Peace be with you

Last Sunday, in order to better understand Jesus' words "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God," we looked at Paul's letter to his friend Philemon. (you can hear Ed's entire message HERE). Thanks to Kurt Willems for his excellent podcast on this topic, which gave me some great ideas and insight (hear Kurt's podcast "Paul the Peacemaker" HERE).

Philemon is a perfect example of how to be a proactive peacemaker rather than a reactive peacekeeper. And in studying this letter (and other related Scripture), we uncovered seven specific lessons about peacemaking, which I have been asked to share on this blog.

PEACEMAKING:

Seven simple lessons from Philemon

Earn the right to speak peace.

You don't get to just speak into someone's life by virtue of your position. Trust is earned. Be a co-laborer. Be a brother in arms. Get in the trenches. Then you can speak.

Defer to the authority of Jesus.

Jesus isn't the only consideration, but regardless of whether the other party respects Jesus' authority, always make it clear that you do. You're responsible to a higher law.

Stand against injustice.

When something is just plain wrong, don't be afraid to call it like you see it - even if that might put you in jeopardy. Don't be foolhardy, but always stand for justice.

Level the playing field.

When it comes to spiritual matters, we are all equal. We are all brothers and sisters, because we are all children of God. Every one of us was made in his image. God does not play favorites.

Make room for self-discovery.

It is always better if someone figures out the right thing to do on their own. You can point them in the right direction, but change of heart is a personal matter. You can only lead them to the water. You cannot force them to drink it.

Be willing to take a hit.

Put your money where your mouth is. If you are asking others to bend, be willing to bend yourself. A peacemaker is a participant - be more of a coach than an armchair quarterback.

Know when to quit.

When you've done all you can and there's still no peace, wash your hands of it, and move on. You cannot make peace by sheer force of will. Speak what you know is true, do what you know is right, and pray that God will move. 

That's what it means to be a peacemaker. And blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Peace!

Pastor Ed

-------------

Series Title: BLESSED

Message Title: peacemakers: part one

Date: 6/26/16

Main Passages: Matthew 5:9, Romans 12:18, Philemon

Some questions for reflection or group study (or please comment on them, below):

• When have you had to be a peacemaker? 
• Have you ever been a peacekeeper instead? What was different?
• Which of the seven lessons are hardest for you? Easiest?
• How could you change to be more of a person of peace?

on the whole purity thing...

This blog will reference last Sunday's message, so if, for whatever reason, you didn't hear it, you might want to listen to that first... (click HERE to listen)

In this message I was addressing the dangers of imagining purity as something we possess and lose, or something we lose and regain.

This sets up a false dichotomy between the pure and the impure - making everyone either a pristine virgin or a common whore - a saint or a reprobate. And that false dichotomy establishes an unhealthy culture of shame, guilt, and fear.

We want to make this all about what we do or don't do, but it's just not about that. Purity, holiness, righteousness - these things are, by definition, unattainable. The whole purpose of the Mosaic Law was to prove that very thing. And Jesus says it's not just about what you do, but rather who you are, how you think, and where your heart is. So, consequently, purity is something none of us possess and none of us can achieve. Chasing after it or trying to preserve it is a fool's errand.

However, repentance is not. Repentance rests at the core of the gospel. It's central to the good news of Jesus.

Repentance occurs once in order to change our relationship with our Creator, and occurs again, continually, for the rest of our lives, in order to change our relationship with ourselves.

The first one - the repentance that changes our relationship with the Creator - is called "justification," and it occurs the moment we recognize that our relationship with God is broken, that Jesus made a way to repair that relationship, and that we must decide to embark on that way. It only needs to happen once, because it's a cognitive shift; it's a recognition of who you are in relation to God, and once you recognize that, you don't really need to revisit it.

We call this "justification by faith," because it springs from our faith and trust in a God who loves us and wishes to be in relationship with us.

Justification bridges the gap between fallen man and holy God by offering forgiveness and reconciliation, and it happens instantaneously, as a consequence of our initial act of repentance. Repentance means "to change direction" and "to have a change of heart," and this change imputes "righteousness" or "purity" to us. This is the only way you can get it - this is the only way you can "get right with God" - you must decide to change direction from your path to his.

The second one - the repentance that changes our relationship with ourselves - is called "sanctification," and it occurs as often as necessary, as long as we continue to follow The Way of Jesus. Justification repairs our relationship with God, but it doesn't necessarily repair US. But, when we are justified, we also receive the Helper that Jesus promised. We somehow receive the Holy Spirit, who will guide us as we walk The Way set in front of us by Jesus. Sanctification is the process by which He does that.

This doesn't make us more pure. That's already done. Instead, sanctification makes us better citizens of Jesus' kingdom. As we seek to live out Jesus' commands to love God and love our neighbors, the Helper leads, guides, and convicts, so that we can make course corrections - so that we can repent - and we can become more and more what God originally intended. We can become less and less broken, and more and more human. We can repair our broken relationship with ourselves.

And eternal life, the abundant life that Jesus promises us, springs from those repaired relationships - the relationship with our Creator and the relationship with our humanity.

So, if you haven't already, decide to follow Jesus. Then stop worrying about every little thing. You're already pure. Jesus saw to that. Now, just live.

Blessings!

Pastor Ed

-------------

Series Title: BLESSED

Message Title: selfless (pure in heart)

Date: 6/19/16

Main Passages: Mt 5:8

Some questions for reflection or group study (or please comment on them, below):

• Why do you suppose people think purity is dependent on them?
• Why do you think it can't be earned? Does it make you happy or angry?
• In your own words, what's the difference between justification & sanctification.
• Where do you see yourself? Are you justified? Sanctified? Why does it matter?

Lord, have mercy

Whenever we talk about getting right with God, there has to be a component of humility. You can't enter into a right relationship with your Creator unless you recognize what that relationship IS. You aren't fishing buddies with God, but you are known to him; and if you're truly seeking, he'll also be known to you.

But in that knowledge, there must be humility. You must, at some point, come to the realization that, while God loves you, he probably has to choke down some nasty stuff to do so. Yes, God delights in his children, but we are, without question, a messy bunch. We can be hard to love.

And if we don't get there - if we aren't humble - if we find ourselves thinking, "Hey, I think I'm doing pretty well. I bet it's easy for God to love me," God will humble us. I promise.

If I've said this once, I've said it a hundred times: the opposite of faith is not doubt, it's certainty. Be careful with your confidence - the confidence that God loves you is worlds away from the confidence that he SHOULD.

Jesus told a story about two guys who demonstrated this truth: *

Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: "God, I thank you that I am not like other people - robbers, evildoers, adulterers - or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get."

But the tax collector stood at a distance. He wouldn't even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner."

I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

If we can truly understand this - if we can see the breadth of God's mercy in our own lives - then that's the first step toward being merciful to others. It may even be a pre-requisite.

God, grant me mercy, and help me to always be humble enough to recognize that I require it. 

Amen.
Pastor Ed

*Luke 18:9-14

-------------

Series Title: BLESSED
Message Title: merciful
Date: 6/12/16
Main Passages: Mt 5:7, Jas 2:13

Some questions for reflection or group study (or please comment on them, below):

• If you've ever known someone like the Pharisee in the parable, what were they like? 
• If you've ever know someone like the tax collector, what were they like? 
• In what ways have you been like the Pharisee? The tax collector? 
• What's the difference between receiving mercy and showing mercy to others? 

The race

GUEST POST:

Pastor Ed has pointed out that "to sin" in its original meaning is to miss the mark or fall short of the goal. If I have a Fitbit goal of 10,000 steps per day, am I sinning when I only walk 9,990 steps?

It matters who sets the mark. Our standards are not God's standards. Our goals are not God's goals. This is certainly true at the starting line. 

It is an interesting sort of race, discipleship. We start with only our own vague notions of the length, direction, and finish line. We learn a little more about where we are going as we run. More importantly, we learn about how to run as we run. Most importantly, we learn about who we are running with, none less than Lord Jesus Christ.

There will be obstacles in the road and people who will try to discourage us, even try to stop us. But, do not stop! Stay on the way! When the people of Israel faced opposition, Moses said, "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you." *

Let us aim to follow Paul's example, to run a good race. Believing that he was near the end of his earthly life, he wrote to Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." **

Doug Picirillo

* Deuteronomy 31:6
** 2 Timothy 4:7