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A Tool for Spiritual Growth - REAP

3/2/2018

I know. What I’m about to say are a bunch of cliches, but they are true.

“My kids are growing like weeds.”
“I’ve blinked, and they have grown.”
“I need to savor the sweet moments of their early childhood, because they won’t always be this small.”

It’s true. Growth is inevitable. Growth is a natural part of healthy life. But growth happens through intention.

When it comes to growth, there are really two types of goals. Input goals, and output goals.
I want my kids to grow. That is an output goal. That is the aim and desired result.
I need to feed my kids nutritious food and parent them well so that they will grow. That is the input goal. That needs to be in place in order for healthy growth to happen.

When it comes to becoming a healthy, biblical disciple of Jesus, we need a plan for personal spiritual growth.

So do you have a plan for personal spiritual growth?
Are you living that plan in your life?
Is it working well?
Are you actively reading scripture and applying it daily?

If you have answered any of the above questions in the negative—this post is for you.

It is crucial that disciples of Jesus are intentionally growing in Jesus. God’s plan for us is growth. God’s desire for us is maturity.

The goal of discipleship is more than knowledge. It is transformation. It is growth. It is maturity.
The goal of being a disciple is to be like Jesus. To be Christ-like.

As Jesus Himself says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher” (Luke 6:40).

Again, it is crucial that disciples of Jesus are intentionally growing in Jesus. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen by accident. It’s not like I can say “Here you go kids. Eat this candy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Don’t brush your teeth.” And then one day say “Oh wow! You are all so healthy and have immaculate cavity-free teeth!” It doesn’t happen that way.

What I want to offer here is a simple—yet effective—tool for personal spiritual growth.

REAP

Reap is an acronym, with a principle for each letter of the word “reap.” Now implementing REAP is best done if you have a notebook, journal, or word processor of some sort.

“But I’m just not the journaling type,” you may say. “I don’t like to write,” you may say. That’s ok. I get it. But I want to refer you to the above questions again. “Do you have a personal plan for spiritual growth?” “Is it working well?”

Let’s explore this helpful principle. You’ll need access to a Bible, a way to write things down, and a prayerful attitude to begin.

REAP stands for Read, Examine, Apply, Pray. That’s it. It’s that simple.
Let’s take a closer look:

Read- As you read the Bible, choose a passage, verse, or part of a verse that you want to focus in on. Stick with that scripture for this exercise.

Examine- Here is where you focus on the passage and discover what is being said. Write out what you examine and observe in the passage. What do you see here in the scriptures? What is being said at face value? What might it mean to the original audience? What principles do you find? What is the lesson of the passage? What does it mean for us today?

Apply- Here is where it gets personal. Apply the lesson(s) to your life. The principles you found in the Examine step are now put into your practical life. Write this section out too. In light of what was examined, what do you need to do? Does anything need to change in your life? What would your life look like if you started to apply the scriptures? What are you convicted of? What can you start doing today? What are you doing well? What do you need to repent of?

Pray- We can do nothing apart from Jesus (John 15:5). We need to seek the purposes of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit to live for God. If our obedience is separated from the gospel or from the power of God, it becomes legalism. Works based righteousness. So pray that the Lord would help you to live for Him in light of what you’ve learned. Be specific. He delights in you seeking His will, and will answer your prayers to do His will. You may write out your prayers, or pray them outloud, or both. It’s a powerful thing to look back on our prayers to see how God has answered.

So there you have it. REAP. Read, Examine, Apply, Pray.

This process doesn’t have to be lengthy at all. In fact, I encourage you to start small if you need to. Get used to the concept.

I challenge you to put this technique to work in your daily life. In doing so, you will truly see growth!

—--

If you need an example, check out my previous blog post. It is lengthy, but you can see the principle at work. God bless!

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It Came Upon A Midnight Clear...

12/14/2017

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Here are some reflections on part of the Christmas story, using the REAP format: Read, Examine, Apply, Pray.

Read: Luke 2:8-20
"And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.”

Examination:
In Luke’s narrative, the scene immediately pulls away from the intimate scene at the manger to what was happening elsewhere in the region of Judea. Calmly and quietly the shepherds are taking care of their flocks in the stillness of the evening. Like David had done in this region, they were guarding their flocks from any sort of predators out in the wide-open fields. Some scholars hold that the sheep in these fields near Jerusalem were being kept for sacrifices at the temple. If so, this bears great significance toward the Christmas narrative, as Jesus was considered to be the Lamb of God. The new born child was destined for sacrifice just as these lambs in the field. Jesus also called Himself the Shepherd–a guardian and caretaker of those He called His own. These points bear a great significance toward what happened next. The darkness of night was dissolved as an angel’s glory flooded the scene, engulfing the shepherds and sheep in light. Their response wasn’t one of excitement at all, but they were absolutely freaked out. I don’t blame them for that at all. If I was minding my own business and suddenly a supernatural apparition appeared before me, I’d have the same reaction! The Lord must know the effects of an angel visitation, because like many times before the angel begins with “fear not.” Chill out, I’m not here bearing bad news like with Balaam.

The angel speaks and tells the shepherds that he was there with the gospel. It was "good news of great joy”, to be certain. This wasn’t just a heads up about what God was doing elsewhere. This was news that elicited a response! Mega joy, in the Greek. What has occurred in the stable is for the purpose of great joy for all the people. Jesus wasn’t born into the world to save the Jews, or to save the most perfect of the religious leaders. He was born to save all. This means Jews and Greeks, males and females, slaves and freeman, blacks and whites and all ethnicities, the rich and the poor, the heterosexual and the homosexual, the child and the adult, the alcoholics and drug addicts, the victimizers and the victims. Everyone. All people. There is a word for this, and this principle should be embraced by every believer in Christ. Grace. Jesus is the fulfillment of every need and desire throughout all ages. Jesus is the answer to the problem of sin, the problem of addiction, the problem of cynicism, the problem of elitism, the problem of racism, the problem of classism, and so on.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The angel makes the method and source clear. He tells the shepherd of the birth of the Messiah, in the city of David, whom is Christ the Lord. A little child with a grand title. The angel shares the details and wants the shepherds to confirm this reality byinvestigating it. To top of this revelation, as though this weren’t enough, the sky brightens even more with a squadron of angels, bursting out in worship and song. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” or, as the KJV puts it, “...on earth peace, good will toward men!” The gospel promise is good will toward all, and through those who respond to this good news. God has intervened after 400 years of prophetic silence to bring the good news of great joy, that the promised Savior has finally come.

The angels left them, and I can imagine them reeling in the lingering silence. “We…we should maybe…check it out.” “Yeah…yeah sure…ok.” Who knows if they take their sheep with them, but they quickly take off for Bethlehem and find the two parents surrounding the baby in the manger. Their investigation resulted in seeing the child whom is called Christ the Lord. As it all sunk in, they disclosed to Mary and Joseph what they saw and heard, to the response of wonder. Another angelic revelation had come, disclosing more information about His identity. He would not only be King and Son of the Most High, but a Savior, and Christ. He was born to rule, and to save. To shepherd, and to sacrifice. As the shepherds left, Mary takes their tidings to heart, as a fuller picture of her son emerges. Imagine being a shepherd, quietly taking care of your lambs, when all of this occurs. They couldn’t hold in their great joy after seeing and hearing all this, making their way back while expressing their own magnificat.

Applications:
There comes a time in the life of most every individual when the gospel, or good news, is heard. This information doesn’t immediately sound like good news to some people, as it’s communicated as a remedy to a problem we might not like to admit. Sin. Sin alienates us from God and from each other, and shackles us to our idols of self and false notions of grandiosity. Every man and woman, if they are honest, in their heart of hearts they find a need. A need to be fathered, a need to be lead, a need to be taught, and a need to be saved. This mortifies the enlightened mind, yet many people throughout the ages have found refuge, peace, and true fulfillment when they disarm themselves of their pseudo-confidence or assurance, and accepted the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. For some this is a dramatic happening, like a visitation of angels. For some this is a long, prodding, process of inquiry.

May the lesson of the shepherds be one we can all rely upon; that investigation–seeking, questioning, and the testing of faith, will lead us to discover a reality that the natural mind and heart cannot achieve. The shepherds put their faith into action, and I need to do that as well. “Taste and see that the Lord is good…” is a statement that when put into action will find it’s results.

It is unfortunate that the gospel is diluted down and away from the unmerited grace of God to a list of requirements before being translated into the fold. The good news of great joy for all people should be something that is embraced and known by Christians–of all people! Too often the good news is brought to others with barriers and unnecessary stumbling blocks. If people are captured by the reality of the love and unmerited favor (grace) of God, then they will contagiously attract those that are searching and know their need. The way in which the gospel is communicated is just as important as the content of the gospel. Notice the angels didn’t come saying, “You all are wicked and going to hell. You’d better get your act together or you will be damned for all eternity.” That wouldn’t go well as a Christmas tune. Instead they say “FEAR NOT”. The shepherds knew their condition in the presence of glory, but the angels pointed them to the solution. The humble form of the Lord in a manger, speaks volumes of His tender love and affection toward His children. May God’s people do better and reflecting the image of God, rather than their own image.

Prayer:
Father, thank you for the good news of your mercy and grace. Thank you for showing me your character in your willingness to come into this world as a tiny, vulnerable child. Please don’t let me shrink from investigating your Word. Please keep me from misrepresenting your character. May the reality of my identity as your beloved be one that is ever present in my mind. May the gospel I communicate in word and action be grounded in the truth of your grace. Amen.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

11/23/2017

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“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” - Psalm 107:1

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Today as many of us are gathering together with family to feast and connect, I thought I would take a short moment to reflect and give thanks to God for His blessings. In spite of all of the hardship in our lives and in this world, we can still see the blessings of God among us. God is so good, and there is so much good to be thankful about. The Bible tells us that:

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights...” James 1:17

I thank God for providing a Thanksgiving meal for my family and friends today.

I thank God for a full calendar year with my Gladstone Park church family. And I thank God for you. You all have truly welcomed us and loved us into the family. You all constantly inspire me with your resilience in hardship, your faithfulness to Jesus, and your committed service to the church and God’s kingdom. Thank you!

I thank God for the leadership team at Gladstone Park. We have quality leaders at Gladstone Park, who make such an impact on our church family and community. They are godly, innovative, and servant leaders. Through the diversity of gifts, the church is encouraged and blessed by your ministry! Thank you!

I thank God for the increase of the church family membership this year. A handful of people have joined through baptism and through transfer. It is especially so encouraging to see young and old alike making the choice to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior and to serve Him with their lives! Thank you!

I thank God for the faithful givers in our church. People who are generous with their resources, time, and talents. People who make church budget giving a priority. The people who give whenever a need arises. The people committed to paying down the fellowship hall debt. You truly make ministry happen! Thank you!

I thank God for a committed vision team, who led us through the process of selecting a fresh mission and vision for our church in this time in earth’s history. God truly used you! Thank you!

I thank God for my wife Emily, who makes family a priority. I am blessed by her support, her ministry to our kids, and for her unrequired gifts of sacrifice for music ministry and the Adventurers club. Thank you!

I thank God for my children, who teach me and challenge me every day, and bring so much joy into my life! Thank you!

I thank God that He holds the future!

I thank God for His all-sufficient grace in His Son Jesus Christ. Thank you King Jesus, for your steadfast love toward us, for saving us at Calvary, for giving us your righteousness by faith, for transforming us, and for restoring us as children of God! Thank you!

What are you thankful for? I encourage you to pause and reflect on your blessings today.

May God bless you and keep you!

Pastor Nate

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Who is Jesus?

7/26/2017

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The house is packed. One wouldn’t even find standing room in this home, as people from all over the region of Galilee have flocked here to this northern town of Capernaum. Every room, window, and doorway is filled because of what is taking place inside. There is a man inside teaching radical things. He is turning status quo religion on its head, and is painting a newer, truer, deeper picture of reality. Who wouldn’t have been going to check this guy out? It was a day without computers, televisions, iPhones, or electronics of any kind. People lived simply, largely lived off of the land or through ranching or fishing. When the news reached their ears of this curious man—Yeshua from Nazareth— took up residence (albeit temporarily) in a town just a few hours walk away, why wouldn’t they make the journey to see for themselves what He was all about?
"Who is this Jesus?”
is even today arguably the most important question, which necessitates a most important spiritual journey. Let’s take a look at a short story in the book of Mark at the beginning of chapter 2, which in part concisely answers our question.

About a month ago, I returned from a trip to Israel and Jordan, during which we were able to tour the region of Galilee, including the ancient town of Capernaum. Today, what is left of these homes are some outlines of ancient rooms among blackened foundation stones. There is one home which has parts of a wall remaining, as well as some plaster design work in a place likened to be the home of Peter. Back in the first century, it was a fisherman’s town as it borders the Sea of Galilee. Even today it is beautiful, especially on a sunny day where the greens and browns of palms and olive trees are contrasted by blue sky and the blue waters of the sea. In the first century the homes varied in size, but they had flat roofs usually made of thatched sticks and hardened mud. The story picks up at the packed out home, when a group of four men bring another paralyzed man to find Jesus.

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A Tool for Spiritual Growth - REAP

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Who is Jesus?

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