Are You Healthy?

Over the years I have thought a lot about what it looks like to be "healthy" as a believer and as a church because one thing that I want for my life is to be as healthy spiritually as God would allow.  

Before I was a Christian I had way too much experience in living an unhealthy life and to be quite honest I didn't even know what a healthy life would be like.  I guess that if I had thought about it I would have pictured a life in black and white, looking like something out of Leave In To Beaver.  But when I became a follower of Jesus it was like a splash of vibrant color and my life turned completely right side up.

I rode on that high for a while and then I started asking, "Now that I'm a follower, what should I do?"  "How should I live?"  I want to grow and be healthy because everything that is healthy grows; that's just the way God made things.  Jesus said that, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."   That's for you Dave!  I want that.

As I read through what Jesus said and what the writers of the New Testament were saying it became obvious that the main focus of our life has to be about Love.  I think that we would all agree on that.  I have said it before and I guess I will say it again, when it's my time at the mic I really have only one message and the message is: Love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.     But one thing I figured out is that I didn't really have a clue as to what love really was.  I realized that the Love that Jesus is talking about is not an emotional love or a passive love, but a love that reaches out in real tangible ways.  But what does that look like in the "real world"?  What does it mean?  

Jesus gave his followers a job to do before he went up to heaven.  He laid it out pretty plainly what He wants us to do until He returns and it has to do with love as well.  Jesus told us, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." 

I think that God's love is wrapped up in these two verses and believe that as followers of Jesus we should be focusing on 5 things.

1. Loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength: Worship

2. Love our neighbor as ourselves: Ministry

3. Go and make disciples: Evangelism

4. Baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: Fellowship

5. Teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded: Discipleship/Teaching

 

I think that these 5 areas are like broad categories that we need to focus on in our lives as individuals and in the life of the church. The first is toward God, and all the rest have to do with others with the exception of loving others as ourselves which has do with others and ourselves.  I think that most of us will be able to agree that they are important.  The question will be, "How important?", and, "How are these being lived out in my life?" 

My belief is that if we want to be healthy as individuals and as a church, we have to be growing first of all in our love of God and second in our love for the people that Jesus came and laid down His life for.  It's pretty much as simple as that.  The love of others comes from our understanding of God's love for us.  It is our response to a merciful and loving God who looks at our crazy lives and loves us anyway.

Over the years I have ebbed and flowed with these, but they are the overarching aim of my life.  I have to make it clear that this life of faith is progression and that none of these things are meant to be put on you as a burden.  They are here to guide us and help keep us on track, especially as the winds of change blow in the church and kicks up dust to disorient us.  You know in those times when we are not sure if we are doing what God wants us to be doing?  Those times when we are trying to decide what to do and which way to go.  When we are trying to figure our the direction God had for us.  It's at those times that we can measure our life against these things to help evaluate the road ahead.

What you will find is that while all of these things are important and even necessary, you will be stronger in some and weaker in the others.  It's just the way it is.  We all have natural gifts, talents, and abilities so we will tend to favor some over the other.  It's like having a dominant hand, both work but you will favor one over the other and can do some things better using the one.  And, while having two hands is not totally necessary and you can live without one or both, you will be able to accomplish more by having both.  So what you will find is that some of these will be easier for you, while others will need to be a spiritual discipline.

This is also why we need each other and why we need to be in the body using our gifts.  We need to use our strengths to bless others and allow ourselves to be blessed by others.

 

I'm only going to talk about the first two today which in my mind is actually one.  Worship and ministry.  So let me share a few of the things that have helped me over the years. Why I love God and why I love my neighbor.

What I am realizing is that the message of love never changes but my understanding of what love is and what love looks like continues to be challenged and grows all the time.  

Love is a heart issue and looks differently at different times because love is actually our response to others and what is most helpful to them at the time.  True love has nothing to with how we are treated, but has to do with our heart and how we treat others. 

The other thing I am realizing is that I can't separate how I love God and how I love people.  How I love my brother is how I love God.  "If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.  And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." 

So, I guess what I am realizing more and more is that Love really is a verb.  It is not a feeling.  Love is action.  Love is what we do.  It is the way we treat people "in spite" of how we feel.  Love actually looks to the interest of others rather than looking out for itself.  Love is Sacrifice. 

But I have to say that it's really easy in the church to get caught up in so many good "things" and completely miss the heart of God.  We can easily get so focused on the trappings of church culture we forget what we are really about...loving God and loving our neighbor.  We subtly shift from self-sacrifice to being self-centered.  We are always looking for "the blessing".  We want to feel good in worship, in the message, in our marriage, with our kids, at work etc.  Now, none of that's bad in and of itself, but when the focus becomes "what can I get" we are off base in my opinion.

From what I can tell He has already given us everything and it's up to us to give what he has given us away...for His sake.  We do it because we love Him and that's what He did for us.  I'm not talking about material things although it could include that.

I am also not talking about a works mentality here.  Most of us have read 1 Corinthians 13 where Paul says that he can do all of these seemingly righteous things, but if he doesn't have love it's all worthless.  Or what about when Jesus talked about those that come before Him and say, "Lord, didn't we prophecy in your name and cast out demons and do all these miracles?"  And he will say, "Away from me!  I never knew you."  "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.   Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'   Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!' 

To me these are two of the scariest verses in the bible and keep me focused on trying to love God and my neighbor.  It's not about some of the things that we value so highly...it's about love.  It's about knowing Jesus and if we know Jesus will work at loving our neighbor.  But equally scary are the verses that rebuke us for not showing God's love in tangible ways.

So what is love?

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."   Love is God literally sending His Son into the world to die...for us!  And, love is Jesus agreeing to go.  He wasn't forced.  It's like Abraham who took his son Isaac and laid him on the altar because he knew that God had made a promise raise up a nation through Isaac and God's promise was good!  He knew that even if Isaac died, God could raise him up from the dead and that is really what He did, because Abraham had gone through with it in his heart.  If God had not provided the substitute Isaac would have died that day.  Abraham passed the test.

You know who also passed the test?  Isaac!  Isaac knew that there was no sacrifice other than himself.  There were all the necessary items for a sacrifice that day...except the offering.  Isaac knew it and allowed himself to be bound and put on the altar.  He willingly followed his father's directions.

Jesus too was literally led to the altar willingly.  He was there when Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac and God provided the substitute Ram.  And, He knew that this time He was the sacrifice and there would be no substitute for Him.  Indeed, He WAS the substitute....for us!  It was going to be Him nailed to the cross, taking the pain of separation from God and the penalty of sin...for us!  THIS is love.  Laying down His life for His friends.

The bible says that, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son."   Some people look at that and say, "How could a loving God do that?"  "How could he send His own Son to die?"  What they don't know, or forget, is that Jesus willingly came and laid down his life.  This is love in action.  Both the Father AND the Son sacrificing for US!  The bible tells us that God is Love.  He is the very definition.  We can look to the Father and to Jesus as the premier example of Love In Action.

So, the first is: Love the Lord your God, or Worship.  This is where we begin.  Now it has to be said that even before this can happen there has to be a spiritual awakening, a re-birth.  We can't even begin this relationship with God without first surrendering our lives to him in Faith and having our spirit re-generated.  That is actually our first act of worship.  If we try and impress God before that happens we will fall into "religion" and not "relationship".  

We cant even begin to please God without faith.  The bible says, "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."   He will give you life...abundantly.  You will have living waters flowing out of your innermost being.  You won't necessarily be rich, healthy, or successful...but you will be satisfied.  Your life will be rich, your soul will be healthy, your life successful...you will be satisfied.

Once we have this re-birth, once we realize the depth of His love, surrendering our life to him is the natural result.  This surrendering of our life is true worship.  This is what Jesus did.  He was so secure in His Father's love and His ability to watch over and protect Him that He could fully surrender Himself.

We know that ultimately He will never leave us or forsake us.  We know that He will never lose any of those entrusted to Him. "I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.  My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.   I and the Father are one."   If you haven't had this type of revelation about Jesus and you want it you need to start calling out to Him and seek Him with all your heart.  Ask Him to open your spiritual eyes.  Once your eyes are opened you will know what I'm talking about and the natural response will be to lay down your life for Jesus because He laid down His for you.  

 

 

This where we start if we want to be healthy; with a right understanding of God's love for us.  Knowing that the Father gave up his Son, and the Son gave up His life for us so that we could be brought back into a right relationship with them.  Because the bottom line is, if you are not following Jesus, if you haven't laid your life down willingly on his altar like Jesus did, you are separated from Him.  

Jesus came so that we could have life to the fullest, but we can't have that life unless we are willing to die to ourselves first.  It is the greatest paradox ever.  Jesus said, "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;  and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.  Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."   Hard words I know...but Truth nonetheless.  When we can enter into the place of surrender, we enter into the place of true spiritual worship.

Paul the Apostle said it this way, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  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." 

 

What we're talking about is total surrender.  To love God with ALL that we have and ALL that we are is true worship.  The songs that we sing put words to what is hopefully in our hearts as we open them up to Jesus.  Often the words express an ideal that we are striving for and that God is producing, but they are just a reflection of our heart.  What Jesus is talking about is total, all-out 100% commitment to the Father.  It is an act of the will to love Him, or serve Him with everything.  This is what Jesus did.  It is about considering others as more important than ourselves, whether that be in our marriage, with our kids, our friends, our brothers and sisters, our parents!  What would this world look like if all the people of God started to really look out for the welfare of others more than their own welfare? ^"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.   Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others." 

You see, this is why these two cannot be separated.  Jesus loved His Father, and because His Father loved the world, He loved the world.  It is the same with us.  If we love Jesus, we will love the world, because Jesus loves the world.  We will love our neighbor because Jesus loves our neighbor.  We will love our parents, our spouses, our fellow christians, even our enemies...because Jesus love them and laid down His life for them.  So, we too should lay down our lives for one another.

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.  If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 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. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.  

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 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. 

Who Are The Poor?

Saturday we went out to pass out clothing and make friends on the streets.  Again, a big thank you to the Goleta Vineyard family for providing the means to allow us to go out and be light in a dark place.  Without your donations of clothes and finances we would not be able to continue to provide this assistance.  Also, many thanks to Jennifer, Matt & Jamila, Chris, Todd, Michael & Glenn for all your help on the ground loading, unloading, sorting, greeting, praying and making friends with the folks on the streets.

Our next giveaway will be on the 20th of June and we are hoping to provide a meal as well.  Anyone is welcome join in and help.

Perhaps some of you noticed that Glenn had been missing for several weeks at church.  The enemy had been working hard to keep him away from the church family and live in isolation.  Through a couple of divine encounters, including at the giveaway Saturday, he decided to come back to the family.  Thank you Jesus!  If you see him around he could use some encouraging.

I'll tell you, it is so exciting for me to be having a conversation with someone and then turn around and see the same thing happening all around me.   God's people befriending those others would walk right past is a beautiful thing to see.

We had some good conversations Saturday on what it really means to be poor and who really are the poor.  It occured to us that it is society tries to dictate to us what it means to be poor, and to the degree that we buy into it it determines our contentment in life.

When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden all they had was God, their skin, each other and creation. ..and it was enough.   It was all about the relationships and God took care of everything else.  They were content...at least for a time.  Then the enemy came in and convinced them that there was more.  He got them to believe that God was holding back good things from them and that they would need to take control if they didn't want to miss out.  So they took control and lost out on life.  From that moment on people have been self-consumed and intent on aquiring "stuff" to make them feel valuable and worth while.  Contentment was replaced with greed as man struggled to grow in power and prosperity.

We also realized as we talked that some of the poorest people live in the hills above Santa Barbara in nice homes with all their ducks seemingly lined up in a row.  They may have the things that society says makes them worthy, but inside their heart aches with an emptiness that only God can fill.  It's a lonliness that no amount of money, toys, education, family or promiscuity can fill.  There is a lack of contentment and desire for more.

It is also true that I have met some very content individuals who are considered "poor" by societies definintion.  They don't have much, but they have a deep joy the comes from knowing Jesus.   This doesn't make life easy by any means, but there is an understanding that one day this life will be over and a new eternal life with Jesus will begin.  As one man told me yesterday, "This body is just a rental."  Even though they are in poverty by people's definintion, they are rich by God's because they know him.  They have the relationship.

All of this offends our way of thinking because society is built on a merit system.  If you do well you are rewarded.  We carry that into our understanding of scripture and God as well.  We find it hard to believe that these people actually know God, because if they did their lives would look different.  We believe that if we're doing what we are supposed to be doing and loving God, we should have a good job, nice house, big bank account, peaceful family, etc.  In other words God will reward those who diligently seek him.  The problem is in our definintion of reward.  The prosperity doctrine has subtely infiltrated the ranks.  Many of God's rewards won't be realized in this lifetime.  Go read Hebrews chapter 11 and see how some of the faithful were seemingly slighted.  Or, read 2 Corinthians 6 and see if that lines up with your idea of being rewarded.

For instance, what is one of the first things that goes through your mind when something bad happens?  How about, "What have I done wrong Lord?"  We immediately think we are being punnished rather than trained and given the chance to transform into his image.  That's  how Paul could consider it true joy when he was facing various hardships.  He never doubted that God was for him and had a plan to work out even the worst of his beatings for His own glory.  All those things were making him more like Jesus and less like Paul.

So, now when I see the poor I am less likely to see their condition as God's punishment, but rather as a complex set of circumstances and choices that God wants to take and redeem in order to draw them closer to himself.  It is not my job to "fix" anyone, but to be a signpost pointing the One who is the healer, redeemer and giver of life.  Jesus can "fix" anyone.  It's like when Jesus' disciples asked him about the blind man.  Remember the encounter?  His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"  "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 

We need to stop judging and analyzing and just need to see opportunity for the work of God to be displayed in a persons life, or my own for that matter.  Sometimes the complexities that have led up to a certain point in life are too huge to be untangled and we just need a re-do.  We need to start over and be born again.  We need to get back into a relationship with our Creator through Jesus Christ and be content exactly where we are.

If Adam and Eve could be content in the garden with nothing but their skin, their God, each other and creation, I am sure my God can bring contentment to us either in our lack or our abundance.