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Living with Expectancy

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I woke this morning for another “Dark n’ Early” man-group/bible study. My home is the host for this weekly gathering, so I wake up beforehand to prepare coffee. As it approached the start time and then passed it, I sensed that this was going to be one of those mornings where I was the only man at man-group. So, my next thought was, “Well, you can go back to bed,” and I got a little excited about that.

Then it occurred to me: If I come into each day, meeting or moment expecting human, then I’m drastically missing out on something. As it turns out, I have the opportunity to meet with God.

This realization struck me. It made me wonder how many interactions I’ve gone into, only expecting a natural outcome, when, all the while, I have access to the supernatural. I have an open-door policy with the King of heaven and earth. He invites me in as a child, an heir and a friend.

So the proceeding question is: do I love the Lord? Does my heart look forward to meeting with Him. As selfish as it sounds, do I ask enough of Him or expect Him to show up? Honestly, I may ask a lot of Him (but probably more similar to the Genie in Aladdin; or a message in a bottle, drifting off to sea, perhaps stumbling upon an available soul on some distant shore), and even have some blind faith in Him; but I can’t say that I live with expectancy. To live with expectancy toward meeting with the Lord in the morning, or in prayer, is to fall further in love with Him. Because, when my expectations are met, it enhances the trust and adoration I have within me toward that which I have put faith in. This is what I mean, when I ask myself whether I truly love the Lord or not.

A growing desire of mine is to live in intimacy with the Lord; to sense His step before mine and to hear his voice when I am quiet, to know the heartbeat of his will, to laugh in private times of joy with Him, to be unshaken in the face of terror. I’m saddened to admit how little of my life truly reflects these proofs of intimacy. What I’m lead to mourn even more is that in the bride of Christ, I’m not alone. I grew up hearing “it’s about a relationship with God”, yet never seeing it in context; at most, it seemed we were acquaintances or maybe “pen-pals with God.” I’m certainly not alone in seeing this, and there are many that have come before me and who currently seek His face (just search “bridegroom of Christ” or “IHOP” for a few examples). This just happens to be another eye-opening morning, learning that I am broken and imperfect, but being made holy.

Both Lord and Messiah

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“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

-Acts 2:36

Our “Dark & Early” man-group read this today.  The entire passage surrounding this is fascinating and inspiring; I encourage you to read it.  The piece that stuck out to me was this question: what does the fact that Christ is Lord and Messiah mean for us today?  And might it even be exactly what we need in order to experience the signs, wonders, baptisms and powerful speaking that surrounded the early church when these words were first spoken?

“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

-Romans 10:9-10

So today I’m asking myself if I believe in my heart that God has raised Christ from the dead… enough to die for it? And I’m going to declare to someone I meet that Jesus is Lord.

Because, if He died and was raised, and I believe it, then I am justified. And if he is Lord, meaning I must surrender to Him in obedience will ALL aspects of my life, then speaking that truth is a proclamation of my salvation and his Lordship of my life. It often seems that if I was asked, “are you willing to die for your faith?” the answer is affirmative; but if asked, “When was the last time you told someone the Christ is Lord?” the occasions are sparse, if existent at all. Shouldn’t someone who claims to believe, also proclaim their belief?

I think so. I think that I personify more the “lukewarm believer” than a martyr. My prayer today is that I would be cut to the core, like our brothers from Acts were, that Christ would be proclaimed and many would be saved.

Mass Regrets

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So, I’m not Catholic per-se, but I think they have done a fairly good job of maintaining nomenclature regarding Mass; or gathering or “church”.  This is something I feel is being or has been forgotten.  As a Christ-follower, I understand that my ultimate goal is to honor and glorify God by surrendering my will to His.  Where these two ideas, of Mass and obedience to God, collide is where I am in this moment.

The discipline of gathering together to remember Christ’s body and blood is one that is ancient, holy and essential.  It is commanded by Christ, who is the fullness of God, and I could hardly consider calling myself a Christ-follower were I to neglect it.  Likewise, the benefit and duty of gathering is exhorted in scripture [Heb 10:25]; I have been its’ beneficiary and I encourage others to do the same.

What I would like to suggest is that we pause to ask ourselves, “Has God asked us to gather in this way?”

Weekly; Non-weekly. In a building; Not in a building. With thousands; With several. Lights, video and sound; silence and stillness. We’ve selected some methods that fit our culture, needs and preferences, but my fear and suggestion is that we have allowed the perriferal to become the essential.

As “the body”, which is the true “Church”, we use terminology such as, “going to church”, which doesn’t make any sense if we are to think about the words we use.  Then we have to clarify what we are talking about; if we are using the “big C or little c” in church. Frankly, “the church” is people and you can’t “go to” people.

The detriment here is not so much that we must be wordsmiths and English majors, but that we lose something by speaking this way. Cultural speech directs individual thinking. If I “go to church” then I “leave church” afterward. “Church” is then just a program, not a group of people living out a way of life.

Therefore, gather together. Feel free to put on a program (all the while, avoid calling it a “service”… let’s save that for when we actually serve people, so that we don’t misplace the meaning of that important word as well). But don’t forget that we are all the body, and gathering together is not our primary function. I’ve been let off the hook too many times by congregations whom allow me to sit, take and leave; I am essentially neglecting my responsibility as a “Christ-follower” of following Christ in His way.

May this be my official invitation to you, to hold me accountable for my responsibility to the way, and not to a program.

For more thoughts:
 https://www.theexaminer.org/volume7/number5/forsake.htm