Entitled
Posted: February 22, 2012 Filed under: Culture | Tags: entitlement Leave a comment »It is rather appropriate that on the first day of lent I am thinking through the entitlement mentality of the dominate generation. David Murray has devoted the latest podcast to the issue and I think it is important to recognize it and ponder how to counter act it. The younger generation is terribly entitled. The expect to benefit without work or for little work. We are all prone to entitlement as a way of life but it is an inborn sickness among many.
Murray interacts with the mentality and I encourage you to at least read his post and think through how you are functionally entitled. And then stop it. Murray addresses what we are entitled to.
“As a Christian, I believe in one entitlement.
I’m entitled to Hell. That’s the only entitlement I have. That’s all I deserve, because of my sin. Anything else is grace, an unmerited bonus from the God of all grace. I don’t deserve a breath of life, a crumb of food, a drop of water, a stitch of clothing, a cent in my wallet, or an hour of education. I’m not entitled to one friend, one vacation, one verse of Scripture, or even one sermon. I’m certainly not entitled to salvation and heaven. I’m entitled to damnation and Hell.
That sense of entitlement makes me seek mercy, receive mercy, enjoy mercy, and be merciful to others. To paraphrase the Apostle Paul, “What have I that I did not receive as a free gift of divine grace? How therefore can I ever boast as if I had actually been entitled to it or earned it?”
So, there are basically only two ways to live: with a proud and angry sense of entitlement or with a humble and thankful sense of responsibility.”
Read the post and hear the podcast here.
Giving Up for Lent
Posted: February 21, 2012 Filed under: Faith | Tags: lent 1 Comment »
It is fat Tuesday (no weight jokes please) and I am feeling it. It is time to give up for lent. I am not giving up a specific food or media for the 40 day period of reflection and preparation for Easter. I doubt my schedule will change much in this season although I will probably have more free time. I am simply giving up for lent. For too long I have tried things by my own strength. I have attempted to accomplsih great things (and even good things) with my own ability. I have lived a self-centered faith and it is tiring, pointless and over.
For lent I am giving up. I am learning to fully trust my savior and his sovereignty over my own. I am learning to love those around me in response to the way I have been loved. I am determining to be faithful to my God and see what might happen. This year for lent I am giving up!
Retelling the Story
Posted: February 20, 2012 Filed under: Culture, Faith | Tags: gospels translated, Jesus, modern jesus 1 Comment »
One of my favorite authors of this generation, Matt Mikalatos, is in the midst of a new blog series where he is retelling the gospel stories in a modern context. It is taking place on Western Seminary’s Transformed blog. Having grown up in the church he felt as if he had all the right answers but none of the awe. “Somewhere along the way, I realized that my emotional responses to Jesus, which ranged from a mild, pleasant feeling all the way to a mild, semi-crippling guilt, didn’t match the emotional responses of the people interacting with Jesus in the scriptures. They felt terror when he calmed the seas. They experienced hate-filled, murderous impulses when they heard his teaching. They wept in his presence, they repented of their sins, they fell at his feet in worship. I started to wonder if maybe I was the simplistic, two-dimensional character. I needed to take a fresh look at Jesus.”
He is just one “translation” into his experiment and I think it is worth keeping an eye on. Too often we have our assumed conception of Jesus and the significance of his work but we rarely have the trembling awe that would be appropriate. I agree with Mikalatos that we must think through the lens that will give us the clearest view – our context. In the very least his series will be enjoyable and maybe just a little awe-inspiring.
Go here for the introduction and here for the first of his translations.
Discipleship and relationship
Posted: February 16, 2012 Filed under: Church Life & Planting, Discipleship and Group Life Leave a comment »
Justin Buzzard has a great post about the practical side of discipling new believers. We too often use the language of discipleship but rarely do it well. Buzzard lays outs some keys to the ways he disciples new believers and Bible study is central to that. Relationship is also key and I love his definition of the discipleship.
“Discipleship is truth transferred through relationship.“
Let it sink in. Discipleship is part of the pulpit ministry. It is central to our small groups. But overall it is about relationship. It is about sharing space and life. To disciple well we must be willing to be in relationship, not casually but wholly.
