A second look?

Many people think Christianity is all about rules. It's about "do this, don't do that." I believed that most of my life, so I can relate. It kept me away for years. That was then, and now I know better.

The time between Palm Sunday and Easter up has been pretty special to me the past few years. In light of all the tension in the news (and in social media) it has been even more powerful this year. I'm amazed at how the message of grace, forgiveness, love, and redemption can so easily be muddled, confused, obscured, and ultimately missed.

I've been looking over these pictures since last week. They are from the first part of the "Passion Week"

presentation that my church is putting on this year. As I review them, I reflect on the joy and healing (physical, mental, and emotional) that are represented. I think about the tragedy and glory of what is to come in part two. It's humbling, moving,  inspiring, and life-changing to realize that God loves me (and you) so much that he went to these incredible lengths to demonstrate that love and to provide a way for us to have a  relationship with him.

This is what I know. God loves you. Jesus conquered death to build a bridge between you and God. He did that knowing that we aren't perfect and never will be. He isn't demanding perfection from us. As an incredible heavenly father, he wants to build a relationship with you, in spite of any fault you might think you have. In spite of any obstacle that you may think makes you unlovable to him. He loves you. Period.

Of course, if you're in the area I'd love for you to join us this week for Part Two at my church.  I'd also love for you to fearlessly join us in my Sunday School class. I'd like to challenge you to test our love, test our grace, see if we're a bunch of judgmental hypocrites or if we're broken people that have been radically transformed by His grace. But more important than that, I'd love for you to meet this Jesus guy that I know. Whether you ever come to my church or not, this kind of love and sacrifice demands a second look. There's nothing I like to talk about more.

I'd like to have a conversation with you if you feel you've been hurt or betrayed by the church. I'd love to share my story of the miracles I've seen in my life that have helped me to overcome the same thing. If you're brave and willing, I'll buy breakfast. No strings attached.

Who are you?

I've been participating in the "Christian Bloggers" community over on Google+ for a little while now. For the past few weeks, a challenge has been issued that we can choose to write about. I love things like that, so I've eagerly participated. Last week it was "Who is your audience?" 

Audience? I tend to be sporadic and random. But through all my half-thoughts and wandering prose,  underlying themes arise. This question has been at work in my heart and mind. The deadline is long past, but the question still hangs.

My answer has two components. I think it makes sense to start with Jesus. Luke 4 tells us that Jesus said He came to "tell the Good News to the poor. ...To announce forgiveness to the prisoners of sin and the restoring of sight to the blind, to forgive those who have been shattered by sin, to announce the year of the Lord’s favor." This is my guidance. I can't be like Jesus, but my goal is to reflect the work He has done in me.

Afflicted?

Through everything I write, and in fact in everything I do, my sincere hope and prayer is to be a comfort to the afflicted. That doesn't mean afflicted believers. That means the afflicted. Period. To those that feel overwhelmed by life, oppressed, trapped, or at the end of your rope, my hope is that in me you find compassion and understanding. I've been there too. You are not alone. I write about the love and incredible, outrageous grace of God so that you can know that God loves you right where you are. You don't have to clean yourself up before asking God into your life. I don't care what your "sin" is. Whether you are a believer or not, God wants to draw you closer to Him. Throughout history He has demonstrated this in a number of ways, the most significant was sacrificing His only son in order to pay the price for the chains you feel. There is a way out. God provided it. Because He loves you that much.

Comforted?

The second component of everything I write and teach is aimed at the "comforted." I have crossed paths with people my entire life that have this air about them. You know the type. They know enough of the Bible to defend their personal beliefs, culture, and biases. They are offensively confident in all they believe. They are great at talking but horrible at listening. It's a lot like a song I used to know that says "He holds his Bible like a dagger, and he twists it the same way." While the Christian "comforted" are the most obvious, there are plenty of people that cling to other belief systems the same way. I write for them too.

I love people that have rock solid faith. That's not my target. I aim for people that have not been transformed by the gospel. Maybe they are "cultural Christians," learning the lingo in order to fit in or improve their lives. Their motivation may be power, influence, money, or even just acceptance. They don't see themselves as sinners saved by grace. They see themselves as righteous enforcers of God's law. Don't get me wrong, I love these people, too. I believe God is reaching out to them just as strongly as He is to the "prisoners of sin." I'm not condemning them, I'm trying to get them to think... trying to get them to be a little introspective. To dig deeper into their faith and into their scriptures and experience total life transformation that originates from allowing God to work in the most hidden places in their heart.

Who?

I write to comfort the afflicted. I write to afflict the comforted. The truth is, I fall squarely into both categories every day. Writing forces thoughts to become concrete, where they can be explored and refined. I write about the love of God and the grace of God because I need to hear it. Every day. I've been a Christian for almost 7 years now, and I still sin. I still feel unworthy of God's love. That's because I am unworthy of God's love. But He chose to love me anyway. I didn't earn it and I'm still not earning it. No, I'm gratefully dancing in it, but I know that it's in spite of all I've done, not because of all I've done.

On the other hand...I go to church. A lot. I spend a lot of time in the Word. I almost have a verse from Habakkuk memorized. Most Christians probably don't know there even is a book of Habakkuk. I've been on multiple international mission trips and have been a part of countless salvation decisions. I have seen the Holy Spirit light up someones eyes for the first time. I've seen the tears of transformation flowing down an old man's formerly hopeless face. I teach adult Sunday school every week to a group of incredible, authentic, and broken people that I consider close friends. I've been writing my own curriculum in there for 3 years.  We're all just trying to get to know Jesus a little better. I also teach 5th and 6th graders on Wednesday night. And I'm about to start writing my own curriculum for that, too.  That's in addition to my full time job that pays pretty well (which I always tithe on...pre-tax). I've looked a high meth-addict in the eye, shaken his hand, and honestly told him "I'm glad you came to church today, come on in." I've hugged and prayed with carnival workers that had been high and homeless days earlier. When I list my "accomplishments" it would be easy to feel pride. It would be easy to feel like God must really like me because I do so much for him.

But, like Paul, I know that isn't the case. Without God I'm a hopeless mess. Without me, God is still God. Anything incredible that comes out of my life originates with Him. So I write. I write to remind myself of this. I write to drive myself back to Him. I write for me...I write for you. But ultimately, I'm writing for Him.

While reading this, if you felt like you fell into either category I can't say that it was entirely accidental. What I can tell you is that you aren't alone. You just found a new friend in me. I can tell you countless stories about how God loves you so much that you can trust Him with everything you have. You can tear down all the walls that are between you and Him and experience life that is more full, meaningful, exciting, and significant than you have ever imagined. That is available to everyone. Even me.

Faith

I remember it like it was yesterday. Picking up the phone at work, watching my finger meticulously dial each button. Slowly, each of the buttons of my wife's number were pressed. Then ringing. This was real.

"Hello?"

"Hey honey. I've got an interesting question for you."

Hesitantly, "Ok."

"How's your faith today?"

"Rock solid."

"I'm glad to hear that. They just told me that they're shutting down the company. Effective today."

In less than two weeks, we had lost a grandparent and had a child undergo surgery. Now this.

But this is what faith is built for. When life is out of control, faith proves its importance. The book of James reminds us that it is through our trials that faith shines. Hard times can refine, sharpen, and ultimately strengthen faith. It tells us that God is in control, even in our most trying times. Faith reminds us that we belong to God and that He loves us. Our circumstances don't change that. He's on our side, working in every situation. We know that we will emerge on the other side victorious, even if our current situation leads to death.

When the things of this world that we desperately cling to are stripped away, it is our faith that reveals to us that we still have Jesus. And that is enough.

I am not ashamed

My favorite book of the Bible? Romans. Before I explain why, let me tell you a story.

Once there was a man that wrestled with God. He heard about Jesus early in life. Stories of this guy that supposedly was the son of God filled his town. He heard about how Jesus had been executed and buried. Stories of how this "son of God" returned from the grave, conquering death once and for all, were everywhere.

By the time this man entered his formative years, his stance was as solid as a stone. This Jesus movement was not only false, it was harmful. It caused people to abandon reason. It cause them to abandon the truth. And this man valued truth. So he fought them. A lot of times he won.

Until... 

One day this man had an encounter that changed his life. This enemy of the faith found Jesus. Life changed forever for this unlikely Christian. But he still wrestled. Something odd happened when he found Jesus. Jesus didn't turn this man's brain off. He still had knowledge and an unquenchable passion for the truth. That never changed.

He was still the same person, but his foundation had been replaced. Now he knew Jesus was real. He understood God's love, the fall of man, and the sacrifice Jesus made. He understood that "all are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Although he had been at war his entire life, he finally understood what it meant to have "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Still he wrestled.

For example, if he were a new creation in Christ, why was life still so hard? Why did he still do the things that he knew he shouldn't? Why couldn't he do the things he knew he should? How can this "new life" be fully embraced? How can he live entirely for Christ, letting go of the things of this world? How can he deal with the guilt from his past?

As he struggled, he learned that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." None. He understood that any condemnation or guilt that he felt must have a different source. It wasn't from God. If it wasn't from God, it could be discarded.

He learned that nothing on earth could separate him from God's love. Not life nor death, angels or demons. Not the future, the present, or the past. No power, no government. Nothing in all creation could separate them now. With Jesus as his rock, he knew he was more than a conqueror. The battle had ceased. Without a fight. He had surrendered and had been adopted into the family of the victor. It was overwhelming. So he had to write.

Back to Romans... 

Paul was an interesting guy. He had an incredible life, witnessing many miracles and enduring many hardships. And he wrote about it. Some of his writings are still around today. In the book of Romans, he explains much of what he had learned through revelation and experience. It is laid out very deliberately, building to numerous crescendos. It is very personal yet contains numerous philosophical and theological truths as well as their real life applications. It reflects the conclusions of a man that spent years wrestling with God while searching for the truth.

The story above is my story. I was the wanderer, the wrestler, the enemy of God. After Jesus changed my life, I did a lot of wrestling with scripture and with God. I still do it to this day. But Paul has a similar story. He walked this path long before I did. And he wrote about it. All of his writings seem to speak directly to my soul, but Romans seems to be his masterwork.