"Childish or Child-like"

Which church is the "right" church? What makes "that" church the right church? Has Jesus left us with any indication about what kind of person makes the "right" kind of disciple? Take a little bit and wrestle with these questions before moving on.

Mark 9:30-37
As Jesus and his disciples are traveling, Jesus attempts to inform them of his coming suffering and resurrection. But they do not understand. This is Jesus’ attempt to connect the dots for his disciples. This king that they serve and follow is not a military king, but a suffering servant. He was sent to the cross for their sins, our sins, the world’s sins. They miss the point.

We know they miss the point because the very next paragraph shows an interesting teaching of Jesus to his disciples. It starts with Jesus sitting his disciples down and asking a very interesting question, “So tell me, what were you arguing about on the road?” And the next verse reveals to us the answer to that question. They had been arguing about who was going to be the greatest when Jesus re-established the kingdom of God. There is something heartbreaking in the thought of Jesus going towards a cross and his disciples arguing about who would be greatest!

Instead of seeking a place of service, they were seeking positions of advantage. Jesus used a child to help his self-centered disciples get the point. They were to have servant attitudes, being not "childish" (arguing over petty issues), but "childlike," with humble and sincere hearts. Seeking honor, respect, and the attention of others runs contrary to Jesus' requirements for his servants. An attitude of service brings true greatness in God's kingdom.

Notice what happens next! John still doesn't get it...he misses the point big time!
Mark 9:38-41

For John, it is still about place, position, power. Can you hear him, "But Jesus we saw a man driving out demons, using your name, and he is not one of us, the Twelve, the chosen ones." I love Jesus' response..."Do not stop him! For anyone who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us." (emphasis added) Wow, I love this!

Friends, how many times have we pulled this? How many times have we excluded, slandered, and confronted a brother, sister, another denomination, etc. because they don't "do church" the same way that we do? You know, they don't worship like us, they don't "partake" of communion the same way we do, and they don't share the same slant on women's role. We cry out to God and to one another, "We confronted them and told them to stop, because they were not one of us!" For years many in my fellowship have refused to participate in community activities all because another denomination that they don't agree with is involved. They have refused to because the people involved were people they just didn't feel "comfortable" with. What would Jesus say to that? I have a pretty good idea! I don't believe one's theology should get in the way of them helping those in need. Have we forgotten the "Parable of the Good Samaritan?"

This passage from Mark 9 has forced me to ask myself a very important question...Who is my 'real' enemy? Friends, I am arriving at a different place in my ministry than many of the ancestors in my fellowship. My enemy is not the Baptists, the Assembly of God, the Methodists, the non-denominationals, no sir!! My enemy is "Satan!" I would imagine Satan himself is reveling in the fact that churches are fighting against each other. I would imagine he smiles as brothers and sisters from the same congregations argue and fight over "petty" differences...most of which have "absolutely nothing" to do with salvation.

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't these men and women from these other denominations, or non-denominations, fighting the same evil I am, you are, we are? Their enemy is my enemy, Satan! Don't they preach Jesus as the Son of God, hung on the cross for my sins, and resurrected on the third day? I believe they teach this same Jesus as they door to salvation. According to Jesus himself in Mark 9, that makes them my "ally."

I know this is gettin' preachy, but let me share a couple of passages with you before I close.

The first Scripture is…
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
- 1 Cor 12:12-13 (NIV)

The second Scripture is…
4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
- Eph 4:1-6 (NIV)

Jesus' followers did not and will not all look the same and belong to the same groups. However, Jesus' followers do all have the responsibility of building up the kingdom of God. We should and must cooperate. I am done fighting over petty differences. Let us unite together, in one Spirit, through the bond of peace. Let us band together to fight for the lost and hurting of this world, rather than fighting with each other. It is time for us to stop being so "childish" and start being more "child-like."

I close with the words of Paul...

2 For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified…
- 1 Cor 2:2-5 (NIV)

May God grant us the wisdom to see what is most important in this world. May he open our eyes to the real enemy. And may he bless us with the compassion and patience to work with one another in the struggle to share Jesus with those in need.

"Is the Church Missing the Point?"

Okay, friends, back to the book! Today’s thoughts are taken once again from Reggie McNeal’s book, The Present Future. Remember, I am sharing thoughts from the book that struck a chord with me, personally. I am interested in hearing what some of you might think about these issues as well.

Reggie makes a very interesting observation in his book. He says, “Church leaders seem unable to grasp this simple implication of the new world – people outside the church think church is for church people, not for them” (pg.10). Later he would make this comment, "In North America the invitation to become a Christian has become largely an invitation to convert to the church” (pg.11). Have we as a church missed the point? I wonder at times if we have become so over-focused on doing church right, that we have missed out on being the right kind of church.

Let me explain. All of my life I have grown up in the same church. The whole time I have watched many churches in my fellowship squabble over the “right” way to do church. Some of these discussions have become so intense, that men and women who claim to love and serve God have become some of the most unlovable people and said some of the most ungodly things. Wasn’t it Jesus who said, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (Jn. 13:35)? I mean seriously, what message are we sending the un-churched around us when we fight like this amongst ourselves? I will tell you what I have been hearing. “Come and join our church because we are the ones that do church right?” But again, I come back to a strong point that I believe, as my grandma used to say, gets stuck in our craw every time we try to swallow. I believe Jesus gave us a mission to be the church, not do church!

Sometimes I believe we are so busy “doing” church that we miss out on the golden opportunities to be the church. What if, instead of fighting about how to do church, we were in the community fixing houses, fixing cars, mowing lawns, raking leaves, painting fences, helping people move in or out, picking up trash, supporting our local schools, etc.? What if, instead of fighting over our church service that we expect people to come to, we were taking church services to the people of our community? I wonder what would happen if a small group of people just started to host an evening worship service in their back yard on Sunday evenings. Does that make somebody’s blood boil? See, I know of some men that I have served with that would be so put out that I wasn’t worshipping in “the building” that they wouldn’t think twice about the people we could possibly reach. Why? Because we must worship the Lord in a church, at least that is what they would say.

Okay, forgive me for taking the bait on this one. If that is true, then let us examine the New Testament church in Acts for a moment. Yes, they did meet together in the temple courts to fulfill the Jewish custom of praying three times a day. I am sure that while they were there, they even praised God. However, the Scriptures also tell us that they meet in each other’s homes enjoying fellowship and praising God. So, if worship has to be in “the temple,” does that mean God did not accept the worship they lifted up in their home’s in the evening? I have served with some that I truly believe would answer “yes” to that question!

Reggie made me think! I wonder if he is making you think. Have you ever considered the number of people that won’t come to worship on a given Sunday; not because they don’t believe in or worship the same God that you and I do, but because they are working? You know the convenient store workers, restaurant workers, grocery store workers, utility crews, and public servants that work so that you and I can selfishly enjoy our Sunday’s. We show up to church and expect the lights and air conditioners to be working. We expect the gas stations to be open so that we can fill up and make it to church. We expect the restaurants to be open so that we can go out and eat rather than cook on Sunday afternoon. “Who is going to be the church to them?”

I know that I have gotten on my soap box about this, but I believe the North American church is missing the point of Jesus’ call to “Go” and make disciples of all nations. Enough from me, for now. What are some of your thoughts? I do want to know, whether you agree or disagree. Are we way off base? How do we fix it? What are we going to do?

"My Dream vs. His Call"

Dreams. Do you still have those? We all have hopes and visions of what we want our life to look like. As children, we all dream of what we will be, where we will live, and what we will be doing. Some of us dream about being presidents, doctors, lawyers, managers, etc. “Are you just where you believed you would be?”

When I was a senior in high school, my preacher asked all us to write down some information. He wanted to know where we saw ourselves in five years; where will you be, what will you be doing, will you be married, and how many children will you have/do you plan to have? He informed us that he planned to file them away and mail them to us in five years. Naturally, I filled it out but never believed that I would ever see it again. Here were my answers…in five years, I believed that I would be graduated from college and coaching junior high basketball in a smaller West Texas town. I believed that I would be married and even said that I planned to have at least two kids some day.

When I got this envelope in the mail, I opened it up and read it, and wondered how I came to be where I was in life. You see, I was just about to walk across the stage and receive my bachelor’s degree. I wasn’t even thinking about coaching anymore. I had felt called into the ministry and was currently serving as the youth minister in a small West Texas town. I was married, and my wife was pregnant with our first child. Some of the things had gone my way, but why not the career. I had loved sports all of my life. Just ask my dad! My whole life I had always said that I was going to teach physical education and coach basketball. I had it all planned out, too. I was going to coach junior high.

So, what happened?! Why didn’t I end up where I just knew I was going to be? I have to admit, there have been times that I wondered what kind of coach I would have made. I have to admit, there have been times that I wondered if I was really in the right place. I, like many of you, have looked toward the heavens and asked God, “Why me? Why here?” The greatest answer I have ever received from the Lord came when I was on a journey through the book of Proverbs. I ran across this verse, underlined it, and it has become a part of me ever since. Proverbs 19:21:

“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

Even now I am writing it without looking it up because it has become such a part of who I am. Coaching was my plan! Living in West Texas was my plan! But, I wound up in youth ministry right out of college. I wasn’t coaching basketball with junior high kids, but I was teaching (coaching, if you don’t mind) teenagers how to grow and mature as disciples of Christ. The Lord’s purpose prevailed over mine. I was still working with kids, but in God’s way, not mine!

Ever since that day, I have faithfully, joyfully, and willingly answered God’s call to serve others. Why? Because I took a good look at what I wanted…Contemplated where I actually was…And finally realized that this is definitely where God wanted me to be. I don’t know for sure if you ever question where you are in life, but I want to encourage you to ask yourself a couple of questions: (1) Are you still living for yourself, focusing on your plans within your heart? (2) Or, have you surrendered to the “purpose” of God, submitting faithfully, joyfully, and willingly to his lordship in your life. It is in true surrender to the Lord that you will find true peace and never ending joy. Share: In what ways has God empowered you in your profession to share the gospel and his grace with others?

"Expecting Forgiveness"

I have to share a story with you today about my son. This incident occured this last week, and it reminded me of how we have come to approach God so many times in our lives. It made me laugh, and I hope it makes you laugh too!

Last week, my kids were up here with me at work while I was finishing up a couple of things. A co-worker, and friend, asked if it would be okay for her to give the kids a few keys that she believed didn't go to anything important anymore. Before agreeing, knowing my two kids very well, I sat them both down and we had a talk. I said, "You may have those keys to play with as long as we understand that we don't put those keys in any doors around the office, or any doors around our house." They smiled and quickly agreed (should the smiles have given anything away?). She gave them the keys and we went home.

The next morning my son comes into the room and says, "Hey dad! Guess what? (He's very excited!)" I said, "What?!" He replies, "You know those keys that we got yesterday? Well, two of those keys, fit my door. And dad, one of those keys...it even locks my door (he says as he is shaking his head and smiling with total pride and confidence)." I just stared at him for a moment. Then I calmly asked, "So, are you telling me that you took those keys I specifically asked you not to put in any door in the house, and then you put them into a door in the house?" (My son tells on himself all of the time.) He dropped his shoulders, stuck out his bottom lip, and quietly bowed his head. Then he mumbled, "I'm sorry daddy."

I was trying so hard not to laugh at this point. "Go get me those keys," I told him. "Why? Are you going to take them away?", he asked. "Absolutely," I replied. "I specifically asked you not to put them into any doors and you disobeyed me. So, now those keys are mine." He slowly, and very reluctantly, retreived and passed over the keys. He began to walk away sad and defeated. Then, all of a sudden he turned to me and said, "Dad, could you please come unlock my door?" I lost it! I could not help but laugh. I tried so hard (unsuccessfully) to keep a straight face, but it was too funny.

As I thought about it over the weekend, we are so much like this with our heavenly father. There are so many things in life we know we are not supposed to do, but we do it anyway. I believe Paul says it best in Romans 7:18-20 (NLT):

"No matter which way I turn, I can't make myself do right. I want to, but I can't. When I want to do good, I don't. And when I try not to do wrong, I do it anyway. But if I am doing what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing it; the sin within me is doing it."

The things we know we should do (being obedient), we don't. The things we know we shouldn't do (being disobedient), we do. And every time we do what we shouldn't, we hear that little voice within us (as if it were God) saying, "So, you did just what I asked you not to do?" And just like my son, we turn to God and ask, "Can you forgive me anyway? Can you come unlock this door that I seemed to be trapped behind? Can you let me into the room filled with your love, grace, and mercy?" My son knew that he had done the wrong thing, but he still expected to be forgiven and set free anyway. How many times do I, do we, approach God with the same kind of attitude? I know I have done the wrong thing, but I expect he will forgive me anyway.

Interestingly enough...he does! We serve an amazing, loving God don't we. By the way, after I stopped laughing, I unlocked the door. God bless you guys and have a great week!

"Driftwood"

I have been reading through Hebrews lately. I have read through it many times before, but it hasn't ever caught my attention the way that it has this time. You understand how that happens, right?! Anyway, I read this passage from chapter 2, and I have been going back to it about every other day; pulled back to it. I keep asking what God is trying to tell me, and today I began to see it a bit differently.

"So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. The message God delivered through angels has always proved true, and the people were punished for every violation of the law and every act of disobedience. What makes us think that we can escape if we are indifferent to this great salvation that was announced by the Lord Jesus himself? It was passed on to us by those who heard him speak, and God verified the message by signs and wonders and various miracles and by giving gifts of the Holy Spirit whenever he chose to do so." (Hebrews 2:1-4 NLT)

So, I have been thinking alot about what it means to drift away from the "truth." Have you ever thrown a piece of wood into a stream of water and watched it "drift" downstream? The current "pushes" the wood in whatever direction, and at whatever speed, it so chooses. Provided it doesn't get caught up in the dead stuff, or rocks (which is a whole other metaphor), it doesn't stop until the water is done pushing it. If we don't hold on to the truth (the gospel: death, burial, and resurrection of Christ), the current of popular culture is going to push us around until it is tired of pushing. Or, we get caught up in the "dead stuff" hanging out in the water. That can't be good either because it isn't moving at all.

This passage tells us that the law, given by God, has held true to its word since it was given. Those who violated it were punished accordingly. It seems as though the writer is telling us that this "great salvation" that we have now is so much greater than the law of the Old Tesatement. So, if people received due punishment for violating that law, how much worse will it be for us that ingore the truth of this great salvation and just drift around in the current of popular culture? The writer says that the apostles were messengers who verified this truth from Christ because they saw it first hand! We are also told that God further verified his truth with signs, wonders, miracles, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever noticed that 99 percent of the time, driftwood is "dead" wood? So this brings me to my real question for this devotional thought today. Are you just dead wood drifting downstream, pushed every which way by the current of popular culture? Or, are you alive and well, determined to swim upstream and fight the current to avoid just being pushed around? As I read this passage, I was forced to ask myself a question. I challenge you to do the same! What "signs" is God using today to verify his message to me?

God bless you all and have a great weekend!!

A GREAT READ!

As you may have learned from my profile, I am a minister. But what does that mean anyway? All of us who have accepted the lordship of Jesus on the throne of our hearts are ministers, right?! I guess, really, all that title means is that I get paid for the work I do in expanding God's kingdom. Which is funny, when you think about it. I mean, don't get me wrong, I am very grateful, proud of the calling, but it is the Lord that is doing all the work anyway. Praise Him that he allows me the opportunity to reap the financial benefits of making such a job my career.

Moving on...I recently read a book, The Present Future: Six Tough Questions for the Church by Reggie McNeal. If you are in ministry, leadership, or you are just a layman interested in chewing on the miserable failings of institutionalized church and its struggle to survive, you should pick up a copy and read. Very challenging! Very pointed! Watch your toes!!!

What I would like to do over the next few days, weeks, maybe months is share thoughts from the book that have struck a chord with me and see what some of you may think. It will be interested to see what others of us have to think about the observations of Mr. McNeal. If you have read the book let me know; I am curious to see who all may have participated in this engaging material.

Let's get started...In the opening chapter, Reggie shares results from several different surveys and studies to show that church attendance, and members claims on their church attendacne, are not all they are cracked up to be. He makes the observation that all is not well with the North American church, in its institutionalized form. He says, "A growing number of people are leaving the institutional church for a new reason. They are not leaving because they have lost their faith. They are leaving the church to preserve their faith. They contend that the church no longer contributes to their spiritual development. In fact, they say, quite the opposite is true." (p.4)

So, here we go! What do you think? Do you agree, disagree, or does his comment just plain irritate you? Why, please explain. I'll wait to hear from some of you, then I will share some of my own thoughts.