The New Year

“Neither do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst; the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

- Matthew 9:17

            This verse for as long as I can remember has been one of the most confusing sayings of Jesus. I never quite understood what the point of it was and would skip wrestling with it because it was too obscure. Over the past couple weeks I have been thinking and working through it and finally I am beginning to see a little bit of light at the end of the path.

            Today, as we are preparing for New Years (Eve), we look upon this past year and think about all the good and the bad which have occurred. Usually, the bad seems to outweigh and outshine the good. And although we as people seem to be forever stuck on the bad, I believe that in this passage, Jesus is saying, “It’s time to move on! It’s time to change things around! Let’s be joyful!”

            Just before this verse, Jesus makes a very big claim of himself being the bridegroom which in reality means that he is equating himself to God. Now, Jesus is telling the people that the Old and New do not mix and that there is a new structure and new way of doing things. His death and resurrection provides us with new life and a new order which forces us to look and act differently with the world. God’s incarnation began something great which would change the world forever as we know it.

            As we enter into this New Year, let us reflect upon the good work of Christ one more time. Perhaps we have done this too often and it has become boring or meaningless but I assure you that if you begin to see the glorious nature of what he did on that cross, we cannot be the same. This past year may have been the best or the worst year we have ever experienced… but hey, WE MADE IT! Now that we have an opportunity to start fresh, may we begin with a new outlook on life through what Christ has done. Although we may be poor, sick and out on our luck, may we remember that Christ has shifted the powers of this world and has given us something to look forward to, something to be joyous about. Let’s be joyful this year, regardless of what comes at us because we have been given much.

No Free Passes for the Believer

           There’s a huge misconception in the churches today and it is perhaps one of the most detrimental heresies of our time. Many evangelicals today believe that the Bible promises a prosperous and “blessed” life if we are truly faithful to Christ. Although this is a preposterous lie, it is enticing enough for many people to succumb to its power. As the Christmas season is rolling in and we reflect upon our good fortune (and for some, a very difficult year), we must not forget that an easy life does NOT mean that God is for you.

            Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:12, “In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” This letter is addressed to Paul’s closest disciple and friend and he is advising him on what it means to be a true follower of Christ. This is not a message specifically for pastors, elders, missionaries, etc. but it ultimately regards all Christians. There is no such idea here that Christians get to live a pain-free life. Paul himself was someone who endured much suffering.

            If we want to see the best biblical example of someone who did not receive the best of what life had to offer, all we need to do is look to the main character of the Bible, Jesus. Born in a manger to a woman who became pregnant out of wedlock, he would ultimately die on a cross. Jesus who was without sin, who knew his Bible, experienced the most horrific death the Bible has to offer. Not only that, leading up to his death, he was homeless and of humble origin. Jesus’ faith must not have been strong according to the name-it-claim-it teachers.

            So from these 2 examples, I hope that you will see that we are not guaranteed an easy life. In reality, we are called to go through some rough times BECAUSE we worship Christ. What a mind-blower! Knowing this, what is our response to be? I think when we look at Acts 5:41-42, “[after being flogged] The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name. Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” Our response should be worship! Worship because we are counted worthy to go through a hard time and in doing so we have the ability to show the world that CHRIST IS FAR GREATER THAN ALL THINGS!!!

            Posted here is a link to an article on Pastor Matt Chandler in the Dallas area. He is someone who has recently gone through a battle with a brain tumor and although times are rough, although some days just suck, we see that he is someone who is using this suffering to show the world that God is greater than our health and possessions.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/112610dnmetpastorcancer.3fcb92b.html

            I hope that as we go through this Christmas season and every season in our lives, we will see that God is greater than our comfort. Although life may at times be unbearable and there seems to be no end, may you worship God and show the world that our God deserves worship because He is good.

Questions to Consider:

1)      Have you ever been promised/told that God will give you what you want?

2)      In your inner most being, do you feel/believe that God owes you for your good behavior?

3)      What would your worship be like if everything you loved and owned was taken from you?

Lose Yourself in the Moment

      In the past 10-20 years, living a life of purpose has become the new fad. We desire so much to live a life that is full of meaning. What I have realized about many of the books written on the topic is that the ideas are generally very individualized and lacks depth. Often times the goal is to be in a certain position in life which will optimize our ability to live in comfort but it rarely allows us to enjoy “the moment.” So the question which I pose is, “How do we live a life which is full of purpose yet we can still learn to enjoy it in the process?”

      The simplest way I can answer it is: live with the mindset of eternity. It rolls off the tongue easily and seems like a simple thing, however the act is really important for us as Christians.

     
When we live a life where we must achieve a specific number of goals in our lives, we live with the mindset that we only have X amount of years to live. We feel rushed in our lives to do new things or we feel huge regret and remorse because we have wasted our lives. I am not quite sure this is how we are supposed to live.

      I feel that we are to have a Kingdom mindset, one that shoots for eternity and not the year 2060. If I keep in mind that the end of my immediate life is the end, then I am continuing to feel that I must achieve, achieve, achieve. I will never be satisfied because there is always going to be more to do and I will never be able to accomplish it within this lifetime. However, if I live with the mentality that my death is not where it ends, that there is resurrection, I am able to take the time I have and be satisfied with the effort I put forth. I will be able to enjoy, “the NOW.”

    
I understand that people automatically fear that this thinking allows people to be lazy, however I do not believe that such a person understands grace. As we experience the grace of God and understand that there is eternity, we put forth hard work but do not kill ourselves trying to set records. When we sit with a person at the hospital, we do not need to check our watches to make sure we’re not spending too much time there. We can rest with that person, give them quality time and not worry about doing more work because at this moment, the Kingdom of God is manifesting in the love you are showing. We can live understanding that quality is greater than quantity.

      This was super brief and I understand that this blog does not fully spell out all the thoughts I had but I do not wish to bore you so quickly. So I want to end with a couple suggestions and questions.

1)      First, take a deep breath sit back and think. Are you living a rushed life that tries to collect accolades or are you living a life full of hard work which at the same time enjoys the moment?

2)      Are you living for your life only, or are you living a life that factors in eternity?

3)      Do you find yourself often times thinking, “The next phase of my life will be better”?

4)      How often do you enjoy the work/service/ministry you do? Are they just part of a to-do list or do you find them to be important and enjoyable?

5)   Finally, How often are you able to spend quality time with friends and family?