Barefoot Jesus

               Over the past year or so, I have been experimenting with barefoot, or minimalist, running shoes and have grown to love the way they make me feel.  By using my feet the way God intended, allowing the bones, tendons and muscles to strengthen by using them all as I walk or jog, the pain of bone spurs and plantar fasciitis has disappeared and my feet and legs are as strong as they have been for many years!  By embracing the way God has made my feet to function, I have discovered the way to utilize movement and design of the many parts of my feet to strengthen my feet, legs, body and mind.  The more I dig in and discover the natural way God has made us to move, the healthier I get and the better I feel in serving God to the best of my ability and to the strength of the gifts He has provided!

               I see our spiritual lives in much the same way. If we see the world the way God intended us to see it (with His eyes), then we would work in tandem with God in fulfilling His work here on earth!  I believe the reason so many people have a difficult time grasping the Christian life is because we have grown so accustomed to seeing the world from a secular perspective and not from a God perspective—a Biblical Worldview perspective.  When we see the world the way God does, our faith and walk with Christ makes sense.   By using the gifts and passions God has planted in us, we can join Him is His work and do so because that is how God has wired each of us. 

               God has made us all with a desire for a relationship with Him.  He also built us in way that requires relationships with others to be key for our growth and maturity in our lives with Christ.  God tells us to love our neighbors as ourselves.  He tells us help the poor, visit the imprisoned, treat the non-believer like a tax collector (by the way, Jesus loved the tax collectors and prostitutes – He didn’t condemn them the way we have grown accustomed).  Every interaction we have with others is an opportunity to represent Jesus in either a positive or negative way.  Every conversation we have can and must be a mentoring conversation as we show compassion and love to a broken world…and we hopefully draw a few of the people we have conversations with to the One Whom we follow!

               Jesus made it clear in what He had left for the Church to accomplish – to make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:18-20).  That makes perfect sense when you see it from His perspective.  Remember, He created us in His image.  He loves us beyond imagination and that is why He asks us to join Him in drawing people to His Kingdom...to be in relationship with Him! 

               I believe Jesus has a challenge for us all…right here, right now.  I believe He desires each and every one of us to fall deeply in love with Him – the One Who loved each and every one of us enough to die for us!  I also believe with all my heart that He is calling each and every one of us to build relationships with every person He brings us in contact with – from our families to the gas station attendant!  I believe if we do, and if we represent Christ well, those in which we build relationships will be drawn to Him and the Kingdom will overflow with people who love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ! 

               If I were to strip down Christianity to a barefoot approach, stripping away all the stuff we have added to it over the years that has caused division, pain, dissention and even hatred (denominational rituals, music battles, culture wars and the like) I would say it all boils down to what Jesus said in Mark 12:29-31 - Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;  AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.'  The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

               It’s very simple, and Jesus tells us plainly that He is the One true God and we are to Love Him and Love others!  Go out and look at the world a little different today.  Watch with Spirit eyes – looking at people with compassion and love, and quietly asking God to come along side you as you lean in and begin a simple conversation…extending your life to another, and representing Christ well…just think ahead at that day when Jesus looks you right in the eye and says, “Well done!  You have loved My people the way I love them!  Time to celebrate with those whom you have invested on My behalf!”  How awesome will that day be...and I look forward to be in my barefoot huarache sandals right along side my barefoot Jesus!

Are You Standing on the Promises, or Sitting on the Premises?

“Too many churchgoers are singing “Standing on the Promises” when all
they are doing is sitting on the premises.” Group Media

Statistics are all over the board...Volunteerism is down in American churches. Some stats say that 90% of all volunteer work is done by 10% of the congregation.  Other stats say that only 43% of congregants will ever volunteer. In the world that secularism has created, this seems natural. After all, when everything revolves around us it makes little sense to serve others. Unfortunately, that thinking has crashed into The Church in a big way. The problem isn't just a volunteer issue (or lack thereof), it’s a Worldview issue.

Acts 20:35 tells us that Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than receive”.  He said that because He knew we would not naturally think that way. It makes more sense to us that the blessing comes when we receive, not when we give. This is a classic example of a Worldview battle. The Secular Worldview tells us that we are most important and that we are blessed when we receive - others should serve us. But, Jesus turns that thinking on it’s ugly head when He shows us what having a Biblical Worldview looks like. We are blessed when we give...of ourselves, our talents, our finances, our very lives. The Church needs to get this!

Serving in the local church is an act of obedience to Christ - a Body works together. It’s not to be done to gain His love...He already loves us.  It’s not to be done to gain approval from Him or others. There’s nothing we can do or say that will make God love us more or less than He already does...and He doesn't play favorites! Serving is an outward expression of our love for Jesus and His Church (which is His bride that He loves so well). Serving is a natural step in the Discipleship process. Just as Relationships are key in making disciples, serving is key in growing the disciple into a mature believer.

So where do you go from here? First, pray...ask God to show you where you can serve. There are many ways and areas to serve. If you already know your gifts and talents (how God has wired you to be most effective - your sweet spot), let your church leadership, pastors or your connections people know - put a note on the communication card in your bulletin with your name, contact info and area or type of service you feel led to serve. 

If you would like to fill out a Spiritual Gift Assessment to figure out how God has gifted you for service, check out the following website as it will walk you through some questions that will narrow down the areas you are gifted:

Spiritual Gifts Assessment

So get out there, discover your God-given gifts and passions and serve the One worthy or all our praise, worship and service!