Sunday's Music - August 23, 2015

Yikes. It's been over a year since my last visit here. I thought I'd dust off the cobwebs and dive in with something I wrote to our church fellowship this evening. This coming Sunday I'll get to lead music with a talented group of musicians and singers. This is a post about what we'll be singing together
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A scant few synonyms of the word "furious" might be "passionate," "unrestrained," or "fierce." The ones I typically think of, though, are more like "angry" or "enraged." (And I'm sure many of you think about cars and stunts.) I have to say that I haven't often thought of our Father's love for us as "furious."

Interestingly, though, that's one of the very reasons I so easily embraced our first song for this coming Sunday. It made me consider in a new way how how deeply God loves us. He is a love so passionate that He cannot be resisted. God's love for us will relentlessly persist in spite of our worst failures (and sometimes, it seems, in spite of our most proficient efforts).

And that's just the FIRST song.

The second song, "Look What God Has Done," has become a new favorite. I'll paste some lyrics below our song list for this coming Sunday...

• Furious (Bethel Church with Jeremy Riddle)
• Look What God Has Done (Ghost Ship)
• Come to Me (Village Church with Lauren Chandler)
• Like Incense / Sometimes By Step (Hillsong Worship)
• All My Fountains (Chris Tomlin)

(And here's a playlist for Spotify users: http://spoti.fi/1PoUoHk )

Here are some lyrics from "Look What God Has Done":

Look what God has done: He redeemed us with His blood.
We were lost and dead in sin. He came for us.
Look what God has done: He adopted us in Love;
We were orphans without hope, now His children.

Who are we that He would save us?
Who are we that He would send us?

To God be glory, through Christ our Savior's Church
Through all generations.
To God be glory, through Christ our Savior's work
Forever and ever.

Look at Jesus Christ: He redeems His precious bride.
By His costly sacrifice, we're invited.
See the wisdom of His ways in the mystery of grace;
Every age and every race, we're united.

Do you see where this song directs our focus? What if we spent every day remembering that focus and actively modeling it? When I consider how I tend to inadvertently (and, to be real, sometimes intentionally) look down on other people, and then remember that Jesus never had the same disdain for me, I'm utterly shocked at my own arrogance.

Who am I that He would save me? Who am I that He would send me?

Look what God has done!

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Abstinence of Evidence

"Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." (Jesus in Matthew 7:20, NLT)

"So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (Jesus in John 13:34-35, NLT, emphasis obviously mine)

Believe it or not, unassailable doctrine, large churches, observance of strict moral codes, etc., are not the best indicators that we're followers of Jesus, although they may sometimes come along for the ride. But it doesn't get much simpler than this: our love for one another will prove to the world that we are Jesus' disciples.

Is it possible that followers of Christ tend to live under the impression -- and teach and imply -- that our abstinence from such-and-such "evil" will prove to the world that we're indeed Jesus' disciples? Certainly there are codes of conduct that are taught to the believer in Scripture, and often those things begin with "do not." I'm not saying or implying otherwise.

The problem, though, may be that we're so concerned with the "do not" parts that we tend to forget the "do" parts. Consider the fact that Jesus did not make any of these statements:

• "If you do not associate with sinners, you will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
• "If you do not use foul speech, this will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
• "Your abstinence from alcohol will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
• "If you do not support businesses that act in a way that is contrary to Scriptural principles, the world will know that you are my disciples."
• "If you do not gossip, it will be obvious to the world that you are my disciples."

Some of those things are fine (unless they're accompanied by legalism, at which point they're tainted), but according to Jesus, none are the most solid evidence that we are His disciples. In fact, our reliance on "do not" rules can have a tremendous negative effect. (Dave Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons' eye-opening 2007 book, unChristian, is a great place to start in learning about this, and I highly recommend it.)

One of my favorite quotes about the Church is one made by a man known as Julian the Apostate, emperor of Rome from 361-363. He wrote in a letter to Arsacius, the high priest in Galatia, "These impious Galileans [Christians] not only feed their own poor, but ours also; welcoming them into their agapae, they attract them, as children are attracted, with cakes." It wasn't that this early group of believers stood up for their religious rights, abstained from certain foods and drinks, or didn't associate with pagans. It was direct outward evidence of their love for other people (which blossomed out of their love for Jesus) that was evidence that they were followers of The Way.

For the sake of Jesus Christ, let us become a generation of believers that is known for what it does rather than what it does not do.

(This post was originally made quite some time ago; you've just read a re-post. But that's okay. It was free!)

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Mostly Harmless

GARDENDALE | Wed Jan 2, 2013 8:15am EST -- Several years ago in Gardendale, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, a group of people with similar interests began to meet in a community center they rented every other Saturday. The facility in an upper middle class section of town; an area where people took pride in their landscaping, had solid high-paying jobs, two and a half kids, etc.

There was nothing at all unusual about people meeting in the community center, but when word got out that the crowd was made up of parolees, convicted felons, and people who'd been accused of any number of crimes from petty theft to rape and arson, the community was none too happy, for obvious reasons.

Fairly soon it was discovered that the meetings were essentially seminars where attendees were given what amounted to step-by-step tutorials on topics like disarming alarm systems, offensive combat techniques, and weapons training. As this leaked out, the well-to-do neighborhoods nearby became paralyzed with fear. Sales of high-end security systems, video monitoring systems, and home window security bars nearly tripled in the first two months of the group's meetings.

Over time, however, the community residents were surprised that although there was an occasional burglary in the neighborhood or a petty theft at a nearby convenience store, the crime rate didn't actually rise. On top of that, the extra income generated by the facility rental allowed the community center to make improvements on its property, initially adding a baseball diamond and after a few years, a swimming pool. The leader of the group continued to make occasional appearances on local-access TV channels and in spite of being outspoken and having rather alarming commentary on some issues, his ideas never gained traction outside the group.

It wasn't very long before the group of people meeting in the community center came to be classified as "mostly harmless."

The above is a work of fiction; a parable submitted for your consideration. Has the Church become all bark and no bite? Are our meetings just informational seminars that rarely result in action or implementation? Do we expect to get by on our reputation or things we've done in the past? Are we really "mostly harmless"?

If we lived and practiced what Jesus taught and what we teach in our meetings, wouldn't we expect to see some crazy changes in our communities?

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As God Is My Witness

"As God is my witness [insert something you're terribly determined to do]." Some reserve this saying for those very special occasions when a simple declaration just won't cut it. Maybe the most well-known version was when Scarlet O'Hara announced (to herself, I think) that she'd never be hungry again. And she meant it, darn it. Paul the Apostle even used the phrase in the beginning of his letter to the church in Rome.

While it appeals to the all-seeing, all-knowing characteristics of God, we use that reference to call on the nature of the One who is supremely trustworthy, otherwise it makes little sense. It's like a first cousin of the phrase "May God strike me dead if..." It promises that no matter the odds or the difficulty, we are going to do this particular thing.

Has it occurred to you that God essentially says this of His followers every single day? The statement of Jesus in Acts 1:8 -- "you will be My witnesses" -- indicates that He is saying to the world, for instance, "As Dean is my witness, anyone who believes in Me has eternal life," or to the Church, "As Dean is my witness, the world will know you're My followers by the love you have for each other."

That's a very tall order. But it's not only possible for us to be that kind of witness, it is reasonable and it is even expected of every follower of Jesus Christ. This is how much God has entrusted to us. The Church is His body on earth. I am His witness. You are His witness. He gives enough of Himself to us to expect us to be supremely trustworthy; to be carriers of His name and guardians of His character.

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Scribbles in a Notebook

This morning I found a notebook of mine with a few scribbles in it. I believe they were notes from a youth workers' meeting several years ago when I was on staff at Wall Highway.

Some quotes are apparently from the speaker and some were my personal notes. I'm not going to note which is which, though. This is short and the content is a bit random, but I thought some of you may find some of the points and questions interesting.

If you have any answers or opinions on any of this, feel free to leave a comment or two.

With that, here are the notes:

• People are looking for authenticity (serving the community). So? Is it Biblical? Should/do we adjust based on people or based on the Word?
• People enter "church" differently now -- less longevity; continually searching. Has the Church changed or has the community begun to finally see inauthenticity?
• People look for an experience. Does the Church adapt to what people want? That is, does it alter our message? Are we doing so much that no time is left for mentoring/serving?

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When Necessary, Use Money

I think I'd better clarify some things about yesterday's post, "Would Jesus Contribute?" It may sound like I'm opining that Christians should be giving more money to organizations or efforts that I consider to be Christ-honoring and much less to "evil" things like presidential campaigns.

That's not what I meant to convey (but if it's a conviction of yours you should act on it). I don't believe that donating funds to a campaign is inherently bad. I don't think I'm better than you if you've never given a dime to the Downtown Rescue Mission, and I don't even think you're a terrible Christian if that's the case. I intended to illustrate that our priorities as a nation just might be out of whack, and the direction our money flows could be a key indicator of that.

Jesus and the apostles gave to poor people from a pool of money they collected, and Judas was their treasurer (see John 12:5-6 and 13:29). So while there may be a Biblical basis for stating that Jesus likely would've been more likely to give money to a rescue mission rather than a political coup effort (I can't think of a better comparison at the moment; the political landscape of the middle east was... well, a bit different from that of modern America), my guess is that Jesus would've actually been at the rescue mission rather than simply donating money to it.

This also touches on one of the serious issues I have with modern church culture. The typical church atmosphere today is such that attendees are conditioned to put money into an offering plate and consider this to be a pretty decent way to spread the Gospel (you know, it will grow the size of the church so more people will come, hear the preacher preach, and get saved -- which is not a Biblical concept). Whether intended or not, this method of helping, if it is the primary focus, keeps the average church-attender from actually meeting and connecting to needy people and it tells him that money is his best gift or good deed. And it keeps the business end of the church above water so that the process can be repeated over and over.

While I'm not condemning all churches that see fit to sink their funds into a state-of-the-art building, frankly, it makes me sick to learn of a church raising, say, $5 million and pouring it into a new facility when they've never lifted a collective finger to help to the needy in their own community or the organization a few miles down the road that's furnishing meals, clothes, and blankets to those who are going without. This is utterly appalling.

Again, my intent yesterday was not to say that Christians should be giving more money to such-and-such or less money to this-and-the-other. To modify a saying that's most frequently attributed to Francis of Assisi -- "Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary use words" -- I believe that our "contribution" should be a lifestyle of sacrifice for others, for the sake and in the name of Jesus Christ. When necessary, use money.

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Would Jesus Contribute?

I read an article at Yahoo! News today. In it President Obama was painted as being concerned that his campaign for re-election might be outspent by Mitt Romney's. The president noted, "And if things continue as they have so far, I'll be the first sitting president in modern history to be outspent in his re-election campaign." That would certainly be embarrassing.

The article also notes, "[President Obama's] campaign, the Democratic National Committee and their joint accounts reported more than $173 million cash on hand at the end of May, $61 million more than rival Mitt Romney and Republicans." At the end of May. A full month ago. At that time, according to the article, Obama's campaign claimed $173 million and Romney's apparently $112 million. That's $285 million that people and organizations have donated to have their favorite candidate elected or re-elected. That doesn't include third-party candidates' coffers.

Just for grins, I had a look at the website of Huntsville's Downtown Rescue Mission and saw this quote: "To feed everyone at the Downtown Rescue Mission for one year: approximately $385,000. 'He who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed.' - Proverbs 19:17."

Since I am an absolute math wizard, I popped up my calculator and quickly determined that presidential campaign funds raised so far could pay for about 740 years' worth of meals at our local Rescue Mission.

But who cares? We certainly have more pressing concerns than this.

For more laughs, I went to The Water Project's website to see how their donations were coming along. In Africa or India, each shallow well costs the group about $6,500 to dig and maintain. For a deep, well-maintained one it's more like $30,000. That's a lot of money whenever a missionary comes to meet with your church and asks for donations, isn't it?! And they usually talk way too long. According to Water Is Life, one child dies every 15 seconds due to a lack of water.

But mercifully, that doesn't impact us in America and has little bearing on the election process, if any.

By the way, my calculator told me that about 9,500 wells -- the expensive ones -- could be dug with the money that both major parties had raised for their candidates by the end of May.

You can rationalize all you like, and you can offer explanations as to why our priorities are the way they are. Tell me that in order to make good things happen we have to have the right man in office. Tell me that the government isn't supposed to cure all social ills. Agreed. Isn't the Church supposed to be the example in that arena? 

Something here is very, very screwed up.

"One nation under God." Remember how the religious people got horribly and vocally bent out of shape when a key politician said that America wasn't a Christian nation? You can honestly look at the numbers above and tell me that we are?

Out of the things I talked about above, to which would Jesus contribute? And would He contribute something other than money?

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Where's Jesus?

I'm surprised and feel a little silly that I never caught the connection between these passages before. Notice the phrases I've emphasized.

Anyone who wants to be my disciple must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me.
John 12:26, NLT

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
Matthew 25:34-40, NLT

If we want to be disciples and servants of Jesus, we have to be where He is. Sometimes that "place" is not a mysterious destination we have to agonize about, asking God if this or that is what He'd have us to do. Often it's right in front of us.

In a very straightforward manner, Jesus told us just a few of the places we can find Him. Are we there?

You can stop reading here if you'd like, and jump right to criticizing me for espousing some kind of exclusively social gospel. However, this was written to expound on one small aspect of living as a disciple of Jesus Christ, not to say it encompasses everything. Read further for bonus content! These thoughts and clarifications came out of a discussion of the topic via e-mail with a friend.

My friend asked, "So we find Jesus where believers are, right? In these passages then, is Jesus talking about helping only less fortunate Christians? How do you find Jesus among non-believers?" My response was something like this (with a few edits for clarity):

"We find Jesus where believers are..." That's obviously a true statement, but keeping Scripture in mind (like the passage above, Matthew 25, for instance), "Jesus is not among non-believers" may not necessarily be a true statement. When Jesus is talking in the Matthew 25 passages, the believers He was talking about were the ones He was talking to. He never mentioned whether the hungry, poor, etc., were believers. That apparently didn't matter. That is, we're never told in Scripture to screen someone to determine if they're worthy of our help -- if they're a believer, etc. We're never told the spiritual status of the guy in the ditch that the Good Samaritan helped, for example. He was just "a man."

And then there's a different perspective making a similar point: the Church is the body of Christ; He is the head. ("We find Jesus among believers.") However, Jesus put Himself among non-believers as a regular habit when He was physically on earth. Eating with tax-collecting scum, defending a sexually promicuous woman who was not a believer, doing things that got Him labeled by the religious elite as a drunkard and a glutton. ("We find Jesus among non-believers.") Therefore, one way we find Jesus among non-believers is for us (believers) to be where non-believers are.

Again, Jesus told us and showed us just a few of the places we can find Him. Are we there?

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Does Theology Trump Love?

Jesus' theology was perfect. The rest of us, as smart or as Spirit-filled as some may be, have an imperfect, even muddled understanding of it. While there's no getting around the fact that if objective truth does exist (and I believe it does), some people are closer to it than others. However, I hope that no follower of Christ is convinced that he has such a stranglehold on "proper theology" that it rivals that of Jesus.

So why have we elevated theological understanding to a place of supreme importance in the Church, displacing priorities that Jesus obviously held to be critical? I would argue that we have done so in a bold, unashamed manner.

When was the last time you heard of a person or family leaving a church fellowship because that church body didn't serve the needy people in the community? I'm not sure I've ever heard of anything like that. How long has it been since you found out about a family leaving their church because the pastor seemed to be leaning toward Calvinism? Yesterday? Last month? How often does a believer decide to seek out a new church home because their current one doesn't give much money to the poor or to sister churches in need? How often do they begin that journey because they feel like the deacons are trying to run the church? because the music is too "rock 'n roll"? because the pastor uses too many sermon illustrations and not enough Scripture?

In the Word we see by Jesus' actions and words that He was far more concerned about a person's love for the Lord and love for other people than He was about their theology. It seems quite odd to me, then, that most who claim to follow Him today have positioned their spiritual concerns in the exact opposite way.

Solid theology can and should coexist with love and justice (see my comments on Biblical justice when you have time), but it does not trump them and certainly doesn't replace them. Let's stop acting as though it does.

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good,
and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8 (NLT)

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
Mark 12:29-31 (NLT)

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There Goes the Neighborhood. Or Not.

GARDENDALE | Fri Mar 2, 2012 8:15am EST -- Several years ago in Gardendale, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, a group of people with similar interests began to meet in a community center they rented every other Saturday. The facility in an upper middle class section of town; an area where people took pride in their landscaping, had solid high-paying jobs, two and a half kids, etc.

There was nothing at all unusual about people meeting in the community center, but when word got out that the crowd was made up of parolees, convicted felons, and people who'd been accused of any number of crimes from petty theft to rape and arson, the community was none too happy, for obvious reasons.

Fairly soon it was discovered that the meetings were essentially seminars where attendees were given what amounted to step-by-step tutorials on topics like disarming alarm systems, offensive combat techniques, and weapons training. As this leaked out, the well-to-do neighborhoods nearby became paralyzed with fear. Sales of high-end security systems, video monitoring systems, and home window security bars nearly tripled in the first two months of the group's meetings.

Over time, however, the community residents were surprised that although there was an occasional burglary in the neighborhood or a petty theft at a nearby convenience store, the crime rate didn't actually rise. On top of that, the extra income generated by the facility rental allowed the community center to make improvements on its property, initially adding a baseball diamond and after a few years, a swimming pool. The leader of the group continued to make occasional appearances on local-access TV channels and in spite of being outspoken and having rather alarming commentary on some issues, his ideas never gained traction outside the group.

It wasn't very long before the group of people meeting in the community center came to be classified as "mostly harmless."

The above is a work of fiction; a parable submitted for your consideration. Has the Church become all bark and no bite? Are our meetings just informational seminars that rarely result in action or implementation? Do we expect to get by on our reputation or things we've done in the past? Are we really "mostly harmless"?

If we lived and practiced what Jesus taught and what we teach in our meetings, wouldn't we expect to see some crazy changes in our communities?

Read more »

Church Government: Training Ground for Secular Government?

A good friend sent me a copy of a blog post by Director of Religious Studies at the University of Wyoming (and newspaper columnist) Paul Flesher in Wyoming. Flesher's blog and column are both called "Religion Today".

The post he sent me was entitled "The Best Training Ground for Democracy: A Business or a Church?" Unfortunately, Flesher hits the nail squarely on the head when he describes why church leaders are generally well-prepared for the nuts and bolts of a secular government.

One of the statements in the post made me retch, yet I doubt many American Christians see very much wrong with this arrangement, because they readily engage in it:

"A church's management challenge is to provide what the congregation as customers want, for the cost that the congregation as investors are willing to pay through their tithes and donations. If the management fails in this balance, they can be removed." (emphases mine)

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Rebirth or Last Will and Testament of the Church?

I've not forgotten about part 3 of "A Crash Course in Hermeneutics". It will be posted soon.

Before my long-time friend Christy Ellis sent the text of this document to me, I'd never heard of "The Last Will and Testament of Springfield Presbytery," which first appeared in The Herald of Gospel Liberty in 1803 (Vol. 1, No. 1, pp. 2-3). As I began to read it, it unfolded in such a way that I realized that the authors were as nutty as I am. Do I agree with all of it? No, but see if you can tell what they're getting at:

"The Presbytery of Springfield, sitting at Caneridge, in the county of Bourbon, being through a gracious Providence, in more than ordinary bodily health, growing in strength and size daily, and in perfect soundness and composure of mind; but knowing that it is appointed for all delegated bodies once to die and considering that the life of every such body is very uncertain, do make and ordain this our Last Will and Testament, in manner and form following, viz:

"Imprimis. We will that this body die, be dissolved, and sink into union with the Body of Christ at large: for there is but one body and one spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling.

"Item. We will, that our name of distinction, with its Reverend title, be forgotten, that there be but one Lord over God's heritage, and his name one.

"Item. We will, that our power of making laws for the government of the church, and executing them by delegated authority, forever cease; that, the people may have free course to the Bible, and adopt the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus.

"Item. We will, that candidates for the Gospel ministry henceforth study the holy scriptures with fervent prayer, and obtain license from God to preach the simple Gospel with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, without any mixture of philosophy, vain deceit, [2] traditions of men, the rudiments of the world. And let none henceforth take this honor to himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

"Item. We will, that the church of Christ assume her native right of internal government--try her candidates for the ministry, as to their soundness in the faith, acquaintance with experimental religion, gravity and aptness to teach; and admit no other proof of their authority, but Christ speaking in them. We will that the church of Christ look up to the Lord of the harvest to send forth labourers into his harvest; and that she resume her primitive right of trying those who say they are Apostles, and are not.

"Item. We will, that each particular church, as a body, actuated by the same spirit, choose her own preacher, and support him by a free will offering without written call or subscription--admit members--remove offences; and never henceforth delegate her right of government to any man or set of men whatever.

"Item. We will, that the people henceforth take the Bible as the only sure guide to heaven; and as many as are offended with other books, which stand in competition with it, may cast them into the fire if they choose: for it is better to enter into life having one book, than having many to be cast into hell.

"Item. We will, that preachers and people, cultivate a spirit of mutual forbearance, pray more and dispute less; and while they behold the signs of the times, look up and confidently expect that redemption draweth nigh."

There is more. You can read the complete text here.

It's worth noting that not everyone in the church took too well to this document, which was officially signed/witnessed by six men I assume were elders. Some apparently felt coerced into agreeing to it, or maybe they just felt embarrassed later and tried to save face by maligning the man who brought the document to the church body.

Three years later one of the men wrote this in a document called (wait for it...) "A Brief Historical Account of Sundry Things in the Doctrines and State of the Christian, or as it is Commonly Called The Newlight Church":

"When we first existed as a church, we had the Presbyterial form of government. But Richard M'Nemar, that eccentric genius, who was then believed by most of us to possess a high degree of piety, power, and great light in religion, took it into his head that our existence in a formal body, as a Presbytery, was contrary to scripture--that our bond of union was a carnal bond--that we ought to be united by no bond but Christian love--and that this delegated body stood full in the way of Christ, and the progress of the revival; which revival would run like fire in dry stubble, if our Presbytery was out of the way. With these enchanting views, and others as visionary and vain, he prepared a piece at home, and brought it to the last meeting of our Presbytery held at Caneridge, Bourbon County, Kentucky, June, 1804, entitled, "The Last Will and Testament of Springfield Presbytery." None of us had the least thought of such a thing when we came to that meeting; and when it was proposed, we had many objections against dissolving our Presbytery. But, after being together several days, those enthusiastic fancies so far gained the ascendency over our judgment, that we consented to subscribe the obnoxious instrument."

It was disappointing to me to read that last gentleman's statement. Sort of reminded me of Obstinate and Pliable turning back from their walk with Christian in "The Pilgrim's Progress" (link goes to a FREE Kindle download of the classic book at Amazon.com) after one encounter with trouble. Eventually Pliable listened to people who told him how stupid he'd been to begin the journey toward the Celestial City, so he joined in with those who were ridiculing Christian.

This same situation is reflected today in what has become a mass exodus from the culturally-understood model of "church." (I would call it "traditional," but in actuality today's Church does not build on the original tradition or practice of the early church.)

What are your thoughts? Is this kind of "movement" -- then or now -- a good thing, or is it an action and mindset that is destructive to the Church?

All bold emphases in quoted text above are mine.

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A Healthy Pastor (or a healthy Church?)

Fellow blogger J. R. Briggs posts this piece called 10 keys to being a healthy pastor. I found it via Revelife.com, essentially a blogging clearinghouse for all things faith-related.

You must read Briggs' post before you read my response below. I'm not interested so much in whether or not you agree with me, but I'm interested in whether or not you've done due diligence in searching the Word for the role of "pastor."

Is there any reason to do this? Why would we question something that's so cemented in modern Church thought as the role of the pastor?

What if the predictable outcome of implementation of this role is a Church that is lethargic and timid; a group that relies on one person to fill a role that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, rightfully owns?

What if it is extra-Biblical? Then would it be worth examining?

Here is my response to my brother's post:

These seem like reasonable pieces of advice for the believer who manages people in a business, but I don't see anything in Scripture that would advise this as rest/relief for a believer whose role is one of many operative ones in the Church. In my Bible I don't even see Jesus having to perform the duties we foist upon the average pastor.

Scripture shows and tells us that the Church is a multi-faceted, living expression of Jesus Christ plopped down in the middle of a world that does things "normally." We are aliens, to some extent. You've described relief for a role that, after much searching, I can't find in the Word. It's a role that I believe post-NT history and tradition have defined. It isn't an office or role I see named or practiced in the Bible.

I tend to think that this is why we have to teach such a balancing act. "Pastor" as we know it is a role no one person was intended to fill.

(Here endeth my response)

I'd love to know what you think.

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A USA Today Commentary on the State of Religion

My friend Leroy directed me to an article by Oliver Thomas in the opinion section at USA Today entitled "Faith in America: Get ready for change". To jump right in, here are a few excerpts:

"Most interesting of all is the fact that what is happening to Christianity might be taking it back to its historic and theological roots. Perhaps the problem with the 'old-time religion' was simply that it wasn't old enough."

Okay, nice. I'm on board with that. Within a few hundred years after Christ, man had implemented a hybridized religious/business system that bore little resemblance to the Way that it claimed to follow. We perverted Christianity, and I can plainly see that there is a desperate desire among followers of Christ to strip away anything that is not honoring to Him, most often including tradition.

But in suggesting that the "new" message of Christianity must be relevant to current events, he goes way off-base:

"Such common New Testament imagery as 'washed in the blood,' for example, might have been borrowed from other religions in the Mediterranean world, including the cult of Mithras, in which devotees were literally drenched in the blood of a bull."

Surely the author is versed enough in foundational Old Testament Scripture to know that this imagery was not invented in New Testament times, but has its roots in how God instructed the very first humans after the fall. Further, any supposed ties or parallels Christianity may have had to the cult of Mithras have been quite thoroughly refuted. Blogger Prayson Daniel has a very accessible summary at his blog.

Here's another statement that is true, but terribly invalid in affirming any movement:

"Young adults appear largely uninterested in our denominational joustings over 'correct' doctrine."

Well, duh. Business meetings are boring (okay, they're entertaining sometimes). But simply because someone -- or even a multitude -- is uninterested in something makes zero case for that position being invalid. I believe the better point would be that "denominational joustings" have become one of the most prominent features of modern Christianity. On the whole, I've seen that "serious" Christians love to be right far more than they love Jesus Christ. I've been in that camp, and it's an awful place to be. As I read the Word I don't see Jesus worrying so much about things along those lines.

I believe the author has a solid position in the end (of course, he's technically not supporting one position or the other; just stating what he sees about the climate of religion in America). However, the points he uses to try to argue his case are all over the place, often invalid and denying the Spirit inspiration of Scripture.

I'm interested in your take on the article. Again, it can be read here.

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The Office - Post-Script

When I was very young, my cousin (who was also very young) sent me a birthday card that began, "Dear DeAn." He was apparently learning his capital letters.

That one letter's capitalization made a bit of a difference in things. What we do with our letters, and our language, impacts our understanding and observation.

I think my friend Leroy summed things up well in our lengthy offline discussion about the office/position of "pastor" in the Church. He said something to the effect of "We tend to think of 'pastor' as a noun rather than a verb." I believe that begins to get at some of the issues behind my last post.

We've done similar things with the words "church" and "witness," and have redefined "Christian" over the ages. It's time to put Biblical definitions back with these words.

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The Office

What I write here will not settle well with some readers. I'm not trying to be sensational or ruffle feathers. As always, I am asking us (both you and me) to objectively look at why we believe what we believe, and whether or not those beliefs and our resulting actions line up with the Word of God.

In a discussion like this, speaking in generalities is necessary, for better or worse. Remember that I'm addressing a position or an office, not a person or personality.

The other day I quickly jotted down some characteristics of a particular position. Read through my list and let me know if there's an office or position in the Church in the New Testament that has responsibilities, actions, or reactions similar to these:

• The President of the USA is elected by the people (some who vote for him just so they can vote against the other guy, some who vote the party line, some who are illegal aliens, some who don't care to vote)
• His speeches are meant to inspire, and the better his stage presence is, the more the general public thinks he's great/intelligent/wise
• He has accountability -- he can be impeached... but usually after the damage is done
• He is recognized by most Americans (except probably those in high, behind-the-scenes political positions) as the most important man in the USA
• If he goes down, he takes his party with him until they're able to put things back together for the next election
• If he goes down, he further shatters the faith of people in politicians
• When the economy does well, those in his party give him the credit
• When the economy does poorly, his opponents blame it on him
• The measure of his success is based upon numbers
• To those who hold the party position or are uninformed (whether intentionally or simply due to neglect), their understanding of the world is shaped by his actions and opinions

Before I go further, know that I have no desire to set up a straw man and then knock it down, so if you see fallacies in what I present here, please tell me where those problems are and let's address them.

Regarding the list above, is there anyone in the New Testament Church, whether in a localized fellowship or in an over-arching capacity, whose roles are along these lines? Is there instruction for anything similar? If so, I'm interested in knowing about it. But if this is absent from Scripture, why would you suppose that is?

Now flash forward. Do we see anyone in the modern localized or global Church whose role is something along these lines? If so, would you consider such a role to be helpful or harmful to the living body of Christ? I believe these things serve to take leadership, attention, authority, and prominence away from Jesus Christ. As a side note, if this were an office God intended for anyone in His Church to fill, I'm certain it would at least be mentioned in the Word.

Be very aware that I'm not maligning any person. I have quite a number of personal, Godly friends whose positions fit into this general outline. None filled his role in an attempt to bring glory or honor to himself, and most of these people live life sacrificially, with hearts of true servants and with great love for Jesus. Unfortunately, this does not validate the office or position.

In contrast to our nation or a business, there is a living Head of the Church, but He is not a mere man (Ephesians 1:21-23). Something huge that makes the Church strange and alien to the world is that its Head is a literal living entity, but is not flesh-and-blood. In a secular setup there is no possible way an organization could be run without a person at the helm. We've taken that for granted in the Church (1 Corinthians 14:33 is often taken woefully out of context and used to say that this is necessary for organizational structure).

Who leads the Church? Does it matter? Should we do something because it's "always" been done that way?

If the Church is the body of Christ, Jesus Christ is the head of His Church.

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A Potluck Parable

Thanks to my encyclopedic Bible knowledge, I know that potlucks are spoken of somewhere in the book of Hezekiah (though I'm not sure exactly where), and that they were applicable not only under the old covenant, but the new, as well. This is why Baptists (and maybe other Protestant groups) regard them so highly. I know this because I come from a Baptist background.

Today's allegorical scenario: it's a Baptist congregation, it's a Sunday evening, and it is Potluck Night. Everyone knows the rules -- bring enough for yourself or family, plus enough to share. About 50 people show up (an average attendance for this group), and after the prayer they head to the three paper-covered tables where all the goodies will be spread out.

But something's wrong. There's only one bucket of KFC chicken there; nothing else. And it isn't even the GOOD kind. It's the nasty baked stuff. Yech! The first 10 people go through the line and before you can say "jackrabbit" (why anyone would want to say "jackrabbit" is beyond me, but I guess they do), the one bucket of food is empty, as a couple of selfish people got two pieces each. The remaining 40 scratch their heads, wondering how this could've happened. Eventually, after conversation, they leave one by one, most bent out of shape because there wasn't enough food for them.

I'll bet you can already identify the problem, right?

A month later it's time for potluck again. This time only 38 people show up. A dozen have left to go to a more caring church after last month's potluck debacle. This time the pastor (who was the one who brought the lone bucket of chicken last month) is on his game. He figured it out, and this time he brought a big side of potato salad -- just about all he could afford. He accidentally brought the gross chicken again.

Again the hungry consumers head to the tables, which a couple of deacons were responsible for setting up (it left them very tired, preventing them from actually being at the dinner). This time 14 people make it through the line before the food runs out. Once again most of the people leave with an indignant attitude and a nagging headache from hunger.

Some comments overheard as the people leave:

• "I'm sick of going to these things and never getting fed."
• "I can't eat baked chicken! It gives me psoriasis, and the pastor knows that!"
• "Somebody needs to do something about this. I'm calling a special deacon's meeting."

Now, what do you think the problem has been? It's obvious, isn't it? How could anyone miss anything that glaring? Nobody but the pastor brought food!

Most people who have been in a church setting for any length of time know these verses, or have at least read them:

"What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification [or "building up" of the Church]". (1 Corinthians 14:26, NASB)

"Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well." (Romans 12:4-6a, NLT)

How could any of us have the gall to repeatedly show up at Church meetings and eventually wander away looking for the next place "God wants us to be" because we weren't "getting fed"? It's not the responsibility of one person (or the 20% in the old "20% of the people do 80% of the work" saying) to perpetually "feed" the rest of us. To think so is an egregious error. To practice it is far worse.
 
As a follower of Christ, being in Christ, it's your responsibility to meet with the Church to give, to feed, to help, to share. Most of all, to direct attention and honor to Jesus Christ, who is the Head of His Church. Tell your brothers and sisters how you've seen Him at work around you. Invite them to join you in it. Share Scriptures that God used to get to the heart of your current situation. Sing to the Lord. There will certainly be times when we're hurting and the rest of the body needs to gather around and pray with us and for us. But that is never to be the norm.
 
What's keeping you from taking spiritual food to the next potluck?

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The Teaser Trailer Gospel

DreamWorks' Megamind was released on DVD an BluRay a week ago. It may not appeal to you for one reason or another, but hopefully it'll work for an illustration. When I saw this trailer, I really wanted to see the movie:



In just a few minutes we get the whole story laid out for us, from the birth of the "anti-hero" through the climax of the story. If you liked the trailer, there's a good chance that you decided to either see the movie in theaters or buy the DVD/BluRay when it was released. You wanted to see the whole thing.

Would anyone realistically watch only the trailer and then claim that they loved the movie? Would anyone buy the DVD and fast-forward through it, watching only the scenes they thought would be funny or action-packed, and think that they knew everything about the movie?

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Thank You, Lord

I'm grateful that God called me to be His child.

So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering. - Romans 8:15-17 (NLT)

Paul's word translated as "suffering" means to experience pain jointly, or to experience the same kind of persecution. And there's the rub. I may have received a little bit of flak for my faith, having been bad-mouthed here and there for following Christ rather than the status quo, but I really haven't suffered. I don't know if too many modern Americans have actually suffered for the sake of Christ.

I'm reminded of the overwhelming sensation I had when I came back from Haiti in 2009. Our company president and another friend returned from a trip to Kenya just this week and summed it up quite well: "[The Kenyans] have nothing and they love the Lord and they're full of joy. I almost feel sorry for [Americans]." My friend Jan Owen regularly takes trips to Rwanda and Guatemala and sees the same thing -- people without "stuff" in this life who are filled with joy because they love the Lord. He truly is all they need.

So I often wonder how thankful I should be for cars, multiple televisions, clean running water that's essentially endless in supply (we're so picky that we don't even like the taste of tap water anymore!), so much food in my cabinet that "I don't have a taste for that" is a common statement in the house, a house that's mansion-sized when compared to 50% of the world, etc. I wonder how thankful I should be because our stuff generally receives far more attention than its Provider. As you're well aware, getting things often means that we want more things.

While I admit to questioning this, I'm not saying I'm ungrateful! Have you ever thought that the things themselves may not be the blessings, but instead are catalysts for great blessings? I'm unbelievably thankful for all these tangible possessions. Matter of fact, I'm floored that God would choose to allow me to be in charge of them (if I were God, I'd probably choose to bless someone else). But they're blessings if I choose to intentionally use them for the sake of Christ; if they serve to constantly remind me of God's great mercy and His limitless grace. Otherwise they're stumbling blocks.

To wrap up, our steadfast commitment to living life in community with other people who love the Lord is vital in keeping our focus on Christ in the midst of our "plenty." God created His Church -- a Jesus-centric, living organism that is alien to this world -- to be this way! There is accountability, there is encouragement, there is the privilege of bearing one another's burdens, there is the honor of being the hands and feet of Christ.

I'm grateful that God called me to be His child. I'm thankful for the Church.

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Out of the House, Into Fellowship

This post uses a lot of words to tell you why staying in close fellowship with believers throughout the week is often hard for me.

From the time I was about 19 years old until I was 33 or 34 (I think), I worked pretty much around the clock. (Mercifully, I had a passion for my work -- it was music.)

In the earlier years I worked at local music stores (barely able to get in to work on time at the crack of 10AM), and on a typical night, when I got off at 6PM I'd head to the recording studio to engineer until 11:00 or midnight. The nights I didn't have to engineer, I'd typically get home and receive a call from a friend or acquaintance asking me how to operate a drum machine or what mic they should use for such-and-such an application. I worked Saturdays at the music store.

When I moved into the workforce that actually made a bit of money, I had the same sort of schedule. I didn't have to work at my 9 to 5 job on Saturdays, so most of the time I'd wind up at the studio. I played the piano for various church fellowships during that time, too, so Wednesday nights and Sunday morning and evening were spoken for.

I eventually got burned out on writing music. I got burned out on going anywhere, because I had to drive all the time (the studio in the later years of that time span was about 25 miles from town). I basically missed the first three years of my son's life. I'd have to keep him up late in order to spend time with him (and I frequently did so, and he slept in the bed with us for almost all those three years -- I had to spend some time with him somehow!).

When the time finally came that I didn't have to work all those hours to make ends meet, I found that I could actually come home and sit on the couch and watch TV (!!). It was weird. It was wonderful.

The residual impact from those years, though they're in the moderately distant past now, has congealed to make me love staying at home. When I get home from work, I do not want to go anywhere. The problem is, I believe that the Church, in order to be the life-form that God created it to be, must stay connected. That really can't happen if the group simply meets on Sunday (and mid-week).

My confession: it takes a lot for me to push myself to get out of the house and into the lives of others. I've found that this is an area where I need for God to heal old "scars" (that's pushing it a little; I honestly enjoyed what I did, but too much of anything is very bad). I'm in need of Him to change the way I think, and to overrule the selfish desire to take it easy, because I find it too easy to... well... take it easy.

What's an area in your life that you know you have to change, or that you have changed based upon direction you've found in the Christ? It may be something that's not "sin," but is a definite stumbling block for you.

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