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Pastor James' Blog
Fri, 04/09/2010 - 23:00
“And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.”
-Romans 8:27
So as I have continued to chew on this bit of scripture, another idea has surfaced in my heart. This idea is more one of appreciation than of anything else. I am so glad that I have an advocate before the father. The number one reason why God sent his son, Jesus, into the world was to redeem us from the separation of sin so that we could have relationship with God.
I am so grateful that this is not some sterile intercession based solely on the sacrifice of Christ. Think about that notion: Jesus dies for us so God feels obligated to forgive us. Not only are there major theological errors with this idea, but it is devoid of any notion of relationship that has to do with us. In this scenario, what Jesus does on our behalf before the father is more about their relationship than about anything to do with us.
I would submit that the Spirit’s intercession on our behalf is about the continual declaration from God that He desires to be in relationship with us. He is declaring the kind of relationship that lavishly pours out every good thing He has in store for the design of our life in His will…even pouring out His son. This is why He sent Christ to save and rescue us from a life of relational separation. I am so thankful for that. What a picture of love and faithfulness! Keeping in mind this thought and also bringing to mind our continual state of imperfection, I am awestruck that God-- the one who is righteously high and lofty in the most pure and incorruptible sense-- is mindful of any of us at all.
Mon, 04/05/2010 - 11:24
I want to apologize to my faithful throng of blog followers for giving you a draught of insight as I have not written in quite some time. Of course I am kidding about the great “insight” bit, but I do apologize for my absence. On that notion, I would like to offer a couple of ideas from Romans 8:27
“And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.”
When in college, I remember the Holy Spirit being explained as that which emanates from the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. This is a mysterious picture of the emotions and will of God that leads us into “all truth” (John 16:13). What I am getting at is the Holy Spirit is the person of the trinity that reveals God’s desire to be in relationship with us. The Holy Spirit brings into us the revelation of how God wants that relationship to take place. He does this through a number of avenues and experiences that present of the Lordship of Jesus as God, judge, savior, redeemer and lover of our soul. These experiences are intended to engage our minds and cause us to examine the state of our hearts. God is constantly searching our hearts seeking out His reflection in us. So here is my nugget: The mind of the Spirit is relationship because He is the essence of the relationship between the Father and Son. His primary role is to reveal this relationship to us in a way that helps us understand that God wants to share relationship with us. The difficulty for us is that we want the benefits of that relationship without having to actually be in it.
When we want to get to know somebody there is one great key beyond reading general information about that person. The key is in the experience of relationship. What are we doing with God and where are we going with God that is allowing us to get to know what His heart is really all about? More than words, relationship brings us to a revelation of knowing the heart of God that no argument can steal away from us. This begs us to become doers of the Word--not because it is the rule, but because it causes us to know God better. Through this experience we learn we can trust His heart and His hand as ever true, never failing, and always faithful. God’s will for us is that none should perish and that everyone should experience relationship with Him. This positions us to get every good thing that God has for us. Obviously not every one will choose this kind of relationship. But, for those of us who claim that this is what we want, it would do us good to examine again--what I am doing with God and where I am going with Him?
Wed, 12/30/2009 - 14:17
I have been studying the book of Romans lately and have really been chewing on Romans 8:18. It basically says that, "our present sufferings are not worthy to compare with the glory that God shall reveal in us." (It should be noted that this is my own paraphrase pulled from other translations and the like). Anyhow, the part that keeps leaving me in awe of God is the "shall" as in it shall happen and God is going to see to it...But there is a sense of “so long as I do my part,” going on here. It is the “not worthy to compare” part that makes a mess of doing life my way. Perhaps you can relate. We tend to go away from our world when we think about suffering, things like famine, war and abject poverty. These are things out there but not in here—in my mind, my heart and my direct sphere of influence. The "sufferings" that the author refers to are also the things that we will suffer as part of keeping our eyes on Jesus. These “sufferings” are things that will cause us to become more a part of the cause of Christ and less a part of the cause of “me.” So here are a few thoughts that this verse has left me with.
- Becoming a Christ-follower continually asks us to surrender the items of habit and flesh that limit His Lordship in our lives keep and keep us from being more a part of His cause.
- How can God reveal much if any of Himself (as He so desires) when we are already filling that "God spot” with our own choices?
- When you and I compare our “my way” of doing things to “His way,” we are demanding that we be God.
Think about the way we talk to and treat people and the things that trigger inappropriate emotional responses that we blurt out as if we are entitled to say whatever happens to be crossing our mind at the moment. To deny these inappropriate things is to starve our flesh of the kind of gratification that is not pleasing to God. When we act according to what the Bible teaches is pleasing to God, we feed our Spirit the nature and life of Christ. This is when He reveals the evidence of His presence in and through us in a way that is profound and undeniable. How easy it is to take our eyes off of Christ at so great a cost. Far too often I have missed out on incredible God experiences and learnable moments because of the simple shackles of my way. Let's keep our eyes on Jesus and His cause, because He desires to reveal to an unbelieving world in an undeniable way that HE is.
Wed, 11/11/2009 - 17:26
I am so looking forward to spending this weekend with a good number of my Axis Infiniti students at the Kansas Youth Convention. While I am looking forward to the fun of it...I am looking forward even more so to the things that I am fully invested in beliving God to do. I am in a mode of expectation-planning for what I hope in God. EXCITED! This is going to change everything.
Wed, 10/21/2009 - 10:34
I am believing God for a breakthrough in our youth ministry. I feel like we are nearing the edge of something big. It is a great feeling! But I want more. Last Wednesday night our youth worship service was filled with Godward energy and rejoicing. I think even a bit of passion. It was so cool! But while that felt good it only left me hungering for more in the guts of my spirit. It has left me wrestling with John 3:30 and 31. Here is my paraphrase:
He must increase (the imperative of God’s nature and glory-ever increasing), but I must decrease. He operates on a heavenly scale. If you are so attached to earthly things you will operate on an earthly scale because that is how your earthly attachment limits your abilities and capacity to do. He is God that does. What God speaks into creation is ever greater than. Remember when He does; He operates and creates on a supernatural scale that redefines better than.
Two things from this passage have just jumped upright in my spirit.
1. John the Baptist was a priest in the order His father. At the center of his existence was total service to God. Yet he found that in this role he “must” decrease. This is contrary to what most of us want in the flesh. God is a God of increase because it is His nature. I think we pursue increase in flesh because it is our fallen nature revealing that we are created to exist in the image/ likeness of our maker. At the same time it also reveals our stubbornness and yes even our wickedness. The imperative of my nature when I am truly in a relationship and whole hearted obedience to Christ must be an all consuming selflessness. I have a ways to go but I must go there.
2. God what does my life look like minus earthly attachments that are not pleasing to you? How do I get there in a way that satisfies You? I want to operate on a scale that is all yours and none of mine. I want my identity to be totally defined in You.
I am crucified with Christ, therefore I no longer live. The life that I now live in the flesh we live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
Thu, 10/15/2009 - 11:08
I can no longer be content to have “religious moments” or “Sunday morning Christianity” and still expect the dynamic nature of Christ to be expressed through my life. The test is before you and me. The utility of our faith is demonstrated in how we live out our life. We must yield to God completely. We must let the authenticity and genuineness of our relationship with God overflow into the physical manifestation of every relationship we have, whether they are just casual and passing acquaintances, your best friend, or any other type of relationship that falls in the spectrum of person-to-person interaction. We must understand that we are in relationship with people that we may never physically interact with. The living Gospel of Christ is communicated to the living through a living relationship with Jesus. We must focus on communicating the hope of Christ through relationships because this is how God did and does it. If God uses relationships as His method of communication, it must be the best medium.
By no means should we focus on our relationship with non-believers before we concern ourselves with the sharing the Gospel with them. Rather, the sincere compelling of the blood of Jesus should be communicated with every part of our interpersonal interaction. It is about reaching someone, even if it is only one with the Gospel. Because of His mercy on us we are obligated to communicate the blessing of a right relationship with God that He desires to share with all mankind. When we get a good deal on items for our home or wardrobe we talk about it like it is the best thing since sliced bread. Why don’t we talk about Jesus like this? The most effective Gospel communication begins with treasuring our relationship with Jesus like it is the best thing happening in our lives. Yes we need to love people-but I think we also need a little Jesus pride. When we are in love-we don’t care who knows it!
Mon, 10/05/2009 - 13:34
Last night I was looking at picture that some dear friends had given me. It was a smaller version of a print they had in the entry way of their home (Which I would frequent while in college because they also fed me-go good food!). I would often stop and gaze at this picture creating different story lines for the scene it depicted of a field harvester walking down a road at dusk with is sickle over one shoulder. Now it just so happens that I was upside down at the time of my most recent viewing with my middle daughter flailing across my body in an attempt to "wrestle with daddy." We were having a great time when the picture caught my eye. As in times past it sucked me in again. This time my daughter went with me. There we are looking at the picture-catching our breath from laughter when she asked me, "Where is that man going daddy?" Isn't it amazing how a picture can tell a story with out words or sounds?
When it comes to spirituality, it seems our culture has an eager tendency to stereotype as a means of establishing some boundaries and security while at the same time declaring that, "we are all the same." Our society, our global community is becoming visually intubated at constant mind blowing rate. Because of the resulting cultures' social norms the message we preach as truth is being engaged from a distance. The “truth” in which Christ-Followers ought to be living is being engaged and tested by the observing minds of teenagers, adults and the collective mind of the culture. The usefulness of even bothering to pay attention to Christ or Christianity is increasingly measured in a language that can speak into their minds without traditional “intentional listening” and be written on hearts without words. Pictures speak without writing or sound. As the culture observes Christ-followers...what kind of answer do they see in us when they ask the question, "Where are they going?" Are we really that different?
Fri, 10/02/2009 - 11:23
I just love the way that pop culture portrays Christians. I gladly enjoy guns and clinging to my bible. While I am not totally sure what guns have to be with being a Christian I can assure you…I like things that go “BOOM!” Seriously now-being a Christ-Follower is more about cognitively ingesting and spiritual and practically digesting the bible than mere clingage. One of Postmodern Christianity’s greatest challenges in effecting the culture in which we live is a constant test of sincerity and authenticity. What is the depth of our faith? Are we engaged spiritually and growing some good biblical mental roots? Do we really understand and seek understanding of faith in Christ and how following Him should define each of us as individuals? Do we daily possess that kind of confidence?
We Christ-Followers have been trying to reach a culture we are following, ever straining to catch-up and wondering why the culture isn’t paying attention to a movement that is behind them. The truth is we should be leading and formulating culture. This would take what to the secular mind is revolutionary Christ-following. In this scenario, we are launching out to the edge of where God is leading. This type of living is about generating a "hungry believing" that spurs us into an epic epoch of "doing and being" through a biblical relationship with Christ. And to those of you are excessively particular about writing-yes I did use two similar sounding words in the same sentence. I just feel the definitions are all together fitting.
Tue, 09/15/2009 - 15:07
By Pastor James Haffener
“Regrets will not help us. We must move with energy, forecast and wisdom.”
-Unknown
Said in the aftermath of the New York City Business District Fire. December 16, 1835
Probably the most enduring and effective tool(s) we can have in ministry is one that doesn’t necessarily come with instructions. The tool referred to here is ‘relationship(s).’ As each day, month, and year passes our society becomes more and more oriented towards visual communication. With regards to communication I once heard it said that, “The medium does not communicate a message; it is the message.” In other words what we show and what we do is a more effective communicator than what we say. Today as ever, people are looking for something that is genuine, authentic, and trustworthy. They are looking for “the real McCoy” of purpose and not just faith, but sincere and committed faithfulness in the lives of everyone around them. I say faithfulness, because their search is for something or someone worth being faithful to; something or someone that will attach a purpose to their lives that is not contingent upon their environment. What will they see in your life?
As effective Christians we must discipline ourselves to be both a disciple of Christ and a believer that lives in the mentoring of Christ. Genuine pursuit of Jesus shows itself authentic in our actions. Do not be content to let the pastor feed you once or twice a week. Do not be content to let the church staff live out your Christian life for you. Take ownership of where, in whom, and how you chose to live out your faith. I am talking about having faith with guts. A needy world is hungrily watching.