Integrity

“A good tree doesn’t produce bad fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit. People don’t gather figs from thorny plants, nor do they pick grapes from prickly bushes. A good person produces good from the good treasury of the inner self, while an evil person produces evil from the evil treasury of the inner self. The inner self overflows with words that are spoken. (Luke 6:43-45, CEB)

Integrity is a word that most people think they know but I wonder.

When we say we follow Jesus and yet we say that people are going to burn in hell forever, are we actually following Jesus?

Jesus never once condemned anyone for their sins, he forgave them and sent them on their way.

Jesus loved everyone regardless of their being followers of the rules or not.

Jesus loved everyone even when those who were considered religious said that they were not to be a part of the community.

Jesus did not go out of his way to stay away from those others called unclean, because he knew they were not any different from those who thought they were clean.

I have said many times it is always easier to tell the truth all the time than to lie and remember what lie I told to who.

Always be the same. That is integrity. Don’t think sitting in a pew on Sunday makes you any better when you are derogatory and mean-spirited to God’s children Monday – Saturday. The fruit shows the kind of tree.

Love is from God. Love out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

Alive or Dead

“Write this to the angel of the church in Sardis: These are the words of the one who holds God’s seven spirits and the seven stars: I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, and you are in fact dead. Wake up and strengthen whatever you have left, teetering on the brink of death, for I’ve found that your works are far from complete in the eyes of my God. So remember what you received and heard. Hold on to it and change your hearts and lives. If you don’t wake up, I will come like a thief, and you won’t know what time I will come upon you. But you do have a few people in Sardis who haven’t stained their clothing. They will walk with me clothed in white because they are worthy. Those who emerge victorious will wear white clothing like this. I won’t scratch out their names from the scroll of life, but will declare their names in the presence of my Father and his angels. If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. (Revelation 3:1-6, CEB)

You look like and are seen as being alive but in fact you are dead and not doing anything worthy of the gospel. I wonder how many congregations out there are like this?

Seem to be living and doing things when in actuality they are just surviving and putting on a show.

One question I would ask congregations when I would interview with their call committees was if this congregation were to close tomorrow what would the community miss? Meaning what are you doing that the community needs. If it is nothing then you are dead. Change your hearts and your lives and live for God.

Make a difference by sharing God’s love in a tangible way.

Loving People. Loving God.

who say they are…

“Write this to the angel of the church in Smyrna: These are the words of the one who is the first and the last, who died and came back to life: I know your hardship and poverty (though you are actually rich). I also know the hurtful things that have been spoken about you by those who say they are Jews (though they are not, but are really Satan’s synagogue). Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. Look! The devil is going to throw some of you into prison in order to test you. You will suffer hardship for ten days. Be faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. If you can hear, listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Those who emerge victorious won’t be hurt by the second death. (Revelation 2:8-11, CEB)

I know the things that are being said about you by those who say they are _______.

People say all kinds of things about others they think they know about. We think we know others by the few details we have of their life. And we make decisions based upon those details. We do not know the whole story. We can not understand the complexities of someone else’s life when we can barely figure out our own.

Do not let someone else’s judgment of your life determine who you are.

You and God alone know that and it doesn’t matter who they say you are or who they claim to be. The religious may not be as religious as they think they are and even if they are they still are not you.

Do not worry about what others say, worry about what God says. Be true to the person God created you to be and let the others just wallow in their own scorn.

But do it all in love.

Loving People. Loving God.

WHAT?!?!

Jesus traveled through cities and villages, teaching and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone said to him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?” Jesus said to them, “Make every effort to enter through the narrow gate. Many, I tell you, will try to enter and won’t be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and shuts the door, then you will stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you are from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ He will respond, ‘I don’t know you or where you are from. Go away from me, all you evildoers!’ There will be weeping and grinding of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in God’s kingdom, but you yourselves will be thrown out. People will come from east and west, north and south, and sit down to eat in God’s kingdom. Look! Those who are last will be first and those who are first will be last.” At that time, some Pharisees approached Jesus and said, “Go! Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you.” (Luke 13:22-31, CEB)

Those who stand outside and knock saying, ‘Lord, open the door.’ He will respond go away for I don’t know you. Make sure you enter through the narrow gate.

But where is the narrow gate? And is it close to the wide gate, or is there even a wide gate?

This makes it sound like only a few will make it into heaven and it won’t be the ones who think it is them now. Because they are the ones who knocking said they ate and drank with Jesus but he doesn’t know them.

It is about being seen with Jesus, or doing the right things. It is about being known by Jesus.

Does Jesus know you?

Love out loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

Faithful

Brothers and sisters, I want you to be sure of the fact that our ancestors were all under the cloud and they all went through the sea. All were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. They drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. However, God was unhappy with most of them, and they were struck down in the wilderness. These things were examples for us, so we won’t crave evil things like they did. Don’t worship false gods like some of them did, as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink and they got up to play. Let’s not practice sexual immorality, like some of them did, and twenty-three thousand died in one day. Let’s not test Christ, like some of them did, and were killed by the snakes. Let’s not grumble, like some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example and were written as a warning for us to whom the end of time has come. So those who think they are standing need to watch out or else they may fall. No temptation has seized you that isn’t common for people. But God is faithful. He won’t allow you to be tempted beyond your abilities. Instead, with the temptation, God will also supply a way out so that you will be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:1-13, CEB)

Even when we turn away and go after our own desires, God is faithful. We have not been seized by a temptation that isn’t common for all people. God knows what we will go through and God is always with us. God will guide us if we will only follow.

Do not rely on your own understanding but trust in God to lead you where you need to be.

Love always and show others how much God loves you and them.

Loving People. Loving God.

credited as righteousness

So what are we going to say? Are we going to find that Abraham is our ancestor on the basis of genealogy? Because if Abraham was made righteous because of his actions, he would have had a reason to brag, but not in front of God. What does the scripture say? Abraham had faith in God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Workers’ salaries aren’t credited to them on the basis of an employer’s grace but rather on the basis of what they deserve. But faith is credited as righteousness to those who don’t work, because they have faith in God who makes the ungodly righteous. In the same way, David also pronounces a blessing on the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from actions: Happy are those whose actions outside the Law are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Happy are those whose sin isn’t counted against them by the Lord. Is this state of happiness only for the circumcised or is it also for those who aren’t circumcised? We say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” So how was it credited? When he was circumcised, or when he wasn’t circumcised? In fact, it was credited while he still wasn’t circumcised, not after he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that comes from the faith he had while he still wasn’t circumcised. It happened this way so that Abraham could be the ancestor of all those people who aren’t circumcised, who have faith in God, and so are counted as righteous. He could also be the ancestor of those circumcised people, who aren’t only circumcised but who also walk in the path of faith, like our ancestor Abraham did while he wasn’t circumcised. (Romans 4:1-12, CEB)

How do we get grace?

Is it by doing the right things?

Is it by being circumcised?

When you work you are paid for the time you put in. But Grace doesn’t depend on your outward appearance or the actions you do.

Grace is a gift of God, credited as righteousness to all.

We can not earn it. We can not do enough to get it.

So love people as God loved you and show them they are loved by God.

Loving People. Loving God.

Who told?

At that time, some Pharisees approached Jesus and said, “Go! Get away from here, because Herod wants to kill you.” Jesus said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Look, I’m throwing out demons and healing people today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will complete my work. However, it’s necessary for me to travel today, tomorrow, and the next day because it’s impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.’ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you! How often I have wanted to gather your people just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you didn’t want that. Look, your house is abandoned. I tell you, you won’t see me until the time comes when you say, Blessings on the one who comes in the Lord’s name.” (Luke 13:31-35, CEB)

I always find this interesting that some Pharisees told Jesus that Herod wants to kill him. Didn’t they want to kill him too?

But Jesus is not worried about dying a physical death as neither should we be. We should stand up for what is right for everyone knowing that death is not the end of our journey but merely a step in it.

If we follow God and accept the care God gives us, at some point we will die, and then spend the rest of eternity with God. A great thing.

So love out loud and follow where God leads us, standing for those in need.

Loving People. Loving God.

What do we want?

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You who kill the prophets and stone those who were sent to you. How often I wanted to gather your people together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. But you didn’t want that. Look, your house is left to you deserted. I tell you, you won’t see me until you say, Blessings on the one who comes in the Lord’s name.” (Matthew 23:37-39, CEB)

What do we want?

God wants to gather us as a hen gather her chicks under her wing to care for them. And do we want this?

We fight the care God wants to give us. We don’t do what is best for us because it isn’t what we see as best for us.

So what do we want? Our way or God’s care?

Love out Loud.

Loving People. Loving God.

imitate

Brothers and sisters, become imitators of me and watch those who live this way—you can use us as models. As I have told you many times and now say with deep sadness, many people live as enemies of the cross. Their lives end with destruction. Their god is their stomach, and they take pride in their disgrace because their thoughts focus on earthly things. Our citizenship is in heaven. We look forward to a savior that comes from there—the Lord Jesus Christ. (Philippians 3:17-20, CEB)

Paul is telling the Philippians to imitate him because he is imitating Christ.

If we live our lives as Christ did, loving all and pointing everyone to God we will have an abundant life. Not a life without hardship and pain, but an abundant life of love and grace.

Loving People. Loving God.

Boast

Watch out for the “dogs.” Watch out for people who do evil things. Watch out for those who insist on circumcision, which is really mutilation. We are the circumcision. We are the ones who serve by God’s Spirit and who boast in Christ Jesus. We don’t put our confidence in rituals performed on the body, though I have good reason to have this kind of confidence. If anyone else has reason to put their confidence in physical advantages, I have even more: I was circumcised on the eighth day. I am from the people of Israel and the tribe of Benjamin. I am a Hebrew of the Hebrews. With respect to observing the Law, I’m a Pharisee. With respect to devotion to the faith, I harassed the church. With respect to righteousness under the Law, I’m blameless. These things were my assets, but I wrote them off as a loss for the sake of Christ. But even beyond that, I consider everything a loss in comparison with the superior value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have lost everything for him, but what I lost I think of as sewer trash, so that I might gain Christ and be found in him. In Christ, I have a righteousness that is not my own and that does not come from the Law but rather from the faithfulness of Christ. It is the righteousness of God that is based on faith. The righteousness that I have comes from knowing Christ, the power of his resurrection, and the participation in his sufferings. It includes being conformed to his death so that I may perhaps reach the goal of the resurrection of the dead. It’s not that I have already reached this goal or have already been perfected, but I pursue it, so that I may grab hold of it because Christ grabbed hold of me for just this purpose. (Philippians 3:2-12, CEB)

I have reason to boast Paul says, and then he gives us the reasons he can boast.

Paul says all of these things are loss in comparison to the value of knowing Christ. Paul has lost everything that counted for Christ. And in this version, he calls what he lost sewer trash. In other versions it is dung, refuse. The actual Greek word is σκύβαλα. It is the only time this word is used in the Bible and most other Greek manuscripts don’t have it. Scholars seem to think it is street slang for what we would say today as shit. Paul calls everything that counted in his life shit compared to knowing Christ.

Jesus is the best thing we could ever have in our lives and Paul tells the Ephesians that everything else in life is shit. And we say Christians shouldn’t use foul language. Well sometimes you need to get attention and make sure people are listening and colorful language will do that. All words are necessary for use at times.

We should boast about what we have “lost” to have Jesus.

Loving People. Loving God.