Showing posts with label gospel. Show all posts

the big story

"When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written." (John 21:25 ESV)

A few guys and myself were talking about the Bible yesterday, and we somehow got to the topic of why there are four gospel accounts in the Bible and not just one. One of the guys said that it's because everyone has a different story that Jesus writes in their lives and hence a different vantage point to speak of Him from. He concluded that this is why we cannot give people enough advice to solve all their problems because often, God uses a mix of wisdom from people, the Bible and our circumstances to bring us to Him.
I agree, and I believe that one of the best ways of counseling people is to tell them how Jesus has worked in similar struggles of my own, because it doesn't guarantee a formulaic solution but instead points to Jesus, who he is, and what He does. It's no ten-step plan, but it provides a relational hope that no book can substitute for.
So the question isn't why there are four accounts for one story... for they are all different stories, just with the same main character. And somehow they all come together into an even bigger story. I suppose there couldn't possibly be enough books for how much Jesus has done.

Chris

I am rich

The past month seemed an eternity - a day's worth of work felt like a week; days dragged on and time slowed to a crawl. When I have my periodic minor existential crises, I feel like it's God saying, "Slow down; to me a day is a thousand years." And therefore, a day became a thousand years.

I was whining. I was thinking about all I didn't have, I was thinking about why I should love or serve others when I am lacking so much. Then I tunnel-visioned myself into demanding a single thing from God - I wanted people to treat me exactly one way and one way alone and any other way just wouldn't do.

Then came the blame game. It's the world's fault, it's the fault of generations past that I felt neglected in the ways that I did. It's everyone else's spiritual poverty that's causing this to happen. I needed a scapegoat. Friends, family, leaders, bosses, teachers just weren't living up to my expectations. I needed more.

The poor man's mentality. It was mentioned in our sermon at church this past Sunday.

So the mantra goes: I have little so I have nothing to give.

 And that's how I was operating. I felt like I had something to prove with my life; that I had to be better so that people would treat me better. Either that, or other people had to be better. Someone had to change. But one distinct reminder came in the form of a song - that Christ is enough. He made us rich:

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." (2 Corinthians 8:9)

I was looking for a scapegoat and I found one. A rich man who gave it all so that we might have eternal riches. And as long as I remember the riches I have found in Christ - the joy of knowing God's presence, the humility of being God's child, the encouragement of having a purpose - I cannot complain, I cannot expect any more. Christ is enough.

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philippians 3:8)

This past week, I watched the Blue Like Jazz movie, which... despite having backed on Kickstarter in production, I never got around to watching until now, a year after it was released because I thought I was done with all the "emergent" Christianity stuff. But I discovered I could watch it for free with my roommate's Amazon Prime account so I figured... why not?

Spoiler alert. The closing scene is where the main character, who was so ashamed of his Christianity in a liberal culture, chooses to apologize on behalf of other Christians, of other people, and what they had done to cause pain in another student's life. And in it, I saw the gospel - it is as if we came to God to apologize for our sin, to repent, and He stopped us mid-sentence, came right back at us and apologized for what we did and took the blame. And in doing so, gave us free life; freed us from all guilt and shame. It was grace we didn't deserve from the only one who needn't apologize for anything. And so I was reminded of this - that when Jesus gave up his riches for a spoiled brat like myself who demanded more, he fixed my brokenness.

Whatever I feel I didn't get, I got a million times over from God in Christ. Pick a thing I lack - familial love, friendships, money, fame, fortune, reputation. I have been given a counterpart that will fill and replace each one of these things to overflowing.

Chris

stay on your toes

This past Sunday, my LIFE group went up to Pierpont to share some homemade wings and Victors Pizza and watch the Superbowl. While chilling, we ran into a guy whose name is Ahmed and who attends a mosque in northern Ann Arbor.

I asked him where he was coming from and he boldly stated that he was coming from prayer time and that he goes to Jummah prayer every Friday.

Sometimes I'm far too timid about my faith.

I told him I'd talk to him after the game, so afterward I headed over and asked him if he was indeed a very devout Muslim.

He replied, "I try to be. I try my hardest... But I still sin sometimes."

That statement broke my heart, and I know it breaks God's. I wonder how many Christians feel this way; that the only way out of condemnation is to avoid sin by our own effort. I didn't share the gospel with him then, because he was heading out. I don't know how much he needed to hear it then and there. I'll label it a missed opportunity.

It reminded me how long it's been since I've just gone out, willing and open to share the gospel with anyone who's willing to hear. My heart for evangelism has grown stale, and as I talked with people I realized how much I'd forgotten to be prepared to share the gospel even in my own workplace and neighborhood.

God, keep me on my toes. Feet fitted with readiness of the gospel of peace; always prepared to give a reason for my hope.

Chris

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