Adam Barnett

Mountains Melt Like Wax!

This encouraged me today, as it always does.  It elegantly depicts the sovereignty of our King and calls us to a high level of righteousness...

The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice.  Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.  His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.  The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.  The heavens proclaim his righteousness and all the peoples see his glory.  All who worship images are put to shame, those who boast in idols - worship him, all you gods! Zion hears and rejoices and the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments, O Lord.  For you, O Lord, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.  Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.  Light is shed upon the righteous and joy on the upright in heart. Rejoice in the Lord, you who are righteous, and praise his holy name.

Psalm 97

Code of Conduct

We are studying the New Testament this summer and walking slowly through it (on purpose).  I've enjoyed taking my time - it prevents me from rushing through different chapters and missing good stuff to chew on.  

Last night, we discussed 2 Thessalonians 5, specifically verses 12-24.  My bible labels this as "Final Instructions" but one friend last night called it his "Code of Conduct." This short segment of scripture is packed with standards that we ought to live by and we were all challenged as we graded ourselves according to that scripture.  

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."  (verses 16-18)  HOW DO YOU DO THIS?  The end of that sums it up for me - this is the Lord's will for my life to live in this way, so daily submitting myself to his will is a good start!  

Whatever you're up to today, join me in attempting to find joy in every minute, pray throughout the day and give thanks, regardless of your circumstances.  Easier said than done, but worth a try! 

Life and Peace

I think that this picture defines what many people deal with on a daily basis.  We have great intentions when we wake up, but by the time we go to bed, we are filled with guilt and shame for that day's thoughts and decisions.  Yesterday, Clark shared a great message on how to live each day filled with the Holy Spirit and how the Spirit leads us into more righteous living.  Romans 8:5-6 says, "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace."(NIV)  I don't know about you, but the scripture puts in very clearly - choose death or choose life and peace. 

How do we set our minds on what the Spirit desires?  How do we submit our minds to the control of the Holy Spirit?  Good questions - I think it takes a lifetime to figure this out, but for today... GET THIRSTY!  "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" (John 7:37) 

Matthew 6

Tuesday night, I met with a group of college students to talk about prayer.  The Bible says a ton about prayer, but there is no better place to look than Matthew 6, where Jesus tells his disciples how to pray.  So, we spent an entire hour simply talking through a small portion of this chapter.  It was an incredible time and the conversation was delicious (can I say that?).  Here the the whiteboard post-meeting:

Matthew 18:11 - Where is it?

This morning, I was reading in Matthew 18 (the chapter on the Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven).  As I read, it went from Matthew 18:10 to Matthew 18:12 - completely skipping verse 11.  Normally I wouldn't catch something this meticulous, so I'm unsure why I did this morning.  However... WHY?  Where in the world is Matthew 18:11?  I researched a little...

Matthew 18:11 says, "For the Son of man has come to save that which was lost."  However, it does not appear in the NASV, NKJV or the KJV.  The verse is missing from some of the Bible's translations because the passage does not actually appear in the best early Greek manuscripts which contain Matthew.  The New Testament was written in Greek - the original documents, called "autographs" were copied and passed from one person to another.  Through a process called "Textual Criticism," people have supposedly decided that Matthew 18:11 didn't fit accurately in the original "autograph" of Matthew. 

Some think this because it is almost an exact replica of Luke 19:10, "For the Son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."  (the difference is underlined)  Throughout the Bible, there are of course many "repeats" in scripture due to the many Old Testament scriptures mentioned or quoted in the New Testament... but, for some reason, Matthew 18:11 was apparently "misplaced."

My conclusion: oh well.  The Bible, while handed down and passed through many centuries and generations, has of course remained pure.  It is the inspired Word of God (1 Timothy) and that cannot be manipulated - other than some misspelled words or other minor human mistakes! 

You can learn more about Textual Criticism by clicking here. 

The Lowest = the Greatest!

In John 13, Jesus shows the ultimate act of love and service to his disciples by washing their feet.  Imagine that picture - the King of Kings and Messiah on the floor washing the dirt off of his follower's feet.  Just another reason Jesus is so amazing... he does things that the average person would never dream of! 

My friend Blake showed a video to me that is very moving.  It is a group of people that are working under Truthseekers International and traveled to India to wash feet.  Not ordinary feet, but the lowest caste in India, the "untouchables," the people that go unnoticed and unwanted.  And now their feet were washed bringing feelings of value and importance and love.  Incredible.

Please click here to watch the video.  It will bless you, I promise!

Got Jesus?

I am reading John Pipers, "Don't Waste Your Life" right now and loving it.  One part early in his book talks about if we reject Jesus, we reject God.  He says that, "Jesus is the litmus test of reality for all persons and all religions."  In all the places I've traveled and the many people I've met, I've delt with this many times.  For example, as I've shared the gospel with Hindus, they will consider Jesus as "a" god (lower-case) instead of "the" redemption and reconciliation between us and God.  And of course, Muslims consider our God the same, but believe Jesus was just a prophet.  Jehovah's Witness, Mormon... on and on.  But, consider what scripture says about Jesus: 

"The one who rejects me rejects him who sent me." (Luke 10:16)

"No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

"Whoever doesn't honor the Son does not honor the Father..." (John 5:23)

"If God were your Father, you would love me." (John 8:42)

"Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:23)

"Everyone who doesn't abide in the teaching of Christ does not have God." (2 John 9)

Am I Good Enough?

Honesty to the extreme: I've been dealing with some personal feelings lately of inadequacy and lack of worth.  In my private life, there are things that need constant "tweaking" in order to please Jesus (i.e. Do I love my wife the way Christ loves the church?  Do I exemplify Christlike qualities like forgiveness, gentleness, patience and kindness?  And on and on...)  So, why in the world am I in ministry, again?

The truth is that I'm given the feeling that some people just don't believe in me.  Thoughts that resonate in my mind, to name a few:  You're only 25 years old... You don't know this, or you don't know that.  Or, you're not ready for this.  Or, that wasn't good enough.  Or, I don't have the time for you right now.  Or, you have a lot to learn.  Or, you need to learn to discern the difference between passion and "calling."  These are the things I feel most of the time.  You can probably credit this to my desire to please man rather than the Lord a lot of the time - a pathetic excuse for my tendency to be a workaholic.

So, why has God allowed me to serve in ministry?  Why do I get to make phone calls each week to hurting people?  Visit the hospital?  Plan mission trips?  Have coffee with people fighting addictions?  Encourage parents with rebellious teenagers?  Pray with people?  Celebrate victories with people? 

Why?  Because I'm not good enough, I guess!  This scripture (1 Corinthians 1:26-31), recently spoken into my life by a close friend, explains why I AM INSUFFICIENT for this and why the opinion of critical and discouraging people and the negative thoughts I have should no longer matter in my life.  And, why all that matters is my obedience to God: 

"Brothers, think of what you were when you were called.  Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.  But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.  It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.  Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.'"  

So, Lord, take my stupidity, lack of influence, foolishness and weakness and replace them with your wisdom, influence, perception and strength.

Pure Religion - Accept the Challenge!

  

I took these pictures in Xia Xia, Mozambique in 2006.  They are pictures that define beauty but also haunt me at times.  I've been struggling lately with the idea of Christians claiming to be Christians, but not caring for those that Christ showed an obvious burden for.  I'm aware that this is a very sensitive subject that many authors have written about - and this blog post immediately becomes more dramatic due to the fact that I work at a church! However, I cannot claim that we (the typical, casual Christians) have it figured out.  You can see from the scripture at the bottom that God's heart seems to beat in a special rhythm for those in need: orphans, widows, the poor, the hungry, the least of these, the brokenhearted and the crushed.  So, let me ask the difficult questions:

Have you ever held an orphan?  Have you spent time with the fatherless?  Have you hugged and kissed a child that never receives attention or affection?  (on a side note, an author and friend of mine, Tom Davis, showed me that if 7% of the "professing" Christians in the world adopted one child, there would be no orphans left...)

Have you spent time with a widow?  Have you allowed a widowed-woman to sit and talk with you.  Odds are, she's extremely lonely. Inside, she's most likely desperate for someone to sit for a while - to make her a priority.

Do you make time to tend to the needs of the poor or the homeless?  Do you have a guest room in your home that remains empty?  Why not fill it with someone who sleeps under cardboard?  And let me assure you, having 3 friends who live at the homeless shelter in OKC, there are homeless and poor people around us...everywhere.

Do you notice those around you that are running low on joy, hope or confidence?  Is your attention on those that look and act like you, or do you notice those that don't want to live another day... the broken and crushed?  More than that - do you offer joy, hope and love to them, or simply walk by? 

I should clarify that writing a check to United Way or Salvation Army is not living according to scripture (although I love their organizations and mission statements).  Simply enabling others to be the hands and feet of Christ robs you of fulfilling YOUR purpose!  Matthew 25:35-36, "For I was hungry and YOU gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and YOU gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and YOU invited me in, I needed clothes and YOU clothed me, I was sick and YOU looked after me, I was in prison and YOU came to visit me."  

Many times people say that your planner and checkbook reveal your priorities.  Do your priorities align with the Father's priorities?  

Another tough one to chew on - how many lost people do you spend time with each week?  If someone went through your cell phone, how many people in your contact's list don't know the Lord?

These are all questions that I'm trying to figure out in my own life - by no means do I have it figured out!  I simply hope to open your eyes to the thoughts I'm pondering!  But, Lord, still we beg you to stir within our hearts the desire to love those that you love and share the burdens you have. 

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."    James 1:27

"A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling."  Psalm 68:5

"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor."  Proverbs 22:9

"I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me."  Matthew 25:45

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit."  Psalm 34:18

The "B" word

It has been a long day when it comes to things that the Lord keeps putting in my mind.  One of my newest hero's, Don Overton (who has encouraged me more in a few weeks than I've felt in years!) spoke this morning at Staff Chapel.  He spoke about the Sabbath... and how few people honor it, especially people in ministry.  We often fill what should be a time of rest with our JOB.  Although ministry is so rewarding, the truth is - many times it can consume you more than anything.  It can easily consume your thoughts, schedule, relationships, and even your down-time.  It eventually, if you're not careful, leads to the unnecessary "B"-word... busyness.  This word has successfully become a cuss word in my life, mainly because of how pitiful I feel when I say, "I'm too busy to do this... I'm too busy to do that..."

Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still and know that I am God."  In Isaiah 30:18 it says, "Blessed are those who wait on the Lord!" 

Here's the painful, yet sobering truth -- when I don't make time to rest in the Lord, wait on him, listen to his voice... when I neglect these things, other things suffer as well.  Let me explain some of these thoughts that I've had today:

• My planner (schedule) reflects my priorities.  Is the Lord my most important daily appointment or do I consider only as important as other meetings?
• Can I effectively lead my wife and usher her into the presence of the Lord if I'm not making a sufficient amount of time for myself to spend with Jesus?
• Are the other things that should be so important to me (primarily family) suffering to my busy lifestyle?  Do they feel unimportant or unloved due to my schedule?
• Is my busyness cutting into the things I value most?

Lord, help me fix this part of me so that I can be more effective for you and more loving to others!