Hey! Lay off the Church (with or without a capital C)

Have you noticed how the current culture loves to criticize even the very things they support. We love to pick apart our favorite teams. I’m sure you’ve heard: “Our coach is clueless and just doesn’t understand today’s game.” Or “Our quarterback is a has-been and needs to retire.” How about, “Our defense has more holes than Swiss cheese.” I’m guilty of that one for sure. But at the end of the day, we really want our team to win even if we are convinced that some improvements could be made. However, I’m certain that even if our team was the only team on the field, we would still hear both cheers and boos coming from the pews. Oops, I mean bleachers.

Today’s Christian culture has created its own form of schizophrenic fan. Over the last several years, Christian writers have made a living out of “nit picking” every flaw they could find with the Church (universal) or any local church for that matter. Videos, articles, sermons, it seems that no one has anything good to say about it. It’s no wonder that those outside the Church don’t really care to come in when those on the inside have nothing good to say about their own team!

Now let me come clean. I believe there are certainly areas where the local churches could improve. There are certainly changes that could be made and audibles that need to be called, but I don’t suggest that the whole team should be fired and the coach dismissed. The broad, generalizing strokes painted by some seem to suggest just that. I really doubt that Jesus should lose his position as head of the team even if one of his players fumbles the ball or misses a tackle.

Most of the time, those who criticize the church are products of the church. By that I mean that they blame their team for their own success. I compare it to eating those nasty veggies as a kid. They were gross at the time but after 20 years of the stuff they did have healthy benefits just like mom said. I’ve heard things like, “I grew up in a very conservative, fundamental church that didn’t know how to relate to younger people.” Yet twenty years later, that person is a follower of Christ and a product of that upbringing. It would be dishonest to say that the church that didn’t know how to relate to younger people had no impact on their life. I’ve also heard people say, “well that church is just a theater. All the lights and loud music are just a distraction from the real reason the church exists. It is just shallow.” Yet the same person was saved in that church and committed their life to Christ. Now they are a “mature” believer and don’t need all that childish stuff so they have a right to criticize.

The logic just doesn’t match up and reeks of arrogance. I believe the real problem lies within a norm of our culture that is filled with ipods, ipads, iphones, and everything else “i.” Today, our culture has tried to create the iChurch. Everything has to be personalized. If it works for me then it must be the real deal. We may not like everything that happens in the Church but that doesn’t mean we should abandon the whole idea and start from scratch.

The Bible makes it clear that the Church is not ours. In Matthew 16:18 Jesus called the church his. I really don’t want to argue with the Son of God about whose property the Church is. But in reality, that is the issue. Many well intending believers have tried to make the Church their own. Some have come to believe that if it doesn’t resonate with the 20-something crowd, then the church isn’t relevant. Others think if the pastor doesn’t wear a suit and tie but rather sports a tatoo, then that church is nothing but a gathering of immature, faith-compromising hipsters. Most of these assumptions come from our background or our current season of life. Our understanding should actually come from the Scripture.

This straw-man approach to ecclesial debate will not win the game. So do we just let things be? Absolutely not. Martin Luther couldn’t just let things be. He had to do something. But what he did was not simply lob complaints toward the parish or write a self-aggrandizing article for the Roman Catholic Times. He based his actions on Biblical principles that should guide and direct every church that calls itself Christian. If a church is outside the bounds of Biblical theology then it ceases to be THE church. Instead, it is just a gathering of like-minded people. The church is to be a gathering of Christ-minded people.

If you want to complain about the church as an institution, don’t use a capital “C.” Paul asked what right another man had to complain about a servant that wasn’t his own (Romans 14:4). I believe the same question is appropriate to ask about the Church. God instituted himself into man by creating him in His image and redeeming him through Christ. Thus, God created the Church. Later, redeemed mankind, the symbol of God’s love to creation, instituted a method of gathering the Church together in order to equip and propagate the gospel story. There may have been a few turnovers but the game has never been lost. So why don’t we lay off the Church (or church) a little.

What Today Did Not Change

One year ago today, I lost a friend and fellow servant. I spent most of the night and following days at the hospital with the family that we had come to know through a Divine appointment. I clearly remember Marianne spending her last afternoon working in the preschool room with Shannon at our small store-front in the mall. Her eagerness to serve others and love for God was evident even on her last day with us. That day one year ago, changed a lot of things.

But there are some things that it did not change:

• It did NOT change my mission. I have little doubt that Marianne truly believed that the greatest offer that a person could make to someone else was to invite them to follow Christ. Though she is not here, my mission is still to give everyone, every where, every reason to want to follow Jesus.
  
• It did NOT change my resolve. It was a big blow to me, my wife, and everyone in our young church. Not to mention her family. She left a big hole. But like Paul, we press on. No greater honor could we show to Marianne than to continue with the work that she played a role in starting.
• It did NOT change my faith in God. He knows that life is often filled with curves that are sometimes hard to navigate. Yet, he knows our struggles and stands near us with a comforting hand reminding us that he is still near. (Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.) The world is constantly changing but my faith rests in a God that does not change (Heb. 13:8)
  

Today reminds me that each day brings me one day closer to my last. May I live each one well.

Redefining Success (Sunday Recap 8/21/11)

Everyone wants to be successful. However, very few people even know what that means! Most people would likely define success in terms of their bank account or point to some of the things they own. Some might feel successful when their name gets recognized by others in their industry or if they have over 1000 twitter followers. Still others feel successful after they have accomplished a goal and have the picture to prove it. But there is a problem with these definitions: they always put us on a tredmill that saps a lot of energy but never really takes us anywhere.

You see, if you define success by the $, you will soon realize that $ will soon not make you as happy and now it will take $$. Then $$$. You get the picture. You may feel unsuccessful when you don't get the recognition you feel you deserve. Unsuccessful when you get "de friended" on Facebook. One great achievement is shadowed by the next and higher is always better. Pretty soon, with every beat of our heart come the words: more, more, more.

Even for a pastor, it is easy to get lost in the many definitions of success that compete for our attention. Many times in the church we look at two things: attendance and giving to define success for us. Over the years, I've seen this first hand and honestly I've been guilty at times. Tossing around numbers and figures while trying to look successful and at other times criticizing those who did it because their numbers and figures made me feel unsuccessful. Like my dad always used to tell me during a batting slump, "you will always lose at the game of comparison because there is always someone out there with better numbers than you. So just keep swinging."

I am so thankful that God does not hold us to that definition of success. His idea of success is very simple and straightforward. You can see it in Joshua 1. Here we find Joshua dealing with the pressure of being successful because he was following the most "successful" man to ever lead the nation of Israel, Moses. Moses had done it all but now he was dead and it was Joshua's turn to lead. Joshua thought of Moses' success only in terms of results but God had to remind him of the real cause of Moses' greatness.

In Joshua 1:7 the Lord says, "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law...that you may be successful wherever you go." The Lord goes on to tell him that if Joshua would follow the Divine instructions that were given him, he would be prosperous and successful. The real definition of success is simply being obedient to God and his commands.

My prayer is that we would dump all those definitions that cause worry, nervousness, fear, discouragement, anger, resentment, and regret, and start living by the definition that God gives us. When we simply obey God's Word it is amazing how satisfied and fulfilled our souls become.

Day 17 - The way of the Cross

I can see nothing more relevant to today’s Christian than Jesus words found in Mark 8:34-38.

³⁴ Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵ For whoever wants to save their life^[a] will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. ³⁶ What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? ³⁷ Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? ³⁸ If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”

It is clear that the disciples had started to feel just a little bit of entitlement. They had already been a part of the miracle of feeding 5000 men with 5 loaves of bread and leaving 12 basketfuls left over. Most recently they were a part of the miracle that fed 4000 men with 7 loaves but there was only 7 baskets left over this time. So either these 4000 men had a voracious appetite or the bread didn’t go as far. What had changed?

Whenever we begin to take for granted the sacrifice of following Christ we find a lack of surplus. This idea was creeping into the disciples and Jesus recognized it. He warned them in Mark 8:15. The Pharisees yeast will ruin your bread! Any thought of serving Jesus without dying to self is wrong.

Christians today see God like a gumball machine. Put in a quarter, turn the handle and out will come your bubble gum. That is a twisted system that has been created from a culture intoxicated by self interest. Jesus said that a life of following him would not be filled with entitlements and applause. Rather, a life that is saved becomes a life that has been lost for the sake the Gospel message. The applause we should seek is the applause of heaven.

Bruised Reeds

Day 8 for those who are even counting. At this point, I know that there are some of you who are thanking God with increasing measure for creating peanut butter (all natural of course). I just encourage you to keep it up. You are developing a new habit in your spiritual life and the side effect is that you are developing a new habit for your health. Both are important!

I am still replaying yesterday in my mind and it still brings a smile to my face. There were, shall we say, a few technical difficulties yesterday. Some more embarrassing than others (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you just had to be there. I think I will have them edit that story from the podcast!). I mean how many pastors in America were in the heart of their message and suddenly loud music begins to spontaneously play and it wasn't coming from our sound system. I saw 3 or 4 people jump up and scramble to the back door like a fire alarm had gone off. We finally got the theater to turn off the music and the Lord still spoke to people's hearts. Thanks for the save Lord!

When thinking about it all, I reflect back on one of the first words that I challenged our Journey Church leaders with a couple of years ago: flexibility. This word has been a motto that I have lived by. Some think that flexibility is the same as "shooting from the hip" or having a lasse fair attitude. But that is not flexibility, it is apathy. To me, flexibility is what happens when the rigidity of an object succumbs to the environment by making on the fly adjustments. I learned to live a flexible life by doing missions work. When you are overseas, NOTHING goes as planned. That IS the plan. There will always be spontaneous adjustments.

Why do we need to be flexible? Because God can use flexible people. It is the rigid and unmoving that God has trouble with. Trust me. When you begin to follow Jesus, your life will certainly have some bend and sway in it. Don't worry. He won't break you. Stay flexible. As a matter of fact without a little flexibility, you can't know Christ. Think about it, you probably didn't plan on giving your heart to Jesus the day you did. Your rigidity was adjusted.

Isaiah says it this way:
¹ “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice (Is. 42:1-3)

Jesus came to make things right. To make things the way they were created to be. Just. He didn't yell at creation to fix itself. He didn't scream at you to mend your life. He didn't break you off or throw dirt on top of you. Instead, he was faithful to you.

Lord, as we continue to seek You. As we remind ourselves daily of your preimencence in our lives. Show us your faithfulness. Bend us. Move us. Adjust us. Shape us to what you want us to be.

Higher Ground in 2011

As a kid I heard this song sung at church and I have always remembered it and tried to live by it. It is entitled Higher Ground.

I’m pressing on the upward way,
New heights I’m gaining every day;
Still praying as I’m onward bound,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

Refrain:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith, on Heaven’s tableland,
A higher plane than I have found;
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.

My heart has no desire to stay
Where doubts arise and fears dismay;
Though some may dwell where those abound,
My prayer, my aim, is higher ground.

I want to live above the world,
Though Satan’s darts at me are hurled;
For faith has caught the joyful sound,
The song of saints on higher ground.

I want to scale the utmost height
And catch a gleam of glory bright;
But still I’ll pray till heav’n I’ve found,
“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

The verses of this song teach 4 important ideas about reaching Higher Ground.

1. Devotion to Jesus is required. Without a devotion to Christ, any effort to grow spiritually is a futile effort. As the philosopher Blaise Pascal so simply put it, “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person, and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God, made known through Jesus Christ.”

2. Desire for more. Coming to Christ is like walking into a huge 17th century castle. You can't recognize the awesomeness, beauty, and inspiration by standing in the front door. You have to go in and walk around. There may even be rooms that are hidden from the naked eye. But good things come to those who seek for them. (Jeremiah 29:11-13)j

3. Determination to move forward. Growing is never and easy process whether physically, emotionally, or spiritually. I remember those growing pains in my legs. The aches that came simply because I was getting taller. (Now the pain is from growing older!) I also remember what it was like to wrestle with my feelings whether they were of sadness, love-sickness, or anger. I don't respond to these emotions the same way I did when I was a child. In your spiritual life, you will be challenged, most notably by the enemy. He will hurl darts and try to take you out before you reach a higher plain of growth. You have to stay determined. Keep singing the song, "I have decided to follow Jesus...no turning back, no turning back."

4. There is a destination. You will never reach the top of a mountain until you first take a look at the peak. Every chance you get, remind yourself of your destination. It is so easy. I mean extremely easy to lose sight of our destination in our busy world and sinful culture. There is a finish line. Think about it often and it will keep your feet moving forward and your heart pounding!

Day 3 - New Every Morning

After seeing first hand the complete destruction and slaughter of his people, Jeremiah writes several poems of lament. We know them as the book of Lamentations. Jeremiah vividly describes the scene during the siege of Jerusalem. The city was starving. Strong men were walking around like skeletons. People got so hungry that some began to cannibalize their own children. It was a horrific sight to say the least. It was a day to day existence just waiting on the inevitable.

Wow, what a great story to think about. How inspiring! Actually, that may be the historical facts of the story but it isn't all of the human experience of the story. The prophet Jeremiah was hungry along with the rest of the Jews but he had a perspective that can really teach us something. Look at what he says,

"because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.' The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." (Lam. 3:22-26)

Every day God's mercies reset and because of this they are inexhaustible! You will never use too much of God's mercy. When we are living in "lack" he brings us to 100%. Every day! The key is to hope in Him. Wait for Him. Don't become nervous or antsy even in the middle of difficult circumstances. His salvation will come.

Let today be a day when you recognize the mercies of God in your life!