The following is adapted from some impromptu remarks I made during Wednesday evening’s praise and worship service …at least, what I can remember of them. Also included are some fresh thoughts.
I am hesitant to write this entry, not because of any question of the topic, but because of a recent article written by my friend Jason Miller of WebProNews. In the article linked here, Jason speaks of the centrist nature of the blogging world (by centrist, I mean that most blogs center upon the writer and his/her life). Still, while the views expressed in this entry (and all of them, for that matter) are my own, I believe this entry is more. Plus, this paragraph gives me one more chance to mollify Jason’s own longing for publicity (just a friendly jab between buddies there, Jake).
Some over the years have asked me, in some way or another, to “define” my ministry. Why is it I do what I do? What do I hope to accomplish? Depending on my mood on any given day, the answers to those questions, the very definition of my ministry might be quite simple or overly complex.
In order to come up with some answer, I’ve found that it is best to turn to the Scriptures. In searching for some meaning for my own ministerial existence, trying to find purpose and focus for myself and those who come within the sphere of my ministry (through casual contact, church services, or even this blog), I find myself particularly drawn to one area of Scripture. It is one of my favorite passages, because it sums up so well my whole thinking on the issue:
I believe that this is my goal, that if I were praying for others, this would be my prayer for them. I believe this should be the goal for every individual, for themselves as well as for their congregation. I believe it should be the goal of God’s Church here on earth.
Christian, I want you to ask yourself: why do I bow to God in the first place? Sadly, I believe too many Christians have lost sight of the point of Christianity (by Christianity, I am not speaking of the religious aspect, but the practical application or lifestyle of it) and have replaced it with other things. The Christian life has been boiled down to certain dos and don’ts, showing up at some church one or two times a week, believing whatever some preacher says about anything and accepting it as gospel.
What has been lost? Practically everything Paul mentions in the above verses seems to have taken a back seat to personal preference or misguided goals. I am a minister, but I will say this: never simply take a preacher’s word for it. Study, pray, explore the Scriptures for yourself (with an open heart) and discover the truth of God’s Word. If you will indulge me for a moment, I would like to once again step into the narcissist role and tell you what I think about these verses.
First of all, I choose to acknowledge God as supreme in my life, knowing through faith that Jesus Christ is God’s Son. All people, everywhere, are created through the power and providence of God, and it is His desire that all should come to know Him through His Son Jesus; still, this is our choice to make. The question now is, what do I hope to get out of this relationship, out of my choice? And as a minister, what is it I want the Church and my own congregation to get out of it? For the sake of this entry, I will speak for myself, but understand that it is what I want for the Church and my congregation of God’s Church.
All we have comes from the riches of God’s glory, and His supply never runs low. Every good thing we have, and everything we need, is supplied from His richness. Therefore the only rationing that takes place is on our part; how much or how little we wish to receive is entirely up to us. To desire the good things of God should stem from the idea that we can receive in abundance. I want strength, the ability, desire and intelligence to face my battles with courage, knowing the outcome lies in God’s hands and that ultimate victory belongs to me already, through the victory of Christ. During the hard times, I need to be reminded of my own weakness, and that in my weakness, the strength of God is brought to bear within me. And it’s not about physical strength, but the inner man, the soul, that benefits from this strength.
I don’t want to be alone. I want to know that no matter what I face, I have a Companion, a Friend to go with me and do battle for me. I know that Friend is Jesus, and that by my faith (not just believing that He is with my intellect, but making a choice to believe and live the Christian experience) the Lord lives within my heart. He not only goes with me, but goes through it with me. But I cannot have Jesus dwelling in a broken home. By this, I mean that my heart must be strengthened in love; my life, my very existence, should be firmly rooted and grounded in the power of love. I speak not of “flower power,” or “have you hugged a tree today?” but that love truly conquers all. It takes strength to love, because human love is conditional. My prayer is that I can love in spite of circumstances, not because of them.
I want to know more. I have a thirst for knowledge, but my hunger for the things of God is never slaked. Granted, Jesus said that He is the “living water,” and all who drink of Him will never thirst again. What this means is that we find what we’re looking for, and we never have to go anywhere else. But like with any great love, the more we love, the more we want to love; the more we discover, the more we want to discover. Our limited understanding of God can never reach perfection, but with each passing day, I want to know more about Him, about what it means to be His child, about who and what Jesus is. It is not just one- or two- or even three-dimensional. I want to know how wide, how long, how deep and how high God’s magnificence is, and every day I see it’s more that I could imagine. My prayer is that I can join my experience with all believers, and that more of that width, length, depth and height can be made manifest within my life, more understood and more practiced in myself, and more visible to others.
I can’t explain it, nor do I wish to explain it. I cannot fully comprehend it, for it is beyond my weak understanding. But by faith, I know it is real, and while I cannot express it in words, I know that God’s love is what I aspire to know and show. I want to be filled with all the fullness of God, not filled with a portion of God, not to show a godly characteristic here and there, every now and then. I want every part of me to belong to God and to show God, so I pray for His fullness. This is what I pray for the Church, and for my congregation, that God’s fullness fills every heart, every word, every act, so that His fullness is seen by all.
All of this can be accomplished, for my prayer is directed not at empty hope, some wish upon a distant and powerless star. I ask my own heavenly Father, the Creator of it all, through the name of His Son and my Big Brother Jesus, and I know that God’s power can do not just exceedingly, not just abundantly, and not just above all we ask, but all three: exceedingly abundantly above all we could every dare to dream. But we must allow that power to work within us. We must let go of self, of preconceived notions, of prejudice against faith or against God’s people (remember, we’re all children, and we all make mistakes, none of us are perfect, and we all have the capacity to grow), and let God show us what He is capable of doing in and for us.
And finally, let it never be about us. It should never be about me, about my abilities or eloquence or efforts. Everything I am, say and do should bring glory to the Savior who made it all possible for me. In years to come, my prayer is that I will disappear, and that Christ will appear in me. If I receive any praise or glory, never let me fail to say, “Thank you, but it’s all because of Jesus.
If you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart as Savior and Lord, I ask you this: to what do you bow your knees? There is an emptiness within your heart, somewhere, and you will never be able to fill it until Jesus comes in and fills it for you. Solomon said, “All is vanity.” Everything is temporary, and eventually comes to nothing. But in Jesus, you find completeness, you find a family and a hope, you find a Friend. It’s all a matter of grace, and your choice to accept it. And if you do accept it, allow it to fill you and change you, not just occupy some out-of-the-way corner of your life. I love the Lord, and He loves me. He loves you, and so do I.
© 2006, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
I am hesitant to write this entry, not because of any question of the topic, but because of a recent article written by my friend Jason Miller of WebProNews. In the article linked here, Jason speaks of the centrist nature of the blogging world (by centrist, I mean that most blogs center upon the writer and his/her life). Still, while the views expressed in this entry (and all of them, for that matter) are my own, I believe this entry is more. Plus, this paragraph gives me one more chance to mollify Jason’s own longing for publicity (just a friendly jab between buddies there, Jake).
Some over the years have asked me, in some way or another, to “define” my ministry. Why is it I do what I do? What do I hope to accomplish? Depending on my mood on any given day, the answers to those questions, the very definition of my ministry might be quite simple or overly complex.
In order to come up with some answer, I’ve found that it is best to turn to the Scriptures. In searching for some meaning for my own ministerial existence, trying to find purpose and focus for myself and those who come within the sphere of my ministry (through casual contact, church services, or even this blog), I find myself particularly drawn to one area of Scripture. It is one of my favorite passages, because it sums up so well my whole thinking on the issue:
Ephesians 3:14-21
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height-- 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
I believe that this is my goal, that if I were praying for others, this would be my prayer for them. I believe this should be the goal for every individual, for themselves as well as for their congregation. I believe it should be the goal of God’s Church here on earth.
Christian, I want you to ask yourself: why do I bow to God in the first place? Sadly, I believe too many Christians have lost sight of the point of Christianity (by Christianity, I am not speaking of the religious aspect, but the practical application or lifestyle of it) and have replaced it with other things. The Christian life has been boiled down to certain dos and don’ts, showing up at some church one or two times a week, believing whatever some preacher says about anything and accepting it as gospel.
What has been lost? Practically everything Paul mentions in the above verses seems to have taken a back seat to personal preference or misguided goals. I am a minister, but I will say this: never simply take a preacher’s word for it. Study, pray, explore the Scriptures for yourself (with an open heart) and discover the truth of God’s Word. If you will indulge me for a moment, I would like to once again step into the narcissist role and tell you what I think about these verses.
First of all, I choose to acknowledge God as supreme in my life, knowing through faith that Jesus Christ is God’s Son. All people, everywhere, are created through the power and providence of God, and it is His desire that all should come to know Him through His Son Jesus; still, this is our choice to make. The question now is, what do I hope to get out of this relationship, out of my choice? And as a minister, what is it I want the Church and my own congregation to get out of it? For the sake of this entry, I will speak for myself, but understand that it is what I want for the Church and my congregation of God’s Church.
All we have comes from the riches of God’s glory, and His supply never runs low. Every good thing we have, and everything we need, is supplied from His richness. Therefore the only rationing that takes place is on our part; how much or how little we wish to receive is entirely up to us. To desire the good things of God should stem from the idea that we can receive in abundance. I want strength, the ability, desire and intelligence to face my battles with courage, knowing the outcome lies in God’s hands and that ultimate victory belongs to me already, through the victory of Christ. During the hard times, I need to be reminded of my own weakness, and that in my weakness, the strength of God is brought to bear within me. And it’s not about physical strength, but the inner man, the soul, that benefits from this strength.
I don’t want to be alone. I want to know that no matter what I face, I have a Companion, a Friend to go with me and do battle for me. I know that Friend is Jesus, and that by my faith (not just believing that He is with my intellect, but making a choice to believe and live the Christian experience) the Lord lives within my heart. He not only goes with me, but goes through it with me. But I cannot have Jesus dwelling in a broken home. By this, I mean that my heart must be strengthened in love; my life, my very existence, should be firmly rooted and grounded in the power of love. I speak not of “flower power,” or “have you hugged a tree today?” but that love truly conquers all. It takes strength to love, because human love is conditional. My prayer is that I can love in spite of circumstances, not because of them.
I want to know more. I have a thirst for knowledge, but my hunger for the things of God is never slaked. Granted, Jesus said that He is the “living water,” and all who drink of Him will never thirst again. What this means is that we find what we’re looking for, and we never have to go anywhere else. But like with any great love, the more we love, the more we want to love; the more we discover, the more we want to discover. Our limited understanding of God can never reach perfection, but with each passing day, I want to know more about Him, about what it means to be His child, about who and what Jesus is. It is not just one- or two- or even three-dimensional. I want to know how wide, how long, how deep and how high God’s magnificence is, and every day I see it’s more that I could imagine. My prayer is that I can join my experience with all believers, and that more of that width, length, depth and height can be made manifest within my life, more understood and more practiced in myself, and more visible to others.
I can’t explain it, nor do I wish to explain it. I cannot fully comprehend it, for it is beyond my weak understanding. But by faith, I know it is real, and while I cannot express it in words, I know that God’s love is what I aspire to know and show. I want to be filled with all the fullness of God, not filled with a portion of God, not to show a godly characteristic here and there, every now and then. I want every part of me to belong to God and to show God, so I pray for His fullness. This is what I pray for the Church, and for my congregation, that God’s fullness fills every heart, every word, every act, so that His fullness is seen by all.
All of this can be accomplished, for my prayer is directed not at empty hope, some wish upon a distant and powerless star. I ask my own heavenly Father, the Creator of it all, through the name of His Son and my Big Brother Jesus, and I know that God’s power can do not just exceedingly, not just abundantly, and not just above all we ask, but all three: exceedingly abundantly above all we could every dare to dream. But we must allow that power to work within us. We must let go of self, of preconceived notions, of prejudice against faith or against God’s people (remember, we’re all children, and we all make mistakes, none of us are perfect, and we all have the capacity to grow), and let God show us what He is capable of doing in and for us.
And finally, let it never be about us. It should never be about me, about my abilities or eloquence or efforts. Everything I am, say and do should bring glory to the Savior who made it all possible for me. In years to come, my prayer is that I will disappear, and that Christ will appear in me. If I receive any praise or glory, never let me fail to say, “Thank you, but it’s all because of Jesus.
If you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart as Savior and Lord, I ask you this: to what do you bow your knees? There is an emptiness within your heart, somewhere, and you will never be able to fill it until Jesus comes in and fills it for you. Solomon said, “All is vanity.” Everything is temporary, and eventually comes to nothing. But in Jesus, you find completeness, you find a family and a hope, you find a Friend. It’s all a matter of grace, and your choice to accept it. And if you do accept it, allow it to fill you and change you, not just occupy some out-of-the-way corner of your life. I love the Lord, and He loves me. He loves you, and so do I.
© 2006, Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press. All rights reserved. All material printed on this site is protected by the copyright law of the United States. It may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of Chris Keeton and Soulscape Press, obtainable by writing to soulscape@alltel.net. Altering or removing any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content is not permitted. Any and all portions of material copied from the Soulscape Blog must be properly attributed to Chris Keeton and Soulscape, and cited with original blog web address.
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