In 'Well Balanced part 3', we took a deeper look at the three elements that nurture the growth of faith. What I would like to look at today is what can happen if they are not kept in balance. Fellowship, Worship, and Discipleship are as necessary to the life of faith as sun, water, and soil are to the life of any living plant. But, just as the natural elements each pose a specific threat if taken to an extreme, so the spiritual elements will do the same thing.
Fellowship
When fellowship becomes the unbalanced focus of the Christian life, it takes the focus off of Christ and places it on the individual and their circle of friends. This is obviously not what the Christian life is meant to be. This is where the 'us four and no more' mentality is very prevalent. We get so focused on fellowshiping with fellow Christians, and spending time together, that we think that we are the focus of the Christian life. We get lulled into a false sense of holiness and become standoff-ish and judgemental. It is the heart of worship and the discipline of discipleship that keeps this danger in check.
Worship
When worship becomes the unbalanced focus of the Christian life, it takes the focus off of Christ and places it on the experience or emotion of worshiping, not the person whom we worship. This is a very difficult line for some to see, but the reality is that worship is not meant for us. We are to give glory and praise to God because of who He is and what He's done, not how it makes us feel. Yes, true worship is an emotional experience, but it's not the emotion that makes the experience. Especially in charismatic and pentecostal circles, this line is very blurry if it's there at all. True worship should be born out of heart of humility, not experiential emotion. It is the community of fellowship and the discipline of discipleship that keeps this danger in check.
Discipleship
When discipleship becomes the unbalanced focus of the Christian life, it takes the focus off of Christ and places it on legalistic rules. This is the sad reality that many Christians are faced with. A system of judgemental rules and guidelines that are supposed to make you more 'holy' or 'righteous' but in reality just make you tired and afraid. Jesus did not teach from a legalistic standpoint. The pharisees did... to them the only way to please God was through legalism. But Jesus came to bring freedom. I do not believe that then have the freedom to do anything. We must live in the freedom of Christ. That is the freedom to live for Him, to be like Him, and to reveal Him. Our actions, choices, and lifestyle should reflect a desire to love and serve Jesus, not exemplify a life of servitude to a legalistic law that was abolished on Calvary. It is the community of fellowship and the true heart of worship that keeps this danger in check.
Too much or too little of any of the elements of growth will result in abnormal growth at best, and death if not properly addressed. Do you tend to lean towards one of the elements? Make a conscious choice to involve yourself in the other two to create balance and hopefully spur on some spiritual growth.
- Just a thought.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
A Well Balanced Diet (Part 2)
As I pointed out in the first 'well balanced' article, our faith, like other organic life forms needs three elements to grow:
1. Fellowship
2. Worship
3. Discipleship
And, just like the plants that grow with sun, water, and soil, if the elements needed for growth get out of balance, that causes specific problems. What I would like to look at in this article is a little deeper look at each of the elements.
(Again, I would like to point out that I do not believe that you can have "too much" of any of these elements. It only becomes excess when not kept in balance with the other two.)
Fellowship
This is a 'christian-ese" term that we here a whole lot of, but no one really defines it. Spending time together is a common definition. If you belong to certain denominations, then fellowship usually means food. While others fellowship is a sanctified activity that only the saints of God can partake in. No matter how you define the word, it's not really that word that matters. Fellowship is what should be happening when two or more people, who genuinely care and have concern for one another, spend time together. I do not believe that a certain activity, food group, or sanctification is necessary, only the desire to deepen a relationship.
Worship
Probably more than any other singular term in all of Christendom, the concept and expression of worship has caused more strife and division among the members of the body of Christ. The "worship wars" as they are called are completely ridiculous when you take into account that fact that worship is not music! Yes, we can worship with music, or to music, but the reality is that worship is not music. It is the expression of love, thanksgiving, and exaltation of God by us, His creation. We should be involved in worship every day. Dare I say all day. Is there not a moment when you can stop what you are doing to recognize the Divine in the day to day. Say "Thank you, Lord" for something in your life. That is worship. How can we expect to be able to worship corporately if we don't worship personally?
Discipleship
In my opinion, this is the last talked about and yet, most needed element for the Church today. Discipleship is no more than the process of becoming a disciple. That's it. People try to put a lot of other things in with it, but at its base principle, it is not more than becoming more like Christ as you strive to be a follower of Christ. This is sadly missing from many churches and lives of Christians. We don't want to confront sin, or tell people they can't or shouldn't do this or that, because it might offend them. The reality is Jesus talked more about what we SHOULD DO than what we SHOULD NOT DO. I think the reason we have fewer Christians practicing discipleship, is because they are focused on the Old Testament's concept of 'Thou Shalt Not' and not on the message of love and freedom of Christ.
Take a personal inventory of your current life. Do you have all three elements firing in your life. Not just passive attendance of a worship service, but working in action in your life?
What can you (are you) going to do about it?
- Just a thought.
1. Fellowship
2. Worship
3. Discipleship
And, just like the plants that grow with sun, water, and soil, if the elements needed for growth get out of balance, that causes specific problems. What I would like to look at in this article is a little deeper look at each of the elements.
(Again, I would like to point out that I do not believe that you can have "too much" of any of these elements. It only becomes excess when not kept in balance with the other two.)
Fellowship
This is a 'christian-ese" term that we here a whole lot of, but no one really defines it. Spending time together is a common definition. If you belong to certain denominations, then fellowship usually means food. While others fellowship is a sanctified activity that only the saints of God can partake in. No matter how you define the word, it's not really that word that matters. Fellowship is what should be happening when two or more people, who genuinely care and have concern for one another, spend time together. I do not believe that a certain activity, food group, or sanctification is necessary, only the desire to deepen a relationship.
Worship
Probably more than any other singular term in all of Christendom, the concept and expression of worship has caused more strife and division among the members of the body of Christ. The "worship wars" as they are called are completely ridiculous when you take into account that fact that worship is not music! Yes, we can worship with music, or to music, but the reality is that worship is not music. It is the expression of love, thanksgiving, and exaltation of God by us, His creation. We should be involved in worship every day. Dare I say all day. Is there not a moment when you can stop what you are doing to recognize the Divine in the day to day. Say "Thank you, Lord" for something in your life. That is worship. How can we expect to be able to worship corporately if we don't worship personally?
Discipleship
In my opinion, this is the last talked about and yet, most needed element for the Church today. Discipleship is no more than the process of becoming a disciple. That's it. People try to put a lot of other things in with it, but at its base principle, it is not more than becoming more like Christ as you strive to be a follower of Christ. This is sadly missing from many churches and lives of Christians. We don't want to confront sin, or tell people they can't or shouldn't do this or that, because it might offend them. The reality is Jesus talked more about what we SHOULD DO than what we SHOULD NOT DO. I think the reason we have fewer Christians practicing discipleship, is because they are focused on the Old Testament's concept of 'Thou Shalt Not' and not on the message of love and freedom of Christ.
Take a personal inventory of your current life. Do you have all three elements firing in your life. Not just passive attendance of a worship service, but working in action in your life?
What can you (are you) going to do about it?
- Just a thought.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
A Well Balanced Diet
As I said yesterday, all living plants have the same life cycle, basically, in common. I would like to take that a step further. All living plants do have the same life cycle, but they also require the same things in order to grow. They are :
1. Sun
2. Water
3. Soil
(yes I realize that oceanic plants and some others don't use "soil" to get nutrients, but the principle is still the same... just let me get there.)
As I said, before I was so rudely interrupted, by me...
Ah yes... Sun, Water, Soil...
These are the three basic elements of life for any type of plant on earth. Each of these elements provides a different aspect of nutrition to the plant. Each one adding to the health of the plant. There is a delicate balance that must be maintained between them. Too much of any one element or not enough of any one element and the plant can not thrive, it may survive, but it will not flourish and be as fruitful as it was created to be.
Too much sun... the plant is scorched and burned
Too much water... the plant will drown or be washed away
Too much soil... the seed won't be able to reach the surface and will die underground
For any career farmer, or even your weekend gardener, these are very real dangers that must be kept in check as the plant is first starting to grow. As the tree or shrub matures, it will be able to take more abuse if things were not as they should be, but in the beginning of its life-cycle, the balance is literally a life and death struggle.
I believe that growing in faith is the same way. As believers we require three separate and distinct elements in order to grow spiritually.
1. Fellowship
1. Worship
1. Discipleship
Just as with the plant, each of these elements provides something different to the life-cycle of faith and the health of the Christian. They also must be kept in proper balance, just like their organic counter-parts, if they are to yield the best fruit in the person's life. I do not believe that there can be "too much" of any one of these elements in our lives, but just like the plant, I do believe there is a very real danger if they get out of balance and one area become the focus.
We must strive in our daily lives as well as our corporate lives as bodies of believers to keep balance in our faith. We must realize that just like the brand new plant that has just broken ground, a new believer is just as fragile in their understanding and experience of living the faith we are in. For their sake, if not our own, we must provide them a "well balanced diet" if we expect them to grow and become healthy enough to reproduce themselves.
- Just a thought.
1. Sun
2. Water
3. Soil
(yes I realize that oceanic plants and some others don't use "soil" to get nutrients, but the principle is still the same... just let me get there.)
As I said, before I was so rudely interrupted, by me...
Ah yes... Sun, Water, Soil...
These are the three basic elements of life for any type of plant on earth. Each of these elements provides a different aspect of nutrition to the plant. Each one adding to the health of the plant. There is a delicate balance that must be maintained between them. Too much of any one element or not enough of any one element and the plant can not thrive, it may survive, but it will not flourish and be as fruitful as it was created to be.
Too much sun... the plant is scorched and burned
Too much water... the plant will drown or be washed away
Too much soil... the seed won't be able to reach the surface and will die underground
For any career farmer, or even your weekend gardener, these are very real dangers that must be kept in check as the plant is first starting to grow. As the tree or shrub matures, it will be able to take more abuse if things were not as they should be, but in the beginning of its life-cycle, the balance is literally a life and death struggle.
I believe that growing in faith is the same way. As believers we require three separate and distinct elements in order to grow spiritually.
1. Fellowship
1. Worship
1. Discipleship
Just as with the plant, each of these elements provides something different to the life-cycle of faith and the health of the Christian. They also must be kept in proper balance, just like their organic counter-parts, if they are to yield the best fruit in the person's life. I do not believe that there can be "too much" of any one of these elements in our lives, but just like the plant, I do believe there is a very real danger if they get out of balance and one area become the focus.
We must strive in our daily lives as well as our corporate lives as bodies of believers to keep balance in our faith. We must realize that just like the brand new plant that has just broken ground, a new believer is just as fragile in their understanding and experience of living the faith we are in. For their sake, if not our own, we must provide them a "well balanced diet" if we expect them to grow and become healthy enough to reproduce themselves.
- Just a thought.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Gardening tips from a non-gardener
I've never really been one for gardening. My parents always had a garden when I was growing up. Several in fact. We had squash, zucchini, strawberries, blackberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, etc. It was really nice to be able to go out into the backyard and grab a few fresh veggies to cook for dinner. But, I'm sorry, I'm a child of the 80's. I'm sure I still have a little bit of Nintendo and Thundercats coursing through my veins. So, I never really payed that much attention when I was working in the garden. I just followed directions (sometimes better than others) while my mind was somewhere else.
Well, as I have been walking down this path of organic faith and church, I have come to the conclusion that the best education for understanding the spiritual nature of God's creation is to look at the physical nature of what He left us. If you look at the way Jesus taught about faith and the kingdom, you will see he used a lot of analogies, most of them were organic in nature. I would like to use an organic illustration of my own.
All the plants on earth have, just about, the same life cycle and growth pattern:
A seed is planted...
It begins to take root...
A sapling or shoot emerges...
The plant begins to mature...
The plant spreads seeds of it's own.
Like clockwork. Without fail. Every time. It doesn't matter if we are talking about the mighty redwoods of the west coast or the seemingly insignificant dandelion in your backyard, the process is still the same. Every time.
I think there is a HUGE lesson for us to learn here as it applies to spiritual growth and maturity. First off, the process for growing in faith is exactly the same. I don't know why we try to complicate a simple process that God has put into place. When the seed of salvation in Christ is planted and allowed to take root, (cause let's be honest, some people pull that seed right back out of the ground and then wonder why it didn't grow) the flower of faith will begin to grow. Not long after that, again if allowed to grow, the maturity of that believer will be evident. Yet, that person is still not fully grown. This is where we miss a lot of the picture. Just as in the life cycle of the plant, a follower of Christ is not fully matured until that person can plant seeds of their own in other people's lives.
Let's be real here, any plant that does not reproduce, in one generation will die out completely. That's all it takes. One generation who is less concerned with multiplying and more concerned with "mega-fying". We must, as the Body of Christ, the expression of His church, and the embodiment of His love for this world, be willing to set aside our own person gain or growth to do what we were created to do.
- Just a thought.
Well, as I have been walking down this path of organic faith and church, I have come to the conclusion that the best education for understanding the spiritual nature of God's creation is to look at the physical nature of what He left us. If you look at the way Jesus taught about faith and the kingdom, you will see he used a lot of analogies, most of them were organic in nature. I would like to use an organic illustration of my own.
All the plants on earth have, just about, the same life cycle and growth pattern:
A seed is planted...
It begins to take root...
A sapling or shoot emerges...
The plant begins to mature...
The plant spreads seeds of it's own.
Like clockwork. Without fail. Every time. It doesn't matter if we are talking about the mighty redwoods of the west coast or the seemingly insignificant dandelion in your backyard, the process is still the same. Every time.
I think there is a HUGE lesson for us to learn here as it applies to spiritual growth and maturity. First off, the process for growing in faith is exactly the same. I don't know why we try to complicate a simple process that God has put into place. When the seed of salvation in Christ is planted and allowed to take root, (cause let's be honest, some people pull that seed right back out of the ground and then wonder why it didn't grow) the flower of faith will begin to grow. Not long after that, again if allowed to grow, the maturity of that believer will be evident. Yet, that person is still not fully grown. This is where we miss a lot of the picture. Just as in the life cycle of the plant, a follower of Christ is not fully matured until that person can plant seeds of their own in other people's lives.
Let's be real here, any plant that does not reproduce, in one generation will die out completely. That's all it takes. One generation who is less concerned with multiplying and more concerned with "mega-fying". We must, as the Body of Christ, the expression of His church, and the embodiment of His love for this world, be willing to set aside our own person gain or growth to do what we were created to do.
"Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." - Jesus (John 12:24)
- Just a thought.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Where's the fruit?
Like the famed Wendy's ad campaign, "Where's the beef?", I think many people both in and out of the Christian church are left asking a simple question...
"What's the difference?"
To expound on that mindset, it may sound more like this:
"What's the difference anyway? All religions are the same. They all teach you to be a better person, to be nice to other people, to live life they way they tell you to... and oh, yeah... they all want your money!"
Let's just be honest, in our pluralistic and relativistic society, this mindset and worldview is paramount. You will not be able to have many conversations with everyday people from different walks of life and not run into this position somewhere. It is pervasive. It has so entrenched itself into our culture under the guise of 'tolerance' or 'acceptance' that it is thought to be wrong if you hold to a different viewpoint.
My opinion on this issue is two-fold. The first is philosophical, the second is more practical.
First, I wholeheartedly believe that the only truly intolerant view is ultra-tolerance. What I mean by that is this. By whittling away at the differences and unique characteristics of our different cultures or faiths, we have forced everyone to uniformity. That, by definition is intolerance! Now, if you are so weak in your faith that you can't see anyone who disagrees with you as anything but an enemy that must be attacked, that that is your problem. But to ignore everyone's individual ability to choose a belief system (or not to choose) or to tell them that they can not express their belief system because someone else might not agree with it, is just as intolerant.
Second, and this is where the rubber meets the road for followers of Christ. If we have brought our faith to a point where it seems to be equal to everything else in our culture, that we as the messengers of God's love and compassion, have failed in our mission. To borrow from the Wendy's ad campaign... "Where's the fruit?"
The early church had nothing to depend on to carry their message of love, compassion, forgiveness, salvation, and community except themselves. They did not have printed ad campaigns, movie trailers, websites, or any of the major marketing tools that we see in use today. And yet, in one generation they were able to carry the Gospel of Christ from one end of the known world to the other.
Why?
Because, no one had to ask them where the fruit was!!! They lived out of the love of Christ, they were moved by the Spirit of God, and they impacted their community wherever they went. That is the real fruit of the Gospel. It's a life that is lived in such a way that the power, love, compassion, and salvation that comes in Jesus Christ alone can not be denied.
One final thought about fruit is this, there are a few tests that any good fruit must pass if we are going to want to eat it:
1. Looks - Does it look good? If it looks rotten or bruised we're not going to want to even pick it up
2. Smell - What kind of aroma does it have. What kind of impression does it leave behind? Even if it looks good, but we can't get passed the less than obvious stench, we're still not going to taste it.
3. Taste - (This is where we really drop the ball) How does it taste? Even if I think the look is ok, and it doesn't smell too bad, if I bite into it and it leaves a less than desirable after-taste in my mouth, do you really expect me to try it again?
Finally, to express this another way:
A = Life with Christ
B = Life without Christ
If, A = B, then Christ is worth nothing
If, A < B, then Christ is a negative
If, A > B, then Christ is a positive
- Just a thought.
"What's the difference?"
To expound on that mindset, it may sound more like this:
"What's the difference anyway? All religions are the same. They all teach you to be a better person, to be nice to other people, to live life they way they tell you to... and oh, yeah... they all want your money!"
Let's just be honest, in our pluralistic and relativistic society, this mindset and worldview is paramount. You will not be able to have many conversations with everyday people from different walks of life and not run into this position somewhere. It is pervasive. It has so entrenched itself into our culture under the guise of 'tolerance' or 'acceptance' that it is thought to be wrong if you hold to a different viewpoint.
My opinion on this issue is two-fold. The first is philosophical, the second is more practical.
First, I wholeheartedly believe that the only truly intolerant view is ultra-tolerance. What I mean by that is this. By whittling away at the differences and unique characteristics of our different cultures or faiths, we have forced everyone to uniformity. That, by definition is intolerance! Now, if you are so weak in your faith that you can't see anyone who disagrees with you as anything but an enemy that must be attacked, that that is your problem. But to ignore everyone's individual ability to choose a belief system (or not to choose) or to tell them that they can not express their belief system because someone else might not agree with it, is just as intolerant.
Second, and this is where the rubber meets the road for followers of Christ. If we have brought our faith to a point where it seems to be equal to everything else in our culture, that we as the messengers of God's love and compassion, have failed in our mission. To borrow from the Wendy's ad campaign... "Where's the fruit?"
The early church had nothing to depend on to carry their message of love, compassion, forgiveness, salvation, and community except themselves. They did not have printed ad campaigns, movie trailers, websites, or any of the major marketing tools that we see in use today. And yet, in one generation they were able to carry the Gospel of Christ from one end of the known world to the other.
Why?
Because, no one had to ask them where the fruit was!!! They lived out of the love of Christ, they were moved by the Spirit of God, and they impacted their community wherever they went. That is the real fruit of the Gospel. It's a life that is lived in such a way that the power, love, compassion, and salvation that comes in Jesus Christ alone can not be denied.
One final thought about fruit is this, there are a few tests that any good fruit must pass if we are going to want to eat it:
1. Looks - Does it look good? If it looks rotten or bruised we're not going to want to even pick it up
2. Smell - What kind of aroma does it have. What kind of impression does it leave behind? Even if it looks good, but we can't get passed the less than obvious stench, we're still not going to taste it.
3. Taste - (This is where we really drop the ball) How does it taste? Even if I think the look is ok, and it doesn't smell too bad, if I bite into it and it leaves a less than desirable after-taste in my mouth, do you really expect me to try it again?
Finally, to express this another way:
A = Life with Christ
B = Life without Christ
If, A = B, then Christ is worth nothing
If, A < B, then Christ is a negative
If, A > B, then Christ is a positive
Only when we can express "A > B" with our very lives, will we see the uncontainable, unstoppable, unequaled gospel of the New Testament active today.
- Just a thought.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Simple Math
“When the Greeks got the gospel, they turned it into a philosophy; when the Romans got it, they turned it into a government; when the Europeans got it, they turned it into a culture; and when the Americans got it, they turned it into a business.” - Richard Halverson
How chillingly true this statement is. At the heart of the issue for me is the organizational foundation of the church. What I mean by that is this:
Most of the modern expression of the church that we see today is built on paradigms. A paradigm is no more than a way to do something. A plan. I'm sure you've heard of some of these terms.. the seeker model, the worship model, the discipleship model... so on and so forth. Yet, underneath every one of these models is the same thing... a paradigm built on programs. And as we all know, people's tastes change. As the taste or paradigm of culture changes... so must the church if it wants to keep up.
This is where I believe the heart of the problem is... paradigms of programs aren't self-sustaining or self-multiplying. They are reliant on the culture as their medium of connection. This is why we see people "discuss" (often times, argue) about what should and should not be "in the church". Everything from music, lights, sound equipment, stages, instruments, etc have all been debated and decided on based on our culture.
Yet, the early church carried the gospel from one end of the known world to the the other. Crossing cultural, ethnic, language, and geographic boundaries without much hindrance. What was their secret? I believe it was a simple one. The simple and organic message of the gospel was so transmittable that no matter what type of soil it was placed in, it grew. This, by its very nature, could not have been based on paradigms or programs. The power of the message of Jesus is that is based on principles not programs and character not culture. This empowered and enabled the early church to carry the message of Christ wherever they could and know that it would still take root.
I think we, as the modern day church, need to take a look at ourselves and our churches and ask some tough questions.
What is the medium in which my faith is expressed...
What is the method on which my church is built...
What is the result of my faith in church...
- Just a thought.
How chillingly true this statement is. At the heart of the issue for me is the organizational foundation of the church. What I mean by that is this:
Most of the modern expression of the church that we see today is built on paradigms. A paradigm is no more than a way to do something. A plan. I'm sure you've heard of some of these terms.. the seeker model, the worship model, the discipleship model... so on and so forth. Yet, underneath every one of these models is the same thing... a paradigm built on programs. And as we all know, people's tastes change. As the taste or paradigm of culture changes... so must the church if it wants to keep up.
This is where I believe the heart of the problem is... paradigms of programs aren't self-sustaining or self-multiplying. They are reliant on the culture as their medium of connection. This is why we see people "discuss" (often times, argue) about what should and should not be "in the church". Everything from music, lights, sound equipment, stages, instruments, etc have all been debated and decided on based on our culture.
Yet, the early church carried the gospel from one end of the known world to the the other. Crossing cultural, ethnic, language, and geographic boundaries without much hindrance. What was their secret? I believe it was a simple one. The simple and organic message of the gospel was so transmittable that no matter what type of soil it was placed in, it grew. This, by its very nature, could not have been based on paradigms or programs. The power of the message of Jesus is that is based on principles not programs and character not culture. This empowered and enabled the early church to carry the message of Christ wherever they could and know that it would still take root.
I think we, as the modern day church, need to take a look at ourselves and our churches and ask some tough questions.
What is the medium in which my faith is expressed...
Culture or Character?
What is the method on which my church is built...
Programs or Principles?
What is the result of my faith in church...
Entitlement or Empowerment?
Put another way, I believe the following to be true:
Culture + Programs = the Entitlement of faith
Character + Principles = the Empowerment of faith
Culture + Programs = the Entitlement of faith
Character + Principles = the Empowerment of faith
- Just a thought.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
How can it be?...
I was at the chamber of commerce building yesterday finishing up my last meeting of the day, when someone asked me a question about our new church. I gladly tried to give them the best answer I could. We then got into a very interesting conversation that I thought was worth noting. Once I finished sharing my views and beliefs about Christianity and such. My friend, Mike, recounted a story of when he was a young catholic adolescent and some people came to his door.
They preceded to tell him that only their certain group of people were going to get into heaven and that he needed to know that he was in that group. And then before they could finish, Mike turned the tables on them with this simple logic problem
(A) God is loving and merciful.
(B) Sending half (or more) of the world's population to hell is not loving or merciful.
How then can God, being loving and merciful, send all those people to hell?
They floundered for a second, starting rifling through their bibles, and began to read him individual scriptures to justify their position.
"But, how can that be?" he retorted
The conversation finally ended and neither side had really done anything of value. The newcomers left and Mike went on as he was doing. But, I do think that this question is still a valid one, and one that we still face today, so I'll try to answer it to the best of my ability.
First... God is loving and merciful. This is undeniable. BUT, that's not ALL that God is. He is also just. And you can not take any one part of God's personality and extract it to be the whole of his personality, any more than you could do that for any of us.
God is mercifully loving... He is lovingly just... and He is justly merciful.
When you look at all the character of God, and not just the part you want to see, it becomes much clearer. Just as much as a parent today would have to deny their child the gift they promised them, if the aforementioned criteria was not met. So a just, loving, and merciful Father does the same.
Where is the love? In the giving us a way out, through Jesus on the cross.
Where is the mercy? In letting us choose Christ up until the very last second of His return regardless of our circumstances, actions, motivations, lifestyle, race, gender, ethnicity, etc.
Where is the justice. In keeping to the words He has already spoken and holding us accountable for our choices and actions.
- Just a thought.
They preceded to tell him that only their certain group of people were going to get into heaven and that he needed to know that he was in that group. And then before they could finish, Mike turned the tables on them with this simple logic problem
(A) God is loving and merciful.
(B) Sending half (or more) of the world's population to hell is not loving or merciful.
How then can God, being loving and merciful, send all those people to hell?
They floundered for a second, starting rifling through their bibles, and began to read him individual scriptures to justify their position.
"But, how can that be?" he retorted
The conversation finally ended and neither side had really done anything of value. The newcomers left and Mike went on as he was doing. But, I do think that this question is still a valid one, and one that we still face today, so I'll try to answer it to the best of my ability.
First... God is loving and merciful. This is undeniable. BUT, that's not ALL that God is. He is also just. And you can not take any one part of God's personality and extract it to be the whole of his personality, any more than you could do that for any of us.
God is mercifully loving... He is lovingly just... and He is justly merciful.
When you look at all the character of God, and not just the part you want to see, it becomes much clearer. Just as much as a parent today would have to deny their child the gift they promised them, if the aforementioned criteria was not met. So a just, loving, and merciful Father does the same.
Where is the love? In the giving us a way out, through Jesus on the cross.
Where is the mercy? In letting us choose Christ up until the very last second of His return regardless of our circumstances, actions, motivations, lifestyle, race, gender, ethnicity, etc.
Where is the justice. In keeping to the words He has already spoken and holding us accountable for our choices and actions.
I think if we are truly made in the image of God... and we truly want to reflect Him to our world... then we should strive to have these three attributes in correct balance in our own lives.
- Just a thought.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
From Disciple to Denial
As I was reading Galatians this morning, I stumbled on a passage that I have read/heard many times, but suddenly, it all started to make sense. Let's take a look the Apostle Peter:
When Peter was finally realized Jesus was the Son of God, he fell to his feet and asked Jesus to go away, because he was a sinful man (Luke 5:8)
He was called to apostleship by Jesus on his fishing boat. (Luke 5:10-11)
Peter was one of the three closest to Jesus inside the twelve apostles (Mark 5:37, Mark 9:2, Mark 14:33)
At the last supper, Peter pledges his dying devotion to Jesus (Matt 26:33)
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter in passionate defense of Jesus, cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant. (John 18:9-11)
After Jesus' betrayal comes the famous trice denial of Jesus. (Matt 26:75)
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stands up in front of the crowd and delivers a message and 3,000 people got saved. (Acts 2:41)
During Paul's ministry, Peter was rebuked because he was being influenced by the circumcision group (a group that was trying to make the new gentile believers follow Jewish customs) and not allowing gentiles to live in the freedom of Christ. (Gal 2:14)
Just look at the facts... Peter was not a steady, perfect, unwavering believer. He had his personality and self to deal with throughout his ministry. This makes me feel much better personally, because I don't know about you, but I just can't seem to live up to the standard of perfection. I try, and I fail... and I try again, and I fail again. It is this never-ending cycle of constantly seeking to attain perfecting that I think achieves humility and grace. As long as we are cloaked in these meat-sacks of flesh we call bodies, we will never be able to rid ourselves of the sin that is so inherently within them (Rom 7:22-24).
But, there is hope. Not just hope, but honestly, comical hope. If Jesus, being fully God and fully man while He was on earth, still chose Peter to be one of his closest friends and most trusted disciples, then I think we can all rejoice in the fact that we don't need to be perfect. Don't forget that it was Peter that gave the great confession (Matt 16:13-16), "You are the Christ, Son of the Living God" and yet was still able to deny he ever knew Him.
I said all of that to get to this... all to often we get caught up in wallowing in sin, and not walking in grace. I am not saying use grace as a license to sin, but I am saying that when you sin, ask for forgiveness, apologize to the Lord for faltering, then pick yourself up and get on with it. Do not allow the enemy to use your sin as a foothold for bondage.
- Just a thought.
When Peter was finally realized Jesus was the Son of God, he fell to his feet and asked Jesus to go away, because he was a sinful man (Luke 5:8)
He was called to apostleship by Jesus on his fishing boat. (Luke 5:10-11)
Peter was one of the three closest to Jesus inside the twelve apostles (Mark 5:37, Mark 9:2, Mark 14:33)
At the last supper, Peter pledges his dying devotion to Jesus (Matt 26:33)
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter in passionate defense of Jesus, cuts off the ear of the high priest's servant. (John 18:9-11)
After Jesus' betrayal comes the famous trice denial of Jesus. (Matt 26:75)
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stands up in front of the crowd and delivers a message and 3,000 people got saved. (Acts 2:41)
During Paul's ministry, Peter was rebuked because he was being influenced by the circumcision group (a group that was trying to make the new gentile believers follow Jewish customs) and not allowing gentiles to live in the freedom of Christ. (Gal 2:14)
Just look at the facts... Peter was not a steady, perfect, unwavering believer. He had his personality and self to deal with throughout his ministry. This makes me feel much better personally, because I don't know about you, but I just can't seem to live up to the standard of perfection. I try, and I fail... and I try again, and I fail again. It is this never-ending cycle of constantly seeking to attain perfecting that I think achieves humility and grace. As long as we are cloaked in these meat-sacks of flesh we call bodies, we will never be able to rid ourselves of the sin that is so inherently within them (Rom 7:22-24).
But, there is hope. Not just hope, but honestly, comical hope. If Jesus, being fully God and fully man while He was on earth, still chose Peter to be one of his closest friends and most trusted disciples, then I think we can all rejoice in the fact that we don't need to be perfect. Don't forget that it was Peter that gave the great confession (Matt 16:13-16), "You are the Christ, Son of the Living God" and yet was still able to deny he ever knew Him.
I said all of that to get to this... all to often we get caught up in wallowing in sin, and not walking in grace. I am not saying use grace as a license to sin, but I am saying that when you sin, ask for forgiveness, apologize to the Lord for faltering, then pick yourself up and get on with it. Do not allow the enemy to use your sin as a foothold for bondage.
If Peter could run the gambit from disciple to denial, can't you cut yourself some slack?
- Just a thought.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Our Greatest Strength
I have been wondering for some times, as I have listened to and read the Bible, what the personalities and thoughts of some of the Biblical characters were like. I know, I know, they were totally holy, barely sinned, and all spoke in perfect King James English... but beyond that, what were their personal struggles like. I know for me, living out my faith and being an expression and reflection of Christ's love for the world is not always easy. So, I assume, that being human, the early apostles and disciples had some of the same feelings.
Then I began to meditate on the idea that His strength is made perfect in my weakness (2 Cor 12:9). I do not want to be one of those 'holier than thou' Christians, but I also do not want to make the mistake of hiding who and what I am just to be accepted by people. I found this to be a very slippery slope, on both sides, and was wanting to know what this verse meant. To be strong in the midst of weakness for me is a little hard to fathom. Yes, I realize those who are super spiritual will say, "You just need to trust God" or "You need to have more faith" Both of which are true statements, but neither of which are obvious practical examples for me to follow.
And then it hit me...
The book of Acts focuses mainly on two different apostles. The first half is focused on Peter, while the second half follow Paul. Both men were obviously led by the Spirit and are both worth trying to emulate. (all except that martyrdom thing, I'd like to pass on that)
Paul
Paul was a pharisee of pharisees. He was thoroughly trained in the law of Moses under a teacher named Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was both passionate and zealous for holiness and obedience to God. So, much so, that he could bring the new found followers of Christ to Jerusalem to be punished (Acts 22:5). He would be the perfect person to send to tell the message of the love of Jesus to a Jewish nation. He was trained for it. He was known for it. He was the top of food chain in religious standing with the Jews.
Peter
Peter was a fisherman (Luke 5:2-3). He was your regular, run-of-the-mill Jewish guy making a living doing what his father had taught him how to do. He was a career worker, not a intellectual or a pharisee (Acts 4:13). He understood things like the ocean, tides, and fish... and yet, he and his brother Andrew are among the first disciples who are called. James and John, fishing partners of theirs, were also called out of this occupation (Luke 5:10). Jesus even goes one step further and in His band of twelve apostles, selects three of them to be closer to Him. These three were Peter, James and John (Mark 5:37, Mark 9:2, Mark 14:33)
But wait a minute....
On the contrary, they saw that I (Paul) had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. (Gal 2:7)
Paul was the one that was sent to the gentiles, and Peter to the Jews. That seems a little backwards doesn't it? Paul was the one with the training in Jewish law and religious standing. Peter was just a fisherman. Likewise, as a fisherman, Peter probably would have been a little more accepted by the gentiles, on the mere fact that he was a little more 'blue collar'.
And here is the beauty and majesty of God's sovereignty...
God called both men to minister in the area where they could not stand on their own strength and knowledge. They needed to guidance and reliance on the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish their task. This is not to say that they could not use their past experiences and knowledge, but it would not have been enough to do it on their own.
This is the perfection of Jesus' strength filling our weakness. When we can stand in the place of ministry and NOT be able to do it ourselves. Not because we are choosing not to... but because in and of ourselves, we simply don't measure up.
- Just a thought.
Then I began to meditate on the idea that His strength is made perfect in my weakness (2 Cor 12:9). I do not want to be one of those 'holier than thou' Christians, but I also do not want to make the mistake of hiding who and what I am just to be accepted by people. I found this to be a very slippery slope, on both sides, and was wanting to know what this verse meant. To be strong in the midst of weakness for me is a little hard to fathom. Yes, I realize those who are super spiritual will say, "You just need to trust God" or "You need to have more faith" Both of which are true statements, but neither of which are obvious practical examples for me to follow.
And then it hit me...
The book of Acts focuses mainly on two different apostles. The first half is focused on Peter, while the second half follow Paul. Both men were obviously led by the Spirit and are both worth trying to emulate. (all except that martyrdom thing, I'd like to pass on that)
Paul
Paul was a pharisee of pharisees. He was thoroughly trained in the law of Moses under a teacher named Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was both passionate and zealous for holiness and obedience to God. So, much so, that he could bring the new found followers of Christ to Jerusalem to be punished (Acts 22:5). He would be the perfect person to send to tell the message of the love of Jesus to a Jewish nation. He was trained for it. He was known for it. He was the top of food chain in religious standing with the Jews.
Peter
Peter was a fisherman (Luke 5:2-3). He was your regular, run-of-the-mill Jewish guy making a living doing what his father had taught him how to do. He was a career worker, not a intellectual or a pharisee (Acts 4:13). He understood things like the ocean, tides, and fish... and yet, he and his brother Andrew are among the first disciples who are called. James and John, fishing partners of theirs, were also called out of this occupation (Luke 5:10). Jesus even goes one step further and in His band of twelve apostles, selects three of them to be closer to Him. These three were Peter, James and John (Mark 5:37, Mark 9:2, Mark 14:33)
But wait a minute....
On the contrary, they saw that I (Paul) had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews. (Gal 2:7)
Paul was the one that was sent to the gentiles, and Peter to the Jews. That seems a little backwards doesn't it? Paul was the one with the training in Jewish law and religious standing. Peter was just a fisherman. Likewise, as a fisherman, Peter probably would have been a little more accepted by the gentiles, on the mere fact that he was a little more 'blue collar'.
And here is the beauty and majesty of God's sovereignty...
God called both men to minister in the area where they could not stand on their own strength and knowledge. They needed to guidance and reliance on the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish their task. This is not to say that they could not use their past experiences and knowledge, but it would not have been enough to do it on their own.
This is the perfection of Jesus' strength filling our weakness. When we can stand in the place of ministry and NOT be able to do it ourselves. Not because we are choosing not to... but because in and of ourselves, we simply don't measure up.
If we don't give ourselves the opportunity to fail, we never allow God the opportunity to succeed.
- Just a thought.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Fake it 'till you make it.
I'm sure we have all heard this phrase at one time or another. If you haven't, I'm both shocked and envious. But, I would like to explore this phrase a bit deeper, especially its implications in the world of ministry.
The sad reality is that this attitude, more than any other, has indoctrinated the ministry culture America today. Thousands of ministers, though they would never admit it publicly are caught in this web of "justified deception". You see, here's the problem that many full-time ministers face:
1. If you work for the church, and are supposed to be the 'head' and spiritual guidance, you can not then ask your church or prayer when you are struggling with something. Because, your livelihood and income depends on them looking up to you and wanting to follow you. (That's a whole 'nother post waiting to happen)
2. You also can not really talk to other ministers, because lets face it, they gossip a lot more than most people, and if you're in that crowd you know it. Also, you need to protect your career and possible future opportunities, so if you have a secret that gets out, it might make things worse for your later.
3. Because of these first two causes, the result is you develop a plastic layer on the outside of your personality (and in my opinion soul) that reflects the "Godly" character that you are expected to portray. And in doing this, you have cauterized yourself into a lonely, self-loathing box that unless you continue to 'fake it' you can not escape from.
I realize that many of you may not have experienced the dark evil underbelly of the major machine of ministry. But, let me assure you, it is real. And it is well oiled and ready for action every Sunday.
I do not fault the pastors and lay ministers that get caught up in this cycle with 100% of the blame for this tragedy. They are just a much, if not more, the victims of this wretchedly repetitive cycle as the rest of us. The only difference is, they suffer in the quite serenity of an empty sanctuary each and every day while the rest of us go to work.
If we continue to "fake" it, then do we ever really ever "make" it? Honestly, if the victory you receive is won by ill-gotten means, is it still a victory? Have you really won anything of value? I believe if we are to break the vicious cycle of vapid vanity in the church, then we must do away with the old thinking that sanctified is perfect. We, as sinful humans, though we are created in the image of God, are not gods ourselves, and even with the blood of Jesus, are still not perfect... So, why do we try to act like it?! If we really want to be the Body of Christ and minister to one another the way that Jesus intended for us to do...
We must embrace our weaknesses and be able to share them and work through them with fellow believers.
We must be willing to see that holy community is as important as holy communion. We are not islands in the ocean of faith. Without a strong connection to the body, no one part can survive.
We need one another to remain feed, strong, protected, connected, and most importantly... to grow.
We must also realize that being who the Lord has called us to be is not a destination to be reached... it is journey to be undertaken.
I realize that for most of us, the thought of changing the way we think about and look at church or ministry is unthinkable, even heretical. But, isn't that exactly what Jesus did? Should we not be constantly evaluating our thoughts, actions, motivations AND ministries to see if they are still in line with the Gospel and mission that Jesus left for us to do?
- Just a thought.
The sad reality is that this attitude, more than any other, has indoctrinated the ministry culture America today. Thousands of ministers, though they would never admit it publicly are caught in this web of "justified deception". You see, here's the problem that many full-time ministers face:
1. If you work for the church, and are supposed to be the 'head' and spiritual guidance, you can not then ask your church or prayer when you are struggling with something. Because, your livelihood and income depends on them looking up to you and wanting to follow you. (That's a whole 'nother post waiting to happen)
2. You also can not really talk to other ministers, because lets face it, they gossip a lot more than most people, and if you're in that crowd you know it. Also, you need to protect your career and possible future opportunities, so if you have a secret that gets out, it might make things worse for your later.
3. Because of these first two causes, the result is you develop a plastic layer on the outside of your personality (and in my opinion soul) that reflects the "Godly" character that you are expected to portray. And in doing this, you have cauterized yourself into a lonely, self-loathing box that unless you continue to 'fake it' you can not escape from.
I realize that many of you may not have experienced the dark evil underbelly of the major machine of ministry. But, let me assure you, it is real. And it is well oiled and ready for action every Sunday.
I do not fault the pastors and lay ministers that get caught up in this cycle with 100% of the blame for this tragedy. They are just a much, if not more, the victims of this wretchedly repetitive cycle as the rest of us. The only difference is, they suffer in the quite serenity of an empty sanctuary each and every day while the rest of us go to work.
If we continue to "fake" it, then do we ever really ever "make" it? Honestly, if the victory you receive is won by ill-gotten means, is it still a victory? Have you really won anything of value? I believe if we are to break the vicious cycle of vapid vanity in the church, then we must do away with the old thinking that sanctified is perfect. We, as sinful humans, though we are created in the image of God, are not gods ourselves, and even with the blood of Jesus, are still not perfect... So, why do we try to act like it?! If we really want to be the Body of Christ and minister to one another the way that Jesus intended for us to do...
We must embrace our weaknesses and be able to share them and work through them with fellow believers.
We must be willing to see that holy community is as important as holy communion. We are not islands in the ocean of faith. Without a strong connection to the body, no one part can survive.
We need one another to remain feed, strong, protected, connected, and most importantly... to grow.
We must also realize that being who the Lord has called us to be is not a destination to be reached... it is journey to be undertaken.
I realize that for most of us, the thought of changing the way we think about and look at church or ministry is unthinkable, even heretical. But, isn't that exactly what Jesus did? Should we not be constantly evaluating our thoughts, actions, motivations AND ministries to see if they are still in line with the Gospel and mission that Jesus left for us to do?
The point at which we hold our traditions and programs on equal level with the scriptures, we have become the pharisees of old, and have trans our faith into the very thing that Jesus died to abolish.
- Just a thought.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
