The Amplified Life

Freedom Sunday: Some Stats on Human Trafficking Today

2012-02-24T11:04:00.007-08:00

This Sunday, the first Sunday of Lent, is also Freedom Sunday (FS). So far over 4,000 churches are participating in FS in some way, shape or form. My church is one of the participants this year. As a pastor in the Free Methodist Church, slavery, particularly the abolition of slavery, is part of our history. Historically we took an anti-slavery stance (thus the "Free" in Free Methodist). It's time Christians take that stance once again. I wanted to take a moment and share some stats regarding human trafficking and slavery today. The following stats are from Not For Sale:

-     There are more people enslaved today than at any other point in human history.

-     Human trafficking is the world's second largest criminal enterprise, after drugs and weapons.

-     There are an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 children, women and men trafficked across
       international borders annually.

-     An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 individuals are trafficked into the USA each year.

-     Approximately 80% of human trafficking victims are female, and up to 50% are children.

-     Sex trafficking is an engine of the global AIDS epidemic.

-     The total market value of of illicit human trafficking is estimated to be in excess of $32 billion.

Human trafficking and slavery is not something that is merely "over there."   All 50 states have been affected by human trafficking and slavery in some manner. Here are some stats regarding our domestic situation here in the USA. These stats are from Not For Sale's website also:

-     100,000 to 300,000 children in America are at risk for sex trafficking each year.

-     12 is the average age of entry into pornography and prostitution.

-     In the U.S. the sale of child pornography is a $3 billion annual industry.

-    55% of child-pornography on the Internet comes from the U.S.

-     As many as 2.8 million children liv eon the streets, a third of whom are lured into prostitution
       within 48 hours of leaving home.

-     Pimps can earn up to $632,000 annually by selling four young women or children.

-     Three domestic minor sex trafficking victims interviewed were sold 10-15 times per night, 6 days
       a week, totaling between 9,360 and 14,040 sex acts in a year.

Here are just a few organizations that are working domestically and around the globe to help re-abolish slavery:

          Not for Sale Campaign

          The Crossover Foundation (India)

          Love146

Will you join in the movement to help re-abolish slavery?

Love146 History from LOVE146 on Vimeo.

Video - "The Jasmine Project"

2012-02-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

Each month Free Methodist World Missions puts out a video as well as other resources for local churches to utilize. This month's video is about the Jasmine Project from Southeast Asia. The Jasmine Project reaches out to unwed mothers and their babies. Please pray for this ministry.

The Innocent from Light & Life Communications on Vimeo.

A Quick Recap on My Trip to Kenya

2012-01-19T11:22:00.000-08:00

I've been back from Kenya for a little over a week now and I'm still processing through everything I saw, heard and experienced. To say the whole experience was amazing would be an understatement. God showed up in an encounter I had with someone before I even boarded the plane. He was present throughout the entire time. I'm grateful for all of my new friends I gained from all over the world during this trip. There's so much to talk about but as a recap of it all I want to post this video that my friend, Pastor Ken Platt, put together. He took the video footage and pics that I shot while in Africa and formatted it into the awesome video. It provides just a small taste of the things we expereinced in Nairobi and Nakuru, Kenya. I hope you are blessed by it - to God be the glory!

Christians and Violence: The Role of the Media

2011-12-14T08:49:00.000-08:00

This will be the third and final post in this series regarding Christians and violence. If you did not read the first two posts you can read them here and here. As a guide for this series we have been utilizing Miroslav Volf's latest book, A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good.

To briefly review, in his book Volf touches upon two means of engaging the public sphere with one's faith. Both of these, according to Volf, miss the mark and fall short. The first way of engagement is "idleness." Idleness is actually non-engagement with the public. Essentially the believer holds that their faith is private and subsequently not meant to be shared publicly. The second one is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Volf calls this option "coerciveness." This option takes place when a believer attempts to force their faith onto another. Usually when this happens we have violence of some sort. In the last two posts we examined some of the outcomes and implications of these two options. Today we will look at the role of media and the possible implications it may have on this topic.

I'm sure many of us at some point have had a conversation with someone regarding the nightly news. Invariably in those conversations we will likely hear another say something to this effect: "I don't like to watch the news anymore. It is always so dark and negative." I would agree that this is the picture that we often find. The news appears to focus on the negative: wars, murders, fights, court cases, robberies, fires, etc. Who wants to watch that every night? What about Christians and Christianity in the media? From sitcoms to the nightly news it seems that Christians often receive a bad rap. Volf points out that this is significant and largely influences the way which people think and act toward others.

For example, in his book he quotes Avishai Margalit, who wrote about ethnic belonging, and applies it to Christians and violence. Volf quotes: "It takes one cockroach to be found in your food to turn the most otherwise delicious meal into a bad experience...It takes 30 to 40 ethnic groups who are fighting one another to make the 1,500 or more significant ethnic groups in the world who live more or less peacefully look bad" (p.52). What does this quote have to with with our topic? Volf uses this as an example of what he calls "the self-inflation of the negative." Essentially this refers to the tendency of evil to loom larger than the good. This is were the role of media comes into the picture.

Apparently the media today follows "the self-inflation of the negative." As an example Volf introduces the reader to Ms. Katarina Kruhonja of Osijek, Croatia. Ms. Kruhonja was awarded the "Right Livelihood Award" which is an alternative to the Nobel Peace Prize. However, Ms. Kruhonja is virtually unknown. She is a medical doctor who has worked hard to implement peace initiatives which have been largely motivated by her faith--Christianity. Why has the world largely not been introduced to Ms. Kruhonja and her peace initiatives? To put it simply, mass-media communications in this world are driven by what sells. What is it that sells in today's world? The answer: Violence. Volf states in his book:

"Violence sells, so viewers get to see violence, without media outlets being much bothered about disproportion between represented and actual violence. The mass media credit reality, but they do so by building on the proclivities of viewers...Religion is more associated with violence than with peace in the public imagination partly because the public is fascinated with violence. We, the peace-loving citizens of nations whose tranquility is secured by effective policing, are insatiable observers of violence. And as voyeurs, we show ourselves as vicarious participants in the very violence we outwardly abhor" (p.52).

According to Volf's argumentation, the media gives the people what they ultimately want. This point coupled with the previous point brings us to a question: Is Christianity as violent as appears in the media? I think the answer is "no." The over-focus of the media on religious violence gives the appearance that faith is more violent than it actually is. We could quote the old cliche: One bad apple spoils the whole bunch. The media seems to focus on the one bad apple, thus giving all people of faith bad rap. In reality, people of faith do much good for the world and their local communities but media doesn;t often cover these stories because they don't receive the high ratings that violent stories provide. Thus the picture that is painted portrays people of faith as violent hypocrites because this is what sells.

To reiterate, the Christian faith is to be neither idle nor coercive. As Jesus said to his followers according to John's Gospel: Be in the world but not of the world. We are called to engage the world but we are called to do so as Christ did--subversively. Jesus changed the world from the inside out. An idle faith neglects any engagement with the world. A coercive faith attempts to engage the world from a top down approach. Both of these miss the mark when it comes to engaging the public square. As Volf points out: "To be engaged in the world well, Christians will have to keep one thing at the forefront of their attention: the relationship between God and a vision of human flourishing" (p.54).

May we live our lives engaging our communities in a way that imitates the Messiah who took on human flesh and died a cursed death in the cross.

Christians and Violence: A Misuse of the Faith

2011-12-13T12:36:00.000-08:00

In my last post (Christians and Violence: Called to Love) we began to look at the issue of living out a public faith. Particularly we are using the issue of violence as an example of a public faith lived out wrongly. Also as a guide we are referring to Miraslov Volf's latest book, A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good. Volf points out in his book that there are two essential errors we must look to avoid when living out our faith. The first error is "idleness." Just as it sounds, idleness points to a person who professes faith but thinks it is only personal, not meant to engage the public arena in any way. This type of public faith (or lack thereof) falls short. On the other end of the spectrum is what Volf refers to as "coerciveness." This is when one attempts to ultimately force their faith upon another. This is usually when violence in the name of Christianity occurs. This too is an error and falls short. This second point is the focus of this post today.

Volf argues in his book that "the Christian faith is misused when it is used to underwrite violence" (p.51). I must say that I agree. The biblical record seems clear to me that Christians are not to involve themselves in violence even in self-defense. I know that statement will draw the ire of some of my brothers and sisters.

Let me share a few examples: Jesus said turn the other cheek (Matt. 5:39); love your enemies (Matt. 5:44); be salt and light to the world (Matt. 5:14-16); imitate Christ in the way of self-sacrificial love (John 15:12-13; 13:34-35); carry our own cross (Matt. 10:38-39); imitate Christ in suffering and not retaliate (1 Peter 2:21-23). These are just a few among many others.

Also, a theme of the OT that's reiterated in the NT is this: The battle belongs to the Lord. It is not yours or mine to fight. Volf states in his book: "Though imitating God is the height of human holiness, there are things that only God may do. One of them is to deploy violence" (p.50). When a Christian picks up a weapon with the intend to harm another rather than picking up the cross to follow Christ then something is out of alignment.

From this some questions arise. How did we get here? How have Christians allowed the faith to become acquainted with violence? How do prevent this from happening further? Volf answers these questions by examining convictions and where they are rooted. Where we place our convictions makes a huge difference. Volf writes:

"If we strip Christian convictions of their original and historic cognitive and moral content and reduce faith to a cultural resource endowed with a diffuse aura of the sacred, in situations of conflict we are likely to get religiously legitimised violence. If we nurture people in historic Christian convictions that are rooted in its sacred texts, we will likely get militants for peace. This, I think, is a result not only of a careful examination of the inner logic of Christian convictions; it is also born by a careful look at actual Christian practice" (p.51).

Ultimately, when we look at the character of the Christian faith and its fundamental convictions we see that they are not violence inducing. In fact, taken at face value they are just the opposite. When Christ calls a person, he bids them to come and die, not to go out and kill. When Christians get this backwards not only does the faith become coercive, but it also fails to imitate Christ.

Christians and Violence: Called to Love

2011-12-08T08:56:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that more and more I am hearing from non-believers as well as other sources that Christianity is a violent religion that stresses oppression of others. Usually the argument goes something like this: "All the major wars and violence throughout the last two thousand years have involved or been directly related to Christianity. So much for a religion of love." Unfortunately, as a Christian, we must admit that this is at least partially true. We cannot ignore the dark spots o four history like the Crusades or the Inquisition. But we can go back even further to the early fourth century and Emperor Constantine who thought he had a vision and heard the words "In this sign conquer." And what was the sign? You guessed it - a cross. We definitely cannot sweep these things under the rug.

Those attempting to make this argument think this to be pretty ironclad. This seals the deal for many as the reason not to follow Christ. But is this as ironclad as it may appear? I recentfinished Miroslav Volf's latest book, A Public Faith: How Followers of Christ Should Serve the Common Good, and in it Volf touches on this topic. Volf teaches theology at Yale Divintiy School.

Throughout the book he describes essentially two errors that Christians fall into when publicly engaging the world. The first error is what Volf calls "idleness." This is the engagement which is actually a lack of engagement. The person who says "My faith is a private thing that shouldn't involve others" is an example of idleness. Another example could be the politician who when asked the question "How will your faith effect how you lead?" and they respond "My faith will not effect how I lead." The idle person professes faith but they do not engage the culture.

The other extreme that Volf draws attention to is "coerciveness." Essentially this is when a believer attempts to force their faith onto a non-believer. This can take place in numerous ways. One example from the history of America involves the West-ward expansion and the Native Americans. In certain instances the expansionists forced the Native Americans to profess faith in Christ or be killed.

Volf reminds us that Jesus and the early church were not idle, nor were they coercive. In fact, as he points out, "an unbiased reading of the story of Jesus Christ gives no warrant for such perpetration of violence" or idleness. Jesus and the early church never forced their faith on others. Also, they never refrained from public engagement of the faith as well. Volf goes on to remind us:

If there is a danger in the story of the cross in relation to violence, it is that it might teach mere acquiescence to be mistreated by others, not that it might incite one to abuse. Whenever violence was perpetrated in in the name of the cross, the cross was depleted of its "thick" meaning within the larger story of Jesus Christ and "thinned" down to a symbol of religious belonging and power - and the blood of those who did not belong flowed as Christians transmuted themselves from followers of the Crucified to imitators of those who crucified him (pg. 48).

The words of the apostle Peter, who was an eyewitness to Jesus' trial, are a powerful reminder and corrective for Christ-followers:

"To this [suffering] you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When they hurled there insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:21-23, NIV).

Christ-followers are called to love the world. Jesus said this is how the world would know that we are his people. Jesus also told his disciples that love means laying down your life for another. How is violence under the sign of the cross laying down one's life?

In the next post we'll look more at the issue of violence as a misuse of the Christian faith.

God's Use of the "Distinct Other" in the Life of His People

2011-11-30T07:08:00.000-08:00

The following was an assignment I had to do for my World Christianty course I'm taking this semester. I thought I'd share it here. Please feel free to ask questions or make comments and let me know your thoughts.
___________________________________

Throughout the Scriptures, in both the OT and the NT, there is a theme that permeates its pages. That theme is God’s use of the ‘distinct other’ to carry forth his message, purpose and mission in the world.
One example of God’s use of the distinct other can be found in John 9:1-41.

In this passage we find that God uses a man born blind to point others to the truth of who Jesus actually is. In other words, the blind man is God’s ‘distinct other.’ How is this so? Let’s look at the opening verses of John 9 (read verses 1-3).

Here we find Jesus traveling along with his disciples and as they travel they come upon a man who was born blind. In verse 2 the disciples ask Jesus a question which is a demonstration of the prevailing Jewish mindset of the day—they ask, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents?” The assumption here is that the man’s blindness is the direct result of sin, either his own or someone else. It was believed that any sickness, malformation, disease and so forth was the direct result of sin, thus, those dealing with such issues either deserved it or were cursed of God. This often left such people on the fringes of the community or usually ignored altogether. For example, there is some documentation that Rabbis, out of fear of becoming unclean, would not even eat an egg from a market if they knew a leper had walked by the same market. This mindset is essentially the root of the disciples’ question to Jesus. However, God has something else in mind.

In verse 3 Jesus answers the disciples’ question, but not in a way that they were anticipating. In this verse Jesus says, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” Here is the true purpose for this man’s blindness—God has a plan to use it for his glory. The blind man, who has been ignored and even looked down upon by others, is God’s ‘distinct other.’ How is the blind man used by God as his ‘distinct other’? This question brings us to another aspect that presents itself in this passage. Throughout John 9 God uses the blind man to teach others about the true identity of Jesus Christ.

Throughout this account there is a contrasting parallel between the blind man and the Pharisees which involves the issue of physical and spiritual eyesight:

- The Pharisees—have physical eyesight, but lack spiritual eyesight (cf. vv. 16, 18, 24, 28-29, 40).

- The Blind Man—has no eyesight, but gains both physical and spiritual eyesight (cf. vv. 11, 17, 33, 38!)

There is a lesson here for us today. In some sense, the blind man could symbolize Majority World Christianity. They have something to offer the rest of the world. They possess a vibrant and steadfast faith regardless of their context which is often one of need and persecution.

The Pharisees, on the other hand, could symbolize Western Christianity. Christians in the West have at times, both knowingly and unknowingly, demonstrated a notion of superiority or pride in her interactions with the Majority World.
Speaking to this issue, Duane Elmer, in his book “Cross-Cultural Servanthood,” shares the following:

“Usually superiority appears in disguises that pretend to be virtues—virtues such as:

(1) I need to correct their error (meaning I have superior knowledge, a corner on the truth).
(2) My education has equipped me to know what is best for you (so let me do most of the talking while you do most of the listening and changing).
(3) I am here to help you (so do as I say).
(4) I can be your spiritual mentor (so I am your role model).
(5) Let me disciple you, equip you, train you (often perceived as ‘let me make you into a clone of myself’).

These and other so-called virtues corrupt our attempts to serve others…Superiority cloaked in the desire to serve is still superiority. It’s not our words that count but the perceptions of the local people who watch our lives and sense our attitudes.” (pg. 17)

We can see what Duane Elmer describes playing out in John 9 in regard to the attitude and actions of the Pharisees. Their continuing refusal to believe what obviously took place is a demonstration of their attitude of superiority. They were not willing to learn from someone they thought was cursed of God and the result was their failure to see God’s greater purpose in the situation. When Western Christianity acts in superior ways we are guilty of the same thing. Perhaps a better approach could be summed up in the following Proverb:

Proverbs 1:5 – Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance.

Taking this a step further, perhaps it would do Western Christians well to realize and seek to understand the changing landscape of World Christianity. Perhaps God still has much to teach us through his ‘distinct other’ today.

For example, M. Daniel Carroll R. touches on this in his book “Christians at the Border.” He speaks to this point when he reminds us of the following:

“The greater part of Christians now live outside North America and Western Europe. Some characterize this movement of Christianity’s center of gravity as the ‘browning’ or ‘globalizing’ of the faith.” (pg. 60-61)

One of the results of this shift involves a high number of Hispanic Christians who are entering America. This places American Christians in an interesting situation. How will we respond to those migrating to America? M. Daniel Carroll R. addresses one perspective for us to keep in mind when he writes:

“Many Hispanics and pastors sincerely believe that God has led them here for a purpose: to play an important role in a revival of the Christian faith in this country.” (pg. 61)

The leads us to a key question: What will be our posture as the receiving culture? Will we humble ourselves before God and others (his ‘distinct others’)? Will we be open to listen and learn from those who do not look like us, think like us, talk like us or act like us in order to receive what God may have for us? Or will we follow the path of the Pharisees and refuse to listen and learn from those who we deem to be below us?
God has always used the ministry of the ‘distinct other’ to carry out his purpose and he still does so today. May we have open eyes to see this happening today in our own context, and may we have open arms to receive God’s ‘distinct other’ into our community.

Don't Forget: Be Thankful for What is to Come

2011-11-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again. Folks on Facebook, Twitter and all the media outlets share stories and accounts and all sorts of reasons under the sun for why they are thankful. Oh, I'm not mocking this, but all of this talk about being thankful has led me to think about something. I've noticed that when we give thanks we tend to give thanks for something that has happened or taken place in our past.

We are thankful for the birth of our children (rightly so, I love my two daughters!). We are thankful for the moment we encountered Christ. We are thankful for our education. We could go on and on. You can just fill in the blank: I am thankful for _______________. Again, I agree, I think we need to keep things in perspective and always live a life full of thanksgiving.

I also think it is important to look back throughout our lifetime. Sometimes my mind looks back and I think about who I once was before encountering Christ (and I cringe a little at that "old" person). Looking back in that instance makes me extremely thankful that in Christ all people are new creations (2 Cor. 5:17). Also, in the Old Testament, for example, I think Gideon had to look back so he could go forward. God instructed him to go back and literally take down the pagan altars his father built so the future would turn out different.

This time of year (and hopefully all year long), as we think of things to be thankful for I want to encourage you to not merely look to the past. While it is true that we have much to be thankful for, as followers of Christ we must not forget that the best is yet to come. God is not finished with any of us yet. I know for me that is truly something to be thankful for. Look, for example, how the apostle Paul closes his first letter to the church in Thessalonica:

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. - 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NIV)

So as you sit around the table feasting with family and friends this week go ahead and give thanks for the many things God has done in your life. But as you give thanks, don't forget that the best is yet to come. God's not finished with you yet. Go ahead and thank Him for that.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!

A Brief Thought on Occupy Wall Street from a Global Perspective

2011-11-15T12:23:00.000-08:00

I must admit that I have not really been following the Occupy Wall Street movement (or any of the other related movements around the U.S.). I don't have cable TV, or receive any channels for that matter. So, admittedly, I feel I cannot really speak to the phenomenon as a whole. But there is one thing I'd like to comment on.

One of the main slogans or outcries of the Occupy Wall Street participants is this: "We are the 99%." Now, I don't argue that point. I'm not attempting to diminish anyone involved in this. I am not familiar with all of the arguments and finer points of the the movement. But something keeps coming to my mind as I hear sound bites on the radio and listen to comments from others who are following OWS. Perhaps we need to look at this from a broader perspective.

Recently, our church went through The Hole in Our Gospel by World Vision-U.S. President, Richard Stearns. In the book Richard Stearns attempts to give us this broader perspective. For example, one thing the Stearns points out in the book pertains to our resources in America. He points out that 60% of the people in the world live on less than $900 a year. Another 30% live on less than $9000 a year. According to this global perspective, anyone who makes over $9000 a year are in the top 10% richest people in the world. With this in mind, the OWS participants may not be the 1% in America (I know I'm not one of them). However, they are in the top 10% of the entire world.

Perhaps our perceptions and priorities play a bigger role in this issue than we may realize.

Translating the Name of God

2011-10-14T13:19:00.000-07:00

I recently was given a precious gift. A woman from my church family presented me with a Bible that really is more like a family heirloom. It is a Bible that belonged to her grandfather. He was a missionary to West Africa in the 1920's. The Bible is in great condition considering it is nearing 100 years old. But I cannot read this Bible, you see, because it is written in the native tongue of the Yoruba people. The Yoruba people are from the area of Nigeria, in West Africa. Here are a few pictures of the opening pages of the Bible.

As you can see the original copyright for this Bible is dated 1900. However this particular version is dated 1915.

What is even more interesting to me is how the translators dealt with the name of God. One missionary tactic, if you will, is to learn the name of the high god of a particular area. Then, much like the apostle Paul in Athens as recorded Acts 17, they proceed to tell the people about the high god, but they tell them about Yahweh. Interestingly, most all the religions have a high god who oversees a second tier of gods. Missionaries use this to tell people about the One God. This Bible, dated almost 100 years ago, demonstrates this tactic.

For example, even though I cannot read the Yoruba language I turned to Genesis 1:1-2 and John 1:1-2. Here are photos of the pages:

If you look closely you can see where we would translate the word God for "theos" they have used the name Olorun for "theos." Olorun is the Yoruba high god. He is referred to in Yoruba as the Almighty Creator and he is believed to oversee a pantheon of secondary divinities.
I recently learned that keeping the local name used for the local god as found in a particular region is regular missionary practice. This has had a hugely positive effect on people coming to faith in Jesus Christ all around the world. It's an example of God working in and through the local cultures to lead others to Himself. When I think about this I cannot help but think about the passages in Revelation that describe the large crowd in heaven consisting of those from "every nation, tribe, people, and language." As Psalm 24:1 declares, "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it." That includes people, cultures and languages. There are hints of God's truth everywhere and these can be used to lead others to Him.

For those of us in the West, what lessons can be taken from this?

Translating Christianity Across Time and Culture

2011-09-28T07:07:00.000-07:00

When it comes to the major world religions Christianity differs greatly for many reasons. One of the areas particularly deals with the issue of translation. The Christian faith is translatable across both time and throughout differing cultures. Lamin Sanneh, professor of World Christianity at Yale, has touched on this important issue. For example, Sanneh writes:

"Being the original Scripture of the Christian movement, the New Testament Gospels are a translated version of the message of Jesus, and that means Christianity is a translated religion without a revealed language...The missionary environment of the early church made translation and the accompanying interpretation natural and necessary....If we view Christian origins in the light of the translated milieu of the church, then we come upon a remarkable point with respect to the history of religions. Christianity seems unique in being the only world religion that is transmitted without the language or originating culture of its founder" (Whose Religion is Christianity? pg. 97-98).

For a comparison point let us look at the spread of Islam. Wherever the Islamic religion spreads the Koran is always read in Arabic. Any version of the Koran that is in another language other than Arabic is viewed by Muslims as being something less than the holy Koran. In other words, differing from Christianity, Islam is not a translatable religion. The Koran is not readily translated into the mother-tongue of the culture.

A major issue in Christian missions involves translating the Scriptures into the mother-tongues of the people groups all over the world. This is no easy process and in many ways calls for huge time commitments and great patience. There are many factors that go into translation. Here's one example I recently heard about. I unfortunately do not remember where this particular people group exists (if you know the story making you could leave it in the comments section for us). Some missionaries went to a particular people group only to discover that this group had never seen a sheep/lamb. They had no clue what one looked like, etc. Now, we know the Scriptures talk about Jesus being the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. In our Western abstract thinking we can put things together and understand what that means. Other cultures don't think that way. The missionaries had a problem with translation. However, they did discover that pigs were very prominent among this people group. For example, if a person visited these people they would gather beforehand and debate and decide who would sacrifice their pig for the welcome feast. The pigs were viewed as being part of the family. So then, the family that sacrificed their pig for the feast subsequently took the visitor into their family in place of the pig. Ultimately, the missionaries to this people group translated Jesus to them as "the Pig of the World." In our English context this would probably be found as offensive to many. But Christianity is translatable across cultures and this is a fine example. The principle remains the same: Through Jesus we all are brought into the family of God. This is why it is important for us to remember that when we approach the Scriptures we apply the timeless principles, not necessarily the words themselves.

The following video is from Tyndale House. It involves a discussion of scholars regarding the use of the word "slave" in the ESV translation of the Bible. I found this video via a link from Bible and Mission at Twitter. It is a small glimpse of the difficulty of translation and all this it entails.

The World-Wide Movement of the Gospel and It's Future Implications

2011-09-23T12:16:00.000-07:00

The Christian landscape is changing world-wide. With the rise of Christianity in the majority world (Latin America, Africa, Asia) the theological seat of Christianity is shifting. Around the year 1900 80% of Christians were found in Europe and America. A hundred years later those numbers are reversed: 80% of Christians are found in the majority world. This is going to have implications on the way we in the West have viewed things for the last few hundred years. We are going to have to put on a new "lens" to view a world-wide movement of the Gospel. As scholars in Africa and other places of the world rise up the new material that will come out of the majority world will have a majority world perspective.

The following piece is from an illiterate woman in Ghana, Africa. Her name was Afua Kuma and her work carries with it the flavor of what some refer to as "grassroots" theology, oral theology or spontaneous theology. This beautiful piece is as it is found in Kwame Bediako's book, Jesus and the Gospel in Africa.

Jesus is the grinding stone
on which we sharpen our cutlasses,
before we perform manly deeds.
We have risen at dawn
to take up our weapons of war. and join the battle
Nkrante brafo, You are the Sword Carrier
Okatakyi Birempon: Hero Incomparable
by the time we reach the edge of the battle the war has already ended.
We turn back,
singing praises.

If you go with Jesus to war,
no need for a sword or a gun.
The word of his mouth is the weapon
which makes enemies turn and run.

If we walk with him and meet with trouble
we are not afraid.
Should the devil himself become a lion
and chase us as his prey,
we shall have no fear
Lamb of God!
Satan says he is a wolf --
Jesus stretches out His hand,
and look: Satan is a mouse!
Holy One!

What are the practical and theological implications of this, and other examples of world-wide "grassroots" theology, for the future of world Christianity?

I cannot help but get excited about what God is up to throughout the world!

"The Lion is God"

2011-09-20T07:47:00.000-07:00

Recently we finished a study through the book of Jonah. For a short little book it is really packed with quite a bit to chew on. One big take-away for me was just how much God pursued Jonah as well as the Ninevites. Our God pursues us. This is not a passive pursuit either. God is actively pursuing the world, constantly wooing the world to Himself. To help us grasp this more I want to share an excerpt from the book Christianity Rediscovered. The following excerpt pertains a dialogue between a missionary, Vincent J. Donovan, and a Masai elder:

Months later when all this had passed, I was sitting talking with a Masai elder about the agony of belief and unbelief. He used two languages to respond to me--his own and Kiswahili. He pointed out that the word my Masai catechist, Paul, and I had used to convey faith was not a very satisfactory word in their language. It literally meant "to agree to." I, myself, knew the word had that shortcoming. He said "to believe" like that was similar to a white hunter shooting an animal with his gun from a great distance. Only his eyes and fingers took part in the act. We should find another word. He said for a man to really believe is like a lion going after its prey. His nose and eyes and ears pick up the prey. His legs give him the speed to catch it. All the power of his body is involved in the terrible death leap and single blow to the neck with the front paw, the blow that actually kills. And as the animal goes down the lion envelops it in his arms (Africans refer to the front legs of and animal as its arms), pulls it to himself, and makes it part of himself. This is the way a lion kills. This is the way a man believes. This is what faith is.
I looked at the elder in silence and amazement. Faith understood like that would explain why, when my own was gone, I ached in every fiber of my being. But my wise old teacher was not finished yet.
"We did not search you out, Padri," he said to me. "We did not even want you to come to us. You searched us out. You followed us away from your house into the bush, into the plains, into the steppes where our cattle are, into the hills where we take our cattle for water, into our villages, into our homes. You told us of the High God, how we must search for him, even leave our land and our people to find him. But we have not done this. We have not left our land. We have not searched for him. He has searched for us. He has searched us out and found us. All the time we think we are the lion. In the end, the lion is God." (pg. 48)

God is everywhere, actively pursuing all of humanity. His kingdom comprises those from every "nation, tribe, people and language." We are not taking God to any culture, tribe or nation. Godd is already there because he is in pursuit of his creation. Subsequently, the church needs to follow God in his pursuit of redeeming all the world. Let us find out where the Lion is stalking his prey and join with him in the hunt.

What is Missional?

2011-08-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

What is missional? Missions, missional, and other related words have become sort of a "buzz word" over the last couple of years. It seems that everything I have been reading at least touches on these words or ideas. But does the North American church know what it is to be missional? Do we know what missional itself means?

Many churches, mine included, have been doing new and different things and calling it missional. We have gone out recently and washed the fire trucks at a local fire station in an attempt to love on those in our community. Is this missional or is this just service? Is service missional? What about evangelism? Does evangelism (the proclamation of the gospel) have to be a part of the service in order for something to truly be missional? Perhaps it is an "either/or" thing. It is either service or it is missional. On the other hand, perhaps it is a "both/and" thing. It is service and missional at the same time. Can a church be doing a lot of community service while never really engaging in the mission of God?

Recently I read the book Christianity Rediscovered, by Vincent J. Donovan. Donovan was a priest who was a missionary to the Masai people of east Africa for nearly two decades. There was a Christian presence among the Masai for quite some time, however, very few, if any Masai people converted to Christ. The mission had a school and they had to pretty much beg the Masai people to allow their children to attend the school. Donovan found that while these children were receiving an education, which included biblical education, very few if any at all actually accepted Christ by the end of their schooling. They would finish their schooling and simply return to their villages. But the mission did not change what they were doing. Was that really mission? Donovan subsequently went out to the Masai people and simply gave them Jesus, with nothing else attached. No school, no special programs, nothing else. Over the years many Masai people came to Christ as a result. And when they did, it was an entire village at a time, not one person here or there. Also, if they rejected the message it was the whole village as well. Is there a lesson here for our churches today?
For Donovan the primary task of the missionary is evangelism. Essentially, just give them Jesus.

So again I ask the question: What is missional?

Mike Breen on Measuring Success

2011-08-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Mike Breen's latest post (Don't Drink the Water: How Culture has Corrupted the American Church) is one that will really stir the pot and make people think. It deals with an important question: How do you/we measure success in the church today?

Here's a portion of Mike's post:

It’s about quality, not quantity. If I had to pick between a church of 50 people who were all disciples and Kingdom citizens or 5,000 people who went to my thing on Sunday but few were actual disciples…I’d take the smaller group every time. EVERY TIME. Because that is what Jesus valued most, it’s what I value most.

How many churches at the end of the year ask themselves, “Did we grow this year?” and use the answer to this question as a barometer of success or failure? Yes, of course we want our churches to grow and see more people come to faith. But that is in the Lord’s hands, not our own. Life in the Kingdom of God says that success is faithfulness. Period. Success is obedience. Success is doing what God has asked you to do and being faithful to him, letting him control outcomes. Daniel in the Old Testament refused to eat the food of the culture for fear of being contaminated. My friends, our churches and our minds are contaminated. The “world” has crept in and warped the way we see things.

How does your church measure success?

More on Margin: "The Pains of Progress"

2011-08-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

After my last post on margin (How's Your Margin?) a friend of mine led me to a book by Richard A. Swenson, M.D. The book is Margin: Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives. I have never read the book or heard of the book but it is very interesting. As a follow up to the last post I wanted to share an excerpt from the book with you. Dr. Swenson makes the point that progress is largely responsible for our marginless living today. Here's what Dr. Swenson has to say:

Because most of us do not know what margin is, we also do not know what marginless is. We feel distressed, but in ill-defined ways. We can tell life isn't quite what it used to be or perhaps not quite what we expected it should be. Then we look at our cars, homes, and big screen TVs and conclude that our distress must be in our imaginations.
     Others deny vehemently that anything is wrong. "Life has always been hard," they say. "People have always been stressed. It is simply part of living. There has always been change to cope with. There have always been economic problems, and people have always battled depression. It is the nature of life to have its ups and downs--so why all the fuss?"
     I'm not the one who's making the fuss; I'm only writing about it. I'm only being honest about what I see all around me. Something's wrong. People are tired and frazzled. People are anxious and depressed. People don't have the time to heal anymore. There is a psychic instability in our day that prevents peace from implanting itself very firmly in the human spirit. And despite the skeptics, this instability is not the same old nemesis recast in a modern role. What we have here is a brand-new disease.
     To be sure, the pains of the past were often horrible beyond description. To have your wife die in childbirth, your children crippled with polio, your cattle ravaged by tuberculosis, and your crops leveled by locusts is not the common definition of the good life. But those were the pains of the past, and most of them are gone. Unfortunately--and unexpectedly--the pains of progress are now here to take their place. Prominent among them is the disease of marginless living. (pg. 16-17).

Do you agree that marginless living is result of progress? How has the disease of marginless living affected you and/or your family? What did you have to do to build margin back into your daily living?

How's Your Margin?

2011-08-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

After four years of college and three years of seminary I am very familiar with the word “margin.” When it comes to writing papers there are always margins, you know, the white edges surrounding the paper. I knew of a few folks who would always try to make the margins wider on their papers so they could get away with writing less. The professors were always a step ahead of them though.

In all seriousness, margin is something many of need to look at again. I’m not referring to the white space on the edge of a paper but the margin in our lives. Are you often feeling too busy? Then you have no margin of time in your life. Do you often say things like this: “I don’t have two nickels to rub together.” If you do, then you have no financial margin in your life. If we leave no room for margin in our lives then usually that means we also squeeze God out as well. In the Old Testament God told the Israelites to leave margin. Look at what God told the Israelites in Leviticus 19:9-10:

“When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.”

This same teaching from God is repeated again in Deuteronomy 24:19-22. If we do not have time to serve God by serving others, then we probably have no margin. We are gleaning right up to the edge of our field time-wise. If we do not have any money or other resources to share with a brother or sister in need, again, we are probably living right up to the edge of our field, financially speaking. In today’s language that means we are probably living beyond our means.

Are you maintaining healthy margins in your life? If not, what will it take for you to do so? What steps do you need to take to stop "harvesting" right up to the edge? God, and other too, do not want or need our leftovers.

Suicide in the Movies

2011-08-11T13:45:00.000-07:00

Two days ago I happened upon this article from the Huffington Post, Suicides in Movies Tripled from 1950 - 2006. Here's how the articles begins:

Philadelphia - Depictions of explicit and graphic suicides in movies tripled from 1950 to 2006, according to an analysis of top-grossing films.

The report, by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, was published in the August issue of Archives of Suicide Research. It found no difference between PG-13- and R-rated films in the most explicit portrayals of suicide.

Lead author Patrick E. Jamieson said that although it's impossible to establish a causal connection, the tripling of U.S. teen suicide since 1960 has coincided with the increase in movie suicide portrayals. The results, based on an analysis of 855 top-grossing films and released Tuesday, indicate the need for further study of the effects of movie suicides on adolescent audiences, the authors concluded.

According to the article, as part of the study the researchers took the top 30 movies from 1950 to 2006 and noted all of the references to suicide. Then they develop an "explicitness scale" which ranged from merely a verbal reference to a graphic depiction. What they discovered was that suicidal references in the movies increased with time. Also, there was no apparent difference between movies rated PG-13 or rated R. The article suggests more research on this is needed.

As I spent the last two days mulling this over since my initial reading of the article, I think we could talk about this topic at length. But at the least, the increased depiction of suicide in the movies may be a window into the level of hope (or lack thereof) in our culture. I'm still processing this one.

What do any of you think about this?

Arloa Sutter on Loving God and Loving Others

2011-08-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

This is from Arloa Sutter, who founded Breakthrough Urban Ministries in Chicago, Illinois. This excerpt is taken from her book, The Invisible: What the Church Can Do to Find and Serve the Least of These.

"Jesus summed up the most important commandments by focusing on love that is vertical and horizontal: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind...Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt. 22:37, 39). Interestingly, the two sins that are most emphasized in Scripture are idolatry and lack of care for the poor. We worship idols when we place anything above God in our lives, violating our vertical relationship with God. Lack of care for the poor is evidence that we are violating our horizontal relationships and failing to love our neighbor as ourselves." (p.124)

This is a reminder to me that our faith is not something that just sits. It is always moving. As God transforms a Christ-follower from the inside out that person can no longer remain content with the ways of the world. They experience what some have referred to as a "divine discontent" with the status quo and the way things are. The Christian faith is one of action and truth demonstrated in lives lived in imitation of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 11:1). Afterall, love is a verb, not merely a feeling.

Christians and Immigration - Conclusion

2011-08-08T08:24:00.000-07:00

In this series of posts we have been attempting to examine the issue of immigration from a Christian perspective. We began by briefly looking at the issue of immigration itself (Christians and Immigration - Introduction). We saw how the immigration issue is influenced by the happenings of the rest of the world. Next we examined some Old Testament passages such as Genesis 1 and the accounts of the patriarchs such as Abram (Christians and Immigration Part One - The Old Testament Pt.1). We pointed out how all humanity is created in God's image. As a result all humankind, including immigrants, are endowed with dignity and respect as bearers of the Imago Dei. We also saw that the OT contains many accounts of the patriarchs migrating from one place to another. Hospitality was a huge part of these migrations. Then we examined the OT Law as it relates to the issue of immigration (Christians and Immigration Part Two - The Old Testament Pt. 2). Here we saw that over and again God's law pointed the follower to provide special care for the alien and foreigner in their midst. They were to provide for them through special offerings, and by leaving the edges of their fields unharvested so that the alien could come and glean the edges for food. The poor and the alien have a special place in God's heart. After this we looked at the New Testament and what that brought to light on our issue (Christians and Immigration Part Three - The New Testament). We saw that Jesus himself experienced a migration when as an infant Joseph took him and Mary to Egypt where they stayed for about two years. We also examined some of the teachings of Jesus in which he held up Samaritans (foreigners/aliens in the culture) as prime examples of faith. We did not, however, go into the other NT passages that call Christians "aliens" and "citizens of heaven", etc. But these passages must also be taken into account for a more thorough discussion on the issue. Now, I would like to just tie up this series with a few closing remarks. Again, the work of M. Daniel Carroll R., Christians at the Border: Immigration, The Church, and The Bible, has been a huge help guiding me on this topic. For anyone who wants to look deeper at this issue than we have done here I would recommend his work as a good starting point.

One thing that needs to be made clear is how complicated this issue really is. Sometimes we want to make an issue simply black and white. Most often things are more gray than we want to readily admit. I think immigration is one of those issues. As we pointed out in this series, immigration involves people. There are lives involved here. Lives that have all sorts of stories, backgrounds, hopes, dreams, desires, pains, etc. It involves lives for which our Lord and Savior died a cursed death on a cross. In light of this we must think things through before we attempt to make a point. M. Daniel Carroll R. reminds us:

An appropriate response to the complicated situation in society will not come from detached, objective analysis, cost-benefit calculations, efficiency quotients, and cultural arguments. The decisions that are made and courses of action that are recommended should be commensurate with the life of Jesus--his actions, his teaching, his cross. Analysis and calculations are necessary, but they must be informed by more transcendent beliefs and other overriding life commitments (p. 139).

There is also equal responsibility on both sides of the border. Those entering another culture must recognize their responsibility within the new culture, meanwhile, the host culture must likewise recognize their responsibility to the alien. Especially as Christians, who are "resident aliens" themselves in this world, hospitality is to be a hallmark of our lives. Ultimately, we will find "resident aliens will embrace resident aliens: respectful and mindful of differences, open to grow and change, reciprocal and mutual, personal and communal, assured yet with great risk, while confident in the light of the Word, the empowerment of the Spirit, the example of Jesus, and the blessing of the Father" (p. 140).

Regardless, followers of Jesus Christ must lead the way. After all, Jesus is the one who tears down walls that divide. We must take the ministry of reconciliation with us wherever we go, and that even applys to the issue of immgration.

Christians and Immigration Part Three - The New Testament

2011-08-05T13:36:00.000-07:00

In this series we have been trying to look at the issue of immigration from a Christian perspective. Our lens has been the Scriptures and so far we looked at what the Old Testament brought to bear on this topic. We also began by pointing out some of the foundational pieces of the immigration issue. To say the least, immigration is far more complex than we may at first realize. Now we will move ahead and see what the New Testament has to say to the issue. If you have missed the first three posts in this series you can catch up by clicking the following links:

Christians and Immigration - Introduction
Christians and Immigration Part One - The Old Testament (pt. 1)
Christians and Immigration Part Two - The Old Testament (pt. 2)

Also, I have been relying heavily on the work of M. Daniel Carroll R., Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible. He is professor of Old Testament at Denver Seminary.

Jesus the Refugee
Jesus, as a child, was a refugee. The Gospel of Matthew shares that shortly after Jesus' birth his family had to escape to Egypt (Matt. 2:13-15). King Herod found out that a new king was born he was "disturbed" (Matt. 2:3). As a result, Herod searched for the newborn king in order to have him killed. Thanks the the warning from an angel, Joseph was able to take baby Jesus and Mary and together under the cover of night they fled to Egypt. Matthew is the only Gospel that records this event. We are not told anything about the trip or their stay in Egypt. Historically there was a large population of Hebrews in Egypt, so perhaps they stayed with them while m seeking asylum in this foreign land. The trip was also fairly short, probably only around two years or so. M. Daniel Carroll R. points out the importance of this truth regarding the issue of immigration today: "The migration of this family locates the Jesus story within a movement that spans history, of people desiring a better life or escaping the threat of death" (p. 116).

Jesus' Personal Encounters
Israel, and the surrounding areas, at the time of Jesus was a very complicated place both politically and religiously. For example, the were religious differences between the Samaritan Jews and the Jews who worshipped at the Temple in Jerusalem. The Samaritans worshipped on a different mountain, had their own priesthood, and their own special beliefs and rituals. To the other Jews they were viewed as perverting the faith. As a result, there was a long and often violent history between the two. This makes the account in John 4 all the more interesting and pertinent to out discussion. In John 4 Jesus and his disciples are passing through Samaria and Jesus stops at a well to rest while the disciples go in search of something to eat. While at the well Jesus encounters a Samaritan women. M. Daniel Carroll R. explains the significance of the conversation that followed: "In Jewish tradition Samaritan women were considered to be always unclean; they were categorized as mensrutants from the cradle. That this woman is of questionable repute (John 4:16-18) makes Jesus' dialogue with her even more impressive" (p. 118). The woman arrives at the well to draw water alone. This was something that was usually done in groups. The text points out that she was a woman who was not chaste. Most likely she went to the well alone to avoid shame or ridicule. While there she encounters Jesus and he asks her for a drink. M. Daniel Carroll R. continues: "If he were to drink water from a vessel given to him by this woman, Jesus would render himself ritually impure. Jesus, however, does not hesitate" (p. 119, emphasis added).

Another encounter involving Jesus and a Samaritan is found in Luke 17. In this account Jesus is close to Samaria and he hears ten lepers calling out (Luke 17:11-13). The lepers, following the Jewish Law, stand off in the distance. Jesus instructs them to go show themselves to the priests, also following the law since the priest was the one to declare whether one was clean or not. In doing this Jesus is making them clean. However, only one the ten cleansed lepers comes back to thank Jesus for what he has done. It is at this point that the text reveals an important piece of information: this man was a Samaritan (Luke 17:16). The faith of this Samaritan, a foreigner in all sense and purposes (Luke 17:18), is held up as one possessing exemplary faith.

M. Daniel Carroll R. summarizes nicely the importance of both John 4 and Luke 17 with these words:

In both encounters the these Samaritan individuals are doubly outcast. To begin with, both are Samaritans. What is more, the first was morally suspect, the second a leper. Jesus transcends the longstanding enmity between the Jews and Samaritans. He accepts the "other," and they accept him. In all of this, Jesus never ceases to be a Jew. Yet, he is able to integrate his cultural core with other transcendent commitments and gracious attitudes that move him beyond the closed society of his peers (p.120).

Jesus' Teaching
An important teaching of Jesus, which interestingly enough involves another Samaritan, can be found in Luke 10. This account is often called The Good Samaritan. Someone asks Jesus the question, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus answers the question with a parable. He tells the story of a man robbed and beaten and left on the side of the road. A priest happens upon the man and quickly scurries to the other side of the road and avoids the man. Most likely this had something to do with purity laws. Then a second man, a Levite, happens upon the man. The result is the same as the first. Then a third man, a Samaritan, happens upon the injured man. But he takes him, cleans and bandages his wounds, places him on his donkey and takes him to an inn where he proceeds to pay for the man's stay. Then Jesus asks the questions, "Which one was a neighbor to the man?" The obvious answer is the Samaritan. Once again the Samaritan is held up as an example of faith to be emulated (Luke 10:37). "Once again, the people of God are taught about true faith through an encounter with one outside and rejected by their culture" (p. 122).

Another passage to consider is Matthew 25:31-46. This passage is part of the longer passage referred to as the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:1-25:46). Jesus is about to go the the cross and this discourse seems to focus upon eschatological issues and the future judgement. In this passage Jesus points out that those who were obedient will be separated from those who were not. The obedient will go off to eternal blessing while the disobedient will go off and experience eternal torment. "The divine decision regarding merited eternal blessing and eternal judgment are based on how people have treated the Son of Man/King and the 'least of these brothers of mine'" (p. 122). Pertinent to our discussion is Jesus' use of the word "stranger" (or "foreigner"). Jesus uses this term in context with the hungry, thirsty, naked, sick and "imprisoned." And these are referred to as the "least of these brothers of mine (Matt. 25:40, 45). Ultimately, to ignore any of these is to ignore Jesus himself.

Implications
While this brief look at the Gospels does not reveal any explicit teaching on immigration, there is still relevant teaching on the issue. Jesus himself experienced migration which is in accord with the picture we saw in the Old Testament. Jesus himself was a "stranger" in a foreign land. M. Daniel Carroll R. points out that the stranger in Matthew 25 is a disciple in a foreign land (p.124), however, this demonstrates that we must be ware of how we treat those from other lands. They may be believers which makes them our "brothers" or "sisters" in Christ.

As Jesus interacted with and held up other cultures (Samaritans) as an example, we must be willing and ready to tear down walls that could possibly divide people. "The point here is that Jesus confronts the identity question head on through what he does with Samaritans...Jesus lays aside the exclusivistic and mores and negative feelings of his cultural heritage toward Samaritans for more important things: their value as persons and the potential of their faith" (p. 125). The actions and attitudes of Jesus go beyond one's cultural identity and help to define for us what it means to be his follower (p. 125).

As followers of Jesus we must always be aware of those outside, those in the margins of society. Jesus interacted with the outcasts, women, lepers, the sick, the dead and dying and even the strangers and foreigners. As we follow him we must be ever alert and follow in his footsteps. To profess faith in Jesus is to believe what he believed, to live as he lived, to act as he acted. We are called to imitate him in life and that includes making room for the strangers among us.

There is so much more we could talk about, but this is a blog not a book. There are the passages that refer to Christians as "aliens" and "strangers" in this present world (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). There are passages that touch on hospitality, similar to the Old Testament passages we examined (Rom. 12:13; Heb. 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9). So then, while the New Testament doesn't directly deal with immigration, one cannot escape the many biblical injunctions that do in fact deal with the issue.

In our next post we will try to summarize and conclude our series on the Christian and the issue of immigration.

Christians and Immigration Part Two - The Old Testament (pt.2)

2011-08-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

In this series of posts we are attempting to look at the issue of immigration from a Christian perspective. You can access the first two posts in the series by clicking on the following links:

Christians and Immigration - Introduction
Christians and Immigration Part One - The Old Testament (pt.1)

In the introductory post we briefly examined some of the cultural issues and points regarding immigration today. The second post examined briefly the many migration accounts recorded in the pages of the Old Testament as well as the point that all of humanity bears the image of God and thus are endowed with a certain dignity and respect that is demanded of others. In this third post we will continue to look at the Old Testament to see if anything else in it can be brought to bear on the issue of immigration. We will specifically look at the Old Testament Law in this post. Again, I am relying on the work of M. Daniel Carroll R., "Christians at the the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible."

Hospitality
In the ancient world hospitality played a vital role. M. Daniel Carroll R. points this out when he writes: "The cultures of the ancient Near East responded to these needs [of travelers] with shared conventions of hospitality toward the stranger. There were protocols and expectations for the host to be openhanded and for the visitors not to abuse their welcome" (p.92). We see this played out in the pages of the Old Testament as well. One example is found regarding Abraham in Genesis 18. In this account three strangers appear before Abraham's tent and he offers them refreshment before they continue on their journey. Another example involves the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 17. Elijah stays at the house of a poor widow in the region of Zarephath and she provides food for him. Some other examples can be found in Genesis 24, Exodus 2, Judges 19, and 2 Kings 4. All of these accounts point out the same truth: hospitality to the stranger is considered a virtue. Hospitality to the stranger can be viewed as a sign of integrity (Job 31:32). Hospitality to the stranger can also be a sign of true faith in God (Isa. 58:6-7). Also, we cannot neglect Psalm 23. In this Psalm one witnesses the custom of hospitality. M. Daniel Carroll R. summarizes the importance of this when he says: "It is no wonder, then, that this same charitable spirit and material sharing are expected to characterize the people of God.Whatever might have been the common cultural impulse to be hospitable to the stranger in ancient times is here given a more profound motivation. To be hospitable is to imitate God" (p. 94, emphasis added).

What are the implications this for our discussion? In the US this is an important issue. It is nothing new for someone to state that our culture is very individualistic in nature. This will affect how one views and carries out hospitality in our culture. In our culture of busyness, familial needs and concerns, workaholism, etc., we must be able to leave margins so that we can slow down enough to open our home and life to another, even if that person is of another culture. M. Daniel Carroll R. puts it succinctly when he writes: "To cling to a chosen lifestyle and schedule, define parameters of a neighborhood, and monopolize time just for oneself and one's family to the exclusion of the stranger--any stranger--might be rebellion against God and an ignoring of something dear to him" (p. 94). This is a challenge for both individual Christians and Christian communities.
There are also implications for the recipient as well. The recipients are to conduct themselves in such a manner that they do not abuse the hospitality shown them from another, whether it is a person or a culture.
Hospitality has a "two-way," or reciprocal, aspect to it for both the host and the recipient.

The Alien, Sojourner, Stranger and the OT Law
The Hebrew word ger appears often in the Pentateuch (the first 5 books of the Bible). This word has been translated as "alien," "sojourner," and "stranger." Sojourner, or immigrants, had many challenges upon entering into a new culture or land. This meant that in most cases they left behind their network of kinship. This means that often the sojourner was without the help that an extended family could offer. In light of this the sojourner would be reliant upon the host culture for "work, provision, and protection" (p. 103). One such OT Law shows how the Israelites were instructed by God to provide for the sojourner or alien. According to Lev. 19:9-10; 23:22; Deut. 24:19-22, whenever an Israelite was gleaning their harvest they were to leave the edges of the field unharvested. The untouched harvest was specifically left to provide food for those who had none, particularly the alien. We see this playing out firsthand in the book of Ruth. Naomi send Ruth to glean among the fields of Boaz. This is an example of this OT Law. Also, according to Deut. 14:28-29; 26:12-13, "sojourners were to receive a portion of the special tithe that was collected every three years for the poor" (p. 103). Furthermore, the OT prophets speak out against those who do not take responsibility and treat the sojourner or alien with care. To do so was to ultimately demonstrate broken faith with God (Jer. 22:3; Ezek. 22:7, 29; Mal. 3:5; Ps. 94:6). "True religion was inseparable from an ethic of charity toward the disadvantaged (Jer. 7:4-8; Zech. 7:8-10)" (p. 104). One final point must not be overlooked. Throughout the OT God calls Israel to remember, specifically, they are called to remember that they, too, were at one time foreigners and aliens in another land (Deut. 24:19-22; Exod. 20:2).

What are the implications of this for our discussion? For the sojurner, they must recognize that they are also subject to the laws of the host culture (Lev. 24:22). The special care that God provides for them in His word does not mean that one can do as they please. Just as there is responsibility placed upon the host culture, there is responsibility placed upon the sojourner to act in accordance with the laws of the host culture. For the host culture it is clear that the caring for the foreigner is also binding today. There is a direct connection between one's faith and how that person or community treats and reaches out to the sojourners among them. The Bible does not provide a blueprint or tell one how to exactly do this, but it is clear that all who profess faith in God are to at least be ready to reach out to the stranger among us.

Again, this post merely scratches the surface of this topic as revealed in the pages of the Old Testament. I would encourage anyone interested to dig further on your own and see for yourself the depth of this topic in the pages of the Old Testament. In our next post we will look at the New Testament and what it brings to bear on this discussion.

Christians and Immigration Part One - Old Testament (pt.1)

2011-08-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

In the last post (Christians and Immigration - Introduction) we looked at some basic issues regarding immigration. I understand that this issue is deeper and more complex than many of us realize, myself included. However, I think it is an issue worthy of our time and attention. It is an issue that has the attention of many in our country so it deserves fair treatment from all involved in the discussion. Also, as a Christian I believe that we cannot compartmentalize our faith. Our faith is so all-inclusive of our lives that we see everything through this filter.

For this next step in the discussion we will look at some Old Testament passages and briefly discuss what they bring to bear on the topic of immigration. Again, I am relying upon the work of M. Daniel Carroll R., Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible.

The Image of God (Imago Dei)
According to Genesis ch.1 humanity has a special place in God's creation. Humanity, we could say, is the pinnacle of God's creation. For instance, the account points out that God created and after each day he concluded by saying, "It is good." But on the sixth day, the day he made humanity, he concluded by saying "It is very good." It is as if throughout creation God was preparing creation for the appearance of humanity on the scene. He was getting it ready, so to speak. I once heard someone say that while God was creating the world, we were on his mind. This is exemplified further in Genesis 1:26-27 when God mentions that he will make humanity in his own image. In light of this, every person who ever lived bears the image of their Maker. This means that every person in the world possesses an inherent dignity and respect because they carry in them the Imago Dei.

When we look at this in light of our topic of immigration there are a few applications that come out. (1) "Above all else, immigration is the movement of people across borders. The bottom line is that it concerns humans: Their worth, destiny, rights, and responsibilities" (p. 65-66). The fact that everyone bears God's image must be the foundation for any discussion of immigration from a Christian perspective. (2) If one takes Genesis 1 seriously, then to treat an immigrant unjustly is to ultimately violate God and His image. (3) Because immigrants are made in the image of God "Believers must examine their hearts for possible contrary allegiances that might lead them to want to deny entry to those from elsewhere-whether this be on cultural, racial, socioeconomic, educational, or political grounds" (p. 68). (4) Applying to the immigrant, the fact that the immigrant is made in God's image should cause them to reflect on what His expectations for them might be. "For the [immigrant], as for the majority culture, being God's representative is both a privilege and a responsibility" (p. 70).

Migration in the Old Testament
The Old Testament has numerous accounts of people who moved across borders. Sometimes this involved individuals, other times it involved families or large groups of people. There were also numerous reasons for these migrations. Sometimes they were forced, other times they were voluntary. Genesis contains many of these migration accounts. One example is that of Abram (Abraham). God commands him to leave Ur of the Chaldeans and go to Canaan (Gen. 11:31-12:9). Abram and his descendants went on to live a nomadic life even in the promised land. The patriarchs are often referred to as "sojourners" (Abraham 17:8; 20:1; 21:34; 23:4; Isaac 35:27; 37:1; Jacob 28:4; 32:4; Jacob's sons 47:4, 9). Let's not forget Joseph, Ruth and Naomi, Daniel and Israel as a nation in Egypt, Assyria and Babylon. Migrations and accounts of aliens and sojourners in a foreign land seem to permeate the Old Testament.

M. Daniel Carroll R. summarizes the importance of this when he writes:

The Bible offers the reader very realistic scenes and situations and amazingly true-to-life characters. These immigrants and refugees are people above all else, people caught up in trials, tribulations, and joys of life. It is everyday life, but the text teaches that these lives are set against a much bigger canvas. These people are part of the plan of God for the unfolding of world history. Consequently, the majority culture must evaluate its reaction to immigrants. The Old Testament recounts the compassionate acts of some as well as the cruelty of others toward foreigners. Herein are examples, good and bad, to be followed and avoided. (p. 86-87)

In our next post we will look at the Old Testament Law and what that may bring to bear on the topic of immigration.

Christians and Immigration - Introduction

2011-08-02T08:14:00.000-07:00

For a few years now immigration seems to be an important issue in American politics.  For America, though, immigration is nothing new. We all learned in elementary school about the path many immigrants took from their home country abroad to their new home in America. I remember a teacher telling us about how the immigrants would see the Statue of Liberty as they passed by on their way to Ellis Island where they would officially enter the country. Many came to start over, an attempt to renew their lives and bring a sense of hope to their family.

I am not an expert on politics or immigration, but there seems (to me at least) to be some sort of shift in America regarding immigrants and immigration. Theologian Roger E. Olsen has recently blogged (here and here) about immigration. Apparently a few states are trying to make it illegal for anyone to help out illegal immigrants. Even giving one a ride may be punishable under the law. This includes helping the children of illegal immigrants as well. From a Christian perspective this raises some questions.

To help guide us through this series of posts I will be leaning upon M. Daniel Carroll R.'s book Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible. Including this introduction there will be five posts in this series: (1) Intro; (2) Old Testament pt.1; (3) Old Testament pt.2; (4) New Testament and (5) Conclusion.

When a discussion on immigration comes up there are usually a few questions or issues that seem to surface.
One has to do with work.  Sometimes someone will claim that immigrants are criminal and a danger to the host country. In actuality, the highest group of immigrants to the US are Hispanics and the rate of incarceration among Hispanics is much lower than the general population (p.52). M. Daniel Carroll R. points out further:
"All social groups of any size have a percentage that will be criminal; this is unavoidable and expected. The fact that the percentage is significantly less than among those who are native-born should discourage unfair stereotyping of immigrants" (p.52).

Labor issues are typically brought up as well. Sometimes it is claimed that immigrants are taking the jobs of the host country. To this M. Daniel Carroll R. points out that the American labor force is aging and the largest number of jobs and job growth in the US falls within the service industry. The service industry employees huge numbers of unskilled workers that do not require a high level of education. The US workforce, on the other hand, is becoming more and more educated. In regard to this, immigrants can and do fill these labor requirements which the host country (the US) cannot (see p.52). Also, we cannot miss the point that each major period of immigration to the US has coincided with larger migrations happening around the world. Therefore, immigration in the US cannot be viewed apart from the political, social and economic conditions of other countries around the world. The backdrop for US immigration is global, not just local (see p.29, 55).

Another issue that is often overlooked deals with the faith of the immigrants. As I mentioned above, the Hispanic population is the largest number of immigrants to the US and most of the Hispanics that arrive in the US arrive with some sort of background or awareness of Christianity (p.56). This also places upon Christian immigrants a certain level of responsibility. They must live and engage the host culture from a Christ-centered perspective.  "Many immigrants are brothers and sisters in Christ, with all the respect and attention this fact should engender in those of the majority culture who claim to love and follow Jesus" (p.59-60). As a matter of fact, there is something referred to as "the browning" or "the globalization" of Christianity. There are more Christians living in the world outside of North America and Western Europe (p.60). M. Daniel Carroll R. explain the implications of this when he states:

As a result, the demographic, administrative, and educational hub of the Christian faith has shifted progressively over time from the eastern Mediterranean to Europe to the United States, and now to several locations in the South....Many Hispanics and pastors sincerely believe that God has led them here for a purpose: to play an important role in a revival of the Christian faith in this country. In other words, if Christians of the majority culture take a very different look at Hispanic immigration, they will see that something much bigger than they might have imagined is happening. The church of Jesus Christ is growing and being impacted in unexpected ways. The work of God is part of an enormous movement that spans the globe" (p.61-62).

This intro merely scratches the surface on this deep topic. Our next post will look at this issue in light of some teachings from the Old Testament which will hopefully shed more light on how we as followers of Christ should live in regard to immigrants and the immigration issue.

The "Outward" Christian Community

2011-08-01T11:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm headed back to school in the Fall. I am returning to Evangelical Theological Seminary in Myerstown, PA. I'll be working on an M.A.R in Global and Contextual Studies (missions and evangelism). I plan to just take one class a semester and chip away at it slowly. With full time ministry and a young family that will be more than enough. I need 10 classes for the second degree because I earned my first degree from there as well. I'm really excited to return. I desire to be a life-long learner.

My class for this Fall is Global Christianity: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives. I have already started to read one of the books, Christianity Rediscovered, by Vincent J. Donovan. I'm nearly 2/3 through this relatively short book and it is very good. I place it on the same level as the work of Roland Allen, the late 19th century Anglican missionary. Like Allen's work, Donovan's is considered "dated" but interestingly it is as if he wrote yesterday. The principles are timeless and he definitely makes one think. Donovan was a missionary among the Masai people of Tanzania (East Africa). This is the context for the book itself. It comes out of and recounts his missionary experience with the Masai people. Here is an excerpt from the book:

How does one prevent a distorted image of Christianity from creeping into a community right at the start? It is only in the imparting of an outward-turned Christianity that we have any hope of achieving Christianity.  An inward turned Christianity is a dangerous counterfeit, an alluring masquerade. It is no Christianity at all.
     The salvation of one's own soul, or self-sanctification, or self-perception, or self-fulfillment may well be the goal of Buddhism or Greek philosophy or modern psychology. But it is not the goal of Christianity. For someone to embrace Christianity for the purpose of self-fulfillment or self-salvation is, I think, to betray or misunderstand Christianity at its deepest level.
     The temptation to look inward is one that affects not only individuals, but also whole communities, parishes, dioceses. In such cases the physical or spiritual well-being of the Christian community becomes the very goal of the community, the whole reason for its existence. Any ulterior motive for the community's existence is completely forgotten. Indeed the only valid reason for the community's existence is forgotten.
     Christianity must be a force that moves outward, and a Christian community is basically in existence "for others." That is the whole meaning of a Christian community. A Christian community which spends all its resources on a building campaign for its own needs has long ago left Christianity high and dry on the banks. Or all its resources on an education program or a youth program for that matter. A Christian community is in existence "for others," not for "its own." (pg. 79)

In Evangelism Relationship Matters More than Media

2011-07-28T10:09:00.000-07:00

Philip Nation has posted some results of a study regarding evangelism in America as a guest blogger over at Ed Stetzer's blog. The study shows a correlation between personal outreach/invitation and other means such as mass mailings and other mass media outlets. Here is a small portion of the post:

The study showed that communicating about your church through personal relationships is more effective than other mass communications means. We found that 63 percent are willing to receive information about a local congregation or faith community from a family member, and 56 percent are willing to receive such information from a friend or neighbor.

One issue that seems to come to us intuitively was validated through the statistics of the study. We found that the effectiveness of the invitation was often tied to its form: the more personal, the more effective.

Such a statement then raises a question: Are Christians regularly engaging people around them about their faith, their church, and, most importantly, their Lord?

To read the entire post go here (Outreach, Evangelism and the New Season).

I remember a few years ago when I was part of a church that planted another church we used mass mailings as a tool to build awareness of the church plant. If my memory is correct, we had one family come, and stick around, as a result of the mailing. Has anyone else had a similar experience? Has anyone had any success from using mass media of different kinds to reach out to communities? Please share it with us.

At least one important things arises as a take away from this: Christians must be involved in the lives of those around them. I know that many will read this and think that this is nothing new (myself included), and they're right. But until we implement it we need to continue to hear about it.

It's That Time Once Again...5th Sunday!

2011-07-27T07:13:00.000-07:00

If you have been following this blog at all you have probably heard of 5th Sunday (I posted about it here, here, here and here). Basically, every month that has a 5th Sunday in it is a month in which we switch our worship service for worship "service." We gather together for prayer, then we go out to different locations and serve our community. Following the service we regather at the church building to share a meal together. We have only done this once so far, but the second attempt is this Sunday, July 31st. Please pray for us.

This 5th Sunday we have three projects for our church to choose to participate in. Here are the projects for this Sunday: (1) Wayne/Delaware Manor nursing home, (2) Welcome Lake Fire Dept. and (3) the home and apple orchard of an elderly couple from within our church family.

At the nursing home there will be singing and a lot of visiting and talking/listening. This is going to be a regular connection point for us on every 5th Sunday. At the fire department we will be serving those who serve us by washing their trucks and equipment for them. And last but certainly not least, at the home of the couple from our church a group will help with cleaning, some cooking and working in their apple orchard.

Why do we do this? That's a good question. In Romans 12:1-2 Paul writes:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

We believe that worship is more than just showing up to a building on Sunday morning. Worship is all about the life lived 24/7 for God. While gathering together may involve different elements of worship, it fundamentally is no different from worship through service involving our hands, feet and hearts. As we worship through service we want to implement the point to our church family that God wants our whole life, whole mind and whole heart. Also, I think that perhaps we have become so use to church as usual. We come, sit, sing, listen, sing, give, sing, then go home or go to lunch. That is not bad or wrong, but if that is all our notion of church life and following Christ entails than something is sorely missing.

Also, quite simply put, we go out not to draw attention to ourselves. Our goal is not to hear people say, "Boy, that Beach Lake Free Methodist Church is a great group of people." Our goal in going out is to hopefully make the name of Jesus Christ famous in our community and throughout the world (cf. Ps. 115:1; Matt. 5:16).

"The Roses"

2011-07-26T13:19:00.000-07:00

The following are lyrics to a Caedmon's Call song titled "The Roses." The song is from their 2004 album Share the Well. I find myself listening to this CD more than any other CD I own. The songs are powerful. The album came out of the band's mission trips to India and Central America. You can feel the impact of what they experienced through their lyrics.

The Roses by Caedmon's Call

High above the valley of Quito

An old man and his bride grow roses

Red and yellow, white and golden

To him they are precious as children

Their daughter she moved to America

One more brick in the tower of Babel

She has a son that they've never seen at all

And they're praying they raised her well

On this mountain high

They will live and die

As time just slips away

And the children grow

In the God they know

As time just slips away

A man, his bride, his children and his roses

Planted in faith, and watered in tears

Honey, that's all they have and they're happier here

Then any of my friends back home

They've met Jesus and they really know Him

Now I'm back at home, all alone, and trying to find my thoughts

About that old man, so inspiring, but the TV's always on

And the phone, it won't stop ringing, and these bills they keep on screaming

To pay for all the things that we never really needed

And I wonder what he's doing right now

Maybe walking through his simple field and thinking about how

God has blessed him so

A man, his bride, his children and his roses

This song raises issues of contenment. Whenever I listen to it a particular question comes to mind: When will Jesus be enough for me?

J.K. Rowling, C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien: One Big Happy Family?

2011-07-25T06:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is one of the many posts regarding the Harry Potter series. The movie series based on the very popular book series by J.K. Rowling has finally come to its much anticipated end. In full disclosure, I'm a fan of the books and the movies. I know the series is placed in the context of magic which has caused some concern for many Christians, but I think the story itself contains many touchpoints with the Christian faith. And this is not surprising since J.K. Rowling is open about her faith. Scot McKnight (here) and Ben Witherington (here) have both already posted about this. Just a few of these touchpoints, as I see them, are: (1) resurrection, (2) sacrificial love, (3) fellowship, (4) the conflicting nature of the Holy Spirit with the sinful nature (Rom. 7; Gal.5:16-17). These topics could be used as discussion points for non-Christians who are Harry Potter fans. There are others out there who have already touched on this on a much deeper level. So I'll leave it at that.

What I really want to talk about, or ask, has to do with the book series itself. Rowling has mentioned that both Tolkien and Lewis are major influences for her. Most everyone knows the impact that Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (along with the Hobbit) have had and continue to have on the world. My question is this: Do you think that the Harry Potter series is on the same level as these other works? Should Rowling's work be placed together with the work of Tolkien and Lewis as one big happy family?

What are your thoughts?

Soup for the Soul: A Positive Example of a Local Church 'Going'

2011-07-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

My good friend Ken pastors a vibrant and growing church plant (Wallenpaupack Free Methodist Church). They have been meeting in a school for about three years now. About a year ago they started renting an old restaurant in a downtown location which they call The Hub. The Hub has been utilized for everything from the pastor's office to meeting space for Bible studies and other special events and occasions.

A little while ago a layperson from the church approached Ken and asked if they could start a weekly soup kitchen from The Hub. Ken's response was great. He basically said, "Build a team and go for it, but you lead it." They called the ministry Soup for the Soul. For the first few weeks they either had no one show up or only about 1 or 2 people show up to receive a meal. Then the leadership of this ministry realized something. No one is coming but there is a low income apartment complex two blocks away. What if we take the food to them?

This began a great change. For weeks now Soup for the Soul, which is completely lead by laity, went from serving 0-2 people each Wednesday evening to serving 30-40 people each Wednesday evening! They spend time with the residents. They pray with the residents. They have distributed about 10 Bibles. The residents of this apartment complex look forward to this church arriving every Wednesday. This church is loving on the people of this apartment complex.

This is a positive example of two things: (1) This ministry is entirely lead by laypersons. The pastor is available for help and guidance but he did not feel the need to micro manage this ministry and I think we are seeing the results of that decision; (2) This church realized for this ministry to grow and thrive (not just survive) they had to change from an attractional model to a going out model.

I'm excited for this church and this ministry. I pray that God continues to guide and bless this church. Do you have any examples like this to share?

A Great Commission Core

2011-06-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

David Black (who blogs here) wrote these words today and they gripped my heart upon reading them and I think they deserve sharing as well. Here's what Dave wrote:

It is the Great Commission that ought to drive everything we do as followers of Jesus. Some people think they can be good Christians by attending the fellowship, singing songs, praying prayers, teaching one another, etc. Nothing could be further from the truth. We must return to Jesus' revolutionary, cross-based ministry. How different is this kind of self-sacrificing Christianity from the comfort-seeking, self-serving, ingrown religion so often practiced in our churches! This Jesus who humbled Himself as a servant and who died as a criminal -- this same Jesus is the One who was always pressing on to preach the Gospel in the next village. His heart's cry was for the dead and the dying, for the lost, the sick, the undone. He was willing to let everything go for the sake of lost souls. When I finally came to understand that this very same Jesus was desiring to live His missional life through me, I felt as if He had shoved a knife into my heart. But finally I knew the work he had for me. The true test of my commitment is not how much I give or even what I believe but how I live. God is not just asking us to give our money to missions but to make missions the core of our lives, the central passion in all we do.

More and more as I read the Word and pray and learn from my brothers and sister in Christ I cannot help but feel that following Jesus is "more." It is more than what I am seeing. It is more than what I am sometimes hearing. It is more than what I am doing. It is a total life commitment. It is more than a willingness to love my neighbor, but it actually loves my neighbor. Whatever it is, I want it.

I often think of Jesus' words in the Sermon in the Mount. One of the Beatitudes states: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." Yes, Lord! Please place in me a hunger and thirst for you and the things of you that can only be quenched by you!

Praying that prayer continually I look ahead to what God has for me today, and tomorrow. I don't know what it will be, but I do know that he is already there. I want the Great Commission to be at the core of my being as I live for and follow God.

Is There a Difference Between Believing In Jesus and Following Jesus?

2011-06-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

A question that has come to my mind recently deals with the popular Christian phrase "I believe in Jesus."
This phrase is often heard in evangelistic contexts such as the question "Do you believe in Jesus?" But what does this mean, really? If we think about it many people believe that Jesus actually existed as a historical figure who walked the earth sometime in the first century. But of those who believe in the historical Jesus there are many differing views of who Jesus was (and is). We have Jesus the travelling Cynic, Jesus the Sage, Jesus the Stoic, Jesus the prophet and Jesus the revolutionary peasant just to name a few. I tend to think that there is a difference in believing Jesus and believeing in Jesus.

I took some time and did a quick comparison of a couple phrases from Scripture and what I found was interesting (at least to me). The word "believe" is used often in Scripture and rightly so. But I looked up the phrase "believe in" in the Gospels. I specifically focused on the words of Jesus or the phrase directed toward Jesus and I found the following break-down: Matthew 2x; Mark 1x; Luke none; John 7x = 10x total. I also looked up the use of the word "follow" as in Jesus' statement "Follow Me." I also included a few statements where another tells Jesus "I will follow you." Here's how this broke down in the Gospels: Matthew 8x; Mark 5x; Luke 8x; John 7x = 28x total. In full disclosure, this was a brief examination so these numbers may be off a little. However, I think there is the potential for something here. According to these numbers Jesus calls people to follow him rather than believe in him by a margin of nearly 3 to 1.

If this is true then what are the implications of this? What is/are the differences in "believing in" Jesus rather than "following" Jesus? Are these two ways of referring to the same thing?

What are your thoughts?

Team Redemption

2011-06-27T09:06:00.000-07:00

Things have really picked up for me lately and it seems I have much to do, plus my family and I are going on vacation very soon so I will not be blogging as much as I would like to over the next couple of weeks. However, I want to take to the time to share something with you and ask you for your prayers.

Tomorrow, June 28, four people from our church family here in Beach Lake are joining with five people from our sister church in Lake Wallenpaupack and they are embarking on a week long mission trip to Haiti. The group is calling themselves "Team Redemption." They will be helping in the continual rebuilding that has been going on in Haiti ever since the tragic earthquake that happened a while ago. The Haitians still have so much rebuilding to do. Please pray for my brothers and sisters in Christ as they seek to live amplified lives in Haiti this week. Here are the names of the Redemption Team members so you can pray for them by name:

Tammy Plumb (team leader)
Pastor Ken Platt
Aimee Kern
Beth Dowd
Connie Lichtenstein
Sean & Megan Reager
Shane Priebe
Dan Reed

Video: "This Is Discipleship"

2011-06-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

This video was put out by the Foursquare Church and I stumbled on to it via a Neil Cole Post on facebook. I think the message of the video is very good and pretty spot on. What do you think?

Making Missional Living Practical

2011-06-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

Mike Breen (who blogs here) shared a great post today that I just had to pass along. So often we want to live missionally in our day to day lives, but if you're like me, sometimes it can get squeezed out because our over-scheduled life. In other cases we my simply not know where to begin and we feel overwhelmed by it all. In his latest post, 8 Simple Ways to Be Missional, Mike Breen shares eight practical ways to live more missionally minded in the day to day of life. Here is what he shared:

1. Eat with Non-Christians. We all eat three meals a day. Why not make a habit of sharing one of those meals with a non-Christian or with a family of non-Christians? Go to lunch with a co-worker, not by yourself. Invite the neighbors over for family dinner. If it’s too much work to cook a big dinner, just order pizza and put the focus on conversation. When you go out for a meal invite others. Or take your family to family-style restaurants where you can sit at the table with strangers and strike up conversation. Cookout and invite Christians and non-Christians. Flee the Christian subculture.

2. Walk, Don’t Drive. If you live in a walkable area, make a practice of getting out and walking around your neighborhood, apartment complex, or campus. Instead of driving to the mailbox, convenience store, or apartment office, walk to get mail, groceries, and stuff. Be deliberate in your walk. Say hello to people you don’t know. Strike up conversations. Attract attention by walking the dog, taking a 6-pack (and share), bringing the kids. Make friends. Get out of your house! Take interest in your neighbors. Ask questions. Pray as you go. Save some gas, the planet, and some people.

3. Be a Regular. Instead of hopping all over the city for gas, groceries, haircuts, eating out, and coffee, go to the same places. Get to know the staff. Go to the same places at the same times. Smile. Ask questions. Be a regular. I have friends at coffee shops all over the city. My friends at Starbucks donate a ton of left over pastries to our church 2-3 times a week. We use them for church gatherings and occasionally give to the homeless. Build relationships. Be a Regular.

4. Hobby with Non-Christians. Pick a hobby that you can share. Get out and do something you enjoy with others. Try City League sports. Local rowing and cycling teams. Share your hobby by teaching lessons. Teach sewing lessons, piano lessons, violin, guitar, knitting, tennis lessons. Be prayerful. Be intentional. Be winsome. Have fun. Be yourself.

5. Talk to Your Co-workers. How hard is that? Take your breaks with intentionality. Go out with your team or task force after work. Show interest in your co-workers. Pick four and pray for them. Form mom groups in your neighborhood and don’t make them exclusively Christian. Schedule play dates with the neighbors’ kids. Work on mission.

6. Volunteer with Non-Profits. Find a non-profit in your part of the city and take Saturday a month to serve your city. Bring your neighbors, your friends, or your small group. Spend time with your church serving your city. Once a month. You can do it!

7. Participate in City Events. Instead of playing X-Box, watching TV, or surfing the net, participate in city events. Go to fundraisers, festivals, clean-ups, summer shows, and concerts. Participate missionally. Strike up conversation. Study the culture. Reflect on what you see and hear. Pray for the city. Love the city. Participate with the city.

8. Serve your Neighbors. Help a neighbor by weeding, mowing, building a cabinet, fixing a car. Stop by the neighborhood association or apartment office and ask if there is anything you can do to help improve things. Ask your local Police and Fire Stations if there is anything you can do to help them. Get creative. Just serve!

Also, I love the qoute that Mike uses to end his post. He states: "Don’t make the mistake of making “missional” another thing to add to your schedule. Instead, make your existing schedule missional."

What do you think of Mike's ideas and suggestions? Have you already implemented any of these ideas? Are there other ideas that your implement that are not on this list? Please share with the rest of us.

.

College Says "Good-Bye" to National Anthem

2011-06-17T04:16:00.000-07:00

What are your thoughts on this? Is there an alternative to the national anthem? Does this unduly separate this school from society or is this a necessary step from a Christian perspective? Does not singing the national anthem make one unpatriotic?

By Jack Jenkins
c. 2011 Religion News Service

(RNS) Goshen College will no longer play The Star-Spangled Banner at sporting events, school leaders announced, reversing last year's decision to allow the use of the national anthem for the first time in the Mennonite college's history.

Some Mennonites had criticized the anthem's lyrics as glorifying war and offensive to the school's pacifist traditions. Goshen's Board of Directors said many felt the school's "allegiance should be to Christ rather than to country."

"As a result of a thoughtful, thorough, prayerful period of listening, learning and discerning," the board said in a June 6 statement, "it is the board's judgment that continuing to play the national anthem compromises our ability to advance the vision (of Goshen College) together."

The switch by the Indiana college, which is affiliated with the Mennonite Church USA, upends a February 2010 decision to permit an instrumental version of the song at athletic gatherings after decades of shunning the patriotic anthem.

Supporters of the anthem, who were mostly non-Mennonites, argued that it "honors our country and improves community relations by welcoming and respecting the views of non-Mennonite students."

The board is now seeking an "alternative" to the national anthem "that fits with sports tradition, that honors country, that resonates with our core values and that respects the views of diverse constituencies."

My Passport Arrived!

2011-06-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

A little while ago I shared a post about God answering prayer and as a very small part of the post I mentioned how God answered one of my prayers recently. I want to to recount the story with a little more detail here and share with you what is to come so you can pray for me and what God is working out according to His will.

A few months ago I received a denomination newsletter in the mail. One thing particularly in the newsletter caught my attention. The newsletter spoke of what is called Global Studies Intensive (or GSI for short). Every few years the Free Methodist denomination organizes a mission trip to a part of the world. But this is not just a mission trip, it is also a hands-on mission class. The point is to connect pastors and lay-people from all over the world with one another to build relationships with one another in the context of cross-cultural missions. For two weeks GSI intersperses class time with hands on ministry time. You learn about cross cultural missions by participating in cross cultural missions. This year GSI is happening in Kenya. When I read about this I thought that this would be a great opportunity, but I knew I didn't have the money to pay for it. So I said a prayer about it and laid the newsletter on the side of my desk.

About a week later I was hanging out and chatting with people between our two Sunday morning gatherings and a man came up to me and handed me a copy of the newsletter. The section about GSI-Kenya was circled. He proceeded to say to me, "My wife and I prayed about this and if you want to go we will cover your expenses." My heart lept! I couldn't believe it! I have heard stories of God working like this but have not been on the receiving end of any of them. I spoke to my wife about it and we both had the sense the God wants me to go to Kenya for something.

Adding to this, our church recently had a visit from some missionaries that we support. They spent the last 6 years ministering in Mexico City but now it turns out they are moving to Kenya. When I found this out I couldn't help but to ask God, "O.K., God, what are you up to here?"

I share this with you because I think I would be remiss if I did not share with others the work of God's hands. In the Psalms it says repeatedly that we are to tell others of what God has done. For example, in Psalm 66:5 is declares, "Come and see what God has done, how awesome his works in man's behalf!" Also, I'm asking you to join me in prayer for this trip. I want to be used by God and I hope this trip changes the life of someone I meet as well as my own life.

One of the places we will visit is the Kibara Slum of Nairobi. It is one of the largest slums on the world. Approximately 1.2 million people live in an area that is about 3.5 miles long and .5 miles wide. Here is a satellite picture form the internet of the Kibara Slum:

Here is a picture of some garbage men in Kibara trying to remove some of the trash from the slum, which is like trying to shovel during a blizzard:

And here is another shot of the slum in which you can also see the garbage:

Again, please pray for the people of Kenya and for those from all over the world who will participate in GSI-Kenya later this year.

We've Crossed "the Line"

2011-06-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the church and church-goers can be known more for what they disagree about rather than what they agree about. There seem to be countless books, blogs and the like that are all about differences. Some are more cordial than others and the others are sometimes downright divisive. There are debates within the church about Calvinism vs. Arminianism, organic vs. traditional, contemporary vs. hymns,...the list could go on and on. Where does all of this get us? Nowhere really. It only causes division where there needs not be any division. After all, Jesus prayed for the church to be untied together as He and the Father are untied together (John 17:20-23). This brings me to the purpose of this post. I want to highlight an example of a brother in Christ who does not give in to this nonsense. His name is Alan Knox and he blogs at The Assembling of the Church.

My blog is not very popular. I'm lucky to get 50 hits per day. But the greatest source of traffic to my blog comes from Alan's own blog. He has linked to a few of my posts and has been very encouraging to me over the past few months. But here's the thing, Alan and I are different. Here are some of the differences:

1. We belong to different "tribes"--He's Baptist and I'm Free Methodist.
2. We have different styles of church gatherings--he meets in a more organic style church and I meet in a more traditional style church.
3. We have different theological perspectives--he leans toward Calvinism (I think) and I lean toward Arminianism.

These differences don't get in the way of Alan's ministry or our relationship. You see, Alan sees all believers as being a part of the same family. We may have some differences but the similarities far outweigh the differences. Here are some of the similarities:

1. We both believe Jesus Christ is the head of the church.
2. We both believe in the atoning work of Jesus Christ.
3. We both believe in actively living out what we profess to believe.
4. We both believe that we are part of the family of God through Jesus.
5. We both believe that the church exists for the mission of God.

There are more, but you get the point. What would happen if the different "tribes" of Christians focused on what is similar with one another rather than what is different? What if we encouraged someone else who holds different theological perspectives than we do? More often than not the differences that separate us are regarding doctrine or opinion that have no direct bearing on one's salvation (for example, infant baptism vs. adult baptism; drums in the church vs. an organ only).

Let us keep the work of God through Jesus Christ, His Son, at the center of everything and let us move on together from there.

And Alan, thanks for your encouragement and friendship, brother.

5th Sunday -- Conversations, Caring and Committing

2011-06-07T07:37:00.000-07:00

I apologize, I know this post is long overdue. My life currently seems to have entered a busy season and I have not had the time to blog as I would like to. Two Sundays ago our church family gathered for a different type of "worship service." We called it 5th Sunday and we are not the only church to participate in this. What we did was trade our regular time of worship with service to our local community. This was our first experience with this but it was exciting and God showed up. When I asked a few people about their experience following the service time my questions were met with excitement and anticipation for the next 5th Sunday. Some people were already giving me possible ideas for the next time we take the church outside to four walls of our building.

Conversations
One of the projects was picking up litter on a local stretch of road very close to our church building. This project was the one that I thought would have the least impact on our community, but I was mistaken. AS the clean up crew moved along the nearly 2 mile stretch of road there were numerous opportunities for conversations with unchurched people. We had a few homeowners come out an ask us what we were doing and why we were doing it. It was very exciting to see "ordinary missionaries" connecting with those in the local community and simply practicing a ministry of presence in the community. I think it is important to let the community know that we are here and that we care. To pick up trash is a practical demonstration of this care. Picking up trash not only helps the environment but it also benefits our fellow humanity. I pray that some seeds were planted in these conversations and that God will cause some growth (1 Corinthians 3:6).

Caring
Another group went to the local nursing home to sing with them and visit with the residence. One particular story that came out of this group involved an elderly Jewish man at the home. One member of this group happened to be raised in a Jewish milieu and upon entering the nursing home he noticed an elderly man sitting alone outside the building. Apparently he noticed some sort of Jewish symbol or custom associated with this elderly gentleman that tipped him off that he was morning the loss of his wife. The gentleman from the group sat with him and never made it inside. He spent nearly two hours talking to this man, sharing his faith, sharing and being Jesus to this man who was in mourning. Apparently the conversation went very well and they made it a point to set up another time to visit, apart from the planned group visit. I pray that God will guide this relationship.

Committing
We had over 60 people commit to serve their neighbor on this particular Sunday. For some of them it was not to much of a stretch to change the style of "worship" for the day. But for some others it was very different and somewhat difficult. But I am proud of my church family. Here's one example. An elderly woman in our church, who is used to a more traditional approach, came up to me before we prayed together and went out to serve and she made it a point to tell me how different this was to her. However, she was willing to go and give it a try. The simple fact that she was there was huge. I love to see people of God stretching themselves. When we do that we find that we grow in our faith and Christ-likeness. When we give in to tradition and fear we find that we become stagnant and nothing changes.

The next 5th Sunday is in July and we are planning more service projects for that day. I'm looking forward to see and hear about God acting in and through our local community. What about you? Would you and your church family consider joining in with 5th Sunday?

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

2011-05-27T11:20:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-05-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-21T05:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-18T07:52:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

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"

2011-05-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-13T10:17:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

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...."

2011-05-09T18:22:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-09T12:07:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-05-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-04T07:04:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-05-03T07:39:00.000-07:00

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?

Evangelism is for the Church?

2011-04-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

This week I attended a conference and had the privilege of hearing Ed Waken speak. Ed works for Church Multiplication Associates which is Neil Cole's company. Honestly, in light of my previous reading, which included some Neil Cole material, he said nothing that I hadn't read or heard before. What he had to say was very good, but for me it was just more confirmation of the direction the church needs to head if we are to be truly kingdom minded followers of Christ.

There was one thing that he did mention, however, that caught my attention. Actually, I was a little embarrassed that I had not noticed it or thought about it before. It has to do with evangelism. Ed asked those in attendance to raise their hands if we thought evangelism was for non-believers. Many people raised their hands. Then he asked how many thought it was for the church. A couple hands went up. Then Ed proceeded to point out that evangelism is a spiritual gift. In Ephesians 4:11-13 the apostle Paul mentions a few spiritual gifts along with their purpose:

It was [Jesus] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Spiritual gifts are for the church. Spiritual gifts are given by God so that the church may be built up and grow to maturity in Christ. Evangelism is a spiritual gift, thus it is for the strengthening of believers.

For so long evangelism has had an outward focus on the non-believer. According to Ephesians 4:11-13 this is a wrong application. This brings me to my point. If evangelism is for the believer/the church family, then what is evangelism? How does evangelism build up other believers into the fullness of Christ?

Answered Prayer: A Sign God is at Work

2011-04-25T12:10:00.000-07:00

Alan Knox, who blogs over at The Assembling of the Church, asked a good question today: "How is God working in your life?" Here's my answer to that question. It is a little long for a comment, so I answered his question here. Lately I have been noticing God is on the move in our local church community. God is working in hearts and lives and people are being changed. Yesterday, Easter Sunday, was one more example to me of God at work.

Here's a little background first. I pastor a church that could be referred to as "traditional." It is traditional in the structural sense. Overall, the structure would probably not differ all that much from other "traditional" churches in America. About a year ago we implemented an open sharing time in our corporate gathering. I believe that this is vital and important to the life of the church. In 1 Corinthians 14:26, the apostle Paul wrote that when the church gathers everyone should bring something to contribute to the church gathering. And he emphasizes that this is done for the encouragement of others. My prayer going into this was that people would share testimonies and praises regarding how God is working in their lives. Prayer concerns are also important to share, but my focus was more on testimonies and words of encouragement.

For much of the time since this implementation began, those sharing shared prayer requests about 90% of the time. I subtly began to introduce the sharing time by saying something like the following: "This is the time in our gathering when we share words of encouragement, testimonies, praises and prayer requests. How is God working in the life of this community?"

On Easter Sunday my prayers were answered. During the time of sharing we had two prayer requests and the rest of the things shared were praises, how God had answered prayers and testimonies. We had one man share about an 18 year old that is very close to their family. This women was hit by a tractor trailer and experienced head trauma. When they drove to see her she was in a coma. Apparently, 90% of people with this particular injury remain in a vegetative state. The elders of her church came and prayed over her...and five minutes later she opened her eyes! Within a matter of days she was walking around again! This man was in tears as he shared about God's healing power.

We had another older man share with the gathering. His wife battled cancer for 10 years. Two weeks ago she lost that battle. But three days before she died she gave her life to Jesus. And she spent the two days afterward sharing her faith with others. He had prayed for her salvation for 25 years! Again, it was another tearful testimony to the power and glory of God!

We had three men who shared Scripture that God had placed on their hearts. And a few others share about how God recently answered their prayers. I was blown away by the power and goodness of God. As I write this 24 hours later I am still riding high from all of this.

Also, to begin the day another pastor friend and I baptized two young men in the icy waters of Lake Wallenpaupack. If you want to see the video footage of it you can view it on my Facebook page (sorry, it's not on Youtube so I cannot post it on here).
Even in my own life God is on the move. For over a year I continually had the notion that I should go back to school and study missions/evangelism. I always put it off though but God seemed to always bring it back before me. I recently applied to school again and was accepted. But there is more to the story. I recently received a denominational newsletter and there was an advertisement for "Global Studies Intensive-Kenya." It is a two week hands on study trip to a foreign country that seeks to equip believers by having them experience foreign missions by participating with missionaries in other cultures. I read it and thought, "That would be awesome, but I could never afford it." About a week later a man from my church family approached me and handed me the same paper and said, "My wife and I prayed about this and if you want to go we will cover the cost for you." My heart jumped in my chest! I might not be able to afford it but God can! Now I will be going to Kenya for two weeks later this year! I cannot wait to see how God will continue to work! I am reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24. In these verses Paul reminds us that God is faithful and will continue the work He has begun in us. Look out...God's at work!

How is God working in your life and the life of those around you?

Good Friday Musings: The Irony of It All

2011-04-22T06:24:00.000-07:00

I was reading John's account of the arrest and trial of Jesus and I could not help but think of the irony of the events. In John 18 we find Jesus and Pilate conversing behind closed doors and Pilate asks Jesus an important question: "Are you the king of the Jews?" (18:33). Jesus responds in the affirmative in vv36-37. I thought for a moment on the kingship of Jesus, particularly as displayed during his earthly ministry.

For a moment let us look at a future earthly king, Prince William of England. He was born in a hospital with the best medical assistance of the day at his disposal. He was raised in a palace. Eventually he will be the head of a nation (symbolic?). His upcoming wedding is garnering worldwide attention. He wears fine clothes. He eats fine food. He has access to fine cars. The finest people of society and celebrities are hoping to receive and invite to his wedding. Photogs and the paparazzi are constantly following him around. Overall he is a very popular fellow.

Now lets look at Jesus. He was born to a young woman in a filthy, stinking manger. He had no home. He had the clothes on his back. He never married. He was betrayed by the kiss of a friend. His closest associate denied him three times. He was beaten. He was flogged and scourged. He had a crown of thorns placed on his head. He was stripped naked. He carried his cross.   He was mocked while he hung. He was deserted by those closest to him.

But look at what Jesus says in response to Pilate in John 18:37: "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth."

He came into the world for this. He knew it was going to happen. Every moment while he walked the earth brought him one step closer to the cross. In fact, we could say that from his birth his entire life was lived in the shadow of the cross.  But he still went.

Revelation tells us that Jesus is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Rev. 19:16).   Today, on the day we ironically call "Good Friday", is the day we gather in remembrance of what King Jesus did for all of us. It is "good" because through these events all things have been redeemed and we, through faith, can be part of King Jesus'
already/not yet" kingdom. Have you humbly bowed before King Jesus, the only one who has taken what is fallen and make it all new?

Thank you King Jesus!

5th Sunday is Coming Together

2011-04-20T06:52:00.000-07:00

As I shared in a previous post, our local church is going to be going outside of our four walls and into the community. On the months of the year that have a 5th Sunday in them we will be trading our worship time gathered together for a worship time in our community through service. The object of this is to get out into the community to let them know we are here, we care about them and shine the light of Jesus where we live, work and carry out our lives. A neat thing about this is that we are not the only church doing this. Another church about 9 miles away is also starting this as well as another church in the Philadelphia area (from which we got the idea). And I know that other churches from all over America have been doing this as well. I cannot help but think: What would happen if every church in America participated in 5th Sunday? What kind of impact would that have where we live?

So far we have four service areas for the day. First, we will be doing a litter pluck on the stretch of highway in our local community. Second, we will be doing a litter pluck in at a recreational area along the Delaware River (and this 5th Sunday is on Memorial Day weekend...there will be people present in the area--I wonder what God is going to do in that area?). Third, a few miles from our church there is a nursing home that we will visit and spend time with the the residents. I imagine a group of 30-40 people showing up to love on the elderly in the home and I cannot help but get excited! Finally, a smaller group will be be going to the home of a local widow to do some cleaning and yard maintenance.

Prior to our worship through service we will meet together and break into our service groups and pray together. We will pray for each other, pray for those we will meet and pray for God's guidance as we seek to be a light in the community. Then we will depart to serve together. After the serving time we will meet back at our local church for a fellowship meal and a time of sharing. I can't wait to hear the stories from the day.

I want to encourage you and your church family to be a part of 5th Sunday, too. What are you doing to impact your community for Christ? I hope and pray that this will be the beginning of God's mission DNA to be absorbed by our local church.

Get Outside and Take a Look Around

2011-04-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

When we think of Moses we often think of God's appearing to him in the burning bush or the crossing of the Red Sea or his receiving of the Ten Commandments on top of Mount Sinai. But one thing we often overlook, and the Bible seems to be quiet about, is his upbringing and subsequent "a-ha" moment.

In Exodus we appear to go directly from the birth narrative of Moses to his adulthood. In Exodus 2:1-10 we find Moses being placed in the Nile by his mother only to be found and brought up in Pharaoh's house by his own daughter. Between verses 10 and 11 we appear to bypass a bit of time and we find Moses maturing into a fine adult. But what we find in verse 11 has implications for us today. Here's what it says:

One day, after Moses had grown up he went out to where his own people were and and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. - Exodus 2:11 (NIV)

A couple of things are interesting about this verse. First, growing up in the household of Pharaoh, Moses must have been privy to a fine education and the best of everything. Essentially, he would never have to leave the palace. Secondly, and probably more importantly, Moses decided to leave the palace and what he saw shocked him. He saw an Egyptian beating one of his own people. In that moment I'm sure Moses had a choice to make. He could have walked on by and allowed the beating to continue unabated. Or he could intervene and attempt to deal with the apparent injustice.

Moses choose to intervene and we know where the story goes from here. Moses kills the Egyptian and flees, only to return later at God's command and lead his people out of slavery.

The big take away from this: We must get out of the palace (or building).

So often, the church gets stuck in the building. Like Moses in Pharaoh's household, things are nice there. The carpets are clean, the music is rehearsed, the message is polished, people look and smell nice (for the most part) and we know approximately how long the show will last (about an hour, an hour and fifteen minutes tops). It's a nice neat package.

But Moses left the palace and what did he see? Beating, injustice, hard labor...things definitely not the way God has designed them to be. But here's the rub, Christians are called to be the ones to engage all of this. We are the ones who are called to be light in this world. We are the ones who have received the Great Commission. We are the ones who have been commissioned to take the gospel of God's kingdom to the world who desperately needs to hear it.

If only we'd leave the palace.

(HT: Drew Williams)

Radical Christianity: A Step Too Far or Not Far Enough?

2011-04-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

Over at the Out of Ur blog Skye Jethani raises some good points about the current trend or focus on what can be referred to as "Radical Christianity." There appear to be more than a few books that have been written by pastors and para church leaders about this topic in the last few years. Two of the more popular examples are Radical by David Platt and Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

Part of the focus of these books deals with what can be referred to as the consumer mindset in the American church. Skye Jethani agrees that this is an apparent issue within American Christianity, but a question he raises is this: How radical is radical enough? Here is a portion of his post:

"But after years of hearing, and offering, this call to radical activism, I’ve realized that activist Christianity may be just as detrimental and off-center as consumer Christianity. We can all agree that using God simply as a divine vending machine to provide us with the American Dream, as consumer Christianity teaches, is wrong. God is not a means to an end. He is the end. But what about using God as a means of solving world hunger, growing the church, or constructing a sense of self-worth and value? Could such activist Christian tendencies be equally flawed? Might activist Christianity also reduce God to a useful device?

We pastors have a tendency to over-correct the error of consumer faith and instead make evangelism or justice the center of our life rather than Christ. We essentially exchanging one error for another, albeit a more admirable one. As Tim Keller says, idols are “good things turned into ultimate things.” When presented this way missional activism can lead to the kind of exhaustion expressed by the suburban mom, and it robs us and our people of the joy Christ intends for his children."

To read the entire post go here. I think Skye Jethani raises some good points that need to be considered and processed by any Christian leader. We want to be sure we are following Christ rather than jumping on the latest Christian craze bandwagon. However, I'm not so sure I see it quite like Skye though.

First, is it fair to refer to it as "radical activism"? I'm not so sure that is a fair label. Yes, this activism can be sensationalized but I tend to think that the overall point is not so much a radical activism but rather a call to be more Christ-like in our sphere of influence. I have read a few of these books and while they often refer to radical examples I think the overall emphasis is more in line with the idea that Christians need to see there entire lives as missional opportunities. For some of us that may be radical in the sense that our lives are drastically different from those around us but they are not saying that you have to move overseas or sell your house, etc. A practical example I saw recently pertains to a woman who ministered to her waitress at a local Sonic Drive-In. She gave her a bed, clothes, etc. She reached out to another person. That's more in line with the point as I see it.

Going along with this point is the research done by those like George Barna and others. The research has shown for a while that Christianity (and thus Christians) in American does not look any different from non-Christian America. A question we need to ask is "Why?" I think that is one of the things driving the call to what Skye refer to as "radical activism."

Secondly, others have begun to claim that this radical activism is leaning heavily upon works based righteousness. Again, I don't see it that way. The scriptures clearly call us to a life of holiness (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:1ff.). Holiness is not about a set of rules. Holiness is not about doing this thing and not doing that thing or saying this and not saying that. I see holiness as reflecting the character and concerns of God in our day to day lives. As a father of two little girls I know that they will take on my characteristics because they are close to me. They will say what I say and eventually do what they have seen me doing. I think holiness works the same way. Those who call of the name of Jesus Christ are God's children and the more time we spend with Him the more we will look like Him in this world. Herein lies the issue. When we see statistics that say that 65% of professing Christians do not read the Bible I think we have a problem. I'm not saying that Bible reading is the answer but I think it is a part of the answer. If we believe that God has revealed Himself to humanity in its pages and we are not reading it and learning about the heart of God then is it any wonder that Christians do not look like Him in America? I think of Peter and John in Acts when they were brought before the Sanhedrin and they recognized that "these men had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13). I think that perhaps Christians in America are not often recognized by there lifestyle because we are not spending time with Him, thus we do not look like Him in our spheres of influence.

What do you think? Is this current trend of "radical activism" off track or is it just what the American church needs at this time in history?

I Love My Church Family!

2011-04-09T07:03:00.000-07:00

It's nice to have a relaxing Saturday morning with my family after the week we had this week. Let me fill you in on the major pieces of what transpired. Last Saturday night my youngest daughter, Ana, came down with a fever on top a an already existing cough that she had for a couple days. On Monday morning, I took her to the doctor because the cough was bad and the fever still present. We found out her oxygen level was around 91%. After receiving a nebulizer treament the oxygen level was still the same. This meant we were off to a hospital an hour away from where we live. Ana was in the hospital from Monday until Wednesday. It was tough but it could have been much worse. It turns out that she had a virus that caused an asthmatic flare-up. Now she is back to her busy self and all is well again, thank God.

But here's the purpose of this post. During those three days I was overwhelmed by the support and outreach by my church family. My cell phone was constantly going off. I knew that there were dozens (if not more) of people praying for my little girl and our family. There were countless offers of meals and more. On Wednesday when we were released, I did not have a vehicle to drive home so I called a brother in Christ and he immediately left what he was doing to drive and hour to pick us up and take us home (thanks Bro!). I was blown away by the family of God this week. It was an awesome thing and I hope and pray this is something that happens all the time and I'm just not aware of it.

Also, a young 19-year-old brother in Christ who I am discipling, bought Ana flowers and a stuffed monkey and drove the one hour drive to the hospital and hung out playing games with us for almost three hours! I was blessed by his presence and his generosity to my little girl (thanks brother!).

When it comes to the Scriptures and the church, one of the metaphors used in reference of the church is "family." Through Christ, we are all brothers and sisters. No are no distinctions of race, class, sex, etc. When the church realizes this it is a beautiful and very powerful thing. The outside world is constantly watching the church and what are they seeing? When the church acts and lives as the family of God that is quite possibly one of the greatest apologetics we have at our disposal.

According to Dr. H. Douglas Buckwalter, NT and Greek professor at Evangelical Theological Seminary, the literary center of Matthew's gospel is 12:46-50. Here's what we find in these verses:

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you." He replied, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." (NIV)

Notice that Jesus equates action ("doing the will of the Father") with his true family members. Those who are of the family of God through Christ live it out. I witnessed this on a small scale this week, and I have been blessed immensely by it.

How have you witnessed the family of God in action? How can you be more active in the family of God? Is there someone you can reach out to this week?

Why the "Free" in Free Methodist?

2011-04-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

As a pastor in the Free Methodist tribe a question that I'm often asked is this: "What does the "Free" in Free Methodist stand for?"

To begin to answer this we must go back 150 years. On August 23, 1860 a group of pastors who were expelled from the American Methodist Episcopal Church for speaking out about the spiritual decline that had taken hold of the church, along with a group of lay-people, were meeting in an apple orchard in Pekin, New York. It was in this meeting that the Free Methodists were "born."

"The issues of the church's founding included so many freedoms that it would have been difficult to give the new church any other name than 'Free Methodist.' For instance, in the new 'free' churches, the pews were free, in contrast to regular Methodist churches which either rented or sold their pews. In the new church, even the poorest people could sit were they chose without having to 'rent' or 'buy' a pew to worship God."(1)

Obviously, another issue of the day involved slavery. The Free Methodist were advocates for freedom for all people, thus they took a strong anti-slavery appraoch.

The name Free Methodist stood for the following freedoms that this tribe continues to affirm today:

1. Free pews in our churches
2. Freedom and simplicity in worship
3. Freedom from materialism
4. Human freedom (no slavery of any kind)
5. Freedom and openess in relationships (cf. advocating no involvment in secret societies which hinders genuine relationship with God and others)

When we look at this list we see that there is still a need to advocate for these freedoms today. In the words of Ecclesiastes, "there's nothing new under the sun." Slavery is still rampant today, especially sexual slavery. Corporate worship in some areas is not free due to hierarchy as well as other things. In the American chuch materialism and the American Dream have infiltrated certain areas. Relationships are more shallow than ever due to our rugged American individualism. This is also directly related to our relationship with God as well. And in some areas the poor are still relegated to a lesser status. These things should not be.

I am proud to be Free Methodist. As I look at the freedoms listed above I see them rooted in the pages of the Scriptures and in Jesus Christ himself. May all Christians, regardless of tribe, hold to these freedoms and fight for them for all people in and through Jesus Christ.
____________________________
(1) taken from Belonging, Light and Life Communications: Indianapolis, 2000.

Some Great Quotes on the Importance of Prayer

2011-03-31T11:34:00.000-07:00

It seems that everywhere I turn recently I am being reminded of the importance and the power of prayer. So I thought I'd share with you some great quotes on prayer from those who have gone before us and have learned from experience. Here are a few quotes(1):

"[Prayer is the] slender nerve that moves the muscles of omnipotence."
- Charles Spurgeon

"Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God's infinite grace and power. All that God is and all that God does is at the disposal of prayer. Prayer can do anything God can do, and as God can do anything, prayer is omnipotent."
- R.A. Torrey

"It is possible to move men through God by prayer alone."
- Hudson Taylor

"Work, work from early till late. In fact, I have so much work to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer."
- Martin Luther (when discussing the importance of making time for prayer)

"Prayer opens a whole planet to man's activities."
- S.D. Gordon

"Through prayer you can accompany any missionary to the remote reaches of the earth. Through prayer you can walk through crowded bazaars, minister in steaming jungles, feed millions of starving men, women, and children, hungry for bread for their bodies and for the Bread of Life."
- Wesley Duewel

"God will do nothing on earth, except in answer to believeing prayer."
- John Wesley

"Words fail to explain how necessary prayer is...while God never slumbers or sleeps He is inactive, as if forgetting us, when He sees us idle and mute."
- John Calvin

"I scoured the New Testament some time ago, looking for things God does in ministry that are not prompted by prayer. Do you know what I found? Nothing. I don't mean I had trouble finding an item or two: I mean I found nothing. Everything God does in the work of ministry he does through prayer."
- David Jeremiah

"Prayer is not so much another weapon on our list of weaponry as it is the actual battle."
- Dick Eastman

_______________________
(1) All quotes taken from Dave Earley's book Prayer: The Timeless Secret of High-Impact Leaders

"Church-Speak" Translated...#4

2011-03-30T11:25:00.000-07:00

Church-Speak Translated #1
Church-Speak Translated #2
Church-Speak Translated #3

Church-Speak:
"We're not all called to be missionaries."

Translated:
"I like my comfortable life, so don't ask me to make any changes."

NB: If this sentiment were true what might that due to the mission of the church? Remember, the church exists for the mission of God.

How Perspicuous Are You?

2011-03-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Bishop Matthew Thomas of the Free Methodist Church asks a good question that I feel deserves to be shared:

Are You Perspicuous?
Perspicuity is when you can be clearly understood due to precise or accurate presentation. It is not simply about clarity or understanding. It contains the notion that what might be otherwise unclear becomes clear due distinctly to the accuracy of the ones argument or explanation. Perspicuous people are people who have that innate or learned ability to make complicated things very simple. They take complex truth and make them easy to understand. I have had perspicuous language teachers- taking the hard-to-understand elements of linguistics and making them like a fun and easily decipherable word puzzle.

I think we have often heard people who were the opposite of that. They make complex truths even more complicated. They are able to take something simple and make it muddy. A friend of mine told me of his relative who said about a convoluted message from a long-winded preacher, “The only way that preacher could have said less would have been to talk more.” That makes me smile. I think I heard the same guy. Perhaps from time to time, I’m that guy. I hope not.

However, I have heard people do that. In fact, one time I heard a pastor preaching a message about the relationship between God’s grace and our faith. The deeper he delved into the subject, the less grace and faith sounding his description became. He was forging into deep theological jungle without a verbal machete. His audience’s confusion became more and more obvious as the furrows in their brow became deeper. It was so exhaustingly confusing that I was praying for him to quit while there was still some sense that grace and faith were good things. I did not realize that my prayer that was intended to be a private one was verbalized (a problem I have from time to time- praying aloud when intending to be quiet). I muttered, “Lord, help him land the plane now before it crashes.” A weary woman in front of me said, “Yes, Lord! Please!”

The reason I mention this is that most people I know pray for wisdom and clarity in proclaiming the life giving message of salvation in Christ. I think anyone who possesses the truth would like to share it meaningfully with others. However, many of those people who pray for clarity spend very little time working at being clear, convincing, helpful and informative. They just kick the mouth into gear, step on the gas, hope the brakes don’t give out and eventually arrive at a good destination. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Those folks often quote a Scripture that Jesus reserved for uniquely critical times of intense and unpredictable persecution (Luke 24:14-15), “Don’t worry in advance what you should say. I will give you the right words and wisdom. . . .” That should not be used by a teacher who didn’t take time to prepare the lesson plan. It should not be the strategy of a paid counselor who gave no thought to the critical session of a frail counselee. It should not be the rationale of one who is going to have coffee with a friend who is desperately looking for answers. In those cases, Colossians 4:3-4 is more pertinent to our approach.

So, work to become perspicuous. Look for ways to clear things up in your own mind. Then, figure out ways of making it understandable for others. Listen to people who say important things in ways that make it easy to understand. Take the time to practice your own explanations with others. Then, let the Holy Spirit take your words and have his way. Your words, of themselves, will never convict or convince. That is ultimately the Holy Spirit’s job (John 14:26; 16:8-11). However, work with Him rather than against Him. Don’t make Him work overtime to patch up a job poorly done.

So then, how perspicuous are you? How perspicuous is your church? A good friend of mine likes to say: "People are down on what they're not up on."

Prayer: The Game Changer

2011-03-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to attend what was called a church multiplication event that was sponsored by my tribe (the Free Methodist Church). The presenter was Dr. Dave Earley, professor at Liberty Theological Seminary in Lynchburg, VA. I came expecting to hear about systems of church growth and some good stuff like that. But for more that half the time Dr. Earley focused on prayer. I didn't think this was about spiritual formation, I thought it was about church growth. It was most definitely about church growth.

Dr. Earley presenting some staggering information as part of his presentation. For example, did you know that the average pastor in America prays for only 7 minutes a day!! If I'm completely honest, I have to admit that is me. Why did he focus so much of the day on the topic of prayer? One word: Acts. When we look at the book of Acts we see the staggering growth and the moving of the Holy Spirit and great numbers of people coming to faith in Christ and we want to see that again today, especially in America where church attendance and participation is continually declining. But one thing that is often neglected as church people long for what we see in Acts is a prayer staurated life and ministry. The early church did not appear to do anything without first praying and seeking God.

One of Dr. Earley's little quips was, "Acts 1 comes before Acts 2." I know, staggering information, right? But it is very important. We often focus on the Pentecost event, and rightly so, but we neglect what happened before that event. In Acts 1 Jesus ascends, they apostles chose Matthias to replace Judas but something else is there in that chapter. Look at Acts 1:14:

"They all joined together in constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers."

They all gathered together constantly for prayer. This is no small thing. Also, again in 1:24 they pray for God's guidancein choosing a replacement for Judas. Also, check out Acts 2:42, 3:1; 4:23-31--and these are just a few examples from the early chapters. The book of Acts is permeated with the prayers of the believers. In comparison our prayer life is weak and feeble.

John Calvin once said: "God is idle when we are mute in prayer." John Wesley also said something very similar. During the seminar yesterday Dr. Earley also said something which I wrote down: "Prayer is not the preparation for warfare, it is the battle." If we want to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ change communities, yes we need to engage the community, but even before we do that we need to pray. Pray about all things, pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

As an example Dr. Earley referred to the example of the Korean seminary students at Liberty. They pray for about three hours together in the chapel early in the morning everyday. In light of this is it any wonder that Korea has per capita more Christians than any other nation?

Again, "Acts 1 comes before Acts 2." If we want to see God work we must pray. Jesus said that his dicsiples should "ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field" (Matt. 9:38).

James tells us in 5:16 that the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective. Apart from God we can do nothing (John 15:5), prayer is the connection we need and I believe the more we pray the more reliant upon God and His power we truely are. If we want to see Pentecost today we need to begin on our knees.

"Prayer is Crucial"

2011-03-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

"In Acts prayer is crucial. When the Christians pray, the Spirit comes, prison doors open, the place of worship is shaken, they speak with boldness. The first Gentile mission was born in prayer, and we read of prayer in prison, prayer in the home, prayer on the beach, prayer in the temple. Prayer is the source of power. Luke is sure of it. I, too, believe it, but I do not pray like that: nor, I suspect, do you. Let us learn from Luke not simply to agree to its importance but to give it priority in our churches and in our lives" (pg.32).

The above quote is taken from Micheal Green's book, Thirty Years that Changed the World: The Book of Acts for Today. When I read this paragraph I was struck by these words: "Prayer is the source of power."

Now, prayer is not magic. In magic what one does is attempt to harness a stronger being in order to have that being carry out their own will. Prayer in the Christian sense is the complete opposite of magic. When a Christian prays that person is binding themself to God's will rather than seeking to bind God to their own will.

Another aspect to prayer is the indwelling Holy Spirit. When the Christian prays they have the Holy Spirit to guide them so that they pray in accordance with the will of God.

But I want to go back to Micheal Green's question for a moment. In the quote he states: "I, too, believe it, but I do not pray like that: nor, I suspect, do you. Let us learn from Luke not simply to agree to its importance but to give it priority in our churches and in our lives."

I know my prayer life needs to be more of a priority. How about you? How has God answered your prayers in the past? What is your current prayer life like?

Making Poverty Personal

2011-03-18T08:20:00.000-07:00

I just recently finished Ash Barker's book Making Poverty Personal: Taking the Poor as Seriously as the Bible Does. Ash Barker and his family are from Australia but moved to Bangkok, Thailand were they live and work in the Klong Toey slum, the largest slum in Bangkok. Overall I found the book to be a good read and it made some very good points. I want to share a little bit from the book's conclusion. Ash Barker oncludes in part with these words:

"The bigger houses, cars, and jobs for which people seem to sacrifice everything will not last. One of the saddest illustrations of this...is a story of a merchant banker who finally gave into his wife's nagging and took a day off work to spend with his teenage son. They spent the day sailing in Sydney harbor and, while it would be the only time they did this, the son was overjoyed. Then the merchant banker died suddenly of a heart attack a few weeks later. After the funeral, the son searched through his father's office diary and looked up the date of their outing. He found only these words, "Wasted day." Jesus' question comes to mind: "For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life?" (Matt.16:26) The man had lost all perspective of what mattered and what would live on after he died.
The question we have to ask is, Where are we really investing our lives? We will be the tragic figures who invested our best time, energy and love into things that ended up literally in the trash?...Out treasure is our best time, energy, and resources. IF we do a quick inventory of how we spent the last week, Jesus would say that is what we really care about." (pgs.198-99)

When I read these words I was reminded of something I heard Dr. Henry Cloud mention at a seminar a few months ago. Dr. Cloud said (I'm paraphrasing): "The only things we have been given are time and energy. We will be held accountable for these two things. How are we using them?"

I think Ash Barker and Dr. Henry Cloud are on to something. If we strip away everything we have all we are left with is time and energy. How we use these resources are important. When I look at my own life I see that I waste so much time doing things that will not last. Our lives are so busy and we leave no margin of time for others. "I would love to help but I don't have the time." This, along with many others, is a saying that is not uncommon in America.

This leads me to ask a few questions. Why do we not leave any margin of time to do things that will last and have eternal meaning? Some may even wonder how to make time. How do you manage your time and energy?

"Church-Speak" Translated...#3

2011-03-15T14:12:00.000-07:00

Statement:
"I'll pray for you."

Translation:
"I'm not really interested in what you're dealing with."

(For and introduction for this series click here)

Some Thoughts on My Evening with Rob Bell

2011-03-15T05:43:00.000-07:00

About a week ago my friend Ken asked me if I wanted to take a ride into New York City and here Rob Bell talk about his controversial new book "Love Wins". I accepted and yesterday we had our little adventure.

I had been sort of following all the "hub-bub" in the blogosphere about Rob's book and I was interested in hearing the issues directly from the horse's mouth. Many had seemed to written Rob off before even hearing him themselves or even reading the book. In this post I will mention just a few things about the evening and about the book (which I read 120 pages out of 198 pages on the train ride home).

First, know that I am not a theologian. So there will be many others who will be able to articulate these things much better than I ever could.

Regarding last night, it was mainly an interview that was set up by the publisher, Harper One (Harper Collins), to promote the new book. The interview was conducted by Lisa Miller, the editor of Newsweek, who also was promoting a book, Heaven: Our Enduring Fascination with the Afterlife.

They both came out together on stage and Rob gave about a five minute monologue, then Lisa began the interview. She asked rob questions for about 20-25 minutes. Questions such as: "DO you believe in heaven and is it a real geographical place?" "Do you believe that hell is real?" "Is Jesus the exclusive way to heaven?" The evening ended up being telecast live on the web so it can be viewed if you're interested.

I liked some of Rob's answers, but I must say this, in my opinion he did an excellent job at dancing around nearly all the questions that were asked of him throughout the evening. More than a few times while he was "answering" questions I thought "Wow, what is he saying? He is not answeringthe question at all." He's a mighty fine "dancer".

People have been wondering whether he is a universalist. Generally speaking, a universalist believes that all people from all faiths will wind up together in the presence of God for all eternity. Rob stated that he believe that heaven is a real place but he was ambiguous on hell. It seems that for rob, hell is not so much a place for the future but is a reality now. A point he made during the evening and also in the book is that we experience hell on earth, we live it now, because the the choices that we make.

As for who gets into heaven, Bell seems to take a different path, but not a new path. According to him there will be separation of those who chose to embrace Jesus while on earth and those who chose to reject Jesus. But he diverges on what come next. Bell take s the appraoch that the separation is not permanent. He believes that non-believers (not his word) will have the opportunity to embrace Jesus even after death. To back up his view he mentioned the description of the new heaven and new earth in Revelation ch.21. In the descripiton we are told that the gate to the New Jerusalem will be always open. Those on the outside are those who did not embrace God's kingdom and His will. But he stressed that the fact that the gate remains open indicates that death is not the end for those who reject God. They will have a chance even in death to embrace God. Thus, the love of God wins.

What I did like about Bell's interview was that he stressed the importance and reality of the bodily resurrection, both Christ's and ours. He made a statement (which I heard Matt Chandler make before) that the resurrection demonstrates to us the God thinks this world matters.

Now on to the book. The things Rob said at the interview and Q & A were also found in the book so the evening was a good primer for the book. After reading 120 of 198 pages of it on the train ride homeI thought that the book was fairly good, but I do not agree with all that I read. I think that Bell sometimes takes and allegorical appraoch to interpreting the Scriptures. For example in Luke's Gospel there is a parable of a rich man named Lazarus and a poor unnamed beggar. They both die and the rich man goes to hell and endure torment while the beggar goes to abraham's side. Bell interprets this to mean that the rich man, because of his hardened heart, is in is own hell. The chasm that separates them represents the hardened heart of the rih man. Bell believes this is demonstrated in that the rich man saw Lazarus as a slave while on earth and this continues to be his view even after death. Thus, Bell concludes that the chasm is the rich man's heart and he cannot cross it because it is hardened and he still has not embraced God and His restoring power for all things/people. So then, according to Bell, the rich man can cross the uncrossable chasm after he has a change of heart and embraces God even after death. For Bell hell seems to be more of a form of purgatory, a place where people can still get into heaven even after death.

As I was reading the book I thougth to myself, "I've read this somewhere before." I think in some way this book is Bell's attempt to get Christians more active in living out their faith. He doesn't use these words but he does point out that sometimes Christians are to heavenly minded that they're no earthly good. He points out, and I agree wiht him on this, that Christians are to be making a difference in the world. but when people think of Christians in America the last thing that think about is the kingdom of God. They think of how many Christians conduct themselves (for example: Westboro Baptist Church) and then they conclude: We would I want to be a part of anything to do with that God? So, in one sense Bell reminds us of our call to imitate Christ and truely be His hands and feet in this world. This is a similar theme that I have encountered in the last four books I read, so nothing new there.

Here's the bigger picture, I think, for Bell. He asks a lot of questions, in the book and throughout the live interview. And as we were standing in line afterward so Ken could get his book signed I noticed something-people were talking. I think that this, in some sense, was Bell's purpose. I think partly the reason for this book is that he wants to get Christians dialoging, talking, thinking, etc. Apparently it's working. The blogs have been on fire, the small groups standing around chatting about what he said were prominent last evening. and there was a great mix of people in the audience--there were professors from Nyack, teenagers, non-believers, seekers, the elderly, and everyone in between. It was actually neat to see all the differnt peeple present...and talking.

I do think that my hardline reformed brethern will have a difficult time with the contents of the book. Bell emphasizes the human and their free will ("God gives us what we want, why would He force someone who rejects Him to go into heaven for ever?").

So, as I said, I am not an expert and not a theologian but there's my two cents, for whatever it's worth. While I definitely do not agree with Bell on many things in the book (at least in the 120 pages I read), I do think there are some good things in the book.

"Church-Speak" Translated...#2

2011-03-13T13:58:00.000-07:00

In my last post I explained the idea behind this series I'm calling "Church-Speak" Translated. Here's how I introduced the series:

"From time to time I have come to some realizations (at least in my own mind) about the way we speak as Christians in America. Sometimes we say things that don't make sense, are well intentioned or are just not true. The purpose of this post is to point out some of these things so we can be more aware of them. This post is not meant to be negative, just real so we can acrtually see what we do and how we act sometimes in Jesus' name. From time to time as things are made aware to me, I will post one of these "translated" sayings from our American church life."

Here's the latest edition of "Church-Speak" Translated:

Statement:
"God doesn't really want us to give away everything, He only wants us to be willing to give away everything."

Translation:
"I really don't plan on giving away anything. I like my comfortable life just fine, thank you."

"Church-Speak" Translated--Introduction

2011-03-12T06:14:00.000-08:00

From time to time I have come to some realizations (at least in my own mind) about the way we speak as Christians in America. Sometimes we say things that don't make sense, are well intentioned or are just not true. The purpose of this post is to point out some of these things so we can be more aware of them. This post is not meant to be negative, just real so we can acrtually see what we do and how we act sometimes in Jesus' name. From time to time as things are made aware to me, I will post one of these "translated" sayings from our American church life.

For another blogger who has done something similar regarding how we actually live out and interpret the scriptures check out Alan Knox's series Scripture As We Live It.

In the meantime, here's our first installment of "Church-Speak" Translated:

Statement:
"I don't know...let me pray about it and get back to you."

Translation:
"I really want to say 'no' but I cannot just come out and say it so I will say this because it sounds more spiritual."

A Good Question: What is "Missional"?

2011-03-11T07:36:00.000-08:00

Brad Brisco wrote what I think is a good post over at Missional Church Network. In the post Brad asks a good question: What is missional? Here is how he begins the post:

I was reminded recently of the continual need to “reframe” (or perhaps rescue) the use of the word “missional.” As a result I have up-dated a previous post that speaks to the basic tenets that I believe are necessary for a thorough understanding of “missional.”

The term “missional” has become a popular buzz word over the past couple of years. Because of its frequent use, some people have assumed that “missional” is a new word. However, the term was used by Dr. Francis DuBose, former professor at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, in a wonderful book titled God Who Sends published in 1983.

Despite the fact that missional language has been in use for at least a quarter of a century, it is being applied today in a wide variety of ways. Unfortunately, many times resulting in confusion. Some view missional as the latest church growth strategy, or a better way of doing church evangelism. Others see missional as a means to mobilize church members to do missions more effectively. While still others believe missional is simply the latest Christian fad that will soon pass when the next trendy topic comes along.

Please go read the entire post. I would agree with Brad that the word "missional" appears to have become a buzz word of sorts within the church culture. But when one seeks for a definition of the word there seem to be multiple ideas, thoughts, definitions, etc.

I think there is another, perhaps a deeper, issue at play here. I think that the way we answer this question reveals how/what we think about the true identity of the church. Who are we and what are we here for? I like how Brad finishes his post. He finishes by sharing the following two quotes:

In the words of South African missiologist David Bosch: “It is not the church which undertakes mission; it is the missio Dei which constitutes the church.” Or stated in a slightly different manner; “it is not so much that God has a mission for his church in the world, but that God has a church for his mission in the world” (Christopher Wright 2006, 62).

So then, to get back to our original question, what is "missional"? How would you define it and why is it so important that we have a clear definition for the church?

Ash Wednesday Thoughts

2011-03-09T11:31:00.000-08:00

Today marks the beginning of Lent. Lent is usually a season in which Christians embark on introspection and examination (hopefully we do this all year long). This year a group of about 15 people from our church is embarking on a journey that will seek to incorporate the spiritual discipline of simplicity in our lives. I briefly blogged about it here. In honor of Ash Wednesday I just wanted to share a little more about the discipline of simplicity.

What is simplicity? Upon initially hearing about simplicity one might think that it means we must forgo our usual Dunkin Donuts coffee run (or Starbucks depending on where you live). That may be part of it, but simplicity is larger than merely stopping the extras in our life.

In his book Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster shares some general guidelines that help us to get a better understanding of what simplicity involves. Foster divides these guidlines into two categories: (1) inner attitudes and (2) outward expressions.

There are three inner attitudes:

(1) To recieve what we have as a gift from God
(2) To know that it is God's business, and not ours, to care for what we have
(3) To have our goods available to others

There are ten outward expressions:

(1) Buy things for there usefulness rather than their status
(2) Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you
(3) Develope a habit of giving things away
(4) Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry
(5) Learn to enjoy things without owning them
(6) Develop a deeper appreciation for creation
(7) Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes
(8) Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech. Let your "yes" be "yes" and your "no" be "no" (Matthew 5:37)
(9) Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others
(10) Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal

Of the above attitudes and expressions, are there any that grab your attention? Which would be a challenge for you to implement in your own life? Do you agree with Foster's attitudes and expressions? Is there anything you would add or take away from his list? What, if anything, are you doing for Lent this year? Please take the time to share your thoughts here.

"Moving Ministry Outside of the Building" with Drew Williams

2011-03-08T13:52:00.000-08:00

My alma mater, Evangelical Theological Seminary in Myerstown, PA, is preparing for their annual Wesely Forum. This year the Wesley Forum will be taking place on Thursday, April 14th from 9am to 3pm in the Dech Memorial Chapel at the seminary.

The presenter this year is Drew Williams, who pastors Trinity Church in Greenwich, CT. The topic this year is "Moving Ministry Outside of the Building." You can click here for a pdf of the brochure for the event.

The following is excerpted from the the brochure:

In the spirit of the Wesleys, we are exploring ministry in smaller communities and “in the field.” This one-day event will delve into a growing missional community movement that results in the multiplication of ministry. While this includes getting outside the building literally, it also means thinking outside the box about how to do traditional ministry and evangelism.

I plan on attending this event. If you are in the central PA area feel free to register and join me on this day.

Which Came First...?

2011-03-07T16:10:00.000-08:00

Here's one of the deepest questions of life: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I know, deep right?

When it comes to the church perhaps we have a similar question that needs asking? Which came first, the church or the mission? Missional Church Network recently shared a quote from Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission by David Jacobus Bosch. Here's the quote:

"Mission (may be understood) as being derived from the very nature of God. It is thus put into the context of the doctrine of the Trinity, not of ecclesiology or soteriology. The classical doctrine on the missio Dei as God the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit is expanded to include yet another “movement”: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit sending the church into the world. . . . Mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God, God is a missionary God. . . . Mission is thereby seen as a movement from God to the world: the church is viewed as an instrument for that mission. . . . There is church because there is mission, not vice versa."

When we look at both the Old and New Testament we see that God is a missionary God as Bosch mentions in the above quote. For example, the first thing God told Adam and Eve to do was to bear fruit. Genesis 1:28a says, "God blessed them and said to them, 'Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it'" (NIV). Interestingly, this parallels the Great Comission in Matthew 28:19-20, in which Jesus tells his disciples, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (NIV). The root of both of these verses is the same essential principal: Fill the earth with worshipers. This was God's plan in the OT and it is still His plan. God is a missionary God.

Further, in the OT we see that God called the nation of Israel to be a light to the other nations (cf. Isaiah 49:6; 55:5). Similarly, in the NT Jesus calls his disiples to be a light to the world (cf. Matthew 5:14-16). The point again in these passages is the same: To bring God glory by leading the world to Him.

So then, to go back to our original question, the church exists to carry out God's great missional plan. This is what we see happening in the book of Acts. This brings up another question: Can a church that is not involved in missional work on some level truely call itself a church? To me it seems that this is a hallmark of God's church.

What do you think? Do you agree with Bosch's quote? Can a church be a true church if it is not involved in missions on some level?

More Info on 5th Sunday

2011-03-04T11:22:00.000-08:00

I just spoke with my friend J.R. Rushik who pastors the Storehouse Church in Plymouth Meeting, PA. He informed me about the 5th Sunday website that they recently started. Here's the link: 5thsunday.net

It is a work in progress but wouldn't it be awesome if other churches all over the place instituted 5th Sunday as a regular part of their worship? I'm so excited for this. The more I think about it the more pumped I get.

"Hardcore Lent"

2011-03-03T11:15:00.000-08:00

For those who follow the Christian calander next Wednesday is Ash Wednesday. This is the day that begins the season leading up to Easter known as Lent. It is typical during this time to enter into some form of inward or outward spiritual discipline. It is also typically a time of reflection and confession. Many people seem to sacrifice things like chocolate or soda or vidoe games during this season. However, over at Out of Ur Dave Gibbons challenges us to take a more hardcore approach to this season. Here are Gibbons ten ideas for a hardcore Lent:

1. Don't Lock Your Doors. Do we hide behind gated walls and doors too much? Do we need that much security? Maybe keeping open doors reminds us it’s not healthy to live alone. Be radically welcoming! Throw more parties with people you don’t know. (Btw, that’s what hospitality really means in the Holy Book- welcoming strangers.)

2. Don't Wear Makeup. This was inspired by someone close to me who loves her glow. This individual mentioned to me that not wearing makeup it helped her to focus on other aspects of beauty. Btw, if you’re wondering I do like make up. . . on other people.

3. Fast from Chocolate. Did this last year. It’s harder than you think!

4. Fast from Sex. No explanation needed. How about developing a primal relationship with God. There’s another type of intimacy that is heavenly.

5. Fast from Futbol or Basketball. Life outside the square is possible.

6. Fast from Exercise. This is about normal exercise routines or going to the health club every day. Take walks instead. Okay, before you exercise enthusiasts throw rocks at this one. I work out about 90 minutes a day at the number one voted gym in America. I love it there. So I know this is hard but as with anything we can be a bit too intense in a lot of areas of our lives. Let let go of any unhealthy obsessions. Couldn’t sin be defined as something that is good but twisted in some way?

7. Fast from Your Typical Cultural Food. How about eating ethnic foods you normally never eat instead of your normal fare. There is flavor outside your common behavior.

8. Fast from Driving Alone. Besides carpooling is hip. Turn the rat race into a communal space.

9. Fast from TV. You may find life outside the box. . . err the screen.

10. Fast from Text Messaging and Social Media. This may be harder than you think. We’ve almost become neurotic with our iphones, ipads, and laptops. They have become another limb on our already pimped bodies. The slower pace of conversation and face 2 face interactions may actually be healing for you. Come on stop stalking people and start talking to them!

During this Lenten season myself and about 15 others from our local church are embarking on a journey together. Our journey involves applying the spiritual discipline of simplicity to our lives during the Lenten season. Each week we will meet together for sharing/testimony, scripture study, encouragment and prayer. I'm hoping God works in our hearts, draws us closer to Him and helps us begin to live lives that are more focused in loving Him and loving others. I know this is something I desperately need.

Do you have any plans for the Lenten season? Please share them with us, I'd love to hear what others are doing.

Coming Soon: "5th Sunday"

2011-03-02T11:49:00.000-08:00

As I read and study the scriptures I think it is difficult to miss the connection that exists between our love for God and our love for others. Ocassionally we may lose sight of this truth and allow it to get reversed. But the scriptural truth is clear: worship is a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week lifestyle of loving God and loving others.

I think Paul's words in Romans 12:1 point toward this truth:
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of worship" (NIV).

I help give leadership to a local church. Something that has been on my heart for a while now deals with how the church lives this out corporately. How are we as a local body being "living sacrifices"? What are we doing in our local community to shine the light of Jesus? If we never leave our four walls for the sake of His kingdom then aren't we really hiding His light under a basket?

After an encouraging meeting with other church leaders last night we are going to attempt to do something about this. We want our love of God to be made known for all in how we love upon those in our local community. To help others realize that this a part of His church's "DNA" (cf. Matthew 28:19-20) we are going to begin going outside of our walls together. We are going to serve our community as a local body on the months that have a 5th Sunday. Those days our worship service will actually be service--ministering to the needs of others outside of our own four walls.

Now I know that we are not the first church to do this. This is nothing novel. I even borrowed the name "5th Sunday" from a friend's church outside of Philadelphia. But here's the thing: so many in the institutional church of America have allowed the American Dream mindset to creep into how we do church, view church, relate to church, etc.

I know some may disagree with me, but how do you turn around a large luxery cruise liner? The answer: slowly. This is just but one step to attempt to get people out of their own selves and begin to focus upon others as the Lord commanded. Jesus said that the world will know that we are his followers by our love (cf. John 13). Love is something that is lived out, not merely talked about. My hope for our 5th Sundays is that God will use it: (1) to help reach out to those in our local community while also building bridges that will further His kingdom and
(2) transform hearts and minds in the lives of those of us who call ourselves Christ-followers. May we look more like Him and may others see Him in us.

To God be the glory.

Leadership Thoughts from Nehemiah - Pt 2

2011-02-28T10:02:00.000-08:00

As I shared in my previous post, I have begun reading through the Old Testament book of Nehemiah during my devotional time. As I am reading and thinking about Nehemiah, who was given the task by God to go back to Israel and help rebuild the fallen wall around the city, I cannot help but see what I think are helpful insights for leadership.

Today I read the second half of chapter two and all of chapter three. Again, I saw some leadership insights from Nehemiah. Here's what I saw today:

(1) Nehemiah 2:19-20 - But when Sanballot the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. "What is this you are doing?" they asked. "Are you rebelling against the king?" I answered them by saying, "The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding,..."

Thoughts: This interaction between Nehemiah and his antagonists takes palce after he inspected the wall and spoke to the people about the plan to rebuild the wall. This interaction points out something that was pointed out previously in the the first post on this series. Whenever a leader seeks to follow God's will there will be opposition. Sometimes this opposition will be from within the leader's own community. OTher times the opposition will come from outside of the leader's community. But a leader seeking God's heart and will can expect opposition from somewhere. But notice how Nehemiah deals with the opposition here. This is another point that was also previously mentioned in the last post. A leader will always lean upon God in all circumstances. Nehemiah acknowledges that the success of the Israelites will only come from God, not from any human authority. This is an important concept for leaders to grasp. I think of Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 3:6 - "I planted the seed, Apollos water it, but God made it grow." Growth and succes of from God, not humanity.

(2) Nehemiah 2:18 - I also told them about the gracious hand of my God upon me and what the king had said to me. They replied, "Let us start rebuilding." So they began this good work.

Thoughts: There are two points to mention from this verse. First, again we see Nehemiah continuing to tell of God's activity in his own life. A leader is not afraid to share how God is working in their own life. In fact, I think this is vital for leaders. Leaders need to demonstrate openness and transparency in their leadership. A leader is not above the flock, rather, they are one of the flock. And I love how Nehemiah continually points to God not only in his own life, but in front of others as well. Secondly, After Nehemiah talks with the people there is a great response. The people agree and begin to rebuild the wall. In fact, chapter 3, which some may take as boring and try to skip over it, is actually a powerful chapter. In chapter three we have an account of the many families, leaders and priests all chipping in to help rebuild the wall by rebuilding the section in front of their own house. The phrase "Many hands make light work" comes to my mind. I think this is a pisture of leadership that we see in the New Testment as well. The church is "a kingdom of priests" and each Christian has been given a gift to use to help build the body of Christ. If Christians refuse or negelect to use their gift for this purpose then that possibly leaves a whole in the "wall" somewhere. And as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12 using a body metaphor, "If one part suffers, every part suffers with it." Leaders need to understand that all Christians have a role to play in God's economy.

Do these verses or thoughts prompt any other insights? Do you agree or disgree with my insights? Any discussion would be appraciated.

Leadership Thoughts from Nehemiah

2011-02-26T08:34:00.000-08:00

In my devotional time I started reading through the OT book of Nehemiah. As I was reading the first two chapters a few verses stuck out to me. I think that these verses could possibly apply to leadership. I will share the verse then I will share my thoughts on it each verse and its possible applications.

(1) Nehemiah 1:4 - "When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."

Thoughts: This verse depicts Nehemiah's response upon hearing about his fellow Israelites who have returned to their homeland and their difficult situation therein. First, Nehemiah wept. This demonstrates his heart for his nomeland and the people their. I know that for us today we line all over the world and we are all interconnected. But do you (or I) weep when we think of children eating in garbage dumps? Do we weep when we think of little children being sold into slavery around the world (even in America)? Jesus said that those who mourn are blessed. They mourn over the things that God mourns over--sin and the state of things in this world. But this mourning is a precursor to action. Nehemiah mourned but he also turned to God in behalf of his troubled nation--he fasted and prayed before God. This was not done for himself, rather, this was done for the sake of others. A leader's heart will break for what breaks God's heart. A leader will not be content with doing nothing while difficult situations abound around the world.

(2) Nehemiah 1:11b - "Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man."

Thought: This verse is part of Nehemiah's awesome prayer. What strikes me is his full reliance upon God. Nehemiah acknowledges that if he is going to be useful to others it will be because God has opened the door. Even before he is successful Nehemiah is giving God the glory for it. A leader relys on God to open the doors rather than trying to force open the doors themselves.

(3) Nehemiah 2:4-5 - "The king said to me, 'What is it you want?' Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, 'If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it."

Thoughts: When the king asks Nehemiah what it is that is bothering him, Nehemiah's first response is to God--he prays to God before answering the king. A leader should always be seeking and communicating with God before everything else. When a leader reverses this that is when situations can get mixed up and human desires and responses come to the fore rather than God desire for a given situation. Also, when Nehemiah responds to the kings he does not mince any words. As Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, we need to speak plainly by letting our yes be yes and our no be no. Nehemiah is clear and plainly tells the king what is on his heart. When a leader is unclear, then others will be unclear as well. A leader needs to speak plainly and honestly.

(4) Nehemiah 2:8b - "And because the gracious hand of God was upon me, the king granted my request."

Thought: This point is similar to point #2 above. When the king grants Nehemiah's request to go back to Iareal and rebuild the wall Nehemiah acknowledges that this was possible because God was guiding the situation. A leader can see where God is working and leading others to go for His glory and honor. A leader is obedient to God's desire for their life and the life of the community in which they lead.

(5) Nehemiah 2:10 - "When Sanballot the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite officially heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites."

Thoughts: When a leader follows God and is obedient to His will there will always be others who disagree or argue against what is taking place. A leader will be obedient to God inspite of this. Also, a leader cannot be thin-skinned. People will disagree and maybe even try to counter the direction God is asking you to go. This is why it is important to be in regular prayer and communion with King Jesus. If is clearly doing God's will then they can proceed with a humble confidence. But if the leader is disconnected from God and they face opposition then things could get ugly. Regularly connecting with God and seeking His will is of utmost importance.

What do you think? Are there other possible applications for these points? If you are a leader what are some important guidelines that you seek to follow? Please feel free to share your thoughts.

The Simple Life Challenge

2011-02-24T13:01:00.000-08:00

It is nothing new to say that those of us who live in America today, even in the midst of tough times, live in relative comfort and ease. Consumerism is rampant in our culture and this has subtly (or not so subtly) entered the church. I remember a few years ago hearing a statistic that American teenagers spend more money each year on bubble gum than the American churches spend together on world missions. We don't have to look far to see that something is broken.

In light of this reality I am laying down a challenge to my fellow brothers and sisters that I regularly gather with (and others if they so wish). This challenge I am referring to is the "Simple Life Challenge." Beginning on Ash Wednesday (March 9) and leading up to Easter Sunday (April 24)I am asking my fellow brothers and sisters to implement the spiritual discipline of simplicity into their daily lives. The purpose is this: to take the focus off of ourselves and to truly seek to love God and love others. I think this is part of the problem with the consumerist mindset. We are so focused on ourselves (myself included) that we are missing so many ministry opportunities around us and we are not growing into the Likeness of Christ as God calls us in the Scriptures (cf. 1 Thess. 4:1, 3).

At the heart of simplicity are the words of Jesus recorded in Matthew 6:25-33. In this passage Jesus tells his disciples not to worry about the necessities of life, God knows our need and will provide for our need. When we do think of these things we tend to worry and then anxiety becomes a reality. And as someone once pointed out, anxiety is a mild case of atheism. The discipline of simplicity counters anxiety. Simplicity focuses on Jesus words in Matthew 6:33 specifically, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness." A consumerist mindset seeks first one's own desires and dreams.

In the book Right Here, Right Now by Alan Hirsch and Lance Ford, Ford writes regarding this issue, "Most Americans have developed lives of excess to the point that we cannot even dream of doing some of the things we would really love to do for others because our lives are just too fat and bogged down for others with excess in so many ways." As a case in point the book provides an example. In America there are over 52,000 self-storage locations. These locations produce over 23 billion dollars annually--just by storing all of our stuff! Things need to change.

In the classic book by Richard J. Foster, A Celebration of Discipline, shares three inner attitudes of simplicity that essentially assist in the transition from anxious worrying to freedom in Christ. They are: (1) to receive what we have as a gift from God; (2) to know that it is God's business, and not ours, to care for what we have; and (3) to have our goods available for others.

Furthermore, Foster shares ten outward expressions of the discipline of simplicity. These are important because a life of simplicity will affect how we live. Here are the ten outward expressions: (1) Buy things for their usefulness rather than their status; (2) Reject anything that is producing an addiction in you; (3) Develop a habit of giving things away; (4) Refuse to be propagandized by the custodians of modern gadgetry; (5) Learn to enjoy things without owning them; (6) Develop a deeper appreciation for creation; (7) Look with a healthy skepticism at all "buy now, pay later" schemes; (8) Obey Jesus' instructions about plain, honest speech. "Let you 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no" (Matthew 5:37); (9) Reject anything that will breed the oppression of others; and (10) Shun whatever would distract you from your main goal.

Each week we will seek to implement these points in our daily lives. We will also meet regularly for sharing/testimony, encouragement, prayer and then send each other back out into the world to shine the light of Christ and be transformed into His likeness.

Here's Richard Foster's prayer for the simple life, let's make it ours too:

"God give us the courage, wisdom and strength always to hold as the number-one priority of our lives to 'seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,' understanding all that that implies. Help us to live in simplicity."