This last Sunday I went to church at Nags Head Church, which is the church we go to when we are on vacation at the beach. Over the last several years I have gotten to know a few of the people there a bit, including the pastor's son, Nathan. I just added his blog as a link to visit from my site because his story is one of absolute trials and faith. I'm not worthy of telling his story for him, so please just read his blog to find out what he and his wife and daughter have been through and the story they have to tell - it will melt your heart, strengthen your faith, and rock your world. I don't know him all that well, but Nathan is a friend of mine and he has taught me a lot about church. There are many things that Nags Head Church has: a cool building shaped like a wave, a phenomenal worship band, a Spirit-led and God-honoring pastor who is an exceptional leader and preacher, and a group of wonderful people as the body there. I absolutely love attending there, it blesses my heart so much that it hurts me inside to leave after only one worship service a year. And that's the way it should be.
For all the things that that church has or doesn't have, there is one thing that they are that can be summed up in one word: genuine. They are genuine Christians and it shows in everything they do. The worship wraps around you and you fall into it because it is so genuine and Spirit-led. The words of the pastor, whether they are stern, joking, instructional, or story-telling, they are all genuine, spoken to the people, straight from God.
Is my church genuine? Am I? These things are a lot more difficult to see in the mirror than they are in someone else. It made me take a good hard look at myself and ask, when people are around me, do they see a genuine Christian, or do they see someone who talks the right way and knows some things but doesn't seem quite like the real thing. What is the experience like at my church? It is different. Maybe it's different for me and not for others, but I think regardless, it may not be quite as genuine. As a member of my church, I include myself in the Church I talk of.
If we're not where we need to be, why? What needs to happen in a church in order to get the body functioning as genuine Christians all of the time? If there was an easy answer to that, all churches would be healthy and wonderful because we would know how to do it. As an up and coming Christian leader, I struggle with this immensely - what should the Church look like (what should it be), and how do I get people from outside of that framework into it?
In his book The Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer says, "We Christians are the Church, so whatever we are doing is what the Church is doing." Well, that's a good answer, but it's a scary one too. That puts the responsibility on the people in the church, not just the pastor. The whole can not be greater than the sum of its parts. What each church actually is - is the sum of each member of that church and what they are currently doing. If the church is made up of a bunch of genuine Christians with servant's hearts who are surrendered to God's will - you will have a church that is the very same. If your church has a decent leader, but the people generally are just Sunday morning attenders and they're not in God's will and are not surrendered and genuine in their daily lives, then the very same things will be true of your church. Again, this clearly shows that the personality, if you will, of a church does not stem from the pastor, but from all of the people in that church. What am I doing as a Christian? Do I understand the parallel consequences of what I am doing to the type of church I am a part of? The kind of Christian you are is a direct influence upon the church you regularly attend. And every person there has the same level of accountability and responsibility in this regard.
As I continue to reflect on my time at Nags Head Church, it creates a clear picture in my mind of the type of Christians who make up that church - because it comes through not only in the worship, or the message, but the entire experience - from the time you park to the time you leave the property. Now, if I don't think my church experience is the same (as good), then who's partly to blame for that? ME. If I want my church to be a certain way or do a certain thing, I need to be that way and do that thing first. What we do and who are are is what the Church is doing and what the Church is. Think about that, and ask yourself what kind of church you want, and what you're going to do about it in your own life.
Some final thoughts from the message brought to us last Sunday. "We must change so others can be changed by knowing us." "Let it be said of us that we lived our lives as a blessing to others." "In what significant ways is my life being changed by the Word of God?" "I've been changed to bring change."
Let these words be the words we live by as Christians. I will challenge myself with these phrases in order to ensure that I am a vital part of whatever church body I attend. I pray you would challenge yourself with these too.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Nowadays
Nowadays, things are different. On June 26, Ross Vernon Keegan came into our world and everything has been different. I see the world differently, my priorities have changed, and I am growing in new ways every day. Being a father is one of the most challenging and rewarding things in life. With a demanding full-time job, and earning a Master's degree on the side, it is very difficult to balance everything. So far so good though. The one thing getting me through is the absolutely remarkable wife God blessed me with - Sarah. She is so amazing with Ross. She is so patient, nurturing, and wonderful. No one can calm him like she can, and he smiles for her more than anyone else too. I get frazzled from time to time, but she is my strength and my rock in those times. I can't imagine raising a child with a better person.
I am about halfway through seminary. Through my academic and personal reading and studies, there have been so many new things that I have begun to think about. What exactly is the Emergent Church Movement? Are these guys on the right track or steering off course? Tozer's book "The Knowledge of the Holy" reminds me that I can't ever define God - so how do I know Him? We have discussed that in our Bible study recently. The more I read the Bible, the more questions I have, but we don't reach God through reason but by faith. How do I let go of those questions in the right way in order to actually strengthen my faith, instead of fill myself with doubt? I have been challenged in the ways of church government in some of my recent activities in the church. I am frustrated with antiquated language and ideas. I could go on and on.
I have been doing well with reading through the entire Bible in a year, except the month of August was pretty much disregarded. The more I got behind, the more daunting it seemed to try to catch up. I am on vacation next week and plan to do all my catch up reading then and be back on track for September. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my life though to have such regular contact with God's word. The interaction between what I am reading daily and the books I am also reading, as well as what I study in school is so interesting and enriching on both ends.
I am close to finishing up Tozer's book, and I have Peterson and Lewis books on deck next, as well as a couple by some new guys that look interesting. I think if I was able to, I would read for 2-3 hours a day. Man, am I dreaming though! Oh well, little strokes fell great oaks.
A young woman in my Bible study just left to do a year long mission trip to India. You can check her out at http://kpthemissionary.googlepages.com/. Pray for her whenever you get a chance. Her name is Kim.
I think that's about it for now. I am going to a Christian leadership conference in October called Catalyst. The host is Andy Stanley, senior pastor at NorthPoint Community Church in Atlanta. He is one of my really big guys right now. I listen to his sermons a lot. I think the conference is going to be a huge boost for me spiritually, and possibly in the area of future plans. As always, feel free to comment anytime, just to say hi, or ask questions, or discuss whatever.
I am about halfway through seminary. Through my academic and personal reading and studies, there have been so many new things that I have begun to think about. What exactly is the Emergent Church Movement? Are these guys on the right track or steering off course? Tozer's book "The Knowledge of the Holy" reminds me that I can't ever define God - so how do I know Him? We have discussed that in our Bible study recently. The more I read the Bible, the more questions I have, but we don't reach God through reason but by faith. How do I let go of those questions in the right way in order to actually strengthen my faith, instead of fill myself with doubt? I have been challenged in the ways of church government in some of my recent activities in the church. I am frustrated with antiquated language and ideas. I could go on and on.
I have been doing well with reading through the entire Bible in a year, except the month of August was pretty much disregarded. The more I got behind, the more daunting it seemed to try to catch up. I am on vacation next week and plan to do all my catch up reading then and be back on track for September. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my life though to have such regular contact with God's word. The interaction between what I am reading daily and the books I am also reading, as well as what I study in school is so interesting and enriching on both ends.
I am close to finishing up Tozer's book, and I have Peterson and Lewis books on deck next, as well as a couple by some new guys that look interesting. I think if I was able to, I would read for 2-3 hours a day. Man, am I dreaming though! Oh well, little strokes fell great oaks.
A young woman in my Bible study just left to do a year long mission trip to India. You can check her out at http://kpthemissionary.googlepages.com/. Pray for her whenever you get a chance. Her name is Kim.
I think that's about it for now. I am going to a Christian leadership conference in October called Catalyst. The host is Andy Stanley, senior pastor at NorthPoint Community Church in Atlanta. He is one of my really big guys right now. I listen to his sermons a lot. I think the conference is going to be a huge boost for me spiritually, and possibly in the area of future plans. As always, feel free to comment anytime, just to say hi, or ask questions, or discuss whatever.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
The Covenants
Most Christians are familiar with the term "the New Covenant", but many don't know the whole story of the covenants. There are actually five covenants mentioned in the Bible. A covenant is a way in which God expresses His plan to humans, in the form of a promise. We have been talking about the covenants in Transformation and had some great discussion last night. A good understanding of the covenants opens up a greater understanding of the other stuff that's in the Bible and how to properly apply it. God's intention throughout all time has been to bless man. But man keeps rebelling, to God modifies His covenant throughout history in order to keep blessing.
The Noahic Covenant
The first covenant was made to Noah. You can find it in Genesis 9:11 and God basically says, Never again will I destroy the earth with a flood. This was an undonditional covenant, meaning man didn't have to do anything in order for God to keep His end. Regardless of all else, God wouldn't flood the earth again. And we have the rainbow in the sky to remind us of that still today.
The Abrahamic Covenant
The second covenant was made to Abraham. In Genesis 17:1-8, God changes Abram's name (meaning exalted father) to Abraham (meaning father of many). He also promises that He will make Abraham's descendants a great nation, that will be God's nation, and that He will give them Canaan as their own land. This too was an unconditional covenant, meaning God would do this, regardless. As you read what has happened in between the first and second covenants, you see that man in general has continued in its wicked ways, so God now wants to establish just one nation as His own, to be "a kingdom of priests."
The Mosaic Covenant
The third covenant was made to Moses, in Exodus 19:5-6. This covenant had a condition though. It basically said, IF you obey Me, then I will bless you. The implication here is the opposite - that if you don't obey God, you will not have His blessing. In fact, in Deuteronomy 28, Moses even explains it very clearly that obedience will be followed by blessing, disobedience will result in God cursing you (through failing crops, disease, military defeat, etc.). (Cursing is not synonymous with cussing.)
The Davidic Covenant
The fourth covenant was made with David, in 2 Samuel 7:14-16. This covenant was also conditional but was conditional not on the entire nation, but upon the kings (David's descendants). God says that if the kings obey, the people will be blessed. God also promises that He will establish that throne (the line of David) forever. This covenant had the same implication as the other though, that if the king was not obedient to God, the people would not receive blessing.
The New Covenant
The fifth and final covenant is the New Covenant, and we find it in Jeremiah 31:31-34. In this covenant God declares that this covenant won't be like the old ones, but instead He will forgive their sins and remember them no more. This is a covenant He will establish in the future, which He ended up doing through Jesus Christ. "I will be their God, and they will be my people...they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest." And we know that this was implemented because Jesus died for all of our sins, thus allowing us to no longer be separated from God, but be in relationship with Him in a way that wasn't possible before. And this is the covenant that we are under still today.
There are several reasons why the covenants are so important and foundational to our understanding. First, the Bible is God's Word to us about our past, present, and future and how He is involved in all three. It is a theological history book, showing us what role God has played in human history, and also what His plan is for the future. As we read that history, we can use these covenants as landmarks to see what God was doing in order to bless man throughout history. If you are reading say, in the book of Joshua, and you read that someone disobeyed God and was put to death, keeping in mind the Mosaic covenant allows a proper application of that Scripture. God won't put someone to death today for disobedience, why? Because we are under a different covenant now. All of our sins are forgiven. But, back in that day, there was a different covenant, and that's how it worked. Everything in the Bible is worthy of application to our lives today, but it needs to be properly applied. A good understanding of the covenants is one thing that helps us to do that. We can apply from something like that that God REALLY desires obedience from us. We can also be thankful that God established the New Covenant with us.
Reading about the covenants also helps us really see just how much God wants to have a relationship with us and desires to bless us. He could easily have given up long ago, but instead He established continuing covenants to let us know He has not given up and He still desires great things for us.
Another way that the covenants can be of assistance is that they can literally be landmarks as you study the Bible. If you know when in history God made the various covenants, then regardless of what you are studying, you have a better overall understanding of what the situation was at that time, based on the covenant that the people were under.
In our Bible study last night, there were many great questions about the covenants. Hopefully this will inspire you to study them, and develop questions and then seek to answer them in fellowship with other Christians. What other overarching themes are in the Bible that help us to understand the finer points of our theology? Get into God's Word and discover them today. It is impossible for us to have great understanding of something we refuse to read.
The Noahic Covenant
The first covenant was made to Noah. You can find it in Genesis 9:11 and God basically says, Never again will I destroy the earth with a flood. This was an undonditional covenant, meaning man didn't have to do anything in order for God to keep His end. Regardless of all else, God wouldn't flood the earth again. And we have the rainbow in the sky to remind us of that still today.
The Abrahamic Covenant
The second covenant was made to Abraham. In Genesis 17:1-8, God changes Abram's name (meaning exalted father) to Abraham (meaning father of many). He also promises that He will make Abraham's descendants a great nation, that will be God's nation, and that He will give them Canaan as their own land. This too was an unconditional covenant, meaning God would do this, regardless. As you read what has happened in between the first and second covenants, you see that man in general has continued in its wicked ways, so God now wants to establish just one nation as His own, to be "a kingdom of priests."
The Mosaic Covenant
The third covenant was made to Moses, in Exodus 19:5-6. This covenant had a condition though. It basically said, IF you obey Me, then I will bless you. The implication here is the opposite - that if you don't obey God, you will not have His blessing. In fact, in Deuteronomy 28, Moses even explains it very clearly that obedience will be followed by blessing, disobedience will result in God cursing you (through failing crops, disease, military defeat, etc.). (Cursing is not synonymous with cussing.)
The Davidic Covenant
The fourth covenant was made with David, in 2 Samuel 7:14-16. This covenant was also conditional but was conditional not on the entire nation, but upon the kings (David's descendants). God says that if the kings obey, the people will be blessed. God also promises that He will establish that throne (the line of David) forever. This covenant had the same implication as the other though, that if the king was not obedient to God, the people would not receive blessing.
The New Covenant
The fifth and final covenant is the New Covenant, and we find it in Jeremiah 31:31-34. In this covenant God declares that this covenant won't be like the old ones, but instead He will forgive their sins and remember them no more. This is a covenant He will establish in the future, which He ended up doing through Jesus Christ. "I will be their God, and they will be my people...they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest." And we know that this was implemented because Jesus died for all of our sins, thus allowing us to no longer be separated from God, but be in relationship with Him in a way that wasn't possible before. And this is the covenant that we are under still today.
There are several reasons why the covenants are so important and foundational to our understanding. First, the Bible is God's Word to us about our past, present, and future and how He is involved in all three. It is a theological history book, showing us what role God has played in human history, and also what His plan is for the future. As we read that history, we can use these covenants as landmarks to see what God was doing in order to bless man throughout history. If you are reading say, in the book of Joshua, and you read that someone disobeyed God and was put to death, keeping in mind the Mosaic covenant allows a proper application of that Scripture. God won't put someone to death today for disobedience, why? Because we are under a different covenant now. All of our sins are forgiven. But, back in that day, there was a different covenant, and that's how it worked. Everything in the Bible is worthy of application to our lives today, but it needs to be properly applied. A good understanding of the covenants is one thing that helps us to do that. We can apply from something like that that God REALLY desires obedience from us. We can also be thankful that God established the New Covenant with us.
Reading about the covenants also helps us really see just how much God wants to have a relationship with us and desires to bless us. He could easily have given up long ago, but instead He established continuing covenants to let us know He has not given up and He still desires great things for us.
Another way that the covenants can be of assistance is that they can literally be landmarks as you study the Bible. If you know when in history God made the various covenants, then regardless of what you are studying, you have a better overall understanding of what the situation was at that time, based on the covenant that the people were under.
In our Bible study last night, there were many great questions about the covenants. Hopefully this will inspire you to study them, and develop questions and then seek to answer them in fellowship with other Christians. What other overarching themes are in the Bible that help us to understand the finer points of our theology? Get into God's Word and discover them today. It is impossible for us to have great understanding of something we refuse to read.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
The Power of the Monk
In school we have been studying monasticism recently. People desired to escape the immoral society and get out into the wilderness alone with God in order to train themselves physically, mentally, and spiritually. The one problem in their early thinking was that they stayed there alone with God and never returned to society.
But they were definitely on to something important. In today's society of instant gratification and media surrounding us we often don't ever think that it might be a good idea to step away from that from time to time. But let's face it, with everything going on around us, it's hard to keep up good relationships with those we want to. How much more difficult is it to keep up a relationship with God, whom we can't see or hear physically? He's there, but we don't see or hear him because of all the distractions. We need to get back in touch with the discipline of Solitude.
Two books that everyone should read regarding spiritual discipline are The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard and Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster - in that order. Dallas talks about our big problem in Christianity being the concept of WWJD. We somehow have come to think that if we just want to bad enough, we can make good decisions in the moment - imitating all the good decisions Jesus made when facing the Pharisees and being obedient even to death. We think we can be like Jesus, but we miss an important part of the equation. Much of Jesus' time was spent alone, in a quiet place (like the desert, or a garden, or mountaintop) - fasting and praying, spending time alone with God. And this is where He drew His strength from. It was always after a time like this that He came back to society and did something amazing. He would strengthen Himself in the Lord, through solitude and prayer, and then do the "Jesus things" we try to imitate. But we never imitate His discipline. It's like me watching baseball all the time and thinking that if I were to get the chance to hit against a major league pitcher, I could probably hit a pretty good one - maybe even a homerun - because I am so familiar with it - from watching. But the problem is I never put the time into disciplining myself like major league hitters do. Practicing their swing thousands of times, weight lifting, eating right, studying pitches. I would have false confidence. And many Christians suffer from this - and it harms their overall journey on the spiritual path of life.
We can't be like Jesus in part, we have to imitate the whole. We have to be well-versed with Scripture like He was and practice the disciplines. This is what the monks valued - practicing and honing their spritual skills. One problem some of them had though was that they never returned to society to benefit anyone else with that spiritual strength. And this is a problem we have today too. Sometimes we believe that our Christianity is about us and God. We just need to work on our relationship with Him on a personal level and once we've achieved that, we're happy. But that's because we're selfish. We negate everything Jesus taught us, and in fact, much of the teaching from the Pentateuch as well - that we are supposed to take care of those around us, guiding them towards Jesus. But if we never take our relationship with God back into society, we fail this most important mission - the Great Commission.
So, I admire the early monks for seeing the value in solitude, but I urge everyone (especially myself) to then turn around and come back to society with that renewed strength and be the salt and light this world so desperately needs. Solitude. Think about it...
But they were definitely on to something important. In today's society of instant gratification and media surrounding us we often don't ever think that it might be a good idea to step away from that from time to time. But let's face it, with everything going on around us, it's hard to keep up good relationships with those we want to. How much more difficult is it to keep up a relationship with God, whom we can't see or hear physically? He's there, but we don't see or hear him because of all the distractions. We need to get back in touch with the discipline of Solitude.
Two books that everyone should read regarding spiritual discipline are The Spirit of the Disciplines by Dallas Willard and Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster - in that order. Dallas talks about our big problem in Christianity being the concept of WWJD. We somehow have come to think that if we just want to bad enough, we can make good decisions in the moment - imitating all the good decisions Jesus made when facing the Pharisees and being obedient even to death. We think we can be like Jesus, but we miss an important part of the equation. Much of Jesus' time was spent alone, in a quiet place (like the desert, or a garden, or mountaintop) - fasting and praying, spending time alone with God. And this is where He drew His strength from. It was always after a time like this that He came back to society and did something amazing. He would strengthen Himself in the Lord, through solitude and prayer, and then do the "Jesus things" we try to imitate. But we never imitate His discipline. It's like me watching baseball all the time and thinking that if I were to get the chance to hit against a major league pitcher, I could probably hit a pretty good one - maybe even a homerun - because I am so familiar with it - from watching. But the problem is I never put the time into disciplining myself like major league hitters do. Practicing their swing thousands of times, weight lifting, eating right, studying pitches. I would have false confidence. And many Christians suffer from this - and it harms their overall journey on the spiritual path of life.
We can't be like Jesus in part, we have to imitate the whole. We have to be well-versed with Scripture like He was and practice the disciplines. This is what the monks valued - practicing and honing their spritual skills. One problem some of them had though was that they never returned to society to benefit anyone else with that spiritual strength. And this is a problem we have today too. Sometimes we believe that our Christianity is about us and God. We just need to work on our relationship with Him on a personal level and once we've achieved that, we're happy. But that's because we're selfish. We negate everything Jesus taught us, and in fact, much of the teaching from the Pentateuch as well - that we are supposed to take care of those around us, guiding them towards Jesus. But if we never take our relationship with God back into society, we fail this most important mission - the Great Commission.
So, I admire the early monks for seeing the value in solitude, but I urge everyone (especially myself) to then turn around and come back to society with that renewed strength and be the salt and light this world so desperately needs. Solitude. Think about it...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Recent Thoughts
I have not been a good little blog host in about, oh almost 5 months now. What can I say? Life comes at you fast. It was very shortly after my last post that I found out my wife was pregnant with our first child. Yesterday I felt it moving in her belly for the first time. July 1 (or roundabout), we will receive our first child, the greatest gift God has given us thus far besides our salvation and each other.
My wonderful cousins Becky and Duane got me some Andy Stanley cds for Christmas which I have listened to 4 times already. He talks about Christian leadership and the things he has to say are really good. Here are some of his big topics:
Never compromise integrity for progress.
Live every day confident that God is with you.
Leaders need to challenge the system, while acting under authority.
Leadership problems stem from heart problems. Guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy can be overcome with confession, forgiveness, generosity, and celebration.
I finished two classes last semester in Hermeneutics and Baptist history. This semester I am taking two courses in Christian history. After this semester, I will be halfway through my degree course on my way to getting a Master's in Divinity from Liberty.
My New Year's resolution this year was to begin a life-long habit of reading my Bible daily - and reading it through in its entirety each year. So far, so good. The more you read the Bible, the more we connect with God and His plan for our lives. And the more times we read the same things, the more wisdom we draw from them (that is of course, the Scriptures).
I am starting a new Bible study group at our church called Transformation which is for 18-29 year olds. Romans 12:2 says that we should not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is what God's Word is all about - changing our lives. Then we take our changed life out into the world and become the salt and light that will preserve and illuminate this dark, decaying world.
I hope to return to more frequent posting effective immediately. Probably by now nobody is even reading this as they have given up on me as a poster. Maybe there will be some curious souls out there who will check it out. Take care and God bless. Come back soon.
The picture below is me on top of Reddish Knob - the tallest point in Northern VA (I think).
My wonderful cousins Becky and Duane got me some Andy Stanley cds for Christmas which I have listened to 4 times already. He talks about Christian leadership and the things he has to say are really good. Here are some of his big topics:
Never compromise integrity for progress.
Live every day confident that God is with you.
Leaders need to challenge the system, while acting under authority.
Leadership problems stem from heart problems. Guilt, anger, greed, and jealousy can be overcome with confession, forgiveness, generosity, and celebration.
I finished two classes last semester in Hermeneutics and Baptist history. This semester I am taking two courses in Christian history. After this semester, I will be halfway through my degree course on my way to getting a Master's in Divinity from Liberty.
My New Year's resolution this year was to begin a life-long habit of reading my Bible daily - and reading it through in its entirety each year. So far, so good. The more you read the Bible, the more we connect with God and His plan for our lives. And the more times we read the same things, the more wisdom we draw from them (that is of course, the Scriptures).
I am starting a new Bible study group at our church called Transformation which is for 18-29 year olds. Romans 12:2 says that we should not conform to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This is what God's Word is all about - changing our lives. Then we take our changed life out into the world and become the salt and light that will preserve and illuminate this dark, decaying world.
I hope to return to more frequent posting effective immediately. Probably by now nobody is even reading this as they have given up on me as a poster. Maybe there will be some curious souls out there who will check it out. Take care and God bless. Come back soon.
The picture below is me on top of Reddish Knob - the tallest point in Northern VA (I think).
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Tirelessly faithful
I have gone on two mission trips in the last two years. The first was to Jamaica to do reconstruction work on the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf after they were devastated by Hurricane Ivan two years before that. The second was to Gulfport, Mississippi to do reconstruction work on a couple houses in an area that was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina. In both cases, when we left to come home, it seemed like things were on the up and up. Our work, combined with the work of many other people, was beginning to shift the momentum of the people there who were directly involved. They were beginning to look like they could come out of it. We could literally see the fruits of our labor in the people and the places. We had gone to the places God had called us and seen Him bless our efforts. We had stepped out of the boat in faith.
Approximately three weeks ago I received a letter in the mail from the CCCD school in Jamaica. This year another hurricane (Dean I think) had come through and done the same amount of damage that Ivan had done before. Roofs were torn off buildings, severe water damage was everywhere - they were back to square one again. All that work, undone in a matter of hours. Then last night we presented a slideshow and other things to our church from the trip to MS. As we came in, we were handed letters from Dick and Joanne (members of our church still working down there). The letters said that things were not good, in fact they were pretty bad. As it looks right now, the house that we worked the most on will be reposessed as they cannot afford the payments required. There are also physical, mental, and emotional problems wearing hard on individuals there. All that work, undone - their house went from unliveable to gone. They are packing up and moving to a temporary location until they can figure out what to do next.
Where is your faith? I have been examining that question this week for myself. The answer is that it is in God and God alone. We are so tempted to put our faith in the things that we do, in our human efforts. It is especially tempting when we see good results. We think WE really made a difference. To really see it from the right perspective though, we should put our faith in God, and let Him use us however He sees fit at that time, and after it's over - regardless of what happens - we need to keep right on having faith in God.
Our merely human cognitive ability is not nearly enough to understand God's ways. Asking "Why?" is probably the most futile question there is. We will only know when we are joined with Him after this life. So if we can't know why, that leaves us with faith. We have to trust God. We have to put things like this in context. Context determines meaning. If we look at these two examples by themselves, it would seem that God is fickle and lets people down, leading you to help someone and then destroying what was done. But this is far from accurate. Because God has been acting for all time, we need to consider these two small events in the context of all events throughout time. Doing so anchors my faith so deeply that it cannot be moved. Sure, my life and things that happen to me will be up and down. Life IS hard, and no one ever said it wasn't. But when things like this happen, I have to go to the place where my faith is anchored and see these events in light of what I know about God. I know He is a good God. I know He is all powerful, all knowing, and that He loves every person so much that He has already won victory FOR US over death and the consequences of our sin. There have been numerous times in my life when I have been comforted by God, provided for by Him, strengthened by Him, given wisdom by Him, and all the time loved by Him. These are the things that keep my faith anchored deeply in God and not in my own human efforts.
Life is hard. Without God in your life, you will struggle miserably with life. But with God in your life, you will still struggle, but you will struggle well. This is especially evident when other Christians come to your aid with prayer, support, love, encouragement, and grace. And so these people need us to help them struggle well in this situation. They need our support (in whatever way we can), they definitely need our prayer, they may need our encouragement, and they always need our love and grace. Sometimes life can beat you down. It can knock the wind right out of you. We need to be tirelessly faithful in our God. We need to look to Him through rough times and when we do, we will find it to be true that He does help us when we're struggling. All these things create the context in which to view the tragic things that happen in life. Help other people to see that context too. Without the context, people tend to draw all kinds of conclusions about the way things work with life and God that lead them away from Him. We need to help them head towards God in a storm. The things that we do here on earth can be destroyed in an instant. But the things that God does, and that His people do in His name (friendship, love, mercy, grace, evangelism, teaching, praying), these eternal things cannot be undone by even the mightiest storm or power. There will always be people in need, and we will always need to help them. And we should keep going back, and keep helping until there is no more need.
Approximately three weeks ago I received a letter in the mail from the CCCD school in Jamaica. This year another hurricane (Dean I think) had come through and done the same amount of damage that Ivan had done before. Roofs were torn off buildings, severe water damage was everywhere - they were back to square one again. All that work, undone in a matter of hours. Then last night we presented a slideshow and other things to our church from the trip to MS. As we came in, we were handed letters from Dick and Joanne (members of our church still working down there). The letters said that things were not good, in fact they were pretty bad. As it looks right now, the house that we worked the most on will be reposessed as they cannot afford the payments required. There are also physical, mental, and emotional problems wearing hard on individuals there. All that work, undone - their house went from unliveable to gone. They are packing up and moving to a temporary location until they can figure out what to do next.
Where is your faith? I have been examining that question this week for myself. The answer is that it is in God and God alone. We are so tempted to put our faith in the things that we do, in our human efforts. It is especially tempting when we see good results. We think WE really made a difference. To really see it from the right perspective though, we should put our faith in God, and let Him use us however He sees fit at that time, and after it's over - regardless of what happens - we need to keep right on having faith in God.
Our merely human cognitive ability is not nearly enough to understand God's ways. Asking "Why?" is probably the most futile question there is. We will only know when we are joined with Him after this life. So if we can't know why, that leaves us with faith. We have to trust God. We have to put things like this in context. Context determines meaning. If we look at these two examples by themselves, it would seem that God is fickle and lets people down, leading you to help someone and then destroying what was done. But this is far from accurate. Because God has been acting for all time, we need to consider these two small events in the context of all events throughout time. Doing so anchors my faith so deeply that it cannot be moved. Sure, my life and things that happen to me will be up and down. Life IS hard, and no one ever said it wasn't. But when things like this happen, I have to go to the place where my faith is anchored and see these events in light of what I know about God. I know He is a good God. I know He is all powerful, all knowing, and that He loves every person so much that He has already won victory FOR US over death and the consequences of our sin. There have been numerous times in my life when I have been comforted by God, provided for by Him, strengthened by Him, given wisdom by Him, and all the time loved by Him. These are the things that keep my faith anchored deeply in God and not in my own human efforts.
Life is hard. Without God in your life, you will struggle miserably with life. But with God in your life, you will still struggle, but you will struggle well. This is especially evident when other Christians come to your aid with prayer, support, love, encouragement, and grace. And so these people need us to help them struggle well in this situation. They need our support (in whatever way we can), they definitely need our prayer, they may need our encouragement, and they always need our love and grace. Sometimes life can beat you down. It can knock the wind right out of you. We need to be tirelessly faithful in our God. We need to look to Him through rough times and when we do, we will find it to be true that He does help us when we're struggling. All these things create the context in which to view the tragic things that happen in life. Help other people to see that context too. Without the context, people tend to draw all kinds of conclusions about the way things work with life and God that lead them away from Him. We need to help them head towards God in a storm. The things that we do here on earth can be destroyed in an instant. But the things that God does, and that His people do in His name (friendship, love, mercy, grace, evangelism, teaching, praying), these eternal things cannot be undone by even the mightiest storm or power. There will always be people in need, and we will always need to help them. And we should keep going back, and keep helping until there is no more need.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Who are we inspired by?
I want to think about the idea of being inspired. I heard a story on the news today that got me thinking about this. Maybe some of you heard the story of the hate crime in West Virginia, where a girl was tortured by at least 6 other people because of her race. They "hated" her and therefore decided to take it out on her. Well, I would say that hate inspires hate in almost every case. As I thought of what kind of horrible people these folks are for what they did, I began to feel hatred towards them. I thought that they needed to be dealt with in a similar fashion. I would also say that in contrast, love inspires love. When someone shows love to another person, it inspires other people to react in a loving way. Hate inspires hate, and love inspires love. This is almost always the case, except with Christians. We are called to be inspired not by the world around us, but by Jesus. Jesus always inspires us to love, never to hate. True, He hates certain things, but He doesn't inspire us to hate.
So, if I am a follower of Jesus, I am to be inspired to love. But in this case, I find it extremely difficult to feel any love towards these people, and others who commit atrocities such as this. So where does that leave me? I know what I am supposed to do, but I can't think of a way to lovingly approach this situation without letting them off the hook for what they did. No one said being a Christian was easy - at least Jesus never said that. But He did say that we need to be salt and light - countercultural in our behavior.
Matthew 5:38-39 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
Matthew 5:43-45 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is that gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Jesus has clearly set out for us clear instructions for how we are to react to evil. We are not to do nothing, but instead to turn it around and teach them something about Christ. If someone punches me, it is easier to walk away (still being peaceful) than it is to offer to let them punch me again. It is easy to hate my enemies, but harder to love them and pray for them. But the last verse sums up what the goal is - to gain life, and not destruction. Walking away after someone punches you, you will still probably have a grudge with them. But standing there and inviting them to have another go shows that you have let it go. Now, what is "it"? IT is the temptation to respond in kind. Hate inspires hate. But if you are able to be inspired by Jesus, and not the world around you, you are able to offer the person a second punch because you have truly let "it" go - your thoughts and actions are not headed towards destruction, but instead you are choosing life. (although three punches and you may be gambling that life a little too much - just a joke). The point is that it is natural for us to feel hate, but it is not Godly to respond with it. I honestly don't know exactly how to "love" these people that I was hating this morning, but I do know that I can (and will) pray for them. It is not easy. Few will find the road that leads to life. But if we are inspired by Jesus, and allow Him to direct our actions and reactions, and remember why we are doing so - to truly be sons of our Father in heaven, then we will find life, fuller life than we thought possible.
So, if I am a follower of Jesus, I am to be inspired to love. But in this case, I find it extremely difficult to feel any love towards these people, and others who commit atrocities such as this. So where does that leave me? I know what I am supposed to do, but I can't think of a way to lovingly approach this situation without letting them off the hook for what they did. No one said being a Christian was easy - at least Jesus never said that. But He did say that we need to be salt and light - countercultural in our behavior.
Matthew 5:38-39 "You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also."
Matthew 5:43-45 "You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."
Matthew 7:13-14 "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is that gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."
Jesus has clearly set out for us clear instructions for how we are to react to evil. We are not to do nothing, but instead to turn it around and teach them something about Christ. If someone punches me, it is easier to walk away (still being peaceful) than it is to offer to let them punch me again. It is easy to hate my enemies, but harder to love them and pray for them. But the last verse sums up what the goal is - to gain life, and not destruction. Walking away after someone punches you, you will still probably have a grudge with them. But standing there and inviting them to have another go shows that you have let it go. Now, what is "it"? IT is the temptation to respond in kind. Hate inspires hate. But if you are able to be inspired by Jesus, and not the world around you, you are able to offer the person a second punch because you have truly let "it" go - your thoughts and actions are not headed towards destruction, but instead you are choosing life. (although three punches and you may be gambling that life a little too much - just a joke). The point is that it is natural for us to feel hate, but it is not Godly to respond with it. I honestly don't know exactly how to "love" these people that I was hating this morning, but I do know that I can (and will) pray for them. It is not easy. Few will find the road that leads to life. But if we are inspired by Jesus, and allow Him to direct our actions and reactions, and remember why we are doing so - to truly be sons of our Father in heaven, then we will find life, fuller life than we thought possible.
Monday, September 3, 2007
answers to comments
So, now that you all are doing your part, I figured out how to do mine. Having a blog is a lot of work! Ok, no it's not. I am just too busy watching cable TV. Ok, no I'm not.
Anyway, in answer to Nathan, the way that particular situation worked, he took ME to a baseball game, so YES, you are indeed my friend! But, in fact, I would take you to a baseball game if the opportunity ever arose.
Now on to Dave's question about Vintage. Ironically enough, Vintage is for young people. Don't kill the messenger now, but it is a young adult worship service that the Nags Head Church has on Monday nights (on highway 158 just south of Jockey's Ridge) that we attended while on vacation this year. In fact, Nathan is the worship pastor there and a big part of Vintage (hence the "woohoo"). I would imagine though that if you were to be on vacation there soon, say, sometime in September, and wanted to go, you know, just because you are feeling the whole Vintage vibe, that they would probably throw you a slice of pizza and enjoy your company.
In fact, this young adult worship is what is inspiring me to begin a young adult Bible study in our church sometime soon.
Scripture to ponder today: 2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
He has already given us everything we need, so what's our excuse?
Anyway, in answer to Nathan, the way that particular situation worked, he took ME to a baseball game, so YES, you are indeed my friend! But, in fact, I would take you to a baseball game if the opportunity ever arose.
Now on to Dave's question about Vintage. Ironically enough, Vintage is for young people. Don't kill the messenger now, but it is a young adult worship service that the Nags Head Church has on Monday nights (on highway 158 just south of Jockey's Ridge) that we attended while on vacation this year. In fact, Nathan is the worship pastor there and a big part of Vintage (hence the "woohoo"). I would imagine though that if you were to be on vacation there soon, say, sometime in September, and wanted to go, you know, just because you are feeling the whole Vintage vibe, that they would probably throw you a slice of pizza and enjoy your company.
In fact, this young adult worship is what is inspiring me to begin a young adult Bible study in our church sometime soon.
Scripture to ponder today: 2 Peter 1:3 "His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness."
He has already given us everything we need, so what's our excuse?
Monday, August 27, 2007
Translations
First, I want to send a big Thank You out to my good friend at the beach, Nathan, for helping me figure out what was up with the comments. Evidently no one was allowed to comment, but now it is fixed.
Here's also a picture of me and Kevin at a Cleveland Indians game about a month ago.
I have begun reading a book for seminary called "How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth" by Fee and Stuart, and it mentions in here some of the differences among versions of the Bible. I have often wondered this and have heard some different things. Here's what they say: There are three ways in which the Bible can be translated - literally, functionally, and freely. The challenge with every version of the Bible as it is being translated is what to keep the same and what to change. The English language is quite different from Hebrew and Greek, and we are also averaging a couple thousand years difference in time, and a couple thousand miles difference in place and culture. So, to translate everything word for word would end up being odd and nonsensical to us. The opposite end of that spectrum is to update the original author's words too much to the point that it borders on commentary instead of translation. In the middle of this spectrum are the translations that have strived to translate in a relevant way to our world today, yet still preserving as much of the meaning (not exact wording necessarily) as possible. So, on the one hand, there are the Bibles that tend to be very literal in translation - and these are the King James Versions and similar. Then there are the freely translated versions - and these are the Message and Living Bible and similar. In the middle of these are the Bibles with the highest degree of functionality and the ones that have had the wording updated in the most common sense way while preserving original meaning, and these are the NIVs and NRSVs. Here is a quote from the book - "The TNIV is as good a translation as you will get." This is because it has the most up to date wording available (therefore having a high degree of relevance), while also having a high degree of original meaning preserved.
I am not making any personal statements on what Bible you should be reading from. In fact, their recommendation is that you begin with a TNIV/NIV as your main source of reading, and then also have an NSRV or NASU (word-updated versions of KJV) to compare with (as these are the more literal wordings), and also incorporate a GNB or NAB in order to give yourself the best possible set of resources for intelligent reading and study of the Bible. It is also recommended that you have a Bible Dictionary as a resource when you need information about people, times, places, etc. They did also mention that if you had a freely translated Bible (such as the Message) that these are sometimes helpful in helping you to think more creatively about what the meaning of a passage might be, but that this should certainly not be the only version you are reading from.
I found this information interesting and personally went promptly to my stack of 9 Bibles to see which ones I had and which ones I might need to investigate further. Of the ones they recommend, I have a couple NIVs, a NRSV and that's about it. I do have the GNB on my computer though. I also have a KJV, LB, MSG, NEB, and NCV, plus a whole slew on the computer. This book is a great book at helping you to figure out how to interpret the Bible on your own - without relying heavily on commentaries or other sources. You can do it, if you know the proper methods. Check this book out, or borrow it from me in about 4 weeks when I will be done with it. And above all, get in your Bible, whatever version you have, every day!
Saturday, August 18, 2007
Update
I don't have any deep theological issues to discuss this afternoon but do so enjoy blogging that I needed to post something. So, I am sending out an update. Sarah and I finally returned to our church after missing a month straight (2 weeks guest preaching, 1 week visiting friends in Cleveland, and 1 week at the beach). It was good to be back.
I have really been enjoying my Sunday School class study recently. It is John Ortberg's "If you want to walk on water, you have to get out of the boat." We have had some really great discussions and insights from this study and I am thankful to Lauri for bringing it to us.
I successfully completed my summer semester of seminary in which I studied all about spiritual discipline. I am starting my fall semester on Monday, kicking off the first 8 weeks with a course in Hermeneutics (definition later - when I know it!) and the second 8 weeks will be a History of Baptists I think. Not my number one choice for how to spend 8 weeks, but a requirement in order to graduate, so I am agreeable to it.
My next time preaching will be October 7 at my church, First Baptist of Woodstock.
We had a great time at the beach this year, staying in a new house that we hope to stay in for years to come. The weather was hot, but the water was refreshing and the time away was priceless. We attended Nags Head Church on Sunday morning as usual and also went back on Monday evening for a young adults gathering called Vintage. They have some really good things going on there.
I am on the third book in a one-two-three punch series I am reading for personal enjoyment. The first two were The Church on the Other Side by Brian McClaren and The Church in Transition by Tim Conder. The third book I am reading now is Beyond Beliefs to Convictions by Josh McDowell. All three address postmodernism and the church. This last book will talk specifically about ways to discuss God, the authority of Scripture, etc. with today's youth - the goal being to move them beyond mere beliefs (which are subject to change) to convictions (rock solid beliefs that move you towards action) so that we will have a strong emerging culture of Christians in an ever increasing world of disbelief.
We have been watching the Truth Project on Friday nights at Bible Study and it has been wonderful. Last night especially, I connected quite strongly with the topic. Towards the end he addressed art from a Christian perspective. I am employed in an artistic job and have struggled to come to my own definition of what I think great art is, and to know why I like something or not. The answer last night was that Christians have left art up to the non-believing culture, and therefore we rely on them to define it and create it. We need to get more Christians back into art so that people out there will have another perspective on art and see another type of creativity beyond what the world has to offer.
Running out of updatable material, so I'm done. I have to start reading for my next semester anyway. This first 8 weeks, I 'only' have 3 textbooks to read. If you haven't yet, talk to God today, see what's on His mind, and promise to talk to Him again later, or tomorrow - but keep talking to Him, and keep listening. That's advice that can't miss.
One last thing - I received my first comment from someone about one of the posts on my blog. I would encourage more of you to do the same. I would love to hear other ideas and opinions on the things I am writing about. No one person has everything figured out, but when we all share our thoughts, our beliefs are strengthened. If you haven't noticed it, there is a little tag under each post that says "O comments" (that means zero) and if you click it, it will take you to a page where you can leave one. Thanks for doing that!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Christianity in the Future
I just finished reading Brian McClaren's book The Church on the Other Side. This is a look into some of the possible directions the church will be heading towards in the future. He does a great job explaining and contrasting modern and postmodern thinking. And as I thought a lot about these things over the last week or two, I realized that church may be headed into some difficult waters.
He describes modern thinking as the desire to prove everything as true through science and methods. Modern thinking has been the norm for several hundred years and has led society, including the church to where it is now. This is why the preaching style of so many pastors, and the desire of so many Christians who debate with non-Christians, is to show the other person how you are right and they are wrong, therefore they should join your side. This inherently means that you are claiming to have the truth, as you have just proven, and they don't, hence they should join your side now. But for the most part, society is no longer operating under a modern mindset. Society has moved into postmodernism, which means that the main way of thinking is that there is no one way and it is too hard to know the truth, so if someone claims to have the truth, or the answer, or the right way, then we should be skeptical of them, because how can we trust that they actually know the truth? The postmodern platform is that "all beliefs are equally valid, except those that claim to be True." They doubt the ability of anyone to be able to discern absolute truth from everything else. So, postmodern people will be turned away by people who claim to have it all figured out because postmoderns don't believe that it's possible for anyone to have it all figured out.
This puts Christians in a difficult place. Our main method for teaching, discipling, evangelism, etc. has always been to prove that what we believe is worth believing, thus setting up the scenario that everyone else should recognize it and follow suit. But now when we claim to have the only true way, we can actually turn people away, because they are operating under a different set of thinking now.
I think McClaren gives two really good points to help Christians figure out how to begin to move forward through all of this. First, he points out a key scripture that helps us to start to see how we could possibly move through this into the postmodern mindset. In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." For many moderns, the main focus of this passage is that Jesus it the truth, and as we focus on only that part, now postmoderns begin to become skeptical of us claiming the truth. But Jesus says He is the way, the truth, AND the life. He is all three - none more highly focused on than another. Maybe this means that there can be an integrated way of coming to the Father - through experiencing certain things, applying things to your life, and coming to know the truth. McClaren points then to John 7:17, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God." This sets up that perhaps while following the way and living the life, you come to know the truth - that you don't have to know the truth first.
His second point is something that I believe many moderns overlooked simply due to the nature of their thinking. Modern thinking says that we can know truth, whereas postmodern thinking doubts that we can. Regardless of where we actually fall in between these two ideas, the one thing that we must not forget is faith. No one knows everything about God, and in fact, we know very little about God compared to all that there is to know. Yet we persevere in our Christian walk - by faith. And this is a good point to focus on in an era where truth can't be relied upon by postmoderns to carry their beliefs. We can introduce them to the idea of faith, instead of trying to beat them over the head with truth. We can introduce them to the way and the life, and as they engage in those, their faith will grow and lead them towards the truth.
All of these ideas are very challenging to Christians of today. Many of us don't even realize that we are still very modern in our thinking, and we have no idea how postmodern thinking even works. This is something we need to figure out on a large scale and soon. We don't need to change the gospel, but we do need to begin looking at adapting the ways we introduce people to it. And this idea is not popular among many Christians today. The main line of thinking is that it worked ten, twenty, thirty years ago, so it's a good system. This is not wise or strategic thinking. We as Christians need to open our eyes and see the world around us for what it is, and then figure out how we can connect with the people around us. At times it may not be easy, but it is entirely necessary.
He describes modern thinking as the desire to prove everything as true through science and methods. Modern thinking has been the norm for several hundred years and has led society, including the church to where it is now. This is why the preaching style of so many pastors, and the desire of so many Christians who debate with non-Christians, is to show the other person how you are right and they are wrong, therefore they should join your side. This inherently means that you are claiming to have the truth, as you have just proven, and they don't, hence they should join your side now. But for the most part, society is no longer operating under a modern mindset. Society has moved into postmodernism, which means that the main way of thinking is that there is no one way and it is too hard to know the truth, so if someone claims to have the truth, or the answer, or the right way, then we should be skeptical of them, because how can we trust that they actually know the truth? The postmodern platform is that "all beliefs are equally valid, except those that claim to be True." They doubt the ability of anyone to be able to discern absolute truth from everything else. So, postmodern people will be turned away by people who claim to have it all figured out because postmoderns don't believe that it's possible for anyone to have it all figured out.
This puts Christians in a difficult place. Our main method for teaching, discipling, evangelism, etc. has always been to prove that what we believe is worth believing, thus setting up the scenario that everyone else should recognize it and follow suit. But now when we claim to have the only true way, we can actually turn people away, because they are operating under a different set of thinking now.
I think McClaren gives two really good points to help Christians figure out how to begin to move forward through all of this. First, he points out a key scripture that helps us to start to see how we could possibly move through this into the postmodern mindset. In John 14:6, Jesus says, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." For many moderns, the main focus of this passage is that Jesus it the truth, and as we focus on only that part, now postmoderns begin to become skeptical of us claiming the truth. But Jesus says He is the way, the truth, AND the life. He is all three - none more highly focused on than another. Maybe this means that there can be an integrated way of coming to the Father - through experiencing certain things, applying things to your life, and coming to know the truth. McClaren points then to John 7:17, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God." This sets up that perhaps while following the way and living the life, you come to know the truth - that you don't have to know the truth first.
His second point is something that I believe many moderns overlooked simply due to the nature of their thinking. Modern thinking says that we can know truth, whereas postmodern thinking doubts that we can. Regardless of where we actually fall in between these two ideas, the one thing that we must not forget is faith. No one knows everything about God, and in fact, we know very little about God compared to all that there is to know. Yet we persevere in our Christian walk - by faith. And this is a good point to focus on in an era where truth can't be relied upon by postmoderns to carry their beliefs. We can introduce them to the idea of faith, instead of trying to beat them over the head with truth. We can introduce them to the way and the life, and as they engage in those, their faith will grow and lead them towards the truth.
All of these ideas are very challenging to Christians of today. Many of us don't even realize that we are still very modern in our thinking, and we have no idea how postmodern thinking even works. This is something we need to figure out on a large scale and soon. We don't need to change the gospel, but we do need to begin looking at adapting the ways we introduce people to it. And this idea is not popular among many Christians today. The main line of thinking is that it worked ten, twenty, thirty years ago, so it's a good system. This is not wise or strategic thinking. We as Christians need to open our eyes and see the world around us for what it is, and then figure out how we can connect with the people around us. At times it may not be easy, but it is entirely necessary.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Counter-culture out in the Community
I saw this sign in Harrisonburg one evening and it caught my attention because it had scripture on it. I shared in my last sermon some of the counter-cultural Christian reactions to the VT shootings. Here is another Christian reaction to it. It is tough for many people to think about - the idea that one wouldn't take revenge on the evil, or dwell on it until you got some kind of satisfaction, but instead to overcome the evil with good.
Romans 12:19-21 says, "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
These words are difficult, but good. Many people criticize this idea by asking, "WHEN will God DO something about all this?!? WHY does He let evil happen?" Everything God created is good. But Satan took the good and distorted it - into evil. God has a plan for dealing with Satan, and ultimately, at some time in the future, He will bring justice to all that has been done. That which is for the kingdom of God will be rewarded, and that which is against it will be punished. There will be a new paradise where God will dwell with man again, as in the garden. God will do something about all this.
Until then though, we are called by Him to be doing what WE can while here on earth to help overcome evil with good. The cultural reaction is to overcome evil with more evil - hatred, prejudice, revenge, and the like. Our Counter-cultural reaction is to overcome it with good - praying for our enemies, showing mercy, passing on the grace that has been shown to us. If we really want the world to be a different place, then we have to be different than the world as it currently is. We have to be the change we want to see in the world. Think about that, and pray about it too, because this is one of the most essential needs in Christianity today.
Romans 12:19-21 says, "Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord. On the contrary: 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
These words are difficult, but good. Many people criticize this idea by asking, "WHEN will God DO something about all this?!? WHY does He let evil happen?" Everything God created is good. But Satan took the good and distorted it - into evil. God has a plan for dealing with Satan, and ultimately, at some time in the future, He will bring justice to all that has been done. That which is for the kingdom of God will be rewarded, and that which is against it will be punished. There will be a new paradise where God will dwell with man again, as in the garden. God will do something about all this.
Until then though, we are called by Him to be doing what WE can while here on earth to help overcome evil with good. The cultural reaction is to overcome evil with more evil - hatred, prejudice, revenge, and the like. Our Counter-cultural reaction is to overcome it with good - praying for our enemies, showing mercy, passing on the grace that has been shown to us. If we really want the world to be a different place, then we have to be different than the world as it currently is. We have to be the change we want to see in the world. Think about that, and pray about it too, because this is one of the most essential needs in Christianity today.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Guest preaching
Just an update of what's going on - I just finished preaching two Sundays in a row at my church, and after getting a phone call Monday night, I will also be preaching the next two Sundays at another church nearby. I am pretty excited about this because it will be my first time preaching in a church that is not my own. I preached at a Jr. Angus Showman's weekend in February, in an agricultural barn, but this will be my first guest preaching at a different church. I am not sure what to preach on yet, but I know God will give me the messages. I am pretty confident that at least one of them will have to do with being counter-cultural though....
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Salt + Light = Counter Cultural
I had the honor of preaching a sermon on being counter-cultural Christians this past Sunday at my church. Since the message goes right along with the blog, I thought I would post some of the sermon. Here are some excerpts on being salt and light:
I have been studying the Sermon on the Mount, which is what I'll be preaching from today. John R.W. Stott says this about it:
- “The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the
teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed….To my mind no two words sum up its intention better, or indicate more clearly its challenge to the modern world, than the expression ‘Christian counter-culture.’”
Look at what Jesus says the purpose of Christians is in the world in Matthew 5:13-16. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. What do these two statements mean? Jesus picked two items for His illustration that every household used back then and that every house today still uses. Salt and light.
Salt of the earth
Today we typically use salt for light seasoning to our food, and
to melt ice in our driveways. But in ancient times, as well as today, people also used salt to preserve food.
- In South Africa, they make a dried meat called ‘biltong’, which is cut and trimmed to a certain size, then rubbed well with coarse salt. If properly cured, it will keep indefinitely.
If we are the salt of the earth, we are what prevents it from decaying. The world, if left to its own, will decay and rot just like meat. But are we in fact preventing decay? If not, what are the main hinderances to our saltiness?
First, as Jesus says, the salt can lose its saltiness. This happens by combining the salt with other things. Salt is a substance that quickly dissolves in most liquids, and when mixed with food, is quickly spread out and the potency is greatly reduced. - Christians lose their saltiness by intermixing with the things of the world. When we adopt ideas and practices from the world and mix them with Christianity, we have a diluted Christianity. Therefore, our influence in the world is diminished. This relates back to one of my favorite sayings to live by, “As within, so without.” What we put inside ourselves is what will come out later. Whether you like it or not, every single thing that you do in public, in the workplace, within your family – directly influences people in one of two ways. Either towards or away from Christianity.
We need to be the salt IN the world, not amongst it. Salt cannot preserve meat from within it’s container. So Christians cannot preserve the world from within it’s churches.
“When society goes bad, we Christians tend to throw our hands up in pious horror and criticize the non-Christian world. But should we not criticize ourselves instead? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question should be, where is the salt?” – Dr. Lloyd
Light of the World
By saying that we are the light of the world, Jesus is implying that the world is an inherently dark place. We are the light in a dark world. Our light is our good works. We should let our good deeds, that is, the way we live our life, be seen by all. We should not hide the fact that we are Christians, or hide the way we choose to live our lives. The way we live our life, as viewed by non-Christians, is what gives our faith credibility. If we are not living Biblical lives, we will not look any different from the world, and therefore no one will recognize us as light.
Lighthouses line the shorelines of many coasts worldwide. The lighthouses are not typically needed in bright, clear conditions. They are needed at night, and in the fog, when it is so dark you can’t tell what is safe and what is dangerous in front of you. The lighthouse guides boats into safety amid total darkness. So our lives can guide others into safety from the influence of Satan and the world, as they watch us live out Christianity in front of them.
But so often we are tempted to hide our light. We keep quiet about being Christians. We go along with jokes or say nothing when people are sinning in our midst. We hide our light. But this the wrong thing to do because in darkness, people desire light. We want to be able to see something good among the darkness. The people in the world desperately desire to see something hopeful in this world, so if we hide our light, they are unable to see that hope in the dark.
We learn some fundamental lessons from these passages:
1. Christians are different from the world around them
2. We must accept (as Jesus instructed us) the responsibility that this
distinction puts on us. We need to take responsibility for some of the things being the way they are.
3. Neither salt nor light is a substitute for the other. The world needs both. We all have earthly jobs and responsibilities, but these have been given to us so that we can really do our heavenly jobs of being salt and light IN the world.
Counter-Cultural Christianity
When you are expecting something to be the same as it always is, and then you find that it is quite different, it tends to shock you a bit. Like when you pour a glass of milk and find out by tasting it that it has gone sour. You are used to it tasting one way, so when it all the sudden doesn’t, it shocks you. When we follow Jesus’ commands on how we are to live our lives, as indicated in the Sermon on the Mount, we are going to shock people. People are so used to seeing people live a certain way that when someone all of the sudden does something different, it can be shocking. It stands out.
Imagine how your coworkers would react if they saw your boss
reaming you for something that wasn’t your fault, and then after he was done, you went to coffee shop and bought him a latte and took it to him. They would think you were nuts!
We need to be applying Scripture to what we see and hear around us. This will allow us to view the world differently. When we see the world from Jesus’ point of view, we will be better able to discern what course of action to take. We attract the world by being different from it. The last thing non-Christians want to be a part of is more of the stuff that is ruining the world they live in. They don’t want to be a part of greed, pride, hate, lust, lying, and people who don’t care. Even though it’s the world they live in, they don’t want more of those influences around them. If the church is noticeably different than the world, then it will attract those in the world to it because it is different.
If there is a church that isn’t attracting very many non-Christians, then it is probably a church that is not very different from the world that those people already live in. That’s a tough thing to hear, but it’s true. If your church is not attracting non-Christians (and it certainly ought to be), then it is because what they see in your church is not a better option than what they already have.
If you want to figure out how to be counter-cultural, just take notice of the way the world is handling a situation, apply the Bible to it, and you will begin to see a different way to handle it, and it will be pretty obvious to you that it is an unpopular idea. Example – when something bad happens, the people in the world will hold grudges and blame people, and will build up hatred and a mind for vengeance upon anyone that has wronged them. The counter-cultural teaching from Jesus says, ‘love your enemies’, ‘blessed are the peacemakers’, and ‘judge not lest ye be judged’. These are not popular ideas with the world, in fact, they’re not even popular among Christians. I’ll prove it:
1. The VT shootings. Everyone immediately began to blame someone for this tragedy. It was VT’s fault, it was the court’s fault, it was the gun store’s fault, but it had to be somebody’s fault. The shooter was dead too, so they couldn’t exact their revenge on him, so they blamed everyone else. VT is retiring a jersey number this coming school year - #32. They have taken their revenge upon the shooter now by not retiring #33. I KNOW this is not going to win me any popularity points, but then again, I’m not hoping for any. Popularity points are cultural, and I’m called to live counter-culturally. As I react to this event, I am called to love my enemies, and to be a peacemaker. I have prayed for the shooter’s family, as I have prayed for the families of the victims. My sadness for every single person involved leads me towards sorrow, but not hatred and revenge. There is no understanding of why it happened, and there is honestly no way for us to prevent bad things from happening in the future. Bad things happen, and every time they do we begin blaming everyone around us, meanwhile the true culprit, the prince of darkness sneaks away without ever being mentioned. What we are called to do is be salt and light in a dark and decaying world. We are called to be different, to stand out from the hatred and revenge that the world feels when these things happen. We are to react in love, and in mercy, and in meekness. How easy is this to do though? It is not easy at all.
We simply don’t have what it takes to live out a counter-cultural Christianity on a day to day basis. When we received our salvation, God didn’t make us superhumans. We are tempted, we are tried, we are discouraged, and we are broken by the things of this world, by our own corruptness. And when we are, we need to go to God. That’s the whole point – the relationship. We go to God to get our strength, we go to God to be renewed, we go to God for wisdom to know what to do. And when we do go do Him, we struggle well with life, and our city on a hill is seen by all passersby. But when we don’t go to Him, we struggle horribly with life, and our light is not seen.
Matthew 7:14 “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a
few find it.”
I want to end with Romans 12:2 which says, “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.”
It’s not any clearer than that. We need to stop being like the world, and thereby losing our saltiness and hiding our light. We need to be transformed, by God’s holy Word. We need to constantly renew our mind with His ideas and His perspective, so that we can see what He wants us to be doing, and thereby preserve this world from decay, and be a lighthouse to the lost and guide them through the darkness to safety.
A.W. Tozer said, “It takes real faith to begin to live the life of heaven while still upon the earth, for this requires that we rise above the law of moral gravitation and bring to our everyday living the high wisdom of God. And since this wisdom is contrary to that of the world, conflict is bound to result. This, however; is a small price to pay for the inestimable privilege of following Christ.”
Always keep this in mind as a rule for making certain you are being counter-cultural, “It’s not about me.” The world says it’s about me. Christianity says, no it’s not. There are more important things to consider than myself.
We are to be Christ-like, and I’ve never heard of anyone more counter-cultural than He was. This world is a dark and decaying place. Will you be the salt and light it so desperately needs? Will you determine to be a counter-cultural Christian?
I have been studying the Sermon on the Mount, which is what I'll be preaching from today. John R.W. Stott says this about it:
- “The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the
teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly it is the least obeyed….To my mind no two words sum up its intention better, or indicate more clearly its challenge to the modern world, than the expression ‘Christian counter-culture.’”
Look at what Jesus says the purpose of Christians is in the world in Matthew 5:13-16. "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."
You are the salt of the earth. You are the light of the world. What do these two statements mean? Jesus picked two items for His illustration that every household used back then and that every house today still uses. Salt and light.
Salt of the earth
Today we typically use salt for light seasoning to our food, and
to melt ice in our driveways. But in ancient times, as well as today, people also used salt to preserve food.
- In South Africa, they make a dried meat called ‘biltong’, which is cut and trimmed to a certain size, then rubbed well with coarse salt. If properly cured, it will keep indefinitely.
If we are the salt of the earth, we are what prevents it from decaying. The world, if left to its own, will decay and rot just like meat. But are we in fact preventing decay? If not, what are the main hinderances to our saltiness?
First, as Jesus says, the salt can lose its saltiness. This happens by combining the salt with other things. Salt is a substance that quickly dissolves in most liquids, and when mixed with food, is quickly spread out and the potency is greatly reduced. - Christians lose their saltiness by intermixing with the things of the world. When we adopt ideas and practices from the world and mix them with Christianity, we have a diluted Christianity. Therefore, our influence in the world is diminished. This relates back to one of my favorite sayings to live by, “As within, so without.” What we put inside ourselves is what will come out later. Whether you like it or not, every single thing that you do in public, in the workplace, within your family – directly influences people in one of two ways. Either towards or away from Christianity.
We need to be the salt IN the world, not amongst it. Salt cannot preserve meat from within it’s container. So Christians cannot preserve the world from within it’s churches.
“When society goes bad, we Christians tend to throw our hands up in pious horror and criticize the non-Christian world. But should we not criticize ourselves instead? One can hardly blame unsalted meat for going bad. It cannot do anything else. The real question should be, where is the salt?” – Dr. Lloyd
Light of the World
By saying that we are the light of the world, Jesus is implying that the world is an inherently dark place. We are the light in a dark world. Our light is our good works. We should let our good deeds, that is, the way we live our life, be seen by all. We should not hide the fact that we are Christians, or hide the way we choose to live our lives. The way we live our life, as viewed by non-Christians, is what gives our faith credibility. If we are not living Biblical lives, we will not look any different from the world, and therefore no one will recognize us as light.
Lighthouses line the shorelines of many coasts worldwide. The lighthouses are not typically needed in bright, clear conditions. They are needed at night, and in the fog, when it is so dark you can’t tell what is safe and what is dangerous in front of you. The lighthouse guides boats into safety amid total darkness. So our lives can guide others into safety from the influence of Satan and the world, as they watch us live out Christianity in front of them.
But so often we are tempted to hide our light. We keep quiet about being Christians. We go along with jokes or say nothing when people are sinning in our midst. We hide our light. But this the wrong thing to do because in darkness, people desire light. We want to be able to see something good among the darkness. The people in the world desperately desire to see something hopeful in this world, so if we hide our light, they are unable to see that hope in the dark.
We learn some fundamental lessons from these passages:
1. Christians are different from the world around them
2. We must accept (as Jesus instructed us) the responsibility that this
distinction puts on us. We need to take responsibility for some of the things being the way they are.
3. Neither salt nor light is a substitute for the other. The world needs both. We all have earthly jobs and responsibilities, but these have been given to us so that we can really do our heavenly jobs of being salt and light IN the world.
Counter-Cultural Christianity
When you are expecting something to be the same as it always is, and then you find that it is quite different, it tends to shock you a bit. Like when you pour a glass of milk and find out by tasting it that it has gone sour. You are used to it tasting one way, so when it all the sudden doesn’t, it shocks you. When we follow Jesus’ commands on how we are to live our lives, as indicated in the Sermon on the Mount, we are going to shock people. People are so used to seeing people live a certain way that when someone all of the sudden does something different, it can be shocking. It stands out.
Imagine how your coworkers would react if they saw your boss
reaming you for something that wasn’t your fault, and then after he was done, you went to coffee shop and bought him a latte and took it to him. They would think you were nuts!
We need to be applying Scripture to what we see and hear around us. This will allow us to view the world differently. When we see the world from Jesus’ point of view, we will be better able to discern what course of action to take. We attract the world by being different from it. The last thing non-Christians want to be a part of is more of the stuff that is ruining the world they live in. They don’t want to be a part of greed, pride, hate, lust, lying, and people who don’t care. Even though it’s the world they live in, they don’t want more of those influences around them. If the church is noticeably different than the world, then it will attract those in the world to it because it is different.
If there is a church that isn’t attracting very many non-Christians, then it is probably a church that is not very different from the world that those people already live in. That’s a tough thing to hear, but it’s true. If your church is not attracting non-Christians (and it certainly ought to be), then it is because what they see in your church is not a better option than what they already have.
If you want to figure out how to be counter-cultural, just take notice of the way the world is handling a situation, apply the Bible to it, and you will begin to see a different way to handle it, and it will be pretty obvious to you that it is an unpopular idea. Example – when something bad happens, the people in the world will hold grudges and blame people, and will build up hatred and a mind for vengeance upon anyone that has wronged them. The counter-cultural teaching from Jesus says, ‘love your enemies’, ‘blessed are the peacemakers’, and ‘judge not lest ye be judged’. These are not popular ideas with the world, in fact, they’re not even popular among Christians. I’ll prove it:
1. The VT shootings. Everyone immediately began to blame someone for this tragedy. It was VT’s fault, it was the court’s fault, it was the gun store’s fault, but it had to be somebody’s fault. The shooter was dead too, so they couldn’t exact their revenge on him, so they blamed everyone else. VT is retiring a jersey number this coming school year - #32. They have taken their revenge upon the shooter now by not retiring #33. I KNOW this is not going to win me any popularity points, but then again, I’m not hoping for any. Popularity points are cultural, and I’m called to live counter-culturally. As I react to this event, I am called to love my enemies, and to be a peacemaker. I have prayed for the shooter’s family, as I have prayed for the families of the victims. My sadness for every single person involved leads me towards sorrow, but not hatred and revenge. There is no understanding of why it happened, and there is honestly no way for us to prevent bad things from happening in the future. Bad things happen, and every time they do we begin blaming everyone around us, meanwhile the true culprit, the prince of darkness sneaks away without ever being mentioned. What we are called to do is be salt and light in a dark and decaying world. We are called to be different, to stand out from the hatred and revenge that the world feels when these things happen. We are to react in love, and in mercy, and in meekness. How easy is this to do though? It is not easy at all.
We simply don’t have what it takes to live out a counter-cultural Christianity on a day to day basis. When we received our salvation, God didn’t make us superhumans. We are tempted, we are tried, we are discouraged, and we are broken by the things of this world, by our own corruptness. And when we are, we need to go to God. That’s the whole point – the relationship. We go to God to get our strength, we go to God to be renewed, we go to God for wisdom to know what to do. And when we do go do Him, we struggle well with life, and our city on a hill is seen by all passersby. But when we don’t go to Him, we struggle horribly with life, and our light is not seen.
Matthew 7:14 “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a
few find it.”
I want to end with Romans 12:2 which says, “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.”
It’s not any clearer than that. We need to stop being like the world, and thereby losing our saltiness and hiding our light. We need to be transformed, by God’s holy Word. We need to constantly renew our mind with His ideas and His perspective, so that we can see what He wants us to be doing, and thereby preserve this world from decay, and be a lighthouse to the lost and guide them through the darkness to safety.
A.W. Tozer said, “It takes real faith to begin to live the life of heaven while still upon the earth, for this requires that we rise above the law of moral gravitation and bring to our everyday living the high wisdom of God. And since this wisdom is contrary to that of the world, conflict is bound to result. This, however; is a small price to pay for the inestimable privilege of following Christ.”
Always keep this in mind as a rule for making certain you are being counter-cultural, “It’s not about me.” The world says it’s about me. Christianity says, no it’s not. There are more important things to consider than myself.
We are to be Christ-like, and I’ve never heard of anyone more counter-cultural than He was. This world is a dark and decaying place. Will you be the salt and light it so desperately needs? Will you determine to be a counter-cultural Christian?
Friday, July 6, 2007
Gulfport, MS
This picture represents counter-cultural Christianity. I went with these guys (as well as about 15 other people) to Gulfport, MS a couple weeks ago to do mission work for people affected by Hurricane Katrina. The guy in the front right and his wife actually bought a house down there and have been living there and working with people who need help for the last year or so. The others of us who went down for a week took vacation time from work, left behind our responsibilities, etc. to go help a group of people we don't know. We had no idea what we would be doing when we got there, but one thing was certain - we did what God wanted us to do, and it was evident all week long. The list of God stories is amazing to hear people talk about. I think one of the most amazing things was how quickly and solidly our group gelled with the people in the neighborhood we were working in. It was evident Thursday night as we gathered in a large circle around the tree for prayer that our hearts had been united that week. We had stories of safety, protection, God's spirit working through children, outreach, and God planning out details to perfection. We were blessed as much as the people we helped by this experience. It was a counter-cultural thing to do though. Most people take vacation for themselves. Many people wouldn't willingly go into a drug and crime-ridden neighborhood to help people they don't even know. They certainly wouldn't take vacation time to do it. And they probably wouldn't take their children there either. But we did, and it was awesome.
Last Sunday I preached a sermon on our trip, allowing people to come and tell the God stories. The basic premise of the sermon was that, just as Jesus called Peter to exit the boat and come to Him on the water, He has called us to come join Him outside our comfort zones as well. And when we are obedient and step out of the boat(comfort zone) in faith, we will see Him do some amazing things. The best part is that getting outside your comfort zone and acting in obedience and faith to help people in need can happen in your hometown on a weekend. You don't need to go anywhere special or take time off from work even! The Bible gives us all the instruction we need on what God desires us to be doing. Are we stepping out in faith from our comfort zones? My Bible study class astutely pointed out that this takes discernment - Peter did make sure it was Jesus before stepping out - and that sometimes being obedient doesn't result in anything visibly amazing. God only calls us to obedience, not to glory. Being obedient to God, even when nobody else can see any good reason why you did what you did - that's counter-cultural.
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