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A Generous Kind of People

August 9, 2011 by brianmichaelsteck Leave a Comment

YouVersion has an excellent selection of scripture reading plans. I’ve used a few of them in my time with the Lord and it has been really good for me. Currently, I’m reading through a selection of verses on the topic of biblical generosity.

My first observation when I began reading was that the verses didn’t seem to be directly about generosity, or at least how I was expecting them. Instead, they catalogued references to God’s generosity towards us. As I thought about this, I realized how important that is; if we first grasp the generous love that God has towards us, then responding in generous love comes about more naturally, and not as an obligation. We serve a God who is stunningly benevolent towards us. Take a moment to be reflect on what God has blessed your life with and let Him move you.

The body of believers I gather with regularly has been talking about how God is a reaching, restoring and reproducing God. Recent conversations have revolved around the restoring aspect as it relates to local and global injustice. This caught my attention this morning as I read about generosity and the scripture repeatedly referred to ways that God is just and how He thinks about our behavior towards those in need. It became very obvious that this is important to God and that our stance on injustice has something to do with our understanding of generosity.

A discussion last night uncovered a definition of injustice that makes sense to me: Injustice is what makes you say to yourself, “That is not right.” For me, some of those things are single-moms struggling to make ends meet and no one to fight for them; children in verbally, physically or emotionally abusive homes; an elderly man spending the last 20 years of his life alone, while he lives in a suburban home on a street where Christ-followers live; a woman feeling as if her only way to be noticed is to wear low-cut shirts and hang out at the bars, or come dangerously close to death by overdosing, cutting or eating. These things make me cringe and cry out inside, “That is not right!”

Originally, I thought that injustice was only starving babies on distant continents or dictators exerting harsh and oppressive control — that is injustice and it must end. Yet, I’m discovering that not all injustice is out of our reach. Most of it is next door or across the street.

A generous kind of people is one that has encountered the restoring love of God and invites others to be swept away in God’s redemptive stream of life. I long for the label of “Christian” or “Christ-follower” be one that stirs pictures of people who are actively involved in writing a story marked by making right the things that are “just not right” and seeing the Kingdom of God come in fullness.

Parting thought: If you were to take a step toward removing the barriers that keep you from a just lifestyle, what would that barrier be? If you were to make one decision that advances the Kingdom in relation to injustice or invites others to join with you, what would that decision be?

In short: What is holding you back? How are you moving forward?

Filed Under: Discipleship Tagged With: Generosity, Injustice, Kingdom of God, Mission Church

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster

Awakening to Prayer

August 7, 2011 by brianmichaelsteck Leave a Comment

Lately, I have sensed an awakening. It may just be in my own heart, but I hope that is not the case. It is true that God is always on the move and awakening us to new wonders. He dusts us off and breaks us from rusty chains that bind us. He breaths life into our spiritually dead bodies – and it is good.

Specifically, I’m encountering a re-awakening of the love of prayer. In all humility and honesty, I admit that prayer is not easy for me, nor do I spend countless hours before Him. But it is in that weakness that I share the joy that I am receiving through the study and practice of the discipline of prayer. Hearing stories of strangers being healed out of their wheelchairs in Target, or knowing that sin patterns are being destroyed has been encouraging me to draw nearer to this gift of prayer.

Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster
Recently, I’ve began revisiting Celebration of the Disciplines by Richard Foster. This book, along with two others by Dallas Willard (The Divine Conspiracy and Spirit of the Disciplines), was instrumental in changing my life back in 2002-2003. My mentor at the time suggested I read these and it awakened my heart and mind to a new life in Christ. What has recently drawn me to Richard’s work is the desire to grow in disciplines with some fellow men. I’ve seen the need for prayer and my passion for encountering God in truth and walking with other men towards a fully-surrendered lifestyle has pulled me back into Foster’s writing.

I encourage you, and even beg you, to consider where you stand in this area. You may have never prayed a prayer in your life and have no idea where to start — or even a desire to start at all. That’s of little importance; the important thing is that you must at least be clear on it. Coming to God with an honest prayer, saying “Lord, I honestly don’t even desire to pray to you right now… change my heart”, is all that it takes. The world needs men and women who are stepping out in prayer for the sake of others and the Kingdom. So, join me, in my weakness, and let’s walk towards God in this practice of prayer.

Filed Under: Discipleship Tagged With: Prayer, Richard Foster, Spiritual Disciplines

Slaughtered Lamb from "Jesus for President" by Claiborne and Haw

True symbol of new life

March 15, 2011 by brianmichaelsteck Leave a Comment

For a while I’ve had this thought that the symbol of the cross, while central to history and our salvation, has been mired and muddied by rap stars, movie stars, basketball players and “religious” persons who don’t know the first thing about love. This is due to a lack of proper teaching in reference to the cross. The cross is a symbol of victory; of the God of the universe, humbled next to thieves, bearing our deserved punishment because we couldn’t. The cross of Christ is precious and holy and absolutely necessary. Yet, we see it now through glazed-over eyes, if we even see it at all.

Slaughtered Lamb from "Jesus for President" by Claiborne and HawA year or so ago, I was reading “Jesus for President” by Shaine Claiborne and Chris Haw. They help restore of view of Christ as our valiant King who came as a sacrificial lamb.

As we remind ourselves about what Christ actually did, I try to take in the fact that the rightful King of creation was murdered in such a humble way. I’m sobered and humbled by that. But the story didn’t and doesn’t end there.

The cross in that day was the equivalent of the electric chair in ours. A despised and horrid vehicle of death. I think it’s crazy and worrisome that we wear them so casually–and we should remind ourselves of the cross. But I suppose that we continue reminding ourselves of His story.

For me, the empty tomb is what captures the essence of Christ’s power and resurrection. Many thousands were crucified; but they stayed dead. On the third day, our Lord conquered the grave.

I write this to remind you of the gospel of truth. Our savior died for us, was victor over death and is coming back. Turn your heart to Jesus and let Him heal your wounds and stand as substitute for your rebellious heart.

Filed Under: Church Philosophy

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