John’s Thoughts

Focused on Pursuing Christ

Wed, 2 Apr 2008 09:19:57 -0500

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)

Our faith requires focus and perseverance. Scripture teaches us that being focused on Jesus enables us to endure opposition and to persevere without losing heart.

This passage instructs us to throw off everything that hinders. What things get in the way of you running “the race marked out for us”?

In 2002, a man named Lloyd Scott gained international attention for recording the world’s slowest marathon time in the London Marathon—taking over five days to complete the course. Instead of wearing the typical competitor’s set of running shoes, shorts, and a tank-top, he “competed” wearing a complete deep-sea diver’s suit, including the metal helmet!

Sometimes our weariness can come from what we’re trying to take with us in the race of faith. If you find it hard to persevere, is it because you’re trying to carry too much with you?

Do you need to change your lifestyle to follow Jesus more effectively? What freedom might you find from what you leave behind?

They’re Not Cheering for the Donkey

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:22:38 -0500

As we read Mark 11:1-10 as part of our celebration of Palm Sunday and of CrossPoint’s Second Anniversary, I was struck by this aspect of the jubilant celebration described in the Scripture as Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey’s colt:

They’re not cheering for the donkey.

All the excitement, all the celebration, all the joy is because JESUS has come to town.

As we look at the many wonderful things God has done through CrossPoint Church in our first two years in Crown Point, our celebration is about Jesus himself, not about the way he’s come to town.

Humility is Jesus’ way of coming to town.
Thankfully, Jesus is happy to arrive on a donkey--because our lives resemble the donkey’s colt much more than they do a limousine! God has been pleased to use an unlikely group of ordinary people to do some extraordinary things. As we stay humble and keep serving others, we’ll keep on seeing Jesus bringing salvation to this community.

Those in the front and those in the back are all saying the same thing
• Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!”
• It doesn’t matter whether you’re a front row or back row person.
• It doesn’t matter whether you were in the launch team that came from Living Word, or whether you’ve just been coming to CrossPoint in the last couple weeks.
• What matters is that we’re all shouting about how great Jesus is!

…Eager to Do what is Good

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:10:56 -0500

As I look at these past two years since CrossPoint launched, I’ve been struck by one particular evidence of the grace of God among us. Paul says in Titus 2:14

…our great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.

Doing good with eagerness, not just as a duty or obligation, has been a hallmark of CrossPoint.

This is also a helpful benchmark for evaluation in our personal lives. Paul says that part of the purpose of Christ’s purifying work is to produce this eagerness in us to do what is good.

Take time this week to pray and assess your own heart-condition: “Am I eager to do good, or do I find it a burden to do what is good?”

If doing good is a duty rather than a delight, lift your eyes to Jesus and refresh your heart in the reality that eternity is not far off. We please the Lord and invest in eternity when we delight to do what is good.

Correction Not Rejection

Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:58:13 -0600

This past Sunday, we looked briefly at how Jesus’ rebuke of his disciples in Mark 8:14-21 was correction, not rejection. Here are some thoughts I hope you find helpful about how God shows us through his discipline that he really accepts us.
The Promise of Discipline is a “Word of Encouragement”
The author of the Biblical letter to the Hebrews was writing to believers who were being persecuted, imprisoned, and suffering the loss of their property because of their belief in Jesus Christ. In urging them to stand firm in their faith, he says: And you have forgotten the word of encouragement that addresses you as sons:
“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.”  (Hebrews 12:5-6; this is a quote from Proverbs 3:11-12)
Instead of us being afraid that God might discipline us, the Bible urges us to be encouraged, because God’s discipline is the sign that he really accepts us as his children. God’s discipline is not rejection! Instead, it is the evidence of his heavenly Fatherhood.
Enduring Hardship by Faith: Not Pleasant, but Promising!
The author continues his encouragement by urging us to see God’s fatherly hand in our hardship.
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. (Hebrews 12:7-8)
Here the author urges us to respond with faith to the hardship we experience in life. Instead of us viewing the trials and troubles we experience as signs of God’s absence, we should recognize hardship as God’s provision to help us grow.
Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, though, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:9-11)
These verses promise that God’s discipline in our lives is:
• For our good, so that we may share in his holiness
• Has the pain of training, not just that of punishment
• Produces a harvest of righteousness and peace in our lives when we receive its training.
Take to heart God’s encouragement and trust the “Father of our spirits” as he works in your life!

In Christ’s care,
--John

Faith Versus Fear

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 16:07:39 -0600

I’ve been continuing to think about the issues raised about fear, faith, and following Jesus from Mark 4:35–5:20, and wanted to share with you some thoughts about how faith overcomes fear.
Diagnosing the Problem, and Finding the Solution
Worry, fear, and anxiety are all closely related expressions of the same thing. We tend to think that our anxiety springs from the external situation(s) we’re facing, but Jesus says the issue is internal instead: “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). At the root of fear, anxiety, and worry is our failure to place our trust in God. Jesus emphasizes this in Matthew 6:25-34—as he instructs us not to worry about our lives, our bodies, and our needs, he shows that the issue again is about faith: “O you of little faith….”
So let us be clear that the struggle is not against a simple tendency to worry, but against a root issue of unbelief in our lives. On the one hand, this could seem discouraging, because it means that anxiety is a symptom of a more serious problem. But in reality, the right diagnosis points us towards the proper solution, and fighting for faith over unbelief turns our efforts in the right direction. We don’t combat fears by focusing on them, but rather by turning away from our fears towards Christ himself. Learning to overcome in this area will strengthen us against other temptations as well.
Moving Towards Victory
Far from the Bible promising believers immunity from moments of fear or from anxious thoughts, the fact that the Bible instructs us how to deal with these thoughts shows that we will experience moments of fear or anxiety. However, the Bible instructs us how to deal with these thoughts, so that we don’t become trapped in patterns of worry and fear:
“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)
Many Christians can quote this verse, but find it very difficult to release our cares to the Lord. Could this be because we’ve failed to realize that worry is often a form of disguised pride? Peter is actually saying: “’God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:5b-7) Humbling ourselves is the prerequisite. Casting our anxiety on the Lord is an expression of humble dependence on God, which is opposed to the pride of self-sufficiency and our desire to retain control.
I invite you this week to meditate on Matthew 6:25-34, confess pride and unbelief, and to practice the humility of faith, gladly depending on God’s promise: “he cares for you.”

In Christ’s care,
--John

Overcoming Anger

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 16:10:10 -0600

I’ve had a few interactions this week with people (including myself!) who have been grappling with the comparison between the anger Jesus exhibited in Mark 3:1-6, and the type of anger that so often characterizes our own lives. Compared with the righteous anger of Christ, my own anger normally seems selfish and petty.

So what do we do about this? If it seems like a battle is raging inside our own hearts and minds, what weapons has the Lord given us to overcome sinful anger, exercise self-control, and keep a joy-filled heart?

I’d like to suggest a few helpful items that, while not being an exhaustive list, will help us grow in this area.

• Focus on the Work of Christ at the Cross. In Christ, I am adopted as God’s child. In Christ, I am forgiven and counted righteous. In Christ, I am his co-heir to all God’s promises and riches. What I have in Christ reveals everything else in the world to be just rubbish by comparison (Philippians 3:7-11). Since much of my anger is triggered by my sense of being “robbed” of something precious to me, it is vital that I intentionally measure the worth of the thing I’m angry about and compare it to “the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.”
• Cultivate Contentment. I recall C.S. Lewis writing something to the effect that “the man who has Christ and all the world has no more than the man who has Christ alone.” Much of our anger comes from frustrated striving for goals that really can only be achieved as gifts from God. Let us affirm by faith what the Psalmist declares: “Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.” (Psalm 16:5-6)
• Forgive and Repent Quickly. Don’t let things build up. When you recognize that you’ve been sinned against, be quick to forgive—repeat as necessary! (Matthew 18:21-35). Equally, be quick to repent when you realize your own attitude is out of line—and repeat as necessary! Confess and pray humbly to the Lord, and apologize to others you’ve affected. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

May God bless you richly this week!

--John