The Language of Obedience

Do you see obedience to Christ as a “have to” or a “want to?”  Jesus says a remarkable thing to his disciples, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching” (John 14:23a).

Clean language, pure thoughts, selfless emotions, kindness; each are a testimony of our love for the One who died in our place.  Doing what Jesus commands, in both our private and public worlds, is our constant opportunity to express love to him.

Obedience communicates love because it is the demonstration of surrender.  Obeying him says, “Jesus, you are my Lord and Lord of this moment.  Therefore, I choose what you choose.”  And the seal of that confession is the doing. 

So, when he calls for patience we show it. We when he prompts our hearts to mercy or simple faith, we give it.  Worship, prayer, considering others better than ourselves; all proclaim his prominence in our hearts, for in those moments he is our Lord, and he knows of our love because we have shown him in our surrender.

 “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.”  (Jesus, John 15:13:14)

Have you told Jesus you love him today?  Now is always your chance.  And you know, actions speak louder than words.

Jesus, Lord Over Sin

“He said to them. ‘Go!” (Mat. 8:28-34)

Evil cannot stand in the presence of Jesus.  His holiness and authority require it depart, for he will not be moved.

The things that possess us, and the “sin that so easily entangles,” are obvious in the presence of the Lord.  His light exposes the darkness within us every time.  That’s why we feel too ashamed to pray at times.  But the joy of the Lord is to show us mercy and free us from the chains of our self-enslavement.

The only limit to the power of the Christ is our own will.  He will not do in us what we will not allow.  If we plead for him to go or refuse to let him deal with the sin that possesses us, he will honor our choice.  But if we seek him, he will drive it away.

What is Jesus’ presence exposing in your life?  What cries out in you at the very thought of him?  He has the power to release you, but you must draw near to him and ask.

The power to overcome sin is in Jesus the Lord.  Our desire and will are not enough.  "There is no one who is righteous," only Jesus.  Our need is not to become strong enough to beat our temptation.  Our need is to grow deeper in love and in nearness to Christ, and his Spirit will, by our welcoming, overtake our own and fill us with his holiness and righteousness.

Nothing can stand against the light of God.  "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well."  (Mat. 6:32)

Live a Life...

In Ephesians, Paul encourages Christians to "live a life worthy of the calling you have received (Ephesians. 4:1)." It is interesting to note that he does not say to "live a Christian life" worthy of the calling you have received. His point, I believe, is that all aspects of my life (my entire life) are to be lived with a Christian worldview.

That's obvious, you say? The truth is that we often live two lives: a spiritual life as a Christian - at church or with Christian friends, and a secular life - at work, for example, or in our political and social lives. In other words, there are times when we consciously separate our Christian foundation from the things we may espouse in secular culture; indeed, allowing the world to heavily influence our thoughts rather than allowing the Spirit of God to guide all of our thoughts and actions.

In many ways, this may be the biggest struggle we face as Christians because the world has done a good job of convincing us that our "religion" has no place in the "real" world; that the "separation of church and state" precludes us from placing a Christian worldview on everything in our lives. Which, I believe, misses the point entirely.

One need not be an outspoken activist, creating a stir or distraction, to live a life that reflects the Christ - to be a light on the hill. Ultimately, the influence of the Christ in our individual lives is to see people differently, to treat people differently, to see and react to the world differently because "Christ's love compels us (2 Cor. 5:14)" to do so.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

If the only parts of our lives that are "Christian" are those that are seen by other Christians, what impact can we have?

Jesus Is Lord

Here are some encouraging thoughts I read this morning that I wanted to share with you. They were written by a long-time preacher, brother Kenneth Meade...

How fortunate we are to live this side of the cross and have the full benefit of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection! He set an example of high standards for us. He dwells within us and provides everything we need to live godly lives.

Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only three. Yet the influence of Christ’s three-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity. Jesus painted no pictures; yet some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him. Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world’s greatest poets were inspired by Him. Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratorios they composed in His praise. Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble carpenter of Nazareth.

Only Jesus Christ can break the enslaving chains of sin and Satan. Many people admire Christ and his teachings. Regrettably, few bow before His majesty and own Him as Lord and Redeemer.

Let Him be Lord of your life every day.

Happy New Year!

Blessings, and Happy New Year!

The Open Door church of Christ is beginning its second year as a congregation of the Lord's people. The past year has been a blur - and full of peaks and valleys - but, we are greatly encouraged as we continue to build strong relationships with each other.

Our focus has not changed. As individuals, we are committed to "living a life worthy of the calling [we] have received," a phrase taken from Paul's letter to the Ephesians (Eph. 4:1). As a congregation, we are committed to enriching the community of Broken Arrow. As a family, we are committed to encouraging and building up each other. As members of the kingdom of God, we are committed to seeking His will first in our everyday lives.

Our resolve has not changed. We seek to serve as He served, love as He loved, and honor the Father as He honored the Father. We seek to create transparent Biblical leadership through our ministers and recently appointed deacons. We seek to add people-focused shepherds as soon as possible. We seek to find those works He "has prepared in advance for us to do (Eph.2:10)".

Our spirit has not changed. We will strive to build intimate spiritual relationships with one another. We will strive to resolve conflict directly and in love. We will "make every effort" to grow in goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness, and love (2 Peter 1).

Our hope is that we will identify and confront our failures at every turn, forgive and ask forgiveness in every circumstance, and petition the Father in prayer at every opportunity. We ask for your prayers...and encourage you to join us in service to the King!

Feeling a Connection with God

We've all been there, if we're honest with ourselves and each other: times when we just don't feel a connection with God. The lack of a connection can be discouraging and most certainly leads to a lapse in our prayer life, our church attendance, our Bible reading, and most things that are spiritual. It opens us up to temptation, wrong priorities, shortsightedness, and emptiness.

When you feel no connection with God, what to do?

1) Admit it to yourself. The most important step in solving any problem is to fully recognize it. King David certainly struggled with his connection with God from time to time. One thing that David had going for him is this: he valued his relationship with God and when he felt disconnected, he urgently pursued God until he felt connected again.

Here is some encouragement for you: David was a man who committed every sin that a person could commit, including murder! Yet, he was described as a "man after [God's] own heart!" (Acts 13:22). David could admit his faults, express sorrow for them, and turn to God for healing. David was able to say, "The Lord is MY shepherd, I shall not want..." Connection re-established!!

2) Admit it to a friend(s). Fortunately, I have numbers of spiritual friends that I can turn to when I feel disconnected from God. I will tell them how I'm feeling, what's lacking, and what's hurting, and often admit that I really don't know how to express my emptiness. Having a real close friend that will hold me accountable and will allow me to hold him accountable is a difference maker. Many times, during these talks, I will feel the need to pray, but not feel the ability or worthiness to pray. My friend will pray for me. A man named Simon, formerly a magician, found himself in this predicament. He requested that Peter pray for him to help re-establish a connection with God (Acts 8).

Find a friend that you can talk to and admit your broken connection with God. Let him help.

3) Admit your disconnect to God Himself. This is often the most difficult part, but not because God wants it that way! For most of us, it is difficult to admit our faults, our weaknesses and our relationship difficulties to anyone, much less a Divine being that we can't see. Yet, despite His majesty, His sovereignty, and His position as the Supreme Creator and Ruler of the universe, God wants very much to have a relationship with us. He has taken it upon Himself to reach out to us and make Himself known to us through nature, through science, and through the Bible.

Our struggle with a relationship with God is often the same as our struggles with any other broken relationship - we just don't know what to say!

Why not simply say to God something along these lines:

"God, I don't know what to say to you. So let me just be direct. Please bear with me and be merciful to me. I want to improve my relationship with you. I want to feel a connection. I want to get to know you. I don't know where to start. But, since you've gone to all the trouble to try and communicate with me, I'll make a feeble attempt at a response. Be patient with me as I get better at talking with you. I recognize you for what You are and for what I am. I will become a better listener. I will try this again soon. I'm reaching out to you because of the door opened by Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen."

We all need that connection with God. It's the only guarantee for improving our immediate spiritual health and ensuring our eternal well being.

The Sentencing

They say you might have to die, Oscar.

It won’t be much longer now. Then we’ll know. You seem pretty calm considering the stakes, I’ve got to say. Maintaining such an unruffled demeanor is no small achievement, what with all those eyes, 12 pair to be exact, taking turns zeroing in on you from across the room, trying to read your mind from your manner. But nothing seems to phase you.

There’s something about your eyes, though. They look almost lidless. They stick out like billiard balls, as if maybe your tie is too tight. I guess maybe they’ve seen more than eyes were ever meant to see. And what they saw, no mind was ever meant to replay – but yours has, over and over again.

Conscience bites hard and it doesn’t let go, just like those pit bulls you spent your spare time raising and fighting. What did you say to it after that first time to get it to heel? Did you tell it not to worry, that it wasn’t that big a deal? It wasn’t like she was your real daughter after all. She was your stepdaughter. No flesh, no blood, no relation. Did it help to tell yourself that? But then she said she was going to tell on you and you had to keep that from happening. And you did. So here we are.

They say you might have to die, Oscar. It’ll make for good copy, you know. That’s why I’m here. This is a story people will want to read about.

But it’s not the one I want to tell. Telling your story has been humbling and has reminded me of things; it has reminded me that while the choices I’ve made in life have been different from yours and in most cases better, the net effect has been the same: alienation from God and a sentence of death. That’s what I need to tell: how I’d be sitting right where you are, condemned for crimes too numerous to recount, against Creator and creation alike, if not for a curious fact -- that my judge and my advocate are one and the same. And if not for an even stranger fact -- that my judge, the dignity of his position notwithstanding, gave it all up and took my punishment upon himself -- my eternal prospects would be worth even less than your temporal ones are now.

Watching our justice system at work has a way of reminding me of this story. But unfortunately it’s not the story they pay me to tell. I’ll have to tell it on my time. In the meantime, it looks like they are filing back in. All rise. Their eyes are avoiding you now.

It’s time, Oscar. It’s time.