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The Christian’s Measure of Maturity: The Heart of Christ
Devotional and Discussion Thought of the Day:
10 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. 13 They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. 14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:10-14 (NLT)
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Ephesians 4:11-13 (NLT)
813 I give you thanks, my Jesus, for your decision to become perfect Man, with a Heart which loved and is most lovable; which loved unto death and suffered; which was filled with joy and sorrow; which delighted in the things of men and showed us the way to Heaven; which subjected itself heroically to duty and acted with mercy; which watched over the poor and the rich and cared for sinners and the just… I give you thanks, my Jesus. Give us hearts to measure up to Yours! (1)
There is much theologically to say about the two natures of Christ. How Jesus is fully man, and fully God. Martin Chemnitz wrote a wonderful concise 3 inch thick volume about the subject, all of its implications, all of its potential issues. It is well worth reading, an amazing work about an amazing subject. It leaves you in awe, first of Chemnitz’s brilliance, and far more, of our Lord of whom the words describe.
Even so, I think that all the theology needs to be seen through something like the prayer that is written by St. Josemaria Escriva above. Which takes the incarnation seriously, which explores quickly the implications of Christ leaving His throne and being incarnate into our world, walking in our flesh. As St John’s gospel so beautifully states – He has made His home with us, The God whose love for us, whose faithfulness to the promises He made to us and to all, became present in their lives. We know His glory.
I pray your understand that this incarnation has not only been witnessed to by the apostles, by the early church, by Jesus mother who stored all these things in her heart. That incarnation, that glorious news that God has come to dwell with us, today, in these turbulent times. HE IS HERE! He dwells with His people still! We still see His glory.
As Josemaria prays that we all measure up to Christ heart, that prayer is perhaps of the highest level of theology, as well as the simplest. It is not the knowledge we would attain of God, though we desire to know Him. It is not that we could conjur up miracles that would mark as measuring up to Christ Jesus.
It is to be known to be like King David, to be a man after God’s own heart, a man who desires that which God desires, the reconciliation of all. To desire it so much that we are willing to pay whatever price to see it occur. Read those descriptions, a heart that loves and is lovable, which loves unto even death (I think of Romans 12:11 here.) Who embrace sorrow, filled with joy and sorrow, delighting in the things of men and showing them the way to heaven and heroically does what is needed with mercy, watching the poor and rich, caring for sinners and just.
That is the description of those whose hearts are growing to the measure of the sacred heart of Christ. It is the goal that pastors and others who minister long to see developed in their people.
Lord develop in us the Heart we long for, and as you promised through Ezekiel, may You replaced our shattered stone hearts with Your Heart of Flesh. Amen!
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 3352-3356). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
The Heart of Theology & the Heart of Ministry is the Heart of Christ
IMG_6335 (Photo credit: Light from Light)
Devotional/Discussion Thought of the Day:
11 Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel? Ezekiel 33:11 (ESV)
210 At times, seeing those souls asleep, one feels an enormous desire to shout at them, to make them take notice, to wake them up from that terrible torpor they have fallen into. It is so sad to see them walk like a blind man hitting out with his stick, without finding the way! I can well understand how the tears of Jesus over Jerusalem sprang from his perfect charity. (1)
The purpose of observing ceremonies is that men may learn the Scriptures and that those who have been touched by the Word may receive faith and fear (awe) and so may also pray. (2)
One of the reasons I am a Lutheran pastor, one of the reasons I love our confessions is the same reason I often am found quoting a Catholic priest/saint named Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei. ( It is also the reason I am indebted to my non-denom Bible College professors, especially Doug Dickey and Rodney Vliet, and my fellow alum and now professor Chris G.
For all of the above, and some others in life, there is no division between pastoral practice – how we minister and equip others for ministry, and the depth of our theology. It’s not the academics against the pragmatics, the “confessionals” versus the “church growthers”. And while the theology differs a bit at times, there is a…. holistic approach that requires that we realize the harmony between doctrine and practice. The pastor/priest or whatever form of ministry (professor,teacher,deacon, director of ministry) cannot divide his day by saying, from 8-9 I will pray, from 9-11 I will do theology, from 1-5 I will fulfill my pastoral duties and ministry obligations, and from 7-10 I will do church growth. It is one constant movement, one constant life.
Otherwise, I would contend, if you think our lives can be divided like this, you have done none of the above, but have simply whistled into the wind. The Lutheran doctrine of vocation, and Escriva’s teaching on the apostolate doesn’t work this way. For both find their beginning point – and entire existence, in one place.
As this blog is titled – “the heart of theology and the heart of ministry is the Heart of Christ”.
Our theology finds itself created, not in books and seminary or catechetical courses, but in our baptism, at the point where God transforms us, begins to conform our mind to that of Christ. As we are united to the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, theology begins, ministry starts. (yes even as a baby is baptized!) For as the Holy Spirit takes up residence in us, as the word begins to germinate in us, quickening life, we become theologians, we become ministers, servants of the word.
And it is the sacred heart of Christ which replaces our cold, stone hearts (see Ezekiel 36) and we begin to see the world as Christ does. The more we see Christ’s heart and desire to be with us, the more we comprehend the depth of the Father’s love, the more we realize that our masses, our Bible studies, our retreats serve not to just impart doctrine – but to lead us to pray, to lead us to worship, to lead us to interact with God as He shares His glory with us as we dwell in His presence.
Ministry and Theology have to find their essence there, in the heart of God.
Otherwise – you can find blog after blog of theologians claiming programs aren’t based in the faith, and pastors who call their seminary experience their death, and their seminaries nothing more than cemeteries. They both have a point – and the point is the same…..
Without being found and nurtured and developed within the heart of Christ – they aren’t theology and ministry, they are academics and business practices.
But when those very same things are baptised, when they are united with the heart and mind of our benevolent, caring Master Jesus…. when we look at those struggling without Christ as St. Josemaria describes them, as we wolf down theology that shows the glory of God’s work in us, then it is theology, it is ministry, it is one….
for we are one…in Christ.
(1) Escriva, Josemaria (2011-01-31). Furrow (Kindle Locations 1086-1089). Scepter Publishers. Kindle Edition.
(2) Tappert, T. G. (Ed.). (1959). The Book of Concord the confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. (p. 250). Philadelphia: Mühlenberg Press.
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