Like Completing Love

Love is action and if it is not in action, it is not love. This is a pretty basic statement about love that most would have no problem with. The more difficult statement to swallow is that true love leads to “like” and “like” completes love.

You have probably heard someone say they love someone but they just don’t like them. I would tell you they don’t really love the person, or at the very least, their love is incomplete. Some would even say that God expects us to love, but doesn’t tell us we have to like certain people. I would tell you that is the easy way out. Granted, this is not a clearly stated idea from scripture like the nature and divinity of Jesus or other creedal beliefs, but can you imagine Jesus walking up to any of his twelve disciples, even Judas, and saying, “I love you, but I just don’t like you.” Can you imagine Jesus walking up to even the filthiest of sinners and telling them he loves them but doesn’t like them?

To like someone is sometimes harder than to “love” and Jesus always calls us to the hard(er) thing. In 1 John you see the author reminding us of something Jesus taught him, saying “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers...let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”

Laying down life is more than a physical thing. I would say it is at least 1000% more complicated and difficult than giving up your physical life, because dying once is much easier than dying to self every day. Yes Jesus laid down his physical self, but Paul tells us he did much more than that in lowering himself, willfully abandoning his place in heaven and then submitting himself to death on the cross.

Jesus laid down everything else before he laid down his heartbeat. Jesus did the hard(er) thing and calls us to the hard(er) thing.

This is why I believe love is incomplete without “like”.

In 2 Corinthians Paul says because of what Jesus did on the cross, we no longer look at people through our own eyes or a worldly view, “for Christ died for all.” What eyes do we look through then? The eyes of God? And at the end of that same chapter, chapter 5, Paul tells us that “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us.”

Not only does scripture tell us not to evaluate men from our flesh’s perspective or the worldly view, but then Paul really hits us with it and tells us why. Jesus didn’t just take our sins from us, but became our sins. He became the very things we don’t like about people. We read Romans 5:8 describing how Jesus died for us even “while” we were still sinners and forget that he “became” the “while”. Jesus didn’t just remove but embodied. Jesus didn’t just cleanse, but became.

Do I think we have to like everything about everyone? No, that isn’t what I’m saying, what I am saying is I think the things we don’t like about a person become our reasons to not like the person. In our flesh we have a very hard time separating these things. We easily slip from not liking something to not liking someone and lying to ourselves that at least we love them.

This is why Jesus can Like and Love: he can separate the “things” from the person. Jesus created the person in his own image and became our every fault on the cross.

Now think about not “liking” someone. You look at them and there is something that rubs you the wrong way and so you choose to love them and settle or even choose to not like them, but what you choose to not like is the very thing Jesus became. Pride. Arrogance. Filth and Lust. Self-loathing. Hypocrisy. Hate. Etc…Etc…or even worse, a character flaw! These things, these sins are Jesus. And this is why Jesus can both Love and Like, because he doesn’t have our perspective, he has “their” perspective. He knows exactly where they are and why they are the way they are, because he became what they are.

Most of our inability to like comes from our unwillingness to seek first to understand and then to be understood.

Loving is a command, it is a very clearly worded statement from the mouth of our God. And so we blindly love. We lump all peoples into this love but we segment a few and a fold into the “love without like” category and convince ourselves it is not sin because we are fulfilling the command to love. But love is not general; it is specific.

If love is a command than “like” is a choice, and Jesus is calling to the hard(er) thing. To like is to complete love. Remember, Jesus has no reason to like you, for you are filthy and dirt stained rags. Except, he became and embodied your very worst. So when he looks at you, don’t be surprised to hear him say, “I like you” even before he confesses his undoubted love for you.

Ask yourself if it is easier to love a certain person than it is to like them. If you have put them into the “love not like” category, you can be sure Jesus is calling you to the harder thing…to like them. And if it isn't Jesus saying it's okay to love and not like, who is the one whispering this in our ears?

One last thought. We all know someone that just seems to like everyone, and for some reason, everyone wants to be like that person.

The Fig Tree

In the gospels there is a story Jesus tells of a fig tree.

In Luke 13, a man owns a fig tree and wants to cut it down because it hasn't born any fruit in three years.

But the vine dresser says, "Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure."

I remember coming home from a failed internship after my senior year in college. One of my spiritual mentors sent me this verse. I've held it close to my heart ever since.

It's interesting to me that Jesus points out the digging and the fertilizing, not the pruning. I believe it is because growth doesn't come first from the condition of the fig tree, but from the health of the soil it is planted in.

Jesus, our vine dresser, digs around us, laying on manure. There is something beautiful here, something Jesus believes about us. If you aren't bearing fruit, Jesus doesn't believe that you CAN'T, only that you HAVEN'T YET.

Dig in to the Layers of Life. Your soil matters.

A Return to Atheism

We should all become Atheists again.

In the first and second centuries of Christianity, people in a construct of pluralism couldn't understand the idea of worshiping an imageless God, or only one God. If you believed in only one God, and one without a statue at that, you were insulting all other gods, so you were an atheist.

Today, Christians are called many things, but never Atheists. But maybe we should be.

We live in an environment and world and culture much like the culture surrounding early Christians. There is no shortage of gods.

But what makes the idea of being called an Atheist like a badge of honor is not simply believing in only the Trinitarian God, but what the early believers being called Atheists were known for.

In the fourth century of Christianity, Julian the Emperor wrote:

"Atheism has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead. It is a scandal that there is not a single Jew who is a beggar, and that the godless Galileans care not only for their own poor but for ours as well; while those who belong to us look in vain for the help that we should render them."

He is talking about Christians.

Tertullian, a mid-second century theologian comments in his writing about how Pagans would comment on how Christians loved each other.

So I propose a return to Atheism like the first centuries of Christianity.

Is it possible that no believer be a beggar, or that those having accepted Jesus would help not only "their own" but also those in disagreement with them? This was early Christianity; this was early Atheism.

It is brilliant to read of the early acts of Christians, seeing that even centuries after Pentecost they were still living out what had begun with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as described in Acts 2.

It may seem funny to us that they were called Atheist, because we have our idea of what that is, and what we call people specifically associates them with a set of actions or ideas. But early on, Atheism was Christianity, and the Atheism described by early accounts, both secular and Christian, are that Atheists loved each other and served and left no need unmet.

So I supposed I'd rather be called an Atheist in the vein of the first centuries than a Christian in the light of recent decades.

What do you think?

I'm Just a Normal Person

"I'm just a normal person, I don't have any powers."

those words killed me, murdered me tonight.

my son has wanted to be a Jedi for a long while now, and tonight while i was putting him to bed he burst into tears as he confessed "Jedis aren't real."

he wept. literally wept. there was nothing more he wanted to be. and realizing or coming to grips with the idea that a Jedi isn't "real" was just too much for him. he confessed that he isn't a jedi, just a normal person and that he didn't have any powers.

it took all of me to not break down with him.

all i could do is assure him, that while a Jedi isn't really real, that i was so proud of him that he wanted to be a Jedi. because a Jedi is good, and protects people and fights for what is right.

i told my son these are all things that i hope for him. and even though Jedis aren't real, i am truly proud that he wants to be one.

i also told him that i'm just a normal person. i know, hard to believe. but the reality is our kids look up to us and don't see us as normal people. i told him that i'm just a normal person but God helps me to do great things all the time.

i told him that i pray with people to be healed and get to lead people in worshiping God. these are great things. its okay to be a "normal" person, because God will help us do great things.

so here is to being a normal person, and how devastating it is when we discover that.

may we be equally rocked when we discover the greatness of God and what He wants to do through us!

history

just say the word "history" to yourself a few times.

what comes to mind? world history? church history? personal history?

i am not a history buff. my brother-in-law is. but he kind of has to be because he teaches it. but one thing i know is our history informs the present, and our present will inform our future.

it doesn't mean we are bound by the past, it just means the past is like a reference on your resume'. whether you know it or not, the past has something to say about how things may unfold for you. especially if you are unaware of your past.

the fact is, i have had things happen in my past, in my history, that were not good, were not healthy. these things inform me now. but it is up to me to filter those things and evaluate how to act on what i'm hearing.

think about the history of God's people. God is well informed that His people always seem to walk away. Yet God always opens the door and welcomes. The bible does describe a day when the option of returning will no longer be on the table, but until then, it seems like God, being all-knowing, looks at the past, at the history, and chooses to believe the best for us.

there is a kagillion books out there about thinking positively to overcome your past.

i'm thinking we don't need those books as much as we need the Mind of God.

history says you are unlikely to stay close to God... but God believes the best. you can too.

so when you think of history, when you think of your past... for a moment, let the way God sees things permeate its way into your mind. you may see things differently.

camel or comrade?

lets just say that camaraderie is like water. camels don't need much. are you a camel or a comrade?

i was reading about camels, for no particular reason, but noticed a number of things about camels that relate to the idea of camaraderie, or the lack there of.

camels don't need water the way we need it. yeah, they need it, but not like us. i was reading that a camel can lose up to 20-25% of its body weight due to sweating before it is in danger of health risks... if the human body loses only 15% of body weight through dehydration it goes into cardiac failure! the lack of water will actually destroy your heart's chances of survival.

camels are set up for water retention. if we retain water we get depressed... haha, that was a joke.

seriously though, a camel's nostrils are created to reintegrate moisture, when they sweat (only once their body temp reaches 106) most of the sweat helps cool their body below their coat. a camel's kidneys and intestines are so efficient in saving water their urine comes out like syrup and their feces comes out so dry you could start a fire with it immediately.

everything about a camel has been fine tuned to retain water and to survive in a dry climate.

we are not that way. we just aren't. we need water. we show symptoms of dehydration after losing only 2% of our normal water volume. we need it.

camaraderie is like water to my soul. i need it more than most things.

now, i think we each make a decision. camel or comrade. look at your life. are you a camel, do you live like you don't need anyone, are your relationships surface and for the purpose of accomplishing a goal, or are you a comrade to those around you?

if tomorrow you were suddenly surrounded with a new life and new people and you could no longer be in relationship with those you know now, would you weep for the loss of their camaraderie?

i'm not asking if you would be sad you wouldn't see them anymore or for a while. would you miss their camaraderie? camaraderie is the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability. do you offer that to others, are you in relationship with people that offer it to you?

i don't want to be a camel. i want to be human. and being human means i need water regularly. it means i need camaraderie. i think you need it too.

i will do my best to give it to you and will be thankful when i receive it from you.

choose your battles...

I read something interesting about Conflict in 2 Chronicles yesterday. I had never noticed this before.

Josiah was a great king. He rid the nation of foreign Gods like no other had, celebrated Passover in a way no other king had, but at the end of his reign he died because of an avoidable battle.

He didn't know the difference between his battle and "a" battle. He takes his army out to meet King Neco, who is on his way to fight an unnamed enemy. King Neco tells Josiah not to get involved because God is for him and Josiah would lose.

Then the bible says something strange, it says King Neco was right. God was with this king from Egypt. But Josiah disguises himself and they battle anyway and Josiah is killed with a random arrow.

I started wondering why he fought. Was it an old grudge against Egypt? Was King Neco on his way to battle one of Josiah's friends? We're not really told.

What we are told is King Josiah died pointlessly in a battle that wasn't his business and ended up fighting against the God he loved and served more faithfully than most of the kings in Jerusalem.

Because he didn't know the difference between his battle and "a" battle, he died.

It is particularly sad to read what happens to his people and his country in the following few months and years because of his death. This is an important lesson for me and think its worth asking the question to you....

What battles are you fighting? Any chance you're actually fighting against God?

I get the sneaking suspicion Josiah thought God could never be with or for a King from Egypt...and sometimes we may be convinced God couldn't be in or for or with this or that or the other, and we open our mouth and disagree before seeking God to make sure we aren't really fighting him in the name of fighting "a" battle.

imaginary lines

We draw imaginary lines habitually, like an addict distracted from what is really happening in front of us because of our internal knee-jerk need to get a fix, we draw lines.

A good example is the Insane Campaign we are doing at The Vine. I sent the support letter to everyone in my email explaining how we are trying to finish a facility to benefit the kingdom of God in the area of Braselton, Georgia. One response I got basically asked me not to send this letter to anyone from “their” church.

A line was drawn because this person didn’t understand and they have good reason to think the people from their church wouldn’t understand why a person from one church would give dollars to another church in America.

Now, that same person or same church has no problem when a missionary to another country asks for dollars to help finish a facility to expand the kingdom of God in that non-North American area. Why the line?

Think about when Paul from the Bible would go on missions, the churches he had started helped support the ones he was now starting, and they all basically would have fit within a geographic location smaller than the United States.

Can you imagine people writing Paul back and saying, “We won’t be supporting this particular venture of yours because it’s relatively close geographically. If you however choose to travel further away, beyond our own country’s border, we would consider helping.”

Lines are stupid. God didn’t put these lines here. Its ridiculous. 

and now is the time to burn

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help a brother out!

too far is never too far

check out this story...and you'll see there is no such thing as being too far from God

if only two

brilliant. i watched a large part of a documentary on a composer tonight that was nothing short of brilliant. renowned and famous and just crazy enough to be a magnificent musical mind. 70 years old and still writing, composing, scoring.

as a part of the documentary the composer's wife emotionally admits their paths are parting as a result of his overwhelming love for music to the neglect of his family. but it isn't unlike the stories of so many great writers, composers, artists, and unfortunately, evangelists and historic foundational christian leaders.

so focused on a gift, passion, or call, the most basic of calls falls neglected and atrophied. family finds last place. wesley is the great spiritual father of the methodist and wesleyan movements, yet he was an insufficient husband at best...i have heard the same of moody and many other great spiritual fathers of the church. so emboldened by the gospel to reach the masses, the few, the families were left behind.

like every young musician and artist i longed to be known, to make an impact, to change the world...like every young musician, those dreams were mixed full of impure motives and imperfect desires. now a bit older i no longer feign at fame and have little or no desire to be known across america and/or the world for my abilities and gifts.

a large part of that is family. i am not always the father and husband i long to be, but when it comes down to it, i am a father and i am a husband. i am not just a person living in the same house. i am father to brennan brave and liam noble and husband to cynthia lisabeth and at the most basic, this is my first call. God has given me a wife and children for a reason.

do i want to see thousands and thousands of thousands come to know Jesus? yes. do i want to advance God's kingdom at the expense of the kingdom he has placed within my own home? no.

and this is the very reason i will, with most likelihood, never be famous, and i will likely never be known, because i will not do what so many have done: work harder at work than at family.

if i reach only two, if only brennan and liam stand before the throne of my Lord redeemed and in love with Jesus more than life... than i did exactly what God has asked me to do.

now ask yourself this question...especially if you have a problem with this...why does this make you uncomfortable? why is there part of you that wants to barb back with, "just make sure you do everything you can." or "you better not pass up an opportunity God puts in front of you." or even, "your wife and kids will understand if..."

sounds like pharisee talk. sounds like law disguised as freedom. sounds like legalism pretending to be the gospel.

you likely have one of three responses to this. either you completely disagree, you are uncomfortable with the idea but don't know why, or this is refreshing and possibly freeing for you.

all i can say is....be free. for i would rather not be known at all in the story of history because of only reaching two, than to be known for reaching thousands at the detriment to my own wife and children. this to me would be complete failure.

'the' or 'a'

when i was talking to a friend last night about fasting i had a thought i am sure is not original, but thought it was worth sharing.

if you start with 'the' reason, you should move forward, even if 'a' reason clouds your decision. okay, so that sounds somewhat cryptic, so let me explain.

our conversation had to do with fasting and how he had decided many times to fast for a while to get closer to God, but then after making up his mind, he would think something like, "hey, i'll probably lose some weight too." so after he had this thought, he decided not to fast so he wouldn't be fasting with the wrong motives.

'a' reason to fast was to lose weight, but 'the' reason to fast was to get closer to God and to hear His voice more clearly. he started with the right reason, but let 'a' reason that got added on like an amendment to a bill change his mind.

how often to do we start with 'the' reason to do something and let 'a' reason keep us from following through? admittedly, following through with most things is difficult, and sometimes it is the exception to the rule that we actually start with the right motivation for many decisions we make, but when you do miraculously begin on the right footing, with 'the' reason, don't let any other singular reasons keep you from going for it. whether it is fasting or jogging.

i think it is safe to say that the more often you start with 'the' reason and actually follow through, the easier it will be to discern when 'a' reason is just trying to distract you.