Bowing to Caesar Rather than God? What's a Christ-Follower to Do?

Apparently Oklahoma legislators are attempting to criminalize helping illegal immigrants.  Now, I'm not a political expert nor do I pretend to be one.  But if this is true this raises some issues for Christians in Oklahoma. 

Roger Olson, who teaches theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary at Baylor University, has chimed in on the issue.  You can read his entire post here (A Case for Civil Disobedience May Be Necessary).  With that said, here is a little taste of Olson's post:

In my opinion, as a Christian theologian, this law reeks of hate toward a particular group of people and blatantly contradicts the biblical injunctions to treat the outsiders and aliens in our midst justly. (And please don’t argue that it means retributive justice! The contexts make clear the Bible means justly as in lovingly.)


I believe this is a clear case of the state criminalizing Christian behavior. In effect it is no different from the Roman Empire criminalizing refusal to worship Caesar or from the so-called Holy Roman Empire criminalizing refusal to baptize infants during the Reformation.

In my opinion, the authors of this bill have bowed to Caesar rather than to God.

Similarly, today I saw a facebook post by Shane Claiborne.  Claiborne mentioned that the city of Philadelphia is looking to criminalize homelessness (click here for more info).  It would be a criminal offense to sleep in parks, etc., as well as be a criminal offense to feed the homeless.  Again, if this is true there are implications for Christians in Philadelphia attached to this.

As a Christ-Follower, I believe that we are to reach out to, love, and help all people regardless of their social status or lot in life.  If Jesus was here today these are the people he would be spending time with.  As Christians I think we would do well to remember that we too are "aliens" in a foreign land.

What are your thoughts on these current events?

A Quick Thought on Serving Others

Yesterday some good friends of mine celebrated the birth of their second child, a daughter.  Today I went to visit them in the hospital.  When I arrived at the hospital I had to park at the top of the parking garage.  The garage was packed with vehicles.  As I made my way to the elevator I noticed a woman dressed like a nurse or an orderly and she was pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair.  To get to the elevator we had to go through a door.  I saw the situation and held the door open for them to which she responded with kind words.

As we got onto the elevator we both realized we were going to the same floor which would open to an enclosed footbridge taking us from the parking garage over a street to the hospital building.  Again, this required going through a door.  And again I held the door open for the nurse and the elderly woman.  This time her response stuck with me.  She said, and I quote, "Thanks you so much.  We are not used to people being so helpful." 

"What?"  I said to myself.  All I did was hold open a couple doors so she could maneuver the wheelchair through a little easier.  I thought that that cannot be true.  Have we as a culture stopped simply holding doors open for people?  If this woman's statement is accurate about American society, how does this statement apply to or affect the church in America?

Hey church, we've got to get out more and get involved more.  When people see us they should see God (1 John 4:12).

5th Sunday is Almost Here!

First, I want to apologize for my last post.  It was a very lame attempt to be funny. 

Next, I'm very excited that 5th Sunday is just about upon us.  If you have not heard of 5th Sunday before you can go here or here to find out more about it.  Basically, 5th Sunday consists of churches going outside the walls of their buildings and into their local communities.  Part of the idea behind it involves trading the time normally spent gathered together on a Sunday morning with time spent worshiping through service in the local community.  Here is how we are planning our time for Sunday:

10:00 - Gather for music and prayer - after a song together we will divide up into our service groups and pray together for the day

10:15 - Depart for project locations

10:30 - 12:00 - worship through service

12:15 - Return to the building

12:15 til ?? - Share a meal together and share together about the events of the day

We have three main areas of service planned: (1) litter clean-up on a local route near the church building, (2) a litter clean-up at a nearby state park area along the Delaware River, and (3) visitation to a local nursing home just a few miles up the road from our location.  Also, our youth are going to a widow's house for some yard work and cleaning.

Another church about 10 miles from us is also participating in 5th Sunday.  They are doing things like handing out water bottles at a local parade, giving out $5 gift cards at a local gas station and visiting people in the hospital.

I know that this is just a small step in the eyes of many.  But I also think it is a big step too.  Many of us in the church are not use to something like this.  Swapping the regular meeting time on Sunday morning with service to the community is foreign to many of us.  Please pray for us this week that God would have us impact the community in some way and that our hearts would be changed to make this sort of thing "normal" for our day to day lives.

I can't help but think to myself:  "What if every church did this?  What if on months with 5 Sundays every church building was empty because they all went out to serve?  What kind of impact might that have on a geographical area?"

Jesus said that the world will know that we are his disciples by our love (John 13:35).  Do our local communities know this?

Some Thoughts Before the Rapture

Well, since the end of the world is coming today at 6:00pm according to some people, I thought I would say a few things, you know, just in case it comes earlier than expected.

First, I want to sa

Acts 27:35 and the Communion Meal

I have recently been studying through the book of Acts and today I came across Acts 27:35.  The context here is Paul's voyage to Rome from Jerusalem while under arrest.  He is on his way to speak before Caesar.  The vessel he is sailing on has hit some rough weather and the ship is going down.  27:35 takes place the night before the ship runs aground on a sand bar.  Here is what we find:

After [Paul] said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all.  Then he broke it and began to eat.  - Acts 27:35 (NIV)

What first struck me about this is the language.  Notice the phrases:  "took bread"; "gave thanks"; "broke it".  To me this sounds an awful lot like what is referred to as the Eucharist or Communion.

What I find interesting about this verse is the setting.  As I pointed out, Paul is with a small group of believers, under the watchful eye of Roman soldiers while on a boat full of mostly, if not all, non-believers.  It seems that in this setting Paul celebrates the Lord's Supper with the food they have in the midst of a dire situation.

In his commentry on Acts, F.F. Bruce writes:

Probably it was [the Lord's Supper] in a limited sense:  all shared the food, but to the majority it was an ordinary meal, while for those who ate with eucharistic intention (Paul and his fellow-Christians) it was a valid eucharist:  "the bread which we break, is it not our participation in the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 10:16).  They did not, however, withdraw into a cornerto communicate:  Paul gave thanks "in the presence of all,"  and the communicant Christians broke the bread and ate with the ship's company.  (pg. 492-93) 

And I love the next verse as well:

They were all encouraged and ate some food themselves.  - Acts 27:36

The rest of the people on the vessel were encouraged!  They were mostly non-believers and they were encouraged.  One thing that comes to my mind is that when we usually think of the Lord's Supper often participation in it is reserved for believers.  Did Paul participate in the Lord's Supper here, and with non-believers to boot?  If so, what are the implications of this, if any, for our view(s) on the Lord's Supper?

What are your thoughts?

An Example of Practical Missional Living: My Parents

Recently my parents were in town for a brief visit and I had an opportunity to have breakfast with them before they made the three hour trip home.  During breakfast our conversation turned to the topic of their neighbors.  Recently their neighbor broke his leg in two places while riding his motorcycle.  Now his wife has to take on extra duties and of course she is feeling a bit stressed.  My mother decided to take a meal over to them and when she did the neighbor came out of the house crying.  Five minutes prior to my mother's visit they received news that her father-in-law had passed away.  The meal was very timely and my mother had an opportunity to be there for them in a difficult time. 

A few days later my mother was mowing the lawn and she decided to mow the neighbors lawn as well.  When the neighbors came home from the funeral she noticed the lawn was mowed and, again crying, spoke to my mother and shared that her birthday was the next day and she didn't know what she was going to do because the lawn required mowing and of course her husband needs cared for and things are just piling up.  She was so touched and grateful for what my mother had done for them.  Both my mother and   father continue to reach out to their neighbors in very practical ways.  The have provided them with a few more meals as well.  My mother said that she can see the hand of God at work in all of this. 

I think this is a great example of practical missional living.  My parents are reaching out to those in their own neighborhood.  They are meeting real needs.  They are also seeing the hand of God at work in all of this.  Lives are being touched as they imitate Christ to their neighbors.   They did not have to ask any special permission before doing this either. 

Let us all aspire to be missionaries wherever we find ourselves.

Open Sharing in a More Traditional Setting

About a year ago our church began to set apart a time in our gathering for opening sharing.  Our church could be referred to as a more traditional church.  We have the typical things that you would find in an American church.  We have a large screen on which we project the lyrics to the songs we sing as well as Scriptures and prayers.  We have a band/"praise team" complete with keyboard, guitars, bass guitar, percussion, etc.  We have movie theater style seating that faces the same direction.  We have a bulletin with  generic "worship order" printed inside.

Now all of these things are not bad in an of themselves.  But as human beings we can so easily make these things the thing.  Over the past 2-3 years God has been using some people (like Alan Knox, among others) and some books (of course the Bible, and authors such as Frank Viola, among others) to teach me some things and to help me re-focus on the things that I think perhaps are important.

As a part of this process I relearned the importance of the church community encouraging one another.  Our gatherings were polished and ordered from beginning to end.  But very rarely, if at all, did others in the community have a chance to share anything.  We heard very little testimony of what God was doing in the life of one another.  Also contributing to my new awareness were verses such as these:

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  - 1 Corinthians 12:7

What shall we say, brothers?  When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation.  All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.
- 1 Corinthians 14:26

Some other verses similar to this one are Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16.  Paul's point appears to be that every believer should at least have the opportunity to contribute to the gathering.  The contribution should be something that strengthens the church, encouraging and edifying other believers.  And it should also be done in an orderly fashion (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:27ff.)

About a year ago we implemented an open sharing time in our gathering.  Our church has two gatherings on Sunday morning, one at 9am and the other at 11am.  The 11am gathering is larger and I was a little nervous as to how it would be received and work out.  But since its inception it has truly been a blessing, our community feels closer together and the people look forward to that time together.

Whenever we begin the sharing time I open by saying, "Does anyone have any words of encouragement, testimonies, praises or prayer requests?  What is God doing in our lives?"  I specifically use that order because (1) I want people to be encouraged to share their "God stories" with the community; (2) it is important for others to hear what God is doing around us; (3) and while prayer is a great gift and very important, I don't want it to turn into "Please pray for my aunt's, nephew's, brother's, son's, best friend's sister's pet gerbil." 

For the first few months we received mostly, if not all prayer requests.  But then gradually we began to have others share some testimony.  Then others would share a word of encouragement.  Now, through the Holy Spirit's guidance, it has taken on a life of it's own.  Sometimes we have taken 10-15 minutes during our "traditional" worship time to share what God has done and is doing and what we are praying to see God do.  the feedback from the community is that it has become or is becoming one of their favorite aspects of our corporate gathering. 

I know that many churches do this, we are not unique in this regard.  But I want to encourage you, if you are not offering a time of sharing during your corporate gathering consider starting one.  How are you and your church family implementing the verses shared above?  I'd love to hear about it.

James Dunn on "Sacred Persons"

James D.G. Dunn, Lightfoot Professor Emeritus at the University of Durham in England, has written a book titled Did the First Christians Worship Jesus:  the New Testament Evidence.  As part of his examination Dunn looks at the role of sacred persons or otherwise known as priest, and their role according to the New Testament writings.  Here's a snippet from chapter two titled Sacred Space, Sacred Times, Sacred Meals, Sacred People:

"It is of particular interest, then, that priests hardly feature in earliest Christianity.  We can be more precise.  According to Luke's account in Acts, many priests joined the new sect in the earliest days of the movement (Acts 6:7).  But there is no hint that they functioned among the believing congregations as priests.  Instead we find the idea that believers as a whole are priests (Rev. 1.6; 5.10; 20.6), 'a holy priesthood', 'a royal priesthood, a holy nation' (1 Pet. 2.5, 9).  Paul describes his own ministry in characteristically priestly terms (Rom. 15.16), but by doing so he probably was not thinking of himself as part of a distinct order of priesthood within the earliest Christian community.  For it is his mission work, rather than his pastoral work, that he describes in these terms.  And he uses such language elsewhere to refer to the responsibility of all Christians (to offer sacrifice) and to the kindly ministry of Epaphroditus in coming to his aid (Rom. 12.1; Phil. 2.250.  Any and all ministry in or on behalf of the gospel could thus be described as priestly ministry.

The key point, presumably, was that the first Christians had no need of priests.  They did not need anyone anymore to mediate between them and God or the Lord Christ.  They did not depend on any order to open the way into the sacred space of divine presence.  The way had been opened by Christ for all to follow...The reality now is that only one priest is necessary - Christ himself, a priest according to the order of Melcchizedek.  No other can share that priesthood, since no other shares the qualification that only Christ has (Heb. 7.3)....The argument of Hebrews began to be lost to sight in the second century, as the desire for Christianity to be recognized as a religion resulted in the re-emergence of the concept of a separate order of priests within the christian community.  But for the first Christians, the existential experience of knowing God immediately, without any mediation other than that of Jesus, was too real and too precious to be quickly lost to sight.  (pgs. 51-52)"

A couple of brief remarks about this passage.  First, I found it interesting that Dunn points out that the transfer back to a separate clergy and laity happened as early as the second century.  I have usually read and heard that this happened later and was directly a result of Emperor Constantine.  If, in fact, it was as early as the second century then we can see how this would only help pave the way for the further rise of a clergy caste that was separated apart from the rest of the people.  Second, I think this issue is a crucial issue for the today today and for the future.  I don't think this is the only issue but it is a big issue.  The church is good about talking and teaching the "priesthood of all believers" but when the rubber meets the road I think we are lacking in general.  I would be the first to admit that my church needs help here as well.  But I truly believe that if the church is going to multiply, not just add, in the future it will be because the laity realize their priestly role and embrace it. 

What do you think?

Finding Meaning in Literary Structure: A Proposed Structure for Acts 1:1-11

While I was in seminary I was introduced to the world of literary structures as they relate to the Scriptures.  It is often said that the ancient culture was largely oral in nature.  That means that the history of the people, etc. were passed down from generation to generation via story.  These accounts were often constructed in such a way that the hearers could easily retain what they were hearing.  In some ways I think that those of us living today have lost this ability, but that is another issue.  We can see structure even in some of our nursery rhymes.  They are structured in such a way that children can easily remember them. 

For example, look at the Three Little Pigs.  It is a parallel pattern:


 A     the pig builds a house with straw
          B     the pig builds a house with sticks
               C     the pig builds a house with bricks

     A'     the pig with the straw house loses his home
          B'     the pig with the stick house loses his home
               C'    the pig with the brick house remains standing strong

In this nursery rhyme the C point is the point that is emphasized.  This emphasis does not detract from the other A and B points, but the C point is where we find the moral of the story.

While studying in seminary, both my OT and NT professors were men who had spent years studying the structure of the Bible.  David Dorsey, my OT professor, wrote a book on the literary structure of the OT.  My NT professor, H. Douglas Buckwalter, is just about to have his two volume work on the literary structure of the NT published.  Needless to say, I have had this instilled in me.

Why is this important?  Sometimes someone will say that we cannot fully know what the biblical writers meant today.  We are 2000 years (or more) removed from them, their language and their context to fully understand.  I think that the literary structure helps provide us with the "heartbeat" of the Scriptures.  By studying the structure we can get a better picture of what the authors meant in a particular passage.  The Bible is inspired by God through his Holy Spirit, but I don't think that means God had the human writers "turn off" their minds.

Let me give you and example that we can hopefully discuss in the comment section.  This example is known as a chiastic structure.  The following is my proposed literary structure of Acts 1:1-11:


 A   1:1-2   Events of the Past: Luke discusses what Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken to heaven—“…until the day he was taken up to heaven,…”
      B   1:3   The Resurrection: Jesus showed himself to many and and gave many convincing proofs he was alive
             C   1:4-5   Jesus speaks of the coming baptism of the Holy Spirit
                  D   1:6   CENTER: The disciples question Jesus about the timing of the 
                                                   restoration of the kingdom to Israel
             C’   1:7-8   Jesus speaks of the coming baptism of the Holy Spirit
        B’   1:9    The Ascension: Jesus was taken up before their very eyes
A’    1:10-11    Expected Events of the Future:  two angels discuss with the disciples the eventual 2nd Coming of Christ--"...who has been taken from you into heaven,..."

If this literary structure is correct, the questions for us are (1) what do we learn from the paired points in this structure and (2) why is v.6 the unmatched center?  What is this structure teaching us and do we see this playing out in the book of Acts at all?

A Letter from Rwanda

June 2nd is fast approaching.  This date marks the wedding anniversary for my wife, Stacey, and I.  This particular June 2nd will be our 10th wedding anniversary.  It is also another anniversary.  Just a few short weeks after we were married we "adopted" our first child.  We decided to sponsor a young boy from Rwanda, named Gikundiro, through Compassion International.  His birthday is in July and at the time he was eight, just about to turn nine.  Now he is eighteen, just about to turn nineteen!  We pray for Gikundiro and his family every day.

Over the years we have had our own children.  We have been blessed with two beautiful girls, Emma (almost seven) and Ana (three).  At night when we pray as a family we always pray for Gikundiro and his family.  My girls are always quick to interject if they think that we have forgotten to mention him  They quickly chime in, "Dad, don't forget Gikundiro in Rwanda."  It has been really neat to see my little girls connect with this now grown man many thousands of miles away.  Even though they never met, my girls have a brother named Gikundiro.  They send him pictures that they color and he asks about them in his letters.  It's awesome to expose my girls to this at a young age.  I pray that this becomes "normal" for them when they are adults.  AS Christians we need to always be thinking both locally and globally because both are under the domain of God.

We recently just received another letter from Gikundiro and this letter touched my heart probably more than the other previous letters.  This letter demonstrated some answered prayer.  Whenever we pray for Gikundiro one of the things we ask God for is to guide him in such a way that he will be used to further God's kingdom among his own people of Rwanda.  This is a snippet from his most recent letter that struck me:

The [Compassion] project takes good care of us.  They teach us the word of God.  Read Matthew 9:2-3.  I am studying well.  We have a small church at school, and I am a leader in this church.  I end up wishing you to stay in Jesus.  Let him lead you.

Typing these words continue to stir my heart.  When we began to support him he was a young child and now he is a man.  At first his future was a little uncertain but now he is a leader in a church family.  I find it awesome that he sends us words of encouragement!  I am touched and humbled by this relationship separated by a few thousand miles. 

Truth be told, it seems to easy.  The impact on Gikundiro's life costs us less than an average monthly cable TV bill each month.  It also takes a little time set aside in prayer and the occasional letter writing.  But what an impact.  I thank God for this relationship and the growth in my son in the faith who lives in Rwanda.

Seasons of Life

This morning I read this very good post by Jeremy at Till He Comes.  It is part of a May synchroblog on Life Unfurling.  After I read Jeremy's post it got me thinking about my own life and I remembered something I heard while listening to Dr. Henry Cloud speak at a conference.  Dr. Cloud was talking about necessary endings.  This may not be new to some of you but when I heard him talk about it my attention was focused. 

Dr. Cloud mentioned reminded us that God has designed things so that certain things will end.  We often refer to them as seasons.  Perhaps we think of the four seasons.  Currently it is spring, my personal favorite due to the long winters where I live, but spring will not be here forever.  Eventually it will change to summer, then fall, then back to the long winter again.  This is by design.

When we think if seasons as it relates to the Scriptures perhaps we tend to think of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV) which remind us:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to gather stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

Our lives have seasons as well.  Sometimes great people come into our lives and then some time later they are gone.  Either through death or moving away or perhaps another reason.  They were just in our lives for a season.

Our ministries also have seasons.  Perhaps a small group was vibrant and expanding at one point in time, but now it seems lifeless.  Sometimes with our ministries we need to just them them die and go plant something new.  We can spend so much time and energy trying to revive something that has been dead for too long.

Personally, I came through a season in the last year or two.  To make a long story short, I applied to a PhD program and was rejected.  This rejection took the wind out of my sails.  As a result I found that while I previously loved to read and study prior to receiving the rejection letter, now I could not even finish a book.  I would read a chapter, slowly, then put it down and not return to it.  Then I would pick up another book, read a chapter, and not return to it.  I had a pile of unfinished books in my home and in my office.  During this time I just did not feel the same.

Also, during this time I turned to running quite a bit.  Admittedly, while my Bible reading time declined for about a year, I would run, a lot, and I would pray while I ran.  Eventually, my running would diminish (for multiple reasons).  Now, over the past 6 months to a year I find God doing a new work in me.  I have a renewed passion for His Word, I have read more books this year so far than I read all of last year combined.  I feel more alive spiritually and mentally.  I have entered into a new season of growth and I sense a maturity that, far from being complete, is greater than where I was two years ago. 

Sometimes we just have to recognize the season we are in.  Other times we need to just simply (or not so simply) let things die and plant something new.  Our lives will always have seasons. Our ministries will have seasons.  Our relationships will have seasons.   That's what God has showing me in my life lately.  Let us embrace the seasons we find ourselves in and await eagerly the new growth.

_______________________________
Here's a list of other participants in the May synchroblog:

•John Martinez at Indie Faith – Letting Go of the Holy Me
•Beth Patterson at Finding Ground – What is Passed Over is Not Love
•Ellen Haroutunian – Life Unfurling
•Marta Layton – On Burdens, Blessings, Babies and Bathwater
•Alan Knox at The Assembling of Church – Where Did I Go?
•Crystal Lewis – What Happened When I Let Go
•Pam Hogeweide at How God Messed Up My Religion – Letting Go of a Church-Centered Me
•K.W. Leslie at the Evening of Kent – Legalism, Anti-Legalism, and Anti-Anti-Legalism
•Ryan Harrison at How We Spend Our Days – Scraping the Barnacles
•Kathy Escobar at The Carnival in My Head - Letting God Off the Hook

"If you come to my church you could win...."

I found this via a Neil Cole twitter post on facebook.   Read it and tell me what you think.  On this link there is a video to watch as well.  This story is from KARE channel 11 in Elk River, Minnesota.

ELK RIVER, Minn. -- The Crossing Church in Elk River has many seats to fill Easter weekend and they have a very unique way of doing it. They are bribing people with 3D televisions and Nintendo 3DS portable video game consoles.


"I have no problem bribing people with crap in order to meet Christ," Pastor Eric Dykstra said.

The bribes maybe working. While other churches are struggling with attendance Crossing has grown from just 200 people to more 3,000 in just six years.

There is hope their $8,000 giveaway this weekend will bring in more. But Dykstra says the prizes are more than just gimmicks. They are tools to get people in the door.

"It's awkward to say 'hey come to my church.' It just feels weird and you don't want to twist somebody's arm so to kind of alleviate some of that weirdness what we've done is said hey if you bring your friend to church they might potentially win a 3D television, a 3DS or a 3D movie ticket package," Dykstra said.
Dykstra expects between 5,000 to 6,000 people to attend their Easter worship service.
(Copyright 2011 by KARE. All Rights Reserved.)

 First, is it really awkward to say to someone "hey come to my church"?  I think that tells us more about this person's view of people than about his evangelistic methods.  To my ears, this comes across as demeaning to fellow Christians.  Essentially what he is saying is that the average Christian is not capable of sharing the gospel with others let alone give another person a simple invitation.  What about the indwelling Holy Spirit?

Second, in "bribing" someone to attend a church gathering, are they really meeting Christ in that situation?  Isn't it a little deeper than that?  Jesus was creative in his miracles but bribing others...I'm not so sure.

Third, consumerism appears to be the new form of evangelism in America.  We better brush up on the "Four Consumeristic Laws" then if we are to make any impact.

What are your thoughts on this?  

Encouragement: Pass It On

Lately I have been reading through the book of Acts.  Today I read chapter 18 which provides an accounting of Paul and his experiences in the city of Corinth.  I read the chapter a few times and each time vv. 27-28 continued to catch my attention.

When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him.  On arriving there, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.  For he rigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.  - Acts 18:27-28 (NIV)

What I kept noticing about these two verses is that (1) when Apollos wanted to the leave Corinth, the church responded with encouragement.  Also, (2) the church didn't just give Apollos verbal encouragement, they took action on his behalf as well.  They sent a letter ahead of his departure to help make his transition in Achaia smooth.

I don't want to read into a brief account too much, but perhaps there is a lesson here for us.  I know because about 9 years ago when my wife and I moved three hours away many of our church family were encouraging while there were also a few who said things like:  "Why?  Are you sure that's a good idea?"  It made an already difficult thing just a bit more difficult.  Perhaps we could be a bit more encouraging and supportive of one another.  I think it would go along way and have effects not only on the church, but also it would reach into our communities.  The New Testament writers believed it too, since there are over 60 "one another" passages in the New Testament alone. 

Also, note the effects of Apollos' move and ministry.  Luke mentions that he was an encouragement to the family of God in Achaia.  He was encouraged and he went out and encouraged others.  He took what he received and passed it on.  Encouragement seems to have this "viral"effect, it's contagious. 

What difference has encouragement made in your life?  Who have you encouraged today?  Let us encourage others and unleash them on the world for His glory.

Sky Jethani's Interview with Chuck Swindoll

Over at the blog Out of Ur, Sky Jethani is sharing part of his interview with Chuck Swindoll.  The full interview is appearing in Leadership Journal but Jethani has been sharing a few shorter portions at Out of Ur.  You can read the first part of the interview here.  I want to share with you the second part of the interview.  I think Swindoll says some important things in the interview and I want to discuss it here.  So here is the second snippet of Jethani's interview:

In part 1 of Skye Jethani's interview with Chuck Swindoll, he spoke about the insecurity that leads some pastors to seek a crowd and to pander to cultural trends. Some of you felt Swindoll was just being old-fashioned and grumpy. (I hear Grandpa Simpson saying, "Back in my day we walked five miles to church on Sunday. Twice! And we liked it.") In part 2 he expresses his appreciation for innovation in worship, but is concerned that we employ more wisdom in what trends we adopt.




Jethani:We can look back before modern technology entered the sanctuary and see the same values at work. The crusades of Billy Graham, the revivals of the Great Awakening, even all the way back to the Reformation, you see that Martin Luther used music and forms of worship that were relevant to his German culture. So what's wrong with taking relevant cultural expressions in the 21st century and using them in our worship?



Swindoll: Nothing, if they square with Scripture and if they honor the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is nothing wrong with using something new. We are called to sing new songs. I love them. Nobody sings louder in our church than I do—both the old and new songs.

But everything must square with Scripture. We must make sure that new things actually help people grow in the truth, that they edify the saints and build them up. Will it equip them to handle the world around them? Will it form them into the kingdom of God rather than the kingdom of this world?

In many cases we use new things because they are novel, not because they are helpful.


Jethani:  So the issue is not innovation or tradition, but why we're using a particular method or technology.

Swindoll:  Exactly. I have been to church services, and you have too, where the only people who knew the songs were the band. I'm not edified. I'm just watching a show.

And they're not interested in teaching me the songs either. They just sing louder to make up for the fact that no one else is singing. Loud doesn't help. Why do they do that? Do you want me to be impressed with how loud you are singing, how accomplished you are? I'm not. I'm not here to be impressed with you. I'm here to fall back in love with Christ.

Innovation doesn't have to be loud or a gimmick. How about silence? Most people get no silence in their world. Imagine three or four minutes of silence. No music. No background distractions.

Or change the order of worship. Start the service with an invitation rather than ending with it. Nothing in the Bible says to walk down an aisle. So be innovative. I'm not against screens, or new songs, or innovation. I just don't like the gimmicks. I want to know when worship is over that that leader's sole purpose was to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. He's not important to himself, and I'm not.

Here's what troubles me: I don't know why leaders younger than me aren't saying this. I'm not talking about novices, but the leaders in their forties and fifties. Why aren't they raising questions and showing some concern for where the church is heading with its focus on media and headcount and passive spectating? I know one church that has 17 people on their media staff and only 12 on the pastoral staff.

When a church is spending more of its budget on media than shepherding, something is out of whack. We have gotten things twisted around. My book is simply saying come back, folks. I'm not against innovation. But we need more wisdom.

I think that Swindoll says a few things worthy of their own post, but one thing I wanted to comment on deals with his remarks on new music in the worship gathering.  I basically agree with Swindoll when he mentions churches using new music that no one knows.  I have been to conferences and gatherings where the band was very good, modern and polished but they played many songs that no one knew.  The result was that the band was singing and performing while the rest of us simply stood or sat during the "show". 

I know that music teams want to use their gifts to the best of their abilities and that is God honoring.  and I know that sometimes churches will implement "special music" which calls for worshippers to reflect on the song being sung.  But I think we need to remember that our gifts were given in order to build up others.  Speaking personally, during those moments I have not felt very edified or connected. 

I have nothing against new music, but like Swindoll points out, I think the music team should really go out of their way to teach the new song and get the rest of the worshippers to participate in the singing of the song. 

Does anything in this interview stand out to you?  Do you agree or disagree with anything Swindoll has said?

Compassion as a Motivation for Evangelism

A book I have been slowly working my way through, which I happen to think is a very good book, is Micheal Green's Thirty Years the Changed the World:  The Book of Acts for Today.  In the chapter titled "What of Their Apologetics?" he writes the following:

"The first thing we are told about [Paul's] visit [to Athens] is that he was greatly distressed at the idolatry he encountered on every side (v. 16).  This was apparent not only in the glorious temple like the Parthenon, but in the vast number of images of Hermes all over the city.  It broke his heart to see the city captive to idolatry.  At once we notice how different he is from us.  We are surrounded by various forms of idolatry - worship of fame, sex, money, power, and it does not bother us.  We have lost the ability to care.  Our forefathers were moved to tears by the thought of people dying without Christ.  This concern fuelled the worldwide missionary movement.  But today in this pluralist society we do not feel it matters very much whether people become Christians or not.  But Paul lived in just as pluralist a society, and the idolatry all around him broke his heart.  That is where evangelism starts.  Profound compassion is the motivation behind true apologetics" (pg. 106-107. 

When I read this I thought of Paul's words to the Philippian church.  In Philippians 3:18 Paul wrote:  "For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies to the cross of Christ."

This leads me to ask a question:  what break my heart?  Does my heart break for the things that breaks the heart of God?  When we look at the life of the apostle Paul we can see that his heart broke for the things that break God's heart.  Maybe this is why the Western church is often called "apathetic".  Could it be that our hearts aren't really aligned with God's own heart.  If they were perhaps we would see more compassion, more dirty hands and more tear-stained cheeks.

God, break my heart for the things that break your heart.  When I see someone living as an "enemy" of the cross of Christ move me to compassion, not disgust.  And let that be a catalyst for more compassion lived out in my life, in my community and in the life of your church.

Pentecost: What's the Big Deal?

Alan, who blogs at The Assembling of the Church, has been doing a series on the place and importance of Pentecost.  Today he asks this question: 

"For many believers, it’s easy to understand the significance of the Jesus death, burial, and resurrection. But, why should we care about Pentecost?"

It's  good series and good post so I suggest you go over to The Assembling of the Church and read it at some point.  But I would like to add my two cents to the discussion here.

I'm sure there are many different nuances associated with the Pentecost event Luke records in Acts 2, when the promised Holy Spirit descended upon the 120 believers meeting in the upper room.  When I think about the significance of Pentecost I cannot help but to think about the dwelling place of God--now it is in the followers of Christ!

When we go back to Genesis we see that Adam and Eve, prior to the Fall, enjoyed a close intimate relationship with God.  God was present with them in the Garden.

In Exodus, God's presence with His people was seen in the pillar of cloud by day and the fire by night (Exodus 13:21).  Later in the book of Exodus we see the Israelites building a movable tabernacle (dwelling) for God.  Upon the completion of the tabernacle the Shekinah (cloud of glory) came upon and filled the tabernacle, signifying God's presence with the people wherever they went (Exodus 40:34-38).

Later, King Solomon had the temple built in Jerusalem.  He had the ark of the covenant and the artifacts that where in the tabernacle and tent of meeting brought into the temple.  When this action was carried out again we see that the Shekinah, the cloud signifying God's presence with His people, filled the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11).

Then in the New Testament we see another shift.  In the prologue to the Fourth Gospel we see a major shift happening, and it has everything to do with Jesus.  John tells his readers that in the new tabernacle (dwelling) of God is in the flesh of Jesus (John 1:14).  Thus the temple is now obsolete.

Later, in the apostle Paul's writings, we see another shift.  Paul writes to the Corinthian believers and reminds them that they are the temple of God, both individually and corporately (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16).

The book of Revelation even has bearing on this topic.  When John talks about the 144,000 (which I take as symbolically referencing all believers) he shares that  "God will spread his tent over them" (Rev. 7:15).  The word used here is the word translated "tabernacle" (cf. John 1:14).  It signifies God's presence with His people.  Even the end of the book of Revelation points out similarly imagery regarding God dwelling with His people intimately in the new heaven and earth (Rev. chs.21-22).

What does all of this have to do with Pentecost?  Everything.  The Pentecost event demonstrates that God is with His people and His people are with Him.  Paul refers to it as "the seal of the Holy Spirit" (Eph. 1:13; cf. Rev. 7:3; 14:1).  Wherever the Christ follower goes is essentially holy ground because he/she has the very presence of God with them.

What are some of the implications of this for the daily living of Christ followers?

The Timeless Gospel in a Changing Culture

The belief that the Gospel message is a timeless message that is revelant in every culture and every age is an important concept to be grasped.  This is important when it comes to sharing the Gospel message with those who have never heard it, have heard only snippets of it or are just confused about it.  Now of course every believer has the Holy Spirit to guide them, I firmly believe that.  I don't think one needs seminary training in order to share the Gospel with others.  Afterall, ever believer is indwelt with the same Holy Spirit that descended upon Christ at his baptism.  It is the same Holy Spirit that guided the apostle Paul and the early church as they expanded, carrying the Gospel with them and sharing wherever they went. 

I also believe that this cannot be and should not become an excuse not to use our minds.  For example, a missionary going into a new country doesn't go in blind.  By that I mean they learn about the culture in which they are entering.  They learn the language, the customs, the beliefs, etc.  And the Holy Spirit guides them along in the process.

Recently I was reminded of the importance of communicating the Gospel in a way that is understood today.  Sometimes in the church culture we use our own language, call it "Christianese" if you will, and this language and be very confusing to those not on the "inside".  For example, if we start talking to someone about Jesus being the propitiation for our sin we most likely will get raised eyebrows.  Just yesterday I received a newsletter in the mail from David Roller, one of the overseers of the Free Methodist Church.  Something he shared in the newsletter goes along with this line of thinking.  Here's what David Roller wrote:

Wouldn't You Really Rather  Have a Buick?

That expression makes no sense to anyone who doesn't remember when it was Buick's slogan.  Trying to communicate by using expressions that people don't understand isn't very productive.

In the same way, presenting the gospel as the solution for one's guilt makes no sense to those around us who don't believe in absolute right and wrong.  Our neighbors respond, "How could I be guilty of crossing the line when there is no line?"  Guilt is predicated upon there being a right and wrong.  Guilt is predicated upon "the Bible says..." to which they shrug and say, "If it works for you..."  They never heard of a Buick.

The huge issues of life for our nieghbors aren't "how can I resolve my guilt?" or "who can save me?"  They are more interested in navigating life in terms of "better and worse," in finding something that "works," and in finding a safety net in a dangerous and "random" world.  They've not heard of a Buick, and don't see a need for one. 

So in addition to proclaiming that Jesus saves (which He does!), try proclaiming that Jesus is better (which He is!), that Jesus works (which He does!), and that Jesus' followers take care of each other (which we do!).  Wouldn't you really rather have a great car?

In sharing the timeless message of the Gospel how have you dealt with the changing culture?  Let us remember, the culture changes but the Gospel does not.

Is More Knowledge the Answer?

A little while ago I stumbled upon some statistics that I thought were staggering.  Here's one of the biggies:  65% of professing Christians never read the Bible (from Mission America Coalition newsletter).  There are few implications regarding this, if it is actually true. 

(1) When a pastor in the West is preaching/teaching during the church gathering he/she cannot take for granted that the story or account being taught is previously familiar with the audience.  Even the familiar Sunday stories many learn as children like David and Goliath, Jonah, or Jesus feeding the 5,000. 

(2) Even though the Bible is the best selling book in history, and continues to be year after year, we cannot assume that those gathering with us on a given Sunday morning even own a Bible.

(3) Christianity believes that in the pages of Scripture, God has revealed His heart and mind to His people and the world.  If 65% of professing Christians do not read the Bible at all, then we could possibly say that 65% of professing Christians do not know God (is that a fair assessment?).

This leads me to a question:  Is more knowledge of the Scriptures the answer that the Church needs?  I would answer this with a 'yes' and a 'no'.

First, I would say 'yes' because I think that it is vital for anyone to know what they profess.  I'm not saying every believer needs to go to seminary.  But I do agree with John Wesley's principle that spiritual growth is for every believer, not just a few zealous elite.  We have been blessed with the Scriptures translated into our modern language and we must not take this for granted.  Statistics like the one quoted above stir my heart about this matter.

Second, I would also say 'no' in response to this question.  Sometimes knowledge is not the answer.  I have heard the same general statement from many different books and speakers lately, and the statement is essentially this:  The church in the West is so far educated above and beyond our level of obedience.  Many of us know what the Bible has to say, however, there is a disconnect between knowing it and living it out.

I have been studying in John's Gospel lately and I think we find a similar issue with certain enemies of Jesus in John's account.  For example, in John 5 Jesus heals an invalid and that triggers a discourse on the Jews and how they seek God in the Scriptures, but when God is directly in front of them in the flesh, they cannot hear him.  Here are some of the things Jesus says in this chapter:

"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.  I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live."  - John 5:24-25

"Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice..."  - John 5:28

"And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me.  You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent.  You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."  - John 5:37-40

Even though they know the Scriptures, they cannot hear the voice of the Word of God (John 1:1).  Jesus takes it a step further in John 9.  In this chapter Jesus heals a man born blind but the Pharisees refuse to accept the miracle even after numerous testimonies and the obvious healed man standing before them.  Throughout chapter 9 the blind man receives physical sight but we also see his spiritual eyesight opening up as well.  At the end of the chapter this is contrasted against the Pharisees who think the see but are actually spiritually blind.  WE find these words at the end of the chapter:

Jesus said, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."  Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, "What?  Are we blind too?"  Jesus said, "If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains."  - John 9:39-41

There is a warning here for those who profess faith in Jesus Christ.  If we claim to hear Him and see Him as the Pharisees did, then our lives must demonstrate what we see and hear.  Knowledge in and of itself is not power or the answer.  Applied knowledge, or 'heart-knowledge', is most likely the answer.  More knowledge might be the answer, if we live it out in our spheres of influence.

What are your thoughts?  Are there further ramifications that I have overlooked?