Why is there a divide between the Church and business world? Why does it seem that in order to get ahead in the “business world” (I put quotes around that because we refer to business as if it exist in this other fictional place that is not the normal world) one has to surrender to greed and make an idol of success? An even better question, why does the church view monetary success with such disdain (refer to previous entry)? Why can’t the best minds in business also be Christians?
First let’s tackle a few perception issues. The business world is not this “other place” that exists where people are mean spirited and greed is rampant. Business is simply commerce and commerce is the reason you are reading this blog on your computer, the reason why you are wearing a shirt that keep you warm and the reason why you ate food at your last meal. Both Wikipedia and dictionary.com define a business as a legal entity set up to make a profit. I could say they make a profit so that their employees can go and buy a computer to read this blog like you…but the careful eye might say salaries are human resource costs and therefore not a part of profit. So they make a profit then so that they can reinvest in their company to make the computer faster and food healthier. My favorite real life examples currently are two of the most well known companies in the world, Exxon Mobil (oil) and Wal-Mart (retail). We love to hate the billions of dollars that they make in profit every year. So what about the millions of dollars that Exxon Mobil is investing in future energy sources like hydrogen or in increasing energy efficiency by 10% in 2008 alone. What about the items on your desk that you could not own because you could not afford them without Wal-Mart’s ability to leverage their size to lower prices? What about the thousands of jobs that both companies provide to their employees? My Challenge is simply that if you believe these companies profits go to such horrible causes, then simply don’t by gas (oil product) and don’t shop at Wal-Mart.
So by now you are wondering, what does the Bible say about Business? The first insight comes from Luke 16 and parable of the Shrewd Manager. The manager is about to be fired by his boss, so he goes and tells the Master’s debtors to reduce their debts in order that they would embrace him and allow him into their homes when he loses his Job. This action is evil because the master never approved the debt reduction, however, the master praised the shrewdness of the manager. Jesus then comments on how the world is shrewder than the people of God. I think this is true of today’s society, we assume that as people of God we cannot use our minds to achieve competitive advantage over others. I mean, it seems wrong to become more effective, efficient or affluent at the expense of another business. Jesus here is saying the opposite here though, with a catch. The opposite with a catch… We are to use our worldly wealth to gain the trust of men. We are to use our success (and failures) to build relationships with people whom we can love. We are to be trusted in dealing with our worldly wealth (trust me… you are wealthy) so that we can be entrusted with true wealth later. The catch is what we do with the wealth, not how we acquire it (assuming your dealings are fair and ethical). Jesus says clearly you cannot serve two masters, God and Money. You have to pick. So the message is be shrewd, thrifty and be innovative in your business. Be the best that you can be so that you are using your worldly resources to the best of your ability…and then serve God with the worldly wealth that you are granted through your shrewdness.
So how does that work practically? Wal-Mart should strive to be the best they can be at selling stuff cheaply, Exxon Mobil should strive to be the best at producing energy. Then, they should use the wealth they are granted to love people. Now, the owners of Exxon, Wal-Mart and other Fortune 500 companies are the public…you may not know you own them….but check out the mutual funds in your retirement plan. So as shareholders, it is our responsibility to make sure that the company is managing its business shrewdly…and then use our profits for the good of society. So if this is the goal of business, then shouldn’t some of the best Christian thinkers be in “business?”
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Christmas, Observations on.
Santa Clause, parties, trees, and that neighbor with the really horrible looking lights outlining his roof announce the beginning of “the season.” I call it “the season” because I wouldn’t want to offend anyone. Just because it is the birth of Jesus, the Christ and founder of Christianity, doesn’t mean that we should call Christmas a Christian holiday…after all…everyone should be able to participate. Calling it Christmas would just be too Christian for a Christian holiday. Hanukkah and Kwanza are perfectly ok names because they acknowledge religious diversity...but let’s not use Christmas because people that are not Christians might be offended. What if I didn’t believe in Columbus…or the American army? I think we should say goodbye to Columbus day and Veterans Day because I don’t believe in them.
The point of the above rant is that we are becoming so bogged down in “the season” that we forget about the “meaning for the season.” Christmas celebrates the coming of God to earth in order to begin the painstaking task of saving humanity. Oh..of course you know. You went to Church on Christmas eve. You say Merry Christmas. But do we (you and me)…do we really get it? I mean…there seem to be lots of people left out in the cold while we sit inside in the horrible pajamas that grandma gave us (again…note: nothing against grandmas or pajamas) and drink cider and open iPods, clothing that we don’t need and candy. The real meaning of Christmas? Jesus, the Christ, coming to earth. In Colossians 1: 15-16, Jesus is described as the “firstborn over all creation.” For him and by him all things were created. This is God (for those of you who believe less I encourage you to read The Case for Christ…I have a copy if you want it). God stepping down, out of heaven into a manger to be among people… Whoa..forget redemption, a cross all of that…there is tremendous sacrifice and mercy in the Christmas story before we even get to Calvary. Jesus, the firstborn of all creation could sit in heaven and rule but instead, he comes to be on earth with his creation. Name another religion where God leaves his Kingdom and comes to dwell among mere humans? You will be hard pressed to find one. Why leave? To tell the little humans that they are being bad and need to repent? Sort of. Really, he came to love people. Flip to the middle of Luke (who is widely believed to me the most methodical in recording the life of Jesus) and the middle 2/3 or so of the book are Jesus hanging out with misfits, tax collectors and other “sinners” (not like you and me of course…we aren’t in need of Grace..just iPods.). And we he isn’t dining with the “sinners” he is healing the lame, giving sight to the blind and raising the dead. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus ministry..which consisted of loving people. My question then, is in what part of his ministry is his love summed up in an iPod? Or a Garmin GPS? I understand your balk…but we give to demonstrate love. I get that, I do the same thing. There is nothing wrong with gift giving. The question is as Christians, are we celebrating the beginning of leading people to truth, helping the poor, healing the sick, causing the blind to see? Or are we celebrating another nice holiday? Christmas is much bigger than even celebrating the birth of Christ, it is celebrating the birth of Christ as the beginning of his ministry to world…a world full of normal people, like us, who need the grace of a savior. I think that the song that we sing in protestant Church services across this country with candles ( it is a beautiful sight really), silent night, really sums it up best. Christmas is a silent time for Christians. We focus inwardly instead of on the very people that Jesus came to save. I invite you to revisit the lyrics of Silent night one more time.
The point of the above rant is that we are becoming so bogged down in “the season” that we forget about the “meaning for the season.” Christmas celebrates the coming of God to earth in order to begin the painstaking task of saving humanity. Oh..of course you know. You went to Church on Christmas eve. You say Merry Christmas. But do we (you and me)…do we really get it? I mean…there seem to be lots of people left out in the cold while we sit inside in the horrible pajamas that grandma gave us (again…note: nothing against grandmas or pajamas) and drink cider and open iPods, clothing that we don’t need and candy. The real meaning of Christmas? Jesus, the Christ, coming to earth. In Colossians 1: 15-16, Jesus is described as the “firstborn over all creation.” For him and by him all things were created. This is God (for those of you who believe less I encourage you to read The Case for Christ…I have a copy if you want it). God stepping down, out of heaven into a manger to be among people… Whoa..forget redemption, a cross all of that…there is tremendous sacrifice and mercy in the Christmas story before we even get to Calvary. Jesus, the firstborn of all creation could sit in heaven and rule but instead, he comes to be on earth with his creation. Name another religion where God leaves his Kingdom and comes to dwell among mere humans? You will be hard pressed to find one. Why leave? To tell the little humans that they are being bad and need to repent? Sort of. Really, he came to love people. Flip to the middle of Luke (who is widely believed to me the most methodical in recording the life of Jesus) and the middle 2/3 or so of the book are Jesus hanging out with misfits, tax collectors and other “sinners” (not like you and me of course…we aren’t in need of Grace..just iPods.). And we he isn’t dining with the “sinners” he is healing the lame, giving sight to the blind and raising the dead. Christmas is the celebration of Jesus ministry..which consisted of loving people. My question then, is in what part of his ministry is his love summed up in an iPod? Or a Garmin GPS? I understand your balk…but we give to demonstrate love. I get that, I do the same thing. There is nothing wrong with gift giving. The question is as Christians, are we celebrating the beginning of leading people to truth, helping the poor, healing the sick, causing the blind to see? Or are we celebrating another nice holiday? Christmas is much bigger than even celebrating the birth of Christ, it is celebrating the birth of Christ as the beginning of his ministry to world…a world full of normal people, like us, who need the grace of a savior. I think that the song that we sing in protestant Church services across this country with candles ( it is a beautiful sight really), silent night, really sums it up best. Christmas is a silent time for Christians. We focus inwardly instead of on the very people that Jesus came to save. I invite you to revisit the lyrics of Silent night one more time.
silent night, holy night
all is calm, all is bright
shepherds quake at the sight
shepherds quake at the sight
glories stream from heaven afar
love's pure light
love's pure light
radiant beams from thy holy face
with the dawn of redeeming grace
All is bright, glories are streaming, people are quaking, the dawn of grace. What part of this is silent? I didn’t write the song but just maybe it should be re-titled “Loud Night.” Christmas should be the time for people to look upon Christianity and say man…they really love people. Not the opposite. We should be saying to the world, as followers of Christ, as we celebrate Christmas, we are celebrating the work of Christ through loving the world. We are saying that we are bright and loud and different. As followers of Christ, the Challenge this Christmas is to remember the birth of Christ by loving the world, as Christ did. I am not sure what you specifically can do differently..but maybe you can just make a difference in the world around you at Christmas time.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Identity Crisis
Who are we? Who are we in Christ? Who do we say we are?
Are we living as who we are? Or are we living for what we think that we are?
We still deal with who we are, even now that High School is over, people are still equally judgmental and harsh. Maybe our issues aren’t so much with outward appearances but with outward appearances. Yeah that’s the same thing, but starkly different. It’s not about looking good physically (wearing the right clothes, having the right accessories, knowing the right group of people) but now we are more about “having it all together” emotionally, mentally and even spiritually. This means we have no bad days, we have to be on the ball all the time or someone might notice that we really feel like a broken down mess inside that is fighting to make it though.
So who are we really?
Colossians 1:16
“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”
All things were created by him and for Him. We are included in the “all things. ” We are created by God, by the firstborn over all creation and are made to be under the lordship of the creator. Don’t miss the second crucial point of this scripture. When we live outside this lordship, then we feel as if life isn’t going so well. It’s not that we necessarily are doing un-Godly things, but we are not living to our fullest potential because we were created to live for Christ’s purposes.
Colossians 1:20
“and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. “21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[f] your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—“
Christ reconciled himself to all things. What does reconciliation really mean? Two friends reconcile their differences by working out a mutual agreement. Maybe they apologize. Here reconcile means to bring into agreement or harmony. This implies that we were at some point out of harmony with God. Verse 22 says that we were alienated from God and even calls us enemies. An enemy is something that one naturally works against because the enemy has an opposite objective or goal than the person. God, therefore directly opposes his enemies on Earth. The Greek word for enemy literally means to transfer to another owner. Therefore as enemies, we are literally transferred into the hands of Satan. Our humanity naturally takes us away from the lordship of Christ, causing disharmony and alienation. This includes harmony in the Universe, not only saving people but restoring something that had been messed up since Adam and Eve ate from the tree. Christ is reconciling “things in heaven” as well as what we can see on earth. The idea that our stuff is too much for this reconciliation is almost a slap in the face to God. If Christ can reconcile the entire universe (which expands daily, therefore God is continuously infinitely pulling things back into back into Harmony) is there really anything about us that is unforgivable? Then the really great part…Not only does Christ bring us back into harmony with God, but he makes us Holy and without blemish through his blood on the cross. The only way that we can be in harmony with God’s purpose on the earth is to be Holy because anything that is less than holy is wrapped in sin, and God opposes sin as the enemy. So our identity is not only in Harmony with God, but we are Holy. The only thing in the universe prior to this passage described as Holy is God. The only two things ever described as Holy are people reconciled through Christ and God.
After Reconciliation, our response must be to surrender the Lordship of our lives to Christ. After the Cross, we are not only forgiven but our acceptance of this puts us under the ownership of Christ.
ii. A desire to be saved means a desire to be made holy, blameless and irreproachable, not merely a desire to escape the fires of hell on our own terms.
1 Peter 2:9-10
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Peter sums it up brilliantly here, explaining that our Identity is solely found in God’s redemption. God literally purchased us at a price and redeemed our soles. Here Peter is pleading with the Gentile people to become spiritually the “people” that Israel had become literally. They had no spiritually identity before Christ and now they are fully adopted as a people by God. We to are lacking of an identity as a people before Christ and our identity is found in Christ.
The text from Colossians is written at the time of the Colossian heresy, as a corrective measure to fix the deceptive philosophy. Today we have our own heresy, and that is the idea that we have to be good, clean, successful, athletic, look nice, ect. Upper-class-man…looking for Jobs, you know what it means to have to live up to something worldly. We are taken captive in this instead of living out the idea that we are holy and without blemish before God.
Quote from John Piper
“There is a lot of discussion in our day of self-concept or self- identity. How do we view ourselves? It is an important question. And what I hope you hear this morning is that the specifically Biblical angle on this question is that Christian selfhood is not defined in terms of who we are in and of ourselves. It's defined in terms of what God does to us and the relationship he creates with us and the destiny he appoints for us. In other words as a Christian you cannot talk about your identity without talking about the action of God on you, the relationship of God with you and the purpose of God for you. The Biblical understanding of human self-identity is radically God-centered.”
Living out Our Identity.
Colossians 2:9-12
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
We have the fullness in Christ that empowers us to live a life that is full, exciting, maxed out to the nth degree but we sit around and think so often about how we stack up. I think we often live as if we are just ok. We are just getting by. But in reality, we have the FULLNESS of God. All of God dwelling in us…desiring to make us a success for his purposes on this earth…
Genesis 2:7
7 the LORD God formed the man [e] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Imagine God taking us, literally forming us out of dust, molding us like clay and then breathing life into us. Pause…really imagine that.
God created man in his own image…We ARE created as blessed people by God. We are the last of the “Good” things in creation. Often we take for granted the fact that God molded who we were to be after Himself. This goes further in defining our purpose on earth, our identity on earth because we are fashioned as an image of God so that we can live out His purpose on earth. If God wanted to fashion us as self-absorbed people, he would have picked a different image at the onset.
Philippians3: 2-11
No confidence in the flesh
2Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
I like the message translation of the rest of the section best…
7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness. 10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
Our identity is centered on Christ living in us. Not on our flesh. Not on our accomplishments. When we compare ourselves to the world, we have identity issues because we aren’t supposed to be like the rest of the world. If all is lost for the sake of Christ then we shouldn’t “stack up” in terms of the world. We should measure up in faith.
Paul has the most reason to brag because of his earthly position in society. Paul came from the right background, he had a high position, he had done everything right in his life by the worlds standards….
And God knocked him off his horse. And all of the worldly identity that Paul had built up became “rubbish” for the sake of Christ.
Luke 20 (it’s too long to post here)
So the judgment is rendered against Jesus. "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips." The judgment's irony is that Jesus will be crucified for being who he is. The trial pictures the world's rejection of him and his claims. His own people have not received him. Sin's blindness leads to Jesus' dying for being who he is. Confirmation of this understanding of the trial as picturing humanity's rejection will come when the people add their voices to call for Jesus' death, opting to free a murderer in the place of this innocent one (23:13-25; Acts 4:24-31). Jesus utters his own death sentence by speaking what Luke would regard as the truth. The power of identity is found in Christ’s resurrection…Christ would have been a mere man without God. Without God, without God forming, making, being faithful to and raising from the dead, Christ would be a dude who said some nice things with cool sandals. Because Jesus found his identity in God (maybe easier because he was God…) he was the Savior to all mankind.
Like Christ was rejected by men, so might I also be rejected by men and Cherished by God. . But wow, we are chosen and a holy nation. Before Christ we are not even people. We are not the human that we are created to be because we are not in Christ now we are a people. Because Christ was the Son of God, because he was God, because his identity was God, then I am saved and free. I am free to build my identity in Christ, already chosen to be holy.
Are we living as who we are? Or are we living for what we think that we are?
We still deal with who we are, even now that High School is over, people are still equally judgmental and harsh. Maybe our issues aren’t so much with outward appearances but with outward appearances. Yeah that’s the same thing, but starkly different. It’s not about looking good physically (wearing the right clothes, having the right accessories, knowing the right group of people) but now we are more about “having it all together” emotionally, mentally and even spiritually. This means we have no bad days, we have to be on the ball all the time or someone might notice that we really feel like a broken down mess inside that is fighting to make it though.
So who are we really?
Colossians 1:16
“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”
All things were created by him and for Him. We are included in the “all things. ” We are created by God, by the firstborn over all creation and are made to be under the lordship of the creator. Don’t miss the second crucial point of this scripture. When we live outside this lordship, then we feel as if life isn’t going so well. It’s not that we necessarily are doing un-Godly things, but we are not living to our fullest potential because we were created to live for Christ’s purposes.
Colossians 1:20
“and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. “21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[f] your evil behavior. 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation—“
Christ reconciled himself to all things. What does reconciliation really mean? Two friends reconcile their differences by working out a mutual agreement. Maybe they apologize. Here reconcile means to bring into agreement or harmony. This implies that we were at some point out of harmony with God. Verse 22 says that we were alienated from God and even calls us enemies. An enemy is something that one naturally works against because the enemy has an opposite objective or goal than the person. God, therefore directly opposes his enemies on Earth. The Greek word for enemy literally means to transfer to another owner. Therefore as enemies, we are literally transferred into the hands of Satan. Our humanity naturally takes us away from the lordship of Christ, causing disharmony and alienation. This includes harmony in the Universe, not only saving people but restoring something that had been messed up since Adam and Eve ate from the tree. Christ is reconciling “things in heaven” as well as what we can see on earth. The idea that our stuff is too much for this reconciliation is almost a slap in the face to God. If Christ can reconcile the entire universe (which expands daily, therefore God is continuously infinitely pulling things back into back into Harmony) is there really anything about us that is unforgivable? Then the really great part…Not only does Christ bring us back into harmony with God, but he makes us Holy and without blemish through his blood on the cross. The only way that we can be in harmony with God’s purpose on the earth is to be Holy because anything that is less than holy is wrapped in sin, and God opposes sin as the enemy. So our identity is not only in Harmony with God, but we are Holy. The only thing in the universe prior to this passage described as Holy is God. The only two things ever described as Holy are people reconciled through Christ and God.
After Reconciliation, our response must be to surrender the Lordship of our lives to Christ. After the Cross, we are not only forgiven but our acceptance of this puts us under the ownership of Christ.
ii. A desire to be saved means a desire to be made holy, blameless and irreproachable, not merely a desire to escape the fires of hell on our own terms.
1 Peter 2:9-10
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Peter sums it up brilliantly here, explaining that our Identity is solely found in God’s redemption. God literally purchased us at a price and redeemed our soles. Here Peter is pleading with the Gentile people to become spiritually the “people” that Israel had become literally. They had no spiritually identity before Christ and now they are fully adopted as a people by God. We to are lacking of an identity as a people before Christ and our identity is found in Christ.
The text from Colossians is written at the time of the Colossian heresy, as a corrective measure to fix the deceptive philosophy. Today we have our own heresy, and that is the idea that we have to be good, clean, successful, athletic, look nice, ect. Upper-class-man…looking for Jobs, you know what it means to have to live up to something worldly. We are taken captive in this instead of living out the idea that we are holy and without blemish before God.
Quote from John Piper
“There is a lot of discussion in our day of self-concept or self- identity. How do we view ourselves? It is an important question. And what I hope you hear this morning is that the specifically Biblical angle on this question is that Christian selfhood is not defined in terms of who we are in and of ourselves. It's defined in terms of what God does to us and the relationship he creates with us and the destiny he appoints for us. In other words as a Christian you cannot talk about your identity without talking about the action of God on you, the relationship of God with you and the purpose of God for you. The Biblical understanding of human self-identity is radically God-centered.”
Living out Our Identity.
Colossians 2:9-12
9For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, 10and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. 11In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature,[a] not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, 12having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.
We have the fullness in Christ that empowers us to live a life that is full, exciting, maxed out to the nth degree but we sit around and think so often about how we stack up. I think we often live as if we are just ok. We are just getting by. But in reality, we have the FULLNESS of God. All of God dwelling in us…desiring to make us a success for his purposes on this earth…
Genesis 2:7
7 the LORD God formed the man [e] from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
Imagine God taking us, literally forming us out of dust, molding us like clay and then breathing life into us. Pause…really imagine that.
God created man in his own image…We ARE created as blessed people by God. We are the last of the “Good” things in creation. Often we take for granted the fact that God molded who we were to be after Himself. This goes further in defining our purpose on earth, our identity on earth because we are fashioned as an image of God so that we can live out His purpose on earth. If God wanted to fashion us as self-absorbed people, he would have picked a different image at the onset.
Philippians3: 2-11
No confidence in the flesh
2Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. 3For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— 4though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless. 7But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
I like the message translation of the rest of the section best…
7-9The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash—along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ. Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant—dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty, inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ—God's righteousness. 10-11I gave up all that inferior stuff so I could know Christ personally, experience his resurrection power, be a partner in his suffering, and go all the way with him to death itself. If there was any way to get in on the resurrection from the dead, I wanted to do it.
Our identity is centered on Christ living in us. Not on our flesh. Not on our accomplishments. When we compare ourselves to the world, we have identity issues because we aren’t supposed to be like the rest of the world. If all is lost for the sake of Christ then we shouldn’t “stack up” in terms of the world. We should measure up in faith.
Paul has the most reason to brag because of his earthly position in society. Paul came from the right background, he had a high position, he had done everything right in his life by the worlds standards….
And God knocked him off his horse. And all of the worldly identity that Paul had built up became “rubbish” for the sake of Christ.
Luke 20 (it’s too long to post here)
So the judgment is rendered against Jesus. "Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips." The judgment's irony is that Jesus will be crucified for being who he is. The trial pictures the world's rejection of him and his claims. His own people have not received him. Sin's blindness leads to Jesus' dying for being who he is. Confirmation of this understanding of the trial as picturing humanity's rejection will come when the people add their voices to call for Jesus' death, opting to free a murderer in the place of this innocent one (23:13-25; Acts 4:24-31). Jesus utters his own death sentence by speaking what Luke would regard as the truth. The power of identity is found in Christ’s resurrection…Christ would have been a mere man without God. Without God, without God forming, making, being faithful to and raising from the dead, Christ would be a dude who said some nice things with cool sandals. Because Jesus found his identity in God (maybe easier because he was God…) he was the Savior to all mankind.
Like Christ was rejected by men, so might I also be rejected by men and Cherished by God. . But wow, we are chosen and a holy nation. Before Christ we are not even people. We are not the human that we are created to be because we are not in Christ now we are a people. Because Christ was the Son of God, because he was God, because his identity was God, then I am saved and free. I am free to build my identity in Christ, already chosen to be holy.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Money.
Nobody wants to talk about it, yet behind God I am convinced that it might be the most powerful force on Earth. If you want to build a well in Africa to have fresh drinking water, it cost money, if you want to open a criminal organization, you have to finance it, and if you want to go on a mission trip, somebody must to pay for it. So first, let’s just clear up some things for those who have been misled. Money is neither good nor bad. Money is simply a representation of value in economics. It is a common form of tender that can be used for transactions to buy goods and services worldwide. More money implies higher ECONOMIC value, less money implies lower ECONOMIC value. (Note ECONOMIC in big font…everything in the world isn’t valued in terms of economics, but things that involve money are…sorry if you don’t like it but it’s the truth)The attitude behind money is what makes the use of money good of for evil.
Look at the situation we find ourselves in today. The gap between the rich and poor is widening tremendously; Wall Street bankers drive Porches and Indian farmer’s children only eat twice a week. Finances are increasingly more complex because of the number of products offered to consumers, which are designed to cause individuals to fall into financial slavery to banks and other institutions. Yet Pensions are a thing of the past, therefore it seems critical that we amass money for “retirement” or we will not be able to even pay our Bills.
Perspective is the biggest issue when we begin to tackle these issues. The world views money as something that we make which buys stuff that we consume. In Matthew 25 and again in Luke 19, Jesus establishes the biblical view of money. Money is a blessing from God. We do not own it, we merly manage it for a short time during our life. Therefore, we manage the ability to accomplish good and evil with our money. We can hoard it, and buy lots of stuff; or we can invest it in things that will accomplish God’s eternal purposes on Earth. It’s the same concept as if you gave your money to the bank to invest for your future. You would like to come back years later and know that there has been a great return on your investment, but instead you find that they had a great time throwing parties for a few years and now it is all gone.
1 Timothy 6: 3-9 states that godliness is not a means to financial gain. Aka, if I follow God he will make my “pastures greener” literally with money. God does not operate on worldly economics, as a matter of fact his economics are quite backwards; usually involving forsaking all, surrender and giving up something in exchange for more suffering for the promotion of His Kingdom. Matthew 6: 19-34 says that true treasure is found in Heaven. I worked with wealthy clients all summer long…and when I say wealthy I am talking about the kind of things you see in Cribs, not your next door neighbor with a BMW…. And I met quite a few who had all the money in the world and yet little happiness, or even worse, their happiness was found in how many zeros were in their net worth. Luke 12:15 says that “a person’s life does not consist of the possessions that he has” and Matthew 6:33 “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” Pure Joy, not happiness for one day but true joy is found seeking after and following God, not on how much stuff we have. My favorite quote may be John Piper saying “there are no U-hauls behind herses.” Luke 12:32-34 says that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. Where is your heart? You say “oh…I know that” but do you really? Why are you in your job? Because it’s what you are called too? Why are you in your major? Because God put you there? Or because it will make you a nice income. It is a constant tension between giving ourselves away and filling up our U-haul.
I know your now thinking great post…but I’m poor and I don’t have any money so what is the point here? 1st because Christ talked about it. Randy Alcorn, a theologian, supposes that 15% of everything Christ said was about money. Christ knew this would be an issue. As college students we have tremendous power in our “wealth.” The reality is that we are not poor, we are poor in terms of our parents and the 1% of Americans that we aspire to be like. We are wealthy compared to the world that lives on less than a dollar a day. We have the power to cause financial change in the world. Amos 8:4-6 puts it rather harshly but it gets at the truth. We trample the poor, leave them homeless so we can have a good time on the weekend. Meanwhile, they just want to stay out of the cold while we ride by in a car with heat wearing a NorthFace jacket . Last semester we raised over $800 bucks for One Verse at West Rome alone. I was at a church event a few years ago and a room full of young people raised enough money (I think 50k) to buy cars for three single moms for Christmas time. $50,000/ 3000 people is over 16 bucks a person. We may not be able to fund a building or a capital project but to someone who lives on a dollar a day, that same 15 dollars is the difference between life and death.
So am I supposed to give it all away? In my opinion, saving for retirement is perfectly ok. In OT times, people farmed and grew and made the things they needed to survive until they died (usually between 40 and 50 years of age). If they were unable to provide for themselves, the community would take care of them and most people didn’t make it that far. Now times are different, modern healthcare is expensive , people live longer, basic needs are expensive, and most people live longer than they work so people need savings to draw from. There is a difference between saving money while being financially savvy; and loving money. The question is simply this, if God asked you to give it all away would you? …pause…..would you really?
Proverbs 18: 10-12 says that is God ultimately is our strong tower, wall and security. Security from God does not come as an easy stomach but as a peace that you are moving in the right direction. A wall of money may ensure that you never go hungry but it will also ensure a lifetime of temptation and uneasiness if it becomes your God.
Other interesting scripture:
One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Mark 10:21).
"Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven . . . Woe to you rich, for you have received your consolation" (Luke 6:20).
"Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field" (Matthew 13:44).
Jesus "saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them" (Luke 21:1).
"But God said to [the man who built even bigger barns], ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:20-21).
"Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head . . . Follow me" (Luke 9:58).
A profile of Americans’ income (2006)
30% of American adults earn $30K or less annually, before taxes. (2006)
38% of American adults earn between $30K and $60K annually, before taxes. (2006)
20% of American adults earn $60K to $100K annually, before taxes. (2006)
12% of Americans earn over $100K annually, before taxes (2006)
The average cumulative donations to churches by evangelicals totaled $2097. For evangelicals, cumulative donations totaled $2097. (2000) Among the born again population, which represents 38% of all adults, the average giving to churches in 2003 was $1411, much higher than a year earlier ($1220), but below previous year’s totals. (2004) -BARNA
Deuteronomy 8: 10-18
Tithe- I would imagine that our giving to the local church does not even stack up to that of our poorly performing parents generation. We don’t tithe now because we “don’t have any money.” Live on a dollar a day, then tell me you don’t have any money. The money is there, it is a matter of priority. The truth is that we would rather go to Applebee’s than give to the purpose of furthering the Kingdom of God on the earth.
Look at the situation we find ourselves in today. The gap between the rich and poor is widening tremendously; Wall Street bankers drive Porches and Indian farmer’s children only eat twice a week. Finances are increasingly more complex because of the number of products offered to consumers, which are designed to cause individuals to fall into financial slavery to banks and other institutions. Yet Pensions are a thing of the past, therefore it seems critical that we amass money for “retirement” or we will not be able to even pay our Bills.
Perspective is the biggest issue when we begin to tackle these issues. The world views money as something that we make which buys stuff that we consume. In Matthew 25 and again in Luke 19, Jesus establishes the biblical view of money. Money is a blessing from God. We do not own it, we merly manage it for a short time during our life. Therefore, we manage the ability to accomplish good and evil with our money. We can hoard it, and buy lots of stuff; or we can invest it in things that will accomplish God’s eternal purposes on Earth. It’s the same concept as if you gave your money to the bank to invest for your future. You would like to come back years later and know that there has been a great return on your investment, but instead you find that they had a great time throwing parties for a few years and now it is all gone.
1 Timothy 6: 3-9 states that godliness is not a means to financial gain. Aka, if I follow God he will make my “pastures greener” literally with money. God does not operate on worldly economics, as a matter of fact his economics are quite backwards; usually involving forsaking all, surrender and giving up something in exchange for more suffering for the promotion of His Kingdom. Matthew 6: 19-34 says that true treasure is found in Heaven. I worked with wealthy clients all summer long…and when I say wealthy I am talking about the kind of things you see in Cribs, not your next door neighbor with a BMW…. And I met quite a few who had all the money in the world and yet little happiness, or even worse, their happiness was found in how many zeros were in their net worth. Luke 12:15 says that “a person’s life does not consist of the possessions that he has” and Matthew 6:33 “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added to you.” Pure Joy, not happiness for one day but true joy is found seeking after and following God, not on how much stuff we have. My favorite quote may be John Piper saying “there are no U-hauls behind herses.” Luke 12:32-34 says that where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. Where is your heart? You say “oh…I know that” but do you really? Why are you in your job? Because it’s what you are called too? Why are you in your major? Because God put you there? Or because it will make you a nice income. It is a constant tension between giving ourselves away and filling up our U-haul.
I know your now thinking great post…but I’m poor and I don’t have any money so what is the point here? 1st because Christ talked about it. Randy Alcorn, a theologian, supposes that 15% of everything Christ said was about money. Christ knew this would be an issue. As college students we have tremendous power in our “wealth.” The reality is that we are not poor, we are poor in terms of our parents and the 1% of Americans that we aspire to be like. We are wealthy compared to the world that lives on less than a dollar a day. We have the power to cause financial change in the world. Amos 8:4-6 puts it rather harshly but it gets at the truth. We trample the poor, leave them homeless so we can have a good time on the weekend. Meanwhile, they just want to stay out of the cold while we ride by in a car with heat wearing a NorthFace jacket . Last semester we raised over $800 bucks for One Verse at West Rome alone. I was at a church event a few years ago and a room full of young people raised enough money (I think 50k) to buy cars for three single moms for Christmas time. $50,000/ 3000 people is over 16 bucks a person. We may not be able to fund a building or a capital project but to someone who lives on a dollar a day, that same 15 dollars is the difference between life and death.
So am I supposed to give it all away? In my opinion, saving for retirement is perfectly ok. In OT times, people farmed and grew and made the things they needed to survive until they died (usually between 40 and 50 years of age). If they were unable to provide for themselves, the community would take care of them and most people didn’t make it that far. Now times are different, modern healthcare is expensive , people live longer, basic needs are expensive, and most people live longer than they work so people need savings to draw from. There is a difference between saving money while being financially savvy; and loving money. The question is simply this, if God asked you to give it all away would you? …pause…..would you really?
Proverbs 18: 10-12 says that is God ultimately is our strong tower, wall and security. Security from God does not come as an easy stomach but as a peace that you are moving in the right direction. A wall of money may ensure that you never go hungry but it will also ensure a lifetime of temptation and uneasiness if it becomes your God.
Other interesting scripture:
One thing you lack: go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me" (Mark 10:21).
"Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of heaven . . . Woe to you rich, for you have received your consolation" (Luke 6:20).
"Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:33).
"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.
Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field" (Matthew 13:44).
Jesus "saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, ‘Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them" (Luke 21:1).
"But God said to [the man who built even bigger barns], ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." (Luke 12:20-21).
"Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head . . . Follow me" (Luke 9:58).
A profile of Americans’ income (2006)
30% of American adults earn $30K or less annually, before taxes. (2006)
38% of American adults earn between $30K and $60K annually, before taxes. (2006)
20% of American adults earn $60K to $100K annually, before taxes. (2006)
12% of Americans earn over $100K annually, before taxes (2006)
The average cumulative donations to churches by evangelicals totaled $2097. For evangelicals, cumulative donations totaled $2097. (2000) Among the born again population, which represents 38% of all adults, the average giving to churches in 2003 was $1411, much higher than a year earlier ($1220), but below previous year’s totals. (2004) -BARNA
Deuteronomy 8: 10-18
Tithe- I would imagine that our giving to the local church does not even stack up to that of our poorly performing parents generation. We don’t tithe now because we “don’t have any money.” Live on a dollar a day, then tell me you don’t have any money. The money is there, it is a matter of priority. The truth is that we would rather go to Applebee’s than give to the purpose of furthering the Kingdom of God on the earth.
Monday, July 9, 2007
?IDEA?
-Why is this important? I believe the Bible. The problem is that the majority of the world doesn’t. In your classrooms you will hear newer, flashier and seemingly better ideas. You will meet people everyday who believe things that are different than you…you will go with those people to starbucks which always includes deep discussion where religion comes up. IF you don’t know anyone like this then expand your circle of friends outside of Christianity.
Where we Are:
Postmodernism Notes-
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/atheism/types/postmodernism.shtml
http://spot.colorado.edu/~harrisov/ramt/ramt10.htm
http://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/Internet/religion_post_bib.htm
-Postmodern religious thought centers on the idea that objective truth through religion is not attainable, religion is a social construct, there is no right religion, all have merit
-Whatever works for you is ok
The Battle Our Generation Faces
-Opposed to Christianity because the Christian worldview is that there can be only one absolute truth, that God exist in the world and sent Christ, part of himself, as the savior of the world. Jesus is the “way the truth and the light…no one comes to the father except through him”..this is an exclusive statement. Christ has to be the only right way or Christianity falls apart.
John 14:6- Truth- alētheia,
a) what is true in any matter under consideration
1) truly, in truth, according to truth
2) of a truth, in reality, in fact, certainly
b) what is true in things appertaining to God and the duties of man, moral and religious truth
1) in the greatest latitude
2) the true notions of God which are open to human reason without his supernatural intervention
Jesus repeats this over and over in Matthew. “I tell you the truth, I tell you the Truth…”
John 18: 28-40- exchange between Jesus and Pilate and What is truth.
37Then Pilate said, "So, are you a king or not?"
Jesus answered, "You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice."
38-39Pilate said, "What is truth?"
(The message)
-Our culture and generation has to know the “correct” truth, Postmodern ideals seem “higher” intellectually because they combine all religious thought into one boat, therefore it seems like the highest level and therefore the correct level, it is hard to make the argument for Christianity because “intellectually” it seems to be a lesser developed idea, The anti-Christ is a deceiver, this is the only way he can control people because he has no actual power. The ideas of postmodernism can deceive the mind into thinking that knowledge and logic are the ultimate in spiritual awakening and therefore since postmodernism is the “highest” ideal, then it must be correct
-I recently had a conversation with a friend who says he is ignostic. “I.G.” He poses the question “Can God create a mountain that He himself cannot move?” If the answer is yes then God is not the most powerful force in the universe because he can’t move mountain. If the answer is no, then he can’t create the mountain, and if the answer is God wouldn’t do that, then God is governed by Logic.
-God is by definition omniscient, omnipresent, etc. Genesis 1. In the Beginning God. Period. There was no logic, there was no light, no earth, no mountains, no time, no me. There was God. John 1:3, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” We assume that our logic and thinking a reason are our own minds making chemical reactions causing these thoughts to occur. Who created the thought and the philosophy 301…God. Psalm 8.
Psalm 19
Knowledge comes from God. Genesis 2:9, Exodus 31:3, Numbers 24: 15-17, 2 Chronicles 1,
Proverbs 1:7
-It is easy to prove Christianity through the Bible, however if you don’t start with a Presupposition of Biblical truth than it becomes very difficult. It becomes very experiential. Postmoderns tend to believe that the Bible is simply a book written by man, maybe even with some spiritual aspects but they see it as a book of social codes that makes people feel whole and good about themselves, not as the inspired work of the Devine God. I find that god tends to beckon us like Saul in Acts 9. He doesn't just call, but he knocks us off our horse and we are blinded untill we receive his grace.
-Christianity requires submission to God, to be an “imitator of God,” human nature does not like to give up control.
-A loving God cannot rationally send the people he created to Hell, therefore there must be other ways than Christ to God. John 14:6- I am the way the truth ect… there is not I am one way or one of the ways, Jesus says "I am THE Way" (sidenote, early Christians refered to themselves as "the way") God has to give us free will otherwise we are simply peons with no real life because God is dictating that we worship him…Our worship is pleasing to God because we choose Him and grace over Hell and false idols.
-Postmodernism can be deceptively close to Christianity..if the Bible is simply a book of theological truths then could God not simply have created different sets of Theological truths…therefore I can believe in God but not Christ because there are other ways to God not through Christ.
-The strongest argument I find is ironically old. From C.S. Lewis. “Jesus is either a Liar,. Lunitic, or Lord. He is not a good teacher (common belief) b.c if he is not the way then he is either a lier or dillusional.
Other scripture-
John 14
4- “You know the way to the place where I am going”, Thomas says..no..we don’t . Even the disciples are having trouble.
5-I am the way the…Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Nothing else is the way. It doesn’t say I am one of the ways, the statement is clear. I am the way to the father.
7- The father is the destination and if you know me then you will know my father.
Ephesians 2:1-10
Before: the way we used to live is literally “meandering through the path of life.” We give in to the desires of the air. As a new flashy theology comes along we accept it through our sinful nature.
After: For it is by grace you have been saved…our saving Grace from God is not only eternity but the joyful knowledge that we are on the right track in life. Its provides direction and ultimate hope.
1 Corinthians 15: 12-19
- Paul is saying that if the resurrection never happened, then Hope is lost, life is futile, we are still dead to sin. The common misnomer at the time was that there was no resurrection of the dead. Paul is saying that if this is true we may as well quit now, why do you continue.
-Paul uses the greek verb that expresses his certainty of Christ physical resurrection 7 times in chapter 15.
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