Affection-Driven Devotion

I am hitting the road this morning to preach two more weeks of Fuge Camps in Greenville, S. Carolina. I was called to fill in for a guy who had an emergency situation with his family. I have already preached three weeks and it has been an amazing experience. I blogged about it here recently.

The message I open camp with each week is the difference between the Affection-Driven life vs the Obligation-Driven life. As Christians we are often taught about our need to read the Bible, pray, serve others, attend church, give, love one another, submit to authority, relate to the lost, and the list goes on. These things are not wrong or bad, but they can become stumbling blocks if not taught properly. The motivation behind "why" we do them is equally as important as doing them. 

Many of us have been taught throughout our lives and our Christian experience the do's and don'ts, the right's and wrong's. The issue we need to wrestle over is not "do I do these things" but "why do I do these things?" Is my obedience the fruit of my relationship with Christ or am I attempting to make them the root of my salvation. In other words, do I do a lot of things in an effort to make God happy with me or do I do these things because they are a naturally outpouring of my affections for Christ? We are called to do the right things and live the Christian life in obedience, but these things stem from a heart filled with a love for God that has been created by the grace of God, through the faith provided as a gift by God. 

In Psalm 42:1-2 David speaks about how his soul thirsts for God, the Living God. He talks about how a deer pants for water, and that likewise, his soul pants for God. This is the writing and expressions of a person who's affections for the Lord are stoked white-hot. When is the last time you could say David's prayer and heart expression has been your own? His heart is a great example and model of one that exhibits great affections for the Lord.

When it comes to evangelism, we don't need new strategies, we need new hearts. Hearts driven by affections for the Lord. When it comes to relating to authority, we don't need to try harder to submit to imperfect leaders, we begin by submitting to the Lord who has placed those leaders over us. When it comes to loving others, we don't wait until people are more lovable, we begin by loving the One who fuels our capacity to love. When it comes to forgiving others, we don't wait until people deserve forgiveness, we begin by praising the God who forgave us through the precious blood of His Son. This drives us to forgive others. It all begins with our relationship with God. 

This is what it means to live an affection-driven life as opposed to the obligation-driven life. We cannot and will not live the Christian life with any joy or fulfillment if it is done as a duty or obligation. We must be driven by our affections for Christ Jesus, who is altogether lovely, who is altogether beautiful. Fix your gaze upon him and find your affections stirred and raised to fervent pitch! Hallelujah, what a Savior! How could we not want to live for him and his glory!?!

What are some things you have found that help to stir your affections for the Lord? For me it is reciting the gospel to myself and reflecting on the unique aspects of Christ's roles as Redeemer, Bridegroom, Advocate, and Friend to me. These always serve to fan my devotions for Christ into flame.

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The Gospel Still Works

I have been behind on blogging for the last week. I was speaking for Fuge Camps at Belmont and could not find the time needed to do it. This summer I had the opportunity to speak for three weeks at Fuge Camps, two in Missouri and one here in Nashville. I had insecurities going into this experience because I questioned whether the 31 year old pastor, who preaches for almost an hour, would be accepted. I had heard how some camp pastors approached their messages at these camps and I did not feel that is what God was calling me to do. I made the decision to approach camp like I approach preaching at church: being faithful to the Scriptures and preaching Jesus.

To my amazement, though I should not have been amazed - THE GOSPEL STILL WORKS.

The way God moved in the three weeks I had the opportunity to preach at Fuge just grounded me further in the fact that the preaching and teaching of God's Word is the key to seeing lives changed. Humor does not change lives. Sappy emotional stories do not change lives. These things are not bad things, but if they replace the gospel, they are. The good ole' fashion gospel message is still enough to change people; in fact, it is THE THING that changes people.

Instead of feeling like we need to make God more likable or Christianity more palatable, we should lay before people the unadjusted gospel message. We should be quick to communicate the truths of Scripture and call them to believe. I do not know the full impact of the three weeks I preached camp, but I do know that many students came to believe, an adult chaperone became a believer, and many youth pastors and leaders encouraged me that it was such a great week for them.

I praise God that He would use me to be a part of His great redemptive work. I am amazed that He would, but I should not be, because it is the gospel that holds the power, no matter who shares it, or how old they are.

What things do you feel we try to replace the gospel with in order to make God more likable to sinners or Christianity more palatable?

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Lessons God Taught Me This Week As I Taught Others

This last week I have been in Bolivar, Missouri for Fuge Camp. Fuge Camps are an amazing ministry to thousands of teenagers throughout the summer and winter months. I have had the great privilege of serving as Camp Pastor this summer for 3 weeks of camp. I miss my family and kids terribly. I miss worshiping and being with my church family The Journey Church. Despite how much I miss both my family and my church, this last week (as I'm sure the other weeks will be) has been an opportunity for God to work in my life. I have been amazed at how God has placed hundreds of students, youth pastors/workers, and camp leaders in front of me, that I did not know prior to this past week, and has given me such a deep and profound love for them, to pastor them. I would love to think that I am just an all-around good guy who loves people naturally, but I am not. It is truly the work of God to perform this act in my heart towards these people. It has brought me such joy to serve the students, youth pastors, and camp leaders with the Word of God. I have been filled with a love that started, not with me, but with God, for those God has brought me into contact with through Fuge.

I have also been reminded this week that it is the power of God's Word that changes lives, not gimmicks or stand-up comedy routines. I feared at the beginning of the week that I may not be what people at camp had become used to getting. I struggled internally with whether I should try to be something I am not. In the end, God lovingly reminded me that it is not about me being accepted or approved of, but to fulfill what He has called me to do - faithfully preach His Word. For a guy used to preaching upwards to an hour on Sunday's with my church, I was not sure Fuge Camps was ready for me. But praise be to God, His Word never comes back void. The Lord blessed the ministry done this week in powerful ways. I was reminded not to conform to what I believed won the applause of men, but to keep the pleasing of God as my ultimate goal. 

I pray this coming week, as well as the week of camp I have in July, will serve to further the glory of His great name. I pray that He will continue to amaze me with the work He is doing in my own life. As we plant and water, He brings the growth. 

It's funny; I thought I was coming to do the ministering at camp, but it is me that is being minister to. God is teaching me that ministry has less to do with specific age groups or areas of ministry, but it has more to do with being open and willing to minister to whoever God has put before you. The goal of all ministry is to exalt and praise God and His glory. It is all about the glory of His Great Name.

Leave a comment below around these questions: Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever walked into a situation where your preconceived ideas were completely uprooted by God? What kind of lessons did you learn from those times?


Tomorrow on the BLOG: We will take a look at the difference between the true gospel and the therapeutic gospel. What are the differences? How do we cling to the first, and avoid the trap of the latter?


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