Your Greatly Loved By God

      One of the greatest truths of the Bible is that God loves you and me.  The Bible describes God's love towards us as beyond knowledge.  Look in Ephesians 3:17-19 "so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God."
      It is kinda overwhelming to start to get a grasp on how much God loves each one of us.  I was thinking to myself this morning if each believer really lived this way and believed that each person we come in contact with is deeply loved and valued by God what would that do?  Would it then require us to treat each other differently than we do now?  Honestly, I think in many cases it would require a total transformation in our attitudes and behaviors towards each other.  We might be a little more careful about saying an unkind word or lying or stealing or belittling each other if we realized that not only does God love you, but he loves the people around you also.
      In 1 John 4:8-11 it says "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.  By this the love of God was manifested in us, that god has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.  Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another."  You see scripture identifying that love is the signature, the seal and the sign that you know God.  It is a sign that you get it.  That you realize that God loves you not just so you can selfishly enjoy it, but so you can share his compassion and love with others.
      So, I just have to question it when I go to a church and see people who don't welcome guests when they come into the door or judge others by the clothes they wear.  I have to question how a church can sit on the corner of the community and see needs around them and do nothing to help broken families and needs everywhere you look.  I have to question if the church is truly the church when it doesn't care, love and respect others.  If there was ever a time when the church could rise up and demonstrate the love of Christ it is now.  Our world is really hurting right now with needs everywhere.  And too many times christian are busy debating the validity of whether or not they are mid tribulation rapture belieers or whether dinosaurs roamed the earth and when.   REALLY?  Who cares?  It's time the church needs to wake up and share the love of Christ.

running the race

   Back when I lived in Ft.Worth, Texas I ran in a lot of races like 5K and 10K runs.  It was something I enjoyed a lot and I have been thinking about entering another one since I started running again about 5 weeks ago.  I'm not sure that I could even finish a race right now, probably not, but in a few weeks or possibly months I will be there.  It reminded me of an incident that took place in Dallas around Halloween in 1991.
    I was in an event in downtown Dallas on a rainy fall morning when several hundred runners including myself took off at the gun to run a 5K race.  We were all running uphill in the rain when someone fell. With all of us bunched close together some people actually ended up getting stepped on by those behind them.  Fortunately, I didn't fall.  Imagine training all that time only to get trampled on when the gun goes off at the beginning of the race.  I would be pretty upset at getting trampled on by my fellow runners.
   Stuff happens during a race.  I can remember other times seeing runners drop out of a race because they ran too hard and collapsed on the side of the road.  Medics would come and help them get to the first aid tent until they recovered.  Fortunately, that never happened to me either.  Mainly because I always started off slow. 
    Life is also like a race.  Some people start off well, but don't finish well.  Others, act as though it is a sprint and soon lose their energy and drop out.  Others of us, know that it is marathon and there is no credit given to those who don't finish well.  Paul put it this way in 2 Timothy 2:5 "And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules."  So, what are the rules?
    First, let me say, I think we like to be the ones who make up our own rules.  That is the central idea behind the temptations that Satan offered to Eve in the garden.  He said, "Did God really say?"  and the trouble went from there.  We like to think of ourselves as in charge.  But, last I heard, God is the one on the throne of the universe and it isn't a double seater.  In other words, he really doesn't need my help.  So, the first thing that we have to remember is that they are His rules and not ours.
     While there are a lot of commandments in the Bible to follow and reflet upon.  I think one of the most important is found in Luke 6:31 when Jesus said, "And just as you want people to treat you, treat them in the same way."  Think about what kind of world we would live in if people actually did that.  If we all stopped and considered our neighbors as important as ourselves.  How many wars would start if we thought that way.  If we all acted out of the desire to be a blessing to someone else? 

thoughts about church

    So, we went to Easter morning service this morning at 11:30 am.  I don't know if they have a early service at sunrise, but I see no point in getting up that early.  We get to church and I gave my tickets to the lady at the door.  Yes, they have tickets (which are free) in order to reserve seating. 
    The first song in the service actually sounded like a secular song.  It was chosen because the pastor is starting a new sermon series and of course that is more important than Easter.  So, I really felt like I was in a rock concert instead of a Easter service.  About the only way you could tell is that he was a little more evangelistic than usual and a few more people than usual.
    I sat there wondering to myself for about the hundredth time if this church was really appropriate for me.  It is a very modern church much like Ed Young Jr's church with spotlights everywhere and loud music.  The church is really geared towards the 20's and 30's postmodern generation after my generation.  It also isn't really geared towards seminary graduates who have preached themselves for several years.  I have to keep reminding myself of that.  The sermons have been pretty good for the last month and I am usually a hard person to please in that respect.  Since there are so many people coming and going (5 services every Sunday) it is hard to get to know anyone, but we are planning on joining a small group on the 16th of April, so that should help. 
    I wonder if the apostle Paul would have approved of all the loud music and approach of this church.  There is a possibility that he would.  He would say that you must do all that you can to reach people and this is one way to do that (1 Corinthians 9:22).  He might even suggest even more radical approaches than we see at the church I go to.  But, there is also a possibility that he might not.  One thing I think the church must be careful of is to try and get people attention or to attract them through worldly methods instead of the message of the cross and resurrection of Jesus (Galatians 1:9).  Paul said it this way:
   "And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.  For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified."  1 Cor 2:1-2
   Paul didn't have bumper stickers on the back of wagons and camels to get everyone's attention or spotllights or slick motto's or slogans.  In fact, he wanted to be careful that the spotlight was not on him at all.  He wanted the power of Christ to be evident and to speak about nothing other than Jesus Christ.
    And I am not saying that the pastor this morning didn't do that.  He did preach a very evangelistic message.  Which is kinda strange after what was a very secular song to start the service.  But, I will give him credit that he did keep the message Christ centered.  That is one of the reasons I am still there after four weeks of attendance.  Which, is actually the most I have attended any one church straight in the last five years.  So, I guess the verdict is still out on this church and my place in it.