Inadequate Answers

Three months ago, I received a proof copy of Thom and Sam Rainer’s new book Essential Church? So I’m finally getting a gander at the pages between the covers. I’m hoping to find some usable material as I try to develop the heart and mind of a mid-Western congregation. One of the questions that keeps coming back to me whenever I read books like this is: What is the most important part of Christian Discipleship? The answer, quite frankly doesn’t re-echo with church attendance.

Before you lambast me with a good amount of proof-texting, I am aware that Christ intended for the church to gather—and I believe that the local congregation for the most part is the expression of that gathering that is intended. At the same time, I get a little curious as to whether Christ intends for us to be more consistent with our church attendance or with our Christ-like demeanor.

And now to the purpose of this entry: one of the biggest hurdles to overcome when reaching a new generation who doesn’t seem to have the brand-name embroidered on its lapel is what I would call inadequate answers. You know about those inadequate answers—they’ve been around as long as people have been asking questions. What makes the answers inadequate is that, though they make complete sense in the mind of the one giving them, they lack foundational trustworthiness in the heart of the hearer.

“Why do I have to clean my room?” is answered with “Because I’m the mother and I said so!”

“Why do we have to learn this?” finds a retort from the exasperated teacher, “because it’s part of the curriculum.”

One of the most difficult for me to swallow was one that I encountered over my extended years of singularity. People would constantly inform me that I would know when the right woman came along. I would badger them with the constant refrain of the single person, “How will I know?” The most inadequate response always returned, “You just know.” Today when I’m approached by a single friend who would like to get married and have a family (it’s the same with men and women alike), and they ask the age-old question of how they might be able to discern whether Mr./Miss Right Now is Mr./Miss Right or not, I know that they are searching for the answer as to whether or not marriage is even a possibility for them or not. I feel the creeping fingers of inadequacy wrap themselves around my throat as the words escape my lips, “You just know!”

So how does this relate to the church and keeping our younger generation from bolting at the first sign of an open door? It has to do with inadequate answers. I am convinced that we as the church are guilty of only halfway fulfilling the Great Commission. I know that it is evident in my own denomination. Check out the (ESV) statement of the Commission from the book of Matthew:

¹⁸And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

As we go, we haven’t any problem making new disciples, nor do we really have any difficulty running them through the baptismal pool, but we are the worst lot at teaching. Consequently, the younger generation, while they have been led to Christ, and have accepted him as their savior, following up with “Believer’s Baptism” we have neglected to teach them how to grow. This means that when they ask, “Why should I make church an active part of my life?” we only come back with a weak, “Because you ought to,” or “It’s good for you.” Inadequate answers.

Until our children start seeing that church involvement (and following Christ for that matter) is more than just religious activity in our lives, until they notice that there is a difference for us, we will continue to say to them, “We miss you at church, won’t you come back?” And until we teach with our words and our actions that Christ following is more than just church and that church is more than just an event to pass uncommitted time, they will continue to find other avenues to occupy their energy.

What do you think?

 

Directing Our Look

It was in a revival meeting—you know, those extended meetings that evangelicals schedule and claim to be revivals—that I got to know the old saint of a man who was the long-time pastor of one of the smaller congregations in our association of churches. He was a small man, full of fire and energy (especially in the pulpit). I recall many things from that particular series of meetings. I recall the night that he threw a hymnal at the church music director because he was either asleep or simply not paying attention. I remember the night that he locked his keys in his car and two or three men spent the better part of two hours trying to get the car opened. It was on that particular night (toward the end of the week) that he sang—I remember because he commented on both his ability to sing and his inability to get his keys out of the car—an old song that I had almost forgotten from my childhood:

Get the new look from the old book

Get the new look from the Bible

Get the new look from the old book

Get the new look from God’s word.

The inward look

The outward look

The upward look

From the old, old book

Get the new look from the old book

Get the new look from God’s Word.

It’s inspiring still to think back on that night’s service. His encouragement was one that I try to practice each day—get a godly perspective from diving into His word daily.

Here’s what else I remember from that particular situation. The church from which this pastor came to preach our revival meeting had the reputation of being very evangelistic and highly successful at their efforts in evangelism. Knowing the man, I suspect that the great success that the church had rested mostly on the shoulders of this fiery preacher who was full of evangelistic fervor. The church itself also had a reputation of never growing.

This is the thing that happens in many of our churches today—even those who are exercising fantastic evangelistic muscles. Even though we have reports of numbers of people coming to know Jesus, these same people are not becoming part of the church. We’ve missed the point of the song altogether. We don’t want the new look from the old book, but the old look from the old way. We have neglected the outward look and the upward look. We have become highly skilled in looking inward toward ourselves.

We worry about buildings and budgets. We concern ourselves with our wants and wishes. And we’ve stopped looking [upward] to the Master for the direction we should go—which by the way is outward.

What do you think? Is the evangelical church evangelical? Or are we just happy with ourselves?

 

If You Want to Journal Your CHAZOWN

Last year I was working through the Chazown journal along with Craig Groeschel’s book by that name. Just after I started, encouraging you to get the book download the journal to help you in your study, the on-line .pdf version of the journal disappeared, with the link taking you to an advertisment to buy the book.

Now I’ve found a link to get the .pdf file again, so if you’re interested in looking for a good life-planning tool click right here for the download.

[Update: The link I had posted above has disappeared. If I find another, I'll re-link. Thanks, Jeri.]

[Update (again): Found a link that works. Try clicking the link again.]

 

Live It Up

Last weekend the hospital auxiliary at our small regional hospital had their annual fundraiser—a book fair. Being as books are books, and I’m rather bookish I made it a point to attend (I went 2 or 3 times). I went early (even though they charged a fee to get in the door the first night). I did this because I know how used book dealers circle around such events to snatch up anything and everything—EARLY. I figured that I’d get my money back in the savings on the books priced 65 cents to 2 dollars apiece.

What I found was like gold. I found books for fun, books for growth, music, Christmas, and children’s books. The best find (so far) was one my blushing bride picked up—Erwin R. McManus’ Uprising.

I’ve only started reading and can tell that I’ll be challenged, excited, angered, and ultimately grown as I continue reading. Thought 1 I’ve already found from just a few pages in: to live life, live life. I hate to interpret an author’s work after just a few pages, but I thought I’d share some thoughts with you that develop as I progress through this volume. As with a good sermon, the book opens with an engaging illustration lifted right from the author’s life—a whitewater rafting trip that taught him that he wanted to live.

McManus asserts that part of our make up as human beings is to want to live. He carries the picture further by reminding us that the purpose of Christ’s coming was to bring life. The assumption at the outset of the book suggests that we as believers ought to do those things that help us to live.

Becoming comfortable is not one of those things. The moment we begin to sit back without taking chances, is the moment we begin to die. The believer who does not exercise his faith might as well be dead (for all the good he does). So, as Stephen Curtis Chapman suggested to the Kingdom community some years ago: “Saddle up your horses . . . Let’s get ready to ride.”

 

Always On!

            Ernest J. Gaines makes a statement in his cultural novel The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. When one of the characters comes home from getting some education—the one who represents the leadership of his people—with the intention of his leading the people as a minister of the gospel, he floors them with the knowledge that he no longer believes in the church. His statement, “Leave the lies to the preachers.”

            As a preacher, I’m not sure that I care for the designation of “liar.” I am also a bit squeamish about being qualified as a hypocrite. But I’m fairly sure that both of these categories have a great deal to do with who I am. Certainly I don’t encourage hypocrisy, nor do I go out of my way to lie in any and all situations. However, I do find myself donning my mask and putting on a suit of diplomacy (the tailor-made version of lying).

            Kevin Leman gives me a great excuse for this in his research-based The Birth Order Book. Since I am the third of four children and the second son, I qualify as a middle child (in spades). Here is the list of typical characteristics of a middle child: “mediator, compromising, diplomatic, avoids conflict, independent, loyal to peers, many friends, a maverick, secretive, unspoiled.” This is a pretty good description of me. In short, I want two things (mainly): people to like me and peaceful co-existence. I want everyone to be happy. Consequently, this leads to a default of being “on” all the time.

            I relate a great deal with Craig Groeschel who confesses in his introduction to Confessions of a Pastor that he plays his part with relative ease. It is so easy to say and hear what people want to fulfill a desire for acceptance that it becomes a game that some of us play. If you’re really good at it you can never turn it off. We play the part for our church—especially those of us who see our livelihood resting in the hands of the people. Tell them what they want to hear without telling them anything really. It’s a politician’s dream to be able to master this skill. We play the part for our families. How many of us really let our guard down even for our spouse?

            I am married to the most wonderful woman in the world. She’s smart, witty, beautiful, and giving. Still sometimes I wonder, “If she really knew all of me, if I came clean about who I am at my core being, would she still want me?” I asked her once why she felt I was good enough to choose. She just smiled and said, “I love you.” I don’t try to hide from her, but at the same time, I don’t know that I’ve ever fully disclosed myself to her. I have a feeling as I open up more to her all the time, she would just love me more.

            In a way, this acceptance she shows toward me is a sampling of what Jesus does. The big difference is that, even though I try to put my game face on for Jesus, He knows. Sometimes my blushing bride knows, too. She doesn’t say anything, she just knows, and she loves me anyway. See? Jesus knows, and He loves me anyway. This is why perhaps Groeschel’s book is so important. It reminds us—Christ followers—that Christ knows us so we don’t have to be ever “on”. Instead, we ought to be genuine because Christ knows. I am working on this hypocrisy thing (from the ancient Greek stage—the hypocrite was the mask worn by the actor to depict the role he was playing). Take off the mask. . . Your friends and family don’t want it, you won’t miss it, and Jesus sees right through it.

 

Closing Doors

            Lately I’ve been working very hard to turn off my moral thermometer. You know, that thing within you that raises itself to ungodly levels, makes you see red, and shoots steam out of your ears. It’s that thing that trips in our brains whenever we hear of someone who has lapsed morally. Suddenly we become holier-than-thou, judgmental, and close the door to any opportunity for ministry.

            This is the thing that most Christians who have any years behind them has that reminds them that they are better than the individual who has fallen. It allows us to say witty things like, “There but for the grace of God go I.” It’s that spot within us that convinces us, “You’re better than they are,” and teaches us to look down our noses in derision.

            Somehow it’s related to our understanding of right and wrong, but then we latch on and determine that anyone who falls on the wrong side of what I see as wrong must be all wrong. When they start looking to me for help, for mercy, for acceptance, I turn them away—closing the door to any further opportunity for ministry in the future. It is the reason that believers have developed the reputation of being unsympathetic, narrow-minded, bigots.

            Since this thermometer helps me determine right from wrong, why would I want to turn it off? Why, indeed. It is because the moral thermometer is not my moral thermostat. In my layman’s understanding of these two devices, one determines what the temperature is to be, the other simply reads the level of the temperature in a given place. Our problem is that we turn on our thermostats and then allow our thermometers to control us (and try to control those around us with our thermometers).

            One of the things that I see happening very often is that the Christian community begins to judge society at large by our own standards. We begin to expect those who know not Christ to be like Him—a feat that Jesus himself never attempted, nor did He expect it. He expected the world to act like the world, He expected His disciples to act like Him. Do we see the difference? Follower of Jesus, act like Jesus; non-follower of Jesus, act like the world. Why is it, then, that we as the church refuse to minister to someone who is acting like the world?

Luke 19

 ¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. ²A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. ³He wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the crowd. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.  ⁵When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” ⁶So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.  ⁷All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a ’sinner.’ ”  ⁸But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”  ⁹Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” 

            How are we supposed to be about the work of Kingdom building, when we turn away those who want our help because they have broken our mold of decorum? How indeed can we become the instrument of grace that God wants to use (we share the mercy we found in Christ with those who need His love) when we have chosen to mete out judgment that isn’t even ours to give?

            Craig Groeschel, pastor of LifeChurch.tv and author, confesses in Confessions of a Pastor that he doesn’t like many Christians for the kinds of things they fight over: “You’re reading the wrong version of the Bible. Your church has the wrong worship style. You don’t teach enough from the Old Testament. . .  Your church isn’t evangelistic enough. You’re too evangelistic. . .” He follows this up with a list of things that happen when Christians go outside the church: “All R-rated movies are off-limits. If you listen to secular music, you’re of the devil. Don’t get a tattoo. Don’t watch Teletubbies. Don’t go to Disney World.” His conclusion: Stop judging the world while you have sin in your life. Instead, work on changing into who God wants you to be, and love the world.

            This does not mean that we are to embrace or even condone the behavior in the world with which we disagree. But it does mean that we sometimes have to look past the sin and see the sinner. God hates sin, so do I. Most of all I hate my own sin.

            When the homosexual comes to me, scarred by his sin and scared of what might become of him because of that sinful lifestyle, I must love him without accepting his sin. In order to love him I should point out his sin as sin, but do so without venom in my manner.

            When the pregnant teen comes, broken because of bad choices, I must minister to her in the best way I can. I don’t need to judge her for her past actions. She’s probably doing enough of that already. I must instead give good counsel, based on the Scripture, and continue to love her regardless of what good or bad decisions she has made or will make.

            So I am working hard to turn off that thing in me which screams to point fingers, burns red in my eyes and shows Benjie and not Jesus to a world that needs Jesus and not Benjie. I want to open doors for ministry and Kingdom building, not close them.

How about you?

 

Whose Kingdom?

Since I’m promoting my review site, I might as well share the latest review with you. There I discuss Ken Hemphill’s EKG, ostensibly a challenge for Christians to become Kingdom citizens to the nth degree. On a practical level, the book is an excellent treatment of the Sermon on the Mount.

The question that arises from the reading is this: Whose kingdom is it anyway? In what kingdom do we spend our time living and working. Hemphill argues that to be true Kingdom citizens, we live life the way Christ encouraged, demanded, and exemplified.

Today I read a review of the book, I’m OK – You’re Not by John Shore. This is the second review I’ve read for this book. While I have not read the book yet (it’s on my intended list), it concerns me that Shore may be encouraging people to stop evangelizing. I’m sure that isn’t his intention at all. The radical thing that he says though is that we should de-emphasize the Great Commission (which reads to evangelicals as “evangelization”) in favor of emphasizing the Great Commandment (to love each other).

I would argue that it’s not an either/or, but a both/and proposition. We must evangelize, and we must love. The two are not mutually exclusive. If we are trying to build our own kingdom, we will either use battering-ram styled witnessing techniques (which Baptists have developed whole programs around), or we will soft-serve love without ever mentioning why we love. If we are to become effective citizens of the Kingdom of God, then we must evangelize with love, and love evangelistically.

Well, that’s my opinion, anyway. What’s yours?

 

 

Something About Prayer

            There must be something about prayer. It is our means to connect with the Creator and to soothe troubled souls. Thinking about it reminds me that even the most devout of non-believers are moved by the thought of prayer. Whenever there is a physical need or a tragedy happens we turn to prayer. We say, “Our thoughts and prayers are with you.” Or “I’ll be praying for you.” There must be something about prayer.

            One interesting thing about prayer is that, although we give great lip service to the activity, we don’t really practice it. Several years ago (and I don’t have any evidence to prove that our situation has changed) I heard a report on Paul Harvey’s commentary that fewer than 5% of ministers in main-line churches spend more than an hour a week in prayer. It is interesting to me that we have such a fondness for prayer without offering prayer in any dedicated manner. Most people have a prayer life that includes saying grace at meals and kneeling at bedside to pray “Now I lay me down to sleep . . .” Sadly, we discontinue the practice of even these once we get beyond grade school.

            In our own church—and we seem to be a typical example of Southern Baptist churches—we continue to hold what we call “mid-week prayer service.” This service is actually a Wednesday evening Bible study with a prayer time for all the in-grown toenails, indigestions, and scraped knees that our congregation knows of. And we tack it onto the end of the service. Certainly, I am in support of Bible study, intercessory prayer, and all that takes place in these meetings. On the other hand, this particular service continues to be a dying breath effort. We provide child care for younger children, and the only parents to attend are the staff. Once in awhile there may be another toddler or baby in the nursery area on this occasion—usually if their parent is working as a volunteer. Why is this part of our church life so ill-attended? I can identify two reasons for sure, although there are probably many more:

1. Prayer has been de-emphasized to the point of inconsequential—partly by the insistence that we “do more than just pray” and partly by the misunderstanding of the activity of prayer.
2. We continue to have a meeting because we’ve been doing it for so long. It has to be on Wednesday evening because it’s always been on Wednesday evening.

Even though we have a tendency to botch things up, there’s still something about prayer. I know this because I am seeing a resurgent emphasis on prayer. Even more than in general terms, prayer seems to be the focus of the day. Listening to Christian radio this morning I heard back-to-back Bible teachers preaching sermons on prayer. One of my blogging friends’ post today is on prayer. And this weekend the International Mission Board is encouraging believers to join them in a day of prayer and fasting in behalf of the Udmurt people of Russia. So, there must be something about prayer.

I would encourage you to pray. Don’t go looking for a prayer list today, just pray. I know that there are any number of needs that you can lift to the Lord, but what if . . . just, what if today, Christ-followers everywhere simply paused to have a visit with the Maker? That’s what I encourage you to do today. Renew your acquaintance with the Master. Sit at His table and sip coffee, just shooting the breeze. We might all discover that He has a word for us, an encouragement, a challenge that we can’t refuse.

Take a few minutes today and converse with the Father. Tell Him your heart, and listen for His response. Listen with your eyes, your ears, and with your heart. Then tomorrow, do it again. Because there’s something about prayer.

 

Shopping for Church, part 5

            So what do you do when you are ready to stop shopping and decide to join in what God is doing at church? In Stop Dating the Church, Joshua Harris has some suggestions for the non-negotiables. Certainly there are different things you want to look for as you begin your search for a local church to join. Harris is fairly astute in bringing forward the questions to ask about a potential church to join. Here are his questions:

 

1.      Is this a church where God’s Word is faithfully taught?

2.      Is this a church where sound doctrine matters?

3.      Is this a church in which the gospel is cherished and clearly proclaimed?

4.      Is this a church committed to reaching non-Christians with the gospel?

5.      Is this a church whose leaders are characterized by humility and integrity?

6.      Is this a church where people strive to live by God’s Word?

7.      Is this a church where I can find and cultivate godly relationships?

8.      Is this a church where members are challenged to serve?

9.      Is this a church that is willing to kick me out?

10.  Is this a church I’m willing to join “as is” with enthusiasm and faith in God?

 

For those who are overwhelmed by laundry lists of things to ask or things to discover, Harris boils the list down to an easily digestible three-point plan for finding the right church. He says that you want a church that teaches God’s Word, values God’s Word, and lives God’s Word.

In this I see some truths for those who are looking for the right local church. Don’t be caught up in what a church has to offer you: Do they have the right children’s, youth, or singles program? Are they willing to accommodate my needs? Or are they already doing so (this is even better)? What you should be seeking is more an atmosphere where the people are living and doing the things that promote God’s kingdom and kingdom living. Certainly no church will be achieving perfection in any of these vital areas. But look for a church where Kingdom Living is the focus. Look also for a place where you will be challenged to use your talents or expertise to further that kingdom work. Remember, serving God is about God and not about you. Your place in worship is to bring glory to God and His work, not build a name for yourself.

At the same time, I see a call to the church and especially the earthly leaders: retrain your focus on godliness and Kingdom issues. Our role as the church is to build up the Kingdom of God, not to build up our own kingdom.

 

Shopping for Church, part 4

[I am revisiting an old topic today, which you may see me do from time to time.] 

            About halfway through Stop Dating the Church Joshua Harris has finished his argument to convince disenchanted, disappointed, and dissatisfied believers of the necessity of membership and calls for commitment. He even describes commitment with simple characteristics. He states that if something is important to you, you want to commit to it. When you decide to commit . . .

1.      You join.

2.      You make the local church a priority.

3.      You try to make your pastor’s job a joy.

4.      You find ways to serve.

5.      You give.

6.      You connect with people.

7.      You share your passion.

Until a Christ-follower has reached a point of commitment that will lead them to this kind of active involvement, I would be concerned about the level of commitment to Christ Himself. I could echo the list by saying that when Christ becomes the priority in your life you: Join Him; make Him a priority; make the lives of fellow believers joyful; find ways to serve; give to Him; connect with people; and share your passion. This includes finding the right church for you and applying the commitment there.

Finding the right church is not based what you can receive from the church. People who look for a church based on the programs offered, the personalities present, and the prestige connected to attendance at that particular church are still driven by the consumer mentality that is a danger to the health of believers and churches everywhere. Instead look for the place where God is directing you to become involved and join. More on finding the right church later.