Bless......

Philippians 4.10 and a few thoughts flowing from.......

I was in a conversation the other day and a term was used to describe a people group. "Trash"... there was an adjective preceding the word.... a color was used. White.... Yellow.... Brown..... people described as trash. Honestly, I didn't like it. In fact, I had a pretty sick feeling in my gut. I mean, someone who was formed and shaped by our God = trash. I don't think that fits at all! I actually began to think that she was describing treasure... creativity... that, when God was forming the people group that she described, He was feeling especially creative that day. Honestly, I am not sure how we end up labeling someone as beneath us.... as trash. How does that happen?

This weekend, we talked about Jesus thoughts and His passion for every person on this planet. We also conversed about our heart 'blooming' for others..... their needs.... who they are.... who they might become.... and when our hearts bloom for others, it sparks rejoicing, and God becomes 'greater than' to them. Greater than a difficult circumstance.... greater than a temporary trial.... greater than the current situation. God is greater than......

Jesus really challenged us concerning our perspective of others and how we serve others. In fact, He really compels us to learn from the Philippian church. In 4.10, the church at Philippi is described as giving generously to Paul and because they gave His heart flourished in joy and God demonstrated that He was greater than Paul's current circumstance (jail... potential loss of life). Because the Philippians responded, we received one of the most beautiful letters ever written... a letter about joy, passion, and contentment in Christ (Philippians!).

There is a story that Jesus told that truly moves me… compels me…. In Matthew the 25th Chapter, Jesus is walking with His followers…. He is talking to them about life… about passion… about priorities….about worship….. about investing….. and he lands on this story…… Some of you will do very well… some of you won’t….. As a Christ follower, there are pretty clear metrics for whether you are doing well…. In fact, whether your heart opens to those around you who are in need is a pretty clear sign of what you are about and Whose you are. He said,

I was hungry and you fed me.
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink
I was homeless and you gave me a place to sleep
I was shivering and you gave me clothes.
I was sick and you visited.
I was in prison and you came to me.

When you did things like this to the overlooked or ignored… it was me! You did this to me!!

It seems to me that we leave much rejoicing when we are intensely passionate about advancing the name of Christ….. when we are in the midst of needs…… we step into needs and speak, very practically, that God is greater than! It seems to me that there is no 'trash' on this earth. There are people who are overlooked, ignored, despondent and awaiting one who has found intense passion and hope to share what we have found!

Let's be honest. It's easy to frequent a bible study.... go to church. It's easy to read a bible. It's even easy to discuss who believes what and who's right and who's wrong. That is easy. It's far more difficult to actually take the truth that we are reading and live it out among those who might be overlooked or ignored. Maybe Jesus isn't about another study. Maybe Jesus is about living His life out in this earth. Maybe Jesus is asking us to live the kind of life He described in Matthew 25. Maybe that is what a Christ-follower would do.... who he would be!

I was thinking practically a bit this morning. I was thinking about the challenge yesterday.... you know - to mobilize into LIFE Groups..... for LIFE Groups to find something.... some ministry..... some area of need in our community and commit to meet that need. What if we gave 2 hours a month, within each group, to support and live out this good news in our city. What if 30 life groups gave 2 hours per month? That's 300 people + in 30 LIFE groups shaping this city.... If I can do my math correctly, our fellowship could actually serve 600 man hours a month demonstrating the God-life. That sounds HUGE. I mean, the pregnancy center would be maintained remarkably..... people who are struggling in nursing homes would be loved..... men/ women in prison could be discipled once a month.... food pantries could be organized...... kids in juvenile shelters could be nurtured.... it could be amazing!

I think Jesus would like us doing something like that in Crestview. I think He would say, well done... way to go. I think that rejoicing could happen in this city as a result. I think God would demonstrate Himself as greater than and actually use us! I am pretty confident we would be on the right track. Finally, I think we would NEVER see trash again. We would see the majesty, beauty, and wonder of God's creation as we joined with God in bringing out His beauty through the lives of His people.

Just a few thoughts..... Feel free to add to the commentary by clicking on comments.

For the Glory,
Mark