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Story time Continues. I think I should just start writing a book, because these entries have been so long.
We as a group are in an exciting place. A place of stepping out into knew things, a place to experience God deeper, and a place to learn to love each other a little bit more.
I know I have been referencing to the book of Acts a lot as of late, but bare with me while I do it once again.
In the story of Acts after Jesus leaves his students and goes to be with his Father, the crew of people that were with Jesus were in a strange place of trying to figure out how to continue Jesus’ ministry. Up until this time they were kind of along for the ride. They would follow Jesus, learn from Jesus, eat with Jesus, and live life with Jesus. For the past several years before Christ’s death and resurrection everything in their lives revolved around this Jesus person. Everything they did in their lives from causing a ruckus in their churches, to washing or not washing their hands before a meal was wrapped around their teacher and friend.
After Jesus ascends into heaven they are at a loss with what they were supposed to do. They had learned so much, experienced ridicules things, and had their lives started on a transformation process, that we now know, spread into the world around them. The only direction they received wasn’t so much direction as it was prophecy.
Jesus said to them before going home, “… but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” How is that for directive guidance, basically Jesus just said you are going to travel, you are going to travel to you neighbor in the house next door, you are going to travel to your estranged brothers in Judea, you are going to travel to the people hate in Samaria, and you are going to go to places you never dreamt and probably didn’t want to go, you are going to the ends of the earth.
Great.
I’m sure they were thinking ok,
How do we do this?
What does this look like?
How will this make me money to live off of?
Do we start preaching?
Do we start feeding the poor?
Maybe I should start fishing again; I know how to do that?
Jesus, seriously, could you have been a little more specific with what this looks like?
As the story continues they decide to eat together, worship together, pray together, and live life like they were with Jesus. They chose to live life.
The crazy thing about them living life was that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit on them and 2,000 joined their numbers in one day. I don’t think it was ever in their plans to have 2,000 new people join their family in one day, I mean they were just trying to live life the way that was shown to them. But the transformation around them just flowed out of this way of life.
As their crew grew they realized that they needed to organize a bit better, because things where being over looked. Widows weren’t getting the food they needed, people filled that role, there was a lot of resource that could be used for those in need, so they organize for that, different people from different cultures where joining their crew, so they adjusted for that, they started teleporting around the world, so they had to adjust for that, visitors from other regions where coming and going continually so they needed to be open for that. But even with all these structures that needed to be put in place, they still tried to live life the way Jesus had shown. In fact this crew of people became known as, “The Way”, because they were demonstrating the way to life, both eternal life as well as life here and today.
This crew made many mistakes, but had grace to adjust and shifted accordingly. This crew was open to be challenged and was also very encouraging of one another. There were arguments, there were new things birthed, people had disputes on how things should look, but ultimately people had grace and peace for one another and that allowed them to move forward.
Now I know we didn’t hang out with Jesus in the flesh, and we by no means have 2,000 coming, (which I am quite glad about, that could get hectic.) but we are in a place of wrestling out what it looks like to live life as well as position this Thursday night thing in such a way that we can grow, and others can join us in our journey to The Way of life.
As we pray about the direction of our crew, our family, our mini tribe lets keep life in prayer as well. Let’s not forget that Thursday night is not about Thursday night, but it’s about something greater. It’s to help us Encounter the Living God, to learn how to live life, and we can never forget it is to help the oppressed, the tired, and the broken. Let’s surely put the structures in place that need to be in place, but let’s not let the structures become more important then Jesus and those around us. Let’s pray for wisdom, compassion, and a deep love for one another. With those things our love for Christ will grow, and our life will start shining in ways we don’t even realize.
I am super excited as usual with all that God is doing and has done in us and through us. I am stoked that new people have decided to join us in this journey and want to contribute. It is really exciting. We started this thing a year ago talking about the story of the bible and how God blessed Abraham to be a blessing to the nations. How the Cut Covenant that was made with Abraham continued through the Jews, and into Jesus Ministry, and that same covenant is ours. We have surely been blessed in this group, with good food, challenging and encouraging words, friendship and love. So lets bless others with those as well. Maybe living this life will take us as well to the ends of the earth!
Grace and peace
Chris
In the Bible there is a story of a man named Zacchaeus. I'm sure you are probably familiar with this story. This man Zacchaeus was a very wealthy man, maybe even the wealthiest in one of the richest and most plush cities of the day. One day he hears that this teacher is coming through his city, not just any teacher, but one who has been causing quite a ruckus in the surround territories. A teacher who's teachings are so compelling they draw crowds that are unheard of. These teachings are the teachings of life, but so challenging many walk away sad. A teacher who's life brings an authority to his teachings that no one has ever seen before. Because of this teacher, God man, Jesus many walk away free, liberated, healed, and praising God. Zacchaeus wanting to know what this man is all about decides to position himself in such a place to see and maybe even encounter this Jesus. This short man Zacchaeus takes the risk of standing out, being attacked(he had a lot of enemies), and looking like a fool by climbing a tree to see Jesus. When Jesus walks past he looks straight at Zacchaeus, and tells him that he wants to stay at his house. As the story goes Zacchaeus decides to give away half of what he owns to the poor, as well as apologize and make amends to those who he has wronged.
The bible is full of these stories, stories of people taking huge risks of being vulnerable, weak, stepping out in faith to position themselves to see Jesus, to experience God.
There is another story of an "Unclean" women who has been sick for many years who pushes through a crowd to just barely touch Jesus clothing.
There is the story of a man in the Roman military who is extremely generous with his possessions, and gives much to the Lord by giving to the poor.
There is a story about a two blind men who follow Jesus calling out to him, and follow him into a home, despite being ridiculed.
There is a story of a community of people who believe so much in this Jesus they decide to pray and worship and eat together daily.
There are many more stories that are similar to these. Stories of people or groups of people who very intentionally position themselves to see God. Some of these stories are stories of great risk and faith and others are stories of people doing things that might come more naturally to them. But even though they all positioned themselves in different ways, in the end they intentionally put themselves in a space to see and experience God. The common ending to all of these stories, is that they all end with a powerful and life changing encounter with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
This past Thursday once again was very encouraging for me. We talked about how we feel as though we are in a transitional phase. In the words of Josh we are smashing the hierarchy, and wanting to lead this group together. We all expressed a desire to step out in new ways, ways of accountability, ways of going deeper with Jesus, ways of being more vulnerable, ways of encouraging those around us, ways of being challenged, most importantly stepping out in new ways to experience Jesus.
I feel as though we as a tribe, community, family are at a place in our story that is similar to the stories I told up top. God is giving us the opportunity to step into a position to experience him, to learn from him, and to be healed by him. This position will look different for each of us, but all of us can encourage each other to do that.
As we continue on this really exciting journey lets ask ourselves some questions, and encourage each other in these questions.
Where do we as a group want to go, or where do we feel God is leading us?
Where do we as individuals feel called to go?
What does it look like for us to position ourselves to see Jesus,
Do we have to climb a tree,
Push through a crowd,
Give away half of what we own,
Walking in what seems to be the dark until we get to the room Jesus is in,
Pray and worship and eat with friends,
Seeking forgiveness from those we've wronged,
Or forgiving those who have wronged us,
What will it look like for us to get a glimpse of the Creator, liberator, Savior?
This can be a scary leap of faith for us, but thank God we are not alone in it. We are all here for one another to support and love and encourage. Lets be a community that supports each other in our doubts, in our fears, in our weakness, in our joys, in our success, and in our freeing encounters with the Majestic Creator.
Once again I am excited to be asking these questions and taking these risks with everyone of you. I am so grateful to have all of you in my life. I'm excited to see where God will lead, what He will say, and how He will bring Healing, Joy and Freedom to us.
Let's go deeper, encourage each other, and lead this thing together.
Grace and peace,
Chris
The Gospel, what a crazy and deep thing. When I say crazy I of course mean unbelievably awesome, deep and far reaching into everything we call life.
The book of Acts is one of my favorite books. Its a story of a community of people trying to figure out what it means to live the teachings of Jesus. It's a story of people doing incredible things through the power of the Holy spirit, and also missing some of the point of what Jesus was saying when he living among them. It is so comforting to read this book and to read how they kept missing the point, yet they were still used so mightily. This crew of people were on a journey of discovering life and freedom from there hatred of others, there struggles with sin, there exlcusionism, and their relationship with man and God, but while on this journey God was using them to Heal the sick, Bring sight to the blind, Destroy poverty in their community, destroy poverty in the world and introducing people to the person of Jesus in a deep intimate and communal way.
This movement was started with couple hundred of the people that lived with Jesus, worked with Jesus, with him when he died, with him when he rose, and there when the Holy spirit dropped on them. Yet they still had to learn who this Jesus was and what he was about as they lived life together. They were, in a sense, the first wave of this new movement of the Way. There message was very familiar to the Jewish message but was a little different on some points. They lived in a land that hadn't heard the message of Jesus, the message of true freedom, the message of Life. This tribe of people were trying to figure out what it looked like to live this message, because simply speaking it wasn't enough to turn the world upside down. They learned to be generous, to love one another, to serve those who weren't in there tribe. But this was a process we read about. There were certainly points of break through were they really got some of the principles, but then there were other parts that took them a bit of time to figure out.
The other day I was watching the Inauguration at the Temple Student Center. I noticed a few things as I was listening to the speeches and seeing the people around me. I noticed that when Obama, or the Rev. who gave the closing benediction mentioned anything bible, religious, or Christian, people around me would react in a negative way. They would either shake their heads, or give a grunt that expressed how they felt it was not needed to speak of God. Not everyone responded in this way, it was really only a handful of people that would act this way. But it got me thinking of the story of Acts. It made me think that we in some ways are in a very similar place as the early church. We today live in a culture that has heard a message that is kind of like the message that we want to live, the message of the gospel, the message of the life of the person of Jesus, but they, the people around us, haven't truly heard it. They may have heard a piece here or a piece there, or heard a story that is similar in a lot of ways to the one we are exploring. They may have tasted the kingdom of God here or there, but I don't think they have heard the story of the person of Jesus that starts with in the beginning, and ends with liberation, freedom, and joy.
I then got really excited, and thought, "What an honour that I get to explore this life and live it in such a way that I have the privilege to introduce the people around me to the person of Jesus." I was comforted remembering about the church of Acts and how messed up they were, and I thought, "Yes! Even I can be apart of this global ruckus God is wanting to continue, despite how F'ed up I am, and how I truly don't understand this message fully." All I know is that I need to love others, break myself open and serve those I come in contact with, not to "save souls", or to get people into the "church club", but because thats what Jesus did for me, and I want people to meet this God Man that has brought freedom to my life.
Last night was an awesome night. I was well encouraged. We sat together after sharing a meal and shared our lives a little bit more intimately together. We shared what God has been doing, how we have been falling short, how we are scared, how we don't get it, how this Way of life continues to elude us, how we are worried, and how we are week. But I truly believe that in our brokeness of Thursday night the Holy Spirit was there in power and might. He was there ministering to us. There encouraging us. There saying its ok to be weak, I am there for you, you don't have to get up because I will get down on the ground with you. I feel as though the verse that says in our weakness God is made strong, makes a little more sense to me. It encourages me to be weak a bit more often.
As we move forward into this exciting year, lets encourage each other to be weak, let's spur each other to live life more intimately with God and more intimately with those around us. Let's invite people into our lives, and break ourselves open and poor ourselves out for those around us. Let's continue to let our lives be living stones that are building a shelter for those in needs. Let's allow our lives to be woven together for those who are cold and lonely. Who knows where God will lead us, what he will teach us, and how he will use us!
Well crew, I am well encouraged as I said, and am so blessed to have everyone of you in my life, you make it easier for me to live a bit weaker, because I know you all are there for me! Thanks for the Love and Support.
Let's all lead this group together.
until next time,
Grace and Peace,
Chris
How fitting that we start this New Year in the same way we started last year, In the Beginning.
Vernon shared with us what God has been teaching him through Luke 6, as well as how that ties so beautifully to everything else in the Bible. We were talking about fruit and seeds and asking ultimately what kinda of plant are we and what is our heart growing.
It was great to see how God is seeking to teach us about who He is in everything, even in a simple little plant. That In the Beginning he was teaching us not only about how he made plants, but teaching us about the human condition. How he has made us to bear fruit, to tend the gardens, and to be apart of his harvest. In the Beginning He shows us that he has already put the seeds in the ground and in our hearts, not just any seeds, but good seeds to multiply beauty and truth.
It is challenging to examine our own lives and see how God is looking to grow the seeds in us. Some times its hard to actually believe that God has already put good seed in us, let people who we don't even like. Sometimes when we are getting ready to ask God to grow us more into His image we become afraid of the branches he might cut off, the dead branches, the branches we think are who we are and supporting us. We are afraid of giving up control of our own lives and the control we wish we had on those around us. But the truth that we need to grasp, is that when we loose control we are truly free.
No more dead branches getting in the way of the fresh, renewed, and restored branches. We don't have to worry about being wrong or right because its not ours to be right or wrong about.
No more clinging to things that fade and die like our material things, our jobs, our money, and our false sense of security, but being secure in the one thing that has already conquered death and decay, Christ.
But it can truly be quite terrifying to believe that God is in control and not us because we have known the other for so long. If we are to be honest with ourselves, and look at the way we live, we almost trust the dieing and the decay in our lives more then we trust God at work in us. Trusting God and stepping into the unknown is a scary thing, but a freeing thing. If we have nothing to loose then what can we be afraid of because we have already lost it? If we have everything to gain what are we worried about, we will only gain? If we have already put all of our desires and wants to death what are we afraid of we have already died can won't be disappointed when we don't get what we want, or think we deserve? If we know God then it is not an unknown because we are stepping into him, and the fruit will just happen, it will over flow out of our love and knowledge of God. Because love and knowledge for God is Love and Grace for those around us.
And Knowing God is Knowing our neighbor.
This year let's as a community as well as individuals seek to abide in God continually
in the mornings and in the evenings,
with friends and family and while alone,
in joy and in sorrow,
at the barbary and at our places of work,
while teaching and while being taught,
at our schools and on septa.
Let's encourage one another and Seek to renew our hearts and our minds so that we with out even thinking about it bear lasting fruit. Lets live life seeking to have Gods eyes for other people so that we can see what seeds God has placed in them, and seek to partner with the Holy Spirit and grow those seeds in others.
Let's Seek first the Kingdom of Christ, which is Justice, mercy, love and grace for everyone, and everything else will just flow with us, in us, and through us.
Let's throw off everything that so easily wraps us up, entangles us, and trips us and live this life that God has prepared for us.
I'm Excited to hear how God moves this week in our lives, and excited to see how God grows all of us more and more into a representation of Him.
As usual Grace and peace!
Chris
If you ever want to blog anything God has put on your heart Go for it. Just let me know and you can.
The past couple of days I have been reading through the book of Acts. It's an amazing book that always gets me well stoked. Today I was reading chapter 7, which talks about Stephen and his stoning. As I was reading Stephen's response to the religious leaders when they were accusing him of blaspheme, there was something that really stood out to me.
Stephen opens up his speech with the beginning of the history of the Jewish people, his people. He tells the story of Abraham and the faith that he had and goes right down the Jewish timeline to Moses freeing the Israelites from Egypt. Steven Continues down the timeline building up to where they are in that line, a resurrected Jesus and a movement that turning the world up side down.
But when Steven was talking about Moses something really jumped out at me. Steven talked about where God calls moses out of the wilderness to save his people, answer the cry, and he quotes scripture saying,
( Acts7:35) "It was Moses whom they rejected when they said, 'Who made you a ruler and judge?' and whom God has now sent as both ruler and liberator through the angel who appeared to him in the bush."
When I read that this morning it jumped out at me.
I just finished reading a book called "Jesus Wants to Save Christians," by Rob Bell. (I encourage everyone to read it, its an easy read.) In the book there is a continual reference to Jesus being the new Moses. The new person to lead the Israelites, and now the whole world, to freedom from Egypt, from oppressions and addictions.
I also saw on TV several weeks ago something about Judaism and Christianity and all the parallels in our holidays and ceremonies. Many of the teachers, theologians, and priest interviewed would refer to Jesus as the new Moses. They would explain, even the Jewish teachers, how the gospels are written in a way that parallels the Jewish peoples stories. (If you are interest in more specifics ask and I will explain. It's really quite beautiful and eye opening.)
I have also been thinking about the idea of Life. And realizing how God is concerned with Life. He brought a message that many called the Way, because it was and is the way to Life. Just like God was trying to teach the Israelites how to live in the wilderness, Jesus was showing people how to live in exile, in a world that is terribly broken. The gospel is more about this earth and where we are now then it is about death and what happens when we die. It is a Gospel of freedom, it is a Gospel of Joy, it is a Gospel of wellness, it is a Gospel of the Way. Not a gospel of Death.
Right now you maybe be thinking, Chris needs more writing classes so he can learn to deliver his point with out jumping everywhere. To that I say, "your probably right."
So now back to Acts 7:35. When Stephen says that bit about Moses, I realized he was saying something much deeper then a piece of history that the religious leaders were already well acquainted with. I realized that Stephen was showing the religious leaders the connection to Jesus and Moses and that just like Moses led this group of people to "freedom", Jesus is the new Way to true freedom; the One who would lead them out of Egypt, or Babylon, or Assyria, or Roman, or a Deeper kind of oppression and slavery then any of those physical places, a freedom from Sin.
And think the holy job Stephen had was waiting on tables (Acts 6:2). Man what does God want to do in our jobs, in the places we go and hang out. Exciting! If a table waiter caused such a ruckus in Jerusalem and a ruckus that spread to the ends of the earth, what kind of ruckus does God want us to cause in Philly and where will it end up?
It also struck me how often times we think of Jesus as a judge who came with intent of judging us, but really the scriptures say he came to show us a way out because we are already condemned. He was the Scape Goat for us and everyone around us. God didn't appoint Christ as Ruler and Judge, but God appointed Christ as Ruler and Liberator! Praise God for that.
Like Vernon said the other night " I LOVE IT, (leg kick) when I find these parallels!! haha. "
Hopefully if you got this far in my writing it encouraged you or at least made sense.
Any thoughts?
Grace and peace
Chris
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
First, I want to say that the Thursday night crew has blessed my life so much this past year. It has been a joy to share life with everyone who has either stopped by or come more frequently. I can’t say thank you enough for allowing me to share in your life as well as that’d you’d be down to share in my life.
We started this group unsure of where it would go, if people would come, and with out any idea how it should really look. We just knew we wanted more of God, and wanted to journey with people in a search to reconcile Christ into all things in our life. It’s amazing to see where God has taken us as a community, a tribe, a family. How God has challenged some of us to seek Christ deeper and love others more selflessly. And for others God has encouraged us and spoken even deeper into being who he has made us to be. God has broke down walls for others and brought a deeper sense of peace and freedom to many of us.
My prayer for this next year is that we as individuals as well as a community would go deeper with God. That God would teach us how to lay down our wants for the needs of others. I pray that our lives would be a representation of our Awesome God. As we go deeper, I hope that the Holy Spirit would fill our lives more then we even thought possible, and that just maybe, the Holy Spirit would rub off on those around us, our friends, our family, people on septa with us, people dancing next to us, people passing us on the streets and even the people we don’t really like to much. I pray this year is better then the last, and I don’t mean with “cooler” events, and better jobs, more pay, nicer bikes, easier workload or more comfort, but what I mean is that in this new year we would have a deeper love for our brothers and sisters, the poor, the oppressed, and God. I pray that we will not tire of doing good but will be there for one another when we stumble, when we are tired, and when we come to the end of ourselves with nothing left to give. I thank God for all of you guys, and his grace and peace, and eagerly look forward to partnering with you and the Creator of the Universe in what he is doing in the city of Brotherly love, and the world in this new year.
Who knows what God will do this New Year. He did so much in 08, I’m Stoked! Who knows maybe some of will go to Africa, or Japan, maybe a crew of us will take a trip to South America. Who knows, some of us could start partnering with other churches or starting ministries of reconciliation and peace. God could also be opening doors for us to help and serve already existing organizations. Some of us might move else where in our journey with God. Who knows, God could be inviting us to join Him, in quietly loving those around us, by sitting with them and letting them know we are there for them. It is so exciting what God could do through in and in this group, with God leading anything could happen. So EPIC! But no matter what we do I think Mother Theresa said it best when she said,
“Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus.”
Looking forward to the New Year.
Until then
Grace and Peace,
Chris
So... We haven't blogged in ages (no excuses). But hey now we are back on track. Over the last few weeks after eating and sharing together, we have been dividing up portions of Luke 6 and digging into it, sharing our different perspectives. I think that has been really good, and really refreshing hearing from each other what God has been speaking to us through the scriptures. As we go forward, my hope is that we can continue to grow as a crew that knows God, builds each other up and loves the people around us in real tangible ways. See you guys next week. More to come, As always -Josh
