Enough!

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I was reflecting on Jesus’ final words on the cross, “It is finished” and a though occurred to me. The phrase literally meant that the transaction was complete thus giving the idea that our debt was paid. What was this debt and why did I owe it?

The debt was my life and my soul that would be required of me due to my sin. More specifically, the price of my sin was to be an eternity separated from God in Hell—not an appealing option. What could possibly be done about it?

Many better men than me have tried to overcome this debt through living moral lives and completing good works but that just does not seem to be enough. The Bible tells us very clearly that none of us can be “good” enough to overcome our sinfulness or earn God’s favor but yet we keep trying on our own.

Sometime in God’s planning process, He said, “enough.” Enough of man trying to earn salvation without success—God never intended us to earn it anyway. Enough of living as if God did not exist. Enough of living as if sin did not matter.  Enough of feeling that we are without eternal hope.  Enough to pain and sorrow.  Enough of guilt and shame. “Enough!” So God sent us Jesus.

Easter is about “enough.”  It is enough that God loves us. It is enough that Jesus died for us. It is enough that Jesus defeated death and sin. It is enough that we can live forever with our loving Creator.  It is enough that God has poured out love, grace and purpose on us.  It is enough that we can be forgiven. It is enough that we are God’s children and truly loved.

If all of that is truly enough, why am I constantly trying to find more? Why do I allow myself to give in to sin when it has no power over me? Why do I feel like I don’t matter when I know that God knows and loves me? Why do I feel the need to stress out over things that God has already planned for? Why do I choose to ignore God’s love and blessings?

Maybe it is simply because I am a man who is still figuring things out. Maybe it is simply a part of my growing process. Maybe it is simply time for me to scream “ENOUGH!” and let God love me and make me into the man that He wants me to be.

Have you had enough of trying to do life alone? Jesus really is all we need. He alone is enough.

Happy Easter,

Lee

Good Friday? What’s So Good About It?

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Today is Good Friday, the Friday before Easter but the world is quiet about it. I have noticed that even churches are quiet about it. Good Friday is the name given to the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. Admittedly the idea of torture and death do not bring about good feelings for most of us but this is different. Let me explain.
Good Friday is good because it is a demonstration of God’s love for us. How many of us would endure such suffering for someone else—especially those who would consider themselves enemies or strangers to us? God’s desire is simply to love us and draw us close to Him so that drives Him to make the necessary provisions for that relationship. Unfortunately, our sinfulness is so great that only death can account for it; Romans 3:23 says that “the wages(earned outcomes) of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus.” Someone had to pay the price for our sin so God chose to pay it himself. Even if we don’t understand all of the theological issues, we can understand loving someone so much that you would do anything for him or her. The crucifixion of Jesus is God’s extreme measure of love.
We like to talk about Easter with all of its pageantry, bright colors and kid-focused fun but not the gore of Good Friday. We like to celebrate Easter with its focus on renewal and freedom but we avoid the guilt and pain that occur when we truly look at Good Friday. Looking at Jesus’ sacrifice for us makes us take responsibility for our past and present sinfulness; no one likes to be reminded of his shortcomings so we avoid it. Churches used to have Good Friday times of worship and prayer but few do today. I even worked on staff at one church that made everyone work on Good Friday rather than taking it seriously as a special day. We must change this—if only in our own hearts.
Let me offer a helpful perspective. Yes, Good Friday is dark and heavy. Yes, it reminds us of our sin but that can be beneficial. Taking a serious look at the necessity of Jesus’ death should bring about an awareness of just how amazing God’s love is for us. There are no strings attached to accepting God’s offer of salvation and forgiveness. We do not have to live in shame or guilt for our past sin because Jesus took care of it on Good Friday. We do not have to fear death because of Good Friday. We can have eternal life with God because of Good Friday. Good Friday makes the celebration of Easter possible.
Take time today to reflect on Jesus’ choice to be sacrificed for your soul. Allow Good Friday to prepare you to celebrate Easter. Don’t shy away from the pain and hurt that Jesus endured for you—it was yours (and mine) to bear. Rejoice that God loves you this much. “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son anyone who believes (trusts) in Him might not die but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Perhaps we should rename it “Jesus Died for You Day.”
Lee

A Theology of Hospitality

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As I think about our church and its ministry, I think about the ministry of Jesus when He was here in the flesh. What did He do? What was His focus? How did He treat people, especially “outsiders”? How can we be like Him and replicate His ministry?
In exploring the gospel accounts, it becomes apparent that Jesus was a man of hospitality. What I mean is that He welcomed everyone into His presence with loving acceptance. He did not/does not condone sinful behavior but He did/does accept and love people in spite of their sin. Jesus modeled for us that our ministry is to bring the lost to God. His method was love. His method was to welcome sinners into His presence so that they could experience His love and choose a relationship with Him. He took that message to the social and religious outcasts of His day. He hung out with prostitutes, tax collectors, people who did not go to church and others that good religious people would avoid. His invitation was, and is, to the hurting, the confused, the lost, the unloved and even the immoral—all of us at one time or another. His welcome tells us to bring our hurts, our exhaustion, our struggles, our hopes and our fears to Him so that He can love on us.
In light of this, our ministry (both as a church and as individuals) is to reach out to the unreached. We are to love the unloved and unlovable. We are to accept the unacceptable. We are to heal the hurting and guide the lost to Christ. A lost person will not desire a relationship with Christ until they have seen His love through us.
In student ministry, there is a lot of focus on accepting youth and kids as they are. We have a “come as you are” perspective. In order to reach them, we must overlook issues of hair color, clothing style, body piercing, music and even family and church backgrounds. We have to love students regardless of their past mistakes (sin), self-inflicted pain and current struggles. We must reach out to them where they are and how they are in order for them to become who God made them to be. This is a perspective that the church as a whole must embrace in order to make an impact on the world and our community.
Friends, it is time to get radical. It is time to think outside of the box. It is time to engage our community and its culture. It is time to sell out to Jesus’ model of ministry. It is time to invite everyone we encounter to experience His love. It is time to welcome everyone with open arms. It is time to get personal and share our lives with each other as we reach out and grow in our ministry.
I challenge you this week to put this into practice. Invite someone to church (someone who does not go to church already). Dress as they dress so that they will feel more comfortable. Be bold in explaining the gospel and what God has done for you. Meet someone at church that you do not know. Invite someone new over for dinner. Hug someone who looks like they need it. This is a Theology of Hospitality. This is the Ministry of Love. This is our calling.
Blessings,
Lee

The Giving God

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Everybody loves a giver. You know, those people who never forget your birthday or always bring you a souvenir from their vacation. We find ourselves wondering, “What will he give me this year?” We especially love the selfless givers who would give a stranger the shirt of off their backs. I must admit that we don’t always understand that kind of giving but we love to hear stories about these people.
What makes someone a great giver? First, they possess a willingness or desire to give. They don’t give because they have to but because they want to. Second, this person knows what to give. Compare this to that crazy person who always gives you socks or soap at Christmas—what’s up with that! Third, a great giver rejoices in seeing you happy. I’m not talking about some codependent need to make people happy but a genuine joy.
God is a great giver. OK, He doesn’t usually drop a new Porsche on us at Christmas but He does give us many things. First, He gave us life. I am truly thankful to be here. Second, He gives us love. God’s love is an amazing thing; it is laced with forgiveness, compassion, trust and hope. He doesn’t just give us love—He dumps it on us (see I John 3:1) over and over. Third, He gave us His Son. This is the best Christmas gift of all because we can live eternally and have a better relationship with Him. He gives because He loves us.
The cool thing about God is that He has all of the characteristics of a great giver. He gives to us because He wants to; nobody makes God do anything. He knows what we need and when we need it (even if we don’t). Third, He rejoices over our happiness (see John 10:10). What does God have for you? Ask Him and simply accept His gifts and be blessed.
Merry CHRISTmas
Lee

The Future is Now

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The Future is Now

Any financial counselor worth his salt will tell you that in order to be ready for the future you must begin now.  You cannot expect to be frivolous with your income your whole life and suddenly snap your fingers and have a nice nest egg for retirement.  Well, the same is true in our personal spiritual lives and in our ministry. We cannot live selfishly and self-centeredly our whole lives and suddenly become a spiritual “superhero” overnight.  It takes time, work and commitment to grow in our life of faith.  We learn as we go—more from our mistakes than from our successes.  This is also true in ministry, especially ministry to students.  Just as we can wake up one day to realize that we have not prepared for the future financially, we as a church can wake up to find that we have not developed the church and its leadership for the future. It is great to schedule and program everything at the church around the faithful attendees and tithers but what about intentionally reaching out to the lost?  It is great to enjoy some amount of familiarity in church but what about embracing the mandate to grow, be selfless and reach out?  Nationwide, teenagers and young adults are leaving church and never return. Surveys show that they believe that the church is outdated and irrelevant to their needs.  This should send us to our knees in tearful prayer. Are we willing to invest our time, energy and money into reaching out to the emerging generations in ways that they can understand?  It will mean giving up some of our comforts and sentiments but it will lead to a newness of purpose and a renewed blessing.

So what do we do about this? First, we pray.  We pray that our own hearts will be changed and filled with a love for young people.  We pray that our leaders will be moved with love and try new things to reach new people. We pray that we have not lost our opportunity to be a blessing.  Second, we act.  We choose to become involved in ministry. We choose to boldly seek out new ways to connect with the lost and unchurched in our community.  We choose to give up some of our preferences for the cause of Christ and the salvation of souls. Third, we keep it up.  Change is constant. Change within cultures is constant. What worked yesterday does not work today. What works today will probably not work tomorrow.  We must not become complacent in our ministry.  We must not become complacent in our own spiritual growth either.

We can make a difference in this community. We can have an impact on the lives of the younger generations. We can leave a lasting legacy of faith and ministry for our churches, communities and families. We must prepare for the future now.

Be passionate and purposeful,

Lee

Being Brave

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Being Brave

Have you ever been afraid? I mean really afraid—so scared that you couldn’t move. It’s like in a scary movie when the person is so scared that she runs the wrong way or opens the wrong door (while we sit screaming at her). Fear can paralyze us or cause us to lose our ability to think clearly.

What are you afraid of? Most of us have experienced some type of fear—fear of death, fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of a person, fear of spandex, etc. How do we deal with fear? How can you and I overcome it?

First, we must acknowledge our fears. Coming to grips with our fears helps us to get control of them. Guys really struggle with this because it makes us admit our weaknesses but we just have to deal with it. Second, we need to analyze our fears. Ask yourself, “why am I afraid of this?” Is it a real issue or just an irrational feeling? Third, we must accept truth. What is the reality of the situation? What do I know to be true? Finally, we must act against our fears. This does not mean that you should walk a tightrope over the Grand Canyon to overcome a fear of heights. It does mean that we should choose to overcome our fears by living and enjoying our lives in spite of our fears.

What is the difference between a coward and a hero? Is it a lack of fear? Is it a colorful suit (ugh, there’s that spandex thing again) and cape? No, the difference is action. Both heroes and cowards deal with fear but they deal with them differently. When faced with fear the coward curls up in the corner and hopes that things will get better.  A hero processes his fear and takes action.

So how does a coward become a hero? By taking action. By embracing truth. By claiming power. You see, God has not given us the spirit of a coward but of a hero. He has given us love, power and the ability to think clearly (2 Timothy 1:7). These things come by embracing God, by being connected to Jesus through the Holy Spirit. When we choose to be close to God, we can see the world (and our fear) as it really is and live boldly and bravely. It’s kind of like a kid who chooses to hold her daddy’s hand while walking down a dark path. She can draw strength and courage from her father while he points out the reality of the situation.

It’s not weakness to connect ourselves to God—it’s our source of power and courage. His love, perfect love, casts our fear (1 John 4:18) while His Spirit gives us boldness and power. So there it is. We overcome fear by choosing to live by faith, by believing God, by trusting God and by acting on what God says. You and I will always have to deal with fear (especially the spandex thing) but we have the ability to rise above it, conquer it and live boldly.

What would you do if you weren’t afraid? Be bold. Be brave.

Lee

RCS Blog

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Of Bunnies, Eggs and Empty Tombs

Easter is a cool holiday. It is filled with candy, egg hunts, pictures and family get-togethers but we don’t always understand what it is all about. Today is Good Friday, the Friday before Easter, the Day that Jesus was crucified. At one point or another each of my kids has asked me why we call it “Good Friday” when Jesus was killed on that day. I think that it is a pretty good question.

Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection in order to make people right with God. In order for that to happen, someone without sin had to take the punishment for our sin to satisfy God’s justice. The Bible tells us that the penalty for sin is death so Jesus had to take on our sin and die for us. It is good news to know that the Son of God would be willing to die in our place–that makes it Good Friday.

It is important that we know that the story does not end there. Jesus predicted many times that He would be killed and that He would rise from the dead. Three days after He was killed, He rose from the dead–that is Easter Sunday morning.  Death could not hold Him; the grave could not hold Him; even the weight of our sin could not hold Him. Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, displayed His power and love by overcoming sin and death for our salvation. Easter is the celebration of our forgiveness and freedom from sin and the amazing love of God that He would send His Son to die and be raised for us. This is the single most important day of celebration for Christians because without Jesus’ death and resurrection we would still be at odds with God. Given all of that, I would say that it really is a “Good Friday” for us.

Praise be to God that He loves us so much–that He would go to such great lengths to have a relationship with us. How amazing is His love that He would send His own Son to die for you and me while we were still sinners. Praise be to God for His love, mercy and restoration of our souls. Keep that in mind this Easter and celebrate it all-out.

If you have questions about this blog or about receiving God’s love for you, please email me.

Lee

lee@rocketcitystudents.org