Archive for the ‘Trinity’ Tag
Preaching to Non-Believers
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Evangelism, Gospel, Trinity | Tags: Christianity, Evangelism, Gospel, Jesus, Ministry, Perichoresis, Preaching, Trinity
Comments (1) Those of us who preach have to be concerned about being understood by those who don’t yet believe or who are new to the faith.
Too much theological vocabulary can hinder the message from being understood, yet too little theology can fail to communicate the gospel faithfully.
We do not remove the barriers to communicating the gospel by simply discarding all uniquely Christian language.
If we give a sermon and do not talk about God the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, humanity’s adoption, eternal life, resurrection, grace, forgiveness, or other key ideas of the gospel, then we have not given a Christian sermon. We have given a motivational speech.
We remove barriers to understanding by simplifying and defining terms. Here are a few examples:
- Instead of saying “the incarnation” I might say “when God the Son became human, an event we call ‘the incarnation’”.
- Instead of saying “the Trinity” I might say “God, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”.
- Instead of saying “Jesus makes us righteous” I might say “Jesus puts us into a right relationship with his Father, himself, and their Holy Spirit.”
If you preach, do not allow your concern about speaking to non-believers drive you to abandon the Christ-centered content and vocabulary of the gospel. Rather, let that concern drive you to find simple, easy to understand ways of explaining the gospel.
~ Jonathan Stepp
Healthy Habits for Living Loved: #1 – Secrecy
Filed under: By John Stonecypher, Christian Living, Gospel, Scripture Paraphrases, Trinity | Tags: Bible, Christian Living, Christianity, Jesus, Matthew, Perichoresis, Sermon on the Mount, Trinity
Leave a comment A Trinitarian Paraphrase of Matthew 6:1-16
(6.1) As you live out the Triune goodness in your life, beware the temptation to use it to impress people. If love is a means to some other end, it is not love. (2) If ulterior motives are intruding into your attempts at love, try exercising the discipline of secrecy. For example, when you give to the poor, don’t publicize it. If you do it for publicity, publicity is all you’ll get. You want more than that; you want to share in the Triune life of self-giving love. (3) So when you give to the poor, be sneaky about it. Try to make it so nobody knows but you and Papa. (4) As this practice of secrecy kills off your ulterior motives, you will become more able to experience the joy of giving.
(5) If you want to impress people with your spiritual skills, just find a stage and perform a prayer on it. It really works, if that is indeed what you want. (6) But you want something more—real sharing in the eternal Triune conversation. If your desire to impress people is poisoning your prayer life, try praying in private behind a closed door, where those ulterior motives won’t get in the way. (7) And remember, our relationship with Papa is not magic. There are no magic words or phrases that you need to use in order to make it ‘work.’ Long prayers are no better than short ones, and vice versa. (8) Don’t be like that. Papa knows what you need even before you ask.
(9) You want me to teach you how to pray? It’s REALLY complicated. Watch this:
Hi, Papa. We’re so happy you’re the one who’s running things. You are wonderful to us; nothing compares to you. (10) More than anything else, we long for the day when the whole world will know you fully and happily work at your side. (11) But in the meantime, take care of our needs today. (12) Help us to share in your cheerful love for us and for everyone, despite the bad choices we will all make today. (13) Help us to respond wisely to today’s little trials, so that they won’t grow into big trials for tomorrow. Help us to not believe lies today.
(14) Papa’s forgiveness is a funny thing: we receive it by giving it away to others. (15) When you refuse to give forgiveness to others, you are refusing to receive it from Papa. Not a real shrewd move.
(16) Anyway, back to the thing about secrecy… When you fast, don’t advertise what you’re doing. That will work if you want to build a reputation as a ‘spiritual person,’ but that’s all you’ll get. (17) Instead, try being an undercover faster. Wash your face and do your hair, (18) so it won’t be obvious you’re fasting. The secrecy will kill off your ulterior motives, so that they won’t get in the way as you learn to live on Something other than bread alone.
~ John Stonecypher
God’s Good Judgment
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Gospel, Grace Communion International, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity | Tags: Christian Living, God's Wrath, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Jesus, Judgment, Trinity
Comments (6) When you think of a Father’s judgment on his kids, what comes to mind? If you are talking about God the Father it may not be what you think!
This audio will help you get a better perspective on the Father’s judgment:
God’s Good Judgment by Tim Brassell
Celebrating Jesus’ Ascension
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Gospel, The Plan of Adoption, Trinity, Worship | Tags: Ascension, Christianity, Gospel, Jesus, Perichoresis, Salvation, Trinity, Worship
Comments (7) Jesus’ ascension is just as important as his birth, his cross, or his resurrection.
That’s why we ought to celebrate Ascension Sunday just as we would Christmas, Good Friday, or Easter. It might be hard to get our family and friends to exchange presents, or our offices to throw a party, but at least we can talk about it and celebrate it at church! I hope your church celebrated yesterday and if not, maybe you’ll think about celebrating next year. Why?
Because Jesus’ ascension is the ultimate fulfillment of the Father’s plan for humanity.
From the foundation of the world the Father planned to adopt humanity into his life as his children (Eph. 1:5.) In order for this to happen the Son became one of us as the man Jesus. That’s Christmas. Then he crucified our sinful humanity in his crucifixion so that our sin would no longer blind us to the Father’s love. That’s Good Friday. Then Jesus resurrected our humanity in his resurrection so that we could live forever in the life of the Trinity. That’s Easter.
If Easter Sunday is where we stop telling the story then we know that humanity has been transformed in Jesus but we don’t know our ultimate destiny. Our ultimate destiny is to live forever in the Trinity as adopted children of the Father in Jesus. When Jesus ascended into heaven he took humanity with him and finished the Father’s plan to bring us to himself and seat us at his right hand as his beloved children. As the Scripture says:
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus ~ Ephesians 2:6
That’s something to celebrate! Our Daddy created us to live with him, in his Son, through their Spirit, forever. Now, in the ascension of Jesus Christ, the Father’s purpose in creating us has been accomplished. Jesus has scooped humanity up into his life with the Father and seated us in himself at our Father’s right hand.
~ Jonathan Stepp
To Live Greatly in My Kingdom (Part 2)
Filed under: By John Stonecypher, Christian Living, Scripture Paraphrases | Tags: Bible, Christianity, Jesus, Matthew, Perichoresis, Sermon on the Mount, Trinity
Leave a comment A Trinitarian-Incarnational interpretation of Matthew 5.33-48
(33) They say “Keep the promises you make in Papa’s name.” (34) But I say, don’t make promises like that. It is meaningless to make promises invoking heaven or earth (35) or Jerusalem (36) or your head, because none of these things are under your control. (37) Instead, speak simply. Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Verbal manipulation is just another way of lying.
(38) They say “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” (39) But I say, when you face evil, confront it with the infinitely creative resources of the Triune life. Fight or Flight are not your only options. Don’t take to Fighting. Don’t take to Flight. Instead, take a Stand. Make peace aggressively. For example, let’s say you get bullied on the street. When the bully hits you on the right cheek, he is counting on you to either run away or hit him back. So do something unexpected, like offering him your left cheek, inviting him to hit you again. When you refuse to play the bully’s game, it opens up all kinds of new possibilities, even the possibility of peace and reconciliation. Because of my love for evildoers, I am taking on a cross. Follow me, and I will teach you how to take a punch.
(40) Or let’s say you get sued. You could play the victim and simply acquiesce to the other’s demands, boohoo, poor little victim. Or you could lawyer up and join him in the litigation game. But why not try something more creative? Don’t lose your shirt. Instead, GIVE him the shirt off your back. Heck, give him all your clothes, and maybe then he’ll get over his weird fetish for suing the pants off people.
(41) Or let’s say a soldier forces you to carry his stuff a mile down the road. You could play the role of the tragically oppressed, carrying his stuff and internally whimpering about the injustice of it all. OR what about this: Cheerfully carry his stuff two miles and then send him on his way with blessings in Papa’s name. That will certainly give him something to think about.
(42) Or let’s say a beggar crosses your path. You usually do your best to ignore him, or failing that, you give him some change so that he’ll leave you alone. Instead, remember he is Papa’s beloved child, just like you are. Manage your money in such a way that you’ll always have a little something to give (or loan) to him. If you don’t like that situation, maybe that will motivate you to look into the reasons why your brothers and sisters are starving to death on the streets.
(43) They say “Love your friends and hate your enemies.” (44) But I say love your enemies. Join in the Trinity’s life of outgoing concern and compassion for those people who are out to get you. (45) Living as Papa’s child means sharing in his kindness toward all people, regardless of how they act toward you. Whether you love or hate our Papa, he causes the sun to warm you and the rain to cool you. It is his great joy to do so. Join us in our joy. (46) Even total jerks love the people who are nice to them. (47) If you are opening your life to only a few privileged people who are just like you, then you are missing out on the adventure Papa is unleashing in the world. (48) Papa is giving sonship to all people, extending to everyone the life of perfect love he shares with me in the Spirit. So get on board. Become an active participant in the harmonious perfection of the incarnate Triune life which is Papa’s gift to all.
~ John Stonecypher
Imagine God’s Desire, Again!
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living, Gospel, The Dance and Dream of the Trinity, The Plan of Adoption, Trinity | Tags: Christian Living, Christianity, Forgiveness, Gospel, Jesus, Perichoresis, Salvation, Sin, Trinity
Comments (2) The Father’s desire is for you – and in Jesus he has you!
This good news is the very heart of what God is speaking into our souls in Jesus, through their Spirit. Therefore we cannot think or talk about it too much! This audio will help you keep growing in your understanding of how the desires of your heart are flowing from the life of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and the creative way in which the Father is pursuing his relationship with you.
Imagine God’s Desire, Again! by Tim Brassell
What’s Right with the Church
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Christian Living, Evangelism, Gospel, Grace Communion International, Trinity, Worship | Tags: Christianity, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelism, Gospel, Jesus, Missions, Perichoresis, Trinity, Worship, Youth Ministry
Comments (11) What’s wrong with the Church?
It seems like everywhere I go in Christianity that’s the question I hear pastors, denominational leaders, and church consultants asking.
Why won’t people do personal evangelism? Why aren’t pastors working harder to make disciples and grow their churches? Why aren’t people excited about planting new churches? Why is the Church in North America in decline by almost every measurement: membership, brand loyalty, finances, new churches planted, etc.?
The question itself exposes the answer.
When we look at people and say “what’s wrong with you?” it’s only normal for them to answer “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I guess I’ll just give up.” After decades of being told that they’re not working hard enough for Jesus, that they haven’t tried the right program – or having tried the right program they haven’t executed it correctly – after decades of being lectured to about what they need to do to follow Jesus’ example and build the Kingdom, the people of the Church are voting with their feet and their wallets. The vote says this: “You tell us we’re worthless and not doing enough and we agree. Since we’re failing anyway we’re just going to go ahead and quit.”
It’s time for the leadership of North American Christianity to believe the gospel and trust Jesus.
The fact is that, in Christ, there is nothing wrong with the Church. That’s why I’ve titled this post “What’s Right with the Church.” The blessed Trinity has swept up the whole human race into its life in Jesus Christ. We are everyone one of us the children the Father always wanted and when his Son became human like us, as the man Jesus, the Father adopted his beloved children into the life of joy he shares with Jesus and the Spirit.
Jesus has made us good. Jesus has made us loved, liked, and acceptable. Our Daddy isn’t wondering when we’re going to get busy doing his work anymore than I’m wondering when my 5 year-old is going to get busy pulling his weight around my house. Our Daddy is wondering when we older kids – pastors, ministry leaders, etc. – are going to stop beating up on our brothers and sisters and start telling them how much they are loved and accepted.
Unfortunately the vast majority of North American Christian leaders have not believed this gospel. We have believed and preached a gospel that says “you can be liked and loved, if you will get yourself saved by your belief and then work real hard for the rest of your life to do the Lord’s work.”
We’ve preached this false gospel because we’re afraid. We’re afraid to tell people “your Daddy likes you in Jesus and always will, even if you never work hard for his Kingdom.” We’re afraid that if we tell people this good news that they won’t come to church, won’t give money, and won’t do evangelism. And if that happens then the Church will decline and we’ll look like failures.
Well I’ve got news for all my fellow Church leaders:
The Church is in decline and we look like failures! We haven’t told people how they are the children their Daddy always wanted and our worst fears have come true!
So, what’s the harm in stopping our programs, stopping our grandiose planning, stopping our incessant guilt trips, and simply trusting Jesus? What if all we did – all we ever did – is keep telling people the good news of who they are in Jesus? Maybe Christ himself will inspire and lead them to do all the stuff we’ve been trying to get them to do through guilt. Trying such a radical experiment as trusting Jesus and proclaiming him alone certainly couldn’t produce any worse results than what we’ve produced by our programs and guilt trips.
The Holy Spirit is all about helping us learn to live loved in the Father’s embrace.
That’s where the fruit of evangelism, discipleship, and church planting comes from. It comes from us being baptized in the good news of how much our Daddy loves us and how much he likes us. It comes from being baptized in the truth of how – in Christ – we are right and good. Keeping in step with the Spirit means that it’s time for us to get on board with his program of baptizing people in the assurance of who they are in Christ.
~ Jonathan Stepp
To Live Greatly in My Kingdom
Filed under: By John Stonecypher, Christian Living, Scripture Paraphrases | Tags: Bible, Jesus, Matthew, Perichoresis, Sermon on the Mount, Trinity
Comments (1) A Trinitarian Christ-centered interpretation of Matthew 5.17-32…
Don’t misunderstand me; I’m not here to negate Torah. I’m here to do what Torah wanted to do but couldn’t. (18) Every syllable of Torah is there for a purpose, and every single one of them will see its mission accomplished 100%. You can count on that more than you can count on the stars staying in the sky. (19) I have given you my kingdom; my reign is in your midst. But to obey me just a little bit is to experience my kingdom just a little bit. To obey me greatly is to live greatly in my kingdom. (20) I live greatly with my Papa in the Spirit; I want THAT for you, and I will not settle for anything less. I don’t want you to miss out on ANY of this!
The religious professionals don’t know jack about the relational rightness I’m talking about, so don’t listen to them. Listen to ME:
(21) They say “Don’t murder, or you’ll be liable to judgment.” (22) But I say you’re liable to judgment if you merely harbor resentment toward others. If you insult them, an even harsher judgment will be necessary. Calling someone names is a disease so serious that it can only be cured by fire, if it is to be cured at all! The Triune Life is about more than just not murdering one another; it’s about love and peace! (23) There is no such thing as sharing in the mutual-giving of the Trinity without being reconciled to your brothers and sisters. (24) If you have a conflict that is unresolved, go resolve it NOW. It’s your top priority. (25) If you are being sued, do everything you can to settle the matter without going to court. Whenever you can, you want to work through relationships, not through judicial machinery. The machine can throw you in jail (26) or bankrupt you before you even know what’s happening.
(27) They say “Don’t have sex with someone you’re not married to.” (28) But I say, to do it in your heart is just as destructive as doing it with your body. Objectification is poison both for you and for your victim, and Papa has zero tolerance for the poisoning of his children. (29) No surgery is too drastic to cut malignant sexual cancers from your life. (30) If any part of your life has become a doorway to sexually distorted ways of thinking and behaving, cut it off and throw it away. If you don’t, it can destroy you.
(31) They say “Don’t divorce your wife without giving her paperwork.” (32) But I say paperwork does not make it okay to discard a woman like a pair of worn-out shoes. In cases of extreme marital problems (unfaithfulness, for example), divorce is sometimes the best way for husband and wife to love one another. But frivolous divorce is no better than adultery.
~ John Stonecypher
Stop Worrying! Jesus is Having Faith for You
Filed under: By Tim Brassell, Christian Living | Tags: Christian Living, Faith, Jesus, Perichoresis, Trinity
Comments (3) I have been thinking about faith lately.
I have also been thinking about how I believe most people misunderstand the subject and suffer needlessly. Maybe you are one of them. Most of us are so trained in thinking in an individual way that it becomes very difficult to rest in Jesus’ faith on our behalf! Yes, you heard me correctly!
Jesus Christ is having perfect faith FOR you before the Father!
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is not asking you to produce the perfect faith that he “demands”, and at this point it would be very wise for you to remember that you have a corrupt and sinful nature! This means that whatever “faith” you have is also sinful and corrupt – including your faith in God! If we are really honest with ourselves, all of us are really no better than the man mentioned in Mark 9:24, who said to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
And that is where Jesus, the God/Man, stepped in and saved the day for each of us!
I think most people (perhaps even you!) suffer needlessly because they are actually having faith in their own faith rather than having faith in God’s faith for us! Let’s face it, our personal faith, because of sin is admittedly weak! After all, how can something sinful and corrupt (YOU and your faith), offer a faith to a perfect God that is sinless and un-corrupt?! At best, your personal faith in God is like a roller-coaster; up one minute and down the next! I have been there and done that, and I hate the T-shirt, too!!
Now don’t get me wrong! In one sense, part of the reason you have weak faith in God the Father, Son and Spirit is that you also have STRONG faith in something else! No person anywhere REALLY lacks faith! We either have faith in the Truth or faith in a lie, but we definitely have faith and belief in something, usually VERY STRONGLY!!
The kind of faith that the Father, Son and Spirit urges us to have in Him is like the faith my young daughter exercised one day when she asked me if she could mow the grass.
She was way too young and uncoordinated to get on the lawn tractor and mow safely, but she desperately wanted to share in MY mowing of the grass. So, what did I do? You guessed it! I lifted her up into my lap and let her “mow the grass”. She “turned the key” (yeh, right!). She “turned the wheel” (her hands on top of my hands!) She “accelerated” (by placing her little feet on my shins and banging them up pretty good!) She also bragged afterwards about how she “mowed the grass” that day! Ha-Ha!
Do you get the point??? My daughter actually did NOTHING that day, EXCEPT share in my mowing of the grass!! In fact, the truth be told, other than the love and bonding between us, she was more of a hindrance and safety hazard in mowing the grass that day! I literally did EVERYTHING! I shared my mowing of the grass with her! I shared my ability to mow the grass with her!! I also shared MY FAITH with her! Between the two of us I was the only one who knew how to mow the grass in confidence and assurance, and she got to participate in my confident assurance – MY FAITH!! She placed her faith IN ME AND MY FAITH!
That’s biblical faith!!! We are supposed to have faith IN JESUS!
In other words, we are supposed to have faith in his faith on our behalf, just like my daughter actually had faith in my faith! She wasn’t worried about a thing while I mowed, but was having loads of fun!
You and I could never work up enough faith to trust and embrace the Father, Son and Spirit – not in our sinful flesh! It’s too much of a strain and burden to bear on our sinful humanity! Many of us are burnt out on faith because our faith is misplaced! We are trying to have faith in our own faith. But the problem is that our faith is so small and corrupt that it, honestly, can NEVER really hold up to the “faith challenges” it is presented with!!
We are supposed to embrace the fact that Jesus is standing in for us!
We are not only supposed to be trusting that Jesus stood in for us (past tense), BUT, that Jesus is STILL standing in for us and is having faith FOR US – FOR YOU – FOR ME, RIGHT NOW!! It even takes Jesus to help us embrace this truth!
This is why faith in God’s Good News of grace is called a GIFT (Ep 2:8!). This is why Paul said we don’t have to worry about anything – Phillipians 4:6 – that includes our faith! This is also why the Apostle Paul wrote what he did:
For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ~ Gal. 2:19-20
Do you see?! We live by the faith OF the Son of God – Jesus!
He is having perfect faith for you and I before the Father! So be at rest and “chill”! Have your doubts, anxieties, and worries if you want (you’re going to have them anyway, you are sinful and corrupt remember?!) But as Jesus gives you grace (and He does and will share grace with you!), embrace that he is having faith for you and keep “mowing the grass” of life in His confidence!
A long time ago, the Father planned for you to be Adopted and lifted up into His Relationship in Jesus Christ! 2000 years ago, Jesus Christ literally lifted you up with all of humanity up into this relationship that He shares with His Father in the Spirit, in His ascension! You Have ALWAYS been the child the Father always wanted from the day you were born – no matter who you are – and you are seated in the heavenly places with God in Jesus!! (Ephesians 1:3-15, and 2:4-10!!!) .
Yes, the Father Son and Spirit Like you Very, Very MUCH!
In fact, God the Trinity Loves You MORE than He Loves Himself as the One True God!!! And if you cannot have faith in this true fact right now, it’s okay! Jesus is still standing in for you and having faith for you….REMEMBER?!!!
Have faith IN HIM – in Jesus – and in His ability to share His faith with you, more and more overtime!!! Look at Who He is! Look at the imaginative world he created – the cosmos (EVERYTHING!) – and let this be a sign to you that He is a Relational and Creative Genius Who can WIN YOU (not coerce or force you!) into embracing Him and His faith on your behalf!
~ Tim Brassell
Tools of God
Filed under: By Jonathan Stepp, Christian Living | Tags: Christian Living, Christianity, Evangelism, Missions, Perichoresis, Salvation, Trinity
Leave a comment We will all end up sleeping away about 1/3 of our lives. (About 8 hrs out of every 24 we live).
Besides that, most of us need three meals a day – plus a snack or two in between. And if you isolate us from other people for more than a day or two we start getting a little wacky – make it a few months and we go insane.
Imagine you owned an MP3 player that had to have 8 hrs. of downtime out of every 24 hours and had to recharge its batteries at least three times during every 16 hrs. that it’s operational.
Would you call that an efficient machine? I sure wouldn’t! Frankly, I’d throw the thing away and get a better one.
What if that same MP3 player needed constant interaction with other MP3 players in order to function at its best? What if it needed daily interface with other machines – not just to download new songs but just to transmit trivial information back and forth like “how efficiently are your songs playing back today?” and “what’s your sound quality like?” I can’t even imagine how frustrating that would be!
Such an MP3 player would serve no useful purpose for me.It would be a useless tool and a worthless instrument.
Perhaps that’s why the Father of our brother Jesus does not call us “tools” or “instruments” but “beloved children” – adopted forever into the life that he and his Son share with us in their Spirit.
~ Jonathan Stepp