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Published by Jeff Kennon on February 12, 2015

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One In Three Americans Worry About Sharia Law Being Applied In America – As President Obama seeks to ramp up military action against the terrorist group known as ISIS, Americans remain uneasy over the place of Islam in the United States and in the world.

You Should Be A Worldly Saint – “Worldly Saints” may seem like an oxymoron, but it’s the perfect title for what God calls Christians to be. We must be worldly—enjoying creation, loving friends and family, and excelling in our cultural tasks.

Hannibal Lecter Changed My Views On Salvation – Why don’t we choose Jesus? According to John, it’s this: we hate the light. Our deeds are evil. In other words: it’s in our nature. As I began to pour over these verses, my view of salvation transformed. 

What About The Crusades? – For all the times we’ve lamented the Crusades, how many of us know more than two sentences about them? Isn’t it wise to know at least a little something about the Crusades before we borrow them to get an advanced degree in self-recrimination?

The Score Of Our Lives – If we were honest, most of us would admit we wished our lives were set to a soundtrack written by Hans Zimmer — the most epic, romantic thing imaginable. But, alas, they are not. 

Pete Carroll And The Pain Of Leadership – During the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, some were speculating if Pete Carroll should be considered one of the greatest coaches of all time…but….

Great Commercial!!!!

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Living Like Christ Involves The Cross

Published by Jeff Kennon on February 11, 2015

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As Christ-followers, we are constantly encouraged to “live like Christ.” What would Jesus do? we are often asked. And rightly so as John himself writes that whoever says he abides in him [Christ] ought to walk in the same way in which he walked (1 John 2:6).

But what does it mean to “walk like he walked?” I think theologian Kelly Kapic nails it when he writes…

The short answer is that Christians are called to imitate Jesus’ self giving love on the cross, not his crown as a king of his career as a carpenter. The point is clear: Jesus cross provides the primary pattern for our faithfulness to God in the present.  

It was the cross of Christ in which humility, sacrifice, and love were exhibited. Therefore, for us to imitate Christ leads us to a life of humility, sacrifice, and love as well.

We are told by John that by this we know love, that he [Christ] laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:16-18).

Our lives should be one of cruciformity. To be saved by the power of the cross is also to be transformed by it. Christ made us alive with Him so that we could freely live and find true life; the true life that goes counter to the ways of this world as it lives out the ways of the cross.

This life of the cross, along with the message of the cross, will look foolish to the world. Paul writes that God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;  God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being[d] might boast in the presence of God (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).

“When we remember,” Kapic writes, “just how radical the cross is, keeping in mind how it was considered ‘folly’ to worship a crucified Lord, we see how radical this metaphor becomes for shaping the Christian life.” The world glamorizes comfort, ease, and personal honor, but the cross is one of suffering, humility, and sacrifice.

However, though such suffering, humility, and sacrifice look weak to the world, they are really the ways in which God is shown to be most powerful. God does not and has not used the ways of our fallen world to reveal himself. Our King came to the earth by being born in a stable and died by way of a cross. Not exactly the way we would visualize the Creator of the universe coming to the world to restore it. And yet it is through such foolishness that we are being saved (see 1 Corinthians 1:18).

To walk as Jesus walked, therefore, and to live as he lived, is one which is shaped by the cross. It is a life of humility empowered for service and obedience. It is a life of self-sacrifice. And, contrary to the world’s thinking, it is a life of joy!!

 

 

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Around The Web

Published by Jeff Kennon on February 5, 2015

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Four Lessons From The Super Bowl Losers – The Seattle Seahawks narrowly lost yesterday’s Super Bowl. Commentators continue to criticize the play leading to the interception that cost them the game. Few are congratulating them for coming so close to repeating as champions.

Needing Guidance? 30 Questions To Ask – Given the dozens of books about guidance on the market, it’s obvious that knowing God’s will is a huge concern for most Christians. But how? How can we know God’s will for us?

Overcoming Juvenilization In The Church – Do you think the church has been juvenilized? What is the #1 sign of it for you in your context?

Spending An Evening With Atheists – This was easily the most hostile group I have ever addressed in thirty-six years of public speaking.

Church On Fire: Persecution In Niger – There is a strange paradox in much of the church today. The very things Jesus promised would happen if we follow him are often the very things that cause us to doubt his presence and love. But what if the supposed detours in life are the direct route to true blessing?

The Only Solution To World Poverty – There is only one effective solution to world poverty. It is the only solution that has ever worked or will ever work. It is evident from the history of every wealthy nation today, and it is consistent with the teachings of the Bible about productivity, property, government, and personal moral values.

The Drop Box – The Official Movie Trailer – Hundreds of babies are abandoned on the streets of Seoul, South Korea every year, but one brave pastor has made it his mission to save them. 

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Live & Lead By Way of The Cross

Published by Jeff Kennon on February 4, 2015

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What does it mean to live and lead by way of the cross? I think Mark Sayers gives some good insight…

The hero of mythology descends from the sky, gaining fame and glory through courage, violence, and power. He then dies, His grave becoming a sight of hero worship. Christ defies this cycle. He emerges from the tomb, remaking the world with resurrection power, ascending to heaven because of His humility, His servant leadership. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, the world would never be the same. Those who bow their knee at the foot of the cross admitting the absurdity of their own efforts to be godlike, who confess the chaos and sin within them, now enter into a new way of being—one not driven by striving, agenda, or applause. For these followers of Jesus would be taught to follow this new way of living and leading…the way of the cross!

(Facing Leviathan: Leadership, Influence, and Creating in a Cultural Storm by Mark Sayers)

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Do We Crave Distraction?

Published by Jeff Kennon on February 3, 2015

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We love chaos, busyness and noise. To sit still and to be alone and quiet is torture. Why? Because when we are alone, all we have is our thoughts. And for many, such quiet solitudinous thinking only leads to the realization of how empty and bored and mortal they really are.

Consider the words of Blaise Pascal…

Being unable to cure death, wretchedness and ignorance, men have decided, in order to be happy, not to think about such things. Despite these afflictions, man wants to be happy, only wants to be happy, and cannot help wanting to be happy.

But how shall he go about it? The best thing would be to make himself immortal, but as he cannot do that, he has decided to stop himself thinking about it. 

So instead of being alone and having to think about the inevitable reality of the dilemmas of human depravity and death, we seek busyness and noise. And the busyness and noise we crave usually takes the form of work, social media, and entertainment. We will do anything in order to not to have to think about the realities of the human predicament.

The danger is, however, that our desire for happiness that mutes our thoughts of mortality is really no happiness at all. It is only when we face our emptiness and boredom that we start the journey of searching for a cure. Covering up the fears we face is not the answer. Nor does it alleviate them. Just because someone or something speaks over another does not mean the quieter and more subtle voice is still not present.

We must, therefore, remove the distractions and see where the mortality of life points us. Though initially it might lead us to despair, we must look deeper. There is hope. There is a cure. But it can only be found by going back to the beginning and coming to grips with why we were created, what went wrong with everything, and what our Creator has done to restore it all.

Solomon, with his wisdom, sought to discover where true meaning and happiness in life could be found. After seeking it in prosperity, prestige, and power, he came to this conclusion: The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

To become one who is able to “stay quietly in his room,” as Pascal writes, we must daily return to who we are “in Christ.” We must remember the goodness of God found in the sending of His Son to do for us what we could not and can not do for ourselves. But this is not always easy to do. We struggle. We have days where we wonder where God is. And when we do, we turn up the noise not wanting to have to think about it. This is okay and necessary for a while, but when it becomes a lifestyle, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are really happy.

We live in a fast-paced society absorbed with noise and distractions. And before reading Pascal, I always thought that such busyness was just a product of our advancement in technology. But now, I wonder if it’s not a deeper sign of how lonely, empty, and bored we really are. We don’t want to face the reality of why we are truly not happy and so therefore, “the only good thing for men,” writes Pascal, “is to be diverted from thinking of what they are, either by some occupation that takes their mind off it, or by some novel and agreeable passion that keeps them busy.”

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Around The Web

Published by Jeff Kennon on January 29, 2015

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We Are Gomer – The story of Hosea and Gomer reminds us that God loves us not because of our faithfulness, but because of his. Christ saves, and continues to intercede for, the bride who covets other men. Until we see God face-to-face, we will continue to be drawn to other things. But for now, our Husband stands and fights.

Often Unnoticed Marks Of Godliness – Sometimes growing in godliness looks like calling your wife on your lunch break to find out about her day and let her know you love her (something I don’t do nearly enough). Sometimes it looks like putting down your work or the book that you’re reading to lay on the floor and play Legos with your children (this post is starting to get real convicting!).

A Doubter’s Guide To The Creation Story – John Dickson is on a mission to help skeptics engage and understand the most popular book of all time, the Bible.

What Our Best Sellers Tell Us About Our Discipleship – By now, you’ve almost certainly seen the list of the top 25 bestselling Christian titles of 2014. But, of course, there’s one slight problem… Virtually none of these titles are identifiably Christian.

Dear You Who Doesn’t Want To Do That Hard Thing – Dear Lovely You, who doesn’t want to play the piano, take out the recycling, study for your geometry exam, get on the treadmill, clean up the basement, or do that big thing that feels like an impossible thing—

The 24-Minute Morning Routine That Will Make You An Entrepreneurial Rock Star – Not sure this article lives up to it’s title, but it’s an interesting routing nonetheless.

Crazy Plastic Ball Prank – Awesome!

 

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Why We Never Graduate From The Cross

Published by Jeff Kennon on January 27, 2015

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What actually happened  when “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ” is a mystery whose depths we shall spend eternity plumbing –John Stott

We will never fully comprehend the love God has for us. A love and commitment to His creation that was so great that it resulted in the crucifixion of His Son. For many of us, John 3:16 is the first verse we learned and memorized and one in which we now tend to just quote from rote memory. However, the intensity of this verse still remains as we are told  exactly how much God does love us…

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

God loves us SO MUCH that HE GAVE HIS SON. And when God the Father gave us His Son, the world didn’t even recognize him. John writes, He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him (Jn. 1:10-11).

In place of bestowing a crown upon the King of Kings, we nailed Him to a cross. Instead of building Him a palace, we placed Him between two thieves. But all was a part of the plan of God. Christ did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). Jesus gave Himself up for us (see Gal. 2:20). Though He knew no sin, He became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21).

So as we gaze upon the cross, we witness the inexhaustible love of God. A love in which we must continue to remind ourselves of. In a graceless world in which love is shallowly rewarded according to merit and charm, the cross tells us that we are loved unconditionally by the one who created us. Though we look for love in all the wrong places, hoping it will fulfill the cravings of our heart, there is no other love than that found on the cross which will fill the deepest longings of our soul.

Jesus words that greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends, were not just proverbial fluff for Jesus, but were demonstrated upon the cross. Jesus words took on flesh and blood at the place of the Skull. Jesus, who is the very “radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and [who] upholds the universe by the word of his power (see Heb. 1:3), laid down His life on our behalf.

We cannot, therefore, graduate from the cross. The love of God is too deep to plumb it’s depths and our need to be loved is to great to be met anywhere else. Isaac Watts, in his hymn “When I Survey The Wondrous Cross,” concludes it by writing…

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

When we survey that wondrous cross, we come face to face with the amazing grace of God and begin to realize that there is no greater love. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:6-8).

John writes that this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins (1 Jn 4:10). As it has been written over and over, we cannot, and must not, graduate from the cross! For it is our continual gaze upon the cross in which we begin, as well as continually feast upon, the unending love of God.

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We Never Move Beyond The Cross

Published by Jeff Kennon on January 23, 2015

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“‘We never move on from the cross, only into a more profound understanding of the cross.” –David Prior

Paul, in writing to the church in Corinth, reminded them that when he was with them, he “decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). Now I’m pretty sure he preached and taught other things. In fact, if you read the rest of 1 Corinthians, his writing has various concerns with the church. However, I think it’s the cross that forms everything he does teach and write.

For Paul, the gospel was the sole focus of his preaching. And as we read in his letter to the Galatians, it was his only boast! Paul did not move beyond the cross because the crucifixion of Christ was the event in salvation history in which our guilt, shame, and sin were placed upon Christ and absolved. It is the message of our salvation. It is our reconciliation with God and where all things are made right.

It is quite an incredible thought that the creator of the universe would limit himself in becoming a man in order to pursue his rebellious creation. And we must remember that his pursuit involved a cross. Yes, the God of the universe took upon himself our sin and died a most humiliating death. It is this message, the message of the cross, from which we never graduate.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

–Romans 11:33-36

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