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6 Words I Long To Hear

January 30, 2015 by brianmichaelsteck Leave a Comment

In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus tells the parable of Ten Minas, in which a master of noble birth (Himself) goes away to another city (Heaven) to become King and leaves his servants (us) the task of safeguarding and investing money (the Gospel) while He is gone. Upon His return, he speaks 6 words I long to hear:

“Well done, good and faithful servant.”

There is nothing like these words that make my eyes tear up and my heart fill with expectation. To be found faithful by my master is a profound joy and deep desire upon my heart.

How are you investing the “ten minas” that God has given you?

Do you long to hear these same 6 words?

What does it look like to be a faithful servant today?

Who are you investing your “minas” into?

The Wicked Servant

One striking element to me in this passage is the master’s response to the servant who merely maintained his investment. Jesus refers to him as a “wicked servant”. Harsh? Perhaps. Yet, if this is how the master, now King, responds to the servant, it makes me question if we haven’t placed a sufficient weight or priority on putting our experience of The Gospel in our lives to work.

It seems that we, as Christians, are in danger of misappropriating our energy and emphasis. The Gospel must be shared; and a danger that I see in our current society is that, in the United States, we believe we are a “christian nation”. America’s general consensus regarding the Gospel is, “We’ve already heard it and are uninterested,” which only proves that they never heard the Gospel — I know this because the Gospel, in it’s whole truth, is compelling and mind-blowing.

The Gospel

A King made himself a servant, enduring all the earthly pains that we experience. He freely offered himself as a sacrifice, being beaten and tortured on my (and your) behalf, to the point of death on a crucifix. But conquering death, he arose on the third day and re-appeared to hundreds of His followers. With grace and forgiveness, he invited all to be joint heirs in the Kingdom, leaving us with His Holy Spirit. He is returning and His Kingdom is at hand; we are entrusted with the glorious task of being ambassadors of His Kingdom until He returns. Our joy is not heaven and clouds and harps… it’s the mighty embrace of a King who is available to intimately engage on a daily basis and a front-row seat at watching Him bring His Kingdom to earth, one person at a time.

Pain, tears, sin and death are currently all being put in their proper place, as Christ’s footstool. Soon, every knee and every tongue will bow in humble adoration of the true King. There is nothing keeping you from His presence. He wants you, now… completely. He knows you and the darkest secrets of your past and they are not too much for His grace. He has a plan for your life, if you’ll only surrender to your creator — then, He will guide you into the fullness that you were created to be. Not a personality-drained God-robot, but a uniquely created expression of the One True and Holy God.

Really. I’m serious. He has SO MUCH in store for you.

Closing Prayer

“Lord, I pray that our lives would be a demonstration of the Gospel to those around us, but also that you would awaken our spirits to the opportunities around us to be your mouthpiece in gently and diligently guiding seekers into full devotion to Christ… for your namesake and glory!”

“Lead us into a full knowledge of you. We surrender our hearts and our will to you, and trust your plan for our lives. Have your will, that in the end you may be able to speak these words over me, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.'”

Jesus at the center of it all

January 25, 2015 by brianmichaelsteck Leave a Comment

What would it look like if Jesus were at the center of every piece of your life? To be the breath, the heartbeat, the one single goal and desire of our existence; even if you could picture it, how might you go about putting Jesus at the center of it all?

Often, this concept lives just outside the realm of my understanding. It exists as an ideal that I can’t quite put my finger on. Yet, when I’m still, I know that deep down, my soul longs for Christ to be at the center; even when I can’t fully grasp what that means in practice.

Letters from a potato-cutting monk, known by the name of Brother Lawrence, were compiled into a book titled “Practicing the Presence of God” in which he stumbles through the growing process of learning to walk with God in every moment; the mundane, the busy, the seemingly unholy.

Is this it? Is that Jesus at the center of it all?

A group of dreadlock-wearing, clothes-sewing, homeless-loving Christ-followers settled down in an abandoned building in Philly-Camden to pursue radical generosity, selflessness, fellowship and sustainable living; prompting them to pour $10,000 into the streets during their “year of jubilee.”

Is this it? Is this Jesus at the center of it all?

24/7 prayer breaks out across the world as a few wild and unschooled intercessors inadvertently start the epidemic spread of ceaseless prayer amongst youth. A vision of a sea of worshipers is followed by a vow crying out from a generation of nameless, faceless prayer warriors.

Is this what it looks like for Jesus to be at the center of it all?

Maybe… Probably… But is there more?

What else does God have in store for His people? What if you’re steps away from actualizing a new piece of the Kingdom of God here on earth? God knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

The Gospel is not limited to your salvation and promise of heaven when you die. The Good News is that the veil was torn between the people and the holy of holies. We have been adopted as sons and daughters who can approach the throne with confidence because of Christ’s offering on Calvary.

No more required sacrifice for our atonement. No more captivity to sin or to fear. His Kingdom is coming and all His enemies are being put under His footstool, including death.

The Great News is that we have full-access to God through the Holy Spirit, our counselor and helper; moreover, this Servant-King has invited us to be His ambassadors and official Kingdom-bringers. He has written his law on our hearts and given us the mind of Christ that we might obediently walk out the unique piece of the Kingdom that he has placed on us as our life’s calling.

Jesus at the center of it all may look like quiet meditation, a prayer movement or radical generosity; but it undoubtedly looks like you living out a God-given vision on your life.

Be still. Call on Him. Walk it out… Jesus at the center of it all.

Move Forward Into The Unknown

July 17, 2014 by brianmichaelsteck Leave a Comment

When faced with a decision, especially one requiring trust and sacrifice — looking forward into the unknown and leaving behind the security and comfort of the familiar — there is one primary concept at work that has been bubbling to the surface lately. That is, “If you’ve heard from the Lord, move forward into the unknown.”

We are such creatures of habit. We love the familiar. We trust the tried, true and tested and fear “new” and “different”. But if we are to believe that, as Christians, we’re not simply biding our time here on earth, awaiting a “chariot to carry us home”, but instead that God has invited us into an adventure of epic and eternal proportions — here, now, forever — then gripping the armchair of comfort is not choosing His best for us.

Do you believe that God wants to pull you out of the mundane? Can you dream with me for a second that “normal” is not God’s design for your few decades of earthly existence?

Stop. Listen closely. Be still. You can almost smell the aroma of heaven, inviting you into a story far greater than your wildest imaginations; a story of redemption, wholeness, victorious trials and intimate relationship with a king, creator and friend.

Your next decision beckons you homeward. Will you choose fear and security, or will you stand at the mountain’s edge and step off into the wild journey of faith? I pray you might move forward into the unknown.

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