Christ-like
I fell upon a verse this past week that glued to my heart like frosting on a cupcake. No matter how hard the devil tried to destroy what God was building within me this verse remained true… it became the mouth-watering frosting on my week. When those moments of severe difficulty abruptly approached, this verse acted as a sweet delicious delicacy that welcomed all bitterness and disgust knowing that it was more than enough to overcome any horrible taste. It provided me with an intense desire to keep on going and it filled my heart with a new savoring taste. A flavor so unimaginable that not even Willie Wonka and his crew of fascinating Umpa Lumpa’s could come close to creating! This I believe was a portion of the Essence, the Zest, and the Aroma of Christ Jesus! "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son." (Romans 8:28, 29) I know that this is one of the most quoted verses from the Bible but it fed the fire within my heart and added to my foundation, strengthening the pillars and framework around my core. The idea of knowing that God works all things for the good of those who love him is breathtaking! But the thought of becoming constructed in the likeness of Jesus is mind boggling and awe-inspiring!!
Have you ever felt so trapped in life that no matter how hard you try to get out of your horrible situations you only dig your hole deeper and deeper? Have you ever felt so lost or stuck in the work that you are trying to accomplish, no matter what you do everything crashes and bursts into flames right before your eyes? These past few weeks I have seen more crashes, more explosions, more disasters in the work that I came here to do, than ever before… but as my world felt like it was coming to a bittering end, within my heart, a small still voice kept on saying; "all things work out for the good of those who love him… for they will be formed in the likeness of the Son." My love for God grows enormously daily and because of his work within my life I will forever continue to do his will. As I read Romans 8:28 over and over again I began to see it in a different way… when Apostle Paul wrote this I think what he was trying to say was, "for those who are completely and desperately in love with our Heavenly father, He [God] will take the "good" that is missing from within us, and intertwine it throughout our beings, so that we will be formed to the likeness of his Son. This isn’t a verse promising that in all your circumstances you will have your needs handed to you because you love God and God loves you… I trust that this is far more than we can imagine. I believe this verse is a direct promise from God to those who love him that they will be transformed to the likeness of his Son. And when a person is formed to the likeness of Jesus there is no more room for worries, pain, fear, hardships, etc. within their hearts. They become filled to absolute fullness with true love and Jesus begins to shine through them so that Gods Holy name will be glorified.
I think Apostle Paul had a direct revelation from God about who God wants us to become. Time and time again he reminds us of our transformation. Although I am convinced that God’s dream for each person may differ from one another I strongly believe that His will is the same for each of us… that is to be formed in the likeness of Jesus Christ. Again Apostle Paul mentions in Galatians chapter 4 "oh how I wish I could be with you now… because I am perplexed about you." Paul goes on to say that he is in pain and suffering for the Galatians until Christ was formed within each of them. One of my greatest joys is seeing Christians advance beyond the mind's eye to a place of impossibilities; the place of being Christ-like. The thought of knowing that my loved ones have finally understood and are pursuing Christ in a passionate quest, drives me bonkers!!! Literally, I feel like my heart will burst because of its richness in joy!! Oh how I desire for people to step into this simple but deeply profound relationship with God.
So what does it mean to be Christ-like? What does God mean when he tells us that he wants us to attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ? I believe that we can find a small piece of what this means or how to become Christ-like in the gospel of Luke. These are the words of Jesus in Luke chapter 6:27-35; "but I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you, if someone strikes you on the cheek turn him the other also. If someone takes from you your cloak do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you do not demand it back. Do to others as you would want them to do to you… But love your enemies, do well to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High God!" I don’t think that Jesus is saying here give all your materialistic belongings to everyone around you if they ask for them. I concur that we shouldn’t be tied down to any of our special belongings, but what I think Jesus is say is beyond just giving to those in need. We must give with fullness of heart to everyone around us. Love does not measure it simply gives everything continually. I think that in this passage Jesus is telling us to splurge our love, compassion, patience, hope, kindness, gentleness, and the like, out on everybody around us. We must do so continually. This is part of being Christ-like. Can you really dig to the bottom of your heart and love to an extreme measure, all those who have done you wrong? Can you spend hours in prayer for the drunkard who drove his car vicariously into the car of your only child, taking their life? Can you give an abundance of love to the man who convinced your wife that nobody will find out what they did behind closed doors? Can you bless those who have spread evil rumors about you and your family ripping you guys apart? Can you think of the absolute worst case scenario that you can possibly imagine and after doing so, can you invite those who did you wrong and serve them not only with a grand dinner but also by getting on your knees and washing their feet? Ephesians 4:22, 23- You were taught in regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its evil desires; to be made new in the attitudes of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true Righteousness and Holiness." We must give ourselves in a "servant hood way" to provide the characteristics of Jesus through humbleness. What Jesus is saying in Luke chapter 6 is give yourselves entirely to the people around you so that Gods name will be glorified and so that you may be children of the Most High God! This is the beginning of being Christ-like. (For even the Son of Man came to serve, not to be served.) There is no greater illness in this world than the lack of love… we must let God form and shape us into the characteristics of Christ, so that we may spend eternity with Him! "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his son." (Romans 8:28, 29)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Just a Thought
Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
When my buddy (Brent) and I first came to Spain, we were so sure that God would open every door for us immediately. We had the faith that our dreams would be fulfilled within the first month of being in Madrid… Little did we know that God had to form and mold us through an extreme process before we could truly begin to live. Each one of us must go through a fiery furnace so that we may be formed and molded to His desired creation before we could begin to dine within our dreams.
A few people came to me recently and asked; “Stelian, if you have so much faith, why won’t God give you the things that he promised you? You claim to have faith the size of a mustard seed but we don’t see you moving mountains, or performing miracles!” In response I said, “My Faith is in God, and in God alone. I believe that He can move all mountains. I believe with all my heart that his word can stop the sun in its place. I believe that all things are possible through Him! But just because certain events in my life have not yet begun that certainly does not mean that my faith in him is too little. It simply means that I am not ready for what will soon occur. If God were to give me my dreams and desires now, I could surely destroy everything by falling away from God. It took King David 22 years before he became King, not because his faith in God was too little, but because it was not yet time for him to shine. During this molding process that we each go through (if we let God do the molding) we begin to shine more and more as the days go by until eventually we are so refined that people around us will be awed. They will stare intently at the splendor of what God has done. I may have to wait 2, 3 or even 10 more years to become what God promised, but my faith in God will forever stand!
Faith cannot be based off facts. It is being sure of what we hope for and more than certain of what we do not see. When a person has faith without seeing, their faith becomes seen. If you try to base your faith off certain facts you will get to a point in your road where you run out of faith. A time will come where you must have faith first so that you can see.
Faith is only seen in action. I love the story that Mark writes in chapter 2 of his Gospel. It reads; “A few days later when Jesus entered Capernaum the people heard that He had come home. So many people gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Four men came carrying a paralytic, bringing him to Jesus. Since they could not get to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man down. When Jesus SAW their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.”
What about the event in Acts chapter 14:8, 9; ‘in Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had never walked a day in his life. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him; SAW that he had faith to be healed and called out, “stand up to your feet!” at that moment the man jumped up and began to walk.’ A mustard seed faith is always visible. It is visible because in that moment of faith that person is completely relying on God to do the miraculous. A mustard seed faith does not fear. It builds an ark before there is even a cloud in the sky… A mustard seed faith drenches the alter with water knowing that God will send down his fire to lick up every drop… a mustard seed faith gives their two little fish and five little loaves convinced that it will feed 10,000… It plunges into the water before thinking that God will part the water so they may cross. A mustard seed faith takes their sling and stone and faces their mighty giant confident that God will show up. It does not need man’s consent or their money. It stands firm in God and rejoices in every storm.
One of the most well known verses from the Bible is 2 Corinthians 5:7, “We live by faith and not by sight.” Faith is everything in our relationship with God. The book of Hebrews mentions that without faith you cannot please God. Faith is the structure of our core. I have faced and still am facing many days where my faith is tested… not just a little… it’s tested to the deepest of my being. I have learned that People destroy their dreams when they allow their fears to grow bigger than their faith. An unseen faith cannot be a mustard seed faith because a mustard seed faith is always visible.
Faith is the knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof… it is intricately woven so deep within the heart that nothing, not even proof can touch it… and if you learn how to reach to the core of your heart and grab hold of that faith it will unleash the potentials that you never dreamed existed… within faith is hidden a world of possibilities.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Love does not fear...
“In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
I used to often pray asking God for wisdom. One week I was faced with many wide varieties of challenges. Each challenge needed to be examined closely and dealt with carefully. Some were easier to deal with than others but in general I still had a hard time making the right decision. It wasn’t that my lack of wisdom was not there to help me decide the right from wrong or the better choice, it was more that I just simply wanted to choose what I wanted for myself. Other times I plainly ignored the right that I needed to do. God gives wisdom generously. I can remember so many days where I was faced with challenges upon challenges and temptations upon temptations. And even though I knew the “right” that I needed to do many a times, I simply didn’t do it. I chose to do the wrong. Sometimes I even chose to do nothing. But I have found that there is something better than wisdom.
I strongly believe that the only way to become fully alive in God is to become fully alive in love. Only in “love” can a person find true life. Love is the core of Gods being… and to live in completeness with God’s love is to live in God. People sometimes wonder why their life or relationship with God is so mundane. They think that they are not ready spiritually to let God do the impossible through them so they back down from any spiritual challenge that approaches. And when a person backs down from a divine moment fear begins to grow within them. Among the evilness that separates us from living utterly for God I think that fear might be upon the highest of podiums. When we allow fear to become part of our ordinary lives, it begins to corrode our inside being, and it rudely kills everything about us. Everything in this world fears, except love. Wisdom, patience, hope, faith, kindness, generosity, humbleness, all of these can fear. Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by a perceived threat. Although many believe that Fear should be distinguished from the related emotional state of anxiety, which typically occurs without any external threat, I believe that fear has everything to do with starting that anxiety. Fear is related to the specific behaviors of escape and avoidance, and it is the result of threats which are perceived to be uncontrollable or unavoidable. Fear almost always relates to future events, such as worsening of a situation, or continuation of a situation that is unacceptable. Many of us crucify ourselves between two thieves. On our left- fear of the unknown and on our right- fear of the known. He, who fears to suffer, suffers from fear. When a person whom fully lives in love is caught in a storm, they don’t pray to God for safety from danger, but they rejoice in becoming a testimony to others.
What are we Christians called to be? How are we supposed to live our lives? “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and them in God. In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” We live as ‘one’ in a God who does not fear nothing… we live as ‘one’ in a God who made everything out of nothing. And to know that God lives in us and us in him, that should be more than enough for us to do the impossible. That should give us strength, courage, faith, trust and wisdom without fear. Fear does not partake of God and thus it cannot be part of our lives.
1 John 4:15 says; “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and them in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love.Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment: “In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
I recently read Psalm 126. The idea that is portrayed here is the salvation of the people of Israel
Compassion
When I was 22 years of age I was in a relationship with a girl named Jessie. Back then I could honestly say that I was not the best boyfriend a girl could dream of. In fact back then I could say that my behavior caused the downfall of all my relationships. It wasn’t that I was rude and inconsiderate (I was far beyond both rude and considerate.) it was that I was living my life for myself. Things began to get out of place for Jessie and me. My affections for her were fading away simply because I didn’t put any effort into the relationship. Slowly we began to both find other interests. The path that we created together began to split in two. She went one way and I, the other. To tell you the truth I believe that I was the cause of the breakdown in this relationship. I remember one day Jessie came to me and asked a very honest but simple question. (This was during the meltdown of our relationship.) She said; “Steli, do you love me?” Of course out of my mouth came the word yes... I thought to myself that wasn’t very enthusiastic, but hey, at least I said yes… The problem was that the word yes came only from my mouth and not from my heart or my affections for her. After I responded with my simple yes she asked a second question. She said; “Steli do you know what hurts me?” I still remember the look on her face when she asked me this question. Without thinking I quickly responded; “How should I know what hurts you?!” She then said; “How can you love me if you don’t know what hurts me?”
What made Jesus Christ the greatest lover in human history is that he really knew and really knows what hurts his people. I often think of the story of Lazarus’ death. I love this story because it really shows the compassion of Jesus towards his children. After Martha the sister of Lazarus heard that Jesus was coming, she quickly went out to meet him. They had a short conversation and after they had finished she ran off to tell her sister Mary that Jesus had arrived. When Mary heard this, she got up in a hurry to go and meet him. Now Jesus had not yet entered the village but was still at the place where Martha had met him earlier. When Mary reached the place where Jesus was she fell at his feet and began to weep. Seeing that those who came with Mary also began to weep, Jesus was moved with compassion and wept.
I want to take a few minutes to look at this passage. It is so difficult to try and translate word for word from the original text to our current language. In fact we can only get a diminutive idea of what was actually written. Before Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus, while he was still with Mary the Bible says that he was moved with compassion and wept with those around him. The word compassion comes from the Greek word “Splagxnizomai” which is derived from the word “Splanxna.” “Splanxna” is the Greek word for our inner parts such as the heart, lungs, liver, and kidneys. In Hebrew the word“Splanxna” is translated to “Rachamim” which means; the womb of God. Where I am trying to get with this is that the word compassion when used in the Bible for Jesus is so deep that it literally touches his innermost being. Compassion is such a deep word that when it refers to Jesus, it can only accurately be described as the movement of Gods core, where all the divine tenderness and gentleness lie hidden... When Jesus is moved with compassion for you and I, what the Bible actually means is that the ground of all beings shook, the source of all life trembled, the heart of all love burst opened and the unfathomable depths of the relentless tenderness was laid bare. The true meaning of this word when used by Jesus gives us only a little hint of the love, passion and the desire that God has for humanity. When we weep, God is so in love with us that his heart literally bursts with love towards us. Jesus response to us is, “come to me, come to me not to your pastors, not to church, not to a Bible study, not to revivals, but come to me… come now the way you are, nervous, wounded, terrified, angry, abandoned, bare, depressed, worried, come to me and I will meet you where you are! Because I love you and I Am for you!! Jesus loves you beyond worthy or unworthiness; beyond loyalty or disloyalty… he loves you when you are at your best and even the same when you are beyond your worst, when all that surrounds you are thick clouds and heavy storms. He loves you without limit, without regret, he loves you so much that there aren’t existing words in all humanity to explain just a hint of a fraction for the love that he has for you... No matter what point of your life you are in Jesus can’t stop loving you... He is desperate for you. This is not something that I have heard from my parents, friends, or pastors but this is the Jesus that I met on my journey. His compassion is never based on our performance… In John 15:14 Jesus says; “You are my friends. I no longer call you servant because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead I have called you friends. Remain in me and I will remain in you.”
I wish that I had never hurt any of Gods precious children. I wish that since the beginning of my days I learned to love as deep as God loves us. I hate the fact that I hurt so many people throughout my life especially my close family and friends. But through those days of hurting people, God began to work on my heart to teach me how to love. There are so many people that were once or still are damaged by others. My heart goes out to each one of them. But when you are in your deepest hurts, when you are in your nightmare of pains, remember that there is a God who is so in love with you that he literally comes down in your actual presence to suffer alongside his beloved child. Everything you feel, he feels with you.
I leave you with a promise from our Lord. This is what our Lord says- He who created you and formed you. “Fear not for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name and you are mine. When you pass through the waters I will be with you and when you pass through rivers they will not sweep over you. When you are in the fiery flames you will not be burned. I am the LORD your GOD, the HOLY ONE, your SAVIOR. You are precious and honored in My sight and I love you!”
Just a thought..
I had a young gentlemen come to me with a few questions that seemed to bother him. He was stuck on the idea of not knowing the plans that God currently has for him. His confusion about the direction of his life appeared to generate more uncertainties as each day grew older. He was not only lost in his direction, but he was also lost in his sin. James 4:17 says; “Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” It’s not the violence of this world that scares me… It’s the silence of the many Christians. There are so many Christians simply not doing what God wants them to do.
Roman’s chapter 3:23 says; “for all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God; Roman’s 6:23 says; “For the wages of sin is death, and the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” What this scripture is telling us is that all of us are in the same condition... We are all broken and all have sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God. This passage is saying that your life has a certain intention to it and a certain direction but every one of us has lived our lives beneath the intention of Gods design. We need to learn how to embrace the reality of sin and how it separates us from who God intended us to become. By grabbing on tight to this reality and understanding the importance of it, it can create within us the change and transformation that we so desperately need. Sin is the reminder that there is a distance between whom we are and who we can be! Sin best describes the gap between the reality that we’ve created and the reality that God intended to create. Paul writes in Roman’s saying; “that all have sinned and have fallen short of the Glory of God.” Your life is supposed to be like an arrow soaring through the air directly towards the sweet spot of the target. And every time we live beneath the intent that God has for our life, we sin. We must realize that we were created with intention... We were created with intellect, we were created with a design, and our life is supposed to have direction, purpose and a reason. How many Christians are living their lives with intent? For all have sinned and have fallen short of Gods ‘intention’ for their lives. I think one of the greatest catastrophes is that many of you were created for more than you actually know. When God created you he didn’t just rapidly form you, He created you specifically with a purpose… He created you with greatness!! And many of us don’t realize that!! Your life is supposed to be an arrow moving towards the target of extraordinary. You were created to be beyond imaginable!! You are imprinted by Majesty!! We were created to Dream and live God sized Dreams! We were created to go and live the impossible through our Lord Jesus! God placed within us the capabilities to do ALL THINGS for His Glory!! A person completely dedicated to Gods work understands that even though there might be a restricted number of resources for a certain project, there are always an immeasurable number of possibilities. Vision is seeing events and people through Christ's perspective. And faith in Christ is the fuel that keeps your vision and spiritual journey going!
Your passions, your dreams, your desires were not just accidently placed within you. They were given to you to use for the Glory of God. They were placed upon you so that you may do wonders and great things for our Lord. The little that we have, if we use it fully for Christ; Christ will pour His blessing over it and multiply it beyond our imagination. Many teens come to me with the same question. What is my calling?!! Each one of us has the same calling, and that is to live a Christ-like life. That means we must have the same characteristic of Christ; the same reflection so that others literally see Him in us. We all have the same calling, but God has different dreams for each of us. The dreams that God placed in me are completely different than those of my friends, but we each pursue our God-given dreams for our callings. We are not created to live in the background of life. We are not created to just sit around and let everyone else do the work. God placed within us dreams for us to live out!
If we accept the anointing that God has poured over us through the blood of Jesus we become Kings by Divine right. We become awakened dreamers! What limitations does a King have within his kingdom? What limitations does a dreamer have within His dreams? Everyone in your life can either encourage you or discourage you from becoming a King. In the wrong hands, you can become anything depending on who touches you. Many of us become what others want us to become. Many have become the complete opposite of what Gods intent was for their lives. Most children become what their parents influence them to become. The majority of times if you encourage a child to become a police officer that child will grow up to be exactly that. In the wrong hands you can become the King you were not intended to be and you may lose your Divine Rights. One of my favorite pastors preached a sermon on “Becoming a King,” and he said; “Each one of you has a greatness hidden inside of you. And the object of successful living is to release that greatness before you die.” There is a King Anointed by God inside of you. If you do not release that greatness from within you, if you don’t find the King within you, you will grow to never understand the beauties of life. You will grow old, bitter, and become a very unpleasant person.
The picture that Apostle Paul draws out for us in Romans 3:23 is a picture of a marksman shooting his arrow directly at the center of a target. On our own we all fall short of the Glory of God. We all fall short of the target that God purposed us for. But because of who God is, and because of what Christ did for us on that cross, we his children receive the gift of God and that is a glorious life eternally with Jesus.
I did not know that I was going to become who I am now. I thought I was always going to be a drunk, addicted to this world and its pleasures. I did not know that I was anointed to be a King. Friends there is a gap between us and God, it is called sin. But once we learn who we are in Christ, once we realize that ‘We are’ because ‘He is,’ then that gap that separates us from God will begin to fill with the blood of Jesus. It will begin to fill with the love and grace of Jesus giving us a way to God. For the wages of sin is death!! But the gift that God offers is eternal life through Jesus Christ! We’re created for so much more than we actually know!! Within us God placed a Divine King to live out His Dreams so that we may dine with Him in His Heavenly Kingdom!!
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