The Power of Love

 

“Nothing can live in God but as it lives in love. So that love alone is the cure of every evil; and he that lives in the purity of love is delivered from the power of evil into the freedom of the Spirit of love.”

— Andrew Murray, Daily in His Presence (September 10 reading)

I’ll admit, when I first read these words, I struggled to accept them. Can love really overcome the darkest parts of our world? Common sense tells me that evil needs to be fought with power and strength. Love alone doesn’t seem sufficient to combat the evil of the day.

Do I believe that “love alone is the cure for every evil”? 

Intellectually I do, but in my heart I doubt. Love might provide the motivation—after all, I want to protect those I care about—but it seems to me that force is necessary to win the battle against evil.

This tension is something I wrestle with as I follow Jesus. I still cling to the idea that there are times when combating evil with strength, even violence, is what’s needed. But then I hear Jesus’ words, challenging my thinking:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” 

— Matthew 5:43-45 (CSB)

Jesus points us to the example of God, who pours out love even on those in rebellion against Him. He loves them despite their actions.

This is the kind of love we’re called to—a love that is active, persistent, and sacrificial. It was this kind of love that caused the early church to flourish. They cared for orphans, embraced the marginalized, and risked their lives to care for the sick during pandemics. This wasn’t passive love. It was love in action.

As the early church practiced sacrificial love, two significant things happened. First, the church grew. They embodied what they believed, and their communities received a small taste of the Kingdom of God.

Second, the morals and values they lived by laid the foundation for Western civilization. The world before Jesus was violent and dark. But as His followers lived out love for God and their neighbors, the moral landscape of the world began to slowly change.

Love may not be an instant fix for evil, but when practiced consistently, it changes things. It transforms hearts, heals wounds, and reshapes societies. Love is an investment for the future, and when we commit to it, we start to see its quiet yet profound power.

Step Away From The Lies

 

"The first step toward God is a step away from the lies of the world. It is a renunciation of the lies we have been told about ourselves, our neighbors, and our universe."  

— Eugene Peterson, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, p. 29

The world is filled with countless messages that seek to shape who we are, what we believe, and how we view ourselves and others. Our constant exposure to social media, the enticing whispers of advertisements, and the news outlets we follow can make it feel like truth is hard to discern.

And you know what?  

All this messaging not only twists our perception of reality, but it also messes with our hearts. The messages we receive from the world can divide our loyalties between the Kingdom of God and the world, causing us to prioritize the wrong things in life.

In the midst of this reality, let's not lose hope!

Peterson’s wisdom in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction reminds us that there is a way forward. The path we need to take is a bold step away from the deceptive narratives the world pushes on us.

While we may not have control over the messages being blasted into our lives, we do have a choice about what we let in. Picture it like turning away from unhealthy, cancer-causing food that has consumed you for too long, and choosing instead a healthier diet.

The Bible provides many examples of people who have embraced this pivotal step.

One such person is the prophet Isaiah, whose life-changing encounter with God is found in Isaiah 6.

Isaiah’s vision revealed God seated on His heavenly throne, surrounded by spiritual beings. The sheer awesomeness of this revelation overwhelmed Isaiah, prompting him to cry out:

"Woe is me, for I am ruined  

because I am a man of unclean lips  

and live among a people of unclean lips,  

and because my eyes have seen the King,  

the LORD of Armies." 

— (Isaiah 6:5, CSB)

Isaiah's response came from a deep realization of his sinfulness, which moved him to acknowledge the shortcomings of all of Israel.

But despite this revelation, Isaiah did not fall into despair. Instead, he took the first crucial step toward God. With a newfound understanding of his unworthiness, Isaiah confessed his sin to God. In response, God sent a seraphim, a spiritual being, to purify Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal from the altar. This purification spread throughout Isaiah’s body as the seraphim declared:

"Now that this has touched your lips,  

your iniquity is removed  

and your sin is atoned for."  

— (Isaiah 6:7, CSB)

Isaiah’s story shows us that the first step toward God begins with confronting the lies we believe. Isaiah didn’t grasp the full extent of his sin, or the sin of Israel, until he caught a glimpse of God’s glory. That experience gave Isaiah a new perspective on himself and the world.

It’s worth considering what distorted beliefs we hold about ourselves, our neighbors, the world, and even God Himself. This is where humility must come in. If we don’t have the humility to consider that we might be wrong, that there are parts of the story we don’t know, then it will be hard for us to be corrected when we’re wrong.

No one likes to be told they’re wrong. When someone points out our flaws or our false beliefs we want to hunker down and defend our position. It takes more than being told that we are wrong to move us to change. This why Eugene Peterson called this journey a long obedience in the same direction. It’s a journey of repentance, learning, and obedience that moves us to forgive, serve, and love.

As we walk the path of faith, we need to draw inspiration from those who have gone before us. Like Isaiah and other heroes of faith, we must choose to step away from the shadows of deception. We must let go the chains of lies that have held us back and embrace the truth that will ultimately set us free.

In this process, it’s crucial to remember: with every step we take, we are not alone.

The Holy Spirit walks beside us, using Scripture, prayer, and the Church to guide us closer to the heart of God.

With this in mind, we can be confident as we step forward with unwavering obedience and trust, because we know that this journey leads us to a deeper relationship with the One who loves us beyond measure.

God’s Power to Transform

Transformation is a popular thing to talk about in our culture. Everywhere we turn, from fitness to self-improvement, people seem to be obsessed with the idea of change. While change can certainly be positive, true transformation is something that cannot be achieved by human effort alone.

Transformation is a key theme in the New Testament, and it provides insight into what it means to experience true change. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" This verse highlights the transformation that is to happen in the life of a disciple of Jesus. It is only through God that we can become a new creation, leaving behind our old ways and embracing a new life Jesus secured for us through his death and resurrection.

Many people try to change themselves through sheer willpower or by following a self-help program. While these things can be helpful, they cannot bring about true transformation. Without the initiative and action of God, we will not be able to become the people God created us to be. We may make temporary changes, but we will not be able to overcome the flesh that controls our lives.

The Apostle Paul understood this truth. In Romans 7:18-19 he wrote, "For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing." Paul recognized that he was powerless to change on his own. He needed the transformative power of God to break free from his flesh.

Part of the Gospel message is that God is able to transform us. He is in the business of changing the lives of people. In Philippians 1:6, Paul wrote, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." God won’t abandon us halfway through the transformation process. We can be confident that He will see it through until the end.

The transformation that God brings about in our lives is not just external, but it is also internal. In fact, the transformation we need is a transformation of our hearts, our minds, and our souls. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. He changes our desires and gives us a new purpose. He also helps us to see ourselves and other people in a new light. The transformation that God brings about is a transformation of the entire person.

There are many benefits to experiencing true transformation through God. For one, we become better equipped to handle the challenges that life throws our way. We are less likely to be shaken by difficult circumstances because we have a firm foundation in Christ. We are also able to experience a greater sense of peace and joy because we are no longer weighed down by the burdens of our past.

Another benefit of experiencing true transformation is that we become better equipped to serve others. As we become more like Jesus, we begin to see the world, and others, through His eyes. We become more compassionate, more understanding, and more willing to help those in need. Our relationships with people are strengthened, and we are better able to make a positive impact on those closest to us.

How can we experience transformation in our lives? 

The first step is to acknowledge our need for God. In the Beatitudes Jesus taught that we need to be “poor in spirit.” One of the things this implies is that we must recognize that we are powerless to change on our own and that we need God’s help to become a new creation. Once we have acknowledged our need for God, we can turn to Him and ask Him to work in our lives.

This starts with prayer. We are to confess our sins to God and declare our loyalty to Jesus. We pray and ask God to reveal areas in our lives that need to be transformed. We ask Him to give us the strength to overcome our weaknesses and to help us grow in our relationship with Him. We also pray for the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and guidance.

All of us have those moments of clarity when we realize that our lives are not what they should be. We have attitudes, beliefs, and actions that need to be changed, but often we feel powerless to do anything about it. One of the promises of Christianity is that we can become new people. The only way that will happen is if we surrender our lives to God and allow Him to transform our lives.

A Change of Heart and Mind

The apostle Paul wrote:

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4; CSB)

In this passage, we discover two crucial parts of discipleship. In order to follow Jesus and experience the transforming working of the Holy Spirit, we must start with our minds.

Colossians 3 begins by reminding us that we have been raised with Christ, and therefore, we need to seek the things above. This is very similar to what Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.” (Matthew 6:33; CSB)

This means that the first crucial part of discipleship is to have a transformation of our values. We can’t continue to chase after the things the world values: pleasure, success, money, and recognition and follow Jesus. Disciples are to value the things of Heaven.

Our values change because our identity has changed. We are now citizens and ambassadors of God’s kingdom. To be ambassadors of the Kingdom of God means that we represent Him in the world, and we can only do that if we value God and His kingdom above all else.

Colossians 3 continues in verse 2 by saying that we need to set our minds on the things above. To set our minds on the things above isn’t about trying to imagine pearly gates and streets of gold, but meditating on heavenly things.

This brings us to the second crucial part of discipleship, and that is, we need to have a change of mind. Having a change of mind means what we think about and believe needs to be in line with God’s will and word. Rather than having opinions and thoughts that are shaped by politics, social media, and partisan news networks, our minds are influenced by the Bible, prayer, and other Christians.

The passage goes on to remind us that we have died to ourselves and that our lives are hidden with God through Jesus. The lives we live are not our lives, but they belong to God. We may be able to see a change of heart and a change of behavior, but these changes are only the beginning of the transformation that Jesus has promised to us. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we are no longer slaves to sin but instead, we are made new in him.

This happens because our old selves, with their sinful desires and selfish pursuits, are crucified with Christ, and we are raised to new life. This new life is characterized by a desire to please God by demonstrating His character in this world through the way we live.

Finally, Colossians 3:4 teaches us that when Jesus returns, we will also appear with him in glory. This is a reminder of the hope that we have because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. We know that this life is not all there is, and that one day Jesus will return and make everything right, and that God will come and dwell with His people.

This hope should inspire us to live our lives with purpose and intentionality. We are to seek to live our lives in a way that honors God and reflects His love to those around us. In this way, we show that we value the things of heaven over the things of the world.

The passage of Colossians 3:1-4 serves as a significant reminder of the pivotal role our minds and hearts play in discipleship. Our ability to progress with Jesus depends on the transformation of our values and thoughts. Such a transformation empowers us with the strength to live the lives that God had intended for us from the very beginning.

Sunday Prayer: Thank You For Transforming My Life

Dear God,

Today I thank You for the Holy Spirit and the transforming work he is doing in our lives. I am grateful for the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control that comes from his presence in my heart.

I affirm my commitment to You. I belong to King Jesus and I  have crucified my flesh with all of its passions and desires. I ask for your guidance and strength to continue, that comes from the Spirit, so I am able to keep in step with your will.

Lord, I  pray that you help me to avoid becoming conceited, being divisive, or being envious of others. May I always remember to show love and kindness to those around me, and to extend grace and forgiveness to people just as you have shown me.

I ask that you continue to work in my heart, transforming me from the inside out, and empowering me to live a life that honors you. 

I pray all of this in the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and King. Amen.

Prayer is Essential to Change

The world that we live in is not what it should be. On a daily basis we are saddened to hear about the murders, disasters, wars, and other tragedies that dominate our headlines. 

Even though we are saddened, we know that there is little that we dan do to change the major issues that face the world. So what are we to do?

As cliché as it might sound, we who follow Jesus are called to pray. It is through prayer that we experience change.

The reality is that we have very little control over what goes on in this world, but what we do have control over is how we live. While we our actions may not result in world peace or solve world hunger or diminish crime in our communities, our choice to love, to forgive, and to serve can have a huge impact on those around us.

Here is the issue, we are not naturally loving, forgiving, or merciful. We tend to be selfish, prideful, and untrustworthy. In other words, we contribute to the problems in the world, rather than doing what we can do to relieve the issues in our part of the world.

This is why change is crucial.

If all our failed attempts to change have taught us anything, it is that we need help to change. We can’t change on our own, especially in ways that make this world a better place.

Ephesians 3:14-18 (NLT)

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.

Paul’s prayer for the people who received his letter was that they would  receive what they needed, that they would be strengthened and experience God, and that they would have a knowledge of God’s love. This was a prayer for the Ephesians to experience transformation. A transformation that allows them to know and experience God in a new way.

This is a transformation that cannot happen apart from God working in our lives. The deep work that needs to happen in our hearts and minds can only be done through the work of the Spirit. Without prayer and surrendering our wills this transformation is not going to happen.

While it is important for us to pray for healing or friends, family, and acquaintances, it is equally important for us to pray prayers similar to Paul’s for ourselves and our church families. Without God’s work, change will not happen.

Make prayer an essential part of your spiritual formation.

 

Move in the Direction of Who You want to Be

Change is constantly happening. 

That is why we can say the above quote shared by Dave Ramsey on Instagram is incorrect. Time, experience, and other forces of life are at work in and around us. No one stays the same.

Yet, these forces are often indifferent to who we would like to become. They are simply the result of life.

The point of the quote and what I think we should all consider, is that we are not going to become the person we want to be without intentional effort. If we just go along with the flow of life, we will experience change, we will be different, but we probably aren’t moving closer to the goals we have for our lives.

Two of the greatest influences we have in life that are able to determine that direction of our lives are what we learn (reading was the primary source of learning a generation ago, it is not longer the case) and the people we are around.

Reading books, listening to podcasts, watching lectures, and hearing sermons all have the power to direct our thoughts and to get us thinking in ways that we wouldn’t on our own. When we seek to go in a specific direction in our lives it pays to hear from people who have already gone done that path. To neglect the discipline of learning means we will miss out on reaching our full potential.

This is why the New Testament tells us direct our thoughts (Romans 12:2, Philippians 4:8, Colossians 3:1-4, 1 Peter 1:13). To change our worldview and our behavior we first have to change our thoughts. 

We are going to be thinking, it is one of the things God designed our minds to do, and so we have a great responsibility to direct what we are thinking about. Don’t just passively allow the news, social media, and entertainment direct your thoughts. Instead, be intentional about what you put into your mind to think about so we can become more like the person you want to be.

If you are looking for a good book to read here are some recommendations:

1. Reading the Bible: When it comes to reading the Bible, here are two books I have found helpful: Scripture and the Authority of God by N. T. Wright and The Blue Parakeet by Scot McKnight. They are similar books in that they challenge us to examine the ways in which we read and interpret Scripture. N.T. Wright wants us to see Scripture as the way God works in and through us. Scot McKnight seeks to have us read through the lens of the Bible being God’s story.
2. Productivity: Here are two books about productivity/getting the most out of your time. Deep Work by Cal Newport and the Slight Edge by Jeff Olson. Deep Work (which is in my top 10 books people should read) focuses on the importance of regularly working distraction free, because distractions prevent us from truly getting the most out of our mental energy. The Slight Edge has a lot of content that is transferable to task of discipleship. The key is to develop little disciplines that help you accomplish your goals.
3. Church ministry: Wondering how the church can enter into a new time of ministry after Covid? Two books I have found helpful are Recalibrate Your Church by Dr. Troy Jones and Analog Church by Jay Kim. Recalibrate Your Church looks at the necessity of creating a church culture that is willing to evaluate and change the ministry of the church to impact the community. Analog Church, which is in the top 5 books I have read this year, looks at the importance community and relationships in following Jesus.
4. Leadership: Leadership is a tricky thing and we constantly need teaching and encouragement on how to do it. Ruth Haley Barton’s Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership is a good book for pastors, because it reminds us that our leadership requires a connection with God. John Maxwell’s Developing the Leader Within You is a classic book that focuses on the practical things we should pay attention to in our leadership.
5. Following Jesus: Here are three short books that provide a greater insight into what it means to follow Jesus. Imminent Domain by Ben Witherington looks at God’s Kingdom and our place in it. Life in Christ by John Stott explores how we are connected to Jesus. Following Jesus by N. T. Wright explains what it means to follow Jesus.
6. Prayer: How about prayer? Here are three I have benefited from reading: With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray (one of my favorite authors), Moving Mountains by John Eldredge, and Seeing is Believing by Greg Boyd. With Christ in the School of Prayer is divided up into 31 lessons (a month long) that conclude with a sample prayer. Moving Mountains provides an encouragement to pray as well as some ideas of how to pray (Daily prayer, praying Scripture, Warfare Prayer). Seeing is Believing focuses on using our imagination in prayer, especially as we seek healing and restoration.

Start being intentional about the person you are becoming. Read a book, listen to a lecture, and hang out with the right people. These are intentional actions that will point us in the direction we need to go.

Be Humble and Pursue Truth

This tweet has been with me all the way through this year. Those closest to me know that Tom Woods has been a big influence in my life for the last decade (I discovered him sometime during Ron Paul’s 2008 Presidential run), mainly through his daily podcast.

As a person who strives to be a life-long learner, what Tom encourages people to do has been a goal of mine. I realize that the knowledge that I have is only a tiny drop compared to the vast amount of information that is in the world. It would be arrogant of me to approach life with the assumption that all my beliefs are correct. 

Over the years as I have read books and listened to lectures, sermons, and podcasts my beliefs have shifted and changed. Sometimes the change has been drastic such as going from conservative Republican to a Ron Paul Republican to a libertarian and finally to a anarcho-capitalist/Christian anarchist. Some changes have been more subtle like moving form a staunch young earth creationist view to being open to other possibilities. 

The apostle Paul in Romans wrote: “ Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2, NLT)

God transforms us through the renewal and change of our thinking (see also Philippians 4:8 and Colossians 3:1-4). The thoughts and beliefs that are rolling around in our heads and hearts effect everything else about us. They form the structure of our worldview and they guide our actions and emotions. This is why God needs to change our thinking before transformation occurs in our lives.

Followers of Jesus also need to be confident that all truth is God’s truth. This means we want to be on the side of truth, whatever that looks like, because we know all truth comes from God. This gives us the freedom to admit that we might be wrong about things and to re-examine what we believe.

I will offer one bit of advice here: In our pursuit of truth we need a bedrock truth that is able anchor us in faith. Otherwise we are in danger of believing whatever sounds good to us.

For me, and I think for any follower of Jesus, that bedrock belief needs to be the resurrection of Jesus. Paul in 1 Corinthians 15 wrote (1 Corinthians 15:14, NLT), “And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.”

Because I think there is credible evidence to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, I secure my hope there, and let that be the foundation of my worldview.

As we enter the last month and half of 2020 may we set our faith in Jesus and allow God to guide our thinking, so our lives can be transformed.

Trust Jesus for Transformation

In this time of COVID-19 isolation I am recording my sermons so we can do "church" online.

This is the second sermon in the Trust Jesus series.