Christmas is Not About Family

As Christians, I believe, we have been making a mistake when it comes to celebrating the saviors birth. i tell a lot of people that I dislike Christmas, and what it has become. Many of the answers I receive are, "It's whatever you make it," or "It's just about getting together as family." I may have missed something, but the last time I checked Christmas was not something that was to be made, or what family members' company you may enjoy. Christmas is about Christ. Some may argue that Jesus was actually born in the summer, and we just picked the date we wanted so it does not matter if Christ is less involved. However, if we are going to celebrate a day focused on Jesus' birth then that is solely what it should be about. Do not get me entirely wrong, all of those things are great! I love my family, I enjoy spending time with them, and I enjoy the season. However, even when we put something as great as family in front of Christ then we are wrong. Watch a Christmas any Christmas movie today and the theme you will find is not Christ. They talk about the "spirit of Christmas," but their "spirit" is focused more on family, attitudes, decorations, or things such as those. Again those are all great, but they are nothing compared to the glory of Christ. The farthest we tend to get is the Christmas story at church the Sunday before, one or two subliminal Christ messages in a movie or two, and then a nativity scene. It's so easy to get caught up in decorations, or whose house you spend Christmas in, or even if people will like their gifts. If I had my way I would have people do without all that for one year so that maybe we can focus on the truth of the "spirit of Christmas." That "spirit" is that one day a perfect baby was born into the world so that man, who only deserved death, could live forever. He would live a perfect life, and die a tragic death so that those who believe in him can enter into the kingdom of God. This is the truth. Imagine how much different the holidays would be if we were to solely focus on THIS truth. Sometimes I am a little too much like scrooge in the matter. However, I just become frustrated when everyone gets caught up on the wrong thing and takes nay amount of glory away from the savior. I know that in my family, with my kids, I am going to make sure that every Christmas in our household is full of food, family, joy, and even the gift of giving. Most importantly though, it will be full of the love of Christ and ample time spent dwelling on the perfect gift given to us by the Father. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but have everlasting life!" - John 3:16 Try you best to focus on the real reason for the season as we come upon the holidays. With love for all. Merry Christmas.

-Joshua

Identity in Christ

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me. – Galatians 2:20

            Identity in Christ is one of the hardest things we can ever do in this life. Even beginning to grasp it is a journey that is not easily made. For Christians it is pretty easy to make Christ a part of who you are, but it is nearly impossible to make Christ everything you are. Think about it like your life is Ferris wheel. We tend to think of ourselves as the Ferris wheel, and all the little cars make up our identity. We only have room for so many cars, but the ones we have define us. We have our education, our families, our jobs, our attitudes, and for the die-hard Christians even Jesus gets his own car. Yet this is not what Jesus is asking of us. He wants the whole thing. Jesus is the Ferris wheel of our identity, and only the cars that align with his will and purpose get to be in our lives. Luke chapter nine verse twenty-three says, “If anyone would come after Me he must deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me. This does not ask us to include Jesus in our lives whenever we can. It says that we are to go against everything that we are, and continue to fight just to follow Him. It is not easy. The thing about Christianity is that it will never just happen. Nothing about it is natural. We have to go against everything that we are to follow the ways of Christ. It is a constant battle with the flesh that can only be won through Jesus Christ.  He loves you. He gave everything for all of us who deserve nothing. We as Christians do not spread the gospel because we want everyone to join in on our secret gang. We do it because we truly believe that the only way to heaven is not through works, but through Jesus Christ. We want everyone we know to be there with us in that giant party in the sky. We want everyone to feel complete again. This is why judgment, hypocrisy, self-righteousness, intolerance (not by the world’s definition), and hatred are not signs of a true believer. A true believer simply loves Jesus, and wants to see others do the same. It was once said that everyone goes thought this life just searching to be loved. I think we often find that love in the wrong place. The reason most people never find it is because they want to follow their instinct, and be a slave to their own desires. They want to follow their hearts. What true love takes is to go against everything your flesh tells you, and believe in the Son of God. Only then can you fill a gap in your heart, a gap that can only be filled by your creator. I encourage you to not get hung up on what the world says about Christianity, but instead to try something new. I promise you it is the answer to what you are looking for. What have you got to lose? With love for all.

-Joshua   

Encouraging Words

We all struggle to make God the number one priority in our lives. Everything about what God asks us to do is contrary to our human nature. We often only make God a section of our lives, instead of everything else a section of our life in Him. I find that shame is always there to welcome me when I have neglected God in any way. I often hide in shame instead of standing in the light. Why then are we called to try at anything if we will always just convert back to our human nature? It is because in our weakness He is made strong. Our weakness combined with our overwhelming desire and continuous efforts for Him make our God glorified. Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, and that is the end of that. If there was a point where we could live perfect lives then we wouldn't need the gift of Jesus' continuous cleansing blood in our lives. The point of needing a savior is that we cannot save ourselves. If we begin to grasp the weight of Christ has done I believe He will become our identity instead of just a part of it. It is then in this place where victory over certain battles are met, and God teaches you the things that He wants you to know. Let us learn to not use his grace cheaply, but strive to be successful in what he has done for us simply because we love Him. We couldn't earn it if we tried. Just a few thoughts. With love for all.


-Joshua

Do Not Follow Your Heart

As I look at the world today I see a humanity that cannot stand for anything to be politically incorrect. There is absolutely no tolerance for intolerance. The biggest argument individuals have is that we are oppressing people when we tell them they should not be themselves. Everyone should just be who they are, and follow what their heart tells them. My argument is against this for I know the natural state of the human, and the heart will always lead you down a path of unrighteousness. Christ does not call us to just be ourselves. Actually, quite the opposite. Christ continually asks us to deny ourselves, and take up our cross daily to follow him. (Luke 9:23). Everyone feels oppressed if they are unable to pursue their own attitudes, sexual desires, greed, and selfish ambitions. After all this is the American dream. However, let's look at a little bit of what scripture has to say about human beings, and their heart they want to follow. Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" This does not sound like something I want motivating my decisions. In James 1:14-15 it says, "but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death." Okay so we are seeing here that when we sin it is only because we cannot curb our own stinking human appetites. Why in the world would you want to be yourself? You can only find reconciliation with God through his son, nothing you do by "instinct," or "feeling," or because you were "born this way." Sorry Lady Gaga. However, this is an okay thing. I am not saying that any one person is a worse sinner than any other. WE ALL ARE! This just shows how very badly we all need Jesus Christ. It may be harder for some people to curve some appetites more than others, but we are all hopeless without Jesus Christ. Yet with Him we are unable to fall. "What then shall we say? If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) This is most helpful in Christian leadership, discipline, and growth when we realize that it is not just going to happen. You will never reach a state where Christianity is easy. No matter how close to Christ you grow you will never just naturally want to pursue what is good in all things. Your human. You have a human heart. Nothing about Christianity agrees with the flesh, and if you choose this lifestyle then you will be at constant war with the heart that fell so long ago. Galatians 5:17 says, "For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want." This is why we need our hearts reconciled with Christ's through his saving grace. Through Christ you can deny yourself, your human nature, your evil desires, your deceitful heart, and all things contrary to Him. Through Christ you can have daily quiet times, you can memorize verses, you can evangelize outside of your comfort zone, you can make disciples, and you can most certainly flee temptation. "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to man. God is faithful, and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, and with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape so that you may endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) There is hope in Christ, there is hope for humanity, there is hope for love, there is hope for understanding, there is hope for me, and there is hope for you. Please just put your trust in Christ, whose love never fails, and do not be yourself. With love for all.'
-Joshua 

The Four C's of Christian Leadership

I recently read a paper submitted by Dr. Bruce Winston of Regent University. He stated that the board at Regent met to discuss what it actually meant to be a "Christian Leader." However, this was met with little success and the question continued to gnaw at him. After a ten hour car ride with his spouse he began to place four main elements, or traits, for which a "Christian Leader" would display. I thought that his insights were creative, easy to remember, and very well thought out. Here I display his four elements with my own words on each in the hope that those who feel led to lead are checking themselves daily to make sure they are doing there best for the kingdom of God. What better post for a blog titled "Useful Christian Leadership?" The four elements of Christian leadership are Calling, Competence, Confidence, and Character.

1. CALLING - this means that you are being obedient and carrying out the will of God in your life. A lot of people will pin it down to a few things like pastorate, or worship, or hospitality, and so on. Although those are absolutely things that you can be called to do that is not your entire life. Your calling is whether or not you are constantly lining yourself up with the will of God. It would be necessary for someone you expect to lead you to be following the will of the one in control. Think about some great leaders in the Bible: Moses, Abraham, Joshua, and David. In every single one of these cases they were required to show that they fully and truly put all of their trust in faith in God. It is detrimental to continuously check and make sure that you are aligning your will with that of our king.
2. COMPETENCE - this means that you do what you do well. Imagine if you had a leader that was ill prepared, or unable to carry out the job effectively. Then it is not just the leader who suffers, but all those under that person. It should be said that God will not call you to something for which you are unable to do. This means that if you are being incompetent in your position then you are either in the wrong place, or it is your own fault. This is why it is important to check yourself and make sure that your in the right place, if your in the right place then do what you do to the best of your ability, and do not be afraid to ask for help. There may always be someone around who is better at the job than you are, but God put you there for a reason, Just look at Moses in the Bible. God called Moses, and Moses questioned his own competence every time. Yet God assured him that he was more than able to carry out the will of God who sent him, and when Moses required assistance then God placed Aaron right where Moses needed him. Just remember that God is in control, and he just wants you to do the best that you are able.
3. CONFIDENCE - this is knowing what you can do by yourself and what you need God's help on. John 15:5 gives you your answer. "I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him will produce much fruit. You can do nothing without me." Here Jesus makes it very clear that without him you are unable to do anything, but the positive side about these elements is that they overlap. God CALLS you into a position to which you are able to COMPETENTLY perform CONFIDENTLY, because he is the one who sent you. One thing I know is that God does not make mistakes. What is there to be more confident in than that?
4. CHARACTER - this is living your life according to Biblical character values. As a Christian Leader your main purpose is to help others grow, and learn in Christ. However, a Christian leader is a shepherd, not a boss. We lead by example. We have to show the Characteristics of Jesus in our lives so that other people want to take on those characteristics. It is imperative that your walk follows your talk. No one wants to be lead in Christ by someone who doesn't know how to follow Him. That being said, everyone makes mistakes. Continuously humbling yourself, getting up, asking for forgiveness, and doing your best to learn and improve are characteristics of a real leader. A real Christian leader has character.

Developing leaders should first be filtered/selected by their sense of calling and calling, followed then by education and training to increase their competence. Then developing leaders can receive counseling and education to increase their confidence and finally, developing leaders can be coached, measured, critiqued and developed in character traits. It is important to continually check yourself so that you can do your best to carry out the will of the One who sent you. With love for all.
-Joshua
References: https://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/innerresources/vol2iss2/winston.pdf

Progress not Perfection

We have all heard the saying progress not perfection, but I do not think that many of us hold to that ideal. It makes perfect sense that when you want to fix something about yourself then you should be able to do it immediately right? Yeah I did not think so either. I believe that in sin this can go the same way. Do not get me wrong, sin is sin. I just think that we look at our approach to overcoming it in the wrong way. There are two sides. The first is that you use God's grace cheaply. You do whatever you want, because you believe God is going to forgive you. That is a dangerous way to live. The second is when you hide in your shame, and let the sin eat at you until you have succumbed to it even further. Much like Adam and Eve you felt your vulnerability after a failure and hid from God instead of stepping into his loving light. This is where, I believe, our view on failure is fundamentally flawed. You see disappointment implies that something unexpected happened that is also not favorable. This is why God can not be disappointed in our sinning. Stick with me here. He does hate sin, but it is not unexpected. If we did not sin or had the capacity to be free from it then there would have been no need for Jesus. There ABSOLUTELY WAS a need for Jesus. We do sin, it is wrong, and it is our job to continuously try to overcome that. We can only do so with the loving help of our Lord and Savior. Yet God calls us to embrace our weakness and offer our vulnerability up to him so that he can be glorified. This is where strength is drawn. So the next time you sin do not push it out of your mind in the shame of guilt. Instead realize your flaw and notice the part where you did not lean upon the Lord. Then ask him to give you the strength to overcome it the next time, and the time after that. I promise you that you will start to win battles. get back on the horse, and know where your strength truly lies. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Progress not Perfection. God Bless.
-Joshua

The Complacency Curse

Go to any church in a third world country, and ask them what Christianity means to them. You will hear some of the things you would expect such as love, grace, hope, and Jesus Christ. However, a word that they would all use that you might not be familiar with is suffering. Third world Christians can not imagine following Christ without suffering. In America we see this as wrong or unjust. Did Jesus and Paul not continually say that we would suffer. Nevertheless, in America we have become complacent. We do not have to suffer, and it is easy for anyone to claim Christianity a system for their own personal beliefs. Paul lived in a world where the cruel Nero was burning Christians to provide lighting for his parties, and throwing them to the lions for mere entertainment. I can walk down the street right now, and tell anyone I know that I love and follow Jesus with little or no persecution. Yet this has not been a blessing for us. Instead it has become the very thing that is drying up our bones and making us a church that would sit inside a building's walls once a week instead of a group that is risking everything just to get a small glimpse of the word. We have every freedom to speak to others about Christ, yet most everyone who has claimed Christianity has never shared the gospel with anyone in their life. Can suffering be a blessing? If you ever met someone who still stood for Christ in the face of persecution then you would know it to be true. Paul spoke of a thorn in his side continuously torturing him all so he would know that the grace of Jesus Christ was enough for him. I fear that we have become so ego centralized that we have become so absorbed with our idea of freedom that we forgot to actually be free. If you look at some of the modern day issues concerning ISIS, and how American Christians are getting a reputation for hateful bigotry I think we might have to start seeing that America might not have a choice for complacency anymore. I believe that there will come a time where your faith will not be in question, and neither will your ability to suffer. It will be choice of taking up the gauntlet at the risk of your life as Christ asks in Luke 9:23, or going home and living the way we have continued to live over the past several hundred years. I am not so sure this is a bad thing. So why wait until things turn for the worst? Why not learn now what you can always use later. Suffer for Christ, and live your life in the flesh by faith in the Son of God who loved you and gave himself for you. (Galatians 2:20). With love for all.


-Joshua