Man Up-Week 1

It’s Not About the Crown

“I am King of the Mountain and nobody can knock me off!” as children we would declare such statements as a challenge to our friends, just to try and take us down.  After all, who could resist the glory of being the king?  When we envision a king, we generally picture some guy sitting on a throne being indulged by his subjects. Often, he is overweight and while dress nicely, is a bit slovenly.  Pop culture would have us in one of two camps; the careless king who does little for his people or the king who is tyrannical in his treatment of his subjects.

I am called to be “King/Lord of my domain”, what does it really mean? And what about the part about me being the “man of the house”?    Should I have a throne in my living room? I don’t think it would fit with the current décor…

Stu Weber talks about being a king in his book “The Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart” (Weber, 1997) and has some valid points about what it means to be one.   Unlike the pop culture vision of the king, Stu focuses on the balanced and self-sacrificing king.  He goes on to pose an out of balance king is one who is either an abdicator or a tyrant; but a balanced king is a provider of leadership, support, and guidance.

“God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order” (Genesis 2:15 MSG).  The man was to work the ground and “keep it in order”.  Wow, now there’s a big charge.  God creates this amazing universe, filled with all kinds of life, and says “Ok, this is yours to take care of”.  In fact, God commands it through His blessing, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.  Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and every living creature that moves on the ground” (Genesis 1:28 NIV Emphasis added).

Ok, so let me recap:  As a man, I am called to be a king…I am to take care of the land, keep it in order, subdue it, and rule over all creatures…but still I do not fully understand what it means to be a king.  Here is where I turn to look at the great leaders of all time and see who really got it right…yup…Jesus.  He was a called a Rabi, Lord, Teacher, King, yet he never lorded it over His disciples.  Jesus nudged (John 6:5-6), He taught (Matthew 5:3-12), He served (John13:1-17), He loved, and He sacrificed Himself (Matthew 27:45-56, Mark 15:33-41, Luke 23:44-46, and John 19:28-30) for all who were in His care (every last one of us).

All right all you men out there, here is the core message as far as I can tell: We are all kings, but the one true King, Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, came to teach us.  We are not to be hard handed tyrants who rule with an iron thumb, nor are we meant to be lackadaisical and aloof letting anyone who wants them to take the reins.  Men, we are called to lead, guide, nudge, teach, inspire, serve, love, and yes, sacrifice for those placed in our sphere of influence regardless if you are a commander of an army of one, two, ten, or thousands; whether they are family, friend, colleague, or neighbor.  It’s not about the throne or the crown; kings are men of action and every action is to be done in love and with an attitude that places others first.

When in Rome--Week 5

Today's blog is about relationships, Specifically my relationship with people after I became a Christ follower. 
by Wayne Clinton.

There's no question that my relationships became different as time passed., And there's no question that it was difficult to establish the new way to have relationships with people through Christ. I thought that it would be easy, but it wasn't so simple. I had changed in my inner spirit, at least the way i viewed who Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit were relationally to me, Those relationships were now far more personal and deeper and more meaningful and the bible made more sense to me than ever before. 

However my thoughts about people hadn't changed along with it. Almost all of my friends at the time that I became a Christian were not Christians. And those relationships suffered because i withdrew from a huge portion of my past lifestyle. That's the "do not conform to the patterns of this world" part for me, I didn't leave the people from those relationships as much as they didn't want me around them any longer. My new thoughts towards people and how to handle those relationships needed help. I found the right words in the book of Romans. Romans 12 begins with the word (therefore) I've learned that means I need to know what happened in God's word before what I am reading now. So I back up to Romans 11 which talks about grace, Gods grace for me the person who is not from Jewish descent. in Romans 11 it talks about gardening and being grafted into the main VINE of the (chosen Olive Tree.) that would mean (descendants of Abraham) grafted in where some of the natural branches have been cut off from the main branch for their unbelief. So i better not do this.... fall away from unbelief, for if God didn't spare the natural branches why would he spare me the grafted in one for doing the same thing.

I'm not confused about this, it makes sense its simple gardening. God's grace saved me and he tells me not to be arrogant BECAUSE I have been grafted in where its natural branches used to be, and to remember that the branch that I am grafted into is fed from the root, and that root is Jewish by nature, therefore I must not be conceded and think of myself more highly than I should and i must remain in my belief and not fall. It was with that humbled mind set that Romans 12 speaks living words of wisdom.
Romans 12:1-2 reads, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

So I gathered from that read, That because of Gods mercy for me and by changing the way I think about who i am and how i choose to live my life, and by not following the ways of popularity of the worlds approach and the need of their approval of my choices, it will change the outcome of the relationships that I'm dealing with in my life. Both with God and mankind.
it continues with this..
Romans 12:4-5
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Romans 12:4‭-‬5 NIV

This is where i get my NEW THOUGHTS going. So just as i have my physical body with its different parts like my eyes, hands, feet, ears, nose, mouth, heart, lungs its still ONE body. I now have this NEW BODY, because i have become a Christian. And i no longer belong to myself but to all the other people in the church..SAY WHAT !
If that's the truth, then how i think and how I live in private, and in public is subject to the rest of the ONE body, and its members.
In other words i need to be the best version of me through a renewed way of thinking for all the other people in the church. And i need to also be PRESENT to be WITH them at church regardless of whether or not they conform to this new thinking. I need to be available to be seen and to be ready to help the other members of the ONE BODY. I need to be in the body even if my life gets tough. 
This is so true. I know that when i make the devoted choice to drag my butt to church again when life's struggles or its business are pulling me the other way, and i walk through the doors to find the woman whose husband just abandoned a 25 year marriage or the man who just buried his sister to the grave days earlier standing in the lobby, that i without a doubt made the right choice for the rest of the body. Its a new way of treating relationships for me. And it has been very fulfilling. 

Now there is still the relationships with the rest of the world, the non believers.
So i must return back to Romans 12:9-21
Here is a brief summary stolen from my bibles footnotes of these verses.
Stop pretending how to love and how to speak kind words, stop pretending to be compassionate. Sincere love requires concentration and effort. It means helping others become better people. It demands our time, money, and personal involvement. 
Honor people because they are created in Gods image not because of who they are in their position or stature or wealth. Be hospitable even with a messy house and Top Ramen for a meal, not just when things are clean and above average. You can be hospitable even when your too tired, or too busy or not wealthy enough to entertain.
Be willing to forgive because you have experienced Gods grace, don't you want to pass on what that is like to experience. Remember grace is undeserved favor. Do not repay evil with evil, but with good. Kind words or a smile and right actions can diffuse a bomb. Be willing to forgive. be kind to those who persecute you, turn an enemy into a friend if possible. Live at peace with everyone. 

WOW what a big order to follow right. But remember...
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:13

When in Rome--Week 4

Our Road to Romans has been a twisty turn of hills and valleys. And like any road trip there are highs and lows to the journey. I remember road trips to my grandparents home. The lows of car sickness, bickering parents and a bit of homesickness for a forgotten toy. But, there were the highs of the trip. The excitement of the journey, the anticipation of hugs, Dixie cups, cheerios, sweets from the pie shop my grandparents frequented. The best part? Grandma’s rice crispy treats made especially for us, to make us feel wanted, like we belonged.

This month we have taken what I call a crash course into the book of Romans. First, the Bad News was delivered in such a way that made me catch my breath like a bug on a collision course with the windshield of life. “God abandoned them to their sinful desires.” Talk about some bad news! We were stuck on the side of the road with a blown out tire saturated in a sinful and broken world. But, we do not have to stay stagnant in the wreckage that is the bad news. A New Way to be Right explained that we have roadside assistance! We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus. When we looked at The Struggle and the Victory we came to understand we are no longer bound to the law but we are free by the grace of Jesus. God sets out before us a roadmap to navigate the perils of human life. But, who exactly did God invite along on the journey through the twisty turn of those hills and valleys? Who exactly belongs?

Romans 3:2 tells us the Jews were entrusted with the very word of God. And yet, both the Jews and Gentiles are all under the power of sin- no one is righteous, not even one (Romans 3:12) We are all subject to the penalty of sin, sin touches us all. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God but the good news for us is that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. We don’t have to do any work for ourselves, it has already been done on the cross by Jesus. Our salvation rests simply in Jesus not by any works that we have accomplished. The journey heavenbound will accept our passports regardless of our bloodline. 

Therefore, when we consider our own wondrous opportunity to be called children of God regardless of our Gentile status we can accept our inclusion with grateful hearts. The price of belonging to God costs nothing. We are saved by faith in Jesus and that really truly is the good news. We as Gentiles inherit the rich blessings of the Father when we were grafted into the family of God. The invitation to belong is irrevocable. Out of Two- the Jews and Gentiles we become united through our faith in Jesus and become one people, people invited to belong.

AC3 VB203 Postings

Enjoy this weeks video blog with Rick and Dan! :)

A Challenge to Assemble.

Heb 10:25: …not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

So today I’m putting the finishing touches on a Romans 6-8 talk, and this passage just blows me away every time.  It’s like the climax of the whole Bible!  Truly life changing, if we understand it and embrace it.  Whether I can deliver the goods this weekend or not, we’ll see, but I’m excited to teach this stuff to the church I love.

Then the thought hits me and guts all my excitement, “no matter how good this talk is, only about 1/3 or less of my church is going to hear this, take this in, to be encouraged by it in the company of their sisters and brothers.” That’s based on trends in the church in America overall, and trends at AC3 currently.

Now, I ask you the question, what constitutes a “habit of staying away from church meetings”?  How would you know if that’s YOUR habit or not.  You’d want to know that, wouldn’t you?  You’d want to know if you were in standing violation of a clear Apostolic order, right?  The church meets (and has since Day One) every 7 days – so out of roughly 50 chances a year, how many do you have to miss before you call it a habit of “staying away”?  ½ of them?  Two thirds of them?  Is it only a habit of “staying away” if you stay away from all but two – Christmas and Easter?

Now, I’ve gone and made you uncomfortable probably.  You’re already charting your attendance in your head – don’t bother, we already know, for the average AC3er, it’s about once a month or less.  And now, maybe you’re getting a little defensive and muttering something about “legalism” and “church isn’t a meeting” or some other nonsense we say when we know something is amiss and we don’t want to look at it.

As to legalism, would you say the same thing if we talked about the habit of neglecting your diet and exercise?  The habit of neglecting sleep?  Would we call that being legalistic?  No, we’d put that in the category of “stuff we warn ourselves and each other about because we love and we want to see ourselves flourish and grow and get what we need and live within our design”.

Ok, so maybe that gets at something underneath the “habit of staying away from our meetings”.  You say, “that’s just the thing, frankly, I don’t NEED them every 7 days.”  Some beater cars need tune ups every few miles, BMW’s every 100,000 miles – I guess I’m just a spiritual BMW!  I don’t get a lot from the inputs, the worship or the messages, I mostly get what I need for my Christian life away from our public gatherings.

Really?  I debate whether that is so, but let’s say it is.  Go back and read the verse enjoining you and me to not neglect our weekly gatherings.  For whose sake is this important?  Is it primarily so you get a spiritual shot in the arm?  Is it primarily so that you can say you served in KK and did your duty?  Is it primarily so that you got fed? 

I’m reading something different, let’s say it together:  The primary reason I should not neglect coming to the public gatherings of the church is so that I can ENCOURAGE OTHERS. 

Hmmm… maybe you’ve never thought about that before.  Maybe, you need to be here – weekly – because someone else needs to see you here.  Maybe – except for obvious breaks on vacation, illness, etc. – you need to be here, for others, not for you.  How individualistic are we that we think the church gathering is only about meeting my need?  And if I deem it meets no need, the gathering itself is expendable, superfluous, not a priority.

I challenge you to rethink this whole thing, with one final thought: 

The apostle notes a reason to meet “all the more” – because you see the Day approaching.  I know many of you are deeply disturbed by the waves of secularity sweeping not just this nation, but the world.  It does seem, does it not, that a climax of confrontation is coming that only the “Day” will fix.  And yet often it’s the very people who wring their hands at the coming storm, and who curse the darkness the most, who do not bother to double down on the only thing Jesus ever gave us to feel hope in this broken world:  his Body, the Church, holding out the Word of Life.

Finally, the Church is by definition an “assembly”.  Those that are called out – out of world, out of chaos, out of the mess and out of darkness and into his wonderful light.  And how will we stand as light, unless we see each other – regularly – doing so?

-Written by Rick Thiessen

When in Rome-Week 3

Not to Be Undone

Inseparable: Unable to be separated, parted, or cleaved from another.  Growing up there was that one best friend whom people would say we were “inseparable”; but we are now far from one another and haven’t even talked in years.  It as “inseparable” as it seemed, I guess. 

When we think of things that are inseparable, we think of solid rock formations, bonded steel, or Superman’s grip.  Even these examples, however, fail due to their inherent weaknesses.  Rock can be broken up with the right set of tools or explosives, steel can be cut up or melted down, and even Superman has kryptonite to break his grip.  So, this begs the question of what is truly inseparable?

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior in our hearts, we are made inseparable from Him.  And Paul defines this relationship as such: “…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans‬ ‭8:37-39‬).‬‬

Now we have a complete picture of what inseparable means.  Not even “angels or demons” could pull us apart.  This is a permanent togetherness that withstands time, life or death, or “anything else in all of creation”. 

Once we have fully accepted our Lord, we are his children forevermore.  He is with us in our joy, our sadness or times of trouble, and also in our successes.   He sees our tears and hears our hopes.  Jesus has us and holds onto us through every storm and every battle.  He knows we are weak and broken, He knows that we are still fallible and capable of sin despite His presence in our lives. Yet, He sticks with us, comforts us, strengthens us, and yes, He forgives us.

Our God; Father, Son, and Spirit has always been there and always will be there for us.  With this knowledge I echo Paul’s question: “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans‬ ‭8:31-32‬)‬‬

-Written by Christian Love 

AC3 VB202 Applications Done

Check out our latest video blog as Rick and Dan discuss our Applications course that is now up and available for you to take! Watch a how to video at the end of the VB. Enjoy :)