so i want you to think about something…
who knows you?.. who is it?
now i want you to think about it again… but be serious… who really knows you?
who celebrates with you? who mourns with you? who co-exists with you? who knows what TV show your obsessed with? who knows what drives you crazy? who knows about you addiction? who knows about how much you hate being around your spouse? who knows what you have to deal with everyday? who do you vent to? who do you drink with? who do you get coffee with? who invites you into their family?…
now that you have the people in mind… how about this one? who prays with you?.. yes, with you? who lays their hands on you and asks the kingdom of God to be found in you?
here’s my deal…
i, you, we… need to be people that pray… and actually pray… for ourselves, with our wives, with our friends. you need to pray with the people around you… we need to fight against the selfish thats within together… we need to put our armor on… and help our friends put theirs on… and remind them that their armor needs to be on..
when we go to battle with no offense or defense - we’re stupid to think that we’ll have victory…
so stop doing it alone.
stop trying really hard.
pray with each other.
invite the heaven into the world around you.
be people of depth - not stretched out and shallowed… (hence the underpants)
live in the reality that the Kingdom of God is more than a novel… that it’s power to claim in Jesus’ name… because it is.
Jesus’ invitation is always available. he always welcomes us in… it’s time we begin to welcome him into our mess and cultivate some honest relationships with the people around us…
boom boom boom
chad mosteller teaching Jesus.. as always. come on! (Taken with instagram)
trix and pop took a chair into the yard. (Taken with instagram)
good time with Jon Wicks. (Taken with Instagram at Chick fil A)
this past weekend a couple guys and I had the privilege to head down to white mills camp to lead a weekend retreat for middle school students. i grew up going there every summer for our church camp. the summer after my 7th grade - going into 8th - i decided there, at white mills, to follow Jesus. i was able to stand on the very ground in which i made that decision. i remember bowing down, on my knees, in front of a rough looking cross outside the chapel. i knew in that moment that i had to give my life away to the Lord… what else could I do? i went back to the dorms - almost giddy with how excited/over my head i was.
“i want to do it.” i said to my youth minister.
“do what, man? what are you talking about?”
smiling, “i want to get baptized, i want to get serious about God.”
he just smiled. gave me a high-five and said, “alright dude, lets do it.”
i never knew the weight of that decision. i knew exactly what i was doing, but had no idea the future that would follow. i’ve been following Jesus for like 10 years. that’s crazy to me. i never knew that i would dedicate my life to helping others students understand what Jesus is all about. i never knew. i never knew that i would meet my wonderful wife serving at a camp strangely similar to white mills. i never knew i’d be living in lexington. i never knew that people would be discipling me. i never knew that after 10 years of following Jesus, i would have less answers but so much more faith.
i stood on the ground that, as a middle schooler, i bowed to Jesus that night 10 years ago. i thanked God for that night. i thanked God for past years. good and bad. great things and terrible things. my life was changed because someone older came down to a little camp outside e-town to tell middle schoolers about Jesus… strangely, thats why we went down - to spend the weekend with middle schoolers, leading them to be introduced to the God of the Universe. really, really awesome coincidence. and by coincidence - i mean… something of the Lord.
anyways… it was awesome. i hope what God did down there this weekend will make a life changing difference in a young person’s life. do it Lord - please.
this is probably my favorite song right now. seriously. it’s called ”death in his grave” by John Mark McMillian. what a beautiful picture of the reality of sin and death and the resurrection and adoption that happens.
Though the Earth Cried out for blood; Satisfied her hunger was
Her billows calmed on raging seas, for the souls on men she craved
Sun and moon from balcony; Turned their head in disbelief
Their precious Love would taste the sting, disfigured and disdained
On Friday a thief, On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief, But awoke with keys
Of Hell on that day, The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ, Laid death in his grave
So three days in darkness slept; The Morning Sun of righteousness
But rose to shame the throes of death, And over turn his rule
Now daughters and the sons of men, Would pay not their dues again
The debt of blood they owed was rent, When the day rolled a new
On Friday a thief, On Sunday a King
Laid down in grief, But awoke with keys
Of Hell on that day, The first born of the slain
The Man Jesus Christ, Laid death in his grave
He has cheated, Hell and seated Us above the fall
In desperate places He paid our wages, One time once and for all
these words are incredibly moving to me. “sun and moon from balcony turned their head in disbelief, their precious Love would taste the sting, disfigured and disdained.” when i think about the Fall of man - i see this line. God’s broken heart. compassion. us, the Creator’s precious love would taste death, pain, suffering. that pained the Father to see.
but Jesus, the King. through his perfect death, burial and resurrection he claimed victory over death. how death. life defeating death through the death and resurrection of Life.
then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. for he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet. the last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 corinthians 15.24-26
death has already been beaten. and the day is coming when the King who has all authority and power will place death beneath his foot. what a day that will be.
until then - i pray us to be the ones who live with the resurrection and return in sight. as we are Christ’s, let us no longer walk into the death. but through the Holy Spirit’s power, we may take on the resurrection of Christ and bring the Kingdom of Heaven to this desperate earth.
Jesus has cheated hell and seated ss above the Fall
in desperate places He paid our wages - one time, once and for all
because of this, we should look, think and act differently. we are not controlled by sin. we are victors of death because of the Spirit of life that lives inside of us.
“we should know God better than we know other people.”
I’m at a little wedding in nicholasville. I’m reminded of donald millers words about a girl being engaged. while the day hasn’t happened yet, you can see the excitement and hope and joy in her eyes.
we are to have the same expectant certainty of hope for our Jesus to come and bring us back with Him. we should show it in our eyes that we have hope. I pray that you’re excited for the day we can be with Jesus.
happy Saturday.