in Christ’s work of redemption and regeneration, I rest in the assurance that transformation is, at this very moment, being accomplished, and I rest in the promise that ultimately we will be like him. But I am dissatisfied when I see immaturity or impurity in my heart, mind, and life; I am dissatisfied with the state of this world apart from Christ; I am dissatisfied with loving less than the way Jesus loves.”

Peace,

Allan

The Two-Way Way

December 5, 2007 / / 8 Comments

We are very familiar with the concept of Jesus as “The Way.” Jesus is the Way to God. He is the Way to Heaven. He is the Way to peace and forgiveness and wholeness. He is the Way to eternal life. As disciples of Jesus we walk in his Way, the Way. We recognize all this. We understand it. We get it.

But do we also see that Jesus is God’s Way to us?

It’s a two-way Way.

And I appreciate the Christmas season because it reminds us — it forces us — to reflect again on the Incarnation of the Christ. The way we come to God is the same way God comes to us. God comes to us in his Son, Jesus. Eugene Peterson, in his latest book The Jesus Way, writes:

“God comes to us in Jesus speaking the words of salvation, healing our infirmities, promising the Holy Spirit, teaching us how to live in the Kingdom of God. It is in and through this same Jesus that we pray to and believe, hear and obey, love and praise God. Jesus is the way God comes to us. Jesus is the way we come to God. The way up and the way down is the same way.”

We often ask, and rightly so, what would Jesus do? But at the same time, we should also ask what is God doing? Jesus is God in action. Jesus is God speaking. Jesus is God touching lepers. Jesus is God forgiving a condemned and dying criminal on a cross and an adulterous woman threatened by men holding rocks. Jesus is God blessing children. Jesus is God giving sight to Bartimaeus and life to Lazarus. Jesus is God restoring peace to the demon-possessed. Jesus is God feeding the hungry. Jesus is God calling down judgment on religious posturing. Jesus is God weeping over the city.

Walking in the Way requires doing what Jesus did—love, service, sacrifice. But it also means jumping in to join what God is doing—saving, redeeming, reconciling, forgiving.

Jesus is the Way. The two-way Way.

Peace,

Allan

You ARE the Light!

November 8, 2007 / / 1 Comment

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”   ~Matthew 5:14-16

Public Agenda, a national research group, published the results of a study three years ago entitled “Rudeness in America.” The survey queried respondants on the increasingly common breaches of etiquette we encounter in society such as cell phones in restaurants, selfish driving, and public cursing. The report claims that 79% of us believe lack of respect and courtesy is a serious problem. 88% of us encounter people who are rude or disrespectful at least 3-4 times per week. 50% say they’ve walked out of a store in the past month because of poor customer service.

But what do we do about it?

The survey shows that 42% of us believe walking away from the person or circumstance is the proper way to handle rudeness or lack of respect. 36% replied that the proper response is to flood the situation with excessive politeness.

These kinds of things, while they do drive us crazy, may seem trivial in light of the “bigger issues” facing us and our communities. But isn’t this exactly what our Savior meant when he charged his disciples to be salt and light? As trite as it may sound, our actions do speak much louder than our words.

Jesus is preaching in Matthew that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. It’s breaking into earth. It’s here. It’s changing people. It’s changing lives. It’s impacting the world in profound ways. And you, my disciples, are living proof of it. You’re not just bringing the light of the good news into the dark corners of the world. You ARE the light! It’s like what Paul told the church in Thessalonica: forget the message, you ARE the message!

We must LIVE the truth of the gospel so people see that it’s real, that it’s not just so much talk. The Kingdom produces changed lives in us. The world sees by our actions and good works that it’s true. And they, in turn, praise our Father. Being salt and light means being seen being different. And it happens in the ordinariness of life. We’re to live in a transformed way in our everyday activities.

Are you rude or disrespectful? Do you go along with the crowd in ripping the football player on the opposing team? How do you treat your customers? Your students? Your waiter? Your brothers and sisters in Christ?

I’ve been criticized for this, but I won’t apologize. I will not apologize for holding my brothers and sisters in Christ to a higher standard. I’ll never apologize for expecting more out of Christians than I do those in the world. We should never tolerate Christians being rude or disrespectful to anyone, much less to fellow believers. I hear people sometimes excuse selfish and hurtful behavior in the church by saying, “Well, that’s just the way he is.”

No, it’s not! He’s been baptized! He’s a Christian! The Scriptures tell me he’s a brand new creature. The Holy Spirit lives in him. Getting loud in someone’s face in inexcuseable.

Donald McCullough wrote a book in 1998 called Say Please, Say Thank You: The Respect We Owe One Another.

“I’m more interested in the little things, such as remembering to say ‘thank you’ and to call your mom on Mother’s Day. These things may not seem very important when compared with the major problems facing our culture. Yet they may be the best place to begin; they may be the only place to begin. If a person can’t remember to say ‘thank you’ to her housekeeper, it’s won’t matter much if she writes a major philosophical treatise on kindness; if a person is rude to his family, the angels in heaven won’t give a holy rip if he preaches soaring sermons on the nature of love.”

If we are disciples of Jesus, we are the light of the world. The light to the world. Our lives are changed, we’re different, and it’s obvious. As obvious as lighting a lamp in a dark room. If we’re courteous, respectful, considerate, and others-oriented, it’ll be clear to those around us that Christ does make a difference. It’s not just talk.

Peace,

Allan

God Believes In Me

October 25, 2007 / / 0 Comments

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit — fruit that will last.”   ~John 15:16

The great mid-first century rabbi, Akibah, said, “The greatest sin is to teach a student to believe in God and not teach the student that God believes in him.” 

Along with my great friend, Jason Reeves, I’ll be leading a Family Retreat tomorrow and Saturday out in East Texas for the Graceton Church of Christ in Diana. The theme is Discipleship. We’re going to go straight back to Jesus’ disciples and put the stories from the Gospels in their historical and cultural context to get a better handle on what it means to be a follower of a rabbi. What did it mean then for a disciple to truly want to be exactly like his teacher? And does that — can that — translate to disciples of the Christ today?

 But the recurring theme always turns out to be that Jesus chose them. They didn’t pick him. He picked them. And that’s completely opposite of how it was supposed to work culturally in the Jewish education system of the time. It was extremely significant that Jesus called them. We always marvel that the fishermen dropped their nets immediately and left everything to follow Jesus. But if Peter and Andrew and James and John hadn’t made the cut in school, if they had been told at 12 to 15 years old they needed to go into a trade and forget trying to become rabbis, Jesus’ call to them was extraordinary. If Luke’s chronology is even close to right, Jesus had already raised the dead, cast out demons, and fed five thousand people. And now this great rabbi comes along and says to these fishermen, “Follow me. I believe you can be exactly like me.” It’s no wonder they left everything. The mystery would be if they hesitated.

What does it mean to a C-student to tell him you believe in him? How huge is that? What did it mean for those disappointing fishermen to hear this great Teacher say he believed in them? How amazing is it that God believes in you?

ReevesI’m really looking forward to the weekend, especially to the time my family will spend with Jason’s family. Jason’s one of our Four Horsemen, if you’ll recall. He’s the former Garland police officer and SWAT team member who gave it all up to become a preacher. He’s been and continues to be a tremendous inspiration to me. And the best part about Jason is his wife, Tiersa. She and Carrie-Anne are connected at the heart. Tiersa’s love and compassion and giving spirit come straight from our Father. She’s gold. And all our kids get along so well. I’m really looking forward to this weekend.

Peace,

Allan

What's Driving It?

October 22, 2007 / / 6 Comments

“If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, (I would paraphrase Paul to this point by saying ‘if you’re breathing!‘) then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”     ~Philippians 2:1-4

 As followers of Jesus, our calling is to be just like him. As disciples of Jesus, we’re committed to being just like him. That’s out goal. That’s our aim. That’s what we desire to do and be more than anything else. It’s what drives us. Being just like Jesus. Thinking like Jesus. Acting like Jesus.

And Paul says that means putting aside your position, putting aside everything, to become a servant to others.

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross.      ~Philippians 2:5-8

If being a Christian means being like Jesus, if following Christ means acting like Christ, then Christians are called to serve, not to be served. Christians are called to minister, not to be ministered to. Followers of Jesus are called to think of others, not themselves.

Why are we Christians? Why?

Are we Christians so we can belong to a group of successful, well-dressed people who meet in a nice, large, modern building? Are we Christians so we can do things our way with our people at our time? Are we Christians because it’s comfortable for us to be Christians?

If so, that’s not Christianity. It’s something else.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our oldest daughter, Whitney, is undergoing her MRI at 1:00 this afternoon. We’re meeting with the doctors at 1:00 Thursday to hear the results of all of her tests on her eyes and her optic nerves. Please continue this week to lift her up to our loving Father in prayer. Our trust is in him. Our faith is in him.

I’ve told Whitney most of her life that she suffers the things she suffers because God knows she can handle it. He’s equipped her with a special spirit and a special endurance that others don’t have. Other kids couldn’t handle everything you’ve had to handle, I tell her. And I try to give her a vision of how God’s going to use these things she’s overcoming to minister through her to other people for the rest of her life. She’ll forever be able to assist people and encourage people in ways that you and I never will. God shows us his strength in our weaknesses. He reveals his power in our infirmity. His might is shown in our feebleness. Praise God for his wonderful love and provision for his children!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK. We only know this one thing about the Cowboys. All we know about the Cowboys is this one thing. We know absolutely nothing else about the Cowboys except this one thing. Other than this one thing, we know nothing. Everything we know about the Cowboys is summed up in this one thing. At this point, nothing else is known.

Against really lousy, awful, pathetic quarterbacks, the Cowboys look pretty good. Against very good quarterbacks, the Cowboys get shredded.

That’s all we know.

Anything and everything else is merely speculation.

Peace,

Allan

Living as an Individual in Community

October 18, 2007 / / 1 Comment

Almost everything I do from the pulpit I do in the context of community. The Community of Faith. The Church. The Family of God. I believe that God creates us, he brings us together, and he sustains us to live in community. I believe part of being created in the image of God is in our living in community the way he does. We give each other life and support each other and share in relationship just as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit do. And I think this way of thinking is critical. I think it’s paramount to our Christian walk.

I believe it takes a village to raise a child. I believe the business of the Church is to create a culture that is counter to the culture we experience in the world. I believe nobody is saved by himself. No one gets to Heaven alone.

I believe that and I teach that because the God of Heaven and Earth, the God of Holy Scripture acts on behalf of people. He intercedes and interferes for people. And when he acts with and for and through individuals, his purpose and his mission is focused on a much larger group. Of people.

Christianity and discipleship is done in community.

But then the Sermon on the Mount reminds us that the standards of our community — even our church community — will not save us. As critically important as they are, the conduct and behavior and beliefs of the Church will not redeem us. What is paramount in that regard is our individual and personal commitment to walk in the ways of God.

Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that our Father sees what we keep secret. What we don’t show to anybody else, he knows. It doesn’t matter what other people think about me, my Father knows if my religion is just a show. He knows if I’m just performing for the people who hear me preach. He knows if I’m just faking it for the people sitting next to me on my pew. He knows.

Jesus tells us that the day is coming when people will present themselves to him in judgment and show him all the great and mighty deeds we’ve done in his name. We preached Jesus. We defeated Satan. We helped people. And we did it in the name of the Christ. I preached. I baptized. I ran the shoe department at Give Away Day. I visited the sick. I cooked for that family. I co-led a Small Group. And I did it all in the name of Jesus.

And the answer Jesus will give to so many that day is, “Who are you? Have we met? You must have been calling on somebody else all those years. I don’t have a clue who you are. And those things you did were actually evil.”

If we seek Jesus and Jesus alone, if we purify our hearts and take care to devote ourselves only to the Father, we will never have that fear. It’s in that we become truly his.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’m happy to direct you to “Talkin’ The Walk,” a daily blog now being written by our Youth Minister here at Legacy, Jason Brown. I’m more impressed every day with Jason’s love for our Lord and for the young people and families of this congregation. He and I struggle with the same things as far as culture and Christ, youth ministry versus family ministry, and a host of other related dilemmas. He’s passionate about walking in the Jesus Way. And about taking as many people with him as he can. I thank God for Jason and his wife, Cori, and their precious daughter, Rylee. I’m blessed to know him. You’ll be blessed to read him.

Peace,

Allan

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑