Friendship. . .an end to itself. . .

Maybe I'm weird. . .I dunno. But, I received this little promotional pamphlet in the mail called "Friend-o-nomics" subtitled "How Friendliness Can Make Your Church Grow" and am staring at it dumbfounded and in disbelief. It is a pamphlet written by a huge Christian publisher for Christians.

The booklet's premise is simple: "The bottom line is you can grow your church by being friendlier (pg. 3)". As I peruse the booklet I see a writer who does not see friendship as a gift of God that is an end unto itself. Rather, friendship is a means to an end....something that is useful to the business of "growing YOUR church".

Again, am I weird or do the underpinings of such a philosophy demean the great command to "love your neighbors as yourself". The goal of this little pamphlet reveals the secret techniques to love (befriend) your neighbor, in order to get something from your neighbor (their church attendence).

Hmmmm.....brings up a few questions in my mind. First, is loving another as a means to an end acceptable so long as the end is a good one (growing your church)? Love them for the purpose of getting them to come to YOUR church? Although, splattered with good intentions, the problem with this is that friendliness, in the end, is conditional, and that is simply not Biblical because we are called to offer unconditional love.

It is necessary for us to think about our underlying motives that drive our love. For Jesus, the underlying motives of his heart were always sourced in the world of His Father. Smiling, physical touch, eye contact and practicing presence (all methods of friendliness in the booklet) were not strategies for achieving some hidden goal of numeric success! For goodness sakes, how ridiculous! No, these attributes emerged out of a heart that was full of the Father's pleasure. Loving others is its own end.

You see the common graces of life, like smiling, cannot be reduced to a scientific mechanism to increase Sunday morning attendance. No, smiling is the the natural result of a heart whose heart is filled with joy and desires to connect with another human heart. In the same vein, there should be no other motive for eye contact other than the joy and grace of locking eyes with one who is made in the image of God. Christians should never reduce such sacred pleasures to mechanistic practices to get what we want.

Of course, the ramifications of conditional friendliness are obvious. What happens if I befriend you and you refuse to come to my church? Or, if spend time with you and get to know you and you choose to another church? The booklet doesn't say, but the implications are obvious: move one to someone else.

I remember having a co-worker in college who had a second job selling Amway. Let's call him John. I used to get a kick out of watching "real-John" transform himself into "Amway-John" at a moments notice. He would spot his unsuspecting victim, shine those pearly whites, compliment often and engage his entire being in the conversation. And, just when he experienced true engagement with the other, he'd launch into the latest products and talk pyramid schemes. His approach was flawless, yet his friendliness was insincere. Why? Anyone with half a brain knows why. . .his friendliness was sourced in sales, not sincerity. God forbid our friendliness as Christians are motivated by securing seats instead of simply loving the other! Perhaps someone will argue that duping someone into Church attendence is better that duping them into a pyramid scheme. Well, I'd argue that its fundamentally worse.

As believers God changes our hearts. He reorients our entire lives. Because of Jesus everything we thought and believed has been radically transformed and remade. And, one of the quintessential things that change is our motives for loving others. Paul says, "We regard no one from a wordly point of view any longer" (2 Corinthians 5:16). It's normal for wordly people to use friendliness and love for ulterior motives. The world loves to get something. But, far be it for Christians to do such an unspeakable thing! The apostle John drives this principle home by pointing out that our reason for loving has radically been altered. He writes, "we love because He first loved us." The motive for loving friendship in the kingdom? To be a loving friend. . .plain and simple. God loves because its in His nature to do so. We love because we have the divine nature inside of us. There is no hidden motive.

Please consider this point: If friendship with Jesus Christ is not enough to transform you into a friendly person , then you may fundamentally misunderstand Jesus Christ.

Church, let us not objectify friendliness into a science of well calculated smiles, gestures and proper introductions in order to fill pews, or get what we want out of others. No, let's not swim in the shallow end any longer. Love must be sincere.

Instead, let's sink our teeth into the One who befriended us when we were enemies to Him. Let's remember how he showed true friendship to us, not in carefully calculated smiles, but in carrying a cross in our place, embracing our burdens and taking blows on our behalf. Now, that's true friendship.

And, let's never forget that His motive for our friendship was not to get something from us (good greif, what do we even have to offer the living God?) No, his friendliness emerged out of the goodness of His character. God is love. He gave, not to get. He gave simply to give. And, it should always be true of us too.

When asked why we are different. . .why we are friendly. . .why we give above and beyond. . .why we sacrifice ourselves for the good of others, we need not point to some pragmatic method, a strategy for growth or a calculated science for "winning others over". No, the reply need be nothing more than one word: Jesus.

“The apostle Paul exhorts the Ephesians to “be renewed in the spirit of your minds”. In my preparation for a spiritual formation class on the book of Ephesians, I was perplexed by Paul's statement. What does it mean to be renewed in the spirit of the mind? Didn't know that the mind had a spirit.

My studies led me to the conclusion that the spirit of the mind is that place in our minds that runs deeper than information processing. The spirit of the mind is that part of the mind that allows us to make sense of the world and our life. It is the place of our “worldview”. To explain this better, let me use the computer as a metaphor. In calling for the renewal in the spirit of the mind, Paul wants to encourage his readers to not just put a new program called “Gospel” onto an old operating system. Rather, he is urging the church to junk the old operating system. . .the old system of processing and making sense of information. . .and replace it with an entirely new operating system!

To many Christians today, the gospel has become one more program in an already overloaded and overwhelmed operating system. It takes its residence in the “religion” folder and might be held in higher esteem than other programs, but it is still just one more program. It’s easily added and installed with just a click of the mouse. . .and unfortunately, but all too true, often uninstalled with simply a click. The world looks on at this and wonders if there is a God why people’s lives are not radically transformed by the power of the gospel. And, the answer is simple. The gospel cannot run as merely a program.

You see, the gospel can’t be downloaded to our lives, for our personal use and enhancement. You can’t simply add the gospel to the old operating system. No the gospel is the power of God precisely because it actually is the new operating system of our lives. The gospel redefines reality and reframes all of life.

The prophet Isaiah cried out “I am undone” when the presence of God fell upon him. And, that’s what the gospel does. It un-does us. It undoes the old operating system and replaces it all at once.. Everything we thought and perceived about life and reality is no longer operable and compatible, and “all things have become new”. Not only does it render the old system inoperable, but it does a thorough scan on all the running programs of our lives and renders many of them incompatible with the new software. Those programs may not be deleted from our lives, but must be reinstalled and learn to run in an entirely different way. The gospel, praise God, erupts and disrupts our lives all at once. Everything about our old way of doing life is incompatible with the new life of God pulsing inside us. And, this is why Paul calls us to be renewed in the deepest recesses of our minds. . .the way we perceive all of life and reality must experience radical renewal in the way of Jesus. And, I give thanks to God that I am being renewed day by day in the spirit of my mind, to resemble more and more the image of my Creator”.


Of course, the words above are more than just a sample of my teaching. Some of these thoughts lie at the core of my heart regarding THE GREAT NEED TO REFRAME AND RESHAPE HOW WE PRESENT AND TRAIN PEOPLE IN THE GOSPEL IN OUR EVANGELISM AND DISCIPLESHIP TODAY. I am deeply convicted about this as I realize that many, many of my peers, both near and afar, have a fundamental misunderstanding of the implications of the gospel in their life. We need prayer and we need new ways of being as Christians that help to bring a sense of potent reality to the gospel today.

The Other Side of the Tracks

My brother-in-law Tim loves Jesus as much as anyone that I've ever met. His life is full of grace and ease even though he pastors a church in one of the roughest areas of Atlanta and deals with overwhelming obstacles on a daily basis. He always challenges me to take a deeper look at poverty and racial reconciliation from a Jesus standpoint.

Whenever I'm brave enough to open my eyes to peer in the direction of such injustices, I find Jesus in that place staring back at me. He mourns and suffers along with the oppressed. It discomforts me to see Jesus on the "other side" of the proverbial "tracks". I mean after all, I am a disciple which means that I'm supposed to be with Jesus, right? So, why am I not with Him? Why the chasm between he and I? Why don't I want to follow Him into the place of injustice and suffering and oppression? Why does Jesus cross the tracks, when I refuse to leave my place of comfort?

Many American Christians think discipleship is about bringing Jesus with you wherever you go. But, that's not the call of Jesus! His call is to follow Him wherever He goes. And when I read my Bible I'm finding that Jesus goes into some pitifully painful places.

So, this week He has cleared my vision enough to see that He is staring back at me as I look into the eyes of those from the other side of the tracks. Although it shatters my plans for where I want to take Jesus, maybe I'll cross over and see where Jesus might want to take me.

Attractional vs. Missional Church

This is a cool little video that highlights the paradigmic shifts taking place in American evangelicalism. It compares and contrasts the attractional way of doing church with a missional way of doing church. Many people wonder what is meant by this new buzz-word called "missional". Although the word is new, the idea is as old as the ministry of Jesus. Check it out.

Idols

Idol worship is not merely some phenomenon of the past. It's as real and potent today as in the ancient world. But instead of idols being erected on "every high hill and every spreading tree" as in the days of Jeremiah, today they are found everywhere. Idols are in our recreation, at our work, in our relationships, in our homes and in our politics. They stand erected everywhere the human heart gazes. Only that we might have the eyes to see that we are an idol-saturated culture..

When any "good thing becomes an ultimate thing”, says Tim Keller, "it becomes an idol". What a great working definition of idolatry.

When wood or stone was carved in the ancient world, and deified, it was still considered mere wood and stone to the true Creator God. So, if the idolatry is not in the object itself, wherein lies the problem. The problem of idolatry lies never in object of the affection (the wood or stone itself), but the human heart. Idols have less to do about what's erected in the city square and a lot more to do with what's erected in the internal chambers of the human will.

The moment a good thing become an ultimate thing, it becomes our idol. Our idol might be our job, a relationship, sex, money or extreme sports. All good things created good by God for our enjoyment. But, make the good gifts of God into ultimate gifts we cannot live without and you've just erected yourself an idol.

And,keeping up with our idols is stinking labor intensive. We run and pant, ever chasing and pleading for our idol to fill us (ever see an addict on a binge?). The lie that perpetuates the racing and panting is the erroneous belief that a good thing can offer ultimate things..."It will buy me security, It will bring me significance and It will make me satisfied" we tell ourselves. The truth is that they cannot. Idols offer everything and deliver nothing. They require more and more of us, even our soul, and all the while give us nothing. Yes, idol worship is toilsome work.

Interestingly enough, when we make a good thing our god, we lose not only the replace the real God, ironically are deprived of the ‘goodness’ of that which we idolize. That good thing that we bow to, in the end becomes despicable to us because we have forced it to fill a hole that God Himself only can fill.

C.S. Lewis puts it well. "The woman who makes a dog the centre of her life loses, in the end, not only her human usefulness and dignity but even the proper pleasure of dog-keeping. And, the man who makes alcohol his chief good loses not only his job but his palate and all power of enjoying the earlier (and only pleasurable) levels of intoxication". Whether your ultimate lover is your dog, your Jack Daniels, your buff body or your 401K, your fixation on secondary things over primary things will lead to the collapse of those things you adore.

C.S. Lewis goes on and says, "Every preference of a small good to a great, or a partial good to a total good, involves the loss of the small or partial good for which the sacrifice was made. Apparently the world is made that way. If Esau really got his pottage in return for his birthright, then Esau was a lucky exception. You can’t get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first."

Hearken, all you idol worshippers! What you worship, will not only NOT give you what you want. . .but will leave you despising and detesting your object of worship.

So, what good thing have you been subtely making into an ultimate thing?

Bonhoeffer

I want to take a moment to plug a new book a couple friends of mine have been reading and proclaiming "excellent". It's a new biography of German disciple and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer's writings have always landed near my own heart. Bonhoeffer's greatest legacy is not his writings, but his own life. His life was a gift to the Body of Christ. And, his life continues to challenge and encourage Christians swimming in a sea of spiritual mediocrity. I encourage you to pick up this book.

It would be a missed opportunity not to pepper you with a Bonhoeffer quote at this juncture. Here's some of his thoughts on grace that we find in his classic book The Cost of Discipleship:

"Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.

Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. . .Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “ye were bought at a price, and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God".

What Lurks Beneath

Growing up I was especially fond of playful days on the Atlantic reveling in the waves, enjoying fun in the sun and waiting for the next set of waves to surf in. As I look back, I’m mindful of how naïve I was to the hidden dangers that lurked beneath my feet. The ocean is a powerful force to contend with. Even a calm day on the surface can be misleading to one of the most powerful forces of the ocean: the undertow. The pulse of the tide is one of the most underestimated forces of nature. In fact the undertow claims more lives each year than the jaws of the infamous Great White shark. Unlike Jaws, the ocean’s way is not to devour a victim in one bite, but rather draw the victim out to sea by pulling him away from safety and eventually into the clutches of the deep.

The effectiveness of the undertow lies in its subtleties. A surfer is so preoccupied by the enjoyment of the ocean(cool water, monster waves, and great rides) that she becomes unaware of that forces that lurk beneath the surface. . . . until it’s too late. The ocean claims another unassuming victim.

As I ponder the subtle dangers of the ocean, I’m reminded of sin. It too involves a subtle, yet sinister pull. . .it has a pulse, a life of its own, that little by little pull us from safety and then beneath the surface. Of course, above sea level, the pleasure of sin is as appealing as a great day at the beach. It’s glossy surface and cool waters look inviting, even refreshing. And, so we bask in its pleasure and feel satisfied.

Yet, all the while, there is another side of sin that lurks beneath, unseen to the human eye. Like a deadly undertow, it is an ever present pulse that lures us away from safety into a place where we are in way over our heads. And, we find ourselves treading rough waters alone and in a panic.

Let’s be honest. There is force to sin that no man is his own power can contend with. Evil has the power to sink ships and erode continents. So, what makes us doggie-paddlers think we can out swim its waters without being devoured?

Beneath the cresting waves, dancing gulls and a pleasant sunsets of our lives is a dark, mysterious pulsing tide loose in the world. That force exists to pull you and I away from our Creator. It wants to get you in its grip and pull you far out of reach of safety and security.

Perhaps you know that in some particular area of your life that you are over your head. You are treading in tumultuous waters…and you can feel its subtle undertow bringing you to a place you have not been before.

You may be thinking, “I think I can make it”. “I haven’t drowned yet”. And, perhaps you can swim against the tide of sin for a season. But, it is no long term solution. In the battle against the restless pulse of sin, the Scripture is clear. “If any man thinks he stands, may he take heed lest he fall". And, you will fall. . .into the bottom of a dark, lifeless place. If you are in over your head right now, do yourself a favor and cry out. . .admit you are drowning. Perhaps someone on shore will hear you.

Fortunately, the Scripture teaches that we have been graced by a great lifeguard who is constantly scanning the shoreline looking for the wayward, the loss and the drowning. He knows where we are and understands the force that lurks beneath our toes. In fact, He has swam this shoreline and conquered the tide of sin. Fortunately for us, He specializes in rescue missions.

Those that look to Him and cry for help, though they are drowning, will be saved.

No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps

A blog site wouldn't be complete without its own home-grown book critic. And, I can't think of a more trust-worthy critic than my good friend Jessica Heyworth. Jessica is always chewing on good thoughts and usually found with some book in her hands. If its not curriculum for one of her four home-schooled kids, she's reading something on becoming a more devout follower of Christ, a more faithful wife or enduring mother. I trust her instincts and always enjoy hearing what her mind has been musing on. So, this month (yes, Jessica I expect monthly reports :)) Jessica is reviewing a book called "Nor More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps". Ouch...the title already sounds convicting to me. Actually, its more geared towards parents and the ways we raise our children. Enjoy Jess' review. . .especially all you parents out there with young children. I know I'm gonna pick up a copy of this book!




No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps
By Paul Coughlin

A review: By Jessica Heyworth


No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps is a thought provoking book of practical advice, pointing out helpful guidelines on how to raise courageous, assertive children. At the same time, this book points out the dangers and pitfalls of over-protecting parenting. If you are interested in raising children who are strong in their character and confident in who they are in Christ, this book is for you. Don’t be surprised however, if the Holy Spirit starts working on your own heart as you read through the chapters. This book delves into an area of Christianity that is often misunderstood and neglected, meekness. If we as parents teach our children the wrong definition of meekness, (for example; teaching them to be soft, compliant and pleasant), we are on our way to “creating a nation of wimps”. The author Paul Coughlin describes meekness as… “knowing who we are, believing that what God says is true and then submitting to Him in obedience because we love Him.” As he highlight the differences between meekness and courage, he packs a hard punch when he starts talking of the timid living parents are passing down to their children by their so called “protecting”. Paul argues that by keeping our children from the inevitable hardships and challenges in life, we could stunt their emotional growth, never allowing them to recognize their true weakness and strengths. Talking largely about courage and the lack of it in our society, Paul points out the problems of our nation and how we as Christians are raising untold numbers of timid, psychologically fragile, anxiety ridden kids. He masterfully spells out what courage really looks like by saying, “courage was once reserved for the kind of behavior requiring sacrifice and suffering on behalf of a person for the common good, part of the definition of righteousness that’s found especially in the Bible.”

With profound words backed by Scripture, this book brings a bright light on some of the rarely touched subjects in the Christian realm. It dives into the “Dangers of a Nice Christian Upbringing” and gives wholesome advice in “Help for Bullies and Victims”. It teaches a controversial subject asking “Where are the courageous?” in a clear, passionate way. The author relates with parents as he walks us through areas of insecurities that we might unknowingly be passing down to our kids. Some questions we can ask ourselves as we read through the book could be…
1) Are our children able to think intuitively and stand up for themselves?
2) Are they able to courageously defend someone who is being mistreated or bullied?
3) Am I overprotecting my children by rescuing them from every hardship they might encounter?
As a parent realizing the God given responsibility to protect and train my children, the book No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps, has helped me to keep my parenting balanced. It has helped me to reflect on the importance of not leaning too far on the side of over-protection. It also has encouraged me to continue to train our children to be courageous, not just to “be nice”. As we all live life and continue on this journey together, I pray that we can work to raise children that will be bold in their faith, courageous in difficult situations and confident in their God given abilities. This book has been an inspiration to me and I hope it will be for you as well.
Are you timid or way too passive in life? Are you fearful of what people might think of you if you take a stand against wrongdoing? Do you want your children or be able to take risks, connect with others and be tough enough to “wield the sword of defiance against dark forces”? If so, don’t hesitate to read this book!

In the name of Progress. . .

“When going back makes sense, you are moving ahead.”

~Wendell Berry


The Church can worship many idols other than God. No doubt, since the Enlightenment, the idea of progress has been erected and has sat on the right hand of the Father in the place of Jesus Christ. And, many things over time have ironically regressed the Body in the name of progress. In light of this simple fact, I love this quote that my friend Seth Fisher shared with me. It comes from the common-sensical, yet highly-prophetic pen of Wendell Berry. So, often our moving forward might require the humility and sensibility to look backwards and see if some of the saints before us might possibly have gotten it right. Chances are they did. Good word Mr. Berry!

On Equipping and Training

There is a lot of talk these days about the importance of equipping and training within Body. And, so there should be. The Scriptures give high regard to the role of equipping and training the Body for the purpose of growing up in Christ (Ephesians 4:11,13). With overloaded calendars and overwhelmed hearts, many pastors have looked more and more to the necessary role of equipping others so that the ministry load can be shared by the entire Body, not just a few people. And, once equipped, ministry can multiplied and the Church will grow in every way. No doubt, the Scriptures envision the work of ministry being done by the entire Body, and it envisions the multiplication of "works of service" so that the Body is built up. All, of this is good.

My concern for the Church today is the 'how' we do training and equipping. When the average person in a church setting hears the word 'training' he/she immediately assumes that it has something to do filling a job in the church. Learning to perform a task with competency and efficiency like leading a small group, volunteering for nursery, ushering, etc. Training is almost always used in church settings to help one become more proficient and competent in a specific ministry. Training today is almost exclusively tied to a job I perform. It's about becoming ministry proficient.

Now, there's little doubt that every church needs to have training for these areas. Nursery workers, for example, need to know where the diapers are or things will get messy real fast. Yes, ministry competence is necessary. However, those things are not what Jesus and Paul have in mind when they speak of training or equipping the Body. No, training in the Scriptures is not about ministry proficiency, but gospel proficiency. The primary purpose of training is not related to a job I do within the church, but related to the knowledge of God, of the gospel, the Church and how my life fits into that. Simply stated, training leads us not to job proficiency, but gospel proficiency.

In the Scriptures the training and equipping we are called to routinely partake in is not about mastering a competency, but perfecting our character in Christ. In fact, the goal of equipping/training in Ephesians 4 is the unification and perfection in Jesus Christ. So, what might training look like that had as its end goal to "attain to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ"? Well, for starters, that training would have to begin with something deeper than learning to do something in the Church. Getting "plugged in" at a church followed by four weeks of usher or greeter training sort of falls way short if you know what I mean.

Jesus offered training. He trained his disciples for three years. Many of those encounters recorded in the Scriptures were group training sessions. Other times of equipping were one-on-one. But, if we look at his training, it is almost exclusively the training through the teaching of sound doctrine (right beliefs) and the modeling of a godly lifestyle (right living). In fact, when his impatient disciples came to him about competency questions (how do we feed these 5,000 people?? how come we couldn't cast the demon out of this person? etc.), Jesus almost never gives them a direct answer. When he sent them out to do ministry these twelve evidently hadn't had any classes in healing, exorcism or homiletics. In fact Jesus' own words say it all. "I send you out as sheep among wolves." Thanks for the encouragement, Jesus! Were they ill-prepared and a bit overwhelmed by the task before them? Without a doubt! But, proficiency and ministry effeciency never was Jesus' goal.

His goal for these twelve men had always been full immersion and trust in a kingdom that could not be shaken. Jesus had bathed them in sound teaching of God's kind of life. Jesus had taught it on the hillsides. Jesus had modeled along the roadsides. And, the training they received from his heart and the modeling they witnessed from his hands prepared them for service. As they were sent out, the kingdom power and love transformed others lives. Today those ill-prepared, yet adequately trained disciples' still influence this world.

So, why don't our churches take the necessary time to train and equip others in the way of Jesus? Why are the people in church settings prepared to be trained in tasks and jobs, but not in discipleship? What's the point of mastering ministry areas when we have yet to allow the self to be mastered by the gospel?

Right now you might be thinking, yes, of course we need gospel mastery! Isn't this what Sunday services are for? My answer to that is both yes and no. Yes, the gospel should be preached in its fullness on Sunday mornings! But at the same time, no, it is not enough. It was never intended to be enough. No where in the Scriptures is training in the gospel life relegated to Sunday mornings. It's important for the Body to understand that the church (organizationally speaking) does not make disciples. Disciples make disciples according to Matthew 28.19-20. It is the role of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers within the church (lthis list is not limited to professional clergy) to train and equip the saints into the life of the kingdom. And, certainly this training was meant to take place throughout the week in a variety of shapes and forms. Perhaps often even one one one.

We know that the apostle Paul was instrumental in training Timothy. In II Timothy 3.10-17, the beloved apostle finds himself incarcerated in Rome awaiting execution. He's reminiscing over some of the most important things that he has taught Timothy over the years. As you read, notice how much of the training Paul points back to is connected with the authority of the Word and the modeling of a godly life.

"You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it".

[First, we see here that Paul's equipping is sourced in modelling a way of life to a younger believer.]

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work".

[Second, Paul's equipping of Timothy is sourced in the authoritative nature of God's Word. . .the truth of the gospel. No doubt, Paul has spent much tim teaching to Timothy from the Word. . .his two handwritten letters I & II Timothy are just two examples of that!]


So we see from the life of Jesus and Paul, equipping the Body is about taking those who are in Christ at various stages of spiritual development and helping them to grow up by become proficient in the gospel life (right belief) and modeling a godly lifestyle (right living).

As this takes place in the context of the Body, watch out! As we faithfully execute our duties to teach and train people in the gospel life, we are imparting to them a living concoction that has a power and potency all of its own. Because of the relational nature of such training, there is built-in accountability, encouragement and on-the-job training in ministry. No program has the power to do that!

Admittedly, sometimes I ask myself when the Body can afford time to do such training? Everyone seems so busy. However, when I look at the model of Jesus and Paul (both much more busy that us!), and am faced with the despairing need in the Church today, I am forced to ask how I can afford NOT to do such training. I am currently in the process of committing the best hours of my life to this kind of training. And, am encouraging mature believers in our Body to give the best of themselves to this as well. I pray that you would too.

As Dylan once wrote, "The times, they are a changin". We are rapidly facing the reality of living in a post-christendom world. There are no longer general assumptions about what Christianity is and is not. People's perception of Church has changed, and is changing. And, so it should. And, through all of this, we have an opportunity to redefine the ethos of the Church to an increasingly god-less and relationship-deficient world. I believe we need to revive a new breed of Christian discipleship in these times. And, in order to begin this task we must we must come to grips Biblically with what the training and equipping modeled and commanded in Scripture entails. Then we must find ways and means to contextualize the principles of such training in the life of the local Church.

As we do this, I believe that we will break the epidemic of spiritual infancy and spiritual adolescence in the church today. God's desire is for us to grow up in Christ. He has given the Church all it needs to accomplish this task.

The Lord himself modeled equipping and training as he walked alongside men on this earth. If the Master did this for us, how can we his followers do less for others?

A Convicted Heart

How much thought have we given to the reality that we will stand before a holy God one day and give an account for the kinds of people we have. . .and have not become. Not simply our deeds, but every motive of the human heart will be revealed and exposed in front of the majesty of God. I fear that we have become so full of ourselves that we have lost sight of the majesty and holiness of our great God.

I listened to this short audio feed of the great preacher of the past, Leonard Ravenhill. How desperate the Church of America today needs to hear such words. Listen and may God's spirit both convict and penetrate to the core. . .and encourage your heart in faith.

Our Achilles Heel

"Our Achilles heel is the compass of our spiritual journey. Where I am weak, there-by God's grace-I become strong. When we discover what our basic weakness or woundedness is, or our basic handicap, then we ask for God's presence and grace to enter that place. . .

A broken bone, once healed, is stronger than one which has never been broken".

-James Houston

Meaning amidst Suffering

Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, Victor Frankl, spent approximately three years in Nazi concentration camps living in the most horrid situations imaginable. Out of the depths of this experience was birthed his life work entitled "Man's Search for Meaning". In this book he investigates despair and muses over the difference between those who were lead to utter despair during their time in the death camps and those who were able to overcome insurmountable suffering and emerge with hope. What were the differences between the two? What lie between the thin line of hope and despair?




Frankl's observations are fascinating.

First, he defines despair. What really is the condition of despair? According to Frankl the word can be best defined through a simple mathematical formula: D=S-M. Despair is suffering minus meaning. Frankl observed that those who could not make any sense of their suffering turned to one of three poisons: anger, depression or denial. Each of these toxins lead to a slow death by despair. So, despite what we often think in our plush, comfortable worlds today, it is NOT suffering or difficult circumstances that rob us of hope and plunge us into dispair. It is the absence of meaning.

In fact, Frankl witnessed and personally experienced people going through the same horrendous ordeals who did not turn to despair. One the contrary, some individuals became more wonderful and more loving human beings precisely because of their adverse conditions. They became people of greater hope! Why is that? It was not that they were ransomed from their circumstances. Rather, it was that they found ways to make sense of this world within those difficulties. They were able to see a more ultimate purpose and meaning to life that others could not. And, that purpose formed their character and framed their thinking in ways that transcended their circumstances.

The apostle Paul and Victor Frankl seemingly were on to the same thing. I'd love to be in a room listening to them muse over this topic. Paul, in Romans 8, reverberates the same findings as Frankl. Read the text. In Romans 8 Paul explains that he is able to legitimize his present suffering and the creation's sufferings (groanings) because Jesus himself, the living God of the universe has entered our mess and salvaged our pain. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah infuses meaning into the madness of this present reality we call life.

According to Paul, suffering is the normal and consequential reality of a sin cursed world. But, because of Jesus, it is only seasonal. Yes, the present pain is great. Yes, it looks like the whole world is groaning. Yes, our suffering is real. But, it's not an empty pain and it's not an eternal pain. Our suffering is not random or purposeless. Because of Jesus Christ, the pain of the world is more like. . . birthpains. . .Yeah, weird metaphor coming from a guy (Paul) who is well. . .a guy.

But, catch the significance of the birthpain metaphor. Birth is always pain with a purpose. Labor has an ultimate goal. The blood and sweat and tears in the delivery room will culminate in new creation! Ever see a women in labor without hope? Of course not. Why? Because there is ultimate meaning behind her suffering. The pain is unbearable without the anticipation of new life.

For Paul and Frankl, there's hope, because there is infused within creation a something deeper and more powerful than human suffering. And, that which is deeper and rings with more potency is the gospel message itself.

Both the cross and the resurrection inject meaning and hope into human suffering. The meaning behind Good Friday is that our God has strangely entered our suffering, legitimizing and sympathizing with our pain at once. The meaning behind Easter Sunday is that he has overcome all suffering, redeeming and ransoming us from death and despair. Sundays promise is that he will make all things new. What a promise!

Because of the gospel hope is free to roam in the most unusual and unlikely places. Places like Golgotha and Nazi Concentration camps.

The backdrop to all our smaller stories and days of despairing is one grand story that provides purpose and meaning and a way to make sense of it all. And, that meaning is not found in a system or a thought or a solution, idea or philosophy. None of those things bring meaning to our suffering.

No, the meaning to human suffering is found in a person who entered it and has come out the other side vindicated and unscathed. And, now he mediates on our behalf. Jesus the King, our savior, brings hopeful meaning to our senseless suffering. His suffering and death was redeemed. Ours will be too. May His name be praised!

On a Christian Worldview

The gospel is not just a truth that we look to, it is a lens that we look through.

-Tim Keller


Once the gospel gets a hold of your life, you quickly realize that it's not simply the truth of Christ and the objective source of salvation that we look towards. Yes, indeed it is that. But, it is more. The gospel itself pulls us into a larger story of Creation, fall and redemption. It has the power to ransom us from our smaller self-made stories and place us into the light of the way that things are really. Gospel people are people who have a radically different lens that they see through. And, this lens impacts the way that we see God, ourselves, others and this world.

Is your gospel simply a gospel that you look to in your time of need? Or is it a gospel that you also look through? A gospel that penetrates so deep that all of life and reality are seen through its lens.

We talk today about a Christian worldview, but the tendency in the Church today is to neatly fit God into our own eclectic, self-made worldviews. The problem is that God cannot be packaged and perceived through the lenses of our choice. He will not allow His holiness, goodness and love to be hijacked and used for our own purposes. His gospel can only truly save us when we allow His world, His story, His reality to penetrate us. Anything less than that reduces the gospel and cheapens the cross.

If you have the time, I highly recommend listening to Tim Keller's teaching on "Writing from a Christian Worldview". You don't have to be a writer to take this stuff in. It's HIGLY applicable and necessary for everyone who calls themselves a Christian.

http://sermons2.redeemer.com/sermons/writing-christian-worldview

Writing with the Other Hand

The process of Christlikeness is counter-intuitive.

It goes against the grain of natural self and the ego. Usually, for a new Christian who is set on following Jesus, things get real messy and much more difficult before they get easier.

Imagine a right-handed person penning his own autobiography. In the middle of the story a doctor diagnoses the writer with severe arthritics in the right hand. His condition is so debilitating it will create permanent paralysis if the writing continues. The only sensible solution is to stop using that hand. "But", the eager author pleads to the doctor, "I'm in the middle of penning my own life story. I can't quit now. I was born to write."

Now, imagine if you will, the doctor contacting the writer and stating that the author could continue his masterpiece, but must learn to write with his left hand.

After much thought the decision is made to surrender to the doctors orders. He dies to the use of his right-hand forever, and for the first time in his life places the pen in the other hand and begins penning his first sentence.

As the pen touches the paper, it feels quite awkward. His hand shakes. It's uncomfortable and the tendency is to default back to the old way of doing things. It requires much concentration and intention and effort and energy and patience to even get through one paragraph. As he continues, the preceding pages look real messy. Hardly legible.

Page after page he endures. Daily the temptation to go back to the old hand, the old way of doing things. Sure, he intellectually knows that that hand no longer serves him well, and continued use will lead to paralysis. But despite that knowledge, the old way is so. . .so comfortable, so normal.

As time continues the grip becomes more natural. The left hand stronger. The writing more clear. The counter-intuitive nature begins defining itself as the "new normal". Confidence is gained, and with it a the pathway of liberation.

The gospel is like learning to write with the other hand. Let me explain.

When we come to Christ we are called to lay down the normal ways that we had always done things. Jesus beckons us to forsake the usual way we have gotten on in life, and follow His way. Which sounds good on paper. . .and then life happens and we find that the way of Jesus, the way of the gospel is so counter-intuitive. His is a kingdom where everything we are called to think, believe and do runs so backward, so upside-down to the way we had always lived. Yes, following Jesus is like having to learn how to write with a brand new hand. Living the gospel is an uncomfortable to our default life. It both disrupts and transforms the story we're penning all at once.

If the implications of the gospel you believe in doesn't feel abnormal, uncomfortable or counter-intuitive to your natural leanings, then you may not be fully embracing the gospel according to Jesus. The gospel changes everything. And, we feel how against the grain it really is when we start living like Jesus did.

In what ways are you finding the gospel counter-intuitive? In what ways is Jesus teaching you to write with the other hand?

. How does your congregation help folks learn write with the other hand?

Individualism and the Church Part I

I was musing over St. John's words yesterday in my devotions. He was the only recorded disciple who actually witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus. The disciple whom Jesus loved gazed helplessly as his rabbi and friend hung helplessly upon a cross. He saw him suffer in silence and finally groan as he gasped his final breath. Oh, how the image of a self-sacrificing savior must have been cemented deep into John's consciousness.

As an older man, John still had etched into the recesses of his mind, the sweat, the dust and the blood of Golgotha. In his first epistle he writes, "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers" (I Jn. 3:16). John connects Jesus' ruthless love for us with the kind of loving community that should exist within the Church. Christ stepped in front of a moving bus for us, so shouldn't be willing to do the same for each other? The answer is a resounding, yes.

Yet, is Christian community today made up of the stuff of Golgotha? Does it look like blood, sweat, tears or grime for the sake of loving relationship? Too often our love is safe, sanitized and benign. Is it true grit love? Or simply sanctuary sentimentality? Too often I fear it is the later.

We have discovered ways to co-exist at arms length, separated and insulated from one another. We shake hands on Sunday and smile, yet the rest of the week are free to pursue our own self-directed goals, dreams, and ambitions without much thought or concern for our brothers and sisters in Christ. How can this be? How has the portrait of self-sacrificial love that was burned into John's consciousness gotten so far removed? How can we be ready to lay our lives down for one another if we do not even know one another? if we are unwilling to commit to a small group community?

Communal life is not an optional appendage for the Church. It is central to the mission of the gospel and to Christ's vision for His Church. We must reclaim a deeper understanding of Christian community and find ways to subvert the individualistic culture of the day with the communal nature of the gospel. We have the power and love at our disposal to model before the world an entirely different way of being human! Individualism and Church cannot co-exist. It was not an option for John, and it's not an option today.

So, how do we combat the idol of individualism within the Church? How do we begin to recognize it in our lives? What are the ways in which we can grow into the kinds of people that would lay our lives down for our brothers? Chime in on this one. I would like to hear your heart.

Old Heresies, New Hosts

Last Sunday we tackled Ephesians 3:14-21 which is one of Paul’s two prayer for the Ephesians in the epistle. Paul seamlessly moves from words to the Ephesians to prayers for the Ephesians in this text. As we looked at the apostle Paul as a man of prayer this morning, we discussed two heretical threats to a vibrant prayer life. Both threats, interestingly enough, de-personalize God in their own way leading to a God who we cannot come to know and embrace.

Threat #1-Deism
Remember that song Bette Midler used to sing called "From a Distance"? "God is watching us, God is watching us, from a distance". Good tune. Poor theology. The first sectarian threat is Deism. Deism depersonalizes God and serves as a serious threat to a life of prayer. Deists believe that God is the Creator and sustainer of this universe, but is distant from His creation.

Like a grand clock maker, He designed and wound up this universe, but now it's sort of left it alone to tick on its own. His involvement in the day to day affairs of men is limited to let's say "emergency life and death sorts of situations". Overall, he lets this earth alone and is somewhat aloof from our personal lives. Is this your understanding or view of God? Distant, somewhat too aloof to take notice or be involved in the stuff of your life? If so, you are not alone. Recent research done by Notre Dame sociologist Christian Smith indicates that a group of people dubbed by Smith as "moralistic, therapeutic deists" comprise the largest segment of young adults in America. (Check out http://johnortberg.com/?p=56 for more information).

Deism, or some abridged version of it, is alive and well in America. And, one sign and symptom of deism is a feeble prayer life. And, that makes sense. After all, if we transform God into a remote being out there who has little to nothing to do with our personal lives, the logical conclusion is that prayer is an exercise in futility. Of course, the God of Deism is not the God of the apostle Paul in Ephesians whose prayers glorify the love and power of a God who is at work in us. Paul's God is Emmanuel. A word meaning "God with us". Is your God Emmanuel? Or is He distant, aloof, removed sort of God?

Threat #2 Gnosticism
Secondly, prayer is threatened by Gnosticism. Gnosticism is an ancient heresy that has re-emerged throughout church history and is alive and well today. Philip Lee, a scholar who has studied gnosticism in depth, discusses five primary elements of this ancient heresy. I've summarized some of Lee's thoughts below.

• Gnosticism embraces a deep chasm between body and spirit. Essentially Gnosticism is dualism. It believes that the spirit-world, the invisible is inherently GOOD. And the creation, the visible, created of the flesh world is inherently BAD.

• Gnosticism believes there is a secret lore, a special knowledge (gnosis) that can save us from this hopeless condition of the body/flesh. However, it requires a certain pathway/method to discover.

• Gnosticism always leads to escapism. It urges us to remove ourselves (mentally, spiritually) from this world and get in touch with the true world of the Spirit. Often results in privatized, over-preoccupation with self. Each person must be his/her own guide.

• Gnosticism holds that this secret knowledge is known only to the “elite” who attain this inner knowledge and the methods of tapping into this knowledge.

• Gnosticism believes that enlightenment is the private pursuit of each individual. Each adherent to its teachings are free to discover truth as he/she sees fit and is not subject to the accountability of a community or the guidelines of an authoritative text.

As you notice above, gnosticism's goal becmes the personal pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment, instead of the pursuit of a personal God. The ultimate blessing of gnosticism is not someone, but a something. God is that impersonal, mysterious force that we can "tap" into that unlocks the right doors and opens the right corridors to enlightenment. Another way of saying it? God is the means to an end. Not the end itself.

Do we not see this kind of heresy alive and well around us today? God becomes a means to our own private, personal pursuit of self-actualization. We see this in many forms both inside and outside of Christian circles. Gnostic prayers are not true prayers because all true prayer must be sourced in the personal and the relational.

We see this in Paul in Ephesians. He clings to a relational God and lifts up his prayers in a deeply relational way both to God and on behalf of his brothers and sisters in Christ. Christian prayer must always be marinated in the personal. . .in the relational. If not, we will miss God entirely. Stated a different way, Christian prayer must always be informed by the incarnation. That is to say, that our prayers always mouthed towards a God who entered our mundane and small messes through Jesus Christ. He is a God who does not reveal himself to only a select few who now hold the secret instructions to "tap" into Him. No. The Christian God is a God who enters into human history in the most personal of all ways...as a person Himself! Our God's deepest desire is to get personal with us. . .his creation. And so, He became a living, breathing, human to show us how up-close and personal He really is. He is a God "which we have heard with our ears, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have touched with our hands" (I Jn. 1:1,2). Gnostic's know such God. In search for rapturous, mysterious someTHING they overlook the personal someONE.

Deist? Gnostic? Christian? Take a close inventory and assess where you find yourself. Our prayer life does indeed reflect the kind of God we worship.

What Are You Relying On?

Are you placing your dependency these days on the tangible things in front of you or are you trusting the Spirit of God inside of you? We speak of faith, we speak of the "gifts" of the Spirit that are used by the Spirit in our lives. But, if you are like me there's a temptation to place more security in my props than in God. Props are any tangible thing that I have come to depend upon other than the Lord. My plans. My personality. My personal power or persona. All these things have their place...but when I begin to trust in these props more than God, I've got a big problem. Truthfully, I’ve seen God’s hand in my life more powerfully displayed when the props are removed and the stage is cleared. In those moments I’m forced to see what is unseen and trust in God in a more real way. Jesus commanded his disciples to go out and “take nothing for the journey” (Mark 6.8). No programs or agendas. No porta-pews or papyrus tracts. His reason? Props get in the way of sincere devout faith. Much which we assume to be helpful in the spiritual life can be detrimental.

Here's a link to a great blog post that epitomizes removing the props we have come to depend upon and beginning to see that which is unseen. Enjoy the clip. . .and the post.

http://john8.com/christian-living/a-portrait-of-faith-in-jesus/

Stop Trying to Change the World

So, you want to change the world, huh? I confess that I've dreamed of myself as a mover and shaker on a global scale. And, why not? After all, there are so many needed changes out there. Shouldn't we all want to change the world? Not necessarily.

A recent post by John Ortberg (http://johnortberg.com/?p=64 ) reminded me that changing the world is not in my primary job description as a disciple. And, good thing for the world too, because I'd probably do a lousy job at global transformation. Truthfully, all worldwide moving and shaking is God-sized stuff, and probably best left His hands, not ours. That's not to say that we have no part in world change. But our primary task is not to change the world.

Ortberg highly recommends a new book by James Hunter entitled "To Change the World". In it, Hunter argues, that the primary role of God's people throughout history has never been to change the world. . .that's always been God's job. . Our role? According to Hunter, to be a faithful presence within culture God has placed us. Often, in our Christian past, our agendas and ambitions to change the world has led to "Christian conquest" in the name of Jesus, without the marks of Jesus like humility, grace and love.

Not a world-mover. Not a conquering king. Simply a faithful presence. A Faithful Presence? I know what you are thinking. That's so. . .so boring. So wimpy. So passive. Yes, so it appears. That is until we flesh out what being a faithful presence actually looks like. As we jump into the skin of a life that embodies a "faithful presence" kind of life, we find anything but boring, wimpy, passive lives. We find Daniel in Babylon. What was this young man if not a faithful presence? How about Joseph? Hard to change the world in the slammer. Fortunately, God had not called him to change the world, but to simply be a faithful presence of God under years of lock and key. We see through the lens of faithful presence Noah, Esther, Job, Ruth, Simeon and Mary. We find the DNA of faithful presence in the patriarchs, the prophets, the apostles. . .all called by God to be a faithful presence of simple obedience, often in cultures that despised, ignored and rejected the call of God.

When we set our sights on changing the world our heart might be in the right place, but our focus is in the wrong direction. Being a faithful presence means that our target, our focus, our primary aim is being who God has called us to be and doing what He has called us to do. And, that is enough for God. Because, the lives of the saints ensure us that God will use our faithful presence as a catalyst for His kingdom, so that He can receive the glory for changing our world.

Haven't read Hunter's book yet, but the excerpts I've read about his book look fantastic. Has anyone out there picked up the book? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Excavating Ephesians

I'm studying Ephesians right now and loving it. Studying the Scriptures is like digging for buried treasure. There's some work to be done for sure, but the labor is never in vain. In in the middle of your labor you discover this chest of wealth that existed just beneath your feet all the time. All you had to do was a little digging. My time in prayer and preparation for this study has been like that. What begins as labor-intensive and perplexing (what in the world does Paul mean here???), begins with prayer and meditation to expose itself little by little. And, then it happens. Instead of pulling up one more handful of sand, you begin to excavate from the unknown depths jewels and gems and find cloth and all sorts of unique, priceless relics. And, you discover at once that you are more full, more wealthy, more secure, more loved than you had ever realized. And, you're brought to your knees in humble recognition that Christ Himself is that treasure. That's what I'm excavating in Ephesians.