Amen?

16 01 2009

Sorry for the long delay between posts. I’ve been on the road visiting family and enjoying a period of relaxation but I suppose it is time to get back on track. During my travels I went Texas and Kansas to visit family and then went to Cincinnati, OH to the World Mission Summit. The Summit was an amazing experience. Over my years as a youth pastor and now as a college pastor I have been to my share of events, conferences, conventions, and retreats. So much so that I don’t really get all that excited for them anymore. But I would like to thank the Assemblies of God World Missions and Chi Alpha for putting together a phenomenal Summit. It was truly the most incredible event I have attended. In short, what they did was bring together missionaries from all over the world and college students from all across the US. Each region within the AGWM put together an exhibit consisting of a skit, information, and request for assistance in the mission field. Each of these “Windows to the World” were top notch.

One of the most intense and convicting quotes that struck me during the Summit was given by Dick Brogden. His messaged focused around reaching the inconvenient. He works as a missionary to the Sudanese Muslim community. He expressed his frustration with the Church and missionaries that quickly exit a country that has been considered highly volatile and dangerous. The statement that struck me was that it is often said the blood of the martyrs throughout history has been the seed of the church, and maybe there has not been enough seed planted in the inconvenient places such as Sudan, the Middle East, and other inconvenient places (paraphrased). His intention was to say that we must not stop preaching the message of the Good News, especially when things get sticky. Obviously there has been a lot of blood shed in most of these places but this blood has been spilled by war and hate crimes imposed from opposing sides. His meaning was that the Church and its people must preach the Word even to the point of willingly giving up our lives. This hit me pretty hard because I did not immediately say amen. Even now as I type in my convenient and comfortable home, on my laptop, sipping a hot cup of coffee, and watching my rock star baby girl, I am not saying amen with abundant joy.

How about you? Can you say amen with confidence?

Matthew 10:37-39

37“Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.


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Categories : Christian Living, Discipleship

Rooting for my wife…

8 11 2008

Confession

Before I give my two cents I am going to give a confession. There was a time in my life when I thought a woman belonged in the home raising children and that was the only place for her. This was not a cultural thing since my mother has worked since the day I was born. It was a biblical thing. I know I know, but seriously it was. I love Jesus and I want to see everyone fulfill their God-given role. I looked at the word that said a woman was not allowed to teach a man or speak in church and realized their place was in the home raising babies. Luckily someone showed me how to interpret scripture and gave me instances where women played very prominent roles throughout the church. It was not that I doubted their ability. This is for another post but ability to do something and the call to do something are two different things.

Current trend

Currently many in the church and even more in the “world” encourage woman to go be all they can be. Woman enter college with great dreams and aspirations. They want to be lawyers, doctors, business professionals, and much much more. This is great and I am their biggest fan. I am so thankful that women have the opportunities they have today. My daughter is 9 months old and I am thankful there will be few if any that tell her she cannot do something because she is a woman. We just elected the first African-American President of the United States and I can’t wait until we elect our first woman president. (Not sold on Sarah Palin just yet though :-0). Once this happens women will truly know they can be all they desire to be.

The mention of a mother

Recently I have been reading in 2 Kings lately and noticed something the other day. Every time their is a king that walked in the ways of the Lord the author mentions the king’s mother, but every time the king is wicked there is no mention of the mother. This encouraged me to pray for my wife. I realized that if my children are going to walk in the ways of the Lord their mother will play a prominent role in their lives. Now I’m not telling women to stop pursuing their dreams but I do want to say two things.

My two cents

First, it is no lesser of a role for a woman to be a house wife or mother (not sure the politically correct way of saying this). My fear in this is that women do not get forced into pursuing something that is not their dream. If their dream is to raise a beautiful family to which they give their full attention, then we should never look lesser upon them for it.

Second, women do not forsake raising and nurturing your children for a career. I’m afraid that with the focus on proving that women can do everything men can do that children may be left as casualties. I am not saying that you cannot do both. I believe you can but you will be tired at the end of the day. (As a side note, I am not saying that men have no part in this whole thing. We do, we do, we do!!! )

Rooting for my wife

I am married to a supercalifragilistic woman who continues to amaze me with her strength and willpower. Currently she is working 60 hours a week, mothers our daughter, goes to school, and helps with my ministry. Why? She does these things because she knows that God has called her to do them. Her desire is to work in developing countries as a midwife to help decrease the death rate among women and babies at birth. God has given her a dream and a responsibility and she is rocking at both of them, but she is tired. I am her biggest fan and servant (at least I try). Currently I am a full-time campus pastor, full-time students, and full-time babysitter. Why? Because God has given us a dream and a responsibility

Rooting for all women

It is my true belief that women have a nurturing gift that men do not have. I know there are exceptions but as a whole, women are much more compassionate, tender, and approachable. So women remember that if your children walk in the ways of the Lord, there is a high likelihood that it is due to your loving care. I’m rooting for you.


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Greater evil? Greatest love!

24 10 2008

Confession of stupidity

I remember one time in junior high driving home with my mother from school. We were talking about a persons sexuality when I said I hated them because they were a “fag.” My mother proceeded to tell me that was not nice and I shouldn’t talk like that. But I quickly reminded her it was okay because God hated “fags” too. My mom didn’t have much of a rebuttal because it was what God thought. But she did tell me that I needed to watch how I talk in public. (I apologize for using the term “fag” but I am just being real about my stupidity.)

What in the world ever gave me such an idea? Where would I come up with that kind of thinking and why couldn’t my mom have rebutted my stupidity? The answer is simple: this is what the church had taught us. But the only problem is that no where in the Bible does it say such a thing. Yes, I realize what it says in Leviticus but check out the other things it says and let me know how your doing. Are you mixing your threads?

Our witness?

Over the past few months God has continuously given me encounters with the issue homosexuality. I have met several individuals that struggle with it or live in it, and others that are having a hard time understanding how to properly view the issue within a Christian worldview. Many are asking the questions and churches in some sectors are dividing over the answers, but the majority of the church has taken a strong stance. It has let these children of God know their sin is not allowed and until they get it taken care of they cannot receive the love Jesus has for them. Christianity has become known more for being anti-homosexual than anything else.

Greater evil?

There are many things to say about this issue but I think that before anything else can be said we need to level the playing field. Jesus was great at doing just that. If you recall when He encountered the adulterous women and the Pharisees, then you may recall that He responded by accusing the crowd and setting the woman free. I find it interesting that Jesus never mentioned anything about homosexual lifestyles, but He did mention something about divorce. In fact, divorce was such an important topic that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all discussed Jesus’ view. Jesus told His followers that if anyone divorced and remarried they were committing adultery. Paul tells us that neither homosexuals nor adulterers will enter the kingdom of heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9). So which would Jesus consider to be the greater evil? My guess would be the one that three of the four gospel writers felt needed to be included in their work. Why does the church continue to ignore the divorce and remarriage epidemic but continue to bash the homosexual community? For a remarried couple to repent of remarriage does not seem to do justice because they’re still living in the lifestyle of adultery (a second marriage). It seems that Christians have a plank to get out of their own eye before they can start helping with splinters in the eyes of others.

Greatest love!

But what if we all turned to Jesus and allowed Him to take the planks out of all our eyes for us? I believe that Jesus died for the adulterer and the homosexual individual. If we look at how Jesus treated the woman at the well, the adulterous woman, and the woman who wiped His feet with her tears, then what we see is the greatest love ever given. Jesus was not concerned with five different husbands or a live-in boyfriend, adultery, or prostitution, what He was concerned with was showing them all the greatest love they had ever known. Each woman’s encounter with such amazing love left them touched in a way that changed them from the inside out. Jesus was not saying that adulterers would not enter heaven, instead He said everyone who looked a woman (or man) lustfully was committing adultery.

As a junior high student I could not have been further from the truth to believe that God did not love these people. Saying “these people” seems so ignorant and ridiculous even as I write it. The gay community is not “they”, “them” or “those people.” “They” have names and deserve the love of God’s community just as much as the drunkard, cheater, and adulterer because God is crazy in love with them. God’s love is unfathomably big and if we use it, it will cover a multitude of sins.

Am I a liberal?

I’m not sure. If that is what Jesus is considered, then sure I’m a liberal. But I would rather refer to myself as a left-wing conservative I guess. I believe that homosexuality is a sin-meaning that this type of relationship is opposite of God’s intention and desire for his creation. However, there are plenty of these sins and I have contracted a few of them myself. I stand looking at the woman with a rock in my hand, but have to drop it and leave for I am not without sin. How about you?

There is no question that God desires our holiness. As a follower of Christ perfection is the goal that we never stop pursuing. God has called us to be a holy people and the Holy Spirit is hard at work in those who are willing to submit to Him. Our right relationship with Him has nothing to do with rules or laws but has everything to do with our willingness to submit to Christ and the Spirit. We must always be willing to cut out any part of our life that God requests. This could be a job, hobby, possession, or relationship. By denying God any of these, we are denying God Himself.

I pray that we may all be able to submit the greatest love ever known to creation.


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Who gave you the right to judge?

5 10 2008

A few months ago one of my closest friends told me that he had decided to move in with his girlfriend. He knew my thoughts on the whole issue of cohabitation but I proceeded to tell him again. I talked to him about why I felt it was not the best way to step up the relationship but in the end he respectfully disagreed. However, he was very worried that I would no longer to treat him the same, and that I would not respect his girlfriend. I made it clear that it was not my right to judge.

Do we have the right to judge?

This is a question that I have been very flimsy on throughout my walk with Christ. Jesus told us not to judge or else we will be judged; and with the measure we judge, we will be judged (Matt 7:1,2). In a parallel account Jesus is quoted as saying, “Do not judged and you will not be judged… Forgive and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37). In John he says that “(You/we) judge by human standards; but (Jesus) passes judgment on no one” (John 8:15).

Paul, on the other hand, empowered the church of Corinth to judge within the church. 1 Corinthians 5 is a great example of Paul’s use of judging those within the church. There was a man who had been sleeping with his mother. This was most likely his step-mother. Paul asks, “Are we not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you” (1 Cor 5:12,13). He told the Corinthians they “must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.”

However, Paul also condemns those who judge. “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? …why do you judge your brother? Why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat” (Romans 14:4,10). When the Corinthian church seems to be judging him he replied, ” My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.”

Should the church judge within?

The answer to this question is yes and no. Be warned, it is a difficult and dangerous thing to judge within the church. It is difficult to know the heart of an individual, and it is the intention of the heart that needs to be judged. When Paul told the church to judge the man sleeping with his mother, he was talking about a man who was proud of his sin. Many individuals are not proud of their sin. In fact, many people are more disturbed about their sin than you are. Sin often times becomes a persons outlet for dealing with difficult situations that cause them great pains. I recently spoke with an individual that told me she knew God was calling her back to Himself; yet she had never received the amount of love from the church that her friends outside the church give her. As she explained her lifestyle, I quickly realized that the church would eat her alive. Her sins were overwhelming even for her. What this person needed was not someone telling her what she was doing wrong. The church had done that before and she got tired of it. What she needs is someone to listen to her and pray for her. She is broken and humbled. What she needs is love and exhortation, not judgment and conviction. Why does the church feel it is their obligation to convict people of their sin? This is the job of the Holy Spirit, not you!

It is also a very dangerous position to be in personally when you attempt to judge another. Paul warns us to restore an individual with a gentle spirit and to be very careful not to think too much of ourselves (Galatians 6). When we begin to judge or discipline others in the church we put ourselves on display. Others begin to watch and see what your actions look like. I do not believe that any of us are able to withstand this scrutiny for long. And this is why so many outside the church rightly accuse us of being hypocrites! Before you begin poking your self-righteous nose in other peoples affairs you better make sure your legit and full of love.

Can you throw the stone?

The church leaders (Pharisees and teachers of the Law) brought the adulterous woman before Jesus seeking proper discipline (John 8). They explained to the crowd and to Jesus that the Law (the word of God) said that they should stone the woman to death, but they wanted to know what Jesus would do. In a beautiful change of momentum, Jesus simply turned the situation against them by saying, “You who have not sinned that the first stone.” So when the church leaders came seeking discipline of a “wicked” sinner, he turned it around on the audience and everyone quickly left the scene.

Many of you teachers of the Law are shouting at your screen right now saying, “Yeah but He told her to go and sin no more you moron!” And I say, “Yeah your right, so how are you doing in that category?” Have you left your life of sin? When that woman walked by you with that itty bitty waste and round thing in your face, did you get sprung? Thinking, dang that baby got it going on? (…uh wow, sorry about that. Flash back to middle school dance parties with Sir mix-a-lot.) Or ladies, have you stopped all gossip? The goal is always to “go and sin no more.’ Perfection is the goal and holiness is the key, but the truth is that we still live in this sinful flesh which at times will get the best of us.

Shall thou judge then?

So was Paul wrong when he told us to judge the immoral man? Absolutely not! What? The difference is the attitude of the individual acting in sin. Some act out in pride, arrogance, and wicked intention. Others do so out of pain, oppression, and/or depression. Paul spoke about these types of individuals in 2 Tim 3:6. He spoke of the worms who wiggled their way into the homes of women weighed down who are weak and easy to sway. The worm is the one who needs to be judged, while the woman is the one who needs to be loved. Love concurs a multitude of sins! So maybe rather than judging and trying to weed out sin, maybe we should start loving and concurring sinful lifestyles. However, let’s cast out the snakes that bog down these heavily burdened children of God.

Scripture reading: Romans 14, John 8, 1 Corinthians 5


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Too busy worshiping Jesus to live like Jesus

4 10 2008

Why is it when someone loves to worship God in the context of a worship service, we say they are in love with Jesus? But when someone loves to serve the poor, we say they have a big heart or they are in love with people? As I was getting ready to write this post, I started out like this: “This summer I met an individual after a church service. It was very apparent that he was in love with Jesus.” To be quite clear from the beginning I have become incredibly annoyed with the idea of worship services. Not because worshiping God is bad but because we have gotten our priorities all screwed up.

This summer I met an individual after a church service. It was very apparent that he was in love with (worshiping) Jesus. He came from the background of charismatic worship and revivals. Not only did he tell us how amazing the church we were visiting was, he also told us how awesome a few of churches were as well. His statement went something like this: “Man I always feel the presence of God here at ‘ABC church.’ ‘DEF church’ is another church about 30 minutes from here and they also have a great service, and God is always there. There is also a church about an hour away called ‘GHI church’ and they’re pretty good but the music isn’t always great.”

I was surprised to find out that he drove an hour away on a weekly basis just to attend another worship service. He told us that in an average week he would attend 3-4 worship services. I am a college pastor at a state university, and the same can be said for many college students. Many attend two worship services during the week and two on Sundays.

Created to worship?

The church has been inundated with the idea that we are created to worship. By “created to worship,” the church leaders mean expressing our love and joy to God through praise and worship songs. Many sincere Christians can’t wait to get to Sunday morning to spend time in the presence of God. Whether they go to one or four services a week, the pinnacle of their relationship with God is worship service. But are we really in the presence of God when the band is rocking and the people are praising?

During the eighth century Israel had become quite comfortable in their lifestyles and religious practices. The eighth century prophets were quick to respond to this apathetic and vain approach towards God. I find it interesting to hear Isaiah say, “Declare to my people their rebellion…for day by day they seek me out, they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them (Isaiah 58:1,2).”

What? God is acknowledging the fact that people are seeking Him out on a daily basis but He is calling them out for their rebellion. Throughout the rest of the chapter it is clear that while Israel was interested in seeking God and desiring His blessing, they were quarrelling with one another and they had forsaken the poor.

Commanded to worship?

Sounds a lot like many contemporary congregations and people. Not to get into the old argument of church worship style battles not being Christ-like. I would like to address another concern. Are we too busy worshiping Jesus to live like Jesus?

When did Jesus ever command us to worship? Jesus did say we will worship in Spirit and truth, but this is not a command. Worship is a response to the grace, mercy, love, and power of God. It is often spontaneous awe, amazement, or wonder. It is less about on command response and more about the contemplation or realization of the greatest of God that moves from an inward emotion or reaction that moves towards an outward response.

Jesus commanded us to serve

Jesus did not command us to worship through song and praise, but He did command us to serve. Those of us who desire to be in a worship service to stand in His presence need to realize our incomplete thinking. In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus tells us that when we clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and visiting the lonely or imprisoned, then we are doing it to Him. In other words, we are in His presence when we do these things. Mother Theresa lived a life in the full presence of God at all times.

Isaiah concluded in Isaiah 58 (vs.6-8):
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Unfortunately most of us don’t have time to visit Jesus, because we’re too busy worshiping Him. Or we would rather spend an hour worshiping Him that an hour serving Him. Mother Theresa didn’t have a big heart, she had a genuine love for Jesus and her response was to love people.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 1:10; 58; Amos 5:18-24; Matt 25:32-46


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Christian Narcissism

3 10 2008

Random comments become amazing conversations

So tonight I met an amazing person in the coffee shop. To be honest it was quite an unexpected turnout. She had overheard the conversation a friend and I were having about Christian bands. She proceeded to tell us about a band that she knew of, which I was familiar with as well. I am not a fan of the band but with grace I showed my appreciation for her input. I genuinely love when others join the conversations I am having because this is how many of the most amazing conversations get started. However, I know the guys she was talking about and it is my feeling that they exude me-driven Christian personalities. So her intro into the conversation was not strong but I’m glad she stuck around.

What followed was an amazing conversation that has led to this post. It quickly became evident that the Lord had been weighing heavy on her heart as she began to speak. She told us that she never imagined being the girl struggling with her faith during college. But at the moment she is living in a very difficult lifestyle. She explained that it all began when a tragedy occurred in her family. One situation began a downward spiral for her family that eventually led her into the lifestyle she is now living. She said that she had actually been to our service once but didn’t stay long because she didn’t want to be a burden to anyone, but even more so I think she didn’t want to be God’s lesson plan for anyone.

A lesson from the past

She told us about a couple of her friends from high school days. One of the friends needed a lot of attention and always had something going wrong. She remembered how her and the other friend would always complain about how needy she was and how annoying it became. Then one day the one friend told her that she realized God had put the needy friend in her life to teach her patience. Our new friend realizes she is the needy one now but is afraid of becoming the lesson plan for someone else’s relationship with God.

How many of us have said something like this? Can we stop right now and confess the stupidity of our Christian narcissism?

Christian Narcissim

Much of the church is now suffering from years of seeker friendly preaching styles that have resulted in a consumer driven church. Now before I move forward, I want to thank God that for the most part this move caused many of the moronic hell, fire, and brimstone messages to leave the building. However, what it has been exchanged for is a church filled with members who think God and the world evolves around them. Seeker friendly messages revolve around the ‘you’ singular form as opposed the ‘you’ plural form and we now have a church doctrine which says that everything in my world is about me. God is always trying to tell or show me something, or He is calling me to do something regardless of what it does to us. Are Christians capable of thinking of anyone other than themselves?

Can we wake up and smell the BS?

Sorry, but let’s get real. Can someone stand up and shout from the top of their lungs that when we give our lives to Christ, we have died to ourselves. God didn’t put that person in your lives to teach you patience you egotistical maniac. God put them in your life so that you can love them with the love that only Christ can offer them. The love that you found so irresistible that you gave up your own life for it. Paul tells us to in humility consider others better than ourselves (Phil 2). Jesus tells us that there is no greater love than to lay down ones life for the sake of their friend (John 15:13). He tells us to love one another in order that the world may know that we are His disciples (John 13:33-35).

Loving arms

Our new friend explained that she knew that God was calling her back to Himself, but that it would mean giving up some friendships. She told us that these friends welcomed her with loving arms when she most needed, while at the same time the church had turn their nose at her. She told us that she felt like the church would only judge her if they knew how she was really struggling. My question is, “When are we, the Church, going to start loving with the love that doesn’t keep a record of wrongs (1 Cor 13:5)?” Then maybe we can work on the rest of love’s true actions (1 Cor 13:4-7). How can we sit by and let the world love better than the body of Christ?

Lord, may your Church stand up and walk in Spirit and in Truth. I pray that we would bear witness to the world the fruits of your Holy Spirit within us. For You are love. And God, I thank you for those that walk in you love continuously. I pray that one day I can do the same. Until then I beg your mercy. Amen.


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