This is a continuation of a past blog post. I wrote the original one 2 years ago, if you haven not read it, I would encourage you to read it here! Now on with part 2!
A lot has changed since I last wrote. The Lord has changed my heart, renewed my mind and will continue to! I feel like I am becoming more wise everyday because I continue to see how much wisdom I DO NOT possess. It is humbling to see what God is doing in my life and teaching me. I continue to be lead by the spirit and by truth of the Word of God. Praise to Him for that! In the last post we covered Matthew 19 and Jesus telling a wealthy man that he must give away his wealth to inherit eternal life. The man went away sorrowful for he had great possessions. Today we will build upon this. He was sorrowful because he had great wealth. And he valued it, but more importantly, he was comfortable in it. Jesus didn't say "if you have any money, you won't go to heaven." That is not what he is saying at all, but was saying if you have a lot of money, you are not generous with it, if you aren't using it for others and for the Will of The Lord, you will never inherit the plans God has for you, you will never inherit the Kingdom of God. What things of this world are you keeping close to you, what ways make you comfortable? We call Jesus, Lord. But what does Lord mean? Lord by definition is someone/thing of authority, of a master, of complete control. That said, who is your Lord, what is your Lord? - Is it Politics, where your comments on Facebook are at the center of your mind and you starve as you are looking to find fuel to fill that tank; to get going and debate your opinions against others? - Is it your Religion, where you have taught righteousness to the point where you are degrading others who are not as "righteous are you are" and you down upon them? - Is it Perfection, where you have tried to do everything you can perfectly to the point where you have lost sense of the humanity you are one with? - Is it Money, where even though on the dollar bill it says "God we Trust", your trust is the bill itself and the worldly value of it? - Is it in relationships or even the idea of a relationship, where you are searching in the world for love when love in it's most pure and passionate form is right in front of you? - Is it in Sports, where your year highlights are found in the performance of your favorite team in a big game and winning a championship. - Is it in Success, where your value is found in your performance and accomplishments and not in the identity of who you are in Christ? Are you uncomfortable yet? I am, but you wanna know what? The Christian Life is not comfortable. Do you think Jesus felt comfortable hanging on a Cross, being beaten and spit on. We are to take up our cross and follow him, giving his our lives as a living sacrifice because he sacrificed his own life for us. In our Lord(s) we find comfort. But none of these Lords compare to the One True Lord, Our God, who loves us unconditionally in all his fullness. God's nature is summed up in this one word. Glory. Were all things in this world fall short is where God shines the most. In His glory. A glory that surpasses our understanding. So, find comfort in that, but don't. What is the cost of discipleship? Comfort. Following God means sacrificing for God. It means to get out of the comforts of this world and do weird things. Love strangers, pray for others, proclaim the gospel, worship an invisible God. The Christian faith to the world is so weird, but it is truth. God made us to be uncomfortable; 2 Timothy 1:7 says that "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." Being uncomfortable is to set yourself apart from The World, to live for something, someone larger than yourself. And that requires sacrificing everything of the flesh and living in the spirit of the living God. But we were created for God, and nothing, no one else. Since the fall, everything comfortable became uncomfortable, and everything uncomfortable became normal. Now we must reverse the tide back because we were created in the Image of God and through Christ and through his work in us, he is restoring that broken image. The Cost of discipleship, of following Jesus is Comfort, but the result is far greater than anything imaginable! Grace and Peace to you, Dakota Lowe
0 Comments
"Sometimes to stay alive, you gotta kill your mind." - Twenty One Pilots
As I developed my own process of thinking when it comes to Theology, I identified as a Calvinist. My best friends in high school were and I had many ideas and assumptions about God in that view. I want to go out on record to say this is not a post hating on Calvinism, because I am still reformed in my way of thinking to a certain extent. I still read many reformed authors, I JUST BOUGHT myself Charles Spurgeon's published sermon notes a couple days ago and say his preaching has impacted me more than anyone else's, besides the teachings of Jesus that is! I read Johnny Mac, John Piper, Tim Keller, and more. I also agree with many of the ideas Calvinists tend to give. But there is one thing that that keeps me away. There is one Calvinist idea I CAN NOT comprehend. An angry god. Notice I did not capitalize god, because that is not God.
The reformed movement started by Martin Luther, has changed the world in how we even think about God. Made famous by John Calvin and later in the US by Jonathan Edwards among others in The Great Awakening, Reformed Puritan Theology is the basis for what much of America believes in. I have been looking around the greater Indianapolis area and I am noticing all the Baptist Churches in the area. There are a lot of them! I also have noticed many are shaped by Calvinism. There are great, biblically based churches (mostly), but what in the world has caused us to think God is an angry god? Hebrews 1:3a (ESV) says "He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power..." This being said, Jesus is the exact imprint, the exact same as the Father, as God. Same characteristics, same outlook. He IS God, so in that way, we know who God is because of who Jesus is. Was Jesus an angry being? You could argue yes with the flood and plagues, and under a specific lens it is true, but through the lens of Gospel, it could not be further from the truth. Scripture tells us that God has always looked out for his people. That has never changed because HE never changes (Hebrews 13:8) God always showed love and mercy, even before and beyond the cross. Humanity is sinful, and God has shown that it is through the Law, but he has always made a way to honor Him and be in union with Him. For he CREATED us and he LOVES us. WE are HIS. Dying on a cross, God doesn't release his wrath on man, but man releases his wrath on God. If God were to be an "Angry God", he would have struck the men down, especially Saul. Saul, the murderer of Christians and destroyer of all things Holy. If God were angry, he would have killed him, but he showed love and mercy. Jesus himself comes to him. Showing him His glory and kindness. And that caused him to repent of his old ways and become Paul. Sound familiar? Try Romans 2:4. If God were angry, why are we still here? I know I mess up daily, but God shows mercy and love. For his mercies are made new every morning. He uses me to do his work, though I am far from perfect. Does that sound like an Angry God? Or does that sound like Jesus? Does that sound like God? I know that is the God of Abraham, of Jacob, of Moses, of Noah, and he is the Maker of all Creation. Rather than being angry for your sins, he wants to love you THROUGH them. And that is God. 1 John 4:8+16 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. And we have come to know and believe the love that God has for us. God is love; whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Grace and Peace to You, Dakota Lowe While reading "Awe" by Paul David Tripp; He mentions Psalm 145. I read this in, well, "awe". Our God is a God of endless glorious wonders. David is the one accredited to writing this psalm as well as 73 of the other Psalms. In this Psalm, David's main focus is to praise The Lord and speak of his greatness. It really put things into perspective well; showing just how "Greater is He."
Let's break it down by paragraph: 145 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. David gives his praise to God, writing about how great God is and the effects God has had on him. "His greatness is UNSEARCHABLE" Wow. That is beautifully written. It really means you can think about how great The Lord is, but you will never fully grasp how great, how wonderful He is! His worthiness of praise has no end, much like His love. 4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. Verse 4 speaks to me greatly. Working in the Family Ministries, I run into a lot of youth and parents. I work production so that everything in the background goes smoothly, but I occasionally get the pleasure of working with the kids and students. But why do I do it? Why do we do what we do in the Children's and Student Ministries? Verse 4 is why, to praise and show the other generation, the younger generation, how great God is. Verse 5 reminds us to look back upon The Lord's works, to see where he has taken you, what he's done for you and to give thanks. In verses 6 and 7, I think "they" refers to the younger generation. It shows that our generation has to teach and lead by example and the younger generation will follow. 8 The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. 2 Timothy 2:13 says that: "Even when we are faithless, He is faithful" Even when we fail, God loves us and shows mercy upon us. THAT is the Gospel. Verses 8 and 9 is the Gospel. I am SO THANKFUL for that. "His mercy is over all that he has made". 10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! 11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, 12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. 13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. Everything that God is, all of His characteristics point to His glory, his power, His grace. Everything Jesus was in his time here on earth points to who The Father is. 14 The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. Verse 14 reminds me of a song my Great Grandma used to always sing. "You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains. You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas." We are The Lord's Creation. And He loves his creation, us. Sin may influence us more than He does at times, but again, even when we are faithless, HE is faithful! 20 The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. The only way to be saved is to accept Jesus as savior. When you surrender your life to Jesus, only then can you truly experience His love. But as verse 20 says, if you remain in the wicked state of mind rather than living in unison with the righteous of God, a life with Jesus, you will be destroyed. Not physically, but like in Roman's 1, God let the world go and gave themselves into their selfish desires. It turned out, they actually were the ones who destroyed themselves. If you continue on the wicked path, you will be turned away from Heaven. It's a fact people don't like hearing, Christians don't like saying, but it's the truth from the very Word of God. But as David said, we are meant to do the same. To "speak the praise of the Lord" and to "let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever." Grace and Peace to you, Dakota Lowe I find that now more than ever, we get into some routines. Wake up, stay laying down for a few minutes to gather youself, check social media, get up, get ready for the day, get a Blonde Roast or Frappuccino and maybe a sandwich from Starbucks, go to work, go home, clean (sometimes), eat dinner, text, go to sleep. We sometimes forget that life is limited and we are not guaranteed anything in life. I think the book of Revelation shows us a lot, but I find two main points reflected.
In tribute to the Students and Staff from UCC shot. Rest in Peace.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ And there you were, gunned down and asked if you were a Christian. If you said no, you were shot in the leg. You lived. And if you said yes? You were shot in the head, and you would most likely die. What would you say? I don't know if I could say "Yes, I am a Christian" loudly and clear with confidence. I really hope and pray that I could, but to be 100% honest, I don't know. I hope I would never deny Christ, but even Peter did. Three times. I read the reports and I thought about the happenings in Umpqua Community College on October 1st, 2015, and I cried. I posted a photo on social media with a quote stating "The bravest person in America? The 2nd person shot for claiming to be a Christian." Christian Persecution is real. It has happened in the Middle East, but in America? That seems so crazy to think about, like it would never happen. But it did. My fellow Christians, we WILL be persecuted. Jesus even told us this in John 15:18-21. "18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me." So how do we as Christians respond? Do we just not associate with non-believers? Do we hate anybody who doesn't follow Christ? Maybe we force Christianity on others and persecute others who oppose? What do we do? We LOVE. Grace to you, Dakota Lowe This is the beginning of my new blog series "Basic Truths". In "Basic Truths", we take some basic things you'd hear a child in Sunday School answer a question with and explore them with Scripture to explain how theologically advanced they are.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ I have a nephew named Jaxon. Jaxon is 2 years old and loves going to church. He loves it as much as I do and even woke up this morning when I was getting ready at 6am. After telling him good morning, he stretched his arms up and He said to me "Hi DLowe! I'm ready to go to church." He loves going to church and as his Uncle and as a follower of Christ, I LOVE seeing that. Whenever he sees my necklace or bracelet (they both have a cross) he will point to it saying "JESUS!" I'll ask him "Does Jesus love you?" He'll laugh, say "Yeah!" and smiles! Whenever I can, I tell him "Jesus loves you. Jesus loves you so much!" It's something basic, a "Sunday School" answer if you want to call it that. Even just after the 2nd time, my nephew associated a guy named Jesus with a lowercase "t" and associated love in the midst of it. HE knows Jesus loves him. That brings me to my first basic truth, "God/Jesus(who is God) loves you". If you've ever have attended Sunday School and church a few times, it's something basic you learn, but how basic is it? John 15:12-15 12“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. I find it awesome that Jesus says this, knowing what He had to do. He indirectly references in verse 12 "love thy neighbor" and explains we do it because Jesus loves us or he first loved us as 1 John 4:19 says it! The love of God to send his Son onto earth to live a perfect life and to die on the cross is a greater love than we can ever imagine. The love of God is beyond our own comprehension. Scripture elaborates even more onto that, saying God doesn't just love us, but He IS love! He IS love for us. John 4:16 says: "So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." We have a God and a Savior who made us to love others and to be loved. And we were made to require a love so great that only God can can fulfill it. And he does love us. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Thank you for reading, and Grace to You! - Dakota Lowe The Gospel is essentially life or death. As Christians, we must be dead to sin, and alive to God (Romans 6:11). We must live out the Gospel in our life, evangelizing with our heart and actions along with our words, to spread the Good News to everyone we come in contact with. Right now, I am studying Matthew, and throughout the Ministry of Jesus, a common trend I see is the "Cost of Discipleship". The cost to follow Jesus is of great worldly value. To be more specific, we must be willing to give up everything we have to follow Jesus.
In Matthew 19 (ESV), a man of great wealth asked the question, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. This man specifically was a man of financial wealth, but Jesus also talks of a wealth in form of relationships. Family or Friends, the relationships you are currently in are important. But are they more important than following Jesus? If you were to make a list of the most important things in your life, in order, would God be on top of your list? Think hard about this, pray about it, and search your heart to truly find the right answer to this question. I am going to be talking and quoting scripture about Family, but this could be for ANYTHING other than God! I love my family, so much. I'm really close to my Dad especially, but I really love them all. I was confused when I first heard Jesus said that we must hate our family. I thought we were supposed to love and honor them? I quickly learned (to my personal relief, sorta) that the word "hate" was used in a different manner then than how it is now. When Jesus said hate, He meant we must be willing to leave them (and anything else) behind to follow Him. That nothing must be more important, or even close to, following Jesus. In that light, we must also have a family like bond with fellow believers, whether family or not. Jesus knew this, as we see in Matthew 12. 46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. 48 But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” 49 And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” That seemed kinda harsh. I couldn't have imagined what that must have felt like for Mary or one of His brothers. I'm sure it would have been tense situation for their point of view. Jesus never said that he didn't love them, but that His family was those who do the Will of God. He put His followers, closer than his earthly family, because his followers were closer to The Father. He's showing that under God on that list, we should do the same, and be closer to those that are Godly compared to Ungodly. If that means spending less time with your family and spending more time with your more Godly friends, so be it. In the end, they will influence you positively and encourage you to become stronger in your faith on a daily basis, something you are going to find that doesn't happen with Ungodly people. I am not (nor is Jesus) saying you shouldn't interact with Non-Christians, you should, but always be aware of who influences you and filter them if you need to, that way you can be the best follower of Christ you can. The Gospel is what should be the core of the Christian's heart and life. Nothing else and nothing less. "The Cost of Discipleship", The costs of following Jesus, may seem great, but greater is the reward. Is God truly Holy? Of course he is, he IS the almighty God. The creator of Heaven and Earth. The Creator of all things, including us. It's pretty crazy. Dakota Lowe |
AuthorLuke Fuson Archives
September 2016
Categories |