Building your spiritual house (Pt.1)

(Part 1: God’s Dream Home)

“4 And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”-1 Peter 2:4-5

I would venture to say that most people, at one time or another, have fantasized about their dream home. We’ve dreamed about its location, imagined it’s design, and considered the features it may include. In fact, as a culture we are so enamored by the idea of building or finding our dream homes that we have entire television network dedicated to it. Shows like Property Brothers, Fixer Upper, and Flip or Flop feed our desire to build or transform our houses into our ultimate forever home. 

But what about God? Does God have a dream home?

Throughout the Old Testament God had several places that he dwelt. Early on God met with Moses in a tent (Exodus 33:7). Later Moses built a tabernacle according to God’s design (Exodus 40:34-35). A little later in history, King David, purposed to build God a temple that later his son Solomon would construct (2 Samuel 7:2). However, Acts 7:48 declares something very interesting:

“However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands.”

Although God doesn’t live in man-made temples, He does have a dream home!

According to 1 Peter 2:4-5, you as living stones are bing built up as a spiritual house. The Apostle Paul built on this idea in 1 Corinthians 3:16:

“Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?”

You may have a hard time believing this, but you are God’s dream home. You are being built into a dwelling place for God! Perhaps, however, you feel more like a fixer upper than a dream home. It’s alright if you don’t see it yet, because God does. 

I am always amazed at architects and designers who can look at a dilapidated old building and see what others cannot. They are able to see past the broken banisters, crumbling foundation, and leaky roof because they have a vision of the completed project. They have a a dream for that space, just like God has a dream for the space He desires to occupy. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Living a gospel-centered life (Pt.5)

Part 5

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”-Philippians 2:5

To live a gospel-centered life we have to develop the same same selfless attitude towards ourselves as Jesus had towards himself. Philippians 2:6-8 helps us to understand how Jesus viewed himself:

“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges: he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

Three things jump out from me from this passage:

1. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to hold onto. This flies in the face of our current culture that believes that striving to be in the top spot is the goal of life. 

     2.  He gave up His divine privileges and took the humble position of a servant.

           Jesus vacated His heavenly position, with all of its privileges, to become a servant. 

     3. He humbled Himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death. He laid aside 

          His own aspirations to fulfill His father’s will. 

Many people reject this line of thinking because they have convinced themselves that the only way to achieve any particular status is through self-promotion. However, look carefully at Philippians 2:9-11:

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,  in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

The word “therefore” means: for that reason. Because of Jesus’ selfless (gospel-centered) attitude, God promoted Him to the place of highest honor, gave Him a name above all other names, and great authority over heaven and earth. 

The Apostle Paul admonishes us to we should conduct ourselves in the very same way:

“Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Do everything without complaining and arguing, so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”-Philippians 2:12-15

Ultimately, to live a gospel-centered life is to live a Jesus-centered life where Christ shines through us to communicate the love of God to a world full of hurting and broken people. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Living a gospel-centered life (Pt.4)

Part 4

 “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.”-Philippians 2:1-2

The most effective way for the church to impact the world is for it to operate in unity; not just in what we believe, but in how we conduct ourselves while pursuing a common purpose. 

The idea of being in “one accord” is consistent with Jesus’ prayer for the church, the early church’s experience, and the Apostles’ writings (John 17:20-23, Acts 2:42-47, & 1 Peter 3:8). 

Jesus and the Apostles knew that a unified body of believers would be much more impactful than a few fractured individuals trying to carry a movement. However, a unified body means that we each must be willing to lay aside our own pursuits, promotions, and desires to attain the common purpose-winning souls for Christ. 

Paul’s instruction begins with addressing the root of virtually all of our issues and that is selfishness:

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”-Philippians 2:3-4

It is easy to fall into the trap of only being concerned with our own welfare. To combat this, Paul points us toward four keys to living a selfless life. 

         1. A selfless life is one that is no longer lived to impress others. 

         2. A selfless life is one marked by humility. 

         3. A selfless life is one that values others.  

         4. A selfless life is one that looks out for the interests of others. 

As we begin to live out these keys to selfless living we will soon find ourselves gravitating toward a more gospel-centered life. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Living a gospel-centered life (Pt.3)

“For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance. For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

The Apostle Paul recognized that he could not always control his surroundings, but he could always remain focused on one thing and that is regardless of where he ended up, his life would bring honor to Christ. 

Honoring Christ means not living for ourselves. Paul declared that to live is Christ and to die is gain. Although Paul understood that dying would usher him immediately into God’s presence, he also recognized that living was much more fruitful, especially for those he was helping to grow in their faith. Because of this, Paul took his role as an ambassador of the gospel very seriously. 

The gospel of Jesus is a sacred trust. Paul, being fully convinced of this, admonishes believers to conduct themselves worthy of it:

“Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.”-Philippians 1:27

Above all, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel. You are citizens of the Kingdom of God, so act like it! Live your life as if you are the only representation of the Gospel of Jesus, to which people will ever be exposed. That is a weighty concept, but if we truly believe Romans 1:16:

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.”

Then our conduct should reflect the seriousness of the gospel we live and proclaim. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Living a gospel-centered life (Pt.2)

“I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”-Philippians 1:9-11

What is God hoping to accomplish in your life? If we live gospel-centered lives, what is the end game? I think that Paul’s prayer for the church in Philippi really underscores God’s heart for every believer:

1.      Overflow with love.

2.      Grow in knowledge and understanding.

3.      Live pure and blameless lives.

4.      Be filled with the righteous character produced from knowing Christ.

All fo this is happening on the inside of us. When we are centered on the inside we are not caught off balance by our circumstances. Listen to Paul speak about his current situation in Philippians 1:12-19:

“And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear. It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ with pure motives. They preach because they love me, for they know I have been appointed to defend the Good News. Those others do not have pure motives as they preach about Christ. They preach with selfish ambition, not sincerely, intending to make my chains more painful to me. But that doesn’t matter. Whether their motives are false or genuine, the message about Christ is being preached either way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice. For I know that as you pray for me and the Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to my deliverance.”

Anyone pick up on the fact that Paul is writing this from prison? Isn’t it amazing how he is able to find the good in his situation proclaiming that most of the believers around him have gained confidence and boldness to speak God’s message without fear because of his imprisonment. Anyone notice the there were people (in the church) trying to undermine Paul and make his life more difficult? Yet, he stayed focused on the gospel being preached and the people’s lives being changed by it. 

Living a gospel-centered life means keeping our hearts and minds fixed on accomplishing God’s work within our sphere of influence; whether that’s as a stay at home mom, on the line at work or at the grocery check out counter. Paul’s circumstances shifted dramatically  taking him from a nice little synagogue in Antioch to a dingy prison cell in Rome, but his mission remained the same. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Living a gospel-centered life (Pt.1)

(Part 1)

“I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”-Philippians 1:3-6

A couple of months ago we were battling some sinus & flue like symptoms at our house, which left my wife feeling disoriented. For two or three days she felt off balance and out of sorts. It took a couple of days for her to het her equilibrium back and find her footing. Anyone ever experience that? 

This experience cannot only happen to us physically, but it can happen to us spiritually as well. We can become disoriented, off balance and out of sorts trying to live for Christ. This often occurs because we are not focused on what will keep us centered on Christ. 

If we are being honest with ourselves, we would admit that most of us do not live gospel-centered lives. Rather we live our lives centered around our jobs, kids, health or even church. At times, we narrow that focus even more and become fixated on things like sports, sex, drugs, alcohol, or music. 

However, according to Hebrews 12:2 we are to “Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

God’s desire is for us to find our footing and to live our lives worthy of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That begins with understanding Philippians 1:6:

“Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

First, we must understand that the good work that God started is within you. He is working from the inside out. When we stop to consider Jesus’ mission, we conclude that He didn’t die on the cross to fix our circumstances, but rather to shape your disposition. He is always going to address the quality of your character before He focuses on your quality of life. 

Secondly, God always finishes what He starts. This more than an observation, but a promise. Have you ever started a project that you didn’t finish? How many projects do you have sitting at home that still need completed? 

We all have good intentions, but often suffer from poor follow through. However, unlike some of those projects sitting in your garage, God has promised to finish the work He started in us. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Nevertheless (Pt.2)

(Part 2) 

“When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”-Matthew 8:1-3

Sometimes we struggle so much with believing that He is able that we leave no room to address His will. The leper that approached Jesus that day, was not wrestling with Jesus’ ability to heal. His question was focused on Jesus’ willingness to heal. Was it in keeping with God’s redemptive purpose? The man knew it was possible, but was it God’s will? Jesus, in answering the man, communicated the will of God to him.

At the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus took His prayer a little further; from the realm of what is possible to the question of God’s will. “Nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”-Matthew 26:39

The word “Nevertheless” means: in spite of. Jesus was saying, “In spite of what I know God can do, I am going to pray for His will to be done.” Nevertheless prayers are prayers that go beyond what God is capable of doing to seeing the will of God accomplished. 

Nevertheless prayers recognize that God is capable of answering the prayer that you prayed, but in spite of how much you want it to turn our for your benefit, you understand that God knows the big picture and that His greater redemptive purpose for all of mankind is paramount. 

Because as much as we would like it, God’s will does not always line up with our will. That is where our disillusionment and disappointment come from and why our confidence has been shaken when it comes to prayer. We are not following the instruction of 1 John 5:14-15:

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”

If you are lacking confidence in your prayer life, perhaps it is because you are praying possible prayers, but not going the extra distance. You’ve not gone as far as to pray nevertheless, not my will but yours be done. 

Can I let you in on a little secret? When you pray “nevertheless” that is not the magic word allowing God to move ahead with His plans. He doesn’t need our approval. His will is going to be done. The nevertheless is for you. It is your way of communicating to God that you are willing to set aside your will to see His greater will accomplished. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church