BibleScribbler

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Knowledge and Love

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Doesn’t it seem weird that we approach our relationship with God so differently than our approach to our relationship with our girlfriend, bros, or any inanimate object?

What I mean specifically: in regards to inanimate objects – my sons bought some AstroJax.

They are super cool and amazing things. When they brought them home, we didn’t look into books and books of the history of juggling, string, plastic, spheres, and toys. We watched a single video of people using them, and then we went for it. We went for it for hours.

They carried them in their pockets every time we went out of the house.

They wore the stings down.

They dropped them.

They tangled them.

They used them like crazy.

When this cute girl that I know became my girlfriend, I didn’t research the history of the Scandinavian and Danish people. I didn’t learn all about Ivy Tech (where she went to school) and North High School and map out the neighborhoods where she grew up and the fashion design industry that she was interested in.

I hung out with her.

I spent every moment I could with her.

If she was working, I would sit at the bookstore where she worked and I would read.

If she was on her dinner break in the evening I’d bring her Arby’s.

If she had a Saturday off we would walk around Audobon park and kick gumballs.

How much more so should we look at Christianity like this! Some would say it is shallow and emotional. That faith like that relies too much on feelings and not on knowledge.

It is not because of knowing about my girlfriend that I made a life-long covenant to be with her! We have now been married for 13 years and have 5 children!

If we compare the local church to a person, she may have made herself rather fat as far as attendance (though overall church attendance is dropping nationwide) but she’s not typically birthing out more churches.

I’m curious as to what would happen if we treated our faith more as a love affair than an intellectual pursuit.

1 Corinthians 8:1

All of us possess knowledge. This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.

What would happen if we went after the immeasurable and risky love of God that is beyond all knowledge? I think it would be awesome.

Loving your Enemies

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Tonight I told a bedtime story that, as usual, comes right out of my life and what I’m walking through day by day.

I talked about loving your enemies and doing good to them. There are a lot of places throughout the scriptures where God and His people show mercy and compassion towards people that are their enemies. (There are a lot of times where it doesn’t work out that way either! I know!)

So tonight I was thinking about how the more you walk along the path of Jesus, the more your path looks like His.

 

[quote]If you are going to follow Jesus, you’re going to make a few stops along the way:
a cross, a tomb, eternal life.[/quote]

 

I told the kids about how Jesus loved his enemies, and the more enemies He loved, the more enemies He made. He continued all of the way up until every single person He knew, even His best friends, had abandoned Him.

It’s an interesting perspective that I’ve never looked at before. In a couple of months, I get to speak at a church 2 weekends in a row. I have a feeling that love for our enemies is going to be the focal point of these two talks.

Sermon from CFC 4-15-12

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Here are my notes from Christian Fellowship Church on April 15, 2012. The first few pages are pretty poor because I was in such a state from the 2 girls chatting like hens throughout the entire worship time, but by the time I got to page 3 I was able to focus enough to pay attention.

This is the opening sermon from the Desperate Households series, entitled Buyer’s Remorse.

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The Holy Spirit, Gifts, and Freedom

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(I realize this quote starts out kind of arrogant, but stay with me.)

We lack for Christians who feel themselves expendable in the warfare of the soul, who cannot be frightened by threats of death because they have already died to the attractiveness of this world. Such Christians will be free from the compulsions that control and squeeze weaker thinking Christians.

This kind of freedom is necessary if we are to serve God and mankind from motives too high to be understood by the regular irregulars who shuttle in and out of the sanctuary.

Free Christians will:

  • make no decisions out of fear,
  • take no course out of a desire to please,
  • accept no service for financial considerations,
  • perform no religious act of mere custom;
  • nor will they allow themselves to be influenced by the love of publicity or the desire for reputation.

This is from a study I’m doing right now. Pretty strong words. While I was reading this I realized that I never expected to come home from any mission trip I ever went on. Every time I flew into my hometown airport or pulled into the church parking lot where I left my car, I was surprised at God. I was surprised almost to the point to paralysis because I realized that God had more to do with me.

So the question now is how does that mentality/lifestyle work in a neighborhood? In a place where you come home and walk in a door every day (if not several times in a single day?!)

There are two big deals I’ve gotten out of this study.

  1. All gifts are from God but watered and nurtured by people.

    2 Timothy 1:6 Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift…

    Timothy had a gift that Paul was encouraging him to rev up again. Don’t get beat down from discouragement or whatever, turn it up Timothy!

  2. That power, love, and self-control verse isn’t about not being afraid, it’s about spiritual gifts!

    2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.

    Timothy was being cheered on by Paul to get out there and do the things that Timothy knew he was meant to do. He knew the call of God on his life and the gifts that God gave him to do those things. Now, Timothy, Paul says, go do those things in love and self-control (or a sound mind, not an out of control crazy person).

So what happens if we are fully unleashed? What happens when we love our neighbors and talk sincerely to each other and become a safe haven for the people around us?

What if we focused more on what we are doing right now (I’m going to show you the love of God as it was shown to me in Jesus) instead of focusing so much on a result (I’m going to make you a convert whether you like it or not!)?

What would happen if we did what God called and equipped us to do, wherever we are, without fear of death or shame or embarrasment?

BUT

What if we did it in love, not obnoxiousness?

What if we walked in humility, not arrogance?

I think we’d find ourselves really free and the people around us would become free too!