The Jesus Knock

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20

So many times this passage gets used for come to Jesus moments. I've seen this used in many youth meetings and camps and conventions. While the intent is pure, I believe the interpretation is somewhat off. Jesus was saying this to a group of believers. Not unbelievers. So that means...

Jesus was knocking on the door of the church, where he should have already been inside. In a sense, Jesus was not there within the church at Laodicea. Jesus was saying, "Hey, I'm supposed to be represented by you, I'm supposed to be living through you!" "Invite me in and I will have true fellowship, true relationship, true communion with you!"

What do some churches do when they hear the Jesus Knock? They'd better tremble and seek the community of Christ once again. Note that this is NOT just about a group, but about an individual believer's response to being indifferent and non-impactful in their Christian walks. Lukewarm Christians equal lukewarm churches.

I would say there are many in our church that are aware of the Jesus knock. We even had a guy post a picture of this on our front Church door one Sunday! I am aware of the Jesus knock. I've heard it, and I realize my heart can become quickly indifferent to the things of God. I repent of this and seek to make Him known, and to have a relationship IN Christ. It's hard to admit, but I must be real and seek healing and renewal everyday. This passage points to renewal. But it also points to God's discipline and warning.

So, have you heard the Jesus knock lately?

God's Got Your Back!

This evening at 180 we had a pretty cool experience! I wanted to show you a picture
of the time we spent praying before heading out to do a "beach sweep." Seeing the sunset from this photo was a cool reminder that no matter where we are or what we do, the sun rises and sets, and in that time frame we have the hours to praise our God for his sustaining care and provision for us. We each are given the day. God's simple gift to us. Another way of looking at a sunset? God's got your back! The sunset on the backs of the students in the picture here are a reminder of that. The sun will be back around the planet in 12 hours. As we rest, and God's blessing the other half of the planet with the evidence of His glory, be mindful that he has his heart towards us 24-7. The evidence of creation doesn't end wth the sunset, but continues with the dance of the moon and the stars. (Sound poetic?) When we wake, we have the chance to praise God. The sun may set, but God's still there watching over us. A quote from Psalm 113:3:

"From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets,
the name of the LORD is to be praised."

Cutting Back

Have you noticed that when you don't deal with weeds, they grow and grow and grow? They take over what was once usable space. They get in the way of movement even!

I recently trimmed back a few weeds in our yard, and I smiled to think of the insurmountable task of getting it all done. The weeds keep growing! So if they keep growing, why even bother to cut them back?

You might as well even say, if I get dirty all the time, why do I need to take a bath? The principle is the same: Removing that which takes away from your and others living life as God intended is a daily process.

You have to attack the weeds every day, or they'll choke out all you love about life. You have to take a bath every day, or else you'll stink so bad no one will want to come around you.

Some spiritual hacking and cleansing is in order for me. I must cut back things that don't matter, the time robbers, the money wasters, the doubt builders. I must incessantly seek to love others because it gets through the weeds of the potential for pain and regret.

What if they reject me? Hack the weeds.
What if I say the wrong thing? Hack the weeds.
But I really want to buy that! Hack the weeds.
I've got to answer that call! Hack the weeds.
This person will like me if I do this. Hack the weeds.
I don't have time to read the Bible. Hack the weeds.
I'll play with my kid later. Hack the weeds.
God you want me to do what?? I'm not ready. Hack the weeds.
This movie isn't that bad. I can handle it. Hack the weeds.
I'll just pretend that I'm ok. Hack the weeds.

"Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." John 15:2

Why Sunday School Is A Dinosaur to Youth

I remember going to church as a young teen. I was a part of an exciting youth ministry at the church. I was a part of a great small group. I was a part of a great worship service at my church. The one thing that didn't click so well for me was Sunday School. I don't fault my teacher at all, but the forced nature of the class begged the question, "Why go?". I think it was a number of things, but primarily it was a structure set in place in the 1950s. Sunday School was set up so students could do their chores on the farm and then go learn to read from the Bible in School around 10:00am. One school house in the community.

Now schools educate our children differently. The Bible is far removed from the schools. Yet churches by and large, still have the structure of Sunday school. So there exists a dichotomy for the student. Learn one subject in church, learn another subject in school, never merge the two. Read the following article to make a little more sense of a recent study stating that 2 out of 3 teens are leaving the church.

Study Showing Teens Leaving Church

My thoughts about the article hit home. I teach youth Sunday School. We cover Creationism. In fact, we just taught about worldviews several weeks ago. We cover doctrine. We cover practical life issues students face. It's really more of a small group than a "Sunday School". No hokey "Jesus answers" here. But it gives me a moment of pause. Why have we hung on so much to a Sunday School structure? It may be our denomination, but other denominations have this as well. We would be wise to reexamine the evolution of the Sunday School Dinosaur. They're leaving in droves according to the research. Not in my case, but for how long? Relationships are key in making any connection with God matter. Perhaps the Sunday School has lost touch, and sequestered itself to one hour on Sunday, hoping to give out just the right nuggets to help the student survive the rest of the week. God help us.

God is Amazing!

God continues to blow me away at what he's doing in the lives of our students. Many were baptized as a result of coming to Christ several weeks ago, and several came to Christ tonight and were baptized at the same time! What was more important, they understood baptism. They got it. It wasn't just an act, but a beginning of a new life of obedience to Christ. Pray for these students and adults who were baptized. Heaven is having a party!! We should too! Any takers?