DNA

i really liked preaching this series on the church.

i really like preaching at north point.

to be able to speak about the DNA of serving and giving that exists in this church family is honor.  to challenge people to roll up sleeves and jump into a lifestyle of sacrifice is the best.  thanks for letting me do this.

DNA is like a fingerprint…God wants us to leave our fingerprints in this community by serving…by giving…by connecting…by loving…by putting a towel around our waist and pour ourselves out like a pitcher of water for others.

If you are not willing to get dirty…give…serve…lay it down…be used up…stop wanting to look good in your casket…you’re in the wrong church.

man, it feels good to say that!

About the priesthood and fancy temples

i love preaching and teaching about this stuff.

when peter called his readers (and listeners, i presume) the priesthood, it was beyond radical.  it was irreverent.  it was stunning.  it was revolutionary.  first century believers came out of cultures that understood the rich history of jewish faith.  the concept of “priest” was well known.  priests were the holy men.  priests were the ones who could handle the sacred things of god.  priests knew god and were the intermediaries between people of faith and the god they wanted to connect with.

it was just a fancy idea, it was the way things worked.  it turned their world upside down to be referred to as “priests”.  the same is true of being told that they (people) were the holy temple where god would reside.  the thought that god was no longer located in a fancy tabernacle was heresy of the highest order.  too bad…it was the way things were going to be.  forever.

i’m really curious about how these two facts resonate with you.  for me, it changed everything.

(if you want more of a discussion on this topic, keep reading my other blog this week…)

It’s not church…

i will look back on yesterday as a good day.  if you want to read a re-cap of the sermon, you can check it out over on my other blog, i was just thinking.  

i don’t know if there are many things that i am more passionate about than making sure we define “church” properly.  i spend the majority of my days working on church events and church programs.  they are important.  without good events and programs and meetings, the church will struggle in fulfilling our mission and obeying our master.

i hope people didn’t miss the point.  i love church gatherings.  i love when we worship together.  i am thrilled when we serve together and have fellowship.  i believe that one of my areas of giftedness is teaching god’s word and equipping people for ministry.  classes and workshops and sermons are important.  these are moments that i live for.

but it’s not church.  and until we get this straight, we are going to mess up the most elementary steps of our journey as disciples.  church is people.  church is people in relationship.  church is people sharing life and committing loyalty and love and honesty and openness to each other for the benefit of others.  church is living out your discipleship side-by-side with people you enjoy and are drawn to.  

i’m grateful for north point.

1 John 5:11-13…a postscript

i was asked last week to give a deeper explanation of what it means to have assurance of eternal life.  i appreciated the encouragement to give more.  i’m grateful that people listen and want more.  i think it helps me and holds me accountable to my calling as a teacher of god’s word.  thanks.

here are the things i’m confident of:

• eternal life is more than a destination to arrive at after i die
• eternal life is a quality of existence here and now
• eternal life is a gift…it cannot be earned…it is never deserved
• death, however, is still a pre-requisite for acquiring eternal life…just not a physical death
• according to the word of god, i must “die to self” before i can really live the life that god desires me to have
• eternal life means i can live in the “now”, without being controlled by “now”
• because i am confident of my eternity, i can see “now” with the right perspective
• i can fully invest in the “now”, because i am not obsessed with what will happen to me later  
• my purpose is derived by “now”, not by later 
• my purpose is forged in living each day for what it’s worth
• because i possess eternal life, my life goals are all about helping others to possess eternal life

two passages really stand out to me in my study of eternal life.  the first is out of john 17, in the words that jesus prays for those who choose to follow him.  it is here that jesus, himself, gives the explanation of what eternal life is…knowing (experiencing) the presence of god and his son, jesus:

Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.  john 17:3

the other passage comes from the first letter that paul wrote to timothy, his young protege in kingdom building.  he gives him a firm command…one that we should be following with passion and diligence:

Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  1 timothy 6:12

hope this sermon helped clear things up.