You WILL Leave A Legacy

This weekend in the second week of our series "Family Matters" we looked at leaving a legacy in our family. Legacy gets talked about a lot, but sometimes we fail to state what should be obvious: You & I will leave a legacy. The only question is what kind.

Let that sink in for a second. Everything you say & do is forming a legacy for your children, grandchildren, & great grandchildren. That's kind of scary isn't it? It's really scary when you start to realize how oblivious we are to that fact most of the time. After all, most of us leave a random legacy. It just sort of happens, & we hope that it's something good, glorifies God, & points our kids toward Jesus. What if, however, we were intentional about leaving a legacy in our families? What would it look like?

Take a look at Deuteronomy 6. In the first 20 verses or so Moses lays out the responsibility the families of this new nation would have to pass on the knowledge of God to their descendants. The goal of God's word was to make sure that the kids & grandkids would know & serve God. Then Moses lays out the teaching end of leaving a legacy & the living part of leaving a legacy. The word of God should be a priority in our homes. Our lives should be consistent with our words. We shouldn't just talk about God to our kids & grandkids; we should demonstrate to them what trusting God looks like & teach them to trust Him too. Finally, in verse 20 Moses says that one day our kids are going to ask us why we do what we do, why the Bible is such priority in our homes, & why we're different from other people. Our answer, Moses said, should be rooted in God's saving, redemptive work.

"Leaving A Godly Legacy Is Rooted In God's Redemptive Work

And Passed On Through God's Revealed Word."

So what are some practical ways to put this passage & this principle into practice?

1. Impress God's Word On Your Heart First. (Deut. 6:6)
2. Impress God's Word On Your Kid's/Grandkids' Heart. (Deut. 6:7)
3. Teach Them The Word Through The Lens Of The Gospel. (Deut. 6:20)
4. Make Sure Your Training (Actions) Matches Your Teaching (Words). (Deut. 6:6-12)

This may seem overwhelming, but it's really this simple: Do something. You don't have to be a scholar. You don't have to be a gifted teacher. The power is in God's word. Just put it in front of your family. Let Jesus be the star of His word. Then lead the way in putting His word into practice in your life. You don't need an elaborate plan. You just need a plan. Stick to it as best you can, but don't beat yourself up if you drop the ball every now & then. Remember the goal isn't just to teach your kids or grandkids the Bible. Your goal is to introduce them to Jesus.

The Friday Five

I'm really looking forward to sharing with you guys some good reads, thoughts, listens, & follows that you may not be aware of. Some of the stuff I'll share will be new. Some of it may be reminders of how good some classic stuff really is. Either way, I hope you enjoy it & check out this week's Friday Five.

1. Music: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens Soundtrack by John Williams. Sure, you could make the argument that this belongs in Nerd Corner, but you don't have to be a nerd to appreciate the genius that is John Williams. Williams has been composing iconic film scores for half a century, & he doesn't miss a beat with the latest in the Star Wars saga. In fact, in some ways this is one of his greatest. It's more subtle than some of the other scores. Yes, there's the main Star Wars theme that accompanies the opening crawl, but the pieces that he weaves together through the film are more subtle while still being powerful. My personal favorite is "Rey's Theme" which finds it's way into various pieces throughout the score. It's not nearly as in your face as the ominous Imperial March, but it sticks with you & evokes emotion.                                                                                                          
2. Quote: "No half-heartedness & no worldly fear must turn us aside from following The Light unflinchingly." ~J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Follow: Dean Inserra on Twitter. Dean is a pastor in Tallahassee, FL who is one of the best follows on Twitter. He's sarcastic, insightful, & a Patriots fan, so what's not to like. By the way, should you choose to follow Dean, be sure to be familiar with the term "jabroni."
4. Podcast: The Village Church Podcast. This podcast isn't a preaching podcast, even though theirs is one of the best. Instead, this podcast focuses on talking about how Christians can think biblically about current cultural issues like immigration, the refugee crisis, same sex marriage, & the current climate of presidential politics. All that's mixed in with a good dose of Pastor Matt Chandler's signature dry wit & serious biblical perspective.
   
5. TV: Friday Night Lights. I have to say I was surprised by this show. First, I was surprised when my wife recommended our watching it. After all, her interest in football is revealed by the fact that she usually picks a team in the Super Bowl based on their uniform colors. I gave it a try anyway, & I was surprised by how good the show is. Having been close to a high school football program in Alabama for a few years, I have to admit that the insanity portrayed in a small Texas town's love for their high school team is pretty close to the mark. It's well written & the characters are well developed. Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor is perfect, & Taylor Kitsch as Tim Riggins steals most of the scenes he's in & becomes one of the best developed, more complicated characters on the show. If you're like me & didn't give this show a shot when it was on, check it out on Netflix, & you'll be saying, "Texas forever!".

Adopted By The King

This weekend we began a new series at Zebulon to celebrate Easter. This new series is called "Family Matters," & over the next few weeks we want to talk about things that are important to families because families are important. However, we don't want it to just be a list of tips & techniques to be a better spouse, parent, child, etc. Instead we want to demonstrate how embracing the truth of the Gospel & living the Gospel life will transform every part of your life, including your family.

So we began our series with the issue that matters most to us & our families. Before our families can be all that we want them to be & all that they could be, we first have to be a part of God's family. And the good news of the Gospel is that in Christ we're not only offered the gift of salvation we're also invited to accept the gift of a new identity.

"In Christ, God Doesn't Just Accept Us. He Adopts Us."

Romans 8 is one of the most beautiful chapters in all of Scripture, & in verse 15 Paul tells us that when we accept the truth of the Gospel, not only are we forgiven but we receive what Paul calls "the Spirit of adoption." It means that we are brought into God's family with full rights. It means we become co-heirs with Christ to the Kingdom of God. It means that our old identity is gone. Our old debts...gone. Our old obligations...gone. Instead Paul tells us in verse 12 that we have an obligation, but it's not a slavish obligation. It's an obligation to our Father, & it's an obligation to our family. It means we have a responsibility to be about what our Father would be about, namely loving & reaching the lost & making disciples out of sinners.

In Christ, we've been adopted by the King of the universe. We've been made sons & daughters of the Most High God through the life, death, & resurrection of Jesus Christ. Yes, when we turn to Christ in faith, trusting Him alone to save us, our sins are forgiven, & we are justified before God. However, in addition to that, we also are brought into a new family with all the rights, privileges, & responsibilities that come with it. Now that's Good News.

The Friday Five

I'm starting something new here at the blog that will do a couple of things. First, it will force me to be a little more consistent in producing content. Secondly, it will be a place where I can get the word out about stuff that I'm reading, watching, or listening to that I think you would enjoy as well. Every week I'll give you five things I think are worth checking out. It may be some music, a book, a quote, someone you should be following on social media, or something that you can completely nerd out to. I hope you enjoy it.

With all that said, here's the inaugural Friday Five.

1. Music: Adoption by Ghost Ship. This is not a new song, but I'm still surprised at how many people still haven't discovered Ghost Ship. This band is absolutely incredible. The depth of songwriting of this group is a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of the "top 40" kind of Christian music out there. If you're into a singer/songwriter/Americana kind of sound, you have to check them out. "Adoption is a track off their new album "Costly," & it's great. In fact, our worship team will be opening our Easter services this weekend with it as we look at how Christ's death & resurrection invites us to be adopted into God's family.
2. Book: The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis. I recently re-read this one on a flight, & it's incredible. If you're only interaction with the Chronicles of Narnia is "The Lion, The Witch, & The Wardrobe," then do yourself a favor & read "The Magician's Nephew." It's basically the back story of how Narnia came to be. An absolute must read.
3. Follow: The International Space Station on Instagram. If you're on Instagram this is one of the coolest follows out there. They make your landscape & sunset pics on Instagram look like bad finger painting. And considering it orbits the Earth at 5 miles per second, you can get a wide variety of shots.
4. Podcast: Signposts With Russell Moore. Sometimes navigating the tension between faith & culture is difficult. In his weekly podcast Dr. Moore addresses some of the issues in the news or that he's questioned about regularly. In a brief but thought provoking platform, Dr. Moore encourages Christians to think biblically & wisely about the issues of life.
   
5. Nerd Corner: Star Wars-The Clone Wars. People who know me know that I am a HUGE Star Wars fan. OK, I'm not a fan. I fall somewhere on the spectrum of nerd to super nerd. In the last few years I discovered Star Wars-The Clone Wars on Netflix. However, when I ask other people if they've ever seen it, I usually get either an "I've never heard of it" or "I assumed it was just as bad as the prequels." If you're a Star Wars fan, you need to watch this. It does what Episodes 1 through 3 failed to do: make you care. The characters are well developed, & the multiple episode story arcs are one of the best aspects of the show. Do yourself a favor & binge watch this great series.

Book Review: The Heaven Promise

I recently had the chance to get a copy of Scot McKnight's new book The Heaven Promise. Scot is a respected professor at Northern Seminary in the Chicago area. Scot also blogs regularly at The Jesus Creed. Scot is one of the few I've read & heard speak who also sounds like one of us. He has a way of talking about & writing about deep, weighty, philosophical & theological issues in a way that is simple & easy to understand, no matter what level of theological education you may have. That's just one reason why The Heaven Promise is such a great book not only for those of us in ministry but also for the average church member who wants to hear what Scripture actually teaches about heaven rather than what culture or someone who claims to have

been there tells us.

It's that commitment to biblical teaching that makes this a must read for anyone interested in the subject or any pastor or teacher who is preparing to address the doctrine of heaven. There's no need to leave it to pop culture images of endless harp playing, which by the way doesn't sound all that appealing, or to the mysterious visions of people who claimed to have seen something in a near death experience. While I'm not discounting 100% of those stories, I don't really need them, & neither do you? Why? Because God has gone on record about what heaven is like now & what we have to look forward to when the Kingdom is fully consummated in Christ's second coming. 

And here's the good news: our imagination's picture of heaven isn't imaginative or glorious enough to contain all that God has in store for His people.

In the book McKnight tackles the idea of heaven right now & what most of us think of when we think of heaven, which is actually the new heaven alluded to in Revelation. Then McKnight tackles what he calls "God's Six Promises About Heaven" which almost always forces the reader to expand what they had previously thought about heaven, & that's good. It means heaven is bigger, grander, & more glorious than we ever thought, mainly because God is bigger, grander, & more glorious than we ever thought. McKnight's last section focuses on "Ten Questions About Heaven" such as "will there be families?" & "what about children who die?". Most everything he covers in this last section are issues that we've all wondered about & talked about, & he handles them in a biblically sound way.

In conclusion, I would say this is a must have. I thoroughly enjoyed it & went through multiple highlighters while reading it. It challenges your notions of heaven while pointing you back to scripture. So if you read this book & find yourself arguing, you may want to remember you're not arguing with Scot but with scripture.

Disclaimer: I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing for this review.