Category: Life

Christian Living, Life, Ministry

What dcTalk taught me about reaching others

When I was growing up during the early to mid 90’s, I was introduced to a music group called dcTalk.  At the time, I didn’t realize that there was such a thing as Christian music outside of what you would sing in church on Sunday mornings.  I was more of a country music fan at the time, but the first time my cousin Josh let me listen the Free At Last album by dcTalk, I was hooked.  They quickly became my favorite group, and honestly they still are to this day, even though the three members of the group have all moved on to other Christian groups now.

My first concert that I ever went to was dcTalk’s Jesus Freak tour, with dcTalk headlining, and a little group opening called Audio Adrenaline.  I was blessed enough to be able to see them in concert one other time, on the Supernatural tour.  I can’t remember all the groups with them on this tour, but The W’s with their one hit, The Devil is Bad were there.  dcTalk’s music influenced much of my life, and it changed the face of Christian music, which has allowed for bands playing just about any style of music with a Christian theme to be possible.

Arguably, dcTalk’s biggest hit, although they have many, would be Jesus Freak.  The chorus of the song, if you haven’t heard it before, goes something like this;

“What will people think
When they hear that I’m a Jesus freak
What will people do when they find that it’s true
I don’t really care if they label me a Jesus freak
There ain’t no disguising the truth”

If I was forced to pick my all-time favorite song, I think I would have to go with this one.  There are other songs that come close, but it makes me want to live my life like a Jesus Freak.  In fact, part of my blog name comes from this song.  I have told my wife on countless occasions, in all seriousness, that I want this song played at my funeral, because I hope that I have lived my life as a Jesus Freak, living completely sold out for Him!  We had a live band play our prelude, entrance, and exit music for our wedding.  My groomsmen and I walked into my wedding with Jesus Freak being played.  To say that this is an important song to me would be a huge understatement.  And there is a lot we can learn from the song as well.

Over the first couple of weeks of November 2014, Kelley and I have had the opportunity to attend two separate Christian concerts.  We saw 7eventh Time Down, Family Force Five, and The Newsboys here in Carlsbad, NM.  Then we went to the opening night of WinterJam in Rio Rancho, NM.  I bring this up because dcTalk hasn’t been together since the late 90’s or 2000, and Jesus Freak is now close to 20 years old.  But during both of these concerts, Jesus Freak was played.  Granted The Newsboys lead singer is Michael Tait, one of the members of dcTalk, but it still shows the influence we can have if we are able to present the message of living sold out for Christ in a way that truly changes the way people see it.

I’m not saying that we need to change our message.  The message of Christianity and what it means to this world is the best message anyone can ever receive.  The message of the cross, and the grace that God shows us through the cross is the best story that has ever been told.  And the best part is that it is completely true!  But we have to find ways to tell this story in such a way that we can bring in the masses.  dcTalk changed the course of Christian music by being willing to push the envelope.  They found new ways to present a 2,000 year old message, without watering down or changing the message itself.  And because of the way they did it, 20 to 30 years later, their form of the message is still being used to try and tell the greatest story ever told!

May we learn from them, and may we be able to reach the world with the most important story that they will ever here.

Christian Living, God, Life, Ministry

I Love My Church

I’ve been the preacher at Central Christian Church for just over two months now, and there is only one thing that I can really say at this point…I LOVE MY CHURCH!  Over these first two months, we have started getting to know one another, as well as started really looking at where we want to go as we try to impact the community of Carlsbad, NM.  In other words, we have started the vision process of seeing where we are and where we want to go.  Things are already starting to pick up momentum, and I am extremely excited about where we seem to be headed.  One of the first things I wanted to capitalize on was the feel of family.  I introduced the idea of our congregation thinking of itself as our “faith family”  This wasn’t an idea that I had come up with.  Our church in TN called itself a faith family, but I felt that we could adopt that and see immediate benefits from that.  Man, have I not been disappointed.

During some of our vision presentations during our recent sermon series on the life of Joseph, I taught on and described what it meant to be a family in respect to our congregation.  Basically, there were four things that were stressed.  1.  We Take Care of Our Own, 2.  We Don’t Fight, 3.  There Should Be a Culture of Mentorships/Apprenticeships, and 4.  All Are Welcome.  After presenting these ideas in a sermon a couple of weeks ago, I have been able to see some of these coming to life.  Over the last couple of weeks, I have heard and seen people in our congregation refer to our church as our “faith family”.  People are starting to buy in, and I love that we look at each other as family.

The best indication that people are buying in to some of these ideas actually took place today.  A family from our congregation had their car break down about three blocks from the church on their way to Sunday School this morning.  The word got out that this had happened, and another family offered to try and tow their vehicle for them, back to their house.  After church was over, while my wife and I were having lunch together, I got a text that just brought a huge smile to my face.  Not only did this guy go to help a member of his “faith family” by towing their car, he actually took the time to see if he could figure out what was wrong with the car.  And he was able to not only figure out what was wrong, but he was also able to fix the car at no cost and get this family back on the road.  WE TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN!

Did I say that I LOVE MY CHURCH?!

Christian Living, God, Life

It’s Friday in the World

You see it more and more in America.  Christians are coming under attack from groups trying to silence us.  Click here for one of the latest examples I have found of groups trying to silence Christians. Individuals and organizations are being told that they cannot publicly speak about their faith and relationship with Jesus.  And the more this happens, the more shock and surprise I see from my fellow Christians.  I include myself in this category of surprise at times.  But should it really surprise us that the world hates us for standing for our beliefs and our relationship with Christ?  The more I think about it, the more I think we should be surprised when we aren’t being attacked for our beliefs.  Why should we be surprised if we are not being attacked by individuals and organizations?  If we are truly living the way Christ has called us to live, and we have the ongoing, life-changing relationship with Him that we should, then we should expect to be attacked.

Jesus himself tells us that the world will hate us.  Since it is Good Friday, I have been reading through the Gospel accounts of what is known as Holy Week.  This includes the events that take place between the Triumphal Entry the week before Jesus’ crucifixion and His resurrection and ascension.  Today, my devotions led me to the Gospel of Mark, reading chapters 11-16.  While reading through the Holy Week account from Mark, this thought hit me again like a ton of bricks.  I have often said that as American Christians, I’m not sure that it is a good thing that we don’t face some persecution or attacks from others.  Not facing persecution can make it easy to just go through the motions, which leads to a faith that may not be  a true faith.  Then I came across what Jesus tells His disciples (and us) in Mark 13:9-13.  He states, “But be on your guard; for they will deliver you to the courts, and you will be flogged in the synagogues, and you will stand before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them.  The gospel must first be preached to all the nations.  When they arrest you and hand you over, do not worry beforehand about what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but it is the Holy Spirit.  Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and have them put to death.  You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.” (NASB translation, italics added by me for emphasis).

So, according to Jesus’ own words, we will be hated by all because of our relationship with Him.  Our lives should look so different from the rest of the world that they should realize that something is different.  If we are not just going through the motions of Christianity, and are actually living out a true relationship with Christ, then the world is going to notice.  And the world won’t necessarily like what it sees in us.  The article I linked to earlier shows that an organization is after Clemson and Dabo Swinney, but what I was struck by the most were the comments by readers bashing what Swinney is doing at Clemson in sharing his faith.  But in all reality, this shouldn’t surprise anyone that this is taking place.  All of this means that being a true Christian is not always going to be an easy life.  Jesus never promised easy or safe, but He did leave us with a great promise recorded at the end of the Gospel of Matthew.  After His resurrection, He left His disciples with a command in Matthew 28:18-20, including a promise that should make a true relationship with Him a beautiful thing.  It states, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.‘” (NASB translation, italics added by me for emphasis).

This means that we will face darkness in this world, especially if we are living in a loving relationship with our Savior.  But He promises us that  He will be with us, and those that endure will be saved.  We face the darkness of Jesus crucified on Good Friday.  This is a somber day, but as one of my favorite college professors would say when talking about trouble in this world, “It’s Friday, but SUNDAY’S coming!” (Jon Weatherly).

Christian Living, Life

Rise Up!

I am a fan of The Fast and Furious movie series, so the news that Paul Walker, one of the stars of the series, was killed in a car wreck is sad.  If you are online at all, and this is the first you are hearing of his death, I would be completely shocked.  Facebook, Twitter, and major news feeds alike blew up with this news, and with people stating how much he would be missed.  It happens almost every time a celebrity, whether it be an actor, athlete, well-known business man, or a politician dies or is injured.  Don’t get me wrong, death is sad and hearing about it is hard sometimes.  What is bothering me with this one, and all of the celebrity death coverage for that matter, is the famous are not the only ones that are dying.  They are not the only ones that are leaving loved ones behind, or that are making a difference in people’s lives.  I mean no disrespect to Paul, his family, or the others that were effected with this.  My condolences, sympathy, and most of all my prayers go out to his friends and family.

I want to know, however, why people aren’t mourning in mass the death of any soldier that has died for this country.  I want to know why  children that are dying of cancer and other major diseases aren’t being covered by all the media.  I want to know why, as the Pope recently suggested,  the death of a homeless man doesn’t get covered on the evening news.  And honestly what I want to know from Christians more than anyone else, is why the persecution of our brothers and sisters around the world isn’t being talked about more than it is.  This country has recently failed one of our own citizens, who is now in a prison in Iran, simply for sharing his faith.  Some in Congress have called for his release, but our government just made a new deal with Iran, and Saeed’s freedom was not even discussed in these negotiations.  This is not just a question that I am posing to others, it’s one that I’m having to take a long hard look at myself.

I know there are brother’s and sisters’ in Christ that are being persecuted and killed every day around the world.  I just don’t know their stories.  Some of that is because the stories are being hidden by those that are persecuting them.  At the same time, it’s because I’ve fallen into the apathy that I loath to see in other people.  It’s like I only care about my self and the hardships that I am going through currently, and I don’t do enough to become aware of what is going on around the world.  I’m not suggesting that we need to know all the details of everything going on around the world.  That would be nearly impossible.  What I am suggesting is that we need to quit focusing only on ourselves and caring about our fellow Christians.  We need to be in prayer daily for those around the world facing persecution.  Persecution is going to come when we are living the way that Christ calls us to live.

Jesus taught his disciples that they were to expect persecutions.  In fact, he stated that they would be persecuted because the world had persecuted and would continue persecuting him.  John 15:18-25 states, “‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’”  Persecution is going to happen.  But those of us in the position of being able to do anything about it, should.  We can be silent no longer.  If this country is in an uproar when a celebrity dies, where is our (the Church) uproar when we are made aware of a brother or sister in Christ being killed or persecuted.  Saeed is one of many.  One was just released from North Korea, but there are more.  Rise up Church and quit being silent. 

Note: For my thoughts on why we are not being persecuted in America as much as some around the world are, read https://crosseyedjesusfreak.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/outrage-2/

God, Life

Thankful, No Matter What

Note: I reference II Timothy throughout this post, but do not quote any of it here.  To read II Timothy online go to; http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+1&version=NIV

Life hasn’t been easy recently.  It rarely is actually, but for some reason, I am going through a season of life in which things are really difficult.  Complaining is really not something that I find beneficial, and it is not what I am trying to do here.  I also realize that others are experiencing greater hardships than I am right now.  This is not meant to make light of their situations.  What I am trying to do, however, is put down in written form what I feel that God is trying to teach me through this season.  There are a lot of things that He teaches through difficulties, and I hope that whoever reads this can relate to what He is teaching me.

In fact, I think the lesson has always been in front of me, but I just couldn’t see it.  Things have come somewhat easily in my life compared to what others have had to endure.  Sure, I lost my dad to a heart attack as a teenager, but other than that, I really haven’t dealt with many hardships.  As I’ve stated so often on here, I feel called to vocational ministry, and I think this season now may just be another tool that God is using to teach me how to be more successful in the role that He is preparing me for.  He is trying to teach me to rely on Him above everything else.  Also, He is trying to teach me to be content, thankful in all situations, and also to be able to have empathy and compassion to those experiencing hardships in the future.

These lessons are found throughout Scripture, and are vital in a role of ministering to people in a local congregation.  Paul writes at length about each of these things.  It is something I have grown up knowing, but I am hard-headed enough that even though I know the lessons in my head, I see that I may have to go through this season of difficulties to truly apply these lessons to my life.  This epiphany dawned on me just Sunday.

While in Sunday school, we looked at Paul’s second letter to Timothy.  This letter to Timothy is believed to be the last words that Paul ever recorded.  He is near the end of his life, and these words are his last chance to impart wisdom to his beloved Timothy.  His words, in this light, carry a great deal of weight.  What would you expect to hear from someone who is awaiting a trial in Rome, under house-arrest, and knowing that your life is almost certainly going to come to an end soon?  In human nature, I would not expect to see what Paul chooses to be his final message.  Paul chooses to tell Timothy to be truly thankful throughout any situation in his life.  One of the most interesting ways that Paul does this is to tell Timothy first that he is proud of being in chains for the cause of Christ, and then imploring Timothy to join him in suffering for the Gospel.  Wow!  That is contrary human nature.

How is Paul able to make this statement to Timothy, and what is it saying to us at the same time?  To answer that, it is necessary to look to some of Paul’s earlier writings.  He answers this perplexing problem for us throughout his writings.  That makes sense, as again this is arguably his final recorded words.  Paul is simply tying everything together and telling Timothy to be thankful and content…and here is how you do that.  First, in his letter to the Romans, Paul states,  “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”(Romans 12:3 NIV).  The first key is to not think too highly of yourself.  We, as Christians, have all been given faith and we are to work together.  

Being content is the first key, but it really isn’t that easy to become content.  Paul again shows how important contentment is in Philippians 4:11-12.  It reads, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” This time, however, he leaves some instruction for how to become content.  Philippians 4:6; 13 reads, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God…I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”  So, it is through thanksgiving in all situations, a strong prayer life, and relying on Christ, who gives us strength that we can become content.  

This is where God has really, really been working hard in my life.  Learning how to be content has proved difficult, but in all honestly, I think it has finally clicked.   Even though life has been difficult recently, at least with finances and earthly goods, I have become very thankful for what I do have.  God has blessed me with His grace most of all, but He has also blessed me with a loving wife, strong family, great friends, a community focused faith family that I get to serve in leadership with, and so many other blessings.  Even through difficult times, I am learning to be content.  That doesn’t mean that I won’t continue to strive for what I think that God is leading me to do, but it does mean that I am working hard to not let my circumstances change how I feel about everything that God has blessed me with.  I have learned to truly lean and rely on God, because I honestly don’t know how else I would be able to handle how life is going right now without just letting go and trusting God.  

I want to go back to II Timothy again for a moment.  Paul has told Timothy to be thankful and content as he is, but again, Paul knows what fate is waiting for him.  While he has told us in other letters how to be content, knowing his situation makes me think he has to have another reason to be able to be thankful and content here.  Philippians seems to hold the answer to this as well.  Specifically, in Philippians 1:21-26, Paul states, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me.  Yet what shall I choose?  I do not know!  I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.  Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.” Paul knows that he is about to get what he truly desires.  He knows what awaits him after death, and he is ready for that.  His focus is on Jesus and not earthly things.  That’s the key.  That’s how Paul was content, and it is how I am trying to be content.  

I know this life is temporary, and I have so many great things in store for me once this life is over.  While I am still here, I will continue to pursue God’s call and lead in my life, but I know that no matter how difficult life gets, I have eternity with Christ to look forward to.  Keep your focus on Jesus.  Become Cross-eyed (Hebrews 12:2) by fixing your eyes on Jesus, and learn to be thankful and content.  I have been resistant to apply this in my life, even though I had the book knowledge on it, but join me in trying to apply it to our lives.  This is especially important the more our society becomes consumer driven, but that’s a whole other post for a later time.

God Bless.

God, Life, Ministry

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Recently, I have been seeing a growing trend of Christians not being able to get along with each other.  This is not something new, but it seems to be coming back on a more prevalent level.  In all honesty, this is something that has been happening since the Church was founded on the day of Pentecost.  The problem is that we cannot truly follow our call to be the Church if we are not unified.  Unity is essential in God’s plan for us.  How else are we going to be able to complete “The Great Commission” found at the end of the book of Matthew?

Unity is something that I have always strived for in my relationship with Christ.  All the bad-mouthing and in-fighting that we see among Christians does nothing to really help the cause of Christ.  In fact, it hinders it greatly.  Again, I know this is really nothing new, but it seems to be growing a very fast rate.  And it needs to stop.  I am not trying to single anyone out in this.  Most of us have been guilty of this at some point in our lives.  Some of us struggle with this on a daily basis.  Even though I am not singling anyone out, I think it is important to show some examples of what I am talking about.

A few weeks ago, there was a church conference, Strange Fire, held in California.  Strange Fire became very controversial, especially toward the end of the conference.  In fact, if the conference wasn’t officially trending on Twitter, I would be very surprised.  During the last night of the conference, my Twitter Feed was absolutely full of tweets, both supporting and denouncing the conference.  I had not heard of the conference before that night, but it did not take a lot of effort to find out the basis and general teaching of this conference.  It was a conference based around John MacArthur’s book Strange Fire: The Danger of Offending the Holy Spirit with Counterfeit Worship.   From what I could find, this basically boiled down to one group of Christians that think the gifts of the Holy Spirit like speaking in tongues ended with the death of the apostles calling another group of Christians that believe those gifts still exist false believers.  I’m not going to get into what I believe about those gifts here, but I don’t see the benefit of calling another Christian out because they believe something different from you, and it doesn’t really seem to be a salvation issue.

On Facebook, I am a member of a few different groups, mainly revolving around the Christian Church/Church of Christ churches.  The Restoration Movement is what I have always been a part of, and it really seems to me that it is designed around unity.  In one of those groups, however, there was a gentleman that on a daily basis would pose scenarios that were based on half-truths, and then he would go on to pose a question.  These questions, for the most part, were basically attacks on todays Church and/or ministers that invest their time trying to lead others to Christ.  When others would post answers to his questions that were anything against his idea, he would become very defensive and state that he wasn’t interested in going back-and-forth with the person that was making a point against him.  It was almost as if he were just trying to start controversy and division.  (He has since either removed himself from the group, or the admins removed him).

These are just two examples that I have seen, and I know that there are many more that I could reference.  I think that gives us a good place to start, however, and I don’t want to get bogged down on the problem without looking to Scripture for the solution.  In my last post I wrote about Ephesians, and I briefly touched on the subject of unity.  Well God continued to rock my world tonight as I read Philippians.  Paul has a lot of mind-blowing things to say in this very short letter.  One of the many topics I found tonight, and a huge chunk of the letter, deals with unity in the body of Christ.  Philippians 2:1-19 speaks to unity and why we are to have unity.  You can go to http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=philippians%202:1-19&version=NASB if you wish to read the text.  He also has a lot to tell us about unity in Philippians 3:20-4:2.  It reads, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.  Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.  I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to live in harmony in the Lord.”  We are to be unified under Christ, because we as Christians all have the same fate awaiting us.  Our citizenship is of another place, and that should unify us all under Him.

I know there will always be debates and disagreements.  That’s natural, and not necessarily a negative thing.  They become negative when it causes Christians to state that other Christians are not really Christians.  And it becomes a huge problem when our fighting causes non-believers to be turned off to God.  We should be living in such a way that we are drawing outsiders in, not driving them away.  Christ died and was raised from the dead for all.  How dare we drive some away, simply because we don’t know how to get along with each other and show God’s love through our interactions with one another.

God, Life, Ministry

Rock My World

Recently, I have been abundantly reminded of my calling or leading in life.  God has called me into full-time ministry.  While that used to be specifically youth ministry, now it is working with adults, either as a senior/preaching minister, or as some kind of associate/discipleship minister.  The struggles of life sometimes make it hard to remember this calling, especially since it has been a while since I have been on staff at a church.  He is trying to teach me something before He leads me to this next ministry.  Remembering this calling is vital to staying patient and staying on course.  As I said, it is easy to forget, but I have had a great reminder.

Two weeks ago, Crossroads Christian Church ordained Nathan Hall.  Attending his ordination service brought back so many vivid memories of my own ordination at Crossroads six years ago.  In fact, it brought back so much emotion and so many memories that I actually attended both services of his ordination, instead of going to Sunday School.  This was a great event in my life, and I pray that it will be a great and memorable event in Nathan’s.  Attending his ordination reminded me that I have been set apart for ministry.  While that hasn’t completely panned out yet, some of the charge given to Nathan rocked my world, in a great way.  Curtis Booher gave Nathan his charge, but it was almost as if he was speaking directly to me as well.  The final point that Curtis brought out was that we (the Crossroads leadership and congregation) were not setting Nathan apart to start a life of ministry.  We were/are setting him apart to FINISH well.  How one starts is important, but finishing well is even more important.  That gives me a lot of hope and drive for my future in ministry.

The ordination of Nathan was a couple of weeks ago, as I stated earlier.  So these thoughts have been floating around my head for about that long.  It wasn’t until my daily devotion time today, however, that the completion of my world being rocked came to fruition.  In my daily quiet time, I read through the book of Ephesians.  This isn’t something new for me.  Ephesians is a book that I have often read and been really challenged by.  But something was different today.  It was as if Paul was speaking directly to me, and no one else.  Now I know that isn’t the case, but Paul’s message became real and tangible for me.  Chapter Four is really where this started.  Paul states, “Therefore I , the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6 NASB).

Paul goes on to talk about how we all have different callings.  Some are called to preach, some as apostles, some as prophets and so on.  What struck me was not only that we all have callings, but that these callings, if done correctly, lead to unity of the Spirit.  Find you calling and pursue it.  He also states that not only do we all have a calling, but that there are correct and incorrect ways of following that calling. We need to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, and he lists doing this in humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance for one another in love, and diligence, all to preserve the unity of the Spirit.

The rest of the book has a lot of great things to say to us as well, especially about the dynamics of the family relationship and how that is mirrored in the relationship of Jesus and the Church, but more on that at a later time.  For now, passionately pursue God and His calling for your life, and let’s find unity among all Christians!

God, Life, Ministry

Outrage?

I recently read an article describing the seemingly growing persecution of Christians in the Middle East and Africa (http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/09/27/a-global-slaughter-of-christians-but-america-s-churches-stay-silent.html).  In this article, there seems to be outrage from a few about the apparent lack of outrage from American Christians and American Churches in regards to this persecution.  While I agree that we should be doing something, I’m not sure that anything we do will stop this persecution from happening.  In fact, I have to think that there are only two things that will stop Christians worldwide from being persecuted.  Christ’s second coming is the first and best option.  The second, is to become like the majority of Christians that aren’t currently being persecuted.

What do I mean by that?  I believe we have become so apathetic in our faith and relationships, and that is why we are able to avoid persecutions.  We are fitting into the world too much, and because of that, no one on the outside thinks it’s worth the effort to try to make us stop living for Christ (if we are really living like Christ).  Jesus taught his disciples that they were to expect persecutions.  In fact, he stated that they would be persecuted because the world had persecuted and would continue persecute him.  John 15:18-25 states, “‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. 21 They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. 22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. 23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. 24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. 25 But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’”

I am not trying to say that we should be silent about persecution around the world.  What I am saying, however, is that we should take a long, hard look out our own lives and try to figure out why we are not necessarily facing persecution ourselves.  I love religious freedom.  I love that this country was founded with the idea of being able to freely worship without fear.  But I also strongly believe that if we are living in relationship with Christ the way we should be, then we are going to look so much different from everyone around us that we will be persecuted.  Whether we have religious freedom or not.  Maybe it won’t be to the extent that we are currently seeing in the Middle East and Africa.  It may not even be facing death (yet).  But we should be so different from those around us that people are either asking what we have in our lives that cause us to look so different, or cause people to lash out at us because of our differences.

Christianity was a radical movement when it started.  It challenged the cultural norms of the day.  The problem seems to be that now we, as Christians, try to make Christianity mainstream and fit into the culture.  There are good things about this, but when our central message is not so much different that any other social club, then we are not going to draw attention.  We need to be relevant in our culture, so we have to change the way we present our message, but we also need to be focused on the central message.  A growing, changing, and deep relationship with Christ is a must.  And when we have that relationship and it is changing us, the world becomes uncomfortable with that.  It draws some people in, and it pushes some people to lash out against it.  Either way, it makes people pay attention and doesn’t allow us to slip through this life unnoticed.  Matthew 5:14-16, “14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

So, what should the churches and Christians in America be doing about the persecution popping up in the Middle East and Africa?  I think we need to lift this group up in prayer for strength and courage.  I also think we need to take a long, hard look at our faith.  Are we making people around us uncomfortable because we are truly different from the world around us, due to our relationship with Christ?  Or are we being tolerated because we aren’t living out what we say we believe?  Our lives should be a sermon for people to see and a Bible for people to read.  Sure, we will make mistakes and not always live out what we believe, but we should grow from that.  Outrage?  Yes, we should be doing more for those around the world.  But our true outrage should maybe be about the way we are living and conforming to the world. (Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.“

Life

Retreat

A couple of days ago, I wrote “Paralyzing” with the idea that sometimes we get so busy that we don’t know what to do.  When this happens, we just stop and don’t do anything, or become paralyzed.  Well I am sitting on the deck of a cabin in Gatlinburg, TN right now after finishing my daily devotions.  I am on a youth sponsor retreat with some of the youth sponsors from Crossroads Christian Church.  I love this group of people.  They give up their time on a regular basis investing in the teens from our church and community.  They even give up a weekend to come together and spend time learning and praying about ways that we can reach these teens better.  But as I sit here, I also realize that this is part of an answer to the problems I addressed a couple of days ago.

Sometimes, we just need a retreat.  We need a break from our daily lives and to get away from it all.  This is a short retreat, and honestly it is not a very restful one because we stayed up late last night and got up early this morning.  But it is a refreshing retreat.  I already feel that, and that, to me, is better than a restful retreat.  Restful would be nice for my tired body, but refreshing is amazing for my tired soul.  That’s what happens when you get too busy.  Your soul gets tired.  So taking a retreat is an amazing thing.  Whether you do that on a regular basis or not.  Whether you do that in solitude or in a group.  Retreat is necessary.

I would argue, however, that retreat is better done in community.  We were made for community.  Something just doesn’t feel right when we stay completely isolated from everyone for long periods of time.  I’m not saying that we don’t ever need solitude.  Christ sought solitude during busy periods of time in his ministry.  But he also showed that community is important.  Community is just an easy way of saying that we are sharing life together.  That’s another reason I love this group of people who I’m in Gatlinburg with.  We are sharing life together.  This group of people is one of the many groups that I share in community with.  And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you aren’t in community with anyone, I urge you to find community.  I truly believe to live in a growing relationship with Christ, that community is necessary.  It is that important.  So take time to retreat when life becomes busy or paralyzing, but don’t forget to spend regular time in community with other believers.  Community helps to keep life from becoming paralyzing.

God Bless.

Life

Paralyzing

There is so much that I want to do with my life.  I have so many goals and dreams.  But sometimes I feel like it is too much.  I feel as if there is so much I want to do and that I have been called to do, and I just can’t seem to get started.   I want to focus on spending daily time with God, I want to be in full-time vocational ministry, I have aspirations of writing, not only on here but also of becoming an author of one or more books, I want to read as many books as I can, I am serving as a deacon at my church, and there is just so much more that I feel like I could do for God.  The problem I seem to keep having is that I don’t know where to start.  I have some free time right now, but there is so much that I want to do that I end up becoming paralyzed.  I don’t know where to start.  It’s almost as if I try to do it all at once.  This thought has been gripping me over the last few days or weeks.

As you can see from above, even though I have some free time, I have a lot of things to keep me busy.  This society preaches that busyness is a good thing.  The more things we have to do, the better off we are.  Well, I’m not so sure that this is sustainable or healthy.  Having too much to do can be paralyzing.  I know that first hand.  Sometimes, you just don’t  know where to start, so you just don’t do anything.  We think because we are busy that we are doing something great, even something great for God.  But the truth of the matter is, sometimes we get so busy that we aren’t really doing anything except making it look like we are busy.

Scripture points to a completely different thought process.  Doing things just to appear busy or important is not what we, as Christ followers, are supposed to do.  We are called to do everything for God’s glory.  Scripture also shows us that we are to rest.  Exodus 20:8-11 states, “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns.  For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”  I know this is Old Testament, but I think Jesus shows that, while the concept of how to keep the Sabbath has changed, we are to be intentional about finding rest.  Multiple times throughout the gospels, Jesus is shown going off into solitude to rest and spend time with God. Before his season of ministry actually began after his baptism, he goes to the desert and spends 40 days and nights fasting and praying.  If Jesus needed rest and solitude, what makes us think that we can keep getting busier and busier without burning out or even becoming paralyzed?

This doesn’t mean that we try to not do anything.  We have work to do.  But it does mean that we are to be very cautious about getting so wrapped up in being busy that we lose sight of our true purpose; bringing glory to God with everything that we do.  This reminds me of a book I have read twice (and plan to reread often).  This book helped me develop my philosophy of ministry.  The book is Simple Church by Thom Rainer and Eric Geiger.  In this book, Rainer and Geiger discuss a growing trend in healthy churches around the country, and also a growing trend in unhealthy churches.  These healthy churches that they describe are “Simple”, meaning that they don’t over program or become “busy”.  The church calendar is small and not overfilled with events.  But everything they do, they have a distinct and specific purpose for.  And they do it with excellence.

The unhealthy churches are just the opposite.  Their church calendars are full of mediocre events.  They stay busy, but they don’t really go anywhere or do anything to bring others to Christ.  I bought in to this philosophy for churches and how to do ministry a long time ago.  I’m just now, sadly,  learning that this is a great principle for our individual lives.  Staying so busy that you can’t do anything with excellence isn’t something to be proud of.  Hebrews 12 tells us to “throw off everything that hinders”.  Well our busyness can hinder.  I know there are things that have to be done.  And we are all busy at times.  But please realize with me that we have to take time to focus on our relationships with God and our families.  There will always be more that we could do, but don’t let your busyness become paralyzing.