Objections to Reconciliation

Objections to Reconciliation

Dear Champions,

The excerpt is by Andy Stanley, and the Scripture is in the excerpt.

Objection number 1:  It's just so complicated with this person because the stuff is so incredibly big.

Reconciliation is not about working through the issues.  It isn't about condemning or making sure you are justified.  Reconciliation is, I am going to open up the door and send you an invitation.  We don't have to talk about any of the issues.  I haven't heard from you in a while, and I wanted to send you an invitation to see the kids.  Hope things are going well. 

Are you saying that we are just going to ignore all of that stuff?  Yes!   Remember that while you were still a sinner Christ died for you and me (Romans 5:6).  God just wants you to send a picture, a letter, or to reach out and give somebody an update.   Reconciliation isn't about rehearsing the past and getting everyone on the same page and dealing with the elephants in the room.  Reconciliation is in spite of all of that.

Objection number 2:  If I start going over there, then it will look like I'm condoning that relationship. 

That's not your real reason, and you are just hiding behind that.  You just don't want to move in their direction.  While you were still sinning with all of your sin ahead of you, Christ 2000 years ago died for you anyway.  He didn't condone your sin.  He just moved into your direction and life in spite of your sin and started working.

The biggest objection:  I don't care how many letters, pictures or invitations I send, it's not going to work. 

If you open up, send an invitation and move in their direction, it's going to work on you.  Whether or not they ever respond and do anything in your direction isn't your issue.  If you move in their direction, down the road you will say this.  "My attempt to reconcile became the center of God's work in my life.  God got more mileage out of that decision than any other decision that I have ever made in my adult life.  Something has happened inside of me."

Attempts at reconciliation always work in someone.  If you are a Christ follower, your responsibility is to do toward them what your heavenly Father has done toward you.  Our attempts to reconcile should not be based on their behavior or the fact that they are ever going to respond or that they deserve it.  Because Christ's love compels us (2 Corinthians 5:14), we need to attempt to reconcile.  Christ's love for you and me compels us to set the table, open the door  and send the invitation.  Do everything in your power to make reconciliation possible just in case they ever decide to respond.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

Another Great Man!

Another Great Man

Dear Champions,

 

The excerpt below was sent to me by Mr. Jim Mancke who is celebrating his birthday today.  He shared with me that not only did President Kennedy die on this day but also C.S. Lewis.  His response to my birthday greeting today is worth sharing with you.  The Scripture is James 4:6.  God opposes the proud, but He gives grace to the humble.

 

Thanks for remembering this special day that is actually more special this year than ever. 50-years ago today, November 22, 1963,  I was in junior high school as a 9th grader. It was my birthday and with my being a young office worker, the office staff had surprised me with a very special birthday cake. As we were readying ourselves for the cake cutting, the announcement of President Kennedy being shot was made on the radio. Not long after that announcement came the more shocking news of our President's death. 

 

I was asked to go up the narrow stairwell leading to the roof of Evans Junior High School where the flag of our country was flying. My task was to lower that flag to half staff. As young as I was, I still considered it to be a very powerful moment in my life. I will remember it forever!

Interestingly, another great man passed away on that same day. His passing was obviously overshadowed by our President's death. His name - C.S. Lewis. His powerful writings have touched an untold number of lives and especially mine. He was able to express God's love for me in a way no one else has. One of his more moving writings reminds his readers to this day that a great "stumbling block" for mankind is our pride. As he phrased it -  

 

"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free," Lewis wrote, "which everyone in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else . . . The vice I am talking of is Pride . . . Pride leads to every other vice: it is the complete anti-God state of mind …

"As long as you are proud you cannot know God. A proud man is always looking down on things and people; and, of course, as long as you are looking down, you cannot see something that is above you."

 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

The Message of Reconciliation-Part 2

The Message of Reconciliation-Part 2

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Andy Stanley, and the scripture is Romans 12:17-18 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone.    If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

Reconciliation became an unavoidable reality for me years ago when my relationship with my Dad was dead and dying.  I was going to see a counselor because I kept talking to my wife about it.  Finally she said, "You've said that 25 times.  I can't help you.  You need to tell someone else."  That's what we do.  We take all of our dysfunction from one relationship, and we just dump it on a new one.  Our husband and wives and kids are like, "What did we do?"

Finally I went to see a counselor.  During this time, a friend of my Dad called me and told me that I was wasting my time trying to reconcile with my Dad.  He said, "Your Dad is from a generation where he is not going to come around, and you need to stop trying."

That was all I needed to hear, so I went to my counselor.  "I've done all I can do.  I've done all I'm going to do, and even one of his friends said that I ought to be done."  My counselor wasn't buying it, so I asked him, "How long do I have to do this?  When can I finally give up on this?"  He said, "Andy, you can give up on your relationship with your father when your heavenly Father gives up on His relationship with you." 

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

The Message of Reconciliation

The Message of Reconciliation

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Andy Stanley, and the Scripture is in the excerpt.

One of the worst lies that you can tell yourself when it comes to family is, "I don't care."  You were born to care, and if you don't care, there is something wrong with you.  There is a big old bungee cord attached to your belt loop.  You run and all of a sudden that bungee cord yanks you back to that time of your life when you walked away and decided that you didn't care anymore.  This applies to all family members, but where this comes most dramatic is in our relationship with our father. 

Christ followers can't live with the excuse that I don't care because Christ's love compels us, and we are convinced that one died for all and that those that live should no longer live for themselves (2 Corinthians 5:14-15).  Christ did for you something that was uncomfortable for Him, and now He is requiring for you to do something for Him that is uncomfortable for you.  

If you are a Christ follower your entire life is to be a message that says, "Did you know that you can be reconciled to God?"  Reconciliation is in spite of your sin.  God says that you have to reconcile with others in spite of their sin because I reconciled with you in spite of your sin.   Romans 5:8 While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.  

If we are not careful our message is this.  You can be reconciled to God in spite of your sin, but you can't be reconciled to me because of your sin.  I have standards, and my standards are higher than God.  When you became a follower of Jesus you died to yourself.  Jesus said yes to you so that you can now say yes to Him. 

You are to carry the message of reconciliation.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

All Stories Point to Jesus

All Stories Point to Jesus

Dear Champions,

The short excerpt is by Tim Keller, and the scripture is in the excerpt.

It's interesting that the two English authors who are the most read authors in the English speaking language in the 20^th century were friends.  One of them led the other one to Jesus Christ.  One was an atheist (C.S. Lewis), and one was a Christian (J. R. Tolkien).  They took a long walk one day on the grounds of Magdalen College in Oxford, and Tolkien led Lewis to Christ by talking about heroes.  Lewis said, "I love the old stories of ancient heroes.  They really stir me up.  What a shame they're all myths."  And Tolkien responded, "But they're not all myths.  You know the story of Sleeping Beauty.  It points to the truth that true love can break the most powerful evil spell.  The story of Beauty and the Beast points to the truth that sacrificial love can transform the greatest horror.  And Jesus -- what a great story!  He's born in a manger, and the king tries to kill Him but He's saved at the last minute, snatched away, and escapes.  Then He grows up, and He takes on the great oppressive forces of life and of the world.  They take Him on, and they kill Him.  But, no -- He's raised from the dead! 

Here's what the wonder of the gospel is.  Jesus Christ is not one more story pointing to those great truths.  Jesus Christ is the truth to which all the great stories point.  In other words, Jesus Christ comes into the world saying, "I am the Prince who can break the spell with My kiss.  I am the Beauty who can transform the beast.  I'm the Hero of heroes, and I've entered into the world's story.  I'm going to put down every villain, and someday every tear will be wiped away (Revelation 21:4).  So come with Me, and I will enter into your life and be the Hero of your story.  Come unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will take the pressure off you -- and I will give you rest."(Matthew 11:28-30)

Believe the true story of Jesus.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

 

If You Want to be Great

If You Want to be Great

The short excerpt is by Dan Britton and Jimmy Page, and the Scripture is in the excerpt.

When I was a high school athlete, the water boys were usually the butt of a lot of jokes.  They did the job no one else wanted to do; they served the needs of those actually good enough to make the team.  They never took a shot, ran a race, or scored a goal, but they still served.  Yet they were often treated as the "least" important part of the team.

But Jesus never views those who play a seemingly "small" role as unimportant.  He never looked down on those who served behind the scenes or did jobs nobody else wanted.  In fact, Jesus flips that concept on its head.  He says that the least among us will be the greatest.  Those we consider great-the best players, the best coaches-will only be considered great in God's eyes if they serve like the water boy serves.

If you want to be great, you have to serve.  We are often just like the disciples.  We want to be great.  We want to be the star.  We want to have all the attention.  In Mark 9:33-37, the disciples were arguing with each other about who was the greatest.  Can you imagine?  Jesus, the picture and essence of greatness, was right there with them, showing them how to be great, and all they cared about was "who's number one?"  So Jesus called them all over and confronted them.  "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all."   You'd think that would have ended the discussion.  But shortly after that, the issue arose again.  James and John, brothers, still didn't get it.  They felt entitled to some preferential treatment.  So they brought their mom along when they asked to sit on the left and right of Jesus in glory.  So Jesus answers one more time.

Mark 10:43-45  Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to first must be slave of all.  For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Jesus came to serve out of the position of humility, not to sit in the place of honor.  He didn't seek status; He served.  Those whom we think are least important, God considers the most important.

We say all the time that we want to be more like Jesus.  But when's the last time you heard someone say they want to be "the least?"  Well, that's what Jesus became-the least.  He served us and continues to serve us.  Serving out of humility produces greatness.  There is no other road to greatness.  If you want to be great, serve everybody.

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining

It's Reasonable

It's Reasonable

Dear Champions,

The excerpt below is from an Andy Stanley sermon.  It wasn't Stanley that was speaking, but it was part of a skit that was being acted out.  The scripture is John 6:19-21 When they had rowed about three or four miles they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened.  But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid." Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

When a dog bites a man, that's reasonable.  But when a man bites a dog, that is news. Critics say that all of the miraculous events of Jesus are fairy tales.  They say that a reasonable and rational person would never believe that a man walked on water, that a man calmed the storm with his voice, or that a man turned water into wine or that he raised people from the dead.  

The critics are right.  The idea that a man could do these things is as outlandish as a man biting a dog.

Jesus claimed not to be just a man, but that he was the Son of God.  The Son of God walks on water.  That's reasonable.  The Son of God sinks, that is news!

Champions, have a great week!-David Vining