Archive for category: Go Deeper

Shadow of Doubt

18 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

Art experts can examine a painting and tell by the brush strokes if it’s fake. Coaches can watch a player run the ball and tell if he’s a champion. Doctor’s can read an MRI and tell you if surgery is necessary.

We trust our eyes. We think we know what we see. But do we really?

The art expert, the coach and the doctor have studied. They know what they’re looking for. Experience has given them an eye for detail and the ability to discern the difference between average and world class, normal and dangerous. They see things the untrained eye cannot. Yet sometimes, they still miss it. A van Gogh turns out to be a forgery. That multi-million dollar contract never leads to a Super Bowl. The aneurysm happens in spite of the recent check-up.

In Scripture the Jewish people were the experts on God. They received the Law of God through Moses. Prophets delivered prophecies to paint a picture of the coming Messiah. They had all the resources and experience needed to spot what the untrained eye may have missed.

Jesus is Messiah.

Yet miss it they did. And so do many others. We have more information that has received greater scholarly scrutiny today regarding the history and life of Jesus than ever before. A quick search online reveals volumes of information debating the work and significance of this man.

How can the light shine so brightly, illuminate so thoroughly, and people continue to miss the truth right in front of their face?

John 1:9-14 says, “[Jesus] was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

We trust our eyes. We think we see clearly. But do we? You don’t have to be an expert to uncover the mystery and majesty of Jesus. He is the Son of God. He came to save his people from their sin. Go back a hundred years. Show someone a picture of a man walking on the moon. They’ll call you crazy. Go back a few hundred years, show them a picture of anything on your iPhone – they’ll call you a witch. Belief is not about seeing. It’s about receiving.

What are you willing to receive from God? What shadow of doubt prevents you from believing, trusting, following or obeying? Look closely. The truth is right in front of your eyes.

Anger Management

17 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

Be nice…

“Mr. McGee, don’t make me angry. You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.” – Dr. David Banner

The other day I was driving. I pulled up to a stop light. It didn’t take long to notice the person in the car next to me. He was alone but talking so loudly I could hear the faint sounds of his voice through his window and mine. I thought at first he was singing. But the tone was clearly not something musical. This guy was mad! He flailed his arms around, beat on the steering wheel and made symbolic gestures to no one in particular.

From where I sat it was pretty funny.

We’ve all been there. Someone pushes us so hard we feel like we’re going to explode! There’s only a handful of ways to deal with this kind of frustration. While firearms and napalm may sound satisfying they leave a terrible mess, not to mention the unpleasant social, legal and moral issues. Is it really possible to learn anger management?

Let’s narrow our focus. Anger isn’t really the problem. It’s the symptom. You’ve heard people say, “I got so mad I lost control.” It may have been you. That confession reveals the truth. Anger is one natural expression of a lack of self control.

We get angry for three reasons.

Unsatisfied Needs
Unmet Expectations
Unrighteous Actions

We use these three reasons as an excuse to Hulk-out on people, fly off the handle and completely lose control. We let anger wash over us and give in to it’s unbridled lust for justice, revenge or satisfaction. Anger management isn’t about figuring out how to stay calm, cool and collected. Anger management is about learning self control.

Scripture teaches there’s an appropriate time and appropriate way to be angry. When we lose control, we lose an effective tool for dealing with certain unrighteous acts. There’s nothing more frightening than righteous anger, deliberately applied to an injustice in the world. It’s Liam Neesan’s calm but menacing voice on the other end of the phone as his daughter is being kidnapped in the movie Taken, “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If it’s money, I haven’t got any, but what I do have is a particular set of skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. So, you can let her go right now and that’ll be the end of it. Otherwise, I will hunt you down. I will find you. And I will kill you.”

Righteous anger applied. I can’t think of anything quit so persuasive or quite so frightening. But we don’t typically use anger. We allow anger to use us.

The principles that help us learn self control are not complicated, but they are often hard to practice. We know they aren’t complicated because they sound so cliche. But, the fact that something is simple doesn’t make it easy to apply. Here they are in a nutshell.

Pray – when I can’t control me or someone else, I can always talk to the one who can.
Decide Beforehand – Make a list based on Scripture. What’s worth the time, effort and risk of your anger? If it’s not on the list, don’t waste the energy.
Persistent Practice – Musicians practice in order to make beautiful music. Practice is messy. Sometimes they get it right, sometimes they don’t. With every rehearsal they refine their notes and rhythms till the song that comes out is the one they intend and the one you’re willing to pay to hear over and over again. Self control works this way. PRACTICE. You may not always get it right, but you can make it better. You can refine your response, prepare your heart and mind and place yourself in a position where self control comes more easily this time than the time before.

Ephesians 4:26, 31-32 says,

“…don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a foothold to the devil…Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.” (NLT)

Don’t let anger define you. Learn self control and master the anger within.

Think Fast; Think Deep

16 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

Sir Winston Churchill

I love a clever come back. I respect those people who, in the heat of the moment, have the mental agility and verbal acuity to say just the right thing at the right time. They make their point with razor sharp wit and leave their subject languishing in the wake of their comment.

I’m not that guy, though at times I wish I could be. I have a friend who downloaded pages of one-liners about your mother just to be prepared. His son found it. The school says he used it well. Detention will last a week.

Winston Churchill was great at this. He was once confronted in public by an overly zealous women, “If you were my husband I would give you poison!” She shouted indignantly. Churchill calmly responded, “If I were your husband…I would take it.”

Mental agility and verbal acuity – the ability to think on your feet and say what you thought. It’s a talent that can be as priceless as perilous.

I also admire deep thinkers. They may be slow to speak, but don’t mistake their silence for ignorance. C.S. Lewis once said, “If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world will satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.” Soak on that for a bit.

Deep thoughts often come from the most unlikely of places and their value is difficult to describe. Mental agility, mental depth, verbal acuity – are these natural talents, or skills that can be acquired?

I believe they are both.

Mental agility is learned through lively conversation.
Mental depth is learned through reading widely and writing regularly.

Conversation is quick, reading and writing is slow. Conversation helps you think fast. Writing helps you think deep. You are likely bent in such a way that you’re better at one or the other. It doesn’t matter. Either can be learned.

Do you struggle with mental agility? Talk with more people about more topics. Get into a good argument – not the kinds that damage relationships, but the kind that helps you think more clearly. Conversations are the practice field where mental agility and verbal acuity are tried, tested and proved.

Do you struggle with mental depth? Listen more. Read more. Write more. The process of writing requires a different kind of thinking than the process of talking. Take the time to read something and write something everyday. It doesn’t take much. Over time you’ll find that you think more clearly and your thoughts will have greater value.

Scripture teaches that a word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Take time to sharpen your mind and sharpen your words. In James 3:1-12 we’re told the words we think and say set the course for our life like the rudder of a ship. If we can control our words we can influence our thoughts and reshape the direction of our lives.

Hate Religion; Love Jesus

13 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

This video has been floating around Facebook lately. Give it a spin, read my comments, then make some of your own.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY

Well produced and well said.

Scripturally, he’s right about self-righteousness. Politically, Jesus isn’t a Democrat either. Culturally, he clearly articulates why so many people are disenfranchised by religion.

I’ve heard people say, “I like Jesus, but don’t like the church.” If what they mean is religion, I’m right there with them. Religion is a fish out of water trying to teach a drowning man to breath.

There is a difference between the Church and religion. By Church I don’t mean a denomination, building or system of organization. I mean the Church described in the Bible. That Church is the body and bride of Christ. Saying, “I like Jesus, but don’t like the church,” is like telling your friend, ”You’re great, but your wife is hideous!” It’s like telling someone, “I find you attractive. You don’t sweat much for a fat boy.”

The Church is what forms when Believers come together. It has a universal expression because of our unity in Christ. It’s why I can go to an underground church in China without being able to speak the language and still experience sweet fellowship with complete strangers as we worship together in spirit and truth.

The Church also has a local expression. When Believers assemble on the local level they are committing to God and one another. They are saying, “This is the place and these are the people I want to grow with, be accountable to, and partner with in ministry.” Anytime people come together there has to be some level of organization. Where and when will we meet? What will we do while we’re together? How will we decide what to do when we disagree? And the most important question of all, who’s making coffee!?

Like people, each of these local bodies of Believers has a personality. Some churches are very formal in their organization, others more free. Some are focused in their mission and methods while others try everything under the sun. None of these organizational expressions is Biblically superior to the other. The Bible gives remarkably few details about the day-to-day operations of the local church. However, the Bible speaks clearly about how Believers are to relate to one another and to people outside their fellowship. It’s almost like Scripture tells us, “How you do what you do is more important than the structures you use to do it.”

The reason churches, and people, fall into religion is because we value our structures and systems, our own opinions, more than our relationships. We choose to walk in self righteousness rather than risk getting too deeply involved in the glorious mess that is people. We ignore the Scriptures that command us to relate to one another in a spirit of mutual submission out of mutual respect. We forget the language of repentance and forgiveness with one another and refuse to recognize the one truth that ties us all together – we are all sinners in need of a Savior. Anytime people get together mistakes will be made. People will fail. It’s not a question of, ‘if’, but ‘when’, and how bad it will be. How we handle those moments defines the difference between dead religion and a living relationship with Christ and one another.

Religion – or the church – are easy targets. We blame the nameless, faceless, ‘they’ and ‘them’ for all the reasons why we don’t participate with other Believers. When will we recognize that the church is not ‘they’.

The church is me, with you, learning how we can honor God together.

Ephesians 3:20-21, “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

The Fleas of a Thousand Camels

12 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

Page Cole

Page Cole’s Theory of Life #1 states, “People are stupid.”

It doesn’t take a Harvard study to prove his theory true. Turn on the TV, take a look at Twitter. We’re not always stupid. Sometimes, in moments of clarity, we demonstrate Page Cole’s Theory of Life #2, “People are weird.” My grandmother used to say, “Everyone’s weird but me and thee…and I’m getting worried about thee.”

Which leads to Page Cole’s Theory of Life #3, “Always remember, I are people.”

It’s true, people can be frustrating. I once knew a pastor’s wife who said, “This ministry thing would be easy if it weren’t for all these stinking people!” We’re people. We’re messy. We’re prone to make mistakes. Mistakes that make other people want to curse. My grandfather had a favorite, “May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your armpits.”

That sounds wholly unpleasant – but from my experience, often well deserved.

Proverbs 14:4 says, “Where there are no oxen the stall is clean, but strength comes by many oxen.”

Or said another way, “Where there are no relationships you don’t have to shovel the mess people make, but strength comes by many relationships.”

Cole’s Theory of Life #3 is an important one. We’re all prone to moments of stupidity. Some people think I’m weird because I dip Braum’s french fries in my chocolate chip malt. Whatever the case, Proverbs 14:4 rings true. Without friends or family, coworkers, or the random strangers you meet at the super market, the stall is clean. But where’s the fun in that? Strength comes by many relationships.

Every relationship requires a little shoveling from time to time. Let’s get good at confessing when we’re wrong and forgiving when we’ve been wronged. Let’s value our relationships more than our own opinion. Scripture teaches the idea of mutual submission out of mutual respect. Love one another. Serve one another. Be patient. Be kind. Correct with humility and gentleness looking for the plank in your own eye before trying to deal with the speck in someone else’s.

Pick up a shovel, make the most of this glorious mess, and find strength.

Tattoo Stories

10 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

I don’t have any tattoos.

But every time I see one I have this compulsive need to ask for details. Every tattoo tells a story. Some are funny, some sad, some just pointless. My dad used to have a t-shirt that said, “Marry a fat, tattooed woman. Have heat in the winter, shade in the summer and moving pictures all year!” It was illustrated with the woman described. I’m not sure where he got it and I only remember seeing it once. My mom made it vanish after it’s first appearance.

Whatever the case, tattoos are distinguishing marks that tell a story. They uniquely identify the person who wears them.

I’m reading through the Gospel of John. John writes for a singular purpose. He wants to persuade you to believe that Jesus is God. In the other gospels Jesus works miracles. Matthew, Mark and Luke want to demonstrate the power of Jesus. Not John. In the Gospel of John every miraculous thing Jesus does is called a ‘sign’. It’s ‘semeion‘ in the greek. It means, “distinguishing mark“.

John doesn’t show us miracles to demonstrate the power of Jesus, but to prove that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John records 7 different miraculous signs. Each is a distinguishing mark that tells a story designed to convince you that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through Him.

The evidence is convincing.

What are the distinguishing marks of your faith? What story does your life tell? Will your life paint a picture of Jesus that compels people to want to know Him?

John 20:30-31 says, “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

I don’t have any tattoos – and you may not either, but we are the distinguishing marks of the story of Christ. What do people believe about Jesus because of you?

Pruning

08 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

John 15:2 says, “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

Churches – and people – go through times of pruning. During the pruning dead branches are removed while healthy wood is reshaped. Both acts of pruning are God’s way to make room for new growth.

Pruning is rarely easy but necessary.

Unlike a real vine people have a voice. We aren’t content to sit idly by while God does the pruning, but feel compelled to comment on His work. At best our comments reveal our ignorance of His plan, at worst they reveal our self-righteousness.

I have been in and walked alongside churches and friends who have gone through times of pruning. No one was able to accurately predict God’s intended outcome. Those who tried revealed their foolishness.

My encouragement for when you face a time of pruning – remain faithful to God. Focus on the mission and ministry He has entrusted to you. Follow Him, wherever He leads and get ready – “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 1 Corinthians 2:9

Finding Your Way

07 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

It’s entirely possible GPS was invented for me. I’m quick to confess, I’m geographically challenged. I’m not one of those masculine wonders who can tell you which direction is north while standing in the bottom of a cave. I’m lucky to get it right if I’m next to I-35 & I-40 in Oklahoma City – they follow the compass rose.

While geolocation may not come naturally for me I’m not prone to get lost either. When driving I’ve made it my habit to follow a car that looks like it knows where it’s going. I may not always end up where I intend to be, but I almost always end up where I need to be. Finding my way is always an adventure.

Finding direction is one of three big frustrations people manage every day. Should I take/leave that job, date/dump that person, join/leave that group, Buy/sell that thing? People are lost and almost every decision they make reflects a desperate struggle to find their way.

We all make the best decisions we can based on the information we have available at the time. Good information usually leads to good decisions. Bad information usually leads to bad decisions. The way is easier to find when you know the truth. That’s why GPS is helpful. That random car I follow may not be so clever after all. The GPS knows precisely where the next turn is and guides me to it straight away.

John 14:6 says Jesus is, “…the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.”

According to this verse, look at what Jesus is NOT:

He’s not a guide with good direction – He is the way.
He’s not a teller of truth – He is the truth.
He’s not a way of living – He is the life.

Jesus didn’t come to set up a new system of belief or to organize a new religion. He came to build a relationship with you. The reason His wisdom is sound, His counsel is good and His direction always right isn’t simply because He knows – it’s because He is. When you interact with Jesus you experience direction, truth and life.

“What would Jesus do,” is an inadequate cliche. When faced with another decision, don’t settle for trying to puzzle out what He would do. Instead, interact with who Jesus is.

When you lack direction. Jesus is the way.
When you’re surrounded by lies. Jesus is the truth.
When your way of living seems to be crashing down all around you. Jesus is the life.

Know the truth, follow the way, find life – This is Jesus.

He Who Must Not be Named

06 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

John 1:1, “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God.”

In the wildly popular Harry Potter series Lord Voldemort is the name of the ultimate bad guy. He’s a vile and dark wizard who’s evil has ripped apart his own soul and devastated many lives. He’s so wicked that people fear even to speak his name. Throughout the series he’s referred to as, “He who must not be named,” or simply, “You know who”. It’s an interesting story telling device that adds excitement to the audience as they anticipate Harry’s inevitable face-to-face confrontation with his arch-nemesis.

The Jewish culture has a name they wouldn’t speak. It wasn’t the name of someone vile and wicked, but awesome and righteous. It was a name handed down to them from Moses, a word so important they considered it holy and unspeakable. It was the name YHWH (Yahweh).

Standing in front of the burning bush Moses is told by God to return to Egypt to tell Pharaoh, “Let my people go.” Moses asks, “Who should I tell them sent me.” God responds, “YHWH” – “I AM“. It became a word so holy that Jewish people wouldn’t speak or write it. They found other ways to express it. They would use other names for God or simply refer to “the word“. Just like, “You know who” clearly identifies the bad guy in the Potter series, “The word”, for any Jew was easily understood to identify the great I AM, Yahweh, God.

Understanding this makes reading John 1:1 even more interesting.

John’s gospel is different from Matthew, Mark, or Luke. John is not trying to lay out a biography of the life of Jesus. Instead, the sayings of Jesus highlighted by John are designed to convince you that Jesus is Messiah and Savior of the world. In Matthew, Mark and Luke the miracles of Jesus are used to demonstrate His power. Not in John. In John they are called signs – semeion in the greek – or distinguishing marks. The miracles reported by John are the signs, the distinguishing marks, that prove Jesus is Messiah, the Savior. John doesn’t simply want to tell you who Jesus is or what He did. He wants to convince you to believe Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

So he begins with something every Jew would understand. “In the beginning was the word.” You know, the word. (wink, wink) The word we don’t speak or write. The word that in your head means God. The word YHWH, the one who is I AM. “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.”

John begins his gospel painting a picture. The Word we’re not supposed to speak or write, The Word made holy by the law, set apart from us, an impersonal reflection of the Most High God – this word has become flesh and now lives with us. That which once we couldn’t even speak we can now see, touch and experience. The Word, I AM, walks with us. Then in John 1:17 he reveals who this Word is, “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

What do you believe about Jesus? Do you see him as a good teacher, an influential figure of history? Do you think of Him as an interesting idea of the past? What do your words and actions cause others to believe about Him? John makes the case. Jesus is more. He is not the impersonal word that can never be spoken. He is the great I AM, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. He is Messiah and Savior. He is not a distant, unspeakable idea but God in the flesh whose life, death and resurrection insured He could have an intimate relationship with His people.

Do you believe it and will your words and actions cause others to believe it today?

Mischief managed.

Every Win a Sooner Win

05 Jan 2012/in Go Deeper /by Chad Balthrop

Missouri is known as the ‘Show Me’ State. California is the ‘Golden’ State. Florida is the ‘Sunshine’ State. You get the idea. Every state has a nickname that describes what the people of that state are known for.

In Oklahoma, we’re the Sooner State. I graduated from Oklahoma Baptist University. We’re the Bison. Students at Tulsa University are the Hurricanes and there’s a little school up in Stillwater where everyone calls themselves a Cowboy. Regardless of your school allegiance we all represent Oklahoma. It made me think…

Every win is a Sooner win.

I’ve said this a couple of times to Cowboy fans since their big win in the Fiesta Bowl. Their knee jerk reaction is to mock and ridicule me with a little resentment thrown in! Imagine that. Regardless of our reaction, the statement is true. The Cowboys of Stillwater, the Hurricanes of Tulsa, and yes, the Sooners of OU all represent something bigger than they’re school. There’s nothing wrong with our allegiances. It’s fun to poke at each other. You may think orange is beautiful. I may bleed crimson and cream, but there’s a bigger tribe we all represent.

You’re involved in other tribes too. There’s your kid’s baseball team and the High School that gave you a diploma. Your wife’s book club, the church you attend, or that weird group you joined on Facebook, Fans of Lou Ferrigno. You know, the guy who played the Incredible Hulk on TV.

Every where you go you represent the tribes you’re in and those tribes represent you. The words you say, the things you do, your victories and defeats all affect how the world sees your tribe. Many of us claim to belong to Christ. We call ourselves Christians. We attend church regularly. It’s one of the tribes we represent. I wonder how you will represent this tribe today? Will the words you say and the things you do make people want to know more about Christ or will they push them further away? Can you celebrate the victories of the church down the street? Will you represent Jesus and His church well or will your words and actions cause others to cringe?

I Corinthians 11:1 says, “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ.” No matter what tribes you’re part of, as a Believer in Jesus Christ there is one tribe that matters most. Represent.

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