The Phil Files

In my Heartlight.org post this week, “Star Bright,” I talk about the Magi (or Wise Men) who come from the east and worship Jesus. They undertook a long and difficulty journey to honor the newborn King of an enemy nation. They did this at great personal cost and risk. Yet these astrologers — astrology was a practice prohibited in both the Old and New Testaments for being associated with witchcraft — found their way to the manger where Jesus was born so they could worship Him. Meanwhile, Herod used the prophecies about the Messiah’s birth in the Old Testament to determine where the Messiah would be born so he could kill the child, Jesus. Herod saw this child as a rival to his control and sought to kill him, just as he did with two of his own boys who he feared would threaten his rule.

This story is a reminder of how easily we can use Scripture for ungodly means if we lose sight of it’s purpose and the basis of which we interpret it. A few questions seem in order to help us avoid misusing Scripture:

How can we get so far off base in our religious practice that we would reach the point of killing Him because He challenged us in areas where we were comfortable and didn’t want to be disturbed?

How do I use Scripture?

Am I using it to seek after God?

Am I reading Scripture to know God and not just know about God?

Am I listening to Scripture to obey it and honor God, or simply to justify what I do?

The key point is to remember that the center of Scripture and the key to understanding Scripture is a hunger and faith for Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15; cf. John 1:1-18; Hebrews 1:1-3).

So how do we keep Jesus at the center of our lives?

How do use Scripture as a Holy blessing, but not worship Scripture and lose sight of the character and compassion of Jesus?

I’m sitting here at my beloved MacBook keyboard still drippin’ wet from working out this morning. Since returning from our trip as a family, I’ve rejoined the world of the committed to exercise, dropping weight, and eating properly — in other words, that “Big Guy” would just like to be that “Medium-sized Guy” once again!

As with any discipline, the first week back in the trenches of hand to hand combat with your own lack of discipline in an area of your life is tough. But alas, it is right … past due … and needed. So, I pedal forth and push onward seeking to leave bits of my former self in my vapor trail.

Meanwhile, we launch into some exciting stuff with Colossians and different types of targeted worship gatherings in August, so there is much work and prayer and study in prep. This one I’m not drippin’ with sweat, but drippin’ with great anticipation. Whether you want to call stuff missional (ah yes, all the rage the last few years in churchland lingo) or targeted or strategic, my hope is that it is a return to the integrity of real community and devotion (Acts 2:42-47 NLT).

Click the link above and notice that these early followers of Jesus were devoted to four things (vs. 42):

the apostles’ teaching

fellowship

sharing in the Lord’s Supper

prayer

What I find most interesting is that most folks miss Luke’s definition of each of these four in the verses that follow (click the words and see Luke’s description:

the apostles’ teaching - Acts 2:43 (NLT)

fellowship - Acts 2:44-45 (NLT)

sharing the Lord’s Supper [literally, "the breaking of bread"] Acts 2:46 (NLT)

prayer Acts 2:47 (NLT)

Even more impressive, they were devoted to these things — not just individually, but as a community. So while I’m committed to not lag behind behind in my renewed commitment to physical discipline, I’m even more committed to being devoted to seeing this kind of community truly formed in God’s people in my neck of the woods. What about you?

Onward ho!

(And tomorrow or the next day, we’ll poke around what each of these means!)

Today is WATS day!

For our church, it is a special day to gather for a shared Communion service and then go out and serve the community in very intensive, manual labor, ways. WATS stands for “We Are the Sermon.” We begin the day with a shared time of worship with communion — the air is electric and people are excited, dressed in their get dirty work clothes and many pulling trailers full of yard tools. The singing is joyous and upbeat. When we finish, we break into work groups, share a quite bite of lunch, and spend the afternoon working our backsides off to bless others. It’s all part of our sense of mission:

We are God’s community front porch: inviting, including, and involving others in the life of Jesus.

Last year, well over a thousand people served their neighbors building wheel chair ramps, painting homes, cleaning up yard messes, restoring houses to code, and just lending a helping hand. We collected over 80 tons of debris and garbage. It’s one of the coolest and most exciting church days of our year.

Here are a few links to help you know more about it:

W.A.T.S. Happening | Churchgoers Will Be the Sermon

What are some things your church family does to get outside the church building and share the love of Jesus with those in your community?

Last minute update: “Will the weather derail our day?” We’ll have to wait and see!

In my article in Heartlight this week, I talk about the whole “church deal.” I’d love for you to read it and respond. This is a crucial issue facing all of us today.

Here are some questions to get us started:

What do you believe Jesus is calling us to do as his people in our current culture?

Are you part of a regular church service, a house church, or do you not go to church at all — why or why not?

What one thing do you consider essential for authentic Christian community?