Jesus IS King

When you think of Jesus, how do you envision Him? Do the innumerable "Sunday school pictures" play a slideshow in your mind's eye? Shoulder-length hair. Brown eyes. Robe and sandals. Or some variation of these characteristics. Over the past few years, my thinking has been challenged to consider Jesus as He IS, not as He WAS when He walked this earth.  He IS the risen Savior...right now...at the right hand of God the Father. Right now! Isn't that incredible?

Revelation 19:11-16 has an amazing depiction of what John saw as he got a glimpse into heaven.

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: 

KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

THIS is Jesus, our Savior, our Redeemer, the Chief Cornerstone, Immanuel, the Living Water, the Bread of Life, our King. Honestly? My finite mind cannot conceive all of that. But one thing I know is that Jesus is worthy of my adoration and my whole-hearted devotion.

I have to wonder if we are doing a good job at making sure young people know who Jesus IS. In our families, do we ever "allow" Jesus to grow up beyond the baby in the manger? How would our families, our homes, our churches change if each believer started to truly recognize and worship Jesus as "King of Kings and Lord of Lords"? What does adoring Jesus look like in your life or in your homes?

Insulated or Isolated?

At the D6 Conference I attended last year, Fred Luter (Pastor of Franklin Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans) made a statement that has stuck with me ever since. He said, "We can't isolate kids from the culture, but we can insulate them with God's Word." Isn't that a marvelous thought? Kids are going to grow up in the culture around us, and isolating them from everything is nearly impossible. Unless you lock them in their bedroom and board up the windows and don't allow any sort of electronic device to permeate the perimeter...but one day, they'll grow up and have to face the "big bad world", and will they be equipped? That's why I think what Pastor Luter said is brilliant...instead of putting our kids into isolation until Jesus returns, we as parents, grandparents, children's and youth ministers can work diligently at "insulating" the young people in our lives with the word of God.

Let's teach our kids how to handle disappointment and conflict in a biblical and godly manner. Let's teach them the importance of loving God with all that's in us and loving our neighbor as ourselves. Let's teach them the importance of mission and giving. Let's teach them what it means to live a righteous and holy life in love with a righteous and holy God.

Consider Jesus' words in His prayer on the night before He would be crucified:

"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. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth."

Jesus definitely was not asking the Father to isolate His disciples...He was asking to insulate them, to keep them from the evil one, to sanctify them (to be set apart)...and this is all wrapped up, could we say "insulated", in the truth...God's word.

So, bottom line? Make sure your kids are well-insulated! Permeate their lives with the word of God (along with your own life!) Teach them what it means to wear the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). And most importantly, make following Christ a lifestyle that infiltrates every corner of life.

Pass the Faith

Perhaps one of the saddest phrases in the Bible is found in Judges 2:10. "And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD..." This is referring to the people of Israel who had an "on again, off again" type of relationship with the Lord, and it had apparently gotten to the point where one generation had completely died off, and the next generation did not know the Lord. Does that grieve you like it does me?

Those who know me know that I'm impassioned about making sure that the next generation DOES know the Lord, and you know whose responsibility that is? Yep, my generation's. Your generation's. Generational discipleship is how God designed for His commands and His character to be passed along. What a privilege we have to carry the message of God and of His Son to the children of today, so that they in turn will grow up to know the Lord and to pass along His message to the next generation.

You know something I realized? We're all influencing the next generation. The question then is HOW are we influencing? As Christ followers, are we encouraging the young people of today to live a life sold out for Jesus? Or are we teaching them how to succeed at being a mediocre Christian with no sacrifice and no pain? Are we teaching them that Jesus is worth EVERYTHING to follow? Or are we teaching them to hold onto the things of this life as more precious than anything Jesus could offer? Are we making disciples? Tough questions, aren't they?  Here's one more...

When our generation has died, will the next generation know the Lord?

Quiet Down!

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Luke 5:16)

Take a few seconds and let that sink in...

Isn't that a beautiful thought? This "withdrawing" was a habit of Jesus, something He did often, by Himself. Jesus is our model. So I have to ask myself...do I often withdraw to lonely places and pray? If Jesus found this to be a beneficial discipline in His life, I need to do the same. There's power in the solitude...when it's just you and the Lord. You can hear Him, you can sense His nearness, He helps make sense of all that's going on in your heart and mind and life.

Recently I came across this quote from Jim Elliot that has had me pondering: "I think the devil has made it his business to monopolize on three elements: noise, hurry, and crowds. Satan is quite aware of the power of silence." The world around us celebrates noise, hurry, and crowds...be more, do more, fill every spare minute! Jesus models something different. Instead of constant busyness and noise and crowds, what would it look like if you and I made withdrawing to lonely places and praying a part of our regular routine? Wouldn't our time in the crowds be much more effective? Wouldn't we be keener at hearing His voice through the noise? In the hurry, wouldn't we slow down to practice His presence?

What's this got to do with children's ministry or youth ministry or parenting?  EVERYTHING! God commanded adults to love Him, to know His commands, and impress them on our children. (Deuteronomy 6) In order to know God, I have to spend time with Him, I have to get to know Him, I have to learn to recognize His voice. I can't give away what I don't have.