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By pastorbillwalden
There are many that perhaps rightly criticize the Church of not being socially active in the past generation. I will not argue with that.
The current knee jerk reaction seems to be an inappropriate push towards social activism, but with precious little concern for discipleship, personal holiness, commitment to Jesus, etc.
In fact, the Church has become to some, simply a people resource. A place to mobilize bodies, to gain signatures, and to use for causes, rather than an entity to commit to as a family and a Body.
The pendulum has again swung, and it always swings too far.
I am not criticizing social activism. I am criticizing the over emphasis of it by those who name the name of Christ.
Jesus said that “every good tree bears good fruit”. Social activism ought to be the fruit of a Christian’s life, but it is not the tree. Jesus is the tree, and the fruit comes forth from the tree.
May we be careful to not do the “good thing” while we miss the “best thing”.
Doing “good things” is much easier than “laying down your life and picking up your cross”.
Let’s serve people, but may it flow out of intimacy with Jesus.
By pastorbillwalden
My friend Roby Duke (now with Jesus) once said this to a group of song writers: “Your inspiration is perfect, but your songwriting needs work”.
We can be wonderfully inspired to express ourselves, but not quite have the ability, time, or energy to rightly say what we are trying to say. Perhaps the inspiration is fighting against good common sense that would tell us to slow down and think it through. Now is such a moment for me. The inspiration is perfect. I am rushing ahead. I hope this comes out O.K.
QUESTION: “It is easy to live vicariously through others, but is that really living?”
Let’s start with one of many definitions for the word “vicarious”.
“Felt or enjoyed through imagined participation in the experience of others”: a vicarious thrill.
There is a place for such experience in moderation, but our world is making it increasingly easy for people to feel emotions that don’t have any corresponding personal experience.
We can dial up, Google, Net Flix, read, browse, or Pay Per View our way to any emotion we want, without ever having to actually “do” something that requires dedication, effort, commitment, or faith.
If there was ever a generation that could become addicted to “feeling without doing”, that generation is now.
One might ask what the danger or problem is with living vicariously through the great accomplishments of others. Some of that might be O.K., in that it might inspire us to aspire to do great things. Plus, it certainly feels good to feel good. So what’s the problem?
The problem is this: That kind of living, if it becomes the habitual lifestyle of a person, does nothing to produce in them the quality traits needed to actually enjoy those emotions from first hand accomplishment.
I understand that some of the things that “thrill” us are only for a few to actually experience. We can’t all go out and win gold medals, climb Mt. Everest, or do world tours singing about changing the world.
But I wonder, if vicarious living comes to satisfy us to the point that we don’t pursue what we COULD BE DOING, then has it gone too far? I say “yes”: then it has gone to far.
So….what is it that you are actually supposed to be doing?
I submit to you that actually desiring, struggling, sacrificing, and dedicating one’s self on a personal level is far more important than taking the vicarious route of simply feeling the goose bumps from someone else’s accomplishment. The satisfaction that comes from personal accomplishment is much more valuable than enjoying someone else’s “bigger than life” accomplishment.
Finally, if you are a follower of Jesus, then He wants to live through you. Your part is to surrender, seek His will, believe His promises, walk in holiness by His power, and take small and big steps of faith in responding to what He wants to do through you.
That process has been the most satisfying part of my life, whenever I have actually gotten out of the way long enough for it to happen. The small victories of having my life so bound up in His life have been the most satisfying experiences of my life. My experiences may not compare to some of the great accomplishments of others, but they don’t need to. They are my experiences with God, and I can have first hand satisfaction from them.
Rich Mullins said it well: “Jesus, write me into Your story…whisper it to me.”
Filed under:
Decision Making,
Discovery,
Doubt,
Dying To Self,
Faith,
Fellowship With God,
God's Will,
Good Intentions,
Persevering,
Progress,
Spirit Filled Life
By pastorbillwalden
I just returned from a 2 1/2 day preaching practicum, which, a few years ago, is not something I would have imagined attending. I was more than pleasantly surprised.
The practicum was led by Art Azurdia, who is a professor at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. The practicum consisted of Art teaching on preaching, sermon preparation, and hermeneutics, which is the “theory and methodology of interpreting the Bible”. That was Day One.
Art spoke on sermon preparation in great depth. We studied diagramming verses, parsing verbs, looking for flow, preparing a “telos”, and much more. Art also encouraged us to see the entire Bible as the story of redemption through Jesus Christ. The differing portions of the Bible are all knit together in one great story, which is the story of God redeeming man.
In addition, Art spoke on the idea of Christocentric preaching, which means seeing the entire Bible in its relationship to the Gospel, and understanding how a passage aligns itself with the work of redemption.
Seven Calvary Chapel pastors attended the practicum, and we were each assigned a portion of the Book of Ruth to preach on (Days 2 & 3). We were then critiqued by our peers and by Art. Each guy preached for 30 minutes, and we were then critiqued for 45 minutes. It might sound scary, but it wasn’t, and I found it to be very beneficial. I look forward to implementing some of the steps to sermon preparation that Art suggested we pursue. I am sure that Cornerstone will become a mega church in a matter of months as a result of my new found skills. 
On another note…I didn’t want to go. I struggled to go. I was fighting internally about going. “Why”, you ask? Glad you asked. I’ll tell you why…
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By pastorbillwalden
I spoke with a dear saint of God recently who is going through a very difficult time in life. This person has been very much wronged as of late, and negative things seem to be piling up one after another. 
In the course of our conversation, this person said a couple of things that I often hear.
“I don’t know how much more I can take”. “I’m not handling this well”.
How we view the “handling” of our problems is very interesting to me, and I think we (Christians) get it wrong a lot.
I think we often feel that we aren’t handling things well for the following reasons:
1. We are very emotional, experiencing feelings of anger, resentment, revenge, sadness, despair.
2. We resent that we feel such emotions.
3. On occasions, we say or do things that we regret.
4. We find ourselves complaining to God or to others.
5. We are not ourselves. We are easily distracted, struggle to read our Bibles, and can’t concentrate in prayer. We say things like, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me”.
6. We are tempted to stay away from church or fellowship, because our emotions are depleted, and we can’t stand to talk to one more person.
7. Overall, as Christians, we expect that we ought to be much more in control of our emotions, and not feeling so out of control.
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By pastorbillwalden
It is possible to love Jesus and know Him as Savior, yet still have some embarrassment about Him. Our hearts can be divided between our love for Jesus and our fear of being embarrassed. Consider this passage…
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By pastorbillwalden
Matthew 26:26-28 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” 27Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”
Jesus was no victim. That truth continues to impact me. As He announced His impending death, and deliberately moved towards it, I cannot imagine the enormity of emotion that He experienced.
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By pastorbillwalden
We often ask for wrong things from God. There may be a rightness about our intentions, but our intentions can very easily be skewed.
It was good that the disciples were following Jesus. The mother of James and John asked Jesus for a position of authority for her sons in Jesus’ kingdom.
Matthew 20:20-28 20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Him with her sons, kneeling down and asking something from Him. 21And He said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to Him, “Grant that these two sons of mine may sit, one on Your right hand and the other on the left, in Your kingdom.” 22But Jesus answered and said, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” They said to Him, “We are able.” 23So He said to them, “You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”
24And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
The disciples were concerned about position. Where would they end up in the hierarchy of Jesus’ kingdom? James and John wanted positions of leadership. When the other disciples heard of their request, they were angry about their efforts of self promotion. Jesus went on to teach all of them, which indicates that they all had an erroneous view of “position” in the Kingdom of God.
Instead of focusing on their position, Jesus instructed His disciples to focus on their purpose, which was servanthood. He taught them by way of negative example, speaking of the kingdoms of men. He then spoke about His own kingdom, and the example and purpose of His own life, which was to serve and give His life as a ransom for many.
In our lives, may we realize that position is something set by God, and not us, but purpose is something we fulfill. May we focus on purpose rather than on position.
By pastorbillwalden
A rich, young ruler had come to Jesus asking about eternal life. Ultimately, Jesus told him to sell all that he had, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus. The young man went away sad, for he had many possessions. (Matthew 19:16-22)
Jesus went on to explain the problem that rich people have.
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By pastorbillwalden
What a great contrast there is between Jesus’ kingdom and the kingdoms of the world. They are contrary not only in purpose and goals, but in methodology and intention.
In Matthew 10, Jesus empowered His disciples to go on a healing and preaching tour throughout Israel. He told them who to go to, and what to say. He told them not to provide for themselves, but to allow others to support them voluntarily. Jesus orchestrated, empowered, directed, and sent out His followers.
Matthew 10:16 encapsulates what their mentality was to be.
Matthew 10:16 Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.
A sheep among wolves is completely defenseless, and must depend upon his Shepherd to protect him. These men were equipped to serve, and even do miracles, but though they were endued with great power, they were never to quit trusting in God for their provision or the words to say when opposed and threatened. Though they were equipped to cast out demons, they were to have the mindset of a sheep depending upon its shepherd. A sheep among wolves always has to depend upon his Shepherd.
Jesus also told them to be as wise as serpents, but as harmless as doves. The wisdom of a serpent is for self gratification, specifically, the gratification of eating its victim. With stealth, patience, and cunning, it stalks its victim for personal gain. With a serpent, its all about personal gain at the expense of another.
Doves on the other hand, are simple, and not dangerous. They don’t have that killer instinct. They don’t prey upon one another, or other birds (that I know of).
Jesus exhorted the disciples and us to be patient, cunning, wise, but to use none of those qualities for personal gratification or self enrichment, and especially at the expense of others.
So, the disciples were equipped with power and were to be wise, patient, shrewd, but none of it for personal gratification. Though they had power, they were to depend on God. Though they were wise and instructed, they were to be simple minded regarding not advancing against others.
Normally, people use all their skills to exploit others. The exact opposite is true for the Kingdom of God. We are to serve God and people, and not advance ourselves with the gifts God has given us.
By pastorbillwalden
Matthew 8:18-22 And when Jesus saw great multitudes about Him, He gave a command to depart to the other side. 19Then a certain scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” 20And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 21Then another of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Most American Christians understand the concept of the need to follow Jesus at any cost. In this passage, Jesus points out two conditions that His disciples must be willing to accept: Jesus comes before creature comforts, and Jesus comes before family.
Some who follow Jesus fail these requirements in obvious ways. Other followers of Christ fail in more subtle ways. It is the second scenario that I wish to consider.
For some Christians, owning a home or homes has kept them from following Jesus closely. They haven’t rejected Him, but they have become extremely distracted and preoccupied with that which will pass away.
There is nothing inherently wrong with home ownership, but in America, it is almost considered a “God given” right to buy a home. In many minds, the Gospel includes “The American Dream”. Don’t misunderstand me, we can be homeowners and still follow Jesus. But does our home ownership compete with our efforts to follow the Lord? If owning and maintaining a home keeps us from following Jesus according to His desire for us, would we forsake home ownership?
We buy a home, and then chant the mantra about “being good stewards” of that “which God has given us”. I don’t think that the Lord would lead us to stewardship that would leave him as 2nd or 3rd on our list of our priorities. We assume that God want us to be homeowners, but for some Believers, renting would be more spiritually freeing.
For some Christians, family relations are not good, and are not viable competitors against our devotion to Christ. However, in some families, devotion to family rivals or eclipses our devotion to Jesus. This is an insidious trap. Family devotion seems so “Christian”, and yet it can become more important to the Believer than his or her relationship with Jesus.
The Christian who is overly devoted to family is a prime candidate for replacing Jesus with family. In their minds, “family devotion” is the “Christian” thing to do, therefore, it can never be wrong and can never go too far. But devotion to family can go too far, and we can exalt our devotion to family over and above our devotion to Christ. It’s not that we reject Jesus, it’s just that family relationships become His competition.
I am thankful for all who desire to follow Jesus. I am thankful for my salvation. May we all be very careful in these two seemingly innocent aspects of life. May we never allow even “good” things to hinder our devotion and obedience to Jesus. Be careful to not allow the good to replace the best.