1 Timothy 6:6-8
6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.
The sentiment of the "least we can do" has been to look at the commands and call of Jesus and reduce them to the least common denominator. Jesus to go into the world and make disciples, TLWCD is trying to figure out what the first step looks like.
This post has a different feel to it.
I don't think the Bible calls us to be raging environmentalists. Having put a considerable amount of study time into the subject the last couple of weeks I do believe that God has given us this earth and all of creation, not to lord our dominion over them but as a gift we are responsible to take care of. It is for us, but it is still His.
Last night the woman who is the director of our county's recycling program came and spoke to our church.
What's the least we can do?
In Oneida and Herkimer counties the recycling process has been made so easy. Reducing waste and reusing what we can...
It is a free process
and actually saves you money if you do it.
Again, I don't think that God burns with anger if someone uses a styrofoam coffee cup. I don't think Jesus is clenching His fists over a battery that makes it into your garbage.
But if Jesus lived in Utica, NY in 2013... I think He'd recycle.
I know He would live a simple life with little to be wasted.
and now am I inspired to write a poem that I will call "Carbon Footprints in the Sand"
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Wait Upon the Lord
I have been a minister at the church of Christ in Utica, NY for 8 1/2 years now. I have learned many lessons. Perhaps the lesson (that I am still learning) that is both the most frustrating and yet the most reassuring is that God is in control of everything.
It is frustrating because sometimes you work very hard on things and with people but feel as if you have nothing to show for your labor. You invest, you commit, you pray, you plead, you cry out, you study, you spend time and often it is with these people that you get hurt. They tease you with their interest in the gospel and either it was a hoax from the beginning and a way for them to get some money or attention or they are like some of the soils in Jesus' parable about the sower and the seed: they have no root and get scorched or get choked by the worry and deceitfulness of life.
Then God works. People you don't know are pushed into your life and they are hungering and thirsting for righteousness. You don't need to poke them or prod them (because the Holy Spirit already has). They are eager to learn and anxious to get involved. It is so refreshing. (John 4:36-38)
Preaching a sermon every week (or most weeks) has the same emotional toll and contribution. You study and study to try to be as true to God's Word as you can be. This means that the flow of the lesson will usually change several times throughout the week or month or however long you are working on it. So then, you finally have the lesson but it is not a sermon - if you were present your current materials to the church it would take on the form of a 3 or 4 hour lecture. As a Bible nerd, you are pleased, but you know your work is not done. Now you must run this material through a filter to try to determine what the most important things to share are. What do people need to hear? Sunday is almost here and if you are like me, sermon prep doesn't really end until the sermon is over - constantly mulling over in my head what to say and how to present it. You get up there on Sunday morning preach your heart out and afterwards you hear, "It was a good sermon BUT,..." and "sorry I fell asleep" and, "you went a little long didn't you?" There are always positive comments too and you cherish those and they keep you going sometimes, but the negative and ignorant comments always seem louder.
Inevitably there comes a week that everything else happens. You end up doing a lot of running around, visits and moves and breakfasts and meetings and it is Friday and you remember you are supposed to preach on Sunday. You give it your best the day you have to work it out, you preach and return to your seat fully expecting that the church will be asking for your resignation soon. But something else happens. Someone approaches you who rarely does and tells you how touched they were by the day's message. Another person is excited, they shake your hand and tell you that might have been the best sermon you've ever preached. God's Word is good. (Isaiah 55:9-11)
If I put my trust in my own ways I will be a fool (Proverbs 28:26) but if I put my hope in the Lord, He will continuously renew my strength (Isa 40:29-31).
It is the least we can do: wait on the Lord.
"Wait on the Lord" is not an excuse for a Christian to be lazy. Christian waiting requires action (see Matthew 24:45-51). Waiting is planting and watering as we anticipate Him making things grow.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
As a people we are called to follow Jesus, to be faithful to the end, to hold firmly to the Word. We are not called to produce certain results but to do what He asks and go where He sends. We hope in Him and wait for Him, trusting that it is part of a bigger and better plan. Abram had this trust when he left his homeland for God. Ezekiel had this trust when God told him to prophecy even though he was speaking to a rebellious nation who would "listen or fail to listen." God sent him so that, "they will know that a prophet has been among them."
So, if anyone is reading this, I encourage you to abandon any performance-based Christianity that is within you. Cling to the faith that God is calling you to and cling to it until the end.
And if no one is reading this, I have the confidence that everything God has called me to do, every path to walk down, sermon to preach, person to approach or blog to write has some use in His kingdom. For me it cannot be about making some grand achievement but that everyday my grand achievement must be about being faithful to God. I will not try to do His Work for Him, but I will do the work He has planned for me and watch in anticipation as He moves where I often least expect.
It is frustrating because sometimes you work very hard on things and with people but feel as if you have nothing to show for your labor. You invest, you commit, you pray, you plead, you cry out, you study, you spend time and often it is with these people that you get hurt. They tease you with their interest in the gospel and either it was a hoax from the beginning and a way for them to get some money or attention or they are like some of the soils in Jesus' parable about the sower and the seed: they have no root and get scorched or get choked by the worry and deceitfulness of life.
Then God works. People you don't know are pushed into your life and they are hungering and thirsting for righteousness. You don't need to poke them or prod them (because the Holy Spirit already has). They are eager to learn and anxious to get involved. It is so refreshing. (John 4:36-38)
Preaching a sermon every week (or most weeks) has the same emotional toll and contribution. You study and study to try to be as true to God's Word as you can be. This means that the flow of the lesson will usually change several times throughout the week or month or however long you are working on it. So then, you finally have the lesson but it is not a sermon - if you were present your current materials to the church it would take on the form of a 3 or 4 hour lecture. As a Bible nerd, you are pleased, but you know your work is not done. Now you must run this material through a filter to try to determine what the most important things to share are. What do people need to hear? Sunday is almost here and if you are like me, sermon prep doesn't really end until the sermon is over - constantly mulling over in my head what to say and how to present it. You get up there on Sunday morning preach your heart out and afterwards you hear, "It was a good sermon BUT,..." and "sorry I fell asleep" and, "you went a little long didn't you?" There are always positive comments too and you cherish those and they keep you going sometimes, but the negative and ignorant comments always seem louder.
Inevitably there comes a week that everything else happens. You end up doing a lot of running around, visits and moves and breakfasts and meetings and it is Friday and you remember you are supposed to preach on Sunday. You give it your best the day you have to work it out, you preach and return to your seat fully expecting that the church will be asking for your resignation soon. But something else happens. Someone approaches you who rarely does and tells you how touched they were by the day's message. Another person is excited, they shake your hand and tell you that might have been the best sermon you've ever preached. God's Word is good. (Isaiah 55:9-11)
If I put my trust in my own ways I will be a fool (Proverbs 28:26) but if I put my hope in the Lord, He will continuously renew my strength (Isa 40:29-31).
It is the least we can do: wait on the Lord.
"Wait on the Lord" is not an excuse for a Christian to be lazy. Christian waiting requires action (see Matthew 24:45-51). Waiting is planting and watering as we anticipate Him making things grow.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
As a people we are called to follow Jesus, to be faithful to the end, to hold firmly to the Word. We are not called to produce certain results but to do what He asks and go where He sends. We hope in Him and wait for Him, trusting that it is part of a bigger and better plan. Abram had this trust when he left his homeland for God. Ezekiel had this trust when God told him to prophecy even though he was speaking to a rebellious nation who would "listen or fail to listen." God sent him so that, "they will know that a prophet has been among them."
So, if anyone is reading this, I encourage you to abandon any performance-based Christianity that is within you. Cling to the faith that God is calling you to and cling to it until the end.
And if no one is reading this, I have the confidence that everything God has called me to do, every path to walk down, sermon to preach, person to approach or blog to write has some use in His kingdom. For me it cannot be about making some grand achievement but that everyday my grand achievement must be about being faithful to God. I will not try to do His Work for Him, but I will do the work He has planned for me and watch in anticipation as He moves where I often least expect.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Represent
One of my favorite childhood games was Madlibs.
If you aren't familiar with the game this is how it works:
The Madlibs people have taken a short story of one or two paragraphs and removed 12-15 words within the writing.
An individual or group replaces those missing words with other words that fit (generally: adjective, noun, etc) but usually will not fit the story line.
The people who choose the new words do so without knowing what the story is about to increase the odds of absurdity.
When all the words have been replaced, the recorder/reader will recite the story to the room with the new words in place.
You end up getting sentences like: "The lumpy kittens lapped up fuzzy milk."
To young people these kinds of sentences are very funny and provide for many giggles.
On a serious note...
God has called for Christians to represent Him here on earth. The Bible gives us all of the instruction we need to represent Him correctly and honorably. We are given the nouns (church, body of Christ, spiritual household, ambassadors, living stones...) the verbs (love, hope, go-make-baptize-teach-obey...) and adjectives (kind, compassionate, hospitable...).
Some time for reflection...
It is always good to have some time of introspection. Look at your life right now - what kind of noun are you reciting to the world? Which verbs are you doing? What adjectives describe who you are? How do these things represent Christ? Are you honoring Him or making a mockery of His kingdom?
If you aren't familiar with the game this is how it works:
The Madlibs people have taken a short story of one or two paragraphs and removed 12-15 words within the writing.
An individual or group replaces those missing words with other words that fit (generally: adjective, noun, etc) but usually will not fit the story line.
The people who choose the new words do so without knowing what the story is about to increase the odds of absurdity.
When all the words have been replaced, the recorder/reader will recite the story to the room with the new words in place.
You end up getting sentences like: "The lumpy kittens lapped up fuzzy milk."
To young people these kinds of sentences are very funny and provide for many giggles.
On a serious note...
God has called for Christians to represent Him here on earth. The Bible gives us all of the instruction we need to represent Him correctly and honorably. We are given the nouns (church, body of Christ, spiritual household, ambassadors, living stones...) the verbs (love, hope, go-make-baptize-teach-obey...) and adjectives (kind, compassionate, hospitable...).
Some time for reflection...
It is always good to have some time of introspection. Look at your life right now - what kind of noun are you reciting to the world? Which verbs are you doing? What adjectives describe who you are? How do these things represent Christ? Are you honoring Him or making a mockery of His kingdom?
Thursday, October 4, 2012
The Least We Can Do Is....Make One More Call
The following are some thoughts by a guy named Jay Pathak, a church planter in Denver, CO. He also co-authored a book called, The Art of Neighboring: Building Genuine Relationships Right Outside Your Door
“One Extra Phone Call”
I have talked a bunch with our church about making
“extra phone calls” every time anyone is doing anything social. “Make one extra
call when you are going to the movies, out to dinner with a friend, to a jazz
club, to play basketball, on a hike, and so on.” We always want to be bringing
people along to everything that we do, spiritual or not. It is through these
continual interactions that we have the opportunity to talk about Jesus and the
life he gives freely. I'd say there are 40-50 non-Christians that we are
connected with in one way or another, that show up every once in a while to
either play sports, go to a movie, or eat dinner.
Also we do service projects twice a month. These
are great things to invite people to. Our generation is pretty service-oriented
and wants to make a concrete difference. We all get to know each other in the
process.
It really doesn't take that much effort - remembering to make the call would be the toughest thing (it means I'll have to slow down a little AND be less introverted, ugh). BUT, I believe it is the LEAST I CAN DO... and once we do this once or twice, it could easily be a habitual practice.
I'm thinking that most of us could go a step further. This does not just have to be about inviting people into your life when you are going out to the movies or the store or for a meal. I think this could happen on a regular basis in our lives by not just "inviting people along" but by inviting them IN.
If you almost always have left-overs... that means you almost always have room for a guest or two for dinner
If you you have an extra seat in your living room... why not fill it?
Any other ideas?
My suggestion would be to
1) JUST DO IT
OR
1) Write down the REASON you would be doing this in the first place (if you don't have a solid foundation for this, you'll never follow through... the whole GO and MAKE DISCIPLES has to start somewhere/sometime)
2) Brainstorm and make a list of things that happen regularly in your life that you could invite others to be a part of (Get excited!)
3) Share this list with your family/friends to partner with others on this mission (motivation & accountability)
4) Write down every excuse that comes to mind as to why you will not follow through (better to face them then pretend that they won't come)
5) Refer to your #1 - remind yourself of the REASON and attack your excuses.
6) Be prayerful about who you will invite and that God will work in your time together with them
More on Neighboring from Pathak & Runyon: Art of Neighboring Origins
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
The Least We Can Do is... show up
I recently read an article about the Christ's church and how it is not an organization to join but a MOVEMENT to join. The author then describes 4 things you need to do to be a part of a movement (I changed the words a little so they would all start with "S" - I couldn't help it, I'm a preacher).
1) Show up
2) Serve
3) Support (financially/emotionally/whatever)
4) Spread (if you really support it, why not share it?)
There are a lot of people who are a part of a lot of churches who simply just don't show up. Church is not a club. In a club you can pay your dues and never show up and no one really cares (depends on what the club is I suppose). In the church, the people who show up for the meetings are the ones who are blessed the most. At this point (if this were a discussion and not a blog that 6 people will read) we could talk about what it really means to show up... i.e. a physical presence vs. participation...
Hebrews 10:24-25 says
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
I found another blog with a similar idea...
http://www.churchcentral.com/blog/5916/Join-the-Movement-from-Church-Membership-to-Mission-Partnership-5-Compelling-Reasons
1) Show up
2) Serve
3) Support (financially/emotionally/whatever)
4) Spread (if you really support it, why not share it?)
There are a lot of people who are a part of a lot of churches who simply just don't show up. Church is not a club. In a club you can pay your dues and never show up and no one really cares (depends on what the club is I suppose). In the church, the people who show up for the meetings are the ones who are blessed the most. At this point (if this were a discussion and not a blog that 6 people will read) we could talk about what it really means to show up... i.e. a physical presence vs. participation...
Hebrews 10:24-25 says
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
I found another blog with a similar idea...
http://www.churchcentral.com/blog/5916/Join-the-Movement-from-Church-Membership-to-Mission-Partnership-5-Compelling-Reasons
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
The Least We Can Do is Pay Taxes
How can I write this? I live in a city where property tax was just increased while the police force received cuts along with fire fighters. I don't know if these are good things that the current leadership is doing to cut down on unnecessary expenses and build a better future or a greedy government that wants more money for providing less services.
This past Sunday we sang, "He's got the whole world in His hands."
Romans 13:1 says, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."
This might be one of the hardest truths to believe.
I am sure the Israelites found it hard to believe when they were captives under Assyrian or Babylonian rule.
I bet the early Christians struggled with the idea of God having established the Roman rule that was their biggest threat. Yet the Apostle Paul writes these things to the church IN ROME.
Jesus Christ famously said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s."
Why do we feel tempted to cheat on our taxes?
FIRST: I think it has to do with giving ME what is MINE. Interestingly - that is not in Jesus' statement. Is anything I have mine? What if I made a list of everything I have control over and then put next to each thing that it either belonged to the government or belonged to God - what would that list look like? How would it effect me to see it?
LAST: I am not willing to give to Caesar because I have not given to God first. If I gave myself completely to Him I would be more like Jesus and less attached to this world and the things of it.
This past Sunday we sang, "He's got the whole world in His hands."
Romans 13:1 says, "Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."
This might be one of the hardest truths to believe.
I am sure the Israelites found it hard to believe when they were captives under Assyrian or Babylonian rule.
I bet the early Christians struggled with the idea of God having established the Roman rule that was their biggest threat. Yet the Apostle Paul writes these things to the church IN ROME.
Jesus Christ famously said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s."
Why do we feel tempted to cheat on our taxes?
FIRST: I think it has to do with giving ME what is MINE. Interestingly - that is not in Jesus' statement. Is anything I have mine? What if I made a list of everything I have control over and then put next to each thing that it either belonged to the government or belonged to God - what would that list look like? How would it effect me to see it?
LAST: I am not willing to give to Caesar because I have not given to God first. If I gave myself completely to Him I would be more like Jesus and less attached to this world and the things of it.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Least We Can Do is... Rest
Jesus said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. Mark 2:27
God rested and made the day holy (set apart) for us.
The big problem for us is that we don't know how to rest. Too much time is spent escaping our problems through our headphones, TV sets and computer screens. We get rest, but after it - we are not more equipped to handle our problems and they are still there.
“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
God rested and made the day holy (set apart) for us.
The big problem for us is that we don't know how to rest. Too much time is spent escaping our problems through our headphones, TV sets and computer screens. We get rest, but after it - we are not more equipped to handle our problems and they are still there.
1 Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
God is our rest and He invites us into His rest.
and lastly a word from Revelation 14 emphasis mine
9 A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, 10 he, too, will drink of the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.” 12 This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God’s commandments and remain faithful to Jesus.
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”“Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”
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