Following Jesus is not complicated…but it is costly.

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Gate and Door CafeI honestly can’t remember going to a library but a couple of times while growing up. I’m sure I checked out a book on something related to hunting or sports. I went only when I had to or had nothing better to do. That didn’t change much in college unless there was someone I hoped would be there whose hair was longer than mine.

There is another library we must hang out in consistently if we are going to relate the gospel to those who can’t find the right books on “How to make life work.”
We must study the emptiness, distress, pain and battles people experience every day of their life.

Jesus was always accused of hanging with the wrong people. He did make it to the temple area but almost all of his life was spent either with the dirty dozen or others desperately searching for something to make sense out of life. We’ve got to get our clothes wrinkled sometimes and be with people where they live. If we stay more in our own house or apartment we are going to miss where the Father is at work drawing people to Jesus.

Consider: Psalm 18:6; Prov. 13:12; 14:12,13; Jeremiah 17:9; 2 Corinthians 7:5,6; Ephesians 2:11,12 and 1 Peter 1:18 Good books for studying life.

Where can you spend time with some not following Jesus and just listen to them share their heart?

No More Push Ups

by Gate and Door Cafe on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 8:39am

We used to have our guys do push ups when we left the country on a mission team. They would start with maybe 20 on the first day and add 5 each day. We even started in the Denver airport. These teams would be overseas for 8 weeks and somewhere before that although no one was going to say it, some were thinking “no more push ups.”

Reminds me that we give priority to our benefit, ease or comfort before obedience.Think about the challenges you have read about anywhere in the Bible. It is easy to dismiss some because they seem relevant for that day or another culture but not mine. Surely Jesus is more up to date now.

It is also easy to get off track trying to make life work on our own. We need others in our life. Think about Judges 21:25 “These days, with no king to call the shots, everyone does their own thing: if it feels good, just do it.”The Word on the Street”

Want to take an 8 week mission trip?

Anyone asking you hard questions these days?

Where has your ease stolen the freedom found only in obedience?

Check also Matthew 7:13,14; Luke 18:18-24 and Philippians 2:21

Is it a flower or a skunk?

I know you have driven down a road and all of a sudden it is that smell. You know immediately there has been a skunk run over or there is an extremely angry one nearby.

And if you go to a Botanical garden the aroma of a rose garden captures you and you want to sit in a swing for a while and just take in the delight.

It is the same for the gospel. We don’t spread the gospel by pressuring people but rather by arousing their curiosity. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 speaks to this. Listen to part of it from “The Word on the Street” “We walk into a room and people’s heads turn: they get a sense of something different.”

Are people intrigued by your life? Are they drawn to Jesus when you show up?

You sit in your living room thinking about your family-the kids are playing somewhere in the house, your spouse is involved in a conversation with a friend, you turn on the TV and are greeted with a commercial about needing a large life insurance policy in order to protect your family just in case… You begin thinking-hey, this makes sense and it will only cost $50 each month and my family will have all the security they need. It does make sense if you are following a certain way of thinking. What was Jesus’ security plan for our lives? How about Matthew 10:39? Well, you have to think about when Jesus said this…right? Things in our culture are so different and you have to protect all of the stuff you have collected and of course your family. I mean, God gave us a brain to use. So what about Mt. 10:39? Any implication for our life today? Jesus’ security plan is to lose our life so we can find it. But can I really trust him for…you can fill in the blanks of what you will exclude. This is really too radical and does not make sense. It is so counter cultural. What do you have to give up (lose) in order to experience the freedom that only comes from letting go of the control of your life?

Cheap Wine and Talk

If you are wondering what I think about it, check out how I live.

Some people have a gift of talking about whatever and some really like to let you know how cool or radical their thinking is. But is what we talk about or think about something really how the class should be graded?

One of the early followers of Jesus said something like “preach the gospel and occasionally use words.” Wouldn’t you like to spend some time with this guy and see what he believes?

What kind of messages are our friends, neighbors or close family buds getting from watching our life? Or are they hearing all kinds of stuff we talk about and having difficulty with the discrepancy they see in us?

Someone also once said “Never speak an inch beyond your experience.” Our life really does cross out or underscore what we think or what we are talking about.

Examine Matt. 7:21 Luke 8:21 and John 13:17

What’s one thing you would like people to really get from watching you this week?

All of us are trying to make life work. The problem often is it’s not working too well. Check our Gate and Door Cafe on Facebook to see another way of making sense of life.

Help Wanted

To follow Jesus is to know what his vision is and live it yourself.

It is never enough to just “get it” when it comes to following Jesus. It must be evident to others that it is real in our life. For sure there are many facets of Jesus’ vision, so here is only one of them: John 17:4 & 6-Jesus said he could punch his time card because his job on the planet was done. Obviously the cross was still in sight so what is he getting at?

He had poured his life into many people but especially the team. These guys had seen the real deal. The Father had given these men to Jesus and he showed them who the real God was and showed them how to know him. Their job description was clear. They could put down the catalog of vocational pursuits. He filled in more of the blanks in Matthew 28:19-20.

When you throw in 2 Timothy 2:2 it is evident that Paul was really following Jesus and not just talking about it. Whatever our vocation is, our calling is to help others know and follow Jesus. Too much is at stake to focus on “Angry Birds” type living.

Who are you investing your life in? Are they learning to follow Jesus by watching you learn to follow Jesus?