Parenting as Discipleship

A Christian’s greatest burden betrays his greatest weakness.  Take for example the challenges associated with raising children. Who comes to the parenting party fully or even partially equipped for the task? Parenting demands on-the-job-training. One thing all excellent parents have learned is just how woefully deficient they are when beginning. For this reason, biblical wisdom, tremendous patience, swift forgiveness and unconditional love make up the soil out of which successful parenting grows. Why must parenting be so hard? Why doesn’t God program children with an “easy” button or pre-wire them to simply become mature and productive? These same questions could also be asked regarding the task of making followers of Jesus. Discovering the answers to these questions reveals something of the character of God and what it means to live as His child. 

Jesus commanded the Apostles to “go...and make disciples.” (Matthew 28:19) Interestingly, the Greek verb, translated “make” in the NASB (New American Standard Bible) does not imply that force or duress will be required in order to carry out this command. One Biblical Lexicon (a dictionary) comments that it would be proper to translate the verse this way, “...convince them to become my disciples” or “urge them to be my disciples.” That is important for a few reasons. First, like raising kids, making disciples can be very challenging and therefore, frustrating. It is easy in a moment of frustration to become angry and then to try and use force or intimidation to bring about compliance. But, this is not becoming of a follower of God. Second, “making disciples,” in the sense described above, requires faith from start to finish. Anger and force are the product of human wisdom, not the fruit of the Spirit. When parents constantly badger and talk down to their kids, or when Church leaders use fear and shame to force their members into compliance, it is not faith that is being demonstrated, but a glaring lack of faith. Jesus Christ has promised in His word to meet every need of those who come to Him by faith. He commissioned His earliest followers to go and make disciples by the same methods that Jesus had used to convince them to follow Him. These methods were rich in grace, being experienced through patience, forgiveness and love. Finally, the “making of disciples” in the sense of urging or convincing reveals the heart of God. It may appear strange to imagine the God of Creation to be gentle and humble, yet that is precisely His nature. Jesus, in Matthew 11:29, says of Himself, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart...” Whether parenting or making disciples, when it is done in the Spirit of Christ, the demeanor of the one urging will be neither angry nor false, but will be gentle and real. 

There are many similarities between parenting and discipleship, in fact parenting is truly a branch of discipleship. Both come with few directions, except to follow the Words to Whom both duties belong. Each requires grace and mercy and each hold the promise of producing godly offspring.

Growing in Weakness

Pastor Gibbs 

"God's Grace is Enough"

Ten investors were on trial for their lives. Indicted on charges of running a ponzi scheme that had made each of them very rich from the investments of a trusting victim. The evidence against them was sufficient to secure their guilt. The situation worsened for the accused when they discovered that the judge in the case was also the victim. They hoped he would go easy on them, despite his substantial loss at their hands. Their predicament worsened upon learning that the judge was also their only resource for food to provide for themselves and their families until after the trial, for most of their ill-gotten gains had been lost. When the men met the judge, to their amazement, they discovered the magistrate to be firm and just, but also merciful. 

Amazingly, the judge sets the men free and allows them to purchase enough food at a fair price for their needs. Humbled by the Judge’s mercy and kindness the men graciously accept his offer. During the long journey home the men discover that the money, used to buy the food, had been put back in their travel bags. Because the men failed to notice that the Judge had ordered his secretary to replace the money in each man’s bag, they were shocked and fell to their knees in fear. They knew it was only a matter of time before the Judge, seeing that his kindness had been disparaged, would send for the men, find them guilty and sentence them.

The truth is we are those men. We are guilty, have been shown mercy, but still find ourselves afraid of the One we have offended because we fear we still owe Him something. This is a modified version of the story of Joseph and his 10 brothers found in Genesis. Although, Joseph was extremely hurt by the actions of his brothers, through time he learned that by forgiving his brothers he would be reflecting to them, the true nature of God. Joseph’s choice to forgive led to the reconciliation of the his family and the outcome was the birth of a nation. In a powerful passage from this story we read the words of Joseph's Steward speaking to his brothers who fear for their lives because the money used to purchase food from Joseph had secretly been replaced. He says, "Peace to you, do not be afraid. The judge has put your money back in your sack for you…" Gen 43:23

I highlighted that passage and simply wrote “Grace” in the margin. I know that this story has many different facets and applications, but right there in that one verse is the gospel summarized. When anyone says that we owe God so much, I agree. What he has done for each and every person is of infinite value. However, many problems arise when our theology views God’s mercy toward us as something to be purchased. Such thinking will lead to a response similar to that of Joseph’s brothers. Fear gripped them because they imagined the wrath of Joseph was going to come upon them when he discovered that they had not paid for their necessities. In a moment of tender joy, the brothers find out what Joseph himself had learned about God; He provides because He loves. Forgiveness comes from His love. God will go to great extremes to help us learn this; He will let us endure great suffering or even let us fall into great  rebellion until we have learned this eternal truth. 

I pray that you, along with myself, will cease trying to pay God for his blessings to us, because we never can. His will is for each of us to accept his grace as something that is free to us, knowing that He has covered the cost, and after accepting His grace that we would extend it to others. God is saying to you and to me, "Peace to you, do not be afraid. The judge has put your money back in your sack for you…"

Happy Easter 2012,

Live in the Grace that God has provided in His Son,

Pastor David Gibbs

What Does It Mean To Please God?

Excellent article explaining what it means to please God!

What Does It Mean To Please God?

Whos Christmas Spirit

Throughout the course of history Christmas in the West became a human event usurping its origin as a God event. Anyone visiting the West, perhaps even specifically the midwestern United States, and had no knowledge or experience with the season of Christmas would find it difficult to discover the origin of Christmas if all they had to base their judgment on was what they encountered in the market place. The exact analysis of their conclusions would be impossible to accurately state, but what can be accurately stated is that their conclusions would not depict that Christmas in the Midwest is a glorious celebration of a GREAT GOD who had generously given his ONLY AND HOLY SON in exchange for the peoples freedom from their bondage to sin and death. 

The truth of this claim comes not from deep historical analysis, but by a novice using simple deduction. How could a different conclusion be drawn, based on what Holy Scripture teaches verses how Christmas is generally celebrated today? If the Christmas event was conceived through the Word of God as recorded in the Old Testament, for example the prophet Nathan says to King David, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”” (2 Samuel 7:12–16, ESV). If the Christmas event was realized through the birth of the Living Word of God as recorded in the New Testament, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord...And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Luke 2:11; John 1:14, ESV) Then, the only conclusion possible is that God, the Author and depositor of Christmas, has had the glory of the original Christmas Spirit, indeed His very own glory, hijacked by mutinying Christmas beneficiaries having the audacity to replace the heavenly glory with their own dark and malignant glory!

According to sacred Scripture God’s purpose for the Christmas event began in a spirit of serving, was realized in the same spirit and continues unchanged! Christmas has, is and always will be, in its truest sense, a celebration of God’s service to us, and so our grateful response to Him, through our service to one another! “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” (Matthew 20:28, ESV) Because the character of God is one of absolute joy, gladness and holiness He finds pleasure in serving! Consider that His service is not even to those identified by their piety, but by their rebellion, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, ESV) What a display of ungratefulness when one considers that God, in a spirit of infinite kindness and grace, rescued mankind from an all encompassing culture of despair, misery and death through the immeasurable gift of His Son is honored for HIS efforts with “black friday” promotions, Christ-less “Christmas” parties, divided and cantankerous family dinners, and an all-around spirit of greed and selfishness. 

All who claim the name of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior must celebrate Christmas like the “Whos” of “Whoville.” Though the greedy grinch had stolen all their toys and food the Whos continued to celebrate Christmas with hearts of thanksgiving and gratitude. The Whos understood that feasting and exchanging gifts is but a small symbol pointing to the greatest gift of all and to the ultimate feast that awaits all who have placed their hope in the Savior. Although, the symbols were temporarily taken the Spirit of Christmas remained as vibrant as ever and the Whos were able to continue the celebration with as much passion as ever. Indeed, their humble gratitude and peaceful celebration even managed to win the ole Grinch over. 

The season of Christmas is an opportunity for God’s people to demonstrate to the world the true spirit of Christmas; the spirit which has always been one of service to others. When this happens, not only does the original purpose of the Christmas event regain the throne, but perhaps many Grinches, who live around us, will be won over.

Food and Faith | Books and Culture

Read this book review on eating and found it very interesting, if not a bit challenging.

Food and Faith | Books and Culture

Who can stand before God?

Psalm 15 begins with a question that is perhaps the most fundamental question ever to be asked. This is how the New International Version translates it, “Lord, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill?”

The question being asked seems to get to the heart of mankind’s relationship with his Creator. If one can imagine life in the Garden before the Fall, before man’s rebellion and ultimate estrangement from God, this question becomes meaningless, for this question asked in such a context would be entirely out of place. Imagine this question being asked to Adam and Eve prior to the temptation by the serpent, “Hey Adam, or Eve (a generous imagination will be required!) how can anyone live with God?

They might have responded with something like, “what in the world are you talking about?”

The first two humans, before the FALL, would have had no context for such a question. They had known nothing but a life lived in the very presence of God. For them, life apart from their loving Creator was unimaginable. Adam and Eve, being entirely naked, lived, played, worked, slept, ran, jumped, adventured,discovered and loved all before and in the presence of God. This was life for them. They were entirely innocent! No evil or ungodly thought had ever entered their minds. They knew nothing of fear. They knew nothing of judgment or wrath. Their life was lived in absolute innocent joy. 

But King David, credited with writing Psalm 15, knows nothing of this innocent joy. He, like all humans born after the fall, lives and perceives life through a lens of personal, as well as, corporate sinfulness, rebellion and guilt. The question David asks in such a setting is both terrifying and thrilling. Terrifying because the question reminds the reader that he is sinful and therefore fully unfit to live in the presence of God. On the other hand, the question is thrilling because it hints that perhaps his condition can change. 

In the remaining verses of this short Psalm David answers his own question. Again, using the NIV translation, a portion of the answer is as follows, “He whose walk is blameless...who does what is righteous, who speaks truth from his heart...has no slander on his tongue...does his neighbor no wrong...casts no slur on his fellowman..”

For all who would read David’s answer it must seem hopeless. Who can live in such a way without ever “slipping up” or without failing at some point or at every point? Of course the answer is no one! This is why the Psalm, any Psalm, must be read from the perspective of the cross. Only when one has clothed herself in the righteousness of Jesus Christ can she confidently make a claim to innocence. By grace and through faith, the Christian living in the power of the Holy Spirit is transformed into the kind of person that David describes in the Psalm. The Christian becomes the person who can live on the “Holy Hill” of God, without any threat of judgment or wrath, because the Christian has become like the ONE whom he has placed his faith in. 

There is hope of transformation; hope to become, in Christ, everything that God always desired his Creatures to be. Creatures who reflect his nature, his glory. May His Word transform each of us as we place our trust and faith in HIM!

Pastor Gibbs

Uncertain verses a Certain Hope

Hope! What is it, where does it come from and is it more than wishful thinking? Hope is defined as, “A feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen.” Fair enough! For someone to hope that the Kansas City Royals will return to glory one day is a reasonable expectation or desire. For any teenager, living in a middle income family, to hope for her parents to go in debt so that she can drive around in a shiny new car is also, (although, perhaps less reasonable) a hope, a desire or expectation. Adults might hope to win the lottery or land a fascinating job working few hours, while earning a large income.There are certainly an infinite number of “hopes” that humans might “expect” or “desire,” but is this what is properly meant when anyone says something like, “I hope one day to see grandma, who passed away several years go?” or “I hope that my child will one day know what it is like to live healthy, free from the burden of his disability?” or even more potent, “I hope to be delivered from my addiction to vanity and pride?” or “I hope to be welcomed by God into His Kingdom?”

So, hope is certainly an expectation and desire, but the difference from an “uncertain” hope and a “certain” hope is the authority undergirding the hope. Hoping for a favorite team to win, or to cash in after winning the lottery is uncertain, because the authority supporting these hopes is limp and ultimately powerless.  These “hopes” could certainly be realized, but if they are, it has much more to do with what might be called “luck” or “good fortune” than absolute certainty. One would be a fool to wager his most valued asset, say his soul, in hopes of seeing this  transient dream come true.

Ah, but there is such a hope that comes from a superior authority that rules over all other authorities, even that great fearful authority known as death. One passage from Scripture that shines a light on this truth comes from I Peter 1:3-5, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (ESV)

The authority that Peter refers to, which undergirds a hope far superior to winning teams, or winning lotteries, is a hope that is defined as a new birth, which is “imperishable...undefiled...unfading...ready to be revealed in the last time.” Peter is convinced that the greatest hope imaginable, is the hope of a reality that has begun by faith, and will be fully realized, fully materialized, at the Second Coming of Christ. This is a hope that a life defined as everlasting, perfect, unfading, never degenerating, is available by faith for anyone who wants it. The authority that undergirds and supports this amazing hope is, “the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” As Peter writes, “...he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” This blessed reality, namely, that Jesus Christ died because of the sins of the world, but was raised because of God’s power in Him being greater than death and because of God’s willingness to save the world through Christ, is the authority undergirding the hope of all who desire to live in holiness for ever and ever starting at the moment one places their faith, their hope, in Christ.

It was Peter’s intent to use the words of this great hope to stimulate believers in Christ toward an even greater intimacy with God resulting in an even greater devotion to God. May it be so for all who and and all who are hoping the beautiful name of Christ. This world is in the throws of death; death which has convinced so many that it is the final authority. What a tragedy that so many are still without hope, when so many claim to possess the hope of Christ. Come on, church! Are we demonstrating to our world the hope that we possess in Christ Jesus? 

Hoping in the One Hope worth Hoping in,

Pastor Gibbs