Baby Dreams

I look at babies, and I'm amazed. They have so much potential. We have so many dreams for them. They can achieve anything.

Babies.

Isaac Newton was once just a little baby. Rosa Parks, once a little baby. Thomas Edison, once a little baby. Joan of Arc, once a little baby. Walt Disney. Mother Teresa. Abraham Lincoln. The Apostle Paul. The list goes on and on. They were all just little babies. Little babies who eventually did incredible things.

We kind of accept that little babies will grow up and be able to do incredible things because that is the way things work. Every great thing this world has ever experienced has been done by someone who was once a baby. Most achievements worth mentioning started as an impossible dream that wouldn't have happened without someone being committed to bring it about.

At Christmas time, we celebrate the baby Jesus. The coming of God into this world. The humble act of taking on flesh and blood despite deserving worship and grandeur. At Easter, we remember the sacrifice of that grown God-man. We celebrate his suffering and pain through the window of the resurrection.

Jesus died on the cross, yet He struggled with it. When His end was near, Jesus didn't want it. Like we often feel when tough times hit, He wanted to give up. Just like you may find yourself right now, wanting to give up.

But Jesus didn't just die to forgive our sins. He rose again to give us the newness of life.

The Bible gives us glimpses of that time before the crucifixion. Let us go to the gospel of John and look at that time of great struggle.

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name.” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again." The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.  Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” John 12:27-32 (ESV).

Jesus, when he was lifted up on that cross, drew all people to him. You have received the call. Will you follow? Will you respond to that sacrifice with the commitment it is calling you toward?

Will you give up - give up on your dreams, give up on your own passions, give up on your own plans - whatever they may be.... And follow?

Jesus is drawing us all into a new life. A life where our primary concern is to love God and love our neighbors. And he has paid the price to make that happen. We just have to respond by giving Him our all. Not just to follow Him when there is nothing better to do. But to follow Him no matter what the cost. No matter what others may think of us. No matter what He calls us to do.

This doesn't mean that we have to become a monk who has taken a vow of poverty and move to the hills. That actually would be easier. It means that we have to love God and love our neighbor in everything we do, wherever find ourselves, even in the difficult situations, in the here and now.

Imagine if we started living in the realization that God loves us. That He has called us to something more faithful. And that being who He wants us to be is possible even when it seems impossible. It's possible because God has called us to it, and He will provide the strength to do it. As long as we are committed to Him, His plan for our life can become a reality.

Our God doesn't lack for power. He lacks of nothing that is needed. He waits for faithful, committed people to pour His power through.

You may be saying, but you don't know me. You don't know what I've done. You don't know what I think. You don't know what I struggle with. God can't use me.

And you're right that I don't know. But God knows. And He still loves you. He still calls you. He still has plans for you. You don't have to be perfect. You have to be willing. You don't have to have it all together. You just have to be committed. You don't have to have it all figured out. You have to be faithful.

To save all of us is why He came, lived, died, and rose again. Like a baby being born can achieve incredible things, we can achieve amazing God things when we allow God to give birth to His dreams in us. When we are faithful even in our darkest hours.

A Proposed Minimal Set of Essentials - A Discussion on Essentials (Part Three)

In the previous two posts, we have talked about essentials and division in the church.  In this post, I would like to propose four passages of Scripture that should be the cornerstone of what we believe is essential:  Love God, love our neighbors, love one another, accept people as brothers and sisters in Christ who show fruit and claim that Jesus is Lord.  That’s it.  Once we start broadening beyond that, we start alienating people and continually add to our essentials creating a list that will keep growing and never stop.

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together.  And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.  “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40  On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”  [Matt 22:34-40 (ESV)].

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.  [John 13:34-35 (ESV)].

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. [Matt 7:15-20 (ESV)].

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit. [1 Cor 12:1-3 (ESV)].

So where does teaching come in?  When we say that we will accept people who show the fruit of the Spirit, what do we do with right doctrine?  When it comes to what Scripture teaches, we keep teaching what we believe is right, but if you are like me, you need to be humble in doing it.  Over the years, things that I once thought were solid as a rock have shifted and thinks I thought did not matter, have gained in importance.  Humility is the key when it comes to being a teacher.

Jesus said that He did not come to judge (John 12:47).  If Jesus did not come to judge and condemn in regards to eternal life, then we to avoid our natural tendency to judge others in that light.  Let us be studious of the Scriptures, sensitive to the Spirit, and full of love.

We don’t even have to agree with others on everything that we think are clear teachings of Scripture.  Riverside Christian Church has a list of core convictions.  One is that “We believe in a minimal set of essentials in order to foster unity and freedom in Christ.”  If we make every teaching that we believe Scripture teaches an essential, then we will soon be dividing amongst ourselves because there are not two of us that probably agree on everything.  Somewhere we must draw a line, and the best way to do that is with a minimal set of essentials.

More Tomorrow.

For further reading:
Being a Church Involved in the Community - A Discussion on Essentials (Part One)

Christ is not Divided - A Discussion on Essentials (Part Two)