Often times in life, when we are in a process of accomplishing something, we ask ourselves "What is the end goal". These past few months, I have been living with a former Marine, and he always needs to know what the end goal of everything is. For him, the task or project is not worth the effort put into it if he does not know the end goal.
I think this is a very important question to be asking ourselves. I ask my self it a lot. But I often forget to ask myself that question in the most important aspect of life; life itself. Americans are very good at not knowing why they do the things they do. I am an American and I am very much included in that statement.
I often do not think about the end goal of life throughout my day. It seems silly when I think about it. As followers of Christ we know our end goal: to preach the gospel and bring Christ's kingdom to Earth, so one day, when every tribe has heard the name of Jesus, He will return as our King bringing the perfection we so long for. Yet so often I just don't think about that in the midst of my day. That should always be on my mind. If I really want to follow Christ, that is the culmination of the life of a follower. That needs to be on my mind constantly. I need to realize that in the midst of my interactions with people, my commute to school, in the shower... everything, I need to be aware of that reality.
Jesus is coming back. Does my life show that I am aware of that and am preparing for it?
Monday, December 12, 2011
Friday, December 9, 2011
longing
I read The Journey of Desire this past month. Many of the words Eldredge penned really spoke true of something I have been sensing over the past year. As the pages of a calender continually change, I am struck with the awareness that what I truly long for in this life will never be fulfilled. Eldredge reminds us wherever humans look, we see traces of what was. Eden. Perfection. Perfect Relationship with God. He says
"What if nature is speaking to us? What if sunrise and sunset tell the tale every day, remembering Eden's glory, prophesying Eden's return?" P. 107
And that is what we long for. A perfect world where we can have perfect relationship with God. Complete restoration of what was. I have been sensing that truth more and more. That longing of my heart will never be filled on this side of eternity.
The other night was I was reading revelation before I went to bed. It was comforting, but disappointing at the same time. It is not here yet. No matter how much time I spend in prayer or in the Word, this sense of longing will still be there. And that is good. We need not be discouraged because we do not yet have who we desire. For our perpetual awareness of who we do not have in His fullness is our hope that one day we will indeed obtain Him.
"What if nature is speaking to us? What if sunrise and sunset tell the tale every day, remembering Eden's glory, prophesying Eden's return?" P. 107
And that is what we long for. A perfect world where we can have perfect relationship with God. Complete restoration of what was. I have been sensing that truth more and more. That longing of my heart will never be filled on this side of eternity.
The other night was I was reading revelation before I went to bed. It was comforting, but disappointing at the same time. It is not here yet. No matter how much time I spend in prayer or in the Word, this sense of longing will still be there. And that is good. We need not be discouraged because we do not yet have who we desire. For our perpetual awareness of who we do not have in His fullness is our hope that one day we will indeed obtain Him.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Winter
It's getting colder. The leaves outside my window have just about died. Fog encapsulates the morning, and leaves its trace of fresh layers of frost. As I have grown up, I have always loved the change of seasons. I am captivated by the stark transition from autumn into winter. Seeing the ground become brisk and eventually frozen, coupled with my breath on a cold night often reminds me that this life here is temporal. But in the midst of this earthly life, there are seasons. I am understanding more about the seasons of my own soul and why they happen the way they happen. The winter of the soul is one of those seasons that inevitably come, sometimes unexpectedly. It is often a barren place. Feeling and emotion are rare. The monotony of life tends to dominate those weeks and months. It often feels like the exitement of life has died. And in most cases, it has. But in the midst of winter, there is still life. Its outward appearance may be lifeless, but inside every living thing life awaits to show its life again.
I think the Lord takes us through these seasons because they are a necessary part of our growth. In Psalm 1, it takes about how man is blessed if he delights himself in the law of the Lord. It goes on to say
"He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither."
I noticed that the fruit is produced in its season. At least the visible fruit. And that is what we all look for. We want to see the fruit our life. We want to know and feel the love of our Lord and see that love grow in the people around us. I think winters of the soul are there to remind us that even when we do not see or feel that love, it is still real. God is still working when we do not see it or feel it. I often need reminded of this.
November arrived again yesterday. Time continues to move and seasons continue to change. But as this body wastes away, His Spirit in us does not. There will be a day when there are no more seasons, and this longing for arriving face to face with Him will be met. But let us hold on to that longing, for it is what keeps us keeping on.
JN
I think the Lord takes us through these seasons because they are a necessary part of our growth. In Psalm 1, it takes about how man is blessed if he delights himself in the law of the Lord. It goes on to say
"He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields fruit in its season,
and its leaf does not wither."
I noticed that the fruit is produced in its season. At least the visible fruit. And that is what we all look for. We want to see the fruit our life. We want to know and feel the love of our Lord and see that love grow in the people around us. I think winters of the soul are there to remind us that even when we do not see or feel that love, it is still real. God is still working when we do not see it or feel it. I often need reminded of this.
November arrived again yesterday. Time continues to move and seasons continue to change. But as this body wastes away, His Spirit in us does not. There will be a day when there are no more seasons, and this longing for arriving face to face with Him will be met. But let us hold on to that longing, for it is what keeps us keeping on.
JN
Monday, October 24, 2011
a man
Over the last few weeks, I have been struck with the reality that God became a man. Flesh and bone. Human. I know that I know this. But it often doesn't sink in. I forget who was talking about it, but someone said that for most people in the world, the idea of God leaving heaven and becoming a human being is completely foreign almost unheard of. Yet we in Christendom have become so accustomed to hearing this, that the significance of this beautiful truth easily becomes overlooked and common.
God taking on flesh is anything but common. I have been reading through Luke, and my favorite part of it so far has been the detailed account of the birth of Christ. Luke spends a good two chapters recounting the infant Christ. God as a fetus.
I often forget that I am loved by a person. I often forget that it is a person I am praying to. I often forget that when I sin, I hurt a person. I've just been challenged these past few weeks to reexamine the truth of the person of Jesus Christ. I am amazed by the fact that right now, He is sitting on the throne, yet He is with me at the same time. Until the day we see Him face to face.
JN
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" John 1:14
God taking on flesh is anything but common. I have been reading through Luke, and my favorite part of it so far has been the detailed account of the birth of Christ. Luke spends a good two chapters recounting the infant Christ. God as a fetus.
I often forget that I am loved by a person. I often forget that it is a person I am praying to. I often forget that when I sin, I hurt a person. I've just been challenged these past few weeks to reexamine the truth of the person of Jesus Christ. I am amazed by the fact that right now, He is sitting on the throne, yet He is with me at the same time. Until the day we see Him face to face.
JN
"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" John 1:14
Sunday, September 25, 2011
a heart for the nations
The Lord has been challenging me in the last few months, but specifically this past week, to have a heart for the nations. As I read scripture, I see God through His prophets call the nations to Himself. But God is not just calling nations to Himself. He calls His disciples to have a heart for the nations... to go to the ends of the earth with the gospel. He calls ALL His disciples, not just missionaries. I hear a lot of people say "I have a heart for the world". It is easy to say that. But do we? What does a heart for the nations look like? I have been prayerfully asking myself that question the last few days.
Today at church, a missionary family from the center of Mexico came and shared. They said that in their city of over 300,000 less than 5% of the people are disciples of Christ. The other 95 % are very religious, but don't know Jesus. They kept on saying how they had a need for leaders to disciple people so they can plant a church. It breaks my heart and it angers me to hear that Satan is using religion to blind hundreds of thousands of people to the light of the gospel. It makes me want to do something.
Last night, all of us guys were sitting in a coffee shop, and one of us posed the question, "what are your goals for the next 5 years?" I really hadn't thought to deeply about it. But as I examined my heart, I realized pretty quickly the direction I want to be moving in. And I believe I am moving in it. I think there are 2 kinds of Christians. Goers and Senders. (John Piper expounds on this) The goers go and the senders send. Being a missionary kid in China for 3 years, I know there is a Goer in my blood. I believe God used that experience to give me a passion for the nations, specifically the people groups that have never heard about Jesus. But for the next 5 years, I really believe my role is to be a sender. And I want to grow in that... a lot. I think daily prayer for the salvation of people groups, the ministry of church planters, and perseverance of church leaders is something I really want to start doing. I want to start cultivating a heart for the nations here in Ohio. Now, it is easy to have good intentions. It is hard to put the intentions into action.
So ask yourself. If you are a sender, what are you doing to send? Are you praying for friends overseas? Are you giving to missions? Are you learning about the needs of the persecuted church? Are you committed to a specific people group? These are questions I have been asking myself. And they are very convicting questions, because most of my answers have been, no. Psalm 2:8 says "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." Are we asking? Do we desire this?
Whenever I think about the global church, I get wicked fired up. I have a hunch I will be overseas one day, but now, at least until I am 26, I am here with Off The Wall Ministry.
I just pray that the American Church will have a heart for the nations, and remember our brothers and sisters that are being persecuted, slandered, and martyred for the faith that we (the American Church) are so often ashamed of. May we have the boldness of the believers who are being martyred in the streets of of North Korea. here. Let us take back our faith from the American Dream. Let us make our brothers and sisters all over the world proud by our testimony for Christ. But most of all, let us live worthy of the calling we have received, so when we enter glory, Jesus says "well done, my good and faithful servant". That is my prayer.
JN
Today at church, a missionary family from the center of Mexico came and shared. They said that in their city of over 300,000 less than 5% of the people are disciples of Christ. The other 95 % are very religious, but don't know Jesus. They kept on saying how they had a need for leaders to disciple people so they can plant a church. It breaks my heart and it angers me to hear that Satan is using religion to blind hundreds of thousands of people to the light of the gospel. It makes me want to do something.
Last night, all of us guys were sitting in a coffee shop, and one of us posed the question, "what are your goals for the next 5 years?" I really hadn't thought to deeply about it. But as I examined my heart, I realized pretty quickly the direction I want to be moving in. And I believe I am moving in it. I think there are 2 kinds of Christians. Goers and Senders. (John Piper expounds on this) The goers go and the senders send. Being a missionary kid in China for 3 years, I know there is a Goer in my blood. I believe God used that experience to give me a passion for the nations, specifically the people groups that have never heard about Jesus. But for the next 5 years, I really believe my role is to be a sender. And I want to grow in that... a lot. I think daily prayer for the salvation of people groups, the ministry of church planters, and perseverance of church leaders is something I really want to start doing. I want to start cultivating a heart for the nations here in Ohio. Now, it is easy to have good intentions. It is hard to put the intentions into action.
So ask yourself. If you are a sender, what are you doing to send? Are you praying for friends overseas? Are you giving to missions? Are you learning about the needs of the persecuted church? Are you committed to a specific people group? These are questions I have been asking myself. And they are very convicting questions, because most of my answers have been, no. Psalm 2:8 says "Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession." Are we asking? Do we desire this?
Whenever I think about the global church, I get wicked fired up. I have a hunch I will be overseas one day, but now, at least until I am 26, I am here with Off The Wall Ministry.
I just pray that the American Church will have a heart for the nations, and remember our brothers and sisters that are being persecuted, slandered, and martyred for the faith that we (the American Church) are so often ashamed of. May we have the boldness of the believers who are being martyred in the streets of of North Korea. here. Let us take back our faith from the American Dream. Let us make our brothers and sisters all over the world proud by our testimony for Christ. But most of all, let us live worthy of the calling we have received, so when we enter glory, Jesus says "well done, my good and faithful servant". That is my prayer.
JN
Friday, September 23, 2011
reflections on a rainy day
The rains came last night. I awoke this morning at 5:30 with the realization that today is the last day I am a legal minor. I will be 21 at midnight. I have known this day would come and have been expecting it. But I didn't know it would come this quickly. My friend took me out for breakfast this morning, and as we were driving in the breaking dawn, a memory flickered in my spirit. I was 6 years old again and it was a fall day. The leaves were golden-red and many of them had been raked into piles against a big maple tree in my backyard. There hung a twenty five foot rope swing on that maple that my dad put up. I loved to climb it. I always climbed to the top and just hung there while my mom got nervous. But on that particular day, I remember just sitting on the knot at the bottom. I remember wishing I was 9, because 9 years old felt so old to me. I thought if I was nine, I would be one of the big kids. I remember this feeling of longing and anticipation for time to elapse on that particular fall day.
This fall day isn't much unlike that one, 15 years ago. I feel that sense of longing again. But it is different. Age is not what matters anymore. 21 is just a number. There is so much more I long for. I long to see what God will do in my life. I long to see who He brings into it and where He takes us. I long to see people I am pouring into fall more in love with Jesus. I long to love those people more like Christ loves us.. Ultimately, I long to love Him more than anyone and anything. I am not quite there yet, but I want to be.
I have been thinking a lot about that verse in Psalm 42 that says "As a deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you O God." I want to long for Him like that.
The leaves on the tree outside my bedroom window are just starting to change. Summer is gone. Autumn is alive and well. And its good. Seasons bring new things. And sometimes they bring old things to the surface. And that is why I have grown to appreciate all of them. The natural and spiritual.
So as the day draws to a close and my little minuscule life increases a year, I am thankful that God has kept me thus far. I am thankful that He has given me another year. And if am around a year from today, I will thank Him again.
Blessings
JN
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Radical Passionate Obedience
For the last 5 or 6 years, these two words have been the torch that has burned in the hearts of the people of the Kingdom. Chris Tomlin and Louie Giglio come together in 1997 to found the Passion conference. And last year, David Platt writes the book that has called the Church of America to take back our faith from the American dream, and reclaim what we have fallen so far from.
There is this call in our nation today. But it is not a call you will find on the television or on the radio. Politicians can't hear it. Priests have become numb to it. For this is a call that does not resound in the megaphones of 21st century individualism. It is a call that goes deeper than what we see around us. It is a call that burns beneath our bones and into the depths of our hearts. And I feel this call. Oh how I feel it. And I know you feel it too, for if you did not, you would not be reading this. I feel it now as I am sitting a coffee shop studying. I feel it when I am in the shower. I feel it when I don't expect to feel it. It's like it just starts screaming. This is the call of the Spirit of God. If you are listening, it is a call that goes deeper than any call that you have ever heard before. He is calling us, Church. He is calling us to radical, passionate, obedience. He is calling us to bear the torch of Christ. He is calling us to lead our world, our nation, our cities, our towns, our friends and our families to radical, passionate obedience. He is calling us to take back our faith from the American Dream and reclaim it in the words of scripture.
Let us run this race. Let us carry the torch of Christ wherever we go. Let us live with radical, passionate, obedience to the Spirit of God and Word of God. And let us keep on running until He comes.
Lets go.
Joshua Nims
There is this call in our nation today. But it is not a call you will find on the television or on the radio. Politicians can't hear it. Priests have become numb to it. For this is a call that does not resound in the megaphones of 21st century individualism. It is a call that goes deeper than what we see around us. It is a call that burns beneath our bones and into the depths of our hearts. And I feel this call. Oh how I feel it. And I know you feel it too, for if you did not, you would not be reading this. I feel it now as I am sitting a coffee shop studying. I feel it when I am in the shower. I feel it when I don't expect to feel it. It's like it just starts screaming. This is the call of the Spirit of God. If you are listening, it is a call that goes deeper than any call that you have ever heard before. He is calling us, Church. He is calling us to radical, passionate, obedience. He is calling us to bear the torch of Christ. He is calling us to lead our world, our nation, our cities, our towns, our friends and our families to radical, passionate obedience. He is calling us to take back our faith from the American Dream and reclaim it in the words of scripture.
Let us run this race. Let us carry the torch of Christ wherever we go. Let us live with radical, passionate, obedience to the Spirit of God and Word of God. And let us keep on running until He comes.
Lets go.
Joshua Nims
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Steal our joy, steal our heart
After spending a few weeks back in Ohio, I have realized something about how Satan works. He aims to steal believers joy by stealing and blinding us to what our true heart is. I love discipleship. I love worship. I didn't do either of those things this summer. I was pretty miserable inside.
What I am learning is that when the people of the Kingdom do not live in their passions, we will become ineffective and unproductive. But we will also have our joy stolen from us.
Satan's goal is to make believers joyless, ineffective, and unproductive Christians. He can't take us from Christ, but he can take our hearts. I think Ephesians 6 really talks about how to defend against that. God is just really showing me right now that I must run with joy in my passions or I just won't make it. I will fall into sin. We all will.
What are your passionate about doing for the Kingdom of God? If you don't know, as Him to show you. And start doing them.
"You make known to me the path of life;in your presence there is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 15:11
What I am learning is that when the people of the Kingdom do not live in their passions, we will become ineffective and unproductive. But we will also have our joy stolen from us.
Satan's goal is to make believers joyless, ineffective, and unproductive Christians. He can't take us from Christ, but he can take our hearts. I think Ephesians 6 really talks about how to defend against that. God is just really showing me right now that I must run with joy in my passions or I just won't make it. I will fall into sin. We all will.
What are your passionate about doing for the Kingdom of God? If you don't know, as Him to show you. And start doing them.
"You make known to me the path of life;in your presence there is fullness of joy at your right hand are pleasures forevermore." Psalm 15:11
Thursday, September 15, 2011
A Season of Silence
Well, it has been a long time since i have been on here. And I know exactly why. I spent the summer in Massachusetts with my family. I worked as a lifeguard. I got tan. I slept in. I went to the beach. It would appear that it was a pretty relaxing summer. And it was, which was great. But I relaxed spiritually. I didn't take the initiative to grow closer to Christ that I told myself I would. And I didn't have the community I have been so accustomed to too challenge me in my walk with Christ. Those two things resulted in a very spiritually stagnant summer for me.
A few weeks ago I got back to Ohio. The first Sunday I went to church, a friend mentioned that I had been quiet for a while. I asked him what he meant and he said that he hadn't seen me post something on this blog for over three months. Again, I knew exactly why.
I haven't posted anything because I have had nothing to post. I didn't know how the Lord was working in my life this summer. At some points I questioned myself as to if He even was. Looking back now, I can see that in these seasons of life, when we feel like God is not there or we are somewhere else, things are actually happening. I learned much from this past summer. One big thing is that whenever I am not around community that challenges me, Jesus takes a back seat in my life.
But, I am back in New Philly now. It is good to smell the Ohio air. I missed the horse poop. I wonder if horse poop has anything to do with spiritual growth? Maybe it does? I don't know.
I will be blogging a lot this fall. I can tell that God is working. He always was. He always is. I just stopped looking and asking Him to for a few months.
I have a blog strictly about my theological musings. if that doesn't bore you to death you can go here
I also have more of a devotional blog that is about my daily walk with Jesus. for that you can go here
This one will take a new direction. This is going to be more of me sharing my heart and what I see God doing in me and around me.
that is all for now,
JN
A few weeks ago I got back to Ohio. The first Sunday I went to church, a friend mentioned that I had been quiet for a while. I asked him what he meant and he said that he hadn't seen me post something on this blog for over three months. Again, I knew exactly why.
I haven't posted anything because I have had nothing to post. I didn't know how the Lord was working in my life this summer. At some points I questioned myself as to if He even was. Looking back now, I can see that in these seasons of life, when we feel like God is not there or we are somewhere else, things are actually happening. I learned much from this past summer. One big thing is that whenever I am not around community that challenges me, Jesus takes a back seat in my life.
But, I am back in New Philly now. It is good to smell the Ohio air. I missed the horse poop. I wonder if horse poop has anything to do with spiritual growth? Maybe it does? I don't know.
I will be blogging a lot this fall. I can tell that God is working. He always was. He always is. I just stopped looking and asking Him to for a few months.
I have a blog strictly about my theological musings. if that doesn't bore you to death you can go here
I also have more of a devotional blog that is about my daily walk with Jesus. for that you can go here
This one will take a new direction. This is going to be more of me sharing my heart and what I see God doing in me and around me.
that is all for now,
JN
Monday, June 27, 2011
"What God wants"
I have been processing through this thought the last couple days... "Does God prefer or want"? Now you might think it is strage that I end the sentence there. But I pose the question. I am sure you have encountered a Christian who is in the midst of making a decision and has said something along the lines of "Well, I need to know if that is where God wants me", or "I feel like like this is God's will for me". I have made statements like that before.
So I have two questions about those type of statements.
1. Do we have any biblical grounds to make statements like that?
2. Do we understand the theology in them?
This is one of those times when I believe theology is of the utmost importance, because it collides with how we live. (Theology should do that).
Now when someone says "God want's me here", I first wonder how they came to that conclusion. Was it based on a feeling they had? Did they have a sense of peace, (which is a feeling), after making a decision? Did they assume that because they had peace, it was God giving the go ahead? Is that biblical or just what we have been taught to do in America? And what about the counter end of that statement. If God wants you in this specific place, does He not want you somewhere else? Is there a place you can go that is displeasing to God? Now I am not talking about sin. I know God does not want his children (in almost all cases except for Hosea) living in sin. (Romans 8:12-17)
So, if there is a decision that has to be made, for example, should a young college grad apply to Seminary/ Grad School, go overseas with his degree, get a job in the states, or attempt to start his own business? All these are equally good things to do. There is nothing wrong in and of themselves. Now lets say the college student fervently prays all of his Senior year about the decision he will have to make. He graduates and still does not have a direction from God. But he knows what he wants. He thinks Seminary would be beneficial since he has a desire to be a pastor one day, yet he the job in the states is good as well because it is something he likes and he can start building up a resume, but going overseas would give him a vast new array of experiences and he would be serving the Lord under a mission agency, or he could just go for it and try to start his own business because he has wanted to do that since he was a kid.
What should he do?
Does God only want him to do one thing and travel one specific path?
Does God speak through our feelings?
Is God opposed to three of the paths?
How much longer should he wait on God?
Is there a wrong decision to make?
Is there a right decision to make?
The way Americans tend to approach these situations would tend to give me some answers to the questions I have. When we say things like "I am waiting on God to see if He wants me there or not", it leave me with the impression that God could want me doing something or living somewhere where I am currently not. It also leaves a connotation that we do not make a decision in the matter, for all we do is follow God's leading. It also makes me wonder how long this person will wait and what is the clear indication of God's revelation they are expecting regarding their situation? What are they expecting God do to by praying "God I want to be where you want me, not myself?"
I guess the question this all boils down to, is, what is the will of God? Does his will extend into the mundane of our lives as well as the crossroads?
I am not saying any of this is wrong. I just want to know if it is biblical. Biblically, God usually lays out the plan and tells people where he wants them to go and what he wants them to do. (Noah, Moses, Joshua, Jonah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Paul, Peter). Those were the days when God would speak directly to people and he clearly gave direction.
Today, that usually does not happen. He hasn't revealed himself in audible voices or pillars of smoke. But He has given us His word.
So biblically, how do we approach these types of crossroads in our lives? What should we be expecting from the Lord? How should we act? How do we work out our salvation with fear and trembling as God works in us?
no answers today, just many questions.
comments are highly encouraged!
JN
So I have two questions about those type of statements.
1. Do we have any biblical grounds to make statements like that?
2. Do we understand the theology in them?
This is one of those times when I believe theology is of the utmost importance, because it collides with how we live. (Theology should do that).
Now when someone says "God want's me here", I first wonder how they came to that conclusion. Was it based on a feeling they had? Did they have a sense of peace, (which is a feeling), after making a decision? Did they assume that because they had peace, it was God giving the go ahead? Is that biblical or just what we have been taught to do in America? And what about the counter end of that statement. If God wants you in this specific place, does He not want you somewhere else? Is there a place you can go that is displeasing to God? Now I am not talking about sin. I know God does not want his children (in almost all cases except for Hosea) living in sin. (Romans 8:12-17)
So, if there is a decision that has to be made, for example, should a young college grad apply to Seminary/ Grad School, go overseas with his degree, get a job in the states, or attempt to start his own business? All these are equally good things to do. There is nothing wrong in and of themselves. Now lets say the college student fervently prays all of his Senior year about the decision he will have to make. He graduates and still does not have a direction from God. But he knows what he wants. He thinks Seminary would be beneficial since he has a desire to be a pastor one day, yet he the job in the states is good as well because it is something he likes and he can start building up a resume, but going overseas would give him a vast new array of experiences and he would be serving the Lord under a mission agency, or he could just go for it and try to start his own business because he has wanted to do that since he was a kid.
What should he do?
Does God only want him to do one thing and travel one specific path?
Does God speak through our feelings?
Is God opposed to three of the paths?
How much longer should he wait on God?
Is there a wrong decision to make?
Is there a right decision to make?
The way Americans tend to approach these situations would tend to give me some answers to the questions I have. When we say things like "I am waiting on God to see if He wants me there or not", it leave me with the impression that God could want me doing something or living somewhere where I am currently not. It also leaves a connotation that we do not make a decision in the matter, for all we do is follow God's leading. It also makes me wonder how long this person will wait and what is the clear indication of God's revelation they are expecting regarding their situation? What are they expecting God do to by praying "God I want to be where you want me, not myself?"
I guess the question this all boils down to, is, what is the will of God? Does his will extend into the mundane of our lives as well as the crossroads?
I am not saying any of this is wrong. I just want to know if it is biblical. Biblically, God usually lays out the plan and tells people where he wants them to go and what he wants them to do. (Noah, Moses, Joshua, Jonah, Jeremiah, Elijah, Paul, Peter). Those were the days when God would speak directly to people and he clearly gave direction.
Today, that usually does not happen. He hasn't revealed himself in audible voices or pillars of smoke. But He has given us His word.
So biblically, how do we approach these types of crossroads in our lives? What should we be expecting from the Lord? How should we act? How do we work out our salvation with fear and trembling as God works in us?
no answers today, just many questions.
comments are highly encouraged!
JN
Thursday, June 9, 2011
What the Church of the West needs to hear
One of the things I have been processing through lately is world views. When I say world view, i mean very simply, "the way in which one thinks about the world". I would say that almost all, if not all Americans are taught to view the world through an American Lens. As followers of Jesus, we are called to view the world as God sees it. I will call this view, a Biblical lens or World View. These two lens's are diametrically opposed to each other. Yet I find in my life and in the lives of many I know, there seems to have been a compromise between them. That compromise has been accepted as the normal way to be a Christian in America. Frankly, I am going to argue that this compromise is sin and detestable to God. I will now unlayer the two lenses, starting with the one we all share, the American World View.
American World View:
This view starts with the presupposition that we, as Americans are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as stated in our Declaration of Independence. Everything we do, say, and believe flows from this core value. We believe that we are entitled to the best the world has to offer. We believe that if we work hard enough, we deserve what we get. We desire power, prestige, and popularity. This is essentially the American Dream. It is what inspired millions of men and women to flood into our country in the early 20th century, known as "the era of immigration." America is now not the only nation to view life this way, as much of the West has adopted this mentality, but we were the first. In conclusion, this world view starts and ends with us. As an individual, it starts and ends with me. The leading question an American will ask is, "How can I make my life better?" I admit, this view is very, very captivating.
The Biblical World View:
If you are a follower of Jesus, you must first and foremost acknowledge that you were dead in your transgressions and sins, separated from God and destined to an eternal punishment of God's wrath in hell. (Eph 2:1-7) All you deserve is death (Romans 3:23). But God, in His mercy and grace, has made you alive in Christ Jesus through his death and resurrection by tearing down the wall of sin that separates us from Him through the shed blood of God's perfect, holy, and righteous Son, Jesus Christ. (John 3:16, Eph 2:14-16, Romans 8:1, 1 Cor 15) Therefore, everything in our life is an undeserved gift from God. From our salvation, to our family, to our house, to our heartbeat, EVERYTHING is a gift (Eph 1:3). We do not deserve any material or immaterial possession. Because God has called us from death to life, we have been given a new identity and purpose. We, the Church of God, are not citizens of this earth, for our true home is in heaven. We are aliens, foreigners, and sojourners. We are here temporarily as we eagerly await the coming of our Savior and King to establish his Throne on our new home, the new heaven and new earth (Eph 2:19, 2 Cor 5:1, Phil 3:20, Isaiah 65, 2 Peter 3:13, Rev 21:2-3). We are to be in the world, but not of it (1 John 2:15, Romans 12:1-3, John 17:14, 1 Cor 10:13. Eph 4:17). We are therefore God's Sons and Daughters, ambassadors for Christ, and our purpose in this life is to be ministers of God's reconciliation by making disciples of all nations by proclaiming the Gospel to every race, tribe, tongue on this planet. (Matthew 28:17-20, 2 Cor 5:18-20, 1 Cor 15:58, 2 Tim 4:1-5). This is who we are, and what God calls us to live for.
So What?
These world views are unequivocally in direct conflict with each other. We, the church of the west, have let man's ideologies infiltrate the gospel. More so than that, we have been living a lie as we have compromised our identity and purpose in this life. If we are followers of Christ, His Bride, we must view ourselves as God views us. We must live with a Biblical World view. The American Dream has no place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. The American Dream exalts man, and when combined with Christianity, makes God look like means to our end. He is not here for us, we are here for Him. It is not about us at all. It is about God delighting in His own glory, which is radiated in his Bride delighting in Him.
If you are a follower of Jesus and view your life with the American World View, you are sinning. This is why. God has called his Church to be His Bride. We are to delight in Him and Him alone. When we seek anything else above Him, we have just made an idol before the living God and worshiped it. It does not matter what it is, money, power, popularity, comfort, security, 401 K, retirement, leisure, vacation, family, friends, or relationships. As Paul says, we must consider all these things as nothing or more biblically, manure, compared to knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-9). When we lust after anything other than God we are also committing adultery. Our hearts are divided, and Jesus wants nothing to do with those who whore after other things. He says he will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth (Rev 3:15-16). A life of spiritual prostitution is detestable to God.
If you are reading this and have been swayed by American ideology you are not alone. So have I. It has permeated the gospel so much. We have so much to unlearn. But thanks be to God's grace. He is greater than all of this. There is still time to change. We must ask Him to change our hearts, illuminate His truth in our minds and open our eyes to see what He sees. WE NEED THE MIND OF CHRIST.
Would we walk in His footsteps and live a wholehearted life of devotion to Jesus as we worship Him holistically, with our hearts, minds souls, and strength.
JN
American World View:
This view starts with the presupposition that we, as Americans are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as stated in our Declaration of Independence. Everything we do, say, and believe flows from this core value. We believe that we are entitled to the best the world has to offer. We believe that if we work hard enough, we deserve what we get. We desire power, prestige, and popularity. This is essentially the American Dream. It is what inspired millions of men and women to flood into our country in the early 20th century, known as "the era of immigration." America is now not the only nation to view life this way, as much of the West has adopted this mentality, but we were the first. In conclusion, this world view starts and ends with us. As an individual, it starts and ends with me. The leading question an American will ask is, "How can I make my life better?" I admit, this view is very, very captivating.
The Biblical World View:
If you are a follower of Jesus, you must first and foremost acknowledge that you were dead in your transgressions and sins, separated from God and destined to an eternal punishment of God's wrath in hell. (Eph 2:1-7) All you deserve is death (Romans 3:23). But God, in His mercy and grace, has made you alive in Christ Jesus through his death and resurrection by tearing down the wall of sin that separates us from Him through the shed blood of God's perfect, holy, and righteous Son, Jesus Christ. (John 3:16, Eph 2:14-16, Romans 8:1, 1 Cor 15) Therefore, everything in our life is an undeserved gift from God. From our salvation, to our family, to our house, to our heartbeat, EVERYTHING is a gift (Eph 1:3). We do not deserve any material or immaterial possession. Because God has called us from death to life, we have been given a new identity and purpose. We, the Church of God, are not citizens of this earth, for our true home is in heaven. We are aliens, foreigners, and sojourners. We are here temporarily as we eagerly await the coming of our Savior and King to establish his Throne on our new home, the new heaven and new earth (Eph 2:19, 2 Cor 5:1, Phil 3:20, Isaiah 65, 2 Peter 3:13, Rev 21:2-3). We are to be in the world, but not of it (1 John 2:15, Romans 12:1-3, John 17:14, 1 Cor 10:13. Eph 4:17). We are therefore God's Sons and Daughters, ambassadors for Christ, and our purpose in this life is to be ministers of God's reconciliation by making disciples of all nations by proclaiming the Gospel to every race, tribe, tongue on this planet. (Matthew 28:17-20, 2 Cor 5:18-20, 1 Cor 15:58, 2 Tim 4:1-5). This is who we are, and what God calls us to live for.
So What?
These world views are unequivocally in direct conflict with each other. We, the church of the west, have let man's ideologies infiltrate the gospel. More so than that, we have been living a lie as we have compromised our identity and purpose in this life. If we are followers of Christ, His Bride, we must view ourselves as God views us. We must live with a Biblical World view. The American Dream has no place in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. The American Dream exalts man, and when combined with Christianity, makes God look like means to our end. He is not here for us, we are here for Him. It is not about us at all. It is about God delighting in His own glory, which is radiated in his Bride delighting in Him.
If you are a follower of Jesus and view your life with the American World View, you are sinning. This is why. God has called his Church to be His Bride. We are to delight in Him and Him alone. When we seek anything else above Him, we have just made an idol before the living God and worshiped it. It does not matter what it is, money, power, popularity, comfort, security, 401 K, retirement, leisure, vacation, family, friends, or relationships. As Paul says, we must consider all these things as nothing or more biblically, manure, compared to knowing Christ (Phil 3:7-9). When we lust after anything other than God we are also committing adultery. Our hearts are divided, and Jesus wants nothing to do with those who whore after other things. He says he will spit the lukewarm out of His mouth (Rev 3:15-16). A life of spiritual prostitution is detestable to God.
If you are reading this and have been swayed by American ideology you are not alone. So have I. It has permeated the gospel so much. We have so much to unlearn. But thanks be to God's grace. He is greater than all of this. There is still time to change. We must ask Him to change our hearts, illuminate His truth in our minds and open our eyes to see what He sees. WE NEED THE MIND OF CHRIST.
Would we walk in His footsteps and live a wholehearted life of devotion to Jesus as we worship Him holistically, with our hearts, minds souls, and strength.
JN
Friday, June 3, 2011
pride and humility
Recently I have been living inwardly in such a dichotomy. Life has been awesome up here in Alaska. I feel like God is brining me to a place where nothing satisfies but Him. I have enjoyed fellowshipping with believers, reading and studying the Word, the glory of his creation, and my prayer times in isolation. But in the midst of all of this, there has been a battle going on in my heart. Pride has been competing with loving God. The last few months, the Lord really has been revealing to me my role in His Kingdom. Actually, to say that more accurately, I have begun to believe the role he has declared for me in His Kingdom. Satan hates this. When God's sons and daughters walk in their identity in Christ, there will always be opposition. This is the battle. The enemy wants us to boast in things other than Christ... good things! If he can get us to boast in our God given gifts and talents then we have just turned from bringing glory to God to trying to bring glory to ourselves.
The battle lies within. And it lies without. I believe that true humility comes when our eyes are fixed on Jesus and our boast is in Christ and Christ alone.
As the author of Hebrews says, "Fix your eyes on Jesus" and as Paul says
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Galatians 6:14
thats all for now.
JN
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Rob Bell and other thoughts
I finished Love Wins by Rob Bell yesterday.
After finishing one of the most controversial books that has come out in a long time, I still didn't know what to think about Rob Bell. I, like many, have heard Rob Bell labeled as a false teacher, heretic, apostate, and other terms like that. In fact, men I know, love and respect have used those words to describe him. But what does it mean to be a heretic? When is it right to label someone that? I will talk about that in another post.
What Bell came out and said he believed was, that God cannot be loving and send people who do not believe in Him to a hell where they will be tormented forever. So Bell reconciles what I think the scriptures teach about hell (punishment and suffering) by saying he believes that no one will be punished in a place like that. He goes on to say that those who choose God will be in heaven, but some of us who decide to live selfishly and not follow God will be allowed to do so. God will somehow separate them from those who have chosen to follow God. But they will not suffer. That is the key of what Rob believes about hell. Hell is the experience any human will have if they choose to live for themselves compared to following Jesus. According to Rob, there is no lake of fire and no eternal torment. The "torment" or "hell" is not enjoying life up to the potential that God created life to be enjoyed. So this place is filled with people who don't want to live for God. They won't suffer God's wrath and they are able to live out their eternity with out God. It reminded me of an eternal version of what John Lennon describes in the song "imagine". The details of whether Bell believes one can re-choose God post death are left open, but definably not ruled out. The gates to New Jerusalem are left open, as Bell says in the book.
Like Bell, there have been other great minds have held similar views on God. C.S Lewis may have been one of them.
What saddens me is that any unregenerate, non- believing person would LOVE a God like this. This God is a God with no consequences. This an All-You-need-is-love God that doesn't punish anyone. Every human being, myself included, would love to not see others be punished. But is this biblical? I don't think it is.
Rob Bells gospel is a prime example of what post modern people want: a hippe, humanistic, "all-you-need-is-love", tolerant God who give everybody what they want. I don't think this is how God reveals Himself in the Bible. Sin is serious to God. Just look at the cross. Read Revelation 20, it talks pretty descriptively about hell.
In conclusion, I think Bell has some great things to say about living for Christ. His conclusion on hell is very different from the classical doctrine. I think he is wrong. But Bell is preaching Jesus. He is all about Jesus and living for Jesus. He believes in hell, just not the punishment or torment part. Is there a place for this in the evangelical Christian world? I think there is. If this book gets people into the bible to see if Rob is right, then i think that is great. I hope Love Wins forces people to examine for themselves what they believe scripture teaches about hell. Is bell a heretic or false teacher? No. I don't think he is. I think he is wrong and misguided. But he is not saying all roads lead to heaven. He is not saying pray to Budda or Muhammed. He is saying Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and true life is found in Christ.
JN
After finishing one of the most controversial books that has come out in a long time, I still didn't know what to think about Rob Bell. I, like many, have heard Rob Bell labeled as a false teacher, heretic, apostate, and other terms like that. In fact, men I know, love and respect have used those words to describe him. But what does it mean to be a heretic? When is it right to label someone that? I will talk about that in another post.
What Bell came out and said he believed was, that God cannot be loving and send people who do not believe in Him to a hell where they will be tormented forever. So Bell reconciles what I think the scriptures teach about hell (punishment and suffering) by saying he believes that no one will be punished in a place like that. He goes on to say that those who choose God will be in heaven, but some of us who decide to live selfishly and not follow God will be allowed to do so. God will somehow separate them from those who have chosen to follow God. But they will not suffer. That is the key of what Rob believes about hell. Hell is the experience any human will have if they choose to live for themselves compared to following Jesus. According to Rob, there is no lake of fire and no eternal torment. The "torment" or "hell" is not enjoying life up to the potential that God created life to be enjoyed. So this place is filled with people who don't want to live for God. They won't suffer God's wrath and they are able to live out their eternity with out God. It reminded me of an eternal version of what John Lennon describes in the song "imagine". The details of whether Bell believes one can re-choose God post death are left open, but definably not ruled out. The gates to New Jerusalem are left open, as Bell says in the book.
Like Bell, there have been other great minds have held similar views on God. C.S Lewis may have been one of them.
What saddens me is that any unregenerate, non- believing person would LOVE a God like this. This God is a God with no consequences. This an All-You-need-is-love God that doesn't punish anyone. Every human being, myself included, would love to not see others be punished. But is this biblical? I don't think it is.
Rob Bells gospel is a prime example of what post modern people want: a hippe, humanistic, "all-you-need-is-love", tolerant God who give everybody what they want. I don't think this is how God reveals Himself in the Bible. Sin is serious to God. Just look at the cross. Read Revelation 20, it talks pretty descriptively about hell.
In conclusion, I think Bell has some great things to say about living for Christ. His conclusion on hell is very different from the classical doctrine. I think he is wrong. But Bell is preaching Jesus. He is all about Jesus and living for Jesus. He believes in hell, just not the punishment or torment part. Is there a place for this in the evangelical Christian world? I think there is. If this book gets people into the bible to see if Rob is right, then i think that is great. I hope Love Wins forces people to examine for themselves what they believe scripture teaches about hell. Is bell a heretic or false teacher? No. I don't think he is. I think he is wrong and misguided. But he is not saying all roads lead to heaven. He is not saying pray to Budda or Muhammed. He is saying Jesus is the way, the truth and the life and true life is found in Christ.
JN
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
thoughts on "the christian life"
Here are some scattered thoughts i've been processing through lately.
Ive been thinking about what it means to follow Jesus in this American culture. The question "what does it mean to daily love God" keeps coming up in conversation. I don't really know the answer to that question. But I have a lot of questions about that question.
Is it more than being faithful to one spouse for life?
Is it more than living based on what you need rather than what you want?
Is it more than giving to the needy?
Is it more than being honest and having integrity with your money, your word, and your commitments?
Is it more than being a hard worker at your job, supporting a family, and not cheating the system to put a little extra away.
Frankly, I know many unbelievers whose lives look a lot like what I just described.
I think there has to be more to following Jesus than that.
But is it just reading the bible, praying daily, and fellowshipping with other believers?
Is it speaking the gospel to those who do not believe?
I feel like there is more to loving God than this. But I don't know. I often feel like these things are elementary in the faith. Whenever I am asked the question or ask the question "how are you doing in your faith" usually one of the answers above follows. "This is what i've been reading in the Word. or i need to grow in my prayer life. or i need to be a better steward of my money."
But i think there is more than that. I dunno, maybe there is not. Life seems pretty simple. Enjoy God. Try to enjoy your job. Enjoy people. Wait for Jesus to come back. I don't know what else there is.
Any thoughts on this one, please comment.
JN
Ive been thinking about what it means to follow Jesus in this American culture. The question "what does it mean to daily love God" keeps coming up in conversation. I don't really know the answer to that question. But I have a lot of questions about that question.
Is it more than being faithful to one spouse for life?
Is it more than living based on what you need rather than what you want?
Is it more than giving to the needy?
Is it more than being honest and having integrity with your money, your word, and your commitments?
Is it more than being a hard worker at your job, supporting a family, and not cheating the system to put a little extra away.
Frankly, I know many unbelievers whose lives look a lot like what I just described.
I think there has to be more to following Jesus than that.
But is it just reading the bible, praying daily, and fellowshipping with other believers?
Is it speaking the gospel to those who do not believe?
I feel like there is more to loving God than this. But I don't know. I often feel like these things are elementary in the faith. Whenever I am asked the question or ask the question "how are you doing in your faith" usually one of the answers above follows. "This is what i've been reading in the Word. or i need to grow in my prayer life. or i need to be a better steward of my money."
But i think there is more than that. I dunno, maybe there is not. Life seems pretty simple. Enjoy God. Try to enjoy your job. Enjoy people. Wait for Jesus to come back. I don't know what else there is.
Any thoughts on this one, please comment.
JN
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
life
so its 2 am. i have a 10 page research paper due tomorrow at 2:15. well, i guess that would be today. i got tired of writing it so, naturally, i am doing something else. i took a 5 hour energy drink at 11 and it didn't really work at first, but now i feel awake. i got a lot of thoughts tonight.
i am amazed at life. life constantly changes, and so do our relationships with people. i have only been out of high school 2 years, and there have already been a few people who have entered into my life, made a lasting impression, and are slowly leaving.
i haven't been home in about 4 months. this has been the longest stretch of time since i moved to ohio. i miss home, but its more than that. i feel like a piece of me is there, waiting for the rest of me to return. i know who that piece is, but i need to return to familiar faces and places in order to feel whole again. i know i am speaking metaphorically and all of me is right here in ohio. i just feels like once i step of that airplane, i will be able to go "oh yeah. now i remember".
God has a way of using people and places to teach us about life. a familiar voice can bring so much comfort and peace. the same with a familiar scent or sight.
i am learning how once you really start to love people, you never fully separate. there are times of long absences, but love bonds people together forever.
i think that is all i got for now. im gonna get back to that paper. my mother is probably reading this and i know she would probably want me to. and i dont wanna get an F.
JN
hi mom. :)
i am amazed at life. life constantly changes, and so do our relationships with people. i have only been out of high school 2 years, and there have already been a few people who have entered into my life, made a lasting impression, and are slowly leaving.
i haven't been home in about 4 months. this has been the longest stretch of time since i moved to ohio. i miss home, but its more than that. i feel like a piece of me is there, waiting for the rest of me to return. i know who that piece is, but i need to return to familiar faces and places in order to feel whole again. i know i am speaking metaphorically and all of me is right here in ohio. i just feels like once i step of that airplane, i will be able to go "oh yeah. now i remember".
God has a way of using people and places to teach us about life. a familiar voice can bring so much comfort and peace. the same with a familiar scent or sight.
i am learning how once you really start to love people, you never fully separate. there are times of long absences, but love bonds people together forever.
i think that is all i got for now. im gonna get back to that paper. my mother is probably reading this and i know she would probably want me to. and i dont wanna get an F.
JN
hi mom. :)
Sunday, April 24, 2011
reflections on easter
so today is easter. about the 1,981st one since humanity started celebrating it. i was thinking today about the holiday. over dinner the practice of communion came up. i live in a predominantly Anabaptist area, and communion takes place about once or twice a year around here. this is much different from my home church in Massachusetts, which was Baptist, that celebrated communion monthly. one person thought communion monthly was a good idea. another said she would like it weekly. someone else made the comment that weekly was to much. that it would become a ritual if we did it that much.
and that made me think.
I think we need to be reminded of the cross more, not less. If doing communion weekly would become a ritual, then we have completely missed Jesus. If our response to weekly communion is apathy, then our souls are what Jesus called the Pharisees "white washed tombs."
i look around at our world today, it seems that Christianity is getting significantly less tolerated than it used to be. more countries are becoming closed to the gospel, Islam is spreading like wildfire, and relativism is the God of the west. so when a holiday like Easter is still celebrated, it makes me think.
i was searching the web the other day and i came across a term i had never herd of before. New Atheism. Basically, it is a movement of atheism which encourages atheists not just to live with religion, but to actively oppose it. CNN described it as follows: "What the New Atheists share is a belief that religion should not simply be tolerated but should be countered, criticized and exposed by rational argument wherever its influence arises."
That is just scary. three of the four leading proponents of New Atheism are, you guessed it, Americans. Richard Dawkins, the lone Brit of the bunch, wrote a book a few years back entitled "the God Delusion." Our American rights will not be inalienable much longer.
it is just crazy to see the world just as the bible depicts it. Christians truly are foreigners here. The world system operates totally anti God.
so as today is easter, i was thinking that we, the Church, need to live louder lives. especially in the west. we can't be ashamed of what we believe. God has blessed us with an incredible freedom to meet in public, fellowship, and partake in celebrate of our risen Savior. we are not in danger of being sawn in half like many believers in communist and Muslim countries are today.
i was thinking about the words of Paul today. "If Christ has not been raised, then you are to be pitied more than all men." That is so true. I don't know if we realize it, but often times we live like that. I live like that. The church of the West lives as if the gospel is just a story to make us feel better about life. We live as if it isn't real. We live as if the words of the Bible are dead words that carry no meaning beyond bringing us temporary comfort. We live as if Jesus is still buried in a tomb somewhere in Jerusalem. But the verse doesn't end there.
"Christ has indeed been risen!" "Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord because you know your labor is not in vain."
It is not in vain because we do not serve a dead God. We serve a God who is very much alive. A God who is very much on the throne. And a God who more real than the world around you.
we need to wake up America. We are called to more than this. He deserves it.
JN
and that made me think.
I think we need to be reminded of the cross more, not less. If doing communion weekly would become a ritual, then we have completely missed Jesus. If our response to weekly communion is apathy, then our souls are what Jesus called the Pharisees "white washed tombs."
i look around at our world today, it seems that Christianity is getting significantly less tolerated than it used to be. more countries are becoming closed to the gospel, Islam is spreading like wildfire, and relativism is the God of the west. so when a holiday like Easter is still celebrated, it makes me think.
i was searching the web the other day and i came across a term i had never herd of before. New Atheism. Basically, it is a movement of atheism which encourages atheists not just to live with religion, but to actively oppose it. CNN described it as follows: "What the New Atheists share is a belief that religion should not simply be tolerated but should be countered, criticized and exposed by rational argument wherever its influence arises."
That is just scary. three of the four leading proponents of New Atheism are, you guessed it, Americans. Richard Dawkins, the lone Brit of the bunch, wrote a book a few years back entitled "the God Delusion." Our American rights will not be inalienable much longer.
it is just crazy to see the world just as the bible depicts it. Christians truly are foreigners here. The world system operates totally anti God.
so as today is easter, i was thinking that we, the Church, need to live louder lives. especially in the west. we can't be ashamed of what we believe. God has blessed us with an incredible freedom to meet in public, fellowship, and partake in celebrate of our risen Savior. we are not in danger of being sawn in half like many believers in communist and Muslim countries are today.
i was thinking about the words of Paul today. "If Christ has not been raised, then you are to be pitied more than all men." That is so true. I don't know if we realize it, but often times we live like that. I live like that. The church of the West lives as if the gospel is just a story to make us feel better about life. We live as if it isn't real. We live as if the words of the Bible are dead words that carry no meaning beyond bringing us temporary comfort. We live as if Jesus is still buried in a tomb somewhere in Jerusalem. But the verse doesn't end there.
"Christ has indeed been risen!" "Therefore my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable always abounding in the work of the Lord because you know your labor is not in vain."
It is not in vain because we do not serve a dead God. We serve a God who is very much alive. A God who is very much on the throne. And a God who more real than the world around you.
we need to wake up America. We are called to more than this. He deserves it.
JN
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
roots
I was reading Acts this morning and I came across a passage that speaks incredible truth about the mercy and providence of God. In Acts 13, the people in Antioch ask Paul to speak to them a word of encouragement before they left again on their travels. Paul starts by reminding them of their Jewish history, from Abraham to Saul to David, and then to Christ. But in verse 37, he tells them something that often goes overlooked by the american church today.
"For so the Lord has commanded us, saying
"I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."
And when the Gentiles heard this they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."
What struck me about this passage is we, the American church, are the Gentiles Paul is talking about. The message of salvation did not start in America. It came from a few, poor, radical Jewish men in Israel. In America, I think we often forget that. We forget where we came from. We forget that we were Gentiles. I think we bring a sense of entitlement to God. We have this idea that because we are American, we have the whole Christian thing down the right way. We think other nations should be doing church like we are. We forget that as Ephesians says "we were separated from Christ, alienated form the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."
The amazing thing about this passage is that it was not first written by Paul. Paul quotes it from Isaiah, who prophesied that the Jews would be lights to the Gentiles, 700 years earlier. To the Jews, this idea would have seemed crazy. To think that their God wanted to bring salvation to the ends of the earth and use them as an instrument to accomplish it. And here we are, 2700 years after that prophecy was made, the so called "The Christian Nation". I think if we understood our roots, we would fall flat on our face in the thankfulness before the living God. He didn't have to choose us, but he did. He didn't have to send anyone to tell us about Jesus, but he did.
Know today that you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. Not the nation of America, the nation of the redeemed of Christ.
JN
"For so the Lord has commanded us, saying
"I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."
And when the Gentiles heard this they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."
What struck me about this passage is we, the American church, are the Gentiles Paul is talking about. The message of salvation did not start in America. It came from a few, poor, radical Jewish men in Israel. In America, I think we often forget that. We forget where we came from. We forget that we were Gentiles. I think we bring a sense of entitlement to God. We have this idea that because we are American, we have the whole Christian thing down the right way. We think other nations should be doing church like we are. We forget that as Ephesians says "we were separated from Christ, alienated form the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world."
The amazing thing about this passage is that it was not first written by Paul. Paul quotes it from Isaiah, who prophesied that the Jews would be lights to the Gentiles, 700 years earlier. To the Jews, this idea would have seemed crazy. To think that their God wanted to bring salvation to the ends of the earth and use them as an instrument to accomplish it. And here we are, 2700 years after that prophecy was made, the so called "The Christian Nation". I think if we understood our roots, we would fall flat on our face in the thankfulness before the living God. He didn't have to choose us, but he did. He didn't have to send anyone to tell us about Jesus, but he did.
Know today that you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation. Not the nation of America, the nation of the redeemed of Christ.
JN
Friday, March 25, 2011
Come On
One of my favorite bands is Rend Collective Experiment. They hail from Bangor, Northern Ireland... the land of rolling emerald hills, shamrocks, and spuds. Not really (about the spuds so i hear.) They have a song called Come On that has been so relevant to my life recently and I think is relevant to all those who long to worship Jesus.
The song is very simple, yet in it is a profound truth.
The lyrics are:
Come on my soul
Come on my soul
Let down the walls
And sing my soul
Come on, come on, come on, come on
It's time to look up
I love this song because it declares the truth of what we want our hearts to be in our worship of Jesus. There are times when I am either leading worship (musically) or just in the congregation and I feel like I am so far from a place of worship. I feel distracted, disengaged, and just plain distant from God. Sometimes there is no desire in my heart to worship at all. Before I had ever heard this song, I was talking to a worship pastor about this place of the heart. I asked him about those times when we feel out of it and distant. What should we do? He said that sometimes we have to force our heart to worship God. We must tell God "I know I don't feel like worshiping right now, but I want to want to worship. Take me to that place Lord." He said that there times when he will do whatever is necessary to get his soul in a place of worship, even if it means lying prostrate on the ground in front of everyone starting at him. If that is what it takes to force our heart to want to worship, then that is what we must do.
I love the truth that this song captures. The only response to God is worship, and when we don't feel like, we need to beckon our hearts and say
"Come on my soul! Let down the walls. It's time to look up!"
JN
Monday, March 21, 2011
Seasons
In the third chapter of Ecclesiastes, Solomon speaks about the different seasons that we encounter in our lives. In verse one, he says
"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven."
He goes on to say
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
These verses have really been relevant to me recently as I feel I am entering into a new season of my life. For a while now, I have really been in a season of growth in my mind. Over the past year and a half I have learned so much about the Word of God and yet sometimes I feel like I am just scratching the surface. But in the midst of learning and growing in knowledge, I had lost a sight of something that has always meant so much to me, and something that defined who I was for a long time. I had lost sight of the journey of life.
One of my favorite quotes is "life is not a problem to be solved, but an adventure to be lived." For the last year and a half, most of the time I have viewed life, as well as people, as problems to be solved. I don't think God made life that way.
So I am really excited that The Lord has broken through all the intellectual restraints I put up sometimes. He has a funny way of doing that. :) He used a band from Northern Ireland to remind me that worship is a lifestyle meant to be filled with joy and life is truly a journey we must embrace as we cross the thresholds through this side of eternity.
So as life moves, and we are taken through the seasons it brings, may our lives sing jubilant melodies to our marvelous, boundless, wonderful, sacrificial Savior, and may we know that He loves us.
filled with the joy of our Lord,
JN
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Battle
It has been a while since I have been on here. The last few months of my life have been quite busy, as the ministry has been growing. This past year, the Lord has really been teaching me a lot about myself and about some of the learned behaviors I have grown up with. But in the midst of realizing I need to unlearn some things in my life, there is a deeper issue in my life the Lord has been unlayering.
I have a tendency to view the Christian life as us humans trying to be better people, to be godlier in our actions and lives. While this is true, the Christian life does not stop there. Ephesians 6 tells us that there is a spiritual battle going on all around us. It tells us Satan is trying to deceive God's children into believing lies. There is a very real supernatural force of darkness that we are battling daily. And the battle is for our heart. If Satan can get believers to be unproductive and ineffective for the Kingdom of God, then he has succeeded.
I have a tendency to merely acknowledge the existence of Satan, but significantly play down his role in my life. Whether Satan or his demons, the truth is there is a spiritual battle going on. This cannot be ignored. And this battle is not only within me, it is outside of me. When the enemy gets my eyes off the eternal and focused on the temporal, then I tend to get discouraged, self focused, lazy, and just down. But if my eyes are fixed on Jesus and the eternal reality of the spiritual battle, I see things much differently. I see the Christian life as not just me wanting to become a more godly man. I see it for what it truly is, a battle that I must fight.
In my past, I have had a real fear that I am inadequate. Much of my life has been lived out of this fear. It was not until recently, that The Lord has shown me that this fear does not only come from within me. It is comes from without. This new truth has changed the way I look at that fear. I used to see my fear that I am inadequate as inadequacy itself. In other words, because I had that fear and I thought it came from me, I thought there was something wrong with me. Something that I had to try and change myself. Much of my Christian life has been me trying to overcome this fear. It never works. Now, I recognize that that fear is a lie that Satan wants me to believe. That battle is not a fight against myself. It is a fight against the demonic strongholds of the spiritual world.
In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul exhorts us to "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."
I love this verse because it demands action. We cannot expect God to do all the work, while we sit back and relax. God has empowered us to fight the good fight trough His Spirit, and by Him, we must take hold of the life to which we were called. This is a daily battle. This is our lives as followers of Christ.
The question is, are you fighting? And if you are, who?
JN
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Spiritual Antenna
I was challenged this past month by a youth pastor to always have my spiritual antenna up. What I mean is, throughout my day, to always be asking The Lord what He wants to teach me. God is in the process of conforming His children into the image of Christ. In this process, our character is always being refined so that we would have the blameless, perfect character of Jesus. If we are daily asking the Lord to teach us, He will show us things about ourself that we otherwise would miss.
The past month I have seen a few things in myself that The Lord needs to work on. It is a humbling experience, being shown our imperfections, but it brings us closer to God.
God is always working on our character. We can make it easier by asking Him to open our eyes to our spiritual needs, or we can be the stubborn, selfish humans we naturally are and try and do it ourselves. I encourage you keep your spiritual antenna up and ask the Lord to teach you, mold you, and use you. You will be amazed at what He does!
JN
The past month I have seen a few things in myself that The Lord needs to work on. It is a humbling experience, being shown our imperfections, but it brings us closer to God.
God is always working on our character. We can make it easier by asking Him to open our eyes to our spiritual needs, or we can be the stubborn, selfish humans we naturally are and try and do it ourselves. I encourage you keep your spiritual antenna up and ask the Lord to teach you, mold you, and use you. You will be amazed at what He does!
JN
Friday, January 21, 2011
prayer
I was reminded this week how vital prayer is in our walk with the Lord. I noticed when I stop praying or go hours in my day without talking to God, my thoughts quickly become all about myself. It is so easy for our mindset to be focused on us. Have you ever desired to do godly things for the purpose of making yourself look good? Have you ever prayed or read the Word with the mindset that it is all about you?
This past week, I did not get up early and get into the Word like I usually do. But yesterday, the Lord reminded me something that I had forgotten: He wants to meet with us. When we wake up, God desires to spend time with us.
My mindset has been that reading and praying is all about me meeting with God because He expects that. I forgot that it goes the other way. I forgot that the only reason I can talk to God is because He first spoke to me. This is a truth that I often forget. 1 John says that "we love Him because He first loved us."
Prayer is all about God. It is us relinquishing our dependence our ourselves and submitting ourselves fully to Him. I love in Psalm 17 when David writes:
"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow if your wings."
I often forget that I am His child and He wants me to just sit and be with Him. What an amazing truth!
JN
This past week, I did not get up early and get into the Word like I usually do. But yesterday, the Lord reminded me something that I had forgotten: He wants to meet with us. When we wake up, God desires to spend time with us.
My mindset has been that reading and praying is all about me meeting with God because He expects that. I forgot that it goes the other way. I forgot that the only reason I can talk to God is because He first spoke to me. This is a truth that I often forget. 1 John says that "we love Him because He first loved us."
Prayer is all about God. It is us relinquishing our dependence our ourselves and submitting ourselves fully to Him. I love in Psalm 17 when David writes:
"Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow if your wings."
I often forget that I am His child and He wants me to just sit and be with Him. What an amazing truth!
JN
Friday, January 14, 2011
five years
I was thinking today about what my life could look like five years from now. Where will I be when I wake up on a cold, January morning in 2016? Who will be president? Will the Cleveland Browns have a super bowl title by then? Will I still live in Ohio? Will anyone close to me pass away? Will I be single? These questions are all the unknowns of life.
I used to think five years was a long time. Now I realize time seems to only move faster. When you break it down, five years is only about 44,000 hours from now. I remember five years ago today. I was a freshmen in high school, studying for my first final exam. I was 15. If you had asked me then what I thought my life would be like now, I would have been probably 99% wrong.
I was reminded in Proverbs today that "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9. It gives me great confidence to know that God knows my entire future and He is directing my life.
For some reason, the future can seem intimidating. But we often overlook the fact that the future does not exist yet, at least from our perspective. How can something that does not exist intimidate us? More and more I am reminded that right now is all we have in this life. God asks us to worship Him now. If our gaze is fixed upon Jesus now, then the unknowns of the future simply become the realities of our present. So worship Him with wholehearted devotion right now. Cause that all we have. And that is all we are asked of.
JN
I used to think five years was a long time. Now I realize time seems to only move faster. When you break it down, five years is only about 44,000 hours from now. I remember five years ago today. I was a freshmen in high school, studying for my first final exam. I was 15. If you had asked me then what I thought my life would be like now, I would have been probably 99% wrong.
I was reminded in Proverbs today that "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9. It gives me great confidence to know that God knows my entire future and He is directing my life.
For some reason, the future can seem intimidating. But we often overlook the fact that the future does not exist yet, at least from our perspective. How can something that does not exist intimidate us? More and more I am reminded that right now is all we have in this life. God asks us to worship Him now. If our gaze is fixed upon Jesus now, then the unknowns of the future simply become the realities of our present. So worship Him with wholehearted devotion right now. Cause that all we have. And that is all we are asked of.
JN
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)