John 4

Welcome back guys!  Time to dig into chapter 4 of John.  Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well at the beginning.  This is pretty big for a few different reasons.  First off a man to talk to a woman in public who was a stranger, was thought as weird back in this time.  The other interesting fact is that most Jewish people at this time would not even pass through this area, Samaria, because they really looked down on Samaritans in general.  They were considered less than human because they were mixture of the Assyrian people, a people group that had once overpowered Israel, and the Jews.  I know, it's not cool but it is the way that it was back then. 
So Jesus, in order to show His love for God and this person, didn't do what was easy or what was comfortable, He did what was right.  Amazing!  This woman realized this and was kind of taken back that Jesus would even approach her (v9).  To break across all of these barriers, Jesus did something simple.  He asked her for a drink (v7). 

In turn, He was able to talk to her about trusting in Him and having a relationship with God.  He offered her "living water" or the Holy Spirit.  This "living water" could cleanse her of her sins!  Also by drinking this water she would never thirst again.  In other words, she now also had the opportunity to spend eternity with God!  This happened all because Jesus went against what was "normal".  He didn't fall in line with what every body else thought He should do.  He did what was right, not what was expected! 

Last night at our Junior High meeting, we talked about how it takes real courage to do what is unexpected and different.  Jesus did that all of the time.  People were constantly getting onto Him about not "coloring inside the lines".  It is what ultimately led to His crucifixion.  Pharisees couldn't stand the fact that this "man" (who was actually God) was ruining their perfectly good religion.  But because Jesus came to save those who were lost, He had to go against the norm!  When what is normal goes against God's will, you have to be...weird.  You have to stand out! 

What is it that God wants you to do that is uncomfortable? What person do you need to talk to that no one else will approach or talk to?  What idea or concept do you need to stand against because you know that God would not want you to do that?  Pray about it and then go against the norm!

Cool Fact:
In v24 the word "worship" is translated into English as "worthship".  To worship God is to give Him the credit He is due. 

John 3

Welcome back gang!  Crack your Bibles open to John 3 and let's get started.  Don't forget to pray that God will open the eyes of your soul to His message for you. I felt drawn to the person of Nicodemus in this section.  He is a Pharisee and observer of the law of Moses.  Simply put the Pharisees were strict observers of the law and were constantly involving Jesus in debates over Scripture.  Nicodemus is interesting because he doesn't seem to be debating but asking real questions, he is really interested in what Christ has to say.  Notice, Nicodemus came "at night".  Either to avoid embarrassment from his friends or to have uninterrupted time with Jesus.  He also seems convinced that Jesus is not some magician or heretic but that there is something different about Him (v2).

Jesus engages Nick in a conversation about faith in Him.  The picture that He uses is of someone being born again.  That there is some type of 2nd birth that takes place after believing (2 Cor 5:17).  I think that the water and Spirit comment in v5, is Jesus repeating the same concept.  Water meaning natural child birth and Spirit meaning new life in Christ.  Jesus presents the gospel to this law keeper!  John 3:16 which is no doubt one of the most quoted verses in the Bible here.  Jesus is telling Nick, who had previously thought God just wanted him to obey a bunch of rules, that a connection with God is about faith and belief.  This would be a totally new concept for this Pharisee!

Maybe it is for you too.  Maybe your life with Jesus has been about "do this...don't do that" and that has kinda been it.  Did you know, that God wants you to trust Him?  He wants to draw close in a relationship with you?  All you need to do is believe that He is who He said He is.  Trust in Christ today and be born again.  See you tomorrow.

Cool Fact:
Nicodemus appears several times in the Gospel of John.  You see Him defending Jesus in John 7:50-51 and at Christ's death in John 19:39.  Pretty safe to say Nicodemus genuinely accepted Christ in this account because his actions followed his belief!

John 2

Good morning everybody!  Thanks for sticking with it and joining me for the second day of reading your Bible for 21 days in January.  Today, we are going to take a look at John 2 and the first miracle Jesus ever performed.  It is kind of cool that it takes place at a wedding party.  That Jesus and the disciples would be the type of people that would be invited to a party is interesting.  Jesus and the twelve were people that you would want to hang out with!
It is also interesting that Jesus chose water that is usually used for a somber ceremony of cleansing or purification is also cool.  Christ turned that same water into refreshments for the party!  Wine is used later in the gospels to symbolize the blood of Christ and was a part of the "Last Supper" or what we celebrate as communion.  Jesus was showing us that He would shed His blood for us and would forgive our sins.  In performing this miracle, Jesus was bringing in a new "Covenant".  Not an empty hollow following of God but a relationship with Him that was something to be celebrated.  A party with God!

It is a good reminder that our worship of God, our following of Jesus, should not be boring or something that we dread doing.  It is a celebration of our love and gratitude for what Christ has done in shedding His blood for us.  AWESOME!


Cool Fact:
This miracle is sometimes referred to as a "luxury" miracle because no one was healed nor did it seem like Jesus really "had" to do it.  But it is exactly the point!  It is symbolic of the New Covenant that He brings with Him.  Jesus didn't have to die for us on the cross, He chose to.  Sure, it was the only way we could have a relationship with God but it was still an act of grace (God's unmerited favor).

John 1

Good morning everybody!  Today, I'm starting the New Year off by blogging every day in January on the Book of John.  Thanks for checking this out.  One of my hopes is that this will help you dive into the Gospel for a few minutes every day, so I will try to keep it short and sweet.
Today, God impressed on me the idea of Christ as the Word.  Simply put, Jesus lived out God's message of forgiveness, love and God's glory that He WAS the message.  His life perfectly displayed who God is and what He is about that all you had to do was spend time with Jesus and you have spent time with God.  Because Jesus WAS God and IS God (v1-3).

I am challenged by this fact because my life doesn't always look like a perfect example of God's will wrapped up in a person.  It challenges me, and hopefully you, to do a better job of living out God's message of His love for humanity. 

Another cool thought that I encountered today was that once we enter into a relationship with Christ, we become God's children.  He changes the course of our lives so much that we are adopted into His family.  He changed Peter's life so much that He gave him a new name - "Peter" which means "rock".  Kinda cool right?  Peter is no longer just some fishermen guy, he now has a new identity and a purpose in life.  So do we!



Cool Fact:
Names given to Jesus just in chapter 1: Word (v1), God (v1), Creator (V3),Light (v7), only begotten God (v18)Lamb of God (v29, 36), Messiah (v41), King of Israel (v49) and Son of Man (v51)

Drive Thru Theology

I love taking car trips with my daughter.  She has an inredible mind and asks really great questions.  It is impossible to calculate the number of conversations that we have had and the topics of those conversations.  Some of them have included: what modern day pirates look like, hot air balloons and if they offer free rides, if her toy wand really possesses magical powers, can a Great Dane fit in a Camaro, Darth Vader and general frustration over people being in front of us in the drive thru and the possibilty that they are taking the last happy meal toy.  Along with those amazing conversations that, by the way, I enjoy thoroughly, we also talk a little theology. 

Some of these conversations happen on the way to church.  Like,"We're going to church in a hotel??!!  Really?" To which I'm able to reply "Yeah baby.  You know, church isn't about the building." Then a conversation about church is born.  Or after picking her up from school I hear "Marissa is mean!  She said (insert insulting remark here)" and we start a conversation on forgiveness and how Christ forgave us of a BUNCH of mean things.  Don't get me wrong there are tons of moments where this doesn't happen.  Either, I'm tired or Savannah is just not up for having a discussion on the matter.  However, the more I try the more I multiply my chances of one of those conversations sticking.  There are times when I think I've made a pretty good case and it falls completely flat.  There are other times that I'm sure that I have stunk it up royally and she gets it.  I wish there were a formula.  The only formula I can come up with is Paul's in Acts 17:16.

Scripture states that Paul's "spirit was being provoked within him as he was observing the city full of idols."  Do you ever feel this way?  I mean, you see something on TV that should not be on during prime time and your kid is sitting in front of the screen.  I still remember my daughter uttering the phrase "Why he's got no head?" Before she was able to formulate sentences correctly.  I was horrified by what was being show on TV.  My spirit was provoked within me.  It made me sad that a generation of kids have to witness stuff like that.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not a "Boycott everything that disagrees with my beliefs" kinda guy at all.  I was just miffed.  We also see it in our teens.  The stars they idolize and the sports figures that grab their attention are not exactly who you want to model ourself after.  My spirit is provoked within me when I see that.

YET, which is a key word, YET they are teaching points.  Don't spend your time ranting about why "kids these days" aren't respectful, while you raise your cane on your front porch.  Use it like Paul did.  It was a time to teach those who are knee deep in that culture something about the One true living God!  Take the opportunity without getting too preachy with them.  Don't beat them over the head with it or sermonize them.  Have a discussion with them over it.  See what they think.  Shut up and listen for a while and  you might be surpised about what you can find out about your kid.  But it all starts with you following the Spirit when He stirs you.  How will you react when the time comes?

A TALE OF TWO HOODIES

I've had this hoodie for around 8 years. It used to be navy blue but is pretty faded and a little tattered around the edges.  Me and hoodie have seen some pretty great times together.  This hoodie is so comfortable, even in 200 degree weather, and I LOVE IT!!! There’s one problem, my wife doesn’t want to be seen with me in public with old hoodie. I know, can you believe that?! “Why?” you may ask. Well, old hoodie has stains on it, it is also tattered and a little torn. Old hoodie, is…old. The fact of the matter is, I really needed to change to a new hoodie. I try not to say that in front of old hoodie too much. So, I went out and bought a new hoodie. It is currently hanging in my closet...nice and new. A lot more presentable than old hoodie and a little bit trendier. But not too trendy because I bought it at Wal Mart. Here’s the problem with new hoodie. I really like old hoodie. He’s comfortable, and people have seen me in old hoodie. I’m not sure how new hoodie is going to turn out for me. Not sure how people will react to new hoodie.

OLD ME VS NEW ME
When we become Christians, our lives are kinda like these hoodies. You see, we like the old us and really don’t feel like changing into the new us. The old us is predictable, comfortable and people know me that way. The Bible calls the old me, the old nature or man. The new one? The new man or creation/creature.  Our new life in Christ should be characterized by the change in us.  We are in the process of giving up more of ourselves and becoming more like Jesus.

LAY ASIDE, RENEW, PUT ON
This process of change or transformation is outlined in Ephesians 4:22-24 via Paul by the Holy Spirit.  He says things like we need to "lay aside" the old us, be "renewed" and to "put on" Christ.  Those words "Lay aside" and "put on" carry with them the connotation of taking off and putting on a garment.  The things that our heart desires before and after Christ should be different but the old us, isn't that easy to shake.  Our in dwelling sin still craves our old way of life and sometimes derails us from God's plan.  That's why this whole process is so important.  The more we take off, the old us and our old ways, the  more free we become to worship Jesus!  That's the renew part.  We shake ourselves of the old entanglements (Hebrews 12:1) and that rids us of the distraction of worshipping something different.  When we lay aside those things we are free to gaze upon the beauty that is Christ!

What is it in your life that is distracting you from seeing Christ's uniqueness?  His beauty?  Think of one thing that stand between you and a more fruitful life in Jesus this week and lay it aside so that God can do the work of renewing your heart.  Then begin to put on Christ's righteousness and His deeds to make the transformation complete.  I'll be praying for you.

Dark Night

I am notorious for having a bad sense of direction. If I don’t have a GPS or someone with me that has some serious directional skills, I will be lucky to get home. Yet, there are still times when I can convince myself that this is not the case. For instance, one year before I took a group of students to camp, I went off by myself, which was my first problem, and went for a hike. It was a pretty long hike and I was really enjoying the scenery as I went, which was my second problem. You see, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. I was enjoying the deer that jumped across my path, I was peering off of the edge of the hill/ mountain (I was in Texas…it was a hill), and marveling at the butterfly that flew by my head. Before long I found myself deep in the woods, without a compass, with no cell phone coverage and…no water. Not very smart.

But still, I was relatively confident in my tracking skills (without real hard evidence that any such skill ever existed) and optimistic about finding my way back. So I turned around and hit the trail back. I was doing great, for awhile. Then I started looking at my surroundings and realizing, “I’ve never seen any of these land marks before.” I started to panic a little. No one really knew where I was and night was quickly approaching. If I was having trouble now, I would have REAL trouble once the darkness settled and I could see very little. I tried recalling episodes of Survivor or shows like 48 hours where people have survived extreme circumstances. But then I remembered that I don’t have any outside survival skills and quite honestly didn’t sit through an entire episode of these shows recently enough to make a difference.

The good news is, by God’s grace, I found my way back to a designated trail and eventually back to the camp before night came. Whew! If I had not, I would be wandering around in the dark, lost and pretty much hopeless. Have you ever had an experience like that before? Maybe it wasn’t being lost in a literal wilderness. But have you ever felt completely lost and not sure how to find your way out of a situation? Have you ever prayed to God to intervene but felt like…well…He ignored you? St. John of the Cross would call that your “Dark Night of the Soul”. Pretty cool terminology right? If you have ever been through it, you know that it is accurate imagery. You battle feelings of alienation, loneliness and abandonment. As a believer, you know that God exists but you wish for just a moment He would show Himself and get you out of the pit that you are in.

The question is: How do you get through the Dark Night? The answer is a lot more simple and uninteresting than we would like it to be. Trust and obey. Some of you just broke out into an old school hymn right there but I really believe that is the gist of it. As much as the Dark Night of the soul sucks, there are some things that I think God does through those times (not that it makes it any easier). Here are a few:

Rids you of Excessive Pride – When you have hit the bottom, there is no place to look but up right? Any misconceptions that you had previously are annihilated during this time. Be encouraged! It makes you more dependent on Christ. Which leads me to the next point…

Seeing Christ as Sufficient – Philippians 4:19 puts it this way: “And my God will supply all of your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.” Notice there is no promise of your riches or glory but according to His. The treasure that He is talking about is Jesus. Not deliverance from your problems or pain but that Christ is there in the midst of it. You are no longer seeing possessions or things as your savior but you are able to see the one true savior…Christ.

Brings you to a place of honesty with Him – Once your pride is stripped away and you have nothing else to lean on but God, it is really easy for you to confess your inability to help yourself before God. Not only that but you can confess your anger before Him. There are times when I have felt like shouting at God over something. Sure it isn’t a great prayer strategy but it is honest. God is a BIG God, He can take it. As long as you say you are sorry afterwards.

Gives You Endurance and Opens up New Possibilities
A few months ago, I contacted an old mentor of mine to update him on some things that I was currently going through. He was very encouraging and at the end of the email he signed it with “Press on…”. LOVE IT!!! He basically summarized Philippians 3:14 which says “I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Notice how the goal is always Christ? But to get there you have to press on regardless of the circumstances. When you do that, God gives you endurance to face the next challenge. It is called perseverance and character. This ultimately makes you more like Christ which, again, is the goal. That is called “transformation”. Once you begin to live that way, God will open up new possibilities for you that you never dreamed possible. When your happiness is not contingent upon your circumstances you can do anything and glorify God! Amazing right?

In the moments where you can't tangibly feel God.  Know this.  He is there.  Trust and obey, even in the times when you can't feel Him there and know that He will never leave you or forsake you.  Peace.