Messages Given at The Orchard Church of Dunn Loring, VA. Visit our website at BeyondSunday.org
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Colossians 4:5-6 is the type of passage that I might gloss over. Why? It feels as though it is just saying something that I already know. That is, "Talk with people outside of the church, and perhaps make sure that it involves evangelism." Yet if I pause and meditate on some of the phrases, what emerges is a not so simplistic. Consider that every encounter that we have with someone is an opportunity for it to be meaningless and trivial, or an opportunity for it to be life-changing. That is the thrust of what Paul is writing about here. He is saying that this is a moment when a valuable encount
What would be left of your religion if you stripped away the music, the devotional readings, the Bibles, the buildings, the majestic worship experiences, the preaching, your Christian friends, the children's programs, etc. Would you be alone in a desert, or would it be a simple time with just you and Jesus?
Like Jesus' temptation in the desert, Satan is always whispering attractive lies to us, trying to seed us with ideas that could substitute for the truths of God, and cause us to head off in directions that are contrary to God's will. These lying woos sometimes sound plausible, sometimes we don't question them because everyone around us believes them to be true, and sometimes they could even sound holy. But they are lies. God has given us truth in Scripture. How can we know this truth if we instead spend hours upon hours of time buried in the internet, but never gathering with others to explore
Do you know what sin is? It isn't a little mistake or something minor, like going 60 in a 55 mile per hour zone. Sin is serious. It separates us from God. It angers God, and cues His wrath. So it should put us on our knees before God pleading, “have mercy on me a sinner!” Without Jesus, there is no hope for this sin. When all of the world began, everything was order. Sin comes in and creates chaos, everywhere. As the chaos of sin comes in and destroys the created order, Christ Jesus is still there holding all things together, containing the effects of sin so that we are not hopeless. In the en
In the first chapter of Colossians, Paul describes the Gospel as "bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world". The Gospel is more than words or information that gives us orientation to God. The Gospel is like a powerful seed that grows into a mighty tree! This growth is spiritual and it happens in our souls, shaped by God to be useful for His purposes.
What happens when our culture thinks a sin is OK, when lots of people are doing the sin, and perhaps we even feel as if the sin is personally beneficial? Then what happens when the sin is widely and even openly practiced by people in the church? When it gets to this point, the church has become "enculturated", which means that the culture of the church looks no different than the culture of the world. We lose our salt and light, and we become blinded to truth and lazy with truth. Sexuality in America is an example of this. Our culture has become comfortable with divorce, fornication, lust, adu
Admittedly, it can be intimidating to come before God to have Him change us. He might change our possessions, our relationships, our dreams in life, our reputation, our hobbies, our privilege, our generosity, our pleasures, etc. Most of us begin wanting to add Jesus to our existing lives, rather than have Jesus replace our lives, but that isn't how God is working. It isn't how Scripture describes the journey of a Christian. How do we find the courage? For us to genuinely and regularly kneel before God to ask Him to change us into the image of Jesus, as our Faith continuously urges us, we will
Why would anyone volunteer to go hungry? Why would any of us want the pain, discomfort, headaches, and weakness that comes about when a person fasts? Good questions. Donald Whitney, in Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, wrote that “fasting is the most feared and misunderstood of all the spiritual disciplines”. Fasting is voluntarily going without food (and sometimes water) for a period of time - " it could be for just one meal, or for a day, or even several days. And when you look at all the examples in Scripture where people fasted, you will notice a pattern. In each case, they are
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places to commune with God and to be refreshed. No distractions. No people. No anxiety. No busyness. It is an encounter with God's truth, love, and power. Jesus lived in a divine rhythm where as grace was flowing out from him, he needed sacred space for grace to flow into him. The discipline of solitude may seem like a practice of boredom - and we hate boredom because it feels painful. So anytime that we might face boredom, we too often choose to immerse ourselves in more busyness, more anxiety, or more distraction. Yet we need a sacred place of creativity with G
One thing is common for most American Christians: we are so absorbed in the busyness, cares and concerns of the world around us, that we have little margin to add anything into our agenda. We feel as if we can't squeeze in another thing, and so the disciplines of pursuing Jesus are shelved for sometime later. If this describes you (and it probably does), then you need to deconstruct your menu of activity with the Discipline of Simplicity.
After God had given Israel messages about His will, we notice in Deuteronomy 11 that the instructions were not just head knowledge, but to be rooted in their daily rhythms. This is also true for us. It is not sufficient just to know God's will, for we are to become what God wills. The disciplines of "absorbing truth" open us up to be saturated in the words of God so that our lives begin to align with God's will and do God's will.
We must realize that our souls are full of lies and half-truths that deceive us, hurt our joy, harm our relationships, and ultimately keep us from serving God more fully. We want truth. We need truth. Many may say, "Just read the Bible, and you'll get truth" but that is a naive suggestion that doesn't appreciate spiritual realities. For all truth can be colored and distorted by pride, ignorance, bias, agendas, and even demons. God knows that we need guidance, mentoring, and challenge in the pursuit of truth, and seeking truth together with the Holy Spirit is an essential discipline.
All disciplines create tension between where we are, and where we need to get to. They open us up to the power of God so that we may become reshaped, but most of us find our lives already so full of the world's routines, that we can hardly find a moment to read a morning devotion. Our worldly routine is the enemy of Christian adventure. Where to begin? Of top priority is the movement from pride to humility, for pride is a fundamental block to God - as Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:5, "God opposes the proud." Most of us are infected with pride, preferring that others serve us and be beneath us. But
We operate in three places. The first place is our home, and the second place is our work. Our third place is any relational space where we engage with others - and this could be anything from a neighborhood barbecue to a book club. Participation in our third place is critical to our well-being and harmony with the world around us. God actually created a third place for us, called The Church. It is not only a relational place with other people but significantly with the Spirit of God. It is where we pursue God's vision for us to become like Christ. As we come into this third place with our anx
The word "Faith" is jam packed with a lot of meaning - meaning that can be elusive to modern day Christians. For example, we may think it is trusting that something is real without without evidence ... yet it is more. So, when Jesus tells his disciples that even a little faith can move a mountain, He is not speaking about what they think or what they trust, but that even the smallest connection with God can mean great power flows out. The same Faith that resurrects us, is the Faith that does miracles.
God's will plays out in small moments, every day of your life. We have choices between family, habits, temptations, personal preferences, and God's will. Which will we choose? We want God's will for our lives because it is the best course for our lives. Being mindful actively considers that God's will should be paramount in our lives in all the moments of our lives. In these chapters of 1 Samuel, we see how David is allowing God to be in control in three situations - David could choose to interfere with God's will or change the timing of God's will. But he doesn't. God is top.
Saul is intent on killing David. David is not only fearful of Saul, but of those who might report him, and of anyone he thinks is an enemy. Alone, trying to protect himself, he lies ... not once or twice, but three times. How can a God-fearing man such as David do this? Does he not trust that God will preserve him? This is a challenging topic because it considers messy situations and messy ethical dilemmas that many Christians face. Though we may prefer black and white answers, messy situations are gray. This message explores these lies of David, the lies of others in Scripture, and three reas
When David was first anointed as King of Israel, he didn't immediately take the throne. That wouldn't happen for another 15-20 years. Why the wait? Why wouldn't God replace the self-centered Saul immediately? Most all of God's anointed leaders - men like Moses, Paul, Peter, and Samuel - go through a period of apprenticeship. The Spirit of God nurtures them, matures their heart, and purifies them through failure. Saul didn't have that period ... David did. For us as Christians, we are also called to be used by God. We are a holy people, and the Church is the environment where we are conditioned
In 1 Samuel 13-15, we see Saul displaying natural leadership, and failing at being a leader for God. This may be shocking to us. We are all familiar with leadership in our world, as we see it in government, business, sports, the military, etc. Such leaders rally people around them and their causes - they are decisive, influential, commanding, and elevated. We expect leaders for God to be the same, but they cannot be. Though a spiritual leader may have some of the traits of a natural leader, the spiritual leader does not display self-power, self-glory, or self-righteousness. The spiritual leade
Chapters 9-11 tell the advancing story of how Saul becomes the anointed King of Israel, being confirmed by God through Samuel, and then by the people. And, the threat that precipitated Israels hunger for a king, is vanquished in 1 Samuel 11. It may seem that all is well, but Samuel points out that things are now more complex. The people of Israel are always responsible for following God, but having a King means that the King is like a middleman. It is vital that the King follows God.
In 1 Samuel 8, we read about the Israelites' demand for a king to lead them and judge them. Samuel confers with the Lord, who responds that "they have rejected me as their King" and tells Samuel to warn them about what they're really asking for. They insist that they want to have a king "like all the other nations," setting the stage for Saul to prove Samuel right in the chapters that follow. For us today, in what ways are each of us rejecting Jesus as our King in the same way the Isaraelites rejected YHWH? Are we coveting things of the world, or are we making human kings out of other Christia
1 Samuel 4-7 describes what is commonly called the Ark Narratives, but might be better called "The Ark Goes on a Long Trip". These chapters describe both legend and truth, and these two things are not always the same. Legend might describe a time of truth, but the truth is obscured and lost. Legend often is easy and lazy. For us today, we need to be a people wo do not live according to the laziness of legend. Instead we need to be a people who pursue God's truth and God's will.
1 Samuel 3 describes a period of time in the history of Israel when God's word is described as “rare” or “precious”. Though the priests have access to the word of God, they are failing in their responsibility to deliver the word of God (through teaching and role-modeling). Instead, they are “going their own way”, the word of God is not active, and the people of God become blind to truth. But Samuel sought out God's words, and this chapter describes the night when God first spoke to Samuel in a series of dreams. Thus, the blindness to God's word is being replaced with clarity. Want to read rath
The opening two chapters of 1 Samuel describe how the need of Hannah is meshed with the will of God. Hannah comes before God, powerless, seeking Him for a child. Only God can change her situation. As she offers herself to God over a long period, God's Spirit speaks into her heart - the heart of God combines with her heart, and the plans of God are revealed to Hannah. God orchestrates a blessing in the form of a miracle. And like all blessings, it develops into something much grander than satisfying a personal need. For Hannah is to conceive a child who is to be dedicated to God. Samuel will be
Identity is how we advertise ourselves to the world around us. It is our value to others. It answers the question, “Who am I?” For a person to become a Christian, there will be a fundamental change in identity. We will no longer live for ourselves but live as a representative for God.
