Soul Revolution: RECONNECT

I’m not much of a gardener. In a hunter/gatherer society I would sign up to be the hunting party. Give me a spear, dress me up in a wooly mammoth hide, and I’d be good to go! I might not be very good, but I’d be good to go. But since I do love fresh fruit and vegetables, I do have a garden. Some love the process, They love tilling the soil, nurturing the plants, loving them and caring for them like little children. I just love the fruit. That’s ok, because God is more focused on the fruit in our lives rather than the process. In fact, what we learn from this passage, is that God will simply use whatever process necessary for us to bear fruit. He doesn’t have one fixed and firm way to deal with each and every one of us. He just has one goal for each of our lives- fruit. Fruit and more fruit. Fruit that will last.

Today we take the next step in our Soul Revolution- to Reconnect with Jesus.. The bible says that the principle way we need to understand humanity and the world is that we were made to be in connection to God. Humanity was birthed in a garden and in a perfect relationship with God. We were called to be fruitful, faithful people. But we disobeyed God, we severed the relationship, and have been estranged from God ever since. But God never estranged himself from us. He began a ministry or reconciliation the bible says, he began to draw us back to himself, to re-connect with us in a relationship. And this process has culminated in the way to reconnect- through Jesus Christ, the son of God.

This theme of entering into a relationship with God runs throughout the bible. So does this theme of a garden. On his last night on earth with his followers before his crucifixion Jesus once again goes back to this imagery in order that his followers would understand their lives and their purpose. It is the night before Passover, the greatest Jewish celebration and holy festival. Jesus goes to Jerusalem with his followers. They are convinced that he is the Messiah, the king, the one who would liberate them and establish a new world order through power and violence. But they had it all wrong.

Jesus begins to break the news to them. Everything is about to go to hell. I am going to be betrayed by one of you. All of you will abandon me. You, Peter, you will deny me three times. I will be killed. But you need to understand, this is all part of God’s plan. Unless a seed falls to the ground it can bear no fruit. It is a simple teaching they will soon understand.

He gets up to leave the celebration and head to a garden to pray. And the way to the garden they pass through the Kidron valley, a wine vineyard. It is highly likely that there, walking to the Garden on the Mount of Olives, passing through this valley of grapes, that Jesus leaves his disciples with this lasting image. He says, John 15:1-9…

You were created to connect with God as a branch is connected with the vine, you were created to bear fruit in life, as a branch bears it’s fruit in season. This is what you were made for. This is what you desire. This is what you need to do, and until it begins to happen, you will never feel as if you are fulfilling your intended design. You will feel like a tool that never gets used, or you might just feel like a tool. You will feel like a book that never gets read, music that never gets played, art that never gets viewed, light that never shines. You were made for this.

Jesus says I am the vine.
God is the gardener.
And you are the branches.
And you, branches, need to bear fruit, fruit that will last!

Folks, fruitful lives are not the aberration. It is the norm. It is the ways it’s supposed to be. It’s the live we were meant to life. A branch connected to the vine will naturally bear fruit. A branch disconnected from the vine will wither, and die. Jesus wants us to understand from this parable the way that we grow and bear fruit in Him. And it’s not unlike growing anything in a garden. First, there will be things in our life that are dead and lifeless, and need to be cut out. There may even be whole seasons where it seems like we are being throw in the fire and totally starting over. Second, even for healthy, thriving plants, there is the ongoing need to prune. There is always the need for proper cultivate to get the most from any plant. Finally, what is the fruit that will last, and how does is come about through our connection to Jesus, the vine?

In my first home that I owned we had a row of boxwoods in the front that had grown wild and out of control. They looked scraggly and woody. They were do far up off the ground that the soil underneath was now full of weeds. I knew something needed to change if I wanted some curb appeal. My neighbor, Henry, a widower well into his 80’s was the neighbor everybody wants. He new everything about everything, had nothing to prove to anybody, and was just willing to help. I asked him what I should do. He said the first day of spring take a saw and cut those suckers down to the ground. I thought he was crazy. Down to the ground? He said, if you want lush green boxwoods, you have to take them back to the ground. So the first day of spring, I started at them. I ended up pruning them with my chainsaw- no joke. I just took my saw, said whatever, and took them off at the dirt. I figured I’d end up buying some new bushes. But it was within that month that fresh green shoots started springing up. By summer I had nice little boxwoods, and by the fall I was actually pruning them to the nice boxwood shape I desired.

FIRST: Sometimes things in our life are so bad that we need God to come with a chainsaw and hack us to pieces. When our lives are completely dead and fruitless, God’s greatest gift to us is taking us back to square on, back down to dirt, back to a fresh beginning. Every branch that bears no fruit he throws into the fire.

Some have the misconception of God as an angry hateful, malicious being who takes delight in cutting us down. Others have the idea that God is so harmless and pleasant and nice that He would never do anything that would hurt us. But the bible is very clear that God loves us enough to sometimes take drastic measures. God wants fruitfulness in our lives so much that he will do what is necessary to bring that about. And that’s what we have to know about our God. Whatever he does he does out of a burning desire to accomplish his purposes, and his purposes are accomplished through us and the fruit of our lives. The gardener doesn’t take joy in cutting off or not cutting off branches. The gardener takes delight in the fruit of the harvest. And everything he does is simply directed toward that end.

Many Christians have rather dead and fruitless lives. And so, if there is dead wood in your life, and if you feel God is cutting you down, the wonderful promise and hope is that new growth, new life is around the corner. And with that new growth will come fruit. A fruitless life is not a hopeless life Jesus teaches. No boxwood is too out of control. No life is so far from God that with so radical intervention, it can’t bring forth fruit. But those branches that bear no life, we have to get rid of them.

SECOND: In fact, God is so directing our lives to that end that even the fruitful branch will be pruned. That is the second part of this movement, and of the life we have in Jesus The vine. Even after those dead parts our lives are hacked away and throw out, even after those very harsh seasons of starting over, of learning some hard lessons, of experiencing some harsh discipline, there will still be the need to constant attention and pruning. A branch that is fruitful one year, left to itself, will yield less the next year, and less, and less and less until it is dead and useless. For it is impossible for a branch to reach it’s full potential without pruning. All of us need pruning. All of us need the constant care and attention of the gardener. Sometimes he will come by and simply water or feed us. But other times, he will have to intervene, He will need to remove a damaged stem. He will need to tie us back to the support of the trellis.

In fact, left to itself it will follow a natural course towards the ground, seeking soil. What the gardener does is to take those young branches that naturally bend down, and he lifts them up toward the sun. There’s something in us that says we need to seek our own soil. We sometimes don’t trust that Jesus, the vine, can provide all of our water and nutrition. The gardener says trust in Jesus, and reach for the sun! Trust in Jesus to provide all you need, stay connected with him, and reach for the sky, and there you will enter into an abundant and fruitful life.

Many people turn their lives to Jesus, expecting the blessings of King. The disciples made this mistake in following Jesus. And many still do today. They want the Christian life to be all pleasure, no pruning. They come to follow Jesus through the promises of health and wealth. The name it and claim theology that says, well, you decided to believe in God, so now god owes you big, and so you will be rewarded in life. You’ll get what you want, when you want it, how you want it, as much as you want it. What a bunch of bull. No really, it is a giant load of bull that misrepresents God, the bible, the church and life. It screws up people and screws up lives. If you’ve come to connections expecting this kind of theology, I am not you man, and this is not your church. And you, you are far to precious, far to valuable to God, far too wonderful to him to be told this lie and to be fed this misrepresentation of life and God’s plans.

There will always be pruning that needs to happen in our lives. You will suffer. There will be hurt, pain, brokenness. People, good, loving, caring people who deserve better will lose their jobs, will lose loved ones, will be betrayed. But, the bible says, you will also be fruitful. You will be fruitful when you are connected to me, in a relationship with me, when you abide in me and I in you.

That is the promise of Jesus. Not health and wealth, but fruitfulness. And it is fruitfulness that we universally long for and desire in life. It is a fruitful relationship with God into which humanity was born. It is a fruitful relationship with God that Jesus teaches to his followers on his last night with them. It is fruitfulness with God that Jesus promises to us.

THIRD: What is fruit that will last? Everything said and done and though and dreamed that brings glory to God. What was the fruit of Jesus’ ministry that he pointed John toward last week? The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the sick are healed, the dead rise the good news is proclaimed and lives are being changed!

God loves his good news proclaimed. He loves us to tell the story of his love for us in Jesus Christ, that we can be healed, that we can be whole, that we can have hope, that we can have life. He loves this fruit that comes just from sharing his good news. I am still amazed by this. Sometimes I take a step back from my life and I’m like this is crazy! I tell people about a God that loves them and that we can know this love through Jesus. Not just his story, but him. They can have a relationship with him by simply through faith, by believing. And they do! They believe. Honestly, I find it hard to believe that it’s that easy sometimes. That is the fruit of simply sharing the good news.

But fruit isn’t just bringing people far from God into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ. Fruit is anything and everything done for his glory. Fruit happens when a mother cares for her child in the quiet of the night. Fruit happens when someone in the spot leverages their voice and influence to make system change for the common good. Fruit happens when a young persons discovers their calling and sets their path toward God. Fruit happens when a retiree begins to go on those mission trips they always dreamed of. Fruit happens when we go to our neighbors and share our lives with them. Fruit happens when our neighbors comes to us in their hour of need because they already know we are a safe place. Fruit happens when our lives seem to come together in one grand moment, a perfect storm of opportunity. Fruit happens every day when we simply says Jesus, give me eyes to see, ears to hear, a voice to share, and the spirit to lead.

RECAP: We were made to be connected to God through Jesus Christ in a relationship with him. IN that relationship we are designed to bear fruitful lives of service to God. In order for that relationship to grow and fruit to be harvested God, the master gardener, will tend to our lives.

There will be dying and dead branches that need to be cut off and thrown into the fire, gone forever. There are addictions, habits, hang-ups, relationships that need to be cut off and thrown away. There are feelings and memories that need to be throw away- bitterness towards a person because of something that happened ages ago that is poisoning your life. Hurt that is bleeding you out and draining your life. Let God take those branches and get rid of them. Throw them in the fire. Invite him right now to cut those branches off and throw them in the fire.

Then there will come the pruning. Even in the fruitful life there will be pruning. But pruning is still the loving care of a master gardener who wants nothing but the best for us. And so when we start to go our own direction, he will bring us back in step with him. The longer we go in that wrong direction, the more resistance we’ll probably put up. But he will redirect our path. He will take a who section of our life that was fruitful in one season, and he will cut it out. The choice is between that those nice leaves, or that cluster of grapes, and he wants the fruit. Invite him right now to prune you life into the shape it needs to take.

And this is to the father’s glory, this is the gardeners plan, that you bear much fruit! Not a bit, not a season, but much fruit. Year after year after year to be fruitful for his glory. And this happens through our continuing growth in Christ. Our connection with Him. Our abiding in him.

That’s what this is all about, this reconnection. It’s about abiding in him and bearing the fruit he grows in us. There are some people who we would look at and simply say wow, they have a fruitful life. Behind that life is a lot of dead branches were throw out and into the fire. Behind that life a lot of pruning has happened, and continues to happen. They have struggles, they have pains, they have sickness, and they have lost loved ones, they have suffered in this world. And yet they have fruit. They are abiding in Christ.

There’s a reason why the fruitful ones that make it look easy. It’s because the stopped working harder a long time ago. They stopped trying to be the gardener or the vine. They just decided to be a branch, to abide in Christ, and let him grow fruit in their life.

REorient, pt. 2

Series: Soul Revolution
(Warning: I'm not going to edit this manuscript at all- many typos!)

Have you ever had the experience where you enjoyed something and even thought you were good at something, until someone told you different? As we grow up our parents teach us stuff and tell us were the best and let us win. Then we go to show off our skills to the world, only to discover there are folks way better than us and our parents are liars. (This is of course why I never let my kids beat me at anything. I want to save them the pain of this terrible and harsh reality. I want to be the one to crush their little spirits, not the world.) I suspect this is a kind of universal experience. We think we’re a great skater, until our first day of practice with the team. We think we pretty good at piano, until the first recital, then we suddenly understand how far we have to go. Often this is just the way it is. But sometimes we start putting standards or expectations on things that were never intended.

For example, I thought I had a great relationship with my wife… until I started preparing to be a pastor and went through a course designed to help couples prepare for marriage. Then I realized all the ways I’m a horrible husband and that we have a horrible marriage. We don’t spend enough hours in prayer together. We haven’t gone to enough marriage retreats. We didn’t create 5, 10, 25 and 50 years goals for our marriage, oh and the big one- according to the literature, we didn’t fight enough. Yep, according to the literature we need to work on our conflict resolution skills because every good marriage has some real all-out fights, and since we were supposed to be fighting about stuff, we need really good skills at how to fight fairly. But I couldn’t think of anything Robin and I had ever really fought about. And all that time I thought we had a great marriage, but my eyes were opened to the reality that our marriage stunk because we didn’t argue enough.

I went home right away and I let Robin have it- “I said woman, if you care anything about our marriage you and I are going to have a fight right now.” And she said “OK, what do you really want to fight about?” And I said, I have no idea, but we need to express our feelings and have a huge disagreement but then come to agreement! So I thought for and while, and then I came up with something really big. Something that had been bothering me for a long time. Something that had driven a huge wedge in our relationship and was eating away at our marriage from the inside out. I said “Robin, you don’t make spaghetti like my mom does.” She looked at me with grave concern. I said, “Everyone knows you’re supposed to put the sauce on the spaghetti noodles right after they are done, that what the noodles don’t stick together.” Robin looked at me and I could see the emotion welling up inside of her, because I knew this was going to be an argument, and I knew we needed this for our marriage to survive, and then she said, “OK, George, I think I can do that.” And I was like, “Right you will woman!” Then I realized how profoundly dysfunctional our marriage was because we just didn’t know how to really have an all out fight.

Unless I’m totally off the mark, I think something like this happens all too often with Christians in a relationship with God. We think things are going pretty well, maybe even pretty good, especially perhaps when we first give our lives to Jesus. We are just happy to feel connected to God and have this assurance and hope and peace begin to fill our hearts. But then, as we begin to grow into the relationship, we will listen to sermon, or read a book by some spiritual giant, and we’ll get some ideas about all the things we need to do in order to be a better Christian.

First, in order to really be serious about our faith, it would appear that we have to be voracious reader of books on spiritual growth. And then we need to get up at 3am in the morning so we can pray for 3 hours like Mother Teresa just to start our day, but some of use were still playing on Facebook at 2am so one hour of sleep isn’t gonna cut it. Then study the bible for 3 hours every day like Martin Luther, but we always get stuck reading through the bible at Leviticus. Then we need to get to the homeless shelter to care for the poor. Along the way we need to share the gospel with the guy who sits next to us on the bus and lead him to faith in Jesus, get them plugged into a church. But then we need to be there for our family and raise our kids, because God gave us the gift of marriage and children are a blessing. Unless of course you’re REALLY spiritual then your called to be single like Jesus, but if you’re an 18 year old guy the last thing you want God to do is call you into celibacy. So you decide to devote yourself ending poverty, but then you hear about the AIDS crisis Africa so you change your mind and devote yourself to social change and justice, but along the way you become frustrated and decide to get to the root of the problem so you want to start schools…. And by now you are so confused that you forgot where you even began this journey or that at one time you were actually happy, and content, and in a relationship with Jesus. And you spent less time looking at other peoples relationship with God, or at least how they presented it, and you spent more time just being in a relationship with God.

And it’s then that we have to take a step back and say maybe I don’t fit the mold of being a spiritual person. Maybe, in reality, there is no one mold of being spiritual and one way to be Spiritual. Maybe God created each and every one of us so uniquely and so differently that my relationship with God will look different than your walk with God and it will look different than her relationship with God, but that each and every one of us can in fact have a relationship with God. And maybe it’s time we start judging the merits of our relationship with God and our level of spirituality not on some mold that doesn’t seem to fit, but on the quality of the relationship itself. And then maybe will find common principles that can help guide and direct and grow all relationships with the living God, and embrace the wonderful ways God wires us, relates to us, and uses us for His purpose and plans.

Last week we talked about reorienting our lives toward Jesus. We looked at one man, Matthew, and how his life was totally oriented away form God. But that to bring him into a relationship with himself, Jesus just asked him one simple thing. One little thing that was a huge step for him, but something totally within his power. To follow. Just to enter into a relationship of trust with Jesus by following him. From where he was at. That was enough.

Today I want to talk now about two men who followed God. Both of whom we can say without any doubt where men of God, who knew God and loved God and were used by God. In fact, if there are any two men that we can say, from the bible, that were men whose examples we could life up as guideposts, as pillar of our faith, as lives worthy of admiration and even emulation, it is these two guys. And yet, as we look briefly at their lives this morning, you will realize how radically different they were. IN fact, it would be hard to imagine two people who lives were more different. And yet, again, both of them completely oriented towards God, and completely faithful in their lives towards God. I’m talking about a man known as John the baptizer, and the other, Jesus of Nazareth.

We know from both of their births that God had special plans for each of these men, and that His Spirit was upon them. The Spirit came upon John’s mother in her old age and opened her womb so she would become fertile, and she and her husband were able to conceive and bear John. The Spirit came upon Mary in an even more unique way, the only time ever, to supernaturally conceive the son of God, Jesus.

After these similar beginnings their lives each take faithful, but divergent paths. John was, to put it mildly, a strange duck. He was raised as a Nazarene, his hair was never cut, he never drank wine, and he never touched a dead body. (Incidentally I actually lived this way all through college, but found it necessary to cut my hair to get my first job in ministry.) He went out into the wilderness, and basically never returned. He wore camel hair and a leather belt. Ate a high protein diet of bugs and honey. (You know, they always talk about these biblical diets, but no one ever promotes the John diet with much success.) Large crowds came out to hear him preach and teach, and they were always greeted with the same cheery message: Repent! For the kingdom of God is near! His core message was that the promised one, the Christ, was coming, and with him the Kingdom of God was at hand. And when the religious folks came out to see him, the folks that really figured out a mold for beign spiritual (do everything just like we do) they received the especially warm greeting, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath!” His message- get right with God, or face judgment for your lives.

When Jesus came to see John he asked to be baptized in fulfillment of the scriptures. And when John did he heard the voice of God say this is my son with whom I am pleased. He saw the heavens open and the Holy Spirit descend and land on Jesus. Then, they parted ways.

Later, John finds himself in jail. Not exactly what John was hoping for his ministry. While in prison, it would appear that John has some time to think about his life, about his ministry, and about Jesus, whom he has so hoped, prayed and longed for. Here we read this…

Matthew 11:1-6 1After Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in the towns of Galilee.[a]
2When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples 3to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"
4Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: 5The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy[b]are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. 6Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me."

Are you the one, or should we look for another? Is it unfaithful or abnormal to wonder about Jesus? I think it’s impossible to not look at the life of Jesus, to really examine what he said and did and claimed to be, and not wonder, not have questions, to not at one level be deeply taken in and won over, and yet at other points, to have to step back and say who are you Jesus?

John wonders. He saw the Spirit, he heard the voice of God, he knew of the miracles that Jesus was performing. All of this fit in nicely with the ideals of a Messiah, as the one who would come from God as the savior and Lord. Stories of a rabbi who lived in poverty like himself, who taught the word of God without compromised, like himself. But he heard other stories about Jesus. Stories that perhaps didn’t fit in with his idea of the Messiah, and his idea of ministry. A Messiah who turned water into wine and kept the party going. A messiah who said it’ not the time to fast, but the time to celebrate. A Messiah who woke up at the crack of dawn some days to pray, but other days could sleep right through a hurricane. A Messiah who associated with hookers, addicts, liars and thieves. A Messiah who went to the wrong places at the wrong times to be with the wrong people. Basically, living a lifestyle in near opposition to what the religious establishment saw fitting for a prophet and rabbi.

It’s interesting what Jesus says. He doesn’t launch into a defense of his actions. He doesn’t begin to quote the scriptures he wrote and fulfilled. He simply said, tell John what you see and hear: the blind receive sight, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the sick are healed, the dead come back to life and the good news is preached to the poor.

He was telling them something very clearly- you’re looking to the wrong things. Your life is oriented to the wrong standards. Your life is oriented to look to the method instead of the means. Your inner compass is set to point toward style, rather than substance. You are still looking at the religion, rather than the relationship. You’re oriented to the format, but I want to reorient you to see the fruit.

As the men left the crowd must have been thinking, ok, now Jesus is going to let John have it. He is going to cast judgment on him, and it’s not going to be pretty because John wavered, John, God forbid, doubted and had a question. Oh, this is going to be good. I love it when a preacher gets all fired up and let’s someone else in ministry has it!

What does Jesus say? John is the greatest guy to ever live! John is the one promised in the bible who would prepare the way for me. But I tell you, even the greatest will be the least in my kingdom. Then, knowing the hearts of those listening, he says,

16"To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others:
17" 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge and you did not mourn.'
18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' 19The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

Most of you religious types are like spoiled children who are never satisfied. If I played you a dance song, you’d say dancing is evil and you wouldn’t do it. If I played you a dirge, you would refuse to mourn or let yourselves cry.

John came before as a prophet and an ascetic. He lived in isolation, in rigorous disciple and self-denial. You called him demon possessed.
I came along and engaged the people, all the people who would receive and listen to me. You’ve branded me a glutton, a drunkard, a friend of sinners, and a sinner myself.

“Wisdom will be proved right by her actions.” You have it all wrong. Both John and I have been used powerful by God the Father. Both John and I are radically oriented towards God with all of our lives. Both John and I had been marked, set apart, used for God, and pleasing to God. Both of us have born fruit in our ministries, while our ministries have looked radically different on the outside. One thing is so very clear about both of their lives- they both loved the Father, and bore fruit in their ministry. And the reason they both bore fruit in their ministries was that they did love the Father and followed the Father’s plan for each of their respective lives.

If John tried to live like Jesus, he would not have prepared the way, and he would have fallen terribly short. If Jesus tried to live like John, he would not have been the way, the son of God, the one who wouldn’t prepare, but finish the work of redemption.

John couldn’t be Jesus. Jesus couldn’t be John. I can’t live your life, you can live my life. Some us will be great intellectuals helping us to understand our beliefs. Some are going to have wonderful ministries of compassion, serving the poor. Some of us are going to work for systemic change and social justice. Some of us are going to live quieter lives of prayer and contemplation. Some of us are going to wake up at 6am for an hour of devotions that will invigorate our day. Some of us will hit the snooze button 5 times and be late for work or class, but we’ll be happily listen to worship music, we’ll sing praise to God as we drive, and even stay up late with him. But all of us, all of us, will be invited to enter into a relationship with god that can give us life, give us meaning, give us purpose, give us peace, give us hope, give us joy.

You see, God was pleased with both and used both to bear fruit. And that is the one true sign of a life radically re-oriented towards God. It is possible for our lives to look radically different, to be called to do very different things, to like very different things, to have very different dispositions, to have very different gifts, to know different people, and both be oriented towards the same God, the same Jesus?

The right answer here is yes! Yes, and more, that’s the point! The point of the life oriented towards God is to make sure it is oriented towards God alone. It is to orient our lives toward God so that we fulfill God’s plan for our lives, not our parents plan for our lives. Not our friends plan for our lives. Not our cultures plan for our lives. God’s plans for our lives.

Now will we see cross-over and find great support? I certainly hope so. I hope as parents I’m taped into God’s plan for my kids lives. I hope as a friend I can reflect God’s plans for my friends lives. I hope as a pastor I can help guide and direct people in God’s plans. I hope as a church we support one another in what God has called us to do.

But the very proof, in many ways, that we are being faithful to orient our lives toward God is that our lives, our ministries will look very different from each other. Your life is supposed to look different than my life! If you show up at my house and eat my food and climb into my bed, we are going to have a problem.

We are going to have problems when we mistake the form of our lives as followers of Jesus, with the fruit of our lives as followers of Jesus. The form is to look very different. As different as the unique and wonderful ways that God has created you. But all of us should be bearing much fruit in our lives because it’s the fruit that matters most to our heavenly father.

Our Soul Revolution happens when we all re-orient our lives toward God. Our soul revolution happens when we are in line with God and have our ideas and beliefs set on Him. But the thing is, when our lives are all oriented towards God, it doesn’t mean our lives all look the same. In fact, it means we become free to embrace some of the radically diverse ways God has wired us. And so the way we gauge our orientation toward God is not by how the outward forms align with one another. But by the fruit our lives bear.

The life reoriented to the Father bears fruit. The life oriented toward God will always be pleasing to God, and fruitful in ministry. What is it going to look like to be fruitful towards God? Well folks, a Soul Revolution is not an easy thing, so you’re going to have to come back next week to go deeper. To renew your commitment to God, to reorient your life toward him, and to begin to reconnect in ways that bear fruit in your life. There is a very clear way to do this. A way, as the bible will teach us, to be connected to the vine, to the source, and to let him grow fruit in our lives.

Soul Revolution: RENEW

January 4, 2009

Well folks, the honeymoon is over. We are officially one year old in public ministry today! We "launched" on the first Sunday of 2008. And we haven't missed a Sunday since. I don’t think this is the kind of thing we’d want to do all the time, but at the end of the first year it somehow seems appropriate, even necessary to me, that we just stop and look back on all that has happened.

Over and over again the people of god are called to remember who God is, what god had done for them, and what God promised to do for them. It was a way or remembering God’s faithfulness in the past to build faith for what he’s do in the future. On these occasions the people would renew their vows to God. Abraham renewed the covenant with God when his son was born after 20 years of waiting, at 100 years of age. Moses renewed the covenant before the people took possession of the Promised Land. Joshua renewed the covenant when it was time for him to pass on the torch of leadership to the next generation. Over and over again we see this as a essential part of worshiping God and being his people. It wasn’t that God forget, it is that we do. We need these occasions.

At one point in the history of God’s people they had forgotten the covenant for so long that the book of Deuteronomy, ironically the covenant renewal documents Moses wrote, had actually been lost! Young king named Josiah took the throne and when, in a building project, the scrolls of the law was discovered, he said this…

1 Then the king called together all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem. 2 He went up to the temple of the LORD with the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, the priests and the prophets—all the people from the least to the greatest. He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the LORD. 3 The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD -to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, thus confirming the words of the covenant written in this book. Then all the people pledged themselves to the covenant. 2 kings 23:1-3

This past year we were on one speed- fast forward. So today I want to start by hitting the pause button, rewinding a bit, and reviewing our first year. And in reviewing our first year, I hope we will RENEW our passion and commitment to what got Connections started in the first place. Because ultimately I don’t want us to just look back, I want us to look ahead with a RENEWED sense of passion and commitment to God.

Here are some of the highlights, simply off the top of my head:
We kicked off the year with a brunch to celebrate our launch. That was so much fun we are doing it again on January 18th. Join us, Our first series was "Resolutions Worth Keeping." We talked about four occasions in the bible when some made a resolution, which is defined, "to be fixed in purpose." We took from these stories four resolutions for our church, all based on the desire to "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

• To grow in worship to two services;
• To increase our volunteer based to 100 people;
• To launch our Connection Groups ministry in the fall with 200 participants;
• To see 52 people give their lives to Jesus- one for every week of the year.

I've prayed for, wrestled with, and thought about those goals all year long. Were they audacious enough? Were they too small? Were they tangible enough that we could gauge our progress? Were they my hopes, or God's plans? Well, here's where we sit a year later:

* We grew to see over 200 people coming to worship with us Sunday mornings this fall. But we haven't felt the need to offer a second service.
* We increased our volunteer base to nearly 125 people. So more than half of the folks that worship at Connections also volunteers at Connections.
* We launched our Connection Groups with more than 100 people registered.
* We've seen many people tell us they have committed or re-committed their lives to Jesus, but this one is hard to gauge. It's very personal, plus, we don't want to "force" or manipulate people or decisions. Yet we want to be very intentional. So, by way of our communication cards or other direct communication, I've had 12 people tell me they made a first time commitment or re-commitment to Jesus.

In February we had what I thought was our most fun series of the year- "How to Look Good Naked." I've been tempted to try to turn this series into a book. I really think God was up to something in those messages.

In March we began a series that took us through Easter, "Vantage Point." We looked at the different points-of-view that many had about Jesus during his life, and today. (I also went on a ski trip in March and made a video sermon that was pretty fun, and went over fairly well. Incidentally, in that video we tried to use some trick photography. I grew a beard for about two weeks, then we filmed the second half of the message first. I shaved, then we filmed the first half. So when I told the bible story that covered the span of one week, it was supposed to look like a week went by and I grew a beard during that time. In theory the idea was sound. In practice, I haven’t really hit puberty yet, so no one noticed I tried to grow a beard, or that I had shaved my beard.)

Anyways… We called April our "Volunteer Appreciation Month" and gave out t-shirts to all our peeps. We talked about our “Signs of Belonging” at Connections. Here we defined what it looks like to be a part of our church:

* Soaring in Worship- making worship a priority, corporately and in all our lives.
* Studying God's Word- setting aside time 5 days a week to read the bible and pray.
* Stewarding God's Gifts- out time, our talents and our treasure (yes, money). Joining a Connection Group is a great way to help us in this area.
* Serving God's People- signing up for a ministry team, or helping us create new teams for our church and community.
* Sharing God's Love- picking 2 people we can intentionally pray for and invite into our lives.

We also had our "Connections Gives Back" mini-series where we highlighted the work of the International Justice Mission and our own crew of people who were going to bike across the US and Canada in "Sea-2-Sea: Ending the Cycle of Poverty." John Vandersteen, Mike Talsma and Thea Hiemstra together raised over $20,000 and joined more than 200 people, together raising over 2.1 million dollars. (Show a slide of them here please) This was an AWESOME cause for our church to feel a part. I pray things like this will become the norm for Connections and our people. We also welcomed back Kat Zietsma who had been serving in mission to India and New Zealand.

When we hit the summer season we launched into a study of the book of Philippians that we called "Breakout." This is going to become my routine for the foreseeable future- each summer we'll work through a whole book or section of the bible- just taking the whole thing apart piece by piece. What is so wonderful about going through whole books and sections of the bible is that it then that we really see how truly relevant the bible is to our time and our day. We just set aside our agenda and let God’s word guide and teach us.

In August we ran a series called "Into the Wild." I was blown away by the feedback I got from this series. We had four people commit/recommit their lives to Jesus. Plus, the band did the coolest cover of Hard Sun ever!

In the Fall we kicked things off with "Wiii Church." This is when we really seemed to get into the zone at Connections. Numbers came up, folks were getting involved, the family ministry was flourishing with Sarah DeVries at the helm, I put a renewed focus on our Media ministry, and we formally launched our Connection Group ministry. (Show Connection Group Slide)

More than 100 signed up as we started a semester approach to home-groups based on three guiding values: Common Purpose, Common Place, Common Possessions. Our purpose is Connections, our place is as neighbors in homes, and our life is to be shared together, even through caring for the material and physical needs of one another, in addiction to emotional and spiritual support. I could go on and on here, but suffice to say- we got off to a great start!

We also had our first Communion and Baptism service. No promises on what this will look like in the future, but for now, it's enough to see folks stepping forward and making this public profession of faith in Jesus and participation in His church.

All through October we went on the faith journey from: Petri(fied) to Justi(fied) to Sancti(fied) to Glori(fied). I thought it was super cool, maybe more than anyone else. Thanks for indulging my goofy ideas. At least we sported some cool t-shirts.

Our Game of Life series I got to make everyone uncomfortable as I talked about sex. Then I got to be uncomfortable as I talked about money. I already have plans to do a Game of Life series, Part 2 (there are just so many great games out there can we can use to dive into some great topics. Spoiler alert- Taboo is gonna make you all squirm!)

Finally, we ended 2008 with "The Advent Conspiracy." Worship Fully- Spend Less- Give More- Love All. Whatever our particular needs were, we hoped and prayed and planned for a great celebration of the incarnation of God, the birth of the Christ, Jesus. Last week I encouraged everyone to position yourselves to encounter God in 2009. To make the decision to do your part in making life intersect with God.

And as I look back on the past year, I am humbled and awed by all that God has done and how he has intersected with Connections. I am truly amazed

• • by all our volunteers have done,
• • by the worship the Music Teams draws us into,
• • by the love and care of our Family Ministry,
• • by the hospitality of our First Impression Team,
• • by the creativity of our Media guys,
• • by the faith of our Prayer Ministry,
• • by all of our Connection Group facilitators and hosts,
• • by the stories I hear about the love and support our folks extend to one-another and to our neighbors.

(I am also amazed at how many babies were born this past year. Good grief people, can’t you couples keep your pants on? I mean there are other options for things to do. You could watch a movie or play a board game or something.)

And more, I'm blown away to genuinely feel that we've only just begun. The first step was just getting started. Casting the vision, sharing a dream, seeing if anyone would want to get on board. The second step was getting this year under our belt. To see if anyone would care. If anyone would show up. If anyone would get involved. And you have.

Now, this morning, before anything else we do this year, I want to invite everyone here to renew your commitment in 2009. Connections started with a simple plan to take part in a very big mission. It’s a simple way of doing and being the church. It’s our way to taking part in a much bigger plan and mission, which is to join with God in what he’s doing in the world.

Our simple mission is our simple method. Connecting with God…with People…with the World. We want people to know that they can connect with God through a relationship with Jesus Christ. That in faith we believe that Jesus meets us where we are and takes us to himself so that, as the bible teaches, our lives are hidden in his. Our lives and brought into connection with Jesus.

We want people to connect with other people. When you put your life in Jesus, and when I put my life in Jesus, our lives are then joined together in the mystical union with Jesus. The bible even goes so far as to call us now brothers and sisters in Christ.

We want people in Jesus to then connect with the world. God created the world, loves the world, gave his life for the world, and has a plan to renew the world. God has not let the world go to hell in a hand basket, and is not letting the world go to hell. In fact it could be more the opposite- God is bring heaven to earth in the new Kingdom.

This is our mission and our simple plan. We invite people to join us in connecting with God in worship here on Sundays- what we are doing right now. We believe that gathering together in worship is not just a religious practice, but is a relational norm for the church. We believe there is a special spiritual dynamic in gathering together. We believe there is benefit and blessing to sing and pray together. We believe that God’s word, the bible, is to be openly taught and applied.

We believe that it is a reveled and essential human need, and spiritual need, to connect with one another. So we have created a structure in which we can connect in homes in groups with each other. We believe that something happens to our lives when we simple connect with others. Sometimes it’s dramatic, usually it’s not, but our need for human connection is every bit as essential as our need for oxygen and water.

Our simple plan then is to connect people to the world to share and grow together in this mission. People can join a ministry team. People can do things like bike across the country or go to India. And people can allow it to happen much more organically, and much more locally. We believe we are part of God’s redeeming mission to love the world when we shovel a neighbor’s driveway. When we say a kind thing or offer a act of service or open our eyes to the needs all around us- anything and everything done in love in the name of Jesus is part of living his mission in our world.

Today I invite you to join a Soul Revolution. A revolution of how we understand ourselves in the eyes of God, and in relation to God. For years perhaps you’ve heard this idea thrown around: Christianity is about a relationship, not a religion. We like the sounds of that, but what does it even mean? The very people, such as myself, who make this claim, seem to be living a very religious life. We go to church on Sunday. We join home groups. We read our bibles and pray regularly. We even give to the church a portion of our money. We speak about and hope for a relationship, but all we can seem to offer is a different religious package.

But where as religion offers a one-size-fits all plan for spiritual growth, relationship invites us to something completely unique- as unique as the individuals who comprise the relationship. I have three kids. I have a relationship with all three of my children. But each relationship, and our ways of relating, are completely different. My oldest daughter craves time with me to talk. I can take her out on a date and she can talk my ear off. The girl has an insatiable ability to talk. She’s highly intelligent and extremely verbal. Love her. I love being with her.

My middle child loves to do projects together. She has more artistic talent in her little finger than most people have in their whole body. She loves making things together. She loves giving gifts. She’ll work for hours making stuff, wrapping it up, giving it away. Just being with her as we make stuff is like heaven on earth to her.

My youngest, my boy, couldn’t be more different. He is so sweet it makes my heart melt. I watch him just hold onto his mom, he kisses his mom. He loves his mom so much and he tries so hard to help her. But when he sees me, he attacks. He jumps in my arms. He says let’s going biking, or skiing, or throw a ball, or bike down a ski hill while throwing things at each other. He wants to wrestle and laugh and play with his toys.

They are all my kids. They are all so me. And they are as unique as can be. And my relationship with them as their father is equally as unique. Imagine if I demanded they all relate to me the same way? Imagine if I could only relate to them in one way? I wouldn’t be a very good father, and we wouldn’t each have a very strong relationship.

But there are some threads which run through each relationship. They all want love from me, they all want time with me, they all want to do something for me. Each child needs my unconditional love. And each of us needs the unconditional love of God. Each needs time with me to express love and grow the relationship. And so each of us needs to find ways to spend time with God where by we can experience his love. Each child wants to do something for me, they each are trying to express their love to me. And so each of us needs to reflect back and express our love to God in ways that make sense and work for us.

This month I want us to get past our one-size-fits all religious practice and plan for spiritual growth. I want us to find the ways that we can love and be loved by God, the ways of spending time together with God that make sense to us. And the ways in which we can express our love for God.

So today, I invite us all to renew our commitment to this mission in 2009. Or if you are new to Connections, to journey with us and see if this mission, and if this community of people, isn’t one of the most awesome things you’ve every experienced. But I still ask you to commit to it, because you’ll never experience it standing on the sidelines. You’ll see it, you’ll hear it, and you can even get excited about it. And if you’re on the sidelines today, I’m so grateful. If you need more time on the sidelines, I understand, and that is fine. But if you are ready to jump into the game I invite you to our starting lineup!

Because I believe we are going to see some amazing things happen this coming year. I believe that God is going to do some things that we don’t even know how to ask for or imagine so that when He does, we can’t take any of the credit, and He will get all the glory.

And this I know- I can’t do it without you. Our church is no more than the people who put their lives in Jesus Christ, and who come together as Connections. Alone, I am a child of God, known and loved by God. And that’s an awesome thing. Alone, you are loved by God as well. But together, we are the church. And together, there is nothing we can’t do.