Once a King or Queen in Narnia...

Next week begins our Narnia VBS, based on the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis. I see that a lot of people are sharing my excitement for this VBS - Lewis wrote such a compelling story that opens up great opportunities to share the story of Jesus and what the Cross means. The greatest combo - a fun story that teaches the Gospel.

The whole church building will be transformed into Narnia, with the professor's study, a wardrobe, winter in Narnia, Tumnus' house, the Beaver's house, Aslan's Camp, and so on. The kids will be inside the story, and Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy will tell the story throughout the week. There will even be an appearance by a very special lion (but not in a way that would frighten the youngest ones).

Every craft, every snack, every skit, every memory verse, and every game will reinforce the lesson for each night. Your kids will hear the night's lesson in 6 or 7 different ways, including food! We want to keep VBS focused to teach 5 lessons really well, rather than a whole bunch of ideas with mediocrity.

This approach to VBS is a bit different. Rather than buying a curriculum that lays everything out, we created a framework of what we wanted each night to be about, tracking along with the story from Narnia. Then each team of workers has the flexibility (and responsibility) to make their portion of the night teach that lesson. For example, the team in charge of snacks is responsible to come up with a different snack that somehow relates to the story and the lesson for each night. It takes more labor this way, but the workers get to put their personality into their part of the whole.

Loopy is our VBS Coordinator this year, and she has surrounded herself with a great crew. But she has done the lion's share of the work (OK, so not Aslan the Lion's share of the work, but ... well ... you know what I mean). Please show her your appreciate and support. If there is any possible way you can use your abilities to help her out, please offer to help her.

Creating the Environment

We cannot make God "show up." We can (and should) set aside time every day to be alone with God to read His Word and to pray. Some people call it "Quiet Time," others call it "Devotions," and we've even recently seen it called "an appointment with God." No matter what it's called, it's an intentional effort to be alone with God and His Word. But just regularly having that time won't necessary make God "show up" - where you become particularly aware of His presence and influence. However, if we don't set aside time, we are far less likely to ever have that awareness.

Even if we set aside only 15 minutes a day, having that dedicated time for the Lord remains history's greatest environment to experience the presence of God. Of all the books, seminars, studies, and DVDs we have, nothing does more for personal spiritual formation than being in the Word and in prayer. There's not even a close second place finisher - setting aside daily time is the all-time champ, with virtually no challengers. Put another way, wanting to experience His presence without setting aside that time is like wanting to see a ball game but never going to the ball park.

Even when we do set aside time, we can also fall into a habit of squandering that time, getting distracted, or wandering aimlessly because we don't have a plan. One of the most effective ways to spend fruitful time with the Lord is to develop rich habits. Not only a regular time and place with no distractions, but also a habit of how to read the Word.

First, you need to have an idea of what you will read in Scripture. It could be passages on a particular topic that you get from a book or it can be going through a book of the Bible. Both are valuable, but I strongly recommend that you: 1) Read at least a full paragraph, rather than isolated verses, 2) Read your passage more than once, and 3) Keep in the habit of going through entire books of the Bible at least 50% of a calendar year.

Second, it helps to ask a consistent set of questions of every passage. There are many suggestions out there for questions to ask, and most lists are fairly similar. I recommend the following for every passage:

What does it say? Without interpreting the passage, just summarize (in writing!) what it says. Before you interact with the text, you need to know what it is (and is not) saying. You might even look up a few key words in a Bible dictionary, concordance, or commentary just to get at what the author intended to say.

What does it mean? Now, you interpret, but only after having a good idea of what the author intended to say. This is not "What does it mean to me?", but "What does it mean?" Getting back to the author's intent, what did he mean by this? The Bible does not mean different things to different people - it means one thing. Every passage means one thing, no matter how hard different people try to make it say something different.

How does it relate? After understanding the meaning, now you can ask how that unchanging meaning affects you in daily life. What aspects of my life, my thinking, my reactions, and my priorities are affected by this truth?

Where do I need to be convinced? We can understand what a passage means and how it affects us, but still not be moved to change. What needs to happen in my life for me to be "sold" on the truth, to adopt it into my life, to confess, to change, or to respond?

Pray. Take what you've seen in Scripture, how it affects you, and how you still need to be moved to adopt it into your life, and pray about it. Be honest with God, ask questions, confess, rejoice, and interact with God, particularly in reference to the passage. Also, I like to pray for those on my prayer list based on the passage - that's a great way to keep me focused and fresh as I pray for loved ones and friends.

This set of habits can take 15 minutes or an hour. It just depends on how deep you want to go. Each question has a list of related questions that could go along with them - or these questions can be taken as is if there just isn't enough time for depth. Also, the framework is flexible enough to work well with any passage, regardless of length or genre.

The main thing is to be in a habit, whether it's this one or another. Try this one, try another one, stick to one that works well for you. You'll find yourself being more consistent, getting more out of the text, and perhaps becoming more keenly aware of God's presence.

Lately, I have been blogging my Quiet Time journal on http://colbiwiki.blogspot.com, using a slightly different framework, but the same elements are there. My hope is that these can provide examples of how a framework can be used.

1 Tim 6.6-16

Psg: 1 Tim 6.6-16 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/1Ti6.6-16)
Date: 5/21/12

Read

6:6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit. 6:7 For we have brought nothing into this world and so* we cannot take a single thing out either. 6:8 But if we have food and shelter, we will be satisfied with that.* 6:9 Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 6:10 For the love of money is the root* of all evils.* Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

6:11 But you, as a person dedicated to God,* keep away from all that.* Instead pursue righteousness, godliness, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. 6:12 Compete well* for the faith and lay hold of that eternal life you were called for and made your good confession* for* in the presence of many witnesses. 6:13 I charge you* before God who gives life to all things and Christ Jesus who made his good confession* before Pontius Pilate, 6:14 to obey* this command* without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ 6:15 – whose appearing* the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, will reveal at the right time. 6:16 He alone possesses immortality and lives in unapproachable light, whom no human has ever seen or is able to see. To him be honor and eternal power! Amen.

Record

Obey this command … until ...

Reflect

• Our obedience (of this kind) looks forward to the revelation of Christ. He is coming, and because he is coming, we obey looking forward to that appearing.
• How do our obedience and his coming relate to one another?
• He's the King, and obedience is only appropriate. Plus, he brings regal reward with him (12-13). But this seems to simple, and frankly, too ineffective, as a motivator.
• It brings great profit (6).
• It brings contentment (7-8).
• All other ways are traps (9-10).
• It is the only way of God's blinding glory (15-16).
• Godliness is the only lifestyle/behavior that relates to God's glory. Above the simplistic "being good," godliness is God-liness - living consonant with God's attributes, consistent with his greatness. To obey is to choose to keep company with God's characteristics.

Respond

• You are the awesome, eternal, glorious King! We cannot approach you in our present state, although covered in Christ, we can in fact boldly approach the throne of grace. Your holiness is beyond our comprehension, the radiance of your glory exceeds our capacity.You have our future laid out and ready to reveal, and that future gives you the honor you deserve - the honor we don't yet have the capacity to render.
• Too often, I choose to keep company with the world's characteristics … or even the characteristics of the prince of this age. I mistakenly think I will find joy and meaning there, but in that company, there is only emptiness. It is a trap.
• Thank you that you do not allow my soul to be satisfied anywhere else. Change my stubborn will that resists accepting this truth.

Mt 28.16-20

Psg: Mt 28.16-20 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/Mt28.16-20)
Date: 5/20/12

Read

28:16 So* the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated. 28:17 When* they saw him, they worshiped him,* but some doubted.* 28:18 Then Jesus came up and said to them,* "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 28:19 Therefore go* and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,* 28:20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember,* I am with you* always, to the end of the age."*

Record

Therefore go...

Reflect

• We focus on the "go" / "going" / "as you go" - the action, the command. But it's not just "go." It's "therefore go." Go because of something.
• Go because all authority on heaven and earth has been given to Christ. Because he has all authority, go make disciples.
• Making disciples cannot be done apart from Christ's authority, and must be done because of his authority.
• The question: how does his authority affect our task of going and making disciples?
• It motivates us, because his authority will also be over those who reject him.
• It frees us, because it's his power and authority at work, not just what little we can muster.
• It commands us, because he sends us out based on his authority.
• It focuses us, because we are on the right team - on the team of the one who has all authority.
• It prioritizes things for us, because this is what the authoritative one wants us to do.
• It obligates us, because the one with the authority has given this purpose to all of us.
• It points us in the direction of joy, because this is the joy of the one who has all authority over heaven and earth.
• It empowers us, because he will not send us out having that authority, but not applying it to our obedience to the commission.
• …?

Respond

• Forgive me for treating the Great Commission like a Really Good Suggestion.
• You have all authority in heaven and earth. Because you have that, you send us out - you send me out. And you send me out grounded by that authority.
• Change every part of me that doesn't want to go.

Jer 10.6-16

Psg: Jer 10.6-16 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/Je10.6-16)
Date: 5/19/12

Read

10:6 I said,*

"There is no one like you, Lord.*

You are great.

And you are renowned for your power.*

10:7 Everyone should revere you, O King of all nations,*

because you deserve to be revered.*

For there is no one like you

among any of the wise people of the nations nor among any of their kings.*

10:8 The people of those nations* are both stupid and foolish.

Instruction from a wooden idol is worthless!*

10:9 Hammered-out silver is brought from Tarshish*

and gold is brought from Uphaz* to cover those idols.*

They are the handiwork of carpenters and goldsmiths.*

They are clothed in blue and purple clothes.*

They are all made by skillful workers.*

10:10 The Lord is the only true God.

He is the living God and the everlasting King.

When he shows his anger the earth shakes.

None of the nations can stand up to his fury.

10:11 You people of Israel should tell those nations this:

'These gods did not make heaven and earth.

They will disappear* from the earth and from under the heavens.'*

10:12 The Lord is the one who* by his power made the earth.

He is the one who by his wisdom established the world.

And by his understanding he spread out the skies.

10:13 When his voice thunders,* the heavenly ocean roars.

He makes the clouds rise from the far-off horizons.*

He makes the lightning flash out in the midst of the rain.

He unleashes the wind from the places where he stores it.*

10:14 All these idolaters* will prove to be stupid and ignorant.

Every goldsmith will be disgraced by the idol he made.

For the image he forges is merely a sham.*

There is no breath in any of those idols.*

10:15 They are worthless, mere objects to be mocked.*

When the time comes to punish them, they will be destroyed.

10:16 The Lord, who is the inheritance* of Jacob's descendants,* is not like them.

He is the one who created everything.

And the people of Israel are those he claims as his own.*

He is known as the Lord who rules over all."*

Record

He is known as the Lord who rules over all. (NET)
The dLord of hosts is His name. (NASB)
Yahweh of •Hosts is His name. (HCSB)

Reflect

• God is and does. We should be and should do. That's one way we are "other than."
• Everything about God, idols, God worshipers, and idol worshipers will be revealed "when the time comes." Rest in worshiping God despite the objections (internal and external) because all will be revealed in Truth when the Day comes.
• Lord of Hosts
• NET: 35 tn Heb "Yahweh of armies is his name."
• NET: (from note on 2.19) 48 tn Heb "the Lord Yahweh, [the God of] hosts." For the title Lord God see the study note on 1:6. For the title "who rules over all" see the following study note. The title "the Lord who rules over all" is a way of rendering the title "Yahweh of armies." It is an abbreviation of a longer title "Yahweh the God of armies" which occurs five times in Jeremiah (see, e.g., 44:7). The abbreviated title occurs seventy-seven times in the book of Jeremiah. On thirty-two occasions it is further qualified by the title "the God of Israel," showing his special relation to Israel. On six occasions it is preceded by the title "Lord" (see, e.g., 46:10) and twice it is preceded by the title "the King" (see, e.g., 51:17). Both titles emphasize his sovereignty. Twice it is said that he is the maker of all things (10:16; 51:19), and once it is said that he made the earth and the people and animals on it and gives them into the control of whomever he wishes (27:4–5). On two occasions it is emphasized that he also made the heavenly elements and controls the natural elements of wind, rain, thunder, and hail (31:35; 51:14–16). All this is consistent with usage elsewhere where the "armies" over which he has charge are identified as (1) the angels which surround his throne (Isa 6:3, 5; 1 Kgs 22:19) and which he sends to protect his servants (2 Kgs 6:17), (2) the natural forces of thunder, rain, and hail (Isa 29:6; Josh 10:11; Judg 5:4, 5) through which he sends the enemy into panic and "gums" up their chariot wheels, (3) the armies of Israel (1 Sam 17:45) which he leads into battle (Num 10:34–35; Josh 5:14, 15) and for whom he fights as a mighty warrior (Exod 15:3; Isa 42:13; Ps 24:8), and even (4) the armies of the nations which he musters against his disobedient people (Isa 13:14). This title is most commonly found in the messenger formula "Thus says…" introducing both oracles of judgment (on Israel [e.g., 9:7, 15] and on the nations [e.g. 46:19; 50:18]; and see in general 25:29–32). It emphasizes his sovereignty as the king and creator, the lord of creation and of history, and the just judge who sees and knows all (11:20; 20:12) and judges each person and nation according to their actions (Jer 32:18–19). In the first instance (in the most dominant usage) this will involve the punishment of his own people through the agency of the Babylonians (cf., e.g., 25:8–9). But it will also include the punishment of all nations, including Babylon itself (cf. Jer 25:17–26, 32–38), and will ultimately result in the restoration of his people and a new relation with them (30:8; 31:35–37).
• To oppose or neglect the Lord of Hosts is pure folly - he rules over all armies! (Note: the positive version of this in Eccl - everything is vanity except fearing God and keeping his commandments.)
• Trying to live "the Christian life" is not the ideal. He is Commander and Sovereign Ruler, and our true measure is our alignment and submissiveness to him and his will. We are either working under the banner of the King for his purpose, or we are working perpendicular to it, or we are working directly against it. More than just our actions, our will is either aligned, perpendicular, or inverse. Being a good little Christian is about you and the goodness (or lack of badness) in your praxis and thoughts. Serving the sovereign ruler is about seeing his will and purpose, and then being undeterred in aligning oneself and aggressively pursuing them with one's life. It's the contrast between living one's own life within the parameters and committing one's life to the King's service; the difference between being within his will and pursuing his will; the difference between coloring within the lines and producing art that glorifies him; the difference between being content to hit the target and never resting until you hit the bull's eye.

Respond

• Father, I am too easily contented with merely being within your will (and am not always that, anyway). Give me a "holy discontent" until every molecule in my body aggressively pursues your will.

Colby E. Kinser

http://gplus.to/ColbyKinser

Heb 1.1-14

Psg: Heb 1.1-14 (http://biblia.com/bible/gs-netbible/Heb1.1-14)
Date: 5/18/12

Read

1:1 After God spoke long ago* in various portions* and in various ways* to our ancestors*through the prophets, 1:2 in these last days he has spoken to us in a son,* whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world.* 1:3The Son is* the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word,* and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.* 1:4 Thus he became* so far better than the angels as* he has inherited a name superior to theirs.

The Son Is Superior to Angels

1:5 For to which of the angels did God* ever say, "You are my son! Today I have fathered you"?*And in another place* he says,* "I will be his father and he will be my son."* 1:6 But when he again brings* his firstborn into the world, he says, "Let all the angels of God worship him!"* 1:7 And he says*of the angels, "He makes* his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire,"* 1:8 but of* the Son he says,*

"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,*

and a righteous scepter* is the scepter of your kingdom.

1:9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness.

So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions* with the oil of rejoicing."*

1:10 And,

"You founded the earth in the beginning,Lord,*

and the heavens are the works of your hands.

1:11 They will perish, but you continue.

And they will all grow old like a garment,

1:12 and like a robe you will fold them up

and like a garment* they will be changed,

but you are the same and your years will never run out."*

1:13 But to which of the angels* has he ever said, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet"?* 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those* who will inherit salvation?

Record

Let all the angels of God worship Him.

Reflect

• The point of the passage is Christ's superiority to the angels, but the Highquest focus picks up on the kingship of Christ found here. Note, however, that being over the angels does speak to him being ruler over us, as well.
• Of course, not all angels did worship him. But, it is appropriate that they should.
• Worship is related to kingship. The great worship passages in Isa 6 and Rev 4-5 are centered on the King. The worship by the angels here is in context of his kingship. Our worship of Christ cannot be divorced from seeing him as King. A man cannot say, "I worship Christ," and yet not revere him as King.
• Revering Christ as King includes bowing in honor, deferring to his will, living by his kingdom principles, recognizing his authority over every aspect of life, and giving him his due. And all of this is part of worship. It is what the angels do.

Respond

• Christ my King, I worship you. I cannot worship you except as my King. May everything I do this day be rendered as service unto my King.