Little Christs?

What is a Christian? It is surprising how many people who claim to be a Christian have a hard time answering this question. Is it a difficult question?

How a person answers this question reveals more about their true believe than many realize. Some talk more about the community of faith, or serving others, helping people, political causes, or making the world a better place than they do about the bedrock foundation of Christianity: Jesus Christ himself.

The word "Christian" was originally a derogatory term used against those who followed the Messiah that was crucified and was said to have risen from the dead in the 1st century. The term "Christian" literally meant "little Christ."

So, rather than being identified by a set of beliefs, a political stance, a community, a creed or a station within society, the first Christian believers were known by their identification with the man Jesus Christ. Sure, they were a close knit group that loved each other ferociously, but that was not their identity. Who there were was evident to all. They identified themselves with Jesus and Jesus alone.

So let me ask you? Are you a "little Christ?" Would someone look at you and say that ultimately your very identity is so connected to this ONE MAN that people would deride you for making his identity your own? Because that is what happened to the earliest believers.

In his book "Dissident Discipleship" David Augsburger defines a Christian as someone who is Radically Attached to Jesus.

I Like that.


A lot.


A radical attachment to the man Jesus and EVERYTHING that He taught. Augsburger put it this way:


Attachment to Jesus, we must first clarify, is neither admiration (though Jesus fully deserves admiration) nor adulation (although that may result from attachment), nor assimilation into a culture and lifestyle (although that is inevitable). Attachment is actual encounter with the Jesus of the Gospels and engagement with his utterly radical claims on us and on creation. To state this in concise propositions: 

• To be a Christian is to be absolutely convinced that Jesus is the Christ and that Christ is the Lord of creation. 
• To acknowledge that Christ is Lord is to admit that human life can be understood only in terms of Christ's intentions for creation. 
• To understand human life in terms of Christ's intentions for creation is to perceive that Jesus's activity for the world is totally pervaded by nonviolent agape love and by renunciation of power, of justice for oneself, and of purpose-driven effectiveness. 
• To participate in Christ's activity is to shoulder the weight of restoring love toward offenders, of forgiving the guilty, of responding nonresistantly when attacked, of acting on behalf of justice for others in loving, nonviolent ways. 
• To follow Jesus is to willingly accept his way of unlimited love (agape), to accept the call to self-renunciation (the cross), to accept self-relinquishment through giving up sin and its defenses (the way of discipleship), and to accept inner self-transformation in repentance and a new life (resurrection) 

David Augsburger. Dissident Discipleship: A Spirituality of Self-Surrender, Love of God, and Love of Neighbor (p. 50). Kindle Edition. 

To be a Christian means Jesus tells us who we are and that by radically attaching ourselves to him we are renouncing who we think we are for His definition of who we are. The early Church believers did this and were ridiculed for it by being called "Little Christs." Today, many have chosen the title "Christ follower" instead of Christian, but I am not sure Christ follower is enough. There were many who followed Christ, but it was only those who allowed themselves to be fully transformed and overtaken by Christ himself that were considered a part of His Kingdom.

Those who accepted this total abandonment of self found themselves in ways never imagined. Strength where weakness once resided. Dignity in humiliation. Love in the midst of hate, and hope in despair. This is what Jesus meant when he said that we must die to ourselves, take up our cross daily and follow him. To follow him is to abandon ourselves to Him. Everything we think we are is gone.

"If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Behold, the old has gone, ALL THINGS have been made new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)

If your commitment to Christ is merely one part of your life, then you are not radically attached to Jesus and cannot be described as a "little Christ." Jesus must be your life.

Jesus is your life.

Excellence in Holiness

I love music. Wait, let me rephrase that, I love GOOD music. When I say good, I mean the skillful excellence of a musician who has spent hours honing his skills, abilities, and talents. For me, the ability to create new music that moves the soul is part of being created in the image of God.

This leads me to another thought: Excellence in everything is what God requires of us everyday. Excellence. I am not sure many people really understand that concept any more. In an age of fast food and gimmicks we are losing the ability to focus ourselves and discipline ourselves for years to hone a craft into something truly excellent.

We Christians have been particularly horrible in this field. We often think, "its Christian so it is automatically good." Often times this thinking is more a revelation of laziness than true spiritual conviction. Some of the worst music, movies, sermons, and books have been written under the guise of "Christian."

Colossians 3:23-24 says "Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ."

Paul wrote these words to those who were slaves in the ancient world. His instructions were for them to give their duties, however mundane they may be their full attention and glorify God in their product.

You get that? God wants excellence even if it is going to go for the benefit of someone else. Even if you have an unreasonable boss, even if nobody is going to notice, God is watching and He expects excellence from His people. This is much, much deeper than simply saying God wants us to do well or try hard. God wants more than our best. He wants us to reveal His glory in what we do.

In 1 Peter 1:15-16 God tells us this "but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” God's Holiness demands excellence. If we are his people we must demand Holiness of ourselves and thus be a people of excellence in all things.

Excellence is an inseparable part of Holiness. God doesn't cut corners or settle for less than what brings Himself the most Glory. He didn't stop halfway through creating the double helix of the DNA strand and decide it was good enough. He didn't tell Adam to deal with being alone. He didn't settle for letting his people rot in sin but gave His Son as the sacrifice for their failures. God is a God of Excellence.

The above video is an example of excellence at work. I can't imagine how many years of practice and work it took for those gentleman to play that well and that creatively. However, some will look at it and be put out because the drummer has a mohawk, or it isn't a style of music they like, or it isn't "Christian" and therefore it is evil. It is a shame when the unbelieving world shows more creativity and more discipline than those who are supposed to be connected to THE CREATOR.

See, laziness often cloaks itself in tradition and style. These men are attending the Berklee College of music. 60 years ago it might have been unheard of for this style of music to be played in a music school. However, in true wisdom, the instructors at Berklee College of Music were not willing to sacrifice creativity in order to continue a certain tradition. Instead of demanding a style, they obviously demand excellence. Their commitment is to excellence and they let creativity flow.

We must do the same. Excellence in all things no matter how small or big. A Christ follower is called to glorify God in everything. Do you bring excellence to your life? Is your marriage, parenting, job, worship, discipleship, and fellowship evidence that you bring an attitude of excellence to everything?

Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We work for Him who is Above Reality.

Dependent Choices

"So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise." John 5:19

In these verses Jesus tells us something remarkable: He did not make decisions for himself independently. He did only what the Father told him to do.

Again in John 12:49-50 Jesus said "For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”

Because Jesus was fully God and fully Man, we can say that Jesus is the only pure human to ever live. What I mean by this is that Jesus knew better than anyone what it meant to be a man, or to be human at every level. And what was it that made him different? He did not attempt to exist for his own benefit. He did not live an independent life and He certainly didn't come to earth to live His "Best Life Now." He came doing and saying only what the Father told him to do and to say. He was completely and utterly dependent upon the Father for everything in his life.

This is why Jesus could truthfully and faithfully quote Deuteronomy 8:3 when he was being tempted by Satan in the wilderness when he said "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Jesus actually defined his life purely by what God the Father told him to do and to say, he made no decision for himself.

This is what it means to be completely human.

Completely dependent in every way upon God.

You see, man was never meant to make moral decisions for himself. This is why God forbade him from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man was intended to be completely dependent upon God in this area of his life so that he would never even know that there was a difference between good and evil and that he could choose between them. His very existence was to be so linked to God that where he saw God he saw good things and where God was not, he did not want to be. God was his life.

We know how the story turned out. Adam chose for himself. To choose for yourself means you are rebelling against God because it assumes that we know better than God himself when God is the choice. It means we think we have found some source of life other than God, and then we die.

This isn't some stupid set of rules. It is about being connected to our life giving and life sustaining God. To make an independent choice is to reject God from the outset which will then affect everything following it.

Jesus would have none of this. He refused to choose when to eat even though he was desperately hungry. He refused to choose for himself even though people literally hated him to his core. He refused to choose for himself even though he knew the cross was waiting for him. He remained dependent upon the Father in every way for every thing.

Today, we have twisted this into an unrecognizable tragedy. We teach men and women that they only have value if they are independent, self-made, individuals. Jesus tells us to love one another and obey just as he obeyed. We are not called to independence. We are called to be completely dependent upon God for everything in every way.

The mark of true humanity is that we glorify God. It is our purpose. Romans 3:23 - all have sinned and fallen short of the GLORY OF GOD. Our purpose in life is Glorify Him. How can we do that if we are making decisions and living independently of Him?

Following Christ isn't about deciding to follow his "will for your life." It is seeing him as your life. It isn't about choice A or B and God is behind A and Satan is behind B. It is about giving up your perceived right to a choice and letting God choose for you. It is only in this that you become truly human and rise Above Reality.

Following the Scene...

Have you ever watched or been a part of good improvisation? Whether it is music, theater, cooking, sports, engineering, true improvisation is a thing of beauty. Why? Because it involves creating. Creating from the heart with passion, precision, skill, and talent.

However, for improvisation to work, there has to be a lead, a goal, a scene and cooperation. If two musicians start to improvise but play in different keys, it will sound terrible. If a wide-receiver starts to improvise his route but doesn't tell his quarterback, an interception is likely forthcoming. Improvisation takes the scene that has been set and creates within it. It doesn't redefine the scene, but simply adds to it. When it is done well, it can really bring music, acting, or anything else to life.

But, good improvisation is hard. It is really hard, because it requires loads of talent and skill to keep it from degenerating into madness. There has to be a commitment to the art and the scene that drives your improvisational technique. Most musicians, actors, athletes or anyone else that know improv is likely to become a part of their trade find that they must practice more, understand the scene/play/score better than anyone else so that what they add actually fits. The wide receiver must know his quarterback's tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses. The musician must not only know the style of the song, but the feel, emotion, drive and purpose for the music as well as know the place his or her instrument has in that piece before they just start randomly playing notes.

In essence, improve requires a person to internalize their craft a much higher level than those who simply stick to the script. It is a high risk, high reward endeavor. When it goes right, it can blow the roof of the place. When it goes bad, well, you just look like an idiot that wasn't prepared.

And this is what Jesus has called us to. Yet, God has called us all to improv in life. He has set the stage, the props, the lights, and he has described the scene in great detail. He has told us our character must line up and serve to highlight the lead character Jesus Christ. But, in the end, God has told us to improv our lives into the scene that He has set.

I know this may sound odd, but think about it. How many places in the Bible did God command us to write songs using 4/4 time? Did God tell us that our works of art had to be cut from marble? How about our hymns? Was it God that told us to skip the third verse? Or to tune our guitars down 1/2 step? Or to worship in the morning, or evening or afternoon? No, He simply said worship, glorify Him, lift up the name of Jesus, love one another and preach the Gospel to all nations.

God didn't tell us how. He left it for us to figure out. So we have to improvise our lives according to the scene that God has set.

Here are the rules for the scene, there are only two:

1. Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Here is the goal of the scene -
Make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Your method of performance is this:
Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ - basically, everything you say and do needs to agree in spirit and in truth with the scene already set by Jesus in the four Gospels.

Repeat the scene until Jesus comes back or your die.

That's it. There is life.

Now, many people, most people want a word by word script because it is easier and less dangerous to memorize a script and mindlessly repeat it. It is also easier to critique the performance of others when there is a script and I don't have to take the chance that people might find out I am not fully prepared to improvise the scene, so just tell me what I need to say and do.

But

God didn't give us a script. Life is not scripted. He set the scene and told us to follow him. In Hebrews 12:2 the author tells us to "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith..." So Jesus is the beginning and end of our faith, or our inclusion in the scene of God.

What about the middle?

That is where improv enters. Start with Jesus and the salvation he offers, then learn as much about the scene as you can. Learn about how those before you pleased or displeased God. LEARN THE SCENE. (The scene is found throughout the entire Bible) Then, start living your life improving it every day to the Glory of God understanding that He will be the judge of your performance, not the other performers. Hebrews told us that Jesus would perfect our faith in the end so it is a matter of getting better day by day. Growing in your role as a Christ follower and imitator.

We also must guard against ANYTHING that is not true to the scene. This includes anything that takes the focus off of the lead in the scene, Jesus Christ. It is ANYTHING that destroys one of your fellow performers, ANYTHING that attempts to redefine the scene that is set through scripture and ANYTHING that keeps you from understanding and accepting the scene better. This includes distractions from the scene, false interpretations of the scene or leaving out part of the scene. We must be true to what God has given us.

So, no, you do not get a script, because a script often will not involve the heart. God wants your touch, your personality, your uniqueness included in the scene of life, so He is commanding us to improvise. And it is through this improvisation that you will truly find freedom in the Christian life as your life becomes a life of beauty, art, discipline, and ultimately love. For, if you honor the scene that God has set you will find that God is calling you to something beautiful that is certainly Above Reality.

(I am indebted to Kevin VanHoozer's The Drama of Doctrine and Donald Miller's Blue Like Jazz for inspiring this blog post.)

The Incarnation

Lets imagine for a moment that we have never heard of Christmas.  We've never seen Linus explain the Christmas story to Charlie Brown. We've never opened a gift or talked to Santa. For the moment, pretend that December 25 is just another day on the calendar.

Now that you have, for the moment, let go of everything you think about Christmas consider these passages of scripture.

Isaiah 7:14 - "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."

God Himself will show mankind a sign that he is present. A Virgin will give birth to a son and he will be called "God with Us."

In case you have become jaded and lost your grip on the fantastic, this claim is absolutely amazing. The Prophet Isaiah is saying that God himself is going to break the laws of nature, step out of Heaven and come to us as a child by birth. Do not lose sight of how amazing and far-fetched this claim is. It has never, NEVER happened in the history of mankind before this and will NEVER happen again. This is why God points us to it in such a direct way. What better proof could there be that God, the creator of the natural and supernatural was involved than for the impossible to happen one time.

Now consider these verses in Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:  “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (ESV)

Here, a 1st century writer noticed that something amazing was taking place in his day and connected the dots to a prophesy made centuries earlier. (Again, pretend you haven't heard all of this.) He writes about one man's peculiar birth and makes the claim that he was indeed born from a virgin mother and even feels the need to explain that the man who was to be her husband found the story of a miraculous "spiritual" pregnancy was just too fantastic to believe until God himself spoke to him in a dream. 

Now, you read these two accounts and decide to do some research and you find that yes, there was a man named Jesus who lived in the first century and that yes, his birth did in fact match not only the Isaiah prophesy, but many, many more. You start to realize that something amazing, mind-blowing, and wonderful had occurred. God had come to visit earth exactly the way he said he would. 

 Matthew and Luke give you the historical versions in their respective Gospel accounts. But John gives us the supernatural account. Read what he says in John 1

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (Verses 1-5)



The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (Verses 9-14)

As you read these verses you realize that God visited His creation for a purpose. He brought something with Him: The Right to become Children of God. His visit wasn't just to show he could do it, but that he came for those who are trapped in darkness. Some received Him. Some rejected Him. 

For those who received Him, this would be the greatest story ever told. It would be the centerpoint of all of History. It would define entire groups of people and separate Humanity into two groups: those who receive Him and those who reject Him. 

For those who reject Him, the story may be too fantastic. How could a virgin give birth to a child? Why would God come to earth? How could people not recognize him? 

Christmas, the birth of Jesus, becomes the starting point for what will be an eternal separation of people. Some will believe and become Children of God. Some will reject Him and miss the greatest gift ever given. 

This, my friends, would be all the information you needed to celebrate the greatest and most wonderful gift that has ever been given to mankind: God Himself.

And it is still all that you need to celebrate Christmas. Let us join together in singing one of the great Christmas hymns:

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

God came to Earth, born of a virgin to give the gift of life to all who believe in Him. Merry Christmas indeed! For this is Above Reality.

Share the Journey - Church Growth

Because we have been called to share the Christian life together as an expression of the grace and love that God has poured into a our lives through His Son Jesus, the Church becomes central the life of the Believer.

The Church is the community of faith that is formed by the gathering of those who have a common faith in the Risen Savior. We who believe are bound by a common confession, a common faith, a common baptism, and a common Spirit.

It is through this community of faith that we are called to exercise the gifts and talents that God has given us. Together, we work to further God's Kingdom in this world and it is together that what is produced is greater than the sum of its parts. The Church is referred to in scripture as the Bride of Christ and the Body of Christ. Both reveal an intimacy between the Savior and the Redeemed, and a special bond between the Redeemed themselves. Each individual brings something unique to the Body that enables the Body to function properly under the guidance and Lordship of the Head, Jesus Christ.

So, yes, the Church is special and nothing will ever change that. In the Old Testament God's presence was known through His temple and the Holy of Holies. Today, God's presence is most realized in His Church. This is an important fact when we think about how many churches gather in worship, praise and service regularly.

But, if the Church is what scripture says it is, why are there so many problems?

1. People are involved. We must remember that we ALL needed and continue to need grace from God. Therefore, we need to give grace to one another. None of us is perfect and never will be. The church is the glorious body of Christ that is redeemed by the power of the cross. Redeemed from Sin. This side of Heaven, the Church will never reach perfection.

2. More importantly, I believe that many of today's problems exist because we have misunderstood how God has ordained church growth. Ephesians 4:15-16 is helpful. It says:

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (ESV)

According to this, Paul says that the Church is to grow. So while we may never be perfect, we will continually grow. We will grow in Spiritual maturity and depth and in obedience and service to look like the one who started it all, Jesus Christ. It is about Him. And when this happens, the Church functions as a body "when each part is working properly" it "makes the body grow so that it builds ITSELF up in love." 

Church growth is not about sitting and waiting for God to mysteriously make more people show up because he espoused a particular theme, musical style, or preaching style. Part of my responsibility as an individual believer is to give my talents to help make the church "BUILD ITSELF UP IN LOVE." 

You get that? God has already given the Church everything it needs to grow. It simply needs to obey. When the Church glorifies the name of Jesus, obeys Him and serves, it will build itself up. This is where you come in. Your purpose as a Christian will be found in helping expand the Kingdom of God through the Body of Christ. If you can't serve the church as it serves the purposes of the Kingdom, then you are detached from the head. 

A healthy church doesn't wait for God to make it grow, it makes itself grow. It grows because each person is obeying God individually which will ALWAYS bring them to serve alongside other Christians. Their efforts work together and the church becomes an unstoppable force in the world. Jesus promised it. 

He said "Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not overcome it." 

So, do you want purpose in your life? Are you an active member of a local body of believers? Is your church following the Great Commission? Is it following the Great Commission for real? Not just hoping God will send someone to "get saved" but that your church does what it can to take the Light into the darkness? If you are not serving God through a church or your church is not obeying God's command to make disciples, then you have lost your purpose. 

Follow God's plan for your life and His Church and you will rise Above Reality.

Share the Journey

One of the greatest misconceptions plaguing the church today is the belief that faith is a private matter. Just me and God. My faith is personal and real. I have a quiet time. I pray. I worship. I try to avoid sin. I try to be nice to other people and if I feel so led, I might even talk to someone about Jesus. But, overall, my faith is mostly about me and God. 

Sound familiar? 

The modern day church has developed what could be called a two-legged spirituality. God and me. So long as your faith works for you that's great but keep it to yourself. Society itself supports spirituality as long as it is kept private and personal. 

This has allowed people to become consumers rather than servants and has reduced spirituality to a form of therapeutic moralism that is more about being a good person and personal happiness than it is about serving the Kingdom of God. This is seen throughout the church in the way people hop from church to church because the music is better, the pastor didn't visit me, or the services are more entertaining. In the long list of endless complaints, I have yet to hear a person utter the words "I just felt like I couldn't sacrifice enough for the Kingdom of God in this place so I went to a new church."

To correct this problem we do not need better programs, stricter rules, or any of the other million things that are called "cultural relevance" in the church. We need to understand Christianity for what it is. 

To follow Christ is to die to self, take up a cross, and follow Jesus in service and in love. 

This death that Jesus talks about leads us away from personal desires and towards the will of God. What is the will of God for your life? The two greatest commandments as quoted by Jesus sum it up.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength." 

And

"Love Your Neighbor as yourself." 

There it is. Love of God is expressed through love of neighbor. David Augsburger puts it this way:

"To say yes to the Grace of God is to say yes to neighbor and enemy." Jesus said "Love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you." You see, God's grace is not only about reconciling you to God, but also to your fellow humans. All of them.

So, when we approach the spiritual life as something private, we are violating the very core of what God is wanting to do and change in your life because His love calls us to community. 

The Apostle Paul put it this way in his letter to Philemon. He said in verses 4-7:

I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you. (ESV)

See how many times Paul links love of God with love of others. But, he also links maturity and growth to "the sharing of your faith." This is more than evangelism, but evangelism is definitely a part. The word for sharing that Paul uses is the word "koinonia" which means fellowship. The sharing of his life of faith. As Philemon shares his life of faith it will lead him to have a "full knowledge of every good thing that is us for the sake of Christ." 

Thus, we cannot grow and experience Christ, His Spirit, or His blessings if we make faith a private affair. We are called to love and serve others. It IS the expression of our faith. What happens personally by faith MUST be expressed outwardly in love, service and fellowship. 

We are called to share the journey  of the Christian life in every way we can. In so doing, we become servants of God instead of consumers looking for God to meet my needs and make me happy. It is about spreading God's Kingdom and loving and serving our brothers and sisters in Christ.

So what about you? Are you actively sharing the journey to which God has called you or is faith a private matter between you and God? This truth is why we must be attached to a local church, united to the body of believers. Anyone who says he can worship and serve God without being a part of the church is not serving the God of the Bible but an idol, a creation of one's own mind. Why? Because God has called all of us to love and serve others and we can't do that on our own, thus making our "worship" ineffective and selfish.

It is time for our spirituality to go from two legged to three legged. Instead of God and me, it needs to become God, me, and my neighbor. Spirituality that does not include all three is not a true spirituality. Share the Journey of the Christian life and rise Above Reality.

Find Your Purpose: Obedience

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, 13 for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. " Philippians 2:12-13

When the Apostle Paul wrote his encouraging letter to the Philippians, he commended them for their steadfast obedience to God in his presence AND in his absence. They were consistent. They weren't perfect and still needed to grow in their faith which is why he told them to work out their salvation with fear and trembling. But their obedience was commendable because it was consistent. It wasn't for show, but was a genuine obedience from the heart.

It is amazing, isn't it? How prone people (and apparently animals!) are to forgetting who they are in the absence of accountability? Like the cat in the video above proves, we like to put on a show as being one thing until we are caught and then we resume regularly scheduled programming. The cat in the video is clearly barking like a dog until it is caught and then resumes his place as a cat. The video really is amazing because it shows how prone to deception we really are and brings into light how remarkable the faith of the Philippians was when they could obey the God even in the absence of their leader.

Proverbs 10:9 puts it plainly: 

"Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out." 

God is watching. Even when nobody else is watching, God is watching.

I don't say this to frighten somebody or to think God is just waiting for someone to mess up so He can punish Him. That isn't how God works. When I say God is watching, I am saying that your life, your faith, and your thoughts are completely open to God. Nothing is hidden. So even if we think we are fooling others by our actions, we are not fooling God. In fact, when we disobey God, we look as ridiculous as that cat barking like a dog. We were not created to live in rebellion to God. When we do rebel, we assume an existence that is completely foreign to our design and intended purpose.

So we come to our intended design and purpose which is obedience to our creator. 1 John 2:3-5 says it this way:

And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. (ESV)

There are two things that need to be noted in this passage. 

1. Obedience is the result of knowing Jesus. When we are born again through faith in Jesus Christ, God changes us from the inside out and obedience is the proof that the change has happened. It does not say perfection, but it does say a practice of obedience will become a part of your life. 

2. When you are obeying God's will for your life, His love will become complete in your life. You will know love. You will experience it, you will give it and you will live by it. LOVE. Not legalistic, mean spirited fundamentalist rule keeping. 

LOVE. 

It isn't about keeping the rules, it is about living in harmony with God through his son Jesus. It is about fulfilling your purpose for living and operating within your created design. You were created to experience and express God's love in this world. You were created for life and God's commandments are life. Rebellion against God is death. 

Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25 both say this:

      There is a way that seems right to a man, 

      but its end is the way to death.

There is a way that seems right, until we are caught. There is a way that seems natural until we find out that our master is looking at us and then we remember who we are. There is a freedom that looks like slavery and a slavery that looks like freedom. The sinful heart will look at God and see bondage when in reality God is offering freedom. You purpose is to live in obedience to the God that created you. His will for you is life and love, but it has to be found in him through Jesus Christ. Obey God and you will most certainly rise Above Reality.