Walking With God II

So last Wednesday I asked, "What does it really mean to 'walk humbly' with God?" It could become a rather trite thing to say, guaranteed to make images of us walking rather chummily with Jesus as our ideal of what it means. But Micah gives us the clue to getting it right, when he says "what does God require of you?" That one word, require, means that God is looking for these things in us - acting justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with him. He is looking to see if, as believers, we are actually cultivating these things that are on His heart.

If that's true, then walking humbly with Him means I actively choose to go where He is going, do what He is doing, and pay attention to what He is paying attention to. It's surrendering control of my life to His perfect wisdom. James 4: 4-10 records some very strong words, not to pagans or unbelievers or atheists, but to Christians, to us who have a tendency to choose the world over God's kingdom (even though we have been saved and reoriented heavenward). James quotes Proverbs 3: 34 - "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." His point is not that God gets so angry at us that he lashes out in frustration to stop us - that's what we would do. But He loves us enough to put stumbling-blocks and obstacles in our selfish, self-centered path, pain strategically placed to force us to look up and out, away from our own reflection in the mirror of our own soul. His grace draws us to walk with Him in a way that says, "Not my will, but yours be done." Oddly enough, that ends up making our life actually more what we would want it to be, and not less - but then, that is the point of surrendering to a God who came to give His life so we could gain our own.

Walking with God

Spring has arrived in Minnesota, and with it we have turned at the Chapel to thinking about God's priorities, as shown in Micah 6:8, where God says that what He looks for in His followers is a passion for justice, a love of mercy, and a willingness to walk humbly with Him. But what does that last one really mean - walk humbly with God?

Sermon: December 7, 2014

The Priests' Story

Sample December Sermon Series

November 30, 2014: The King's Story

Sermon: November 9, 2014

Easy to Say, Hard to Believe

Heaven Comes Near When We Least Expect It

"After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 'The time has come', he said. 'The Kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!'"
Mark 1: 14-15

     I've often wondered what it must've been like to hear Jesus speak as the people in his time on earth did. I think what would've struck me head on is surprise - "Now? The kingdom is near now?!" For those who were hungry for God, who were looking for His power to break through and make Israel free from Roman occupation, that moment was furthest from the right time: "John was put in prison." People all over Judea had gone out to see a man who looked like the survivor of an epic battle, wearing rags and eating survival food. Most seemed to think his message and appearance meant Messiah, God's longed for champion deliverer, was just about to come in military power and destroy the Romans. He would surely be the Messiah of powers advance man! But no; John was put in prison. God wouldn't be coming near anytime soon.
     Life is hard; we lose jobs, people disappoint us, we do stupid things and suffer nasty consequences. We look out at the future and see darkness, and we wonder if God really cares. And at that exact moment, if we will listen closely, we'll hear Jesus approaching, and He's shouting the most impossible news of all: at this moment, when we are most convinced heaven is far away, "The Kingdom of God has come near."
     "But Jesus", we might say, "I'm not in any shape to focus on that! Let me pull myself together first. I have to figure out a way out of this mess first."
     "So what?" Jesus replies, "Repent and believe the good news!" So will I, when the bottom of life has fallen out for whatever reason, do this - repent of my efforts to force my life to work my way, and believe that in spite of how little I deserve it, that God loves me and is already near, waiting for me to surrender to Him once again? Will you? Because when we least expect it, heaven comes near.

Welcome to the Chapel Blog! This is a place where the thinking and applications, struggles and successes of those who make up Veritas Chapel will be examined and shared with anyone who wants to participate in them. Through one on one ministry, digital video outreach and a variety of other methods, Veritas Chapel is a church committed to creating disciples of Christ in the region around North Branch MN through families, raising up a Christ-centered generation that is equipped to be world changers.

Pastor Steve comes to Veritas with 20 years of ministry experience, and makes no claims that this blog will be consistently inspiring, motivational or profound; only that it will be an authentic place where preconceptions of what it means to be a Christian will be challenged, differing ideas aired and respect shown to all who join the conversation. Let the blogging begin!