More Than Bread

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Ponder this reality for a moment. If you are a Jesus-follower, you have been chosen by Christ, the most amazing man to ever inhabit heaven and earth. He chose you. He  picked you up and exchanged your existence for his life. And now you are part of the Kingdom that will never end. So set your sights on Him!

You're not only part of the team, you have been adopted into the family of the creator of the universe. In Him is all the fullness of God and in that fullness you are made whole. There is no sin that He cannot forgive, no mess He cannot redeem and no wound He cannot heal. In fact, you are being shaped to look more and more like him everyday. So set your sights on Him!

Nothing taking place in the world today is beyond his leadership. He is first in  everything, all authority has been given to him, and you are on His team.  In fact, He has planned stuff for you to do that will make a difference in his world. He has sovereignly placed you in circles where your gifts and abilities matter deeply. So set your sights on Him!

Nothing else is worth your eyes!

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We've all asked or been asked that introduction question, “so what are you into?” We ask it because we kind of know that what we are into shapes our identity.  Figuring out what I am into is part of the "who am I" discovery process right?  Where do I go, to whom do I listen if I want to know who I am? I go to who or what I'm into...and what I'm into begins to shape my identity. 

That's why it's so vital that we ponder what Paul means when time after time, he describes the life of a Jesus-apprentice as being "in Christ." He's saying that over time, if you are into Christ, that will shape your identity.  As we live "in Christ" we will increasingly live like Jesus and forgive like Jesus and love like Jesus and see people like Jesus and give of ourselves like Jesus. In fact, the more I remind people of Jesus the
closer I am to my true identity.

What are you into?

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What is your way of life? When we talk about a “way of life” I’m not talking about religious regulations. On the other hand our way of life is something that we do. It’s a way that we lean into the ways of the Word and the ways of Jesus over time. Dallas Willard said that "the gospel is not opposed to effort, it is opposed to earning.” 

We should work hard, strive, and contend for the way of Jesus in us and in others, but we aren’t doing it to earn grace, we are doing it from the grace we’ve already received. We aren’t doing it to earn our place at the table in the family, we do it from our place. We don’t do it to earn God love we do it because we are loved. We are motivated by gratitude not guilt. So there’s a tension we live in between practices and regulations, between effort and earning, How do we live in the tension? By keeping our eyes, our hearts and our minds fixed on Jesus. He is our destination! 

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In Colossians 2, Paul is contending for his friends, because it can be so easy to let something else divert us from the nothing else of Christ. Paul is ultimately contending so that together we would know Christ, gain the treasure of Christ. It’s all in Christ. In Jesus is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Not in google is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Not in the curriculum of the best seminaries of our day or in my best episode is hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. In fact, it's not even scripture alone...

Don't get me wrong, scripture is amazing...you should fill your mind with scripture. Commit it to memory. That’s what this podcast is all about, but never forget where the treasure is...never loose sight of the goal...it's Christ. In Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 

Don't let something else divert your from the nothing else of Christ! 

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Most of us know that we need help, don't we?  As much as we try to hide it we are painfully aware of our "as-is-irregularities." Some of us can't believe that you don't see our flaws because some days, the imperfections in me are all I can see. But here's the cool part. When we contend for each other (not against each other, but for each other), when we go to battle for each other, when I battle for your heart and you battle for my heart, when we battle in unity for our neighbors and our city, something amazing happens. Christ is known. In Colossians 2, Paul says, "I'm contending for your heart. I'm contending for community so that you may know Christ, in whom is hidden all the treasures...

Listen, you can't do it alone. I can't do it alone. If we want to gain the treasure of Christ, we need each other.

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Here's what we say at Calvary. When it comes to the Word; we listen, we learn, and we lean. We listen for the voice of God, the whisper of the Spirit through the Word. And as we listen, we learn. It’s not all we do but we do do that. We learn about God and about His ways, His values, His heart. We learn about life and how to live well. We learn the promises of God that give us hope. We learn about God from the life of Jesus. Because as we’ve read Jesus is the image of the invisible God. But it’s not enough to listen and learn, we need to lean in. We need to respond. 

In fact, rarely should we walk away from listening and learning without writing down an “I will” statement. As a result of my listening and my learning, I will _______ fill in the blank. When it comes to Paul, he was leaning into Christ with all his might! What do you strive for all-in? 

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Earlier in Colossians 1, Paul prays that the Colossians would  be filled with the knowledge of God’s will, and that they would walk worthy of the Lord, bearing fruit in good works and increasing in the knowledge of God. Then in verse 15-20 he puts pen to paper or quill to scroll and paints a graphic description of the glory of Christ. And in the
midst of the glory is the consistent brushstroke of the word "all." He is firstborn of all  creation; all things were created by Him and for Him;  He is before all things, all things  hold together in Him. All the fullness of God dwells in Him, and through Him all things will be reconciled to God! 

All things and everything, it's like I can almost hear Him whispering, "What part of all do you not understand!" Jesus is nothing less than all...

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We are making our way through Colossians, a book that is passionately and sweetly obsessed with the worth of Christ. And we keep coming back to this idea…that there is more than I can see. Especially when it comes to Jesus. There is more of Jesus and more to Jesus and more with Jesus than we can see. In Paul’s personal world, in his soul, all of everything is all about Jesus...no one greater than Christ.  In fact, in Philippians 3, he basically said that compared to Jesus, anything I can gain apart from Him is like garbage in its value.

Paul had one holy passion.  He had one greater-than obsession.  One thought filled his
mind all the time...and it wasn't the economy or the NFL playoffs. It wasn't a bigger house or a greater ministry. He wanted to know Jesus, nothing greater than knowing and serving Christ. 

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I love Paul's prayer. I often pray Paul's prayers. My favorite is Ephesians 3:14-21. An amazing prayer. I've memorized it and pray it often. BUT Colossians 1:9-14 is a pretty good prayer too! 

It's a prayer that Paul is praying for his friends. He is so proud of them, they are doing so well in Christ and for Christ on mission. In fact, there are doing so well,  that Paul develops this deep sense of urgency for them. He says, "For this reason, because what God is doing in you and through you is so good, I can't stop praying for you. I'm continually asking God to fill you up so that you may live a life that is worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way. So why The Urgency? They've got so much faith, love and hope that Paul is thanking God. But still, he can't stop praying for them all the time. Why?

Because Paul believes there is absolutely nothing  more important than living a life that is worthy of Christ...a life that brings a smile to Christ’s face, a life on mission!

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There’s more than I can see. When it comes to Christ and his mission, there is more than I can see. There is more to life, more to Christ, more to the Kingdom of God, more than I can see. I think sometimes we unsee the brokenness in our neighborhoods because we don't see the work of Christ. We don't think that we will see it. We're afraid that Christ is not enough. That somehow the burden of the mission falls on my shoulders and it's more than I can carry. More will be asked of me than I can afford and in the end it probably won't matter. So we close our eyes...

But time and again, I’m challenged, as I read Colossians to have faith that Christ is sovereignly sufficient for the mission in your neighborhood, workplace or school. That the cosmic Christ lives next door and loves your neighbors more than you can imagine.  So we pray... Jesus gives us eyes to see where you are at work, so we can join you there!