Another incredible picture of the work being done in inner city Denver with Mile High Ministries, our KIVU Gap Year partnership every fall semester. Thanks for showing us what it means to take on the Beatitudes of Christ in a fresh, tangible way. Can't wait for our 2nd KIVU Gap Year class to join in the work this Fall!!!
We just completed another great term here at KIVU. Every time I ask the students why they keep coming back, they say the same thing: community. “I can be who I am here.” “People welcome and accept me for who I am the moment I walk into camp.” “I’ve never felt so much love in one place." "I've felt love and community before but never to this depth!"
We work hard on learning how to love here at KIVU. But it’s not that we just try real hard to love. It’s not that we are a ‘tolerant’ people. It’s not a hippies-hug-a-tree type of love. It’s the love that we emulate as we each follow the way of Jesus. It’s the love we embrace as the Holy Spirit inside us pushes us to “Love GOD with all our heart” and to “Love our neighbor as ourselves.” It’s the love that Paul wrote about when he described it in that age old letter to a group of believers in Corinth:
Love is patient. It allows for the passage of time.
Love is kind. It offers a generous dose of grace.
Love does not envy. It does not harden the heart when it is not chosen first.
Love does not boast. It does not hold value in ego or hierarchy.
Love is not self seeking. It seeks the betterment of the other above its own personal success.
Love is not easily angered. It handles others mistakes with great care.
Love keeps no record of wrongs. It remembers the past, but is also able to let go of it.
It still protects—even when it is wounded.
It continues to trust—even when disappointed.
It does not lose hope---even when the outlook is dim.
It perseveres---even as the journey is prolonged.
It will not fail.
So it never stops, stumbles, or allows the heart to be hardened.
"Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God." I John 3:9
Remember when Allen Iverson went off on the media as they criticized his failure to show up for practice?
The interview came up in our counselor meeting today as we read 1 John 3:4-10. Because John was also talking about practice. He was talking about it in the context of sin. The continual, habitual action of sin.
If you are an athlete, you have to practice. Practice fine tunes our actions on the field of play. Practice leverages performance. Practice is continually adjusted to maximize our game performance. Practice allows our skills to become instinctive. Habitual. We can respond on impulse.
Have you ever thought about the practice we can put into our own sin?
John is sending out a warning sign to those who would find themselves in the practice of sinning. He says it plain and simple: You do not understand or know who Christ is!
One of our staff members piped in after we read this passage and said, "If this is true, then I'm not a Christian and never will be." But he missed the point of what John is saying. Sin is a constant struggle of humanity. We will always echo the words of Paul as he wrestled with his sin nature and said, "I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway." But John is making a distinction here to focus on those who make sin a practice.
They hone their skills in their sin. They find new ways to train themselves up in their sin. They continually, impulsively, habitually, instinctively return to that sin. They may say with their lips that they despise it, but they secretly covet it and work to maintain and improve upon it. They continually adjust their practice of that sin so that it stays interesting, entertaining.
Today we were talking about practice. The practice of sin. And we're talking about sin because, well, not many seem to be writing or talking about it these days.
It brings balance to the current conversation focused on love. The reality is that both love and righteous living are 2 necessary components of a true Jesus follower. And you can't have one without the other.
"Anyone who does not live righteously and does not love other believers does not belong to GOD." I John 3:10
Today in our counselor meeting we continued to read through 1 John.
"And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame."
We've been spending time in 1 John since the beginning of this summer because our staff began talking about how they appreciated the cut and dry nature of the letter. The way John writes of following Jesus is in a very black and white sort of manner. Especially when it comes to sin. The way mainstream conversations have been moving in the Christian culture as of late has made the water murky on sin, but crystal clear on love.
Sin is one of those words we don't talk about much anymore. (See Scot McKnight's article in Relevant Magazine titled, "Why Nobody Talks About Sin Anymore"). We've become a culture that likes to focus more on love, acceptance, and forgiveness. It makes sense because we are largely swinging the pendulum from another audience out there that calls Christians haters, close-minded, and judgmental.
But when you swing the pendulum to the other end of the spectrum and only talk about love, you're left with the same problem. You are broadcasting another imbalanced message. You've just swung to the other extreme.
Nobody likes to talk about sin and consequence anymore because it doesn't sound or fit right with our obsession with GOD's love. The result is that we are seeing students take their sin for granted. They are banking on cheap grace and as a result do not understand why they are living mediocre lives for Christ. They are stuck in sin and see no problem with that.
The image brought to mind by the passage this morning was a litmus test for me to think about my life as a follower of Jesus. If Jesus were to arrive on the scene today, would you be "full of courage" and race to join his side or would you cower away and "shrink back from him in shame"?
It's a good question to ask yourself in a culture that continually diminishes the importance of living holy and free from sin.
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