Beyond Comprehension

Discipleship is not limited to what you can comprehend – it must transcend all comprehension. Plunge into the deep waters beyond your own comprehension, and I will help you to comprehend even as I do. Bewilderment is the true comprehension. Not to know where you are going is the true knowledge. My comprehension transcends yours. Thus Abraham went forth from his father and not knowing wither he went. He trusted himself to my knowledge, and cared not for his own and thus he took the right road and came to his journey’s end. Behold, that is the way of the cross. You cannot find it yourself, so you must let me lead you as though you were a blind man. Wherefore it is not you, no man, no living creature, but I myself, who instruct you by my word and Spirit in the way you should go. Not the work which you choose, not the suffering you devise, but the road which is clean contrary to all that you choose or contrive or desire – that is the road you must take. To that I call you and in that you must be my disciple. If you do that, there is acceptable time and there your master is come” ~Luther

A Humbling Moment

I am a pastor. These words rung through my head on my drive home from “pastoring” in Oakland one afternoon. I couldn’t shake it, I am a pastor. On my drive I began to think who am I a pastor too? I am certainly not everyone’s pastor. Who does God ultimately want me to pastor in this lifetime?

First, I pastor my family. My family is a mirror reflecting the effectiveness of my pastoring. Everything about me is mirrored through them. They are my first congregation. The gifts that I have been given through the Holy Spirit must be displayed in my own four walls before they take a single step onto the street. I need to be a pastor to my wife and her faith. I need to be a pastor to my boys and their faith. I need to build a home that represents the church for all who enter it.

Second, I pastor my friends. Jesus spent his entire ministry entrusting the gospel to twelve men, one of which ran from the call. Every time I read about Jesus calling the disciples his friends I am humbled by the importance placed on friendship. Friendship is the gospel practiced in real life with real people through the Holy Spirit. Friendships are relationships driven not just by two, but three. The Holy Spirit operates in our friendships and should act as a guide for how we treat one another. The Holy Spirit will act as a guide reminding us of Jesus and his call to draw towards one another.

Third, I pastor my neighbor. I was talking with a neighbor and realized they had no idea what I did at the church. They had little idea of what it meant to be a Christian. It was the easiest, yet most difficult conversation at the same time. I did not need to know a lot of answers to big questions, just simple expressions of my faith that he could understand. Yet, it was difficult because it requires investment out of my comfort zone. It is someone out of my circle. It is a call for me to move beyond those who will benefit me and moving to a relationship that is closer to selflessness than I am usually willing to go. I normally think of mercy in terms of helping the poor physically, not spiritually. Isn’t mercy simply bringing the gospel to those who can’t access it? Whether that be physically, emotionally, or spiritually?

Fourth, I pastor myself. My temptation is always to let any of these three things mentioned above distract me from really looking at me. Looking at me is the most difficult thing I have to do. It requires a routing process that I really don’t like. It involves looking at the sin that corrupts me and doing something about it. Working together with the Holy Spirit to change who I am at the core and rebuild me through Christ.

In actuality ministering to my family, friends, and neighbor is ultimately about my relationship with God. Jesus calls me to die to myself and replace myself with him. See the world through his eyes, no longer my own, nor others. See the world as he sees the world. This is what it truly means to pastor, to be transformed by the Holy Spirit to see the world through the eyes of the gospel of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

Interesting Stuff on England, UK, Ireland

The United Kingdom Explained from C. G. P. Grey on Vimeo.

How to get the most out of studying the Bible?

The biggest obstacle to understanding the Bible is time. The books of the Bible were written nearly 2000 years ago. Other books were written approximately 4000 years ago. This presents a huge obstacle for us to understand what was written and how to understand the Truth in our culture. I think over the years two tools have been important for me in my growth.

First, read the Bible. This may seem obvious but if you stop and think about all the tools available for us to understand the Bible we can often forget the book itself. I have caught myself preparing for a message on a particular passage and completely failing to read through the passage myself. Now in my preparation I try to avoid any commentary, online resource, or other material until I have worked through the passage on my own. I consider it one on one time with God. It is a part of my prayer life.

Second, choose your companion wisely. Reading the Bible is a conversation with God. It is his word and your thoughts integrated together into a powerful interaction of creator and creation. Any other resource (book, blog, commentary) is like inviting another person into the conversation. This conversation will influence both how you hear God and how you form your thoughts about God.

The Better David

I have long held to the view that I am David in the David and Goliath story. I believed it because I experienced it. I often felt that I had to fight for everything that I accomplished. Almost as though the world's situations were a Goliath against me. I failed to understand what Paul was writing about when he said that his life counted as nothing compared to Christ. I never thought to put these two stories together until one day I realized Goliath beat me.

Facing moments in life where life goals die causes spiritual angst. Much like the angst caused Saul in 1 Sam. 18. It says the spirit of the Lord departed him and he was tormented with a harmful spirit. I know that harmful spirit and its desire to settle into the broken heart. David never provided me with victory over the life defeats.

It was at this point that I had to learn that Jesus was my better David. Jesus not only experienced great victory, but he did it through the greatest curse. He faced defeat and victory and because both were his path, both could help me in my path. In the moments of my great victory I can understand David, and I can identify with Jesus. However, in my moments of darkness it is only Jesus that reveals my ultimate victory. David can encourage me to buck up and try again, but Jesus says rest in me and I will heal you.

My encouragement is to live life with the Better David. Don't fall into the trap of proving to Jesus your worth and value. Instead embrace your worth and value because the Better David had redeemed you. He had fought the fight and won over death and invited you to partake, celebrate and rejoice with him.

This video addresses a real important issue for church. In church we program. When we program we expect people to be a part of program. When they don't want to be involved in the program we get frustrated so we ask them to rethink their commitment to the Lord. We challenge, "If you would just give up "your stuff" and join "our stuff" you would really be showing how much you love God." My question is, "When did doing church activity equal doing good with God?"

Our life is called to be an expression of the gospel not activities. It is the freedom we find in expression that allows us to draw towards who we were created to be. If we have gospel motivation in the center of our existence then we are free from the bondage of activity based living.

This is why I am not a big alter call guy