Author: Keith Johnson

We Are His Workmanship

……….CREATED in Christ Jesus for good works”
 
Ephesians 2:10 is an eye opener since it follows that well known verse…..
“For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not of your own doing, 
It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  Eph 2: 8-9
So I have been saved by an act of obedience, a work, on the cross….
By Grace….
Not by MY Doing….
 
But what was I saved to DO?
Grow fatter and richer and lazier?
Play better golf?
Travel and enjoy life?
Eat, drink and be Merry?
Take no risks, sit on my butt and stay safe?
 
Paul has another idea…….
Although none of the above are totally evil. (except the grow fatter and lazier part)
We were created for good works…..Paul says.
There ain’t no Plan B……we are it!
No one else was created for good works like us.
The Father wants to work through us and calls us
“His Workmanship”
 
And again…….Paul reminds us in vs.11-13
“…………..Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ……….
Having no hope and without God in the world………you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”
This blood was not cheap…..
And we have been called to perform, not talk, good works…..
And man alive, do I know a lot of talkers, self-proclaimed scholars of the Bible, experts in every doctrine!
And Wow, do they love to talk….
And so do I………..because its easy!!!
It involves no risk, no blood, no sweat, no tears, no pain, no suffering……….just talk….
But its cheap talk, my friends.
 
I was created for “good works”……not good talk!
Good discussion, good argument, good disagreement…..there’s a place for it……
But it is not a substitute for Good Works!! 
I got several interesting comments from my blog (see below) last week.
And I appreciate the feedback……especially if you disagree…..at least you are reading!
So if you don’t feel “the call” or even agree that Matthew 28 is for today……..I would say….
 
Do Something!
“lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, whether neither moth nor rust destroys…..”  Matthew 6:20
 
Matthew West plays it well….
I’m so tired of talking
About how we are God’s hands and feet
But it’s easier to say than to be
Live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves
It’s alright, “somebody else will do something”
Well, I don’t know about you
But I’m sick and tired of life with no desire
I don’t want a flame, I want a fire
I wanna be the one who stands up and says,
I’m gonna do something”
We are the salt of the earth
We are a city on a hill
But we’re never gonna change the world
By standing still
No we won’t stand still
No we won’t stand still
No we won’t stand still
Read more at http://www.songlyrics.com/matthew-west/do-something-lyrics/#6DSSvb9X0tbJrb2f.99

Go And See!

My friend, brother and Missionary for 30+ years……..
Maken Sanglir
Makes this statement often!
GO and SEE!
I would add……….and
Taste and Smell and Touch and Hear!!!
 
But why don’t Rich Americans do it?
Over the years, I have gotten many responses…….
I don’t have the money! (but I have over a million bucks in my 401k…..which is why I am retired at 60)
Too many people need help in the US!
I am called to the US…..no question about it.
My wife won’t go!
My husband won’t go!
Where can I send the check?
There is nothing I can do!
I don’t have a skill.
The Poor will always be with us!
I only have 2 weeks a year for vacation.
“I don’t have or feel the calling.
I must save for retirement. (its gonna take at least one mil to retire til 95 at my required lifestyle)
Too risky to fly these days…….
 
But what’s the real root cause?
I think there is more than one root cause.
Fear is a big one….fear of the unknown…..
Fear of catching a disease and dying or getting killed by terrorists….
Thank God the disciples and Paul understood perfect love…
But what about 1 John 4:18???
“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.  
For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”
Matthew 28:19 is not referring to me…..Jesus told his 11 disciples to Go, not me.
One friend recently told me that he thought people did not Go because they just don’t know!
They don’t understand the needs……………the lost hope for living without the Gospel, the depression, the demonic oppression, the blindness, the poverty, 
the lack of education and the lack of tools for education, the lack of medical, the lack of jobs, etc.
He might be partially correct………..
And so the need for this blog and others to communicate the Needs…
But I don’t really buy that excuse as the main reason!
You’ve got to be deaf, dumb and blind not to hear and see the suffering in this godless world, every day!!!
 
To quote David Platt again…..
The question, therefore, is not “Can we find God’s will?” The question is “Will we obey God’s will?” Will we refuse to sit back and wait for some tingly feeling to go down our spines before we rise up and do what we have already been commanded to do? Will we risk everything— our comfort, our possessions, our safety, our security, our very lives— to make the gospel known among unreached peoples? Such rising up and such risk taking are the unavoidable, urgent results of a life that is radically abandoned to Jesus.
 
Platt, David (2010-04-17). Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (p. 160). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. 
 
But we are seeking that American Dream, building that 401k, living the good life of comfort and wealth and safety.
And we agree with Roosevelt when he said Americans will postpone immediate gratification when they believe their future will be better than their past……(that’s why we work our asses off 60 hrs a week for 45 years to build that 401k)
But is that the sacrifice that Jesus is referring to???
Platt makes it clear to me…..
In similar words Jesus said to his followers, “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  Jesus clearly acknowledged that following him involves risking the safety, security, and satisfaction we have found in this world. But in the end, Jesus said, following him leads to a radical reward that this world can never offer. This begs a question from each of us: do we believe the reward found in Jesus is worth the risk of following him?
 
Platt, David (2010-04-17). Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (pp. 161-162). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I believe the answer for many American Christians is “NO”!
First of all, the world, especially the American World, offers a sweet reward…..
much sweeter than catching malaria in a rice patty.
Second of all, don’t you watch the news, Man?  This is a crazy world!! Its too damn risky! 
I have a wife and kids and grandkids.  I want to watch them grow up!
And I believe this….. is the real root cause……We really don’t take this stuff as serious as Jesus meant it!!
We do not believe the Word of God is for Us……Today……for Now!!!
I have found my life and it ain’t on the streets of Yangon!
It ain’t worth the risk, the pain and suffering, the loss of my wealth!!
 
What do you think Jesus meant?

The Religious vs. The Non-Religious? Who is Better?

secular-people-custom-customGreat article on why we are Supernaturalists and most of the world are Naturalists….
 
french-church-customReligion is not the answer!  
 
Believe or not?
 
I happen to agree with some points from this Atheist!
 
What do you think?
 
Can you imagine there is no heaven?
 
Not that easy for me!!

“For you always have the poor with you”……Matthew 26:11

I got this one again, this week, from a Brother whom I have great respect for!
It’s that favorite “go to” verse that everyone uses when…………….
You quote passages from books like Radical that I quote below……..
Or you question American prosperity, ignorance, incredible waste and greed…….
And your own…….for that matter! 
I have gotten it many times from Rich people who have never been outside of their protected county in Rich America!
 
Now……..I can’t judge anyone’s heart…
But I can sure as hell……judge mine!
And it ain’t good.  
 
So what is Jesus getting at here?  
This woman anointed him with expensive ointment
And the disciples got angry because they saw it as a waste of money!
So was she performing an act of worship and adoration to the King of Kings?
Was she preparing Him for his burial….to the glory of God?
 
Now Jesus called this so-called “waste” a “beautiful thing”!
So what’s beautiful?
The ointment?  The act?  The Worship?  Her heart?  Her sacrifice?  Her Adoration of Him?
And then He said…….”but you will not always have me.”
And then he died, rose up, presented himself to over 500 people and departed this planet.  
 
OK, I get that.  
But now that He is gone, what am I called to do? handmoney-custom
Still worship Him first?  
Got that!
But can giving to the poor be an act of worship?  I think so.
Can giving to the poor, like the Macedonians, (2 Corinthians 8:1-4) get in the way of worshipping Jesus?
Sure, a lot of things can get in the way of putting Jesus first.
Especially works, like giving to the poor.  
But can I do both?
By the Grace of God, I hope so!
So….why do I always get Matthew 26:11
And not 2 Corinthians 9:6-14
Some might say……….”Balance Brother”!
I really don’t see much balance in most Rich Christian’s lives
Might be one reason they are rich!
“But don’t compare”, others will say.
Well…………I have to admit……..that ain’t easy.
Because, frankly, I see a lot of comparisons in the Bible.
The Macedonians are one group and of course, Jesus, and Paul and Peter.
If you compare yourself to those guys, you are gonna feel some conviction…….
And that’s not comfortable!
And I think most of these guys said follow me, emulate me, do as I do.
And of course, we Americans like to be comfortable.
I say this as I am sipping my Egg Nog with Zaya Rum.  (my webmaster makes the best, BTW)
Am I strugglin?
Absolutely!
And I hope you are too…..but I fear that you are not!!
And it should scare you that you are too comfortable.
It scared me last week when I visited Samuel in Myanmar.
A very humble, broken Brother with 4 children, a sweet wife…………
 and 12 orphans from the mountains of Myanmar.
All 18 living in a shack in Yangon!!!
  
And then, Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:11…………
(which I have never heard taught)
“You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way”
Say what?
Is Paul saying that God made you and I rich in this wealthy country…………….
So that we can be generous………in every way???
WOW!!!
 
What do you think of that?
Would love to hear your comments!!!
 
Last Week………
I just returned from Myanmar………………..
Troubled!
I made a huge mistake.
Started reading David Platt’s book, “Radical”, before I left,
Read it in Myanmar and just finished it.
Not a wise thing to do while in a 3rd World country ruled by the military for the last 50 years
Especially, if you are comfortable with your rich American christian life.
No, not wise at all.
While there, I met Brother Samuel and his wife and his 4 children and his 12 orphan children….
All living in a small shack near the airport…
And Brother Paul who has 70 orphans outside of Yangon in a Jack Fruit Orchard.
 
So……..is David Platt out of his mind…….a lunatic when he says stuff like this?????
 
“The result is tragic. A majority of individuals supposedly saved from eternal damnation by the gospel are now sitting back and making excuses for not sharing that gospel with the rest of the world. But what if we don’t need to sit back and wait for a call to foreign missions? What if the very reason we have breath is because we have been saved for a global mission? And what if anything less than passionate involvement in global mission is actually selling God short by frustrating the very purpose for which he created us? 
 
“WHAT ABOUT THE NEEDS HERE?” 
Maybe the most common response that arises among Christians regarding the global purpose of God is “What about the needs here? Why do we need to be involved in other nations when there are so many needs in our nation?” Among Christians in Birmingham (where I pastor), I often hear this statement phrased something like this: “I don’t need to go to all nations, because God has given me a heart for the United States.” Others might say, “God has given me a heart for Birmingham.” These statements sound spiritual, but when we probe deeper, they seem more like smoke screens.
They are smoke screens because most of us really are not very concerned about the needs right around us. Most Christians rarely share the gospel, and most Christians’ schedules are not heavily weighted to feeding the hungry, helping the sick, and strengthening the church in the neediest places in our country.”
Platt, David (2010-04-17). Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (pp. 75-76). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I know what you’re thinking……Platt……don’t try to guilt me into doing something crazy and risky!  I am not a bad person…..I give to my church and I don’t lie or steal and I have never killed anyone and I pay my taxes……
 
Well, Platt, responds to that too:
“When we gather at the building, we learn to be good. Being good is defined by what we avoid in the world. We are holy because of what we don’t participate in (and at this point we may be the only organization in the world defining success by what we don’t do). We live decent lives in decent homes with decent jobs and decent families as decent citizens. We are decent church members with little more impact on the world than we had before we were saved. Though thousands may join us, ultimately we have turned a deaf ear to billions who haven’t even heard his name. 
Discipling is much different. 
Whereas disinfecting Christians involves isolating them and teaching them to be good, discipling Christians involves propelling Christians into the world to risk their lives for the sake of others. Now the world is our focus, and we gauge success in the church not on the hundreds or thousands whom we can get into our buildings but on the hundreds or thousands who are leaving our buildings to take on the world with the disciples they are making.
Platt, David (2010-04-17). Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (p. 105). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
In Chapter 7 of Radical, Platt explains Matthew 28:19……..
The command that Jesus gave to all believers before he left this planet.
Platt says this ain’t no option, there ain’t no Plan B……YOU ARE IT!  Like it or not!
“The question, therefore, is not “Can we find God’s will?” The question is “Will we obey God’s will?” Will we refuse to sit back and wait for some tingly feeling to go down our spines before we rise up and do what we have already been commanded to do? Will we risk everything— our comfort, our possessions, our safety, our security, our very lives— to make the gospel known among unreached peoples? Such rising up and such risk taking are the unavoidable, urgent results of a life that is radically abandoned to Jesus.”
Platt, David (2010-04-17). Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (p. 160). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I tell ya……Platt is starting to sound a lot like Keith Green here………and getting under my skin!
If you can remember back 30+ years.
I only know a few followers of Jesus who think like this and actually act on it……….
So what do YOU Think Like??
Feedback?

There Ain’t No Option B – Matthew 28:…

I just returned from Myanmar………………..
Troubled!
I made a huge mistake.
Started reading David Platt’s book, “Radical”, before I left,
Read it in Myanmar and just finished it.
Not a wise thing to do while in a 3rd World country ruled by the military for the last 50 years
Especially, if you are comfortable with your rich American christian life.
No, not wise at all.
While there, I met Brother Samuel and his wife and his 4 children and his 12 orphan brother-samuel-family-customchildren….
All living in a small shack near the airport…
And Brother Paul who has 70 orphans outside of Yangon in a Jack Fruit Orchard.
 
So……..is David Platt out of his mind…….a lunatic when he says stuff like this?????
 
“The result is tragic. A majority of individuals supposedly saved from eternal damnation by the gospel are now sitting back and making excuses for not sharing that gospel with the rest of the world. But what if we don’t need to sit back and wait for a call to foreign missions? What if the very reason we have breath is because we have been saved for a global mission? And what if anything less than passionate involvement in global mission is actually selling God short by frustrating the very purpose for which he created us? 
 
“WHAT ABOUT THE NEEDS HERE?” 
Maybe the most common response that arises among Christians regarding the global purpose of God is “What about the needs here? Why do we need to be involved in other nations when there are so many needs in our nation?” Among Christians in Birmingham (where I pastor), I often hear this statement phrased something like this: “I don’t need to go to all nations, because God has given me a heart for the United States.” Others might say, “God has given me a heart for Birmingham.” These statements sound spiritual, but when we probe deeper, they seem more like smoke screens.
They are smoke screens because most of us really are not very concerned about the needs right around us. Most Christians rarely share the gospel, and most Christians’ schedules are not heavily weighted to feeding the hungry, helping the sick, and strengthening the church in the neediest places in our country.”
Platt, David (2010-04-17). Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (pp. 75-76). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I know what you’re thinking……Platt……don’t try to guilt me intobrother-samuel-children-custom doing something crazy and risky!  I am not a bad person…..I give to my church and I don’t lie or steal and I have never killed anyone and I pay my taxes……
 
Well, Platt, responds to that too:
“When we gather at the building, we learn to be good. Being good is defined by what we avoid in the world. We are holy because of what we don’t participate in (and at this point we may be the only organization in the world defining success by what we don’t do). We live decent lives in decent homes with decent jobs and decent families as decent citizens. We are decent church members with little more impact on the world than we had before we were saved. Though thousands may join us, ultimately we have turned a deaf ear to billions who haven’t even heard his name. 
Discipling is much different. 
Whereas disinfecting Christians involves isolating them and teaching them to be good, discipling Christians involves propelling Christians into the world to risk their lives for the sake of others. Now the world is our focus, and we gauge success in the church not on the hundreds or thousands whom we can get into our buildings but on the hundreds or thousands who are leaving our buildings to take on the world with the disciples they are making.”
Platt, David (2010-04-17). Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (p. 105). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
In Chapter 7 of Radical, Platt explains Matthew 28:19……..
The command that Jesus gave to all believers before he left this planet.
Platt says this ain’t no option, there ain’t no Plan B……YOU ARE IT!  Like it or not!
“The question, therefore, is not “Can we find God’s will?” The question is “Will we obey God’s will?” Will we refuse to sit back and wait for some tingly feeling to go down our spines before we rise up and do what we have already been commanded to do? Will we risk everything— our comfort, our possessions, our safety, our security, our very lives— to make the gospel known among unreached peoples? Such rising up and such risk taking are the unavoidable, urgent results of a life that is radically abandoned to Jesus.”
Platt, David (2010-04-17). Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream (p. 160). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.
I tell ya……Platt is starting to sound a lot like Keith Green here………and getting under my skin!
If you can remember back 30+ years.
I only know a few followers of Jesus who think like this and actually act on it……….
So what do YOU Think Like??
Feedback?