This past Sunday, we started the year off with a fitting new series at The Anchor Church.
“Resolutions: Back to the Basics”
As I have finished preparing for my message this Sunday and have been reflecting on it, I am also reminded of Pastor Alex’s message.
He posed this question, that is one every follower of Jesus should ask themselves:
“Am I Honestly Imitating Jesus or am I just Spiritually Asleep?”
Take a look at his message below, and join us live via Facebook this Sunday @ 10am central for part two!
Have you ever been given favor because of someone else?
Maybe they “put in a good word” for you, or picked up your mess so others wouldn’t notice. Perhaps they taught you something that when utilized, brought success.
I think if we take a moment and think, we can all come up with at least one person who fits the bill. If you are like me, you can come up with a handful.
The people we think of often don’t get any form of recognition. The reality is they don’t do what they do for recognition. They do it out of love. They have a desire to see others grow and be successful.
If this heart and mindset were ever epitomized, it was done so by Jesus.
His desire to bring restoration to His creation drove Him to the cross. It’s because of His sacrifice, that through faith in Him we receive the benefits of His actions. We can now stand before God as holy and redeemed.
Paul explains this so beautifully in his letter to the church in Ephesus. In the first half of chapter 2, he explains our position before God and the significance of Jesus’ actions. Read what he wrote:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ-by grace you have been saved- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7
The reality is God doesn’t need us. Jesus didn’t have to bring us back into fellowship at all.
But He did.
He did because He loves you, and me. He was willing to take our place, so we received the favor. In my opinion, that’s the epitome of love. And that’s why I serve Him.
How about you?
Well, the New Year is here! Everyone I know still has all their fingers from celebrating, but no ones eye sight improved.
And I don’t know about you, but I can hear Barbara Walters’ voice in my head!
I know several people who have already began working on their goals for this year, myself included.
What about you?
Have you set a goal?
I’d like to challenge you in that. Would you join me and my family each Sunday?
Every Sunday at 10am we start our Gathering, and you can join us LIVE! I want to invite you, challenge you if you don’t have a Church home. Or maybe you want a little extra in your walk with Christ.
Join us.
Make a commitment to plug in locally. Get invested with your time and finances. Trust God to provide as you act in obedience to Him.
Let 2020 be a big year for you, because you surrender to Him.
Happy New Year!
A new year is here.
Even greater, a new decade.
I don’t know about you, but for me there are things in the last year and decade that are a part of my past I wish could be undone.
Things I’ve said, things I’ve done. Most done out of selfish immaturity. Some to myself, some to others.
My guess is, you can relate at some level.
The truth is, we’ve all made mistakes. There are things in our past that we would rather never remember. The old saying “ignorance is bliss” comes to mind.
The beautiful thing about a new year is it’s signifying of a new start. Like the refreshing encouragement new blooms bring in spring. And every year people around the world come up with their list of great improvements and goals they want to accomplish. Some, by the next New Year, are successful. Others like me, often forget what those goals were because they never wrote them down.
I want this year to be different.
For me. For you.
This New Years I have a different mindset towards resolution setting. I want this next year to be one of deeper growth in my faith and trust in Jesus. I want your faith and trust in Jesus to grow deeper, the impact we have in the community around us greater for Jesus. And I believe Paul gives us an incredible insight into how we can take this from a desire to something that is fruitful.
Paul gives us words in Romans that honestly, I have read over and over again. I’ve spent time studying this small passage over the years, but it has never come to life as it does for me now.
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:1-2 ESV
Paul presents us a plan, that if followed will open floodgates of growth. As a follower of Jesus, I am called to live sacrificially as an act of worship. The actual idea stems from the Greek θύω (thuō), literally meaning to kill or slay. It is from this word that Paul uses θυσία (thusia), rendered in English as Sacrifice. Paul begins by instructing us to live sacrificially in that we die to ourselves. A powerful picture he paints of what holy living, following Jesus, looks like.
Not only does he tell us to live sacrificially of ourselves in pursuit of Jesus, this idea of dying to oneself, he breaks down how.
Transformation is essential. Paul contrasts this idea to conformity with the world and its ways. The Greek he uses, συσχηματίζω (suschēmatizō), means to fashion alike. Oxford defines it as behave according to socially acceptable conventions or standards. In a world full of pressures to conform to the sinful ways of the culture around us, we are called to be transformed.
We are called to be changed.
The Greek word Paul uses here for our English transformed is μεταμορφόω (mĕtamŏrphŏō), which literally means to change, transfigure, transform. It presents the idea that the old is done away with and replaced by something new. By dying to ourself we become a new creation in and through Christ!
But this transformation is dependent on something. Just as we cannot live a sacrificial life in pursuit of Jesus apart from transformation, something else must take place within us for this transformation to happen. Paul tells us there must be a “renewal of your mind”. He uses the Greek ἀνακαίνωσις (anakainōsis) where we read renewal. The meaning for the Greek is renovation. Think of it as a house in need of being renovated. As it ages, walls need to be replaced, the plumbing and electrical might need upgraded. Maybe a new floor plan needs to be implemented, moving rooms around and possibly effecting the overall structure. Like a house in need of renovation, our mind needs to experience renewal. I love what W. Jay Wood says regarding this passage in his book Epistemology: Becoming Intellectually Virtuous: “God cares about how you think, not just what you think.”
What we think, and how we think has a direct impact on how we act. If there is not renewal of our mind, a restructuring in how and what we think, there cannot be transformation. And without transformation in our lives, we will never live sacrificially in greater pursuit of Jesus. Paul presents us a plan of action that builds on itself, resulting in a life that is holy and pleasing to God.
It’s a beautiful thing. Like a caterpillar that goes through the process of metamorphoses and comes out transformed into a butterfly. You and I, as followers of Jesus, are called to be living sacrifices each day.
As we venture into a new year, a new decade, will you make your goal to grow deeper in your faith? Will you make it a point to be transformed by actively letting your mind be renewed? Will you live your life each day willingly dying to yourself?
Will you be a caterpillar, emerging emerging from the process of metamorphoses as a butterfly?
Will you be holy and acceptable to God?
There was a time she didn’t touch both ends of the couch. She would fall asleep snuggled up with me, even though she adamantly said I wasn’t her dad.
Things have changed over the three years I’ve been a part of her life.
She now says “I love you” back to me. She calls me “dad” when referring to me with her friends, even when she knows I can hear her. She gives me a hug each day when I leave for work. She tries to stay awake till I get home if I am out late working.
My story isn’t smooth, and having this amazing little girl be part of it was never on my radar. God opened doors out of a messy situation I never imagined.
He provided what I needed, when I needed it. And in doing so, allowed me to be the needed provision in the life of her and her mom.
I now have a family that while is blended and sometimes messy, is complete. And I have a daughter, who I never imagined but am beyond grateful to have in my life.
Regardless of her feet being in my face as we are stretched out on the couch, or her pre-teen attitude when I give her chores, I’m blessed. Blessed to be “dad” in her life, just as much as I am for her brother and sister. I embrace my role and the opportunity God has granted me in her life.
And while I miss the beginning, when she was little and not as moody, I’m excited for the future. To see her grow and mature into a young woman who, I hope and pray, has as deep of a desire and passion for knowing Jesus as her mom and I do.
Have you ever noticed how infectious a smile can be?
I wonder if you are like me, unable to resist smiling back. A smile churns my spirit, it makes me feel a sense of happiness.
Growing up, I was told by my Pastor that one of the things he liked most about me was that I always had a smile. That comment, this observation has stuck with me for years now. See, I want to be infectious. I want to be someone others want to be around.
I’m blessed to have three very happy kids, especially my baby girl. She smiles constantly, and then has the most happy giggle. It’s contagious. Her smile and laughter brings a smile to others. Sure, part of that impact is the fact she is a baby. But there is still something about her smile, and that giggle. They stir something up inside you that a second ago was just dormant.
How contagious are you? Do others want to be with you, or find any reason to avoid you? If you are a Believer and Follower of Jesus, people should be drawn to you. There should be a joy, an excitement that others see and want to know about.
I like to think that Jesus had an infectious smile and laugh. Think about it, regardless of what He was teaching, people wanted to be around Him. This was so often the case, we see several times in Scripture where He tried to get away for some solitude. People were drawn to Him. And while I know it was for more than a nice smile or laugh, I’m sure He still had them!
As this year, another decade, winds down I want to encourage you. Be a contagious follower of Jesus. Strive to live a life so awe inspiring that people want to be with you. Not because of you, but because of Him and what He has and is doing in you.
Smile more.
Laugh often.
Let your life be a catalyst for leading others to the feet of Christ.
Whether you like yours or not, your name has significance. There is a reason your name is what it is. The reason may be silly, or dumb in your opinion, but the fact is there was reason behind picking that name for you.
My middle name was picked in honor of my great-grandpa. Parts of my children’s names were chosen because of the connection to family, or my wife and mine’s personal feelings about the names.
Our name has meaning. It identifies who we are. And our last name ties us to our family and it’s past.
Jesus was no different. While the use of last names as we know them today was not common in Ancient Jewish culture, Jesus would have probably been referred to as Jesus son of Joseph. So why do we see Him often called Jesus Christ?
It’s a reference that looks strangely like our modern day name structure. It would be easy to think that it’s a typical first-last name thing. And while yes, we often use the two names together, Christ is not Jesus’ last name.
No, the name Christ has much greater significance than a last name holds.
Christ was not just a name to identify Jesus. It was a title, a recognition of rank and role. To really understand the significance of this though, you have to understand the history of the word. The word Christ we find today in Scripture is the English translation of Christŏs, which is a transliteration of the Greek Χριστός. All this to say, we are only half way there.
The Greek Christŏs is defined as anointed, messiah. It is a word built upon another (chriō) meaning to smear or rub with oil, to consecrate. The Ancient Hebrew’s idea of a Messiah was very similar, and it is from the Hebrew Mâshîyach that our Greek Christŏs is rendered from. This Hebrew word, transliterated from משׁיח, is our English word Messiah.
For the Hebrew, the adjective mashiach (anointed) was primarily a title associated to a king. Defined as anointed, a consecrated person, they were viewed as the representative before the people for God. Jump back to Jesus, and the title Christ now has such deeper significance!
Jesus was the Christ. He was the Messiah, the anointed and consecrated One. Set apart to fulfill the mission of Salvation, by first leaving His heavenly throne to be born in flesh.
Walk this earth.
Die in my place on a cross.
This is who and why we celebrate at Christmas. The beginning of what is the most pivotal life and mission in eternity. The birth of Jesus Christ. The true Messiah, born so He could die for you.
And I, I celebrate the day
That You were born to die
So I could one day pray for You to save my life
– I Celebrate the Day, Reliant K
Anyone who knows me well, knows I have developed a love for genealogical research over the years. There is satisfaction and happiness I get from successfully learning and tracing my ancestral roots as far back as I possibly can.
With the revelation of my interest and fascination often comes the question why. Why do I invest the time, the money, at times my emotions (as it can be frustrating!)?
Why is this venture so important?
While I can give a list of reasons, they are generally summed up in this one belief I hold.
Knowing where you come from, your past, is important.
Ancient Jews knew this as well, and it’s importance is made clear with regards to Jesus. In Scripture we find two thorough genealogical accounts for Jesus; Matthew 1:1-17, and Luke 3:23-38. One traces Jesus’ lineage to Abraham, while the other goes all the way to Adam and God. If you examine the two more closely, you will notice differences where they split and rejoin. Both however draw a clear line to the royal Davidic Throne. In other words, when Jesus is identified as and claims to be King of the Jews, it was one based in genealogical fact. Jesus was an actual legal heir to the royal throne of King David.
But there is more to His lineage than His tie to David that I believe has great significance for us today.
Many of the people contained within Jesus’ lineage had lives and past that were less than holy. Perez was the son of Tamar, who tricked her father-in-law Judah to sleep with her as a prostitute, after his first two sons died and he refused to marry his last to her (which was the law). King Solomon was the son of King David through an adulterous relationship that included murder and blatant disregard for kingly duties. Rahab, the mother of Boaz was a prostitute. Ruth was a foreigner from Moab.
Many of the people used by God to fill the lineage of Jesus had issues. In all reality, they were people like you and me.
Broken, sinful, in need of redemption.
But God used them anyway. Despite their messes and mistakes, God used them to bring about His perfect plan for us. He used broken people to bring ultimate healing and restoration through Jesus.
Don’t let your brokenness be a hindrance. Don’t let it be a crutch or an excuse. God can use you despite the mess in your life, but He desires to see you grow and change into the likeness of His Son too.
If God could bring Salvation through the messes of Jesus’ family, don’t you think He can do something in you, through you, despite your mess? God isn’t looking for perfection, He desires obedience.
It’s time for you to stop letting your past or current mistakes hold you back from being obedient. In a season of celebration of Jesus being born on earth, to die for you and me on the cross, there is no better time to commit to obedience.
What’s that look like? Let me know you are taking that step, and let’s talk!
Pastor Luke
Eternal Viewpoint 
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