Suit Up - Conclusion

So we've reached the conclusion.  My Avengers references are over.  As M28 is all about discipleship maybe it's time I tie all this up with a nice discipleship bow.

My first post for this blog was Discipleship 101.  A disciple is one who grasps things that are separate.  Puts them together.  Things like ideas.  We would call this a student.  You teach a student how to add, then you give them numbers to put together.  You teach a child how to build with Legos then you dump a tub of them on the floor and watch them build.

Things that are separate being brought together.

Discipleship and following Jesus is not about separating things.  It's about bringing separate things together.  It's about bringing food to someone who is hungry.  Medicine to someone who is sick.  Mourning with someone who has lost.  It's about bringing Jesus to people who don't know him.

Think about that for a moment.

You'll have to go into Enemy territory to get to those people.  Let me be very clear here...those without Jesus are not the enemy.  Remember this battle is not with flesh and blood.  Enemy territory is pretty much everywhere.  Because the Enemy is: rulers, authorities, and the powers of this dark world. (-Ephesians 6:12)

So Suit Up and join in the battle.  Enter the enemy territory.  It's at work.  It's your backyard.  It's the movie theater, the grocery store, the bank.  Discipleship will not happen if we stay at home, or with in the confines of our "HQ's" whatever they may be.

Don't get discouraged either.  Sometimes response will be immediate and miraculous.  Like an overwhelming victory.  Other times it will be like the Battle of the Somme, and require us to dig in and learn to endure.  Short victory or long siege, you need your armor and weapons. 

One last thought.  This armor doesn't have protection for your back.  There is no retreat.  Remember Jesus has already won...we just have to stand.

Be encouraged, take heart, He has overcome the world!


grace, peace + hope
-Jesse


Suit Up:
Part 1 - Belt of Truth
Part 2 - Breastplate of Righteousness & Readiness from the Gospel of Peace
Part 3 - Shield of Faith & Helmet of Salvation
Part 4 - Sword of the Spirit & Prayer  
Part 5 - The Enemy & The War

Suit Up - Part 5

In case you missed out on the first 4 parts I give you the "Easy Catch Up List"

Part 1 - Belt of Truth
Part 2 - Breastplate of Righteousness & Readiness from the Gospel of Peace
Part 3 - Shield of Faith & Helmet of Salvation
Part 4 - Sword of the Spirit & Prayer 


So what is the point of all this armor?  What is this war we are in?  Let's look back at that verse in Ephesians.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

-Ephesians 6:12

Our fight is not with other Religions.  Our fight is not with Politics.  Our fight is not with other Christians.  Our enemy is not someone we can see and set cross-hairs on.  It's not someone we can track down in a safe house.

The Enemy

Look who/what Paul points out: rulers, authorities, and the powers of this dark world.  Yet they are not flesh and blood.  Also...the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  So we have a war on two fronts.  The intangible powers of this world, and evil in the spiritual realm.

Intangible powers of this world?  Look around and you'll see them.  Things like fear, hate, oppression, selfishness, godlessness.  These things are everywhere and we have been conditioned to accept them simply as the way things are.  Where did Jesus tell us to live subject to these powers?  Exactly, nowhere.  These powers are tools of the Enemy.  Satan.  The Devil.  Lucifer.

He is the true enemy.

We cannot win this war. 

The good news is, we don't have to.


The War

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."

-Ephesians 6:13  

We don't have to win because it is already won.  The story is written.  Jesus wins.  We just haven't finished living the story out.  After you have done everything, to stand.   We have to hold on.  We have to persevere.  All our armor and weapons are built on the strength of Jesus.  Truth.  Righteousness.  The Good News.  Faith.  Salvation.  Spirit.  Prayer.

Get to know Jesus.  Pray...listen to him.  Learn his voice from reading Scripture.  Build your relationship with him.  Trust him.  It's not about feelings and callings.  It's all done, we just have to make it to the end. 

We have a clear and present Enemy. We have been given our arms and are equipped. There is open lines of communication to Jesus. But we do not fight to draw blood. We do not fight to kill.

We fight on our knees in prayer.  We fight in worship with song and how we live.  We fight in actions by serving others.  We fight by laying down our lives for Jesus.


What does any of this have to discipleship?  We'll wrap that up tomorrow in the final post.  Until then,

grace, peace + hope
-Jesse

Suit Up - Part 2

Alright, so the Belt of Truth is on.  Let us continue to suit up!

The Breastplate of Righteousness

"...with the breastplate of righteousness in place,..."

The breastplate covers and protects our vital organs. Not least of which is our Heart. Paul is telling us that we cover and protect our heart with Righteousness. How do we get this Righteousness?

"...the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it."

-Romans 9:30-31

Through faith in Jesus, in what he taught, lived, died and resurrected for, we can be covered with Righteousness. It is defined as: 'acting in an upright, moral way; virtuous." How do we do that? How does that protect our heart?

We strive to live upright, morally, virtuous...we do so by living like Jesus, and having faith in Him that he is the ultimate example of righteousness. This protects us because Jesus didn't do things that would hurt his heart. He wasn't sneaking around doing things that were questionable. He didn't talk back to his parents. He spent most of his time seeking God. The rest of the time he was teaching what he knew to others, helping them, caring for the poor, healing the sick.

And isn't that exactly what he told the disciples (and us) to do? And look what word is used at the beginning of this verse:

"Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’"

Matthew 25:37-40

When we seek to serve others, and not ourselves, we guard our heart by living in righteousness. Righteousness that comes from Jesus.

Readiness from the Gospel of Peace

"...and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace."

Peace. The Gospel or Good News of Peace. It's the story of Jesus. What he accomplished on Earth, through the Cross and Resurrection.

Paul says in Ephesians 2:14-18

"For he himself (Jesus) is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit."

So this piece of weaponry is not as "obvious." The readiness comes from the Good News, the Cause if you will. The whole story of Jesus. By knowing it we should be eager to share it, eager to move and proclaim it. We should not be content sitting still in our office chairs, pews and recliners! We should be ready to move to go when the opportunity comes to share Jesus.

We should know that story inside and out. Not just in our heads, but our hearts. To know what Jesus did for all mankind and for us individually. Know your story. Let it be ready to share with others so that they can encounter (maybe immediately, or in time) Jesus, and be restored to the Father.

Belt, Breastplate, Gospel...back for more tomorrow!

grace, peace + hope
-Jesse

Suit Up - Part 1

This weekend "The Avengers" opened in theaters.  As a comic book and movie fan I really enjoyed this movie.  It's a hodge podge team of heroic individuals that have to come together to stop a maniacal villain from conquering the world.  Each member has different skill sets and abilities that they contribute to the whole.

One of my favorite moments (not a spoiler) is when Captain America asks a potential member of the team if he has a suit (Cap has a patriotic uniform, Iron Man is a techno-suit of armor, Thor has a mythical type of armor, and there are a few more that I'll leave out.)  War is breaking out and it's time to fight, time to get the suits and do battle.  When the character responds with a yes Cap says, "Well then, suit up."

That's the same thing I'm saying to you.  Cap said it.  Barney Stinson says it.  And a bloke named Paul said it thousands of years ago:

"Suit up."  (my paraphrase)

Did you know that as followers of Jesus we are called to war?

Well, we are.

But we are not called to fight with guns and bombs. We do not fight against other people, or religions, or nations.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

-Ephesians 6:12

But we do have an enemy. The Enemy. He's been our enemy since the beginning in Eden. He's been working against God ever since. Jesus said this in John 8:44

"...He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies."

There are many other places in the Word that give other descriptions of the Enemy and his character. One other I'll mention here is also from Jesus

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy..."

-John 10:10

So we know we are in a battle. We know who are Enemy is. What now?

We take up arms.

Paul lines out in Ephesians 6 what these arms are. (verses 10-18)


The Belt of Truth

"...Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,..."

The belt. It holds everything together. And what does Paul call it?

Truth.

"A verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like" is one of the definitions in the dictionary. But truth being verified, is not where it stops for us. Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life..." So for us, Jesus is Truth. Jesus is a verified or indisputable fact. He is what holds everything together.  He holds us together.

So if we are buckled with truth, we must live in truth. Lying does not become a follower of Jesus. We must live out what we claim to be. If we are Christians, let us be Christians. And to do that we have to know who Jesus is. How?

Well that's coming up later.

Check back Monday for Part 2!

grace, peace + hope
-Jesse

You're Doing It Wrong

There is a well known book series, with a hit HBO series called Game of Thrones.  I can't say much about the show as I've never seen it.  But I have read the first book.  There is a scene in both where a young girl is given a sword by her half-brother.  He asks her if she knows how to use it.  She answers,

The pointy end goes into the other man.

So what does that have to do with M28 and discipleship?  Well, nothing.  But it has a lot to do with me and something God has recently been teaching me.  It'll make sense by the end.  I hope.

Do any of you ever have one of those days, or weeks, or lifetimes, where God just kind of smiles at you and says, "You're doing it wrong?"  Okay, a few of you.  Oh wait, is that everyone?  Wow, good to know I'm not alone in this.

Now I'm not saying this is an always, every time, kind of wrong.  There are times I know it's getting done right.  Those moments are usually when I'm stepping back and letting God do his thing.  I might be the messenger at times, but the message is still God's.

For the past year I've been trying to dive head first into this discipleship thing.  I've read half a dozen books.  Been at meetings, discussions, brainstorm sessions, you name it.  I get the concept.  But I couldn't find anyone to disciple.  So I read some more.

Cause if you aren't doing it...certainly you just need to have more knowledge on the topic.

In reading a new book I thought, maybe I just need a cause.  A place of people to dive into.  The example in the book was that the author and a friend went to India and worked with lepers.  They just dove in and God worked in them.  I thought, I can do that, right here.

Maybe not lepers, but surely there is a place that I can go.

And I found one, or rather one came to me.  It was living in a recovery house for drug addicts and alcoholics.  I just dove in.  I knew little to nothing about those life styles.  And it seemed like things went from rough to worse over the two months that I lived there with residents.  I even got a disciple before I moved into the house and he eventually moved in there.




Without going into a lot of details the house did not work out in the end.  My first thoughts were that I had failed.  The discipleship I had going failed.  I felt like a failure.  You see a trend here.  I was doing everything right.  At least according to the books and ideas.  Well, except maybe the Book.


Last week I had a few different conversations with some wise and encouraging people.  Good friends.  Good people.  Then I had the conversation I really needed with God.  That's when I heard him say, "You're doing it wrong."  He wasn't angry.  It's like a parent watching a kid trying to put a square block in a round hole.

When they are in third grade.

Now remember that bit with the sword?  This is kind of how my conversation with God went:

God - "Jesse, what are you doing?"
Jesse - (holding sword by the blade) "Um, sword fighting?"
God - "You're doing it wrong."
Jesse - (examining the mess he just made) "Oh." (slow realization sets in) The pointy end goes into the other guy."
God - "There you go champ."

There are a lot of great tools for doing discipleship.  But never forget that God is the source of all those things.  You see I was relying too much on the tool rather than the teacher.  I was too worried about making a difference instead of letting God work.  I realize now that the house wasn't a failure, I just may never see the results.

God can and will continue to work in those guys long after they forget about me.  Or maybe we will come back in contact at some point.  Who knows!  God is in control and we need to remember that in all our endeavors.  We are just supposed to go spread the seed.

The seed will grow when it lands in good soil.

grace, peace + hope

-Jesse

Size Matters Not

In my favorite movie of the Star Wars Saga, The Empire Strikes Back, the hero Luke is on a swamp planet training to be a Jedi Knight.  It is here that he meets the great Jedi master, Yoda.  Yoda is this little green creature with big pointy ears.  Not what Luke (or the original audience was expecting.)

During a bit of training Yoda is teaching Luke to use the Force to lift his crashed ship out of the swap.  After struggling Luke gives up and says, "I can't. It's too big."  Then Yoda says this,

Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? Hmm? Hmm. And well you should not.

Yoda, who was hardly as tall as Luke's knee proceeds to lift the ship out of the swamp on to dry(er) land.  Luke, astonished say, "I don't believe it."  Yoda replies, sadly, "That is why you fail."

Ok, keep that in mind cause I'm gonna diverge a bit here.  I recently saw a magazine for church leaders with a cover article along the lines of "Is Small Church the Next Big Thing?"  Now I wasn't able to read the article to see what they were saying.  So I'm passing no opinion of the actual material.  But one thing is very clear to me.

Size Matters Not.

Yoda was able to lift something much larger than himself because he believed.  Luke, by all appearances was more capable.  Looks are deceiving.

What I'm getting at is not that small churches are better than big churches.  What really matters is the hearts of the people gathering.  Small churches may be more like what happened in Acts.  I personally don't like attending mega-churches.  I've had a hard time keeping my attitude toward them in check.  But God kinda smacked me in the back of the head recently (like a loving father) and I realize that the size of the church is wholly, utterly, completely irrelevant.

A small group of 20 that meets on Sunday just to listen to a person lead a discussion or message, sing songs with out a worship team, and go through their week not living out what they discussed is no different than a mega-church that has 4,000 people, two worship teams, and a parking lot to embarrass a football stadium where the people don't live out during the week.

The revolution that followers of Jesus need to see is not about the size of the church they are in.  It is how we live our life between the services and sermons.

We can't wait for our pastors or whatever title you like to tell us to go to our neighbor with a 3 step plan of conversion.  There doesn't have to be a massive event to bring Jesus into the life of your co-workers.  Invite them into your home, into your life.  Make the time.  Skip a church event or 2 and go get to know these people.  Listen to them.  And don't jump right into your church no matter how wonderful it is.

Show them Jesus in YOUR life.

Size matters not.  The size of the congregation doesn't matter to Jesus.  He left us a few specific instructions.  Go into all the world, baptizing, and making disciples of all people.

So let's go.  You and me.  Out into the world.  Away from the pews and couches and live life along side others. 

Jesus is out there, lets go take him a drink of water.

grace, peace + hope
-Bear

Out of Steam?

Sometimes is feels like we get all excited about something for a short period of time and then fizzle out.  Like this whole revolution thing.  Let me assure you, that as far as I am concerned this is just getting started.  I know there are many of you out there who share this idea.

Where are you?

Let us hear from you.  This is not about me.  This is not the Bear Show.  I'm blogging and writing because I have the time and this comes relatively easy to me.  Your story should be heard as well.  Tell us what you are doing.  Not as bragging, but a way to share what God is doing in you.  How he is transforming your life, and how that could be effecting others.

The Church is a community.  A body of believers.  Let's build that body up any way we can.  Some of you may be in other parts of Pennsylvania, or the other side of the country.  Some may even be on the other side of an ocean or two.  We can have community through the web.


Let us encourage one another!

For me today, I will say this.  Temptations.  They jump out at me all the time.  Some are new.  Some are old.  Habits, addictions, attitudes.  Things I thought I had walked away from.  I'd be lying if I said it was getting easier to turn them away.  To not give into them.  And they come everyday.  To buy more stuff that I don't really need.  To go to that website.  To get angry and lash out, or say hurtful things.

It's not easy to refuse them.  But the more I get to know Jesus.  The more time I spend learning the Father's voice.  The easier it is to run to him.  To cling to his words, the Word, and in doing so not give in to the temptations.  It is him who protects.  He is the Shield of Faith that puts out the fiery arrows of the enemy!

Please hear what I'm saying there.  It's not about me.  This is about God's work.  What he does in us when we draw closer to him.  And I for one have a very long way to go.  But his promises are true.  He is good.  He did give us the Comforter to help us and guide us.

When we run out of steam, it's because we're trying to fight sin with our own strength.  And that is like trying to out run a speeding train.  It's impossible.  But with God, all things are possible.  He is our strength.  Our deliverer.  Philippians 4 (12-14)

I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

It doesn't matter if we have everything we need in life, or nothing.  Jesus is who we need more than anything.  And a supportive body of believers doesn't hurt either.  Paul says he knows how to survive, to carry on, but he encourages the Philippians for helping in his difficulty.

So, today, if God is doing something in/through you.  Share it.  With a humble heart to encourage us.  If you are struggling, or going through a difficulty, Share it.  At the very least (which isn't the least at all) we can pray for each other.

Have a day, be a blessing to those around you.

grace, peace + hope
-Bear

Seedless, Part III

What is the point of fruit that doesn't have seeds?

Well, in the context of literal fruit, it makes them easier and by some standards more enjoyable to eat.  It's so annoying to spit them out, or pick around them.

That can so easily be transplanted to the life of a follower of Jesus.  Sure, we can bear the fruit Jesus talks about without seed.  We can share some of the things he taught without the annoying little truths at the core of them.  We can love the people around us at our places of worship.  We can help our friends and family out.  It's easy to join in whatever the next outreach at the "church."

And those are all good things.  But it's not enough.

These are things that Jesus said even the "Gentiles" did that.  (Matthew 5:43-48)  It's not enough to love those we are supposed to love.  Or that love comes somewhat naturally.

For too long the "church" (and I include myself in that) has been trying to see Jesus by gazing toward the pulpits, lecterns, or relevant cafe table with a tall chair.  Please do not misunderstand.  I'm not condemning pastors or speakers or any of that.  Some of my dearest friends are pastors, and I highly respect them and what is in their hearts.  I don't know where I'd be in life if I hadn't 'gone to church," or been in a youth group.  But it's time for the congregation to stop congregating and start conveying.

It's time we turn from the pulpits and go to the people.

If we are to bear the fruit Jesus wants us to produce, we can't just gather once or twice a week for an hour.  We can still do that, but we must do more.  We have to be the Church when we leave the building.  We have to be the Church when we go to work, the store or at home.

We also won't really become the Church if we only go to those places either.  Remember what I posted the other day.  More importantly what Jesus said about the least of these.  We have to go places we wouldn't normally go.  Prisons.  Hospitals.  To the homeless.  To the widows and orphans.

Gasp, even across the imaginary property lines (or real fence) to our neighbors!

Our goal is not conversion.  You and I cannot "save" someone.  Nor is that our mission.  Jesus didn't say, "Go into the world and get people to convert."  He told us to make disciples.  To baptize.  There is nothing about us delivering salvation.

That is for Jesus.  And he said, "It is accomplished."  My sins, your sins, the sins of the world have been forgiven.  Jesus and his Spirit are the powers behind that.  They are the one who will change peoples lives.  He is the one who will move someone to cry out for salvation.  Not a clever conversation, witty video, or compelling 3 point sermon complete with a power point.

Not you.  Not me.

What you and I can do, is see Jesus on the face of every person we meet.  Sure, that might slow us down a little bit.  But what's the rush?  What do we need to race to so fast?  I know I would appreciate life slowing down a little bit.  And like I said, I'm working on it.

Maybe you're thinking, hey dude, quite writing about this stuff and put your money where your mouth is.  And you're right.  There have been a few things popping up lately that I'm pursuing, but they are not to a sharing point yet.  But I will.

We may not be able to save someone.  But we can be the hands of Jesus that bring them water when they are thirsty.  We can be the ears that listen to our neighbor, and really hear what they are saying.  We can be the smiling face in the store, either as shopper or employee.

Gandhi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."  I agree.  If we want to see people follow Jesus, we need to follow Jesus.  Where ever he takes us.  To the projects of D.C., to the suburbs of Chicago, orphanages in Africa, and neighborhoods in Pennsylvania.

I'll change Gandhi's words, and maybe someone else has already said it, but, "Be the Jesus you want to see in the world."  A revolution requires change.  That change needs to happen in those moving the revolution.  I'm praying I change every morning.  To be more like Jesus.  To be not seedless.

Be full of seeds.  Share them.

grace, peace + hope
-Bear

Seedless, Part II

So what's the big deal with seedless fruit?

There's nothing wrong with it.  Right?  I mean it doesn't cause mutations or anything like that in the people who eat it.  Well, I hope not.  But, fruit was designed to produce seeds.  It's how they reproduce.  You know a fruit bearing plant is healthy when it produces fruit that contains seeds.  That way, it will continue on.  God said it was good for this to happen.

But my real issue isn't with items in the produce aisle.

It's with myself.

And others like me.  People who say they are followers of Jesus but don't really produce fruit.  Or if we do it's just the stuff that tastes good but doesn't result in more fruit.  Jesus was pretty specific about this.  In John 15, where he talks about being the vine and branches, he tells the disciples this;

I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

He cuts off every branch...that bears no fruit.  Jesus was talking to them in words that were very clear.  They were understandable references.  It shouldn't be that hard for us to understand this.  But I suppose in the "church" there has been a tendency to over complicate the Bible.  Everything gets really deep and super spiritual.  There's lots of flavor, and no hard bits to really work around.

Sure there are the tough subjects, but they don't relate to me, they are about someone else.  And thanks to this speaker who has had years and years of training and education, I am now more enlightened about this issue, topic, what-have-you.

We can go to "church" every week and learn more and more about Jesus and never really change.  No change in us, no change in the world around us.

Seedless.

What does it matter what you know?  What does it matter what I know?  Knowing isn't enough.  Knowing didn't spare those who mocked Noah.  They laughed at their impending doom.  Knowing Jesus died for us, that he showed us how to live in the kingdom now doesn't count for a hill of beans.  When we hold all that knowledge in, were like the servant who buried the gold because he was too afraid to invest or take a chance with it.

You remember what happened to him?  What he had was taken, and he was kicked out.  Or to use the words of Jesus from John 15 he was a branch that was cut off.  Please don't misunderstand.  I am not talking about money, tithes, or offerings.

This is about life and not sharing it.  My life.  Your life.  Jesus' life.

Think about this.  Jesus and his disciples were walking along the road when Jesus sees a fig tree.  When he sees it doesn't have any fruit, he curses it and it dies.  Sounds extreme right?  But there is a lesson in this that is easily lost on a culture like ours that doesn't understand the created world we live in.  Jesus' actions have a reason.  In the scripture the fig tree was said to have produced leaves.  And based on the time of year of this story, a fig tree with leaves should have had fruit.

It didn't. 

A fruit bearing tree without fruit, when all evidence suggests it should have, is pretty much worthless.

Do you have leaves?  Do I?  Am I producing fruit?  If I do, it's not enough.  I'm working on that.  I can't keep going to "church" whether it is in a home, a coffee house, or million dollar facility and gorging myself on another good sermon or series. 

Something needs to change in me.  How I look at what it means to really follow Jesus.  This isn't just a rant about "mega-churches" or that sort of thing.  This is about the body of Christ and how we live.  Rather how we don't live.
 
It's time to change that.  It's time for a revolution in the Church.  A transformation in the Body of Christ.  It's time we start bearing fruit with seeds in it.


to be concluded...


grace, peace + hope
-Bear

Seedless, Part I

It was a typical Monday morning.  Wake up, get ready for work, rush out the door without breakfast.  But I did grab some fruit out of the fridge.  Fruits are incredible.  From apples to grapes, cantaloupes to tomatoes*, fruits just plain and simply rock. 

(*Botanically speaking a tomato is a fruit, the US Supreme Court can go sit on an egg.)

During my break I retrieve my branch of grapes and orange and begin consuming them.  It's going really well until I realize they are seedless.  Which normally would have made me very happy.  But I suppose something is changing in my opinion on the matter.

At a house gathering in Harrisburg (PA) last night we read through the Creation account in Genesis.  Then we watched Rob Bell's video Everything Is Spiritual.  Couple that with recent readings of the Gospels and I came to a conclusion.

There is something wrong with seedless fruit.

Look at what Genesis says:  (Chapter 1)

11Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day. 

Yeah.

God made plants and trees with intent of bearing fruit with seed.  Now, I'm no botanist, but if my memory serves correct, seeds are how plants reproduce.  With out apple seeds folklore legend Johnny Appleseed wouldn't have a last name or story.  I know there are ways to grow some plants by grafting and all that stuff.  But that is essentially cloning (and I'm not jumping into that today.)


The fact is that plants are supposed to grow fruit that bear seed.

I've decided that I don't like seedless fruit.  I won't be wasteful with what I already have.  But I'm not going to intentionally purchase seedless fruit any more.

Some might say to me, "Dude, you're being way uptight about this."  And maybe I am.  But there is another side to this seedless thing that bothers me.  Something that is at the heart of this revolution.

And that will have to wait for tomorrow.

grace, peace + hope
-Bear

Light the Fuse

Control.  It's an illusion that none of us can seem to separate from reality.  Parents think they have control over their children.  Governments assume they have control over their people.  Religions think they have control over what ever it is they think they have control over.

Ok, so maybe by strict definition they do.  But control can be resisted, removed, rescinded, refuted, reneged, you get the idea.

This is not me supporting anarchy.  I am not anti-control.  Depending on where the reigns of that control rest.  I don't want to get too deep or off course and delve into the semantics and politics of all of that.  What this post and revolution are primarily concerned with is how we conduct ourselves no matter what "control," is over us.

As far as I am concerned, there is only one ultimate source of control.  One authority that will take all our decisions and actions into account.  The choices we make yesterday, today, and tomorrow will be laid out before us some day.  How we handled those choices in regards to that sovereign authority will be our undoing or remaking.

Let me make this perfectly clear.

There is one God.  His name is "I Am."  He sent his only son Jesus to redeem the whole world from death.  He speaks to us, now, today, through his Spirit.  Here and here alone rests the final authority for all life.  For me, that is irrefutable fact.  It is upon that authority that I rest all of what I believe, say and do.

If you are starting to wonder what any of that has to do with this revolution.  I've been alluding to, well here is where they meet.

Those who claim to follow Jesus (I would be among them) as a whole, have been lulled into a crippling illusion that going to a building on Sunday in nice clothing, singing a few songs, putting money in an offering, and spending about an hour and a half together, is what he imagined the Church would be.
 

I will not apologize for thinking we have bastardized his dream.

The Church is not a building.  It is not a program or a pulpit.  The Church does not succeed or fail because of a board of directors or a philandering pastor.  It does not rest in the man made authority of pointy hats, white collars, or tailored suits.

The Church is people.  The guy in the corner of the coffee shop.  The woman across from you on the train.  You.  Me.  The Church succeeds because Jesus is it's authority.  It will grow in the soil full of the best crap.  The Church doesn't fail because Jesus doesn't fail.  (What fails is us, or our expectations.)  It's authority rests in the safest place.  The nail scarred hands of the Messiah.

The Church is so much more than we mortals have restricted it to be.

The revolution is to become the Church Jesus wanted us to be.  To feed the hungry.  Quench the throats of the thirsty.  Make the stranger a guest.  Clothe the naked.  Care for the sick.  Visit the prisoner.  To look after orphans and windows.  To remember his teachings, and make disciples.To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

It starts inside each of us.

Get on your knees.  Cry out to God.  Ask him to strike the match, and light the fuse.

grace, peace + hope
-Bear

Rebels

This revolution thing is serious.  At least for me.  I'll be making a considerable statement on what I'm talking about soon.

Tomorrow.

For today a brief example and then a question.

I had a revelation recently.  I love rebels.

A majority of my favorite stories, be it books, movies or even comic books, have always been about rebels.  From my early childhood I latched onto Star Wars.  The Rebels vs the Empire.  There was just something in that concept that attracted me to the cause.



Perhaps the most famous rebel of all, Robin Hood?  So many different takes on his story.  And I've loved nearly all that I've come across.

How about the American Revolution?  I remember seeing old movies that I can't remember the names of that stirred not just a sense of patriotism but the call to a cause.

Braveheart.  I know there are a lot of historical inaccuracies in it, but seeing that movie was a life defining moment for me.

There have been so many others over the years that have become close to my heart.  Harry Potter, Gladiator, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Equilibrium, The Matrix, The Three Musketeers, Defiance.  Even a movie like Moulin Rouge, has a theme of revolution woven into the love story.

Most recently, The Hunger Games.  (This is a fantastic series and I can't believe it's taken me so long to dive into it.)  It's a futuristic version of North America ruled over by a totalitarian government known as the Capitol.  There are 12 districts that support the Capitol with everything.  And once a year each district is forced to send two teenagers to an arena to fight to the death against the others.  Only one person survives.  This is to remind the population that rebellion is bad and the Capitol has control.

It's a similar story throughout history.  Those who have control constantly reminding it's population that they are in control.  By acts of fear, intimidation, propaganda and on and on.  And I'm not talking about the books now.  But they never really do have the control do they?

It's a lie.

That's why they lord that concept over their citizens.  If you tell a lie as truth enough times people will believe it.  Maybe even embrace it.

So.  My question to you is, (without giving away spoilers) what is your favorite story of revolution, or rebels, and why?

grace, peace + hope
-Bear

Clearing the Fog

Revolution.

That's what we are talking about.  But I'm not quite ready to fully dive into what exactly I'm talking about.  But maybe I can clear out some of the fog from yesterday's post.  First of all, a definition.  From this point forward the following definition is how I am referring to revolution.  

nonu -  a sudden, complete or marked change in something

I am not inciting anyone to pick up arms, start fights, or anything of that nature.

This is not another Occupy Wall Street type movement.

That said this isn't going to be easy.  It's not going to be all flowers and sing-a-longs.  Those who participate will be misunderstood.  Antagonized.  Insulted.  Possibly even feared and hated.  I can not promise the absence of pain or suffering.

What I can promise, is hope.  And it's not even my promise to make.  It's already there.  Waiting.

Hope that things can be different.  That chains and repressions that have been unacknowledged or ignored for decades, and longer, can fall away.  Hope that tomorrow can be a better day despite the challenges that may come.

Hope.

So, as a question today I leave you with this.

Are you willing to endure what may come?

grace, peace & HOPE

-Bear

How Many Licks?

The old Tootsie-Pop commercial came to mind while I was ruminating over this post.  The one where the kid asks how many licks it would take to get to the middle of the Tootsie-Pop.  It always frustrated me that the owl stole his candy to answer the question.  I have a question, so don't steal my candy to answer.

Perhaps that's not the best way to approach the concept today.

But I wonder.

No big rambling.  Just a question.  A question I'd like to hear some of your thoughts.  So get off your butts, well um, lean forward in your desk chair, or hover over your mobile device and let me see some serious feed back.


The question is transformational.  Life altering if taken seriously.  In a world that threatens control, over how we live, what we think, say and do: do we accept this or not?


If you do accept it, read no further.  You've taken the blue pill and stay safe in your bed.


If you don't accept it, here's a glass of water to go with the red pill.


The question is:

How do you start a revolution?


(more about this idea next time, but until then, please leave a comment!)

grace, peace & hope
-Bear