Category: John (Page 14 of 30)

Act Five – Church: The Proclaimed Kingdom

September 24, 2015 / Allan / 2 Comments

The Texas Rangers’ magic number for clinching their sixth division title is “8.” After last night’s clubbing of the A’s, Texas has its largest division lead in more than two years at 3-1/2 games. Texas has won Cole Hamels’ last seven starts, and he’s pitching the getaway game today in Oakland. And then they fly to Houston for this critical three game weekend set with the Astros. As good as Texas has played in September (14-7) and as badly as Houston has played this month (7-14) it’s still going to come down to this weekend series. Going to Houston with the division lead sure helps. Taking two of three from the ‘Stros would just about clinch it.

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Act Five of the Story of God is where all of us are suddenly pushed out onto the stage. The lights come up, the curtain opens, and we’re on the stage with lines to say and parts to play. We’ve been given a role in the Story of God, an important role. This is not just a cameo appearance.

On that first Sunday morning, the women arrive at the tomb to find the stone has been moved and their rabbi Jesus is not there. And the angel says:

“Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'” ~Mark 16:6-7

In other words, look, everything Jesus told you about the coming of the Kingdom of God — in his work, his teachings, his life and death — has all come true! The Resurrection is not just a miracle to show us how powerful God is. It’s not just a way of showing us there is life after death. The Resurrection of Jesus is the decisive event that proves God’s Kingdom has been launched on earth. The Resurrection completes the inauguration of God’s Kingdom. It’s not, “Hey, Jesus is risen, it looks like we all get to go to heaven when we die.” It’s more like, “Hey, Jesus is risen, you’d better get to Galilee and check in; see what he wants you to do.”

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.'” ~Matthew 28:6-7

When Jesus ran into these women at the tomb, he tells them the same thing:

“Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” ~Matthew 28:10

“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go… Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” ~Matthew 28:16-20

Jesus is claiming all authority in the universe now belongs to him. And by that authority he commands his disciples to go now and make it happen. Go do the Kingdom work as agents of my authority. Jesus is now enthroned as Lord of heaven and earth. His Kingdom has been established. And now his Kingdom rule is to be proclaimed. Jesus’ ambassadors are told to declare the Good News to all the nations and to call all the territories to allegiance to their new Lord.

“This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms… The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things!” ~Luke 24:44-49

The Resurrection is not a happy ending for the Son of God. Jesus says the Resurrection is the turning point for a brand new beginning. Because of the Resurrection, all the old promises are coming true: the promise of an unshakable kingdom, the promise of God’s holy presence, forgiveness and a restored relationship with the Creator, blessings from God through Abraham’s line for all the peoples of the world.

There’s a new order. New rules. New law. Everything’s brand new for all the nations. The enemy has been destroyed. Peace between God and all people has been established. The good and just reign of the true King of the world has begun. Jesus is Lord over all the earth today, tomorrow, and for ever more! True peace. Genuine security. And Jesus, the King, says to his disciples, “You go tell everybody the Good News!”

In the mid 30s AD, this is what a King does when he becomes the ruler over a new region.

In Matthew, the first words spoken by Jesus following his Resurrection are, “Greetings. Do not be afraid. Go and tell.” Later, that same evening: “Go and make disciples of all nations.” In Mark, the first recorded words of the risen Jesus are, “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to all of creation.” In Luke, Jesus says, “The Good News is going to be proclaimed to all nations.” Same thing in John when, on Resurrection day, the King’s first words to his disciples are, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Jesus is Lord. Jesus is now the undisputed King over all the earth. And his messengers, his emissaries, are to go to all the territories where Christ is enthroned as Lord to proclaim the Good News of his righteous rule.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~Acts 1:8

And that’s exactly what happens. And please notice — this is the main point — they don’t just offer people a new and different religious experience. They don’t just teach about eternal life after we die. They don’t just preach the Resurrection as a miracle that proves how powerful God is. The disciples are commissioned by Jesus to go and tell the world that Jesus, the Messiah, really is the world’s true Lord and to call all the nations of the earth to submit now to his rule.

Act Five. The Proclaimed Kingdom. There is where we come in. We are living today in the unfinished fifth act of the drama of the Story of God. God’s Church was established by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost in order to proclaim to the world the Good News. We are telling all nations that God has come here in the flesh-and-blood of Jesus to establish his rule and to forgive and redeem and restore all the men and women of the earth. We are no longer enemies of God. It’s truly Good News! And we are called to declare it to all the earth.

Now, you are not exempt from this part of the Story. In this Act Five, you are not in the audience. You’re not backstage. You’re not a spectator or a critic. You’re not selling programs in the lobby or reading about it the next day. You are on the stage. You have lines to say. You have a role to play. To borrow from Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society, “The powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.”

You must contribute a verse. All of us who have been baptized into the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus are commissioned to jump into the Story and proclaim the Good News. In Act Five, following the Resurrection of Jesus all the way through the rest of the New Testament, all the characters in the Story are proclaiming. Church leaders, church members, all Christ followers do the work of evangelism. It’s the number one priority for all disciples. No exceptions. Everything takes a back seat to the proclamation of the Good News. Everything serves the purpose of proclaiming the rule of Christ and the Kingdom of God. That is our role today in Act Five.

What will your verse be?

Peace,

Allan

It Is Finished!

September 19, 2015 / Allan / 0 Comments

“Jesus said, ‘It is finished!’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.” ~John 19:30

Not a cry of desolation. This isn’t, “Man, at last! It’s over!” This is an announcement of victory. “It is done! It is accomplished!”

Jesus came to fulfill the promises of God. He came to complete the salvation work of God. Jesus had said earlier, “My food — what keeps me going, what gives me energy and life, what sustains me — is to do the will of my Father who sent me and to finish his work.” On that last night, our Savior prays, “I have brought you glory by completing the work you gave me to do.” So when Jesus declares, “Is if finished!” he means all of it. The forgiveness of sin: Done! Relationships restored between humans and God: Accomplished! The dark forces of evil destroyed forever: Finished!

“It is finished!” means God has succeeded now in accomplishing everything he wanted to do for us through Jesus. And what was needed to satisfy God ought to be enough to satisfy us.

That’s the good news of the Gospel.

Christians know that all people are alienated from God. It’s our fault. We have disobeyed God’s commands. Even worse, we’ve ignored or even rejected his love. But, incredibly, it’s not the guilty party who acts to restore the broken relationship. It’s the injured party who makes the first move. God doesn’t demand that we’ve got to do something first to make up for our sins and then he’ll reluctantly agree to forgive us and love us again. We don’t make peace with God; God makes peace with us! That’s what the death of Jesus is all about.

Jesus died not to change God’s mind about us, but to express God’s heart for us.

In the cross of Christ, God says to us, “Yes, it’s true, you have hurt me and offended me. But I still love you. Oh, my child, how I love you! So I am making your guilt mine. I will bear the consequences of your sins in myself. I will suffer with you and for you to make things right between us forever.”

When I survey the wondrous cross, I have to ask “Why?” Why would Jesus do this for me? Why would he die for you? It should leave us with a deep sense of gratitude when we realize it’s simply because he loves me so. But should also create in us a sense of being inseparably bound up with him, obligated to live for him. We are so tied up with Jesus that when God looks at you, he sees his righteous Son. We are one with God because of his death, burial, and resurrection on our behalf. He restored the relationship. He fixed everything.

As a result, we are now free to live for him, to become who we were always created to be before sin wrecked it. Because of Christ, everything’s new. To be in Christ means a new creation. A new order. The prophets always talked about God bringing rulers down from their thrones and lifting up the poor. But they never imagined God himself would come down off his heavenly throne to suffer with the sinful so we could all be lifted up.

You don’t need a complicated theology to know that salvation for us and salvation for the whole world is found in Christ Jesus. But the cross of Christ is about transformation and renewal. Jesus doesn’t just offer forgiveness and salvation. He offers life. Real life. Abundant life. Eternal life. Life in perfect union with God as true sons of daughters of God.

“To all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” ~John 1:12-13

Peace,

Allan

Act Four – Jesus

September 15, 2015 / Allan / 0 Comments

Act Four is where the Story of God just absolutely soars. It really takes off here and just zooms majestically into beautiful places we never anticipated.

God himself comes back to the earth he created to live with his people. But this time, he comes as a person. The Creator of Heaven and Earth puts on human flesh and blood to live with us and to once and for all save us. This time, God doesn’t send an angel or a prophet or some other representative. He leaves his home in eternal glory to live with us himself. This time, God is not forming man from the dust; God himself enters that dust, he becomes that clay. This is very personal God. After all, it’s his promise.

“‘She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the LORD had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ — which means ‘God with us.'” ~Matthew 1:21-23

“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The LORD God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his Kingdom will never end.” ~Luke 1:31-33

“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” ~John 1:29

Jesus says “I came to seek and save the lost.” “I came not to be served, but to serve and to give my life.” “I have come to proclaim the Kingdom of God.” “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full.”

Jesus of Nazareth is a real flesh-and-blood man in the real history of time and space. But he is also God. “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” “I and the Father are one.” And God did not come just to save us from our sins, he came to save us to life: more abundant life, eternal life, life in union with God as true sons and daughters of God.

So God becomes flesh and makes his dwelling among us. And he immediately begins to overturn the effects of sin and death. He starts to change things back to the way they were in Act One. Jesus begins to reverse the curse of sin.

“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people. News about him spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed them.” ~Matthew 4:23-24

Jesus heals the sick because there is no disease in the Garden of Eden. He feeds the hungry because there is no need in the Garden of Eden. Jesus raises the dead because there are no cemeteries in the beginning. He eats with Jews and Gentiles, he shares meals with religious leaders and sinners, because there were no distinctions in the Garden. He reaches out to women and elevates women, he calls and commissions women, because Adam and Eve were equals in the beginning. He calms the storms and stills the seas because earth and nature were created to cooperate with people, not destroy them. Jesus forgives sins because humans were created by God in the perfect image of God in order to live and reign with God in his presence forever.

Jesus is actively reversing the curse. He’s making all things right. And he is with us. Immanuel. God with us. Eating with us, worshiping with us, laughing and crying with us, blessing our children, living with us. Changing lives. Saving lives. Thousands of people traveled miles and days just to hear the words fall from his lips, just to feel the love in his gentle touch. Little kids were crawling all over him. People were climbing trees just to see him, ripping roofs off houses just to get to him.

And then Jesus did something only he could do. He did something to finally and ultimately and completely reverse the curse, to destroy the effects of sin and death forever.

He died.

He died on a cross.

On purpose.

Jesus resolutely set his face toward Jerusalem and walked to the cross. He allowed himself to be beaten and tortured. He allowed them to nail his hands and feet to the blood-soaked wood of a cross. He died willingly. He sacrificed himself. He could have called ten thousand angels. But he died alone. For you and me. It’s what Jesus came to do. The Lamb of God who dies to take away the sin of the world.

Peace,

Allan

Pastors & Pistols

June 26, 2015 / Allan / 2 Comments

“My Kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my Kingdom is from another place.” ~ Jesus

The graphic behind the news anchor on one of our local stations last night was of a handgun positioned on top of a Bible with the words “Pastors and Pistols” in red letters across the top. According to the story, it seems the Potter County Sheriff’s Office, in response to last week’s deadly shooting at a church in Charleston, wants to train and arm our city’s Christian ministers in order to protect themselves and their parishioners from a similar attack. The sergeant promoting the program stated matter-of-factly that using guns to protect churches is “an important ministry, it’s a part of the church.”

God, help us.

One of my great fears is that someday some guy is going to open fire in a worship service somewhere and six disciples of Jesus are going to shoot him dead. And it’ll be celebrated. And cheered. And the Christians who killed the criminal will be honored as heroes.

I’m not sure all of us are thinking clearly about this. Which is better: that followers of Jesus are killed in a worship service while praying for their attacker and forgiving him and pleading to the Lord for mercy for him; or that disciples of Jesus, in an effort to protect themselves, kill somebody in the middle of church?

Which situation better exemplifies forgiveness and grace and love? Which circumstance faithfully places one’s ultimate safety and security in the hands of our Lord? Which response better follows the teachings and example of the Christ? Which reaction gets more publicity as a radical, I-can’t-believe-they-did-that, testimony to our commitment to the non-violent ways of Jesus?

Which response says loudly and clearly that the church is actually very much like the kingdom of this world? Not very different at all…

I’m often surprised by Christians, when discussing such matters and thinking about such questions, who say out loud things like, “Well, Jesus wouldn’t do it, but I would.” That makes you, actually, not a Christian.

I’ve been surprised this week to see a couple of comments on national news stories from people who claim to be Christian, when asked what Jesus would do, reply, “Jesus would not allow himself to be a victim.” Actually, Jesus willingly left his home in glory, put all of his trust in the One who judges justly, and purposefully submitted to being the worst kind of victim. He blessed those who attacked him, he loved those who hated him, he forgave those who killed him.

How does shooting anybody — anybody! — in church conform to that?

Christians, leave your guns at home this Sunday. Practice prayer. Practice forgiveness and mercy. Practice discipleship and obedience. Pray to God that nobody with violent intent ever attacks your church family in the sanctuary. But also pray to God for the strength, if it ever happened, to respond in ways that will honor our Lord, the Prince of Peace.

Peace,

Allan

Do Whatever Jesus Tells You

May 12, 2015 / Allan / 0 Comments

We’re not sure what the mother of Jesus was thinking at that wedding in Cana when she told her son the hosts had run out of wine. But she was clearly expecting Jesus to do something. The timing was wrong and the Messiah seemed a little less than enthusiastic about inserting himself into the situation, but his mother was asking him to do something. And then she told the servants of the house, “Do whatever Jesus tells you.”

Mary knew that Jesus would provide what was needed. And whatever he chose to do and however he chose to do it, Mary believed would be for the best of everybody involved. She trusted that Jesus would come through. And he did.

Jesus provided more wine at that party than anybody could possibly drink. The conservative estimate in Scripture claims anywhere from 150-180 gallons of wine. That’s a lot of wine. And not just any wine; this was the very best wine. This wine was so good the caterer complained to the groom.

“Do whatever Jesus tells you” is a statement of faith and confidence in that grace and in the Lord of that grace. You can’t do much better than that. Advising people to do whatever Jesus tells them and you, yourself, doing whatever Jesus tells you is a pretty good rule of life.

Jesus delivered more than Mary could have possibly asked or imagined. He provided an abundance of blessing. There’s grace in this miracle. There’s grace and provision for a pushy mom and grace and provision for everybody who had been invited to the feast. Abundant grace and provision. From Jesus. More than you need.

Peace,

Allan

Getting Out a Leaf

April 9, 2015 / Allan / 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

J. R. R. Tolkien, who had one too many middle names, wrote a short story about an artist named Niggle. He was a painter. And Niggle wants to paint a tree, a perfect tree, “a beautiful tree,” he says, “and behind it, snow-capped mountains and a forest marching off.” And so Niggle began painting the first leaf. Painstakingly. With excruciating attention to detail. He painted slowly. Every line had to be perfect. Every color and shade had to be just right. Every single leaf on this beautiful tree would be exquisite.

And Niggle would get interrupted and distracted. He’d grumble from time to time and lose his temper and maybe even cuss, mostly to himself. But he kept at it. Working and painting and laboring over this beautiful tree. And when Niggle dies, he’s only painted one leaf.

Tony Morrow made it his mission to move to Eastern Ukraine to house and feed and train and minister to orphaned kids who have aged out of the government programs. The Central church has partnered with Tony. We bought him a van last year. Some in our church have made Tony’s mission their mission. They’re sending him money and cards and emails, they’re planning to visit Ukraine and minister alongside him themselves. The truth is, there are still thousands of street kids in Ukraine. Tony’s not even making a dent.

For four years Central has been providing weekend meals for Bivins Elementary with the Snack Pak program. 84 children a week. They’d go hungry without it. A lot of our folks work in that important mission: picking up the food, sorting and stuffing the backpacks, delivering it to the school. Yet, more than 32-thousand children in the Panhandle still go hungry every week.

Some of our church family have gone on a Let’s Start Talking trip. Some are planning to go this summer. That’s their mission: teaching people the English language through the Bible. And we believe in it. We train them, we plan the trips, we schedule the whole thing, we help them pay for it. But I’m not sure any of them have witnessed one single baptism.

Loaves & Fishes. Martha’s Home. Another Chance House. We’ve partnered with them for a dozen years and there are just as many homeless men and abused women in Amarillo today as there were when we started.

For nine years, maybe, you’ve poured your life into your next-door neighbor, trying to form a holy relationship that’ll lead her to Christ. So far, nothing.

You’ve spent seven years, maybe, trying to keep a Bible study going at your workplace. It’s sporadic at best. Nobody seems that interested.

For three years, maybe, you’ve given money and brought groceries and bought Christmas presents for the single mother who happens to be your cashier at Toot ‘N’ Totem. She never came to church. Last week she moved to Colorado.

We’ve been doing “4 Amarillo” for more than two years now. But lots of churches still have nothing to do with each other in this city. Division among Churches of Christ is still a huge problem.

Central has been on a mission in downtown Amarillo for 107 years. Good ministry. Gospel ministry. Powerful ministry. And there are still many, many dark and godless places in this city.

Sometimes it feels like we’re only getting a leaf out. We have a beautiful picture in our hearts. And we’re painting that perfect tree with everything we’ve got. And when we die, maybe we’ve only painted one leaf.

In Tolkien’s story, when Niggle dies, he’s going into the afterlife and he sees something way off in the distance. He jumps off the train and runs to the top of the platform and there’s his tree! His tree! His beautifully perfect tree, the one he had felt, the one he had worked on his whole life. In the afterlife, Niggle’s work has become an eternal reality. In heaven, his life’s mission has been made complete, not on canvas, but in the everlasting stuff of new creation.

We spend our lives working on the painting, but it’s only going to be completed on that day in glory. We know that eventually all our work is going to be made perfect because our Christ is returning and he’s bringing heaven with him. Scripture says on that day our work will be shown for what it is. That Day will bring it to light and it will survive. Revelation 14 promises us that the dead who die in the Lord will be blessed and they will rest “for their deeds will follow them.”

Sometimes mission seems like a losing battle. For those who are serious about justice and mercy and peace and love; for those working to bring God’s will to earth just as it is in heaven; it seems like we’re only getting out a couple of leaves. But in the end, the masterpiece that God has placed in your soul, the picture you have in your heart, becomes an eternal reality, far more beautiful and perfect and everlasting than you could ever ask or imagine.

Peace,

Allan

Category: John (Page 14 of 30)

Act Five – Church: The Proclaimed Kingdom

It Is Finished!

Act Four – Jesus

Pastors & Pistols

Do Whatever Jesus Tells You

Getting Out a Leaf

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