“…his determination to eliminate the nonessentials from his schedule.” (pg. 48)
“Looking at my days – how short they are, how unproductive, how full of incidentals, how little real production for the Harvest Master.” (pg. 79)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
What's really necessary?
Soldiers on the Frontline
“We are so utterly ordinary, so common place, while we profess to know a Power the Twentieth Century does not reckon with. But we are ‘harmless,’ and therefore unharmed. We are spiritual pacifists, non-militants, conscientious objectors in this battle-to-the-death with principalities and powers in high places. Meekness must be had for contact with men, but brass, outspoken boldness is required to take part in the comradeship of the Cross. We are ‘sideliners’ – coaching and criticizing the real wrestlers while content to sit by and leave the enemies of God unchallenged. The world cannot hate us, we are too much like its own. Oh that God would make us dangerous!” (pg. 79)
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Constant Through Christ
I know this is over an hour late, but I'm going to post it anyway. It's short, 'cause I don't really have much to say.
In the final pages of Part II, Jim reflected on his experiences with having his "don'ts" removed. One section particularly struck me, partially because I find myself guilty of that attitude, and also because it speaks to how Christ should temper my life. When Jim referred to his intention to "minister" to the younger or less-mature Christians, I realized that I sometimes do the same thing. Thankfully, God has seen fit to humble me on many occasions already, through the growth and mature of people younger than me, showing me that spiritual growth, like Steven said, is a never-ending process, and that each of us has to contribute in order to grow.
In the end, "our motive is only to be - do nothing, know nothing, act nothing--just to be a sinful bit of flesh, born of a Father's love." (133) Jim goes on to say that the love of Christ holds him together, nothing more and nothing less, despite what goes on in his life. I need to learn that humility, that Christ is the center of my universe, nothing else, and that through my successes and failures I remain His child.
In the final pages of Part II, Jim reflected on his experiences with having his "don'ts" removed. One section particularly struck me, partially because I find myself guilty of that attitude, and also because it speaks to how Christ should temper my life. When Jim referred to his intention to "minister" to the younger or less-mature Christians, I realized that I sometimes do the same thing. Thankfully, God has seen fit to humble me on many occasions already, through the growth and mature of people younger than me, showing me that spiritual growth, like Steven said, is a never-ending process, and that each of us has to contribute in order to grow.
In the end, "our motive is only to be - do nothing, know nothing, act nothing--just to be a sinful bit of flesh, born of a Father's love." (133) Jim goes on to say that the love of Christ holds him together, nothing more and nothing less, despite what goes on in his life. I need to learn that humility, that Christ is the center of my universe, nothing else, and that through my successes and failures I remain His child.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
A Lifetime's Worth of Effort
I'll begin this post with a bible verse:
1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV)
"6In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
This verse has always spoken to me very deeply. It shows, to my utmost joy, that God is in the business of making our faith genuine. Everyone hates a phony, a fake, a hypocrite, and yet, as Christians, that's what we are. We're hypocrites, we're failures, but even above that, we are children of God, and we are His beloved. It is only through Him and the outpouring of his grace that we can be something more than that, something genuine, real, and honest.
I was reminded of this verse when I read these words: "One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime. Nor is surrender to the will of God (per se) adequate to fullness of power in Christ. Maturity is the accomplishment of years, and I can only surrender to the will of God as I know what that will is. Hence, the fullness of the Spirit is not instantaneous but progressive, as I attain fullness of the Word, which reveals the Will." (87)
I think something many Christians today fail to realize is that our faith is something that will be developed, put to test, refined, and put into action over our lifetime. Why does it take our entire life? There are several reasons, I think.
The first one being that we are imperfect beings and thus will never achieve "perfection" until we move into heaven, where the flesh is stripped away and only the spirit remains and we can abide in God in all fullness. We are sinful creatures by nature, and when we become Christians, God makes us anew and puts new desires, a new nature, within us, that is always in clash with the flesh. But in heaven, there is no flesh to block us from the Lord.
The second one is that Jesus lived to die for us. The only "adequate" (if I can use that word there) response to a life sacrificed for you is that you sacrifice your life for that. There's a desire to "earn" or "pay back" or "respond" to that which has been shown to you. It's sort of like that moment in Saving Private Ryan where Captain Miller, in his last, dying words, says to Ryan: "Earn this." (Not that we "earn" God's love or somehow make it increase for us through our deeds.)
As a result of this lack of understanding, I think too many Christians today, including myself, don't understand what Christianity is about. We think our decision is an instant one, and that in an instant, we become followers of Christ, in an instant, all our problems will be figured out (we owe this much to our "instant" culture and our own human fallibility). On one hand, it can cause us to settle with our faith and become stagnant. On the other hand, it can cause us to become "overspiritual" and fail to recognize the limits of our lives in this world.
As Christians, (and I'm going to bring up some Vineyard stuff here, HAHA) we live in a tension of "Here and Now" and "What's yet to come." We realize the greatness of God's work in this world, and we work to expand His kingdom on this earth (Lord's prayer: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven." I hope you guys understand my point there...
This brings me to my next thought, where Jim quotes a preacher, Spurgeon, with the phrase, "Little faith will bring the soul to heaven, but much faith will bring heaven to the soul." In the face of this tension of "Here and now" and "what's yet to come," does this mean we sit and wait for "whats yet to come?" of course not. This is the difference, I believe, between a faith genuine, developed over a lifetime, and a faith stagnant and dead. In studying the Bible, in our worship, in our revelation of the character of God and of Jesus Christ and through the guiding counsel of the Holy Spirit, how can we sit and wait? Everything we do as Christians should be a response - a response to God's love, a response to Jesus' death and resurrection, etc, and a natural result of this should be that our faith should grow, and that we should desire, as Jesus did, for "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." I think the quote "much faith will bring heaven to the soul" is an expression that communicates the message that as our faith grows, our desire for God, His presence, His work, etc, will grow as we live on this earth. Our prayer lives will grow, our lifestyle of worship become more glorifying to God, etc all because we desire for the Kingdom of Heaven to be expanded upon the earth.
Perhaps it is this realization that drives the devotion and intense passion of a man such as Jim Elliot. Perhaps it is this realization that should drive me towards a self-denying, daily-dying, cross-carrying lifestyle for Jesus. "All I am is the least You're due."
1 Peter 1:6-7 (ESV)
"6In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire — may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
This verse has always spoken to me very deeply. It shows, to my utmost joy, that God is in the business of making our faith genuine. Everyone hates a phony, a fake, a hypocrite, and yet, as Christians, that's what we are. We're hypocrites, we're failures, but even above that, we are children of God, and we are His beloved. It is only through Him and the outpouring of his grace that we can be something more than that, something genuine, real, and honest.
I was reminded of this verse when I read these words: "One does not surrender a life in an instant. That which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime. Nor is surrender to the will of God (per se) adequate to fullness of power in Christ. Maturity is the accomplishment of years, and I can only surrender to the will of God as I know what that will is. Hence, the fullness of the Spirit is not instantaneous but progressive, as I attain fullness of the Word, which reveals the Will." (87)
I think something many Christians today fail to realize is that our faith is something that will be developed, put to test, refined, and put into action over our lifetime. Why does it take our entire life? There are several reasons, I think.
The first one being that we are imperfect beings and thus will never achieve "perfection" until we move into heaven, where the flesh is stripped away and only the spirit remains and we can abide in God in all fullness. We are sinful creatures by nature, and when we become Christians, God makes us anew and puts new desires, a new nature, within us, that is always in clash with the flesh. But in heaven, there is no flesh to block us from the Lord.
The second one is that Jesus lived to die for us. The only "adequate" (if I can use that word there) response to a life sacrificed for you is that you sacrifice your life for that. There's a desire to "earn" or "pay back" or "respond" to that which has been shown to you. It's sort of like that moment in Saving Private Ryan where Captain Miller, in his last, dying words, says to Ryan: "Earn this." (Not that we "earn" God's love or somehow make it increase for us through our deeds.)
As a result of this lack of understanding, I think too many Christians today, including myself, don't understand what Christianity is about. We think our decision is an instant one, and that in an instant, we become followers of Christ, in an instant, all our problems will be figured out (we owe this much to our "instant" culture and our own human fallibility). On one hand, it can cause us to settle with our faith and become stagnant. On the other hand, it can cause us to become "overspiritual" and fail to recognize the limits of our lives in this world.
As Christians, (and I'm going to bring up some Vineyard stuff here, HAHA) we live in a tension of "Here and Now" and "What's yet to come." We realize the greatness of God's work in this world, and we work to expand His kingdom on this earth (Lord's prayer: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven." I hope you guys understand my point there...
This brings me to my next thought, where Jim quotes a preacher, Spurgeon, with the phrase, "Little faith will bring the soul to heaven, but much faith will bring heaven to the soul." In the face of this tension of "Here and now" and "what's yet to come," does this mean we sit and wait for "whats yet to come?" of course not. This is the difference, I believe, between a faith genuine, developed over a lifetime, and a faith stagnant and dead. In studying the Bible, in our worship, in our revelation of the character of God and of Jesus Christ and through the guiding counsel of the Holy Spirit, how can we sit and wait? Everything we do as Christians should be a response - a response to God's love, a response to Jesus' death and resurrection, etc, and a natural result of this should be that our faith should grow, and that we should desire, as Jesus did, for "Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." I think the quote "much faith will bring heaven to the soul" is an expression that communicates the message that as our faith grows, our desire for God, His presence, His work, etc, will grow as we live on this earth. Our prayer lives will grow, our lifestyle of worship become more glorifying to God, etc all because we desire for the Kingdom of Heaven to be expanded upon the earth.
Perhaps it is this realization that drives the devotion and intense passion of a man such as Jim Elliot. Perhaps it is this realization that should drive me towards a self-denying, daily-dying, cross-carrying lifestyle for Jesus. "All I am is the least You're due."
Progressively Sweeter Joy
One detail of Jim Elliot's life that has been striking to me is his total devotion, out of love, for God. I've been reminded time and time again this past week, through the reading and also from conversations I have with friends, that Christ is a personal Savior who shares in our emotions and understands our thoughts. Somehow, perhaps because of my upbringing or my inadequate response to Him, I often view God only as Lord, to be obeyed because it is good for me. Although that isn't necessarily wrong, it's very dogmatic and ponderous, and causes me to miss the finer details: of God's love for me and the people around me, of the joy that envelops every person who rests in Him.
I was especially struck by, on page 53, of Jim's realization that: "These past weeks have been of such progressive joy that I can say nightly of my Savior's goodness, 'it's sweeter today than yesterday'. I'm not the most joyous person to begin with, and I have a major history of bitterness over a lot of things, but God reigns over everything and every aspect of my life, and he is bigger than those things. Strangely enough, these past two weeks have been sprinkled with numerous joyful moments, and I think God is teaching me how to be joyful in his presence.
In contrast to this, God is teaching me that walking with him is also about discipline. Jim's dedication to strip the unnecessary from his life is completely evident on page 59, where Elisabeth mentions that Jim had a "determination to eliminate the nonessentials from his schedule", and also later when he was noted to be considered antisocial because he'd memorize Scripture instead of chatting with people. I grew up very hungry for friendships and a social life, so this deliberate distance from the social atmosphere (especially in a college environment) was especially striking for me, and a little convicting as well. I'm being challenged by God to, for lack of a better description, experience Him more through Scripture, prayer, and worship, which I can't do before letting go of my instinctive desire for social contact.
---
The reading is somewhat difficult for me because of my vision issues, but I think my reading is better than what it was 3 weeks ago. I still can't maintain concentration for over an hour, and I doubt I'll be able to finish part 4 by the 22nd like it says on the schedule, but I'll try.
I was especially struck by, on page 53, of Jim's realization that: "These past weeks have been of such progressive joy that I can say nightly of my Savior's goodness, 'it's sweeter today than yesterday'. I'm not the most joyous person to begin with, and I have a major history of bitterness over a lot of things, but God reigns over everything and every aspect of my life, and he is bigger than those things. Strangely enough, these past two weeks have been sprinkled with numerous joyful moments, and I think God is teaching me how to be joyful in his presence.
In contrast to this, God is teaching me that walking with him is also about discipline. Jim's dedication to strip the unnecessary from his life is completely evident on page 59, where Elisabeth mentions that Jim had a "determination to eliminate the nonessentials from his schedule", and also later when he was noted to be considered antisocial because he'd memorize Scripture instead of chatting with people. I grew up very hungry for friendships and a social life, so this deliberate distance from the social atmosphere (especially in a college environment) was especially striking for me, and a little convicting as well. I'm being challenged by God to, for lack of a better description, experience Him more through Scripture, prayer, and worship, which I can't do before letting go of my instinctive desire for social contact.
---
The reading is somewhat difficult for me because of my vision issues, but I think my reading is better than what it was 3 weeks ago. I still can't maintain concentration for over an hour, and I doubt I'll be able to finish part 4 by the 22nd like it says on the schedule, but I'll try.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
My first two posts...
Hey guys! It's Steven :)
So I've read part 1 and part of part 2, and I've had some thoughts...these 2 will make for my part 1 posts, I guess, and once I finish part 2, I'll post more thoughts...but anyways, here we goooooooo
ON RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
I've been doing a lot of thinking about my relationship with God lately. Jim Elliot seemed like such a holy, devoted guy, yet there are snippets from his journals, letters, and notebooks where he criticizes himself and prays to God about his imperfections. Those writings, although seemingly very different from mine, actually remind me of many of my journal entries and late night prayers. Longing for God, longing for that passion, that fire that used to drive me during my late junior high years and early high school years - a passion that seemed to die out from burning out senior year of high school. But if that fire burned out, and if I'm really burned out, why do I still have this hunger and desire for God? Even though I don't feel God as emotionally as before, does that necessarily mean I'm burned out? I think, in the case of my relationship with God where sometimes I feel very tired and lost for direction, I need to pause and reconsider what it means to have burned out. Because, reading on Jim's life, he's never satisfied, ever, with how his devotional life is, how his prayer life is, etc, yet he spent at least 2-3 hours a day just studying the word of God and praying. Yet, he never considered it enough; he always wanted more of God. I wonder if I am in that state, hitting a growth wall, a wall I need to get past through prayer and waiting on God, not necessarily through a major Spirit encounter but steadfast, daily discipline in the Spirit.
ON JIM ELLIOT
I find this guy immensely inspiring. His totally abandoned devotion to God, his hunger for the things of the Lord, and his intense spiritual development simply amaze me. It's actually challenged me to remember that daily I must die to myself, daily I must pick up my cross and live according to the second chance Christ's death and resurrection have given me. Jim Elliot lives with such passionate conviction, and yet, I don't agree fully with, I guess you can call it, theology. For example, he seems, at times, to be so spiritual that he seems too "out of this world" - I don't know if you guys feel the same way, but the part about the football game was pretty hilarious but it also startled me that Jim Elliot considered everything invaluable in the face of the kingdom of God. In a sense, it bothers me because it seems like Jim wouldn't be able to reach out to his colleagues. "Hey man, did you see the game?" "No, I was reading the Bible because it's more worthwhile." But I do see, however, that it was the formation of this devotion, this theology, which from what I understand is biblically founded, that Jim was able to respond to his calling of being a missionary. It got me thinking about the body of Christ - how so many people, many times, will have theological disagreements. However, all of us have a different part in this body of Christ, and God chooses to form us and "design" our lives (as Jim Elliot puts it in part II) according to what he has called us to. I can't imagine Jim Elliot having as passionate a life as he did have if his theology was formed differently. This total abandon to the things of this world - now that is a missionary heart of sacrifice. He has that mentality, the biblical motivation, and the spiritual devotion. It's very inpsiring to me, and although I don't always agree with everything Jim does, I know that God has used him mightily and that I am only but a part of this Body of Christ, a part of God's larger plan. I guess this is sort of what it means to find our common ground in Christ - "I disagree with you, but I believe that God loves you and is still moving mightily through you, and I will not let my disagreement hinder God's larger plan."
So I've read part 1 and part of part 2, and I've had some thoughts...these 2 will make for my part 1 posts, I guess, and once I finish part 2, I'll post more thoughts...but anyways, here we goooooooo
ON RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
I've been doing a lot of thinking about my relationship with God lately. Jim Elliot seemed like such a holy, devoted guy, yet there are snippets from his journals, letters, and notebooks where he criticizes himself and prays to God about his imperfections. Those writings, although seemingly very different from mine, actually remind me of many of my journal entries and late night prayers. Longing for God, longing for that passion, that fire that used to drive me during my late junior high years and early high school years - a passion that seemed to die out from burning out senior year of high school. But if that fire burned out, and if I'm really burned out, why do I still have this hunger and desire for God? Even though I don't feel God as emotionally as before, does that necessarily mean I'm burned out? I think, in the case of my relationship with God where sometimes I feel very tired and lost for direction, I need to pause and reconsider what it means to have burned out. Because, reading on Jim's life, he's never satisfied, ever, with how his devotional life is, how his prayer life is, etc, yet he spent at least 2-3 hours a day just studying the word of God and praying. Yet, he never considered it enough; he always wanted more of God. I wonder if I am in that state, hitting a growth wall, a wall I need to get past through prayer and waiting on God, not necessarily through a major Spirit encounter but steadfast, daily discipline in the Spirit.
ON JIM ELLIOT
I find this guy immensely inspiring. His totally abandoned devotion to God, his hunger for the things of the Lord, and his intense spiritual development simply amaze me. It's actually challenged me to remember that daily I must die to myself, daily I must pick up my cross and live according to the second chance Christ's death and resurrection have given me. Jim Elliot lives with such passionate conviction, and yet, I don't agree fully with, I guess you can call it, theology. For example, he seems, at times, to be so spiritual that he seems too "out of this world" - I don't know if you guys feel the same way, but the part about the football game was pretty hilarious but it also startled me that Jim Elliot considered everything invaluable in the face of the kingdom of God. In a sense, it bothers me because it seems like Jim wouldn't be able to reach out to his colleagues. "Hey man, did you see the game?" "No, I was reading the Bible because it's more worthwhile." But I do see, however, that it was the formation of this devotion, this theology, which from what I understand is biblically founded, that Jim was able to respond to his calling of being a missionary. It got me thinking about the body of Christ - how so many people, many times, will have theological disagreements. However, all of us have a different part in this body of Christ, and God chooses to form us and "design" our lives (as Jim Elliot puts it in part II) according to what he has called us to. I can't imagine Jim Elliot having as passionate a life as he did have if his theology was formed differently. This total abandon to the things of this world - now that is a missionary heart of sacrifice. He has that mentality, the biblical motivation, and the spiritual devotion. It's very inpsiring to me, and although I don't always agree with everything Jim does, I know that God has used him mightily and that I am only but a part of this Body of Christ, a part of God's larger plan. I guess this is sort of what it means to find our common ground in Christ - "I disagree with you, but I believe that God loves you and is still moving mightily through you, and I will not let my disagreement hinder God's larger plan."
Thursday, January 8, 2009
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