But when I look at Scripture and the lives of the early Christian leaders I’m conflicted with this.  They say crazy things like, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Phil 3:11).  I see 12 dudes who followed Christ.  One was betrayer and he hung himself.  You might say, “Well that makes sense.”  But then what about the others who were the hardcore Jesus followers.  Check it out:

1.  John died of extreme old age in Ephesus.

2. Peter was crucified, head downward, during the persecution of Nero.

3. Andrew died on a cross at Patrae, in Achaia, a Grecian Colony.

4. James, was thrown from a pinnacle of the Temple, and then beaten to death with a club.

5. Bartholomew was flayed alive in Albanapolis, Armenia.

6. James, the elder son of Zebedee, was beheaded at Jerusalem.

7. Thomas, the doubter, was run through the body with a lance at Coromandel, in the east Indies.

8. Philip was hanged against a pillar at Heropolis (Abyssinia).

9. Thaddeus was shot to death with arrows.

10. Simon died on a cross in Persia (now Iran.)

These are not stories of “Up and to the right”, at least by our worldly successful, performance oriented mindset.  Do you want to go on this path?  Most of us when we are really honest would say, “Heck no.  I want to be safe, careful, and die peacefully in my sleep when I’m 91.” I include myself in this response most days.

But what if these kind of stories are the real and true “Up and to the right.” What if the way down of embracing suffering and the hard stuff of life is actually the true way to a life of love and peace…stuff with eternal significance.   I think with a different mindset- a gospel oriented, Christ centered mindset-they are.  I’m studying Philippians as I get ready to lead our next Journey Bible Class at Cornerstone and I’m blown away at Paul’s attitdue towards his time in prison.  He was landed there for preaching the gospel and causing a ruckus to the Roman status quo.  But he is rejoicing and says that “what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel” (Phil 1:12).  And because of this “most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly.”  He’s looking at his imprisonment as a win in his life because it is advancing the news to the world that Jesus is the savior.  This flies in the face of the prosperity gospel that has crept into the church, especially in America.

So, I’m challenged.  Are you?  What is the focus of our lives, what are we striving for, what are we laboring for day after day.  Is it to hopefully one day become comfortable, safe, secure, and rest in easy living?  Or is it to fearlessly and courageously make Christ and his amazing love known to the world…at all costs? Are you all in?

In preparing for this I’ve been thinking about these words that the Prophet Isaiah spoke out, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:10-11.

I’ve been thinking about how the word of God that we will study together will be like receiving the rain and snow from heaven…it will nourish, make bud and flourish, yield seed.  This gets me excited for all of us.  And not just for us, but for the world as well.

I’m praying that we would be shaped by His word and be transformed more like Christ.  But not just for us, so that we can feel good about ourselves and that we are all spiritual and in good with God.  But for the sake of the world that we will engage with the love of Christ that lives in us.

So come and be shaped by his word.

Journey Bible Class from Cornerstone Church on Vimeo.

(Props to Matt Leroy and Love Chapel Hill for the cool video inspiration.)

Christ is All!

Then in the afternoon we transformed a classroom into “The Buloba Community Church Vision Center.” Patrick (our Ugandan host) and I were the receptionists. Amanda, Pastor Isaac, David (translator) and Lauren were the eye examiners. Andi, Catherine and Morgan were the folks who filled prescriptions (got the glasses out of the right bag and handed them to people). Amos (translator) and Jordan worked the optical care center (telling folks how to wash and not scratch them). It was so neat to see their faces light up when they put on the glasses. There were some very sophisticated Africans walking out of there. You could tell it made them feel very special. We ended up giving out 41 pairs of reading glasses, and we have plenty more. So that’s what we will mainly be doing for the next 2 days.

Our team is really having a great time together. It has been an interesting lesson for me in building community. Our conversations have gone from distant and cordial to talking about experiences using the outhouse… all over the ears of our translator friends who think we are some crazy Americans. But we have become great friends with these folks, especially David and Amos who have been our hosts on the many trips before (if you’ve been on a trip to Uganda you know how much we all love these guys.)
So on the way home today our conversation turned towards my great farmers tan. That lead to the topic of “Red-necks” which is very hard to explain to a Ugandan. That led to Amos listening to “A Country Boy Can Survive” by Hank Williams, Jr. on my iPod. Then I had to explain about half of that song to him. Anyway, we are all loving being together and sharing our cultures. Tonight we are going to watch “The Last King of Scotland”…the story about the Ugandan Dictator, Amin. I saw this last time I was here. Sure it will be eye opening for our team. It’s very different to watch that movie in the city and with the people where it took place.

Our hearts are being knit with these people in Buloba. We are all falling in love with them and they with us. It will be very hard to say goodbye on Friday.

I came across these words in the Asbury Spring Reader that give a little different slant on how we view temptations.  Check it out:

It was in order to teach us that Jesus both did and underwent all things.  He endures even being led into the wilderness, and wrestling against the devil, so that each of us who are baptized-who after our baptism must endure greater temptations-may not be troubled thinking this was unexpected.  Instead, we must continue to nobly endure it all; it’s the natural course of things.

Yes, of course-for you didn’t take up arms to be idle, but to fight!  For these reasons God does not hinder temptations as they come on:

1. To teach you how strong you have indeed become;
2. To keep you modest, not thinking your gifts make you extra-special;
3. To prove that the wicked devil, who things he might draw you back, that you have indeed forsaken and abandoned him;
4. That you may be even stronger, and better tempered than steel;
5. that you may obtain a clear demonstration of the treasures you’re entrusted with. For the devil wouldn’t bother assailing you except that he’s seen you brought to greater honor by God.

St. John Chrysostom (347-407, Homolies on Matthew 13.1

What would we miss out on if we didn’t face any temptations?  What if the very struggle we want to end is the very thing God is using to shape and form us into more of what he desires…more into the image of Christ?  Our journey of becoming like Christ is often messy.  It’s not always pretty with 6am devotions and prayer walks in the garden.

What do you think about this?

But I’m even more excited about our speaker who will be with us…Chip Jackson, Teaching Pastor from Fellowship Bible Church in Northwest Arkansas.  The summer before my 7th grade year, Chip Jackson was hired as the Youth Minister at First Baptist Church of Opelika, AL.  About two weeks later Chip and I ended up as roommates at a Centrifuge Youth Camp in North Carolina.  That week marked the beginning of a great friendship that shaped my life over the next 6 years.  He poured into my life and took a special interest in me.  There was much golf, talking about girls, trips to Lake Martin, junk food, Bible study, trips to Six Flags and mission projects with Chip over those years.  There is a passage now that I can’t read without thinking of him…

¹²Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:12-14

It was on a tennis court late one night at another camp when Chip led a group of us in memorizing this passage together…probably in 8th or 9th grade.

We’ve just recently hooked up again and I’m looking forward to spending some time with Chip this next week.  He’s coming in on Wednesday so we will have a chance to hang for a few days before the weekend.  Finding myself looking forward to talking to my old mentor again…still coming to him with stuff I’m struggling with and working through, but now as a young pastor.  Should be a life-giving time for both of us to be together again.

If you’re around Auburn next weekend, join us at Cornerstone on Sunday March 1…Chip will be preaching that day.