God bless you this week as you continue to live a life of the 3 F’s: Fleeing, Following, and Fighting! This past weekend’s meeting focused on the fight that we as followers of Christ are in. We looked at the word Paul used for fight in 1 Timothy 6 which was agonidzomi. It carries the idea of an athlete “competing for a prize in the Olympic games.” It’s also where we get our word agonize. Paul says that the Man of God must be ready to compete in this walk with God. It describes a level of concentration, and a level of effort, coupled with discipline and conviction that lead to success.
Have you seen the Spike Lee’s ESPN documentary, “Kobe Doin’ Work”? Wow! Kobe does a running commentary of a 2008 game against the Spurs. During the documentary you hear him talking to his teammates on the floor, while also hearing what he’s thinking during every move and every series of plays. It’s a phenomenal piece which shows the level of preparation, the level of discipline, the level of respect he has for the game. It shows how he meticulously dissects every second of action and how he monitors the entire floor in real-time. His vast knowledge of the game, his careful attention to detail, and his amazing work ethic (along with his God given ability) make him arguably the greatest player in the game today.
The running theme throughout the documentary is execution. There are set plays, there was practice, there was watching film, but what it comes down to is the execution; how well you carry out what you are supposed to do. Kobe said it doesn’t matter if the opposing team knows what plays you are going to run; what matters is the execution.
Men, how’s your game? What would the “[Your Name] Doin’ Work” documentary be like? Would it show your level of preparation, discipline, and respect for your walk? Would it show you meticulously dissecting every second of your daily actions while monitoring your surroundings? Will it highlight your vast knowledge of the Christian life, your careful attention to detail, and your amazing work ethic? How is your execution? Paul said to agonize the agonidzomi; fight the good fight. There should be some sweat, both physically and mentally in your pursuit of being the Man of God.
Fellow Gladiators, as we live this life, are there chants of “MVP” bellowing down from heaven, or when we get “on the court” do they just head for the concession stands? Let’s execute men.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Gladiators to Transformers (Romans 12:1,2 continued)
So, you want to know what God’s will is for your life. That would make this living thing so much simpler right? If only I knew without a shadow of a doubt what God’s will was. Should I take that job? Should I marry this girl? Should we move in this house? Should I tell her? Should I go, should I stay? Is this the right decision for my family? Will this bring success or failure?
Paul gives the simple, cut and dry answer to all these questions in Romans 12:2:
I hear people all the time saying, “I just want God to show Himself to me,” or, “I want to know God.” God’s will, His heart’s desire for you can be known. But it starts with a “mental revolution”! Our mind is the control center of our attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and actions. We must continually “make new” our attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and actions. This is only done through the Word of God, the Bible. We must meditate on the words of God which comes through bible memorization, bible study, feasting on the Word of God – this alone renews the mind.
And as our minds are renewed, we are transformed. From what? From mimicking the world system. Conformed has the idea of fitting into a mold. When I was little, I used to help my momz make sugar cookies. She would lay the dough out and I would take cut-outs in the shapes of stars, people, balls, boats, whatever mold I had, press against the dough and the exact shape would come out. The world is pressing on each and every one of us with the desire to “shape” us or “form” us to look, think, react, and feel, like it. Paul says here, No More! Don’t allow the world to shape you. And by world, Paul is referring to this present sinful age, which is all about SELF; pleasing the self, indulging the self, concerned only with self – totally unconcerned with the needs of anyone else. The world’s view is opposite to God’s view. Don’t conform, be transformed!
What’s happening today is that many of us are conforming to the world’s way of thinking and not spending enough time meditating on the Word of God allowing His Spirit to renew our minds causing us to transform. This is why we have problems figuring out God’s will for our lives. Until we lay our life on God’s altar as a living sacrifice – until our will is dead – God’s will won’t be manifested in our lives.
Paul gives the simple, cut and dry answer to all these questions in Romans 12:2:
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
I hear people all the time saying, “I just want God to show Himself to me,” or, “I want to know God.” God’s will, His heart’s desire for you can be known. But it starts with a “mental revolution”! Our mind is the control center of our attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and actions. We must continually “make new” our attitudes, thoughts, feelings, and actions. This is only done through the Word of God, the Bible. We must meditate on the words of God which comes through bible memorization, bible study, feasting on the Word of God – this alone renews the mind.
And as our minds are renewed, we are transformed. From what? From mimicking the world system. Conformed has the idea of fitting into a mold. When I was little, I used to help my momz make sugar cookies. She would lay the dough out and I would take cut-outs in the shapes of stars, people, balls, boats, whatever mold I had, press against the dough and the exact shape would come out. The world is pressing on each and every one of us with the desire to “shape” us or “form” us to look, think, react, and feel, like it. Paul says here, No More! Don’t allow the world to shape you. And by world, Paul is referring to this present sinful age, which is all about SELF; pleasing the self, indulging the self, concerned only with self – totally unconcerned with the needs of anyone else. The world’s view is opposite to God’s view. Don’t conform, be transformed!
What’s happening today is that many of us are conforming to the world’s way of thinking and not spending enough time meditating on the Word of God allowing His Spirit to renew our minds causing us to transform. This is why we have problems figuring out God’s will for our lives. Until we lay our life on God’s altar as a living sacrifice – until our will is dead – God’s will won’t be manifested in our lives.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Living Sacrifices, Holy and Pleasing to God (May 7th 2009)
Hundreds of years before Christ was born, God set up a plan/procedure to handle the sin problem with His people. From the beginning, God said that the “price” or “penalty” of sin had to be paid for, and the only thing He would accept for the payment of sin is blood. Something had to die. So, God’s people would bring a lamb, a perfect lamb (one without any spots or bruises or any other blemishes) to the priest (the man who went to God for the people). The lamb was killed and the blood shed was presented to God as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. God saw the blood and “passed over them.” The people were forgiven once the blood was shed.
The focus here though is that the lamb cost them something. Their main food, clothing, and buying power were in these animals. A family’s wealth was determined based on their amount of livestock. God required something “precious” or “important” to be given to Him for the forgiveness of sins. Webster defines sacrifice as an “act of offering to a deity something precious.”
What Paul is begging in Romans 12:1-2, is that we present ourselves as Living Sacrifices. The lambs who were sacrificed gave their all – literally! As followers of Jesus, Paul said the least we can do is give God our all, everything! Based on all He has done for us, this is the least that we can do. Give your hands to God, give your eyes to God, give you feet to God.
But, notice, we’re no good to Him dead. God needs living sacrifices. But the only problem with living sacrifices is that they keep “crawling off the altar” (smile)! When everything is going well, when the bills are paid, when the family is acting right, when the job isn’t stressful, when there are no problems at the church – it’s easy to sacrifice. But when the hard times come, we find ourselves crawling off the altar. We don’t mind “sacrificing” the easy stuff! Sure, I’ll go to church Friday’s and Sunday’s; but if someone needs my help during the week? Well, that’s my “me time”! Or, “if you want me to be in charge of this, oh, great I’ll call the shots; but you need me to help behind the scene? Well, I don’t do that” Or, “I’ll sing in the choir, but help feed the homeless, nah.” Or, I’ll pray for her, but go visit her in the hospital, nah, I’m really busy.” When it’s not convenient or something we’d do anyway, we crawl off the altar.
God is looking for living, active, sacrifices! Your body isn’t your own, you have been bought with a price. Excuses like, “that’s not my personality,” or “I’m too busy, I’m doing too much already,” or “I’m just tired, I need a break,” just don’t cut it in this “Walk-With-Christ” thingy we signed up for. And, don’t bring God no junk! That’s what “holy and pleasing to God” means. It’s got to be a total sacrifice – give your all. It’s got to be a holy sacrifice – nothing filthy or done half heartily. And it needs to be delightful to God. Put a smile on God's face...
The focus here though is that the lamb cost them something. Their main food, clothing, and buying power were in these animals. A family’s wealth was determined based on their amount of livestock. God required something “precious” or “important” to be given to Him for the forgiveness of sins. Webster defines sacrifice as an “act of offering to a deity something precious.”
What Paul is begging in Romans 12:1-2, is that we present ourselves as Living Sacrifices. The lambs who were sacrificed gave their all – literally! As followers of Jesus, Paul said the least we can do is give God our all, everything! Based on all He has done for us, this is the least that we can do. Give your hands to God, give your eyes to God, give you feet to God.
But, notice, we’re no good to Him dead. God needs living sacrifices. But the only problem with living sacrifices is that they keep “crawling off the altar” (smile)! When everything is going well, when the bills are paid, when the family is acting right, when the job isn’t stressful, when there are no problems at the church – it’s easy to sacrifice. But when the hard times come, we find ourselves crawling off the altar. We don’t mind “sacrificing” the easy stuff! Sure, I’ll go to church Friday’s and Sunday’s; but if someone needs my help during the week? Well, that’s my “me time”! Or, “if you want me to be in charge of this, oh, great I’ll call the shots; but you need me to help behind the scene? Well, I don’t do that” Or, “I’ll sing in the choir, but help feed the homeless, nah.” Or, I’ll pray for her, but go visit her in the hospital, nah, I’m really busy.” When it’s not convenient or something we’d do anyway, we crawl off the altar.
God is looking for living, active, sacrifices! Your body isn’t your own, you have been bought with a price. Excuses like, “that’s not my personality,” or “I’m too busy, I’m doing too much already,” or “I’m just tired, I need a break,” just don’t cut it in this “Walk-With-Christ” thingy we signed up for. And, don’t bring God no junk! That’s what “holy and pleasing to God” means. It’s got to be a total sacrifice – give your all. It’s got to be a holy sacrifice – nothing filthy or done half heartily. And it needs to be delightful to God. Put a smile on God's face...
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Romans 12:1-2 "In View of God's Mercies" (May 5th 2009)
God Bless Gentlemen…
Gladiators Inc is coming soon, if you haven’t noticed yet, it’s the 3rd Saturday of every month. So next week, the 16th we will be meeting @ 9am to continue our quest for Christ-likeness (being more like Jesus Christ) as we bathe ourselves in the Bible, the Word of God.
As we memorize our verses of this month, Romans 12:1,2 I urge you to meditate on what Paul (the author of the book of Romans) is saying:
Gladiators Inc is coming soon, if you haven’t noticed yet, it’s the 3rd Saturday of every month. So next week, the 16th we will be meeting @ 9am to continue our quest for Christ-likeness (being more like Jesus Christ) as we bathe ourselves in the Bible, the Word of God.
As we memorize our verses of this month, Romans 12:1,2 I urge you to meditate on what Paul (the author of the book of Romans) is saying:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Whenever you see a “therefore” written in the Bible, its good practice to go back and look in the passages (Bible sections) above it and see what’s it “there, for” (smile)! Paul, from the beginning of the book of Romans, talks about how we are disgusting, vile wickedly, sordidly filthy individuals. We all had a one-way ticket to burn in hell for ever and ever. “But God”, in His incredible mercy, made a way for us to be as holy, clean, and perfect as Jesus Christ Himself. Because of His mercy we now are:
Redeemed – we have been “bought” out of slavery to sin, I’m free!
Justified – “Just-as-if-I’d” never sinned. Not only am I free from the slavery of sin, now Christ has cleansed me of “all my unrighteousness”.
Sanctified – Not only am I cleansed from my sins, God has begun a process in me to keep me pure and holy
Glorified – And one day I will stand in His presence PERFECT
The verses right before Romans 12:1,2 reads as follows:
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.
Based on ALL this, and in view of ALL God’s mercies toward us, Paul says the least we can do is “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God.”
More to come…
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