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Sunday, February 25, 2007

Reclaiming to Restore - Part IV

Part 4 of 4

We now see our God in a different light…

He is not an angry dictator, who wants to wack us.

He is a:

RECLAIMER

RENEWER

RESTORER

His desire is to restore us to the life he intended…

His desire is to restore all men and women to the life he intended…

To make us all into the people whom he created us to be.

We see people in a different light…

We understand that all people are made in the image of God.

We don’t see a man without a home and disregard him as a worthless bum, but we realize that he is a fellow image bearer…and he is worthy of being:

RECLAIMED / RENEWED / RESTORED

We don’t see the prostitute as a whore who has no self-respect, but we see her as a fellow image bearer…who is worthy of being:

RECLAIMED / RENEWED / RESTORED

We don’t see those in a different economic bracket or of a different race or nationality or those who align themselves with a different political party as less than ourselves, but we see them as fellow image bearers…who are worthy of being:

RECLAIMED / RENEWED / RESTORED

We understand that all people have been created in the image of God.

We see our culture in a different light…

We understand that sin has marred God’s creativity…

But we also understand that much of our culture is worthy of being

RECLAIMED

RENEWED

RESTORED

We understand that we are not to abandon culture, but redeem it.

For the Christian life is not about abstention, but redemption.

We are commissioned to throw ourselves into culture so that all that God made is reclaimed to be used in ways he intended .

And the way we redeem culture is by using and cultivating culture rightly in a way that brings glory to God.

Being a Christian is not cutting yourself off from real life; it is entering into it more fully.

Whether it be music or art or dance or film, as Christians we understand that these things are from God we are free to
RECLAIM

RENEW

RESTORE

We see God’s creation in a different light…

We understand that this earth is our home.

We’re here for the long haul…

We understand that litter and pollution are spiritual issues.

We understand that we cannot live independently of the world God has placed us in.

We understand that when it comes to God’s good creation, we are called to:

RECLAIM

RENEW

RESTORE

In his book, Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell writes: “The point of the cross isn’t forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to something much bigger: restoration. God isn’t just interested in the covering over of our sins; God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be. It is not just the removal of what’s being held against us; it is God pulling us into the people he originally had in mind when he made us….The goal here is not simply to not sin. Our purpose is to increase the shalom in this world, which is why approaches to the Christian faith that deal solely with not sinning always fail. They aim at the wrong thing. It is not about what you don’t do. The point is becoming more and more the kind of people God had in mind when we were first created. It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another thing to become more and more and more and more the person God made you to be.”


May we all be changed by the power of our God.

May we all experience what it is to be reclaimed

May we all experience what it is to be renewed

May we all experience what it is to restored

That we may all go forth to reclaim, to renew and to restore.

Amen.

Reclaiming to Restore - Part III

Part 3 of 4

But like any good father, God decided right then and there that sin, death and the devil would not win.

As you read through the pages of the story of God and his people, you will notice that God wants to be here, with his people.

If you skip to the end of the book, you will read that one day, The Lord of the Heavens and Earth, the God of the Universe will come down and will take up residence on the earth with his people.

Revelation 21:2 – I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away….for I AM MAKING ALL THINGS NEW.”

This is a picture of our God’s plan to defeat sin, death and the evil one:

RECLAIMING

RENEWING

RESTORING

Heaven is not our final destination

But as Christians we understand and anticipate spending forever right here

In a new heaven that comes to earth.

The goal is not to escape this world but to make this world the kind of place that God can once again come to.

But how can we do that?

We can do that because as Christians

God is making us into the kind of people he originally created us to be.

The kind of people, who can do this kind of work.

How is God doing that?

Through the death and resurrection of His own Son.

You see, Jesus is God’s way of refusing to give up on his dream for the world.

He has reclaimed us from sin, death and the evil one

In order to renew us and to restore us to our original purpose.

And now, though this world is still fallen and marred by sin we are new kinds of humans.

Humans who have been reclaimed, renewed, restored.

Humans who understand that we reflect the beauty and creativity and wonder of the God who made us.

Humans who have one goal:

Your kingdom come

Your will be done

On earth as it is in heaven

Humans who bring heaven to earth.

Humans who usher in the goodness of the presence of God everyday, everywhere, in everything.

In every relationship, in every transaction, in every meeting, in every situation

We bring heaven to earth.

We are humans who understand that mentoring a child at the local public school is just as spiritual as spending an hour on our knees praying.

We are humans who understand that preparing a meal for a friend who has just lost her husband to cancer is just as spiritual as going to church.

We are humans who understand that playing cowboys and indians with our children in the backyard is just a spiritual as reading the book of Ephesians.

We are humans who understand these things because we understand that no matter what we are doing, we are doing it all for the glory of God with the intention of bringing heaven to earth.

We are humans who fully embrace our life here and now on this earth.
We are humans who understand that we live in the forgiveness of Christ

RECLAIMED

RENEWED

RESTORED

Our life is no longer about sin management.

When we are living in the fullness of who God created us to be, we have no desire to sin.

We now live a life that has been transformed and empowered.

The kingdom of darkness is a temporary kingdom on the planet

But now we understand that the Kingdom of God, the Kingdom of Light has broken in

And now, we live lives in which we are empowered to bring goodness to the inhabitants of this earth.

So, what does it all mean?

How does it change the way I live my life?

Reclaiming to Restore - Part II

Part 2 of 4

But even in those wonderful early days, there were two ways:

There was: the way of God

The way He created things to be;

The way He designed things to be.

And should mankind choose the way of God, then man and woman would experience life to the absolute fullest.

But remember, there were two ways:

The way of God

And there was: the ‘other’ way

A life that could be lived ‘outside’ of the way God designed things to be.

Basically, it’s the rules of the roof concept:

For anyone who has kids or has ever been a kid, you more than likely understand the ‘rules of the roof’ concept.

If you’re going to live under this roof then you will follow these rules.

The rules of the roof are not designed to make life easier for the maker of the rules, but are designed with the follower of the rules in mind.

These rules / guidelines are in place so that one may more enjoy life.

The creator of guidelines is in essence saying, “I know what is best for you…though you might not believe that, I know what is best for you, so here are some guidelines to better help you get the most out of life.”

In our house we have rules of the roof for our boys:

They’re simple:

No jumping off of the top bunk

No opening the front door

No running to the van without mommy or daddy

No climbing on the counters

No taking the knives out of the dishwasher

No sitting on your brothers heads


When you choose to live by the ‘rules of the roof’ life is good, because you are safe.

The rules are for your own good.

They are the best way.

Sadly however….God’s creation chose the way ‘outside’ of God’s design.

The day that Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they in essence chose rebellion.

They chose their own way over God’s way.

They chose to disobey the ‘rules of the roof’

And on that dreadful day, with the simple act of eating a piece of fruit and a more deliberate heart motive that says, “I know better than you, God”, the kingdom of darkness was given a place to manifest itself and with it came:

Sin

Stress

Pain

Disease

Tears

Death

Sorrow

Evil

The absence of goodness

The absence of God – His rule and His reign.

Harmony was broken.

Relationships were broken.

Creation was tarnished.

Culture was blemished.

The Creator of the Universe was heart broken.

In that one simple act of deliberate disobedience, mankind robbed himself of living a life to the absolute fullest

Sin messed up God’s good thing.

Reclaiming to Restore - Part I

The following is part 1 of a 4 part series. I will post the final 3 parts over the next 3 days. I am writing about those things that have had a radical impact on my life over the last 10 months. This blog is inspired by a series of teachings from The Vineyard Church, personal study, prayer and some of the following books: Velvet Elvis (Bell), Simply Christian (Wright), Heaven is Not My Home (Marshall), Naturally Supernatural (Best), Heaven (Alcorn), Sex God (Bell), Heaven is a Place on Earth (Wittmer) and The Radical Reformission (Driscoll). The following writing has been taken from a teaching that I recently taught at The Vineyard Church. I hope that you enjoy.

Part 1 of 4

Today, I would like to tell you a story. This is a story of what was. A story of what is. A story of what will be. As you move through this story, my hope is that your life will be impacted, your capacity to love will be enlarged and your heart will be changed...forever.

In his book, Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell writes: “The point of the cross isn’t forgiveness. Forgiveness leads to something much bigger: restoration. God isn’t just interested in the covering over of our sins; God wants to make us into the people we were originally created to be. It is not just the removal of what’s being held against us; it is God pulling us into the people he originally had in mind when he made us….The goal here is not simply to not sin. Our purpose is to increase the shalom in this world, which is why approaches to the Christian faith that deal solely with not sinning always fail. They aim at the wrong thing. It is not about what you don’t do. The point is becoming more and more the kind of people God had in mind when we were first created. It is one thing to be forgiven; it is another thing to become more and more and more and more the person God made you to be.”

Are you becoming the person God made you to be?

Again, Bell says, “God makes us in his image. We reflect the beauty and creativity and wonder of the God who made us. And Jesus calls us to return to our true selves. The pure, whole people God originally intended us to be, before we veered off course. Somewhere in you is the you whom you were made to be.”

Once again, are you, the you, whom you were made to be?

Are you becoming the you, whom you were made to be?

According to Genesis chapter one

God created all of creation out of formlessness and emptiness.

In progression, he created:

Light and darkness

Water and skies and land

Plants and trees

Sun and moon and stars

Creatures to live in the waters

Creatures to live on the land

And then, in His most magnificent move

The Creator of the Universe created his crowning achievement:

He created Man and Woman

And upon creating this man and this woman, he commanded them to…

Rule over his creation…

Work his creation….

Cultivate his creation….

…and care for his creation.

And on the 7th day, the Lord God rested and He said, “It is good.”

Out of absolutely nothing, God created everything.

In his book, Sex God, Bell writes: “Each thing God creates and sets in motion is a step, a progression away from the chaos and disorder toward order and harmony. The first things God commands these people to do, then, involve the continuation of this ordering and caring for and the ongoing progression away from chaos…God’s intent in creating these people was for them to continue the work of creating the world, moving it away from chaos and wild and waste and formlessness toward order and harmony and good. As human beings, we take part through our actions in the ongoing creation of the world.”

That’s it. The original plan.

Man….Woman….God….Creation….Culture….Neighbors….Children….

Living in harmony and order

Separated by nothing

Cultivating a fruitful, vibrant life forever on this planet

On this good planet.

God’s plan was good from the very beginning.

God’s desire was for good.

No sin

No stress

No pain

No disease

No tears

No death

No sorrow

Just goodness

Monday, February 5, 2007

It's 3 A.M...Do You Know Where Your Wife Is?

On March 1 Kristy and I will celebrate our 48 month anniversary – 4 years of marriage. Four years ago, I was 26 years old, living in a beautiful one bedroom apartment, had two nice cars, a great job and lots and lots of free time. Enjoying movies and a variety of dining experiences on a weekly basis, Kristy and I enjoyed our lives as we had very little responsibility and lots of ‘us’ time. Just 4 short years ago, I could be awakened at 3:00 in the morning, roll over and wake my wife up for a little 3 a.m. action. What a life!

It’s amazing how much can change in just 4 years time.

Forty eight months later our lives are in no way, shape or form the same as they once were (except that we’re better friends today than we were then). Now, don’t get me wrong – we still get to enjoy the things we once did. We still enjoy the movies and probably watch them more than in the past. Of course these movies include Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc., Toy Story, The Lion King and Jungle Book. We still enjoy a variety of dining experiences such as McDonalds, Dunkin’ Donuts and Chuck E. Cheese’s. We still have two nice cars – if you consider a mini-van a nice car. And most importantly we still get up at 3:00 a.m. The only problem is, now when I wake up at 3 a.m. it is usually to a child crying and more often than not I’m lying next to a space void of my best friend. As I write this today Kristy and I now have 3 boys – Micah (28 months), Jonah (14 months) and Nathan (4 days).

Saturday night, we had our newest addition, Nathan, home for the first time. All was running smoothly until about 11 pm when Nathan (4 days old) woke up Jonah (14 months). After getting Jonah back to sleep and Nathan fed, all seemed well until Jonah woke up again at midnight, lying in a bed that he somehow managed to wet from one end to the other. (I don’t know how a kid that small can pee that much.) I changed the sheets as Kristy began rocking him back to sleep. As she rocked him, I headed back to our bed only to be stopped in my tracks by a crying Nathan. So I went and took care of Nathan and finally met Kristy back in the bed at 1:30 a.m. Around 3:00 a.m. our oldest son, Micah (28 months old) began crying. As I rolled over to see if Kristy was going to make her way to Micah’s room, I noticed she wasn’t there. I was instantly transported in my mind to the days when we would get it on at this time…but I digress. Not tonight. As I get up and move towards Micah’s room I notice Kris in the den once again feeding #3. So, I go to Micah’s room and work my magic until he falls back asleep. At 5:45 a.m. I wake up in Micah’s bed (that was my magic) and drag myself to the shower to start another day. What a life!

Last night in our home, our experience was the same as Saturday night, with the addition of one child throwing up and having to clean up that mess. Needless to say, I am incredibly tired today. I could take time later to write out all of the things that I am learning right now, but that would make this blog way too long. So, I’m just jotting down the cliff notes today:

1. God is really teaching me, once again, that choosing selflessness is the way to go – especially in my marriage. I have been amazed to see how much it enhances my relationship with my bride and how valued she feels when I choose to help her in the middle of the night with our kids.

2. God is teaching me to enjoy the stage of life that I am in. Whether you’re single and want to be married, married and want to have kids, have kids and want more kids, have kids and want them to leave for college – the stage that you are in is what it is – and it will be gone one day so don’t rush through it. God is teaching me to truly enjoy where I am in life.

3. God is teaching me about his love for me through my kids. Just as I take incredible pleasure in my boys, he is teaching me that when I live in his presence, I can truly experience his pleasure in my life on a regular, daily basis. (I will certainly write more on this.)