In the forty years since our revival, the Jesus Movement, I’ve heard a lot of theories about so-called “separation.”

No one would argue that Christians should live separate from sin, but the solution is not to live separate from sinners.

Jesus sure didn’t do that. He gained a reputation as a friend of sinners. He purposefully touched the unclean, hung out with the outcasts, and even entered a pagan Gentile’s home.

“Scandalous,” His critics cried. They even spread rumors that He was a glutton and a drunkard.

Did Jesus care?

Not a bit. Every time He made contact with the ones the religious culture tried to quarantine good Jews from interacting with, they were transformed.

That’s the way it was in the Jesus Movement. We didn’t separate, we penetrated. We didn’t run from sinners, we watched God run them down with His mercy and grace.

As Walter Wink put it so eloquently, “The contagion of holiness overcomes the contagion of uncleanness.”

Question: How has a false view of separation quarantined you from the very ones Jesus wants you to love in His name?

In the forty years since our revival, the Jesus Movement, I’ve heard a lot of theories about so-called “separation.”

No one would argue that Christians should live separate from sin, but the solution is not to live separate from sinners.

Jesus sure didn’t do that. He gained a reputation as a friend of sinners. He purposefully touched the unclean, hung out with the outcasts, and even entered a pagan Gentile’s home.

“Scandalous,” His critics cried. They even spread rumors that He was a glutton and a drunkard.

Did Jesus care?

Not a bit. Every time He made contact with the ones the religious culture tried to quarantine good Jews from interacting with, they were transformed.

That’s the way it was in the Jesus Movement. We didn’t separate, we penetrated. We didn’t run from sinners, we watched God run them down with His mercy and grace.

As Walter Wink put it so eloquently, “The contagion of holiness overcomes the contagion of uncleanness.”

Question: How has a false view of separation quarantined you from the very ones Jesus wants you to love in His name?

Christianity is all about releasing the selfless love of Christ from our lives, individually and corporately.

It’s not about getting more out of life by demanding; it’s about getting the most out of life by giving.

Selfless service isn’t easy; in fact it’s impossible apart from the life of Christ in us. The Jesus Movement connected some visionary leaders’ hearts to ours–the angry radicals of the 60s. Their supernatural compassion for the left out and left over pockets of our world was their spiritual and worshipful expression of their new identity in Christ.

Before you and I can talk about serving Christ and extending His grace to this world, we need to think about its source—our redeemed heart.

It’s time for church leaders stop using shame and manipulation to make people do what Christ says.

If we ever want to see revival again, we need to build communities of faith that know the joy of doing what Christ says because their redeemed hearts want to.

Oh yeah; that will take grace.

Question: You ready to risk it?

A Very Short Blurb to Get You Thinking About a New SpiritualRevolution!

I trusted Christ on a Sunday evening on the curb in front of our Young Life leader’s home.

The next Tuesday I was part of the “leadership team” of a local high school Young Life club.

I didn’t know the Bible had books, had barely memorized John 3:16, and hadn’t been to church yet.

Three weeks later I was leading that Young Life Club. I’m sure I spouted about 20 heresies a week, said some things that my Young Life leader wished I’d never said, and made a lot of churchy people mad.

But I did it; the Lord grew me; and a lot of kids came to Christ.

If you want to see revival, you have to take risks. Like trusting the Holy Spirit to work powerfully in brand new believers.

Question: Do you have a Jesus Movement memory like this?

I read in the paper this week about the little boy who is the youngest to scale Mt. Whitney in a single day.

At 7 years old, Tyler Armstrong is missing his two front teeth and is getting ready to start second grade.  But instead of sharing about typical little boy summer highlights in class, he’ll tell of his dizzying adventure climbing 14, 494-foot Mt. Whitney.

It strikes me that Tyler’s accomplishment can teach followers of Jesus something about the mountains of life. If a boy of seven can follow his dad to the summit of Whitney, surely we can follow the Lord Jesus as He leads us over the mountains of real life.

What is the “mountain” Jesus is asking you to summit with Him right now?

For me, it is trusting Jesus enough to serve Him amid the weakness of this chronic disease. I don’t know what it is for you because I don’t know what is breaking your heart or wobbling your faith right now.

Jesus Knows…

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Judy and I are trying to live out what we’ve been studying in the Book of Galatians at Church of the Open Door. The first four chapters of the book celebrate our liberty in Christ, and the last two force us to admit that God set us free to express our faith through selfless love.

Recently we decided that for us to “live by the Spirit” meant that we should put our schedules and agendas aside to dedicate a day to loving a lonely person in our lives. “We’re just going to do this today, even though we don’t have the time. It’s the right thing to do—the selfless and loving thing to do. It’s definitely what the Spirit is telling us to do.”

But as the day progressed we kept taking it back. “This is nuts! I haven’t even finished my sermon yet and tomorrow’s Sunday,” I griped to Judy. “Well,” she came back, “I should be getting the house ready for all the hospitality we’ve committed to tomorrow. Remind me again, why are we doing this today?”

We shouldn’t be surprised by this conflict within us. Paul told us that our self-indulging flesh will always resist the Spirit’s leading to live for Christ and others in Galatians 5:16-26.

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Amazing Parallel!

Why did the Lord Jesus hang around in the Temple on that Wednesday afternoon just days before He went to the Cross?

Israel had rejected Him and the Temple wasn’t a safe place for the Son of God.

Still, He tarried.

I see an amazing parallel between Jesus’ reluctance to leave the Temple in the First Century to one of the darkest days in Israel’s history 600 years before Christ. In Ezekiel 8-11, the wickedness of Israel brought judgment—the Glory of the Lord would no longer reside in the Temple. As it departs, God’s glory hesitates at every threshold and finally departs the earth from the mountain east of Jerusalem that we know today as the Mount of Olives.

What a touching look into the heart of our God. Even though His people deserved judgment, God lingers. It’s as if the Son of God is desperate to find something good, something pure, something worthy of commendation in His people, anything He could affirm, anything to encourage His broken heart days before the Cross.

God Encouraged?

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It’s easy to look back on your life and conclude, “God was leading me.” What you often can’t seem to determine is what God wants you to do with a specific decision you’re facing.

I’m trying to help a number of friends discern God’s will for specific and huge life decisions. I’m consulting two sources: the Word of God and my personal experience.

We’re discovering some incredibly helpful principles in the process, and I’m realizing that I’m repeating these same few principles to each of these friends.

The Holy Spirit’s prompting me to put together some teaching to help more of you discern God’s will for your life. But before I get too far into the process, I need your help.

Question: What are your top three questions about finding God’s will?

Thanks!

What did He say?

A few years ago I spent a lot of time in the book of Mark—the fast-paced record of Jesus’ works and words.

The more I read and meditated, the more I identified with the disciples.

They spend their days walking along with Jesus as He does these spectacular miracles and says these wonderful sentences. And just when they think they have figured out their Master, He says something that turns them sideways.

“Hey, wait a minute Jesus. Are you saying that…

…you’re interested in these IRS guys and these prostitutes?”

…you love people who do the will of God more than your own mother?”

…we shouldn’t be afraid of these huge waves in this little boat?”

…we should tell these thousands of people that we’re going to feed them?”

…you’re really not interested in all these religious rules we grew up with?”

…rich people aren’t God’s favorites?”

…we can’t just make religious excuses to throw away our marriages?”

…we have to give up to gain, lose to win, serve to be great, suffer to follow?”

I know how they feel, don’t you?

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The Cults Say: Get to Work!!

I was in the Phoenix Airport listening in to a conversation between two cultists. They were talking about their hope of heaven. As they talked I was thinking, “What they’re saying isn’t that much different from a lot of so-called evangelicals today. It’s all about working hard and measuring up.”

What do you say?

Here’s my question for those who tell me that telling people that eternal life is a free gift given to all who trust in Jesus is “just too easy”: What sets your gospel apart from the works-based message of the cults?

“He who believes in Me has everlasting life.” –Jesus Christ, John 6:47