In our society today the Name of Jesus has become offensive to many. It's tempting to stop using it and look for less offensive names to use, because we don't want to offend people. But, avoiding the Name of Jesus is dangerous for us as Christians. When we shy away from the very Name that has been our identity for close to 2,000 years, we choose to give up the power and authority we've been given.
Jesus told us to expect this to happen. In John 15:18-25, He tells us that the world will hate us because it hated Him first, and we are claiming His Name as Christians. John 15:21 says, "They will treat you this way because of My Name, for they do not know the One who sent Me." Jesus was preparing His followers for how they would be treated in the days to come.
The early church experienced persecution because of the Name of Jesus. They knew the reality of Jesus' words of warning. The book of Acts records many examples of the persecution they faced because of the Name of Jesus.
But, they also knew that was where all their power and authority came from. They didn't allow the persecution to stop them from calling on the Name of Jesus or acting in the Name of Jesus. Even when it cost them, they continued to claim the Name of Jesus.
Church history is filled with examples of people who continued to claim the Name of Jesus, even at great personal cost. One needs only to read some of the accounts of the martyrs of our faith to see that in action.
So, why are we choosing to stop using the Name of Jesus out of fear of offending people? Why are we shying away from it, when the cost is not yet (for us in the West) as high as it has been for people in our history?
I think for many of us, it's been pretty easy to claim the Name of Jesus in our society, until recently. Whether people agreed with our beliefs or not, they were generally respectful of ours and left us alone. But, that is changing. People now find the Name of Jesus to be offensive and we're not used to that, so we don't know how to respond.
Our response cannot be to stop using the Name of Jesus. Jesus warned us to expect this to come. Even if it becomes costly to claim the Name of Jesus, we must continue to do so, because that is where our power and authority comes from. We call on the Name of Jesus and we do all that we do in the Name of Jesus.
I'm not saying we should go out and look for how we can offend people with the Name of Jesus. That defeats the message of the gospel. But, our love for people and desire for them to understand the truth must be stronger than our fear of offending people with the Name of Jesus.
The Name of Jesus is offensive to some because of the power and authority it has - something they know deep inside because of the image of God in them. The Name of Jesus should never be offensive because of our words or actions.
The good news for us is that we don't have to live this way in our own strength. We have the Holy Spirit in us to help us live this way. The Holy Spirit in us empowers us to live our lives in the Name of Jesus.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Obeying the Opportunities God Provides
Sometimes things happen that remind me of how amazing it is to be a part of a local church. For all it's imperfections and the times something happens that brings hurt, there are just as many times when what happens is a beautiful picture of what it should be.
One of those moments happened for me recently. I was having a hard time with something and expressed that. I said it specifically to someone I knew and who knew my story so I didn't have to share the details. There was another person standing nearby who noticed I was having a hard time. They didn't try to get details about what was going on, or join in the conversation. They simply put a hand on my shoulder and spoke a few words of encouragement before they quietly walked away.
I had seen this person around at church before, but I didn't even know their name. They simply took a moment to encourage me when I was struggling and they didn't make a big show of it, or try to get involved in something they weren't invited into.
I didn't fully realize the significance of what they had done until later. But the words they spoke and the fact they would take the time when we didn't know each other played a big part in beginning to change what was going on for me that evening.
It makes me wonder about how I can do the same thing more.
How often have I walked past someone having a hard time and thought about what I could say to encourage them and just kept going?
How many opportunities to bring light into someone's darkness have I just walked by?
I'm not thinking about these things because I want to feel guilty about those times. They're about a realization that I have these same opportunities and a challenge to step into them, instead of walking by them. It takes only a minute for me, but it could be really important to that person.
Whether we know the outcome of our obedience to God in these things or not isn't what's important. The importance is that we follow through. That we listen to these promptings from God as go about our days.
In the time since this experience for me, my prayer has been that God would help me to see these moments where a couple minutes of my time can make a difference in someone's day. And then that I would have the willingness and the courage to follow through on those promptings.
I would invite you to join me in that. I believe it is the way we were meant to live.
One of those moments happened for me recently. I was having a hard time with something and expressed that. I said it specifically to someone I knew and who knew my story so I didn't have to share the details. There was another person standing nearby who noticed I was having a hard time. They didn't try to get details about what was going on, or join in the conversation. They simply put a hand on my shoulder and spoke a few words of encouragement before they quietly walked away.
I had seen this person around at church before, but I didn't even know their name. They simply took a moment to encourage me when I was struggling and they didn't make a big show of it, or try to get involved in something they weren't invited into.
I didn't fully realize the significance of what they had done until later. But the words they spoke and the fact they would take the time when we didn't know each other played a big part in beginning to change what was going on for me that evening.
It makes me wonder about how I can do the same thing more.
How often have I walked past someone having a hard time and thought about what I could say to encourage them and just kept going?
How many opportunities to bring light into someone's darkness have I just walked by?
I'm not thinking about these things because I want to feel guilty about those times. They're about a realization that I have these same opportunities and a challenge to step into them, instead of walking by them. It takes only a minute for me, but it could be really important to that person.
Whether we know the outcome of our obedience to God in these things or not isn't what's important. The importance is that we follow through. That we listen to these promptings from God as go about our days.
In the time since this experience for me, my prayer has been that God would help me to see these moments where a couple minutes of my time can make a difference in someone's day. And then that I would have the willingness and the courage to follow through on those promptings.
I would invite you to join me in that. I believe it is the way we were meant to live.
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Communicating with Grace and Love
The conversations about hot topics in society today are becoming more and more divisive and polarizing. Whether they're being had in society at large or in the church, we're becoming really good at mud-slinging toward those who don't agree with us.
It's made me think about how we should actually be responding.
What does it look like to respond in a godly manner?
How do we respond with truth without falling into the attacking of people that has become so common?
I don't want to get into a political debate about any of the current issues. That's not my point here. I'm not looking at the specifics of what our responses should or should not be. I want to look at what the overall tone of our response should be. How we should be dealing with people whether we agree with them or not.
In all of these conversations our tone must be filled with grace. We have to offer grace to everyone in how we respond. This doesn't mean we shouldn't speak the truth of what God's Word says, but it does impact how we communicate that truth.
Our approach shouldn't be about proving we're right and making the other person feel small or stupid for disagreeing with us. That will close people's ears to what we're saying. We have to communicate our love for all people as we communicate the truth. Yes, this is difficult in a society that equates disagreement with one's view as not liking the person. But, somehow we have to figure out what that looks like.
As vital as communicating this way is when it comes to society at large, I believe we need to be just as careful when we communicate within the church. In our fallen world, we need to speak the truth lovingly and with grace to those within our walls too. Often, we don't know what the other people around us in church have walked through and how something we say might impact them. If we want to be places where people come to find healing and freedom, then we have to be thoughtful in how we communicate.
I'm not saying we shouldn't speak the truth. We absolutely have to. But, if we communicate that truth without grace and love we won't be heard by the people we're speaking to. This is true in everything, but I think it's even more important when it comes to some the hot topics in our society today.
If we speak the truth in a way that condemns someone for their past in that area, we have actually failed to communicate the truth. Instead, we're communicating judgement. When we speak the truth of God's Word in these areas, we need to be speaking about repentance, forgiveness, and grace alongside. Not as an after-thought, but as part of the truth we're speaking.
Whatever situation we may find ourselves in when these topics come up for conversation, our response should be different than that of the world. Not just because it's what the Bible says, but because we're doing our best to really love others - both inside and outside of the church. It's about following Christ's example, not trying to be right.
It's made me think about how we should actually be responding.
What does it look like to respond in a godly manner?
How do we respond with truth without falling into the attacking of people that has become so common?
I don't want to get into a political debate about any of the current issues. That's not my point here. I'm not looking at the specifics of what our responses should or should not be. I want to look at what the overall tone of our response should be. How we should be dealing with people whether we agree with them or not.
In all of these conversations our tone must be filled with grace. We have to offer grace to everyone in how we respond. This doesn't mean we shouldn't speak the truth of what God's Word says, but it does impact how we communicate that truth.
Our approach shouldn't be about proving we're right and making the other person feel small or stupid for disagreeing with us. That will close people's ears to what we're saying. We have to communicate our love for all people as we communicate the truth. Yes, this is difficult in a society that equates disagreement with one's view as not liking the person. But, somehow we have to figure out what that looks like.
As vital as communicating this way is when it comes to society at large, I believe we need to be just as careful when we communicate within the church. In our fallen world, we need to speak the truth lovingly and with grace to those within our walls too. Often, we don't know what the other people around us in church have walked through and how something we say might impact them. If we want to be places where people come to find healing and freedom, then we have to be thoughtful in how we communicate.
I'm not saying we shouldn't speak the truth. We absolutely have to. But, if we communicate that truth without grace and love we won't be heard by the people we're speaking to. This is true in everything, but I think it's even more important when it comes to some the hot topics in our society today.
If we speak the truth in a way that condemns someone for their past in that area, we have actually failed to communicate the truth. Instead, we're communicating judgement. When we speak the truth of God's Word in these areas, we need to be speaking about repentance, forgiveness, and grace alongside. Not as an after-thought, but as part of the truth we're speaking.
Whatever situation we may find ourselves in when these topics come up for conversation, our response should be different than that of the world. Not just because it's what the Bible says, but because we're doing our best to really love others - both inside and outside of the church. It's about following Christ's example, not trying to be right.
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