There are some things that I wouldn’t trade for anything. There are some things that are just too valuable to be given up. My wife, my kids, my family, my friends—they are all so valuable that I would place them above all other things. Then, there’s my relationship with Christ. After a little bit of soul-searching today, I realized a few things.

My relationship with Him should be the single most important thing in my life. It is not for sale, trade, or otherwise. He is number one, right? Well, something I read today took on a whole new meaning.

In Luke 23, Jesus has been handed over to the religious leaders and has bounced around from Pilate to Herod, and back to Pilate, as each is asked to pass judgment against Jesus. Neither of them was able to find anything against Jesus. But those in the crowd demanded that He be put to death. In fact, they wanted to make a trade. In Luke 23:18-22, this story is told.

¹⁸ Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹ (Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.) ²⁰ Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus. ²¹ But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Did you see who they wanted to trade for? They wanted Jesus to be killed and in exchange receive a murderer! They had completely lost sight of what was true, fair, and even logical. Their disdain for Jesus was so great that they would rather make this type of trade than to continue to have their hearts exposed for who they truly were.

Back to the original point. There are some things that are just too valuable to trade for, and my relationship with Christ should be one of those things. But, I believe that too often we trade in that relationship for convenience, for selfishness, for all types of things that we have started putting first in our lives. When that happens, we not only trade that relationship for something that is temporary, but we ultimately sacrifice our relationship with Him for something we have unknowingly or subconsciously put in His place. When that happens, we crucify Him, we sacrifice Him, and we ask for Barabbas. It’s nothing that we realize that we are doing, but something that sneaks into our lives, and slowly but surely, we have created an idol.

What is it that needs to be sacrificed today? What is it that needs to be put back into its place so Jesus can be put in His rightful place? Or are we going to be weak, as Pilate was, and give in to the demands of the public, the demands of work, the demands of life?

We are called to be strong! Be bold! Stand up and say that enough is enough! Don’t sacrifice your relationship with Him for anything. He isn’t going to do that to you. He is there all the time. Tell the world that when it comes to Him, there’s no trade.

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There’s something different about the world. It’s not the political climate. It’s not the “climate change.” It’s something different. There is something that you can’t quite put your finger on; or at least, I can’t. Honestly, I don’t want to.

Life is different these days. And it should be! See, I don’t want to blend in anymore. I don’t want to be found in the camouflage of society. I know that the world is eventually going to turn against me. It will eventually attack, and if I am one who hides in the shadows of life, then that attack goes unnoticed. I say NO. No More! If we are supposed to be a light, then let it shine!

Why are we considered a minority in this world? Why does society go out of its way to break its back for Islam, Buddhism, and whatever other religion there is, but claims intolerance toward the Christian religion that this country was founded upon? Because we have become silent. We have sunk into the shadows of assimilation and at times, cower in an effort to make sure we don’t offend. People, hear me. The love of Christ, the love we are called to show, is not offensive! It does not offend! It’s what draws people to Him! We don’t turn people away by loving them the way Jesus loved us. Why then, is there fear in it?

The sad part is that much of the world doesn’t care because it doesn’t know. It will laugh when we cry because that is what the world will do to those it doesn’t understand. In John 16:20, Jesus Himself said, “I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices.” The world doesn’t understand because they haven’t seen the church. The real church. The church that reaches out to those in need, those hurting, the orphans, the widows, the homeless. Why do we blame government for welfare when we still need to be the light?

This is a challenge. This is a call to spiritual arms. Rise up in LOVE. Show Love. Be Love. As a Christian, we are followers of Christ, the Son of God. And if God is love, then that’s what we are called to.

Not like the world. It’s just different.

Category: Stand Up
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Yesterday was an amazing day. Not only was it a gorgeous, sunny June day, but at 5:30 yesterday my daughter, Michaela, was baptized. She’s nine years old, but her heart is God’s. She loves her church, and more importantly, she loves Jesus. I love hearing her sing along to Christian music in the back seat of the car. Yesterday was an incredible day, full of emotion, love, and actually– a lesson.

See, after the people were baptized (and I’ll get to that in a moment), Steven (our pastor) asked if there was anyone else who wanted, or felt led to be baptized. The little lady just to my right raised her hand. She was 80 years old. We helped her in the pool, and there she was, in her “church clothes” getting baptized. Isn’t it amazing how God can work? Isn’t it a beautiful picture that God loves us all? That’s because there are no barriers when it comes to God’s love. It is available to everyone.  There’s not an age limit, no race involved, and no matter your economic or political background. Just as the Jews and Gentiles once were separated, through Christ we all have the opportunity at true unity.

Paul addressed this in Ephesians 2, but I want to focus in on verses 19-22:

¹⁹Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²²And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

We all make up the church (as believers). God gave us salvation (through belief) to make us His. Adoption into His family. We are the “whole building.” The church is not the building where people gather. I’ve been in churches that met in really nice buildings, rented buildings, rented churches, schools, auditoriums, and old supermarkets. To say that the church is where God is would be folly. The church is made up of the believers, regardless of where they meet, regardless of what they look like on the outside, regardless of the mix of people. One of my friends and pastors, Scott, always said “A beautiful mosaic” of believers. I like that.

I’m going to go backwards in the scripture now and look at verses 15-18.

His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

What Paul is saying here is that Christ died so that all of us have access to Him, and to salvation. It’s not for one set of people. Salvation was for all. And it is through Him that we are saved, not through what we do for Him. Verse 8-9 says “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.” It is not God’s plan that our good deeds or good works bring salvation. Rather, it’s that after we are saved, the good works of those in the church would show God’s love to a watching world.

One of the cartoon movies that the kids watch (Robots) has a very unique line. “See a need, fill a need.”  Shouldn’t that be a mantra for us today? Isn’t that how the church can show God’s love? I’m not saying they try to fill every single one of them, but every community is different and unique. Each community has a very specific way that the church can be “Jesus with skin on” to them. It’s an awesome challenge.

Whether you are a 9 year-old, or 80 year-old, God has a specific plan for you. No matter where you’ve been, or who you think you are, God has a plan for you. No matter how bad you think you’ve been or you just realized that all the good “stuff” you’ve done just isn’t enough, God has a plan for you. There are no barriers. There are no hoops. Only salvation, and no walls.

Category: Stand Up
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