Missional, Incarnational Community…

In the movie Superman Returns, Superman comes to see Lois and explains why he left and came back.  He takes Lois for a flight through the night sky high above the earth.  As they hover, Superman says:

S: What do you hear?

L: Nothing.

S: I hear everything….

S: You wrote “The world does not need a Savior, but every day I hear people crying out for one.”

Isn’t that so true.  If you have the ears and eyes to discern the cry of humanity all around us;  they cry out for a Savior.  From atheist to agnostic to right out vile pagan - While even in the midst of outright denying the existence of God, their lives, their pain, their dreams and life longings cry out for a Savior. 

Instead of self-righteous disdain for the behavior and religious beliefs of others, we should be moved to compassion for a crying humanity in need of a Savior. 

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”   Micah 6:8

Who is going to show them the way?

What you look’n at?

In processing my thought from Sunday’s message, I began to think about God’s glory.  What is God’s glory?  I heard one of the best descriptions of Glory this past week by Jeff kapusta in his message “Why Questions?”

Psalm 19:1 (NIV) says, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.”

Glory is adoration, affection and bigness.  It is the awesomeness of God.  I want to see the glory of God in my life just like you can see  His glory in creation.  I want someone to look at my life and say, “I don’t understand it, but that is awesome; that is so incredible it must be God.”  Isn’t that what the Apostle Paul was talking about in 2 Corinthians 4:7.

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”

We are to reflect God’s glory through our lives.  When people examine your life they should see Jesus!

Glory comes from magnifying God.  We magnify God when we look at Him as Moses did when he drew near to God on Mt Sinai to talk to Him.  Drawing close to God caused Moses to reflect the radiance of God’s glory.  Others saw it on him.

When we look to God instead of placing our focus on all our problems, God is magnified instead of our circumstance.  The closer we are to Him the small our problems seem.  Many people focus so much on their circumstances, it steals their faith and they can’t see that God is bigger than their issues.  Their problems seem insurmountable.  When we truly see God as He really is, then we will see our problems for what they really are – small in comparison to a Big God.

When we look to God, He is magnified.  When He is magnified, we behold His glory.  When we behold His glory, others see God in us.

Are you a Christian?

So if by definition Christian means “Christ follower” and the Bible tells us to put on Christ and to have the likeness of Christ…..How does your life line up with this definition?  If you were Jesus what would you be doing right now?  How would you be living right now?  What should change about your life in order to be what you really claim to be?  Do we really believe if we do not live like what we say?  James said “You say you have faith, I’ll show you my faith by what I do.” (James 2:18 my paraphrase)

You may not like this statement.  I believe being saved and being a Christian are two different things.  Being saved depends on me believing in the finished work of Christ in His death and resurrection.  However, being a Christian has to do with me cooperating with the Holy Spirit’s work in and through me.  Notice my job or work.  I must work to cooperate with Him.  My job is to obey His leading in following Him and daily conforming to Him and acting like Him.

I have witnessed lately in my own life, people who are saved but not Christian.  They believe in the saving work of Christ but look and act like they don’t know Him.

Are you a Christian?