I often sit at Starbucks and unintentionally hear people giving advice. And, a lot of times, I see people listening to my conversations. This is never intentional, and I actually welcome it. I remember when I started a young adult bible study at starbucks over the summer. We started small, but quickly grew to around 20 people taking up this little corner niche of the store. Right where we sat, the drinks came out. This often gave those listening an opportunity to listen to us as we studied through the Gospel of John. And, man, what a wide range of responses people gave. One day a wife from a fallen pastor in our valley walked up crying and telling me that her husband is still looking for a place to call home and would love to reconnect. Another time, an English fellow walked up and told us we were giving Jesus a bad name. It got me thinking about what happened that day. We had our bible's opened and we were passionate about a specific passage about Jesus love for the world. I couldn't imagine, with the Gospel being proclaimed, that a man would say that. I immediately came to this passage:
"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. (2 Timothy 4:3, 4 ESV)"
Paul notices that people are disregarding the truth of scripture to fit their own personal need to get, "self-help". I cannot judge what was in the heart of this man and do not want to attempt that. I am simply noting that, whether it was this guy or someone else, there are people who do not want Christ, and HIS Gospel elevated, but they want "the self" exalted. Friends, this is not unusual. In fact I am guilty of indulging in self too much. It is a constant battle. But the answer is most certainly not "self-help" advice that I see many people touting, encouraging, and posting on social media. It is thick with arrogance and contrary to scripture when I see someone post, "the ten ways to improve your life" or "5 keys to enjoy life", and not one of the steps is about, or even mentions Jesus or the Gospel.
Let me give you a list from Scripture on how to help "self":
1. SURRENDER IT (Galatians 2:20)
2. DENY IT (Mt. 16:24-25)
3. KILL IT (Eph. 4:22-24)
4. OFFER IT (Romans 12:1-2)
5. HUMBLE IT (Philippians 2:1-4)
6. And Finally, it is important that none of this is possible without the awesome and profound redemption given in Jesus Christ. We are dead to sin and alive to Christ. Romans is clear that we can only do what this list requires through the power of Jesus Christ (Romans chs. 5-8).
No, you are not the only one that can control your happiness. No you are not the only one that has the power to change attitude. No you are not the one that has complete control of yourself. No, that role, and that responsibility belongs to Jesus. He bought you at a price (2 Corinthians 6:20). He first loved you in order for you to be able to love (I John 4:7-11). And it is HIM that makes you complete through His redemptive plan (Romans 8:28-31).
I implore you to give your life over, completely to Jesus. This "self-help" movement of our postmodern culture has corroded away the truth of The GOSPEL and Christ wants us and wants all of us. It seems clear to me that the "self-help" stuff is almost entirely bad and contrary to our new nature and new citizenship. Giving into the lie of "the self" will inevitably strip us of the Gospel and the transformational power of the Gospel. Don't give control back to the dead, old self (Ephesians 4:22-24). But continue to live in the newness of your transformed mind, exalting Jesus and His life giving grace.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
When Jesus is all there is.
Life can pack a punch. Life can get tough. People fail, miserably, and will always disappoint. I know that I fall into that category so often. These types of bumps in our lives are just that, bumps that come along that we can deal with, one at a time. But every once in a while, these bumps turn into mountains that all close in on us at once! I have hit that point in my life.
Some handle this with unwise decisions and reactions. Some people just wall up, close up, and get destroyed from cutting themselves from any lifeline that might exist. I have done both of those things at times. But what do we do, if we claim to be Jesus followers? How do we respond to life when we feel like this?
I remember when this time in my life started. I got a job as a Youth Pastor to High School in Colorado. We were excited. The church seemed like a good church, the people seemed awesome, it was closer to my family, who lived in CO. The situation went from good to bad very quickly. I realized almost immediately upon starting my new and exciting job that it was not what everyone I interviewed with said it was. Problem after problem built up from students having a hard time connecting with me, to coworkers lying to and about other staff. In fact this person was a superior. This person spent time dismantling me to his superiors to look better. This person did not want anyone to see "the real him/her". It started like this because of some issues me and another pastor wanted bring to him and resolve. This person just couldn't take both the criticism or the possible way people would look at him/her upon finding out about these issues. All of this built up to me sitting in front of an elder handing me a severance check. I was being fired. No one asked me my side of the story or tried to figure out what happened. In fact, about 6 months earlier, an elder told me I had to submit and he didn't care what the superior had done or was doing. At that point it sounded more like a business than a church.
My dad always told me work hard, do your job, and you will be rewarded, not punished. Because of that I felt utterly ruined, lik a failure. And the issues did not stop there. My character was being defamed by this superior all over town, from talking to my former leadership team, to talking to other youth pastors. I felt, by the end of this awful experience, that I had been dragged through a muddy valley full of sticks, logs, tree roots, and rocks that were destroying my body as I was dragged.
I recently came across this quote from Thomas Kemper, out of his book "The Imitation of Christ" on John 14:6: "Follow thou me. I am the way and the truth and the life. Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou must follow; the truth which thou must believe; the life which thou must hope. I am the inviolable way; the infallible truth, the never-ending life. I am the straightest way; the sovereign truth; life true, life blessed, life uncreated."
I realized, and still trying to rest in the fact that the one dragging me was Jesus. When I read this quote about John 14:6, it really floored me. If every single ting in life was stripped away from me and I was left bare before God, would I be satisfied in him? Would I remember quotes like this and remember that no matter what this life throws at me, Jesus way is unbreakable, his truth is incapable of any error, and his life is the never-ending true life that I hope in?
I have had the privilege over the past several months to live life with young adults, between the ages of 18-30. And together, with my wife, interacting with these people we have discovered that Jesus is all there is, He is all that we have to tangibly rely upon. Amongst these people in bible study and worship, as we have come together as a group of people connected to Christ's church, is the real and raw emotion that has resonated in my family for the last five years, which is "Jesus, your grace is the only thing left, you salvation brings me life, and your mercies are new every morning." Living this out is hard, but it is reality. All we have, and all we need is Jesus, who is the straightest way, the sovereign truth; life true, life blessed, and life uncreated.
I encourage you to look to Christ, whether life is going well or giving you fits. When Jesus is proclaiming this to his disciples, there were lots of "paths" to God, but his was the only and true way to God. We are offered al sorts of promises like this in our lives. Money offers this, "if you make money, you will have comfort." Friends offer this, "if you have friends, you will be satisfied". Jobs offer this, "If you have a job, you will have purpose and security". Religions offer this, "If you believe this, you can be the god of your own life, no one can tell you what to do or how to live.". We are invaded with the counter attack to this truth about Jesus every day. But the truth is that every single one of those promises leave us wanting, hopelessly stuck in our death and darkness.
I can tell you from experience that following Jesus, especially when it feels as though He is all that is left, is hard. You will face opposition, you will face temptation, and you will face your constant failures. Do not let those difficulties dictate you attitude or your worth in God's eyes. He has lavished his grace upon us without condition. In fact, life becomes an amazing adventure and fulfilling when we realize something: Regardless of what I possess or do not possess, JESUS IS ALL THERE IS. Paul famously state in Philippians 1: 21 "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Paul's attitude in this passage was to proclaim that regardless of the opposition, the Gospel is being preached in his suffering, and death would be a gain.
We, as Christ-followers, belong to Him. May we live life with Paul's mindset, that in this life, Jesus is all there is and to live is Christ. When I read quotes like the one I have shared, and read what is happening to Paul when he writes the letter to the Philippians, I am encouraged. Although life has me bruised, bloodied, and beaten, sometimes beyond recognition, I look up and see Jesus holding onto me tightly, as if never to let go. And I look back to my wounds and remember that this lowly body is not my identity, Jesus is my identity. Be encouraged, friends, that today no matter where you are at or what you are feeling, that Christ has taken our pain and made us new, adopted us into His glorious family.
Some handle this with unwise decisions and reactions. Some people just wall up, close up, and get destroyed from cutting themselves from any lifeline that might exist. I have done both of those things at times. But what do we do, if we claim to be Jesus followers? How do we respond to life when we feel like this?
I remember when this time in my life started. I got a job as a Youth Pastor to High School in Colorado. We were excited. The church seemed like a good church, the people seemed awesome, it was closer to my family, who lived in CO. The situation went from good to bad very quickly. I realized almost immediately upon starting my new and exciting job that it was not what everyone I interviewed with said it was. Problem after problem built up from students having a hard time connecting with me, to coworkers lying to and about other staff. In fact this person was a superior. This person spent time dismantling me to his superiors to look better. This person did not want anyone to see "the real him/her". It started like this because of some issues me and another pastor wanted bring to him and resolve. This person just couldn't take both the criticism or the possible way people would look at him/her upon finding out about these issues. All of this built up to me sitting in front of an elder handing me a severance check. I was being fired. No one asked me my side of the story or tried to figure out what happened. In fact, about 6 months earlier, an elder told me I had to submit and he didn't care what the superior had done or was doing. At that point it sounded more like a business than a church.
My dad always told me work hard, do your job, and you will be rewarded, not punished. Because of that I felt utterly ruined, lik a failure. And the issues did not stop there. My character was being defamed by this superior all over town, from talking to my former leadership team, to talking to other youth pastors. I felt, by the end of this awful experience, that I had been dragged through a muddy valley full of sticks, logs, tree roots, and rocks that were destroying my body as I was dragged.
I recently came across this quote from Thomas Kemper, out of his book "The Imitation of Christ" on John 14:6: "Follow thou me. I am the way and the truth and the life. Without the way there is no going; without the truth there is no knowing; without the life there is no living. I am the way which thou must follow; the truth which thou must believe; the life which thou must hope. I am the inviolable way; the infallible truth, the never-ending life. I am the straightest way; the sovereign truth; life true, life blessed, life uncreated."
I realized, and still trying to rest in the fact that the one dragging me was Jesus. When I read this quote about John 14:6, it really floored me. If every single ting in life was stripped away from me and I was left bare before God, would I be satisfied in him? Would I remember quotes like this and remember that no matter what this life throws at me, Jesus way is unbreakable, his truth is incapable of any error, and his life is the never-ending true life that I hope in?
I have had the privilege over the past several months to live life with young adults, between the ages of 18-30. And together, with my wife, interacting with these people we have discovered that Jesus is all there is, He is all that we have to tangibly rely upon. Amongst these people in bible study and worship, as we have come together as a group of people connected to Christ's church, is the real and raw emotion that has resonated in my family for the last five years, which is "Jesus, your grace is the only thing left, you salvation brings me life, and your mercies are new every morning." Living this out is hard, but it is reality. All we have, and all we need is Jesus, who is the straightest way, the sovereign truth; life true, life blessed, and life uncreated.
I encourage you to look to Christ, whether life is going well or giving you fits. When Jesus is proclaiming this to his disciples, there were lots of "paths" to God, but his was the only and true way to God. We are offered al sorts of promises like this in our lives. Money offers this, "if you make money, you will have comfort." Friends offer this, "if you have friends, you will be satisfied". Jobs offer this, "If you have a job, you will have purpose and security". Religions offer this, "If you believe this, you can be the god of your own life, no one can tell you what to do or how to live.". We are invaded with the counter attack to this truth about Jesus every day. But the truth is that every single one of those promises leave us wanting, hopelessly stuck in our death and darkness.
I can tell you from experience that following Jesus, especially when it feels as though He is all that is left, is hard. You will face opposition, you will face temptation, and you will face your constant failures. Do not let those difficulties dictate you attitude or your worth in God's eyes. He has lavished his grace upon us without condition. In fact, life becomes an amazing adventure and fulfilling when we realize something: Regardless of what I possess or do not possess, JESUS IS ALL THERE IS. Paul famously state in Philippians 1: 21 "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Paul's attitude in this passage was to proclaim that regardless of the opposition, the Gospel is being preached in his suffering, and death would be a gain.
We, as Christ-followers, belong to Him. May we live life with Paul's mindset, that in this life, Jesus is all there is and to live is Christ. When I read quotes like the one I have shared, and read what is happening to Paul when he writes the letter to the Philippians, I am encouraged. Although life has me bruised, bloodied, and beaten, sometimes beyond recognition, I look up and see Jesus holding onto me tightly, as if never to let go. And I look back to my wounds and remember that this lowly body is not my identity, Jesus is my identity. Be encouraged, friends, that today no matter where you are at or what you are feeling, that Christ has taken our pain and made us new, adopted us into His glorious family.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
giving thanks through trials
As I have seen all of my FB friends talk about the things that they are thankful for, I have spent much time considering what I am thankful for in this life, and a lot comes to mind. I am thankful for my wife, who is the best partner a guy could ask for. I am thankful for my children, all of whom bring a unique personality anf love to a Dad's life that is irreplacable. i am thankful to my Mom, Dad, brother, and sister, who all have slightly taken part in the man I am today. I am thankful for my church family, who have overwhelmed my family with a welcoming and accepting attitude, along with an excitement for what God is doing through the young adult ministry in our church.
But above all these things, I have been reminded of a passage that is very familiar to the believer. James 1: 2-4 says "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV)". Trials, in the biblical sense, refine our character, and the past few years for me and my family have been filled with various trials. When I think of the trials that I, even still, am going through, I can't have any other thought other than, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else". I am thankful for the trials that are in my life and I am thankful because I know that God wants to use these trials to refine my character, and bring me into a closer discipleship relationship with Jesus.
For those of you that do not know, my wife and I, after much prayer and consideration, decided that the ministry God was calling us to was this college/young adult ministry. We knew that following in God's will would be tough, and it has been. Two times already, I woke up not knowing how I would fill my gas tank or get formula for my baby. I know that some may criticize me for pushing through. But I did, and both times when we felt desperate God brought us to our knees in absolute reliance on him. Then, what I consider a miracle happened both times. Two different young men snuck some cash into my possession and God provided for my family. It brought my wife and I to tears in thankfulness, not necessarily for the money, but for the trial we encountered and were refined by.
I would not have my position before God any other way: a humble servant, saved by Grace alone, and willing to serve His church as He sees fit. I am thankful that God wants to personally teach me and invest personally. He knows my name, and that is a humble thought.
It reminds me of Philippians 1:29 "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (ESV)". Not only has God given me the gift of belief, but he has also given me the gift of suffering. I count it a blessing to identify with my savior in this struggle to serve and follow him in a dark and broken world.
So as we think of all the wonderful blessing we have been given, may we also rejoice in our sufferings together as a church. May we thank God for using trials to purge us of sin and self reliance so that we may more clearly see the grace he has so loviongly lavished onto us. During this holiday season, I am thankful for my Christian family and the struggle we go through everyday to live gospel centered lives. Happy thanksgiving everyone!
But above all these things, I have been reminded of a passage that is very familiar to the believer. James 1: 2-4 says "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (ESV)". Trials, in the biblical sense, refine our character, and the past few years for me and my family have been filled with various trials. When I think of the trials that I, even still, am going through, I can't have any other thought other than, "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else". I am thankful for the trials that are in my life and I am thankful because I know that God wants to use these trials to refine my character, and bring me into a closer discipleship relationship with Jesus.
For those of you that do not know, my wife and I, after much prayer and consideration, decided that the ministry God was calling us to was this college/young adult ministry. We knew that following in God's will would be tough, and it has been. Two times already, I woke up not knowing how I would fill my gas tank or get formula for my baby. I know that some may criticize me for pushing through. But I did, and both times when we felt desperate God brought us to our knees in absolute reliance on him. Then, what I consider a miracle happened both times. Two different young men snuck some cash into my possession and God provided for my family. It brought my wife and I to tears in thankfulness, not necessarily for the money, but for the trial we encountered and were refined by.
I would not have my position before God any other way: a humble servant, saved by Grace alone, and willing to serve His church as He sees fit. I am thankful that God wants to personally teach me and invest personally. He knows my name, and that is a humble thought.
It reminds me of Philippians 1:29 "For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (ESV)". Not only has God given me the gift of belief, but he has also given me the gift of suffering. I count it a blessing to identify with my savior in this struggle to serve and follow him in a dark and broken world.
So as we think of all the wonderful blessing we have been given, may we also rejoice in our sufferings together as a church. May we thank God for using trials to purge us of sin and self reliance so that we may more clearly see the grace he has so loviongly lavished onto us. During this holiday season, I am thankful for my Christian family and the struggle we go through everyday to live gospel centered lives. Happy thanksgiving everyone!
Monday, October 22, 2012
Christians ARE disciples of Jesus
This week has been quite the crazy week.first, my Mac broke and needed repairs, no doubt from my kids getting their hands on it! Then on the way home from a meeting in SD, my back tire blew. A friend was with me and we tried so hard to get the tire off the car, to the point where we would pull so hard that the car would fall off the jack! So we relinquished and called AAA. The guy that drove us home was from Iraq and said immediately, "I'm not Muslim, I Christian!" In broken English. He then proceeded to tell us a story about a day he was on the job and a girl from Texas hit on him. I won't give you the shocking details, but I will say it was entirely inappropriate. My friend and I sat their shocked that this kid was telling us what happened with a disturbing grin of pride on his face. It was probably one of the most awkward moments of my adult life. Well, the boarder patrol pulled us over and while he was in the station talking w the agents, we sat shocked and the first thought came up, "what does he mean when he says he a Christian?"
Are we disciples (follow Jesus and His teaching in word and deed) if we say we are Christians? Is it the same thing or two different things? Is a disciple someone more serious abut their faith? It might shock you to find out that when my biblical discipleship professor at Talbot brought these questions up, the class was undecided. Opinions ranged across the board. I do believe, however, that there is a clear biblical answer to these questions.
It seemed clear in the NT that Jesus expectations were clear for those who chose to believe in Him. The word "disciple" is used to describe his twelve followers, the broader men and women who followed him during his ministry, a group of 500 or so that would turn from him, and there are disciples of John the Baptist (to name a few). So this term is used throughout the Gospels broadly and more particularly. Interestingly, Paul NEVER uses this term in his letters (neither the verb or noun). It's does not mean that Paul didn't believe in discipleship. On the contrary, Paul's writings are inundated with patterns and language of discipleship, maybe more than any other author. 1 Cor. 11:1, in example).
To define discipleship a little more clearly, it is the process of devoting oneself to and following someone and their teachings. So does this definition leave room to separate a Christian from a disciple of Jesus??? Consider Matthew 8:19-22, a story that relates directly to this process. You have two men, a scribe and a young man who both desire to believe in Jesus but the scribe has ulterior motives and the son has misplaced priorities. Jesus response to both of them is clear, to follow me, you must devote yourself fully to me, not just for your own benefit or on your own time. And there doesn't seem to be a third option Jesus gives. No, in fact his seemingly harsh and abrupt response is important to observe here. Jesus mission cannot wait and is imminent, there is no time for any who believe to put anything before the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom is at hand and Jesus wants followers to forgo everything, deny self entirely. Another example of this is when Jesus gives a hard teaching in John 6 and the "disciples" (people following him in a literal sense) realize this partnership is going far beyond being fed and healed, it's going to having to change who they are fundamentally. The result, they leave Jesus, stop following him, and the twelve are left. When asked if the want to leave too, Peter makes an extraordinary confession, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." (Jn. 6:68-69).
The process seems clear, belief in Jesus, especially in John (always uses verb form of the word belief), is some sort of action that takes place as we see here from Peters confession. There belief in the words and nature of Jesus seems to have real and significant force in not leaving, and continuing to follow Jesus. Consider John 9, after Jesus proclaims he is the light of the world, he displays this prophetic proclamation of His divine identity through the healing of the blind man. When He is asked if he believes in the Son of Man (Jesus of Nazareth), he says he wants to and asks Jesus who this man is. Jesus says me, and this is his response in belief:
"He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him." (Jn. 9:38)
It is so clear from the teachings of the NT that there was never meant to be this dichotomy of Christian and disciple. They are one and the same. So when we call ourselves Christians we are labeling ourselves Christ followers. We are meant to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel (Phil. 1:27).
We are all in a process of discipleship. Something in our lives is forming us and shaping how we view our lives and this world. It does not matter what we label ourselves. As a Christian, I want that label to reflect a reality of change that has taken place in my life. I don't want to imply that we need to live sinless lives or we should never make a mistake, but I AM SAYING that our beliefs in life have an inevitable result, including our belief in Jesus. Claiming belief in Jesus does not mean a factual cognitive acceptance of Jesus, but a complete internal transformation of putting your belief not only in the facts, but in the identity of who Jesus is. This belief will, without doubt, result in a change that is visible and evident to those around you. Do I believe that my tow truck driver was a saved follower of Jesus? Of course that's possible, and I am not going to judge where his soul and heart are at. But I will say our lives, including his, MUST reflect a transformation by God which is an inevitable result of that true belief we express.
I encourage you to live lives that reflect what Jesus and His mission has done in your life if you call yourself a Christian. Live as a Christ follower, and allow that life to influence and pour into those around you. Live your life in the same way that we see the man born blind respond to Jesus in John 9. Respond to your soul being pulled out of darkness by the light of the world (Jesus), with worship to him, and to him alone.
Are we disciples (follow Jesus and His teaching in word and deed) if we say we are Christians? Is it the same thing or two different things? Is a disciple someone more serious abut their faith? It might shock you to find out that when my biblical discipleship professor at Talbot brought these questions up, the class was undecided. Opinions ranged across the board. I do believe, however, that there is a clear biblical answer to these questions.
It seemed clear in the NT that Jesus expectations were clear for those who chose to believe in Him. The word "disciple" is used to describe his twelve followers, the broader men and women who followed him during his ministry, a group of 500 or so that would turn from him, and there are disciples of John the Baptist (to name a few). So this term is used throughout the Gospels broadly and more particularly. Interestingly, Paul NEVER uses this term in his letters (neither the verb or noun). It's does not mean that Paul didn't believe in discipleship. On the contrary, Paul's writings are inundated with patterns and language of discipleship, maybe more than any other author. 1 Cor. 11:1, in example).
To define discipleship a little more clearly, it is the process of devoting oneself to and following someone and their teachings. So does this definition leave room to separate a Christian from a disciple of Jesus??? Consider Matthew 8:19-22, a story that relates directly to this process. You have two men, a scribe and a young man who both desire to believe in Jesus but the scribe has ulterior motives and the son has misplaced priorities. Jesus response to both of them is clear, to follow me, you must devote yourself fully to me, not just for your own benefit or on your own time. And there doesn't seem to be a third option Jesus gives. No, in fact his seemingly harsh and abrupt response is important to observe here. Jesus mission cannot wait and is imminent, there is no time for any who believe to put anything before the kingdom of heaven. The kingdom is at hand and Jesus wants followers to forgo everything, deny self entirely. Another example of this is when Jesus gives a hard teaching in John 6 and the "disciples" (people following him in a literal sense) realize this partnership is going far beyond being fed and healed, it's going to having to change who they are fundamentally. The result, they leave Jesus, stop following him, and the twelve are left. When asked if the want to leave too, Peter makes an extraordinary confession, "Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God." (Jn. 6:68-69).
The process seems clear, belief in Jesus, especially in John (always uses verb form of the word belief), is some sort of action that takes place as we see here from Peters confession. There belief in the words and nature of Jesus seems to have real and significant force in not leaving, and continuing to follow Jesus. Consider John 9, after Jesus proclaims he is the light of the world, he displays this prophetic proclamation of His divine identity through the healing of the blind man. When He is asked if he believes in the Son of Man (Jesus of Nazareth), he says he wants to and asks Jesus who this man is. Jesus says me, and this is his response in belief:
"He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him." (Jn. 9:38)
It is so clear from the teachings of the NT that there was never meant to be this dichotomy of Christian and disciple. They are one and the same. So when we call ourselves Christians we are labeling ourselves Christ followers. We are meant to live in a manner worthy of the Gospel (Phil. 1:27).
We are all in a process of discipleship. Something in our lives is forming us and shaping how we view our lives and this world. It does not matter what we label ourselves. As a Christian, I want that label to reflect a reality of change that has taken place in my life. I don't want to imply that we need to live sinless lives or we should never make a mistake, but I AM SAYING that our beliefs in life have an inevitable result, including our belief in Jesus. Claiming belief in Jesus does not mean a factual cognitive acceptance of Jesus, but a complete internal transformation of putting your belief not only in the facts, but in the identity of who Jesus is. This belief will, without doubt, result in a change that is visible and evident to those around you. Do I believe that my tow truck driver was a saved follower of Jesus? Of course that's possible, and I am not going to judge where his soul and heart are at. But I will say our lives, including his, MUST reflect a transformation by God which is an inevitable result of that true belief we express.
I encourage you to live lives that reflect what Jesus and His mission has done in your life if you call yourself a Christian. Live as a Christ follower, and allow that life to influence and pour into those around you. Live your life in the same way that we see the man born blind respond to Jesus in John 9. Respond to your soul being pulled out of darkness by the light of the world (Jesus), with worship to him, and to him alone.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Does commitment to Christ mean commitment to each other?
For most of my life, and all of my life as a follower of Christ, I have been told I am too brash, I am too blunt, I can't control what I say...These statements preceded my reputation and when a person would meet me for the first time with a mutual friend, this was the initial thought. For so long I would try hard to change this about myself. I looked at this characteristic as a flaw, and only a flaw. In a lot of instances it was. For example, let me share one of the most embarrassing stories of my life:
I was working at the boys and girls club and I had an outstanding woman for a boss. She loved her family, her job, and her employees. She was jubilant, and had such a wonderful heart of gold. She was also a "little person" (dwarf). We were all at work chatting one day about the time that a new "Austin Powers" movie was coming out. I don't know if you remember, but their advertisement for it was full of midgets and dwarfs. And I said out loud, "I don't think I will be able to see that movie if it's full of midgets." And everyone looked at me with a look of horror. I could not backtrack or cover my tracks. The proverbial saying "I got my hand caught in the cookie jar." would ring true here. But, because of her gracious heart and compassion for others she forgave me and it was the end of it. This was something that to this day I still feel ashamed of, embarrassed that I would say anything like it!
So obviously there is a line we have to draw with our personalities so we do not step from the line of appropriate to inappropriate. Understandably, these lines are subjective. However, in general I struggled to the point where I felt like I needed to change who I was and who I was becoming. I would often ask the Lord, "WHy did you make me a passionate, upfront personality with a propensity to speak before I think?" I didn't understand the concoction cooked up by God that was me.
But were people wrong to instill this feeling of shame into me (whether intentionally or not)? I don't think so. Let me share a Bonhoeffer quote that resonates with me, and, I believe, represents the biblical idea of unity and community:
"The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and His work become the one and only thing that is vital between us. We have one another only through Christ, but through Christ we do have one another, wholly, and for all eternity."(Life Together, 26). I think of Paul's analogy of the body in 1 Corinthians 12 when I read this quote. We are engineered to come together with all of our differences and NOT disregard those differences (weaker parts) because we don't like them. We must function as one body united to do the work of Christ!
Here's another one, " Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that the ground and strength and promise of all our fellowship is in Jesus Christ alone, the more serenely shall we think of our fellowship and and hope for it." (Life Together, 30). 1 John 1:7 says "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. " Fellowship as someone who "walks in the light" is clearly not an option, but a reality we enter when we chose to surrender to Christ.
Commitment to Christ does mean we have a commitment to each other as the church. I would be a fool if I thought I would get along with every single Christian out there, but that isn't the point. We aren't meant to get along with everyone, but to realize we have a common mission as members of this body, and we are called to forego our personal desires of what or who we like and dislike for the sake of His mission. A commitment to sacrificial love and Selflessness is the key in understanding how we grow a deeper and genuine community with Christ as our foundation. Consider I John 4:7-11 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
I was working at the boys and girls club and I had an outstanding woman for a boss. She loved her family, her job, and her employees. She was jubilant, and had such a wonderful heart of gold. She was also a "little person" (dwarf). We were all at work chatting one day about the time that a new "Austin Powers" movie was coming out. I don't know if you remember, but their advertisement for it was full of midgets and dwarfs. And I said out loud, "I don't think I will be able to see that movie if it's full of midgets." And everyone looked at me with a look of horror. I could not backtrack or cover my tracks. The proverbial saying "I got my hand caught in the cookie jar." would ring true here. But, because of her gracious heart and compassion for others she forgave me and it was the end of it. This was something that to this day I still feel ashamed of, embarrassed that I would say anything like it!
So obviously there is a line we have to draw with our personalities so we do not step from the line of appropriate to inappropriate. Understandably, these lines are subjective. However, in general I struggled to the point where I felt like I needed to change who I was and who I was becoming. I would often ask the Lord, "WHy did you make me a passionate, upfront personality with a propensity to speak before I think?" I didn't understand the concoction cooked up by God that was me.
But were people wrong to instill this feeling of shame into me (whether intentionally or not)? I don't think so. Let me share a Bonhoeffer quote that resonates with me, and, I believe, represents the biblical idea of unity and community:
"The more genuine and the deeper our community becomes, the more will everything else between us recede, the more clearly and purely will Jesus Christ and His work become the one and only thing that is vital between us. We have one another only through Christ, but through Christ we do have one another, wholly, and for all eternity."(Life Together, 26). I think of Paul's analogy of the body in 1 Corinthians 12 when I read this quote. We are engineered to come together with all of our differences and NOT disregard those differences (weaker parts) because we don't like them. We must function as one body united to do the work of Christ!
Here's another one, " Christian brotherhood is not an ideal which we must realize; it is rather a reality created by God in Christ in which we may participate. The more clearly we learn to recognize that the ground and strength and promise of all our fellowship is in Jesus Christ alone, the more serenely shall we think of our fellowship and and hope for it." (Life Together, 30). 1 John 1:7 says "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. " Fellowship as someone who "walks in the light" is clearly not an option, but a reality we enter when we chose to surrender to Christ.
Commitment to Christ does mean we have a commitment to each other as the church. I would be a fool if I thought I would get along with every single Christian out there, but that isn't the point. We aren't meant to get along with everyone, but to realize we have a common mission as members of this body, and we are called to forego our personal desires of what or who we like and dislike for the sake of His mission. A commitment to sacrificial love and Selflessness is the key in understanding how we grow a deeper and genuine community with Christ as our foundation. Consider I John 4:7-11 "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. " This passage starts and ends with a call to love as God loved. Be sacrificial in our dealings with each other. Interesting v. 11 says we ought to love as Christ did, this word for ought has an intrinsic meaning of obligation. We are obligated to display love the was God did, sacrificially.
My encouragement for anyone who reads this is 2 fold: 1) Understand how God has wired you and be content with how you fit into the community of Christ. Understand that your wiring has a tendency to become tainted if not grounded by God. And, 2) serve the church body sacrificially. Don't continue to belittle the family of God with an assault of criticism and elitism. We are the church and we are called to sacrificially love one another with a truly genuine and deep commitment to each other.
Lastly, I would suggest picking up and reading "Life Together" by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It is an excellent and encouraging little book, and an easy read.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
"May the Lord's Word be in his heart"
Today was a special day for me, as a father and as a Christian. Let me start at the end:
Joel and I were walking out of CPK and he says to me, "Dad, now that I am a Christian, can I go to work with you?" Words that made my eyes well up, that gave me a feeling of overwhelming excitement as a Dad that pray for his children daily.
My son became a follower of Jesus today. Obviously, I will continue to share the Gospel with him. To explain it to him, and help him understand the gravity of his decision to follow Jesus for the rest of his life. That is the job God has given me as the father of these kids. Do I think he fully understands what it means to follow Jesus daily, no I do not. But I have asked him on a number of occasions if he would like Jesus to clean his dirty heart and make him clean and his response has always been about a million questions and a result of, "non dad, not yet." As if he was waiting for something. So at the very least he has a thorough understanding that he is unclean and in need of saving by Jesus. He can articulate what Jesus did on the cross and what that means for people.
I gave him his first engraved Bible in CPK today and we sat and talked about II Tim. 3:16, that the Bible is all God's words to people. I talked about Hebrews 4 and told him the Bible is not like any other book, it has power. I explained John 3:16 and told him that Jesus came to save those who would believe out of their sins. He sat amazed, the adventurous little boy inside came out and was filled with amazement and wonder about how big and great God is. So I couldn't help but think, does he want to give his life to Christ and follow Him? Obviously he doesn't "get" that whole formula, but it was clear he believed these things and wanted to confess to God that he did. So I asked him if he wanted to tell God that he was thankful for the forgiveness of his dirty heart, and tell God he wanted to live for him from now on. Now, normally in this part of the convo he says, "not yet dad." But he actually said, "Yes, dad. Let's pray." Then he looked around, from my perspective sort of timidly. So I asked, "wanna wait till we get in the car?" He looked at me and said, "No. I want to pray now." SO we did. The weight of his decision weighs heavy on my heart because I know he is a follower of Christ, but it is my responsibility to cultivate that.
Consider Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
Joel and I were walking out of CPK and he says to me, "Dad, now that I am a Christian, can I go to work with you?" Words that made my eyes well up, that gave me a feeling of overwhelming excitement as a Dad that pray for his children daily.
My son became a follower of Jesus today. Obviously, I will continue to share the Gospel with him. To explain it to him, and help him understand the gravity of his decision to follow Jesus for the rest of his life. That is the job God has given me as the father of these kids. Do I think he fully understands what it means to follow Jesus daily, no I do not. But I have asked him on a number of occasions if he would like Jesus to clean his dirty heart and make him clean and his response has always been about a million questions and a result of, "non dad, not yet." As if he was waiting for something. So at the very least he has a thorough understanding that he is unclean and in need of saving by Jesus. He can articulate what Jesus did on the cross and what that means for people.
I gave him his first engraved Bible in CPK today and we sat and talked about II Tim. 3:16, that the Bible is all God's words to people. I talked about Hebrews 4 and told him the Bible is not like any other book, it has power. I explained John 3:16 and told him that Jesus came to save those who would believe out of their sins. He sat amazed, the adventurous little boy inside came out and was filled with amazement and wonder about how big and great God is. So I couldn't help but think, does he want to give his life to Christ and follow Him? Obviously he doesn't "get" that whole formula, but it was clear he believed these things and wanted to confess to God that he did. So I asked him if he wanted to tell God that he was thankful for the forgiveness of his dirty heart, and tell God he wanted to live for him from now on. Now, normally in this part of the convo he says, "not yet dad." But he actually said, "Yes, dad. Let's pray." Then he looked around, from my perspective sort of timidly. So I asked, "wanna wait till we get in the car?" He looked at me and said, "No. I want to pray now." SO we did. The weight of his decision weighs heavy on my heart because I know he is a follower of Christ, but it is my responsibility to cultivate that.
Consider Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it.
I now enter "training day". As his primary spiritual mentor I am called to train him up so that he will not depart from this decision he made today.
Israel is given an imperative in Deuteronomy 6:6-7:
"Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.a
These words that I am giving you today are to be in your heart.a
Repeat them to your children. Talk about them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."
My desire for my son is to love the Lord His God with all His heart. Of course I believe this decision he made today is as real as any of us adults make. However, it is my responsibility from this point on to teach him about this decision and to help him in his discipleship process to Jesus. Our lives are about being Christians, not just doing the Christian thing. It is an identity, it brings us into a new kingdom and a new family, and we will talk about the precepts of God.
Today was emotional and exciting. Words can't describe my excitement as I enter this process with my son. May the Lord give him strength to follow Him all the days of his life and may the Lord encourage him and lavish grace upon him as he goes through this difficult but spiritually fulfilling process.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Is reading the Bible crucial to Faith?
Second week in a row to sit and write. I have really enjoyed thinking about writing each week. It's not that I think what I have to say is any more important than the next guy. But I get this feeling when I blog that I just have to express things I am thinking about. Today I am thinking through how college group went this last week and the implications of the Gospel of John for my own life. Last week I challenge these college-aged adults to consider the cost of discipleship in one particular area of following Jesus: studying the Word of God and knowing it. I experience, quite often, people who claim to be followers of Jesus who do not read their Bible's, let alone study it! But this begs the question, "is reading the bible crucial to my faith?"
Consider 2 statements by Jesus in John 8
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
Consider 2 statements by Jesus in John 8
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
and you will know the truth, and the truth ewill set you free.”" vv. 31-32
"Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death." v. 51
These two statements are challenging for those who claim to be Christians. It's seems clear on the surface here that no person, I don't care who you are, can understand, let alone worship something they don't know. I have to say that the importance of "holding" to the teachings of Jesus has been found wanting in our churches. People are given a free pass to write off studying their Bibles, and even reading them. Yeah, one might encourage it behind the pulpit. But encouraging people to abide in Jesus and His Word goes back to how a church should function for the body of believers. The church is not a product for consumers, but a family that functions much like your physical family does. So what is abiding in his word?
D.A. Carson defines keeping and abiding in God's Word as, "obeying it, seeking to understand it better, and finding it more precious, more controlling, especially when outside forces oppose it" (Carson, PNTS, John, pg. 348). Jesus in the first passage is directly addressing those Jews who put their faith in him. Clearly we have seen in John those who follow Jesus but walk away when things get too hard (refer to John 6). The point being made that persevering as a disciple means abiding in His Word and the power of His word, which makes us free! Guys, this does NOT mean listening to your pastor on Sunday and "getting your fill". It is so much more than that. We are not only called here to read and study God's Word, but to obey it and live it out. It is alive and active (Heb. 4:12). It changes our very being, it makes us new people, a part of a kingdom marked by grace. It should pour out of our lives and cause a noticeable difference in how we live.
I believe these statements Jesus makes challenge the presupposition that, "well Mark, some people are wired to love and be in the Word like that, and others are not." I don't believe we, if we desire to follow Jesus, have an option here. God's Word is to be abided in, period. If we claim to have a relationship with Jesus, it stands to reason that we want to soak in every word he says, and every word the writers of the Bible said about Him as well. Yes, it is true that some do not have the "study disposition" that others might, but it doesn't matter. I may not necessarily be wired to pray fervently, but that doesn't eliminate me from having to pray does it?!?! It seems clear in the first statement that our personalities and the way we are wired is more effectively used by God if we are abiding in His word. In others words, I think it's a mistake to say you are not wired to abide in or study His Word, because through His Word is where you learn how you are wired. If you believe that you have more relational gifts as opposed to a cerebral one, you learn that from the intimate time you spend in the Word. And in abiding in His Word you can more effectively invest the giftedness God has given you into the church.
These statements by Jesus should stir something in us. It should stir a conviction and a passion to consume His Word. Not only read it, but obey it and study it consistently. As followers of Jesus, it isn't enough to sit through a 30 minute sermon. We are marked by whether or not we are abiding in his word. When we Abide in His Word we are set free and marked by renewed life, a life that is noticeable to this dying and decayed world.
Yes, reading the Bible consistently is crucial to our process of discipleship to Jesus. My challenge here is not to ask you to study for hours on end, but to start taking steps to more consistently abide in His Word. Wake up 5 minutes early and read from a Gospel, write out a verse on a card and memorize it through the day, and most importantly find someone who can help you gain a better, deeper, and much richer understanding of His Word and meet with that person on a weekly basis. As the Church, may we come alongside each other and help each other conform into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ, for the advancement of His Kingdom.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Do we really need "church"?
Well after a long break from blogging for various reasons, I am back blogging and will hopefully be blogging weekly with the occasional "surprise" entry. After months of taking a break I have discovered 2 things. The first, I have not lost my passion for evangelism and "the Starbucks" conversation, I haven't lost it in the slightest. And second, I am becoming increasingly passionate about my ministry to the college aged and young adults. I am not sure why my passion for Junior High and High School has subsided, but what I have discovered is that this shift has been from the Lord. I know I am not a reformer of the church myself (i.e. I don't have a desire to go start my own the way I think it should go), but I have a heart for lighting an enormous flame in the souls of 18-30 year olds to go out and make an impact on the church, an impact not temporal, but heavenly and eternal, an impact for Christ's kingdom.
Over the summer I had an opportunity to start a small college bible study, although we haven't limited it to students in college, per se. This group has blown me away from having a desire to study the Word of God for an average of 2 hours on a Saturday at Starbucks [of course :)], to being extraordinarily raw and vulnerable with each other. This group is comprised of a motley crew, but they are phenomenal and I love being with them. We have had some great experiences together and one, in particular, I'd like to discuss here today.
Two weeks ago I planned a "shared communion meal" for this group. One of our students lives in wine country, which was the perfect setting to give these students this experience. This event was planned using Robert Banks book, "Going to Church in the first century". This is a well researched fun little fictional book about a man's experience visiting a home fellowship in Rome. Using this book, information from my Church as Family class from Talbot, and a few passages that clearly refer to this sort of table fellowship the early church experienced, we had a meal together. The food was delicious! I even found an "Ancient Roman barley soup" recipe that I made for them. During the meal we read from Scripture, discussed God's working in our lives, prayed together, and took communion together throughout the meal. It, to say the very least, was one of the most intimate and spiritual church experiences I had ever had. And I could tell that it was something all these students craved. I would be the last to advocate for a diagnostic interpretation of passages like Acts 2: 42-47 and I Corinthians 11 in the sense that they need to be prescribed to every church everywhere. However I do believe our churches are anemic of these family experiences the Early Church had and we can do a lot to inject this life into the church.
Getting to my blog title, do we really need church? This is a tough question to answer. I would answer it differently depending on what you are saying. I have had people tell me they have a personal relationship with Jesus and that's all that matters. This "personal" thing is an epidemic in our culture and it is quite interesting to see it develop. In this sense I would say that church is essential. In fact Paul only uses the term "my Lord" ONE time in his writings (Phil 3:8) compared to dozens of "our Lord" occurrences. I would challenge you to give me indefensible proof for the idea of this personal relationship with Jesus! I am not saying it does not exist, but our cultures obsession with the personal aspect has come at a heavy and serious cost, our community relationship with Jesus, which takes precedence in Paul and all of the NT. You see, when we count the cost of becoming disciples, this cost is not just the hardship we encounter, but the things we give u and join. We give up the priority of physical family and replace it with spiritual family. Mark 3:31-35 should strike you as one of the most shocking passages in all the NT. Jesus, a first century Palestinian Jew, does not recognize his own family as family and recognizes his followers as his own family. This was unheard of in Jesus culture and frankly offensive to his peers and embarrassing to his family. Jesus point here, though, is clear. His spiritual family takes priority over his physical family. When these men who wrote the NT and lived during its composition thought about their relationship to Jesus, they thought "us and Jesus" and not "me and Jesus"(line taken from Dr. Joe Hellerman's class notes). Church is essential for us as believers, for without this community our spiritual life lacks essential ingredients for vitality and growth.
But I would also tell someone who goes to a 2 hour weekly service, hears some songs, and listens to a 30 minute monologue is not really going to church. Church is so much more than this. Of course I do think attending church is better than not going at all, but as stated above when we see the importance of community and it's essential element in our own lives, then it should become increasingly apparent that we cannot "do the Christian life" without the Church family, and family is more than dinner once a week. We have created a church experience that satisfies those who have no desire to commit and are happy on the fringes. Ponder passages like John 6 where Jesus famously causes hundreds, maybe even thousands to stop following him because they aren't interested in anything other than having their physical needs met. Or what about Matt. 8 where a young disciples asks Jesus if he could first go and bury his father, a reasonable request for a first century Jewish man. Well, Jesus says follow me and let the dead bury their own! WOW. This passage is a picture into the whole Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is inviting people out of the crowd and is wanting them to count the cost of being his disciples. The church is not intended to keep those on the fringes in that same place. It's intended to get those on the fringes to enter the Fold of God, his kingdom and family. Or our churches will push those on the fringes away like those in John 6. But we have designed church to be the most comfortable place for those in that place, and It was never intended to be that way.
We NEED church, it is essential for us if we claim to be Jesus followers! And there is no way around the NT promoting this idea. The question becomes: are you really doing your part to make the church was it is intended to be by God?
A few great resources on this topic if you are interested: Dr Joe Hellerman: Ancient Church as Family, Church as a Family, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Life Together, Robert Banks: Pauls idea of community, Going to church in the first century.
I apologize if my blog seems erratic in flow and thought, bear with me as I get back into the flow of writing.
Over the summer I had an opportunity to start a small college bible study, although we haven't limited it to students in college, per se. This group has blown me away from having a desire to study the Word of God for an average of 2 hours on a Saturday at Starbucks [of course :)], to being extraordinarily raw and vulnerable with each other. This group is comprised of a motley crew, but they are phenomenal and I love being with them. We have had some great experiences together and one, in particular, I'd like to discuss here today.
Two weeks ago I planned a "shared communion meal" for this group. One of our students lives in wine country, which was the perfect setting to give these students this experience. This event was planned using Robert Banks book, "Going to Church in the first century". This is a well researched fun little fictional book about a man's experience visiting a home fellowship in Rome. Using this book, information from my Church as Family class from Talbot, and a few passages that clearly refer to this sort of table fellowship the early church experienced, we had a meal together. The food was delicious! I even found an "Ancient Roman barley soup" recipe that I made for them. During the meal we read from Scripture, discussed God's working in our lives, prayed together, and took communion together throughout the meal. It, to say the very least, was one of the most intimate and spiritual church experiences I had ever had. And I could tell that it was something all these students craved. I would be the last to advocate for a diagnostic interpretation of passages like Acts 2: 42-47 and I Corinthians 11 in the sense that they need to be prescribed to every church everywhere. However I do believe our churches are anemic of these family experiences the Early Church had and we can do a lot to inject this life into the church.
Getting to my blog title, do we really need church? This is a tough question to answer. I would answer it differently depending on what you are saying. I have had people tell me they have a personal relationship with Jesus and that's all that matters. This "personal" thing is an epidemic in our culture and it is quite interesting to see it develop. In this sense I would say that church is essential. In fact Paul only uses the term "my Lord" ONE time in his writings (Phil 3:8) compared to dozens of "our Lord" occurrences. I would challenge you to give me indefensible proof for the idea of this personal relationship with Jesus! I am not saying it does not exist, but our cultures obsession with the personal aspect has come at a heavy and serious cost, our community relationship with Jesus, which takes precedence in Paul and all of the NT. You see, when we count the cost of becoming disciples, this cost is not just the hardship we encounter, but the things we give u and join. We give up the priority of physical family and replace it with spiritual family. Mark 3:31-35 should strike you as one of the most shocking passages in all the NT. Jesus, a first century Palestinian Jew, does not recognize his own family as family and recognizes his followers as his own family. This was unheard of in Jesus culture and frankly offensive to his peers and embarrassing to his family. Jesus point here, though, is clear. His spiritual family takes priority over his physical family. When these men who wrote the NT and lived during its composition thought about their relationship to Jesus, they thought "us and Jesus" and not "me and Jesus"(line taken from Dr. Joe Hellerman's class notes). Church is essential for us as believers, for without this community our spiritual life lacks essential ingredients for vitality and growth.
But I would also tell someone who goes to a 2 hour weekly service, hears some songs, and listens to a 30 minute monologue is not really going to church. Church is so much more than this. Of course I do think attending church is better than not going at all, but as stated above when we see the importance of community and it's essential element in our own lives, then it should become increasingly apparent that we cannot "do the Christian life" without the Church family, and family is more than dinner once a week. We have created a church experience that satisfies those who have no desire to commit and are happy on the fringes. Ponder passages like John 6 where Jesus famously causes hundreds, maybe even thousands to stop following him because they aren't interested in anything other than having their physical needs met. Or what about Matt. 8 where a young disciples asks Jesus if he could first go and bury his father, a reasonable request for a first century Jewish man. Well, Jesus says follow me and let the dead bury their own! WOW. This passage is a picture into the whole Gospel of Matthew. Jesus is inviting people out of the crowd and is wanting them to count the cost of being his disciples. The church is not intended to keep those on the fringes in that same place. It's intended to get those on the fringes to enter the Fold of God, his kingdom and family. Or our churches will push those on the fringes away like those in John 6. But we have designed church to be the most comfortable place for those in that place, and It was never intended to be that way.
We NEED church, it is essential for us if we claim to be Jesus followers! And there is no way around the NT promoting this idea. The question becomes: are you really doing your part to make the church was it is intended to be by God?
A few great resources on this topic if you are interested: Dr Joe Hellerman: Ancient Church as Family, Church as a Family, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Life Together, Robert Banks: Pauls idea of community, Going to church in the first century.
I apologize if my blog seems erratic in flow and thought, bear with me as I get back into the flow of writing.
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