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? 

Memorial

I've never been a fan of patriotic church services. I'm a nine-year Army vet, so I don't have a problem with patriotic stuff in general, just patriotic church services.

Don't get me wrong. I love my country. I can't imagine wanting to live somewhere else, even during an election cycle. But it seems like church and the flag are strange bedfellows. There's something about turning the other cheek and loving your enemies and making disciples of all nations that seems to stand in the face of nationalism.

So you will never see videos of flying jets and rolling tanks and waving flags and marching ranks of soldiers at Quest Church. However, I have no problem with honoring soldiers. I'm fine with recognizing the vets around Veteran's Day, and I don't mind honoring my fallen comrades on Memorial Day. These days are not about glorifying war or conflict or even soldiering - they are about remembering.

And perhaps the most Christian response to war would be to memorialize it. How does the saying go? Forget your past and you're doomed to repeat it, right? Maybe the best thing we can do, as Christians, regarding war, is to remember it. Remember those who fought. Remember those who died. Remember why we went, what we did, and what it accomplished. And then vow to never go to that same place again.

So this year, as you're enjoying your long weekend, flipping burgers and maybe getting in eighteen holes, remember that, in order for you to have the freedom to enjoy this land and this day, someone - many someones - had to give their lives. Don't let it get you down. Don't let it spoil your fun. But don't forget.

Blessings!

Pastor Ed

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

Series Title: BLESSED

Message Title: mourners

Date: 5/29/16

Main Passages: Matthew 5:4, Romans 12:15, Lamentations

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

• How do you think patriotism and Christianity interact? 
• Why might we struggle pledging allegiance to both Jesus & the flag? 
• Remembering is a big deal to the church. Can you think of examples?
• So is forgiveness. How can remembering get in the way of forgiving?

Oops.

After this Sunday, you might have come to the realization that we did beatitude three out of order. I'd love to say that it was completely intentional, but it wasn't. When I started working on this series, I just started plugging the different beatitudes into the different weeks of the series, and I accidentally got two and three turned around. My bad.

However, it ended up working out. Now, Brian, who is sitting in for me this Sunday at both Quest and The Anchor, will be sharing "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth," and next week, I'll be sharing "Blessed are the mourners, for they will be comforted." Which means that "Blessed are the mourners" ends up falling on Memorial Day weekend. So, not intentional, but super appropriate.

By the way, don't worry; I'm not going anywhere. I'm just preaching this Sunday at Iowa City Church of Christ, the church where Kim and I got baptized, that we helped to build, and that supports us financially every month. I'm going to preach on dying to self (which you guys have already heard), and I'm planning to give them an update on both Quest and The Anchor, so they know exactly what they are supporting.

So pray for me as I'm away, but also pray for Brian, and for a great turn out at both locations. You will be blessed. I promise. 

See you next week!

Pastor Ed

Are you sure?

God bless America.

We've all said it. We've all sung it. It's just part of being a citizen of this country, and it's a big part of our culture and history. If you're like me, you grew up saying the Pledge of Allegiance in school, and really early on, you learned the daunting strains and complicated lyrics of "The Star-Spangled Banner." I was raised a patriot, and I'm a nine-year US Army veteran. I love living in this country, and I feel very fortunate to have been born here.

So, asking God to bless America seems perfectly natural. But is that what we're asking for, or are we actually assuming we're already blessed? Are we really just saying, "God, keep blessing America?"

And if not - if we're actually asking for a fresh blessing for our nation - have you ever wondered what that would mean for America? Are we sure that's even what we want?

What if the things we think are great about America are not the kind of things God blesses? Read Matthew 5:1-12. If that's what God blesses, do we really want God to bless America? Or would we rather have it just like it is? Would a nation that fits into the beatitudes be a nation we would fight for?

Think about it...

Pastor Ed

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

Series Title: BLESSED
Message Title: broken
Date: 5/15/16
Main Passages: Matthew 5:1-3
Some questions for reflection or group study (or please comment on them, below):

• Do we think God loves America more than other countries? Why or why not?

• Are we called to rugged, American individualism and self-reliance, or to something else? 

• How would a nation that fit into the beatitudes even work in today's world?