Love Wins

I told my teens on Thursday that God isn't afraid of their hard questions. Sometimes I confess, I am. The reason I am is simple. I have some hard questions. Questions, doubts, you name it...

One of the main ones, the glaring one for me personally, is Hell. Our understanding is that those who don't believe in Jesus (accept him as their Savior and Lord) will be cast into Hell for eternity when they die.

First of all, for eternity? Multiply a billion time a billion and it's but one drop in the ocean compared to eternity. This used to be my view of life here on earth - instead of seeing a Loving Father, I saw a tight rope extending in front of me spanning a wide chasm, and heaven is on the other side and hell is where I'll go when I fall off the tight rope. Now my view has changed, but where did that view originate? My mom and dad didn't go around telling me to listen or I'd go to Hell...It originated with well meaning Christians trying to "help" me get to heaven. That's not Love, that's manipulation.

Personally, I have been saturated in an environment (partly of my own choosing) that has cultivated in me a deep and humbling Love for my heavenly Daddy that has grown out of receiving Love from Him. As I receive his Love, I understand more about his character, his heart, his ways, his purposes and his goals. The bible is a love story from beginning to end. It's the story about a creator that desires to Know his creation. It's about the greatest rescue operation the world has ever seen...in the form of a man, Jesus.

1 Timothy 2 says it's the Father's desire that "all people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth" So God the Father, who is all knowing, all powerful, all present...fails? But wait Jason, we have free will...absolutely! But here's the problem - outside of God's rule and reign, sin runs rampant and we hurt one another. How many people do you know that have a "right" view of God the Father? Some...but most don't. Research shows that a child's first impression of God is seen through the person of their Father. What happens when Dad beats them, or beats mom, or molests them or any number of other horrific things that some men do? After Dad there's all other authority figures, pastors, youth pastors (gulp), teachers...you name it. Do they just play the cards they were dealt and hope? Do they know what's on the line? I mean, have they heard the stories about Hell? What happens if they die prematurely before they can work things out? They spend eternity apart from God? The God who stated that it was His desire that all people know him? That's just not the God I know.

The bible isn't a story about how to avoid going to Hell. The bible is a story about our Loving God pursuing us. Is there wrath? Absolutely! But always His wrath is temporary. His heart is always for his people to turn from their wicked ways so that He can be their God and they can be His people. Restoration.

To be honest, this makes me even MORE aware of my actions and how I live. Who are the people that Jesus got angry with the most? The teachers of the law who missed it! They abused their power, got wrapped up in works and totally missed Love in the form of a Man. I don't want to miss Him. Luke 17:2...- 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. if that doesn't make you double check the message you're putting out nothing will

Here's another thing - I don't think that My God would set out to do something knowing that he was going to fail, or that he'd only succeed in small part. The God I know is a better planner. He's also waaay more powerful than that. Death didn't stop my God. Why should our death stop His Love for us?

Isaiah 55:8

For my thoughts are not your thoughts,neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.

If it's his desire that ALL people be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth...don't be surprised if He succeeds.

And I still have no idea how that will look or have any answers....but I'm betting on Love winning.

Living in the tension

Tension is a dirty word. It can leave us thinking of stress and headaches and problems and junk. Yet it is tension that fuels our Kingdom Theology. It is the tension between grace and the law; mercy and judgment; love and discipline. It is the people of unclean lips lifting praise to a holy God. It is God wearing flesh, and Gods imminent return. It is life between the first and second coming of Christ. During this time we experience many blessings, but none of them in the fullness that we will experience when Jesus returns. In the here and now we are more than conquerors, yet even though Christ has defeated the power of death, we are still dying. We are made holy by the blood of Christ, yet we are continually becoming holy. Jesus said that the work was done when he died on the cross, yet James says that "faith without works is dead." We pray for healing, yet not everyone we pray for gets healed. We believe in a God who sets captives free, but we know Christians trapped in bondage. Do we stop praying for healing? Absolutely not! Do we become complacient with bondage? No! Do we try to be more effective in the way that we pray? Absolutely! but it's not the primary thing we focus on. The primary focus always has to be increasing in knowledge of our heavenly Father's will. Seeking first the Kingdom.

Colossians 1:9-10 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God.

We need to grow in knowledge of His will, His ways, His desires, His purposes, His thoughts and His heart. We can only do that by becoming a people who continually seek his face. Jesus said "...I can only do what I see my Father doing". He is our example and model. If we want to see more people healed, we need to spend more time seeking the Father so that we can see what HE is doing, and then do that.

Psalms 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

All that being said, there's a BIG place for signs and wonders when we dwell in the tension. Not everyone knows Jesus. Nothing will close the gap between belief and non-belief faster than watching someone being supernaturally healed, or when someone is given a word of knowledge (Check out John 1 to see how Nathaniel was called as a disciple). It's the will of the Father that ALL people be whole, physically, emotionally and spiritually. All of the awesome gifts that we were endowed with through Holy Spirit and our inheritance are meant both for edifying the church and evangelism.

Is there a place and a time for everyone in a given location to get healed? YES!, is there a time for the shadow of a Son or Daughter of the King to set captives free? YES! Is there a time for changing water to wine? YES! So the question becomes how will we know when that time is? By living a life of worship, pleasing and acceptible to the Father, by Seeking first the Kingdom, by practicing Love...and when the time comes, by walking in all the authority that you've been given as a Son. Live in the tension.

It is messy and stressful and beautiful and exhilarating. It is the tension between The Now And Not Yet. Let it leave you longing for His return.

Embrace Grace, Seek First the Kingdom, Practice Love, Walk in Authority.

Headed to Vegas

For the last few months, I've been actively looking for opportunities to be Jesus to people that are hurting. So far I've gotten a couple and got another one today. Betsy and I were driving home from a pretty intense training conference on inner healing. It was amazing, but left both of us pretty spent. When I stopped to get gas, Betsy noticed a guy eyeballing us...he kind of drove up next to us and was staring at us. He was in his mid 40's with glasses. His car had the rear driver-side window broken and was fixed poorly. After I noticed him looking at me I walked over to him and he asked me, "Sorry to bother you, but can you pump my gas for me? I can't do it". I was a bit confused (because I wasn't really paying attention) but agreed. He had a ton of difficulty getting his car positioned correctly so that he was close enough for me to pump for him. Then I noticed that his left hand was lying limply in his lap. He had no use of it at all. My heart immediately went out to him. Even though I talk about it all the time, I wasn't thinking about praying for healing right then...I found myself on the brink of tears for this guy though. Here he was, handing 40 bucks to a guy who hasn't shaved in a week so that I could pre-pay for his gas. Totally vulnerable. Dependent on strangers. I pumped his gas, bought him a bottle of water and a pack of cigarettes. He asked me to unwrap the cigarettes and open the bottle of water because he couldn't do it with only one hand. I had to take his wallet from him and put his change back into it. He told me to get myself something and I told him, "Sir, I love Jesus and I'm always looking to share his love with others. Just consider my kindness as a way of Jesus loving on you." He said ok, and I finished up helping him out. Before he left I asked his name. "It's Mike". I said, "where you headed Mike?" and he said, "I'm going to Vegas." I asked him if I could pray for him before he headed out. There was a long pause...probably only 10 seconds or so, but it seemed a lot longer, but eventually he said, "Why not. Can't hurt." I prayed a blessing over Mike ( less then 10 seconds) and went to leave. As he was driving away, Mike said, "Thanks, this has been a really hard trip for me and that was the nicest thing anyone's done for me in a long time." I got back in my car and we both drove away. Total interaction time around 7 minutes.

I left and thought...man, I should have prayed for his healing...I could have offered him more, I could have, I should have, I didn't...blah blah blah. This is where we can get into trouble sometimes. Just listen and obey. If I was God, I would have healed Mike's hand, converted him, helped him quit smoking, talked him out of going on to Vegas and helped him plug into a church all before I left the gas station. Our heavenly Father knows more about our needs then we ever could. Mike just needed a little encouragement and a reminder that Jesus loves him. ALL of us can do that.

"Father, would you give each one of us an opportunity to show your love to someone who doesn't know you this week. Guide our thoughts and words so that we can make you famous with the people you bring into our lives."

Go for it people.

Learning to be a good son

I was wrestling with my boy the other day...and God revealed some things to me. I thought I'd share. While we were wrestling, Jaden jumped on my couch and started running on it. He can't stand on our furniture...so I told him to get down. 2 minutes later he was doing it again. He got a swat and we went back to wrestling. 2 minutes later he was doing it again. He got another swat...and I sat him down and asked him if he understood that what he was doing was wrong. He said he understood and that he wouldn't do it anymore...we went back to wrestling. 2 minutes later he was standing on my couch again.

He got another swat on an already tender thigh, and he cried this time. I held him and told him that I loved him, but that he needed to obey me. Even in the midst of his tears, he asked if we could still wrestle. That's when God started revealing His heart to me. He told me that I'm a lot like Jaden sometimes. I love being with my Abba, but I want to do things MY way, not his. He loves me and continues to be with me, but he doesn't let me stay in the same place. He gently, but firmly guides me back to His path. Sometimes we miss the "firmly" part of that. After a while if we keep heading the wrong way, that gentle but firm direction starts to chafe and hurt. Then my response is to go to Him and ask why he's allowing me to go through so much pain....see where I'm going?

Jaden dried his tears and we wrestled on. No more jumping on the couch.

As we live our lives according to the statutes and precepts that God lays out for us we can experience so much more of the fullness that He has for us. He doesn't stop loving us, He doesn't stop hanging out with us, but in his kindness, he leads us into a radical life change.
Go willingly.

Come Quickly Jesus

Yesterday we had news that there was another massive earthquake in Chile...weeks after the earthquake that hit in Haiti, devastating the infrastructure there and throwing that already poverty stricken country into chaos. This one in Chile one was WAY more powerful than the one in Haiti. It was felt 2000 miles away in Brazil and is projected to throw a huge Sunami at Hawaii. We are the richest most powerful country in the world and we still haven't recovered from Hurricane Katrina, and that happened almost 5 years ago. I can't imagine the fallout for these other countries.

Destruction, death, families torn apart, homes destroyed. That's not even taking into consideration the increase in crime and chaos that these regions are going to be dealing with for possibly decades to come...

These are just the natural disasters. Anyone that looks for even 5 minutes can see massive social economic problems all around us. Look at our country alone. We're at the very top of the pecking order on the world scale. Here's some of our problems...Health care is in shambles, conservative #'s put orphaned children in the US between 2 and 3 million, 12% of our population lives below the poverty line (2004 #'s. recent recession has increased these). Current unemployment is over 10%.

Throw on top of that complete injustice...1 in 5 (conservative) girls in the US being sexually abused growing up, #1 financier of sex trafficking, #1 producer and consumer of pornography...I think you get the idea here.

The bottom line is that we are in a war. In a war, you help where you can, you fight where you're put...but what you do more than anything else, what you desperately cry out for is the END TO THE WAR.

The cry of my heart when I hear about more earthquakes, staggering statistics detailing worldwide injustice, or social economic collapse is, "Please Abba, come quickly! We need you to come and set things right! Come quickly!!"

We can't answer the "why?" question behind any of this things...No more than a soldier can answer that question in the midst of that battle. What we DO know, is that our heavenly Father Loves us dearly, and he hates our suffering. He hates injustice. He's going to return to set it all right. He is coming.

Come quickly Jesus!!

Are you my mother?

Not too long ago I was sitting in my living room with two couples. The four of them didn't know each other, but they just happened to be some of our closest friends. One couple is from Wisconsin, and the other from Elgin. Betsy and I love both couples dearly and wanted them to get the chance to meet. So there we were in our living room. We decided to ask some "get to know you" questions to break the ice and get the conversation flowing. That's when it happened. At the time, it didn't seem like that big of a deal, but in hindsight, it was probably one of the better questions I've heard to kick off a conversation. At first I was really glad it wasn't directed at me, but since then I've thought of all the ways I would answer it now if I had the opportunity.

Here's the question.
Who are you?

Not what do you like, or what do you do, or even what do you aspire to, but who are you. I immediately thought of that children's book where the little bird falls out of it's nest and is seperated from his family. He then goes on a quest to find out who he is, asking everyone the same question. "Are you my mother?" It just reminded me that there's people out there that don't know who they are, or who they were created to be.

Lucky for us, we have everything we need to know EXACTLY who we are. First and foremost, I am a child of the living God and that I am dearly loved. I was adopted out of the kingdom of this world and into the Kingdom of Heaven, paid for by the blood shed on the cross and destined to spend eternity with my my heavenly Father.

I'm a whole bunch of other things too.....husband, father, brother, mentor, friend, role model, leader....the list goes on from there...

Anyway, that was my friends answer too. Go figure.

If you need to have the Holy Spirit work this truth into your life, read Ephesians 1 and Romans 8.

Ephesians 1:4-7
4For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he^[c] predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

Peace
Jason

More Lord!!!!!!!

So yesterday Pastor Tom was talking about the Lords Prayer, specifically, "Your Kingdom Come Your will be done."

First thing - It's the Fathers will that His Kingdom come. So saying, "Your kingdom come" and saying "Your will be done" are pretty much saying the same thing. Evangelism, personal transformation, new levels of experiencing the Fathers love, healing, and miracles are all a part of advancing God's Kingdom. So first thing Jesus asks for in the Lords Prayer, right after addressing the heavenly Father, is that His Kingdom would come. Luke 12:32, which is one of my favorite verses in the bible says, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." That's pretty much just awesome.

Second thing - Bring your Kingdom/Come Holy Spirit are saying the same thing. The Gospels talk about things like, The Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, and bringing the Kingdom. After the Gospels, the rest of the New Testament (specifically the Pauline letters) focuses more on the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit comes in Power, God's Kingdom breaks through and is pressed forward. So when we pray, "Come Holy Spirit" What we are asking for is that God's Kingdom would come.

Third thing - be filled continually. Many people think that because we have encountered the Holy Spirit that we don't need to keep asking for more. Ephesians 5:18 says, "be filled with the Holy Spirit" The Greek speaks more to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit. D.L. Moody was asked why we needed to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit when we received Holy Spirit at conversion. His response was, "Because I leak." Yeah. Me too.

Fourth thing - More Lord. Jesus was the only human who walked on the earth that had the full measure of Holy Spirit. The rest of us need to ask for more. That's not to say we're ungrateful for anything God has already done, but we want more. My son loves pancakes. LOVES THEM. He's out of control about his pancakes. He's woken me up several times in the morning with his hands on my cheeks and his nose close to mine saying, "Daddy, PANCAKES!!!!" The more he eats them (and eat them he does) the more he loves them and wants more of them. That's how it should be with us and our desire for the Holy Spirit! We get a taste and we just want more, and more, and more. We partner with the Father in his desire to see HIS KINGDOM COME.

Matthew 11:12 - 12 - And from the days of John the Baptist until the present time, the kingdom of heaven has endured violent assault, and violent men seize it by force.

More Lord!