Inherent in our time together at the deli is treating everyone we interact with kindly, remembering people’s names, tipping well, and talking openly about life and praying together. It’s hard to believe how our time at the deli has made an effect on our environment over 18 months. This past week stood out to me. One of the guys that runs the deli picked up our coffee for us this week because he said, “we always take care of him.” Half way through my time with Mike the same guy came by to top off our cups. On our way out the door he yelled across the length of the restaurant, “You guys have a great week!” Nothing too out of the ordinary. But as we exited Mike told me how unusual our friend at the deli’s behavior was because he’s got a reputation for being unpleasant. We paused for a second and celebrated the fact that the environment we meet in is beginning to change. People are acting differently.

Our situation at the deli makes me think about the familiar question, “If your church boarded up the doors and left town, would anyone notice?” The answer is yes. Yes people would notice. Who would notice? Neighbors, friends, co-workers, people at the shops and restraints that we patron. People we share life with. People we share meals with. People that we spend time with week in and week out. And what is sweet is that the relationships that are being built into give us the opportunity to share Christ. We desire to display and declare the gospel. The two were not meant to be separated from one another. I’m certain people would notice if that was suddenly missing.

What is happening at the deli is a microcosm of things that are happening in and through the church. It’s amazing to think that two years ago Scarlet City Church was still just a vision – an idea of what a new expression of the gospel could look like in Columbus if a new group of people committed to living as a people joining God’s story of transformation and renewal. A people committed to gospel, community, and mission. We know we’re far from perfect. We’ll always be a work in progress. I’ll sure we could elaborate on that in a different blog post. We know what we want to be and we’re not there yet. But it is exciting to know we’ve taken steps in the right direction.

In Harold Best’s Unceasing Worship, he says, “at this very moment, and for as long as this world endures, everybody inhabiting it is bowing down and serving something or someone”. Worship DOES NOT stop after a worship gathering or a City Group meeting. Worship continues every single moment of our lives. The question we ask ourselves isn’t “are we worshiping?” rather we should be asking “what or who are we worshiping?”

If worship is ascribing worth to something than it begins with knowing. We are called to worship God but we cannot worship God unless we know God, His character, His attributes, His actions dating back to Adam and Even, His actions in our lives today, and everything in between.

Psalm 95:1-5 says:

¹ Oh come, let us sing to the LORD;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
² Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³ For the LORD is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

Let us know God and ascribe worth to him. Let what we know about God fuel our worship of Him. Let us look at every area of life and ask, “who am I worshiping?”.

This photo was taken by Greg Blosser a friend who pastors Grace Central Presbyterian Church in the Short North. The sign is in front of Maple Grove United Methodist Church a few blocks from our home and every time I drive by it makes me shake my head.

I won’t elaborate on the obvious motive behind the sign (to turn heads) and the foolishness of the message (it undermines the very authority the “church” stands on). I’d like to share three reasons why the Bible should be believed and matters to all people.

1) Scripture details the story of God – The Bible is not merely the “owners manual to life.” It’s also not a compilation of thoughts about God. The Bible is the record of God’s redeeming work in history. God didn’t just create the world to run its course like a deistic watch maker. No, God created the world and then has been at work intervening in the affairs of mankind to rescue and renew the creation he loves. Furthermore, as we look at how God has intervened we have hope that he will one day fulfill his promise to finish what he started.

2) Scripture is the story of the world fulfilled in Christ – The Bible isn’t just the record of God rescuing his people. It’s the story of hope for all people rooted in the one true hero. Jesus Christ fully embodies the gospel (the good news) because he fulfills the longing of everyone. Since the beginning of time, humanity has hoped for one true hero and one righteous king. Someone who could rescue them from the brokenness of the world. Every political campaign tries to capitalize on this hope. “If you elect me I’ll make you’re life better. I’ll fix what’s wrong.” We’ve come to be skeptical of such promises because we’ve learned that most people over promise and under deliver. However, in Scripture we learn of one who has the authority and power to be the true hero the world has always longed for.

3) The Scripture gives light in darkness – The Bible is both human (written by created people) and divine (inspired by God). It contains the inspired words of God! Thankfully, we worship a self revealing God who didn’t hide from the world but entered into it through his Word and Son. That’s why we call the Bible Holy. In the Scripture we find truth and wisdom on how to navigate the complexities of a fallen world. We learn about the nature of God and of ourselves. Anyone who thinks the Bible is irrelevant has missed some of the key teachings and themes of the book. It answers the most pressing philosophic questions. It gives a finite point at which to measure all other truth claims.

In closing, the Bible’s message is NOT to love the Bible. It’s to love the God behind the Bible! It’s to grow in awareness of the God who has intervened in history. It’s to grow to love and worship the God who sent his son to die and defeat death so you can have life. And it’s about the God who speaks through the Scripture to your soul enabling transformation and holy living. We all “believe” in something. My money is on the God revealed in Scripture.

I welcome any thoughts.

Mike Juday – Philippians 2 from Kyle Hornsby on Vimeo.

The inspiration for this song is from Philippians 2:6-11 which focuses on Christ’s humility. This song is a call to remember what God has done through Christ, and it is a commitment that we make to respond by lifting Christ up above all else

You, Lord, have been tempted and tried. You’ve held the weight that holds us down

Christ was fully man and did indeed feel the same temptations as we do today but still lived a perfect life. (Hebrews 4:15)

You, Lord, have conquered the death that was a fate, a hopeless life before Your love

Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we are no longer slaves to death (1 Corinthians 15:56-57). We all deserve death (Romans 3:23)

You are the God who crawled through the dust to meet us where we are

Savior and King, became nothing for us to wear our thorns and bear our cross

Adam, the first man, was made from dust (Genesis 2:7) and Christ came down to dwell with us. We are incapable of living perfectly, so Christ lived perfectly on our behalf. God, our Savior, and our King came down to our level to pay our penalty.

You, Lord, the author of life, became a slave to our own sin

Christ is the Author of Life (Acts 3:14-16) and yet He was obedient to the law that God had made and obedient to pay the penalty of OUR sin (Philippians 2:8)

You, Lord, stood constant in love despite our wrongs, You gave Your Son for our sake

From the beginning of time, God has been faithful to us. Christ is the fulfillment of the covenant promises of God. God’s people have a history of being disobedient to God but God is always faithful

You are exalted high, Lord. Every knee shall bow

Every tongue will confess You are Lord

Because of all that Christ has done, God has exalted Him above all other names. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Chris Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11)

You have perfected justice and proved abounding grace

Our hearts will confess You are Lord

Through Christ’s life, teaching, death, and resurrection, God has proved to be both just in the fact that our sins have been paid for (1 Peter 3:18) and gracious in that God sent His Son to be our payment (1 John 4:9-10). In recognizing God’s justice and grace, our hearts must confess that Christ is Lord.

It’s easy to misinterpret the pains of life and assume that God must not have wanted me to have this or that. That somehow, God is withholding pleasure from us. Even as I write these words I know I’m guilty of thinking this way. But isn’t that such a low view of God? The great myth is that God is adverse to pleasure – that we can have fun or follow God, but you surely can’t have both.

But, that’s completely wrong. Actually God is committed to a greater pleasure than we can comprehend. And the good news is, it’s simply found in following him. He is so committed to offering us this pleasure that he sent his Son to pay the price in order that we could have access to it.

Eldredge reminds that, “so much of what we misinterpret as hassles or trials or screw-ups on our part are in fact God fathering us, taking us through something in order to strengthen us, or heal us, or dismantle some unholy thing in us.” It’s important to remember that wounds inflicted on us as a consequence of living in a fallen world shouldn’t be projected on God as though he is some sort of distant father who leads like an oppressive dictator. Rather as Eldrege says, “You are the [child] of a kind, strong, and engaged Father, a Father wise enough to guide you in the Way, generous enough to provide for your journey, offering to walk with you every step.”

How we understand God will undoubtedly affect the way relate to him (or don’t relate to him!). What might you be projecting onto God that creates a barrier in your relationship with him?