Passionate Pursuit, Part Two

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor 

To read Part One, click here.

The mission statement of LBF is simple but profound. It is “to passionately pursue LIFE in Jesus and to lead our neighbors to do the same.” But what does it mean to live in a passionate pursuit of Jesus? Is it about Sunday church attendance? Is it about my life away from Sunday church? Is it about both? Is it about something totally different? Just what does a person who is passionately pursuing LIFE in Jesus look like?

These are important questions to look at and answer if we are going to live out this mission statement. Last month, in the February issue of The Scroll, I covered six items that can be considered important expressions of what it means to passionately pursue life in Jesus. (If you missed last month’s issue, visit lbfchurch.com > Resources > Resources to download it.) This month I want to share a few more.

A person who is passionately pursuing life in Jesus…

7. Is aware of a personal “call” for daily life. This person has learned that it’s not about me but about what has been entrusted to me and what can be offered to others. The person who is passionately pursuing life in Jesus knows that they have been given a mission. And this mission in life goes beyond what job a person has or what vocation provides for their needs. They see a high calling in that while they do the job God has given them, they know that their life is to reflect Jesus and they make decisions that are consistent with that life. They take this pursuit into every part of their life.

8. Is merciful and generous. The amazing Barnabas is our model. We first meet him as the church’s best example of generosity. We see him taking risks when he welcomes Saul of Tarsus to the circle of believers in Jerusalem. It’s Barnabas who observes a very young church trying out new styles of church life. And rather than stopping or hindering these new styles, he encourages and even applauds them.

Barnabas mentors Saul on their first missionary journey and yet he lets go of his leadership position when Paul is mature enough to find his own way. We also see Barnabas stand up for John Mark who needs another chance to rebound from an earlier failure. Yes, we can learn from Barnabas what it means to be generous and merciful and full of encouragement.

9. Appreciates that suffering is part of faithfulness to Jesus. “Consider it all joy when you suffer,” writes James. “He has given you the privilege to suffer for him,” writes Paul. I once read “Everything I know that’s important, I learned in suffering.” Suffering comes from many sources – including our own stupid mistakes. But whatever its source, the person who is passionately pursuing life in Jesus rarely complains, is not looking for pity, and does not become bitter at God. But rather, they listen, they trust, they offer their own experiences for the benefit of others. They know that Jesus suffered and that part of being a Christian means they are not surprised by personal suffering.

10. Is eager and ready to express the reasons for their faith. While not everyone has the spiritual gift of evangelism, everyone has the responsibility to evangelize. Not because they have to or because they are told to, but because they want to. They want others to experience what they have experienced. They don’t want anyone they know to miss out on knowing what they know about Jesus. The person that is passionately pursuing life in Jesus even prays for opportunities to arise in the most natural of ways so they can communicate their devotion to Jesus.

11. Overflows with thankfulness. Some of us (me, for example) needed to learn the value and importance of thankfulness. For many the default response is to simply receive – to take – as if we are entitled and deserve the generosity of others – including the generosity of God. But for the one who is passionately pursing life in Jesus, they walk through the day noticing things to be thankful for. And then they give an expression of thanks for whatever and to whomever is the source. And they reserve their most generous thankfulness to God for the grace given to them on a daily basis.

12. Has a passion for reconciliation. This might be the highest characteristic for those who pursue Jesus. They bring people together. They hate war, violence, and division caused by race or economics or ideology. They believe that being peaceable and making peace trumps all other efforts in one’s lifetime. They desire to express truthfully the claims of Jesus in a way that when conflict comes, it’s about Jesus and not them.

It is here that we see Jesus living in others. You see His eye on the one others have ignored. You see Him lifting the fallen. You see Him elevating the insignificant one. Jesus is an example to every exploitive and arrogant person and shows His followers the way to really care about people. Yes, people have this natural tendency to be something other than what Jesus models, but those who are pursuing Him seek out God’s power and become involved with reconciliation.


What now?

So take a look at the six items I mentioned last month and combine them with the six for this month and make some intentional movement to grow in those areas you have the hardest time with. Let’s be people who move towards this new expression of passionately pursuing life in Jesus not only as individuals, but in community. And may we grow in bearing a resemblance to Jesus and embrace real LIFE – the kind of life He offers.

Passionate Pursuit, Part One

By Gary Keith, Lead Pastor 

I would like to spend some time this month and next month talking about what a passionate pursuit of LIFE in Jesus looks like. If we are going to live out this mission in our daily lives, we need to take some time looking at some real life expressions of passionately pursuing life in Jesus. How does this transformation take place? How can we see the difference between a person who is passionately pursuing life in Jesus and someone who is not? What are the core qualities that offer evidence that someone is passionately pursuing life in Jesus?

Here is a list of 12 items that we can look at and maybe gauge how we are doing at passionately pursing life in Jesus. I’ll list six of them this month and the other six next month.

A person who is passionately pursuing life in Jesus…

1. Has an undiluted devotion to Jesus. To me devotion suggests something deliberate, even premeditated. Devotion involves a determination that a person will organize his/her life around Jesus – His character, His teachings, His unique grace and forgiveness. I also believe that this devotion needs to have intentional times of renewal and refreshment on a regular basis to be faithful to the ways of Jesus. 
2. Pursues a biblically informed view of the world. This begins by working at knowing the Bible well, which will include its contents and directives. Those involved in a passionate pursuit of life in Jesus cannot simply live off the Sunday morning teaching of the pastor. He/she must hide God’s Word in his/her own heart so that it becomes a lamp to his/her feet and a light to his/her path.
3. Is intentional and disciplined in seeking God’s direction in life. Look closely at the letters written by the Apostle Paul and you will see a person who is intentional. Paul is a person who associates the Christian life to a battle and Christians to soldiers who are disciplined and ready for battle. And then at other times Paul likens the Christian person to athletes who need training and discipline to run the race well. No person who is passionately pursuing life in Jesus is comfortable with spiritual passivity. It means developing life-habits in alignment with Jesus and replacing those that are not. 
4. Worships and has a spirit of continuous repentance. Worship is a lifestyle not a Sunday morning experience. Each time we say “yes” to God, we are worshipping Him. Each time we say “no,” we need to repent. When we say “yes,” we are elevating life to an eternal perspective focused on God and His purposes. And in the process, we come away redirected and renewed in our efforts to live and serve God. 
5. Builds healthy human relationships. Being faithful to friends; if married, affectionate, attentive, and servant-like to a spouse; and if a parent, patient and nurturing to children is part of building healthy relationships. For relationships to flourish a person must be quick to admit when they are wrong, to forgive when offended, and to offer support when someone is in need. This also involves doing all they can to be at peace with everyone. 
6. Knows how to connect with the world where the Christian faith is not understood. Most likely some personal choices and convictions on living in a passionate pursuit of life in Jesus will not appeal to those outside the faith. But those who watch and observe the life of someone who is passionately pursuing this life will see them as a person who brings stability, hope, and energy to life. There are of course times when a person of faith will be despised, but hopefully there are more times when they are valued as an asset to the world. This person will make important contributions to the greater community, including those that bring justice and relief to struggling people. 

Okay, there are the first six ways that passionately pursuing life in Jesus might work its way out into our everyday life. What do you think? Does this make sense to you? Is it on target?

Feel free to dialogue with me via email at gary@lbfchurch.com. And next month we’ll look at six more. God bless you and have a great month.

Read Part Two here.

This Weekend's Message: Rich Living

I happened to read a story this week about the perks of being a CEO of companies like Amazon or Coca-Cola or Boeing. As I read the article I couldn’t help but dream a little about what it must be like to live with the perks of a private jet at your disposal or have such a large estate that I need my company to pay for private security and other alarm systems. Or to have a luxurious car and driver ready to take me anywhere I want to go. Pretty nice, huh? Now that is rich living for sure.

But then on the same day, I read the passage for this week’s message and it struck me how huge the contrast was between the lives of the CEOs of today and the people Paul is writing about. And as I thought about it more and more, I soon realized that rich living can come in different forms. Now to be clear, I wouldn’t mind living the rich life of a CEO for awhile to see what it was like, but as I paused and took my thoughts to God in prayer and reflected on both ideas of rich living, I told God that I want to learn more about the rich living He has in store for me.

Come this week and let’s learn together about the “rich living” God has planned for us as we passionately pursue life in Jesus.

See you Sunday!
Gary

This Weekend's Message: Privileged Gifts

One of my favorite movies is It’s a Wonderful Life. Toward the end of the movie, friends and family gather around George Bailey, who is desperately in need of financial help. Each person joyfully walks to a basket in the middle of the room and throws money in, as the crowd joyfully sings Christmas songs. The friends and family give sacrificially, but find great joy—even privilege—in doing so. After all, through their gifts their beloved friend will be rescued from disaster. It is a powerful and moving scene.

Have you ever given generously and been excited to do so?

God calls us to give and to give generously. But for most of us, this is not a joyous experience. We give begrudgingly or out of obligation. And when we give with this joy-less attitude, we also tend to give less. After all, if something is painful, we don’t want more of it.

This Sunday we will explore a passage in which God’s people generously and joyfully gave...and then thanked God that He allowed them to give. It is a beautiful glimpse into what can be possibly for us. It allows us to see what it might look like if we really had our perspective shaped by the privilege that we have been given when God invites us to give generously to His work.

Dan

This Weekend's Message: Passionate Pursuit

This is no half-hearted journey. Our relationship with Christ and the continual deepening of the realities and rewards of that relationship is first and foremost. There is a difference between being passionate in the moment and passionately pursuing something. We who are passionately pursuing LIFE in Jesus will give our full commitment and energy to our relationship with Jesus. Jesus cannot simply be inserted into our already existing life.