Grace Pt.1

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about grace. It's a little word, only five letters long. It's short, but it's depth is broad. It is one of God's top 2 qualities. (I would say His first is His holiness, but it is kind of useless to try to separate God's characteristics. He is who He is and He has always been who He is.) Grace is huge for us.

To illustrate our lack of understanding about grace I ask my students is: why did God choose Noah? Typically answers include:

• "I don't know, I want some lunch"
• "Huh? Who's Noah?"
• One of the smarter kids said, "interesting question, I want some lunch"

What's your answer? Why did God choose Noah? Most likely your answer is "Noah was a righteous man." When people answer like this my next question is, "how are we saved?" Being more knowledgeable of the OT than the NT they say "by grace through faith in Jesus." So then I ask, "did something change? did God change?" Being good conservative evangelical students they know that God doesn't change, so they say "no, but I don't understand." This is normal. Nobody really gets it. They typically think that something changed, in the OT people earned God's favor and in the NT God realized something (As if that EVER happened to God) and said "oh they need me to just give them this b/c they can't do it on their own."

NOTHING CHANGED

Salvation, God's choosing from wrath and disaster has never been by works. Sure, Genesis 6.9 (ESV, it's just a better version) says "Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God". You think "well, Jason, that seems pretty cut and dry." To which I say "look at verses 5-8" in case your Bible isn't right next to you here it is:

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that
every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them. But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Here's the deal, "every intention of the thoughts" that excludes Noah, right? WRONG! Noah was evil too. But there is a difference between Noah and the rest of the people. Noah found favor, not for what he had done or what he had accomplished, remember he was evil. He found favor. Anybody out there know another word for favor? GRACE!!!!!! The LXX (aka the
Septuagint, Greek translation of the OT, aren't I a nerd?) uses the same word here as is found in Ephesians 2.8-10.

Grace saves us today and grace saved Noah then. God's work is all of grace, it hasn't changed. He has always shown favor to those who do not deserve it. Whether it is someone who's heart is only evil continually or someone who is a porn addict - they are both sinners and they are both in need of God's kindness to bring them to repentance. After Noah found favor, then he was a righteous man and walked with God. This is how it should be with us too if we have found favor with God (aka you've been saved, begun a relationship with Jesus, asked Jesus into your heart, etc). We have been shown grace and now we live in awe and thankfulness of that grace.

That grace is incredible, that grace is sufficient, like the old hymn writer once said, that grace is AMAZING.

RESOLVED: Thoughts from Jonathan Edwards

When Jonathan Edwards was young he wrote several things that he was resolved to do. These are the first 20. Enjoy. They are AMAZING! My personal favorite is #6. Love it!

1. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God' s glory, and my own good, profit and pleasure, in the whole of my duration, without any consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence. Resolved to do whatever I think to be my duty and most for the good and advantage of mankind in general. Resolved to do this, whatever difficulties I meet with, how many soever, and how great soever.
2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find out some new contrivance and invention to promote the aforementioned things.
3. Resolved, if ever I shall fall and grow dull, so as to neglect to keep any part of these Resolutions, to repent of all I can remember, when I come to myself again.
4. Resolved, never to do any manner of thing, whether in soul or body, less or more, but what tends to the glory of God; nor be, nor suffer it, if I can avoid it.
5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time; but improve it the most profitable way I possibly can.

6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.

7. Resolved, never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life.
8. Resolved, to act, in all respects, both speaking and doing, as if nobody had been so vile as I, and as if I had committed the same sins, or had the same infirmities or failings as others; and that I will let the knowledge of their failings promote nothing but shame in myself, and prove only an occasion of my confessing my own sins and misery to God. July 30.
9. Resolved, to think much on all occasions of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death.
10. Resolved, when I feel pain, to think of the pains of martyrdom, and of hell.
11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder.
12. Resolved, if I take delight in it as a gratification of pride, or vanity, or on any such account, immediately to throw it by.
13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality.
14. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge.
15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motions of anger towards irrational beings.
16. Resolved, never to speak evil of anyone, so that it shall tend to his dishonor, more or less, upon no account except for some real good.
17. Resolved, that I will live so, as I shall wish I had done when I come to die.
18. Resolved, to live so, at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of things of the gospel, and another world.
19. Resolved, never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do, if I expected it would not be above an hour, before I should hear the last trump.
20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance, in eating and drinking.

Put on the breaks: THIS HAS GOT TO STOP!

I've just read an interesting and scary research report done by the Barna Group of Ventura, California. Read the report! Basically, it says that 20somethings are exiting the church like crazy. This happens typically after a great deal of involvement in the teen years. These students have been active and an involved in youth group and church events, but have failed to become involved as they go to college. The stat is 61% of teens who have been involved in a church during their teens are disengaged during their 20s. This is a major problem and we must find a way to stop it.

What's the answer?

The report gives a few great observations:

1. Student Ministries need to focus on Discipleship and Mentoring.
2. Student Ministries must focus on the process of forming faith.
3. Student Ministries need to be more personalized.
4. MOST IMPORTANTLY: PARENTS MUST TAKE AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THE DISCIPLESHIP OF THEIR STUDENTS!

The first three observations that are made by the Barna group can all be handled with one dynamic shift in Student Ministry: the recruitment and development of passionate adult youth workers. Mentoring must be done in an adult to student format, while there can be "unspoken mentors" in a student-to-student format, the most effective mentors are adults who will actively engage in the lives of teenagers. These mentors need to be Christ-centered, Bible-focused, and church-supporting individuals. Mentoring is no more than actively being involved in the lives of students and consistently pointing them towards Christ and His Word.

In order for parents to keep their students from becoming statistics though they MUST become the primary discipler of the students. Simply said if you want a passionately involved student then you MUST be a passionately involved parent. Parents must passionately pursue Jesus Christ daily. Parents must model Bible Study and worship to their children. Parents must be lovers of God and His bride the church. Parents are the key to their children's growth spiritually. This is something that I have held firmly and whole-heartedly believe.

My plea is for parents to understand that they are the greatest influencers in the lives of their children. I will work hard as a Pastor of Students to train them and youth workers alike, but in a maximum of 5 hours a week it is impossible to do what parents are able to do everyday. Parents please love God! Parents please show that you love God to your students! Parents please make Him the most valuable part of your life, not your job or career, not your car or your boat or your golf game. Don't let your 401(k) be the focus of your life or the next vacation or politics, make Jesus Christ your all-sufficient treasure (Matt. 13.44). Find your joy in Him. Make Him the well that you draw strength from and if you do that things will change. If you do that then it will fall out all over. It will be modeled to your children, it will be modeled to your neighbors, it will be obvious to outsiders and people will ask you what is the cause of the hope that lives within you (1 Peter 3:15).

If you do that statistics will change... if you do that your life will change...if you do that your children will change...if you do that this world will change.

Intelligent Celebrities and Other Oxymorons

Today I went to the local grocery store to pickup some donuts for breakfast. While I was standing in line I noticed US Weekly, the celebrity news magazine. This is one of the most amazing parts of our society, an entire magazine devoted to the lives of stupid celebrities who "can't find love" or "look fabulous on the runway" or as Tara Reid said in the most recent US Weekly "I will never be perfect again". It's just so sad that this drunk, druggy, overly partied, and overly sexed celebrity will never be the same again. I was so sad that I nearly cried...

I was so sad because it is such a commentary on our society. There are hundreds of magazines that deal primarily with celebrity news. There are 4 major TV shows that only deal with celebrity news not to mention an entire channel devoted to the worship, errr I mean love of celebrities (E! Entertainment Television). It's sad that American Society follows so closely the lives of people who say things like "if you don't love yourself, no one else is going to love you. It's about me loving myself" (Tara Reid's story, you've got to read this, click here).

What really kills me is that we value the opinions of morally inept people more than the words of the Living God. AND if you are reading this and thinking "YEAH, You're Right!" But value the opinion of Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity or Al Franken more than the Scriptures you are in the same boat.

The Words of Life are ancient, they are powerful, and they should be the commentators on our society.

The New York Yankees and other thoughts on combating evil

OK, I'm a little biased. I'm from Detroit and the Tigers are playing the Yankees in the playoffs. We are up 2 games to 1 in a best of 5 series and we're winning 4-0 in the top of the 5th. We're killing them, but I still can't stand the Yankees and their yearly dominance. I think I agree with Larry Lucchino when he called them the "Evil Empire". The thing is that most of the time they beat you before you even start the game; before the first pitch is even thrown. They psych you out with their 10 future hall-of-famers and their nearly $200,000,000 payroll. That's what happened to the Tigers in the first game of the series. Walking in they knew they couldn't win and so they didn't. The thing is once you decide that you're going to fight them and that they are really not more powerful than you (they're only flesh, blood, and pinstripes) then you're ready to fight.

Anybody see where I'm going here? Anybody out there? Anybody actually reading this or am I just ranting about nothing? (It doesn't matter, the Tigers just scored another run, 5-0, I'm feeling no pain).

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Ephesians 6.12 (ESV)

We are fighting something different than us. We absolutely are. Satan and his demons are stronger than us by far. They are stronger than us and if we aren't careful they'll psych us out before we even start the battle. But there are a couple things I've had to realize:

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4.4

In case you were wondering that's Jesus in us and Satan who's in the world.

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8.31

Nobody, not even Satan and his demons, it doesn't mean that they won't try though. It doesn't mean that they won't fight. It's our duty to remember that when that fight comes, when we feel pushed in and beaten down and nearly crushed that

In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8.37-39

Right now you are already more than a conqueror, you are better than the Tigers in this series (btw, they just scored 2 more runs), you are the winner; not on your own, NEVER on your own, but through Him who loved us. In the words of David Crowder "We've already won and you don't have a chance!" We win!

Evil reigns in this evil world, but this world is passing away along with its passions, but whoever does the will of God remains (1 John 2.17), abides, and CONQUERS. The world is a big, strong, powerful, and evil team, but we have overcome it.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?

1 John 5:4-5

One evil empire is going down right now (Yankees, score: 7-0), but it is just a shadow of that other one that we can't see. That other one that has already lost, they just don't realize it yet. That other one who right now in our struggles, trials, pains, and hurts seems so big and so enormous and so powerful that we'll never win, that this pain will never stop that we will never make it. Remember it's not true, what you see right now isn't all that's there:

as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4.8

The payroll doesn't matter, the pinstripes don't matter, Christ in you the hope of Glory matters!

Out,

jason

P.S. The Tigers just scored again (8-0)

I Love T-Shirts

I love T-Shirts. I have about 500 billion (ok, not that many, but that's an important number REMEMBER IT). I like them because they are comfortable, cheap, and provide a great deal of social commentary. Recently I saw one in a mall, a teenage girl was wearing it and it said in big bold all capital letter "IT'S ALL ABOUT ME". When I passed her in the mall it got me to thinking - that's really sad. It's sad for 3 reasons (there's probably more):

1. That's small thinking.
2. It's a lot of pressure having everything about you.
3. It's just not true (even though it is the growing feeling of people today and not just people but believers in Jesus).

I am tired of hearing sermons and reading books that cast man as the center of the universe. It seems that everyone has fallen into the disease of "me theology". My life is about me, my time is about me, my money, my car, my house, my stuff, my wife...it's all about me.

As I spend time reading through Scripture I don't see anywhere that it is about me. Instead, I see a whole lot of places where it's VERY not about me; it is all about God. One of the most notable places is Psalm 19.1 (ESV, it's just a better version get over it) "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork." The sky is about God, the stuff above the sky is about God. It speaks without words about the One who made them. It shows off His glory.

If you look beyond the sky and out into space I don't think anyone can help but be overwhelmed at how small we are. Some estimates say that there are over 500 BILLION galaxies out there in the heavens. We live in ONE. We live on a small planet in 1 of these 500 BILLION galaxies (told you it was an important number) . 1 out of 500,000,000,000. So 499,999,999,999 galaxies are out there, without us, declaring the glory of God and we somehow get psyched up about us and jacked up about who we are and what we've done. Does that make sense? Seems pretty insane to me.

It's good to not be lazy. It's good to work and accomplish, but when our lives become about magnifying us it gets insane. After all in the grand scheme of things we are in one galaxy of 500 billion, on one of the smaller planets in that galaxy and we are one person of approximately 6 billion on the planet. Translation: we are freaking tiny! So keep thinking magnifying us would be like putting us on a petri dish and looking at us underneath the microscope. Microscopes make small things big. Don't magnify yourself, magnify the God who made you. In order to do that you don't use a microscope, you use a telescope. They make big things smaller so we can see them. There are 500 billion galaxies out there and the universe is expanding constantly and the God who made that is bigger than that. Can you imagine the incredible pressure of developing it all, creating it all, and sustaining it all? NO, you can't even imagine it. But God does it everyday and I freak out when I have to speak a couple times a week, take some classes and cut the grass. And if that weren't enough He decides that "I love those 6 billion people on that 1 planet in that one galaxy of My 500 Billion galaxies and they need a Savior." TOTALLY BOGGLES THE MIND!

I want a t-shirt that says "it's definitely not about me" (notice no capital letters at all) it relieves the pressure, it's true, and it makes me look smart (of course it probably wouldn't sell, which would make one question about how smart it was).

Out,
jason crandall