Raw Grace – Part 1

Raw, unfiltered, nothing artificial.

It’s more than a healthy way of life, it’s getting down to the basics of what our relationship with God is all about. So often we complicate things far beyond what is necessary, adding endless traditions and rituals to our faith. Our lives hold so much more purpose than following arbitrary rules set up by religion. Raw grace is about taking a look at what God’s grace is all about and what it actually means to us on a daily basis.

This is a series of posts examining how the gospel has impacted my life and what I’ve learned about grace over the past year. Grace that is simple, but powerful. The same way changing your eating habits after a lifetime of unhealthy living is difficult, stripping away the artificial aspects of religion can be hard at first. But once you’ve tasted the freedom of Christ, nothing else will do.

Love, Grace and Forgiveness

One of the most powerful reminders I’ve had over the past year is of the completeness of God’s forgiveness. It’s a common lie – you’re not good enough. You’ve messed up too many times. You’ll never get it right. If you don’t stop, if you don’t start, then God’s forgiveness isn’t enough for you. How often do you feel completely unworthy of God’s love? Good. Because you are unworthy. The truth is, nothing you do, even in your best efforts, would ever make you worthy of God’s love. But it doesn’t stop there. When Jesus died for you, he took away your sin completely – and not just some of your sin – all of it. He made you worthy.

When we buy into the lie that we have to earn back God’s love we short-change the power of Jesus’ sacrifice for us. It leads to depression, frustration, and an endless cycle of effort as we struggle to stop sinning and “get right with God”. Sometimes you just have to STOP. Take a step back and realize your sin is gone. Gone. Past, present and future. Take a moment to let that sink in. Instead of fighting against sin to be right with God, recognize that it’s Jesus alone who makes you right with God – no matter what sin you struggle with.

To defeat sin requires the power of the Holy Spirit, and as a Christian you already have that power. Instead of avoiding sin in order to be right with God, avoid sin so that you live a life worthy of the forgiveness God has already given you. That’s raw grace. Religion says you need to clean up your life before you come back to God. Grace says, no… God has already cleaned you.

 

 

 

What Is Raw Grace?

Raw, unfiltered, nothing artificial.

It’s more than a healthy way of life, it’s getting back to the basics of what our relationship with God is all about. So often we complicate things far beyond what is necessary. Church has very little to do with robes, priests or traditions, and our lives hold much more purpose than following arbitrary rules set up by religion. Raw grace is about taking a look at what God’s grace is all about and what it actually means to us on a daily basis.

Over the next few posts I’m going to share how the gospel has impacted my life and what I’ve been learning about grace over the past year. Grace that is simple, but powerful. Just like changing your eating habits after a lifetime of unhealthy living is difficult, stripping away the artificial aspects of religion can be hard at first. Once you’ve tasted the freedom of Christ though, nothing else will ever do.

 

Fight for Your Marriage

Never take your marriage for granted.

My wife and I have been married for just over six years. My wife is an amazing source of joy and fulfillment in my life, but I assure you it has not been without our share of struggles. I fully believe that strong marriages are one of the keys to changing this world. I laugh at the modern assumption that traditional marriage is outdated, because there is no better picture of our relationship to God than a working marriage. The thing is, to have a successful and thriving marriage it takes intentional work. Hard work. Sometimes knockdown, drag-out work. Let’s look at one verse as an example:

 

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” – Ephesians 5:25


How much power and insight is packed into this one verse!

 

“Love your wives as Christ loved the church…” What was Christ’s relationship to the church? We rebelled against him. We despised him. We killed him. We are selfish, childish adulterers constantly whoring after our own fulfillment in life and completely neglecting the one who loves us. Some bride of Christ we are… Yet Christ still loves us. In spite of our inability to live up to his standard he gave up his life for us. He did not focus on being right. He did not hold over us the standard we were not living up to. He did not divorce us, though he had every right to do so. Instead, he stood beside us. He intercedes for us. He took the disgrace that we were due onto himself instead – not like a passive man being walked over, but as a warrior conquering evil.

Our marriages deserve nothing less. Our spouses (both husbands AND wives) will never be perfect. They will be selfish, childish and sinful despite our best efforts. They will disappoint us. They will fall short of our standard. They will be adulterers, if not in action then in their hearts and minds. Yet our role is still to love them. We are to stand beside them. Forgive them. Pray for them. Lead them. Not as passive men and women who are being walked over, but as active warriors who are fighting to make our marriages reflect a fraction of the love God has shown to us.

When we fight for our marriages, we don’t just defend them. We actively attack the things that would tear us apart. Don’t ever rest. Never assume your marriage is immune. To the best to your ability do all you can to emulate Christ every day. By the grace of God you may see an amazing transformation in your marriage, and you will become an example for the rest of the world to follow.

 

End of the World Craziness: Why it matters to you

I personally don’t know anyone (that I’m aware of) who actually believed the world was going to end today. Still, it’s an important thing to talk about, because misled people like Harold Camping only bring confusion to things that are already misunderstood. Like my good friend Chris put it, Satan uses this sort of crap “to make Christians look like idiots, therefore creating doubt (which is his goal)”.

Many people have thoroughly debunked the claims about this and other end-of-the-world scenarios, so I won’t waste your time doing it all over again. Instead I want to point out a few simple ideas about this issue that I believe are important to all of us.

Most Christians don’t know enough about the Bible.

  • There’s a lot of strange stuff in the Bible – it’s a huge collection of books, written by different cultures, at different times, dealing with a lot of serious issues. If you don’t have a good concept of the overall story it’s easy to pull verses out of context to “prove” all kinds of crazy theories. Despite what you may hear, the Bible does not contradict itself. It’s important to take anything a person says about the Bible and compare against the rest of scripture – especially if someone is claiming “new” knowledge that hasn’t been revealed before. Ask yourself this simple question – If I had to explain to someone what I believe about the Bible, could I point out specific verses to explain it? If you can’t do that, then ask yourself what your beliefs are based on. I’d encourage you to read the Bible more, study it, and talk about it with people you trust. When you get a grasp on the overall story of God’s love and the amazing lengths he’s gone to in order to save us, two things happen – it becomes much easier to point out lies, and your own faith becomes much clearer.

Controversies like this take our focus off Jesus.

  • When CNN asked the people who believed the world was going to end today what they expected others to do about it, they didn’t have a good answer. They all said there’s nothing we can do. I say, if that’s true then what was the point in all the advertising? The truth is, as Christians we’re supposed to share the story of Jesus, his death and victory over sin with everyone… with the end result that people would turn their hearts to God and be saved. There is something each of us can do before the real end of the world, and it has nothing to do with your actions, your lifestyle choices or your politics – Jesus said anyone who turns to him will be saved. Focus on that instead of endless controversies.

Our reaction to false prophets exposes our heart.

  • As believers we need to defend the truth. False prophets should be called out, but everything must be done in love. There is no one – NO ONE – that is too far gone, too crazy or too evil to be saved. While Harold Camping and his followers have fringe beliefs, by calling these guys crazy we are exposing our pride. These are real people, whom God loves, and ultimately by assuming we are too smart to be deceived the way they are, we polarize issues of faith. Our world already views much of faith and spirituality as archaic and disconnected from reality, and it desperately needs people with strong faith to stand up and be bold about the truth. Instead of making fun of misled people, use the issues they bring up to start conversations with your friends and family about their own beliefs, then share what you believe. Perhaps in doing so you can show that there are real, respectable people who really believe in God, read the Bible, and actually expect to live with Jesus in the afterlife.

 

Matthew 24:35-36 – “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

 


 

 

The Presence of God

How often are we truly taken in by the incredible weight of what it means to have a relationship with God? I know I talk so often and carelessly about walking with God that I’m guilty of  taking for granted how profound a concept it really is. What an amazing thing that a perfect, holy, and sinless God would associate with us! And not only associate, but himself die to take the punishment for our sin. As I draw closer to God I find a strange thing happens… I become more and more aware of how utterly depraved I am because of the sin in my life, yet at the same time an amazing joy fills me as I begin to comprehend the fact that God has taken all of that sin away – forever.

As you seek to draw closer to God I encourage you to dwell on these concepts:

1) We have no right to be in God’s presence

Sin is a poison, seeping into the deepest parts of our soul and tainting everything we are. Our God is holy. He is completely perfect in every way imaginable, and worthy only of our absolute perfection – something we could never hope to achieve. It’s important to realize that no matter where we come from, and no matter how good we are none of us should presume to stand in front of God on our own merit. Our sin is so great before God we deserve nothing other than death.

2) Despite our sin – no matter what it may be – we are given the right to be in God’s presence

How great is our God! Though we deserve death, he gives us life. He freely gives believers the right to stand in his presence, to talk openly with him, and to ask anything of him. This despite our sin, because no matter what we’ve done Jesus conquered it when he died on the cross. Realize your sin is already paid for – it is finished!

3) You can never earn God’s love; He gives it freely

A healthy feeling of gratitude towards God is necessary in the Christian life, but it must be tempered by the realization that we can never pay God back for what he’s done. You cannot earn God’s love. I’ll say it again – you cannot earn God’s love. He simply loves you. Period. In the face of our outright rebellion against him, God freely provided the way back into his presence. When you pray, don’t pray like someone seeking approval – pray with a thankful heart as one who is already accepted. Remember, it is because of Jesus we are considered righteous, not because of our actions.

4) Spend time just being with God

It truly is an amazing thing that we can come so boldly into the presence of such a holy God. When you pray, take time to simply dwell on that and enjoy his presence. Imagine how you might feel if you had the opportunity to spend a day with your favorite actor or athlete – our privileged is so much greater! Ask God to help you draw closer to him and you may find many of your present concerns drift away in the light of his glory and grace.

 

Do kids have to reject religion?

I read story after story of people growing up in strict “Christian” homes only to reject God and Christianity once they’re free to think for themselves. Even in more stable Christian families it seems the common view is that kids will inevitably go through a period of turning away from the church before they eventually, hopefully, return to God. I truly believe it doesn’t have to be this way.

 

I realize I’m going to be painting a very broad generalization here, but try to look beyond that to the concepts you can apply to your own situation.  When I hear of someone rejecting the Christian faith because of their upbringing I immediately wonder what kind of Christianity their parents followed. Usually the story plays out something like this – the kid was not allowed to do otherwise normal kid stuff, there was an unrealistic expectation of perfection for the child, and there were numerous, arbitrary rules to try and enforce whatever the parents’ view of “holiness” was on the kids (as example; a recent story came out about the singer Katy Perry who’s family allegedly would not allow them to eat deviled eggs or use the dirt devil brand of vacuum cleaners because of the word “devil”).  This brand of parenting introduces and reinforces a purely negative connotation to following God – specifically, that if you don’t perform up to a certain level of piety then God (and your parents) will not love you.

 

“…even while we were sinners, Christ died for us. This story is at the heart of effective parenting.“

 

At the risk of stating the obvious, true Biblical parenting starts with the Bible. But it’s not just the Bible as a tool. It’s having a real grasp on the overall story of our sin, salvation and redemption. The Bible and it’s rules show our complete depravity before God – that even in our best moments we are unable to live up to God’s standard. Yet in spite of being imperfect people (and not only imperfect, but completely without good on our own) God loves us just the same. He would do anything to make sure we can be with him, and even while we were sinners, Christ died for us. This story is at the heart of effective parenting – Our kids are sinners just like us, and having rules to protect and guide them is essential. Those rules though must be made and enforced with the understanding that no amount of rule-making or rule-following can bring salvation to your kids. An expectation for them to perform up to our legalistic standards of perfection will only keep them from understanding that God loves them no matter what. As parents, we must show love to our kids at all times, particularly when they fall short.

 

For those in church leadership – especially those in children and youth ministries – it is essential that you teach a clear understanding of the gospel to the kids in your care. Living out and/or teaching a partial gospel, whether through misunderstanding, error or just not knowing any better, has resulted in far too many kids growing up and turning away from the church. Although we’re all responsible for our own actions, never forget that God holds teachers to a higher degree of accountability for those in their care. Keep that in mind as you prepare your lessons, activities and interactions with your kids. Make sure they know WHY we do what we do. Religion without knowledge of God’s grace is pointless.

 

As a final note, it’s important not to swing too far the other direction by allowing your kids to form their faith all on their own. That’s no better than throwing your child in the wilderness, allowing them to form their own idea of providing for themselves.  To provide no religious guidance or instruction is just as bad as not providing food and shelter. Lovingly teach your kids a clear understanding of the gospel, show them how it affects your life, and help them understand what it means to them. Let them ask questions – even the hard, awkward questions – and above all, be honest with them. Kids can sniff out deception a mile away.
 

Half-Truth Christianity

What is your faith based upon? Is it Christ alone, or do you unknowingly follow a half-truth version of Christianity?

In fact, a partial understanding of the Bible can easily develop into false doctrine. Care must be taken not to take a Biblical truth (for example, “God is Love”) and exalt it above the other scriptural truths or attributes of God (e.g.: God is Just, God is Holy, God is Jealous).  Two of the most common half-truths in Christianity I see in our culture are a moralistic and a therapeutic faith. These terms have been discussed in depth in several books but for the sake of simplicity I sum them up this way:

Moralistic Christianity (i.e.: legalism):

“…our acceptance and justification before God has nothing to do with cultural expectations of what a Christian should act like…“

 

This Christianity may claim Christ’s death as the basis for their faith, but in practice teaches that our actions make us right with God. This plays out in the way we base faith on whether or not a person drinks alcohol, smokes, listens to the right music, attends enough church events, or even which “acceptable” sins they participate in – gossip and hate may be tolerated, but premarital sex and liberal social views are not. This Christianity prizes the appearance of holiness over genuine life change, because genuine change is often messy, awkward, and requires a concerted effort to love people who are different. Unfortunately this false faith is extremely prevalent, and many who assume themselves Christians are in fact basing their faith on something other than Christ’s atonement.

The truth within the lie is that our actions should reflect our faith, but true salvation is based on Christ alone. When our hearts are transformed by God we begin a process of sanctification by which we put former sins to death, turn from our old ways, and live each day more like Jesus. However, our acceptance and justification before God has nothing to do with cultural expectations of what a Christian should act like and everything to do with the grace of God to forgive all sin.

“Although it may make us feel good to think that God won’t allow us to go through more than we can handle, it is a lie. It’s a half-truth, a false truth, and a misunderstanding of scripture.“


Therapeutic Christianity (humanism, prosperity gospel):

This Christianity teaches that our faith in God exists in essence only to comfort us and make our lives easier. We worship or attend church because of what we get out of it, rather than to honor God. Faith is seen as an act that results in tangible benefits including better relationships, financial gain, peace and comfort, or success in all your endeavors. Another phrase I hear often is that “God won’t give you more than you can handle” in reference to the trouble we face in life. Although it may make us feel good to think that God won’t allow us to go through more than we can handle, it is a lie. It’s a half-truth, a false truth, and a misunderstanding of scripture. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says,

“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Our God is amazingly faithful, and he will not allow us to be tempted by sin more than we are able to endure. However, the truth is we live in a fallen, sin-damaged world and our lives may be filled with trouble, persecution and hardship – often well beyond what we can handle on our own. Sometimes these are consequences of our own sin,  sometimes they’re due to the actions of others. Other times God plainly asks us to do things that require great faith and reliance on him instead of our own abilities. From Moses to Gideon to the Disciples and Apostles, scripture is full of examples of people who’s lives were constantly “more than they could handle”, yet God was still faithful to them. Be careful not to base your faith on your circumstances. Instead, base your faith on the unchanging truth that God loves you and has already provided everything you need to live a Godly life. Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

 

 

Reboot

I had some issues with the previous blog, so I’m going with a complete reboot. Unfortunately that means most of my old posts were lost. I’ve attempt to fill in as much as I could, but for the most part we’re starting over.

Brian.

 

Baptism 2: Electric Boogaloo

This Sunday I was Baptized.

If you’ve known me for a while that may seem odd. Let me tell you, I wasn’t expecting it either, but God has an awesome way of bringing the unexpected into our lives.

I made the decision to follow Jesus when I was eight years old. I was baptized then by my own choice, and I don’t believe it was fake or coersed or meaningless. But my life has changed drastically over the past 21 years, and I’m a much different person now than I was back then. If you remember reading the post I made last year about my faith, you know I have been going through a really low time spiritually over the past couple of years. I questioned my faith, my passion for God was all but gone, and I was struggling to connect with my former love for the church.

“It’s not about me…”

Since then God has flat out turned my life around. I’ve reconnected with him in a fresh way, found new faith, and the joy I have in my life now is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. God has helped me get rid of old sins in my life and freed me to live just for him. My actions and lifestyle may not look much different than they did before, but on the inside I’m a new man. Instead of just talking about following God I have BECOME a follower of God. Even though my life changed so much I honestly wasn’t planning to be baptized again, but on Sunday God spoke very clearly to me. He told me plainly that I needed to mark the change he has made in my life, publicly.

A couple of things that stood out to me about this decision:

- It was very humbling. I’ve been a Christian for 21 years, worked in a church, led worship, preached, and taught about God, so it was a huge step for me personally to admit that I needed to “start over” and do something most believers do when they first start following Jesus. What would my friends and family say? How would they understand? I was excited, but nervous at the same time.

- This was a very real example that I have to listen to God no matter what, even if/when it seems strange. I still believe Baptism is something you only need to do once, as long as it has meaning to you. But I also believe God clearly told me this was something I needed to do. I sought advice from my wife, my family and my pastor, and I finally accepted that I have to follow God’s call. Anything else would have been disobedience.

- It’s not about me. Baptism is unique because it’s a very personal event that’s done in a very public way. Although this was an important milestone for my faith and my life, ultimately it’s all about what GOD has done for me. If God can use me as an example to others, if I can show people the amazing freedom there is when you live only for Jesus… bring it on. I only care about following God now, not what I look like.

- If you haven’t been baptized as a Christian; if you don’t remember it, or if it had no meaning in your life – DO IT! Don’t wait around anymore. It’s time to step out and identify with your faith. Show the world what you believe.

 

Truth is Truth

Here’s the truth about Truth: real truth never changes. It can be painfully harsh or beautifully consistent, but it does not change. Ever. Our understanding of truth can be broadened. We may discover something we once believed was in fact wrong, but the truth was there the whole time… we just had to be able to see it. A great danger I see emerging in our culture is the flexibility of truth. Right and wrong are fluid concepts that vary from person to person. It seems the only truths people cling to are those which promise comfort or remove personal accountability.

Here are a few observations God has given me about truth:

* God is the source of all truth. Not religion. Not those who claim to be holy but exhibit greed and a self-serving attitude; God himself reveals truth to us through the Holy Spirit and the Bible.

* Truth is a measurable metric. No matter what your field of study, core truths do not change. 2+2=4; The sun rises in the East; The Earth revolves around the sun; Truths such as these are the one on which we build our societies, knowledge, science, etc. Spritual truths are no different. There is only one God, everyone has sinned, Jesus is the only way to God. While you are free to form your own opinions on all things spiritual, you must understand – your opinion may very well be wrong.

* Truth does not change based on our feelings. I may be able to logically or emotionally rationalize my actions, however, if they’re wrong they’re wrong, even if I can explain them away. It’s time to stop making excuses for our actions and take responsibility for what we do. Even when it’s difficult. Even when it doesn’t fit into our preferred world view.

* Truth=Love. As people were are supposed to speak truth to each other in love. If we get this out of balance the truth is skewed. If all we focus on is truth without love, we become legalistic, prideful, judgemental. Truth becomes harsh and abrasive, pushing people away from God. Conversely, if all we focus on is love, the truth is brushed aside and sin is condoned in the name of love. Jesus is our example of how to love someone while you disagree/deal with their actions.

Make a commitment today to open your mind to the possibility that what you believe about the world might be wrong. Look for truth, because God promises that if you seek him out he will be found.

 
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