Light-work

Standing in a Place of Blessing, Part 2 of 12

In our scenario, relationships at Grace Church are strained. There's a new church coming to town. Some from Grace are going, some are staying. (Click here to get the whole story.) How should these two groups relate to one another? Here is a principle, the second in our series, that will help.

Principle Two: Free to Follow God    

One person regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Each person must be fully convinced in his own mind (Romans 14:5).

Moral decisions can be divided into three categories, obedience to God’s commands, upholding godly convictions, and following individual guidance. Where God has expressly and clearly told us what to do, there is no place for contrary personal “convictions.” But concerning matters which the Bible does not address directly, Paul commands us to allow each person to form his own convictions. We obey this command when we give every family permission to make their own decision about whether and when to go to another church or to stay.

There is a classic example of this principle in action in the life of Paul. It's recorded in Acts 21:7-14. Paul was en route to Jerusalem. After landing at Tyre, he made his way to the house of Philip the Evangelist. A prophet named Agabus issued a warning: He took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘In this way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles’ ” (Acts 21:11).

Naturally, everyone attempted to dissuade Paul from continuing on to Jerusalem. It seemed quite clear that God had provided a warning for exactly this purpose. Paul was in a minority of one who disagreed.

Here's how he replied: “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 21:13). Paul discerned that the prophet's vision was not about directing him to change course but to help him prepare for the worst. Despite the bad news, he was no less determined to run into the fire.

Here's is what happened next: And since he would not be persuaded, we fell silent, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!” (Acts 21:14). This was Paul's decision to make and he would not budge. The people accepted Paul's decision and released Paul to God's oversight.

The people of Grace Church will do well to emulate the Saints at Philip's house. Allow each person, whether he chooses to go or to stay, to make his own decision as unto the Lord.

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Standing in a Place of Blessing, Part 1 of 12

When Grace Falls

Standing in a Place of Blessing, Part 1 of 12

The next twelve posts are about how members of a church can best respond to each other when some from their membership are planning to leave to a new work. First let me outline a scenario, a realistic and relevant situation that cries out for some biblical guidance.

Scenario

Grace Church hired Lance as a Youth Pastor. Eventually, he was promoted to an Associate position, and Grace Church hired Dylan as the next Youth Pastor. While working together at Grace, Lance and Dylan enjoyed partnering in ministry. But Lance sensed God calling him in a new direction and left Grace to get training as a church planter. About a year later, Dylan also resigned and announced that he and Lance were planning to team up to start a new church in town.

In their time at Grace Church, Lance and Dylan developed friendships with a number of its members. Now it was easy for some of these friends to desire to join the new work. Lance and Dylan wanted to reach people who did not seem interested in Grace Church and planned accordingly. But it would take time, six months, before their first service. So their friends would have to wait.

Situation

So it was that Grace Church found itself occupying a somewhat awkward space. Some families from Grace were definitely planning to leave. Others were unsure about whether to stay or go. A third group was convinced God wanted them to remain at Grace. But for the next six months, all three groups would continue to worship together as one family.

Question

How should the people of Grace Church negotiate this transition period? How can this fellowship of believers demonstrate what it means to be the body of Christ when some are leaving, some are staying, and some are not sure?

Here is the first of twelve passages and principles that can help the people of Grace Church (and other churches in a similar situation) to negotiate precisely this kind of challenge. By using these principles, members who stay and members who go can stand in the place of God’s blessing.

Principle One - We Are Faith

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things (Romans 8:28–32)?

This is our constant, our true North: God will accomplish our good, the good of our fellowship, and the good of all who love Him regardless of future events and the actions of men. We can trust God, no matter what!

Even that of which God does not approve, He uses to work the good of His people. Here is an extreme example: Joseph’s brothers intended to work him harm, but Joseph was capable of looking past their evil deeds to see God at work. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them (Genesis 50:20–21).

If God could work through the ill-intentions of Joseph’s brothers to accomplish Joseph’s (and his extended family’s) good, then how much more can God work through others actions that are more nobly motivated to promote what is best for us. It doesn’t matter why someone leaves Grace Church, we know that God will make that person’s decision part of His plan to work our good, the good of our church, and the good of all who love God. We know that regardless of who stays and who goes, He will give us everything that matters.

The Nehushtan Pitfall

Israel was complaining in the wilderness. Again! They accused God of bringing them to the desert to die. So God cued the snakes as if to say, “If that is what I intended, it would look like this.” The bite from these fiery serpents was fatal and Israelites were dying by the hundreds.

Thankfully, Israel repented of her sin of speaking against the Lord and pled with Moses to intercede. Here’s what happened next: Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.” And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived (Numbers 21:6–9). This was God’s way of making a profound point: Left to yourselves, you will die in the wilderness. But even when in immediate and supreme danger, if you look to me for help, you will live.

The bronze serpent was a portal through which men could look to the Lord for their deliverance. And as men did so, God came through. Can you imagine what this must have been like? As word spread through the camp, everyone would have made sure he was always in a place where he could look through the portal. No matter where Israel made camp in their decades-long, wilderness journey, you can be sure they kept the “bronze-serpent-on-a-pole” prominently displayed.

Now let’s fast forward more than 800 years to a curious statement about Hezekiah, a twenty-something king of Israel with a heart for God: He removed the high places and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah. He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the sons of Israel burned incense to it; and it was called Nehushtan (2 Kings 18:4). Apparently, Israel had kept the bronze serpent for centuries! But it had now become a religious relic named “Nehushtan,” an object of devotion that rivaled worship of the one true God. It was no longer used as a portal through which men looked to God. What was once the means of God’s blessing had now become a spiritual liability. Hezekiah was right to smash the thing.

God had originally instructed Moses to make the bronze serpent. And God had worked through it in a powerful way. Of course, it was God who was doing the working, not some mere snake on a stick. But in the days of Hezekiah, people thought the pole itself was something special. And they venerated it and not God.

Today, heated conflicts have arisen over how we do church. I wonder if we are not dealing with modern Nehushtans. There are some in the church who fondly recall days of yore in which God moved in their midst. It may have been a time marked by pews and organs; crusades and tent-meetings; street evangelism and alter calls. Praise God for the ways he has worked in the past. Others decry these antiquated means and point to the success of their mega church as testament to the ways things should be done today. To them, it is clear where “God is doing great things.” Out with the organ and in with the praise band. Down with foyers, up with coffee bars. But as often as traditionalists and moderns are insisting that church be done their particular way, are they not both in danger of overlooking what really makes the difference.

Great things are accomplished because God chooses to work, regardless of the means through which He chooses to work. When a church venerates its particular brand of means and strategies, does that church not dishonor God? Has it not erected a Nahushtan in the church narthex or welcome-center or coffer bar?

I am not diminishing the value of thinking through how best to make disciples in any given context. But I am pleading for the church to anchor these concerns to dependence on the One who alone can make the difference. Where are God’s people who know how to look to the Lord, to plead with Him for His favor despite the inadequacy of their efforts? Where are those who know how to pray this kind of prayer?

The king is not saved by a mighty army;
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him,
On those who hope for His lovingkindness,
To deliver their soul from death
And to keep them alive in famine.
Our soul waits for the Lord;
He is our help and our shield.
For our heart rejoices in Him,
Because we trust in His holy name.
Let Your lovingkindness, O Lord, be upon us,
According as we have hoped in You (Psalm 33:16–22).

Consultants, and Critics, and Bears! Oh, my!

What does a “church consultant” do? And, why do we need them? For me, these are not purely theoretical questions. I recently completed level four of training offered by the Society for Church Consulting and only have one more project to complete before pursuing certification. If I’m gonna be one, I had best know what one does and why!

I can attest to the ubiquity of critics in the church. Everyone seems to have an ample supply of “things I don’t like,” even though the particulars on any given list might be on someone else’s list in the column for “things I really like!” If all the critics weren’t bad enough, there’s the bears. Like their stock market counterparts, church bears are predicting a looming downturn. They wax eloquent, remembering former days of glory, while wringing their hands about how current trends are sure to end badly.

So the notion of adding a third party to the mix could easily make one sound like Dorothy –  “Consultants, and Critics, and Bears! Oh, my!” Why, when we already have enough home-based critics and pessimists in our church, do we need to import more from outside? Isn’t using a consultant like adding another voice to what is already a roiling cacophony?

Maybe what we really need is some fresh air! I find it in 1 Corinthians 4:3-5: But to me it is a very small thing that I may be examined by you, or by any human court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God (1 Corinthians 4:3–5). This passage attests to the active presence of critics as a constant of church life in Corinth two millennia ago. In Paul’s case, he processed the claims of his critics by affirming two fundamentals: We are only accountable to the Lord, and men’s perspectives are profoundly limited in value.

Hear, hear! Jesus is Lord of the church and the only one qualified to evaluate both individuals and churches. On some future date, Jesus will come for an on-site visit to file a full report. His evaluation will not simply focus on externals. He will put a spotlight on things hidden; He will bring to light men’s true motives; He will get to the bottom of it all. This will be the perfect value determination of what Paul and everyman have done. In this moment, the only opinion that will matter is the Lord’s.

Everyone else’s won’t! For Paul, the opinions of his Corinthian critics, or of any human court for that matter, are of minor importance. It stands to reason. The eyes of men do not see as the Lord sees, and the minds of men are as nothing before His infinite wisdom. Paul maintains that others are simply not qualified to render the final verdict on his ministry. Indeed, he himself is not adequate to do so. The Lord alone possesses the necessary skill-set to discern what truly warrants approval. He alone is qualified to critique His church and His servants!

In the course of 40 years in local church ministry, I increasingly relied on this passage as a steady compass to guide me. I identified in God’s Word His goals for my life and ministry and charted the means He commends for their attainment. This became my true north. As often as I would hear the siren voices of the critics or the murmurings of my own inner doubt, I would hold steady and remember this: In all things, I live for the good opinion of the only One whose opinion matters. When I battled discouragement, I would remember that I am not qualified to see the big picture. I would renew my efforts to live for His pleasure (my part) and respect His abilities to discern their true worth (His part). When my critics sought to convince me of my inadequacy, I strove to gain insight from their comments and learn how to better live for His pleasure (my part), while taking comfort in the knowledge that, in the final analysis, His would prove the only opinion that matters.

There are those, the serpent chief among them, who would like our minds to be led astray from the liberating simplicity of this pure devotion (2 Corinthians 11:3). His plans are thwarted when we live all-out for the Lord alone. But taken in isolation, this principle can become a pretext for a sort of mystic individualism that sniffs, “I am unassailably convinced of what God asks of me. Hold your tongue, step aside, and hallow my signal devotion to Him.” If everyone followed suit, we would achieve but a quick and easy return to the days of the judges: In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6; 21:25).

Going it alone will make the going harder. Yes, we do well to live with heart’s ablaze solely for His pleasure. But we do better when we also appreciate how others can fan our flames of passion in the right direction. The ability to accomplish what will endure is enhanced when we take advantage of the insight and perspective of others: Without consultation, plans are frustrated, But with many counselors they succeed (Proverbs 15:22). Of course, not all counsel is created equal. When a man speaks words of wisdom well suited to a situation, that’s the good stuff: Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances. Like an earring of gold and an ornament of fine gold is a wise reprover to a listening ear (Proverbs 25:11–12). Sometimes another will even seek our good by telling us truth that hurts. This, too, is counsel you can take to the bank: Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But deceitful are the kisses of an enemy (Proverbs 27:6).

The Bible clearly teaches what we need to know about the things that matter. So understanding what the Bible says about an issue being faced by another is where all good counsel begins. Word based discernment of how the Lord would evaluate a local church is key to helping consultants, and critics, and bears offer apples of gold in settings of silver. Oh, my!

Jesus, the supreme church consultant, would advise a particular kind of church to buy from Him gold refined by fire (Rev. 3:18). When Jesus, the critic worth heeding, has items on His “things I don’t like” list (Rev. 2:4, 14, 20), they have got to go. When Jesus gets bearish over a church’s future and issues a warning (Rev. 2:5), any church with similar issues had better pay attention. When we, His servants, aptly discern from His Word what Jesus thinks of a local church, and report what we see with grace and wisdom, we therein serve the Lord by promoting the good of His church.

A consultant or interim pastor can render valuable service to a local church by bringing them back to the Word and by helping them understand what Jesus wants them to be and do. A consultant or interim pastor can then follow up by helping a church answer these two questions: (1) To what extent do we actually demonstrate the characteristics of Jesus’ people? (2) To what extent are we actually accomplishing the mission Jesus gave us? Once these questions can be answered in a way that is confirmed by a fair-minded assessment of the pertinent facts, a consultant or interim pastor is able to help a church determine and implement a sound strategy to do better.

A consultant does well in the role of a servant. He seeks to promote in others whatever is needed for them to hear “well done.” He is like a pairs figure-skating coach whose energies are directed at helping his team members win the approval of someone else. In the final analysis, the coach is not the judge of his team. He does not score their efforts. But the better he anticipates what the judges are looking for, and uses that information to bring out the best in his charges, the more effective he is as a coach. The same goes for church consultants and interim pastors!

Allow me to return to my initial two questions and make them personal: (1) What will I do as a church consultant or interim pastor and (2) why would a church need my help? Here are my answers: (1) As a church coach, I will help a congregation to better be and do what the Lord of the church expects of His people. Ultimately, their accountability is not to me but to Him.

(2) When something matters as much as hearing the Lord say “well done,” we should seize every advantage. Any congregation that genuinely wants to do better will seek out wise counsel from a circle bigger than themselves. As often as I am invited into this circle, I will offer up whatever wisdom God gives me in order to help a people live for His pleasure. When the Lord someday says to them, “well done,” I will rejoice for them and thank God for whatever He allowed me to contribute toward their success.

Church Growth By Intimidation

This was not your usual revival meeting. One man came forward to make an impressive contribution from a real estate deal. Instead of the adulation he envisioned, this man received a thundering rebuke and died on the spot. The guys with the stretcher hardly had time to get his body to the morgue before the man’s wife showed up. She betrayed her complicity in her husband’s scam and promptly joined him in death.

Needless to say, everyone in town was a little rattled! Whispers were heard on the street: “Don’t get too close to those Christian unless you want to put your life on the line.” The whispers were not without warrant. The basic problem with this late couple was an attempt to represent themselves as something they were not. They wanted to LOOK LIKE the real deal without BEING the real deal. Perhaps they actually deluded themselves into thinking they were the real deal. But, God was not fooled by this sham and made His point with double corpses as exclamation points.

Here is Luke’s summary of the reputation of the early church after the “double death revival” meeting:  “But none of the rest dared to associate with them; however, the people held them in high esteem” (Acts 5:13). The average Joe of Jerusalem respected the saints and appreciated their commitment. But he also had enough sense to realize that an insincere association with these folks could prove fatal.

So here is what I find fascinating. Some would say that church growth requires us to present ourselves to the average Joe as unthreatening and undemanding. We should demurely declare, “Hey, come hang with us. We are benign enough to be safe and unintimidating. You’ll feel perfectly at ease.”

But look at Acts 5:14!  When the church was respected but intimidating, that's when growth kicked into high gear!  Luke reports, “And all the more believers in the Lord, multitudes of men and women, were constantly added to their number” (Acts 5:14).  The word “and” at the beginning of the verse tells us that when the church was frighteningly  real, that is when its growth went into overdrive! 

Suppose someone comes among us and says, “I respect your devotion and dedication, but I’m not ready to make this kind of commitment.”  Don’t interpret that comment as a call for us to become less committed or to hide our devotion to Jesus under a bushel basket.  It’s an affirmation we are following the lead of one of the fastest growing churches in history.  We may be scary to an average Joe when we are the real deal, but that is also when he sees that in Jesus you don’t have to live a life that’s just average.

Forgotten God in Seven Sentences

I recommend Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, by Francis Chan. Chan wagers, “I bet you’d agree that a group of talented, charismatic leaders can draw a crowd. Find the right creative team, musicians, and speakers, and you can grow any church. It doesn’t even have to be a Christian church. ...My point is that a growing and energetic gathering is not necessarily evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work” (p. 141).

I suspect Pastor Chan would agree when I say I am interested in seeing a church that defies explanation, a church where God’s presence and power are obvious, a church where resources that look like a brown-bag lunch are used of God to feed 5,000.

Here is my executive book summary in seven sentences. (Granted they are not all simple sentences - but what do you expect for a book report that is only seven sentences long!)

1. Those who see the Spirit through Jesus’ eyes understand that the indwelling Spirit’s ministry is more advantageous to God’s people than if Jesus had personally remained present on earth after His resurrection.
2. The desire to be led by the Spirit is diminished when we fear what men think, or what the Spirit may ask of us, more than we fear disappointing Him.
3. The Holy Spirit is not a second or third class member of the trinity - He is a distinct person who is no less deity than the Father or the Son.
4. Some desire to be led by the Spirit for the wrong reasons - the right motive is a surpassing desire to be more like Jesus.
5. Our lives can become so comfortable, or so distracted, that we fail to enjoy the intimacy with God that is produced by the Spirit.
6. The ministry of the Holy Spirit does not eliminate the need for us to do our part and work at our salvation.
7. When we build churches in the strength of the Spirit, not merely by our own efforts, we experience church that defies explanation.

I appreciate the overall message of the book. Evangelical, Bible teaching pastors (like me) need to listen to what the author is saying. But the book reads like a transcribed sermon series that makes seven key points, and leaves out a lot of biblical truth that could help make this book more "practice-able."

Here are two suggestions. It would have been helpful to have a chapter that discusses two lists: Observable characteristics of the Spirit’s presence / observable characteristics of His absence. This chapter could help us to self-diagnose the nature and extent of our "tragic neglect." Another chapter could build off statement six and answer these questions, “What, specifically, is my role? What should I do or think that affects the degree to which the Spirit works in and through me and my church?”

Bottom line: This is a good primer that makes a great case for a book that goes beyond it. Francis Chan is telling us things we need to know. But we need to know more if we are going to "reverse our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit."

The Preferred Way to Lose Stuff

Here's a recent snapshot from our ministry partners in central India. The people in this picture serve Jesus in a place where doing so can prove costly. But despite damage to property and time in jail, they are still smiling. Why? They understand the meaning of this passage: But remember the former days, when, after being enlightened, you endured a great conflict of sufferings, partly by being made a public spectacle through reproaches and tribulations, and partly by becoming sharers with those who were so treated. For you showed sympathy to the prisoners and accepted joyfully the seizure of your property, knowing that you have for yourselves a better possession and a lasting one (Heb. 10:32-34).

In the current economic crisis, lot's of folks have suffered losses, too. But they're not smiling. Why not? When your treasure is on earth, it's depressing when you take a big hit in the marketplace. But when your real treasure is safe and secure in heaven, and you're using all the disposable stuff here on earth for Jesus, then who cares when you lose some stuff! It's all going to burn up anyway! So here's a simple choice - EITHER accept the loss of earthly benefits for Jesus sake and you can keep smiling (because your real treasure is safe). OR, live for earthly treasure and fight depression when your portfolio takes a beating (because your hoard is vanishing). I join our Indian partners by choosing the former as my preferred method to lose stuff.

Join the Fight Against Praise Team Chaos

Musicians have guts. They pull something out of their hearts, showcase it under a spotlight, and then allow others to decide its  merits. It's a simple two way deal struck between the band and those catching their act, and it takes courage. For the praise team at your church, this dynamic is more complicated. There's a third party involved and what He thinks matters more than the band's satisfaction with their offering or the audience's approval.

At Collierville Bible Church, we recognize that there's a lot at stake when leading a congregation to praise God. Things can run amok in a hurry. To fight the chaos, we have prepared a pamphlet that is given to everyone with an interest in serving on the team. We ask them to voice their agreement with the handbook BEFORE joining. I have attached a copy of our Praise Team Handbook for your reference. If you don't have something like this, feel free to borrow some content from ours. Anything we can do to keep our praise on track is mission critical. Join the fight against praise team chaos.

Lest We Forget the Prodigal's Brother

The Prodigal Son is the celebrity sinner, the poster child for stories of failure and forgiveness. For parents of wayward teens, his tale gives them reason to hope. For those who have wandered far from God, the prodigal's return is a prototype for making a fresh start with God. I am not trying to take anything away from his "great comeback" story, but the prodigal is a secondary player in the parable that is named after him.

Parables are intended to make a point, and clues as to the nature of that point will often be found in context, in this case Luke 15. The entire chapter consists of three linked parables, "The Lost Sheep," "The Lost Coin" and "The Prodigal Son," that all answer to the need identified in verses 1-3:

Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” So He told them this parable, saying . . . (Luke 15:1-3).

Jesus' three stories are intended to turn the tables on His critics. The religious big-wigs are grousing because Jesus is ministering to riffraff. Instead of celebrating that losers are flocking to the One person who can help them, they're grumbling that Jesus doesn't dust them away like so much shoulder lint.

So Jesus recounts a trio of parables that swell in a crescendo of celebration. First he talks about the recovery of a lost sheep. Yes, this sheep was only 1% of the flock, but surely it's recovery would be reason for joy. Then he talks about finding lost wealth. Even though it was only 10% of someone's life savings, who wouldn't host a party to celebrate its recovery? Finally he talks of a lost son. If you celebrate when one sheep (out of a hundred) is found, or one coin (out of ten) is found, then what kind of celebration would attend the return of a lost son?

Right as Jesus' audience is catching the party vibe, a new character shows up, the prodigal's whining brother. He is the one in the harsh spotlight crashing the party, the party-pooper with an attitude, and the embarrassing spokesman for Jesus' complaining critics. I draw your attention to the prodigal's brother because he is the punch line in Luke 15. THE PRODIGAL'S BROTHER is the one Jesus wants us to examine and understand.

I confess that I see in myself much that reminds me of the prodigal's brother. I have not lived a life of rebellion or moral abandon. I came to Jesus at an early age, began living for Him in earnest as a teen, and have sought to stay true to Him to this day. (Don't misunderstand me. I am just as much a sinner as the most profligate prodigal - no difference. And my steady pursuit of Christ has not kept me from presenting a pitiful picture of what it means to be His follower on occasions without number.) Despite my failures, flaws, and growing pains along the way, however, I am a fair example of the classic "good kid."

So when I observe the prodigal's descent into the depths of loose living, I can't identify. But when I hear his brother protesting, “Look! For so many years I have been serving you and I have never neglected a command of yours” (Luke 15:29), I hear in his words the voice of my own dissenting heart. I have expressed words like his, words of disappointment in God for His seeming lack of appreciation.

There are prodigals and there are prodigal's brothers. The prodigal's obstacle is his sense of unworthiness to lay claim to the heart of his father. The obstacle of the prodigal's brother is his sense of entitlement, an insistence upon God's approval for his faithfulness. In its advanced stages, "Prodigal's Brother Disease" (PBD) can rob a man of his joy. He can become a spiritual scrooge who mutters "Bah, humbug" on occasions when even angels are pulling out all the stops.

The religious leaders called out by Jesus have a pronounced case of PBD. It has achieved a level of spiritual toxicity that is acute, perhaps from which there is no recovery. But for anyone who seeks to be faithful (at risk) and who is willing to learn (teachable) from their sad story, there is hope in timely self-screening (self-examination) and treatment (repentance).

Are you a prodigal? Come home to a Father whose grace is greater than your sin. Are you a prodigal's brother? Then serve without strings before it robs you of joy. Stay faithful to God without getting sucked into thinking that God owes you recognition. Your faithfulness matters. Never forget what Jesus says to the prodigal's brother, “And he said to him, ‘Son, you have always been with me, and all that is mine is yours’” (Luke 15:31). Staying true to God WILL BE WORTH IT. That is no less true for the fact that we party strong when a prodigal comes home.

Tell the Preacher What to Preach

Those brainy guys (and gals) on the CBC tech and web teams have done it again. Here's a screen shot of their latest creation, The CBC On-line Media Center! Click here to go to the actual site. The media center allows you to access audio files from series preached at Collierville Bible Church. You can listen to a sermon at your computer or download it to your ipod. You can also download and print associated outlines and slides. In short, you can duplicate the benefits of attending a Collierville Bible Church worship service at any time and from anywhere in the world!

There are some additional features of the Media Center that make it BETTER than Sunday morning. What if you could go to church and determine the topic for the morning sermon? Let's say you're struggling in your marriage and want the preacher to share some truth that ministers where you're hurting. Your heart longs to determine the topic for the message. Don't just wish for that power - now it's yours to use!

Here's how. The left panel is the Media Center main screen. At the top of this panel are a series of tabs labeled [Date], [Series], [Speaker], or [Topic]. Click on a tab and all series in the Media Center library are sorted accordingly. You can scroll through the list, highlight a series, and then pick the sermon (in the right panel) that you want to access. If you can't find something suitable by sorting and scrolling, there is also a search tab at the top of the main screen. Using your own keywords, you can locate exactly what you're looking for based on search terms you supply.

Currently, there are only a few sample sermons that have been loaded, so there's not a lot to search from. YET! Series in progress will be loaded on Sundays as they are preached. So, if you are following a current series, you can catch a sermon a few hours after it has been delivered. Previously preached series are also being prepped for inclusion in the Media Center. I have preached almost 900 sermons in my years at Collierville Bible church, so there are lots of possibilities to choose from. If you have a favorite, be sure to let us know and we'll fast-track it to the Media Center library. This will be fun.

Thanks Eric, Jeff, Castle, and especially Garry - this is fantastic. Your diligence is going to make a big difference!

Are You on the Map?

We are getting ready to launch a fresh batch of front porch groups next week at CBC. I thought this was a very cool map that our team leaders have developed. A snapshot is shown at left - Click here to check out the live map. The yellow boxes show the locations of small groups, the green pins show who is signed up, and the red pins show the location of those who haven't yet signed up. It makes it easy for group leaders to locate people who live near them and invite them to their groups.

If you click on the link to the live map, use the slider on the left to zoom in or out. You can also switch to a satellite view or hybrid (see the tabs on the top) if you want some more realism. I sure hope all the red pins turn green in the next week!

Praise Pablum

In the good old days, we didn't think about "new songs." If it was in the hymnal, we sang it. If it wasn't, we didn't. Simple. Safe. Reliable. We still have the old hymnals at church - they're in boxes in the attic. Now we are on the praise interstate. Not simple, not safe, very iffy. New songs are flying at us so fast we hardly see one coming before it's a speck in the rear view mirror. We are using a "hymnal," it just happens to be a constantly changing compilation as "tired" songs leave and new songs are added.

Suppose you find a song that would be a good one for your congregation. Assuming it's a song that your people like, considerable time and energy will be spent in training your people how to sing it. My subjective protocol is this: 4 + 2 + 1. Include the song in your worship set four times in one month. Then include it at least twice in the next month. Use it at least once a quarter thereafter. If a "new song" isn't worth that kind of commitment, then it probably isn't worth adding to your congregation's "living hymnal."

If you are going to invest THAT kind of time and energy in a new song, it better be worth it. How do you decide? At CBC, we use this phrase, Dogs Love Singing Music Confidently, to remind us of the five criteria for evaluating every new chorus. (I am not sure if dogs really do love singing music with confidence, but can you conceive of dogs doing anything tentatively?) These are all subjective criteria, and your weighting of a given song may differ from mine. But, I believe the use of all five criteria is critical. Here's what D-L-S-M-C stand for:

Doctrinally Sound -  Most praise music is not rife with heresy. But it does have a lot of "fuzzy doctrine." It lacks precision. It takes doctrinal concepts that beg for clarity and makes them muddy. Or it bleeds into generic spirituality - songs that could be sung with conviction by those who embrace something other than a conservative evangelical perspective. We need music that boldly and in no uncertain terms champions the truths we confess and the allegiance that defines us.

Lyrically Interesting - it is easy to write a praise chorus, but very challenging to write one that captures truth and devotion in a new light. Lyrically interesting praise music is arresting, provocative, fresh. It captures a concept in words that make us look at our faith with new eyes.

Singability - Contemporary Christian artists have given us some great songs. Some are not well-suited to congregational singing because they are so highly stylized or have a complicated melody. At CBC, we choose songs that match the congregation's singing ability. This, by the way, is a harder criteria for praise leaders to evaluate because of their musical competence. The more skilled the musician, the more important it is for him/her to understand, appreciate, and be sensitive to the musical skill level of his/her people.

Musically Interesting - death to boring music! We choose songs with an interesting melody and chord structure. Granted, it is a challenge to balance this factor with the previous. Some songs are musically interesting precisely because they rely on elements that diminish their singability. But, we cannot allow "singability" to press us into using only what is musically boring. By the way, musical interest can be diminished by excessive repetition. Beware the song with too many "repeats." Also, when a song becomes a congregational favorite, be careful you don't wear it out. Once you have completed the learning curve (4 + 2 + 1), extend its life by carefully limiting its use.

Contribution - this is probably our most subjective factor. If the message of a chorus is a duplication of something for which we already have a stable of good choruses, why invest all the time and energy into introducing another? We look for songs that declare what our people have yet to say but must. We find choruses that fill holes.

By the way, here's my challenge for song-writers - write songs that fill a need for the body of Christ. What is missing in our declarations of doctrine and devotion? As you scan what the church is singing, ask yourself what Jesus is longing to hear from His people, and put it to music that is doctrinally clear, lyrically and musically interesting while still being singable. The God whom we honor is worthy of more than a steady stream of praise pablum!

An Ordinary Pastor Among Extraordinary Leaders

Today marked the close of the "2008 Purpose Driven Community Gathering." You know how I love my "to do lists," so I am processing my notes to compile a handy summary of insights and action items. Good stuff!

My time here was both proftably depressing and encouraging at the same time. One of the more poignant conference features to provoke these polar responses is pictured above. The moderator on the left, Saddleback Pastor Tom Holladay, led five pastors in a discussion of their involvment in global missions. All five regaled us with jaw-dropping stories of how God worked through them and their congregations. It was exciting to see God's goodness in accomplishing things that could only be explained by His hand.

There were eight of these panels, each focused on a different topic, all populated with nothing but gifted, dramatically successful leaders. With a steady stream of almost 30 such extraordinary men on stage, it made being extraordinary seem the norm. And that's where my self-doubt tugged at me. Being an ordinary pastor in what, by comparison, would seem an unremarkable church could make a guy feel a tad sub-par. So I was grateful when one of the last panelists, Jim Lane, described the challenge of ministering to business leaders. He observed, "Businessmen define themselves by what they do, not by who they are. This is what we have to undo."

I think his observation is relevant to us all, pastors included. We want to be defined by great exploits when Jesus is looking for a great likeness to Himself. What a slap-in-the-face reminder to keep things in perspective. I must never lose focus on what matters - a simple and pure devotion to Jesus. Such a heart may propel me to embrace great risks for God. And praise God when He chooses to work through me  (and you) in ways that are obvious and impressive. But, more than great exploits, maintaining the white hot fire of passion for Jesus must be my aspiration. This is what defines me; not what I do but who I am!

Rick Warren's Orchard

This week I have been attending the "2008 Purpose Driven Community Gathering" at Saddleback Church. In case you recently arrived on the planet, that's the California megachurch where Rick Warren is the founding pastor. You know I subscribe to Proverbs 18:13, so I'll reserve my conference relections for AFTER it's over. For now, what about the Nazareth effect? (Can anything good come from Saddleback?)

The reactions to the "Purpose Driven" model have been all over the map. I'm not getting it - I probably don't agree with Warren about some things he says, thinks, or does. (Nothing comes to mind at the moment, but I am sure I could come up with something if I did some nit-picking.) There is an incredible amount of what he teaches that has been instructive and convicting. I appreciate his labor of capturing biblical truth in simple, memorable language. Listening to him has encouraged me to be faithful and purposeful in the ministry God has entrusted to me. If "you will know them by their fruits," his cherry orchard looks pretty good.

Doesn't the criticism mask a conceit: "Unless Rick Warren thinks, does, and says exactly what I think do, and say, he is unworthy to be your teacher." Isn't this just another way of saying, "Bring in the clones - I alone can teach you, except when you find an exact duplicate of me." Serious measures are called for by factionalism and heresy. I am not hearing that here at Saddleback. So, I am taking my cue from the Bereans, searching the Sciptures and gobbling up all the truth I can find. It's kind of like eating bing cherries off the tree - You savor the fruit and spit out the pits. Sweet!

Bricks, Spirit, and Truth

Cynthia Ware's Question: For whom should a church building be designed? My response: I wonder if we are asking the best question. Is there a deeper issue?

One of the heated debates in Palestine at the time of Jesus concerned the “proper location” for worship. Mount Gerizim and Mount Zion were the two contenders. The worship in both locations was flawed. Mount Gerizim represented a form of worship that did not honor the truth, ie, the Samaritans worshiped what they did not know. In Jerusalem, it was only marginally better. By all accounts, they had a killer facility. And they had the truth, the Old Testament. But their response, particularly from leadership, was laced with hypocrisy. They did not worship from the inside out, but went through the routine while “their hearts are far from Me.”

This is what makes Jesus' remarks to the “woman at the well” so poignant: Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. ...But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth”(John 4:21-24).

I am not disparaging the importance of architectural and physical factors. Anything that gets in the way of true worship has got to go. But, Jesus is saying that “now worship” transcends the limitations of facilities and locations. Let’s be careful not to become pre-occupied with architecture.

Some years back, I attended a worship service in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. I have never experienced a worship service that was more moving, more vibrant, more ALIVE. Nothing about the facility was remarkable. By western standards, it was appallingly inadequate. But God was working, and the building didn’t matter. Let’s make our buildings work, but let’s be unceasing in our appeals for God to work - through the truth, in our hearts!

Sheep Power or Sheepish Behavior

We need shepherds who shep. But we also need sheep who know the difference between being good sheep and bad sheep. If you have downloaded the notes on Shepherdology, you will notice on page 20 a compilation of what the New Testament outlines for good sheep. Here are the key passages:

• But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another (1 Thess. 5:12-13).
• The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching (1 Tim. 5:17).
• Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith (Heb. 13:7).
• Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you (Heb. 13:17).

There may come an occasion when a shepherd crosses the line. That's when 1 Tim. 5:20-22 comes into play - a shepherd in sin should be publicly rebuked and privately restored. But the passages above outline the DEFAULT response of sheep. So unless a shepherd is involved in sin, here is what God expects of sheep toward their shepherds:

1. Appreciate them - Find ways (both in words and deeds) to register your gratefulness for specific ways in which their shepherding has promoted your good.
2. Esteem them very highly in love / consider them worthy of honor - View their ministry as a great asset. Take every opportunity to receive the benefit of their instruction and guidance.
3. Imitate their faith - Discover what makes their faith tick. Study their example. Export principles for living from their life to yours.
4. Obey them - On those occasions when they feel compelled to issue a directive, take it seriously. They wouldn't do this, if they didn't feel it necessary.
5. Submit to them - And don't just comply with a directive while maintaining a grumbling spirit. Take what they say to heart and follow through with a happy spirit.
6. Let them lead you with joy and not with grief - It is possible for sheep to make a shepherd's life pure misery. But sheep can also make a shepherd's life PURE JOY! How? By responding to God with passion and consistency. When I see people in my flock going all out for God, it puts the bounce in my bungee. That's when ministry is FUN!

Did you catch the last sentence in Heb. 13:17?  When sheep adopt this default position toward their shepherds, they actually promote their own good. There are far too many tales out there of sheep who bite. When they do, they make shepherding a pain and thereby diminish their own prospects for progress in the faith. Do yourself a favor. Find ways to use the six antidotes above; Use your sheep powers to transform the service of your spiritual leaders into something that gives them great joy. You'll be amazed at the difference it makes in your own walk with God!

Is there a shepherd in the house?

WHAT YOU SAID: "Would you be willing to serve the congregation as a shepherd?" WHAT THEY HEARD: "How would you like to attend lots of meetings and belabor mundane decisions?" The disconnect betrays the fact that understanding and appreciating what it means to be the shepherd of a local fellowship is waning.

Doing church "American style" has devalued the role of the shepherd in favor of innovative visionaries, dynamic leaders, and charismatic speakers. I bucked this trend by leading a shepherdology retreat this weekend and here is a complete set of my notes on New Testament Shepherdology. It unpacks the ten primary NT passages where the nature, responsibilities, methods, and qualifications of local church shepherds are discussed in depth. You can't read through this biblical material without drawing a conclusion: When local church shepherds are not present or are failing to fulfill their biblical responsibilities, the spiritual welfare of the flock is jeopardized. When these assignments are faithfully carried out, church health and productivity are promoted.

At Collierville Bible Church, the responsibility of shepherding the flock is vested in men called "elders," a group that includes paid and lay pastors. But regardless of the form of church polity at your church and what you call your shepherds, you still need them. It is interesting that nowhere in the Bible does it require "lots of meetings and belabored decisions" from its shepherds. There is nothing intrinsically wrong with meetings. But the real work of such men is accomplished outside the board room and in positive engagement with people. If a conference table is used infrequently because shepherds are actively engaged with their flock promoting their spiritual welfare, that is a healthy neglect. Viva, less board meetings! Viva, shepherds who shep!

Well Known or Well Thought Of?

I can't help myself- I find the "AI Effect" fascinating. You may not know it by this term, but I suspect you recognize it. When I watch the first stage of American Idol (AI) where they do auditions at US cities, I am not seeing anything new - mostly a steady stream of remarkably bad singers (or can't singers) who believe (can they really be serious?) they are THE NEXT AMERICAN IDOL.

I don't know what diagnosis to give this - is this a delusion? Or do they suspect, in the secret recesses of their hearts, that Simon just may be right, despite all their invective to the contrary? Can the antics these people with marginal talent (I am too kind!) are going through be anything more than just that, antics?

I think the answer lies in understanding the "AI Effect," which is a transcendent longing to be well known. Grown men and women who ought to know better are willing to make a spectacle of themselves in the hope that, for at least a few moments, they will be seen and heard by millions. For many contestants, this force is so powerful that it overwhelms their ability to ask a simple question: For what am I well-known?  Because of the AI Effect, a vital connection escapes them. They are not well thought of, and their efforts have only succeeded in EXPONENTIALLY EXPANDING THE CIRCLE OF THOSE WHO THINK SO!

The AI Effect can be observed in many venues around us, notably You Tube. The local church is not immune to it. It is easy to think that the challenge before us is to be well known. We could invest lots of dollars in an advertising budget and publicity campaigns to "put CBC on the map."  But of much greater significance is the question, "For what are we known?" Churches in our community have become well-known, but for the wrong reasons, most of them related to schisms and splits. Our challenge is not to be well known but to be well thought of. Our energies are well spent when they are directed at becoming people worth knowing, people with whom an association is genuinely beneficial, precisely because we are servants of God.

Jesus once addressed a church in Asia minor with these words, “I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1). This church had a reputation; it was well known; it was regarded as a "church on the map." The sad and sober reality was captured in this assessment: The church in Sardis is dead!

I plan to focus my energies on being someone worth knowing because I make God look good. How about you? Do good in the name of Jesus to all with whom you come in contact. You might not be known by millions, but those who do will consider it, and the God whom you serve, a blessing.

Is one more seeker-sensitive church needed?

Someone suggested in a recent conversation: "Maybe we need to become more of a seeker driven church?" I don't think so! This approach to ministry was pioneered by Rick Warren (Rick would call his approach "seeker sensitive") and Bill Hybels (who would use the term, "seeker driven"). The franchise has been emulated by thousands of churches in America and around the world.

These men have received a lot of criticism from the established church, but let me be clear that my aversion to their approach is not about these concerns. I am grateful for thousands who have come to Christ through the ministries of Saddleback, Willow, and other churches like them. Collierville Bible Church has had the privilege to grow saints who first embraced their Savior through these ministries.

My hesitation to emulate their model is more about a sense of God's calling for our church. I doubt that our modest fellowship could muster the kind of budget and program upon which this approach to ministry depends. But even if we could, do we really need one more church that is trying to do the same thing all the other seeker sensitive churches are doing? Do we really need another church that, because of resource constraints, is doing a so-so job of emulating the franchise when there are lots of other churches that are doing it well?

I don't think this is God's calling for our church. He is directing us to a "makers of disciple-makers" model that is not gauged by its success at "attracting a crowd," but by its ability to mobilize a core of disciple-makers. This is a model that is neither constrained by budgets nor limited in opportunities. Its fundamental challenge, according to Jesus, is a shortage of skilled and motivated labor.

As I consider the many churches in the seeker driven franchise, I view them as prolific birth and delivery centers. I am grateful for all the new births. Unfortunately, way too many saints are spending way too much time in the nursery as receivers. They are provided with a steady flow of goods and services. They "grow" into consumers. We see row upon row of those clear plastic baby tubs on hospital carts - they stretch as far as the eye can see. Who will get these babes out of their bassinets?

What we need is one more church that will help these babes become mature and productive givers. We need a church that will challenge the Christian consumerism that has become the norm. We need one more church that will affirm the destiny and calling of every babe to be made complete in Christ, to become a producer, to bear much fruit, and to reproduce. It is the longing of my heart for us to become one such church. We exist to mobilize hands for the harvest.

Oaks Without Acorns Pt. 1 of 2

I am surrounded!  There are massive 50-100' tall giants encircling my home and they can get pretty rowdy when the wind kicks up.  They are oak trees and there is a distinct difference between the young and the mature.  Only mature oaks bear acorns.  I mention this because I am struck by a connection between these big fellas and what I consider a giant problem in the church.  First, a little background.

Let's think hypothetically about strategy for our earthly mission.  Jesus has left us on planet earth to make disciples.  Suppose you had 100 devoted followers of Jesus Christ.  They are the real thing.  They are trusting Jesus for their salvation, earnestly listening to Him, submitting to His agenda, and becoming like Him.  Using strategy one ("maximum outreach") they commit themselves to evangelism and each determine to win one person to Jesus EVERY WEEK for the next 20 years.  If successful, there would be over 100,000 people in heaven who would have reason to thank the original 100.

Now suppose we change to a multiplication strategy.  Instead of having each of our 100 bring someone to Christ every week, we ask them to only win one person per year.  But, in addition to helping someone respond to the Gospel, they work for one year with each new convert to duplicate themselves!  This original 100 would seek out the lost, call them to their Savior and Lord, help them grow into His likeness, and equip them to go make disciples using the one-a-year plan.  Here's the stunning product:  If 100 disciple-makers duplicated themselves once every year, in 20 years there would be over 43 MILLION people saved for eternity.  Our original 100 would only have to disciple 20 people apiece in the span of 20 years - doesn't seem too daunting, but the results are stunning.

Let's try the Jesus plan.  He invested in 12 men over a period of 3 years.  One of those 12 bailed before graduation, but the other 11 were ready at the end of three years to duplicate the investment Jesus had made in them by doing likewise for others.  So if our 100 disciple-makers used this plan and each duplicated themselves in 11 others every three years, in 21 years there would be almost 1.7 BILLION people who would be able to say to that original 100, "Thank you!  You are part of the reason why I am here in heaven."  Our original 100 would only have to disciple 77 people apiece in the span of 21 years - very challenging but not impossible.

Now, I realize that this hypothetical case is not reality.  Working in hard soil; crossing cultural barriers; the requirement of "pre-evangelism" for societies where God is unknown - these would be significant impediments.  But despite the limitations of my projection, it is still capable of making this profound point:  If a very small number were committed to following Jesus' disciple-making strategy, they could quickly make a breath-taking, even world changing, difference.

I read that last sentence, compare it to what I know about this real world, and I gasp, "Something is terribly wrong."  There are millions who name the name of Jesus.  If even 1% of those millions were working the Jesus plan, the WORLD WOULD BE CHANGED IN SHORT ORDER!  But I don't see anything like a movement in which over a billion become disciples of Jesus within the span of a generation.  What am I to conclude except that among the masses who name the name of Jesus, we cannot seem to muster a mere 100 people who will devote 21 years to making disciples like Jesus?  What am I to say except, "We have a shockingly serious problem?"

Can this problem be fixed?  Let's talk about it on Monday.  If you would like a down-loadable version of the chart, go to the "pretty good downloads" page for a PDF version you can mount on your wall.

Fractures in the Franchise

During our recent extended vacation, we attended church #3 on the 2006 CR list of most influential churches.  (By the way, notice that former Collierville Bible Church youth pastor, Tim Lundy, is leading church #26 on the list - way to go, Tim!) We also attended several other mega-churches that are following the paradigm pioneered by churches like Willow and Saddleback, the trend setters emulated by thousands of contemporary churches across the globe.  Because so many churches draw from this model, it is significant that an important Willow insider like Greg Hawkins has uncovered a disturbing truth.  Hawkin's report, according to Bill Hybels, is a shocker and capable of producing sleepless nights for pastors, including himself.

I applaud Willow Creek for being willing to ask tough questions of themselves.  The book which captures insights from the study, titled Reveal, Where are You?, promises to send shock-waves of paradigm shift throughout the franchise.  I find Reveal interesting as an explanation for the numbers of mega-church refugees who come to Collierville Bible Church longing to go deeper with God.  I wonder if it will also become for thousands of churches the "next big thing."

FJF - They're Back!

Last Friday, the "Free Java Friday" (FJF) team was back in action serving coffee and cocoa to the community.  (About half of the team is pictured to the left.)  The drive-up kiosk was open from 7-9 AM on the CBC main campus, and a walk-up station was located at the main crosswalk for Crosswinds Elementary before school.  A quality product, friendly service, and ready smiles - they offer it for free with "no strings attached."  Next Friday, teams will be covering the same locations in the morning plus adding "pre-game" coffee and cocoa service in the evening - There will be two FJF kiosks near the entrance to the Collierville High School football game. 

But you gotta ask, "What is the point of serving coffee and cocoa FOR FREE to people from the community?"  This is not about fund-raising.  Although the labor is all volunteer, there are costs for materials.  Since no donations are accepted, we are "losing" money on this ministry.  It's also not about marketing our ministry.  There are no signs for Collierville Bible Church and volunteers are not using this as a way to leverage conversations toward church attendance.  (We do give people an info card on the church if they ask, but that's not the goal.)

It IS about demonstrating the love of Christ in a practical way.  God's love is not something deserved; it's not something that can be earned.  So FJF is about demonstrating in a very practical and basic way what that kind of unmerited love looks like.  FJF is also about engaging our community through conversation.  Too often, the church becomes isolated and ingrown.  We like the fact that something as simple as a free cup of "Raspberry Truffle Cocoa with Whip Cream" can give us an opportunity to chat and get acquainted with our neighbors.  We love learning about people, their lives, and the challenges they're facing.  We think that this is what Jesus did well and we like the way that FJF allows us to follow in his footsteps and cultivate opportunities to minister beyond the walls of our church.

What Church is Emerging? Pt. 5 of 5

Pascal once said, "Every man is almost always led to believe not through proof, but through that which is attractive."  There is disagreement about whether this is as it should be - Pascal himself considered beauty a "base" path to belief.  But I think his statement captures the dynamic behind the emergent church movement.  The evangelical church has been accused, and I think to some extent justly, of championing confessional purity while neglecting genuine heart/life change.  The emergent church seems a reaction to those who are perceived as saying they have all the answers but whose unchanged lives betray their words.  I do not disagree with this critique.

The solution to this condition is something about which we disagree.  For the emergent church, the solution is found in swinging the pendulum from truth to heart/life.  For me, the solution lies in recognizing the importance and inextricability of both.  We may not have all the answers, but we do have answers, answers to the most important of questions.  We must boldly and clearly proclaim those answers.  But, the authenticity of our message is damaged when the lives of its champions are singularly unattractive.  When the truth is delivered with pride and arrogance; when the lives of those extolling its virtues are plain and unbecoming; in short, where the beauty of the truth cannot be seen, we have become a liability to another's belief.  The truth still must be believed, but now it must be believed in spite of us, rather than because of us.

I witness in the emergent church a shot across the bow, a warning:  Unless we show the beauty of the truth - the freedom, joy, and grace of the transformed life made possible by Jesus and Jesus alone - then we will eventually have nothing to say.  We will reside in a great Christian rest home, mumbling to ourselves what outsiders view as inane prattle.  We may have something worth hearing, but we will not have earned the right to be heard.

So here's my bottom line!  I am propelled all the more to learn from God's Word in my heart and in my mind!  I want Proverbs 22:17-21 to define my approach to the Bible.  Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; For it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, that they may be ready on your lips.  So that your trust may be in the Lord, I have taught you today, even you.  Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, to make you know the certainty of the words of truth that you may correctly answer to him who sent you?  I want my behavior to commend to all men the Jesus for whom I live.  I want that life in Jesus to be informed by principles from God's Word which have become my own heartbeat, the fuel for bold and winsome faith, and the words by which to impart life to others.

What Church is Emerging? Pt. 4 of 5

Okay, let's get to the heart of the matter.  Is Brian McLaren's Exposition of John 14:6 sound?  There is one interpretive issue and one theological issue that require comment.

First, McLaren proposes that when Jesus says "no one comes to the Father, but through Me," the "no one" to which Jesus refers are the eleven disciples reclining at table with Him (pp. 9-10).  He believes that this is the meaning which best fits the context.  There are two problems with this view:  (1) Jesus did not use a second person construction in 14:6.  He says "no one comes" not "none of you come."  The fact that He does not use "you" in John 14:6 tells us that He is making a statement that is applicable to a broader audience.  It is relevant to the eleven, but also to a larger circle of which they are but a part.

(Here's an optional note for those with an interest in the original language:  In Greek, a verb is inflected according to person and number and a subject pronoun is thereby embedded in the verb.  The addition of a subject noun or pronoun, especially in an initial position, identifies and/or emphasizes the subject.  If Jesus intended to refer to the disciples, He would do so using a verb form that is inflected with a second person ending and, for emphasis, would place a second person pronoun in an emphatic initial position - See the very next verse where the verb form has been inflected to the second person because Jesus is making a statement that is relevant to the eleven.)   

(2) Jesus himself identifies this larger circle.  In the prayer found in John 17 (which is part of a single literary and narrative unit that spans chapters 13-17), Jesus indicates that His thoughts on this evening have not only been on the eleven but "those also who believe in Me through their word" (John 17:20).  It seems clear to me that when Jesus says "no one comes to the Father, but through Me," He is making a general statement.  The breadth of its applicability perfectly fits with Jesus' concern for all believers expressed later on this very night.

Does this conclusion run rough-shod over McLaren's contextual considerations?  I don't think so.  McLaren is using "context" to limit the applicability of Jesus' statement to only those physically present at the time it was uttered.  I would simply note that (1) Jesus sometimes answers a question by citing a principle that has relevance to more than the specific occasion or audience that raised the question.  Sometimes the answer Jesus gives is bigger than the question.  (2) Further, John, the writer of this gospel, informs us that he is intentionally selecting narrative material that pertains to believers in general. 

Simply put, "no one" in John 14:6 means no one!  Here's an example.  If a child says to his assembled playmates, "no one may come into my tree-house," his meaning is clear.  He is not limiting his exclusion to only those present.  He wants no one, including but not limited to present company, to stay out of his tree-house.

Now let's consider the second issue, the theological one.  McLaren suggests that the traditional view of John 14:6 is at odds with 14:9 which he considers the "dynamic core" of this passage.  He says of verse 9:  "Here the irony becomes nearly unbearable (to me), as we contrast this statement with the conventional interpretation of verse 6" (p. 11).  He is saying that 14:6 cannot possibly be about "exclusion" when 14:9 is such a clear declaration of a "theology of inclusion."  (This term is not his, but I think it captures the idea.)  So this objection to the traditional view of John 14:6 is more theological - it is based upon a doctrine which McLaren finds outside of 14:6 which limits how it should be understood.  In all fairness, "Scripture interprets Scripture" is a recognized principle of biblical interpretation.  Is it applicable here? 

McLaren believes that "Jesus way has been compassion, healing, acceptance, forgiveness, inclusion, and love from beginning to end" (p. 11).  I do not disagree that Jesus' earthly ministry was the perfect personification of love.  But for McLaren, a "theology of inclusion" and the "exclusivity of Christ" are mutually exclusive.  They are like two roads headed in opposite directions.

Scripture finds no contradiction between the fact of Jesus' proactive love and His exclusivity as mediator.  Note the interplay and complementarity of these two themes in 1 Tim. 2:4-5:  "[God] desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."  Theme One:  God earnestly seeks the salvation of all men.  Theme Two:  Jesus alone is the mediator who can reconcile all men to God.

So, this looks like a case where McLaren is seeing a conflict that Scripture does not!  Indeed, a passage like 1 Tim. 2:4-5 provides a reasonable explanation for the ardency of Jesus' unprejudiced pursuit of all men.  He is the sole and sufficient solution to their greatest problem!

Bottom line:  I remain convinced that John 14:6 is a simple and clear declaration of the need for all men to come to Jesus as their Savior.

What Church is Emerging? Pt. 3 of 5

In his article, entitled A Reading of John 14:6, Brian McLaren presents an alternative view on a biblical passage often used to affirm the "exclusivity of Christ."  This article concerns something significant. 

What does it mean to be an "evangelical Christian?"  Here's my basic two-part definition:  An evangelical Christian (1) believes that salvation from sin is only found in a personal relationship with Jesus as his Savior and (2) is committed to making this good news known to all men.  If Brian McLaren's analysis of John 14:6 is sound, then a key passage that has been much used to support the evangelical position has been taken from the table.  This is not small potatoes!

I agree with Mr. McLaren that a consideration of context is critical to the process of biblical interpretation (pp. 3-4).  But I think this appreciation for context must have more nuance to it by recognizing the interplay between authorial intent and context.  In John 20:30-31, John expressly declares his intentions:  "Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." John is doing more than simply recounting a series of events.  He has selected material which can be used for maximum effect, that those reading his account may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.

I agree that it is valuable to ask, what did Jesus' words mean to the disciples?  I would add that it is also valuable and necessary to ask, what did John intend his readers (us included) to understand from his account? Remember that John is writing as an elder statesman of the 1st century church, one in a great position to help men understand things taught by Jesus but not originally grasped by his disciples, himself included!  Bottom line:  We ought to be open to the possibility that Jesus' answer is bigger, more far-reaching, than the question which prompted it.  The author of the Gospel of John tells us that is precisely his purpose.

On page 10, McLaren summarizes John 14:6:  "Guys, its not about knowing information, techniques, directions, and or instructions:  its about knowing me, trusting me!"  I agree unequivocally about the centrality of knowing Jesus!  It does not matter what a man knows - if he doesn't know Jesus, he doesn't know what matters!  That being said, pages 9-10 could easily be construed by some (McLaren, too?) to suggest that knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus oppose each other.  How is it possible to know Jesus without knowing some information about Jesus?  In John 20:30-31, John expressly identifies some information about Jesus that must be believed, namely, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  So, I think it more balanced to say that knowing Jesus is like a lens that does not oppose information, techniques, directions, and instructions, but which makes all of them come into their proper focus with Him in the center.