Book Review: I Am A Follower

Book Review: "I Am A Follower - The Way, Truth and Life of Following Jesus," Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2012. 288 pages.

Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones Professor of Evangelism at Drew University (NJ), a Distinguished Visiting Professor at George Fox University (OR), and a weekly contributor to sermons.com and podcast "Napkin Scribbles." He has authored numerous articles, sermons and close to fifty books.

In brackets on the lower corner of the cover of Sweet's book is this line: "It's never been about leading." This sums up the main theme of the book. Leonard Sweet is not a fan of the leadership or church growth movements in the church and writes this book, seemingly, as a counterpoint to those trend. It is a warning to those who would break Christian leadership and church growth down to a series of principles and best practices. He begins by drawing attention to the video below as a modern parable of following Jesus.



As I read this book, I must admit I wrestled with a lot of what he was saying. I have gleaned a lot from the church leadership movement and, as a confession, even have my own leadership blog. In spite of that, I tried to read with an open mind, respecting Sweet's reputation. I'm glad that I did.

While I would have preferred a less polarizing approach - not everything taught in Christian leadership circles is wrong - I thoroughly agree with his presupposition that all of us are called to follow Christ. Each of us are called to simply follow Him, wherever He may lead, and whatever it may cost. As he says, "The longest distance in the universe is the distance from zero to one." (p.9)

As a scholar and, at heart, a poet, Sweet creatively builds his case that the problem in the church is not leadership, but discipleship. It's not about leading, but following; not about learning principles, but laying down rights. He does this in three major sections.

Via: The Way - This speaks of being on the right road; to join with Christ in a life-long journey of His choosing. He writes of how we in the church have often made Christianity about a decision rather than a lifestyle, and compares this with the reality of the early church. Jesus' way is much different than any other before or after: Jesus calls us to leave all and follow Him, anything less is compromise.

Verita: The Truth - This section deals with Jesus' exclusive claims to truth. In a world of tolerance and relativism, Jesus speaks the truth that all other claims to truth must bow to His ultimate truth. Each of us must lay down our claims and our preferences, whatever they may be. "The distance to the cross is the same for each of us. The distance to the tomb and the cost of getting there are different for each one of us." (p. 153)

Vita: The Life - I liked this section the best. It speaks of incarnational living. What does it mean to allow Christ to live in and through us? It also speaks of the challenge in the church to make disciples, not simply attenders. "First followers live a life of risky and sticky faith. As they live their Jesus story, they also dream a Jesus world and help launch it into being." (p. 206)

Each section includes a study guide for use with group discussion.

He concludes with an epilogue which refers to another video, which can be viewed by clicking on this link. His point in sharing this is that a Christian's life ought to reflect the joy that comes from the privilege of living life with Jesus Christ. We get to do this together, and that's a good thing. "The greatest developmental task of life is to discover your song and sing it ravishingly to the glory of God." (p. 258)

I did enjoy this book, although I feel that some of the criticism of the church leadership movement is unwarranted and unnecessary. Any church leadership conference that I've attended has taught that Christian leadership is, first and at its heart, servanthood. Paul said, "Follow me as I follow Christ." I believe that this is the gist of what Leonard Sweet is trying to express. Where church leaders have abandoned this follower-first principle, Sweet is dead on in challenging them. This book is a great reminder to be sure that I'm not doing my own thing in Jesus' name. The agenda is His to set; not ours.

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Put God First - "The Principle of Priority"

This is a reprint of an article originally posted in August of 2011.

Pt. 1 of 6
I’m starting a new series today to help those of us who want to get traction in our lives for positive change. I don’t know about you, but there have been times in my life when it just seemed like I got stuck. I didn’t mean to, it just happened. I maybe made some bad decisions, I hesitated when I shouldn’t have and missed an opportunity, or maybe I just got caught up in the ebb and flow of life and ended up where I hadn't intended.

So, how does that change? How do we create enough momentum to do what is necessary? That’s what this series is about. It’s about how to get back to that vital relationship with God, it’s about cooperating with the grace that God extends to us so that we can become all that we’re intended to be. It’s about adjusting the trajectory of our lives so that we’re headed in the right direction.

In Chip Ingram’s book, Good To Great in God’s Eyes, he mentions 6 habits that help us to cultivate God’s grace in our lives. I’m going to be building this series off of those six habits. I think you’ll find that if you apply these to your life, things will start moving in the right direction.

The first habit to put in place is the subject of this article: Put God First. It’s also called “The Principle of Priority.”

In Matthew 5-7 Jesus gives his most famous teaching called “The Sermon on the Mount.” In that message He speaks to His followers about what life ought to be like for those of us who are a part of the Kingdom of God. I’ll just define that term before we go any further.

A very simple definition is this: anywhere that God reigns is the Kingdom of God. According to the Bible, one day everything will be brought into the Kingdom of God, but for now, you and I choose whether or not we want to be included. Right now God’s Kingdom co-exists with the kingdom of this world. Sadly, many people believe that they are a part of the Kingdom of God because they go to church or because they’re “good people.” But it doesn’t work that way. Jesus asked a question in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” That’s the priority question. When you call someone “Lord” or “King” what you’re implying is that they are in charge.

As Jesus was teaching the disciples how they ought to pray, in the Lord’s Prayer, He started out like this: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy will be done; thy kingdom come…” It’s actually a prayer of surrender. It’s a prayer that acknowledges that we’re not God. Later in that same chapter, He tells us to stop spending our time worrying about everything but, instead, to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33)

Let me talk about why this habit of putting God first is so important.

God is God, and you’re not.

That seems like an obvious place to start, but it’s not all that obvious to a lot of people. When we make this statement, what are we really saying?

Firstly, we’re recognizing that God is all-powerful and we’re not. There’s nothing that God cannot do, but there are all kinds of things that we can’t do. That’s the whole point of Matthew 6:33. There are so many things that are outside of our control, but nothing is outside of God’s. I used to worry a lot. I used to spend a lot of time thinking about what might happen if… That kind of thinking didn’t get me anywhere but depressed.

Over the years I’ve learned that the Apostle Paul was dead on when he wrote Philippians 4:6-7. He said: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Acting on these verses is an acknowledgement that God is in charge.

Secondly, we're recognizing that God is good.

A lot of people have a hard time with this statement. Your life may have been filled with hardship and difficulty. Perhaps there are many times when you’ve thought to yourself, or even yelled out loud that LIFE ISN’T FAIR. That’s true – it isn’t. In fact, the Bible makes it very clear that life isn’t fair. If you read through the Bible, you’ll find the very clear teaching that each of us are born into a world that is rocking and reeling. Most other parts of the world have a clearer picture of this than we see in Canada, where problems are usually hidden behind a façade, but they’re there just the same.

The question to be asked is, where did all these problems, this evil, even, originate? In the very beginning we see that it started when mankind rebelled against God and decided that we could run our lives better on our own than under God’s leadership. A very brief review of the daily news should tell you how that’s going. By our own disobedience, we introduced a storm of pain and trouble into the world that continues today. Jesus Himself said in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” You can’t live life to the full until you deal with the thief who’s trying to destroy you, and you can’t deal with Him on your own. Jesus came to give us life.

Jesus also said in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” What is He saying? He’s telling us that life is hard. There will be challenges and hard times that each of us will face. But in the midst of whatever circumstances we find ourselves, He will be there for us if we invite Him.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, speaking to us. He’s telling anyone who will listen, “you’re not alone.” God is here, and God is good. He backed up His words by laying down His life on a cross to pay the price for all of our sin and disobedience. He said there is no greater love than when a man lays down his life for his friends: and then he did it. God is good.

Thirdly, we’re recognizing that God has a plan for each of us.

God knows you. He knows you more than you know yourself. Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “…the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” For some people that’s comforting, for others it’s terrifying. There are no secrets with God.

In Psalm 119 we find that God “knit us together in our mother’s womb.” In Jeremiah 29:11 it says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I could take you to Scripture after Scripture that speaks of the great care with which God made you. He knows how many hairs there are on your head. He knows your gifts, your talents and abilities. He knows what fires you up and what brings you down, and He knows the very purpose for which you were created.

You see, God’s plan for you fits in with His plan for the world. To each of us, God extends an invitation to join Him in His plan of redemption, the very reason that Jesus Christ came to this world. For some, that means full-time ministry. For most it means serving Him in whatever secular vocation to which they may have been called. It means serving Him by raising our families with integrity and modelling within our communities what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It means living our lives to enhance God’s reputation in this world. How does that look?

It means that we recognize that Christ wants to live in and through us. When we receive Him He comes and lives in us by His Holy Spirit. As we cooperate with Him, we start to see incredible things begin to happen. He begins to make changes in us if we let Him. Even over the past few weeks I’ve had new Christians come to see me, so excited at how God answers prayer. They invite Him into their lives and each morning they welcome Him to have His way. I try to do this every day.

What I find is that God opens doors of opportunity for me that I could not have opened for myself. I often find myself with what I call “Divine appointments,” times when I run into people at places or times that are improbable but reflect God’s perfect timing and sovereignty.

This principle of priority is really all about a very simple question: who is in charge of your life? For most people, the answer to that question is easy: it’s my life and I’m in charge! I get to decide what I want to do and where I want to go and how I want to live. The problem with that view is very simple: it’s wrong! It ignores all of the truths that we’ve listed. It ignores the fact that God is all-powerful and we’re limited. It ignores the fact that God is good, and we’re flawed. It also ignores the fact that God knows us better than we know ourselves and has a plan for us. Proverbs 14:12 tells us: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”

Jesus, at the end of His Sermon on the Mount, compared our lives to building a house. He said that there are some people who hear what He has to say, but do what they want anyway. Those people are like someone who builds a big beautiful home on the sand. It looks great. But one day a storm comes. The winds lash at the house and the waters swirl around the base, washing away the sand. The house collapses with a great crash because there is no firm foundation. Their life’s work is destroyed.

The other group of people hear what Jesus has to say and apply it to their lives. Those people are like someone who builds a beautiful home on solid rock. For those people as well, one day a storm comes. The winds and rain beat against the house but the house doesn’t move. It stands strong because of the firm foundation. They may have some minor repairs to do, but they’re still standing.

The principle of priority means that you recognize that God is first and He has the right to tell you what to do. It means you pray, like Jesus, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

I’ve found that when my life starts to get crazy, often it’s because I’ve gotten too busy and have neglected to put God first. I’ve let my relationship with Him slip and I end up finding myself trying to accomplish things on my own. That gets me nowhere in a hurry. So I have to stop and re-center myself. I come back to Him and acknowledge that I’m not God – He is. I might think I know what I’m doing, but He actually does know what He’s doing. I need to put Him first again. If you need to make some positive change in your life, the best way to start is with a decision that, as of today,God is first.

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Which Me Will You Be?

Yesterday I did a book review of John Ortberg's "The Me I Want To Be." As I said, it's one of my favorite books already, so I thought that I would take one of his themes and expand on it today.

Each of us make choices in life, some big ones; some little ones. These choices, especially the big ones, have a great deal to do with the people we are becoming. We often are convinced to settle for someone else's version of success, rather than becoming who God called us to be. In the second chapter of Ortberg's book, he mentions a number of different "mes."

The Me I Don't Want To Be
I don't know about you, but I don't want to be a pretender. I remember early in my ministry being very intimidated by other pastors who were around me. Actually, they were not called Pastor, they were called "Reverend." They wanted to make it clear to all around that they had earned this distinction, and were very quick to offer up their credentials, degrees, etc... to prove their point. (There's nothing wrong with titles, I'm speaking here of attitude.)

To me, they were simply unapproachable. Please hear me, I am a believer in education, but I think that education often simply makes us more of what we were in the first place. If we were arrogant, intolerant, and boastful before, we'll simply be more-so if we get a degree. But if we're teachable, humble, and caring before, the chances are we'll be more like that. What I learned from those early days is that being qualified doesn't have to make you insufferable. I also found myself drawn to those who had the same letters beside their names, but didn't pretend to be perfect or put on airs.

The Me I Pretend To Be
I find in myself a disturbing tendency - I like to impress people. I can easily act like those I mentioned above. I like for people to think highly of me and, when I'm at my worst, I can bend the truth to try to make that happen. It's like the story that Ortberg shares of the "freshly minted lieutenant (who) wanted to impress the first private to enter his new office, and he pretended to be on the phone with a general so that the private would know he was somebody. 'Yes sir, General, you can count on me,' he said as he banged the receiver down. Then he asked the private what he wanted. 'I'm just here to connect your phone, sir.'" Priceless.

God sees the real me, and if I'm ever to become all that I can be, I need to be honest about who I am. It sounds like a good place to start.

The Me I Think I Should Be
I think we all have a tendency to look around and to compare ourselves with others, doing a mental tally of how we measure up. I have gone to seminars and tried to reproduce in my own life what I've heard that someone else is doing, only to end up frustrated and disillusioned when I realize that I'm not them. Sometimes I've lived my life trying to live up to the expectations that everyone else had for me - a surefire recipe for burnout.

Something that Henri Nouwen said is very insightful here: "Spiritual greatness has nothing to do with being greater than others. It has everything to do with being as great as each of us can be." As Ortber says, "...God's plan is not for you to obey him because you should even though you don't want to. He made you  to want his plan for you."

The Me Other People Want Me To Be
Have you noticed that pretty much everyone has an opinion on how you should change? Your doctor thinks you should exercise more (he's probably right). Your wife thinks you should eat better (she's probably right too). Your boss thinks you should work harder; ad execs think you should spend more money and the government thinks you should pay more taxes. But when I allow others to make those determinations for me, I become less me (though I should exercise more and eat better).

I'm learning that the person I need to please is no-one other than God himself. He knows me like nobody else does, including me. The question is, do I trust him?

The Me I'm Afraid God Wants
"A recent study by the Barna Group found that the number one challenge to helping people grow spiritually is that most people equate spiritual maturity with trying hard to follow the rules in the Bible." This is a major issue because it misses the point: "Jesus didn't come to make bad people good; he came to make dead people live." (See John 10:10)

You can be a very religious person and be far from the best version of yourself. Jesus came to deal with the heart, and to call us to join him in reshaping this world. We can only do this as we understand ourselves as we were meant to be. God can be trusted with your life.

The Me That Fails To Be
When an infant is born, but for some reason is unable to gain weight, it is often diagnosed with what is called Failure To Thrive (FTT), kind of a catch-all diagnosis. This seems to be very common among adults in regards to life in general. There are a great many people who are simply stuck. They can't seem to make the changes that need to be made. They know things aren't right in their marriage, their job, their life, but they can't seem to summon up the courage or the strength to do anything about it.

Perhaps the best way to describe many people is the term Ortberg uses - "languishing." "Languishing is the condition of someone who may be able to function but has lost a sense of hope and meaning." There are many who simply need to open up their hearts to the possibility of hope - that God really does have a better plan for them than they are experiencing right now.

The Me I Am Meant To Be
In my ministry I have had the privilege of watching the lives of people being transformed. I've seen families with long-standing problems and on the verge of breakup be turned around and become life-giving. I've seen alcoholics and drug addicts discover that God actually did have a better plan for them. I've seen negative, critical people with a chip on their shoulder be changed into positive role models. How? By opening themselves up to God's design for their lives.

I've also seen people stubbornly keep up appearances, putting on the facade of religiousity so that they could look good in the community - but never finding the very purpose for which they were created. So close and yet so far... Saint Irenaeus wrote, "The glory of God is a human being fully alive; and to be alive consists in beholding God."       

What has helped you connect with God and his purpose for your life?

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Book Review: "The Me I Want To Be"

This book by John Ortberg has very quickly become one of my favorites. I found a great deal of useable and practical material in it for both my personal life and for use in my leadership. The premise of the book is that, since God created us, the secret to finding fulfillment in life is to grow in our relationship with Him and to cooperate with Him. 

There are twenty two chapters in this book, so I will not do a synopsis of each. I will, however, list the chapter titles here. Then I will do a synopsis of the seven parts of the book.

1. Learn Why God Made You
2. The Me I Don't Want To Be
3. Discover the Flow
4. Find Out How You Grow
5. Surrender: The One Decision That Always Helps
6. Try Softer
7. Let Your Desires Lead You To God
8. Think Great Thoughts
9. Feed Your Mind With Excellence
10. Never Worry Alone
11. Let Your Talking Flow Into Praying
12. Temptation: How Not To Get Hooked
13. Recognize Your Primary Flow-Blocker
14. When You Find Yourself Out Of The Flow, Jump Back In
15. Try Going Off The Deep End With God
16. Make Life-Giving Relationships A Top Priority
17. Be Human
18. Find A Few Difficult people To Help You Grow
19. Let God Flow In Your Work
20. Let Your Work Honor God
21. You Have To Go Through Exile Before You Come Back Home
22. Ask For A Mountain

Each of these topics could make for an interesting blog (maybe I'll try that later), and John's engaging style holds your attention. Let's look at the different parts.

Part 1 - Finding My Identity
This section is made up of the first two chapters and focuses on understanding ourselves in light of God, and often in spite of ourselves - our past, our mistakes, our critics. We must recognize that, because God Made us, He knows why we were made and how we can be fulfilled. It speaks not of religion, but of a growing relationship with God. This quote perhaps says it best: "There is an enormous difference between following rules and following Jesus, because I can follow rules without following the right heart." (p. 28). The question for us then is, how do we (personally) best connect with God who gives life? We need to build those practices into our lives.

Part 2 - Flowing With The Spirit
Part 2 takes up the next four chapters and speaks of God's plan to release His life into you and I - His Holy Spirit. This speaks of the way in which we allow God to work in our lives. "Jesus does not come to rearrange the outside of our life the way we want. He comes to rearrange the inside of our life the way God wants." (p. 62). This involves surrender and learning how to cooperate with God's Spirit as He works in us. 

Part 3 - Renewing My Mind
The next four chapters deal with engaging our minds in the pursuit of God. Most people don't recognize that our spiritual life has a great deal to do with our thought life. Romans 12:2 is one of my life verses and is the key to this section: "Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." The question is, what are we feeding our minds? Also, how do we manage our attitude, and avoid anxiety? The better we do in these areas the richer our lives become.

Part 4 - Redeeming My Time
The first of four chapters in this section succeeds in taking the mystery out of prayer. Prayer is communicating with God, and many people pray without realizing it. Making prayer a natural part of our lives is vital. The following chapters speak of being honest with ourselves - our personalities, our temptations, our sins, our needs. "We must identify and understand that which threatens our ability to flourish, and only sin can keep us from becoming the person God wants us to become." (p. 145).

Part 5 - Deepening My Relationships
Here we deal with the power of relationships, beginning with our relationship with God. There are levels of intimacy, and many settle for less than the best with God, who knows us better than we do ourselves. We also need others, and the depth of our relationships is up to us. Do we have life-giving relationships? "What distinguishes consistently happier people from less happy people is the presence of rich, deep, joy-producing, life-changing, meaningful relationships." (pp. 182-183). This again requires being honest with ourselves and with others and developing the ability to learn from everyone.

Part 6 - Transforming My Experience
This section speaks to integrating our spiritual life with our everyday life, recognizing that there is no difference in God's eyes. For this reason, God calls us to excellence and full engagement in every area of our lives. The last chapter of this section reminds us that, even in adversity, God is with us, and we are called to  recognize His presence, even in times of trouble.

Part 7 - Flowing From Here On Out
This final chapter and section challenges us to see life differently. It calls us to recognize that we are here for a reason and, therefore, to live our lives on purpose. What is it that God has placed in your hear to accomplish? What is keeping you from doing it? God and change your world.

This book includes many helpful charts and illustrations to assist in self-evaluation. I will be returning to this book often - highly recommended for everyone.

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What Is a Christ-follower?

When you hear about someone being a Christian, what do you think about?

Popular culture generally looks at a Christian as a raving lunatic who spends his or her time telling everyone else how messed up they are. The challenge for those of us who are doing our best to follow Christ is that there are enough people out there who are like that to really make it hard to be heard. I’ve seen people, who say they serve Jesus, waving signs saying “God hates homosexuals.” I’ve seen others trying to intimidate people into becoming Christians. I’ve met many others who are simply annoying.

As Charles Colson wrote in his book “The Body,” “The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians - when they are somber and joyless, when they are self-righteous and smug in complacent consecration, when they are narrow and repressive, then Christianity dies a thousand deaths.”  Eugene Peterson put it this way, “The word ‘Christian’ means different things to different people. To one person it means a stiff, upright, inflexible way of life, colorless and unbending. To another, it means a risky, surprise-filled venture, lived tiptoe at the edge of expectation... If we get our information from the biblical material, there is no doubt that the Christian life is a dancing, leaping, daring life.”

George Barna recently did some polling in the U.S. on this subject. The research discovered that people are reframing not just faith in general, but Christianity in particular. While slightly fewer adults - and many fewer teens - are identifying themselves as Christians these days, the image of the Christian faith has taken a beating. This battered image is the result of a combination of factors: harsh media criticism, "unchristian" behavior by church people, bad personal experiences with churches, ineffective Christian leadership amid social crises, and the like. The result is that those who choose to remain Christian - however they define it - are also reformulating the popular notion of what "Christian" and the Christian life mean. Some of those changes are producing favorable outcomes, while others are less appealing.

So the question remains, what is a true Christ-follower? Let’s look, first of all, at those things that don’t make you a Christ-follower.

Going to church does not make you a Christ-follower.

I would say that there are millions of people in the world today who go to church every Sunday, yet do not follow the example of Christ. Going to church makes you religious, but not necessarily a Christian. I would argue that in order to be a healthy, growing Christ-follower you need to be involved in a Christian community, but that act, in and of itself, says nothing about your relationship with Jesus Christ.

Giving money to the church does not make you a Christ-follower.

The Bible is very clear that stewardship of our resources - our handling of money - is a spiritual issue, but it also shows us that many people give for the wrong reasons. A true Christ-follower doesn’t give because he or she has to; they give because they believe in God’s work in this world and they want to make a difference.

Saying the right words doesn’t make you a Christ-follower.

God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said, in Isaiah 29:13 that “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” The apostle Paul tells us that it is both the heart and the mouth that matter. In Romans 10:10 he said, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

Obeying the rules doesn’t make you a Christ-follower.

Some of Jesus’ harshest criticism was reserved for the Pharisees, a strict sect in Judaism which believed in following long detailed lists of rules that governed every area of their lives. In Matthew 23:27 He told them “You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.”

The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee, before he found Christ. This is what he said, in Philippians 3:7-9 about him obeying all the rules and regulations. “But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ - the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”

All of these things that we’ve talked about are good things in and of themselves. It’s a good thing to go to church, to help those in need; to live by the rules. But they don’t make you a Christian. So if going to church, giving to the church, saying the right words and obeying the rules don’t make you a Christ-follower, then what does?

Let’s look to an encounter between Jesus and a young man to see if we can find the answer. It’s found in Luke 18:18-30

1.                 He was a young man of standing in the community.

The Bible tells us that he had great wealth. He was likely a well-respected member of the community. Many of us have been raised hearing lines like “they’re from a good family.” What that generally means is that the person spoken of is from a family that is law-abiding; that stays out of trouble; that works hard; is generally honest; keeps their yard mowed; keeps their house in good condition and is generally not an embarrassment to their community.

He was the type of young man that most parents would be proud to have as a son. He wasn’t a wild and crazy guy who was into the party scene.

2.                 He was a religious man.

Not only was he a man of standing, he was a religious man. When he asked Jesus what he must do to be saved Jesus told him to obey the commandments, specifically the commandments dealing with how to treat your fellow man. Things like, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’”

He had kept all of these commandments from his youth up and he was proud of that achievement. This list of six commands was a list that, if obeyed, would win him favor with all of his friends, family and neighbors. How can you go wrong when you’re not violent, you don’t sleep around, you don’t steal, you don’t lie, you respect your parents and you love people? What a great guy? He was a man of standing in the community; he was a religious man.

3.                 He was lost. 

• He knew he was lost.

He asked “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

He asked, “What do I still lack?”

• Jesus knew he was lost.

He didn’t recognize Jesus for who He was (See vs. 17). Jesus immediately saw through this young man’s question to the underlying assumption. He assumed that Jesus was merely a good man. In Mark’s account he noted that the young man called Jesus a good Teacher. Jesus’ rebuke seems strange until you look at it in context.

Jesus recognized the fact that all men are sinners and stand condemned before a holy God. This young man thought Jesus was good, like he was good - it was a prideful and carnal statement. Righteousness is not earned by good works, it resides in God. This young man was standing before God in the flesh and was really wanting to know how he could make himself good enough for heaven.

An indication of where he was is found in his question in vs. 18. Jesus had just told him to obey the commandments and his response was to ask “Which ones?” Which is the magic list? It indicated that he knew he hadn’t kept all of them - and all of us know that we have not kept all of them.

We all play the comparison game like this guy was doing. I’m better than you are because I keep four of the commandments and you only keep three. It’s interesting that, even in prison, the issue of moral indignation is raised. They have to isolate criminals who are guilty of sexual crimes because the other inmates would beat them up because they’re only guilty of robbery or assault or fraud or whatever. Someone has said that people are only bad when they do worse things than I would do myself, otherwise they’re only a good person who’s made a mistake. Romans 3:23 tells us “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

I want you to notice exactly what it was that Jesus left out from the list of the commandments. He included everything that related to our human relationships, all of the things that man sees. What He left off were the first four - those dealing with our relationship to God. “You shall have no other gods before Me?” “You shall not make any graven image.” “You shall not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.” “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”

The reason that Jesus didn’t include them is somewhat speculative, but I think we have a pretty good idea why. Jesus knew this man’s heart; He knows ours as well. He knew what governed this man; I believe it was his status in the community - his reputation, and his money. All of these things came ahead of God. He knew he was lost, Jesus knew he was lost, and finally...

• His pride kept him lost.

What was it that made this man tick? What guided and motivated his decisions? What was his Lord? It appears from this conversation that this man wanted to stay as close to the status quo as he possibly could - yet he wanted to have eternal life - to be right with God.

In other words, he wanted God on his terms.

Notice that Jesus wasn't okay with that. In fact, the young man became very sad and went away because he had great wealth. He made his choice that money was more important to him than being right with God - and Jesus let him walk away.

God has always and will always demand first place in our lives. He created us and Jesus redeemed us and both of those are good reasons why He deserves that number 1 spot. Being a Christ-follower means He’s leading - not you, nor I. Jesus said we are to follow Him, not include Him on our list of interests.

There are a lot of people who want to be part-time believers. They want to follow Christ when it’s convenient, but Jesus never meant for that to happen and He never left that as an option. As a pastor, I often see people who claim the name of Christ but who refuse to submit to His Lordship. Because of this, they give Jesus a bad name. As Mahatma Ghandi famously said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christian. They are so unlike your Christ." 

Have the courage of your convictions and live what you believe. Live your life in such a way that you enhance God's reputation in the world.

Related Articles:

On the relevance of Christianity 

Iranian Pastor Conviction Is In - Death

"Truth" - by Ravi Zacharias

Tim Tebow and John 3:16 - What's Up With That?

Are Christianity & Science Incompatible? (Thank you Nancy Pearcey)

“Put God First” - The Principle of Priority

Pt. 1 of 6
I’m starting a new series today to help those of us who want to get traction in our lives for positive change. I don’t know about you, but there have been times in my life when it just seemed like I got stuck. I didn’t mean to, it just happened. I maybe made some bad decisions, I hesitated when I shouldn’t have and missed an opportunity, or maybe I just got caught up in the ebb and flow of life and ended up where I hadn't intended.

So, how does that change? How do we create enough momentum to do what is necessary? That’s what this series is about. It’s about how to get back to that vital relationship with God, it’s about cooperating with the grace that God extends to us so that we can become all that we’re intended to be. It’s about adjusting the trajectory of our lives so that we’re headed in the right direction.

In Chip Ingram’s book, Good To Great in God’s Eyes, he mentions 6 habits that help us to cultivate God’s grace in our lives. I’m going to be building this series off of those six habits. I think you’ll find that if you apply these to your life, things will start moving in the right direction.

The first habit to put in place is the subject of this article: Put God First. It’s also called “The Principle of Priority.”

In Matthew 5-7 Jesus gives his most famous teaching called “The Sermon on the Mount.” In that message He speaks to His followers about what life ought to be like for those of us who are a part of the Kingdom of God. I’ll just define that term before we go any further.

A very simple definition is this: anywhere that God reigns is the Kingdom of God. According to the Bible, one day everything will be brought into the Kingdom of God, but for now, you and I choose whether or not we want to be included. Right now God’s Kingdom co-exists with the kingdom of this world. Sadly, many people believe that they are a part of the Kingdom of God because they go to church or because they’re “good people.” But it doesn’t work that way. Jesus asked a question in Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” That’s the priority question. When you call someone “Lord” or “King” what you’re implying is that they are in charge.

As Jesus was teaching the disciples how they ought to pray, in the Lord’s Prayer, He started out like this: “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy will be done; thy kingdom come…” It’s actually a prayer of surrender. It’s a prayer that acknowledges that we’re not God. Later in that same chapter, He tells us to stop spending our time worrying about everything but, instead, to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:33)

Let me talk about why this habit of putting God first is so important.

God is God, and you’re not.
That seems like an obvious place to start, but it’s not all that obvious to a lot of people. When we make this statement, what are we really saying?

Firstly, we’re recognizing that God is all-powerful and we’re not. There’s nothing that God cannot do, but there are all kinds of things that we can’t do. That’s the whole point of Matthew 6:33. There are so many things that are outside of our control, but nothing is outside of God’s. I used to worry a lot. I used to spend a lot of time thinking about what might happen if… That kind of thinking didn’t get me anywhere but depressed.

Over the years I’ve learned that the Apostle Paul was dead on when he wrote Philippians 4:6-7. He said: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Acting on these verses is an acknowledgement that God is in charge.

Secondly, we're recognizing that God is good.
A lot of people have a hard time with this statement. Your life may have been filled with hardship and difficulty. Perhaps there are many times when you’ve thought to yourself, or even yelled out loud that LIFE ISN’T FAIR. That’s true – it isn’t. In fact, the Bible makes it very clear that life isn’t fair. If you read through the Bible, you’ll find the very clear teaching that each of us are born into a world that is rocking and reeling. Most other parts of the world have a clearer picture of this than we see in Canada, where problems are usually hidden behind a façade, but they’re there just the same.

The question to be asked is, where did all these problems, this evil, even, originate? In the very beginning we see that it started when mankind rebelled against God and decided that we could run our lives better on our own than under God’s leadership. A very brief review of the daily news should tell you how that’s going. By our own disobedience, we introduced a storm of pain and trouble into the world that continues today. Jesus Himself said in John 10:10: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” You can’t live life to the full until you deal with the thief who’s trying to destroy you, and you can’t deal with Him on your own. Jesus came to give us life.

Jesus also said in John 16:33: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” What is He saying? He’s telling us that life is hard. There will be challenges and hard times that each of us will face. But in the midst of whatever circumstances we find ourselves, He will be there for us if we invite Him.

In Matthew 11:28 Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, speaking to us. He’s telling anyone who will listen, “you’re not alone.” God is here, and God is good. He backed up His words by laying down His life on a cross to pay the price for all of our sin and disobedience. He said there is no greater love than when a man lays down his life for his friends: and then he did it. God is good.

Thirdly, we’re recognizing that God has a plan for each of us.
God knows you. He knows you more than you know yourself. Hebrews 4:13 says, “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Hebrews 4:12 tells us that “…the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” For some people that’s comforting, for others it’s terrifying. There are no secrets with God.

In Psalm 119 we find that God “knit us together in our mother’s womb.” In Jeremiah 29:11 it says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I could take you to Scripture after Scripture that speaks of the great care with which God made you. He knows how many hairs there are on your head. He knows your gifts, your talents and abilities. He knows what fires you up and what brings you down, and He knows the very purpose for which you were created.

You see, God’s plan for you fits in with His plan for the world. To each of us, God extends an invitation to join Him in His plan of redemption, the very reason that Jesus Christ came to this world. For some, that means full-time ministry. For most it means serving Him in whatever secular vocation to which they may have been called. It means serving Him by raising our families with integrity and modelling within our communities what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. It means living our lives to enhance God’s reputation in this world. How does that look?

It means that we recognize that Christ wants to live in and through us. When we receive Him He comes and lives in us by His Holy Spirit. As we cooperate with Him, we start to see incredible things begin to happen. He begins to make changes in us if we let Him. Even over the past few weeks I’ve had new Christians come to see me, so excited at how God answers prayer. They invite Him into their lives and each morning they welcome Him to have His way. I try to do this every day.

What I find is that God opens doors of opportunity for me that I could not have opened for myself. I often find myself with what I call “Divine appointments,” times when I run into people at places or times that are improbable but reflect God’s perfect timing and sovereignty.

This principle of priority is really all about a very simple question: who is in charge of your life? For most people, the answer to that question is easy: it’s my life and I’m in charge! I get to decide what I want to do and where I want to go and how I want to live. The problem with that view is very simple: it’s wrong! It ignores all of the truths that we’ve listed. It ignores the fact that God is all-powerful and we’re limited. It ignores the fact that God is good, and we’re flawed. It also ignores the fact that God knows us better than we know ourselves and has a plan for us. Proverbs 14:12 tells us: “There is a way that appears to be right,
but in the end it leads to death.” Jesus, at the end of His Sermon on the Mount, compared our lives to building a house. He said that there are some people who hear what He has to say, but do what they want anyway. Those people are like someone who builds a big beautiful home on the sand. It looks great. But one day a storm comes. The winds lash at the house and the waters swirl around the base, washing away the sand. The house collapses with a great crash because there is no firm foundation. Their life’s work is destroyed.

The other group of people hear what Jesus has to say and apply it to their lives. Those people are like someone who builds a beautiful home on solid rock. For those people as well, one day a storm comes. The winds and rain beat against the house but the house doesn’t move. It stands strong because of the firm foundation. They may have some minor repairs to do, but they’re still standing.

The principle of priority means that you recognize that God is first and He has the right to tell you what to do. It means you pray, like Jesus, “Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

I’ve found that when my life starts to get crazy, often it’s because I’ve gotten too busy and have neglected to put God first. I’ve let my relationship with Him slip and I end up finding myself trying to accomplish things on my own. That gets me nowhere in a hurry. So I have to stop and re-center myself. I come back to Him and acknowledge that I’m not God – He is. I might think I know what I’m doing, but He actually does know what He’s doing. I need to put Him first again. If you need to make some positive change in your life, the best way to start is with a decision that, as of today,God is first.

Related Articles:
Developing Great Habits
What To Do When You Fail
What have you got to lose?
Transformation

Follow Me!

I've been doing a lot of reading and thinking lately about the church and what it's supposed to be. I know that there almost as many opinions on this as there are people, but I think it's important. The question that I've been asking myself is, what kind of church did Jesus intend when He first established it? By the way, the church was Jesus' idea, not anyone else's.

We used to live in a society that was openly Christian; therefore the role of the church was assumed and central. Those days are long gone. I don't think that is necessarily a bad thing. When the church's role is assumed it tends to rely on custom and tradition and, at least to me, seems to lose sight of its purpose. So, why is the church here?

Throughout Scripture we see that God uses people, as imperfect as we all are, to carry out His purposes. He chose the nation of Israel through whom he would reveal Himself. He told them that they were called out to be a light to all of the nations in the world. The church is a continuation of that purpose. Jesus called His disciples "salt and light." He declared that the church would carry on His work, and even do greater works than He Himself had done, through the Holy Spirit whom He sent (John 14:12-13). The nature of the church is expanded upon in the New Testament as in 1 Peter 2:9: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

As for how the church operates, what it looks like, the style, etc., I believe the Bible is deliberately vague. That is so that it can be effective and relevant in different cultures and times as it reaches out to all peoples in all places. Paul said it well in 1 Corinthians 9:22 when he said, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." The core message doesn't (shouldn't) change, but the packaging varies widely. What is that core message? Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15 that he passed on what was of "most importance." "That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time."

In other words, the core message is that Jesus did come in the flesh, lived, taught, performed miracles, died and rose again so that we also may live. He commanded His church to preach this Gospel to all who would come after and to teach them to follow His teachings (Matt. 28).

Now to the point of my blog. Some of you reading this attend Clearview Community Church. You may or may not be aware that we have tried to tailor our Sunday morning services to relate to people who are "seekers," those who are interested in Christianity, but still have questions. We've tried to keep those services free of confusing forms and traditions while presenting the message clearly through music and speaking. Thankfully, we've seen many people come to that place where they have become Christ-followers. Here is where I'd like to be clear.

This is only the beginning of the process. I've already written on what it means to be a Christ-follower (look at the older blogs if you'd like) but I'd like to help us understand what many Christians worldwide, already understand. The Christian life is a life of surrender. Jesus' invitation in Matthew 16:24-25 is to "take up (our) cross and follow (Him)." I think it's particularly appropriate to write of this on Good Friday, a day set aside to remember the sacrifice of Christ.

Jesus willingly laid down His life in order to accomplish a reconciliation between us and God. He walked in heroic obedience, knowing that it was the only way. We honour our soldiers and firefighters and other first responders because they willingly put themselves in harms way for the sake of others. Jesus was the ultimate example of that. Then he invited us to take up our own cross of sacrifice and follow Him into a life of purpose.

What is God's call to you? You will never find it if you are only "interested." God's deeper purposes are revealed only to those who are willing to swim in the deep waters and trust Him. Take the time to read through some of the narratives in Scripture and dare to place yourself in them.

See yourself in the story of Gideon, a young man, from a weak family in a small tribe who God used to save a nation. See yourself in the story of Paul, a rebel against God who was turned around and used as (arguably) the greatest missionary in the history of the world. Or how about Rahab, a prostitute who switched allegiances, saved God's people and ended up being one of Jesus' ancestors.

God is writing a story that ends with the recreation of a new heaven and a new earth. He's calling a people who are willing to help Him make that happen, because He chooses to use people. Not the smartest, or the strongest or the richest, just the willing; those who understand that what He has to offer is worth laying down our lives for. Remember that on Good Friday he laid down His life as well, and on Sunday He rose again so that we can rise as well. "Follow me!"