Are You Talking To Me? Repentance Theme in Luke 15
Overview: Luke chapter 15 records an exchange between Jesus and some Pharisees who were critical of him because he “…welcomes sinners and eats with them.” He takes their criticism head-on with three parables, one about a good shepherd finding his lost sheep, another about a woman finding her lost coin, andl one about a loving father rejoicing over the return of a lost son. In his message, Jesus communicates his theology of purpose, grace, and joy. The theme often overlooked in his stories and in modern Christianity is the theology of repentance, the theme that brought the most joy in each story and the action to which he was calling the Pharisees.
Your Real Life
The great thing, if one can, is to stop regarding all unpleasant things as interruptions of ones “own” or “real” life. The truth is of course that what one calls the interruptions are precisely one’s real life – the life God is sending one day by day. – C.S. Lewis
Starting at Zero
About an hour into my four hour journey home on Wednesday March 10, 2009, it occurred to me that the clothes on my back and the few things in my truck were what I had. My thinking changed from “How bad is it?” to “What’s the recovery plan?” to “What did I have in that house?” More slowly than you might think an understanding of the situation crept up on me: we were going to be starting at zero. (more…)
Seeing God Clearly
Picture God in your mind…
If you’re like most of the people I’ve asked, you probably thought of some combination of a man in a gray beard floating in the clouds or a scowling judge glaring down from his judgment bench. Both are wrong. God has a presence in the world today, and how we see Him determines how we see ourselves and others.
When the Spirit of God descended into the Temple built by King Solomon the power was so great the priests couldn’t perform their ceremony (I Kings 8). There was no doubt that God was present and the temple would be the dwelling place for God among His people. In those days the temple was the center of the Israelites life and worship. Their lives revolved around the presence of God in the Most Holy Place. Then…
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NIV
Jesus is the Son of God, is God, and was His physical presence on this earth. Jesus said, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (NIV). He became the center of life and worship drawing everyone to Him. From the moment Christ was crucified and the temple was torn in two everything changed. God is no longer contained in one building or one group of people. (John 12:32, Mark15:38)
Through Christ’s death and resurrection God is once again present in His temple, the center of life and worship. Believers are God’s temple. We are His dwelling place through His Spirit. When we clearly see God it will change how we see ourselves and how we see others. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16)
- When we see the Spirit of God dwelling in ourselves it focuses our worship, actions and lives. (1 John 3:9-10)
- When we see God in fellow Christians we are able to unconditionally love each other deeply (1 Peter 1:22, 4:8; 1 John 3:16-18)
- When Christians see God in each other we can join in unity and the body of Christ is lifted up to “draw all men to [Himself].” (Ephesians 2:18-22, 4:12-13)
- When Christians are built together as the temple of God we become God’s workers in His plan of redemption. (Ephesians 2:6-10)
How we see God determines how we see ourselves and others. How we see ourselves and others determines how, through the unity of the Spirit, the work of God is accomplished.
We have work to do…