Breathtaking tweets from Soichi Noguchi:
How the Earliest Christians Experienced the Aftermath of the Resurrection
I’ve always been fascinated by the lives of the earliest Christians who lived two thousand years ago. Under the crush of Roman occupation, a new movement was birthed: men and women who worshiped the risen Messiah. This wave of radical acceptance and grace-filled lives swept the world and changed human history.
In 1947, J.B. Phillips wrote this description of the Christian movement:
“The great difference between present-day Christianity and that of which we read in these letters is that to us it is primarily a performance, to them it was a real experience.
We are apt to reduce the Christian religion to a code, or at best a rule of heart and life. To these men it is quite plainly the invasion of their lives by a new quality of life altogether.
They do not hesitate to describe this as Christ ʻliving inʼ them.These early Christians were on fire with the conviction that they had become, through Christ, literally sons of God; they were pioneers of a new humanity, founders of a new Kingdom. They still speak to us across the centuries. Perhaps if we believed what they believed, we might achieve what they achieved.”
The earliest followers experienced the powerful aftermath of Jesus’ empty tomb: thousands of people turning to Jesus as their Master and Forgiver, radical life-change, and rumblings throughout society about this God-man who now lives.
In addition to keeping the Jewish Sabbath, these first followers of Christ added the observance of the first day of the week - the day that Jesus rose from death to life. This is why most Christians worship on Sunday mornings.
According to premiere Christian historian Justo Gonzalez, the earliest communion services did not center on Christ’s passion - they were not quiet, introspective, reflective services. Instead, Christians worshiped weekly in loud celebration, understanding that the tomb was empty, death could not hold Jesus, and He was ushering in a new age of victory. Yes, every Sunday was a party for One! It was much later - centuries later - before the focus of Christian worship shifted towards the death of Jesus. In the earliest Christian community, the breaking of bread took place “with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46).
And so this year as our hearts turn toward the resurrection, may we embrace this same infectious enthusiasm first demonstrated by the earliest Christ followers. May we worship Jesus Christ with great passion, may we love others with scandalous grace, and may we be outward-focused in our church communities.
An empty tomb provokes nothing less.
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2 options when someone hurts you:
1. Give them back what they gave you.
2. Give them back what God gave you.
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I love the Book of Acts!
Its God's constant reminder that following Jesus is not about erecting a monument, it's about building a movement!
These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also! - Acts 17:6
Reaching the Lost at Any Cost is the mission of the Church!
Not turf wars.
Not insider churchy politics.
Not mere information transfer and lectures.
Its all about life transformation!
Jesus is intent on building a movement of changed lives.
The Church exists for the benefit of its non-members.
We are tasked with turning the world upside down!
John Calvin summarized the story of the first Christians this way:
Through men of no importance and endowed with no skill, He (Jesus) brought the whole world into submission to Himself so easily by the sound of the Gospel, despite the fact that Satan rose up in opposition with so many hindrances.
In it (Acts) we also see the incredible power of the Gospel, because, in the face of the resistance of the whole world, not only did it win through, but with the greatest honor brought all that seemed invincible into obedience to Christ.
Therefore more was achieved by these few contemptible little men against all the stormiest of commotions of the world, with the humble sound of the human voice, than if God had thundered openly from heaven!
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3 Flavors of Forgiveness
In the Greek New Testament, there are three understandings of forgiveness:
1. Aphiemi means to send away or to set free.
On the day of atonement a scapegoat was chosen and carried to a solitary place and released into the desert, carrying with it all the sins of the people. Jesus is our scapegoat. To forgive is to place the sins and wrongs done to us on Jesus and send those sins away. The hurt needs somewhere to go and we won't feel differently about the person who wronged us until we place that hurt somewhere else - that is on Jesus.
2. Alphesis means to release,
as from prison.
We need to release those who have wronged us from the prison of our mind. We hold them there in captivity judging them time and again - growing angrier by the day.
We rehearse what we'd say to them if we could and how we'd explain ourselves. But to forgive is to release them from this prison we hold them in.
3. Charisomai means to bestow a favor or extend mercy.
Often we assume that those who hurt us were intentional. The key to forgiveness is to find the compassionate narrative behind their hurtful actions. We must enter the story of those who have wronged us to see why they behaved the way they did. After entering their story, we are more likely to extend mercy and forgiveness.
What flavor of forgiveness do you need to experience?
Who do you need to forgive today?
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Fear-Less
For God gave us a spirit NOT OF FEAR but of power and love and self-control. - 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV)
Everyone wrestles with fears. Most fears are learned.
In fact, babies are born with only two fears:
fear of falling and fear of loud noises.
All other fears are learned.
Paul wrote these words to Timothy in Greek.
The word for "fear" Paul used in the original language was "deilia,"
meaning one who flees battle.
Anxiety, stress, worrying. That's all deilia.
Jumping to the worst-case scenario in our heads.
And yet it doesn't have to be that way.
God didn't wire the human body to live in fear of life.
"Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows,
but only empties TODAY of its STRENGTHS." - Spurgeon
Fear is not of God! Count how many times Jesus says, "Fear Not!"
When tempted to fear anything but the Lord, I'm encouraged by the precedence of Christians past.
Those who pressed into the Spirit to eclipse fear inspires:
During the Boxer Rebellion of 1899, terror was waged against Chinese Christians.
One church was surrounded by armed warriors.
The Christians inside were taunted as they saw a cross erected by the lone exit.
They were told that anyone who walked out and trampled the cross would be spared.
Seven students exited and did just that. They were sent on their way.
The eighth student, a young girl, approached the cross, knelt down in the dirt, prayed for strength, carefully walked around the cross, and was immediately shot to death.
The remaining 92 students, strengthened by the girl's courageous example, also walked around the cross to their deaths.
Fearless.
And the solution is to Fear-Less.
Press into the Spirit whom gives us power and love and self-control.
History records the dialogue below between John Chrysostom (circa 347 - 407) and the empress Eudoxia. Chrysostom was brought before her and threatened with banishment if he insisted on pointing people to Christ:
"You cannot banish me, for this world is my Father's house."
"But I will kill you," said the empress.
"No, you cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God," said John.
"I will take away your treasures."
"No, you cannot, for my treasure is in heaven and my heart is there."
"But I will drive you away from your friends and you will have no one left."
"No, you cannot, for I have a Friend in heaven from whom you cannot separate me. I defy you, for there is nothing you can do to harm me."
Fearless.
God is not a God who gives us fear. He gives us faith.
It was John Wesley who once said,
"Give me a hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of God on earth."
Fearless. Fear-Less.
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How I'm Reacting to the Death of Osama Bin Laden as a Christ-Follower
* UPDATE: Apparently this post has gained traction - - in the past 10 hours, it has been viewed by over 700 and "Liked" via Facebook 112 times. We'll go ahead and open up the Comments section - - would love to hear your thoughts!
I work like a horse on Sundays, so I tend to go to bed early. Sometimes I'll read a book, but last night I opened up my MacBook to catch up on blogs.
And then I saw the Breaking News banner:
"Pres. Obama to make statement at 10:30pm, subject unknown."
I shared the headline with my wife. She knows I'm a news junky. "Let's go!"
As the delay in an announcement stretched for an hour, I had fun tweeting with friends about the newscasters frantically vamping live on national tv.
Then the news. Osama Bin Laden dead.
I'll be honest - my first reaction was as an American - "We got him!" As the grandson of proud immigrants, I was ready to bust out some Lee Greenwood.
Then I felt guilty for feeling that way.
I'm a pastor... a follower of Christ... and I'm celebrating death?
I came across this great post from Josh Howerton. Rather than reinvent the wheel, I'm reposting two of his thoughts which sum up my own on how to react to today's news:
- We should rejoice that justice has been done.
It is not wrong to desire justice – in fact, it’s one of the most prominent commands in Scripture – and justice includes the proportionate punishment of the wicked. One of the specific roles that the Bible outlines for human governments is to “bear the sword” (Romans 13:1-7). Even the most quick, cursory reading of the prophets shows that justice is central to the character of God. Rejoicing in justice is not wrong.
- We should mourn that a sinner Jesus died to save perished and dropped into the eternal wrath of God.
Proverbs 24:17 instructs us not to “rejoice over the death of our enemies” and not to “let your heart be glad when he stumbles.”
Ezekiel 33:11 shows us God’s heart for the death of the wicked: “As I live, declares the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live.”
The unified heart of all the New Testament authors was one of brokenness and mourning for the lost to know Christ and be saved from God’s wrath.
We should feel this too. For Osama Bin Laden.
An unmitigated embrace of either of these feelings to the exclusion of the other misses the heart of God today. We should feel both of these things.
We shouldn’t be verbally dancing on Osama Bin Laden’s grave, hatefully laughing at the fact that he’s in judgment. But we also shouldn’t be regretting that justice was done with unmixed sadness. This is important because we’re also instructed to guard our hearts (emotions) “above all else.”
Examine your heart today and ask, “Am I feeling what God is feeling?”
Repent if necessary.
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IN
Look at John chapter 15.
How many times does Jesus use the word, "In?"
"I am IN the Father as the Father is IN Me."
"Abide IN Me and I will abide IN you."
To be in Christ is to have Christ in you.
God lives in you as you live in God.
In.
Not out.
If you are out, Jesus says you bear no fruit. No life.
Out = brown, dried-up, dead branches.
In = nutrients, life-sustaining, life-infusing, growth.
The t-shirt is wrong:
Jesus is my Homeboy?
No.
Jesus is my Home.
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Good Friday
ZECHARIAH 12.10:
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on Me, on Him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over Him, as one weeps over a firstborn."
CORRIE TEN BOOM:
"Jesus takes your sin (past, present, & future),
dumps it in the ocean & puts up a sign that reads 'No fishing allowed.'"
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Lead Forward
Three encouragements for church leaders from the opening words of
the Book of Joshua:
Moses is dead. Arise. Be strong and courageous.
1) Moses is dead. Honor the past, but do not camp out in the past.
The season of Moses is over. That chapter is written.
Improve upon what was.
God is not static. Faith requires forward movement toward where God is going.
Let the future determine your direction.
When we get hung up on protecting past success,
it breeds complacency, which births fear.
Fear of failure quenches out your faith - - this is why many past movements have become monuments.
This is why 80% of churches in North America are plateaued and declining.
This is why every major denomination is dying.
Yes, honor the past. But don't freeze yourself in the past.
Improve, grow, and move forward.
2) Arise. Everyone is waiting for you to lead.
Now is the time and this is the place.
Don't worry about your age, Joshua.
God never places tenure above annointing.
3) Be strong and courageous.
Over and over during this transition, God declares,
"Be strong and courageous." God is FOR you.
Agape Love means God's love is without expectations. God set the bar and met all the expectations in Christ Jesus. If you are in Christ, it is impossible for you to "let down" God. His love has no expectations! That's why Romans 8 reminds us that its impossible to be separated from God in Christ.
Be strong - God has not given you a spirit of timidity, but of power (2 Tim 1:7)!
Be courageous - full of faith. Lead with clarity.
Don't allow hesitations or decision paralysis to creep in.
You don't need to pray about what God has already declared!
Arise. Be strong. Be courageous. Lead forward.
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