Note: I'm sorry this is lengthy. I used it as an opportunity to give perspective on my process of reading and thinking about scripture.
I have recently been studying the Gospel of John for my work as an intern at Life Church in Huntington, IN. This week we are studying John 3 as a church body and I have some preliminary comments that have come to mind as I worked through my sermon research this week. I will first say that I will not be teaching this week, as part of my internship I study the same scripture as our teaching pastor and then we meet and talk through it as a means of helping me develop my sermon writing skills. Due to the fact that he will be preaching over this chapter on Sunday I am going to give a few comments to help prepare my own heart along with any of you who chose to follow this blog or happen to stumble upon it. After Sunday I may come back and add a few comments. I will also post a link to the sermon so that anyone who is interested in hearing will have the opportunity. Here are some of my thoughts...
First, when studying a book of the Bible, as we are in this case, it is important to keep in mind that this document is from a different time, written for a certain people, at a certain time, for a particular purpose. However, this document is also inspired by God and the writer was led by the Holy Spirit to communicate God's message to his people (his people being the immediate audience and also the two thousand years of Christians after!). When we read Scripture we too have the same Holy Spirit communicate to us through God's written word in our own time! Because of this, each book has its own story, meaning, and flow. When reading Scripture it is important to view each word within the verse it is in, each verse within the paragraph, each paragraph within the story, each story within the chapter, each chapter within the book, and each book within the Bible as a whole. In short, the Bible tells a story that has context and meaning within itself and it is important to read scripture within this context.
With that said, lets look at John chapters 1 and 2 quickly. In the first chapter of his Gospel John tells us that Jesus has been with God since the beginning. That life was made through him and in him is life which is the light of man! We also hear John the Baptist's testimony of Jesus in the first chapter. Then we see Jesus calling several of his first disciples to follow him. In chapter 2 John tells the story of Jesus turning water into wine and then we read the story of Jesus clearing the temple. Now the tricky part, both of those chapters have some heavy claims in them, but what is John's purpose for writing as he did? In John 20:31 he tells us, "...these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John wrote his Gospel with one thing in mind, that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that you may believe in his name and receive life! Knowing John's purpose, lets look at the first two chapters of his Gospel again. John first claims that Jesus was with God from the beginning. Jesus wasn't some addition to God, he is fully God and fully divine. John is pointing towards the divinity of Christ here. Next, John uses the testimony of a well respected man during that time, John the Baptist, to make the same claim. He then shows that other men believed and followed Jesus, and John also includes a story of a small miracle (or sign) at the end of chapter 1, pointing to Christ's divinity. Chapter 2 is more of the same. The water to wine story points towards Christ divinity. Jesus clearing the temple, even though it has much deeper rooted themes in Jewish perspective, can be seen as pointing towards Christ's divinity as well. He cared for his Father's house as a place of refuge not a place cheating and stealing.
Now, John 3. I don't want to say too much but I will say this. John is now going to point us towards Christ's divine purpose on this earth. He has clearly defined that Jesus is divine and that he is here intentionally with a God given task.
Clear you heart, evaluate your life and values. Ask God to reveal the true feelings of your heart. Are you ready to hear and embrace Jesus Christ, the anointed one? I believe that many of use do not see the need we have for Christ's purpose in our lives. Instead, we believe that we can do life by our own power and ability. Instead, we need to quiet our hearts and listen to the message that John is trying to convey to us in the third chapter of his Gospel.
Hope this was insightful for you. Stay tuned for my comments about John 3 and a link to the sermon!
until next time...
laterDays
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Sunday, June 10, 2012
‘H EKKΛHΣIA
This blog was influenced by the following article.
The recent trend among college students and 20-somthing adults has been moving away from attending local churches. I see how this is an attractive solution for many young adults my age. We are in a time when the church is undergoing major changes and reformation, and, due to this, a lot of young adults have found themselves alienated from the church. Many churches do not have programs for college aged students so, after graduation, many young adults find themselves lost in the shuffle of Sunday morning service with no place to call their own. These trends have left many young adults feeling like they do not belong in the church. Because of this, young adults have found other places to fill the void left by the absence of a local, Christian body in their lives. As a young Christian, I too have felt similarly towards the church in the past; however, I believe it is important to find a local body that we can call our home.
Allow me to present you with three reasons why I believe the church is still important for our lives. I am currently not going to list scripture to backup my statements, but, in the next week, I will develop a list of Scriptures to round out why I believe as I do.
1. The Church is Christ's body: The Bible tells us that the church is Christ's body in the world. Without the church, Christ has no way of working in the world we live in. When we choose to do all of our Kingdom work outside of the church, we are acting like a severed finger that is attempting to hold on to something without three other fingers, a thumb, a palm, a wrist, a fore arm, and so on. We simply cannot work to our full potential, as a Christian, outside of the church.
2. The Church is where we grow and help others to grow: The church has many functions within the Christian life. Evangelism is only one of the church's many functions. As new believers becomes a part of Christ's body they find themselves guided by mature believers who poor wisdom into their lives. Being a Christian is not easy but having a friend that can help guide and direct you makes a world of difference when learning the Christian life. Humans are created with a natural want to live together, the church is where God reaches out to his people as a group and where his people come together to help one another.
3. The Church needs you: The reality is this, we are the future of the church. We can either choose to make the church what we believe God is leading us to make it, or we can walk away and let it crumble. Our only real option is to become a part of local churches and give them what we have to offer. God has gifted all of us with unique talents to use for his glory. What better place to use them then for his body as it works in the world, reaching out to the lost and giving comfort to the weary.
We have no real choice, God has spoken and the church is his vessel in the world. As God, he could have reached his people in any way that he saw fit, he has spoken, and his body, the church, is the only answer. In the words of David Platt, "We [the church] are plan A, and there is no plan B."
until next time...
laterDays
The recent trend among college students and 20-somthing adults has been moving away from attending local churches. I see how this is an attractive solution for many young adults my age. We are in a time when the church is undergoing major changes and reformation, and, due to this, a lot of young adults have found themselves alienated from the church. Many churches do not have programs for college aged students so, after graduation, many young adults find themselves lost in the shuffle of Sunday morning service with no place to call their own. These trends have left many young adults feeling like they do not belong in the church. Because of this, young adults have found other places to fill the void left by the absence of a local, Christian body in their lives. As a young Christian, I too have felt similarly towards the church in the past; however, I believe it is important to find a local body that we can call our home.
Allow me to present you with three reasons why I believe the church is still important for our lives. I am currently not going to list scripture to backup my statements, but, in the next week, I will develop a list of Scriptures to round out why I believe as I do.
1. The Church is Christ's body: The Bible tells us that the church is Christ's body in the world. Without the church, Christ has no way of working in the world we live in. When we choose to do all of our Kingdom work outside of the church, we are acting like a severed finger that is attempting to hold on to something without three other fingers, a thumb, a palm, a wrist, a fore arm, and so on. We simply cannot work to our full potential, as a Christian, outside of the church.
2. The Church is where we grow and help others to grow: The church has many functions within the Christian life. Evangelism is only one of the church's many functions. As new believers becomes a part of Christ's body they find themselves guided by mature believers who poor wisdom into their lives. Being a Christian is not easy but having a friend that can help guide and direct you makes a world of difference when learning the Christian life. Humans are created with a natural want to live together, the church is where God reaches out to his people as a group and where his people come together to help one another.
3. The Church needs you: The reality is this, we are the future of the church. We can either choose to make the church what we believe God is leading us to make it, or we can walk away and let it crumble. Our only real option is to become a part of local churches and give them what we have to offer. God has gifted all of us with unique talents to use for his glory. What better place to use them then for his body as it works in the world, reaching out to the lost and giving comfort to the weary.
We have no real choice, God has spoken and the church is his vessel in the world. As God, he could have reached his people in any way that he saw fit, he has spoken, and his body, the church, is the only answer. In the words of David Platt, "We [the church] are plan A, and there is no plan B."
until next time...
laterDays
Monday, May 28, 2012
Why I Do It
Why do I blog? Maybe a better question would be: Why don't I blog? I started this blog almost two years ago. Since then, I have only made 12 posts. I started strong, but then ran out of things to talk about. I don't like to waist others time (if anyone even reads this) so I don't blog when I have nothing to say. At first this seemed like a reasonable excuse for me not to blog on a regular bases. However, the more I think through it the more it feels like a plain old excuse.
So... Why I choose to blog. Off the top of my head I can think of several reason...
1. To better myself as a writer. I have come to value writing as I have progressed through my college career. It has also become clear that I don't write as good (well--just a little joke) as I would like. Blogging gives me an opportunity to practice writing on a regular bases.
2. To work through my thoughts and allow others to participate in my thought process. As I have matured as a thinking (not claiming that I am a mature thinker, only that I have progressed in the last 3 years) I have learned that I think by processing my thoughts with others. My blog allows me to do so through a medium broader than speaking with others.
3. To, hopefully, have influence on the lives of others. One of my life goals is to speak into the lives of others. I believe it is our calling, as Christian's, to live life with other people. The progression of living with others goes like this. I have someone I respect speaking into my life, I have peers that I live life with daily (i.e. my roommates and friends), and I have others who's lives I speak into. My blog is a way for me to further my voice.
4. To leave my mark on the world. Social media has opened up new realms of communication never possible before. Blogging is a perfect opportunity to meet new people and have conversations with people from different regions and beliefs. My blog is a mark on the world, no matter how small it is.
My reason for writing this is to think through why I have a blog. Hopefully you like what you hear. If you do, I invite you to jump on board and keep posted. You can also find me on twitter which is another way to communicate and relate with others. Here in the next couple days I'm going to post a blog about why I use twitter. Keep posted and join in on the conversion!
Until next time...
laterDays
So... Why I choose to blog. Off the top of my head I can think of several reason...
1. To better myself as a writer. I have come to value writing as I have progressed through my college career. It has also become clear that I don't write as good (well--just a little joke) as I would like. Blogging gives me an opportunity to practice writing on a regular bases.
2. To work through my thoughts and allow others to participate in my thought process. As I have matured as a thinking (not claiming that I am a mature thinker, only that I have progressed in the last 3 years) I have learned that I think by processing my thoughts with others. My blog allows me to do so through a medium broader than speaking with others.
3. To, hopefully, have influence on the lives of others. One of my life goals is to speak into the lives of others. I believe it is our calling, as Christian's, to live life with other people. The progression of living with others goes like this. I have someone I respect speaking into my life, I have peers that I live life with daily (i.e. my roommates and friends), and I have others who's lives I speak into. My blog is a way for me to further my voice.
4. To leave my mark on the world. Social media has opened up new realms of communication never possible before. Blogging is a perfect opportunity to meet new people and have conversations with people from different regions and beliefs. My blog is a mark on the world, no matter how small it is.
My reason for writing this is to think through why I have a blog. Hopefully you like what you hear. If you do, I invite you to jump on board and keep posted. You can also find me on twitter which is another way to communicate and relate with others. Here in the next couple days I'm going to post a blog about why I use twitter. Keep posted and join in on the conversion!
Until next time...
laterDays
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