Tyrone Wells in Seattle on February 6th

If you get a chance, check out Tyrone Wells in concert at Nuemos (a great Seattle venue) on February 6th. You can get tickets here. http://www.tyronewells.com/tour.aspx I have been listening to his new album “Remain” a lot, and I just love it. You can listen to some songs from it here: www.myspace.com/tyronewells or you can buy his CD on iTunes. I went to his concert back in November and had a really great time. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to go his concert this time (for a good reason-- my cousin Joey, who is basically my little brother, is getting married…so exciting!). I might try to catch Tyrone in another city though. A friend recently described his music like a mix between Coldplay and One Republic. Good stuff!

The Prayer of Rick Warren and Seeing the Glory of God Our Redeemer in the Inauguration of President Obama

2 Timothy 2:1-6 “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.”

What a powerful experience it was to join Pastor Rick Warren and God’s children around the world in praying for our new president and his beautiful family today! This is not about political affiliation. This is about 1 Timothy 1:1-6, which directs us to pray for our leaders in such a way that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way, giving honor to our Merciful God who desires that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth! What a glorious and good God we serve! I also see the glory of His redeeming power at work in raising up an African American leader in a country with a history of abhorrent treatment toward African Americans. While we are not yet what we should be, God is moving and has moved. Today is a small reminder that our God is in the business of redemption, and it is a tiny taste of the glorious redemption that our Lord will bring us into fully one day! Praise be to our God!

Here is the text of Rick Warren’s inaugural prayer that I prayed with him with tears on this historic day, January 20, 2009:

Almighty God, our Father, everything we see and everything we can’t see exists because of you alone. It all comes from you, it all belongs to you, it all exists for your glory. History is your story. The Scripture tells us, ‘Hear, oh Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one’ and you are the compassionate and merciful one and you are loving to everyone you have made.
Now today we rejoice not only in America’s peaceful transfer of power for the 44th time, we celebrate a hinge-point of history with the inauguration of our first African American President of the United States. We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility, where the son of an African Immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a great cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.

Give to our new president, Barack Obama, the wisdom to lead us with humility, the courage to lead us with integrity, the compassion to lead us with generosity. Bless and protect him, his family, Vice President Biden, the Cabinet and every one of our freely elected leaders.
Help us, oh God, to remember that we are Americans, united not by race or religion or by blood, but to our commitment to freedom and justice for all. When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you, forgive us.

When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us. And as we face these difficult days ahead, may we have a new birth of clarity in our aims, responsibility in our actions, humility in our approaches and civility in our attitudes—even when we differ.

Help us to share, to serve, and to seek the common good of all. May all people of good will today join together to work for a more just, a more healthy, and a more prosperous nation and a peaceful planet. And may we never forget that one day, all nations, all people will stand accountable before You. We now commit our new president and his wife, Michelle, and his daughters, Malia and Sasha, into your loving care.

I humbly ask this in the name of the One who changed my life—Yeshua, Esa, Jesus, Jesus—who taught us to pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be they name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

(John 13) Lavishly Loving those who Betray, Abandon, and Reject Us

I am currently reading an excellent book called “The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict” by Ken Sande. So far, I am having a hard time putting it down. I love the way it is focused on glorifying God in conflict, particularly through loving and serving those who have hurt and sinned against us. This is precisely what it means to imitate Christ and glorify God!

Ephesians 5:1-2 says “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” This is no easy thing, and it often hurts deeply, particularly when our efforts to extend ourselves in love are not reciprocated or are even despised. I am beginning to believe that following Christ means having your heart broken over and over. In many ways, this should be no surprise to us, as our Savior was called a “man of sorrows” (see, Isaiah 53:3 “He was despised and rejected by men;a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”) Jesus is our prime example of what it means to extend lavish, scandalous, costly love and grace in the face of betrayal, abandonment, and rejection, and as hard as it is to practice, this is precisely what it means to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. Matthew 16:24 “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” The cross Jesus bore was the ultimate act of grace and love extended on behalf of those who betrayed Him in the deepest way—you and me, who rejected, betrayed, and spat on His lovingkindness by sinning against His Holy Name. Still, Jesus pursued us at great cost to Himself—leaving His Beloved Father’s side, leaving His throne and demeaning Himself to be born a feeble man in the humblest of circumstances, investing in loved ones who would betray Him, and dying a shameful painful death as punishment for the sins of the world, though He Himself never committed a single sin. Jesus blessed those who hurt and betrayed Him. He humbly washed Judas’ feet even though He knew Judas was going to betray Him unto death. He lovingly restored Peter, even though Peter demonstrated his shame in associating with Jesus at the first sign of pressure when Peter denied Jesus three times. He graciously adopted me into His family even though I have sinned against Him countless times and continue to do so, spitting upon His Holiness, Righteousness, Beauty, Love, Majesty, Sovereign Rule, and Love. Jesus is characterized by loving those who betray, abandon, and reject Him. It is this very scandalous love that melts our harden hearts in surrender to Him when the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see it. (Romans 2:4)

I read John 13 and I want to learn to love like Jesus does, even if it breaks my heart over and over! I want the Holy Spirit to empower me to show such love that is not natural and is not intuitive—the kind of love that takes great risks to self and that is willing to pursue and extend grace and mercy and lavish blessing in the face of betrayal and rejection…the kind of love that blesses those who persecute me and that blesses my enemies. I can only do this by studying God’s Word (especially the example of Jesus) and by asking the Holy Spirit to fill me and empower me to obey God’s Word and to follow Jesus’ example of lavish love in my everyday life situations. Because this is entirely counter-intuitive to my natural desires and flesh, I must plead with God in utter dependence on Him so that I would not be a slave to my own pain in betrayal, rejection, and abandonment, but rather that I would be consumed instead by Jesus and His love for the Father, for me, and for others.

The opportunity to imitate Christ’s love arises particularly in conflict (I am defining conflict as situations where unresolved sin has separated two or more people). Indeed, Christ’s purpose in coming to earth was to mediate the conflict we had with God because of our rebellion and sin. In his book, Ken Sande reminds us that conflict gives us the opportunity to glorify God by: 1) trusting Him, obeying Him, imitating Him, and acknowledging Him; and 2) by serving others, showing mercy and blessing to others, by working together against a common problem, by carrying our opponent’s burdens, and by helping others learn where they need to change, and 3) by growing in Christlikeness by being more Spirit-led in utter dependence on God, by exposing our sin, and by learning Christlike habits, attitudes, and behaviors. Sande urges us to pursue these principles in our conflicts: 1) Glorify God; 2) Get the log out of our own eye; 3) Gently restore; and 4) Go and be reconciled to our brother or sister (pg. 38).

Here are some gems from Chapter 1 of Ken Sande’s book:

“…the Bible teaches that we should see conflict neither as an inconvenience nor as an occasion to force our will on others, but rather as an opportunity to demonstrate the love and power of God in our lives.” P. 31

“Conflict always provides an opportunity to glorify God, that is, to bring him praise and honor by showing who he is, what he is like, and what he is doing. The best way to glorify God in the midst of conflict is to depend on and draw attention to His grace, that is, the undeserved love, mercy, forgiveness, strength, and wisdom He gives to us through Jesus Christ.” P. 31

“Instead of relying on your own ideas and abilities as you respond to people who oppose you, ask God to give you grace to depend on him and follow his ways, even if they are completely opposite to what you feel like doing (Prov. 3:5-7). Above all, hold on tightly to the liberating promises of the gospel. Trust that Jesus has forgiven your sins, and confess them freely. Believe that He is using the pressures of conflict to help you to grow and cooperate with Him. Depend on His assurance that He is always watching over you, and stop fearing what others might do to you. Know that He delights to display His sanctifying power in your life and attempt to do things that you could never accomplish in your own strength, such as forgiving someone who has hurt you deeply. As you trust the Lord in these “unnatural” ways, people will have the opportunity to see that God is real and Him for His works in your life (see Acts 16:22-31). P. 31-32

“One of the most powerful ways to glorify God is to do what He commands ( Matt 5:16; John 17:4; Phil. 1:9-10). As Jesus said, ‘This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples’ (John 15:8). Obeying God’s commands without compromise honors Him by showing that His ways are absolutely good, wise, and dependable. Our obedience also demonstrates that He is worthy of our deepest love and devotion.” P. 32

“As Paul knew, imitating Jesus in the midst of conflict is the surest path to restoring peace and unity with those who oppose us (see Eph. 4:1-3). More importantly, when we live out the gospel in our lives, we mirror Jesus’ humility, mercy, forgiveness, and loving correction, we surprise the world and give concrete evidence of the Lord’s presence and power in our lives (see Phil. 1:9-11; 1 Peter 2:12). P. 32

“Every time you encounter a conflict, you will inevitably show what you really think of God. If you want to show that you love Him ‘with all your heart and with all yoru soul and with all your mind’ (Matt 22:37), then ask Him to help you trust, obey, imitate, and acknowledge Him, especially when it is difficult to do so. This behavior honors God and shows others how worthy He is of your devotion and praise.” P. 33

“Many disputes begin or grow worse because one or both sides give into their emotions and say or do things they later regret. When you focus on trusting, obeying, imitating, and acknowledging God, you will be less inclined to stumble in these ways. As Psalm 37:31 says, ‘The law of God is in his heart; his feet do not slip. The other benefit of a God-centered approach to conflict resolution is that it makes you less dependent on results. Even if others refuse to respond positively to your efforts to make peace, you can find comfort in the knowledge that God is pleased with your obedience. That knowledge can help you persevere in difficult situations.” P. 33-34

“Clearly, we are not released from the command to love our neighbor as ourselves, even when that neighbor is hating, cursing, and mistreating us. Instead of reacting harshly or seeking revenge, God calls us to be merciful to those who offend us, just as He is merciful to us (Luke 6:36). We cannot serve others in this way in our own strength. We must continually breathe in God’s grace (through the study of His Word, prayer, worship, and Christian fellowship), and then breathe out His love, mercy, forgiveness, and wisdom to others through our words and actions.” P. 35

“The concept of stewardship is especially relevant to peacemaking. Whenever you are involved in a conflict, God has given you a management opportunity. He has empowered you through the gospel and entrusted you with abilities and spiritual resources. His Word clearly explains how He wants you to manage the situation. The more faithfully you draw on His grace and follow his instructions, the more likely you are to see a constructive solution and genuine reconciliation. Faithful stewarding will also leave you with a clear conscience before God, regardless of the actions of those opposing you.” P. 39

“Faithfulness is not a matter of results; it is a matter of dependent obedience. P. 40

Dear Heavenly Father, Thank you for making peace with us through your one and only Beloved Son. Thank you, Jesus, for paying the painful and costly price of making peace with us. Thank you for your tremendous example of love, mercy, and grace. Thank you, Spirit, for opening our eyes to God-glorifying scandalous love, and please produce this love in us! Give us the power to lavishly love those who deeply wound us. Show us every opportunity to do so, and enable us to take these opportunities in your power. Please enable us to learn more about you and more about how to glorify you in conflict. We pray that you would restore those relationships in which we are experiencing conflict. May you bring about reconciliation among us!! Even when those who oppose us do not want reconciliation, give us hearts of lavish love and enable us to do all that we can to live in peace with our brothers and sisters. Teach us how to bless those who oppose us in ways that honor you and show others your surpassing worth. Keep us humble before you, and show us our sin and weaknesses. Help us to remove the log from our eye before removing the speck from our brother’s eye. Where we are deficient in grasping your profound love, mercy, grace, and scandalous love, please open our eyes to the beauty of these things. May we imitate them by the Spirit in our relationships with others. We ask all of this in Jesus Mighty Name, Amen.

John 13-17

Jesus washes the Disciples feet
John 13:1 Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

One of You Will Betray Me
21 After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he spoke. 23 One of his disciples, whom Jesus loved, was reclining at table close to Jesus, 24 so Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25 So that disciple, leaning back against Jesus, said to him, “Lord, who is it?” 26 Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I will give this morsel of bread when I have dipped it.” So when he had dipped the morsel, he gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 Then after he had taken the morsel, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” 28 Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29 Some thought that, because Judas had the moneybag, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the feast,” or that he should give something to the poor. 30 So, after receiving the morsel of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.

A New Commandment
31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. 32 If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. 33 Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial 36 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow afterward.” 37 Peter said to him, “Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” 38 Jesus answered, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow till you have denied me three times.

I Am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life
14:1 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me. 25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me, 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.

15:1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another. The Hatred of the World 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. 21 But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father also. 24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. 25 But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: ‘They hated me without a cause.’ 26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning. 16:1 “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3 And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

The Work of the Holy Spirit
“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. 12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Your Sorrow Will Turn into Joy 16 “A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 So some of his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18 So they were saying, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying, ‘A little while and you will not see me, and again a little while and you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. 22 So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. 23 In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you. 24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

I Have Overcome the World
25 “I have said these things to you in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech but will tell you plainly about the Father. 26 In that day you will ask in my name, and I do not say to you that I will ask the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. 28 I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” 29 His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! 30 Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” 31 Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? 32 Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. 33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world

17:1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth. 20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”

Jesus’ Heart for His Bride (Introduction)

Some of my favorite passages of Scripture are in John 13-17, during the time Jesus spends with His disciples after the last supper. In these sections, we get an intimate glimpse into the heart of Jesus for His disciples and for His Bride (His Bride is His Church--in other words, all who belong to Him by faith and who love and worship Him as God and King). In John 13-17, Jesus speaks openly to His disciples about who He is, His relationship with the Father, the point of His life and death, His heart for His Church, and the love of God.

To me, this section of Scripture speaks volumes about the Glory of God. In these passages, I see that our God is most glorified in love. I see the glorious, beautiful, magnificent love between God the Father and God the Son. (Jonathan Edwards would say the love between God the Father and God the Son is the person of the Holy Spirit. See his unpublished essay on the trinity: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/edwards/trinity/files/trinity.html ).

This love is nothing like the diluted, self-interested, sappy, inconsistent, wavering, mortal state we so often pathetically call “love”. In fact, the love I see in John 13-15 is out of this world. We will talk more of its incredible characteristics in upcoming posts. This love is like a river that originates between the Father and the Son and overflows to us and back to Him and from us to others and back to Him. This river is the power source of the Christian life. I see this in Ephesians 3:14-21:

“14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

This love is the very fuel required to live the Christian life depicted in the rest of Ephesians. Without being rooted and established in God’s love, we cannot live the life He intends for us. This is where Jesus’ vision for His Bride begins.

I have never learned so much about Biblical love as I have in this past year. God is opening my eyes in increasing measure to show me the nature of the love between the Father and the Son and the nature of His love for me and what that means as far as how He wants me to love Him and others. God is opening my eyes to how flawed my conception of love is when it is rooted in my fleshly desires and in the values of this world. His Word contains the true definition of love. I need to be in His Word to renew my mind and to discern what flesh and world induced lies have corrupted the way I view love, give love, and receive love. In His Word, I read about His desires, motivations, and actions and they reveal to me how He wants me to understand love and live out love for Him and for others in my desires, motivations, and actions. As I read His Word, He is gradually transforming my concept of love into His. I know this will be a life-long process.

God’s love is the major theme I see in John 13-17 (and really in all of Scripture). I want to grow in my understanding of it. It astounds me how much His love is so deep (as in profound) and deep (as without measure) and yet so real and practical in the largest and smallest details of my life. I see His love in the scandal of substitutionary atonement,[1] knowing that Jesus underwent the death penalty for my sin so that I could have a relationship with my Triune God! I see His love in the incarnation--where Jesus left the highest of thrones with the Father and came on a rescue mission for humanity, being born to an unwed teenager in a barn in the middle of nowhere. Yet, I also see His love in the way the other day I cried out to God the Father with tears of despair and loneliness only to get a phone call moments later from my husband (who had no idea how badly I was doing) who told me that God burdened his heart suddenly to end his long workday to come home and take care of me. I see God's love in the way that Kristian prayed specifically to be reminded of God's love today in the weariness of his schedule these days (14 plus hour work days, 7 days per week for the past month), and shortly afterward received an e-mail from a dear family member who wrote to him out of the blue to tell him that she was praying for him and proud of the sacrificial love he is demonstrating to provide for his family. These acts are meaningful and practical extensions of God's love to us!

Come with me as we look at John 13-17 in some upcoming posts, examining how God is glorified in love. Let us behold the Glory of God in love and see how it relates to Jesus’ heart for us.

Dear Heavenly Father, Help us to behold you glory in increasing measure. We know that the light of the knowledge of your glory is in Jesus Christ. Help us through the Spirit to see Jesus more clearly in John 13-17. May it cause us to marvel and wonder at your character. May it produce joyful and grateful worship in our hearts for Your Name! May our beholding beget transformation in our lives, from one degree of glory to another. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

[1] Here’s a mini definition of “substitutionary atonement” from Wikipedia: “Substitutionary atonement is a doctrine in Christian theology which states that Jesus of Nazareth died – intentionally and willingly – on the cross as a propitiation, or substitute, for sinners. This doctrine presents Jesus' death as a supreme act of love for mankind, in order to bring people into a relationship with God. It stresses the vicarious nature of the crucifixion as being "instead of us". This vicarious and substitutionary nature of the atonement is expressed in Scripture verses such as "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness," (1 Pet. 2:24) and "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God," (1 Peter 3:18).”

Transformed by Beholding the Glory of God

I recently finished reading “This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence” by John Piper. Wow, I have to say it is the best book on marriage I have ever read outside of the Bible. It is a book that is valuable for men and women, married, single, parents, and those who aren't parents. Indeed, Piper actually addresses all of these categories of people in this book. The book has universal appeal because it gets at the very purpose of human existence for everyone—to glorify God by imaging the gospel. As you can guess by the title, the primary focus of the book is how we image the gospel in marriage. This book does not contain 50 steps toward a better marriage, nor does it expound on the numerous societal benefits of marriage. Rather, it gives us something much deeper by giving us a glimpse into the wonder of God’s design for marriage in the greater scheme of His glory and our joy in knowing Him for all eternity. I love this quote from it:

“Focusing on the pragmatic effects of marriage undermines the very power of marriage to achieve the effects we desire. In other words, for the sake of all these beneficial practical effects, we should not focus on them. This is the way life is designed by God to work. Make him and the glory of His Son central, and you get the practical effects thrown in. Make the practical effects central, and you lose both.” P. 177

Isn’t that true for all things in life? “Make Him and the glory of His Son central, and you get the practical effects thrown in. Make the practical effects central and you lose both.”

Knowing and beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ, by the Holy Spirit, through the Word in worship is how we see practical fruit in our marriages, in our friendships, in our churches, and in all aspects of our lives. Here it is in Scripture:

2 Corinthians 3:18 “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”

2 Corinthians 4:1-6 “Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

For a more on this topic, check out this post by Kristian:

http://thereligiousaffections.blogspot.com/2008/02/oh-taste-and-see-that-lord-is-good.html

Dear Heavenly Father, You are glorious! Please show us your glory everyday through Jesus, through the Word, and by the power of your Spirit, . Show us what it means to worship you, God. Show us the beauty of your character and the gospel of your amazing grace and radical love. Transform us through worship. Show us the unforced rhythms of grace--that our transformation flows from beholding and worshipping you rather than by our efforts and plans. In Jesus' Precious Name, Amen

Jesus' Heart for His Church

We are still having a good discussion on Biblical community/friendships in the comment section of my last post. This is a theme that has come up a lot in the teaching at our church and God is doing something in my heart about it. (I highly recommend Pastor Scott Golike’s sermon from this past Sunday Jan 11 on Spiritual Gifts and the Edification of the Body of Christ.) http://www.gracepugetsound.com/sermons/

I am meditating on John 17 right now and what it shows about Jesus’ heart for His Church:

John 17 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

20 “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
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Friendship Audio

I listened to this talk while on the treadmill this morning. http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/ladies-night/friendship It had a lot of great scriptures and good food for thought for those of us who are mediating on what it means to be a Biblical friend in loving, sincere, transparent, and sacrificial Christian community (for more on friendship, click on the "friendship" label on my sidebar).

I'd love to hear more on what God is teaching you about Biblical friendship and how that differs from worldly friendship. Feel free to post under comments.

Spirit-filled

Kristian taught an amazing class last year called “Glorious Joy” at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. He and my cousin Emmi have a blog with the same name (see my sidebar for the link). The class hugely impacted my faith. Last Sunday, our pastor, Pastor Scott Golike, preached a wonderful sermon that discussed some of the themes that came up in Kristian’s Glorious Joy class (the Holy Spirit, our need to be filled with the Spirit continually, the concept of being an authentic Spirit-filled Biblical community, etc.).

It is definitely worth listening to:

http://www.gracepugetsound.com/sermons/Golike1-4-09.mp3

(If you do get a chance to listen, feel free to post your thoughts about it in the comments section of this post.)
Kristian missed the sermon on Sunday because of all the craziness at work, but I know he’ll be on the edge of his seat when he listens to the mp3! Really good stuff.

Fun Recipes

I was at Central Market the other day and they were doing a cooking demonstration with grilled pork and Pineapple Papaya Relish. It tasted yum, so I thought I would try making it. Generally, I rarely cook or eat pork, but I thought I would give it a try since it was so good. I just grilled the pork on a grill pan with some extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper and topped it with Pineapple Papaya Relish.

Here is the recipe for the Pineapple Papaya Relish. I never follow recipes exactly, so I added another clove of garlic and a few tablespoons of fresh cilantro:

2 cups finely diced fresh pineapple
1 cup finely diced fresh papaya
1 finely diced red bell pepper
½ cup finely diced sweet onion
1 garlic clove
1 small fresh hot green chili (Serrano or Thai), seeded and minced (wear gloves or Ziploc bag)
2 tablespoons mint leaves
salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Serve at room temperature on top of the hot grilled pork.

Two nights later, I took the left over pineapple papaya relish and made up a chicken dish. I took boneless skinless chicken breast and cut it into thin strips. I sautéed it in a little bit of olive oil with salt and pepper for a couple minutes. Then, I poured the leftover relish into the pan. I added about 2 tablespoons of corn starch and whisked it into the liquid, fully dissolving it. (I added a little bit of water.) I drizzled sesame oil over it and added some sesame seeds to it. I added salt to taste. I then chopped a couple cloves of fresh garlic and threw it into the mix. I let it simmer for a bit and the sauce thickened. I served this dish over brown rice.

Kristian loved it after a very long day at work (He has been working 7 days per week at least 14 hours per day for the past three weeks! Please join me in praying for his spiritual, physical, and mental health to make it through one more week of this until the boats finally leave Seattle for Alaska! He is such a hard worker, and I am so proud of him and blessed to be his wife.)