PAXBlog

A new Blog-a-lution

2012-01-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

WOW! It's been a long time since I have blogged the goings on of PAXnorth and God's work in our growing church.I am offically making a blog-a-lution to blog at least once a week to keep current with what we have seen happening in the context of our community and to encourage us to consistently look to Jesus.As for an update to bring us up to speed??? Here's a bit of a video blog.. something we sent to a few of our supportingchurches. Enjoy and I'd love to have a quick shout out on your life. Post a note here or send me an emailat paxnorthchurch@gmail.com. The 2011 Update Video!

-REDEMPTION-

2010-11-20T12:03:00.001-08:00

There are certain threads in humanity that have a deep resonate ring in the heart, no matter creed, culture, background, up bringing or origin of birth. REDEMPTION is one of those threads.
PAX has begun a study through the the first part of Exodus highlighting this theme "REDEMPTION:: An Exodus of Soul Changing Proportions"
Since starting this series four weeks ago I can honestly tell you that I was not quite prepared for what God might be doing in the under current of our city, on our streets, our Church, our small groups, our family relationships and in our larger sphere of influences.
A quick snap shot::
We have had some deep tragic struggles: of shootings in our neighbourhood -about 500yrds from our front door- Out of which PAX was offered a unit in a housing development to use as a site for doing anything that would bring value to our community - and I was asked to sit on a community surround board.
We have seen five individuals (directly connected or in families of PAX) come to an understanding of their need for Christ as their Way, Truth and Life.
We have seen our Value Discipleship Groups (peer to peer small groups) grow to the place where approx. 90% of those attending are in or in the process of joining into these groups where we intentionally press the Gospel into each others lives.
We have seen a consistent traction being made in the both the favor and influence of people in PAX serving and drawing others into the community of Church. (numerical growth is o.k. if you press the numbers to repentance and mission and not merely morals and attending)
We have seen God using the very common gifts of life on life and the personalities of our people to create a buzz of God doing something among us.
We are being pressed to find a new physical location to use as a greater presence and place of influence to our community {both for worship and ministry site).
We have seen several young leaders be drawn into a full time discovery of what Church Planting and Streetlevel ministry looks like (we are preparing to develop a streetlevel internship and a churchplanter internship with two different candidates)
We consistently have regular outsiders coming to PAX for clarity, understanding, direction and as a possible resource for starting a renewed work of the Gospel in their place of influence/call (church, universities, colleges, streetlevel ministries)
We are constantly humbled by God's ability to use stammering lips and stumbling leadership to bring about a broken dependence on the work of Christ in us.

ALL THIS "braggin" to illustrate:: The first part of Exodus is a testimony of God's quiet yet direct preparing of his people for an incredible work of redemption. First couple of chapters of Exodus we get a picture of struggle and tragedy, than we are introduced to a very sketchy "Deliverer" - until we are finally brought to a place where we are introduced to the REAL DELIVERER- and it ain't Moses!
There are some definite big boy steps that PAX is getting ready to take... perhaps we are moving out of a toddler stage of new church? But just so you clearly know- REDEMPTION is being worked out in PAX and it ain't by the hand of PAX!

Insideous Enemies of Grace within.

2010-08-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

Saturday night- the kids are in bed... some R even sleeping... my wife is chillin with the PAXchix; Football on T.V. and my mind is furiously chewing over some "applied grace" thoughts [Things like- fighting against my own nasty behaviors by applying legalistic 'do betterness' or self motivated 'I can handle this probl...em by myself you watch' is still pride and self-righteousness... isn't it true that if you fight sin with sin it's still sin? And doesn't the Bible say SIN brings death?) hmmmm only by leaning hard into grace can I find freedom- set -free -it -ness!
For all those who are so used to the terms- 'grace'; 'law', 'righteousness' when referring to the place/actions/conversation/and work of salvation- I'm meaning something that happens in the life AFTER the glorious transaction of salvation.
For all those who have habitually struggled for years trying to make yourself sanctified, or good enough before God and others. STOP! We already know you aren't going to do it- cause we can't either. This is why we need and are offered grace from God.
Can I get specific for a minute: Men, we enter the ring against a wandering heart, drawing away by wandering eyes and the acts of self-worship we commonly call lust. So, if you are a Jesus follower, you know you have to 'put to death' this bit of nastiness- cause if you don't it'll put to death a bunch of stuff in your own life. [Believe me I see the underbelly of it everyday with the human traffic in my hood and the addictive, abusive, self effacing heart ache that comes along with it]. So you determine by pure legalism (rules/boundaries/and by doing the best you can in your self) to over come it! That's weapon #1 we are often told will conquer lust in our lives. Secondly, we tell ourselves I can control this thing- weapon of pride. Both of which are dirty sins in themselves and soon like the Pharisees of old, who perfected pride and legalism we birth a self-righteousness. Here's how it goes:: Yeah, I have fasted from this for like a year now (pride); I'm starving this habit (with internet blockers and accountability partners); I'm controlling my mind- "by bouncing my eyes"- Every Man's Battle. I'm not saying these things are necessarily bad- NO boundaries are good, if we don't have boundaries we have lawlessness- BUT what I am saying is that these self made rules and will power are NOT ENOUGH!! In fact if left to their own they twist into our thinking so that we actually stop confessing and start rewarding our 'good behavior' with just a taste of sinful compromise. Or when we are tired, or up late, or feel like our wives or girlfriends are not there for us than lust (which we have tried to hold down by our own strength) completely overcomes us- devours us and pushes us to a dark place from which we can hardly recover.
We need for the Grace of God to so totally sweep our hearts, minds, lives that we hate sin so deeply because of what it cost Jesus to secure our freedom. We need to be so constantly close to the cross that the love of God castes out what we think we need through the false assurance and temporary security driven by our self- worship displayed in lust -Come on, using someone else for our own glory, whether they participate or not is a horrendous act and misuse of the dignity, value and worth God has given them and a blatant act of self-worship- Only the discipline motivated by the grace of God will be the kind of discipline that keeps us quick to confess, able to truly repent and living in the freedom of forgiveness AND victory. Where sin is grace is able to super abound = victory!

Grace produces Graces

2010-08-28T17:37:00.000-07:00

This series is going to look at something that several of the puritan writers referred to as the graces being formed in the lives of those who have been deeply affected by THE Grace of God.
THE Grace is the evidence of God's love being so great towards us that He would satisfy His own holiness by sending His Son Jesus to justify our 'owe' accounts. He dies in our place, undergoing the fullness of God's wrath for sin and exchanges, in those who by faith believe, our earned wages of death (because of our sin) for His right standing before God.... AND SHARE IN ALL THE SPIRITUAL RICHES THAT CHRIST HOLDS as the Son of God.
This is what the Bible means when you read things like, "For by GRACE are we saved through faith, it is not of ourselves lest anyone should boast" (from Ephesians)
Paul says it a whole lot better and in a much deeper, fuller, incredible way all over the New Testament but one of the best places is here: Romans 3:21-31
The Puritan theologians wrote about those who have spent time understanding such great a grace will begin to be transformed from the inside-out! The graces will begin to form and show evidence in their lives. The spiritual graces are different than spiritual gifts- they are more like the spiritual fruits that Paul instructs us will show in the lives of those who are living a true spiritual life.
Shortening this post up- the graces that we will be looking at are ones that need to mark those who are the spiritual leaders of the churches in Crete:: and those which should mark the life of every one who has been truly affected by God's grace-
THE GRACE OF FAITH
THE GRACE OF HUMILITY
THE GRACE OF CONFESSION
THE GRACE OF REPENTANCE
THE GRACE OF PRAYER
A GRACE DRIVEN OBEDIENCE [from baptism to communion and beyond]

Because of such a Grace from God- we will see a growing reality of grace in our everyday lives...

Growing in the Graces:: Character for Leading a Christ-Centered Life

2010-08-23T18:27:00.000-07:00

We are on to a NEW series- this one is looking at the HEART of the letter Paul wrote to Titus - the basic theme centers on Paul's instruction to Titus "to put in order" spiritual leadership who will deal with the mess that spiritual immaturity has created in the churches in Crete where I've sent you to serve. The basic problem?? Ever hear someone call another person a 'Cretan?'- it's not a flattering term- which you learn more of through the book of Titus. The basic problem is that there were a large group of those who called themselves spiritual leaders who demonstrated by their words and actions that they had little understanding or evidences of the transforming grace of God.
This series of messages is going to focus on Paul's core instruction to Titus to look for and encourage the character of Christ-centered living in the churches- and in the lives of everyone who calls themselves a Christ follower.
GROWING IN THE GRACES :: Character for Christ- Centered Living

Our identity Thread:: the Genesis

2010-05-20T16:23:00.000-07:00

Where does your identity begin? or Out of what does your identity flow?
Don't just brush bye this question. I think the quality of your life and hope for your future depends on the answer. Does your identity begin and outflow from your birth family, ethnicity or the circumstances into which you were born -country, location, economics, race, etc? Has your identity flowed out of something that happened to you or something you've done in your childhood or in your youth? Is your identity driven by the cultural setting, the moral interpretations around us of what it looks like to be a successful man or woman? An honest answer to "Where does your identity begin?" matters.
I weekly interact with friends from our streets who have their identity shaped and often shattered by all of the above categories. "My dad was high up in a branch-off gang of the Hell's Angels. Spent years in jail. My mom used to ask me to leave the house for an hour seven or eight times a week so she could bring in a 'boy friend'. I have grown up surviving and no one else looks out for me but me! People need to know that I'm not to be messed with, I'll smash em if I need to."
Daily we are bombarded with images that tell us what kind of men or women we are supposed to be. The examples of those we worship in our culture constantly tell us how we are to dress for acceptance or in tune with a global moral trend, live in relationship or accept that relationships are merely for temporary entertainment, or what causes matter to us. We are told that all of us are just in the wings waiting to be discovered and therefore had better appear successful to a waiting world.
It doesn't matter if you grew up in 'disfunction' or if you grew up in 'health'- I would say that in regards to the genesis of our identity the Bible proves the most helpful. Genesis 1,2 describe for us the intentions and delight of God in creating a world where humanity could discover Him and each other. As far as the Bible is concerned our identity thread began in God. In fact in Psalms we are told, "before you were formed in your mother's womb I knew you."- God speaking here. Think on it... your not an after thought, your not a mistake. The opposite is true- your an forethought of God. "Before your thoughts came to you they were written down in my book."
Where your identity starts makes a life time of difference. In God you discover you were created for intentions, purposes and the deepest of relationship. Romans 1-8 is going to show us what happens when we ignore and deny this truth OR by faith we grab hold of an identity offered to us in Christ and live out the remaking of this identity.
What is central to all this promise of a remade identity?
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’”Romans 1:16,17
If you have been wondering what this remake might look like or what is at risk if we simply choose to live out of a self-made identity- read the upcoming blogs or listen to the podcasts on our website (coming soon). Our prayer has been that this will sink deep into the heart and soul of each one who is willing to honestly interact with these truths. Deeper often confronts, hurts and demands answers of our souls- this is what Paul is about to do in Romans 1-8 regarding the making of our identity, ready?

Our Identity Thread

2010-04-15T07:50:00.000-07:00

PAX is entering a new stage of spiritual growth. Over the last few months we have seen the development of three Value Discipleship Groups (Value D-Groups). These are community groups for peer to peer discipleship and a place to live out and apply God's Word in our lives together. However it is not the forming of new groups or a new ministry that truly determines a new stage of spiritual growth. In the last few months we have seen God's Spirit moving to draw us to a greater application of the Gospel into our lives and to begin to work that out in an everyday way.
There is a sense of excitement and joy as we have seen several people come to a fuller understanding of knowing Christ in their life- for both salvation and renewal. This also brings discomfort because the Gospel will not allow us to hold on to a false sense of self, or self worship. The Gospel brings renewal out of humility. We are no longer allowed to gain our identity from a broken past or a religious present our identity thread is founded in God, redeemed in Christ and remade through the Holy Spirit.
In the next few weeks we will be looking at the Gospel according to Paul- through the first 8 chapters of Romans. Here we find, in the power of the Gospel, what our identity looks or doesn’t look like [next week]. How we are released- bringing freedom of heart, spirit, life- and more than this; to know that it is from God [week3], through Christ [week 4] by His Holy Spirit [week 5] frees us from trappings/crisis in identity [week 6] allowing for us to live in a confident spiritual assurance for everyday no matter what our past, present or future looks like [week 7]. The reality is, the application of these passages will take much longer than 8 weeks- but will be a place of reforming of our entire life.

This blog has moved

2010-03-23T17:09:00.001-07:00

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Winter was Spring IS!

2010-03-23T16:51:00.001-07:00

Hey PAXblog peeps. I have been on the MIA list for blog world- need to jump start:: the blog- since then we have launched two Missional D-Groups- small groups with the purposes of peer to peer discipleship [time to talk about application of a Gospel-posture in every day life and to hold each other accountable in relationship] and serving our community together through these groups. Our hope is that these groups would not be surface places of "self- realizations" not ego-centric; but that these would be places of honest life before God and each other so that we have no place to hide but in Christ alone; Following this up with an honest hands on approach to valuing our community by serving in it. We have also just completed our third Gospel Journey 101 [the basics of FAITH::VALUE:: CULTURE} a look at the foundations behind PAXnorth Church; All in all it's been an exciting winter [even as we studied through the Psalms of Lament]
Now we are studying through the last week or so of Christ's life, pre and up to His resurrection! We are discovering that Jesus IS Enough!! But more on that later in the week... ahhhhh good to be back!! Hope your winter found you not merely busy but effective!

Surface Tensions in Psalms

2010-01-22T05:47:00.000-08:00

MORE THAN WHAT YOU THINK
The Psalms have been a means of spiritual expression since before our Bible was in print. A place that expresses prayers, sorrows, hopes, celebrations, and awe in authentic relationship with God. Pick a Psalm, any Psalm, read it through slowly thinking on what the Psalmist is trying to express- you'll find the qualities of a heart that has been moved so deeply by a theme relating to God that it can no longer contain itself! The tension has been building, joy, sorrow or hope [maybe all three]- no matter the topic the heart of the writer has been so struck that they can't contain it! It busts through the surface in raw honest song, prayer or complaint. It's no wonder that our hearts gravitate to this amazing compilation of prayers and praise when we just need to find expression to God or with each other.
Anticipation and Sorrow
PAXnorth has been looking at two particular categories of Psalms; In the month of December we looked at a few Messianic Psalms [Psalms of Anticipation of God's promised deliverance]; Presently we are looking at Psalms of Lament [Psalms of personal sorrow, or community grief].
I'll pick up this blog with the present focus of Lament.
A quick caution though as you begin to read through these Psalms of personal and community anguish - this is not a place of simple solution. It's not: "Feeling a personal or community anguish? Well, take two Psalms and call me in the morning." That kind of religious self-help, platitude doesn't cut it in the Psalmist's heart. There is a deep tension in living faith under the watchful care of an authentic relationship with a Sovereign God. If you're ready for more than a surface understanding ofthis tension- read the next few blogs on Psalms of Lament.

Spiritual Growth is A Personal Matter!

2009-12-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

[You don't need the church to see fruit, faithfulness, honesty, healing and protection!]
I've come to the last chapter in the book of James. Not gonna lie, I feel a bit lonely about it. Like saying good bye for a short time to a close friend. James is a book I keep coming back to time after time. I love his direct hard hitting style and the deep connectedness I receive as God's Spirit uses these words to convict, convince and reshape my heart. Encourages me for the next time around, to go slower, search deeper and allow for the Spirit of God to move beyond the surface.
James 4:13-5:20 Church planting has taught me more than I can share with you in a blog. One of the most important lessons this year has been "How do you measure spiritual growth and success? Both personally and as a Church. I've learned, most often it is those who have had an extra-ordinary event of 'success' who write the books on "How to make your Church healthy- like mine"- that's not my reality and I have had to die to most of the models of success I've read about.
James addresses both the private measures of success and the church measures of success as he closes his letter. He talks about our investments, our banking, and what we are to leave space for in our lives.
INVESTING IN FUTURE HOPE Ch. 4:13-17 [ am I investing in self-reliance?]
James addresses the merchants among us- going from town to town, place to place, buying low, selling high, planning the details for financial freedom, and for a life that will set them up for a sense of worldly peace. Making plans for themselves, by themselves and to themselves. Read the words- people talking to themselves about how self sufficient they will become. Vs 15 holds the key to their false sense of future hope. They have omitted Yahweh (Creator God) who holds the very breath and details of life in His hands. This is not merely an instruction for me to slap a label on MY will "Hey God I'm gonna go do this... stop me if you like or bless me if you can." No! That is such a shallow understanding of God's will. It is a sin of OMITTING GOD! Not allowing for Him to have your present and your future. We are to live each day, even each moment with a sense of this as a grace filled moment given to me from the hand of God- I will redeem this moment, this day by His grace and live to honor Him in it.
JUST IMAGINE! James 5:1-6 [am I banking on self-indulgence?]
What would it be like to be filthy rich? What would you do with 15 million dollars? How would your life change? This is the basic script that drives millions of people monthly, weekly, yearly to lottery counters and Casino's. James very bluntly paints for us a picture of 'Just Imagine' if you were trusting your security or success on how much resources you can amass and manage. "Your riches have rotted, your garments are moth eaten, your coin is corroded and it has eaten the very security and soul you hoped to protect." How foolish to try and grab up riches and resources as the world is on a crash course to a finite end, and as our neighbours or business partners are dieing and going to an eternity with no hope of redemption.
Invest farther ahead than the here and now- bank on something greater than finite resources! These are not true measures of health or success for any individual or for any Church! What is?!
Leaving Space for the Most Important James 5:7-20 [are we living together under the shadow of the Almighty?]
"Establish your hearts" vs 8- make room for these things, allow yourself to be set in these things- "for the coming of the Lord is at hand" - because we live not just for the here and now of selfish gain.
MAKE SPACE FOR:
1. Patience in Suffering vs 7-11 - a proper theology of suffering will help you and your church community know more of God's grace and love than you'll ever learn from the false prophets of health, wealth and prosperity!
2. Honesty in Living vs 12 Understand that we are not merely representatives of self but, as believers, represent the work of Christ to others.
3. Authenticity in Prayer and Worship vs 13-18
Quick to prayer and worship no matter the occasion! Careful to carry the burden of prayer on behalf of others- fasting and praying for their healing and freedom in God's grace and mercy. Diligent to become a community that is humbly seeing the reality of its own faults and confessing our failings to each other. So that we might see the miracles of God's healing and supply among us together.
Lastly, Making Space for the Wanderer vs19-20 We know this perhaps more than most churches. We have a disproportion number of "wanderers". It's messy, and difficult and often seems easier to off-ramp them from the rest of the christian community. But if by the grace of God just one or two can find hope and freedom from their wanderings by authentic Gospel love and pursuit by the rest of us. The soul saved from death, and the multitude of sins covered over... now that is other world kind of success!
May God grant us the eyes to see and the ears to hear and the strength to serve- because the end is nigh!
- AMEN

Who Questions the Spirituality of Worldliness?

2009-11-30T16:13:00.000-08:00

[Doesn't God want you rich, comfortable, successful AND spiritual?!]
James 4:1-10
Three questions about living like the world and truly being spiritual- could it be possible to do both?
Q.1 Can a Christian live for here and now but still be spiritual? 4:1-4 [Worship Wars!]
I think God must be yelling at the church "Don't get distracted church!" All kinds of minutia distracts the Church from becoming the pure spotless Bride of unity, wholeness, and a catalysis for spiritual change in our communities. One of the biggest distractions has been and in some places continues to be "WORSHIP WARS." Typically this is a growing animosity between those who hold to the great hymns of the faith and those who connect with an expression of worship through popular modern day worship choruses or bands. In fact in some churches this worship war has reached almost a Cain and Abel status. It is both sad and frightening that the first recorded death in scripture happened shortly after the first recorded worship service in the Bible. What you realize though when you study this passage is that it wasn't really a worship style problem but a heart of worship problem. This is what James confronts in answering the question can a Christian be both spiritual and filled up with the things of the world. IT'S A WORSHIP PROBLEM! Look at the words used to describe the heart- passion, desire, longing to spend it on self - these are worship words. DON'T GET DISTRACTED CHURCH- the real worship war is not in the style of music or songs you choose. The worship war is in what we look to fill us up! Our passion for self comforts, success, wealth and how we try to manipulate others, religious expression and yes even God Himself to make ourselves more comfortable! James bluntly calls us adulterers! Wickedly pretending to be spiritual while we are passionately engaged in lusting for the world! This is the true WORSHIP WAR going on in the heart of the Church.
Q.2 Can a Christian Live in Opposition to God and Still be His Friend? 4:4-6 [A Risky Reality]
Re-read the question... o.k. I admit it the answer is obvious. You can't be in opposition to someone and still be their friend, can you? James continuing in his hard hitting style simply answers, "No! You can't be intimately hoping the world fills you up and be in an active friendship with God. No!" We don't think of all that we risk when we pursue this passion for world. What's at risk? a) friendship with God- actually James doesn't equal it to a friendship gone cold but as though we have become an active enemy of God and what He wants to do in our lives. That's a BIG risk- being God's enemy for the sake of our world lovin' passion. b) jealousy of God- in the Old Testament we read that God's name is Jealous! God disciplines those He is jealous over- those He loves. We risk putting ourselves under the strong arm of God's jealousy.
c)We risk the daily experience of the grace of God. Of all that we risk this one should cause us to truly be saddened. God gives grace to those who are in humble relationship with Him- a daily grace to endure and grow in everything a day may send our way- a grace found in Christ alone for the friends of God alone.
Did you know the grace of God is for a daily experience in the Christian's life?
Q.3 Can a Christian Participate in Everyday Grace? ch 4:7-10 [Imperatives of Experience]
In three short verses we are given 10 imperatives! TEN direct commands to protect our friendship with God and to be an active participant in the grace of God in our daily lives. These ten imperatives are a separate study in themselves- which I don't have room to write, nor you the attention to read, right here. But read them over slowly. Think on each one- YOU can experience this sort of spiritual life because of the grace given to us through the cross of Christ! i.e. You can confidently, boldly resist the devil in your life daily because by the cross of Christ the devil is a defeated foe! You can participate in this grace by resisting the defeated enemy! Go through each one with these glasses and you will discover a deeper appreciation and courage to live in the graces of Christ today!
Live humbly in the grace of Christ today and God's mighty arm will lift you up, a friend of God.

God-Speak + Ambtion= Spiritual Leader?

2009-11-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

[If it looks like a Christian Leader, talks like a Christian Leader, wants to be known as a Christian Leader it must be a Christian Leader, right?]
We are at a place in the development of our little church where we need to begin to identify spiritual leaders. Not something that we take lightly. In many ways our future health and preservation depends upon how we identify, develop, and grow spiritual leaders. How do you or does your Church identify spiritual leaders? I know you point towards the 2 Timothy passage regarding what spiritual leaders are supposed to look like, that's good. My experience however has been that churches pick their spiritual leaders by default; "Hey, we've asked 10 people. They all said no so we really need you to serve as an elder in our church." Funny I don't see this in Timothy, Romans, Acts or actually in any of the Bible where they are lead to identify spiritual leaders. James gives us some good instructions here in chapter 3 on what to and not to look for in selecting spiritual leaders:

He's Good at Talkin' 3:1-5a [Take a closer listen to the details 3:5b-12]
James starts this portion of his letter off warning the church about desiring to be a spiritual leader merely for positional significance. We all like to be known as someone important or to be seen as holding an important position. James cautions, "Not many of you should be teachers." Why? because they will be held to a greater judgment [a forensic word]. The role of teacher is not merely a positional role but a stewardship role- stewardship of word and life which God will use to example spiritual growth to others; This calling gives God permission to use any means necessary in our lives to teach those under our care and we will be held for the stewardship of how we respond in word and deed. James gives us negative examples of leaders who talked themselves up as leaders but proved they were unable to bridle their tongues to stewardship such a calling and therefore are disqualified from being teachers. Indeed a strong warning to us who claim to be teacher/leaders!

He's Good at Promotin' 3:14,16 [Take a closer look at the product 3:14-16]
There are those among us who are great at promoting a cause, closing a deal, moving an audience- even with spiritual undertones. James points to these skilled leaders next; He points us to look beyond the surface, or the closed deal to discerning the end product. The end product of this type of leadership is seen here as self- promoting, self indulgence, self-stroking, self boasting! Spiritual leadership is a stewardship of service. The greater servant is the greater leader in God's leadership economy. To be driven by self promotion before humble serving is a red flag to choosing a spiritual leader according to James. Some of you are thinking that I am being to harsh or strict in laying out standards for leadership like this... well James calls this type of 'leading' as straight up demonic! Yeah, read it, James 3:16-19.

The James Model of Spiritual Leadership 3:13,17,18
Identify those whose lives don't make "mini-me's" but those who sow seeds of peace, righteous living, and bring a harvest of spiritual health of others. This is going to mean living with a community of people for an extended period of time- long enough to identify who is doing this in the normal part of building godly relationships. This is going to mean helping these potential leaders understand the heart of the call of eldership/teacher is a call to be a greater servant. May God grant us spiritual insight to see beyond the self-hype to the heart that is planting and producing righteous living and peaceable fruit for the glory of God alone!

Spiritual wisdom lived out in good conduct and peaceable works = Spiritual Leader!

Religions Saves: PROPS FOR GOOD DOCTRINE OVER SOCIAL GOSPEL

2009-10-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

[What your NOT doing speaks so loudly that I can't hear what your saying]
James 2:14-26
"Can that faith save him?"
Can- "dunamai" Having power to, capable of, able to
Save - "sozo" Preserve [keep] one who is in danger of destruction, to save as from the power of messianic judgment
Are we not saved by grace alone applied by faith alone? John 3:36; John 5:24; Rom. 10:9; Eph. 2:8,9
What than is James talking about in this part of the chapter? James 2:14- He asks a question with the intentions of the answer being NO! "Can that faith save him? No!" WHAT?! Doesn't Jesus, Paul and the rest of the New Testament say, "YES!?"
This perhaps is why Luther said of the book of James, "I'd like to throw Jimmy in the fire."
This is not the first time that James has taken us in the direction of faith in motion. James 1:27 "Be doers of the Word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." Deceiving yourselves about what? That a faith that shows no 'doing' is able to save.

Vs 14-17 All we need is Faith in our Faith? [Leaving others destitute, naked and hungry must prove something]
My 6 year old daughter cut her thumb open the other morning, cutting a bagel[no it is not something we allow her to do]. She came into my home office clenching her fist around her thumb, blood dripping and crying. What did I, her dad, do? "I'm studying about the great truths of the faith, right now honey. I see your hand is dripping blood so I bless you. May you heal quickly!" Then as she walks back into the kitchen to apply a wet cloth and a band-aid she faints. What good is it if I come stand over her and say, "I have faith that you will recover, and be well! Now go in peace?" That's NO GOOD! That is NOT what love does! That's NOT what I did! I was there to catch her before she hit the floor and care for her until the thumb was taken care of and the color returned to her face. James tells us to have a faith that just quotes your faith- demonstrates no action proves something. It proves that your faith is dead!
Phillip Melanchthon, a prodigee of Martin Luther and one of the first writers of systematic Theology, said it this way, "We are saved by faith alone but we are not saved by a faith that remains alone."

Vs 18-20 We shouldn't mix Faith and Life? [Holding the right doctrine must make us something]
In 1752 a theologian puritan preacher named Jonathan Edwards preached a sermon titled, "True Grace Distinguished from the Experience of Devils" Great Title! He focused on the heart of these verses, verse 19. Edwards talked about the good things devils have- 1)A sound understanding of who God is, He is One [they have attended the greatest divinity school in the universe, the very presence of God] 2)A respect for the power and greatness of God [They move about under His shutter]
In pointing this out Edwards gives us the picture of religion without a faith that saves! Religion alone often brags of a correct understanding of theological nuances, even knowing who God is. Religion continuously holds out the nature of God as means of punishment and manipulation to it’s subscribers so that the entirety of their life is to “live under the shutter”. Spewing religious terminology while always in the shadow of trying to do enough good deeds to appease an angry God. It is a knowledge of God without a knowing of God in the reality of life. Holding the right doctrine doesn’t necessarily mean we have a living faith. It may mean we are just equal to demons.  James points us to way that we CAN KNOW if faith is a saving faith.

Vs 21-26 Justified by Works [A Pagan, a prostitute and You...the degrees of separation]
What demonstrates a true and saving faith? A true and saving faith is ALWAYS demonstrated, proven, authenticated, matured and completed by works.   James gives us two examples of authentic faith that was so full and powerful that it moved those who possessed it to works beyond what seemed rational or were merely motivated by religious knowing. The first example, Abraham. A man chosen by the grace of God from a pagan setting. Asked to believe, trust, have faith in the One who was calling him. Believes God, surrenders all other hope of success and life to the promise of God alone- it is counted to him for right standing before God. This faith is so definite and so complete that even when God asks him to sacrifice his first born son, which by the way was not a religious rule, out of great love and respect for the God in whom he knew he could trust he does the unthinkable- prepares the human sacrifice. God intervenes in the last moment! From this point on Abraham is called the friend of God. Faith that so deeply understands the grace and care of God that it holds nothing back- a faith of intimate friendship- is no mere theological knowing. This is a faith that courageously trusts the good hand of God, Hebrews 11:17. The second example is not unlike the first. A Jericho prostitute bravely acts in faith to hide the spies of the God she barely knows but knows enough. Her faith, though young, is complete and therefore demonstrated by works. Works that places her own life at risk, but trusts God’s salvation when judgment comes to the rest of the city. This is the basis upon which she makes her decision to protect God’s spies in the city.
The degrees of separation between you, or I, and these two examples (the Pagan and Prostitute) are the degree to which our heart is so impacted by the faith that we possess. Faith that is merely knowledge of God exampled by religious platitudes and a life of shutter, James has told us is dead. A faith that is moved by the grace of God shown to us through His Son always demonstrates acts of worship- it has life!

Pimped-Out Pews Look Good In Church! James 2:1-13

2009-10-24T06:52:00.000-07:00

[Church health is about numbers, finances, programs and excellence?]
Your typical Sunday morning greeter to a new visitor - "Welcome to Our Church. Glad you're here to worship with us. You'll find that we are a growing, healthy Church."
Your internal dialogue, behind your pasted on smile, "Yeah... we'll see."
So how do you judge a healthy church? Do you have a top five or top three list?
1. Well known preacher - celebrity preacher?
2. People coming - success by numbers?
3. Worship Experience - Hill Song music?
4. Response Time - Altar calls and impromptu flag waving sessions?

James is about to give us some clues to what makes a healthy or unhealthy church. James uses the word for 'synagogue' to show these Jewish Christians how they were treating people who came into their assemblies, house churches or places of worship. Reading James 2:1-13 we get the feeling that James is looking for more than merely a worship experience as a way to measure church health.
Pimped out Pews and Health [our standards or God's standards?] vs 1-7 James tells us that these Christians were showing favoritism in who they 'offered their pew' to. If a person of status or obvious wealth came through the doors they would invite them to sit in their own seat. If a person who was obviously poor or had a low social status they would direct them to the 'standing room only section' or tell them to 'pull up a piece of floor'. They felt that their church looked far more healthy with the 'right people' in the pews. James calls them evil judges. In fact he points out how they are behaving entirely opposite of God who has chosen those who have seen their own poverty, their own neediness, their lack of resource and hopelessness. These Christians were falling over themselves to please the same wealthy people who were taking them to court and displacing them from their lands and homes. These are the ones who in word and deed were blaspheming the name of Jesus. They shouldn't be receiving royal Church treatment but loving, direct church discipline.
A Start Measure of Health [moral obligations] vs 8-11 Confronting these celebrity worshiping, status honoring, gold digging Christians James turns to the moral law first, Leviticus 19:15-18; Deuteronomy 16:18-19; Proverbs 28:21. The moral obligation is to treat every human being with the same dignity, value and worth that God has created them with. They are as valued to God as you are. Much more could be said about this... but I'll leave that for you to think through.
The Final Measure of Health [gospel obligations] vs 12,13 and 1 James moves our attention to a greater law, a law he has mentioned before in chapter 1:25, a perfect law. It is called the law of freedom. It is the law for those who have experienced the freedom of coming to Jesus Christ. The law that has been founded in God's mercy over payment, grace over judgment, friendship over enmity. This is a recognition of the Gospel so fully in one's life that mercy, grace and the relationship of friendship is extended to all those we come in contact with- no matter their personal status, their income or if they make our pews look better.
If that is not evident in our lives, homes and churches than James accuses us of holding "the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of Glory, with partiality." Withholding the work of Jesus in our prejudices would be a gross abuse of the grace of God shown to us at the cross.
Are you encouraging the Church towards a healthy demonstration of God's grace from the pew and beyond?

Bible Thumpers Love Jesus More!

2009-10-20T07:43:00.000-07:00

[Young angry Christians don't have dirty faces because they are SO like Jesus]

To tell someone you are 'born-again' in our culture will get you some weird looks. "Your not one of those... born-againers' are ya?" is sometimes the reply. When addressing the nature of those who believe in Christ it has become synonymous with the young angry zealot who carries around the mega-phone for shouting people into heaven, the large print King James only, study Bible (extra thick) for thumping people into repentance, and a multi-colored chronological map to show people the only right way that the world is going to end, as a way to offer hope.
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" 1 Peter 1:3
This is in essence is what James points out to us in James 1:18 - "Of His own will He brought us forth as by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." When a person comes to a place in their life where they have seen the goodness of God, the sinfulness of their own heart, the incredible measures of love that God has gone to in sending His Son to pay for and take the penalty of our sin, surrendering all they believe in this grace of God - They become a part of this 'first fruit' a new creation, one who was once dead to God by sin has been made alive to Him through the work of Christ, who conquered death and sin on the cross- it is a spiritual birth. Having been born once physically into life now you are born again spiritually into spiritual life, by faith in Christ.
What then follows new life? The enjoyment of this life. Growth, maturing, deepening in understanding and opportunity, development of skill, relationship and trust. All this is true spiritually as it is true physically. God does not leave us as orphans to figure out what this looks like on our own. In fact right here James tells us how the resultant life of those who are the 'first fruits of his creatures' are supposed to look.
James 1:19-26, thankfully we are given a picture of someone who is not like the Bible Thumpn', mega-phone totin', apocalyptic dogmatin' zealot. Instead we get some clear, direct, instructions on how to move beyond the thump!
Moving Beyond the Thump!
1. By a righteous renewal in God's Word (vs 19-21)
The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. For those who are quick to rain down judgment on the sins of others, those who shout REPENT through a mega-phone of self-rightness, to all who call themselves 'born agains'(whether you own a mega phone or not) being quick to judge, slow to hear is not a way to mature, grow know the joy of spiritual life. But instead it is filthiness, rampant self wickedness. The only solution? Humble ourselves at the foot of the cross by allowing the Word of God to penetrate our own hearts first and constantly. A renewed surrender to allow the Spirit of God to point out the log in our own eye.
2.By a righteous revival in the Word (vs22-25)
Look, James says, to those who need to move beyond the thump, "You got 'schmutz' on your face. 'Schmutz' on your very soul. You can't really see it... it's right there... no, not on that side... in the very corner of your heart that you seem unwilling to look at...Look we all can see it in how you interact, live, talk with, your family, your co-workers, your spouse, your brothers and sisters, those who are different than you....Here let me show you with this mirror, God's Word, where the real schmutz is... don't worry. It may hurt for a moment... you may need to allow God to humble you... but He humbles us without humiliating us... this is the way of the cross... it is a 'law of liberty'... a place of freedom, joy and hope.... allow the truth of all that He gives us at the cross to point out the dirt in your soul so that we can continually walk as not merely a self righteous hearer (and shouter) but a revived doer who lives the Gospel.
3. A Righteous Religion through the Gospel is what follows (vs. 26-27)
No longer is it about being right first, being heard first, hiding safely behind the walls of comfort or our religious dogma. Now we are preaching the Gospel to ourselves first, renewed in His Word, revived by the truth of His work in transforming our own brokenness, that the 'born againer's' behavior has so completely changed. Instead of being quick to anger and self righteous judgment (that is full of filthiness and rampant wickedness), there is pure and undefiled acts of worship lived out before God. Uncomfortable, inconvenient, outflow of Gospel compassion on those who are hurting around us- as we continually live out love in a counter-cultural expression of the new birth God has awakened in us!
Don't you think it's time we Christians moved beyond the thump?

JAMES 1:1-11:Real Christians Drive Big Caddies

2009-10-19T06:39:00.000-07:00

[Trials and testings are synonyms for sorrow, poverty and punishment]
Thanks to consumerism, T.V. evangelists and peddlers of a soft gospel- that tells us God is more concerned with our comfort than our transformation- many of us hide, hate and repent from trials. North American Christianity holds within itself a underlying appeal that some how because I have said a prayer, go to a Church, or do a good deed my life is going to be full of all kinds of physical treasures and trinkets that will give me great joy, popularity and affirm my 'rightness' with God and the rest of His world. All REAL Christians drive big Caddies, that come equipped with a license plate that says 'BLE-SSD'. If you are in North America and are reading this blog you have seen, or are believing, this Pablum version of the Gospel.
James- skeptic brother of Jesus, turned believer, becoming lead Pastor/Elder of the Jerusalem church,comes to these Jewish believers (who have fled Jerusalem because they were being hunted down as criminals) as their fellow 'bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.' He writes to them because they have allowed all sorts of poor theology to creep into their understanding of the Goodnews that Christ taught, lived and secured at the cross. Poor theology always results in poor behavior. A poor understanding of the Gospel always results in a poor expression of spiritual life and a resultant emptiness of soul. You think I'm being too blunt? Wait until you start thinking on the words of James.
James gets right to it- like stepping into the octagon- the bell rings and James walks across the ring... doesn’t throw a warning jab- just a straight hard right to the jaw... it rocks today’s North American Christianity:
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." Jms 1:2 again in Jms 1:12 "Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial..." No health, wealth, prosperity here! Straight up- 'Blessed' a beatitude- You are favored by God as you are remaining steadfast in the midst of all sorts of testing, trials, hardships! Rejoice! Count it a great gift and privilege from God! It will bring about something far greater than riches, fame, prosperity, comfort, and all the other trinkets of the world. It will bring about a depthness of life, a completeness of assurance in Christ, a soul that is lacking nothing.
How can I wrap my mind around this? What if my home and life has been uprooted by war, hate crimes, persecution? What if I just found out I have lost my retirement funds in the stock market? What if the doctor has just brought me the news that a dear loved one has died, or my child has cancer? Where does James point us to in various trials? A right trust and knowing of God!
Vs 5-8 A Surrendered Reliance on the Open-Handed Wisdom of God
Vs 9-11 A Determined Trust in the Providential Opinion of God
Vs 12-18 A Steadfast Commitment to the Goodness of God's Love

Think these through... if you refuse to surrender, rely and commit to the wisdom, providence and goodness of the love of God shown to you through the giving of His Son, Jesus when facing temptation, trials, and testings you are left with only yourself. Self wisdom, self reliance, self commitment. Of course you are going to come up with a perverted opinion of why you are going through trials. A right trust and knowing of God, as seen through the love of the cross, allows us to surrender to the point of being made whole, perfected and complete in the midst of the trial and testing.
God's not really that interested in your comfort, this life is a passing moment. He is more concerned with your transformation. A transformation that comes when we apply the hope of the Gospel to every corner of our life, relationships and heart, in the midst of all sorts of trials. You will discover that the grace of God more then sustains you to the point of deepening and filling you.

JAMES: Lies of Religion [How religion WONT make you jump higher, run faster, dodge judgement, find fullfillment, or have a relationship with God!]

2009-10-19T06:14:00.000-07:00

PAXnorth began studies in the book of James the Fall of 09. James has been so laying the smack down on the emptiness of religion and we are watching God use His Word to transform the core of our church and many new people, religious and non-religious, who have begun hanging out with us. I hope I can communicate in short blogs what He has been teaching us.

Demands of the King of Grace: Longing for Righteousness Part I

2009-05-10T18:15:00.001-07:00

This past couple of weeks I have had some amazing conversations with some wonderful new people in my life. Within the context of relationship (getting to know, respect and like each other) the question has come up more then once: What IS a Christian?
This question is not as easy to answer as you might at first think. Most of the people that I hang out with throughout the week have a lot of different ideas on church, religions, Christianity. I would say that many of those I talk with who have indicated that they, "tried Christianity," will say, "it didn't stick" or "wasn't for them", or simply "Christianity is just like every other religion." I would venture that 95% of the time, with further conversation (listening more then talking), I discover that really the person has rejected religious Christianity and has never really took a hard look at the claims of Christ for their life. So the question might be better put, "Who would Jesus call a Christian?" A deep, thoughtful study of the Sermon on the Mount and how Christ put flesh to the message of the kingdom He proclaimed will best answer that question.
The Beatitudes point out, unappoligetically, those who will be blessed by being included in the kingdom of God. In essence these qualities ARE the answer to the question. Jesus tells us that those who are Christ followers will be the poor in spirit, the mourning, the meek, etc. This is not a list of seperate people groups. This is a description of the make up of EVERYONE who will enter the kingdom- EVERYONE who Christ would consider a Christian. When you read over the words of the Beatitudes with this in mind, at some point in reading the description- if you claim to be a Christian and are seriously checking to see if this describes you- becomes disturbing. I don't know about you but for me it gets really uncomfortable right here: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
I find within me a distracting hunger and thirst for all kinds of things that I would not consider to be truly 'righteous'. In fact often times we are quicker to turn to the things that we KNOW are unrighteous (ungodly-not right- in God's eyes). The thought of hunger and thirst is a pinning, for, a longing, hoping, seeking, deep desiring for. Righteousness holds the idea of right standing, a justified acceptance for who we are based upon a record of what we have done. Here in lies the rub, the discomfort that rises up in my soul. I long for a sense of deeper soul rightness. I find within myself a need for a deeper assurance of acceptance on a soul level yet there is nothing I can do, try, buy, change, or succeed at that will give me this deeper assurance of righteousness. When I say nothing I mean nothing- including religiosity (rules, dos, don'ts for measuring your goodness).
The righteousness that you and I long for is a surety of acceptance that only KNOWING a right standing before God, our Creator can give. In the book of Ecclesiastes we read, "God has place eternity in man's heart, yet he cannot know the beginning from the end."
C.S. Lewis put it this way- “If I find in myself a desire that which no experience in this world can satisfy the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.”
This is why neither the world nor religion will ever satisfy the deep longing, the hunger and thirst we feel on a soul level. For that kind of satisfaction we need something that only God can give us.........

Demands of the King of Grace: Meekness

2009-05-03T18:09:00.000-07:00

"Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth."
Someone has said that trying to count spiritual character in somebody is like trying to count rocks at the beach, or stars in the sky- often times what you thought was a star turns out to be a slow moving satellite, or what looked like a rock was a clump of dried mud.
When it comes to the Beatitudes we feel this same burden, is this a quality I possess? Do I just need to work on it harder? Am I hopelessly unable to ever really do this so, I might as well forget about it?- counting stars. These 8 short statements that make up the Manifesto of Jesus, often seem hard to pin down as to what they seem to be measuring or pointing us towards. What may be even more difficult for us is that the beatitudes do not describe a bunch of different groups of people who possess a variety of character strengths that God will one day bless. The characteristics herein described are inclusive. If you are a blessed one, one who finds favor in God's kingdom, these characteristics- all of them- are supposed to be evident in your life. The question of where and how will be answered if we will do a deeper study of the teachings of scripture regarding these characteristics.
The beatitude of meekness may be one of the hardest ones to define, or truly identify in our lives or the lives of others. Let me try and help our understanding by pointing us to other places in scripture where meekness is demonstrated:
1. Numbers 12:1-4 Moses shows us that Meekness Takes a Hit/Punch/ Absorbs Offense Moses is accused, by the spiritual leaders around him of being a selfish, arrogant leader - who thinks that only God will talk through him. These other leaders doubted it and decided to confront him about it. Right in the middle of the struggle- where you expect Moses to stand up and point to his record of phenomenal miracles- we get the verse "And Moses was the meekest man in all the earth." This then is followed by God who advocates for Moses. Meek people are able to let God make the wrongs right, they just absorb the hit, take it to God and wait.
2. James 1:19-21 Meekness Takes a Backseat/Is Reasonable/Teachable James, as he often does, gives us a comparison of two different types of people one is quick to anger, quick to speak up, quick to hold to their opinion as the absolute right opinion. The other person is quick to listen, slow to anger, profoundly aware that they might not be right about everything all of the time. They are willing to learn, open to reasonableness. Have you ever been in a discussion where someone says, "Well you have your opinion and I have mine. I guess we are just going to have to disagree." They say this, like at a board meeting, as some great act of their intelligence of getting along- the real story behind the opinion is, I am refusing to be open to a reasonable argument. I will not allow my opinion to take a backseat to the collective wisdom of others who may also have spiritual insight on this matter. They are not willing to change if they can be shown error in their thinking because they are not willing to see- therefore they do not possess meekness, even if their statement to disagree comes across this way.
3. Galatians 6:1,2 Meekness Takes a Gut Check/ Self Suspicious Jesus, in absolute meekness, when encountering evil, deceit, harmful doctrine, and ungodly behavior confronted, rebuked, threw over tables and whipped people. How are we to act in humility when we need to confront? ACT- confront in a spirit of meekness but keep watch on your self. Gut check, self suspicious of our own faults even as we confront and journey with someone to restoration. Jesus will bring up this same issue further along in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:1-5). He doesn't say, "Meekness ignores sin." Meekness confronts the sin while being careful to take our own sin and weaknesses to the cross first.

Meekness can only be shown in these external ways if we first possess meekness internally. True Meekness may be difficult at times to identify but false meekness is quickly seen as fake when conflict arises. What gives the Christian a courageous meekness in how they view life and relationships? Each beatitude has as its conclusion a promise- For those who have meekness, "they shall inherit the earth". Why do I have to be right, own the biggest car, the biggest house, be known as 'the big man around town' and hold all the correct opinions about everything important, when I have a Heavenly Father who owns the entire city? Meekness is indeed a shift in trust. From trusting our own agenda to trusting our Heavenly Father to have the answers, hold the truth and being willing to be used for His glory, not worrying over our own. This is where internal meekness begins- recognition and surrender to the will of the Father. This is a Jesus' type of meekness.

Demands of the King of Grace: Mourning (Matt. 5:4)

2009-04-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

I have seen people cry, then I have seen people mourn. I have cried and I have also mourned. I have made people cry and regretfully I have made people mourn. There is a difference. The word for mourn here is the same used in Mark 16:10 and 2 Cor. 12:21. It carries with it the weight of deep heart broken sorrow. The kind of sorrow we feel when a close family member dies, or when we have committed an act of offense that has broken a deep relationship to render it unrepairable.
This beatitude flows out of the same spirit of poverty we looked at in the previous verse, yet it carries with it an internal depth of regret. Better said, a regret that is so deep that it leads to a soul felt mourning. I have sat with guys who beat up their girl friends, or on the girls they were pimping. Often they have a sense of regret, but not a true sense of mourning. There is a confession of sorts so that they might feel better about themselves, but not a true sense of mourning. Sometimes they even get back into a relationship with the other party but at best it seems to be a very precarious 'reconciliation'. 9 out of 10 times ends it up in hurt and destruction, again.
What would YOU tell someone who has 'confessed' to you their part in such a broken relationship? What did Jesus tell them? "Don't just cry, mourn". But how? The question we are really asking is how does a confessor move to repentance?
I'm afraid that Christianity is full of people who are stuck in habitual confession without true mourning. I sat with a guy who confesses he is looking at porn on the Internet, in fact his wife has caught him, he feels bad about getting caught, and maybe talking to me will make him feel better... but refuses to enter into accountability relationships with godly men or put an accountability program on his laptop. I talk with an addict who has been coming to church and continuing in the cycle of brokenness, crack, confession, brokenness, crack and confession... but refuses to take steps away from, and out of the cycle. I speak with people who are Christians who love to confess the sins of others who have offended them but who are unwilling to enter into a relationship where they might have to bear anothers burden or who refuse to apply the hard truths of the Gospel to their own relationships - What is needed? What does true mourning call us to do? REPENT!
According to Matthew 3:2 repentance has an outworking, a fruit, a result. True repentance is a change of an object of faith. Faith in this sense is a change from how we are gaining our identity (the scary part is when I realize I can no longer trust in hurt, addiction, self righteousness- for my identity). The sorrow and horror of how we were trusting in something else other then what God says about us, is so great that we just want to hold a funeral- a mourning. The outworking of this kind of repentance is
1. Conviction- knowing what you have been trusting in is an offense to God
2. Confession- telling God and others (who love you with a spiritual holy love) how you have been trusting in something else other then God.
3. Definite plans for change- In relationships of accountability making a plan to do differently
4. Renewing your mind with the truth about where you are and the attitudes you have held- God's Word is where this happens!
5. Humbly and faithfully following through with the steps for change
6. Part of this plan must be repaying, and reconciling those you have offended or stolen from.
The last step here might be the hardest- but it has to be completed if you hope to find freedom. If you have been stealing from your spouse by constantly seeking out fantasy- you are in need of great mourning- REPENT! Ask God to give you a renewed mind, make a plan, follow through and find ways to make her/him the standard of your beauty! If you have been in a cycle of addiction that has stolen away from relationships with everyone in your life because you have time, energy and mind only for the addiction- you need to mourn deeply- REPENT! Ask God to give you new desire and love for what He loves. Make a plan and follow through- Go to detox, then rehab, and find those who are spiritual that you can't fool or manipulate and allow them to ask the hard questions of the Gospel in your life. If you are someone who has been just showing up for church on Sunday to complain about how everybody else is, and how the church is not doing anything for you. You need to mourn- REPENT!- You can't walk into the Grooms house and just keep slapping His Bride. You won't do that at my house and you certainly won't get away with it at Jesus'. Ask God to forgive you and make steps to enter into deeper relationships then what you think YOU can get out of it.... you might be surprised!
The first thesis of Martin Luther's 95 that he nailed to the door was:
"When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent" (Mt 4:17), he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance. "
Talking about this first line, Mark Driscoll (Mars Hill Seattle) said, "Fish swim, birds fly, pigs oink, Christians repent."
A clear understanding of our need to mourn and the out working of repentance and we shall be comforted.... because we find ourselves in Christ alone!

Demands of the King of Grace: Bankruptcy (Matt.5:3)

2009-04-09T05:07:00.000-07:00

"Blessed are the sat upon, the spat upon, the ratted on." -Simon and Garfunkel
Do you know any one who always seems to live on the Fringe? They seem to function continually in the more random places of their imaginations? Within the Christian circles there seem to always be a handful of 'Fringe' in every Church. Fringe, not as in those we might consider being innovative or continually ahead of the curve for trying new things or change for the sake of the Gospel. Fringe, not as in seemingly ready to take any risk, abandon everything, go anywhere to serve others (although there sadly seems as if there is ONLY a handful of this type of Fringe in every church as well). No, Fringe as in those who seem to live their spiritual life and almost their entire spiritual identity in the 'fringe' elements of what it means to be a Christ follower. You begin to have a conversation with them about the Bible, the community, the Church, the weather, or their favorite color - it doesn't matter what the topic is- it all seems to lead to the same place for them...on the fringe. They seem to spend their whole life energy in telling, or arguing with, the world about things like: Did Adam and Eve have a belly button? What was manna really made of? OR about their own spiritual escapades of being 'kicked out' of a church, a bar for obnoxious witnessing, a Bible study for telling everybody the 'truth', or how they stopped attending a denomination because everybody in that place was a bunch of political, manipulative, gossipy, never listen to 'truth', spiritual hypocrites,"and let me tell you about them"!
The FRINGE- is an easy enough place for us to arrive at; just ask someone what they think is wrong with the church, the system, the country, the family, etc. you will soon find your self in the off ramp heading to their fringe-ville! The problem becomes not finding the off ramp but getting back to the narrow way, the place of life. If you try to talk to someone who has been living in the fringe places of spiritual life about the core elements of life in Christ you discover something deeply disturbing; They seem unable to talk about the deeper elements of life in Christ- they keep shifting into one way streets that only lead in and out of their fringe identity.
In many ways this is what had happened on a mass scale in first century Israel. A nation who was living on the fringe of religious rules and regulations. A nation that defined self and others by sect and political alignments. A place that continually identified themselves by the fringe elements of spirituality. This is the place to which Jesus comes preaching "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!- And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people."- Matt. 4:17,23
In these verses Matthew gives us a snap shot of what Jesus was all about- He came preaching/teaching and displaying the Kingdom- and calling, by these evidence, the nation (and by extension the world) to receive the Kingdom through repentance. If this is the case then it should not surprise us that the first criterion for being considered 'favored' or blessed for the kingdom is being 'poor in spirit'.
Poverty of spirit is more then financial, economic or having serious resource limits. Although Jesus does point to the poor, the drunkard, the prostitute, the socially shunned and ignored, when he talks to the religious and says, "These are closer to the kingdom then you!" Why? Because their socio-economical circumstances tend to cause them to see the depth of their spiritual bankruptcy- with no bail out plan in sight!
What have you and I trusted in for our bail out plan spiritually? It is not until we have a spiritual shift of economics- admit that we are indeed fully bankrupt to make ourselves better- cry out to the King of grace for mercy and help, will we be able to even begin to understand and experience the wealth, hope, wholeness of the Kingdom!
If you call yourself a Christian- it must mean you recognized your hopeless without the King of Grace! You must have cried out in a sense of total bankruptcy- waiting on Him, at the cross to completely bail you out! The foot of the cross is the place of renewal in repentance. Poverty of spirit- "Cheer up your worse off then you figure....." - some Christian song writer

A Kingdom Story: The Redemptive History of Matthew

2009-04-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

PAX began a new focus in the Gospel of Matthew a couple of weeks ago. The idea is to take the Manifesto of Jesus, the sermon on the Mount (or Sermon on the Plain according to Luke) and use it as a telescopic lens to see the rest of the book. So for the next 8 weeks or so we are moving beatitude by beatitude through the life of Christ - who doesn't merely tell us about the kingdom but who is, embodies, the Kingdom!
Matthew being a Jew doesn't use the language used in some of the other Gospels when referring to the Kingdom. Where the others will use the terminology "the Kingdom of God" in order to connect with their intended audience, Matthew prefers to use "the Kingdom of Heaven". The name of God, Yahweh, was held in such high sacredness that it was not repeated lightly among the Jews, which Matthew is and to whom he writes. Elsewhere in scripture we read about "the kingdom of Life". All three of these statements are interchangeable in scripture. If you are part of the Kingdom of God you are a part of the Kingdom of Life, you are part of the Kingdom of Heaven. However you MUST be a part of the Kingdom of Life to be a part of the Kingdom of God- You are not automatically in because you are one of God's creations. Why else does Jesus come preaching the Kingdom? There is a criteria, a standard, an entrance exam! But what is it? That's what Jesus tells us and SO much more!
First though a quick background or if you want to call it the 'Redemptive Historical Set-up'. Matthew has become the proto Gospel- the first among equals if you like, over time in Church History. The Gospel of Mark was most likely written first but the good news of the kingdom, preached by Christ came first to the Jews. For this reason, and many others, the book of Matthew became prominent as the first Gospel in the canon.
One of the greater reasons is also the place that it holds in the history of the redemptive promise of God. Old Testament: God creates out of the pleasure of His Triune person. The Creation, man and woman, choose to turn their back on this good pleasure poured out to them by their Creator and instead choose to follow after the desire, pleasure of self outside of God's will they replace the Imago Dei (image of God) for the Ego Dei (Image of self as god). God, however, pours out grace, forgiveness and love as a response to his love for humanity, even as He acts in justice, and judgment as a response to His holiness. He promises to pursue, woe, and cause humanity to return to this great place of the pleasure of God. He promises (covenants), a redemption (a freedom bought back from rebellion), by His own good hand to a remnant who will turn to Him. This is the essence of the Old Testament, God is sending a Messiah (promise made to Adam and others), a King (promise made to David and others) who will bring in the Kingdom.
This Kingdom will be a place of rich provision, of God's presence, to a group of people called His own. I would argue from this that the Old Testament ends in unfulfilled frustration, and even disappointment. The remnant of the nation is back in Israel, the country is still under disarray. The nation is being ruled by one who is from the line of David, but he holds not a kings position but rules only as a governor. The temple is being rebuilt to the chagrin and disappointment of those who had witnessed the former glory of the former temple, it was notably embarrassing. This is 'the kingdom' that Israel is left with in the Old Testament. They cling to, hope for, long for, pray for and still wait ......the Old Testament ends with a poor excuse for a kingdom with a dissatisfied ending.
Matthew 1:1 "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
Matthew breaks through the disappointment, the waiting, the waiting - Jesus Christ has come as the promised King Messiah!
Look at the rest of Chapter 1 - Matthew clearly states Christ is the Messiah King: The burden of proof is in your Scriptures; The burden of authority is in the Sovereign hand of God and the life of Christ Himself confirms that the King of the kingdom has arrived! Christ comes in fulfillment of the prophets, and in fullness of the Holy Spirit. Christ comes and like Adam is tempted (ch4) unlike Adam without sin. Christ comes through the water and enters the wilderness of temptation like Israel, yet unlike Israel He uses the book of Israel's instruction, Deuteronomy, to defeat the enemy- Jesus is the second Adam the promised Savior. Jesus is the true remnant of Israel who will keep the covenant with God! JESUS is more then an example, more then a teacher, more then a good man - Jesus was and is the Christ (Messiah) saving King!

The Wrestle of Your Life!

2009-03-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

I have been considering strategies for creating healthy places of recovery. Recovery from all kinds of things: abuse, anger, adultery, sexual lust, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, etc, etc, etc. If we are going to have a church in the neighbourhoods we are called to we have to figure out how to create spaces of "RE" within our small group relationships(RE-genreation, RE-covery, RE-storation, RE-habits). These RE-demption groups have to be safe places where people are able together to wrestle with God until the Gospel leads them to giving up to His RE-vival in their lives.
Genesis 32, I would argue is a definite turning point of RE-covery, in the life of Jacob- the cheater, manipulator, liar and selfish sinner.
Four lessons stick out to me as I look at one of the darkest nights of Jacob's life. Four lessons that have some kick back for me. Reality is if we are going to be able to set up as a church that has RESTORATION and REDEMPTION at the heart of it then anyone who wants to fully enter into this type of church will have to recognize their own selfish addiction under the bright light of the Gospel. Jesus came to save sinners and I'm the one most in need of a Savior.
The four lessons briefly are these:
1.MY LEGS ARE TO SHORT TO OUTRUN MYSELF Gen. 31-32:24a Jacob is running from the manipulation, abuse, and addiction to self in his present - towards the hope of finding some rest, restoration for his future and he runs face first into the manipulation, abuse, addiction and selfish hurt of his past. Past, present, future he has overwhelmed himself with himself. No matter where we run, the friends we change, the spouse we get rid of, the habit we transfer to, or the location we move away from we discover late at night, all alone, that our worst enemy is still there. My legs are to short to outrun myself!

2. MY KNUCKLES ARE SORE FROM HITTING MYSELF Gen. 32:24b Jacob gets ambushed by this warrior who comes out of no where. This is not a daddy and a child wrestling. This is no fake WWF stuff. This is hand to hand combat. This is UFC style without the referee! Jacob was wrestling for his life- he didn't know if this was one of Esau's men who had come scouting, perhaps to kill him and win the day? Or if it was a crazed robber who wanted him dead to then take what little he had with him. Either way, there was smashed, bloody knuckles, gulping, burning lungs, smashed faces, skinned knees, moments of terror and exhaustion. They fought for the better part of the night. Jacob could not make any progress against this warrior. He felt like he was getting exhausted without getting any where. That's the way we feel when we are just trying to overcome our sinful habits, and selfishness on our own. We exchange one habit for another equally addictive pattern of behavior. It's like a constant pummeling of our own faces with our fists! Hard to find freedom this way. We need to be surrounded by those who are willing to fight for us and with us in the hope of the gospel against our own self destructive sin.

3. MY HIPS ARE TOO WEAK TO FIGHT WITH GOD Gen 32:25 Jacob finally in sheer exhaustion, in the breaking of the dawn of the longest night of his life is defeated. The Warrior with whom he wrestles, who is called the man of God (probably a reference to Jesus), reaches down and pops his leg out of joint so badly that the inner tendons of his thigh are torn! Wrestling with God may mean a true experience of terror as our addiction to self is torn away. Jacob can do nothing else accept to wrap his arms around Jesus and hold on! This is the shear rawness of the Gospel, we can do nothing about making our sin better. Sin has to be torn from our soul by the work of Christ. We can only grab hold of Him for the hope our life! With Jesus, brokenness becomes the good fruit of submission and the posture of blessing!

4. MY ONLY HOPE OF WINNING IS TO TAP OUT Gen 32:27-29 There it is, the hope of REDEMPTION! Blessing, life, victory and all the "RE" of life can only come by dieing to self and holding onto Christ for new life!

What are the RE-sults of this wrestle of Jacob's Life? Read on in chapters 32 and 33. He is given a NEW name, NEW walk, and RENEWED promise. Further the brother who hated Jacob, sought to kill him in the past, now comes to him weeping, kissing him and with his four hundred warriors, escorting him back home!
My God is the God of great RE-versals and RE-storation! Willing to know that type of God, in that type of community? REDEMPTION calls you to the wrestle of your life!

God Gets A Bride!

2009-01-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

The faith journey of Abraham has had some incredible twists and turns. Hebrews 11:8-12 describes for us, in a snap shot, the varied highs and lows of how believing the promise of God is truly a journey.
Looking at the various points of his life you soon learn that every step of faith takes a complete act of surrender. It doesn't matter if that step might be later seen as a baby step compared to what you face today. When you were faced with that baby step it required a commitment of all that you could give at the time. For Abraham the call to take his wife, family, his all on the basis of a promise and leave all that he knew of life behind- that required a complete act of faith, and trust, all that he had at the time. Later in his life the command to sacrifice his only son, the son of promise, would cause this step of moving to a new land a baby step. Nonetheless, both required complete acts of faith and trust in the promise of God. Both required a complete giving up of self for that moment.
How could Abraham have taken the steps of faith required at every given moment? He grabbed hold of the promise of God and began to press this promise into every area of his life!
When Abraham came to the end of his life, as we read in Genesis 23, 24- He continues to do the same. In sorrow, the death of his wife Sarah, he presses the promise of God into securing a land for burial. Trusting that God will give back to him the burial plot and more, all the surrounding land, he purchases the field for burial.
Abraham growing old, probably pushing 150, with a son now pushing 40 steps out in faith once again, to find his only beloved son a Bride. Abraham sends out his servant with a joyful and burdensome oath- the joy of finding the perfect wife for the Son of promise. The picture that unfolds is an unmistaken allusion of the Father God, sending His Spirit, into the world to find a Bride (the Church), for the Beloved Son, Jesus.
A couple of notes in this same flow: The Testimony of the Servant and the Response of the Bride. The testimony of the servant to the family of Rebekah is a not a testimony about his own faithfulness, or his own gifts, authority or power. The servant, a picture of the Holy Spirit, speaks only of the blessings of the Father, all of the treasure and the beloved Son. This is the work of the Holy Spirit to press in on the Bride the promises of the Father through the Son! Isn't this not the essence of the Gospel being worked out in us?! It is not for us to look inward to see what gifts we might have or not have. What talents we posses or special spiritual words we can conjure up that we tell others are from God, or sensational experiences we can point to as a proof of an extra-ordinary mature spiritual faith. No. This kind of spiritual self nominating actually points more to self-idolatry and spiritual immaturity.
What does spiritual maturity, spiritual teaching, preaching and spiritual growth look like? It is fully Holy Spirit led and therefore presses in only the person and work of Jesus into our lives. The Holy Spirit is Gospel centered, Christ-o-centric in His ministry among the Bride! (John 15:26; John 16:13-15)
The Response of the Bride must then be more then a mental assent. Rebekah couldn't just be in awe of being asked to enter into the Father's blessing through relationship with the Son. She had to actually by faith enter into this promise for herself. She had to leave behind the family she knew and by faith be drawn into relationship with Isaac. This is a surrender of self and a pressing in of the promise into her own life. She shows us how we too must abandon self and press into the promise of God in order to enter into this relationship,enjoy the inheritance of relationship in the Son, Christ.
Looking back over my life I wonder now, like no other time in my life, how has the Spirit of God continued to press the promise of the Gospel into the complete areas of my life? May we allow God to woe us with the Gospel to be the Bride who enjoys a transforming relationship with God!

Merry Christmas: A Promised Son -Laughter Turned to Joy

2008-12-22T19:19:00.000-08:00

I asked a couple of nurses in our church, who work in 'Deliveries,' what has been some of the memorable reactions they have witnessed as a new life has entered the world. The answers ranged from fainting, to questions of "Do we have to take him home?", to uncontrollable weeping for joy.
This past Sunday PAX looked at Abram's reaction to a Promised Child:
Genesis 15 The Need for Assurance Why do people spend countless hours attending church services or religious rituals? Why do we spend millions of dollars a year on self help books in North America? In large part I think it is probably for a sense of "ASSURANCE". Assurance that I'm alright, or can make myself alright, or at least better. Assurance that I have all the basics of morality, a sense of goodness, and self worth. Assurance that I'm not as messed up as I often feel or wonder and that if there is some reason out there greater then myself I have done something (lit a candle, said a prayer, spoke a confessional, recited a mantra, burnt some incense, spend time in quiet emptiness of self and reaching in to find the spark of me) to make myself more certain- Certain of WHAT?! Being protected, fulfilling betterment, becoming, hope, getting rewarded in this life and the next?
Abram, 10 years ago from this point in Genesis 15, took all his belongings, his wife, his servants and the rest of all that were of his household, and went off to a foreign land because he felt God told him that he should. He has had some affirming and anxious moments over the time. In fact he just came off of a huge victory against impossible odds in chapter 14! He refused to take any reward from the world around him for his victory, choosing instead to hope in a promise that God has made with him. We find him now anxious, afraid, wondering and needing assurance.
God visits with Abram in the time of his need for assurance and tells him, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." Then in this incredible chapter God gives him three assurances followed by symbols and reminders of this assurance! Assurance of God's Word - Followed by the Object Lesson of the Stars Gen. 15:1-7 Abram still wants a greater assurance of God's very presence in the midst of his hope so God graciously leads Abram to make an ancient binding contract with Him, Gen. 15:8-16 Think of it- God places himself in contracted (coventantial) promise with Abram. In the Assurance of God's Commitment we see the picture of animals slain, cut in two, set up on either side of small depression in the ground so that the blood could flow down the middle of the trench between. The implicit statement being if in anyway I break this contract let it be done to me what has been done to these sacrifices! Look at what happens next: Gen. 15:17-22 God causes a deep, dark, paralyzing trance to fall on Abram so that he cannot move; He cannot get up to walk through the trench of blood in order to make his half the coventantial promise to God! Oh no! How can he enter into the covenant of following, obeying, and not turning to anything else for assurance accept the Promise of God? He can't, he won't, it would not be keep able, doable and God would, by way of covenant contract need to pour out His wrath! But what happens? God himself, by way of symbol of flaming torch and smoking fire pot walks down through the blood fulfilling the contract on behalf of Abram to himself- by doing this God is saying, "If Abram breaks the covenant I will bare his part! Let my blood be shed!" In the next couple of chapters there is the promise given of a son through whom the covenant of both God and Abram would be fulfilled.
The very next chapter Abram and Sarai, in very Eden-esk ways, try to make God's promises happen through alternative ways- breaking the contract of trusting God (the re-occurring theme of the chapter is misery!)
Genesis 16 Miserable Alternatives
God however is faithful to his Covenant and sends a son of promise who changes the skeptics laughter of both Abram and Sarah into the fullness of Joy.
Genesis 17 Laughter to Joy
Do you need assurance today? Look what God has done in keeping His Word to you and I and covering the covenant of promise for us! Isaiah 9:2-11
"For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Christmas is a symbol of assurance for those who need help from God to believe and to be found whole! He has given us a Son who turns our skeptic laughter to fullness of Joy!
Merry Christmas!

Genesis14-18: Followers and Posers

2008-12-19T15:30:00.000-08:00

Being called out as a poser is never a good thing. I play some guitar. Learned through hanging around with musicians. I wouldn't call myself a musician. But I do like to play a bit of guitar. Sometimes, because I have my guitar alongside of some musicians, I'll get asked to play a song or for some event. I kinda get an uneasy feeling in my stomach, and shift allot in my chair, "I'm not really much of a guitar player", I stammer. Och, called out- poser! I read through Genesis 14-18 (the parts about Abram and Lot) and I see someone who is a true follower of God, right alongside a true poser.
The Bible makes it so plain: Being a Follower of God has a cost but being a Poser costs more then you thought.
Being a Follower or a Poser is a difference of Place Ch 18;1-7; 19:1-3 - The messengers of God show up to both Abram and Lot, in fact Jesus shows up to talk to Abram face to face. But these two God worshipers were in different places. Abram was in Hebron- the place of God's promise. Lot was at the gates of Sodom, with it's 'valley culture'. This place was definitely the wickedest little valley in all the land.
Being a Follower or a Poser is a difference of Captured Heart Ch 14:1-15
Lot's heart had been captured by the wickedness of Sodom. I find it curious that as we are told of the battle in the Canaan and the Red Sea Valley, by the kings of these cities against the rising super power of the day, that Lot was captured at home. Obviously although he had a heart turned towards Sodom's wickedness it wasn't something he wanted to be known as fighting, or maybe dieing for. The warning for my heart: be careful not to be captured by something that is not worth fighting for!
Abram's heart has been captured by the heart of the power of God's promise and so he fearlessly rushes out into battle against four kings and their armies. In one night, with only 317 men, Abram does what the 5 defeated kings could not do in a years worth of battle! Abram had grabbed hold of the power of God's promise and went to war to redeem his kinsmen!
Being a Follower or a Poser is a difference of Response ch 18:16-32;19:4-14
When Jesus tells Abram what He is about to do to Sodom, Abram intercedes. He appeals to God, "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?" He pleads for God's mercy to be poured out for even a mere ten found righteous, out of the thousands who probably live in these two cities. After all Abram knew there was Lot, his wife, his two daughters (that's four) as well as all those who must have worked for lot, and perhaps a few of Lot's friends or his daughters' fiancees and family? Surely there must have been a mere ten influenced by Lot, a follower of Abram's God. Sadly, we find in chapter 19 the answer to be NO! This is a sick picture.ALL the men of the city gathering around the house of Lot to have a sexual orgy with two innocent strangers who have come into the city! Lot offering his two young daughters to these hundreds of perverts! What a wicked evil, sinful, despicable response! Then after the angels urge Lot and his family to flee for their lives because God is going to wipe out these cities they 'linger' and have to be 'seized' and placed out side of the city by force!
2 Peter 4:6-8 wrecks my thinking! Here Lot is called a righteous, yet tormented, man of God- Lot is a deep spiritual Poser. A man who had faith in the God of Abram so that he experienced 'fire insurance' yet gave his heart to the wickedness of the world. Lot is called righteous in 2 Peter because, as the Bible bears out, we cannot make ourselves righteous. Righteousness is a gift from God at the moment of belief. we have the righteousness of Christ because of the grace of God, when we believe. Lot however never thought compromise and taking advantage of such grace would cost him this much- his home, his wealth, life as he knew it. The compromise was so complete that it infiltrated his entire family. In the end his wife paid the ultimate price, and his daughters were so twisted that they committed incest with their daddy. How terribly sad.
I like to think that I would be like Abram not Lot. The truth is Abram shows us more Christ then Christians. He believes the promise of the Father. Goes to battle against the worst of enemies -sin, death and hell; Comes back from battle bloodied and victorious. Presents the 'booty'- the rescued kinsmen- before God and is given the rightful birthright!
We are Lot! Heart bent on sin, wickedness, driven by the standards of the world. Unless we are rescued by the Gospel our choices of self indulgence will cause us to live and even die for something we really weren't willing to fight for..... the good news for us is that we by faith can grab hold of the Redeeming Victor- who came in a manger- Christ!

"How much do you have to hate somebody NOT to proselytize?""

2008-12-18T06:20:00.000-08:00

This is too good not to rip off and put up on PAXblog. Thanks Darryl Dash for posting it! (A shout out to Dash House, points for thoughtful blog entries that are relevant to Canadians and the Gospel.)
SO SHOULD YOU SHARE YOUR FAITH?!

Penn of Penn and Teller is an atheist. His response to being evangelized after a show may surprise you.

"I don't respect people who don't proselytize. If you believe that there's a heaven and hell, and people could be going to hell, and you think, 'Well, it's not really worth telling them this because it would make it socially awkward'...How much do you have to hate somebody not to proselytize?"
PENN on PROSELYTIZING!

F.O.G. Friday's- Function of the Gospel in My Relationships

2008-12-02T06:17:00.000-08:00

We are knee deep into the Holiday season, so as I reflect on how the Gospel functions in my life I am forced to face 'family'. Isn't this one of the great and not so great things about holidays for most people? Don't we all have a weird uncle who shows up at the most inappropriate times and makes a bunch of rude comments that ticks off all the mostly sane members of the family? Relationships are what we are made for and long for, so why are they so often our greatest point of hurt, stress and regrets? How does the Gospel lived out affect these important relationships in our lives?
We have been studying the book of Genesis at PAXnorth, as you can tell if you read some of the more recent blogs. One of the things I love about the Bible is that it doesn't pull any punches. We don't get a beautiful 'saintly' utopia feel from the lives or family life of those we often call saints. More often we get the full on truth of their messy families, broken relationships and poor ungodly decisions. If you don't believe me read Genesis 3-11 and count how many messed up relationships emerge. The good news is that we are not alone, the challenge is how do we do something different in our relationships? For the next couple of Friday blogs I want to address some of this family brokenness in light of the Gospel.
First let me remind you of the irreducibles of the Gospel of Jesus. What is the Gospel? I Corinthians 15:1-3 reminds us that the Gospel is Christ, crucified, and risen from the dead on our behalf. What does this have to do with my relationships?
Take a piece of paper and list on one side all that the Cross of Christ means to us:
Forgiveness, Atonement(at-one-ment),temptations of sin waded through and overcome, God's holy just wrath satisfied (propitiation), our sin removed from us (expiation), a relationship with God is possible and a reality by an exercise of faith in Jesus! These are only a few things, read Ephesians 1, and Romans 8 to continue the list. Now on the other side of the paper list how this matters to my relationships. For instance
because God does not hold my sin against me because of His son- I can live out of a posture of forgiveness to my spouse, my parents, my family. After all isn't this the process of "working out our salvation?" (Phil. 2:12) or also called the process of sanctification. Over the next couple of Friday's I want to blog about how this fleshes out in our relationships. How does this address generational hurt, abuse sin? How does this work out in conflicts and criticisms? How does this work out in even the mundane, everyday maintenance of relationships. So take some time this week...make the Gospel list.... try and work out the reflections of this in your relationships...I think you'll find this has the potential to change your outlook and bring about incredible change in your relationships! You never know it may actually help us to enjoy family in a whole new way over the holidays.

Treadmill Rebels: Genesis 5,6 Living Different

2008-12-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

Genesis 5-6 covers about 1656 years of human history through genealogy. These two chapters cover about as much history as does the rest of the Bible! Yeah, WOW!
When you think about the progress of mankind over that period of time you expect, being so close to the original creation, that there would almost be a developing utopia of human goodness. After all if humanity is not born in sinfulness, like universalism tell us, the early generations being so close to the original designs of God the society would not have been as wicked, as our social environment is. There would have been a great progressing of the goodness of man and the ability to create a social environment of peace, love and joy- by merely growing up in these surroundings. Wouldn't that be what you expect, if humans were not born with a sinful condition and pre-inclinations towards sin continually? So what's the status? What do we find after 1600 years of human progression? READ IT! Genesis 5 What strikes you about this passage? He is born, he has breakfast, he has kids, he dies; He is born, he has breakfast, he has kids, he dies; He is born, he has breakfast .... BORRRRRING! Same old thing!
Now look at Genesis 6:5, not only was it the same old get born, get breakfast and die TREADMILL cycle but it was a continuing growing cycle of self worship- evil!
What did you notice though, in the middle of the treadmill of sinful humanity? Two BLIPS on God's radar screen. Enoch...blip...Noah...blip. What is different? They walk with God. By God's favor (Hebrew word for grace- meaning the actions of a superior, bowing or showing favor to an inferior), two pagans were given the grace of God. They responded with rightness! They turned their attention, their hearts, their lives, over to a relationship of knowing, loving, obeying God.
Here is a good lesson on Living Different in a Culture Addicted to Wickedness.
You want to be a REBEL to that 'treadmill of the same old'? Everyone around us is rebellion against God, living their own rules, making their own way, filling their own lives up with the brokenness of their own decisions... look around you! We get up , we eat breakfast, we serve our lusts, wants, self, we die, or walk out, or jump from one shattered relationship to the next. All the while trying to set new standards of happiness, skinniness, coolness, fame, or even religious good-feel-ed-ness! All in all it is a sad attempt to make ourselves god of our lives.... treadmill rebellion!
You want to be a real TREADMILL REBEL?
Get up and get on your knees before God! Confess your need for Him, cry out to Him. Begin to search, pray on, feed on His Word, looking for what His intentions and purposes for you life are. Find out what He loves, and love that. Find out what breaks His heart and let it break your heart. Find out what He hates and hate that! BLIP.......BLIP.... whoa something powerfully different then the same old treadmill of life.
You will begin to discover that God calls us to live out a sacrificial love because of the love His Son demonstrated for us on the cross; forgiveness because of the offense of sin that is forgiven us because of the cross; peace because the wrath of God was satisfied in the person of Jesus at the cross. You will live out a genuine authentic relationship with God through Jesus- discovering a change of new life in your relationships and purpose beyond yourself! Christ lived out in you, your home, your relationships, your work place, your school holds an a true countercultural attraction for those you 'do' life with. GO AHEAD REBEL!

F.O.G. Friday's - The Call of the Gospel

2008-11-17T04:15:00.000-08:00

“To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
I sit down across the table from a young man who insists he has a ‘call’ on his life to bless the churches with his extra-ordinary spiritual gifts, which he is praying for, and “trying to learn how to get”. He has travelled across Canada because he felt a call to come to Nova Scotia to speak to the Pastors, and the churches of what God wants to give them through an extra-ordinary blessing. He has been staying in hostels and shelters or living out over the last several weeks. 
“And those whom he predestined he also called, and to those whom he called he also justified, and those he justified he also glorified.” Romans 8:30
  How does the Gospel address the call of God and how are we to live this out in your life? Maybe this short adapted list from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology will help:
  A Call Outside of Ourselves: The call of every believer is not something we can work up in ourselves. The choosing, wooing and winning of our very salvation begins and ends in the will and glory of God through the work of His Son, Jesus. The call of God is not something we do it is what only God can do.
 A Call Out of Darkness: The call of every believer is God’s taking us “out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9).
 A Call Into Relationship: The call of every believer is God’s placing us “into the fellowship of his Son”(1 Cor. 1:9, Acts 2:39) 
A Call Into Kingdom living: The call of every believer is God’s placing us “into His own kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2:12; 1 Pet. 5:10; 2 Pet. 1:3)
 A Call of Belonging: The call of every believer places us in a relationship of “belonging to Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:6)
 A Call to be set apart for God’s purposes: The call of every believer is a call to “be saints”
 A Call to Live Out of the Riches of God: The call of every believer is to live in a fullness of “peace” (1 Cor. 7:15, Col, 3:15), “freedom” (Gal. 5:13), “hope” (Eph. 1:18), “holiness” (1 Thess. 4:7), “patient endurance of suffering” (1 Peter 2:20-21; 3:9), and “eternal life” (1 Tim. 6:12) 
SO what is the function of the Gospel in the call of every believer?  O.K. I’ll admit it, I give myself too much credit. For what it’s worth, I know it’s foolish pride, lack of humility, fear of being dependent, need for control and my down right rebellious sinful nature! When caught in my pride I either try and discredit it, passing it off as personality, or pointing to societal influences, upbringing and culture. What this tells me? I am hopelessly unable to make the deeply needed changes that would make me anything more then a deeply self serving, self preserving, self interested, SELF. Self- esteem classes or self worth counseling does nothing for the various forms of my “ego-dei” (ego-god, I-god). I cannot “call” myself away from worshiping myself, even if I try to gloss it over with a ‘poor-me, I was wronged, the world, society and my family have messed me up.’ How does the Gospel of the cross move us beyond our need for self empowerment, or our self loathing to wholeness and a living out of a call beyond ego-dei? 
It is so important to understand the ‘call’ of every believer comes not out of what spiritual gift you feel God has given you or that you hope He will give you. The call of every believer is far beyond the making of ourselves something greater than the sum of what our lives have become- no matter how successful or how wreaked that might look. Please don’t get me wrong, God gives us spiritual gifts, through his Holy Spirit, at the moment of salvation (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Pet. 4:10; 1 Cor. 12:11) I fear that we, church peeps, often hold these holy gifts up as a trophy for everyone to admire our greatness, as a measurement to determine who’s not ‘there’ yet, or as the complete sum of our spiritual life (call it a Corinthian church problem).  The call of the Gospel is God’s work beyond our religious piety or self indulgent rut of addictions. The call of the Gospel is a call to the cross. Our response can only be a recognition that I am lost without Him resulting in a life of humble dependence on him. A daily posture of confession at the foot of the cross to live for His kingdom, not my own, and His glory, not my own. Out of this relationship of belonging solely to Jesus I replace my own agenda for His agenda and find peace, freedom, hope, holiness, patience to endure in suffering and indeed the riches of eternal life.  
Here it is: THE CALL OF THE GOSPEL is not to do something for Jesus in your life, with the greatness of your giftedness, because you come from such a terrible place of sinfulness (most testimonies we seem to applaud are like this). The call of the Gospel is a daily going to the cross for all that I am, I have, and ever hope to be. At the cross- I die daily so that He might have His victory and glory in my life! If we focus on this daily reality of the Gospel applied in our life God will place the rest of living out his will right in front of us as He knows we can handle, and in accordance to how He has gifted us.

Breaking Free! [How I Became a Loser]

2008-11-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

PAX has begun a study from Creation to Joe - A look at the Ancient::Future
We are currently on Genesis 5,6 and try to offer some sort of supplemental teaching here on the PAXblog.
So this is going back a few weeks now but it holds such huge importance for our spiritual life, and understanding of God, humanity, the condition of sin, and the outcomes that still plague our world today- I thought I would post on it.
The results of sin are more then a trace substance in a world being detoxed by therapy, tolerance, or religious piety. The result of sin has left a deep stain on each son of Adam and every Daughter of Eve (Psalm 106:39; Prov. 30:11-12; Mark 7:20). Sin has caused us to be born spiritually dead and separated from God our Creator, Father (Ephesians 2:1); Being born in sin we have only the identity of what a sinful world drives us obtain (Ephesians 2:2) - although marred by sin, because of God's hand in our Creation we maintain a God given dignity, value and worth. Also, we live under the authority of the 'Optimus Prime' of evil enemies of the Good and Holy God, Satan himself (Ephesians 2:2b). Therefore all that remains for us to live out of is the cess pool of our own self-driven, flesh craving desires (Ephesians 2:3a). This condition of willful and natural rebellion to God cannot be left uncorrected, or unpunished by a loving God. When God looks down upon humanity in this condition He is grieved at our having been created to experience such complete desolation (Genesis 18:20; Jer. 6:27-30;Lam. 1:8; Romans 1:18).
Genesis 3 describes for us in painful detail that when our first parents, Adam and Eve, opted for their own selfish 'freedom' from God, their good Creator and Father, they really became losers. And we who are born of the same flesh and blood as our parents are born in the same condition as them- lost (Romans 5:12, 18; 8:5a, 8).
Here's what went down: Genesis chapter 2 everything is declared "VERY GOOD", complete, full, whole. Man and woman are in holy covenant love with each and with their God. A beautiful reflection of the relationship experienced and enjoyed in the Trinity its self. Plus they were so complete and full in each other that they were innocently naked (Heb.'arom') and loving it! This would refer to an intimacy and acceptance of each other on every level- mind, emotion, will, and physical relationship.
Gen. 3:1-4 The leader of the 'Free' World
- is crafty (Heb. 'arum', see the play on words?) Rev. 12:9; 20:2
- is a destroyer Psalm 10:6-11; I Pet. 5:8
- is a liar John 8:44
This is the one who is offering 'freedom'!
A good principle to keep in mind when reading Genesis- Genesis doesn't merely tell us what did happen but what happens everyday in our world!
The crafty, destroying, Liar Serpent- offers 'freedom' everyday in our world, on our streets and in our homes. More $, Freedom? More self-gratification, Freedom? More women, freedom? The perfect guy no matter what, Freedom? Self made Fame, Freedom? Getting what I want, Freedom? SEE HIM FOR WHO HE IS!
The LIE of Freedom- Look at how the Father of Lies, questions truth, twists truth then just straight out denies and accuses the God of truth of being a liar! He appeals to doubt, desire and foolish pride- all the while coaxing us on with our own flesh. Can you hear him? "God is not that good, sin is not that bad." The poison apple that he entices, and baits the enslavement to death with everyday.
vs 6 Adam and Eve both take the bait! Eve is deceived to sin- hoping to become her own god, knowing not just the good that she had experienced by God's good hand but now, wow, a promise of experiencing the evil, the bad! How sad and dark. Adam was deliberate in his sin. As the covenant head of his home he sat back and allowed for Satan to lie and manipulate his wife, his completer, this one and only, precious girl of God's. He decides not to lead his family and Satan steps in to lead. Adam goes farther then this however and even as he watches Eve's sin he deliberately reaches out, and like some lazy arsed, self induced comatose dope head, takes a 'pull' on the sin that was being passed around!
Vs 7-19 The Losers of Freedom "And they were naked and shamed"; This is a nakedness they had never experienced before, "erom". The stain of shame, the weight of guilt, the fear of wrath, the darkness of a mind perverted and a heart separated. In this one moment they lost. They lost the freedom of security (which each other, with their God); They lost the freedom of shameless, whole relationship (with each other, with their God); They lost the freedom of right-ness, even as they pointed the blame on each other, or on God in some twisted attempt to tell God they were not as bad as others are (lost rightness with each other and with God). They lost Life- even as God in his mercy did not allow them to remain in the Garden, where they would have no hope of ever being free from the devastation of sin, if they were allowed to live forever in it's hopelessness; They lost Life physically and spiritually- and they as our representative, chose on our behalf to live life separated from the Giver of Life.
The thud of this decision goes deeper and farther then I can blog or imagine, but I see it everyday in my own life and in the lives of those I love and serve.
Without the hope of 'the seed' who will crush the head of the one who has taken a headship in our life and world- Freedom indeed is forever lost in a glitz, glittered, air brushed, fake smiled, sin soaked, empty souled world of addiction, hurt and pain.
WE NEED A SAVIOR!

FOG- Friday! (Function of the Gospel Friday!)

2008-11-07T08:02:00.000-08:00

Despite all the rumors ... I am still alive. But I have faltered on my Blog-olution (Blog regularly, minimum weekly) Getting back on track, though and won't bore you with the details of the why's?
FOG - Friday!
It is an inevitable reality that each generation must wrestle through the definitions of theology. Call it a precursor to faith, or an affirming, seeking or longing to know what is truly true, but all people for all times have had to wrestle with the greater God questions, individually and as collective communities (here is the answer to the WHY? we do this-Romans 1:19-21; 2:4, 14-16). Our NOW Christian community is no different. Have you been in a Christian book store, grocery store, Wal-mart lately and looked at the latest offerings for "Functional Christian Theology"? It seems to me that for most of what our generation of church is producing for Christian Theology it is rooted deeper in the functional than in the Theology.
Before you write me off as a ranting old fundamentalist who's Christianity has created the fenced in 'projects' of disengaged religious community, that tends to smell like the Pharisees who screamed, "Kill Jesus!", let's talk FUNCTION! I am purposing to write an on-going Friday Blog dedicated to the FUNCTION of the GOSPEL! (Call it FOGin Friday?! Hmmmm?)
What is "the Gospel"? Can the Gospel be put into irreducibles? Is there more than one Gospel? The Gospel that was preached to the Jews is it different than what was preached to the Gentiles and different still for those who live now? Is the Gospel a one time gift, gig, experience, commitment? Is there a redemptive function to the Gospel on a daily bases that touches the entirety of our personal lives and addresses the entirety of Humanity's Story?
I recieved an email the other day from a friend and missionary of Campus for Christ asking me to help him think through how they are teaching their students to present the Gospel to a NOW culture; A deeply secular, functionally fragmented culture that holds as its highest doctrines tolerance, pluralism, and doubt- NEEDS a FUNCTIONAL GOSPEL!
Here's how I have begun the conversation:
Hey Ben;
I'll think a bit more on it.... remind me to reply further.
For now....
I have found that if I am really speaking the Gospel it means more then saying there is only two ways (before you call me a heretic hear me out). Often times we propose that there are two ways living a Hedonistic, amoral life that leads to wickedness or being a Christian. Although that is true in it's foundation, the problem with most of our hearers in North America is that they translate "Christianity" as doing the right things (no drugs, no sex, no drinking, no dancing, no hanging out with those who do)- moralism. I would say that 99.5 % of the people in our culture who have said that they have given up on, or have no interest in Christianity or the Church have not really rejected Christ- the true Gospel- but have rejected this moralistic idea of religion.
I find personally that it is more affective in our post-modern culture to present Christ as the 'THIRD' way. Not live any way I want to, gathering all the baggage and sickness of a life with out God; nor a moralistic- I have to work to keep myself in good standing with God so that He might accept me, by going to church, giving, loving my neighbour, and cutting down on the sexual activity. But the facts that the Gospel of Jesus is the story of a God who sacrifices all to reach out to a world gone wild, so that we might discover what it is like to have a Father who really loves us, cares for us, and completely knows the pieces that are missing in our lives (there is plenty of scriptures that you can attach to each of these points to show the power of the atonement to make us at-one with Him).
Religion is me trying to work from the outside-in to try and make myself acceptable before God (Islam, Mormon, JW's and a lot of "Christians") or to achieve some form of enlightenment or karma so that I will make myself a better person (Buddhism, Hindu, liberal activism). Jesus is different. The Gospel is a third way- Jesus takes on the religious rhetoric- lives a perfect life; dies a cruel death so that we don't have to try to live out of self rightness. Jesus comes to a world that is full of baggage, addiction and brokenness and takes on the out comes of hedonistic living by suffering the wrath of a Holy God - so the THIRD WAY is JESUS- the Gospel.
Not sure if that all makes sense but maybe it could get a conversation going? I am glad you are wrestling with this...that is an important part of understanding culture and gospel connections!
Keep me in the loop of what your thinking! Willing to interact with all this.
Ready to church plant yet:)? We should have a church plant one year training track ready some time in the next two years or so?
Great to hear from you Ben.
Cheers
Brad
ps- A great place for you to go deeper on this is a new (short) book out by one of the best guys who is explaining the Gospel to the culture right now- Tim Keller, of Redeemer Presbyterian- His new book is called "Prodigal God" and deals directly with what I've only touched on above.

Blogging END NOTE:
These growing understandings, of a functional Gospel, in my life have been greatly influenced by reading and listening to Tim Keller, Mark Driscol (our Acts29 big brother), my Acts29 church plant band of brothers, and John Piper- but the growing convictions in my life, of the need for a renewed understanding of a functional Gospel have come from time on the streets of Halifax, and by studying the book of Acts in the New Testament. MORE next Friday!

Fill 'er Up!

2008-07-09T15:19:00.000-07:00

Getting filled up these days costs more then we often think?! We drive a mini-van, '99 Transport, a bunch of kms, some scars of grime and wear from five kids taking numerous 10 hr-24 hr road trips through out Canada and the U.S. Any one interested in buying? Sounds attractive eh? Wait here's the big selling point- when we tank up these days from empty it costs us over $100- yeah that's with the dirtest unleaded money can buy! Getting filled up these days cost us more then we often think!

PROVERBS 9 Talks about being 'filled up'; finding wholeness, fullness, completeness.

When you study through Proverbs chapter by chapter you discover this ninth chapter serves as a vantage point. Like peaking out on hiking trail where you can see the trail behind you and you can get directional bearings for the climb ahead of you. It contains two very different invitations to come and 'fill up'.

The Invitation of Wisdom vs 1-6 Wisdom again, as in the first part of Proverbs, is personified as a pleasant and gracious woman. She has built a house, 'hewn out of 7 pillars' (signifying sufficiency and completeness), she has made a sacrifice, mixed fine wine, prepared a meal, and sends out the message, the general call, "To come break bread, drink wine- commune, dwell, live here to be filled up with wholeness, completeness."

The Invitation of Folly vs 13-18 The second invitation is made by a loud, obnoxious, amoral woman called Folly. She sits on her throne in the high places of the city, like the daily call of our media, materialistic, humanistic world, tries to sell us the lies that we need a new toy, new clothes, new body, new spouse, a new high in order to get filled up. The invitation is like a bad one night stand that turns out to be a life time of regret and destructive emptiness.

LOOK at vs 7-12 of Proverbs 9: What stands in the middle? Between these two invitations?

Us- Me and You! How will you and I react to the invitations? If we turn to the invitation of wisdom and mock, ignore or lash out- we are the scoffer; Prideful and ignorant. If we humble ourselves take a clear look at folly and wisdom, repent of our want to go after folly and turn our hearts toward wisdom we become the one who longs to truly know fullness and wholeness, to know wisdom.

Where is this wholeness and fullness found- look at vs 10 and 11 . Living out of a reverent awe that God is God and therefore we are not. "The knowledge of the Holy One is insight." Holy One is actually plural here in the original, "knowledge of the holies, or Holy Ones". I was reflecting on all of this the last few weeks: God the Triune God is complete in relationship with Himself. The Father is delighted, pleased, enjoys, honors fully the very essence of the Son; the Son delights, is pleased, enjoys, and honors the essence of the Father; the Spirit is delighted in, pleased fully, enjoys and honors the other two members of the Godhead as well; The three exist in the fullness of relationship- never at any moment has the Father turned to the Son or the Son to the Spirit or any one of them to each other to say, "you owe me". No there is perfect wholeness and fullness in the God head. God needs nothing else to be complete- He is complete in Himself- He is fullness! In eternity past God overflows this great fulness into His creation- we need to just think on that for a bit- but long story short- When man sinned he made the choice to step out of this fullness- what a wicked selfishness to believe that man could step away from the fulness of God and find completeness in himself, or in someone else, or something else! What a back turning, fist shaking, in your face, tongue stuck out, scoffer attempting to lash out in selfishness kinda thing for God's creation to do! And so the kids of the original scoffer are born outside of this relationship with their spiritual feet kicking and screaming in rebellion, like their daddy before them. What does God do? In His infinite wisdom, He makes all his own provision. He makes a sacrifice- 'breaks bread', 'pours out wine'- makes a way for us to come and commune, DWELL, live with Him. Come and live in the very fullness of this relationship. No one else- not your friends, not your roommate, not your wife, not your husband, not your girl crush, or your man crush- will ever fill you up! Nothing else - not smaller hips, bigger muscles, more worship songs, a church just the way you want it, a new job, a new car, a new house, a new i-phone, a new promotion, a new drug or your next high will ever fill you up! God makes an abundant, sufficient supply of grace available through His Son, Jesus' death on a cross, and by the Holy Spirit, kicks out a chair from his table and invites- "Come, eat, drink, LIVE!! Come enjoy the fullness of being in relationship with Me!!"

- FILL 'ER UP!

2008-07-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

For a few months now we have been in contact with a guy shooting a documentary of churches across Canada, his name is Joe Manafo, the documentary is 'One Size Fits All'; He and some guys of like heart and mind, showed up here, on the east coast, about a month ago. Nevin, the dude who helps facilitate all kinds of things in our church- including spiritual growth, and myself were chillin at the Backpacker waiting for them to show up for some introductions and a few minutes of shooting. It might be the cynical, skeptical, or the distrusting church planters side of me, that was wondering how this whole thing will come off; How do you tell people that really what you feel God is doing in your church is just to 'Dwell' with one of the nastiest neighbourhoods in the Maritimes. A neighbourhood that my wife, my kids, and the peeps at PAXnorth seem to be truly in love with. How do you tell people who don't know my neighbourhood or see the people we hang with everyday that we are simply committed to becoming a vital part of this community and in subversive and overt ways live out the gospel of Jesus- then expect them to get what that looks like or what that means for us here, on Gottingen St?

They came through the door with gear in tow. Looking urban, hip and a bit hurried (they set a pretty ambitious schedule for four days on the coast). Introductions got started, questions began to flow back and forth naturally like old buddies catching up on what God is doing. Over the dull hum of conversations I hear this flesh on flesh- solid SMACK, SMACK...shuffle of feet, and swearing! Immediately I stand up and look out the front window- two of our street friends are swapping fists to face shots like they were on UFC or something. I say, "Sorry gotta take care of something". Go out to the front door and begin shouting at them. "What are you guys doing? What are you thinking, punching each other in the face and in front of this store! You wanna end up in the tank for the night? Come on, grow up!" They stop...look up and down at me. One guy recognizes me, sheepishly replies, "Yeah, yeah, sorry man...uhhh... wasn't really thinking!" He turns to the other guy, calls him a name his mom wouldn't have liked, wipes the blood off his lip and they go their separate ways.

What does it look like to dwell here? Well, we're still working that out but God has given us favor, courage, grace and a whole lot of protection. I'm not sure what will come of it but God knows, plans and directs. Love it that God has brought people along with us for the journey both here in the north end and from all over the world!

John 17: 15-18 - Jesus Prays that we will truly Dwell

The Freedom of Constraint

2008-06-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Proverbs 4

As I sat up in the platform of the bow window, working on some sermon prep at this 'beatnik' cafe hostel, the Backpacker, where you will find me most afternoons, a young lady sat down beside me. She was a starving artist working with a renovating company for a couple of months so she could move into a new apartment with her boyfriend. Par usual the conversation got around to "What do you do for work?" My initial thought is always, 'pause.....', not because I am ashamed of being a church planter/lead pastor. I absolutely know this is what I am geared for and wake up 6 out a seven days a week thrilled to do what I get to do (the other day is Monday); No the pause, is cause when I say, "Pastor/ Church planter" it more often shuts conversation down rather then opens it up. She looks at me strangely, asks a couple of questions about, "What that is like, starting like a whole new church?" Then she asks, "Why?" Carefully my reply is always, "Why ? Do you think we have enough churches?" "Well, I'm not into religion. I think it is just a way to manipulate people. People should have the freedom to make their own decisions, and live their lives anyway they want to, I'm free to find my own morals and beliefs."

Funny thing about Freedom- it is so constraining.

vs 1-4

Truth is Inevitable:

If you read this passage it sounds like the Wise Seer is telling us this is not merely a suggestion, but THE way to live out life, intentional precepts, directed instructions- truth. The lady I spoke with at the b-packer spoke as if her way of discovering truth was the best way- even suggested that I leave it alone; she felt it was THE way to live- her version of truth. In fact the way that she came across with her version of truth felt like she was tying to intimate, manipulate or constrain my thoughts on truth. MY POINT: It's inevitable we all live out of what we believe is "true." Even those who say we shouldn't tell others what is right or wrong, aren't they inevitably telling us what they think is right or wrong?! Those who say their are NO ABSOLUTES! Isn't that an absolute statement? The first part of Proverbs 4 tells us that what we believe in our hearts shows in our lives.

The wise Seer points towards a life lived out under an awe-struck respect for God, the Creator Sustainer and tells his children, his pupil, his prodigy- this is discovered, modeled, tested, truth for your journey.

The Constraint of Freedom: Notice how the Seer tells us we can discover, follow and journey day by day in this truth? Vs 10-19 In order for Sidney Crosby to be a great hockey player, and eventually lead his team to the Stanley Cup, he chooses the constraining freedom of discipline. He disciplines himself to go above and beyond with diet, exercise, practice, sleep patterns and on and on. This disciplined life brings a freedom to play at the level only Crosby can play. You see that freedom cannot merely be defined as the absence of restraint. Great freedom comes to those who are willing to discipline, train, follow a course of action so that they my attain a better, or the best possible outcome. Doesn't a great relationship of growing love require this kind of disciplined freedom? And if it truly is a growing love, the freedom of restraint is not a burden but a growing delight? I am committed to dating only my wife, pursuing her, and her me not because we can't exercise 'freedom' but because in the restraint of nurturing a deeper love relationship exclusively with each other, we gain a tremendous freedom of trust and joy in each other. The discipline of protecting, keeping this relationship sacred both in private and public ways is more then worth the reward! This is the constraint of freedom, the same constraint that we are instructed toward here in Proverbs. Want to gain a freedom of spiritual understanding, joy, peace, hope, satisfaction in relationship with God? Keep your heart, grab hold of wisdom, keep her, guard her, constrain your steps, direct your life by this relationship of following after God.

"Guard your heart with all vigilance,

for from it flows the springs of life."

Ahhh the freedom that comes from living out of a heart that has been protected, kept, secured by the fear of God! Fresh flowing, life giving springs.

"It is not what goes into a mans mouth that corrupts his life but what comes out of his heart"- Jesus. "The heart of a man is desperately wicked who can know it?"; "We suppress the truth in our hearts." Without the constraining love of Christ in our lives we have a natural bend to lean in towards sin, wickedness, selfishness and pride. Just as it is important for my wife and I to continually cultivate our relationship with one another- it is of great importance for you and I to cultivate an authentic relationship with our God, through His Son Jesus, by the power of His Spirit.

"The love of Christ constrains me."- Paul the Apostle;

"For whoever would save his life would lose it;

but he who would lose his life for my sake

will find it!" - Freedom explained by Jesus!

SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR LIFE: Get in on the 60.60experiment

2008-05-27T11:11:00.000-07:00

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all you ways acknowledge Him

and He will make straight your paths.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

It will be healing to your flesh,

and refreshment to your bones"

-Proverbs 3:5-8

I know, I know....you've read/heard these verses before, maybe they are even your favorite, or you quoted em like they were.

One of the rants building up inside me- How come we, as Christ followers, are so quick to spew scripture or scripture-esk sayings at anyone who asks for 'an answer'? Yet we use it in such a way as to completely disassociate them and disengage ourselves from any deeper or challenging conversation? Christ followers need to be well...more like Christ...'ready to give an answer' that engages those who live desperate lives away from God, for a whole pile of reasons, in such a way that causes them to lean in to know more.

BUT right now that is not the topic of this post/rant. I know I have heard the above verses more then a hundred times quoted as life verses or as a terse reminder of how to 'get over' what ever problem I might be having with knowing the will of God in any given situation. This time however, as we thought about on Sunday Night- at PAXnorth in the Park (yeah that's right, we decided to have PAXworship at a Park right in the midst of our most 'dangerous' neighbourhood- I guess I'll have to post on that experience as well this week.) These verses are not meant for quick repeat without first some deep reflection/meditation of what you are really asking people to consider.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart" : This is a theme that weaves it's way from Adam-to Noah-to Abraham- to Moses- to David- to Solomon- to Isaiah- to Christ- to Paul- to the Church and anyone who has claimed to be a follower of Jehovah, God in between. Love=Trust. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength" This kind of love is a total vulnerable, opening of heart and life kind of trust. The kind of Love that God demonstrated in sending His Son to this earth- God coming down to make himself vulnerable to man, being tested in every way, yet without sin, taking on our abuse, our sin, our punishment of offense on the cross. We can love/trust Him completely because He first loved us.

The only other option to trusting in God is trusting in self; "Lean not on your own understanding" That is a limited option at best- it means living out of only what you have perceived of yourself. Maybe a perception that you have carried over from a hurtful past or the lies of others, or out of what you think everyone would like you to be. One of the major problems with leaning on our own understanding has got to be the flux factor. Opinions of who I am, or am supposed to be, or what I wish I could be changes from year to year, season to season, setting to setting, and person to person- and that's only looking at it from the inside out. Imagine what that would mean if I really tried to live up to everybody else's 'understanding'?

"In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths." This is bigger then you can really grab hold of in a quick read. In ALL YOUR WAYS acknowledge Him... We have challenged PAXnorth to engage in this verse deeper then merely quoting, knowing and throwing it out as a way to cope with the latest unforeseen event in our lives.

I heard of a church who came up with a great idea to practice the "in all your ways" part of acknowledging God in their everyday life. They set up a 60.60 Experiment.

Every 60 minutes for 60 days take time to stop and reflect on the fact that God is here. We are in his presence, He is engaged in our lives.

This is a huge challenge. How will 'practicing the presence of God' cause the daily intentions and decisions of my heart and life to be changed?- TRY IT! Then tell us at PAXnorth 60.60 Experiment.

Just a word of caution: If you truly engage in this 'acknowledging of God in all your ways' - it will begin to give you strength from the inside out and heal many of the scars, wounds broken down walls in your life that perhaps you have held on to for years. RE-read the last few verses of the above passage.

Eagerly waiting to see what happens when we actually put into life these powerful verses? Me to!

Survival Handbook: Proverbs Edition

2008-05-15T18:03:00.000-07:00

WORST CASE SCENARIO: How do you fend off a shark attack? There is some great advice for surviving almost anything on this site…you can get a book to guide you through the possible worst case shopping scenarios! O.K. admittedly some advice may be more useful than others.
Proverbs is a great book for understanding how we end up in some of life’s worst case scenarios. This Book is not for the faint of heart, it pulls no punches. The wise Seer refuses to gloss over our intentions and outcomes of such topics as anger, laziness, lust, refusing to discipline ourselves or our kids and many, many everyday scenarios we see lived out in our world.
On Thursday afternoon I have the privilege of hanging out with some guys who know the raw end of living out of the consequences of life, at the largest men’s shelter in the Maritimes. Some consequences are of our own making, many are outflows from other people’s decisions. Either way many of us are neck deep in trying to deal with the open wounds and soul sized vacuum that have left their imprint in our very core. It is so hard to make clear decisions in your everyday life when you are starting from the place of scars and vacuums.
Proverbs 1:2-6 tells us the purpose of proverbs is to know, to perceive, to receive, to gain discernment, discretion, increase learning, indeed a guide book for life.
Questions like: How do I deal with this deep loneliness? How do I move beyond the “if only’s” of life? How do I deal with the defeat? How come I feel empty with the things that used to and should bring me joy? How do I move out of powerlessness? How do I know God is real and cares? These were just some of the questions that were asked to me today by some of the hardest of guys. Where do you start to give an answer that is not just some kind of mere religious god-smack?
You might not like the answer:
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; the fool despises wisdom and instruction.” – Proverbs 1:7;28,29; 9:10
Don’t be fooled this is not religious spewing- it is the rationalized, meditated, statement of truth from a Wise Sage.
You cannot hope to address and understand your life in deeper wisdom without:

A HUMBLE, self recognition that you don’t hold all the answers. We don’t make decisions out of a vacuum- we make decisions out of beliefs. Islam, Christianity, Agnosticism and Atheism are all beliefs. In fact they are all Theological beliefs because they are a formed opinion about God, like I said earlier, some wisdom is better then others. First step to any sort of wisdom is a humble recognition that my own opinion based upon the evidences that I have accumulated are exactly that. No wisdom can be gained until there is the beginning of an awe filled reverence that there might be more then my own opinion based upon the evidences I have accumulated - “The fear”

A RECOGNITION, of God. A self recognition that I don’t hold all the answers is not enough to understanding wisdom. The fact that I can admit that I am lacking in understanding or incomplete in evidence for knowing the deeper purposes of life, left on my own does not complete our Rational self. If there is no Architect there is no reason for being. If this is all just a blind, happen stance, of irrational forces, and this long line of unthinking evolution finally spat us out on top of the food chain with the ability to think and reason, than a logical question would be, for what? It could be then said that in a world that is so highly irrational there would be no true deeper knowledge or meaning beyond our immediate needs and wants, our mere existence, no true wisdom (to say nothing of a lack of argument for good government, morals or justice). A recognition of God moves us into the beginnings of deeper wisdom. There is a Reason, a Logic, a Designer, which leads us to a pursuit of knowing.

An UNDERSTANDING of a Personal God. The word that the Sage uses is LORD, referring to the name that God used in speaking of himself when He revealed his identity to Moses. Let me shorten this statement: there is a God who has revealed himself to His Creation, personally for a reason, this is the message of the Bible. “Christ the power of God, and the Wisdom of God.”- 1 Cor.1:24
God reveals Himself to us to highest degree in Jesus.

The foundation of wisdom is an awe-filled humbling of ourselves to the truth that there is a God who wants us to know- To know answers for living well, for making healthy decisions, to move beyond and through scars and vacuums of our lives but most of all to know Him. This is not mere spiritual platitude, which also can be said for the rest of Proverbs. It will take work on our part to stop, read, think, re-read and to look below the surface of these passages to gain wisdom.
Welcome to the pursuit of gaining useable everyday Wisdom. Here’s to moving beyond mere survival to a deeper living.

Get Up and Walk!

2008-03-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight after studying Ephesians 5:1-21 REAL LIFE: WALK together at PAXworship a young man said to me, "I asked Jesus to come into my life tonight, for myself and not anyone else."
Acts 3 tells us about Peter and John heading to the temple when a man who had been lame from birth was being carried to his ‘office’- street spot outside the temple, to panhandle. No doubt as he had done countless times, day after day through out his life. Everyone who was in a regular routine of passing by this gate would have seen and known this poor lame beggar lying on the roadside gate yard. He asks the disciples for some coin. . Peter tells the man he has no silver or gold but what he does have he would give to the man; “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”- Peter reached and took the man by the hand and raised him up- “and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.’ The scandalous power of God in the life of those who need healing! Thank You God that YOU are still in the power of changing lives completely and in such a way as to impact the entire community! A man crippled from birth is able to walk-pitied, rejected, ignored- this man who perhaps has given up hope of being able to walk; he would never have seen any real hope of medical enhancement available- no way- no hope. Now His walk will never be the same!
Ephesians 5:1-21 Paul tells us to GET UP AND WALK! Walk in a way that shows who's kids we are...walk as a child of God.
Ch 4:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

In the next few verses God's Word will challenge us to walk in Love, Walk in Light and Walk in Wisdom- The opposite of which would be LUST, DARKNESS and FOOLISHNESS.
Love is self sacrificing acts of worship - Lust is using others for self worship
Light is a transforming relationship with God - Darkness is living out of self reliance
Wisdom is understanding that time is short, God's will is daily, and we must rely on God's Spirit. Foolishness is living for the immediate, self gratification, and under the control of what you can 'use' (money, sex, drugs, beauty, fame, etc.)
Tonight God's Spirit broke through to the life of a young addict. Even in the midst of confusion and fear for the future; longing to be set free but not sure if it is possible, longing to WALK! In the Jewish mindset the idea of one's name carried with it the authority and power of that person themselves, the very nature of that person.
"In the name of Jesus Christ walk!" This is the hope of healing and purpose of life that we can WALK in. This young street friend is about to take some first steps by the power of God's Spirit to understanding freedom in Christ. What a blessing that we get to journey with him!

"I Just Want My Freedom"

2008-03-24T14:33:00.000-07:00

I looked down at my street friend's plate ~mounded up with scrambled eggs, various pieces of ham and toast, smeared entirely with ketchup~ as he talked about how his journey has ended up here. Here, on the streets of H-fax, moving from relationship to relationship, usually depending upon where his drug of choice leads him. "Yeah I had a great relationship with a great lady for 18 years!" he said, shovelling in another mouthful of breakfast. "It really went south though when I got heavier into the crack-pipe. I was just using more and she didn't want anything to do with it. She gave me an ultimatum. I couldn't take that, I just wanted my freedom." "So this is what freedom looks and smells like to you?" I asked.

"Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as (other Haligonians) Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds." Eph 4:17

Look around....what does your freedom look and smell like to you?
Is freedom the ability to make your own decisions based upon what you want, when you want it, no matter what or where? Is freedom having no one to answer to for anything you do no matter how it might look, feel or the lasting affects it might have?
"They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous, and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity." Eph. 4:18-19

Often time the kind of freedom we imagine ends up destroying the most important relationships in our life and alienating us from God and others. This sort of freedom wraps heavy weights of guilt, regret, hurt, anger, causing us just to use people and things to escape our present realities. This sort of freedom is NO FREEDOM at all- it leads to addiction, self- loathing, self destruction and a deep loneliness of the soul.
We cannot truly be free unless we are able to destroy the grip of sin and the cost of death in our lives!!
People try to set themselves free by taking on 'religion' in order to try and gain freedom from sin or death. But mere religion is nothing more then moralism or legalism. The list of do's and don'ts whereby I get to pat myself on the back because I am better then you. I believe that is called PRIDE- one of the seven deadly sins and the one Satan himself enjoyed- at the cost of heaven. People who are religious read the Bible because they believe it tells them all the do's and don'ts they should do and don't. They don't understand that the Bible is written so we can come to Jesus and know God. Religion doesn't set you free- religious moralism only tightens the chains of self hate, pride and spiritual failure in your life. Read the Easter story- the guys who gave up Jesus for crucifixion were the most religious the world has ever seen!
Freedom comes when we bow our knee to Jesus who took our sins on the cross so that we could be set free from death and sin.
"But that is not the way you learned Christ! - assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self....and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created in the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

Here is freedom! Stop pursing dos and don'ts, pursue Christ.
Take some inventory. What is that ONE thing that you continue to act out in a stubborn protest of 'freedom' ("Don't touch this, or leave me alone here") against God? Maybe it's a past hurt, a image of yourself that someone else has given you? A secret sin of lust? Greed? Addiction? Re- READ THE ABOVE verses Eph. 4:17-24. Now ask the hard questions:

How is my thinking about this sinful ACTION twisted? "You made me do this. This is the way I was raised. It's just part of my nature. I deserve this guilty pleasure. No one knows anyway. It doesn't effect anyone but myself."

How is my thinking about his sinful ACTION becoming darker? "God doesn't expect me to act any different then this, after all He made me do this?" Justify, blame, and rationalization are all ways we keep things in the dark.

How are you keeping this sinful ACTION separated from God? Hide the evidence. Turn off the lights. Turn to a bad habit to dull the truth. Blame someone else for our patterns of walking farther and farther away from God.

How have you denied the reality outcomes of this sinful ACTION? "No one will ever find out. How did this happen? I can handle it. Just one more time. I'll change later."

How has your heart grown hard from this sinful ACTION? Romans 1 "Knowing the truth they continued to suppress the truth, until their hearts are hardened to the truth."

How has this sinful ACTION effected your sensitivity towards God and others? Like spiritual cannibals we come to the point of completely rejecting instruction, rebuke, truth, and spiritual discipline and replace it with self righteous justifications to continue to live out sin.

How are you making efforts to indulge yourself in this sinful ACTION? Scheming, working, making plans, saving money, lieing, conniving, surrounding yourself with others who are living for the same sin and calling it freedom!

Take a look at your freedom? Are you pursuing self freedom or freedom in Christ? He died to set us free. Stop pursuing good works pursue Jesus Christ. Stop living out pseudo-freedom of sin that only brings bondage. Bring sinful ACTION into the light of Jesus Christ. Confess, repent and pursue Christ.

Fences::Addictions::Miracles

2008-02-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

Being invited into someone's life, to share their struggles, hurts, dreams and hopes is not a burden but a true priviledge. Being invited into a streetlevel addicts home to share donuts and life struggles is a true trust. The hurts, regrets, and struggle to survive in the face of addiction, violence, poverty and an unhealthy community can leave you thinking what can really be done here anyway?
Last week I sat in a crack house and spoke with a man holding a baseball bat about life and Jesus. He said, "I'm going to come to the Marquee for your church some night, when things cool down here." My reply was, "Why don't we start something right here in your space? Why not find Jesus right here?"

"I pray for you, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisodm and revelation so that you may know Him." - Eph. 1:16,17

What can you do when your dealing with addictions? What do you do when you need to make some core changes in your life? How do you look your self directly in the eye and see clearly the things that you are holding on to that are really bringing hurt, pain or simply holding you in unhealthy patterns of physical and spiritual life? What do YOU do?
- Pull up your Socks? I just need to try harder. Discipline myself. Get up earlier. Fight harder. Make better decisions in the moments. Think good thoughts. REALITY CHECK: The first step to any kind of change IS getting a clear picture/definition of the situation you're stuck in; However, just to TRY harder brings only temporary results at it's best. Self reliance is still reliance on the same old self.
- Build Some Fences? Join AA. Get an accountablity partner/team. Get a trustee. Put protective software on your computers. Go to jail. Go to a recovery program. Enter Rehab. Many of our struggles come by keeping addictions covered up or by only hanging out with those people, or elements that keep us close to our addiction and a sure way to fail. REALITY CHECK: Fences like recovery programs and accountablity partners are great fences- but honestly they are not enough to set us free. A man that I know who had three of his 'accountablity' partners leave their wives and kids by falling into sexual sin defined acountablity partners by saying, "It is when two guys sit down over coffee for an hour a week and lie to each other." Some times it's easier to stay in addiction because you are finding solace in 'confession' and not truly changing.
- Get Innovative? Move away. Develop a creative alternative. Find a new hobbie. Go for a run. Get a new job. Enter a new program. There are times in our lives when we need a new perspective and a fresh start in order to jump start a new pattern of behavior. REALITY CHECK: Often we discover that even though we have started a new pattern of behavior we still manifest the same habits of addiction only now attached to a different personality flaw.

These three steps we often take to change are limited at best.

"...that the Father of glory might give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you might KNOW Him."

Revelation- is unfolded and experienced knowledge

Wisdom- is applied knowledge

CHANGE doesn't come by INNOVATION but by REVELATION in KNOWING God!

Fences, pulling up your socks and innovative ideas are only successful in as far as it allows you to enter into knowing the person and power of God in your life!

"...so that you might KNOW Him, that the eyes of your heart might be enlightened so that you might know the HOPE to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance, and His incomparable great power for us who believe..."

Know the hope of the call - pointing back to the day you came to know God. His loving pursuit of you. The first recognitions of your need; the reality that the goodnes of God was intended for you. The infant cry of faith, there is no other name under heaven or earth whereby we can be saved.

Know the riches of His glorious inheritance- pointing ahead to the security that all you have and need are already secure in Christ Jesus. Stop praying for a greater blessing, a second blessing, for more grace, for more assurance- "In Christ you have every spiritual blessing in heavenly places!" This IS yours in Christ Jesus- Be confident and courageous that all you need in Christ is there for you.

Know His incomparable great power that is FOR YOU who believe- this is the assurance of victory for TODAY! This is the same transforming and displayed power of God in raising up Jesus Christ from the dead! Victory over death and freedom from the strangle hold of sin.

Truly KNOWING GOD is from HEAD to HEART to LIFE

= Transformed Life. This is something only God can do!

Do you KNOW Him?

presuming upon grace

2008-01-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 1:3-14 (in the original language these verses are one, run on sentence).
WHO IS GOD to you? We recently asked this question on our streets the replies reveal that everyone has an opinion about God (most have a couple of ideas of God, at least).
A Sweet Ol Grandpa in the Sky - with lots of opinions but basically harmless; slipping you a 'twenty' now and then and winking at the things you do wrong.
Or the Angry Father in the Living Room - you never know when He might explode in a rage of judgement so you better tip toe around Him and try not to peeve Him off!
Or the Great Pinata in Heaven - just keep trying the whacking sticks of good works, being nice to old people, loving puppy dogs and going to confessions; Eventually you'll the hit the jackpot; God will notice all your good things and pour out His 'candy'!
Or God is everything - it is in the trees and the air, the earth and the water, it is the good spark that lies in the center of us all!
WHERE DID YOU learn your opinion(s) of God? More and more I hear, "Well God, to me, is..."
The problem with OUR opinion is it is OUR opinion. Do we really ever stop and search for God's opinion of who He is? In Ephesians 1:3-14- God is the main subject of almost every verb. Here is God telling you about Himself:
"Before the foundations of the world I choose...You were my idea...I have made THE way for you to be called my child...even when I knew who you would be and what you would do....I reached out to adopt you... to give you a purpose that would fill up your soul, bring peace to your life and a deep richness of My grace...all this I am doing as a part of My will for you and for the primary purpose of showing My glory through you"
This beautiful 'free verse' sentence of blessing to God and about God tells You that really in everything that was and is GOD is PRIMARY -the reason, the intentional, personal, all powerful God. I don't stand over Him to shape Him anyway that might fit. He offers hope and life to me from out of His grace. What will I do with that?
Grace is getting favor that I didn't ask for, don't deserve and often didn't even know I needed.
These verses tell us that God opens the treasury of heaven and calls us to enjoy the spiritual richness of relationship with Him. He does all this by sending His son, Jesus to eliminate the barriers that make us incapable to reach God on our own. Barriers of SELF that the Bible calls SIN. God says- KNOW ME...sends His Son Jesus to be known by us...JESUS IS CENTRAL ...for there is no other name, god, opinion of spiritual life where by you can come to God. God comes to you through the life, death, Resurrection, and exaltation of His Son. When you reach out in faith humbly accepting you enter into His grace and all that you will be, In Christ.
It is when you begin to see this that you realize the awesome greatness of the Person and Love of God; It is then that you experience deep forgiveness and the resources of grace poured out in your life. This is The Gospel that changes everything for us.
To reject what God says about Himself and how you can KNOW Him- and live out of a 'this is what God is to me...'; is a great presumption on the true Grace of the Revealed God.
To presume that I am primary, my opinion is central and I live my life anyway I want to...is to presume yourself god.
Our 'favorite' excuses why we refuse to take a hard look at living life with God as Primary, Christ as Central, and reflecting the raw transforming power of the Gospel:

“But I can’t do it…
You don’t know what a struggle it is in my relationships...
You don’t know what it is like at my school...
You don’t know the hurt, and horror stories of my past...
You don’t know what I have done in my past...
You don’t know the struggle that I have to fit in, to make my life a success...

You don't have to go over board with the 'god stuff'. I'm spiritual when I need to be, but I also have a real life where I need to make money and secure my future...
You don’t know the addictions I have struggled with secretly or openly for years, or decades. There is no getting away from my addictive personality.
(And my all time favorite) I can’t do it…I can’t live out a spiritual life that engages the world around me because you don’t know how hard I have worked to live an exemplary life, of piety, and separation from all things that have a stench of sinful brokenness and the look of helpless spiritual floundering. I am called to live a separated life of holiness and piety; a life surrounded by those who look, act, smell, and have demonstrated the high morals that I do! – SELF PITY, SELF ABASING, SELF SUFFICIENT, SELF PRESERVATION, all various expressions of SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS- MORALISM!! SAULINE PHARISASIM! All a presumption on the grace of God. May God meet with us in the depths of His Word, to make us broken and blind until we know the fullness of repentance and the awakening of living out a Spirit filled life in the midst of a desperately seeking postmodern world!

Life Between the [Brackets]

2008-01-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

PAXnorth has begun a series in EPHESIANS: REALITY CHECK
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus; Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Eph. 1:1,2

Canada 21st Century REAL LIFE
Influential- Globe and Mail stated in 2006 that there were some 500,000 intentional legal immigrants on a waiting list to enter the country (300,000 annually will be granted permission to enter).
Wealthy- Almost 3 billion people in our world today are eke out a life on less then $2 a day; 5% of the worlds population consume 80% of the worlds resources. In 2006, according to Stats Canada, the average Canadian household spent over 200 dollars annually on lotto tickets; while the average Canadian household giving to ALL charities was on average $250; the median total income of Canadian families (this is before taxes) in 2006 was $60,600. That means that the average Canadian home gives approx. 2.4% of their income towards charitable causes; Studies show that at the height of the Great Depression in North America the average household giving was 3.3% of income. Apparently having a greater capacity for wealth doesn’t lead us to greater generosity.
Celebrity/Entertainment Driven- In what other culture is a movie star, sports star, rock star’s opinion on any given issue (from parenting to politics to global warming) able to make front page news or sway votes or start billion dollar trends? We are celebrity obsessed!
Diverse Ideologies/ Philosophies – Postmodern dictum is a splintering of beliefs within one’s own life. The morals/values that might work for one moment might not work for another. The ethic that is believed by the high ideals of religions might be fine for the religious moments but there are moments when you just have to do what YOU feel is right. You are the authority over God or what ever gods there might be.
Sexually Inundated World View- If you take all of the annual salaries of all of the North American professional sports teams (CFL, NFL, MBL, NBA, etc) add them all together, they still would not total the amount of money spent in North America on pornography in one year. As a nation we hold a cultic pre-occupation with sexual images and messages.

EPHESUS 1st Century REAL WORLD
Influential – major ‘hub’ trade center (both by land and marine). It was called “the Jewel City of Asia Minor”. One of the first great metropolis of it’s time.
Wealthy- There was a treasury in the great Temple of Diana, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, in Ephesus. The temple was furnished by the finest marble quarries of its day, the greatest artisans of the day were responsible for the ornate carvings in the temple as well as on its one hundred and twenty-seven graceful columns, each column was a gift from a king. Here there has been discovered currency from all over the known ancient world. Mark Antony once demanded a 9 year back tax from the great city which was completely paid in only two years.
Celebrity/Entertainment Driven- It was the site of pagan Roman games and a great theatre, which was the largest in the world, capable of containing 50,000 spectators. It was, like all ancient theatres, open to the sky. Here were exhibited the fights of wild beasts and of men with beasts. Also Ephesus hosted festivities here as part of month long celebration of the fertility goddess Diana.
Diverse Ideologies/ Philosophies – One of the great philosophers and mathematicians of the city was a man named Alexander, his philosophy was so influential that they nicknamed him the Light. Yet his teachings were to look inside your self to connect with the light spark inside, to self realizations- all of which could be interpreted to make us all better people. A well known poet of the day, who was born in Ephesus was Hipponax, the Bitter. One of his popular ideologies is expressed in his writings, “There are two happy days in a man’s life: the one when he gets his wife, and the other when he buries her.” A famous painter who lived here was Parrharius, who believed that his paintings were inspired by the spirit world and used this as an opportunity to exploit others, live a conceited and indulgent life. The school of Tyrannus was also a place of higher learning in the city. Where all philosophies and arguments of philosophies were discussed, disciples of various philosophies were created, a sense of political correctness, and a climate of equal validity was given to all and every ideology.
Sexually Inundated Worldview- A place where part of their devotion and acts of worship was to engage in sexual activities with temple prostitutes/ or any others who came to the temple for an super natural experience of worship with the spirits, humans and goddesses of nature, and fertility- in month long orgies of perversion- all in the name of seeking experience. Ephesus was a culture that was bombarded with the worship of sexual figures, to the point of occultist devotion; A devotion that was lived out in the giving of their resources, their complete energy, their time and effort focused on self- gratification to the point of worship.

A culture that is continually bombarding its citizens with new ideas, philosophies and ‘entertainment’; violence, sexual images, twisted values about relationships and self indulgence! Get’s ticked off at the mention that there is a WAY (read Acts 19)! And that this Way changes the patterns of behavior, priorities, morals, spending habits, life styles of those who have entered into Him! REAL LIFE IN A REAL WORLD!

What’s the point of all this INFORMATION?! Despair? Hate? Pity? Wish for the ‘good ol days? Gather in our holy huddles and think of heaven while we close our eyes to a needy world? Grab your bull horns meet me down town on Saturday night so we can scream how righteous ‘we’ are and how unrighteous ‘they’ are?

“to the saints who are IN EPHESUS…and…IN CHRIST.”
This is the point of this amazing book- you have everything you need in Christ Jesus to live out a courageously attractive grace and a recklessly sure peace within YOUR world.
In my Greek New Testament Ephesus is in [brackets]. It is suspected that this book was circulated to all the churches in Asia Minor, then the city's name was inserted in the brackets.

Real Life IN CHRIST .....IN [insert name of your community]!

"Whoever gives a casserole in My name..."

2008-01-03T16:51:00.000-08:00

On December 30, 2007 we hosted a community pre-New Year’s supper.

I watched as our volunteers arrived… 30 plus from two great churches. Both very different then each other. Fall River Baptist- a great established church who chose to set their own church Christmas supper aside in order to invest and serve at ours; Deep Water Church another church plant in Halifax’s Southend, who are striving to be missional. Both came to invest time, energy, resources and of course casseroles and desserts for us to host a community supper.
The idea was to put on a fun, relaxed, supper and party for many who live streetlevel in our northend community. Create a space for us to have conversations and for the community to get comfortable with what PAXnorth ‘looks like’ in our worship space- the Marquee Club. In order to do this we needed for our core team to be free from programming, planning and serving so they could just relax and interact with those who came.

Fall River Baptist and Deep Water Church were outstanding in cleaning up glass, setting up, serving, leading kids programs, security, bringing more food than we all could possibly eat, interacting with the community, and just doing anything that needed to be done!

SO what’s the results?
Here’s the beginnings of results from PAXnorth conversations (names have been removed to protect the innocent, mostly)

Yep, Sunday was so much fun! Are there plans in the works to do that kind of thing periodically? Hope so, we'd definitely be willing to help in any way with it!
The people we spoke with were really happy about the potluck; the amount, variety, and especially it being after Christmas when you don't see that kind of thing often, made a great impression on them. Three street level friends I talked with had nice Christmases with their families. Could pray that jobs come along for them that use their skills; they seem like talented, able people.
It was cool how easily they shared their stories; the atmosphere, people, location, etc, were great - you could see God was there!! Great job!

Great Supper!
I talked to a guy who was so full, it hurt, and so thankful. He said he knows he really needs to keep his life straight and the people from PAXnorth really help. He said he wants to keep coming to the church.

Fun Supper:
I don’t know what if any impact I had on two guys and a girl who spoke very little English but they seemed to really be enjoying the evening. We spoke about the church (PaxNorth) and I invited them to come and they said they would. I'm sorry I don't know their names as a matter of fact I saw one of them at Brunswick Mission this morning and he saw the Dr who comes apparently every Wed. morning.

Loved the atmosphere of supper @the Marquee!
I was amazed by how long many of the people just wanted to hang around after everything was over. As I looked around I could see lots of people from PAXnorth and the other churches in little groups of people from our community, laughing, talking, and enjoying being here.

Can’t wait to read about the conversations others had at the supper.
My conversations were mostly just listening to people talk about their kids and family. I offered to pray for people and everyone seemed genuinely grateful for that offer.

I sat with a lady who thought that if she had to call me 'DJ' that it was only right that I referred to her as 'EG' for the evening:)

This lady considers herself an atheist and came only to the dinner because she thought it was just something the Marquee was hosting and had no idea it was with a "church group". She was quite happy with the food however and seemed to be making a point to tune out any "religious talk" that happened throughout the evening. She shared with me her travels to over 20 different countries where she either worked or studied. She has 8 children to several different men, and is a proud grandmother even though she seems to have no real relationship with any of her children these days. She lives somewhere near the Marquee Club and told me she was "probably born somewhere in or near Halifax but not sure". She was full of stories about her life and the adventures she's had although none really seemed to connect. She seemed to come alive as she realized I was truly listening and enjoying what she had to say. God directed our conversation and she asked a few questions giving me brief opportunities to share with her a bit about Paxnorth and about His heart for the city. She was listening while trying hard to appear disinterested.
As she was walking away she came back for a few seconds to share a few pieces of advice about raising children. I can still see her huge smile as she said "Nice to meet you... and Thank you". As I have thought about 'EG' and prayed for her these past few days God has impressed on my heart how deep His love for her and how He longs for her to know Him. I know He has revealed Himself to her. I know it was no 'mistake' that she came to a dinner by a 'religious group'. I pray that she sees Him clearly and that He brings her back to His family whether it be ours at Paxnorth or another.
On a funny note she is apparently a rapper and composed and performed a rap about me over dinner. It was quite long and I wish I had it in writing to give you all a good laugh! What a great evening!

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT GOD WILL DO WITH OUR FEEBLE EFFORTS!
Big thanks to everyone who particapated that night!
We have some video of the night that we will post on Facebook in the next week or so!
Face book search Brad Somers

Blog-olutions

2008-01-03T16:42:00.000-08:00

My new year blog-olution is to update our PAXblog weekly.
Thanks for everyone who keeps encouraging me to do so.

So weekly you can read about unique happenings and/or spiritual developments in and around PAXnorth!
ENJOY!
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Bradley Somers
Lead
PAXnorth Church

What happens when you take 150 backpacks into schools?

2007-09-18T18:07:00.000-07:00

Wanna find out what the reputation of the church is in your neighbourhood? Try this...
Take 150 backpacks or something else that will meet some of the needs of under resourced families, at risk kids or just will meet direct felt needs in your neighbourhood, and try to give them away.

Thanks to KidsFest Canada, and a few sponsoring churches, we had the opportunity to take 150 fully loaded backpacks into our schools last week to give them away. Really it wasn't as easy as you might think.
First when we went in the spring to talk to the school principles we got a reserved, 'that sounds good' response. Apparently there has been a lot of promises made to help in the community by 'groups' that never really happen. Seems this is true even though we are told to behave wisely as salt with grace, so that we will know how we should answer those who are not a part of the Church. (Col 4:5,6)

When we followed up this fall with a direct face to face meeting and a sample of the packs that we want to put in the hands of the students we received a better reply. There was a lot of interesting comments and questions though...like what's the catch? What do you want to get out of it? Who have you asked permission to do this with? Apparently there is some 'groups' out there that only seek to meet the needs of the needy if they are going to get something out of it or with a hidden agenda- not just because caring for the needs of our community is true religion (Jms. 1:27)

When I assured the principals that we were hoping to build a community of mentors from Law Officers, Naval Soldiers, Church members, local business owners, and down the road musicians and artists; All of whom we would help to train and do background checks on so they could invest their lives into mentoring at risk-kids at the local schools the question was: "Are you going to have to talk about Jesus?" Apparently there are those 'groups' out there who have parachuted into a community to shout at people in Jesus' name, never really earning a hearing or thinking that their absents of actions spoke so loudly about their faith that the community could not hear what they were saying about their Jesus. (Eph. 5:1,2; Matt. 25:31-46)
Shelby and our five kids (affectionately known as the Fab5); came with us on the first Monday back to school, to hand out these packs. Can't tell you what impact it has made on our kids, on us and on those who partnered with us to deliver these packs.... HERE IS ONE STORY from Shelby's vantage point; there is many more to be told...
One highlight for me on the day we handed out the back packs on behalf of KidsFest was at the very last school. That school is about a block and a half up the road from our home.

Picture if you will an assembly full of children, a stage full of back packs and a vice principal full of enthusiasm.

He was calling out names as though they were the next contestant on The Price is Right and when the students heard their name they were to stand. Luke (a partner with Aerobics First) would run to them and hand them a certificate for a professionally fitted sports shoe and one of the PAXnorth team would run to them with a back pack FULL of school supplies.

The place was nearly vibrating with excitement as they waited for the next name to be called.

Then the name of a little girl was called and no one stood. The principal and VP scanned the crowd for her or her student mentor. Then someone pointed and I looked to see who she was. The mentor was saying, "That's YOU!!" to a little girl with Down's Syndrome who was sitting beside her. The little girl mouthed, "That's ME!" and put her face in her hands and started to cry. Her mentor was crying. I was crying. Luke was nearly losing it himself as he approached her and was gently saying, "Look what you got!"

She was equal. She had as much a chance of having her name drawn as any other student in the room. Everyone was cheering for her. She belonged.

And that was the WHOLE point for me. These children all belong to our community and need to be treated equally. By presenting these four schools with 38 back backs each we gave the kids more a level playing field to belong.

When a child shows up to school and doesn't have the proper supplies with which to do their work they feel that they aren't as good as other kids who do have all those things. The back pack itself is a small part of the gift we give these students. By just having those basic needs, they now are an equal. That does so much for a child's confidence.

I will never forget that one little girl. No matter how many times we are ambassadors for KidsFest that will stand out in my mind. It'll be pretty tough to top.

Prayer Pursues the Prodigal

2007-08-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

"The prayers of the righteous are powerful tools"

A street worker friend of mine called me late one afternoon to see if I could go across town and pick up a young lady who was in desperate need of a drive to detox. I made my way across the city, in the middle of rush hour, to meet her and her boyfriend- I put her suitcase into the back of my van and watched as she said good bye to her boyfriend.

As we made our way through the traffic and to pick up my street worker friend- she, little by little unfolded her story. Her and her boyfriend had come into the city from Christian homes, and had soon gotten involved with some very insidious elements. Elements that deliver death instead of the promised high.

She came into the city to be with him. He came into the city to find freedom. Both found addictions and their very life being taken from them.

I don't know how long they have been in the middle of this 'pig pen' but both have had the prayers of parents calling out to God to pursue them by His Spirit and awaken their hearts. A month ago God led me to them. The very same day I emailed Christ followers in four different continents and simply shared the need for prayer. Over the last few weeks I have received phone calls, emails and questions every week asking what was happening with this young couple. My answer has been, "Keep praying, the cycle of darkness continues".

I sat yesterday at a cafe with a man who I serve alongside of in some streetlevel focuses. He joined into several of these only a few months ago. We were meeting to share java and like spiritual passion, to see the church make a greater impact by living out the gospel among 'the least of these.'

In the midst of conversation I asked him about his family. He told me of his wife, and two boys- one 29 the other 21. With a voice strained with the pain of heartbreak he said his son was an addict in the city. Then he told me the unknown details of the story of two young people who 'escaped' to the city. Yeah the same story that I have just written above.

I waited for him to continue to pour out the pursuit of God's love on these two prodigals. Last week the parents met with the two young people- discovering that they were holed up in a crack house. They were besides themselves with what to do? They prayed, and you were praying with them. Last weekend the ex-hell's angel who owned the crack house over dosed and died; the police came in, closed the house down, putting those hanging out there onto the streets. After a day of being without drugs the couple was hurting physically, mentally and spiritually- they called home. The parents came to the city to find them on the streets and in the rain. My friend told his son that they could come home only if they got help- God's pursuit of us is relentless! He disciplines us because He loves us...yes He loves us. That day on the streets of H-fax two prodigals began the journey of being found!

Both are in separate detoxes out side the city. Both are enrolled in separate follow up programs in Christian recovery organizations. As I shared with this dad my side of the story and that God had used you to pursue this couple in prayer- he and I just sat in amazment. God loves and seeks the prodigal. We were so moved to witness the Hound of Heaven chasing hard after His lost sheep.

THANK YOU!! On behalf of these families, these kids....THANK YOU for praying! Your prayers were a part of the protection and pursuit of God on our streets. These two young people still have a long way to go...don't stop praying now.

"I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him,...
My thirsting mouth.
Nigh and nigh draws the chase,
With unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy ;
And past those noisèd Feet
A Voice comes yet more fleet --
"Lo ! naught contents thee, who content'st not Me." ....

"And human love needs human meriting :
How hast thou merited --
Of all man's clotted clay the dingiest clot ?
Alack, thou knowest not
How little worthy of any love thou art !
Whom wilt thou find to love ignoble thee,
Save Me, save only Me ?
All which I took from thee I did but take,
Not for thy harms,
But just that thou might'st seek it in My arms.
All which thy child's mistake
Fancies as lost, I have stored for thee at home :
Rise, clasp My hand, and come !" "- from The Hound of Heaven

PRAYER:: Why Start? Why Continue? What's the Point?

2007-08-15T11:13:00.000-07:00

We have decided for PAXnorth blog we would begin to write weekly.

The topic of the Blog will revolve around what is being taught at PAXworship that week, or the developing focus of the church that week. We hope that this way we will enhance the interaction of our community both at home and away.

The month of August PAXnorth is being called to PRAY and FAST at least one day a week all month long! The fast can be in a variety of ways...food, T.V., Internet, media, music while driving, music while running, etc, etc. Then replace that time, or when thinking of the discipline, to pray.

PRAYER:: WHY START? WHY CONTINUE? WHAT'S THE POINT?

"If you say God is Sovereign (knows all things, controls all things, etc) then why do I need to pray? Doesn't He know everything already?"

Matthew 6:8 "Your Father knows what you need before you ask."
Often the only time we cry out to God in true need is when we are IN true need. "Help me God this circumstance is beyond me, this illness is overcoming me, this relationship is so beyond my help...Help me God"
We don't pray to God because He doesn't know what we need, or want. We seek God in prayer because it gives definite expression to our trust and surrender to the truth- we cannot control our lives, we NEED God. We pray because we, the creation, need God the Creator. Prayer expresses and continuing to pray increases our trust in Him.
We don't pray so that we will finally be known by God. God knows you. He created you and delights in your trust and seeking of Him. He is fully a good Father. The best you have ever known or can imagine. Compared to Him even the greatest of Father's is wicked.

"Which of you fathers, if your child asks for a fish, you will give him a snake instead?... If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your kids, how much
more will your Father in heaven give...?" Luke 11:11-13

When you bow in honest prayer to God, seeking Him in full trust, He delights that you, as a whole person, are trusting yourself to Him, as a whole Person. He delights in your trust of Him- His love, His power, His mercy, His grace, His creativity; After all it is through the interchange of trust that relationship is begun. We pray so that we might enter into the knowing of God in our life. We continue in prayer because we continue to find delight in knowing Him more fully.

We don't pray because it is a 'good luck charm', a 'magic incantation', a 'mantra' or as a means to finally make God hear.
“Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name I will do it” -John 14:13-14

Did you know there is NO prayer recorded in the Bible that ends with the words, "in Jesus name, Amen?" These words cannot be used to invoke God to greater response, or to make sure exactly what you prayed gets done. Praying in Jesus' name means you pray this prayer because this is what is consistent with the mission and will of Christ, in my life, work place, relationships, debt struggles, need for new things, etc, etc.

We don't stop praying because, 'I tried that and it didn't work', or 'I'm getting no answer on this so God must not care'.

Think for a minute of someone in your life who really seems to have a strong personal walk with God. They seem to radiate with trust and honest 'down to earth' believing faith. It is most likely that they are a person who prayers quite a bit. Is it possible to be a person who truly has a faith relationship with God- seeks after God in such a way that is constantly pressing in on Him, the loving Father- and then be spiritually shallow? A mature relationship with God means you are a person who is continuing, prevailing, constant in praying the prayers that you believe Jesus would pray, even if you don't get an answer with in the first 30 seconds, 30 days, 30 years. Prevailing in prayer means you are taking the present tense progressive actions of ASKING....SEEKING....KNOCKING...

LUKE 11:1-13 Unfolds for us a mature God centered, daily reality, continual, pressing in upon a gracious loving Father instruction on prayer!
You cannot lose out in your spiritual life by being devoted to prayer! It will not leave you with a shallow empty relationship with God. It will leave you asking for the Father to pour out His Holy Spirit into the situations, the circumstances and relationships of your life.

PRESS IN ON GOD IN PRAYER AND FIND DELIGHT IN KNOWING HIM.

Cultures of Repentance

2007-05-03T18:01:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago I was sitting with a bunch of guys over a slab of bacon, two over-easy eggs and about a pot of coffee each- talking about, "Why Evangelical Jesus followers don't repent very easily." This week I hung out with a great friend, who opened up his heart to me about a process of repentance that God brought him too and through that truly saved his life; Also this week our church plant network has been dealing with an issue of repentance that has threatened to kill a young pastor, his sweet wife, three young kids and the church God raised up around them.
I am so teeed off at the devastation of our own sinful behaviors, the power of addiction, and the deep scars that unrepentance can bring; that I probably shouldn't be writing;(BTW- by unrepentance I also mean 'incomplete half repentance') Yet in the midst of this, I am amazed at the beauty, new life, reclaimed love and new found freedom that honest repentance, ownership of sin and accountable recovery can bring by the grace of God!

I think we, churches in general, do a really sucky job at creating authentic environments for true repentance to happen, or want to happen. Why is it that usually the only time we hear about a guy who wants to repent is AFTER he has completely destroyed his own life and the lives of those he loves?! Don't go mis reading me now -I am not o.k.-ing the touchy, feely, mystic church environments that continually endorse that we just let it all hang out, our sin, our addiction, our struggles with deep temptation, repenting openly every Sunday at 'open mike' time, and then lets just see what happens..... Most time what happens is they describe their lust and struggle so powerfully and attractively that three or four other guys get hooked into the same deep sin. -'Watch in case you fall into the same sin'- Something Apostle Paul warned about in the midst of leading others in repentance.
But I do think we have made our faith so sterile in our church cultures that there is no room for the true authentic repentance that should be happening when Jesus followers are instructed to 'confess your sins one to another and bear one an others' burdens.' I do believe a sterile faith is an impotent faith. (Unwilling to engage in the messiness of authentic spiritual relationships in Christ, removes the opportunity for the power of God to press in on those areas of our life).
What is repentance for any way? So that the offender is so devastated and destroyed, bloodied and wounded while the rest of the soldiers shake their self righteous heads and say, "Yeah, I knew it, He was a 'poser- soldier' really anyway, lets all kick him on the way to the pot- luck mess hall called church after the battle." For many situations that I have witnessed and even been involved with, that seems to be the totality of the act of repentance. No wonder guys wait until their lives are completely destroyed, and then are forced to repent or at least to make part confessions.

Isn't the point of repentance so that we can make direct steps away from devastation and towards reconciliation? Isn't recovery and reconciliation- true peace, PAX, shalom- the whole point of repentance. I am not sure how but do believe if we can focus on creating environments of reconciliation, recovery, redemption there will be a natural outflow of relationships of repentance.

I love it when my kids come to me to confess their love for me and need of me to care for them, because they are worried something they said or did has possibly hurt my heart. I hate it when I have said or done something that has hurt the heart of my wife or my kids...I just can't let it go...I have to make it right by honest confession and repentance.....so that the love can be restored! Ahhhhhh the secure, joyous, safe place of reconciliation; Looks and smells like relationships of true love.

"Even while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!" Ahhhhhhhh looks and smells like true love- "reconciling us to the Father."

Blessed by a Prostitute

2007-04-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

I had a great privilege a few weekends ago to speak at special meetings about an hour and a half north east of Halifax, at Fellowship Baptist in Great Village. This annual event for the church has been a consistent encouragement for the saints who worship here but also as a way to reach into the lives of those who they have been praying for and burdened for spiritually.
Sunday morning we sensed that God had been working in the life of this Church, the place was full, the kids were chaotic, the worship was genuine- a good place to live out Christ- The Theme was 'GET REAL'; and we focused on some passages from Ephesians. Sunday night the crowd was cut to about half; I'd like to think it was the gritty preaching but most likely it was that the church doesn't usually hold a Sunday night service. I thought typically for the next few nights we would have a drop in attendance as it can be hard to make time in the evenings of a week.
The crowd did thin but not in numbers more in 'texture'. People were bringing out family, friends, neighbours who were struggling with loneliness, addiction or past hurts and failures. I am not sure that the messages got 'grittier' but the congregation seemed to. During these three days I received a lot of encouragement from some great and sincere people. God's hand was truly moving on the heart of both religious and irreligious sinners. But no encouragement would match the words of the most unlikely person on the last night of our meetings.
The last night there was a coffee time following the service (did I mention it's a Baptist church); a lady came to me at the front of the church and asked if I would speak to a lady in a wheelchair at the back. I made my way back to the last pew, sat down and introduced myself; There was an evident spirit of love and joy from this lady. She began to encourage me. She was so thrilled that we had moved our family into the north end of Halifax; She told me that she had lived for more then 16 years in the housing project down the road from my house. She spent most of her life as a prostitute in various cities across Canada. She said she had been held in apartments, hotels, moved around by pimps, and she had marks of torture on her body from the treatment she had received. She told me that it was in the midst of this darkness that Jesus found her, the she began to bless me; she said, 'you have the message and words that my friends there need to hear, and on and on she flowed out encouragement.' After a half hour or so of listening and being filled up by her words of encouragement and the reality of the Gospel of redemption; I asked if I could pray for her. I prayed that God would strengthen and encourage her, be close and alive in her life and protect her in the dark moments of physical struggle. After I was done praying she looked at me and said, I want you to know that I no longer have those darkest of days, Jesus is with me now, everyday. By this time I was crying with joy as to her honest love relationship with Jesus, and His care for her. She put her hand on me and prayed a prayer of blessing and protection on me and our family.
I am honestly still stuck for words as to how deeply it has blessed my soul to have come into direct contact with the grace of God at work in Cathy! Pray for her as she lives in a place she can receive care and strength in living with HIV; The heart of Jesus is so surprising to me as He seeks to shape the heart of a self moralist preacher with the words of some one who knows the depth of the love of God. May God help me, the vilest of sinners, to know how deep, long, wide and high His love is!

The Question I Must Answer the Most:

2007-03-21T19:58:00.000-07:00

"So like....what are you hoping your church building will look like?"

I was first asked this question last summer. A well meaning lady asked me what our church would look like and I began to answer with words like- eclectic, organic growth (nothing to do with hydroponics btw), missional.. She stopped me, "No no no, what will your church look like? Will it be a little white building in the middle of the city? With things like worship hangings?" Looking her in the eyes, and with, what I hope was a gentle spirit, I replied, "Look lady if you think that is what the church looks like, we are really far from having a meaningful conversation."
We have been on the ground running (mostly up and down stairs unloading boxes) for four weeks now. I have visited four different churches right in our area. Most with decent facilities; most with hurting, dwindling congregations; The big question seems to be, "How do we get people to come to our buildings, and yeah to Jesus too." We have a great facility for them to serve in and to grow into what a disciple of Jesus is to look like. I truly feel for the leaders of these churches, many of which are amalgamating with other congregations (often those they wouldn't fellowship with a few years ago), because they have to find a way to keep the doors open, the pressure is great.
Don't get me wrong, I know that God calls different people, different congregations to do different ministry and fulfill different niches in the kingdom. It is for Him to fit and join the parts of the building, His church. Still I wonder if Urban churches and maybe even suburban churches need to have a drastic shift in thinking- instead of building buildings we have to fill- how about filling spaces within the culture with the Church of Jesus and worship - I read how Paul did this a lot when he was developing disciples of Jesus.
Just wonder how many other people will ask me this week..."So what is your church (building) going to look like?"
Just so you know- our plan for 'space' is to have a space in the midst of the city culture (targeting Gottingen Street) that will be used as a center to meet the needs of a hurting world, and bring value to the place we are planted- then we hope to have access to a worship space that will be a place that is familiar to the people of our city (praying for the Marquee Club).
BUT what we will look like as a church will be radically different then what our building allows us to do. While we are on it- funny how we try and program what should come naturally in an agape love relationship with each other...things like discipleship and mentoring...hmmm gotta go read Acts again see if Paul left us a discipleship program I can download?

"I keep praying for you, that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ will give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation that you may KNOW GOD!" -Eph 1:17
Pray for us too...

Truth Secular or Sacred?

2007-01-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

Is there any truth that is secular or is all truth sacred? As a person engages philosophy, this a question that continually encroaches into the conversation. Can we see truth in the natural world? Can we hear truth in the words of those who have not encountered spiritual truth? Can we understand the deeper truth from the world that surrounds us or are we only able to encounter this depth of truth in the sacred? Can we find truth that brings true meaning in the secular?
I once heard a speaker describe the search for truth in culture as a guy stranded on an Island in the middle of the ocean. The guy is searching for answers to life and why his world is as it is. He finds a cache of bottles and begins to write his questions, answers and impressions on little pieces of paper. Sticks them in the bottle, seals the top and sets them out to sea. Bottle after bottle, impression after impression, question after question, some in pain, loneliness and some in joy and celebration he exhausts the amount of bottles he has but not the questions. A week or so goes by and the man sees on the horizon a bottle making its way on the surf towards his little Island. He sits and waits, and follows the progress of the little bottle. With excitement and anticipation for answers he wades out, and swims against the currents to reach out for the little bottle. Then battles back to his little island with a great deal of effort and with the promise of hope breaks the seal on the bottle. He dumps out the little note inside. With his hands shaking he reads the writing on the paper only to realize that it is his own question, his own answer.
Generation after generation seeks to know the answers to life or at the very least to describe those elements of life that give deeper meaning to one’s existence. The 21st century is no exception.

“All the creatures, on the beaches

Makin' waves in the motion picture

Won't you keep this, in between us

Search and seizure, wake up venus

The dollar bill will

Return the ill pill

Mom and Dad take your 'dont be sad' pill

Turn the screw and twist my language

Don't forsake me I’m contagious!

There’s a reason for the twenty-first century...

Not too sure but I know that its meant to be

And that it's meant to be

It's my favorite combination

Comin' down with the favored nations

Deep rotation, mutilation

Learn to give and take dictation

Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh

Like the Cain and Able

Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh

Time to run this table

There's a reason for the 21st Century

Not too sure but I know that's it's meant to be

And that it's meant to be

Read me your scripture and

Read me your scripture

Read me your scripture and I will twist it

Show me your wrist and I

Show me your wrist and

Show me your wrist and I'll

Kiss it kiss it

Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh

Like the Cain and Able

Oh, oh, oh, oh-oh

It's time to run this table

Simple Soldier, hand it over

Stop and read what you just told her

Strangulation , altercation

Of all the sex and good vibrations

There's a reason for the 21st Century

Not to sure but I know that's it's meant to be

And that it's meant to be yeah

There's a reason for the 21st Century

Not to sure but I know that's it's meant to be

And that it's meant to be

- Red Hot Chili Peppers

Secular poet after secular poet; Secular prophet after secular prophet (don’t get me started on quoting Matrix type movies); secular priest after secular priest (from Sophists, New Agers, to effeminate metro-sexual politically correct postmodern spin doctors) each tell us there is a way to discover true happiness, and world contentment, that is uniquely satisfying to each individual. Through love songs, social restructure, getting in touch with our inner child, seeking for the greater essence of global harmony, and complete tolerance of everybody’s embodiment of ‘truth’ we can find the answers. Or are we just writing questions and impressions to ourselves with little hope of discovering the greater irreducible truths? The truth that humanity can only find its true dignity, value and worth from out of the foundations of Imago Dei, having been created in the image of God.

PAX North Blog

2007-01-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

A REMINDER!
The goal of our Blog

not to be your sisters diary
not to prove we are ranting lunatics
not to have all the u-tubing, my spacing, blogging 15 year olds contact us with their latest videos

No, Pax North Blog is to share with you some thoughts, quotes, etc that will-keeping with the PAX Values- challenge you towards spiritual growth in FAITH. That you might live a life that brings the VALUE of being a Christ follower to the CULTURE we have been called to impact.

Welcome to the blog.

2007-01-16T12:26:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the PAX North blog. This is the first entry just to make sure everything is working.