God of this city

Unfortunately I wasn’t able to attend when Passion 2008 World Tour hit Kiev a few weeks ago. I understand from my wife and several others who attended that it was a wonderful evening of focusing on Christ and celebrating life and hope in him together with each other. Jeannette introduced me to this song, God of this city, originally written by the Northern Irish group Bluetree, but covered by Chris Tomlin for the Passion World Tour. It’s a powerful song of intercession and hope for our cities, our nations, our families, our friends.

It may look like the kingdom of God is weak and is not winning against Satan and his darkness. But the kingdom of God is slowly breaking forth more and more. It may look like great revivals are a thing of the past, and most people don’t think they need God any more. But the truth is that millions each year accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and get to experience the abundant life that Jesus promised. It may seem as if people will not agree with a statement like: “You’re the God of this city. You’re the king of these people. You’re the Lord of this nation. You are“….that doesn’t apply to people in my city….you may think! But it does. The song is a piece of intercession and a song of hope. The only hope for all people is to recognize Jesus as their Lord and King! Share the good news with great joy – allow Jesus to live his life through you and shine his light through you. He is the hope. You and are not. He is. And one day every knee shall bow and hail Jesus as Lord. Some will, unfortunately, not do it as an act of love and adoration, but because they will have to do it on Judgment Day (Romans 14:9-12 and Philippians 2:10-11). There may be many people you know who reject Jesus these days. That may be the truth for right now. But don’t give up. Don’t despair. Jesus’ kingdom is breaking forth. In your city too! I have listened to this song daily the past week or so. I need to be reminded of the truths in it. Christ is changing this world. Christ is changing peoples’ lives, and I shouldn’t stand in the way of what he is doing with a negative, Satan-inspired things-and-people-will-never-change-where-I-live-perspective that so many believers unfortunately buy into.

Greater things have yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city!

Torben 

From the kids’ room :-)

Heard in the kids’ room when I visited my brother and his wife this past weekend: My nephews Christian and Jakob were talking about something, and this dialogue played out:

Christian (9 years): “I know that! I know how to do that too!“

Jakob (6 years): “You don’t know everything. Jesus is the only who does. He even knows what 10×10 is!“

Torben – I guess there was really no point for Christian to argue with that. Jesus surely is the wisest person to ever live, and he even knows what 10 times 10 is..! 

 

Friend of God

I have had this song in my head the past couple of days. What a wonder it is that God calls ME his friend! Me…..fragile, doubtful, fearful, self-righteous, self-pitying, crazy, unstable me….God is perfect in his being, in all his ways and he chooses to call me his friend. Just like he did with Abraham who believed God and God credited it to him as righteousness and called him his FRIEND (James 2:23). I have my righteousness in God. Christ is my righteousness, and I’m God’s friend. Jesus put it this way to all his disciples: “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last” (John 15:15-16).

Christ wants to change this world through his disciples, through his friends, and it all happens because of him not because of us and what we can pull together in ourselves. Jesus calling his disciples friends comes in the same passage in John 15 where Jesus explains how life, growth, and everything else in the kingdom of God takes place. He does it all. He does it through his children, through his friends. And all we are called to do is to REMAIN IN HIM and bear fruit – fruit that will last! He is the vine, he is the power, he is the the source of life in us, he brings forth life in us and through us. We are his broken cups, but we are his friends!

I love the story of Peter meeting Jesus after Jesus’ resurrection (John, chapter 21). Peter had deserted Jesus and had denied that he ever knew him. Jesus is on the beach, and calls out to Peter and the other disciples who are out in their boats fishing (they probably figured that they had to get started with their normal pre-encountering-Jesus-jobs). Peter immediately jumps in the water and swims to the shore. And Jesus doesn’t meet him with a “what have you done, Peter….I’m so disappointed with you”, instead he meets Peter with a “let’s have breakfast”. He is being Peter’s friend and after their beach breakfast he reinstates Peter as the disciple he had chosen as the leader of the first church. No condemnation. No “now I know that I can’t ever trust you”. Jesus and Peter both know that Peter is broken. That he will be known as one of the disciples who deserted Jesus. And that’s one of the good reasons for appointing Peter to be the leader of the church. Because he is broken. Peter doesn’t have the same faith in himself and in his strengths and abilities anymore, and others won’t look to him as being perfect in all his ways. But Peter is Jesus’ friend, and Jesus knows that Peter will remain in Jesus and get all his strength from him and Jesus can start building his Church through his broken and humble friend. 

Torben – who wants to learn much more about what it means for me to be God’s friend. It’s a mind blowing mystery, but I trust that God will continue to reveal and unpack it for me

Turn your eyes

A wonderful song about where hope is always to be found, in the man who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Torben – who often finds himself looking everywhere else than to the only one who can answer my questions, and give me the life, hope, joy and peace I’m searching:-(