Living the "Good Life"

"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 1:10 NIV).

The goal in life for many Americans down through the years has been the "American Dream." It is kind of a nebulous purpose for live. As I understand, it means to own your own home, have a good paying job, have the material things of this world, be set up for an enjoyable and fulfilling retirement, with no worries for the future. It is essentially living what is often called the "Good Life."

For some people the Good Life is confused with looking good. They are preoccupied with appearance, as if that is all that really matters in life. American culture idolizes beauty and puts a premium on being attractive.

For others the Good Life is confused with feeling good. Their goal is the minimization of pain and the maximization of pleasure, and they will use whatever it takes to achieve it: hot tubs, Disneyland, alcohol, world travel, the latest movie, etc. The pleasure and entertainment industry is now the largest industry in America. The old 60's phrase, "If it feels good, do it" has become the modus operandi for much of our society.

For others the Good Life is confused with having all the material things the world has to offer. Their chief ambition is to have a nice home, nice car, nice clothes, and all the things you need for fun hobbies and pastimes, like boats, motor homes, and whatever other stuff you need for having a good time. You may have heard the old saying, "the only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys." Americans tend to make as much as they can and spend it as fast as they can.

The truth is: none of these things ultimately satisfy. No matter what you do, you can't stop the aging process. Pleasure is a by-product of the Good Life, not the goal of it. And ultimately we need to understand that the greatest things in life are not things!

So what is the Good Life? It is the personal fulfillment and joy that comes from being good and doing good. It is the result of discovering and becoming exactly what God created you to be. Nothing else will fill that void in your soul.

So, for what has God created us? We have been created to worship Him, and to work with Him in fulfilling His purpose for the world. We are created to worship God and give Him glory: Psalm 86:9 says, "All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, O Lord; they will bring glory to Your name."

We are also created to work with Him in fulfilling HIS purpose in the world. We learn in Ephesians 2:10, "God creates each of us in Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing" (The Message translation).

When you use your life to help others, to do good, and to know and trust God, you will feel good about yourself, and you will experience true fulfillment. That is the Good Life. Don't let anybody con you into thinking it is something else!

Enjoy the "good life" in Christ Jesus,
Roger

Predictions for the Upcoming Elections

As we listen to all the candidates debating for our vote, as we study up and prepare to cast our own vote, sometimes we get all worked up and worried about who is going to get elected. I can remember years ago, when I was a young college student, I said, "If my candidate doesn't win the election, I'm moving to Canada!"

Well, my candidate didn't win, and I didn't move to Canada, and our state and nation continued to prosper and move forward. But because we live in the great nation of the United States of America we have the right and the opportunity to vote, and have our say about who is leading our many varied governmental institutions, whether it be Federal, State, county or city.

Do you know that people have sacrificed a great deal to give you and me the opportunity to vote on the decisions and leaders for our government. When we choose not to vote we are forfeiting a right that has been handed down to us by those who have been ridiculed, beaten, arrested, thrown in jail, and even given up their lives. Believe me!!! It makes a difference here in our nation, and throughout the entire world, that you have the right to vote...even if the candidate of your choice doesn't win. We have been given the right to participate in this grand experiment called the United States of America, "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

Yes, at times we can criticize our nation and it's leaders (which is a privilege many people do not have in other nations). The grand old U.S. of A. doesn't always get it right. Sometimes even the leaders of our choice disappoint us. But the most important thing is that we do take part, because when we take part we keep this nation moving forward. And when the vast majority of Christians take part in this wonderful privilege, we are guaranteeing that God has a voice in this nation's policies and leaders. So be sure and vote.

Now, here are the predictions that I received in an e-mail from my good friend, Paul Turk:

TEN PREDICTIONS NO MATTER WHO WINS THE ELECTION:
1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings on His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you and me.
10. Jesus will still save the lost.

ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS STILL IN CONTROL?

I would like to add one more to this list of predictions...No matter who wins the election for President of the United States of America...

11. I will still pray daily for God's blessing, protection and guidance in the decisions of our new President.
When President George W. Bush was elected President, there was a new movement all across the nation to gather a large number of Christians to pray for our president on a daily basis. Their website can be found at www.presidentialprayerteam.org. I would hope you too would take the commitment and pledge to regularly pray for our President. Whether it is Sen. Barak Obama or Sen. John McCain, I believe it will make a difference for our nation if Christians everywhere pray for them daily.

I love this quote from Ben Franklin...
"The worship of God is a duty...
Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature… I never doubted the existence of the Deity, that he made the world, and governed it by His Providence... The pleasures of this world are rather from God's goodness than our own merit... Whoever shall introduce into the public affairs the principles of primitive (essential) Christianity will change the face of the world... Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God."

God Bless and have a great day in the Lord!
Roger

They Like Jesus, But Not the Church

I am presently reading a book by Dan Kimball entitled "They Like Jesus, But Not the Church." Dan makes some very good insights into the culture and generation we are presently NOT reaching in the church...that is older teens and twenty-somethings. By his observation of numerous churches across the nation (including megachurches) there is an enormous absence of this younger generation from our churches. Oh sure, there is always a few that show up, and even get involved. But the problem is, by percentage, we are not seeing them show up in similar numbers as the folks who are 35 and older.

If we are to successfully reach this younger generation, Dan Kimball says we need to become missional in our thinking. By missional he means that we start to think like missionaries, treating this younger generation as a mission field. Learning how to penetrate this culture and engage it.

He says that the problem of most churches is...we show up at church and wait for them to show up. If they don't show up, that's their problem not ours. Missional thinking says, "NO! That is not the right approach. We have to go out into their turf and engage them in conversation. And not beat them over the head with the Bible, but instead LISTEN TO THEM!

The reason this younger generation is not coming to church is because they have preconceived notions as to what Christians are. They predominantly think that we are like TV evangelists, close minded, judgmental, angry, and controlling. If we don't go out into THEIR world and interact with them they will never meet a REAL Christian.

I am excited because I am on my way this week to the Oregon Christian Convention Center in Turner, OR to see Dan Kimball speak in person. The conference is called "Honoring Jesus by Creating a Church that Looks Like Jesus." You see, the younger generation says they like Jesus, they just don't like the church. Well, what if the church actually looked like Jesus, that's the goal.

I am hoping to get a chance to talk with him about his approach for successfully reaching the younger generation; to dialogue with him, ask some questions, and see if we can move in the right direction to make a difference in the culture around us.

Pray for me as I go to this conference in Turner. Pray for Dan Kimball that he can successfully give all of the pastors present some clear guidance on how we can begin to make more of a difference in the name of Jesus in the culture that we live in today. A culture that is post-Christian, post-modern, and basically hostile to Christians. And hopefully we can all begin to crawl out of our own Christian bubble (meaning YOU as well as ME) and start to interact with the culture around us instead of hiding in our churches, in what is called the "Christian subculture." Meaning, a group of people isolated from the culture around them. Let's all pray we can break this cycle and begin winning young people to faith in Christ. AMEN?!

Love ya all,
Roger

What is a "DISCIPLE?"

Jesus told all of his followers in the Great Commission, "Therefore go and make disciple of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:19-20).

Jesus didn't tell us to go make believers. He didn't tell us to make converts. He certainly didn't tell us to go make "religious" people. What he did tell us to do is GO!... go and make "Disciples!" Well, that's fair enough. Let's make some disciples...but wait a minute, how do we do that? What is a disciple?

In answering the first question, "How do we make disciples?" That's easy to answer. Jesus said we are to GO to all the nations (the Greek is actually "ethne" meaning all the different ethnic groups of people throughout the earth). Then we are to baptize them into the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (into the Trinity). After that we are to teach them everything Jesus commanded. Uh oh! That sounds kind of hard. We have to teach our new, baptized believers EVERYTHING that Jesus commanded!?

Actually that's not so hard. You see Jesus didn't command too many things. Of course we have the 10 Commandments, and Jesus did practice them. But Jesus was pretty clear about his commandments when he answered the question, "What is the greatest commandment of all?"

In response to that question he said, "The most important one is this: 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" (Matthew 22:37-40).

This is sometimes referred to as the Great Commandment. What Jesus is saying here is that all the Law and the Prophets (in other words, all the teachings of the Old Testament) are encompassed in these two commandments: Love God with everything you've got, and love others in the same way you love yourself. So to be a "Disciple" means you believe, you get baptized, and then you begin to love God, and love others with everything you've got.

Oh yeah, then later on he said in John 13:34, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Ah, so this is a disciple: believe in Jesus, be baptized in his name, learn everything he has commanded us (and I believe the implication is that when we learn his commands we would obey them), and finally he adds that we must love the other disciples in the church in such a way that the whole world is amazed and convinced that this Jesus and his church is the real deal!

The Webster's Dictionary defines "disciple" like this: "One who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another." So by definition a disciple is a follower and learner of his teacher, who then takes the responsibility to go out and spread those teachings to others. Remember the first verse I quoted, "Therefore, GO and make disciples of all nations..."

So a disciple is one who not only believes in God, but one who is devoted to learning and following the teachings of Jesus. He is not only baptized, but he becomes a "baptizer" as he spreads the teachings of Jesus to others. A disciple is one who is so devoted to Jesus and his teachings, and the desire to spread his word to others in such a way that it redefines who he is; it gives him a new purpose in life, he is changed and transformed. The life of Jesus becomes his own.

Now I ask you...are you a disciple? Remember, Jesus didn't come to make believers, or converts, or religious people, he came to make disciples. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, Jesus' call on your life is to move beyond belief to a life devoted to discipleship.

May the Lord bless you in this journey,
Roger