Wake Up, O Sleeper

"'Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.' Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because these days are corrupt." Ephesians 5:14-17

I recently sat down and conversed with a pastor from Mexico about what God is up to in his neck of the woods. It was inspiring to hear about a church that constantly exercises its trust in God to provide the bare necessities. They actively pursue people relentlessly as Christ pursues as when we're lost, but they don't have the means to provide for the people they take in. They are homeless, jobless, decaying in health in many instances, and without nutrition. This pastor takes every person in need he can get his hands on, brings them into a building with others to live, and trusts that God will provide the means to keep these people alive and healthy. He told me countless stories of how they would set the table with no food, sit down and pray that God would provide the food, and during the prayer a stranger would knock on the door with food to feed all 30-40 people.

As I talked with him, he noted that the American culture produces Christians who don't need God. We have welfare, money, food, jobs, cars, etc. Where he comes from, they have to rely on God for the very necessities of life. Because of that, we can be out of touch with what God is up to not only across borders but also in our own communities. We are (my self included) sleepers. The Son has risen and is on the move, and if we don't rise then we will be left out of the work he is doing.

There are symptoms of sleepers we should watch out for in our own lives. As sleepers, often we get wrapped up in dreams that aren't real or tangible. We allow ourselves to be distracted by circumstances of no eternal importance. One major symptom of being a sleeper is negativity. We find that our conversations are based on negative aspects about our circumstances and the people around us. We call attention to failures, bad decisions of others, the bad habits of acquaintances, the music on Sunday, etc. We have to guard against this in our lives! "Only people of weak character are won over by negativity. Criticizing is easy, but character finds goodness and brings attention to it." (Doug Fields) When the negativity in our conversations outweighs the goodness, we have likely fallen asleep and need awakened.

Another symptom of a sleeper is the lack of forgiveness in their hearts and lives. I have caught myself dozing off when I realize that I carry with me the weight of grudges and negative feelings toward people in my life. It's hard to follow Christ and keep up with his pace when we allow ourselves to be weighed down by the negative feelings we have toward others. Christ relentlessly pursues us and overlooks the numerous times we've had to ask for forgiveness, but instead he sees the potential of his children knowing their gifts and strengths.

When we allow things like negativity and grudges weigh heavy on our hearts and consume our thoughts and conversations, not only do we lose touch with Christ but we disregard his greatest commandments. Negativity and harsh feelings and words and thoughts toward others are the enemies of unity. God tells us that the whole point of the law is to help us understand that in order to be in the complete image of God we must be engaged with God and actively pursue right relationships with others. When our relationships are in disrepair, the image is broken and our relationship with God suffers.

These thoughts have been heavy on my heart lately as I recognize areas in my life where I doze off. I'm not allowing the light of Christ to shine on me. Fear is at the root of it. I'm afraid to get out bed and follow Christ because he takes some pretty radical journeys that demand a lot from me. I don't exercise trust. I'm not used to trusting him because I'm conditioned to believe that I don't need him on a daily basis. When I don't humble myself and forgive and pursue right relationships with those that I don't feel deserve it, I show Christ that I don't trust him to fill me up as I empty myself into relationships with people who may never give back. "If a brother or sister sins against you and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying 'I repent,' you must forgive them." (Luke 17:3-4)We lack faith when we don't forgive. The very next verse in that passage is the disciples asking in response to this command for Jesus to give them more faith. They are intimately entangled. When we trust God, we follow His teachings and allow Him to work in our hearts and lives so that we can freely exercise forgiveness.

We ought to continually ask ourselves, "Are we sleeping?" We, myself included, must actively pursue Christ and follow him wherever he goes. When he forgives, we must forgive. When he speaks well of others and calls attention to great news and good actions of others, we must follow suit. The Son has risen, and death and sin have no victory over us now that the light of the Son shines on us. Let us live in our new found freedom following Christ wherever he goes.

(Written because of revelations I've had about myself, not because I'm calling anyone out! Help keep me accountable so that I don't fall asleep in my faith!)

Songs that help inspire me to wake up: Slumber by Needtobreathe, Christ is Risen by Matt Maher, Awakening by Switchfoot

The New Wine

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John 2:1-11

1 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

4 “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so,

9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside

10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples put their faith in him.

First off, before I break this down, I think it’s important to clear up what Jesus says to his mother. The word for “woman” in the Greek is actually a term of respect and endearment. Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey refers to his beloved wife that he fights 2/3 of the book to get back to as “woman.” What this really means is more like “lady” or “madam.” And the phrase Jesus uses, “why do you involve me?” is actually a conversational phrase that means, “What can I do for you?” Or it could mean, “For what reason do you need me?” So essentially Jesus is saying, “Madam, what can I do for you? Keep in mind that my time has not yet come.”

Now that that’s cleared up, the main question is, why is this story included? New Testament authors were known to include only information that was crucial to the point they were trying to make. They would leave gaps in their stories just because the information would distract the reader from their core message. So why is the story included in John’s gospel? It’s because Jesus is the “New Wine.”

The point made by the master of the banquet is that normally you bring your best wine out first so that your guests have a good first impression and feel valued by their hosts. Later once the guests have already been enjoying themselves and are less concerned about the quality of drink, you bring the cheaper wine out and your guests neither notice nor care. At these wedding festivals, the master of the banquet was essentially the head waiter. He is appointed by the groom’s family to make sure the guests are satisfied. And the point he makes about the wine is the same point that John is making about Jesus Christ. The wine served first by the hosts was probably good quality wine. But Jesus presented wine that was better than good. John is telling his Jewish audience that Jesus is the “new wine.” Every detail in this story is meaningful. In verse six, John feels it is important that the reader know that these jars that Jesus had filled were the kind of jars typically used for ceremonial washing according to the Jewish Law. Water was poured from these jars onto the hands and then onto the feet of a Jew upon entry of a home before they were to be considered clean. Also, there were six of these jars. According to the Jewish tradition, six was a number that communicated that something was unfinished. Seven was the perfect number. The number six meant that something was incomplete. What we can see is that Jesus came to take the incomplete Mosaic Law established in the Old Testament and complete it. He came to establish a New Covenant. And the old law was good, undoubtedly. But Jesus is in the business of taking things and making them far better. He is the embodiment of the perfect law of God.

So what does that mean really? Well first of all, consider this. Each of those jars for ceremonial washing was traditionally large enough to hold 20 to 30 gallons of water. There were six of them. That means that you’re looking at anywhere up to 180 gallons of wine. No wedding party on earth can drink 180 gallons of wine. See, Jesus lived by the law of love and grace. And his law, his grace, is all sufficient. There is no end to it. It cannot be depleted. It cannot be used up. There is no person on earth that cannot have a taste of this grace. There is no person that can be so far degraded by sin that Jesus cannot have enough regenerative grace to bring them back. There is no person who can fall too many times and so use up all the grace that Jesus Christ has budgeted out for them. See, Jesus has no need for a budget. A budget is for resources that are limited. The storehouses of grace can be tapped into any number of times by any number of people.

So what does that teach us about how we ought to live? Like we established, Jesus is in the business of taking things and making them better. We ought to be in the same business as our savior. Where we go, we ought to make the situation better. We ought to be in the business of benevolence instead of intending harm and delighting in other’s failures. Jesus Christ re-orients us so that we can have our ears attuned to locating pain and struggles. He makes us alert to the situations of others. And where there is need, he empowers us by the power of the Holy Spirit to be agents of change for the better. Christ took water and added flavor. He added color. He took something ordinary and made it extraordinary. And that’s what we can do as believers. We can speak color and flavor into situations. We can take ordinary situations and make them extraordinary. We can turn need into rejoicing because of provision.

The predecessors to our denomination understood this. The Wesleyan Methodists were the foremost active body of believers acting out against slavery. They understood the “old way.” They understood that people don’t want to break tradition. They don’t want change. But they understood that Christ broke tradition by establishing a new law that was not accepted by the Jews warmly. He was crucified for the change he brought. Similarly, many pastors were sent to their death because of the their message against slavery in America. Under the Methodist Episcopal church, abolitionist preachers who spoke out against slavery were told to be silent by their administrating bodies. But when they refused to be silent at the pulpits, they were reassigned different parishes. They were sent to churches in the deep south so that if they continued to speak out against slavery, they would be killed by their parishioners. And this happened. They refused to change their message. They preached to slave owners against slavery and were hung and beaten for their words.

This is a rather extreme example, but I believe that the Lord wants us to be agents of change in our lives here today.

Joyfulness

It’s important to note the setting of this story. By simply observing the situation Jesus puts himself in, we can understand more characteristics of Christ better. One of those characteristics is that Jesus Christ is comfortable in joyful and jubilant situations. He places himself in the middle of a celebration in a small town.

Charles Spurgeon writes in his book Lectures to my Students, “Sepulchar tones may fit a man to be an undertaker, but Lazarus is not called out of his grave by hollow moans. An individual who has no geniality about him had better be an undertaker, and bury the dead, for he will never succeed in influencing the living. I commend cheerfulness to all who would win souls; not levity and frothiness, but a genial, happy spirit. There are more flies caught with honey than with vinegar, and there will be more souls led to heaven by a man who wears heaven in his face than by one who bears unhappiness in his looks.”

From this story, we can see that Jesus values lightheartedness. Not only that, but he also values simple people and family. He enjoys the little things.

William Barclay comments on this passage of scripture saying, “We must note when it happened. It happened at a wedding feast. Jesus was no severe, austere killjoy. He loved to share in the happy rejoicing of a wedding feast. There are certain religious people who shed a gloom wherever they go. There are certain people who are suspicious of all joy and happiness. To them religion is the thing of black clothes, the lowered voice, and avoiding social fellowship. They descend like a gloom wherever they go.”

From this passage, we see that Jesus wants us to be happy. He wants us to be energetic. He wants us to enjoy deep friendships and to cultivate relationships based on joy.

It’s also important to notice where the story happens. It takes place in a home. Christ was comfortable in the confines of the home. He is, in a sense, domesticated. He wants to be a part of our everyday lives. He doesn’t want to be limited to the bad times in our lives. It’s easy to let Christ slip our minds when things are going great and when we’re lounging around the house. But I found that it’s all too easy to only run to the Lord when things get tough. Jesus wants to have a close relationship with us. He doesn’t want to just be our savior, but he also wants to be our friend.

Have you ever had a friend who only called you or visited you or had a conversation with you when something was wrong? You know what I’m talking about, the kinds of folks who don’t seem to value you very much until things are hard for them. After a while, it almost feels like they are leeches who feed on drama and strife. You begin to associate them with depression and with sadness. It’s because they don’t talk to you about the good things. I believe Jesus wants more than a relationship based on need. He wants to be there for us when we fall and when we hurt, yes, but he also wants to share in our joy. He wants to share in our lounging. He wants to share in our small-talk. He wants to share in our evening meals and our lunch breaks. He wants to inhabit every faculty of our lives.

I think it’s also important to note why Jesus exerted his power in this situation. In Eastern tradition, hospitality was a huge deal. Their culture was based on shame as opposed to guilt. Western cultures, like the one we live in, are based on guilt. We have a more individualistic approach to life. We don’t feel bad about ourselves unless we feel we have broken some code or law. And as a result, we feel guilt for our actions. Guilt focuses on ourselves. It looks at what we have done wrong. Shame based cultures think more about how they are perceived by others. They feel bad about themselves when they feel they have shamed themselves in front of any number of people. They are primarily concerned not with their own actions and abiding by rules, but rather they are concerned with how others view them based on how they treat others. Hosting a party in the Middle East is a big deal because you have a lot on the line. There are lots of people for you to be taking care of. You are trying to put your best foot forward. You are offering your resources to others in order that you might bring honor to your family. Jesus is called upon by his mother because the groom and his family will be shamed and made a public spectacle if they fail to provide for their guests. And Jesus takes pity on these simple people from a small town. And it was a small town. Cana of Galilee was easily visible from Jesus’ home town of Nazareth. It was a little settlement with common people. But Jesus took pity on them and felt sympathy for them. Even though it was not yet his time, he tapped into his power as the son of God to save this family shame.

There is a natural human tendency to delight in the misfortunes of others. Sometimes it’s easy to find humor in situations where another person is shamed. We feel it almost naturally when our enemies are brought to their knees. When the person we dislike the most is put to shame. Think of America’s Funniest Home Videos. We crack up at people falling off ladders, getting hit in the face with food, and being scared out of their minds by a practical joker. And think of Candid Camera. Ever watch that show? It’s the same scenario. Consider American Idol. The first several episodes in a season are a compilation of a few talented singers and a seemingly endless number of strange and talent-less people as far as music is concerned. They make the episodes that way because Americans are humored by people making fools of themselves on national television. Now I’m not suggesting we stop watching America’s Funniest Home Videos, Candid Camera, and American Idol. But in everyday life, we ought to remember that Jesus is in the business of protecting the names of others. It’s not limited to not taking pleasure in others’ misfortunes. It’s going out of our way to make sure they aren’t unfortunate. It’s taking a preventative, proactive stance against the embarrassment of others. This is easy when the people we attempt to protect are friends. It’s even easy when they are simply acquaintances. But it’s very hard when the people who are set up for failure are our enemies. Jesus Christ’s supply of grace is endless. There was and is still enough grace in heaven for his enemies. We too need to pray that the Lord would make us both understanding and naturally kind.

Conclusion

So we have established that the Lord wants us to be agents of change wherever we are in our lives, and he wants us to be joyful in the little things in life enjoying social interaction and life at home. I think a good literary piece to illustrate this further is a poem written by A. E. Housman in the early 1900’s called Reveille. Housman writes from the perspective of one trying to wake a young adolescent and tell him all that his life could be if he were to get out of his bed and go out and meet and know his world. It’s worth looking up really quickly and reading. Similar to Housman, the Lord wants to call us out of mundane and into extraordinary lives. Like He added color and flavor to water, He wants to add color and flavor to our lives too. He wants us to answer the calling he places on our hearts and wake up to what he has in store for us. He wants to give us joy. He wants to inhabit our lives. And the best way to move in that direction is to read his word daily and pursue him in prayer as well. You will never get to a point in your life where God has no more use for you. Every person is always capable of speaking change into the world we live in. That change could be subtle and take place in the confines of your home. Or it could call you to places far from home. Whatever call the Lord is placing on your heart now where you are in your life, I challenge you to answer that call and to step out in faith with the Holy Spirit filling your sails

Glimpses of the Kingdom in Unlikely Places

The first thing that came to my mind this morning when I woke up has been the only thing on my mind all day. It's quite random and silly, but for some reason it has altered the way I've looked at others today and how I've interacted with them. I think I've caught a glimpse of what the Kingdom looks like in the strangest of places.

Yesterday, Stephanie (my fiance) and I were watching various videos on Youtube that popped up as results for "funny video". We stumbled upon one that was entitled "The Real Cabbage Patch Kid". Out of curiosity, we followed the link and watched the video that followed. The first thing we saw was an extremely overweight little boy with enormous cheeks that puffed out farther than his nose. He looked something like the character Russel from the movie "Up". I began to chuckle a little until a caption popped up on screen that the video poster put on there, and it read, "Don't be hatin. This little guy has kidney problems." My moderate laughter was immediately suppressed, and the boy began to sing a song. The song was all these sweet and funny names that he had for a close friend or a dearly loved person in his life. I think the song is from a children's cartoon or something like that. At the end of the song, he sang these words: "And I want you to know that I'll always be right here... because you are so dear." When the movie ended, I had tears welling up in my eyes and my fiance's heart had melted. This is what was on my mind this morning and has been at the forefront of my thoughts since then.

I keep thinking back to that line, "... I'll always be right here," and I think about all the struggles this little boy is going to have in life. His life may be short. He will undoubtedly be the recipient of a lot of verbal harassment from other kids and folks on Youtube. But then I thought about this idea: The most reliable friend a person could ever have is the one who has few real friends. They will value your friendship infinitely more than the social butterfly might. There is an innocence in this little boy's song, and there is a truth embedded in there too. I would take this boy at his word more quickly than I might take a professor in the religion department at his/her word or even a pastor. I believe this boy when he says, "I'll always be right here." While the world persecuted him, and his closest friends abandoned him to be hung on the cross, I take Christ at his word when he promises me, "I'll always be right here." And Paul tells us that nothing can come between us and his love for us. There isn't a force on earth that could hinder it. I think the kingdom will be full of people like this boy.

I have a friend here on campus whose name is Jeff Coll. Jeff uses an electric wheelchair as his means of common transportation. It takes Jeff roughly 15 seconds to get to his feet without help. And once he is up, he cannot maintain his balance without having a walker or a cane. On some sunny days when he's in no hurry, he'll walk to the Student Center using his cane. His dorm is maybe fifty yards from the Student Center, but on his cane it will take him about ten minutes to get there. Jeff suffered a series of strokes while he was young. This is the result.

One day while I was working in the religion department, Jeff literally crawled on his belly through the door into the office. Our office is on the second floor of the Christian Ministries Center, and the elevator was out of order that day. Jeff had literally made himself fall out of his chair, and he then crawled up the stairs and to the front door of the religion offices. I happened to be right there talking to one of our secretaries when he arrived. I was somewhat shocked and helped him to his feet and asked him what he was doing. He said, "I need to talk to Dr. Smith, but the elevator was broken." I had to tell him the bad news that Dr. Smith was out of the office for lunch at the time. He gave a quick, "Oh ok." He then asked me to help him through the door, which I gladly did. Once we got to the top of the stairs, he said that he would take it from there. I let go and he fell like just dead weight down onto his knees which I noticed were covered with dead and calloused skin. When they hit the floor, there was a loud "thud." It shocked and scared me, but he just began crawling down the stairs.

That same semester, I was tutoring him for one of his classes he was having difficulty in. One evening, I walked into his room to find him on his knees praying, and I instantly thought back to him at the top of those stairs. And it then occurred to me, that's how he gets down on his knees every time he prays. He falls like dead weight before the Lord on calloused knees weathered by years of prayer. I went back to my room afterward and tried it. I tried to just let myself fall down onto my knees, but as I did I tried to cushion the fall a bit out of fear, and it still hurt. Then tears welled up in my eyes.

I feel after these experiences that I have a better understanding of the love of God and His Kingdom. The least and that last here on earth are the ones that most accurately represent the Kingdom. It's just like Jesus, too. It's so like him to reveal himself through these people. It's the lame and crippled, the paralytic, the blind, these are they that he pointed to. It was the children. As Pastor Steve DeNeff would say, Christ's world is our world turned upside-down. Amen to that. This is truly what the Kingdom must look like.

On Prayer (Col. 4:12)

I woke up this morning quite excited to get to my Greek class.  The reason was because I knew that today we would be going over a portion of scripture that included Colossians 4:12, one of my favorite verses in all the New Testament.  I left class somewhat disheartened and "shot down" so to speak.  When we came to this verse, I shared my thoughts and feelings on the use of a particular Greek word and the implications of its use.  My professor softly rebuked me for my thoughts and instructed me, "I wouldn't read into it too much.  It's a simple use of the verb.  In all the other instances in the New Testament I can think of, it's used just to convey simple work."  He then moved on to the next verse and left me somewhat embarrassed and ashamed.  But my curiosity drove me to do some research (instead of studying for my exam I have in a couple hours), and what I found encouraged and uplifted me.  Respectfully, I must disagree with my prof. and I'll tell you why!

Verse 12 of chapter 4 says in the NIV, "Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends his greetings.  He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured."  The word that I want to focus on is this word "wrestling."  The Greek word here is agonizomai.  It's where we get our word "agonize" or "agony."  Translation options, as given in the BDAG, are "to engage in a contest, to fight, to struggle, to strive."  The noun from which it comes, agonos/agone, can be translated as "a contest, a struggle against opposition, a fight."

In class, I vocalized my fascination at the word Paul chooses.  I explained how I love this picture of Epaphras agonizing and wrestling in prayer against some force.  No one fights or struggles and comes out of it without having lost something.  We fight and struggle and come out exhausted.  It is taxing and laborious.  And I said that I want to come to a point in my prayer life where I can, out of love for others, labor and agonize in prayer on another's behalf.  This is where my professor cut me off and told me not to read into it and that in his encounters in the NT with this word, it simply means "work" or "labor."  Out of curiosity, I looked up every other instance in the New Testament where the word is used, and I have to say I can't find a single use where it is a mundane word about working.  It is always used in a very intensive way about a real struggle or battle.  I'll share my findings and let you decide for yourselves.  There is a word in the Greek for common work, and it's not agonizomai.

The first time this word is used in the New Testament is in Luke 13:24.  Jesus is talking about the difficulty of entering the kingdom of God.  He says, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to."  I doubt Christ would be referencing simple labor or work while explaining the difficulty of entering the kingdom.  The parable is centered around the concept of the "narrow door."  He's telling us to fight, to struggle, to get through the narrow door and enter into the kingdom.  

The second use of the word is in John 18:36.  Jesus is standing before Pilate, and he says, "My kingdom is not of this world.  If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.  But now my kingdom is from another place."  Jesus isn't saying that his servants and angels would petition to Pilate and ask that they set him free.  He's saying that they would do battle against opposition on his behalf.  They would draw their swords and rush into possible death to defend and deliver him.  

The third use of this word is in 1 Corinthians 9:25.  Paul loves to use analogies and metaphors of athletic competitions in his letters.  Here he writes, "Everyone who competes in the games goes through strict training.  They do it to get a crown... we do it to get a crown that will last forever."  Paul, again, is emphasizing how we have to go through rigorous training and strive in competition against opposition in order to get the crown.  

Next, the word is used in Colossians 1:29.  Paul writes, "To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me."  This verse speaks for itself in defense of my position.  "... with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me."  This whole verse repeats intense words.  

Lastly, there are two verses in Paul's letter to Timothy in which he uses this word.  The one I want to highlight is 1 Timothy 6:12.  This is also one of my favorite verses.  "Fight the good fight of faith... I charge you to keep this command without spot of blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ..."  The word for "good" used here is the word in the Greek for goodness that is associated with beauty.  There is agathos, which is used in sentences like, "Cafeteria food can be good sometimes."  But Paul uses kalos, which can even be translated as "beautiful."  So we could translate this phrase as, "Struggle the beautiful struggle of faith."  We are told to agonize against all opposition to carry out our faith without spot or blame.  We will fall, we will lose our energy, we will sweat and toil and be bruised.  But we will press on renewed by the power of the Lord our God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit to endure until the end when Jesus Christ comes again.  This is the climax of the letter.  This is intense.  This is NOT mundane work or labor.

So I return to my initial conclusion.  We ought to toil and labor and agonize and wrestle through prayer on behalf of those we truly love.  And we ought to do so "in order that [they] might stand in completion fully assured in all the will of God."  This verse implies that we can actually, through prayer, have a positive effect on the spiritual status of those we love.  But it is not easy.  But "the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."  

Optimism and the Law of Love

This isn't a long and studious sounding post about people most folks have never heard of or concepts most people don't care about.  I was just thinking today about how cynics seem to live lives that are love deprived.  How do you turn a cynic?  Well I think the best way would be to demonstrate and enact the Law of Love.  If all we do in life is dish out love like there's no tomorrow and show more concern for those around us than we have for ourselves, we might find love to be contagious.  Why should I be concerned for myself?  Billions around the globe have severely desperate circumstances, yet still find the means to enjoy good moments in life.  I've seen this first-hand from AIDS orphans who have no living parents, no motivation, and no hope for a long life.  But those children were rarely seen without a smile.

I mentioned in a previous post that I feel as though cynicism and pessimism may be responsible for the destruction of as many souls as sin itself.  Worry and concern for self can, at length, cause great stress and sadness and paranoia.  If we truly live as though we trust the Lord, these concerns aren't necessarily eradicated, but rather suppressed and comforted by the knowledge that the Lord simply loves.  The Trinity is held together by selflessness.  Each member of the Godhead gives themselves fully to the others.  If we live like God lives, we would find joy and fulfillment in giving ourselves to others and loving them above ourselves trusting that the Lord will sustain us.  We were created to love others.  Adam was in perfect relationship with God in the garden, but God saw that Adam wasn't fulfilled.  So he fashioned a partner for him, a woman.  It is then that God recognizes this as "good."

Those who live by this Law of Love just seem to be more optimistic naturally.  They trust.  Worrying in excess is poisonous.  The scriptures are clear on the subject.  We need not worry.  No good comes from it.  Trusting the Lord while actively pursuing and seeking His perfect will in our lives and living as though we were making decisions based on the character that He has instilled in us is what was intended.  Sure, it is a battle, but it is good.  "Fight the good fight of faith."  Paul does not tell Timothy to "Enjoy the fun cake-walk of faith."  No doubt, this life isn't meant to be easy.  But the battle is good.  In the Greek, the word used here for "good" is "kalos" which is the kind of good that is associated with beauty.  In fact, the word is more often translated as "beautiful."  If we walk in love and fight through this life serving the Lord, how can we help but be joyous?  There are times for sadness and mourning, sure.  I don't deny that.  But living according to the law of worry is to live in distrust.  Let us be optimistic, looking for the good in every situation.

6 Part Entry: My Theology pt. 6 Implications for Ministry

“Euangelios” is Greek for “the gospel” and is found in our word “evangelize.” This is appropriate for this section because all of the things I believe regarding theology will inform the way that I carry out my ministry in life.  First, I should say that I do not see myself as the senior pastor of a church.  Instead, I have a real passion for spiritual growth after conversion.  As a result of this, I feel the Lord is pulling me in the direction of small group leadership.  I think the Lord is beginning a movement in the Church that will focus on deeper relationships with the Lord.  People are desiring more in their Christian walks and lives than that which white middle-class America at large is currently offering.  People want more, and God is ready and willing to give them exactly that.  The real problem is that the people of the Church are rarely exposed to anything beyond justification and the beginnings of regeneration.  This is truly sad.

As a result, I believe the Lord is ready to bring back the small group settings that used to be so prevalent in the Church.  This was especially prevalent in the early Methodist churches because of Wesley’s emphasis on personal growth in small group settings.  I see myself being a part of a similar system where sometime during the week, people will come together at the church of in other designated areas where they will meet with a small group.  In these small groups, there would be a facilitator who would help teach more about grace and progressive sanctification.  People simply aren’t aware of what God can do past forgiveness of sins, and that needs to change before the other “symptoms” that people complain about in the Church can be remedied.  Honestly, I think the lack of knowledge is responsible for many of the problems in the Church today.  This is why I see myself being involved on that level.  I want to help people be made aware of all the things that God can do in the lives of believers.  The Church needs to be armed with knowledge.  From knowledge springs action.  From action come results.  From results (spiritual growth) more lives are impacted, and the least and the last and the lost can find themselves affected by the immense power of Christlike love and sacrifice that infiltrates the core of the secular world to renew passion in the Church for the sake of Christ and the Kingdom of God.  This is what changes the world one soul at a time.

Because of this profound lack of knowledge, I feel a calling to work within the Wesleyan denomination and to being active in reviving a Wesleyan tradition.  John Wesley took these small groups very seriously.  He had strict rules to the point that if they were not followed, one might find themselves removed from the group for their lack of discipline and commitment.  He had different classes for different stages in spiritual growth.  There were classes for the newborn believers in order to help them reach a point in their lives where willful sin no longer has a hold on them.  There were more advanced classes, also, for those who were looking for a deeper relationship with the Lord past that point and were on their way to sanctification.  These divisions, I believe, are necessary.  In this day and age, everyone is concerned with equality.  They want everyone to be accepted into any group across the boards.  Where there are divisions, there are tensions, and there are jealous or upset people.  This simply needs to change.  It is not shameful to know oneself in their spiritual maturity.  It takes discipline and humility to know where oneself is in that journey.  It shows maturity when one can step back and analyze where they are in their walk with God and place themselves accordingly among the right people and in the right environments to bring positive change.  We cannot be too concerned with making everyone simply “feel good” when the quality of spiritual growth and the level of cooperation with grace is at stake.

Because of this, I believe it is necessary to have someone in every church who is responsible for these group meetings.  They would facilitate the meetings, and they would be honest with the church members giving real feedback and advice as to where they belong in regards to their spiritual state.  I hope to find myself actively involved in young adult ministries in the near future as I refine my own beliefs and disciplines so that eventually I can serve the Lord wherever He wants me to be.  I hope to grow in knowledge and in grace so that my testimony and the words I speak would impact hearts and lives for the good of the Lord and His kingdom.

6 Part Entry: My Theology pt. 5 Doctrine of Sanctification

“Charis” is the Greek word meaning grace.  We find it in words like “charismatic” and “eucharist.” I think it’s important to start off this section with the word “grace.”  Essentially, this is because I don’t believe that anything in the area of sanctification can take place apart from grace.  Sanctification is entirely the result of cooperation with grace.  It is certainly a process that begins as progressive sanctification and ending with entire sanctification.

I am a firm believer in what is commonly referred to as the middle-way to entire sanctification.  This is to say that I believe that entire sanctification comes by a process of growth in grace and constant seeking on the part of the believer.  I don’t necessarily believe that only people over the age of 60 can be entirely sanctified, but I mean that this is not a process that takes place instantaneously or at a time of the choosing of the believer.  The Shorter Way just seems to lack so much, in my opinion.  I would like to think that my God can accomplish so much more and desires to accomplish so much more in the lives of Christians.  He can literally break the power of sin in our lives and re-orient us in love.  Love can be the normal and sin the exception in our lives.  People who have grown and matured in their relationship with Christ can be so much like him that they can live their lives daily in such a way that love in conveyed when they are not even aware of it.  They live that way because they are naturally loving.  These people don’t become that way because they simply decided, “Today is the day that I will be sanctified.”  They became sanctified entirely because they day-by-day walked with God cooperating with His grace with every step for years.  These are spiritual giants.  And they are even likely to not testify to being sanctified openly.  If they do, it is most likely in a small group setting or in private with one other person.

I am cautious to say that I outright agree with the articles of religion in the Wesleyan denomination.  The way that the Wesleyan denomination views entire sanctification describes it as a crisis moment in which a person is suddenly changed.  The walls of sin are broken down in a moment, and the individual is free from the power and stronghold of sin.  The denomination, though, does not denounce a progressive sanctification.  I believe that there is a moment that we can testify to where the Lord makes us sanctified, but I do believe that it is after a process of growth.  I believe that we will struggle through the process praying for the Lord to sanctify us and change our hearts, and He will do so eventually.  I believe in a momentary transformation, but, as I said, I believe it takes place after a journey.  Essentially, I do believe in a moment, but maybe not a crisis moment.  I can't deny that this can take place in one's life, and there are people who testify to that crisis moment.  I just do not believe it accurately describes the most common transformation.

A few examples of testimonies that differ would be those of Reverend David Vardaman, Professor Elaine Bernius, and Dr. Bud Bence.  Rev. Vardaman, according to my own observations, is a spiritual giant.  He displays self-control and a life of love on a daily basis.  He models sanctification to me.  He walks it and talks it.  He has never shared his testimony with me, but I hope to ask him about it in the near future.  Elaine Bernius does testify to sanctification and has told me personally what her experience was like.  For her, it was a crisis moment where the Lord suddenly sanctified her through and through while she was still in college.  In my optimism, I believe her account to be true, but doubt that it is the standard.  I do not see myself being ready for sanctification any time in the immediate future, and I am almost finished with college.  I certainly wish, though, that I could be sanctified tomorrow if I could.  Dr. Bence sat down with me once and explained his view.  It was much different.  He does not testify to entire sanctification.  He says that he has been searching for most of his life now and has not yet reached it.  He firmly believes in a longer way to sanctification.  I would most likely argue on behalf of the middle-way.