Loving The Other Side (part 1)

WHAT'S UP FRIENDS! As I've announced recently, I will be sharing the load of this blog with several friends and believers to provide added perspective on topics and allow more frequent posting. Below is the first of those posts! We hope you're blessed and enjoy this meditation from Nick Hillard. Nick is great friend of mine who has recently moved away from our hometown of Knoxville, TN. He's a huge dork, a killer skateboarder (and my coach in that sport), and a drummer of legendary skill. Sorry for rambling, here's Nick's post and as always feel free to chat with Nick, myself, or anyone that posts on social media if you need conversation or prayer.

---Grady Milligan

One of the most relevant topics among christian conversation is, how do we share the gospel and interact with nonbelievers? 

The first thing I would delve into is how weird what we believe really is. The next time you talk about drinking the blood of your savior or the afterlife called heaven, take a step back. That's some creepy stuff. Moreover, how weird does this sound to someone who doesn't have a Christian faith or background? I guess the transition here is, don't go straight for the 'eating the flesh of our savior' part of discipleship quite yet. Bad foot to start on.

When I first moved to Louisville Kentucky I worked at a pizza place called Spinelli's for some extra money to get situated. There are 5 locations in Louisville and not one of those pizzerias had a Christian employee, which isn't that out of the ordinary. Spinelli's had its own culture of not only being non-Christian, but they also hated the ficticious Jesus. Misfit, Punk rock, Jesus haters. The jokes rolled in everyday when they knew I was an actual Jesus freak. The main thing I heard from them was simple misunderstanding of what we (Christians) actually live by. These people called me crazy and insane to believe those things. It was a true mission field. I made friends with these guys really quickly considering our music and craft beer tastes. Not because of our faith. So I was able to reflect Jesus, eat pizza, and drink beer with my non-believer bros. But as a christian that's not quite enough. if you care for your brothers you will yearn for a transformation.

So, to simply put it. Sometimes the only way to witness is being a light and reflecting Jesus as best we can. The root of being a christian is simply loving God and loving people. Non-believers don't want to sit down and be told they're wrong. Don't be thick. It will push them so far away in most cases. Instead, Pray that God would soften their hearts because you can't. You can't give them that grace and understanding. Just love 'em, be a bro, and pray for them.

 

Ephesians 2:8-9

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 

John 13:34-35

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

 

Stay posi, guys

-Nick Hillard

For the "YOU" you!

God's timing is always perfect.  He speaks and gives us what we need when we need it most.  For example, I had the privilege of working as a staff on a wonderful youth and college retreat this past weekend, and during a moment of prayer with a good friend, I was reminded of a reassuring truth...

GOD LOVES ME!   And even more incredible, HE LOVES "ME" ME (not just the different hats of me that I wear).

What am I talking about, you might ask (or maybe you don't, I'm gonna type along anyways)?
I am simply praising God and reminding myself and any of you reading that Jesus Christ saves/loves/protects/enjoys YOU at your deepest and simplest level.  I'm not talking about your ministry, your family life, your work, or your dreams (though all of those are beautifully made).  I'm talking about YOU.

Before the very foundation of the world was formed, YOU were DESIGNED by the Creator to be a unique and never-seen-before-or-after work of art.  And you've heard this all before, especially if you're a church kid, and possibly to the point of nausea, BUT YOU NEED TO HEAR AND BELIEVE IT TODAY!

I'm definitely an example of someone that "knows" this truth of God's acceptance and love, but often acts in a way that would reveal a "saved by works" mentality.

If somehow, by now, you don't know that I'm a musician (now you do), you might not know my struggle with motivation and purpose.  I am a Christian that is a musician, so most of my music and poetry draws its strength from my faith journey. But, I battle almost daily to keep proper prioritization of my work.  Do I write and play just for the Lord's enjoyment, do I play for ministry to others, or do I play simply to honor my commitment to put food on the table?

No matter what doubts assail me each day, I know that the Lord has called me to use music as a big part of my ministry.  BUT HERE'S THE THING/THE KICKER/THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS DEVOTIONAL:

MY BIGGEST CALLING FROM GOD (and yours too) IS TO LOVE HIM WITH MY EVERYTHING AND BE THE ME HE LOVES!

When I break down life to it's core purpose, my highest purpose is the pleasure and glory of GOD!

And the amazing thing is that this truth, that Jesus wants me for me and not for what I do, should take TONS of pressure off.  I'm not giving an excuse to not work, because we are all created for good works for His Kingdom, but I'm saying His love and joy around us is not dependent on what we do as much as WHO WE ARE.

You can turn off your theology alarms.  Yes, I believe that if someone is truly saved than good fruit must come from them.  Yes, I believe that Jesus demands obedience.  All that is true and a joy!

I just want to remind anyone reading today that you are EXACTLY who God loves, enough that He died for YOU!

Let Him shape you, let Him improve and grow your faith and ministry, BUT DO NOT ACT LIKE YOU HAVE TO EARN HIS LOVE OR BELIEVE THAT YOUR MINISTRY IDENTITIES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING!

Jesus is delighted by you, His child and beloved, adopted beauty.

Here are some scriptures to think about today.  Much love to you all  ----------Grady Milligan

Psalm 139:14
"I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well."

Romans 8:15
"For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”"

Romans 5:8
"but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Ephesians 2:10
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Ephesians 1:4
"even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love"

Confidence in Our Conscience: 2 Corinthians 1:12, 1:21-22, and 12:9

Meditate, if you will, on these three passages of scripture:


"For this is our confidence: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshy wisdom but by God's grace."     ----  2 Corinthians 1:12

"Now it is God who strengthens us, with you, in Christ and has anointed us. He has sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment in our hearts"  ---- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

"But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  --- 2 Corinthians 12:9

I challenge both myself and the reader to stop and evaluate ourselves.  When we think of our daily walk and ministry, do we have a CONFIDENCE OF CONSCIENCE?  Next, if we do in fact feel confident, WHO ARE WE CONFIDENT IN?  Do we draw a sense of peace and security from our approval of our own works, or do we grasp the magnitude of His humbling grace and guidance?

Having grown up in church life and teachings, it's easy for me to immediately equate the word CONFIDENCE with a much more sinful one: PRIDE. But there is a vast difference between  humble confidence in the power of God's Spirit guiding our every moment and foolish hope in our own strength.

The passages from 2 Corinthians call the believer to rise up in Christ's power and live "with God-given sincerity and purity" and love the people around us without fear of our sinful weakness.  EVEN MORE, Paul said that he would "boast all the more gladly of (his) weaknesses" because Jesus is made EVEN MORE evident when contrasted with human failure.

THINK ABOUT IT!  How excited and fearless (while still humbly) should we live knowing that EVEN WHEN WE'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH Jesus will be glorified through His own confident authority within us.  How fantastic is that?!

The "down payment" that is His world-creating/life-changing/sickness-healing Spirit gives us the anointing to go and do His good works.  THERE IS NO OTHER STRENGTH NEEDED, the power of the MAKER is inside of the believer.  

So no matter where you've been recently in your walk, or how adequate you feel, pray that God would encourage you with grace to walk boldly, humbly, and CONFIDENTLY in the power to minister that He's given you through Jesus.  It isn't with your strength that hearts are changed, so don't worry about how strong you feel.  Be bold in weakness and conduct yourself above reproach so that the world would know Jesus is alive and strong to save!

Comfort: 2 Corinthians 1:3-11

Let me start today's post with Paul's prayer in the first chapter of 2nd Corinthians:  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all COMFORT"

I want to spend this evening meditating on that word: COMFORT.   A dictionary definition of the word comfort might read as follows:

Verb  1.  to soothe, console, or reassure; bring cheer to   2. to make physically comfortable

Noun  1. relief in affliction; consolation; solace   2. a feeling of relief or consolation.

The opening prayer of the this chapter of 2nd Corinthians starts with, for me at least, an incredibly heartwarming depiction of God as "the Father of MERCIES and the God of ALL COMFORT".  What a joyful thought, that the maker of every brilliant star and every beautiful creature on Earth desires to see us comforted and brought to a place of peace in His presence!  Amen!

And, like most things that God does, this act of reassurance and peace has a more lateral purpose than just our personal enjoyment of Jesus (though that's not to be understated, IT'S AWESOME!).

Verse 4 of the same book and chapter tell us that Jesus "comforts us in all our afflictions" as a means of ministry to others.  The overwhelming love and protection of the Spirit, in our darkest moments and difficult battles, should cause us to pour out that same comfort "with which ourselves are comforted by God".   When we see the broken people that God has placed in our circles of influence, we should be contagious with His compassion and desire to see their pains relieved through grace!

IT'S ALL ABOUT SHARING IN EXPERIENCE!  Verses 5 and 6 teach us that we are to share in BOTH THE SUFFERINGS AND COMFORT of Jesus Christ.   Though many of us, especially in overprivileged America, do not experience the type of suffering or persecution as Paul and the early disciples (not to mention many modern martyrs in various parts of today's world), we are called to take joy in EVEN OUR DIFFICULTIES because they lead us to a better understanding and appreciation of God's salvation and providential comfort.  And in the evangelistic sense, suffering for or comforting our brothers and sisters in Christ (and suffering for those who need His salvation) is HUGELY IMPORTANT!  Don't forget that Christ said that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for his friends.  "If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation" (Verse 6).

I absolutely love the confidence Paul (and Jesus) have for the church in verse 7 when he says "Our hope for you is unshaken."  What do we have to fear?   If Jesus has raised us up with Him through the sharing in His death AND resurrection, what can come against His body?

To finish pondering this wonderful chunk of scripture, I encourage us all (since I need this reminder daily) to pray ferverently for each other in our ministry to the lost.  The rest of this passage down to verse 11 recounts Paul's struggles while in Asia and how the prayers of the church at Corinth made a massive difference in his deliverence from dangerous situations.  

IT IS CRITICAL for us to be aware of the sufferings of our brothers and sisters and JUST AS CRITICAL to pray for the sufferings of the unsaved, if we are to join in the comforting process of the Spirit for both parties.

Many don't believe God loves them because they have lived a life devoid of healing or comfort.  Let the hands and feet of Christ not be idle when God has given us comfort and power to make a change!

Blessings!

-Grady

Glory to Glory

If you follow any of my musical updates or if you've been to any of the worship events I've played in the last year, you've probably heard my song "Glory to Glory".   The track, which is about to be released as a single from the upcoming "Dusty Stages" album, is much more corporate than most of my songwriter music (thus making it great for singalong worship).  And even though this particular song is not my first choice in style, at least for my own compositions, the theme of the piece is hugely important in shaping how I've viewed my walk with Christ.

The title phrase comes from the King James Version's take on 2 Corinthians 3:18 which reads:

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

A more modern and literal translation (the English Standard Version) reads:

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

I believe God calls His adopted sons and daughters to spend intensely personal time in His presence, something I know I need to be seeking more on a daily level. It is my understanding that Jesus desires the kind of trust and peace of relationship that He had with Moses (Exodus 33:11) for ALL OF HIS CHILDREN.  The presence of God, that place where we see His power and love and SELF reflecting as if from a pool, is where we who believe can soak up the glory of the Creator and take it out to the world!  We can grow from each visit to His presence and radiate His love from our face, just like Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34:29)

The compelling image, this grace-fueled molding into the image of God's glory, has been a hugely gravitational force in most of my Christian journey.  As someone that learns well through experiential and tactile study, I desire a fierce and personal encounter with my Savior. Hearing about something God was doing or something He could do was never enough for me, I wanted (and still want) to see Him move for myself, in all of His manifestations. Not that I'm not excited about victories I witness in other peoples' testimonies, I just get CRAZY EXCITED to see the Holy Spirit move in new ways in my own story.

Thinking back to my very formative high school and college years, there was always a groaning urge to do bigger and better things with the Lord.  If I had prayed and healed 2 people, I wanted to pray for 10 the next time.  If a C.S. Lewis book like "The Screwtape Letters" changed my understanding of God for the better, I wanted to read EVERYTHING by Lewis or any of his friends.  During these periods, there was nothing I wanted more than to see more of God

However, in recent months I've been struggling to remain confident in the aforementioned passion. As I mentioned in past blog posts, Brandy and I had been without a true home church until the beginning of this summer.  The lack of fellowship, combined with a period of laziness in personal study and daily prayer, brought me to a place of grumbling and woe-is-me guilt.  

BUT, thanks to great conversations with a church staff that quickly and sincerely loved on Brandy and I, we've truly come out of a rut through the ministry of the Maryville Vineyard church family.

For the first time in what seems like an embarrassingly long while, I feel that healthy and beautiful urge of God's Spirit to seek Him out in each moment of the day.  Though not every hour feels like a new glory to glory discovery, I can gratefully say that the Lord is calling to me louder than in months past (that or my ears aren't clogged with distractions).

In my work, in my music and new album, in my marriage, and in my church-life, I am genuinely ready to reach heights of ministry that my wife and I have yet to see!

WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY LAST THOUGHT:
We cannot let ourselves, as believers saved through grace, despair in moments that seem dark.  No matter how long our stumble, the tie that is God's salvation and love does not vanish because of our human imperfections or weak moments. We don't have to crawl back to a point we once knew, Jesus picks us right back up and into His pace the moment we repent. 

And sometimes you reach the next peak of glory through the valley of the shadow of death, so don't give up when looking at your circumstance or position, but instead ask God to shine light and show you where is wonderfully formative glory can be found.

Thanks for reading or listening, and thanks for any prayers for my family's ministry.  Let me know if you ever need to talk or pray.

Repentance

My wife and I have recently become frequent fliers at the Vineyard church in Maryville, TN.

I can say without a doubt that this has been the most spiritually refreshing couple of months we've enjoyed in several years.

Aaron, the preaching pastor at our church, was speaking about repentance this past Sunday as a part of a larger sermon series on prayer.  God has been preparing my heart for over a year to hear what I needed to hear in that lesson.

Pastor Aaron spoke about a huge misunderstanding and dangerous perspective regarding the subject of REPENTANCE.   For so many Christians, even the word "repent" sounds like a punishment.  We know we fall short and because of our failings God is going to make us go through a tiring and painful process of earning our way back into his favor... WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!

The act of repentance is a BEAUTIFUL GIFT OF GRACE!  We are called, nay, invited to embrace our Savior and get right back on the horse, riding in the direction of His will.  We don't have to go through a painful punishment period or retrace steps, we just "fall forward into grace"- as my friend Andrew Soreano (wonderful dude and awesome missionary) would say.  God brings us in an instant to the place we were right before we stumble.   But I had, for a good long time, been living in the lie that I was doing a terrible job and it wasn't worth trying to get back to a place of obedient walking and ministry.

As any of you who have spoken to me recently would know, I've been in a season of doubt.  Not doubting God (His self, love, or provision), but doubting myself.  Without being aware of what I've been doing, I've spent far too long in a rut of self-induced-guilt-trip-earn-my-way-back-to-Spirit-led-holiness-and-all-without-joy religion.

I haven't had a bad year, in fact it's been both financially and relationally blessed, but I've been giving myself a hard time.  My daily times of devotion, prayer, and scriptural study have been negligent at best.  This is a GENUINE PROBLEM that needs to be corrected.  There is a great deal of holy conviction at work in that area of my life.

BUT, instead of running towards God's open arms in repentance and skipping along our merry way, I've been constantly hesitant to push forward for the fear that I have lost the right to walk alongside Him.


THAT IS RIDICULOUS!   I know now that I need to constantly battle the enemy's lies about my current spiritual state.  Though I am definitely responsible to live in obedience (and deal with discipline and consequences should I stray), there is still NOTHING that makes God love me less or want me less!

The creator of the universe didn't come to earth as a man, suffer ultimate punishment, rise in death's defeat, and pour out salvation and His Spirit on me to take it all back after a dry season!  He adopted me and walks in and with me FOR LIFE!

I needed the reminder of that sermon to redirect my focus.  I am looking forward to a revamp of disciplined devotion and study and prayer, hopefully leading to a season of new spiritual heights and discoveries.  I am EXCITED TO REPENT.  What a glorious gift, to turn away from my weakness and TURN TOWARDS THE ARMS OF FORGIVENESS, SONSHIP, AND GROWTH IN JESUS!

I'll be blogging more (almost daily) to keep myself accountable and log any revelations from study time.

Much love and Grace and Peace to you through the Spirit of Jesus Christ!