Life in the Spirit

Many Christians are refreshed to hear Paul's words in Romans 7:15-20 where he describes his inability to do the things he wants to do or keep from doing those sinful things he hates. Verse 18 summarizes this when he says, "For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it" (NRS). Paul is not, however, letting us off the hook or describing that it is impossible for us to overcome sin. In fact, his argument is just the opposite. What he is explaining is that in the flesh we have no capacity to conquer sin because we are under the law of sin. In Romans 8:9-10, Paul says, "But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you... But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness." He continues by insisting, "[F]or if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God" (8:13-14).

In the flesh we have an inability to truly submit to God, so we are held captive by the law of sin. In Christ, however, we are righteous because of Christ's work and the "law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set [us] free from the law of sin and death" (8:2). This is good news! In Christ, we have the capacity to "put to death" the flesh every day through our submission to the Spirit. Once again, this is all God's work in Christ through the Spirit, and our response is simply to surrender and empty ourselves before God on a daily basis. We do not have to be held captive to sin in our lives - in fact, we should not be held captive because we are free to live life in the Spirit.

I submit my life, my soul (mind, will, emotions), my body, my all to You today Lord Jesus and ask that by Your Spirit you lead me further into this free life. All glory to You, Almighty Father!

Kindness, Patience, and Leadership

In my previous post, I mentioned God's conviction within me about how kindness, patience, and selflessness characterize love (according to I Cor. 13) and that a life of perfect love is the mark of a follower of Jesus. I described how I am attempting to use the definition of love in I Cor. 13 and the fruit of the Spirit in Gal. 5 as a measure of movement to maturity toward this life of love that we are called to live (Eph. 5:1-2).

This conviction is strengthened by a closer look at how God leads us to change. Paul asks the following questions in Romans 2 verse 4: "Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (NRS). Paul seems to be indicating that God's primary mode of operation for bringing change in us that leads to repentance is not through judgment or anger but through kindness and patience. Our story consistently bears witness to this as we are reminded that God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in love (Ex. 34:6; Num. 14:18; Neh. 9:17; Ps. 86:15, 103:8, 145:8; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Nahum 1:3).

If with God, leadership takes the form of kindness and patience, what form does our leadership often take? Since Paul defined love as patient and kind (I Cor. 13) and described God's leading us to change through kindness (Rom. 2:4), it is reasonable to equate leadership with love in God's interaction with us. Would you describe your leadership as primarily characterized by loving kindness and patience?

Too often our leadership more resembles control and when we desire others to change it is often characterized by frustration, manipulation, and impatience rather than kindness and patience. This is not God's way of leading through love.

To make this more personal, my own challenge is to lead with kindness and patience in my home. My greatest desire is for love to characterize my interactions with people and for that to be especially true at home. There are times, though, when I find myself frustrated and impatient as I attempt to lead my children. Please forgive me Lord and teach me by Your Spirit to love and lead through kindness and patience. I surrender and empty myself that You may do this in me by Your faithfulness and for Your glory!

Love's Way or My Way?

I have been reflecting on all of life and the decisions we make in relationship with God and others. It seems to me that in every situation there are only two choices. It's either all about me or it is all about love.

Quoting the Old Testament (Shema), Jesus said "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Matt 22:37-40). Paul, Peter, and James follow Jesus' lead and also indicate that love is the sum of everything we are commanded. John insists that one cannot love God without first being loved by God, and he also describes that those who love God must also love their brothers and sisters (I John 4:19-21). Jesus also makes it clear that it is our love for one another that demonstrates to the world that we are His followers (John 13:34-35).

Having discussed the importance of unity amidst diverse gifts in the Body of Christ, the apostle Paul described "a still more excellent way" (I Cor. 12:31). This more excellent way is the way of love. Paul says that even if we have amazing faith and service, if it is done without love, we are nothing and we gain nothing (I Cor. 13:1-3). Paul continues by defining love:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. (I Cor. 13:4-8a)

This passage is so familiar to many of us that it is easy to gloss over its power and miss what the Spirit can do through it. Have you ever taken time to compare your interactions with your spouse, your family, your neighbors, the stranger with this simple definition? This is what God has been challenging me to do. Can my interactions be described as "patient" and "kind"? If not, it isn't love. Am I irritable and easily angered? Then love is lacking.

What I notice in analyzing this passage is how love is set in contrast to a self-focused life. Envy, boasting, pride, dishonoring others, and self-seeking are the NOT of love. In fact, the impatience and lack of kindness described earlier even point to a self-focus. All of the sudden, this passage sounds less like a sweet wedding homily or a children's lesson and more like a convicting challenge that provides clarity to embodying Jesus' Great Commandment.

As if this wasn't all challenging enough, Paul goes on to show the SCOPE of love's influence. If love only protected, trusted, hoped, and persevered part of the time and seldom failed, then we might be qualified to live it. However, Paul uses these impossible words of ALWAYS and NEVER. Once again, this all sounds great, but how in the world can we possibly embody it? It is as if Paul is challenging us toward perfection. In fact, that is what he is doing. In the context of challenging us to love our enemies, Jesus commands us to "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt. 5:48). As Christ Jesus' followers, we are supposed to live this perfect love.

This is only possible if the Holy Spirit loves through us (after all, love is the fruit of the Spirit - Gal. 5:22-23). We must first experience God's love in Christ (I John 4:19), and in response to God's love we must surrender/empty ourselves (kenosis) to God. This self-emptying ourselves includes laying down (surrendering) our impatience, anger, envy, boasting, pride, dishonoring others, and self-seeking. An empty cup, then, is fill-able by the Holy Spirit. It is an empty cup that the Holy Spirit fills and empowers to live a life of love (Eph. 5:1-2).

This is the challenge that God is bringing me now for it is love that I want to characterize my life. I also have to remember that I am to love others as I love myself, which points back to being confident in who I am in Christ (see previous Blog on Union preceding Kenosis). This self-emptying (kenosis) is not intended to be self-deprecating but simply removing the self-focus so that love can rule the day.

Holy God, thank You for Your extravagant love for us in Christ Jesus our Lord. In response to Your great love and mercy, I deny myself today and ask that Your Holy Spirit will love through me today.

Union Precedes Kenosis

One of the biggest struggles of living this Christ-centered, Christ-following life is to understand and embody the identity that we have in Christ Jesus. My own journey with this has been challenging and continues to cycle. In my late teens, I distinctly remember being confronted by three dear friends related to my pride and self-focus. My own struggle with pride did not manifest itself in arrogance or ego but instead in insecurity. My insecurity brought about a fear and anxiety about what others thought about me, which in turn resulted in my focus always being on myself. While perhaps a different form of pride than some are used to seeing, this insecurity was (is) indeed pride and can be just as damaging personally and in relationships with others.

I found myself serving in a church as a worship leader in my early twenties and feeling like a fraud most of the time. I deeply desired to be close to Christ and to lead others out of the overflow of that relationship but my pride (along with some other sin in my life) was keeping me from being me all that God had created me to be. In this season, I was invited into an accountability group of men (I was by far the youngest) who were genuinely living their faith and pursuing holy love in covenant relationships together. It was life changing for me. I was so challenged by watching these men, not only at church but in their everyday lives (had the privilege of living with 2 of those men during that year). One night, I knelt beside my bed in desperation feeling like God was a million miles away and that I was missing something fundamental.

In His grace and mercy, God took me to I Corinthians 5 and what happened that night would forever change my life. In this passage, Paul talks about it being Christ's love that compels us and that we are a new creation in Christ (old is gone not just made better). We have been given the same ministry of reconciliation as Christ has and thus serve as Christ's ambassadors to the world. This is all what I longed to experience. Verse 21 brought it all home to me that night. "God made him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

Everything changed that day because it was the first time I got a glimpse of myself the way God sees me: as a Child of God and a Person of Worth (COGPOW). My worth comes not from my service of God but simply because I am a child of God. I discovered I didn't have to earn love but simply had to live in it, enjoy it, and respond to it. As Paul said, "Christ love compels us." This is what Jesus is getting at in John 15 as we hear that our focus needs to be in Abiding in Christ. That is where the life comes from and is also where all the Spirit's fruit comes from. We are to abide in Christ's love just as Christ abides in the Father's love.

Theologians refers to this Abiding in Christ as Union, and Union must necessarily precede Kenosis. Have you ever tried to serve God in your own strength? Have you ever tried to produce the fruit of the Spirit without truly being connected to (Abiding in) Jesus Christ? This is the reality for way to many of us, including those who are supposedly leading others.

Our self-giving, self-emptied (kenosis) life of love for God and others comes only in relationship and response to Abiding in Jesus Himself. This is where we must begin every day. Help me Lord Jesus - be my center, my everything. You must increase, I must decrease!

Spiritual vs. Soulish Christian

I had the privilege this week of helping host a group of spiritual leadership coaches. It was a joy to learn together and go deeper in our devotion to Jesus. We invited my friend Tommy Hays of Messiah Ministries to lead portions of our retreat, and he introduced us to this question as to whether we are more "spiritual" or "soulish" Christians. This was his primary text:

"May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The One who calls you is faithful, and He will do this" (I Thess. 5:23-24, NRSV).

God is a God of peace (Shalom), which includes not only lack of anxiety but more particularly holiness and wholeness in relationship with God, others around us, and all of creation (including both salvation and justice). It is God alone who can sanctify us entirely and He is faithful and will do it. What is our part in this process of sanctification leading to complete holiness and wholeness in Christ by the Holy Spirit? We have to surrender (kenosis - empty) our souls before God.

Tommy pointed out that the human spirit (Gk: pneuma) is that deepest part of us that communes with God and helps us discern God's way when led by the Holy Spirit. The human soul (Gk: psyche) includes our mind, will, and emotions. The Christ follower is in right alignment when the body is submitted to the soul, the soul is submitted to the spirit, and the spirit is submitted to the Holy Spirit. Often, though, our human soul asserts itself and we become "soulish" Christians rather than "spiritual" Christians.

How often are we the ones attempting to be in control of our own lives rather than letting Jesus be Lord? This is always an assertion of our souls - either our mind, will, or emotions taking control. I began to reflect on ways that this has been true for me lately. For example, some of the struggle I have shared with allowing frustration or impatience to get the best of me at home is an example of when my emotions have arisen to take control in my life. I need the Holy Spirit's help in those moments to help me humble myself and submit/surrender/empty my soul. Similarly, in the moments my mind is tempted with lust, my soul is rising up. Also, I recognize that when I am asserting my own will, I am limiting the Spirit's ability to bring that sanctification in me that Paul is describing. Whether it be in my mind, my will, or my emotions, when I am attempting to assert control in my own life rather than allowing Jesus be Lord, it is my pride at work.

The key is that "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6). James goes on to say, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded" (James 4:7-8). Interestingly, the word in the Greek that we translate "double-minded" in English is actually "two-souled." It is truly as if a portion of our soul is following God while another part of our soul is following our own way. When this occurs, we must humble our souls, so that our human spirits can fully commune with the Holy Spirit that we may be sanctified.

It is important to point out that our mind, will, and emotions (our soul) are not evil but a God-given gift. The problem is when they are out of alignment (not submitted to the Spirit). When properly aligned, God has given us our minds, our will, and and our emotions to enjoy this world and to express love. After all, this notion of entire sanctification is synonymous with what it means to love God with our all and love our neighbor as ourselves (Great Commandment - Mt 22:37-40). Similarly, this is akin to what Christian maturity, discipleship, healing, spiritual leadership, a life of worship, and a life of prayer are all about.

I have recognized over the past several days some areas of my life where I am not experiencing the fullness of God in my life. It is clear to me that this is a direct result of my own pride and my soul asserting itself (mind, will, emotions) in those areas. For me to experience healing, wholeness, and holiness, I must empty myself (kenosis) and submit my soul to God. It is the Spirit's fruit that I want in these areas rather than the fruit of my own soul. These manifest as the Mind of Christ rather than merely my mind (I Cor 2:16), self-control given by the Spirit (Gal 5:22) and God's will rather than my own, and love, joy, peace, patience... rather than my unsanctified emotions (Gal 5:22-23).

Holy Spirit, I submit my soul to You today and as best I can I empty myself of all that is blocking Your grace. Fill and sanctify me Holy Spirit. Come and change me that I may grow to love You and others completely.

Catalyst & Risk-Taker - Kenotic Leadership

Barnabas (son of encouragement) seems to have been both a catalyst of transformation and a risk-taker for Jesus. He is first mentioned at the end of Acts 4 as the example Luke uses when describing how the early Church shared everything in common. Barnabas sold a field he owned and offered it to God. This gift (among others) was apparently what was used to care for the poor among the Church so that no one had need. In this, Barnabas demonstrated Christ-following kenosis (self-emptying) that dramatically impacted the lives of others around him.

We next connect with Barnabas in Acts 9 as the one follower of Jesus who was willing to take a risk on Saul (Paul). Having experienced his radical conversion, Paul had tried to join the disciples in Jerusalem after escaping from Damascus where Jews were conspiring to kill him. The disciples didn't trust Paul and were afraid to associate with him because of his pre-conversion persecution of the Church. Barnabas took the chance and reached out to Paul. He introduced Paul to the apostles and stood up for him and his witness. Because of Barnabas' trust in Paul, he was accepted by the others.

As the Gospel began to spread among the Greeks, it was Barnabas that the apostles sent to check out what was going on in Antioch (Acts 11). He confirmed that God was in their work and joined them in their witness. Luke described Barnabas this way regarding this: "He was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit's ways. The community grew large and strong in the Master" (Acts 11:24, MSG). Then, Barnabas went to Tarsus and brought Paul back to Antioch. When famine hit Jerusalem, it was the Antioch believers who sent financial aid back to the Jerusalem believers, and it was Barnabas and Paul chosen to take the gift.

After returning from Jerusalem back to Antioch, the Holy Spirit told the Antioch believers to set apart Barnabas and Paul as missionaries. They sent them out and God used them in powerful ways throughout the world.

It is Paul who wrote much of the New Testament, but Barnabas seems to have been the risk-taker in the early Church. He served as a catalyst in the early Church through his self-emptying generosity and his willingness to stand beside Paul. What would be different in the book of Acts if it were not for Barnabas' kenotic leadership? I desire to demonstrate this same type of leadership in my home and in connection with other Jesus followers. Help me Holy Spirit!

What If?

What if some of the lesser known characters in the book of Acts had walked away from what God was prompting them to do? What would the result have been? Would God have found a Plan B? Two particular heroes come to mind through this morning's study.

Philip was selected as a spiritual leader in the new Jesus community as the apostles were searching for servants (Acts 6). He turned out to have quite a global impact because of his willingness to follow Jesus. In Acts 8, we read that Philip took the gospel to Samaria (partial fulfillment of Acts 1:8), and the crowds responded to what the heard and saw (miracles). Clearly, Philip was walking in step with the Spirit, and people's lives were being changed through his witness.

Later in the same chapter, God tells Philip to go to a certain road (location), and it was on this road that he meets the Ethiopian eunuch. This Ethiopian was an important official in the Queen's court and a follower of God. Philip ran alongside the chariot and began asking questions. After being invited in, Philip explains to his new friend how Isaiah was speaking of Jesus. The result was a new follower of Jesus and baptism. Beyond this we don't hear of the Ethiopian again, but we can assume he took his new faith in Jesus with him to his home country (more fulfillment of Acts 1:8).

What if Philip had ignored God's voice? What if he had decided that the Ethiopian was too different from him and walked away? What we know is that Philip responded to God's voice in surrendered, obedient love.

Then there was Ananias in Acts 9. This chapter is famous because it describes Saul/Paul's radical conversion to Jesus. What often gets overlooked is that God used Ananias to lead Paul to become a follower of Jesus and to commission him for Jesus' mission. Ananias argued with God about this assignment, which was, after all, quite reasonable because of Saul's reputation for persecuting followers of Jesus. However, Ananias didn't let his fear get the best of him. In response to what Christ had done in him, Ananias surrendered himself in obedient love and became God's agent to bring transformation in the life of another.

It is beautiful to think about the fact that Paul wrote most of the New Testament as the apostle to the non-Jews. What if Ananias had told God "no"? What if he had let his fear get the best of him? Paul had already encountered Jesus, but he was blind and likely confused. God used Ananias to lead one of the most transformational leaders of all time to Jesus.

This thought causes me to reflect on how important the meetings we have are everyday and how life-changing our own responses to God can be in the lives of others. What about our children? What if God is planning to use one of my boys (or both) in history-making mission for the sake of Jesus' Kingdom? How should that affect my daily interactions with them? Help me Lord Jesus! Have Your way in me Holy Spirit! Teach me to hear Your voice more clearly Father! I am Yours.

Full of Faith and the Holy Spirit

First of all, it is really good to be back in Kentucky and blogging again. It has been several weeks since my last entry because I have been traveling with my family. The boys and I got to go on quite a few adventures together, including to San Antonio and Dallas to see cousins, to Canyon and Levelland (Texas) to see grandparents, and to the Rocky Mountains and White Sands to hike and play.

"Full of faith and the Holy Spirit" is how Stephen is described in Acts 6 as the early church was selecting a new set of spiritual leaders. Throughout the remainder of this chapter and the next, we see the embodiment of this description in Stephen's life. What was it in his life that others were recognizing? Is it possible for us to exhibit these same characteristics?

Sadly, we only get this short glimpse into Stephen's life because his life is cut short as a result of his commitment to Jesus. He demonstrates a life that has been so utterly transformed by Jesus that he trusts God even to the point of death. His own life means less to him than the glorious participation/partnership he has through the Holy Spirit with Jesus. In this surrendered, self-emptied state, the Holy Spirit speaks through him and uses him as a witness not only to his own time but throughout the ages to today. In his imitation of Jesus, he held the honor of suffering to the point of death for Jesus' sake just as Jesus had done. Luke tells us in the opening of Acts 8 that it was this very day that began the persecution that scattered all but the Apostles (sent ones) throughout Judea and Samaria. Thus, Acts 8:1 becomes the next phase of fulfillment of Acts 1:8, although it is the "laity" that are scattered as witnesses and not the Apostles.

Clearly Stephen was dearly loved in the early church community because they mourned him deeply (8:2). It is amazing that God chose Stephen to change the world from among the ranks of ordinary followers of Jesus. What will it take for us to have this kind of witness from ordinary followers of Jesus today?

Stephen was so compelled by love for Jesus because of what Jesus had done in him and the world that his life was surrendered and characterized by full faith and the Holy Spirit. There are so many of us (ordinary followers of Jesus) today who really long for our lives to be used by God in world-changing ways but often our lives are characterized by selfishness and the mundane. I long to be so surrendered to the Spirit's work in response to God's loving work in Christ. Here I am Lord, send me!

Kenosis in Action

Paul begins his letter to the Philippians differently than most of his other letters. He typically begins his greeting by referencing his apostleship. In Romans and Titus, he does refer to himself as a servant and apostle in his greeting. In Philippians, the greeting is from both "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus" (1:1a). It is clear from the remainder of the letter to the saints at Philippi that this choice was deliberate.

As I have now discussed on multiple occasions in this blog, Paul describes Jesus as the one who made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, and became obedient to death for love's sake (Phil 2:6-11). This is referred to as the kenosis hymn. Paul challenged the believers in Philippi to have the "same mind" as Christ Jesus (Phil 2:5). Paul then proceeds to describe his co-writer Timothy and his colleague Epaphroditus as those who have followed Christ's example of self-emptied, obedient love. He also uses himself as an example to follow as he lays out his own impressive resume and lineage and counts it all "nothing" for the sake of knowing Christ and suffering with Him (Phil 3:1-14). He concludes this conversation by saying this: "Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you" (Phil 3:17).

We are Jesus' disciples. One of the incredible mysteries and awe-inspiring joys of this is that we do not need someone besides Jesus to represent us before God. He is all we need. It really is all about Jesus - everything is summed up in Him! By encouraging others to follow his example and the example of others following the same pattern, Paul is not attempting to be an intermediary between God and other persons as if Jesus needed some help. Instead, what Paul is doing is recognizing that many of us need what C.S. Lewis referred to as "little Christs" - people following Jesus that we can imitate. Ultimately, our aim is to imitate Christ Jesus alone because only "Christ in you" is "the hope of glory" (Col 1:27). If we're honest, though, all of us who are striving to follow Jesus will admit to following Jesus the way we do because of the way another follower of Jesus is attempting to live it out. In other words, most of us need to see kenosis in action to know how to truly imitate Christ.

I can think of numerous examples of Jesus followers who have influenced my own life and have given me an example to follow as they imitated Christ. My parents clearly fit in this category, and this is why I am so passionate and desperate as a father to imitate Christ myself. I can also name several mentors and spiritual fathers/mothers who have so shaped my life that I could never articulate the difference they have made or the gratitude I feel for their influence. One of the people who has most shaped me as a follower of Christ, though, is my younger brother.

In a similar way (although admittedly with less fervor) to how I long to live as Christ before my sons, I longed to do so before Britt. Some of the most dramatic moments of surrender in my own life, though, came through watching him surrender to Jesus. One such moment that comes to mind occurred while we were in college, and God so vividly spoke to him from Isaiah 41:17-20:

17 "The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the LORD will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.

18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs.

19 I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set pines in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together,

20 so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the LORD has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it."

As a result of God's outpouring of love through spoken Word to Britt, I saw him empty himself (kenosis) and become empowered through the Holy Spirit to change the world and bring life to dead places. Truly the hand of the LORD alone has done this! I watched it happen with countless youth coming to Christ through his witness and through families tasting hope again who are suffering through autism. By the hand of the Lord, he is changing the world.

The story continues today as I learn of the decision he and his wife, Emily, have made to adopt a little girl from Haiti. After talking with him today and getting an email from her, I believe Britt would tell you that it has been Emily's self-emptying and constant faithfulness to God's call that prompted this most recent surrender in his own life. This is so often true in my life as well, as I try to follow the example of selfless love my wife embodies. As I look at Britt and Emily and their family, I am reminded again that I need to see this Jesus life lived out in the flesh. Their courage inspires me and others to follow Christ Jesus just as fervently. If you are reading this, please pray with us for them.

Isn't it interesting that the simplest things and the unplanned moments in our lives are the things that turn out to have the power to change the world when Christ's Spirit is in the middle of it. May we hear and give ourselves away in love by the Spirit's power. Help me Lord Jesus.

The Love of a Son

All of history and eternity was changed because of the love of God's Son. The selfless and sacrificial love of God the Trinity through sending the Son inspires our worship. For Jesus truly is our righteousness, our holiness, and our redemption, and I boast in Christ alone (I Cor 1:30-31).

As a father, I earnestly long for my sons to see Jesus in me and to observe a life of selfless love. Tonight, the tables were turned, and I saw such simple and selfless love lived out by my 6 year old son, Isaiah. From early in his life, we have been spending time in God's Word together and talking about imitating Jesus in this world. One of the things that most deeply saddens me is the limited number of Christians that seem to be able to answer this question: What did Jesus say is the most important thing? I have had the opportunity to ask this question of children, youth, and adults in many places, and I have received many answers. The answer is what we refer to as the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37-40). We have rehearsed this with Isaiah for several years now. Upon hearing this question, Isaiah will respond, "To love God and love people!"

His mother and I were in the kitchen preparing dinner when I heard commotion in the living room. When I turned the corner, I observed Isaiah hurrying around cleaning things up without having been asked. He has always been quick to respond obediently to our requests; however, this was the first time I have ever caught him doing something like this without being asked. When I asked him about it, he said he was trying to get everything cleaned up. I asked him why. He looked at his mom, and with a smile responded that he knew she liked it clean. It was clear he had put aside whatever he might have preferred to do in order to love his mommy. Is this not kenosis in action - emptying self in order to love another? I was moved to near tears and affirmed his Jesus-like love and actions.

It is amazing that although we are all selfish creatures by nature, this life of selfless love is simple enough to be lived by a child who is seeking to follow Jesus. The most difficult thing to overcome - our selfish pride - can indeed be overcome! Amidst all the complexities of life, the simplicity of emptying ourselves for the sake of loving another is always the answer. This indeed demonstrates our love for God and the Great Commandment is fulfilled.

On another note, our 3 year old son, Luke, has not quite figured all of this out yet. In his own way, though, he is demonstrating love. One of the terms of endearment his mommy uses for him is "pumpkin." A couple of nights ago while riding in the car, my wife asked him, "How's my pumpkin?" He responded, "I'm not pumpkin. I'm Luker. You're pumpkin!" Oh the joy of being a father and the privilege of loving and being loved by them.

Incarnation

If there was ever anything that would inspire worship and devotion, it is the amazing Good News that God came near to us in Jesus. The Light of the World came into our darkness - the King of Heaven became poor for love's sake. Paul described Jesus to us in this way as he quoted a hymn of the early Church:

6Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:6-11)

As if it weren't remarkable enough that God came near us in Jesus, the incarnation of Jesus was more than just becoming one of us. He became one of us in a very specific way. He did not hold on to any of the rights and privileges of being God but made himself nothing (kenosis) by taking the very nature of a servant. It doesn't say he became like a servant but took the nature of a servant. What is the nature of a servant? Having humbled Himself so thoroughly already, Jesus humbled Himself again by becoming obedient to a slave's death (remember He took the very nature of a servant - even to taking on that kind of death). This is why we worship Jesus, as verses 9-11 make clear.

Interestingly, Paul prefaces this hymn by saying that our attitude (or "mind") should be the same as Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:5). He has called us to this same self-emptying humility and this same obedient love with the very nature of servants. Paul describes his own efforts to let go of all of his rights and privileges for the sake of knowing and serving Jesus (Philippians 3:1-14). It is important to notice that he did not consider these things as an advantage to him but instead counted them nothing as Christ had done. Each place Paul goes on his missionary journeys, he does his best to relate to those he is serving in a way that fits their context. In Athens for example (Acts 17), he uses their own poetry and religious context as a way to relate the Good News of Jesus to them. In this way, Paul was embodying an incarnational ministry as Jesus had done.

I long to have this same "mind" that was in Christ Jesus. How do I empty myself and serve my family and my neighbors in an incarnational way? Jesus, you have already showed us the way. Please teach me by Your Spirit to let go of all that could be considered profit to me (empty self - kenosis) and see every moment as an opportunity to bring Your Kingdom as a "little Christ" to my family and this world.

Opposite Extremes

It's interesting that God has given us some accounts in the early chapters of the book of Acts that are in striking contrast to one another. He seems to know that we would not be able to understand all of this without some real life examples.

Acts 3 begins with Peter & John heading toward a prayer meeting and bumping into a crippled beggar. Without hesitation and full of the Holy Spirit, they give this man life again through miraculous healing in Jesus' name. He is overjoyed and the crowed is in awe. How did Peter know to step out in this radical way? Did he hear the Spirit whisper? It's not likely that he knew ahead of time how this scene would unfold (although he does get such an honor in Acts 10). It seems that Peter and John were so surrendered to God and emptied of self that their every word and action were controlled by the Holy Spirit. Is that possible for us? This is how I long to live (in step with the Spirit - Gal 5:25).

Peter sees the gathered audience as another opportunity to share this Good News. His version of it is quite similar in multiple accounts throughout Acts. He gives credit to Jesus and reminds them that they killed Jesus but God raised Him from the dead and that they are witnesses of this (partial fulfillment of Acts 1:8). Peter encourages them to turn to God. Soon, Peter and John find themselves before the religious leaders, and full of the Holy Spirit, Peter shares the same Good News again.

Following this, we find out that the believers were united as one and shared everything in common such that there was not a needy person among them. We hear specifically at the end of Acts 4 of Barnabas, who both spiritually and financially had surrendered everything of himself to God. Barnabas is a living picture of a follower of Jesus emptying himself of everything (kenosis) in response to God's love for him in Christ. The Spirit prompted him to sell all he owned and share it with the other believers.

In contrast, Acts 5 begins with the surprising account of Ananias and Sapphira who wanted to look as good as Barnabas but did not really surrender all as he and others had done. In fact, they conspired to lie to everyone but actually lied to the Holy Spirit. God was not fooled, and they both dropped dead. (On a side note, what would the response be if this happened in one of our churches today?) Were they merely trying to show off? Did they hear from the Holy Spirit but not truly obey? Did they do this only for attention without any prompting from the Holy Spirit? Either way, the result was not good for them and the believers were overwhelmed with awe (fear) toward God.

This all mirrors Paul's letter to the Philippians where he describes Jesus' kenosis and illustrates how to follow Jesus' example by pointing at Timothy, Epaphroditus, and even himself. Often we learn to imitate Christ Jesus by watching others who are imitating Christ well. I am grateful for those models to follow who have shown me how to imitate Jesus. I only long to be that same kind of Jesus imitator for my sons and others to follow. I empty myself before you now, Lord Jesus. Fill me with Your Spirit that I might imitate You as You have called me to do - for Your sake and theirs and all for Your glory!

Let It Be Said of Me

"There was a man named Cornelius who lived in Caesarea, captain of the Italian Guard stationed there. He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer. One day about three o'clock in the afternoon he had a vision. An angel of God, as real as his next-door neighbor, came in and said, 'Cornelius.' Cornelius stared hard, wondering if he was seeing things. Then he said, 'What do you want, sir?' The angel said, 'Your prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God's attention...'" (Acts 10:1-4, The Message)

I mentioned in my previous blog that it seems that my home is the most difficult place for me to surrender my pride and my own desires and empty myself to be a servant in love. Reading Luke's description of Cornelius and the way God was paying attention to him is not only amazing but creates a longing in me. I sensed the Spirit speaking so clearly to me through these few verses. "He was a thoroughly good man. He had led everyone in his house to live worshipfully before God, was always helping people in need, and had the habit of prayer." What a remarkable thing to have said about you by anyone...but especially by God. As the angel points out to him, "Your prayers and neighborly acts have brought you to God's attention."

My sense this morning is that if God was noticing these things, Cornelius' family and all who were around him noticed them too. These are the very things that I long to practice: 1) lead my family to live worshipfully before God, 2) serve those in need (love my neighbor), and 3) have a habit of prayer. Holy Spirit lead me and let this be said of me for Your sake and for those You love.

It is interesting that Peter has to surrender & empty himself (kenosis) of all his cultural and religious baggage in order for the Spirit to use him with Cornelius and his family. What if Peter had said NO? He certainly argued with God about all of this, but ultimately he responded in obedient love and went to see Cornelius. Cornelius had called together all of his family and close friends to hear God's message through Peter. Peter realized that God played no favorites through this experience and described all that God had done in Jesus through his life, death, and resurrection. As he described the forgiveness available in Jesus for those who believe, the whole gathering was filled with Holy Spirit. The Jews with Peter were amazed that these non-Jews had also received the Spirit.

Cornelius and those with him seemed to have already surrendered (kenosis) to God and to what He would speak through Peter that day. They were waiting not unlike the Jewish disciples had done in Acts 1, and the result was the same. They were filled with the Holy Spirit. This was a life-changing day for Cornelius and his household but also for Peter and the Jewish believers with him.

In response to God's great love and mercy, both Cornelius and Peter surrendered themselves to God and emptied themselves of everything. In this place of emptied surrender, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. I long to follow their example today and every day as I strive (by the Spirit's power) to lead my family to live worshipfully before God, to serve those in need, and to have a habit of prayer.

Fire on my Head

Having waited in Jerusalem as Jesus instructed, Acts 2 begins with the Holy Spirit blowing onto the scene in a powerful and life-changing (also culture-changing) way. The followers of Jesus had responded to His instructions and His love by a surrendered, self-emptyied (kenosis) waiting. As empty vessels, the Holy Spirit filled them to overflowing in Acts 2, and as Jesus told them in Acts 1:8, they became bold witnesses.

One of the greatest joys of my life is to be the father of 2 young boys. The same morning I felt prompted to begin blogging was the same morning I felt prompted to study the book of Acts personally and with my family this summer. I sensed the best way to do this with the boys was to have them act out portions each evening. On the first evening we acted out Acts 1, and they really seemed to enjoy it.

We pretended we had a fire in the living room floor, which we sat around like we do when we're camping. My oldest is 6 years old right now, and we have been reading one of his picture Bibles together since not long after he was born. We acted out Acts 1 as Jesus spoke about the Kingdom and instructed them to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came. Then we stood together staring up into the sky as the disciples did, and the youngest got to play the part of the angels. It was at this point that my oldest immediately jumped into the story of Acts 2 when the Spirit falls. He's been through that segment enough times in the past that he began to describe to his younger brother (3 yrs old) what happened next. When he explained that they had "fire on their heads" when the Holy Spirit came, the 3 yr old immediately put his head down into our fake fire in the living room floor. He then got up and began running around the room yelling, "There's fire on my head! There's fire on my head!" It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. My wife laughed so hard she fell off the couch.

What a joy it is to see them loving God's Word. While reading and acting it out together daily is important, I recognize that how I live or don't live kenosis every day before them is just as strong a witness. I must admit that my home seems to be the most difficult place for me to surrender my pride, my rights, and my own desires and to empty myself to the point of really allowing the Spirit to love them through me. This is my desire Lord Jesus. I lay me down and ask You to fill me with Your Spirit. Teach me to love and to lead as You love and lead me.

Our Mysterious Partnership with God: A Life of Love

"...the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." (Col 1:26-29)

Jesus Christ is the mystery hidden from ages past and Christ is indeed in us, the hope of glory. How do I realize this mystery more fully? How do I embody the "mind" of Christ in everything?

I mentioned in my previous post the way in which I see the Spirit empowering us as Jesus' followers. It is all related to living a life of love, and it is only possible if we learn to surrender and empty self (kenosis) in response to God's great love and mercy in Christ Jesus. It is a constantly repeated cycle in our lives as we journey with Jesus. This cycle draws us closer and deeper to Christ-likeness (maturity - "perfect in Christ"). 1) God acts in Christ through the Spirit and we choose whether we respond. This certainly happens when we first experience that grace, but it also happens daily and even in the moments of our lives. God is truly at work in our world (or maybe it's His world). The question is: will we respond? 2) Our response is always surrender (kenosis). This is the heart of what it means to worship God with our all, and it is a response to God's mercy (Rom 12:1-2). 3) The surrendered life is empty and can be filled by the Holy Spirit. We are filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. 4) Only empowered by the Spirit can we live the life Christ Jesus has called us to live - a life of love.

"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Eph 5:1-2)

This is what I long to live. I have come to see that it is only possible through the Spirit because love is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). We are to keep in step with the Spirit in order to live this out (Gal 5:25), which necessarily means that we not be full of self (Gal 5:26). Herein lies the glorious and mysterious partnership we share with God: in response to God's love, we empty ourselves (kenosis) and are filled by the Spirit and empowered to live as Christ in the world. This is a life of love in response to love. We learn it as we practice it!

Living a life of love can therefore be synonymous with living a life of worship to God. For that matter, it is also synonymous to living a life of prayer. How are these things different? This is the life God has called us to: to love God with all and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mt 22:37-40). This is what a life of worship or a life of prayer looks like. This emptying self in response to God's love and mercy, then, is key to our worship, our love, and our prayer. None of this was designed for us to live apart from one another. We were designed for this life of love/worship/prayer within community. Paul calls us to this surrendered life in response to God's mercy and clearly articulates that we are each to bring our bodies (plural) as "a living sacrifice" (singular) (Rom 12). In other words, we each individually choose to respond to God or not and those of us who surrender in worship to God do so as a singular, corporate, living offering to our worthy God.

Lord Jesus, I surrender to your great love and empty myself. Please take my pride, my titles, my achievements, my failures, my dreams, my fears...my everything. You have constantly, miraculously, overwhelmingly, passionately, extravagantly demonstrated this love over and over in my life. Thank you! Please take this offering and fill me with Your Spirit that I might love as You love. That I might love You well! That I might love my family with this same extravagance with which You love me. That I might love my neighbor, my friends, my fellow Jesus followers, the stranger, the poor, the world as You love them. I recognize that I have no capacity to love like this without the Spirit of Jesus alive (resurrected) in me! Please do this for Your sake - for Your glory! I love You my Lord, my God - Father, Son, and Spirit - always living in loving community together. Let it be! Let it be! Let it be!

The ACTS of the Holy Spirit

I'm studying the book of Acts right now in my devotional time. I have been struck by the humility demonstrated by Jesus' disciples in the early Church. There must have been a tremendous fear and confusion that came upon those present in Acts 1 when Jesus made it clear that He was not restoring the Kingdom to Israel at that time. What a whirlwind for these folks - they followed the Messiah only to see him executed. Then, He is resurrected and spends 40 more days with them teaching about the Kingdom. Their comments in Acts 1 make it clear they were still thinking an earthly kingdom. Now, to top it all off, Jesus leaves!

Jesus' instructions to his followers were simple. Wait. Stay in Jerusalem and wait for the Father's Promise - the Holy Spirit. The angels find them staring up into the clouds where Jesus had gone. The disciples must have been confused and afraid. I wonder how many times I have been guilty of being overwhelmed, confused, and afraid as if I were simply staring up into the clouds. I think this is how many of Jesus' followers spend our lives. These first disciples were consoled by the angels' message that Jesus would return in the same way He left.

So, Jesus' ragtag group of followers did as He instructed them - went back to Jerusalem and waited. What were they doing for 10 days in the Upper Room? They waited and prayed. Their actions after Pentecost make it clear that their lives were not their own anymore. They had humbly denied themselves and were willing to die for Christ's Kingdom.

It seems to have gone something like this. In response to God's great love for them in Christ (God always takes the initiative with us), they surrendered (denied self, emptied self). Upon surrendering (kenosis), they were filled with the Holy Spirit. With the empowerment of the Spirit, they were bold witnesses everywhere. In other words, having surrendered to God's love/mercy/grace they become Christ's ambassadors in the world through the power of the Holy Spirit. This seems to be the summary of the book of Acts and is precisely what Jesus said would happen when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:8).

Although this book is referred to as the Acts of the Apostles, it seems it is really about the Acts of the Holy Spirit through the Apostles as they lived out surrendered lives (kenosis) as Jesus' ambassadors. I long to live this boldly in obedient love. Lord Jesus, I have experienced Your love and mercy in life-changing ways. I surrender to You today and deny myself of all that is my agenda and all that I feel "entitled" to. Please fill me with Your Spirit that I might live with the "mind" of Christ in my home today and with everyone I see. I wait for You now - fill me for Your Kingdom and for Your Glory!

Getting Started: Kenosis

Journaling has always been an important component of my growth as a follower of Jesus, but it has been inconsistent lately. I woke up this morning with a conviction that I needed some fresh water in my journaling and sensed that blogging could be just that.

An important season of my story came in high school and early college as the Spirit was transforming me and teaching me about my identity in Christ. During that season, I had two close friends and a pastor confront me about my pride. Interestingly, they were not speaking of arrogance (as many would associate pride) but a constant inward bent in me toward myself. In a real sense, I erected an altar at that point and began a journey toward humility through the Spirit. At the prompting of one of my friends and mentors (also a pastor), I memorized Philippians 2:1-11, which has become my quest.

I discovered that my paralyzing insecurity was just another form of pride and that continuing to live that way was willingly choosing pride over humility. As James said it, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (4:6). As Paul describes it in Philippians 2:7, Jesus' attitude (or "mind") involved a constant "self-emptying" in order to be fully present to God in loving obedience (obedient love). This "emptying" of self or "making self nothing" that Paul is referring to was the uncommon Greek word "kenosis."

In the gospels, Jesus makes it clear that anyone who desires to be His follower (disciple) must "deny self" daily, take up the cross, and follow Him (Mt 16:24; Luke 9:23). Because Jesus said that denying self is the daily pursuit of His follower and Paul described this self-emptying (kenosis) as the way Jesus lived (and what Paul was emulating), then kenosis is my daily pursuit.

Although I have been on this journey of kenosis for half of my life, I sense that I am only just beginning. Spirit of Jesus, please continue to change me deeply that I might bear Your fruit in my home and in this world (Jn 15; Gal 5).