40 Days of cHesed—Day 38

Day 38 Becoming a World-Class Christian

The amazing thing about being in God’s family is that you become instantly connected to God's Kingdom in heaven and on earth—that’s more than being part of a global economy. It’s a universal economy!

We’re going to spend today at the center of that economy—our other front—the aircraft taking off and landing 24/7/365. It is the ministry of prayer—and its pilots are our prayer warriors.

The Captain’s post may be officially located on the Bridge, but he is present with each member of the crew at their post and connects them to himself and to each other by the power of prayer.

This amazing feat is accomplished by utilizing the most important system on the carrier—communications. Not limited by transmission lines and electronics, the indestructible crew insignia functions as an open communication link to the Captain—and through the Captain to any other member of the crew. No satellites, no radios, no phones, no beepers, no internet—no nothing. The Captain’s power source is unlimited and the enemy cannot interrupt his signal. (Although each crewmember is responsible to make sure their unit is always on!)

The aircraft represent the power and practice of unified prayer. Every crewmember working on any part of the aircraft, or any process necessary for their missions, performs each task under the direct supervision of the Captain. Once built, serviced and deployed, the HESED’s aircraft cannot be shot down or destroyed. The enemy cannot jam their instruments or communications. Their targeting systems are not dependent on any third-party satellite. If the pilots receive and confirm their orders and their target’s coordinates with the Captain, they do not miss their mark. [This is, of course, an over-simplification of prayer...don't let that get you off track with the point.]

What kinds of missions does the Captain ask the pilots (our prayer warriors) to undertake?

1. They go on search and destroy missions against the enemy to protect the carrier, the crew, the flight squadron and the fleet of ships from every form of attack.

2. They go on reconnaissance missions for the search and rescue fleet, locating those in need of rescue, communicating exact coordinates, and providing cover during the rescue process.

3. They go on training missions, keeping our pilots in top form and providing opportunities for observation and practice for new crewmembers.

4. They even fly in amazing formations sometimes to lift the morale of the crew and inspire the civilians to want to fly!

Those planes can’t go up unless we all do our individual jobs building them with our prayers. So work as if everything depends on you and pray as if everything depends on God! Then the stability of our universal economy will be unshakable!

Today’s Look at 1 John

Read 1 John 2:18 through 3:10. Thank God for clear communications with no interference!

Keep Breathing!

Ride on…feel the wind in your face—hey, look up! That white streak came from a HESED jet!

40 Days of cHesed—Your Personal Story

[Originally found in Day 37, I've broken this exercise out into a post of its own.]

Your Personal Story

A helpful exercise for this stage of growth is to write out your story of reconciliation with God – how you came to accept his offer of covenant relationship through Jesus Christ – and the impact it has had on your life. (This is what many call a testimony.) Sharing our personal story is the most powerful hesed tool for developing community life as well as for evangelism.

Sharing stories is a way for people to get to know each other better. It is a way of sharing deeply personal information that encourages growth. Keeping covenant with one another means that we promote each other’s best interest. In today’s language this means that we are accountable to one another for doing what is right. When we share deep spiritual things – like our stories – we are then able to ask to be kept accountable. This can be especially helpful in those areas of our lives where we are most vulnerable.

While writing your story is very personal and very individual, it might be helpful to have a brief outline – just to get your thoughts together. If you need some help getting started, perhaps this will help you:

1. Write down two dates: the date (as close as you can remember) you accepted God’s offer of adoption (If you have a vivid memory of the exact moment of decision, write down as many details as you can.); and the date you were baptized. (Assuming you belong to a tradition that baptizes; try to remember as many details as possible.)

2. Make a list of those persons and events that were significant to your journey.

3. Write down significant changes (in your actions and attitudes) that have happened in your life as a result of deciding to follow Jesus. These could be in your personal life or at home, school, work, church or the community at large.

4. Write down signs of growth and maturity that you have seen – or others have mentioned seeing – since deciding to follow Jesus.

After you’ve had an opportunity to brainstorm through these four suggestions, ask God to help you put it all together in a story that you can tell. Write your story down on one page, if you can. Try to tell it in less than five minutes. Be prepared for it to take much longer…sometimes the Spirit calls us to share more, depending on the circumstances.

From time to time, re-read your story. You will find that it will encourage you, too…and that it calls for regular updating!

40 Days of cHesed—Day 37

Day 37 Sharing Your Life Message

The purpose of God is summed up in two passages in scripture known as The Great Commandment (which we have also come to know as The Jesus Creed) and The Great Commission. Let’s take a closer look as these two passages.

The Great Commandment (See Matthew 22:37-40) tells us that we are to love God totally and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The Great Commission (See Matthew 28:19-20) tells us that we are to share God’s offer of adoption with everyone—helping them become “like Christ”.

The key to these passages is in the word neighbor.

For those who understand Hebrew ideas like target and covenant, the key to knowing whom your neighbor is may be easier. Otherwise, it seems a bit vague. So, before we get to our slice of carrier life, let’s talk about neighbors.

The Hebrew word for neighbor refers to an associate—one who is more or less close. In Greek the meaning is one who is nearby. So our image of neighbor is one who is near, with whom we have some association. Now for the Christian, there are essentially two kinds of near ones:

1. Those near to us who have already been adopted by God; who are part of the family of God in Christ. (On the carrier, we call them crewmembers.)

2. Those near to us who are potential family members—to whom we are to extend God’s offer of adoption in Christ. (On the carrier, we call them civilians.)

You will notice that this image is both very inclusive and somewhat exclusive.

1. For the first kind of near ones above, it is inclusive in that everyone who is “in Christ”—from every spot on the globe—is our brother or sister. What a family! But it is somewhat exclusive in that we have a primary responsibility to love those who are in our local Covenant Community.

2. For the second kind of near ones above, it is inclusive in that everyone who is not “in Christ”—from every spot on the globe—is our potential brother or sister. We love them by sending missionaries to get near enough to them to extend God’s offer. But it is somewhat exclusive in that we have a primary responsibility to love those who are in our local community—wherever you happen to be.

It is inclusive in that God wants everyone to accept his offer. It is exclusive in the fact that none of us are associated with everyone. And so, we must focus on those who are near to us—those with whom we have some kind of association.

This is the foundation of incarnational/missional evangelism. Your Christianity can’t be contagious unless you get close enough to someone for him or her to catch it from you!

Did you notice that when we carry out The Great Commandment, we are also fulfilling The Great Commission! Wow—you would think that God knows what he’s doing…

Now, let’s board the carrier and take a peek at how Search and Rescue (S&R) is done.

[Remember to stay with the image here ... your faith tradition may look different. This is Abi's view.]

Every day, the carrier deploys its fleet of small boats. Some are rowboats—for short distances. Some are high-speed racers for urgent missions. There are even houseboats for longer tours. The variety is amazing—every possible type of craft is represented. Our crew is very creative!

Part of the S&R crew rotates during each return to the carrier—to prevent fatigue and provide training and mentoring opportunities between more experienced crew and less experienced crew. Each boat’s crew complement varies, depending on the size of the craft. There must always be room, of course, for at least one or two more—those who may be found and rescued!

Today, we’re going to spend the day at the front with one of the S&R boats. So let’s take a look at what the instructional manual says is supposed to happen.

Search and Rescue Procedures

• Search and Rescue operations (missions/evangelism) basically launch and sweep ahead of the carrier. They look for people in the water—extending the Captain’s invitation to board the carrier and join the crew.

  • Sometimes a larger ship will be deployed on a longer-term operation to a location too far for daily interaction with the carrier. We call them missionary ships and they replicate carrier life on a smaller scale.

• Those who accept the invitation are hauled out of the water into the boat. That’s when the processing begins:

1. Get them out of their old, wet clothes.

2. Dry them off.

3. Give them a standard issue crew "uniform" in their size (clothed in Christ, remember).

4. Give them a hot cup of whatever suits them—coffee, tea, cocoa, soup....

5. Secure them in the center of the craft—well away from the sides—and give them the Captain’s welcome, answering their questions, while they observe the continuing mission—including any rescues.

6. When it is time to return to the carrier, all of the new recruits are taken on board and given a tour—meeting the crew and observing them in their stations performing their duties, as well as in their leisure time.

   1. The authentic community on the carrier among her crew is the first line of influence for those considering enlisting. (See Code of Conduct in Day 36 and today’s Reflection.)

      1. Evidence of crew morale include actions we do together: marching in formation, drills, songs learned in boot camp to help keep our spirits up and remind us of important principles, reciting memory verses, etc.

   2. The recruits are given instructions concerning the mission and what it means to be part of the crew. Extensive Question & Answer period provided.

   3. They are then asked to make their choice: do they want to join the crew (be born again), or do they want to return to the water. (Sometimes this takes place on the S&R craft before they get to the carrier.)

      1. Those who want to return to the water trade their uniform for civilian clothes and are respectfully allowed to leave the carrier. (It is a sad, quiet time for the crew. They may have a chance to join later—they may not.)

      2. Those who want to join the crew are welcomed with great celebration and prepared for their initiation with further instructions.

         1. Crew initiation process (covenant-making) includes:

            1. The presentation of individual enlistment papers, which are signed by the King—in his own blood.

            2. The public acceptance of the papers through the initiation ritual (confession of faith and baptism).

            3. The receiving of the crew insignia from the Captain: a white dove (the symbol of the Holy Sprit’s presence) attached to the left pocket. Only the Captain can give out this insignia—it is not for sale.

      3. Those who aren’t sure whether or not they want to stay and join yet are allowed to continue to observe and learn.

• Young or weak/ill civilians (either born on board or rescued) participate according to their strength and ability.

• Note: Those born on-board the carrier to members of the crew are considered civilians and must go through the same training, service and initiation process as those rescued from the water. There is no other way to become part of the crew and receive their crew insignia.

So, what do the crewmembers say to the civilians in the S&R boats and on the HESED? How do they explain what carrier life is about? They start by thinking on purpose.

The best way to influence your neighbors for Christ is to know your own story—and be able to share it in a natural way. The next post (a few hours after this one) provides an opportunity for you to write out your story. It will be a blessing to you just to go through the process. It will be a blessing to your neighbor when the Holy Spirit prompts you to share it!

Today’s Look at 1 John

Read 1 John 2:12-17. Be encouraged by the power of God in your life—be challenged to keep out of the water and on target with God!

Keep Breathing!

While you’re riding along behind the Holy Spirit today, ask him to show you your neighbors—all of them. What an amazing sight! Get ready to love them as yourself. You can do it—with God’s help!

40 Days of cHesed—Day 36

WEEK 6 – Evangelism: You Were Made For a Mission

[Not only will this "week" start on a Tuesday, but it is really only five days long! Day 40 will post on next Monday, March 2nd.]

Day 36 Made for a Mission

Life on the HESED can seem like an end in itself! So much for so many to do—just to keep it running. While we know our final destination transcends this life, we cannot forget that there are two critical mission efforts which all those thousands of tasks support each and every day: the dozens of planes in the aircraft squadron and the hundreds of boats in the search and rescue fleet.

We call them the front line because, well, that’s what they are. And every member of the crew takes regular tours of duty at the front—so that they remember the purpose for what they do on the carrier!

As we prepare to take you to the front these next few days, the Captain (the Holy Spirit) wants us to share the mission statement and goals of the HESED:

• Every function on board supports the mission—directly or indirectly.

  • While some functions and crewmembers are more visible, there are no functions or crewmembers more important than any other—all are necessary for successful completion of the mission.

    • Every person on board (crew or civilian) has some task to accomplish each day.

    • Civilians receive their crew insignia after being properly initiated.

    • Every member of the crew takes regular tours of duty at the front.

• Each duty station provides an essential training exercise for the crew—foundational to the process of building dynamic, authentic community. Cross training is highly encouraged.

  • Authentic community is built through living each day by the crew’s Code of Conduct—summarized by the name of the carrier: HESED.

    • Remember, hesed is about taking the proper action (serve, submit and lead) with the proper attitude (love, grace and mercy.)

    • That code of conduct is simple enough for everyone to learn and understand—but requires disciplined effort and the power of God to practice and do well.

Today’s Look at 1 John

These last five days, we’ll re-read each week’s passage—one each day. Read 1 John 1:1 through 2:11. Consider the importance of understanding this passage to accomplishing the goals of the Mission Statement and for living by the Code of Conduct.

Getting In Shape

We are almost finished! Five weeks down, five days to go. So, how’s your conditioning? We’ve been praying that you’ve been getting stronger each week:

• That the level of intimacy in your relationship with God has deepened.

• That your spiritual muscles are strong yet limber.

• That you are getting more comfortable with riding in the back than driving.

• That you’ve connected with others and experienced the power of authentic community.

• That God has begun to show you the simplicity and power of his covenant purpose.

Now is the time to put what you’ve learned into action. Share the joy of riding with the Holy Spirit driving. Let others know there is a seat waiting for them, too – add a trailer on to your bike and give them a taste! Teach them the things you’ve learned about getting in shape to ride with God. Because we’re not alone on the road. God’s got a caravan riding to Glory – and he doesn’t want anyone to get left behind!

We’re at the top of the long hill we’ve been climbing. Now it’s time for a glance at the panoramic view of our journey—what a sight!

Are you ready for the rush? Here we go—hang on!

40 Days of cHesed—Day 35

Day 35 God’s Power in Your Weakness [...the seeds of the Purple Martyrdom were planted long ago!]

The good news is that it really is all about God—his purpose, his love, his power, and his hesed. The bad news is that it really is all about God….

How could that be bad news? Well, let’s think this one through together.

• If it is all about God’s purpose, then we must continually restrain our desires and submit our purposes to God’s.

• If it is all about God’s love, then we must put away our fears and live fearlessly for him.

• If it is all about God’s power, then we must admit that we can’t do what he wants us to do simply by using our own abilities.

• If it is all about God’s hesed, then we must accept the incredible aid he offers us—or be found faithless in our practice of hesed.

This means that we must not only admit our weaknesses—grudgingly and privately, if necessary—we must embrace them! If we do not know our weaknesses, we cannot look for God’s help to overcome them. We must share them humbly and honestly. We must be excited because they provide opportunities to witness the awesome power of God. (See 2 Corinthians 4 and 12:7-10.)

Embracing God’s power in our weakness is not a human strength (no pun intended). It can only be done if we allow ourselves to be filled with the Holy Spirit and driven by hesed.

• We must be driven to serve God and serve each other—by humbly using our grace gifts for ministry on purpose.

• We must be driven to submit to God’s plan and to the needs of our brothers and sisters—by exercising loving restraint on purpose.

• We must be driven to be sensitive to opportunities where God is asking us to take the initiative and make the first move—by leading with mercy on purpose.

When we are hesed-driven, we will dare to be a David facing Goliath with what looks like a few stones and a sling—knowing that the power of God will fell the giant. We will dare to walk around the fortress of our enemy shouting and blowing horns—knowing that the power of God will knock the walls flat. We will jump out of the boat when Jesus calls us to walk to him on the water—knowing he will keep us from sinking.

Are you pumped for being weak yet? Good, because God doesn’t call the equipped; he equips the called.

Today’s Look at 1 John

Read 1 John 4:7-21 one more time. Soak up the awesome power of God’s love.

Keep Breathing!

Five weeks…you are so strong and yet so limber. Way to go—God is waiting for a huge high five!

Thanks for the link love, Scot!

It is always an especially fun surprise for me when I am "meandered" by Scot McKnight at his Jesus Creed blog. I was #7 in his opening paragraph of links to consider ... and his additional bit of encouragement for others to "take a good look at" my current series was appreciated.

His example encourages me to go the extra step to shine the light on others, helping them to succeed ... it brightens up everyone's day!

May you be blessed and be a blessing today.

40 Days of cHesed—Day 34

Day 34 Thinking Like a Servant

What’s the difference between acting like a servant and thinking like a servant? Well, there could be a lot of difference—or there could be no difference at all. What do you think?

Acting like a servant can become rote—just another habit—if we don’t also start thinking like a servant. Thinking like a servant is a matter of discipline. With the proper discipline, service that has become rote becomes service that is excellent! But how do we discipline ourselves—and each other—to think in such a way that we actually become excellent servants?

Say, the word “thinking” keeps popping up. Thinking. Really acting like an excellent servant requires excellent thinking. Does that seem too obvious? That may be part of the problem. [Alan Hirsch says that we must act our way into a new way of thinking. Read his important blog post, please. I totally agree...and hesed is that way!]

M. Scott Peck, M.D., in The Road Less Traveled & Beyond, entitled the first chapter Thinking. Our reluctance to stop and think about what we believe—on any given topic, much less our purpose in life—is not just a problem. According to Dr. Peck, it is the problem.

During the past 33 days, we have been attempting to provide you with the core knowledge you need in order to think like a servant. We’ve asked you to spend a lot of time reading and thinking your way through 1 John. We’ve asked you to think every day about your intimate friendship with God. And we have been challenging you to think in different images than what may be familiar to you.

This kind of thinking is part of what it means to love God with all of your mind. Love him enough to slow down and listen carefully to his Word. Love him enough to process your thoughts with him. Love him enough to listen to the Holy Spirit. Love him enough to listen to your brothers and sisters—for as long as it takes to understand each other.

Well, that sounds like a lot of work! Exactly!

Discipline of any kind requires a lot of work. Excellent thinking requires more work than any other discipline. This is true because thinking is complex. It is a process—rarely a simple process—that leads us to some intended result. In our case, it will lead us to understanding what on earth we’re here for!

If we take shortcuts in the process, we do get somewhere. We just may not get where we wanted to go. This is what we mean when we speak of the importance of proper focus during target practice. Better the outer edge of the right target than the bull’s eye of the wrong target! Matthew 25:31-46 and Luke 13:22-30 are striking examples Jesus gave us of this problem.

Thinking on purpose takes work—the consequences of not thinking on purpose are unacceptable.

Today’s Look at 1 John

Read 1 John 4:7-21. While you’re reading, think about the depths of God’s love!

Keep Breathing!

Breathe in God’s love—exhale your fears! Take every joy or concern (for ourselves or for others) to God first, so that he can share the moment, begin to heal the suffering, or encourage steadfastness.