The Christian Life - Part VI - The Cult of Nonchalance

There is a pervasive issue within the church today, and it has been propogated by the leaders of the church; it is the cult of nonchalance. We have become so laissez faire in our approach to the worship of the Creator of the Universe that we have robbed our young of the joy of worshipping a Transcendent God.

You see this everywhere -- it closely ties into the Cult of Revelevance (see post), and is directly tied to the pastor's attitude towards worship. We see this more and more, with men who try to be relevant by being nonchalant in their approach to God, appearing, for all intents and purposes to be disdainful of God. They think that this will make people feel comfortable at their church (as if that was the main purpose of the church!).

The problem extends from their dress to their words, to their overall attitude. I know that many an argument has been started and hard-fought regarding dress and words, but before we start that here, listen to what I am saying:

1. I fully realize that what one wears to church is not an indicator of their salvation -- but I also realize that clothes say much about attitudes. Before anyone gets up in a huff about this, let me say that our church is full of bikers, and they come in leathers and jeans, and I have no problem with that -- however, I am fairly concerned about women who show up braless with tight blouses, and low cut jeans showing off their mid-section. I am concerned about men who show up with a 'F--- Corporate Rock' T-shirt; the deacons (one of which is a biker who is usually dressed in jeans and leather), have been known to say something to people who come in dressed in such a manner. Now, when a person first comes to our church, we do not say anything, but through our teaching and guiding we expect people to pick up the idea of what is proper and what is not proper.

2. When people are standing around in the church and talking like they are out on the forecastle of a ship with their Navy buddies, we have been known to say things about it. Why? Because we are trying to get people to realize that there is a proper way to approach God; much to the surprise (I am sure) of many a pastor, Jesus is NOT our homeboy, nor is He our buddy we swap dirty jokes with! Again, words do not indicate salvation, but they most CERTAINLY indicate attitude. Now, I have many people who use colorful language to express themselves, especially when they first come to the church -- I mean, many of our folks come in right off the street -- but again, through example, and guidance, we try to show people that there is a proper way for a Christian to act, and talk.

With these two volatile statements being made, I am sure many would not only disagree with me, but would actually think I am hindering evangelism. Funny that one would think that -- I have baptized most of the people at our church, and many of them have come from backgrounds which are generally not evangelized (two of our members were homeless when I met them). This has not hindered evangelism without our community, as a matter of fact, it has caused people to come to the church! Why? Because if they want to be secular, they will find better venues to do so, but many of the people are tired of the world's ways and actually want to join a group of believers who actually are DIFFERENT than the world!

And here is where I have the biggest rub -- a pastor who makes a seven figure salary thinks he is relevant by dressing in torn jeans, and a T-shirt to preach -- when in reality people, ESPECIALLY those who do not know who God is, need to see that He is Holy and Transcendent -- and they do not get that impression when the pastor sounds and looks just like a B-Grade comedian (and most are not even B-grade).

The Cult of Nonchalance is definitely expressed when one walks into a church and thinks that they have stumbled into The Comedy Corner, or a Rock Concert -- somehow we have forgot how we are to approach God. many will say that the unbeliever will feel uncomfortable in a church that actually treats God with the Awe and Respect due Him. Well, I would say GOOD, the unbeliever SHOULD feel uncomfortable during the worship of a Holy God, as should the believer! Ask Isaiah:

Isaiah 6:1-5 -- In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"

Do you see Isaiah's response? Not much like a pastor who turns the pulpit into his own humor pedestal!

Now, you may be saying -- "Well, Ray that is Old Testament -- we live in the New Testament." You are right -- so lets see what happens there:

Luke 5:1-8 -- On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon's, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." And Simon answered, "Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets." And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

Do you see any nonchalance in the attitudes of these men? Now, you may be saying -- What has this to do with our outward actions and appearances?" Well, I think it is a tragedy that Christians in this country have so little respect or awe for God that they show up for corporate worship dressed DOWN -- in clothing they would not wear to work! That reflects an attitude, not of respect, but of disdain. I have worked with and visited many from countries that are dirt poor, and they will WALK for miles on Sunday, dressed in their best attire, to hear the Word of God preached, and we, in the richest country in the history of the world INTENTIONALLY dress as sloppy and casual as we can. Then we talk just like the world talks, and we think somehow we are being relevant -- we are not! We are irrelevent at that point -- people come to church looking for God, and we show them a cheap imitation of the world -- no wonder many do not stay once the novelty wears off!

My friends do not mistake this post as a call for suit and tie Christianity -- it is a call to change our attitudes; this will be reflected in our walk, talk, and appearance. It is not suit and tie Christianity, but it is the concept of offering our bodies as living sacrifices. Whether you wear jeans or a three-piece suit, the bottom line is that we should approach the Lord with respect, and not use our outward appearance as a tool to be relevant; rather we should come to church expecting to meet with a Holy, Transcendent God!

Malachi 1:6-8 -- A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, 'How have we despised your name?' By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, 'How have we polluted you?' By saying that the LORD's table may be despised. When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.

Do you offer the governor, (or your employer), the best while giving God less than that?

Update

You will notice that I have updated my blog 'look and feel' whilst I was upgrading to the NEW BLOGGER.

I am hoping that this is a bit easier to read, hence my purpose in changing the look.

Now, back to the series on Christian Life -- BTW, I will be updating links to other blogs soon...

The Christian Life - Part V - The Cult of Rights

As I stated previously, some of these posts are related -- here you will find that the Cult of Individualism feeds this practice. I know that both the title and the subject matter presented here may be contentious, but I see this going on not only in my church but in several I am associated with.

Here in the US we are obssessed with OUR rights! Now, that may seem wonderful on the face of it, but when I say this, I mean OUR rights to the exclusion of others rights -- in other words, individual 'rights' trump the rights of the many. Our country will continue to wrestle with this, but where it impacts the Body of Christ it needs to be addressed.

This issue stems from the fact that the Christian community has adopted and adapted the world view of the society around it, rather than impacting society with their worldview. So we see that, ofttimes, Christians are some of the more self-centered, and self-absorbed groups around -- now, when I say this I also realize that there are many groups who do not fall into this category, but overall, the Western Church, especially as found in the US struggles mightily with this.

How does it manifest itself? First, and foremost -- in rebellion against God and His Word. I have often heard this -- "I know what it says in the Bible, but I have the right to live my life as I see fit" or "I know that the Bible says I am living in sin, but you just don't understand". More and more Christians look like the world -- in their divorce rate, in their racial discrimination, in their outlook, etc.

The Cult of Rights has been propagated by those who have built large churches around the teaching of self-esteem, and self-love; now some may say that those are hard words, but I have read the books of these pastors, and have heard them speak. They are all about feel-good messages that have no substance, nor impact in the believers life. The Cult of Rights is perpetuated because it is the way to get a large congregation -- but it is in direct conflict with the Word of God.

How do we know that we are affected by the Cult of Rights? Here are a few indicators:

You may be struggling with this if you are living in direct rebellion to God's Word, and rationalize it with the fact that it is 'your right' to do so. (an example would be this -- getting a divorce because you are unhappy, rather than working through it in a Biblical manner -- it is your 'right' in our society to do so, but it is against God's Word. Another example -- obtaining an abortion, because it is a woman's right 'to chose', rather than working through it in a Biblical fashion.)

You may be struggling with this if you, or your church, spends all of its money and time on things that are not advancing the Kingdom of God -- such as the millions spent on increasing the comfort of the edifice that some call the church, while the neighborhood around it crumbles. It is 'your right' to spend the money the way you see fit, however it is not Biblical -- James says that pure and undefiled religion is visiting widows and orphans in their affliction and staying unstained from worldly ways! I live within spitting distance of several of the largest churches around, yet some of them are in neighborhoods where many struggle at subsistence level.

You may be struggling through this if you put yourself before the Body of Christ -- this is a major one -- church has become all about us (see Cult of Individualism), and this has a by-product, the Cult of Rights. In Acts we see the church selling the things they owned to take care of the Body -- in the Modern Church it is uncommon, if not downright extinct, to find people willing to give above their 'ten percent' to help out someone else in the Body. Why? Because, they 'earned' their money, and by golly it is their 'right' to spend it in a way that they see fit!

You may be struggling with this if you are about as ecologically minded as Exxon. This is a contentious one, and that is fine, but we are not called to be squanderers of God's world, but stewards. I am always amazed at how few Christians recycle, or buy recycled, by how many people in the Church think that anyone who eats and lives generally green, are pagans and tree-worshippers. It is as if anyone who actually is trying to live a life that allows for a future (should the Lord tarry), for their children has adopted a pagan outlook, when it reality it is the Christian community which should set the bar for stewarding God's creation! So many Christians that I have talked with, when they find out that I generally shop for green type products, have rolled their eyes and said "And you are a pastor?!" as if somehow doing so put me outside the pale of orthodoxy!

You may be struggling with this if you are all about tax-reform, and welfare-reform. Now, before you go crazy on me, and rant and rave about government waste etc., understand what I am saying -- I am not against either one of those things, but (IMHO) this is what we should be pushing for:

Tax-Reform: Absolutely, but rather than constantly trying to get more money back, what if Christians rallied around the fact that we would gladly pay our taxes if they were used properly, for the care and education of the people. Yes, the government is corrupt, it is a man-centered environment, but we should do our level best to influence it for good. We look like Ebenezer Scrooge when the 'Christian Coalition' goes on TV and never once mentions Christ and His redeeming work, but focuses on how much money the government wastes, and how we want it back. We should absolutely focus on government waste, but then present ways to use it more wisely, and for the benefit of the people who need it. Tragically, the 'Christian Coalition' is less Christian, and more coalition -- basically it has become a hack for the Republican party.

Welfare-Reform: This goes hand-in-hand with the tax reform issue. We want people off the welfare rolls, and I am right there with those who say that; but let me ask you, what is your church doing to actively assist? This area used to be the bailiwick of the Church, but when she stopped performing this task, the government took over, and like all governmental things, they did a mediocre job. Stop blaming the government, and adopt a family -- help them by not only providing for them physically, but spiritually -- we have done that in a few cases and the results have been remarkable! Again, the church rallies behind a political party and rants about 'their money' and how it is being wasted on Godless things/people, but can we honestly say that we are spending our money more Godly than the government?

What if the government took the position of saying that the church can keep its tax-exempt status only if it contributes to the good of the society by taking in a family, or families (you could base this on the size of the church), and helping them to get off the welfare system? Or if they had a sliding scale that enabled the church to be tax-exempt to a certain percentage, based upon their work with the local 'widows and orphans', or to the degree to which they maintained a sustainable system of recycle etc.? I know that these are simply rough ideas thrown out for consideration, so please don't comment on how impractical they are -- they should be considered starting points, not finished thoughts.

We need to get over ourselves, and our newfound political power/rights, and do something that doesn't involve us strengthening our position as the guardians of the world system -- it is corrupt, and we, who are in the Kingdom of God, need to pursuing God's agenda rather than furthering our own, and our favorite political party's ends!

Let me add this caveat as I inevitably get a comment when this is discussed: I am not saying that we divorce ourselves from the political process, rather I am saying that we work within the system to do God's work, and stop building ourselves up.

So how can we start? Well how about this:

Romans 12:1-3;13-21

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned....
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be conceited. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Brothers and sisters -- this passage and many others like it tell us to do the exact opposite of the Cult of Rights propogated by the modern churches and para-church organizations. We are to be self-sacrificing, humble, and peaceable; not rights-minded, rude, wasteful and arrogant!

Every time the church has gotten obssessed with its 'rights' throughout history, corruption was not far behind! Let us begin to work for the advancement of God's Kingdom, and spend less time fortifying our position, and screaming about 'our rights'.

The Chrisian Life -- Part IV -- The Cult of Technology

Some may balk at the title of this one -- "WHAT cult of Technology; should we not use modern methods in our church?" No, this is not what I am saying -- this post addresses the fascination with, and adoration of, technology within the church. You see this quite often -- "Now we have bluetooth and wireless for your enjoyment during the sermon." Oh, you mean instead of actually listening to God's Word being taught, and interacting with others in the Body?

Some would argue that having these conveniences makes it easier for people to 'share' in the teaching and preaching of God's Word by being able to download the sermon notes RIGHT TO THEIR LAPTOP! I would say that the danger of technology is (at least) two-fold:

First -- technology does not bring people together in a true sense of the word (I don't say this in isolation, I work in the technology field); most often it is a cheap imitation of being in fellowship -- I know, I know, here I sit posting on a blog, and I have developed some wonderful friendships via this medium -- I do not deny that -- but I believe that TRUE and LASTING accountability and friendships should be EXPERIENCED in the real world, and not the ether-world. I look forward to meeting up with, and spending time with my blog-friends sometime in the future; I feel that only then will we know each other in the truest sense of the word.

Also, those who are busily pounding away on their keyboard, or following the ppt presentation are NOT interacting with others around them -- it is like many individuals and strangers sitting in the same room. Instead of coming together to worship corporately, we now have 'internet cafe's' disguised as churches. And don't fool yourself, many of the younger folks are IMing, or gaming!

Secondly -- I have been to churches that have elevated technology to an idol; the means have become more important than the end. In other words -- a preacher will use technology to get a specific reaction, or to surprise and shock the gathered Body, rather than using the Word of God to transform the souls of the people. I have literally been to places where the primary topic of discussion by the pastor was the latest and greatest technology that they were employing to 'reach the lost'. (I will write more on this in a future post).

I believe that some churches would have to shut their doors if they lost power for an extended period during a service! And yet, the persecuted church in China sings in whispered hushes whilst hidden in a dank, dark basement cave, and they worship just fine without even a single powerpoint slide! What of the church in Africa? They often gather in a hut without power, or for that matter, even walls! And the singing, oh my word, what singing! And my friends in India gather in open areas worshipping (for HOURS) without the aid of a single wireless connection!

I am NOT saying that the use of technology is wrong, or unbiblical, but I am saying that it is profoundly unbiblical to elevate it to a 'golden calf'.

This is where my friends in the 'simple church' movement have so opened my eyes and been wonderful sounding boards -- they believe that we have become far too infatuated with the 'trappings' of the modern church, and far too disinterested in the transforming message of the Gospel and the healthy life of the Body!

I agree -- and while we may disagree on some of the finer points, I truly believe that the simple church groups have tapped into what the early church was about -- worshipping God in simplicity, not disguising or obliterating the message with the use of glitz and glitter; raising the 'entertainment bar' so that every week a church has to outdo its whiz-bang from the previous week.

So, before you comment about how technology is being used in a wonderful way at your church, please reread this post -- I will reiterate -- Technology, in and of itself, is not a problem, it is the adoration and idolizing of technology which crosses the line! I cannot speak for simple church folks, but I bet some of them use technology in their gatherings; however, from what I understand, they do not allow it to become the focus of the gathering, nor should we!

We should be about the business of proclaiming the Gospel, and we should actively be involved in meaningful fellowship with other believers -- let's turn off our computers for a few hours every Sunday so that we can focus on Christ and His finished work on the Cross!

The Christian Life - Part III - The Cult of Relevance

Well, as we progress through these posts, we find that they build on one another. We started with the Cult of Personality that raises some pastors to the status of celebrities, with all of the perks, and arrogance of a worldly celebrity. Then we looked at the Cult of Individualism, which causes the body to look like some kind of Frankenstein monster, rather than a beautiful bride being prepared for her wedding.

These two creat another cult -- the Cult of Relevance...

When you have pastors who begin to believe their own press clippings, thinking that they are somehow MORE than simply clay jars that are presenting the awesome message of the Gospel, you then begin to see their desire to be relevant in and of themselves, sometimes to the denigration of the Gospel!

Likewise, when you have people who are taught that church is all about them and their comfort, then these people begin to EXPECT that the message they come to hear will be about them.

Now, these two statements may cause you to wonder -- "Are you saying that our message should be irrelevant?" No, not at all, I am saying that the Cult of Relevance is not interested in the relevance of the Gospel in the lives of Christians, rather, it is interested in MAKING pastors and churches hip, cool and relevant from a worldly perspective, not a Godly perspective.

When you have pastors who think that it is appropriate to 'pitch' their latest book as opposed to preaching from God's Word, then you see the outworking of a worldly relevance. I have so often seen on TV a pastor lifting his book up and making this claim: "If you want to know how you can live a life full of __________ (fill in the blank) then you need my latest tome on XXXX"

When you sing 'worship' songs that use the words; me, us, I, and we, and never use Christ or God, you may be singing a song of relevance. It is about how I am feeling, and what I am going to do, and where I am at right now, as opposed to glorifying God and praising Him.

When you have youth leaders, and pastors who think it is 'cute' or 'relevant' to use common gutter language behind the pulpit, then you may be suffering from the Cult of Relevance as well. I know that many posts and blogwars have been focused around this one aspect of 'relevance', but the truth is that we are to be a people noted for NOT looking and sounding like the world. When we coopt the worlds ways and language, we are making the statement that their ways are somehow more 'relevant' or 'important' than the ways that Christ expounded in the Word. As a matter of fact, the Messiah made it clear that it was what came out of one's mouth that defiled them, not what went into it!

When we have sermons built around the 'Beverly Hillbillies', or 'Everyone Loves Raymond', or 'Mayberry RFD', then you may be relevant, but the message is that the Word of God finds it's relevance in sitcoms, rather than being relevant in and of itself. I have picked up some of these so-called sermons and studies and listened to them -- they are incredibly insipid, and almost devoid of anything that could be called Biblical learning!

When you have movie studios sending out contests that require pastors to do a sermo-mercial in order to win a trip to FLA., then you may be suffering from the Cult of Relevance. I do not fault the movie studios, they are of the world, but I DO fault the pastors who responded to this. And, by the way, there are more and more 'contests' that require sermo-mercials; why? Because they are effective and pastors comply!

So, what can we do about this? Well, here is a good place to start:

Matthew 16:24 - 26 -- Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life?

Romans 16:17, 18 -- I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.

2nd Timothy 3:1 - 6 -- But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions...

You see, if we die to selves, we will be a lot less worried about OUR relevance, and much more concerned about Christ's relevance. We must deacrease, and He must increase. As cool as James Brown was (one of my favorites), when he was lying in the casket, he was completely unconcerned about being relevant. Why? Because he was dead! So, if, as Christians we are supposed to be dead to self, why are we so consumed with being relevant in and of ourselves?

Notice that in the Romans quote above that we are to watch out for those who use smooth talk and flattery to teach contrary doctrines -- in other words, no matter how 'cool' someone sounds, their words and teaching must pass the litmus test of Biblical truth.

Amd finally, in the 2nd Timothy quote we find that people will become more and more self-centered -- well, what is this Cult of Relevance if not a self-seeking, self-centered attitude of arrogance? "I need to be cool" is the overarching concern of the modern pastor as opposed to "I need to be Godly".

Let us be more concerned with the things of God, and less concerned with the things of this world as we approach God!

The Christian Life - Part II - The Cult of Individualism

This subject has been, or will be broached by many others, I have even previously posted briefly on this, so I am not the definitive word on this, but it certainly is troubling.

Coming from a cultural background where it is so much about community (Jewish), I have been amazed at the impact that the cult of individualism has had on the church. We have churches now that divide the Body into a million little pieces every Sunday. There is a singles worship service, and a young people worship service, and an older persons worship service, and left-handed plumbers service... You get the picture.

Not only do churches have individual worship services, but they also have 'small groups' which are, likewise divided into 'types'. Most larger churches make the statement that the small group is where people really get discipled. Well, that may well be true, but when you divide the body into special groups so that they only interact with like-minded people, how growth-stimulating and discipling can that be?

As an example, we desperately need the wisdom and stability of older Christians (chronologically and spiritually), and the energy and excitement of younger people in the same environment! Many so-called worship services are nothing more than rock concerts, or at the other end, funeral dirges recalling past glories; sometimes in the same church building!! And never the twain shall meet -- because it is about YOU YOU YOU, and we would hate for you to have to sit amongst older Christians and actually have to sing a hymn -- likewise, we would hate for our older folks to have to endure being around youngsters... After all, if we had to function as a body, we might shrink below acceptable levels.

The same could be said for race or gender -- some people only attend the men's or women's functions, some people only attend the specific function that appeals directly to them. And this is the Body of Christ spoken of in 1st Corinthians 12?

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

Could you imagine the Messiah having a seperate time of teaching ONLY for fishermen, and then a later time of teaching for the tax collectors, and then a final one for zealots and traitors? No, Messiah taught that the way we loved and cared for one another in the Body was a sign to unbelievers that we were His disciples -- how can that happen when our only interaction at church or in the functions of the church are centered around a group of people that we 'fit in' with? Truly I do find intolerance in the church, and that intolerance is with anyone in the body who does not fit my mold as a Christian.

We no longer come together to worship and love one another and share things and help one another -- we now come to get our weekly dose of ME religion -- replete with MY type of music, MY type of prayers, and of course, MY type of people surrounding me.

And here is the saddest piece of all -- at the forefront, and loudly promoting this is a group of people that we once called pastors. All for the sake of size and comfort we have allowed these leaders to perform amuptation on the body and reduce it to political, racial, gender, or age-based groups of interest -- not the functioning Body of Christ that Paul references in his letters.

Here is something you should do -- go read the book of Acts, see how the early church functioned -- They spent time together as a family, sharing their things, and caring for one another -- they were not perfect as Acts points out, but they were much more like a functioning Body than the modern US church!

The Christian Life - Part I - Cult of Personality

As I stated in my last post, I want to take a look at the Evangelical community within the West, and comment on some of the trends that I find to be disturbing.

The first one I want to address is the 'Cult of Personality' that surrounds many of the better known pastors. One cannot make an observation about a well-known pastor without a counter-site popping up 'protect' the pastor in question.

We should be berean in our approach to anything that is said regarding our faith, regardless of who said it. When there are pastors out there that cannot make a simple gospel presentation, it SHOULD be duly noted, and corrected. Especially when these men are high-profile, and supposedly the 'voices of modern evangelicalism'.

Their own supporters should be the first to ask these men to clarify their public statements. No one is immune from making a gaffe, and we should therefore temper our comments in the light that all can make a mistake; however it is incumbent for us, as Christians, to ensure that those who supposedly represent Christ, actually DO represent Him!

Let me give you an illustration of this Cult of Personality, Pastor-Elevating culture we live in:

Here is a standard bio for a pastor (it is no one in particular, but is culled from a number of bios) -- "Pastor John Doe is a cutting-edge, straight forward communicator whose creative teaching methods are making a huge impact in today's society. He is the founding and Senior Pastor of ACME Church. The church has fifteen campus' nationwide. Pastor John is a visionary, whose entrepreneurial efforts have changed the face of the modern church. Pastor John was also named Time's Man of the Year two years running, and he is the author of more than forty bestselling books."

Do you see anything in this bio (again, a composite) that points to Christ, or to this man's qualifications to be an undershepherd of God's flock? I mean, this could be Anothony Robbins bio, as opposed to a man of God (not saying anything about Robbins, but even he does not promote himself as a pastor!). We have become fascinated with bios, and books, and 'cutting-edge' communications, and have left important things such as Biblical Knowledge, or Prayer Life, or a Pastor's Heart in the dumpster. A man is now successful if his church is bigger than XX, regardless of whether or not his life reflects Christ's at all!

Now I want to say that I am all for reaching the lost, and reaching out, but when we have men who strut about with their 'fan-club', promoting their latest book and teaching methods, what we DON'T have are people who are role models for Christians. How a pastor lives is as much a part of his teaching as what he says; and many of the modern popular preachers do not reflect the life of one who has died to self, and now lives for Christ. What the lost need more than another self-help method is the transforming power of the Spirit in their life, and they need to see people modeling that same Spirit in their lives.

Let me compare the above bio with this bio -- And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1st Corinthians 2:1-5

When we are all about self-promoting, we are (at best) not promoting Christ as Lord and Savior, and (at worse) promoting self-dependence w/o Christ.

Before anyone comments about this, let me say that pastors and leaders in the church are due honor, yes, but honor that they get from PROPERLY teaching and preaching the Word -- not just because they carry a title. I know people without any title at all that I give respect to because of their teaching and the fact that their lives reflect God's transforming power; likewise, I know men who call themselves pastors who do not deserve any honor at all.

Series - The Life of a Christian

I am working on a new series that will examine the Evangelical community within the West (primarily in the North American context). I want to look at how we live, how we SHOULD be living, and address some of the things that concern me.

There are many in the blogsphere who have covered this; probably more ably than I will, but I feel compelled to address some of these concerns. One of the reasons is the recent spate of nonsense from many pastors who have encouraged their congregations to not only act like the world but to seek acceptance for their actions from the world! I am not linking to any examples: this tends to polarize the discussion around personalities instead of issues.

There are more and more hi-profile (and, I am sure, low-profile) pastors who seem to think that it is our mandate to become more hip, cool and worldly than our pagan neighbors; all in the name of being 'relevant'. While I agree that being Luddites, and sticking our metaphorical heads in the sand, is incorrect, I also believe that there are many in the so-called evangelical community who have extended the 'relevancy' mindset to condone any type of behavior that gets them press!

The second reason for covering this is the recent, and growing, backlash against Christianity from within the U.S. This is a backlash created, in many ways, by the worldly living of Evangelical leaders who are seeking political, and societal, power, prestige and position. This has caused some within the secular community to overreact. You may read a snippet of this mindset here. While I believe that it is the right and responsibility of Christians to be involved in the democratic process in the U.S., I feel that many have gone well beyond being involved and now are attempting to exhert their nascent 'political muscle', all the while living in a manner which they condemn in their pagan neighbors.

So, with these two items in mind, I now embark on this series. I pray that I will be Godly, Biblical, and even-handed in my posts.

Cheerful Giver Part II

STEWARDSHIP – OLD TESTAMENT-STYLE

In the Old Testament, we find that Abraham was tithing before the Law required him to do so. In Genesis 14, Abraham tithes Melchizedek – why? Was it because he was forced to? No, it was out of gratitude to God. Then we find Jacob, as he flees from his angry brother, having a vision in Beit-El [Genesis 28], and making a vow that everything the Lord gives to him, he will give back a tenth. Again, this is before the requirements found in the Law! These men understood that everything is the Lord’s and by their tithe they were recognizing God's sovereignty. Could you see Abraham saying – “Should I give out of my gross or my net?”

In Deuteronomy 14 we find the Israelites commanded to bring their tithe to the place where God chooses to make His name dwell, (Jerusalem), and they are to eat the tithe of their grain in the presence of the Lord – learning to fear Him. And if they lived too far away, they were to convert their tithe into money and bring it to Jerusalem and then buy whatever they desire and eat it before the Lord and rejoice!

Some may be thinking – “Now, that is more like it, buy what I want and enjoy it, why give to the Church?” If you feel this way, you have missed the point of Deuteronomy 14 – they did this in order that they might be reminded of their total dependence upon the Lord, and in this knowledge of His goodness, they celebrated the tithe with joy and thanksgiving.

Throughout the Law we also find that the tithe was used to support the Priesthood and the upkeep of the Temple, AND to support the downtrodden, poor, orphans and widows. These are the works of ministry! We are not giving our money because God is cash-strapped; He does not need our money -- we are giving to MINISTRIES in order to glorify our God for what HE HAS DONE!

STEWARDSHIP – NEW TESTAMENT-STYLE

There are many who say that tithing is not a New Testament command; that we are not under law, but under grace. They are right – we are under grace, but it is a sad fact that many are so poorly versed in God’s Holy Word that they do not know the fact that under grace, we who could not fulfill the Law, now have it written on our heart. Therefore, tithing as a burden imposed upon the people of God as an act of works is gone, but now, with the Law written on our hearts, we now give out of joy to our God! Remember Romans 12 – we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, which is reasonable service compared to the great gift of our Lord and Savior!

The early church sold what they had and gave to all who had need, this is a little more than the 10% -- as a matter of fact, in many instances in the New Testament, there is no discussion of a tithe, rather there is the example of giving away what you have.

Jesus tells the Pharisees in His great woe to them [Matthew 23], that they tithe mint, cumin and dill, but have neglected the weightier matters of the law. In this passage, He does not say – “No need to tithe”, rather He says, these things you ought to have done, WITHOUT neglecting the other things. For the Pharisees tithing had become a mark of their ‘spirituality'; you see it again in the parable of the Tax Collector and Pharisee who went down to the Temple to pray [Luke 18]. The Pharisee is bragging about his tithing – but is not justified by it! We, who are Christ’s, should know this – we are not justified by our acts, but by faith alone, in Christ alone, through grace alone.

Giving for the New Testament believer is not about fulfilling the law in order to be justified, rather for us, as it was for Abraham, Jacob, David and all of the saints of the Old Testament, it is about recognizing the sovereignty of God over ALL of our resources, and out of gratitude to Him for what He HAS ALREADY DONE, we give to the work in His kingdom!

So many miss that important point – giving in the context of the New Testament is not with an eye to getting something in return, nor is it to do something to chalk up points on our holiness scale, it is because of the continuing grace of God working in our lives, made possible by the finished work of Christ on the Cross!

One should never give out of a compulsion that is man-centered, but only out of a spirit that is God-centered. 2nd Corinthians 9:6 is one of the most abused passages regarding giving – televangelists will tell you that you are to give to get, and they will tell you that it is verified in 2nd Corinthians. This is obviously one of those proof-texts that people love to extract from its setting and use as a tool to manipulate the base attitude of greed in the heart of man. Yet, when put in its context, this passage says that we give out of a cheerful heart, through the grace of God, not under compulsion; and ultimately for the glory of God, NOT to increase our coffers. We will have benefits, absolutely, but they are benefits in line with the Kingdom of God. That does not mean that one might not be blessed financially, but if you are giving for that reason, you may well be sorely disappointed.

Our true treasure is found in Christ, and God has ALREADY blessed us beyond our understanding, on a hill called Calvary, 2000 years ago. It is the finished work of Christ that is the ground of all our blessings, NOT THINGS. As Paul says in 1st Corinthians 2:9 -- "...no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him"…

The Cheerful Giver

As David came to Ornan, Ornan looked and saw David and went out from the threshing floor and paid homage to David with his face to the ground. And David said to Ornan, "Give me the site of the threshing floor that I may build on it an altar to the LORD--give it to me at its full price--that the plague may be averted from the people." Then Ornan said to David, "Take it, and let my lord the king do what seems good to him. See, I give the oxen for burnt offerings and the threshing sledges for the wood and the wheat for a grain offering; I give it all." But King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will buy them for the full price. I will not take for the LORD what is yours, nor offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing."

~ 1st Chronicles 21:21 – 24 ~

The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah. Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! Selah.

~ Psalm 24 ~

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

~ Romans 12:1 ~

I recently posted on the servant's heart and I thought I would complete the short series with a couple of posts on giving. There are a few more thoughts running around in my head, and may post them at a later date.

True servants of God are ones whose hearts have been transformed by the Spirit of God. We cannot ‘work’ our way into a servant’s heart – oh, we can put on a façade that LOOKS like a servant’s role, but the Lord examines the heart, not the outward actions – ask Saul who thought he could placate God by sacrificing the best animals of Amalek – it cost him the kingdom; maybe you could ask Ananias and Sapphira – they thought that their outwardly magnanimous gift would elevate them in the eyes of the embryonic Church; instead, they were truly slain by the Spirit of God! (giving 'slain in the spirit' a whole new meaning!)

We cannot ‘become’ servants by reading a book on our purpose, nor can a pastor enforce servant’s hearts on the congregation by pounding the pulpit hard enough – no, servant’s hearts are the result of a heart transplant by God -- from a heart of stone into a heart of flesh, followed by the sanctifying work of the Spirit in our lives, driven by a life of prayer. We are called, as we read in Romans 12, to be living sacrifices, which is our reasonable worship. Our prayer should be, as David’s in Psalm 51 – “Create in me a clean heart, and restore a right spirit in me”.

We are called to be HUPERETAS – fellow under-rowers on the great ship of faith. We are people who are not our own, but bought with a price [1st Corinthians 6:19, 20], no longer living to ourselves, but rather living to the Lord [Romans 14:7, 8].

With that backdrop, this post will touch upon a subject that many are uncomfortable with – as I was when I began in ministry. It will discuss our Christian service as stewards of the things that God has given us.

As I have been studying this, I went through many passages regarding tithing, and money, but at the end of it all, I discovered something quite remarkable – that giving to the Lord’s work has ALWAYS been an act of worship, not an act of reluctant servitude.

It is said that if you want to know a person’s god or idol, you need only follow the path of their time, talent and wallet. This will ultimately lead you to what they love or desire more than anything else. It is truly sad to say that in our society we might find that the god/idol of some is a Sony Playstation, an iPod, a nice car with 22’ wheels and spinners, a motorcycle, or even a career. Even sadder, the Body of Christ finds that the trail of their time, effort and money often leads to similar or identical idols!

As a Pastor I have often heard the following questions: “Do I tithe on the gross or the net of my income?” or “Is tithing actually a New Testament principle, I mean, now we are under grace, right?” As if giving to the Lord’s work was as cumbersome and forced as giving to the IRS, or paying a traffic ticket!

Of course, I understand that many so-called preachers have abused the concept and have extorted or downright swindled money out of good, God-fearing people, all the while they drive luxury cars, have two or three mansions, and a suite of private aircraft and bodyguards. Oh, of course they will distribute a pittance of the gifts to ‘doing the work of the kingdom’. Sadly, these selfsame people ‘rob’ from the local church, as they coerce people to give to THEIR ministries, so that the giver will get! Money gets sent in, oftentimes being deducted from the work of the local church’s ministry, with the promise that somehow this ‘seed’ will blossom into a ten-fold blessing for the giver.

This is not the spirit of giving that is discussed in God’s Word – God is not our lottery ticket – He MAY bless our giving, but if our motive is to give to the Kingdom in order to get financially rewarded, we will be sadly disappointed most times. Our Messiah says that we are not to lay up treasures on the Earth, but to store them in Heaven where moth, rust and robbers cannot get to them!

So the local church and its pastors have been painted with the same brush as these abusive ministries, and therefore many unbelievers, (and sadly, believers), adhere to the fact that preachers (i.e. me) are always standing with their hand out. Well, truth be told, I have spoken on giving once in five years.

God is no beggar! I am not standing with my hand out – as I hope to point out in these posts, it is not our BURDEN, but our PRIVILEDGE to put our resources into the work of the Kingdom!

God owns the cattle on a thousand hills -- [Psalm 50:10 – 15] -- For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine. "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me."

Does that sound like He is begging? No, He is calling His people to offer a sacrifice of Thanksgiving – give out of a Thankful and cheerful heart. God is not strapped for cash; He needs nothing from His creation, but offers to us the indescribable privilege of participating with Him in the work of the Kingdom!

I will complete my thoughts in a second post.

Thank You

Thanks for the prayers -- I was greatly encouraged this week, and had we had a great weekend. We were able to deliver ~120 boxes of Angel Food to the community, and our motorcycle ministry was able to reach out to several folks this weekend during a large Toy Run.

Last night we invited some local churches to our place to have a gathering. It was wonderful! We had everything from contemporary Worship, to Spirituals, and even had some young men from a local juvenile facility perform a few songs.

This is what I love -- joining with the Body to celebrate our common heritage and faith! We should do this much more often -- we had teens, older folks, black, white, asian, hispanic, Jewish -- it was truly a picture of heaven!

Thank you all for your prayers, emails, calls, and thoughts -- the Lord is incredibly faithful, and sadly, while my head knowledge of this is there, oftentimes my deceitful heart pulls me into a self-pity mode. I apologize for the tenor of my last post.

May all of you have a blessed time during this Christmas season.

Prayer

I wanted to post briefly and request prayer from the folks who periodically visit this place.

As a small-church pastor, it is always difficult to lose families; this weekend we had a family announce that they are leaving our church to go to a nearby Mega-church.

I love these folks dearly, and their announcement out of the blue somewhat blindsided me. I must admit that I struggle with the reality that folks (not only this family) leave our church where they are involved, loved and needed, and go to a church numbering in the thousands. These are wonderful folks, and dear friends, and they will get plugged in at their new church, but, oh, how we could have used them here.

I love this congregation -- their heart and commitment always amazes me. I am privileged and honored to be the shepherd of such a wonderful group. And when things such as this recent event occur, I call into question my leadership, and skills. The gospel is preached at our church; we believe in, and practice discipleship; and have church discipline. We may not have all of Mark Dever's 9 Marks down, but we certainly are moving towards that. I believe that I have been called to preach at this church, and we have seen some wonderful moves of God sweep through the church. Yet, when folks move on with a vague "The Lord told me to", I wonder....

It is hard to argue with the subjective aspect of 'The Lord said so', I believe that this is why the reason is often used -- you can't disprove it, and should you even question the fact that this might actually be their own feelings driven to the surface, people look at you like you have blasphemed; so strong is the therapeutic, and feelings-driven gospel entrenched in the evangelical community! The Proverbs state that there is wisdom in a multitude of counselors, however, so often people will say nothing and just make a jump.

When I see people who are being used in a mighty way in the smaller, local church, leave for a church that has an abundance of people and material resources, I know how the local 5 & 10 feels when Wal*Mart comes to town. We, as a small church, cannot compete with ALL of the junk that a mega-church throws at people, and when you combine that with a message that really focuses on the felt-needs, you have a strong one-two punch. And quite frankly, what is so sad is that many of these larger churches are acrimonious to the smaller church, believing that it is 'stuck' in the past because it still preaches out of the Scriptures, and actually has church discipline etc. I have had one 'leader' in a Mega-Church actually laugh about the plight of smaller churches, saying that we had failed in our ministry because we have never grown above 100. I guess that would make most of the New Testament Church a failure?

Enough about that -- I will continue to preach the Gospel, and love this congregation, but these types of events rattle my cage. The good news is that we have brought in several families this year who are regulars. God is sovereign, and that is a great comfort to me!

Second -- today is my daughter's birthday. She would have been 26 today. I lost her when she was 18 months old, and while I always feel that I have healed -- this date hits me in the head every year. I do not sit around and mourn for days anymore, but it is still like a painful scar that hurts when bumped too hard.

So -- keep me in prayer, many thanks...

Ray

Soon

Sorry I have not posted in a bit -- I have been very busy, but hope to put something up tomorrow -- regarding stewardship... This is part of the servant series that I am working on.

The Suffering Servant

THE SERVANT - Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. - Isaiah 53:1-7 -

In my last post I addressed some of the self-centeredness that seems to have prevaded the church; in this post I want to examine the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

While we are often consumed with the relative importance of our role in the local church, we should look to our Savior, the Lord of all creation, and listen to His words:

Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Imagine, if you will, the Lord of all, the one described in Colossians 1:15–20 as “… the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross... humbling Himself, bowing to wash the feet of His disciples! The one who created their feet now stooped to wash them! This is the Savior who came to serve and not be served!!! And I, in my arrogance, often think I am deserving of more 'respect', or I am not 'appreciated'!

The Messiah Himself asks if we think we will be greater than the Master (Him)! What arrogance that we could have a Savior who gave up everything to serve, and we be so self-centered that our whole world revolves around us without a thought to our brothers and sisters!

When I reflect on the cross of Christ, and the fact that He came to SERVE by giving His life for me, I am ashamed of my attitude! 2nd Corinthians 8:9 - For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you by his poverty might become rich. This verse says that He became a ptōcheuo; aka a beggar. For us, He emptied Himself and became a beggar.

In John 13, that amazing passage where Jesus Christ washes the disciples feet, we find Him saying this; “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him…”

The task of washing another’s feet in Messiah’s day was consigned to a servant – it was a lowly task. They did not have paved streets and well-shod shoes; rather they walked about in sandals on unpaved, dirt streets that were frequented by animals as well. The feet of one would be filthy upon entering a home, and it was customary that a servant would ensure that the guest’s feet were attended to. Interestingly, we do not see the disciples jumping up and offering to do this task: we are more like the disciples than we would sometimes like to admit!

How often do we think that many of the more mundane tasks around the church are too low for our station in life? Many of us come to church and never give a second thought to serving others. As a matter of fact, we have been conditioned to expect service, not provide it! Service SHOULD NOT BE consigned to the ‘pros’ in the church, but should be a watchword for every person who attends!

I looked through God’s Word and I cannot find anywhere in the Bible where people are instructed to be pew-warmers, or simply attendees. Everywhere we are instructed to be involved in ministry of some type. Maybe you don’t feel ready to jump into the deep end of ministry, but I will tell you, that, as a child of God, you are called to be in ministry at some level. Just as the Messiah instructed in John 13 – we are called to wash one another’s feet; now that does not necessarily mean literally, but in the many ways in which we can help one another, care for one another, lift one another up. My friends, we are on the mission field, and on the mission field we are to be holding one another up, and being an example to a lost and dying world, just as our Lord and Savior was!

No one pays much attention to the people who haul the garbage from our curbs, but when they go on strike, they suddenly become the most important people in the world! It is the same in our congregation – those who often go unnoticed are some of the ones who are most essential. Look around, begin noticing the workers at your church, and come alongside one of them, lifting them up in prayer and assisting them.

Service -- A Dead Idea?

In the U.S., we live in a society that is completely self-absorbed – everything is built around us, and if it isn’t, we are upset (I suffer from this as much as anyone). We can get on the web and create entire environments that focus on us (witness the success of MySpace, YouTube and FaceBook). We can write anything we want on our Weblog, thinking that it is important, and calling ourselves ‘published’ authors, We can put a camera on our every action and broadcast ourselves on YouTube. Our young folks are feted by marketeers from the time they can walk and talk; telling them that they 'deserve' whatever product is being hawked; that, at the end of the day, its all about them.

All of these things have created an environment where service to others (much less thought about others) has been relegated to nothing more than a quaint old-fashioned concept. If you doubt this, go to a restaurant and see what the service is like – I recently went to a restaurant, and one of my friends had to practically beg to get a cup of water, all the while the wait staff stood behind the counter yakking. When was the last time that you saw someone give up their seat to an older person, or a pregnant woman? When boarding a plane, how many times do you see a so-called professional running over small children, older people, or anyone else foolish enough to get in their way; and all the while they are talking on their cell-phone, checking their PDA, some other self-absorbed activity; completely OBLIVIOUS to everyone else!

Watch a professional football player – when he scores a touchdown, he goes into some elaborate dance as if he had done something really special, but in reality, these people are paid quite well to score touchdowns, in other words, he celebrates when he does his job! Could you imagine a bagger at Wal*Mart going into a touchdown dance once they had successfully bagged your purchases; we would consider them a little touched, but yet we cheer these overpaid, self-absorbed men playing a child's game!

The football analogy is a good one for us to look at. When a ‘superstar’ scores a touchdown, it is the result of many men doing their job – no one, not even T.O., (I live in the Dallas area), can walk onto a football field and take on the entire opposing team by himself. Without the unsung service of the offensive line, he, or the QB gets squashed every time! It is the same in a church – yes, the pastor may deliver a powerful message but first and foremost; the message is God’s Word, not the pastor’s! Secondly, in our case, there are people who pray for me before every service, and there are people who ensure that I am able to come up here and do what the Lord has called me to do. There is no Lone Ranger in ministry – we need each and every person to do what the Lord has called them to do.

Sadly, the pervasive and insidious narcissism of the world has snuck into the church. Instead of God’s people gathering to worship and serve a Sovereign King, we have become a people who gather together to get be entertained, coddled and amused.

We, in the modern church, have created an entire generation of people who think that church is all about them and their needs, rather than about God and His Glory. And it shows: church-hopping is very common in today’s world; people will attend a church as long as it fills their needs, but the minute another church offers something more ‘interesting', or caters more to their needs, they will bail on their church where they may be needed, in order 'be served' as opposed to 'serve'.

Membership is something that people do not understand very well, even those who may belong to a church. Some may even belong to a different church every year or multiple churches at the same time, all the while chasing a feeling.

Tithing has always been a struggle, but even more so nowadays when we have far more things to spend our money on. Some even withhold it as a sort of ransom to get the pastor to preach on their favorite subjects. Lest you think I am immune to any of this, I just want to ensure that I am not. I struggle with self-centeredness as much as anyone else.

What I found as I studied the Word is that Christian service is not a nice idea, or a suggestion, rather it is something that the Lord Himself commands those called by His name. Those called by His Name are to be a peculiar, caring, service-oriented people. Sadly, we are not very peculiar – we are as self-absorbed, as worrisome, as caught up in consumerism as the next person.

As I work through this series of posts I am going to examine whether or not we are servants in our hearts, or if the church is simply consumed with itself. Are we peculiar, or do we look just like the world around us? How do we get back to the ideals of Christian Service? I am under no allusion that this series of posts in a far corner of the blogosphere will change anyone, except, hopefully me. As a pastor, I am ashamed of my own self-centered attitude, so maybe this series of posts is a catharsis for me, who knows?

Hello

No, I have not fallen off the face of the Earth -- just extremely busy: in addition to Sunday services, I am also teaching a Matthew study at work, going through a study on the Trinity with a small group on Wednesday, preparing a study on Deacons for Sunday morning and wrapping up a 1 year study of Church History with the Youth at church.

The next series I plan on doing here is a series of posts on servanthood. And maybe I will even update blog site!

Post-Election Blues

Well, it is the morning-after blues for the Republicans. I am not really a politico, or a political commentator, simply a layman observer, but I do have a few observations, and then I will not mention politics again (until next time).

While the GOP licks its wounds, and the blame begins to seep out, the truth of the matter is that they made a real dog’s breakfast of their time in leadership. Now, lest you believe I am a died-in-the-wool Dem, I assure you, I am not. However, given the current state of the Union, I certainly am not a died-in-the-wool Republican either.

The truth of the matter is that this country is in desperate need of a leader – someone with a vision and the courage to carry it out. Now, some may say that George W. Bush is/has been that person, however, many feel that he has been less than honest in his leadership and the goals of his administration, others simply feel that he has been stumbling along trying to determine direction depending on the way the reports from Iraq come in.

I am not a Bush-basher by trade; I think it is far easier to sit in a chair and judge the leadership of these people than to actually do it, but I must admit that I have been disillusioned by Bush’s apparent lack of direction – all rhetoric aside; there has been little of substance to hang my hopes on.

What I would love to see is some real leadership by the elected officials; however I fear that Pelosi and others are simply going to continue status-quo; oh, there may be a hot button issue or two that they will change direction on, but the overall drift of our country will be relatively unchanged. This is due to the fact that these are professional Washington types – people who want power, and their goal once in D.C. is to retain that power. Regardless of their political stripe, there is a true bi-partisan attitude – maintain power at the expense of the people.

The Christian’s are simply another constituency that the politicians woo, and many are naïve enough to be used as a voting block. The farce that somehow the Christians have made SIGNIFICANT changes in this country through their political power is easy to refute. Ask yourself a couple of questions: is this country morally more on track now than two years ago, four years ago, twelve years ago? Is it more ‘Christian’ in its approach to the world than it was six years ago? Maybe you can justify that it is, but I certainly cannot; as I said, I am not a political expert, but as a citizen, I can honestly say that I have noticed no difference.

Truth be told, if you are a Christian and you feel that political power is the way to change this country, then you are be sadly mistaken. I think it is imperative to vote, and yes, I want to see Christians elected, but to believe that a PARTY is the Christian answer to the problems is wrong-headed. Psalm 33:13-17 -- The LORD looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue.

And even though I provided links to John Piper’s thoughts about elections, and I know that he is much more intelligent than I am in so many areas, I disagree on one thing. It is no longer simply whether or not one is Pro-Life or not that is a decision-maker. I will provide an example: Let’s say someone was Pro-Life, but also a member of NAMBLA, and they were running against someone who was Pro-Choice, but a solid family person – which way do I vote on this?

The recent events within the Republican ranks highlight that it is not a simple Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice situation – I believe that many people may have run on Republican tickets because that was the party in power – sort of like flies being attracted to a dung heap – but did not share the supposed values of the party (except externally).

At the end of it all – we, the American people again are searching for leadership; let us pray that the Lord brings us that!

Election Time

UPDATE -- Found these links over at Justin Taylor's blog. Some good thoughts from Piper regarding elections.

For those of us in the USA, it is election time. I cringe a lot during these times as I hear pastors preaching sermons about the elections. For example -- today I was listening to someone who said -- "Jesus died so we could live free lives in pursuit of happiness".

Well, ummmm no; the Declaration of Independence says that, but in reality, Jesus Christ died so that we would not have to spend eternity in Hell, separated from God. To frame the Gospel in a nationalistic mindset is wrong; what is the message to the persecuted Church? "well, Jesus died so WE could live free lives in pursuit of happiness, but y'all, well, good luck!"

These same pastors will speak on IDOP (International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church) about their hearts for the ones in others countries and then make these nationalistic statements regarding the Gospel the next week, or a few weeks prior , in this case.

I am not saying that these are bad people, but I believe that they have a serious misunderstanding of the Gospel if they believe that Christ was crucified so that we could live in the land of fast-food and malls, whereas the rest of the world struggles along...

I am also discouraged when these pastors select a party and deem it "God's Party", i.e. GOP "God's Ordained Party". Neither party (we actually do have more than two, but they are rarely given the time of day) is GOD'S party -- look at their actions, they are simply men, and we know what the Bible says about that.

So, for those inside the USA, I have a voting idea for you. Get familiar with the real issues that are facing our elected officials, you will probably be ahead of them at that point, and then vote for the person that you believe can best fulfill the role required for those issues. Do not be lemmings, voting the way your pastor directs you to vote, nor should you NOT vote, that is equally wrong; you have a responsibility. Get educated, use your noggin, and PRAY for wisdom!

A Final Thought on Missions

I found this quote from Henry Martyn -- missionary to India, and was very convicted by this:

"The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become."

Thoughts on Missions Part Deux

I recently met with my good friend Mike to discuss missions. He is an inspiration to me, a man who followed his convictions and left a secular job to work full-time in the mission field.

He will be speaking at my church next week, and I am looking forward to hearing from him. He works in Sudan and Ethiopia, and other places, but we spoke about the mission field. I reiterated my concern that people were looking for safe missions, and Mike confirmed that this is often true.

So, with that in my mind, I wanted to post a few more thoughts -- these may not sit well with all, but I have given them serious thought and wanted to put them to paper (so to speak).

I have many well-meaning friends who send their youth to Mexico every year on a 'missions' trip. Generally it is to the same exact area, and they end up erecting another building and maybe sharing their faith for a brief time. Now, many may say -- "Well, what could be wrong with this?"

Well, I have a few questions:

1. Why do these groups need to go to the same location every year? Is their mission work so ineffective that they must return year after year? Or, could it be that this is a well-known area, (i.e. safe) and therefore the parents will let their kids go to get their 'ticket punched'?

2. I have heard several of the stories shared by the people on these trips, and I have noticed that they dwell a lot on the fact that the kids really 'roughed' it, sleeping in sleeping bags on hard dirt floors. They have a ton of pictures of cute little kids, and they dwell a lot on that as well, but it seems to me that they are very light on actual sharing of the gospel in a meaninghful way. OK, so they built a lean-to for the community, but did they do any actual evangelism?

Now, some may feel that I am being overly harsh, but my concern is that we are teaching our young people that missions are about them to a degree ("wow, we really had it rough, we had to sleep on a dirt floor, but it was all worth it to see those cute kids")

And we are re-evamgelizing the same areas year after year -- it has become a Jack Tar type of mission field for many -- but I fear that we are not telling our youth (or adults for that matter) the real PURPOSE of missions -- that is to proclaim the Glory of God through the proclamation of the Gospel. While it is important to dig wells, and build houses, it pales in comparison to seeing someone come to a saving knowledge of Christ. A house may shelter a person for a number of years, but without Christ, they are bound for a Christless eternity in Hell! We need to get our priorities straightened out.

Bottom line -- Build houses, dig wells, but don't do these to the neglect of sharing the Good News!