I don't know if it's just in your twenties {probably not}, but this decade really has been a time of growth for me, of discovering just who I am, particularly who I am in Jesus. It's identity ignition, the first sprint from the start line. I can't believe it has taken me this long to realize this, but for whatever reasons it has: that there is joy and authenticity and freedom in just. being. yourself.
It's like learning how to breathe all over again, pure liberation.
And it's important to remember that we are all in progress, that it never boils down to just "one" experience or interaction we've shared. That the "one" doesn't define a person. To receive His grace... such sweet undeserved mercy, God! And to extend it to each other... over and over again, until this beautiful thing is finished.
I'm sorry for the hurts I may have caused you in my 'in progress'. Know that I would never intentionally hurt you. Never. Please pass some grace my way too, and walk with me into the light.
Labels {and label-givers} assume a position they have not been given. God, forgive us when we do this.
The only label-giver (and name attached to you that gives you Worth) - is Jesus.
{Chosen. Redeemed. Forgiven. Set Free.}
Don't believe them or the enemy's lies. Keep your head up. Remember HIS words, not theirs.
{Alive. Set Apart. Dearly Loved. Holy. Marked w/ Purpose.}
I am not my sin. I am not the sum total of my trials or temptations, my mistakes or my failures. I am not 'that one' exchange you had with me. You are not better than me; friend, sin levels the playing field. You don't get to categorize, belittle, or define me ill-defined; I am already defined. I am whole, I am love. I am redeemed, I am loved. I am 'in-progress', I am His child. I am a mistake-maker, but He is the mistake-taker. Drowning in Grace, I am free. I am who I AM says I am. From Him/For Him/By Him, I am unstoppable.
Let it go, judge. We are not guilty; we have been set free.
I.The Importance of Genealogy – Genesis 11:10-32, Luke 3:23-38
1. Keeping meticulous records and genealogies established God’s people as chosen, as partakers of the blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Citizenship, culture, and inheritance were tied to family history.
2.“Later on, Genealogies were essential to proving whether a Jewish male could serve in the Levitical priesthood. Priests could only be from the tribe of Levi and descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses. If a man could not prove this connection, he was unable to serve as a priest.”
3.“Genealogies emphasized the importance of the family unit in Jewish culture. Traditional Jewish culture emphasized marriage between a man and a woman who were responsible for raising children and continuing the legacy of their family with the next generation. The Jews took seriously their responsibility to continue the line that would bring honor to the family name.”
4.“Finally, the genealogies of the Jews were important in tracing the line of the Messiah. The Old Testament made it clear that the Messiah would be the Son of David.”
{gotquestions.org}
Everything has always pointed to Jesus. From creation, through His royal lineage and connection to King David, to His death and resurrection, to His second coming. Everything in scripture points to Jesus.
2 Samuel 7:12-16
God promises David that his son Solomon would succeed him and establish his kingdom, Solomon would build the temple, and that “…the right to rule would always remain with David’s dynasty. Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of these promises”. While presently He is not ruling from the throne of David, at His second coming He will assume this throne. (NAS commentary)
Jeremiah 23:5
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I shall raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.”
Jeremiah 23:5
Branch: a shoot, a messianic title signifying the new life the Messiah will bring. (NAS commentary)
“In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place.”
Isaiah 11:10
“You once said, “I joined forces with my chosen leader,
I pledged my word to my servant, David, saying,
‘Everyone descending from you is guaranteed life;
I’ll make your rule as solid and lasting as rock.’” - Message
Psalm 89:3-4 – a covenant made with David ensuring his seed would be established forever.
“Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question:
‘What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?’
They said to Him, ‘The Son of David’.”
Matthew 22:41-42
5.VID – “That’s My King”
Shadrach Meshach Lockridge was the Pastor of Calvary Baptist Church, in San Diego, California, from 1953 to 1993. He was known for his preaching across the United States and around the world. This is a clip from his sermon titled “Seven Way King” or “That’s My King”.
II.The Call & the Covenant
From Genesis 12:1-4:
1.The LORD spoke to Abram.
God formed Abram, He knew him. He set him in history, at the exact time and place according to His plan and will for Abram’s life, all for His divine purposes. Abram belonged to God, and He didn’t have to do anything to earn God’s favor or the call that was already on his life. God knew where he was, the man who would father His nation, His chosen people, the man who would become a hero to his people, known for His great faith in his even greater God. The God who found Abram, and merely had to speak in order to call him to his destiny... “Go,” He said. So Abram “went forth”. A call and a response, a command and obedience, all from a God who wrote the word ‘purpose’ into a man.
God made a promise to Abram, and He would continue to re-iterate this promise throughout their time together. The promise where God would lead Abram to a new land, where through him a great nation would be born. The promise of God to guide, protect, and bless His people.
Similarly, God calls us, grafted into His grand design through His son, Jesus Christ (Romans 11). God formed you, He knows you. He set you in history, in this exact time, place, country, and culture according to His plan and purposes for your life. You belong to God, and you didn’t have to do anything to earn His favor or the call He has put upon your life. God knows where you are; He knew where to find you. He knows where you’ve been, and He has a plan for where you’re going. The God who found you also made a promise to you - His name is Jesus. With unfailing love, He reconciled you to Himself through Jesus’ blood, and because of this you now have both eternal life after death, and a purpose-filled life to live while you still have breath and time here on Earth.
Found – called out – redeemed – and re-purposed for His Kingdom, for your good and for His glory.
2.God said, “Go,” and Abram “went forth”.
{So how is God telling you to “Go?”}
Perhaps you have ailing family members or neighbors, lost people in your life that God has entrusted to you that need to hear about Jesus before they die, so they too can discover their Purpose.
Maybe you’re called to “go” and love that person in your life that you can’t stand.
To raise your children or grandchildren in the Truth. Maybe you’re called to serve in this church, to be a part of the body of Christ. Perhaps it’s time to turn your religion and rules over to Jesus.
Maybe you are called to shine light on Facebook, to go overseas, to go across the street, to lead a Bible Study, to pray. To make and deliver meals, to seek out lonely people, to befriend that person. To be humble. To look like Him. In Christ, we were all called from darkness, out into light, and told to “Go” in two huge ways.
The first, to “Go…” and “make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19
And secondly, to love God, and to love others.
“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:35
And it might cost you something. Your time, your money, your talent, your comfort, your familiarity, your family. Jesus said to pick up your cross and follow Him.
“I have heard the call, and I will not be moved. I have set my heart on one thing. When the cost is great, YOU are greater still. As for me I will raise your banner high.”
3.Lastly, from verse 8, as Abram stopped in Bethel, “house of God”, he built an altar to the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.”
{The called call upon the name of the Lord}
III.Abram’s Lie, and God’s Grace – Genesis 12:9-20
Key Points:
1.Plotting and Planning ignore Protection and Provision
2.Schemes usually involve more than one person
3.Sin Affects more than just the Sinner
4.God blesses the Sinner - not their Sin
5.God is Faithful to Faithless People
6.God’s Grace Outweighs Mistakes
Here is the mixed bag of lessons He's given me lately. Some are from Him for me, and others are what I see going on around me.
1. You can have conviction, but it should always be rooted in love. Love is the foundation for any good quality you want to have {all in aligning our character to His (Romans 12:2)}.
{Humility, gentleness, patience, kindness, compassion, and friendliness.}
Not to mention the other fruits of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23.
Conviction/Passion is never an excuse to be a jerk about what you believe, even inadvertantly. Think of who has been entrusted to you, and of just how much Jesus loved His church. This will motivate us to love {and will naturally smooth out any rough edges}.
Ephesians 4:2-3
2. Flattery is not the same as encouragement. Be careful with your words, even the seemingly good ones, because above everything else, you're speaking to someone's heart.
3. Sometimes we say completely stupid and untrue things, and when we're cringing and shaking our heads later on, it seems like it's easier to be forgiven by others for our faults {or to forgive others for theirs} than to forgive ourselves. Forgive yourself. Forgive yourself and move forward, or our faith is a lie.
4. Be careful and protect your heart when it comes to dating - when they say they like you, or you think you like them, remember - Jesus is your first love. I can say this with authority, because I've failed {and then grown, and continue to grow} in allowing Jesus to be the absolute core of my life. Everything should stem from and flow out of the idea that Jesus is your first love, the center, or core of your life. So it goes: Jesus, then romantic interest/future spouse, then friends, then career/aspirations/dreams/goals, etc. The order may look different for each person, but pay attention to who/what takes up the first spot.
5. Along with #4, sometimes they don't like you. They just like that you like them.
6. Lie: you are alone in your battle.
"No test or temptation that comes your way is beyond the course of what others have had to face. All you need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; he’ll always be there to help you come through it." - - 1 Corinthians 10:13, Message
"Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith." - - 1 Peter 5:9, Message
"Your grace is a dream I cannot shake/taste and see/it's sweeter than anything"
7. Lie: you can't be used by God because of your past, your sins, or your present battle.
"Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn't it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ...” - - 1 Corinthians 1:27-31, Message
"Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."
- - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, Message
8. Pray for any lie, deceit, or hypocrisy in you, as a leader, as a teacher, as a parent, as a brother... to be exposed and then annihilated. I'm praying this presently, and He's answering me. The answers strip down and reveal just how deep my depravity runs. Deeper still, I see my need for Jesus, and at the bottom, a vast endless sea of steadfast love.
I had a thought this morning, thinking about my friendships throughout the years.
Some come for a season, then go entirely, leaving only memories and lessons to sift through.
Some are timeless... the kind where we move, say 'I do', have babies, and form new friendships that never replace the old.
Some are blossoming for the first time, others after a long winter... still others fading.
Some never take root {and were never meant to}. It's a hard lesson to let people go, or really, to let go of the hold they have over you... to simply cut ties and walk, when everything in you wants (or wanted) the opposite.
I don't know if it's ever right, or justified, or biblical to just give up. When we're loved with unfailing love and charged to love others in the same way. When we want unity, maturity, and to walk upright in truth, preferably together. When we want lasting friendships that ultimately point to Him.
But I also know that running toward a wrong thing is like walking backwards. A moot point.
{So for now, I don't want to necessarily let go of you, but reach all the more for Him.}
Serving and loving a God who multiplies the things He takes away, even when it's painful to pull away, even when we don't understand the 'how' or 'why'... will end well, for our good and for His glory (Romans 8:28).
To preface, hanging out with teenagers is awesome; working for God's glory - together - is awesome. Discipling, building up, praying for, sending out, inviting in, teaching and learning from young people is awesome. You can say it... everything {youth} is awesome!
I'll admit... a lot of the time I'm like:
and when they use words like 'bae' my face goes:
and in our group, I'm the one who's like:
"WHATUUUUP, iss time to WORSHIP."
and by the time I'm finally in on the # thing, it's a dead art form. So when I # things, it's like:
And even though I fully utilize the unholy social media trinity (FB, Twitter, Instagram, what's up), I'm still behind because, hello Tumblr, Snapchat, Flickipedia. Oh. You haven't heard of Flickipedia? Pffsh. It's new; no big. Just a movie encyclopedia thing... y'know...for your phone...and your brain... patent pending. {And I'm still out for using a word like 'utilize'!} << SMH
Here are my Top Reasons why I Love Youth Ministry (or Why Youth Ministry is Awesome):
... #enjoy.
1. The Games/Food of Sunday Nights: Sundays. On no other night would I find it awesome, or even remotely permissable ("inconceivable!") to stuff myself full of pizza rolls immediately after running barefoot through a sometimes dark parking lot chasing a frisbee (or person/volleyball/Nerf dart/other kind of ball/bandana/bag of colored powder/etc.) Nausea? Bueller? Anybody? Basically, we eat a lot of junk, and chase after a lot of stuff. Not the least of these being, Jesus. #boom #transitions
2. Jesus: in/with youth, we do a lot of learnin'/lovin'/livin' Jesus. It doesn't get much better than that. Throughout the week too, our house is youth open-house. And that's awesome.
3. Activities/Retreats/Mission Trips: Youth ministry is just FUN. 'Nough said.
4. You Can Be Silly/Yourself and it's Not Weird: There's definitely a genuine 'celebrate each person for who they are' kind of vibe in youth. Everyone accepts each other. And that's awesome.
4. The People: To each of you, I pray for you, and I love you; we are in it together.
5. Vision and Hope: The main reason why I love youth ministry revolves around who Jesus is, who He calls us to be in Him, and how young people are seemingly so readily hard-wired for this. For the most part, young people are the passionate, go-getters of the church. Youth believe like how we ought to believe, approaching Jesus with open hands, excited and ready for what He will do, and how He will move. Youth believe, and they act on these beliefs.
It looks like, "I really believe nothing is impossible with You, Lord!"
"I believe God is going to change this; I believe You are who You say You are!"
It's a fervent, unified battle cry: "I LOVE the LORD!"
It's that kind of powerful, raw faith that moves mountains.
"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Matthew 17:20
Throughout 1 Samuel, especially chapter 17, I circled every time David was called (or discredited as being) a 'youth' or 'just a youth'. It makes me {lol} and reveals how awesome our God is, that He has always chosen (and continues to choose) those who we would vote 'least likely to succeed'. Because David, chosen by God, ('just a youth'), goes on to slay a giant.
It's that mustard-seed sized, underdog kind of faith you find in Youth, and it should become an epidemic. The youths of our church, of the church worldwide, are vital people with fiery faith, with purpose and destiny written all over them. Youth is not 'big church in training', and young people are not just a bunch of cast-off's/misfits (a beautiful reminder, not an exhortation).
"Don't let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity." 1 Timothy 4:12
I started walking with God seriously when I was 17, after my own 'youth' was nearly over. I see now how God redeemed this lost time, however, giving me youth ministry (and parenting) training while working in a movie theater. I worked for Cinemark theaters from age 16-22, in 3 theaters across 2 states, working alongside other teens, and then managing teens as a young adult. All throughout this time, I was racking up valuable skills, not knowing they were rapidly gaining divine interest in the bank. Also at this time, and early in my walk with Jesus, I noticed I was always among the youngest, if not the youngest, at conferences and in bible studies. I also noticed there were never very many of 'us', young people, amongst a sea of older believers. I believed then {as I believe now} that this dichotomy needed to change. I know now, our God is the master-agent of change, and even now He is rallying and raising up young people across the globe for His purposes and for His glory, a tribe of radical, young, idealistic believers who want to make His name famous {and age, doesn't really matter - you can be 103 with young, idealistic faith!}. I want to help light and then pass this torch of revival to the upcoming generations. I want to be a part of this dynamic movement, to help strengthen young people in their faith and in their zeal, right where they're at, so that it carries over into adulthood.
Simply put, I want to be {and motivate others to be} world changers.
{Who am I? What gives me worth?} The plight of teenagers, twenty-somethings, and anyone who has ever wandered or felt displaced. For centuries, it's been the stuff of books and songs, then movies.
{What defines me? What am I really wrapped up in?}
Friends, followers, taste...words? Is it what they call me; how they see me?
Satan, and His influence on the world, seek to combat and crush the Truth inside of you, one believed lie at a time.
In Him, you are so much more than a carelessly slapped-on label, more than a genre, more than a body in a clique. Hold fast against lies, even when they feel like truths, within the unfailing armor He provided you {Ephesians 6:10-18}. Expose darkness with light {5:11}, and ask your Father, "Who do you say I am?" Who better to clarify who you are than the One who made you?
I am who I AM says I am.
{See, #therealme never had anything to do with me. The real "me" was always about Him.}
Each label I attach to myself {or believe about myself}, that's not from Him or for Him, is another stone in the altar of 'self'.
"I am" leads to idolatry; I AM declared "it is finished." I have been ransomed. I am taken. I am Loved.
In Him, I have new Boldness. Confidence. Drive. Purpose. Destiny. Urgency. I am not characterized any longer by my flaws or by my shortcomings. I am no longer characterized by insecurity, timidity, or anxiety, rather through these weaknesses, my God is illuminated all the more. Where I am weak; He is strong {2 Corinthians 12:10}. I have all of the affection and affirmation I will ever need; they are no longer sought after in dark places. He is the source, the fuel, the light, the passion - the Craftsman whose handiwork is excellent, and a continuously carefully tended to work-in-progress {Philippians 1:6}.
Being His, #therealme, is where purpose and faith catch fire.
