In the movie "To Save a Life", there is a powerful moment when the main character, Jake Taylor attends a youth group meeting at the invitation of the youth pastor. Jake is upset by the behavior of the kids in the youth group who are acting just like the people he goes to school with - making inappropriate jokes, making fun of the lesson, and even passing around drugs. In the middle of the group Jake stands up and asks a very important question - "What's the point of all this if you aren't going to let this change you?"
That is a great question for all of us who claim to be Christians. What is the point of all of the things we say about our faith, all of the time we spend in church, or whatever relationship we have with God if we are not going to allow it change us?
Thinking about that questions makes me think about Judas. When we hear his name most of us think about the fact that he betrayed Jesus and later killed himself out of guilt and shame. It's important to remember though that Judas didn't just turn on Jesus at the end, he was a man who was consumed with greed and a love a money, and it was that love of money that drove him to take a bribe from the religious leaders to literally sell out Jesus. It was also his love of money that led him to steal from the disciples. (See John 12:6)
What I can't understand about Judas is not just about how he could betray Jesus, but how did he spend 3 years with the Son of God and apparently not change? How did he hear the teachings and see the miracles and still end up as the same man who would cheat, steal, and betray? In other words, how and why did he not let all of that change him?
Something that worries me right now is that I see a lot of people who would call themselves Christians, people who spend more than just Sunday morning in church, but do not seem to be changed by the time they spend with Jesus. Their actions, choices and lifestyles are not that different from the lives of their non-Christian friends. These people are part of what I call the Judas Generation - an entire generation of Christians who are not growing in their faith and not becoming more like Christ as the Bible compels us to do.
How can this happen? I think the key to answering that is found in Jake's question - "What's the point of all this if you are not going to let this change you?" The key is that we have to let it change us. I would think that just being around Jesus would change you, but how much it changes us is up to us.
Are you a Christian? If so, are you letting the time you spend with God change you? Or are you a part of the Judas generation? How different does your life look when compared to your non-Christian friends (not counting the fact that you go to church most Sunday mornings while they sleep in)?
When we resist the influence of Jesus and do not change, we are denying the power of God to change lives. We are telling the world around us that Christ does not offer us a better life because ours has not changed.
For your own sake and the sake of those around you who do not yet know Jesus, let me encourage you to let God change you - take the lessons you hear in church and the things you read in the Bible challenge you to change and become more like Jesus. Demonstrate his power through the change in your own life rather than denying it by the lack of change. Don't be one more member of the Judas Generation!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Monday, May 2, 2011
Why Churches Fail
Every church, and every denomination, began with a group of excited and committed people. No matter how old your church is, or how far removed from that initial passion, somewhere in its past is the passion and conviction that it takes to start a church. No one ever starts out to fail, no one thinks they will loose their passion, but yet so many do. Everyone thinks their church will change the world but so few really make a real and lasting impact on the world around them.
So what happens between the passion and commitment that started the church and the dead or dying church we too often see today? Why do so many churches (and even entire denominations) fail? Something happens along the way that turns that group of excited people in a group of people who are just trying to hold on to the few people they have left.
I am sure people have written hundreds of books about why churches fail, but I think the bottom line is this - church fail when they loose site of what they were trying to do when the church first started - when they loose sight of what a church should be. Somewhere along the way the leadership of a church goes from wanting to change the world to trying to meet the budget. Their focus changes from the people they are trying to reach to the people they are trying to keep.
It is a difficult balance that so many churches find themselves in at some point (or maybe even several points in time), when the organization of the church starts to get in the way of the mission. It is hard to keep your eyes on the mission of reaching the world and making disciples when there are bills to be paid, buildings to build and meetings to schedule and plan. The hardest part though is trying to keep people coming back. And when we get into the trap of just trying to keep people happy so they will come back, that is the beginning of the end for the church.
In some ways I guess you could say that many churches fail because they become victims of their success. Growth is good - we start churches to grow churches and fill them with people who need God. The problem is that keeping them full eventually becomes our focus and everything we do is just about keeping people and not about really reaching them. Then we stop taking risks and stepping out into the things God has for us, and we stop preaching the truth that might sting so that we don't offend anyone. These things are signs of a church in decline, and often the church is not aware that it;s best days are behind it.
So what is the answer? If you are a pastor reading this, then your job is to rediscover the reason your church exists - what is the unique mission that God has for your congregation that no other church can do? You and the leaders who assist you must find the balance in reaching people and keeping people. You must keep your focus pointed outward. Remember that we are to be fishers of men, not just keepers of the aquarium!
For church members - it is your job to give your pastor the freedom not to worry about loosing you. You must remember that it is not the mission of your church to keep you happy and meet all of your spiritual needs. You must pursue God on your own and serve him in his church, asking not what your church can do for you but what you can do for your church (yea I know, but it's true).
There is nothing worse than to see a church fail because of all of the people who will not be reached and all of the work that will not get done. We must do something about this and reverse the trend, and we will do it by remembering that church is not about getting what we want, but doing what God wants.
So what happens between the passion and commitment that started the church and the dead or dying church we too often see today? Why do so many churches (and even entire denominations) fail? Something happens along the way that turns that group of excited people in a group of people who are just trying to hold on to the few people they have left.
I am sure people have written hundreds of books about why churches fail, but I think the bottom line is this - church fail when they loose site of what they were trying to do when the church first started - when they loose sight of what a church should be. Somewhere along the way the leadership of a church goes from wanting to change the world to trying to meet the budget. Their focus changes from the people they are trying to reach to the people they are trying to keep.
It is a difficult balance that so many churches find themselves in at some point (or maybe even several points in time), when the organization of the church starts to get in the way of the mission. It is hard to keep your eyes on the mission of reaching the world and making disciples when there are bills to be paid, buildings to build and meetings to schedule and plan. The hardest part though is trying to keep people coming back. And when we get into the trap of just trying to keep people happy so they will come back, that is the beginning of the end for the church.
In some ways I guess you could say that many churches fail because they become victims of their success. Growth is good - we start churches to grow churches and fill them with people who need God. The problem is that keeping them full eventually becomes our focus and everything we do is just about keeping people and not about really reaching them. Then we stop taking risks and stepping out into the things God has for us, and we stop preaching the truth that might sting so that we don't offend anyone. These things are signs of a church in decline, and often the church is not aware that it;s best days are behind it.
So what is the answer? If you are a pastor reading this, then your job is to rediscover the reason your church exists - what is the unique mission that God has for your congregation that no other church can do? You and the leaders who assist you must find the balance in reaching people and keeping people. You must keep your focus pointed outward. Remember that we are to be fishers of men, not just keepers of the aquarium!
For church members - it is your job to give your pastor the freedom not to worry about loosing you. You must remember that it is not the mission of your church to keep you happy and meet all of your spiritual needs. You must pursue God on your own and serve him in his church, asking not what your church can do for you but what you can do for your church (yea I know, but it's true).
There is nothing worse than to see a church fail because of all of the people who will not be reached and all of the work that will not get done. We must do something about this and reverse the trend, and we will do it by remembering that church is not about getting what we want, but doing what God wants.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Don't Just Sit There!
If you are reading along, last time I was writing that the "Primary Purpose" of church, as I see in scripture, is to disciple people by teaching them to obey everything Christ commands. I am convinced that discipleship is the most important work a church can do, even if in reality we are not currently doing a very good job of it. But there are two sides to discipleship - the church must be about the work of making disciples, but every professing Christian must also be a willing participant in that process.
I was so shocked in church recently by something our pastor said. The church is growing and each of the three Sunday services are full, so space is an issue. So to free up space our lead pastor actually asked some people to consider attending a different church! The people he was talking to were the ones who only come to church because it is Sunday, or because they want the social experience. He was talking to the people who claim to be Christians but are in no way followers of Christ. He asked if these people would be willing to give up their seats to people who want to be disciples because this church really believes that discipleship should be the goal of every believer.
It's not that I have never thought the same thing about people who attend church for the wrong reason, but I admit I did not have the courage to say it out load, and especially not to ask them to consider attending somewhere else!!
The difficult question for every professing Christian is this - if we are not willing to become true disciples of Christ, to allow him to change us until we become like him, then why are we following him? Is it just to get a ticket into heaven? Is it just to feel better about ourselves? Why?
Listen to the words of Paul to the Philippians: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you." Phil. 3:10-15
Paul reveals the point of following Christ - to know him, to become like him, and that it is a process that we must be actively involved in until our life on this earth is over and we are see him face to face. It is an exciting process that is often difficult and always rewarding. It is and should be a process that every Christian in committed to - to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.
So the next time you are in church ask yourself "why am i sitting here" - are you there because it is Sunday and you need a God fix, or is it because you want to be trained to obey everything that Christ has commanded. And if you find yourself in a church that working to make disciples, find one that is!!
I was so shocked in church recently by something our pastor said. The church is growing and each of the three Sunday services are full, so space is an issue. So to free up space our lead pastor actually asked some people to consider attending a different church! The people he was talking to were the ones who only come to church because it is Sunday, or because they want the social experience. He was talking to the people who claim to be Christians but are in no way followers of Christ. He asked if these people would be willing to give up their seats to people who want to be disciples because this church really believes that discipleship should be the goal of every believer.
It's not that I have never thought the same thing about people who attend church for the wrong reason, but I admit I did not have the courage to say it out load, and especially not to ask them to consider attending somewhere else!!
The difficult question for every professing Christian is this - if we are not willing to become true disciples of Christ, to allow him to change us until we become like him, then why are we following him? Is it just to get a ticket into heaven? Is it just to feel better about ourselves? Why?
Listen to the words of Paul to the Philippians: "I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you." Phil. 3:10-15
Paul reveals the point of following Christ - to know him, to become like him, and that it is a process that we must be actively involved in until our life on this earth is over and we are see him face to face. It is an exciting process that is often difficult and always rewarding. It is and should be a process that every Christian in committed to - to become a disciple of Jesus Christ.
So the next time you are in church ask yourself "why am i sitting here" - are you there because it is Sunday and you need a God fix, or is it because you want to be trained to obey everything that Christ has commanded. And if you find yourself in a church that working to make disciples, find one that is!!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Primary Purpose
Attending a new church, especially one in which I have no responsibility, has given me such a better perspective on church in general. For so many years I have been in the middle of all things related to church that it has been hard to see the big picture and easy to loose sight of what church is supposed to be all about. For most pastors, ministry becomes so much about meeting the needs of the congregation that we can be fooled into thinking that this is primary purpose of the church. While a noble endeavor, keeping the congregation happy is not the primary purpose of a church.
So if the purpose of church is not about keeping people happy and keeping them coming back, then what is it all about? Well that is a big question but it actually has a simple answer. And as with any question worth asking, Jesus has given us the answer.
In Matthew 28, Jesus spells out the ongoing work of the disciples right before he leaves the earth and descends into heaven: "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt. 28:20
"Go ... to all nations..." Well that doesn't seem to be about church, but it's a good reminder for those of us who think that the role of church is to meet our needs as we sit in our favorite seat week after week.
"Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." I can tell you from experience that you don't need a church to baptize people either, if you have enough water you can do that just about anywhere!
So that just leaves making disciples by teaching people to obey everything that God has commanded - that is something you need a church to accomplish, in fact it is the most important thing a church can do - it is the primary purpose for having church in the first place.
Making disciples - that is what church should be all about - that is the mandate from Jesus for the church 2,000 years ago, and for every church today. There are many great things that a church can do, but this is what we should do because it is the very instruction of Christ as to how we should be spending our time, energy and resources.
The church I attend now, Vine Community Church of Carbondale, has reminded me of this primary purpose. Discipleship is at the heart of everything they do, it is seen in every ministry decision and heard in every message, and it is really refreshing. I can't help but think that if every church was to really focus on the job of making disciples of all people, the church would be so much stronger, more Godly, and greater equipped to take the great news of Christ to the ends of the earth.
Discipleship is a two way street though: There is the role of the church to make disciples, but each individual believer must be a willing participant in that process. I will write more about that side of things next time. But for now, ask yourself if your church is fulfilling it's primary purpose - are you making disciples?
So if the purpose of church is not about keeping people happy and keeping them coming back, then what is it all about? Well that is a big question but it actually has a simple answer. And as with any question worth asking, Jesus has given us the answer.
In Matthew 28, Jesus spells out the ongoing work of the disciples right before he leaves the earth and descends into heaven: "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt. 28:20
"Go ... to all nations..." Well that doesn't seem to be about church, but it's a good reminder for those of us who think that the role of church is to meet our needs as we sit in our favorite seat week after week.
"Baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." I can tell you from experience that you don't need a church to baptize people either, if you have enough water you can do that just about anywhere!
So that just leaves making disciples by teaching people to obey everything that God has commanded - that is something you need a church to accomplish, in fact it is the most important thing a church can do - it is the primary purpose for having church in the first place.
Making disciples - that is what church should be all about - that is the mandate from Jesus for the church 2,000 years ago, and for every church today. There are many great things that a church can do, but this is what we should do because it is the very instruction of Christ as to how we should be spending our time, energy and resources.
The church I attend now, Vine Community Church of Carbondale, has reminded me of this primary purpose. Discipleship is at the heart of everything they do, it is seen in every ministry decision and heard in every message, and it is really refreshing. I can't help but think that if every church was to really focus on the job of making disciples of all people, the church would be so much stronger, more Godly, and greater equipped to take the great news of Christ to the ends of the earth.
Discipleship is a two way street though: There is the role of the church to make disciples, but each individual believer must be a willing participant in that process. I will write more about that side of things next time. But for now, ask yourself if your church is fulfilling it's primary purpose - are you making disciples?
Monday, March 7, 2011
From Expectation to Demand
Don't you wish that you could travel back in time and visit events in the Bible as they happened? I know there are so many amazing moments that I wish I could I witness first hand. If I ever get that time machine, on my list of places and times to visit would be the upper room on the day of Pentecost. This might be an unusual place to choose, but when I read the account of that day in Acts 2 I can sense the anticipation in the hearts and prayers of the believers. Can you imagine the expectation in the room as they prayed in total unity? Jesus had promised them that something very important was going to happen in that room if they would wait and pray. This gift was so important that Jesus said it was better for him to leave so the promise could come! That promise was the Holy Spirit and he came in a dramatic demonstration of power and glory at Pentecost. This moment was life-changing for all who were there, and it was the very moment that the New Testament Church was born.
The disciples and followers of Jesus had great expectation of what God was going to do, and they experienced something amazing! However, I wonder how long it was before that expectation turned to demand.
There are only a couple of times mentioned in Acts when the Holy Spirit came with that kind of power and visual evidence. So I wonder what happened at the other meetings where people were praying for the Holy Spirit and there was no rushing wind and no tongues of fire as in the upper room. How long did it take before people began to pray "God send the Holy Spirit in fire and wind as you did in the upper room"? And how long before people began to complain because the Holy Spirit wasn't cooperating with them and doing what they wanted him to do? I know human nature, so I don't think it took very long for any of that to happen.
As followers of Christ we must always remember that, while we pray for God to move, we do not get to tell him how he should do it. We don't get to give the Holy Spirit directions on how, where, and when he should show up. We are followers of Christ, not leaders. We pray and he responds to our prayers in the way that he knows best.
There can be a fine line between expectation and demand, but that line is crossed in our hearts and minds when we start telling God what to do.
How many times have you left a service disappointed because God didn't show up in the way you wanted him to? Could it be that did show up, he just didn't do it according to your plan but his?
It is great to expect God to do great things, and to pray for exactly that, we just need to be careful that our expectation does not turn into demand. Since God knows you better than you know yourself, you can always expect him to move in the way you need him to the most. Just enjoy it!
The disciples and followers of Jesus had great expectation of what God was going to do, and they experienced something amazing! However, I wonder how long it was before that expectation turned to demand.
There are only a couple of times mentioned in Acts when the Holy Spirit came with that kind of power and visual evidence. So I wonder what happened at the other meetings where people were praying for the Holy Spirit and there was no rushing wind and no tongues of fire as in the upper room. How long did it take before people began to pray "God send the Holy Spirit in fire and wind as you did in the upper room"? And how long before people began to complain because the Holy Spirit wasn't cooperating with them and doing what they wanted him to do? I know human nature, so I don't think it took very long for any of that to happen.
As followers of Christ we must always remember that, while we pray for God to move, we do not get to tell him how he should do it. We don't get to give the Holy Spirit directions on how, where, and when he should show up. We are followers of Christ, not leaders. We pray and he responds to our prayers in the way that he knows best.
There can be a fine line between expectation and demand, but that line is crossed in our hearts and minds when we start telling God what to do.
How many times have you left a service disappointed because God didn't show up in the way you wanted him to? Could it be that did show up, he just didn't do it according to your plan but his?
It is great to expect God to do great things, and to pray for exactly that, we just need to be careful that our expectation does not turn into demand. Since God knows you better than you know yourself, you can always expect him to move in the way you need him to the most. Just enjoy it!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Your Pastor is Not God!!
You may have seen in the news recently that many pastors are choosing to leave the ministry. Some take a little time off but so many are turning their backs on ministry all together. Even the secular media is picking up on how difficult it has become to be a pastor in America today. Stress, burnout, and all the medical conditions that come along with those things - there is no way that this is what God had in mind for his shepherds!
We really need to take a serious look at what we are expecting from our pastors if we want to break this cycle and help pastors thrive and succeed in ministry instead of crashing and burning.
I'm sure we all think we love our pastors and treat them well - but consider what we expect them to be:
- All Seeing: We often expect our pastor to know everything that is going on in our lives even when we don't tell them. We may be missing from church for weeks or months and have no contact with the staff, but we still expect the pastor to be informed about what we are going through and we get mad and upset when we find out they had no idea what is going on in our lives!
- All Knowing: Even though we would never admit it, we expect our pastors to know the right thing to do all of the time. I know that because I have experienced what happens when the pastor makes what we consider to be the wrong decision. We would say that don't expect our pastor to be perfect, but we do expect their decisions to be perfect. (Of course a perfect decision is one we agree with!).
- All Doing: They say that in church 20% of the people do 80% of the work, but in many churches the pastor is about 80% of the 20% of people who do everything! Why do we expect that? Because we pay him! Every Sunday there are so many people who show up to church expecting a life changing service with no idea about all of the things that have to happen to make that service perfect. Most church members would be shocked to see just how much goes on behind the scenes at church, but as long as it gets done why worry!
- An Ever Present Help: When you have a crisis in life you want certain people around you - your family, your closest friend, and your pastor! If you are fortunate there will only be two or three times a year when a situation like this comes along, but what we forget is that there are many other people in your church - people who also have two or three of those events a year. People who also want their family, friends, and pastor to be with them. So do the math and you will realize that your pastor will never have time for his own family or friends. I can't count how many pastors I know who were forced out of their church because they were not able to be with someone who wanted them to be somewhere.
Are you starting to get the picture?
All seeing, all knowing, all doing. An ever present help. Is it just me or does that sound like someone? Scripture describes God in these exact terms, and I don't care how great he is, your pastor is not God!
So please remember that your pastor is a human person just like you. He has a family, he likely even has a house and a mortgage and stuff to remember to pick up at the store. He even has two or three of his own difficult situations to deal with every year. If we would remember they are people just like us, we might take some of the pressure off some of these wonderful people who really do love us and want to help us as often as they can.
One more thing - please don't wait until October to show your pastor some appreciation!
We really need to take a serious look at what we are expecting from our pastors if we want to break this cycle and help pastors thrive and succeed in ministry instead of crashing and burning.
I'm sure we all think we love our pastors and treat them well - but consider what we expect them to be:
- All Seeing: We often expect our pastor to know everything that is going on in our lives even when we don't tell them. We may be missing from church for weeks or months and have no contact with the staff, but we still expect the pastor to be informed about what we are going through and we get mad and upset when we find out they had no idea what is going on in our lives!
- All Knowing: Even though we would never admit it, we expect our pastors to know the right thing to do all of the time. I know that because I have experienced what happens when the pastor makes what we consider to be the wrong decision. We would say that don't expect our pastor to be perfect, but we do expect their decisions to be perfect. (Of course a perfect decision is one we agree with!).
- All Doing: They say that in church 20% of the people do 80% of the work, but in many churches the pastor is about 80% of the 20% of people who do everything! Why do we expect that? Because we pay him! Every Sunday there are so many people who show up to church expecting a life changing service with no idea about all of the things that have to happen to make that service perfect. Most church members would be shocked to see just how much goes on behind the scenes at church, but as long as it gets done why worry!
- An Ever Present Help: When you have a crisis in life you want certain people around you - your family, your closest friend, and your pastor! If you are fortunate there will only be two or three times a year when a situation like this comes along, but what we forget is that there are many other people in your church - people who also have two or three of those events a year. People who also want their family, friends, and pastor to be with them. So do the math and you will realize that your pastor will never have time for his own family or friends. I can't count how many pastors I know who were forced out of their church because they were not able to be with someone who wanted them to be somewhere.
Are you starting to get the picture?
All seeing, all knowing, all doing. An ever present help. Is it just me or does that sound like someone? Scripture describes God in these exact terms, and I don't care how great he is, your pastor is not God!
So please remember that your pastor is a human person just like you. He has a family, he likely even has a house and a mortgage and stuff to remember to pick up at the store. He even has two or three of his own difficult situations to deal with every year. If we would remember they are people just like us, we might take some of the pressure off some of these wonderful people who really do love us and want to help us as often as they can.
One more thing - please don't wait until October to show your pastor some appreciation!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Car Wash Christianity
Yesterday was a rare day where I live. The temperature finally climbed above freezing and the sun came out. Days like this have been few and far between this winter. When they come every car owner knows it's time to get the salt washed off their vehicles and I was ready to get that done yesterday.
So I had a choice to make - take $7 and join the long line at the local car wash, or get the bucket and sponge out and clean our van myself by hand. The car wash wins that contest many times for most of us. It's faster and more convenient to just some money in a machine and just sit there and wait while it cleans the car. The only problem is, no matter how good the car wash it isn't really going to get the car clean, it's just going to rinse of most of the dirt. Honest car owners know that in order to get your vehicle really clean you have to do it by hand - you have to get a little wet and dirty and actually put your hands on it to get all of the dirt of. Sure there are car washes that have giant brushes or floppy clothes hanging down, but all they do is scratch the polish off. No, if you really want your car to be clean and look it's best, you have to wash it by hand.
So I decided to take the extra time and I washed the van by hand. I admit that my decision wasn't based so much on getting the van as clean as possible as it was based on saving the $7!
As I washed the van by hand I was thinking about the Christian life that God has called us to. I thought about the people that He leads us to, people that need our help because they have made a mess of their lives. Too many times in too many churches we are looking for the $7 car wash solutions to these people and their problems. We want to fix them quickly because their mess makes us uncomfortable. So we give them a quick spiritual answer and a token prayer and hope it is enough. But just like your car that is covered in the dirt of the road, if we are really going to help people, really help them to clean up the mess in their life, it is going to take time and we are going to have to lay our hands on them, put our arms around them and not look for the quick or easy way out.
When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Luke 4:40
I love the picture scripture paints for us here of the daily ministry of the life of Christ. He had only three years to teach his disciples all he could, to prepare them to build the church, he had so much to accomplish but yet we see him here (and in many other places) taking the time to listen to the needs of the people he came across. He didn't just listen, he didn't just pray for them, he laid his hands on them - he touched their lives physically and spiritually. Note that he didn't just stand on a balcony somewhere and bless everyone at once, he took time with them one at a time.
If we are going to be the Church the Jesus wants us to be, to really love and care for people, then we must slow down a little - we must take the time to really see people in their needs and then minister to those needs for as long as it takes. No quick fixes. No easy answers. It's going to be messy and we might get a little dirty along the way, but the truth is that this is the only way to really help people.
So I had a choice to make - take $7 and join the long line at the local car wash, or get the bucket and sponge out and clean our van myself by hand. The car wash wins that contest many times for most of us. It's faster and more convenient to just some money in a machine and just sit there and wait while it cleans the car. The only problem is, no matter how good the car wash it isn't really going to get the car clean, it's just going to rinse of most of the dirt. Honest car owners know that in order to get your vehicle really clean you have to do it by hand - you have to get a little wet and dirty and actually put your hands on it to get all of the dirt of. Sure there are car washes that have giant brushes or floppy clothes hanging down, but all they do is scratch the polish off. No, if you really want your car to be clean and look it's best, you have to wash it by hand.
So I decided to take the extra time and I washed the van by hand. I admit that my decision wasn't based so much on getting the van as clean as possible as it was based on saving the $7!
As I washed the van by hand I was thinking about the Christian life that God has called us to. I thought about the people that He leads us to, people that need our help because they have made a mess of their lives. Too many times in too many churches we are looking for the $7 car wash solutions to these people and their problems. We want to fix them quickly because their mess makes us uncomfortable. So we give them a quick spiritual answer and a token prayer and hope it is enough. But just like your car that is covered in the dirt of the road, if we are really going to help people, really help them to clean up the mess in their life, it is going to take time and we are going to have to lay our hands on them, put our arms around them and not look for the quick or easy way out.
When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Luke 4:40
I love the picture scripture paints for us here of the daily ministry of the life of Christ. He had only three years to teach his disciples all he could, to prepare them to build the church, he had so much to accomplish but yet we see him here (and in many other places) taking the time to listen to the needs of the people he came across. He didn't just listen, he didn't just pray for them, he laid his hands on them - he touched their lives physically and spiritually. Note that he didn't just stand on a balcony somewhere and bless everyone at once, he took time with them one at a time.
If we are going to be the Church the Jesus wants us to be, to really love and care for people, then we must slow down a little - we must take the time to really see people in their needs and then minister to those needs for as long as it takes. No quick fixes. No easy answers. It's going to be messy and we might get a little dirty along the way, but the truth is that this is the only way to really help people.
From the Outside In
I have been active in church for all of my adult life (and I was pretty active as a teenager too!). I have been an active member, Associate Pastor, Assistant Pastor, Youth Pastor, Senior Pastor, and almost everything else in between. For the past few months I have found myself in a the very unfamiliar position of being on the outside of the church looking in. In August of 2010 I resigned from the church I had pastored for over 9 years as the Lord took my life and ministry in a different direction.
In the time since then I have been attending church but have not really been involved in anything more that just attending a Sunday service. This time away from active involvement in church has given me a whole new perspective - a chance to see the church from the outside in. My eyes have been opened to many things that I either did not see or chose not to see in the church at large.
So this little blog is going to be about some of the lessons I have learned during this time of changed perspective, and a chance to confess that in many cases I was a part of the problems that I can now see.
Let me be clear, I love the church! I am committed to the idea of the local church and I so much look forward to being active in church again very soon. The things I post here may be critical of how things work in churches sometimes, but I write not from a place of criticism or cynicism, but rather out of the love I have for the Body of Christ and the desire to see us become the Bride that Christ is waiting for.
I would love your feedback on anything I write, even if you don't agree, just post your comments and let's have an honest discussion about how we can do church better.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Where Has All The Love Gone?
This blog is something of a personal confession.
I have been involved in ministry within the church in various capacities for all of my adult life. Since the age of 21 there has not been a time (until recently) that I have not been actively involved in a local church to some degree. For some seasons I was just a volunteer helping where and when I could. In other times I have been a pastor, youth pastor, and associate pastor.
I love the local church and that is why I have devoted so much of my life to it, and I fully expect that service in a local church setting will be the norm for as long as I am on this earth. I believe it was the reason God created me - to help take care of people and work to grow the church and see the Bride of Christ prepared for His return.
My history and involvement is what makes me so defensive when people say negative things about the church, but I have to admit that the past few months have given me a new perspective on church and I can see that some of the criticism is valid. You see for the past 5 months I have been in a position that is very unfamiliar and uncomfortable for me when it comes to church - on the outside looking in. Even though I still attend church I am only attending, not involved in any ministry. This "outside in" perspective has helped me to see the church in a new way and forced me to be honest about the shortcomings of the church and my own inability to address them.
One area that I have been thinking about recently is our ability (our = the church) to deal with people who struggle with sin in a loving way instead of through judgement and avoidance. The fear in loving people who sin (in ways we consider to be more serious than our own everyday sin) is that our love will be confused with acceptance as if we condone their sin. But in our inability to really love people, all people, we end up driving away the people who really need help as if we want only to fill the church with people who don't have too many problems. The problem is, that is not our job, nor the real function of a successful church.
In thinking about how I can do a better job of loving people I have focused on two things: First of all is the way that Jesus loved people, and secondly is to understand my role in the process of God's work on someone else's sin.
When I read the accounts of Jesus' life on earth it is easy to see that he had an amazing ability to love people but deal with their sin at the same time. He did not avoid them but rather reached out to them because he loved them. His love saw through the sin to the pain it caused and when he challenged them to live better lives it was because he wanted to ease that pain. I love how he was never afraid to deal with a person in sin, even if they were not ready to deal with their own sin. He did it all in love, and his love reached them when the "religious" people around them had forsaken them.
Understanding how Jesus dealt with people has helped me to learn how to love people more. Understanding his role in dealing with their sin has helped me to understand mine.
When we choose to withhold love from someone who has sinned, not wanting to appear as though we condone their actions, we are confused about our role in dealing with their sin. It is as if we see ourselves as the ones who must pass judgement on them and hand out the consequences for their actions. It sounds silly now that I write it down, but it is so true and I know I have been guilty of that exact thing many times. I know I have avoided people, judged them, and not loved them all because of their sin as if any of that was my job.
When we are cautious when dealing with people who have sinned is it because we are worried that we will be guilty by association? When we avoid them is it because we think they deserve to be sunned for a while because of their actions, or is it because we just don't know how to love them in the middle of the mess their sin has created? And what is the real risk in reaching out in love to someone who is hurting because of the mistakes they have made - someone who already feels their guilt and does not need the church to remind them.
As I said this blog is somewhat of a personal confession. I have not loved people enough because I was too cautious and worried that they might confuse my acceptance as approval. The truth is that my role in dealing with people is love and acceptance, God's role is conviction and correction.
If we (the church) would do a better job of really loving people maybe they would stay around long enough to receive the conviction, correction, and healing that God longs to give them.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Where Has All The Love Gone? Addendum
There has been a lot of interest in my last blog dealing with love (or lack of it) within the local church. If you haven't read it yet you should take a minute to read it to give you some background on this entry.
There is something else I want to add to this issue that came to me as I thought over the things I had written:
As I mentioned I have been in ministry within the church all of my adult life, the past 9 of those years were spent as a senior pastor. One thing that often frustrated and saddened me was when people who were dealing with serious issues in their lives would disappear from church while they worked through their issues. I would often remind people that in times of struggle it makes more sense to attend church more not less - to use the time there to press into God and lean on the support of fellow believers. That method of encouragement didn't seem to work too often though.
To be more specific, it wasn't just any kind of struggle that seemed to drive people away from church, it was almost always a personal struggle with some kind of sin. For example, if a person was struggling with loss and grief they would be around more, press into God and lean on the church family for support. But if a person was in a relationship that they knew to be unhealthy or sinful, they would pull back from the church and avoid contact with church friends.
I know that a part of the reason for this withdrawal was the enemy working against them, trying to isolate them so he could defeat them more easily, but I also wonder if a part of the reason had to do with the lack of expressed love in the church.
Think about it - if it is true that the church is failing to really love people especially those who sin in action and/or lifestyle (as I wrote about in my last blog), then when you find yourself in that place would you want to be around the church more or less? Obviously less!
So if this is true, then the only course of action for someone struggling with personal sin, doubt, addictions, etc, is to avoid the judgement of the church until the issue is resolved and they can "clean themselves up" and come back to church. The problem with that is that experience tells me that many of those people never come back to church at all.
These are serious issues that we must be honest with ourselves about if the church is really going to reach hurting people, and if we as Christians are ever going to be able to love people the way Jesus did.
I would love to hear your feedback on all this so leave a comment below or comment on my link on Facebook.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. 1Cor. 13:4-8a
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Where Has All The Love Gone? The Solution
This is the third part of a three part blog in the issue of really loving each other within the context of the local church (take a moment to read through the previous two entries if you haven't already).
Your feedback suggests that my assessment of our ability (or lack of it) to really love each other is on track. I know it is hard to admit this, trust me when I say it was hard for me. I have had to face the reality that I have been part of the problem over the years more that I have been a part of the solution. But we will not get better at loving each other if we are not honest about our need to improve, and if we don't get better at it we will lose a lot more people who are really hurting.
Just as a reminder - we are talking specifically about loving and accepting those who are in sin and/or have made a mess out of our lives because of that sin. These people are absent from church because they feel the judgement of their fellow Christians and see how people pull back from them when they struggle. Many of these people intended to stay away from church only for a little while to "get their lives in order" but they have been gone for years. It's a vicious cycle because we really need the help of the church to overcome our issues, but we fear their rejection so we isolate ourselves only to find that we slip further away from our faith when separated from the church.
We know the problem, but what is the solution? It is tempting to just say that we need to learn how to really love and accept each other, and that is good, but it's not the whole answer. Teaching the church how to be more loving is only like treating the side effect of a problem without dealing with the root cause. You see, I am convinced that the real reason why we fail to love and accept each other so often is because we fail to fully understand just how much we are loved by God.
There is an amazing account in John 8 of a woman who was literally caught in the act of adultery. She was condemned by the religious leaders and brought to trial and used as a pawn in their attempt to trap Jesus in a difficult moral issue. I am so challenged by Jesus' response as he defends the woman against her accusers but still manages to deal with her sin. This is love in action! Jesus refused to treat this woman badly even though she deserved it and the law permitted it, instead he gave her the last thing in the world she was expecting - love and acceptance! Having shown her that love, when he told her to "go and leave her life of sin" that his words had so much more weight to them. It is said that this woman, although unnamed here, did leave her life of sin and started following Jesus from that day on.
Why is it that too often as Christians instead of acting as Jesus did in this moment, we are the ones holding the stones ready to give the guilty what they deserve? Could it be that we have forgotten all of the times that Jesus came to our defense when we were the guilty ones? Could it be that we have forgotten just how unworthy we have been of the unconditional love of God, and we somehow now believe that we are better than those who sin? Could it be that we have become the Pharisees?
Jesus said: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked." (Luke 12:48) That means that all of us who have received the incredible unconditional love of God have a responsibility and a command to offer that same love to those around us. It means that because God loves us so completely even when we sin and make a mess of our lives, we can do no less than love others who sin and fail and do all the things we have convinced ourselves we are no longer guilty of.
Friends there is so much at stake here, there are so many people missing from the church because they fear our judgement - the feel like the woman did being brought before the religious leaders to receive her punishment when they come into our services. They feel that way because we have treated them that way. We must change for their sake and our own. We must never forget how much we are loved by God, and allow that truth to change how we love and accept those who fail.
If we can do this, we will become the church that Christ would have us be, a true representation of his love in action in this world!
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