More Than Bread

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I know sometimes "the church" is a mess & right now it's nowhere near the center of attention in central PA (or wherever you live). But "the church" is where eternity is aimed. If you hate the church, heaven's going to be a bit awkward. The sermon on the mount is the blueprint for the life of the church because it's all about becoming like Jesus.

Could that be our greatest problem today? Can I tell you why we aren't the center
of attention in central PA? Why our neighbors aren't running to Jesus? Why each succeeding generation has been more skeptical of and less connected to church? Isn't it because, at least sometimes, we don't look a whole lot like Jesus? If that's the case, we don't need to restructure, reform or renew, we just need to reJesus!

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When my daughter Katy was about 3, for a season of time, one of her favorite prayers was, "And God please help me fly."  She had watched the movie Dumbo. I  was just glad she wasn't asking God for big ears! But that's my prayer at the end of this episode. God please help us to fly. Give us a love that soars. This is the dream on the heart of Christ for his church. That our love would soar. That we would be known for the size of our hearts.

Listen, we can do this. I believe that the church is standing at a defining moment in the Kingdom of God. Our culture has perfected turning neighbors into enemies. But in the midst of the division, in the midst of the enemy-making, you can love in a way that amazes people. You can even love your enemies. God please help us fly!

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Jesus once said that we would be known as His apprentices by how we love. You are not know as Jesus followers by how you dress or where you live or how successful you are, certainly not by how you vote, but by how you love. Some of you grew up with those four letters, WWJD (What Would Jesus Do). They were meant to be a guideline for life, but sometimes I think it's helpful to ask WIJD (What is Jesus dreaming). What is Jesus dreaming?

What matters to Jesus? What's his prayer for us? What's on His heart? What are his hopes and dreams for us. His dream for you starts with your heart. Your heart. Time and again, over and over, we see in scripture that before God releases a dream.  He always shapes a heart. What is Jesus dreaming? I think he's dreaming of a people who live different with a different heart.

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As we finish the story of Louis Zamperini...let me say this, "I don't know your story, I don't know your life, I don't know your hurt, your trauma, or your sin, but I do know that the grace of Christ is greater and goes deeper and heals more." And when real-life grace flows into your life from Christ and out of your life to others, you will be a real-life blessing. Paul writes these words in 2 Corinthians 9:6,

"The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." 

That's what I want. I want a don't-quit, gritty, astoundingly generous grace that will cause me to abound in every good work! How about you?

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Astonishing generosity. In the midst of NT Wright’s book, entitled, Jesus and the Victory of God, he uses those two words to describe a key characteristic that Jesus’ expected of his followers. Astonishing generosity. Let those two words roll around in your brain a bit, those who follow Jesus should be marked by astonishing generosity, not just marked by the astonishing generosity of Jesus to us, but because of his generosity to us, we should be marked by our astonishing generosity to others. 

Now Wright isn’t talking about money. It would perhaps be a bit easier if it was just money. He’s talking about a more difficult kind of generosity. Grace. Forgiveness those who betray us. Loving our enemies. When it comes to that kind of generosity, ask yourself, "Has my generosity ever astonished anyone?"

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My goal and prayer for this episode as we are coming to the end of Jesus' mountain-top message is that we would love His Words. It's that simple. There's no breakthrough without His Words. We won't thrive in the storms of life without His Words. So we listen to the words of Jesus, we learn His principles and practices, and then we lean in by relentlessly responding. Listen, learn and lean. Without His Words, we will not live different.

This episode is my message from this weekend at Calvary...I hope it helps you thrive in the storms!

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Hypocrisy is hiding what's inside. Authenticity is transparency, revealing what's inside. But integrity goes deeper, integrity requires a transformation of what's inside. And here's the blessing of integrity; when we get real with God, the real God shows up. Can I tell you what I fear most? I fear missing out on the real God showing up. I want to experience God's presence.  I want to be a conduit of God's power.  I want to experience God at work in our community in supernatural ways.

I want to see the real God show up, but what if it requires our getting real with God?

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It's a question of integrity. When you see the brilliant reds of a maple tree in the  fall, you don't have to guess if they are hanging on an oak tree. When you are out hunting and you see horns, you don't need to guess the gender of the deer.  Because in God's creation, what's on the outside is a good indicator of what's on the inside. But when it comes to people, that's not always the case. Sometimes the outside lies. There's no integrity. Integrity is not only speaking the truth, it's being true. It's the outside truly reflecting what's on the inside.

So that's the question, "Does my outside match my inside?"  

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If I could say anything to you, that you will remember from this episode, it's simply this, "Just let God love you." That's where a life that thrives gets it's start. We love because He first loved us. Let Him love you. Don't put up walls, keep your heart soft.  Toward him and others.  Let grace heal wounds and even overflow in the broken places around you.  Let his forever-love be your journey's guard and guide.  Let His love give you boldness to approach Him on behalf of your marriage and any broken marriages around you. 

Let His love give shape to your soft heart!

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In this two verses Jesus deals with an area of brokennes, sin and failure that is all too often all too common in our world today. Divorce. He goes from adultery to divorce. In this episode we'll start by talking about marriage and the heart of a wedding and from there will be a challenge to guard your heart. But here's the deal, we don't guard our hearts by hardening our hearts...because when it comes to the pain of divorce...

Everyone needs a soft heart.