The Gospel

He hugged his brother’s killer. He offered her forgiveness. He said that he loved her. How could Brandt Jean do that? How could he offer a second chance to the woman that killed his brother, Botham Jean? How did he choose love over hate?

That’s the gospel.

A man had a child.   He loved that child and gave that child everything he could.   One day that child left home and went off and did wrong.   The child was broken down and spent, so he decided to come home to his father’s house, and he wondered if his father would have him.  He was surprised when the father didn’t just let him come back…he welcomed him with open arms and restored him to his place as a son.  That’s the gospel. (See Luke 15)

A woman lost a $20 bill, and she didn’t give up until she found it.   It was lost, and she made sure she found it.  That’s the gospel.

And there was a shepherd who had 100 sheep.  One went lost.   He left his flock and went and found that sheep.  That’s the gospel.

And there was a Father who created the world.  He created man to be like himself…but mankind forsook that call.   We turned away from the possibility of being like God and gave in to a lesser and evil way.  That brought pain and sickness and a curse.   It brought death.  But, God had a plan to fix it all.   He had a way to bring his creation back home to himself.   He went after mankind.  He worked with his convenant people, Israel, and taught them his ways.   Even when they forsook him, he was faithful and gracious.  And, they forsook him again and again.  So, they went into exile, strangers in a strange land.  Then, after years they came back to their promised Land, but things weren’t the same.   You see, the chosen people of God now lived as a conquiered people.   Their holy Land was now a part of the Roman empire, and they were its lowly subjects.  So, they awaited their coming King.  Some came and claimed to be the King , but they were squashed and killed.   Their little revolts came to nothing.  Then, one came along that was different.   He could health the sick, feed the masses, and even raise dead Lazarus.  He taught about God’s reign.   He lived and taught like no other.  He had the Spirit of God.  And, if you listened, you’d hear him say that he was one with the Father.

God had come again to his people!  He had come to restore what was broken and preach the good favor of the Lord God!

And then, it happened…
He was arrested.
Flogged.
Put to an open shame.
He bled and suffered.
Crucified.
Laid in the tomb….

And then something else happened…
God raised him.  

He was seen by many people.   He ate and drank and talked.   And, then he ascended to the sky.

A few days later his chosen spokesmen started telling what all this meant.  

It turns out that the chosen King had come to redeem his people….ALL his people…not just the nation of Israel. 

He had come to find what was lost.  

He had come to heal what was broken.  

He was come to restore what was messed up.  

He had come for his creation.  

He had come for you and for me.

He had come that we might have life and live it abundantly.

He came so we could be his people, his group, his squad, his crew, his nation, his partners, his co-workers in the building of his kingdom, and that one day our bodies will be brought back to life.     The bodies that were decayed by sin will one day be resurrected to live forever.

He came so that we who are lost might be found.

That’s the gospel.

And, just as Brandt Jean could tell Amber Guyger that the best thing for her would be to become a Christian, that’s my message to you. The very best thing you could do with your life, no matter where you are in it, is to follow Jesus. He offers resurrection. He offers new life. He offers the very best.

That’s the gospel.

The Most Important Thing For Following Jesus

Why would thousands of people sit in 100 degree weather for hours in stadium seats in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?

Why would a mother gladly change multiple diapers per day and sort of enjoy it?

Love.

Those fans love the game. That mother loves that baby.

Following Jesus means doing difficult things. There’s only one way to do it –

Love the Lord your God with everything you’ve got. And love others like they were your own self.

For too long, I tried to follow Jesus mostly with my head. But, Jesus said to love him not just with your mind, but also with your strength, with your very being. It has to be a heart and gut sort of thing. Not just a words and thought sort of thing. Down deep in your heart, when think you’re all alone – what do you really want? What are your desires and goals? What are you really working for?

If you read the Psalms, you get a peak into a man’s heart. David has some bad times. He wandered away from God, but he came back. And, he wrote the outpouring of his heart, and his heart really wanted something. He wanted to know God and have his blessing. He wanted to build God’s kingdom. He loved God.

When you read the Psalms, can you identify with that longing, that deep down desire for God? Does your soul want to build his kingdom, accomplish his purposes….or is it more about building your own kingdom…accomplishing your purposes?

When Jesus faced the cross, he said to his Father, “not my will, but yours be done.” He said the same thing all of his life. I’m here to do the Father’s will. I’m here to do his work and accomplish his mission.

Now, why would you do that?

Because you love him. You love him like an Alabama football fan sitting in 100 degree weather. You love him like a new mother loves her baby and would do anything for that baby. You love him like David who bled out his heart for God in the Psalms. And, you love like Jesus, who loved us to the end, and then rose to love some more.

I want to love like that. Don’t you? That’s how you follow Jesus.

Why would I want to follow Jesus?

Why would anyone follow Jesus? Haven’t they heard there is a cross involved? I mean, we’re talking suffering and death. We’re talking forsaking pleasures. We’re talking sacrifice. Why in the world would you want to do that?

Why? Because…

ONE – it’s true.

The thing is, there really was a man named Jesus who lived and died about 2,000 years ago. The question is – did he rise from the dead? Followers of Christ are willing to sacrifice for this fundamental reason: God raised Jesus from the dead. Now, it’s up to you. You have to decide if you believe. Consider the evidence. Prove what is true. Read the gospels and see if they are true. Then, if they are true, you have to consider…

TWO – it’s totally worth it.

Imagine if you will someone who is running against the wind. It may be fun, and it may be exciting, but wouldn’t running by much better if you ran with the wind? God is who made this world and who holds it together. Wouldn’t it be better to live in the power of his Spirit instead of fighting against it all your life? Wouldn’t that give you love, joy, and peace? Sure, it might mean suffering and sacrifice and even a cross, but if the suffering is temporary and the reward is forever, wouldn’t it just make sense? And, what if even in the suffering you are able to drink of the water that your spirit needs and breath the fresh air that your soul needs to really be alive? Wouldn’t that make it all worth it?

THREE – We love him because he first loved us.

We love him because he first loved us. If Jesus loved you enough to live and die for you, doesn’t it make sense that you’d want to know him and be friends with him and live with him and do what you could for him? Wouldn’t you want to be around his people and serve in his kingdom? If you’re choosing a leader to follow and a friend to have, there could be not a better.

I’m sure there’s more reasons to follow Jesus, and if you’d like to share them, please do so!

Spirit: A Look in the Face

You pass an older, African American woman as you’re headed into the grocery store. She’s different from you. Different background, different clothes, and she walks kind of slow. What do you see? Do you see someone who could be like family to you, the great-aunt you love so much?

And, the young woman that is working as a cashier, looking sort of tired, and not as responsive as you’d like…do you see see someone who could be your family, the cousin that you have loved since she was just a baby?

When you run into the man outside the grocery store, who is sitting there on a bench in the hot Southern sun, with a two day old shave, and the clothes he’s undoubtedly been wearing for a few days… what do you see? Do you just see a beggar in your way, or a man that could be a good friend, a brother?

Here is a big mark of the Holy Spirit in your life: Do you recognize the image of God? He’s there in the midst of everyday life. He’s there in the faces of the people you meet. Do you see it?

In the gospels, the demons recognized Jesus for who he was. They knew he was the Son of God. Now, if the devils recognized Jesus, don’t you think the Spirit of God would recognize the image of God? If you are a Jesus follower, then you are told that you have the Spirit of God in you. And, when you are in tune with the Spirit of God, you’ll recognize something very special: Every single person has something of God in them.

So, it changes how you see people. You don’t see people as things to be used, but as marvelous, unimaginable glimpses into the very essence of God. His image. His representation. His likeness.

Genesis 1:26.

It’s Real and It Hurts: The Pain and the Glory

The world just ain’t like it should be.  Now I’m not a complainer.  Wasn’t raised that way.  But, if God is good and He is powerful, why are things the way they are?  Why did an eleven year old boy have to die this past week in a car wreck?  When did countless people lose their homes after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas?  Why is their still racial unrest in the United States?  Why? Why? Why?

If God is all powerful and all good, why hasn’t he done something about all of this?  Why do the good suffer and the evil seem to prosper?  Why do children in Nueva Vida in Ciudad Sandino, Nicaragua, suffer so much that they literally dig through trash to survive?  Why are there beautiful families living on $30 a month in rural areas all around Managua, Nicaragua?

The Gospel of Christ doesn’t ask us to ignore these questions.  In fact, you may never really get to the gospel if you don’t face this reality:  The world ain’t like it should be.

One of my favorite passages in the Bible is couched in this very reality.  It’s Romans 1 where Paul says that he’s not ashamed of the Gospel because it’s the power of God for salvation.  Then, in the next verse (17), he says that in it the righteousness of God is reveal from faithfulness to faithfulness, and then he quotes the prophet Habakkuk, “The righteous one will live by faithfulness.”

Now, you might just skim over that, but if you do, you might miss something very powerful about the gospel.

It turns out the you can’t really hear the good news until you’ve faced the bad news that the world is messed up.

In Habakkuk, the prophet asks God why he hasn’t done something about the messed up situation Israel is in.  God replies that he is doing something about it, in fact, something that the prophet doesn’t understand.  And, in the middle of all that, there is the scripture that Paul references, “The righteous one will live by faithfulness,” Habakkuk 2:4.

Here’s the way I read all of that.

Yes, the world is messed up.

Yes, God is doing something about it.

Just like in Habakkuk’s days, people may not understand it.  The good news is that the secret of God’s work to fix the world has been revealed.  The good news is that God is fixing everything that is broken.

Don’t deny the brokenness.

Only when you realize the darkness can you appreciate the light.

The light is this:  God is doing something in the world to put it back together again.  He’s making everything right.  And, we get to be a part of it.

God is faithful to his creation.  He’s faithful to redeem this world.  And, he is faithful to his promise to love you.  It may not seem like it right now, for all you may be going through, but God loves you.  And, he’s turning this situation around.

And, you know what?  He will succeed.  But, you know the beautiful part of it is?  We get to be his co-laborers.  We get to be involved in fixing this world.

His faithfulness leads to ours.

His grace leads to our love.

His resurrection leads to our new life.

And, we get to change the world together.

No hurricane can stop us.  No unfaithfulness can deter us.   Because we’re not at the helm.  The creator is.  And, that’s good news.

Change the World

I have a confession.  I’m not ashamed of the gospel.

Now, I might not even mean what you think I mean.

I believe the gospel is world changing.  And, again, I might not mean what you think I mean.

But, there it is.

A couple of weeks ago I went on a mission trip to Nicaragua.  We helped put on special events (we call them Vacation Bible School or VBS).  The kicker was we offered lunch for the kids there.  Turns out if we hadn’t restricted the event, then every kid in the neighborhood would have showed up.  Why?   Lunch.

A friend of mine asked if we were going to proselytize or what.  I think what she was asking was whether we were going to peddle religion or were we going to really help people.

I’ve thought about that.  You know religion can be nothing more than a way to say I’m better than you are.  I have “special knowledge” that puts me into a special relationship with the divine.  I’ve got the right superstition…and I’ve got to show you just the right ritual so you can be as blessed as me.

Now, that’s the way some people see a lot of what missionaries do.  They’re just peddling their set of rituals.

And, sometimes that may just be true.

But, I want to say that that’s not at all what the gospel is about.  It’s about changing the world.  It’s the power of the creator of the Universe.  It’s God fixing the world.  It’s the only good thing we really have to share.  It’s the reality of the creative and redemptive work of God in the world.

Paul said, “I’m not ashamed of the gospel, for it’s the power of God unto salvation.”

I’m going to explore what he meant there in the next few posts, and I hope you’ll come with me.  You might just be surprised at what you see.

Blessed Are the Poor in Spirit

A poor farmer followed Jesus.  He went out into the wilderness with him.  He expected a miracle.  He expected a revolution.  He heard that Jesus was the long expected king.  The Messiah.

Time had been rough for the farmer.  In fact, times had been rough for all Israel.  The farmer, like all of his friends resented the dreaded Romans.  They had the nerve to claim rule over the Holy Land!  They had the audacity to overtax God’s holy people.  The farmer knew that there would arise a promised one who would drive the dreaded Romans out.  And, now…he’s here.  This Jesus.  He’s going to do it.

So, the farmer walked away from his daily work to follow this man.  He became a disciple.  He was going to learn from him.  And, now the teacher has sat down to teach and to explain his kingdom.  His reign.  The reign of God.

And, the first words out of his mouth hit the farmer like a ton of bricks.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

You see, the farmer had come to hear about God’s reign.  About the reign of the heavens.  About this man Jesus’ inauguration of that reign.    And, the first words out of the King’s mouth are a blessing that hit the farmer right in his heart.

You see, the farmer, like all of his friends was poor.  They had been working subsistence jobs all their lives.  They had been waiting patiently for God’s Messiah,  And, his first words are…the kingdom is yours.  It belongs to you poor, humble, contrite people who have been beaten down and trodden down and worked to the ground.

It belongs to you humble followers.  It’s yours.

And, so it begins.  The farmer hangs on every word.  It was what his heart longed for.

What is The Bible All About and Why Are You a Christian?

What  do you say to someone who isn’t really familiar with the Bible?  How do you communicate what is in your heart and soul about following Jesus?  How do you talk about this without sounding stuck up, condescending, or just dumb?  Well, I’m not sure I’m going to avoid any of those, but I’m going to give it a shot.  Here goes.

What Does Being a Christian Mean to Me?

What is the Bible All About?

There’s this story about this kid.  He escaped from a WWII work camp in Eastern Europe, and just wanted to find his mom.  So, he made this incredible journey across Europe.  Such bravery.  Such spirit.  And, he found her.  But, you know that’s not our story.

Here’s another story.  This girl gets held captive by terrorists.  Goes on for years.   And, she’s awaiting her death sentence.  Turns out all this time her father has been searching for her, and one day her rich brother shows up.  He’s going to pay the ransom, and the ransom is his life.  He’ll take his sister’s place.   So, the girl is rescued.

That’s more our story.  The world is messed up.   Cancer.  Corruption.  Death.  It’s there.  Our story is that God came into this messed up world.  He came for us.

Jesus died and arose to rescue the world.  To set it right. To beat death.  And, he did.  He arose.

So, we’re blessed, even if we suffer, even if we cry sometimes, because we know that his reign is coming.  It’s a reign of love and truth.  And, so we shine.  We do all we can to show the truth of the world, this powerful love.

And, we do crazy things like loving our enemies.  We do unheard of things like being pure in heart and mind.  Why?  Because there’s this truth that we’re living out.   It’s the reign of the real King of the world.

So, we don’t do our religion just for show.  Yeah, we go to worship, but it’s not to be in the social club.  Yeah, we pray, but it’s not for political brownie points.  It’s because we know this is real, and it’s world changing.   And, we don’t get caught up in materialism, because we know there’s a greater purpose for our lives.  And, we don’t worry, because we know how it all ends and who is in control.

And, we’re not hard on people because we know they are fellow travelers too who are on this journey to truth and love.

We may not be perfect, but we are affected by this powerful love.

So, that’s what I’d try to say to my friends, and that’s the way I try to live.  I don’t do the best job of it from time to time, but that’s why I’m thankful for the grace of God.  Because like we said at the beginning, we don’t earn our way to God.  He paid the ultimate price for us.  He came searching for us.   And, maybe right now, he’s searching for you.

Do You Choose to Follow Jesus?

I love the idea of Jesus dying for me, but I don’t want to suffer and die on a cross.  The pain.  The suffering.  The shame.  I mean he died a public death in front the whole world.  He was executed!  And, that’s about the last thing on the world I’d want to endure.

So, I have a dream.  And, in my dream I die of cardiac arrest, and I go to heaven.  God speaks to me and tells me that I can go back to earth on a special mission.  I’ll be his man.  I’ll be a preacher.   Many will turn to him and be saved!   I’m ready to say, “Here I am, send me”…then, I hear these words.  “If you go back, you will be rejected.  Your friends will turn on you.  You will be preaching in the Middle East.  In the end, they will crucify you and behead you.”  And, in my dream, I pause.  I’m not sure what to say, and then I wake up.

What was my choice going to be?

The Jesus gospel sounds so great until you’re put in the place of giving your all.

I want you to hear what Jesus said (Matthew 13:44-46):

The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,  who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Imagine you find a tract of land in Baldwin County, Alabama, that has oil reserves to rival those of Saudi Arabia.  Billion of barrels beneath those mossy oaks.  So, you beg and you borrow.  You have nothing left but the Thrift Store clothes on your back, but you scrape up enough to do it.  You buy that field.    It was the only choice.  It cost you everything.  It cost you nothing.

And, that’s the way it is with following Jesus.  The stakes are high.  The reward is great.  It will cost you everything, and it will cost you nothing.

So, what’s your choice going to be?

What If I Don’t Like Church?

I know people who believe in Jesus but aren’t plugged in to a local church.  They’re just not into it.

They like Jesus, but not church.

I love the church, and it bothers me that people would like Christ…but not the body of Christ.  Don’t the two go together?

Well, what if that’s the problem.  What if the church has become something other than what God intended it to be?  What if it has morphed into a something very different than how it started out.

Well, what if they could go back and see it in its infancy?  What if they could see it as it started out, and see what God intended for it to be?

Wouldn’t it be great if we could show them that?

Well, it turns out you can.

Scripture

Luke was a doctor who wrote…wait for it…the Gospel of…Luke.  But, he also wrote a book we know as the Acts of the Apostles, or Acts for short.  It turns out these are really one big book.  Acts picks up where Luke stops.  Luke is about the life of Jesus.  Acts is about the  early church.  When you read these two books together, a pattern emerges:

What Jesus does, the early church does.

Jesus fed the poor.  The early church fed the poor.

Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of God.  The early church proclaimed the kingdom.

And, on and on we could go.

The early church mirrored the life of Jesus.  His life formed their life, personally and communally.

So much so, that outsiders even called them by his name…they called them “Christ followers” or “Christians.”

So, here’s the challenge:

Go back and read the Acts of the Apostles (right after you’ve finished with Luke).  And, then ask yourself…what was this group called “The Way” all about?

Did they carry out Jesus’ mission of love and compassion?

Did they embody his message of resurrection and new life?

Did they bring about a revolutionary change in the world?

The Way

So, if you’re reading this and you’re one of those people that isn’t plugged in to a local church, then I’m not here to judge you, but I want to ask you this.  What if you could be a part of revolutionary group like you read about in Acts?  What if you could find a group like that?

Well, then I challenge you to look for that group in your community.  Look for a group that looks like Jesus.

And, if there’s not one…why don’t you form one?

Well, now if you’re reading this and you are a part of a church, then let me challenge you.  Is your church a lot like what you read about in Acts?  Is it a lot like what you read about in Luke?  If not, then I challenge you to look back to the reason we’re doing all of this.  Look back to Jesus, and focus on him.  And, see just how much like him we can become.  Because, guess what…he’s what it’s all about.