The Most Important Things

You really can’t escape it right now. It doesn’t matter where you are or what’s going on. If you are connected to society in the slightest way, you will have heard those names before. Tebow was a massive trend for months during the football season. ESPN devoted hours of time talking about him and what he’s going to do next. Christians from all over would talk about him as the one who will change our nation. People all over the USA would simply tweet, “TEBOW!” after everything he did. But that was a month ago. We have moved onto another star, Jeremy Lin and his Linsanity. ESPN is devoting hours of time talking about him. Christians, again, are talking about how HE’S the one who is going to change our nation. And after everything he does, people simply tweet, “LINSANITY!” So, the mega trends roll on.

Let me say this, I like Tebow and Lin. They play sports, they inspire people, they love Jesus. That’s a great combo. But what I am more interested in talking about is the MEGA TREND. This is a trend that snowballs into critical mass so quickly that nobody can hide from it. Thanks to the proliferation and synergy of social and broadcast media, a trend can pop up and dominate everything, everywhere for a moment in time. This creates a Mega Trend. The problem with a mega trend is two fold: 1) Because of the mass exposure, everyone wants to be (or create) a mega trend. 2) Mega Trends will increase in size and amount, but decrease in length.

Problem #1: Everyone wants to be or create a mega trend. This pushes our desire (right or wrong) to be seen, to an all-time high. We already see people who have no character being thrust into the national spotlight and becoming a blaze of shame (think politicians to “reality stars”). Before, 15 minutes of fame came from getting TV exposure and that was the only outlet. Now you can become a mega trend through youtube, Facebook, twitter, instagram, etc. The worst part being: you may not intend on becoming a trend. But the people who want, so badly, to become a trend will get increasingly bold and that will lead to all sorts of debauchery. The sad part is that many christians will be swept up in this mentality, thinking that it will lead to a greater voice in the nation. It won’t. It will be as effective as a candle in tornado. Blown out as fast as it can be seen. Here’s a good example. I don’t know how many people have re-posted that video on Facebook, but it’s staggering. The craziest part is how many people who posted it, or liked it who (according to Facebook) are not really living a religious life or discipled life. That is a mega trend! The results of a mega trend are nil. They have no lasting effect. It’s just a massive snowball of confusion, catchphrases and images that leaves everyone craving a new mega trend.

By the time you finish reading this post, Linsanity will have faded and another mega trend will have risen up. In the meantime, stay focused on Jesus. He’s the author of the short-term and the long-term. Stay tuned for the OTHER PROBLEM WITH MEGA TRENDS…

I heard a quote the other day about “successful people.” The quote was actually based off an older report about the most successful people in America. The report said that the primary quality of the most successful people in America was: change. Or more specifically the ability to adapt, adopt and move with change. I don’t think that’s just a coincidence. I think that’s an ability that every disciple of Jesus needs to work on honing. In fact, the word disciple means learner, somebody who is continually learning. If you are constantly learning, you are constantly changing/becoming better.

It was the Pharisees who could not adapt to Jesus’ teaching. It was the Pharisees and unchangeable people whom Jesus spoke of when He said, “new wine cannot go into old wineskins.” New teaching/learning cannot go into the impudent or rebellious. The interesting thing about the report mentioned earlier was that only 5% had that “ability” to change. That means there are a lot of stubborn people in the world. I don’t want to be stubborn, I want to be a learner. I don’t want to be a Pharisee, I want to be a disciple.

Be willing to change to today. Yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Yield to your mentor or someone in authority. We don’t have it all figured out, so roll with it. Be someone who can change and changes others.

“Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening.” Acts 16:25

We are all prisoners. Whether we are enslaved to sin and unrighteousness or we are prisoners of the Lord and His righteousness. We are all bound to something. Through Jesus’ work on the cross and His resurrection, I have chosen to be bound to Him. I am His captive and I am captivated by Him.

Other people are listening and watching your life and mine. It’s with this knowledge that I go through life choosing to pray and sing and glorify God. I know that somewhere down the line another “prisoner” will see me glorifying God in a tribulation or in a blessing. They’ll see God’s miraculous hand rescue me or provide for me. And then they, and their whole household, will be saved.

So, fellow prisoner, make a choice today to pray and sing to God knowing that the other prisoners are listening.

Do work that matters. What does that mean? To each person it will be different. To me, since I am working for God as a disciple of Jesus, work that matters is work that builds the kingdom. Work that matters is work that pleases God. If you read Luke 12, you will see what kind of work matters to God. Here’s a couple samples:

Verse 14, “Life is not measured by how much you own.”

Verse 21, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”

Verse 33, “Store up treasure in heaven…And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes.”

Verse 42, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.”

So, do work that matters…to God. That kind of work matters for eternity. Don’t just talk about it, do it. Do work that matters.

The other night I found myself thinking, after a particularly powerful service, that it [the service] was old school. I thought, “yea that was good and old school!” Only moments later did I catch myself recounting Jesus words about “old school” or rather “old vs. new.” More about that later.

It’s interesting to me to note that whenever we refer to a powerful or charismatic service that we typically rely on the phrase, “old school” or “classic” or “old time revival.” We rarely say, things along the line of, “that service was brand new” or “fresh.” Every now and again we talk about the “next level,” but that’s not a new thing so much as it is a replacement thing. No, our typical verbiage is about the “old.” Jesus had something to say about this in Luke 5:39, He says, “And no one, having drunk old wine, immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is better.’”

We typically prefer the “old” for 2 reasons:

1. The old is familiar. We have experienced it already and we can relate to it. It’s far easier to remember what HAS happened than imagine what CAN happen.
2. The old is “better.” From what I have heard, old wine is typically less potent in flavor than the new. So, it’s something that is more palatable than the new wine. The new wine is sharp and biting. The old wine is smooth and mature.

Yes! Another holiday list blog, just what you’ve been waiting for. Well, this year I added one thing I hate just to spice it up! Here goes…

1. I am thankful for the things around me – Jesus, my wife, my family, my job/ministry, my church. These are the things that I am continually and daily thankful for. I thank God everyday for these. I talk about these things everyday of my life! I love them and cherish them.
2. I am thankful for the ability to pray, praise and worship wherever and whenever I want. Thank God for spiritual freedom, nationally and personally!
3. I am thankful for Coca-Cola Classic. It’s naturally gluten-free, can double as a toilet cleaner and can make you burp as loud as a 10,000 lb canary. Is there anything it can’t do?