What the Holy Spirit Accomplished In A Day

“Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.”
Acts 2:5-6

This past Sunday was Pentecost Sunday, which is the day the Holy Spirit came to Jesus’ followers and started moving in them in powerful ways. It began with this scene when Jesus’ followers were praying and speaking in languages from all different nations. It’s pretty remarkable when you think about the context of the Early Church. Much of the world was dominated by the Roman Empire, which had the noble and ambitious goal of uniting the entire world. But the Roman Empire did this by sword, assertion, and colonizing… An Empire driven by fear. Yet here came the Early Church burgeoning unexpectedly in little pockets and uniting the world in a way that the Roman Empire could never do… A kingdom driven by love. What the Roman Empire could not accomplish in several centuries the Holy Spirit accomplished in a day.

Sharing In the 21st Century

“They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.”
1 Peter 3:11

Do you like sharing with others? I certainly do. I enjoy sharing with others things I enjoy. For example, if I’m having lunch with a friend and I’m eating a delicious sandwich, I’d encourage my friend to take a bite of my sandwich. But if I’m eating a sandwich that’s disgusting, I would not offer it to my friend. This is how it should be with regards to our faith. If you consider yourself a follower of Christ, I would hope that you consider your life with Jesus to be far better than your life without Jesus. Perhaps you find the results of doing good are far better than the results of being selfish. Maybe you find peace because you love Jesus and you want to love like Jesus. Who is one person with whom you can share the love of Jesus?

The Flow of Sabbath

Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for people, not people for the Sabbath.”
Mark 2:27

Recently, my couples therapist suggested that I be more intentional about taking my Sabbaths. I thought I was pretty good about taking Sabbath, but she pointed out that I was good at self-care and having fun but bad at taking Sabbath. She explained that there are three types of ways people take care of themselves: self-care, escapism, and Sabbath. Self-care are things we do to treat or take care of ourselves like exercise, haircuts/facials, and eating well. Escapism are things we do for fun or to “escape” like watching movies, playing video games, or going to a sporting event. Sabbath are things we do that are restful and restorative to the soul like prayer, long walks, or being in nature. So for the past couple of months, I set aside Monday mornings for Sabbath practices and I realized that there is an emptying and filling flow to Sabbath. We empty ourselves or “clear our minds” of work and our spirits are filled by the Holy Spirit. Sabbath is the necessary practice of letting God to breathe life into us and speak gentle whispers of His love. How wonderful it is that one of God’s most basic commands is the command to rest in Him. The Sabbath was made for God’s people as a gift.

I love what this author and mom of seven kids shares about the importance of taking Sabbath every week.

Who Hates Evangelism?!

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
1 Peter 3:15

Evangelism. That dreadful word. I’ve always had a difficult time with the practice of evangelism. I heard one of our house church members say, “It’s always something we should be doing but not doing enough of.” Many people can probably relate with that sentiment. But what if we approached it another way? A friend of mine who leads an InterVarsity college ministry told his students, “Rather than evangelizing, engage in spiritual conversations with your unchurched friends.” I love this approach. This means that it’s a two-way dialogue rather than simply trying to convince people to believe. This means listening more than speaking. This means having more meaningful talks beyond sports, work, or Game of Thrones (but seriously, what did you think of the finale?!). Maybe you hate evangelizing, but maybe you’ll love engaging in spiritual conversations with your friends, family, and co-workers.

Stop Apologizing For Missing Church

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15

You know what I’m sick of? I’m sick of hearing people profusely apologize for “missing church.” I get it. People have to miss church some Sundays and they shouldn’t feel guilty for doing so from time to time. Couples travel, kids have activities, and people work on Sundays. American lifestyle in the 21st century isn’t what it used to be in the 20th century. We are living in a post-Christian era, which means institutions, businesses, organizations and everyday life don’t revolve around church on Sundays anymore. This may seem strange coming from someone who’s trying to plant a new church and someone who rarely misses church on Sundays. While church on Sundays is vitally important, it’s merely one way we grow as believers and experience “the peace of Christ ruling in our hearts.” What’s also important is individual spirituality, Christ-centered relationships like the ones found in small groups, and community service. With all of this being said, “missing church” should produce a feeling of “missing church” as well. Church should be a place where people are known, loved, and encouraged. If someone is away from a group like that for too long, they should be longing for it. Many of us have heard it said, “You don’t GO to church. You ARE the church.” The idea behind this comes from verses like the one in Colossians. Church is supposed to be like a family and each person is like a family member. So just know… If you missed church on Sunday, the church missed you too! ;-)

Know Thyself

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
“I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind.”
Jeremiah 17:9-10a

“Know thyself.” This was an idiom the Ancient Greeks would often say to each other in the first century. The famous philosopher Socrates expounded on this further: The unexamined life is not worth living. What was true to the Greeks has always been true to the people of God. “The heart is deceitful above all things…” Those who claim to know themselves fully and are in need of no further examination are those who probably know themselves the least and require the most self-examination. This is why I was excited to have an Enneagram coach visit our house church this past Sunday to introduce us to one of the ways we can better search our hearts. In many ways, the spiritual journey is one of examining, exploring, and discovering one’s self. In our pursuit of God, we pursue our own hearts.

Self-Awareness and Spirituality

“For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”
1 Corinthians‬ ‭13:12‬

I recently heard a definition of emotional intelligence as the knowledge of four key elements: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relational management. Emotional intelligence is a rapidly growing trend in psychology, business, and spirituality. More and more people are realizing that you cannot truly mature spiritually if you are lacking in emotional intelligence. But emotional intelligence begins with healthy self-awareness. If we do not truly know ourselves, how can we manage ourselves in a healthy way? If we do not know ourselves, how can we manage our relationships without being manipulative, manipulated, or act out of genuine motivation? This is why personality tests like Myers-Briggs, StrengthFinder, and especially the Enneagram are being brought to the forefront of attention in more and more organizations. These words penned by Apostle Paul nearly 2,000 years ago still rings true today. “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror.” However, we can begin to see ourselves with better clarity.

Branch of Jesse and Perch.Church

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord — and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears.”
Isaiah‬ ‭11:1-3‬

We announced this past Sunday during house church that the Launch Team and I decided on a new name for our church plant: Perch.Church! I love the whimsical, thought-provoking, and inviting vibe that comes with the name Perch.Church. It inspired me to look up passages in the Bible that had the word “perch” or “branch” in it and I came across Isaiah 11:1-5. It’s a prophecy from the ancient book of Isaiah. The “Branch” the prophet Isaiah was referring to was Jesus and He would embody biblical values (v.2), open-mindedness (v.3), service oriented (v.4), and relational (vv.3-5). All of the values we desire as a church. So while Jesus may have been the Branch of Jesse, the church is to be the branch of Jesus.

The Break-Up

[Barnabas and Paul] had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord.
Acts 15:39-40

I’ve never experienced a breakup before, but rumor has it that they’re very painful. The reason why I’ve never experienced a romantic breakup is because I married my first and only girlfriend. I don’t know why I never dated in high school and college, it just happened that way. I don’t think it was because I was a loser. Or was I a loser? Do losers know if they’re losers? Anyway, I digress. But I have experienced breakups of other kinds… breakups from friendships, groups, and traditions. While these breakups were difficult in their own way, when I look back at these disintegrations, I realize that it was because I was becoming a different person and moving in a different direction from my old affiliations. Breakups can be blessed disruptions of our shortsighted plans.

Over Easy Yoke

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28-30‬

Yoke. I always thought it was a funny word. It reminds of that weird yellow center of an egg, it rhymes with “joke”, and it’s just a funny sounding word. So when Jesus said to “take my yoke upon you,” I never really tried to meditate on it, but I always knew that the yoke was the harness that bulls wore around their necks when they were doing farm work. I never bothered to look up the word “yoke” in the dictionary until today (see attached image). I was surprised to see that “yoke” was usually a harness made for a pair of bulls or oxen. Jesus said, “take my yoke upon you... for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Jesus is already attached to the yoke and he has an open spot for you right beside him. And I imagine Jesus is doing all the heavy lifting.