Archive for February, 2005
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2005
God wants us to grow up…
Like Christ in everything.
Ephesians 4:15a (The Message)
We are not meant to remain as children.
Ephesians 4:14a (Phillips Translation)
Today’s material provides the challenge of an ongoing development of maturity in relationship with Jesus.
Rick Warren starts by reminding us of the importance of making a commitment to following Jesus. I may not have had much idea of what that would cost when I first started as follower of Jesus, but over time the initial commitment has grown in its depth.
He provides a useful interpretation of the verse from Philippians:
“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13, New International Version)
Warren tells us that the note from Paul is not about how to be ’saved’ . It’s about how to ‘grow’.
I like the idea of changing autopilot - changing the thought patterns at the heart of who we are. Repenting - having my whole perspective on life - is a bit like reframing. I see the whole of life through the eyes of Jesus. That means moving from being self-centred to mature focus on others. It’s about growing in relational capacity - being able t o relate to others with conduct and character of Jesus. Yes, it is counter-cultural, rare and difficult. But it is not unnatural. Living a loving lifestyle redefines what natural is. This is the natural way God would have us live in.
I think this concept of growth could be taken further in terms of integrity. Growth in maturity would mean that what we believe and what we say and what we do measure up with each other. Growing in maturity in Christ means that all of who we are is growing to resonate with who Christ is. Our lives are centred on him rather than just on ourselves.
I wonder too about the model that Jesus gives us - in which he himself grew in maturity while living here on Earth. The growth from child to adult. The growth in his understanding of his relationship with others around him. In particular his growing realisation that his gifts were there to be a blessing for outsiders just as people of his own kind. I’m thinking of the Syro-Phoenician woman who challenged Jesus to rethink his attitude towards the non-Jewish peoples.
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Tuesday, February 15th, 2005
God knew what he was doing from the very beginning.
He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those
who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son…
We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.
Romans 8:29 (The Message)
We look at his Son and see God’s original purpose
in everything created.
Colossians 1:15 (The Message)
Watching my kids grow up I’ve noticed the ways in which they’re continually revealing their capacity as mature human beings. A lot of what they reveal is linked to the DNA we share. They may become like me, but they won’t become me. That’s the first metaphor Rick Warren uses in this chapter. We’re created with the purpose of growing in the character of God - even though we won’t become God.
God’s ultimate goal for our life on earth is not comfort, but character development. God wants us grow up spiritually and become like Christ. Becoming like Christ does not mean losing our personalities or becoming mindless clones.
Rick points out that when Jesus promises us abundant life, he’s not talking about perfect health, comfortable lifestyle, constant happiness, full realization of our dreams, instant relief from problems through faith and prayer. Such expectations reduce God to a personal genie. To live with these expectations leads us either to severe disillusionment or denial of reality.
Helpful clarifications. I’m concerned when prayer becomes a form of magic. Or when parents are treated as the sources of unlimited happiness for their children.
Warren goes on to give us some pointers about the realities of character growth:
1. We must cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work. This means the realities of hard work, changing our thinking patterns, and development of new habits.
2. God uses his Word, people, and circumstances to mold us. I like the reminder that we cannot grow like Christ in isolation. I believe that the fruit of the Holy Spirit is lived out in relationships rather than just in individual attitudes.
3. Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth. When I was younger I was very concerned about the”perfect will” of God. What was the right career? Who was the right life partner? Even down to where I should spend the weekends and what subjects I should study. Over time I’ve discovered that trying to answer those questions flows out of the person God is liberating in me - over time. I’ve become less impatient with God’s process. I’m not so desperate to find an instant formula for making me a ‘man of God’. I appreciate Rick’s point that suffering and difficulty are associated with growth. That certainly applies to the development from baby to child to teenager to adult.
Rick finishes the chapter by expressing his concern that many popular Christian books focus on personal fulfilment and emotional stability rather than following the great purposes of God. Interesting dichotomy. I’ve worked with so many people who feel guilty about the unique passions and interests they have because they’ve bought the line that we should give up our own ’selfish desires’ to follow God. The Uniting Church baptism service talks about ‘turning from self’ to follow God. I’d rather talk about centring our selves on Christ, aligning our aspirations with the influence and leading of Christ.
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Tuesday, February 1st, 2005
“You are joined together with peace through the Spirit,
so make every effort to continue together in this way”
Ephesians 4:3 (New Century Version)
“He who loves his dream of community more than the Christian community itself becomes a destroyer of the latter”.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together
Rick Warren’s focus today is on the unity of the local church. He points out that God doesn’t seek uniformity but has chosen to give us different personalities, backgrounds, races, and preferences. For unity’s sake we shouldn’t let differences divide us.
Warren gives us a few tips on how to keep the peace…
Focus on what we have in common.
Be realistic in your expectations.
Choose to encourage rather than critisize.
Refuse to listen to gossip.
Practice God’s method for conflict resolution - private confrontation before public.
Support your pastor and leaders.
I’ve always warmed to the phrase:
“in necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas”
which translated from Latin into English says:
“in essentials (or certain things) unity;
in doubtful things liberty;
in all things charity.”
The quote is sometimes attributed to Augustine or Richard Baxter or Ann Baxter. Researchers are saying now that the phrase was first used by a German Lutheran theologian called Rupertus Meldenius, during religious wars in Europe
The trouble with putting this into practice is allowing that what I may be certain about, may not be held essential by all Christians. I’ve experienced this recently with debates and dissension over sexuality. I have friends and colleagues who insist that ‘faithfulness in marriage and celibacy in singleness’ is a core doctrine that must be subscribed to before being considered a true Christian. And yet I don’t see it mentioned anywhere in the early church creeds.
I like what Warren has to say today about realistic expectations. A couple of weeks ago I had a friend tell me he’s disillusioned about the local church. He’s been burnt by the attitude I referred to in the previous paragraph. I caught myself saying “What can I do to re-illusion you?” What was I thinking?!! Dietrich Bonhoeffer, quoted in today’s chapter, reminds us that disillusionment with the local church is a good thing because it destroys our false expectations of perfection.
The flip side of today’s chapter is the cult of harmony. I’ve seen churches sabotaged time and time again when healthy and much needed change is resisted in the name of ‘keeping the peace’. I’ve had members come to me and say “You wouldn’t want to make us upset would you.” There is a time when ‘protecting your church’ will mean making decisions that are painful and costly. But in the middle of that arena, I’m with Rick Warren on the need to find our unity with one another - not based on thinking the same, but based on our common connection to God in Jesus Christ.
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