Love – Page 5 – { Andrew Mills }

God is Moved By You

On Sunday we are going to be having communion, and exploring an interesting passage in Exodus. The passage we are going to be looking at is this Exodus 3:7:

Then the Lord told Moses, “You can be sure I have seen the misery of my people. I have heard their cries for deliverance from their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come to rescue them from the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt.”

I think this is a beautiful passage because it reveals who God is.

In this passage God is one who hears, and who acts.

I think this is so crucial to so many of us, because when we are in difficulty our temptation is to believe we are alone. Our temptation is to believe our prayers are futile. Our temptation is to believe that nothing will change. Our temptation is to believe that the God we worship is distant and unmoving.

But here in this passage we see a totally different God. We see a God who is intimately involved with his people. We see a God who hears the cries of those who are suffering, and is then moved by them. Our God is not some unmoving, uncaring, distant deity. Our God is someone who is involved in the world being moved by injustice, not just to hear the cry but then to act.

So this passage gives me hope that whenever I feel alone, and hurting I know God is not removed but listening and acting.

On Sunday we’ll discover how God acts, and what he promises to us. But today why not simply rest in the fact that your prayers are heard by God. Your prayers and cries do move God. You are not alone but actually connected to the Creator who hears and responds. Hopefully that gives you hope, because it gives me hope.

August 2, 2013 by Andrew Mills

How Do You Become Like Jesus?

On Sunday we are wrapping up our series on the Prodigal Son. We’ve looked at the older brother, and the younger son. On Sunday we are looking at the Father, and asking the most crucial question:

How do we become like the Father?

Because this is honestly one of the central parts of following Jesus. Jesus perfectly represents the Father in this parable. And we are called as followers of Jesus to become like Jesus. We are called to follow in his footsteps to become like the Father in this parable. We are called to learn to show reckless love, abundant forgiveness, and never-ending grace.

So on Sunday we are going to be exploring the hard question of how do you actually do this? How do you actually live, love, and look like Jesus? Of course it will take the Holy Spirit’s work, the Father’s direction, and the power of Jesus. But what practical steps can we take to start to live like the Father in this parable?

Because I believe this truly matters. Imagine with me if each Christian loved, lived, and looked like the Father in the parable of the prodigal son? If this was true our homes, meeting places, and churches would be filled with people drawn to this depth of love. They would be drawn into our lives, just as people were drawn to Jesus.

So this question of “how” matters immensely. And on Sunday we hope to answer it. But before we get there, why not spend sometime thinking about it yourself. If you are to become like Jesus, what next steps help you get there? What is he calling you to do? How might you go so deeply into his love, that it transforms you into a person of deep love? These are questions worth thinking about, and even more importantly worth living out.

May 24, 2013 by Andrew Mills

Why Being Lost isn’t about Location but Closeness

On Sunday we jumped into the story of the Prodigal Son found in Luke 15. Last week we looked at the lostness of the younger son. This week we looked at the lostness of the older son. Which is odd because often in casual readings of the story the older son doesn’t seem lost – but he definitely is.

Jesus here is teaching to two specific groups mentioned in the text. The first are the crowds, the broken, the tax-collectors, and the sinners. In the story the parable of the younger son reaches out to them. To the ones who have broken the rules and are far from the Father’s embrace.

There was a second audience though as well: the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law. To this group Jesus tells the second half of the story of the older son. A son who was lost because he kept all the rules and like the younger son was also far from the Father.

The Older Son is clearly lost because being lost isn’t about location but intimacy with the Father. When the Father welcomes the younger son home, the older son stands outside and refuses to join in the celebration. He refuses to join in with the Father. He creates distance between the two of them. And the reason why he is standing outside is actually stated by the older son. He says that he is outside and refusing to go in because he has never disobeyed the Father.

And it is precisely at this moment that we see how keeping the rules can keep us from the Father and God. Because the older Son reveals that he has been following the Father not because he loved the Father, but because of what he could get out of the Father.

Timothy Keller puts it this way:

“The hearts of the two brothers were the same. Both sons resented their Father’s authority and sought ways of getting out from under it. They each wanted to get into a position in which they could tell the father what to do. Each one, in other words, rebelled – but one did so by being very bad and the other by being extremely good. Both were alienated from the father’s heart; both were lost sons…Neither son loved the father for himself. They both were using the father for their own self-centred ends rather than loving, enjoying, and serving him for his own sake. This means that you can rebel against God and be alienated from him either by breaking his rules or by keeping all of them diligently”

The point is that it is possible to distance ourselves from the Father by breaking the rules and by trying to keep them out of the wrong motives. If we follow the commandments of God so that God owes us, so that we guarantee blessing, or that our lifestyle and desire are assured, we are missing the point. To follow God for any other reason than God is worth following is to miss the point and miss God.

So on Sunday we gave three ways to discern our motives in following God. The first was do you expect to get what you want. If your life is built on the expectation that God will create the life you want, rather than the life he is calling you to lead, that might indicate an older brother’s heart.

Secondly, an older brother’s heart can be seen when there is grudging duty in following God. If we follow God out of a sense of obligation rather than anticipation for the kingdom we may be missing the point. We are called to give our hearts freely to God, not out of a twisted sense of resentful compliance.

And lastly, when our lives demonstrate a lack of joy we may have an older brother’s heart. The reality is that joy cannot live in a heart that is filled with resentment. So if our walk with Jesus has a discernable lack of joy, there may be resentment and an older brother’s heart.

So on Sunday we concluded our talk by asking each person to examine why they follow God. And if there is, we gave this simple next step: join the party. The Father comes out to the older brother and invites him back into the party. So if for any reason, like resentment, bitterness, self-righteous, or pride – you’ve missed out on the party, make a choice to accept the invitation, put aside everything and join the party. Because the truth is the party with the Father is where we want to be.

If, like the elder brother, you seek to control God through your obedience, then all your morality is just a way to use God to make him give you the things in life you really want” Timothy Keller

Sermon Notes:

Big Idea Why are your following God?

Take Aways…

Being lost isn’t about a location, but a state of your heart.
Jesus is writing to two specific groups: rule breakers, and rule keepers.
As Christians the Older Brother relates to us
Being lost to the Father isn’t about geography but intimacy
“The lostness of the elder son, however, is much harder to identify. After all, he did all the right things. He was obedient, dutiful, law-abiding, and hardworking” Henri Nouwen
The Older Son is standing outside the party because as he says, “I have never disobeyed you”
“Pride in his good deeds, rather than remorse over his bad deeds was keeping the older son out of feast of salvation” Timothy Keller
The older Son has been obeying the Father not because he values the relationship but because of what he wants out of the relationship.
To seek God for eternal life is to seek eternal life, while to seek God for a meaningful existence is to seek a meaningful existence. A true seeking after God results from an experience of God which one falls in love with for no reason other than finding God irresistibly loveable” Peter Rollins
Indicators of An Older Brother Heart
- Expectation for God to Give us What We Want
- A heart of grudging duty
- A Lack of Joy

Adult / Group Discussion Questions: What surprised you? What made you think? What did you take away? What was new? In your life have you ever been like the Older Brother? What is your natural response when people receive deep grace – celebration or resentment? Is there anyway in your life that you are like the Older Brother now? What steps can you take to make sure that you don’t become like the Older Brother?

Discussion Questions for Young Families: Take a moment and talk to your kids about why its important that they follow your guidance and direction. Then take a moment and talk to them about how its even more important about the motives behind their actions. Tell them how happy it makes you when they clean the dishes because they love you. Tell them how much joy it brings you when their heart is in the right place.

Challenge for this Week Put aside any resentment and join the party

May 21, 2013 by Andrew Mills

Power, Dominance, Submission, and Jesus-Style Love in a Marriage

On Sunday we explored the potentially difficult passage of Ephesians 5 where Paul writes, “Wives submit to your husbands…Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church”.

What we came away with was an understanding that no healthy relationship is based on power and dominance. We realized that we are all called to submit to each other out of reverence for Christ (Eph 5:21), and that the way Jesus related to others was through submission, humbleness, and sacrifice. The same things are too part of our marriages: submission, humbleness, and sacrifice.

We explored how Paul elevates woman, with the expectation that they are partners in marriage making a choice to be like Christ. Then Paul expects the same thing of husbands reminding them of their obligation to love like Jesus. This means buying flowers once in a while isn’t enough. This means husbands remembering the anniversary every other year isn’t enough. It is not until we have loved our wives with such a depth of self-sacrifice and giving, that all their flaws vanish because of the depth of our love that we haven’t done our job. Paul raises the bar pretty high actually.

We ended up landing on this truth that relationships based in power and dominance lead to division and difficulty. But relationships based in the type of love shown by Jesus Christ lead to life. Marriages based on self-sacrificial and submissive love last.

So we ended off asking ourselves a tough question. Are we sacrificing in our marriages, friendships, and relationships? Are we caring and putting the other person first? Is our love self-centred or sacrificial? Because I believe it’s when we love like Jesus that relationships last and give life.

We ended off by quoting Wendell Berry who I believe is worth quoting again. He writes this: “The proper question, perhaps, is not why we have so much divorce, but why we are so unforgiving. The answer, perhaps is that, though we still recognize the feeling of love, we have forgotten how to practice love when we don’t feel it”.

And I think that’s the challenge for all of us married or not. To learn to practice love when we don’t feel it. I think it’s a practice worth learning.

Sermon Notes:

Big Idea: Marriage based on self-sacrificial love leads to life

Take Aways…

Our experience with marriage shapes our view on marriage
We have a romantic individualistic view of marriage
Jesus gives grace to a messy marriage life in John 4
Christ is his relationship with us took on a posture of submission and sacrifice not one of dominance and power
Striving for power and dominance in relationships wrecks relationships
Women in that day and age weren’t a partner but property
Paul elevates wives to a position of a partner with a choice to love like Jesus
Paul asks the same of husbands to love like Jesus
To be the head means source or origin
Marriage isn’t about perfection, but an opportunity of reflection – of loving like Jesus
Marriage is based on self-sacrificial and submissive love
“The proper question, perhaps, is not why we have so much divorce, but why we are so unforgiving. The answer, perhaps is that, though we still recognize the feeling of love, we have forgotten how to practice love when we don’t feel it” Wendell Berry

Adult / Group Discussion Questions: What surprised you? What made you think? What made you laugh? What did you take away? Was this take on this passage new? Where have you seen relationships based on power and dominance struggle? When have you seen relationships based on love and submission succeed? In your relationships are you loving with self-sacrificial love? Are you learning to practice love when you don’t feel it? What next steps can you take this week to pour love into your significant relationships’?

Discussion Questions for Young Families: Take a moment and talk with your kids what you think marriage is based on. Share with them what matters in it. Share with them why it matters. And then share with them some important things to practice and learn before they get married like loving when you don’t fee like it, forgiving if you don’t want to, and taking the first step even if its hard.

Challenge for this Week:

Love even if you don’t feel like it

April 15, 2013 by Andrew Mills

Duty is Dying Love

On Sunday we started walking through the book of Revelation. We began with the first letter written to Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7. In it Jesus speaks highly about the orthodoxy and the beliefs of the church. Yet he holds one complaint against them, “you don’t love me or each other as you did”.

Love in Ephesus has cooled. Love is slowing, and their hearts are turning harder. While Jesus praises them for their right actions, he isn’t just looking for right actions he wants their heart.

Because the truth is that when love cools in any relationship doing our duty doesn’t last. Duty is depleted love. Duty is drowned love. Duty is dying love. And once the love dies there won’t be enough left to sustain the relationship.

So Jesus says to the church, and to us in any relationship where love is dying – start again! Start again! Go back to the things you did at first. Remember why you started this relationship in the first place. Stop doing things just out of duty, and start doing them out of gratitude, grace, and a desire to care in the relationship.

And as Lent starts on Wednesday I think this is a good time to reflect on our relationship with Jesus. Are there areas that have cooled? Are there areas of duty where love should abound? If so, how can you go back to the beginning and regain love? What actions can you start and what new attitudes can you bring to old actions?

Because one thing is clear: duty isn’t the same as love. And just as we all want deep love in our relationships so does Jesus…

Sermon Notes:

Big Idea: Go back to the things you did at first…

Take Aways…

“Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches”
We are learning about dying.
Its easy for love to slide from a passion, to a duty, to being absent totally.
Our connection to Jesus Christ isn’t just based on having right beliefs, but having a right heart.
“Our orthodoxy will not save us, our traditions will not save us, our soup kitchens and social programs will not save us; what will save the church is Christ” Joseph Magina
Duty is depleted love. Duty is drowned love. Duty is dying love.
Go back to the things you did a first
“Lord, I don’t love you. I don’t even want to love you. But I do want to want to love you” – Mother Teresa

Adult / Group Discussion Questions: How have you ever experienced the “cooling” of love? What is it that keeps love strong and going? How is your relationship with Jesus? Is it cooling? What are some things you might be able to do to bring life back to the love? Who might be able to help in this?

Discussion Questions for Young Families: Talk about how important it is to put effort into things that matter. Talk about how if your family matters that means putting effort into it too – that if you love someone you show them. Ask them who matters to them and how they can show them love. Help them to carry it out!

Challenge for this Week

Focus on building up your love for Christ

February 11, 2013 by Andrew Mills

Shoveling Snow ~ Giving Life #missional

We have awesome neighbors. They are fun and we get along great. We are blessed in the true meaning of the word.

What I love is that somehow Hudson is picking this up. He knows all our neighbors by name, talks about them, and invites them over…whether or not the house is clean. But late last week I saw that he has also learned something else. He’s learned that we need to bless people and help them in tangible real ways.

So early one morning we were out playing in the snow shoveling our driveway. Hudson…is well…semi-helpful in this. He often thinks it’s helpful to make a pile of snow in the middle of the driveway and sit in it. His heart’s in the right place though. But what struck me was when we finished our drive way he immediately went over and started shoveling our next door neighbors. So we did that drive way. And then we he started on the next one…And the next one…

What is beautiful is somehow even at his young age he is understanding and practicing following Jesus. Following Jesus is about blessing, which means to literally “give life”. And shoveling drive-ways gives life. Trust me when you are late to work and realize you don’t have to do it – that’s life giving. When someone shows up with supper so you don’t have to cook – that’s life giving. When you stop to really listen to your neighbor – that’s life giving. So last week as I followed my son’s lead, we shoveled some drive ways and practiced our faith.

The question is how can you give life this week? How can you bless someone? How can you do simple but intentional things to show you are caring about others? Last week I didn’t have to choose to do this, my son chose for me. But this week I’m going to choose one way to bless the people closest to me. So what about you? How can you practice love? How can you bless someone? How can you give life?

Over the years we’ve always been blessed with amazing neighbors. But wouldn’t it be amazing if when people talked about Christians rather than saying negative things they said…they are the best neighbors. I think if people start to say that about us as Christians we’re moving on the right road…

February 6, 2013 by Andrew Mills

The Hard Stuff is the Only Stuff Worth Doing…

On Sunday we’re wrapping up our series on becoming an apprentice of Jesus. We’re going to look at one last key part of following Jesus that changes lives, deepens your life dramatically and connects you to Jesus like nothing else. So I’m really excited about Sunday.

But I’m also nervous…

Because the truth is that following Jesus isn’t easy. Following Jesus has never been easy. It is simple: trust Jesus, love others, forgive enemies, give generously, and put others first. Simple things…but not easy things to live out. And so on Sunday we are going to look at the simplest and most basic part of following Jesus…unfortunately it also happens to be the hardest to follow…

But sometimes the hardest things are often the most life-giving things.

Maybe you’ve had this experience. Maybe you’ve decided to actually forgive someone, not the type of forgiving that doesn’t matter, but the forgiveness that is…work. Maybe you’ve actually simplified your life so that you can give more. Maybe you’ve given your time and life for others knowing that hurt and abuse can happen. If you’ve ever done anything like this then I think you’ll know what I mean when I say the hard things are the only things worth doing. The fact that they are hard is what makes them so worthwhile. The irony is that following in the tough stuff leads to more freedom and joy. Resisting Jesus’ leading simply leads to a dead end. Mother Theresa once said, “Whenever I see someone sad…I think that they are refusing Jesus something”. So on Sunday we are going to be looking at what Jesus is really asking of us. We are going to seek not to refuse anything to him, but to honestly ask him, “What would you have me do?”

My guess is that’s a pretty good question for today too. Why not ask him today, “what would you have me do?” Let it be a wide open question, one that you’re willing to follow. Because the opposite of what Mother Theresa said is also true. Whenever I see someone fully content, at peace and connected, I think they must be refusing Jesus nothing…

February 1, 2013 by Andrew Mills

Number Your Minutes

Last week I had an early meeting 10 minutes from my house. So rather than drive 15 minutes to the office, to work for 30 minutes, and drive 20 minutes back to my meeting I decided to work from home for an hour.

I was working away and things were going good when my little man ran upstairs and asked, “Daddy can play me?” That’s how he asks if you can play with him. I said “sorry buddy daddy is working.” He said “oh…well maybe soon you play me.” And he scampered off.

Then 10 minutes before I had to leave, Hudson ran up again and he said, “Daddy its soon. You play me?” He looked at me with really hopeful eyes, and said again “Daddy play me”. And in that moment I had a choice for how to spend the next ten minutes of my day.

I could have spent 10 more minutes creating the PowerPoint presentation I was working on. I could have spent 10 more minutes answering emails or checking Facebook. Or I could spend 10 minutes and play with my son.

The thing I realized is that not every 10 minutes is the same, because spending some 10 minutes differently can leave a bigger impact. I could spend time on PowerPoint, emails, or other admin. but doing that wouldn’t change my day at all. But spending 10 minutes with my son would totally change his day. He would know that he is important. He would know that he is loved. He would know that while dad does work, and loves his job, he loves his family even more.

The time spent would be the same, but the impact would be different.

So I took 10 minutes and played trucks with my son and then left to work.

The point is simple: not every 10 minutes is the same. Some time spent leaves a greater impact, and a greater legacy. So my question for you is simple: how are you spending your time? Are you putting time into the places where it has the greatest impact? Are you focused on “just getting stuff done” or leaving an impact? Is all your time taken up with “stuff”, leaving no time left for relationships? Moses says to “number our days” Psalm 90:12, basically reminding us to spend our time wisely with purpose. Today I learned to “number my minutes” making sure each moment is spent well because in the end what will matter isn’t PowerPoint but the love I show to my son.

In case you’re wondering, yes of course I did get my PowerPoint done. I was able to spend an extra 10 minutes at work and respond to all my emails. But more importantly, I was able to spend 10 minutes with my son and remind him of something very important. That any 10 minutes spent with him is never wasted. While there is always lots of other things to get done, there won’t always be opportunities to play trucks with my son.

So today, get your work done for sure. That’s important. But don’t forget to put time into what matters most. The relationships around you and the people who would love for you to take ten minutes and hang out with them. Or as my son says, “want to play with me?

January 30, 2013 by Andrew Mills

Finding and Seeing God in the Midst of a Mess

Bob Goff is a really brilliant guy. He’s the type of brilliant person who writes short simple sayings that are really deep. Here is a tweet he shared the other day:

“When we keep asking God to show up at places He’s already at, He isn’t mad, He probably just figures we didn’t recognize Him”

This really got me thinking…

How often am I asking God to show up somewhere and he already is but I don’t have eyes to see it? How often am I missing Jesus all around me?

And as I started to reflect on those questions I realized…I’m missing him probably more than I should…

The reality is that in really difficult situations, relationships, and even places, it can be hard to find God. When life is messy we ask God to show up, but the way God shows up in a mess isn’t to clean it up. The way God shows up in a mess is to enter into it and to start changing it from the outside. This type of involvement is slow, it is subtle and it is the most powerful.

This is really seen during Christmas which we just past. The world was broken, it was a mess, and people asked God to show up. So he did in the person of a baby, in the forgotten place, mostly alone and definitely in the dark.

The point is that we are often asking God to show up when he might already be there, working from within, and giving glimpses of grace. So for me personally I’ve moved from asking God to show up, to asking God to give me eyes to see him. That little difference has made all the difference…now I’m not waiting in God’s absence, I’m searching for his presence…

January 7, 2013 by Andrew Mills

Does Jesus Want to Play Trucks??

Hudson, on Christmas said something very profound, and no it wasn’t “presents!!”

What Hudson said that caught me off guard was this…“Daddy, Jesus come soon, and he play with me.” He then told me that he and Jesus will play trucks because Jesus likes trucks. Of course we had been talking about how Christmas is Jesus’ birthday so perhaps that’s what prompted his little saying, but I think it goes deeper than that.

Hudson is learning about Jesus slowly and surely and he’s showing it. Somehow he has already picked up the fact that Jesus is interested in our interests. That just like in any relationship, Jesus cares about what we care about. I can’t tell you how many romantic comedies I’ve sat through, not because I like them, but because I love my wife. When we care about someone we are concerned with what concerns him or her.

And Hudson has somehow already learned this lesson about Jesus. Jesus is interested in you and what matters to you. When Hudson says that Jesus will play trucks with him, he is saying that Jesus wants to be involved in the biggest and best part of his day. The Jesus Hudson knows is the one who wants to play trucks, who wants to be involved in his life at his level with his cares and concerns. As a pastor, a Christian, and most of all a dad I couldn’t be happier that my son knows this Jesus.

My question for you today is simple: do you know this Jesus too?

Do you know the one who is concerned with all your cares? Do you know the Jesus who is willing to get down to our level and enter into anything and everything we are doing? Who is willing to play trucks? To care about our business, relationships, art, hopes, dreams, and desires? Because this is the Jesus of the gospels, this is the Jesus worth finding, and this is the Jesus that is coming soon.

So Hudson tells me, “Daddy, Jesus come soon, and he play with me. He play trucks”. I, of course, responded with, “Yes you are so right. Jesus is coming soon, and he would love to play trucks with you…but for right now why doesn’t daddy”. And so as we played trucks I smiled…because my son knows the Jesus who is coming…

January 3, 2013 by Andrew Mills