Apply Duct Tape If Needed

“Wow, whose voice is that? It sounds so eloquent and convincing. This person really has many great strategies and a lot of good ideas. When he speaks it sounds like it is straight from the lips of God’s mouth. Why would he need to listen to anyone for advice or counsel, he seems so wise.” You just listened to the evil side of my conscience voicing his opinion about me. Isn’t he great? I could actually listen to him all day. Smile . . .

“Yes honey, yes dear, I agree whole heartedly with what you said, ‘What did you say?” I am sure none of you have ever been accused of selective listening by your wife? I have never heard of wives getting accused of this, but I have witnessed my wife doing this with me as well.

As most of you know I travel and speak all over the country in many different size churches, many different models of churches, and in many different geographical locations. However, there is one thing I have noticed about most of these churches including newly planted churches. We seem to be enamored with hearing ourselves speak and not listening much to what God has to say during our worship services. Could you imagine attending a worship service where all we did was be quick to listen and slow to speak?

 James 1:19-20 says, "You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires." Do we need to improve our listening skills? It's one of the least-used skills that people seem to practice. How can we learn to identify when we should stop talking and just relax and listen to the person speaking. We should learn how to accomplish this because the Bible also says that we should “be still and know that He is God.” God seems to be saying if we can’t stop talking and start to hear and recognize His voice we won’t even know that He is God.

Communication is made up of talking and listening, listening and talking. It is amazing to me that if I enter a conversation without an agenda or a determination to present my case or get in the last word and just listen how much I tend to learn what God is telling me through someone else. They say you can use duct tape for just about anything. Maybe a strip over God’s vocal cord creation would assist us in achieving our listening goal? I know from experience everyone has a story to tell if we would just listen. Our relationships with others and especially with God would improve drastically if we just applied some duct tape. Perhaps this is another usage for Wikipedia to consider? Do less talking and more listening today!

The Manna Mindset

Two months and fifteen days after God freed the Israelites from Egypt they arrived at the wilderness of Sin. They started to grumble about not having enough food to eat, so God sent manna. What would you expect from people in a wilderness called Sin (Numbers 16:1-8). Moses basically says that “you are not grumbling and complaining against us your leaders but against God and His guidance.” How could anyone forget what happened (God taking care of His people in miraculous ways) two and half months ago? Keith Green in his song “So You Wanna Go Back to Egypt” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foUH4No_SVU) gives us a reminder in a humorous way about how that happened. I know I never have a problem remembering what God continues to do for me, my family, or NPEA. I probably have never complained or grumbled against God about anything (accept the two months I yelled and screamed at Him about my spine), just like you. 

Manna, in the biblical view, is literally the bread of Heaven (Ps. 105:40), a gift of God. Manna was a reminder to the Israelites of God’s unceasing care. “Manna was not something that would be stored up and dispensed gradually, since God is accustomed always to give His gifts afresh” (Philo). “Manna was one of the ten wonders that God created when He fashioned the world. He brought it into being on the eve of the first Sabbath, at twilight”. (Mishnah) “God sent manna to teach Israel that man does not live by bread alone." (B.S. Childs) Find more on manna at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manna.

What does modern day manna look like? How has God showed His compassion towards you after He heard your cry penetrate His ears at an overwhelming volume as your tears dropped to the earth and God felt them touch His palm, in the middle of your desert? Does your manna look like your cancer has gone into remission? Has your manna come in the form of a broken relationship that has been restored? Could be your manna comes in the form of your only meal of the day? Your manna might be your first new pair of used pants in over 6 months? I believe that in the rich and prosperous country we live in manna is too often viewed in very unrealistic terms.

I recently spoke at a church when a homeless man ventured into the service. Every city deals with homelessness. He was not clean, not shaven, didn’t smell great, and his name was Jim. He was invited to have a donut and a cup of coffee. The ladies even prepared some food for him. I talked briefly with him during the Meet & Greet time. He shared he had slept outside last night and a bunch of ants had bitten him. He said he was going through some legal difficulties to clear his name and that’s why he wasn’t working. He was offered a place to shower and shave after the service but went out the back door right after I finished speaking. I believe Jim needed some manna, but it seemed he might not want the version we were offering. Jim also put in perspective for me that maybe I never need manna at all, but I might have manna that others need.

The “manna mindset” (grumbling and complaining to God about what we don’t have) can be tempered or greatly reduced in our lives when we understand how blessed we really are. When God is gracious enough to remind us through people and events that manna is often times in greater demand by others it is our chance to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Manna could be an example of our care for others. Manna could be a gift from us to others. We have opportunities to give out manna daily and refresh someone’s spirit. We could also remind those we dispense manna to that it is the bread of life. God can transform our “manna mindset” into a gracious, honoring, applauding, hailing mind set. Let’s not worry about gathering manna but instead about giving it away!

Death by Inches

I recently read an article in the Fargo Forum (http://www.inforum.com) about a former mayor of Fargo, ND named Jon Lindgren. In the article he talked about how when he was mayor, “People came into my office and said, “God wants you to shut down the abortion clinic. God doesn’t want gays living in Fargo. God doesn’t want any stores open on Sunday.” So I thought, “That’s not my church. My church doesn't think that way.” I found out some people in my church thought that way.” Jon obviously felt that the people of his church would and should extend more grace to those that are lost in the world. But was this the love of Jesus that Jon had read about in his Bible? I wonder if this is what happens when we start to “edge off the path.”

 Most of us don’t start to “edge off the path” by taking 90 degree turns. If you look at your own life in the past when you were tempted to “edge off the path” wasn’t it more like 10-15 degree turns? Martin Luther once warned, “temptation was like hovering birds, and we should never let them begin to build a nest in our hair.” So how long does it take the birds to build that nest and we succumb to temptation and full blown sin sets in?

Jon Lindgren came to believe the Ten Commandments monument outside Fargo’s City Hall should come down. Later, he became a plaintiff in lawsuits trying to remove the monument because the First Amendment forbids “the establishment of religion.” The experience led Lindgren to stop practicing his Christian faith and to become an outspoken skeptic about the existence of God. Jon did a 360 degree turnaround in his life.

 Pastor Greg Laurie has fought temptation by envisioning Christ answering the door for him whenever temptation is knocking. We know the path God wants us to walk on. We know the life He wants us to live. We have to stop believing that we are immune from the small temptations that can lead us off track. It is often times easy to avoid the big pitfalls; however it is usually the small temptations that cause us to stumble. It kind of reminds me, as a former football coach, of a fourth-and-goal play on the 1 yard line. Your team is trailing on the scoreboard and this is the last play of the game. If you score you win! The defense holds and you don’t score. It is literally “death by inches.”

Proverbs 4:14-15 says, "Don't do as the wicked do, and don't follow the path of evildoers. Don't even think about it; don't go that way. Turn away and keep moving."  Don’t think about that temptation, turn away from it, and keep moving down the right path. Are you kidding me? Don’t think about temptation? It appears in your mind as fast as a top fuel dragster finishing the quarter mile, in a flash. So when temptation is there, we have to turn away from it like it’s a serial killer about to claim another victim. Keep moving down the right path, like you’re a sprinter in the 100 meter finals in this summer’s Olympics (http://www.olympic.org). As you can see I am a fan of the Olympics.

 There is other thing I would recommend if you want to overcome acedia in regards to temptation. It is to have a personal accountability partner that asks you the hard questions about your life. This has been a personal practice of mine for the last 25 years. It’s always true - God will make a way when there seems to be no way. He never allows us to be tempted without an escape route. We just have to see it and make a jail break from the prison of sin. 

Humilitas

I can’t quite put my finger on when my “pride problem” started to take root in my life. Maybe it was when I became a successful college athlete. Maybe it was when I finished my second master’s degree. Maybe it was when I became the director of a church planting ministry. I remember now, I believe I was a preschooler when my sinful nature kicked into high gear (like a Ford Cobra GT shifting into fourth gear). How about you? When did you start saying and doing something with an intentional “look at me” (i.e. - pride problem) attitude?

I am now convinced that we can all overcome our pride problem with a healthy dose of Humility! I really enjoyed my time reading Humilitas by John Dickson (http://johndickson.org). His thesis is simple: “The most influential and inspiring people are often marked by humility. True greatness, in other words, frequently goes hand in hand with a virtue that, on the face of it, might be thought to curb achievement and mute influence. In fact, it does just the opposite.”  Matt. 23:12 points this out, "Those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

Humility is about redirecting our powers, whether physical, intellectual, financial or structural, for the sake of others. Thus, humility is the noble choice to forgo our status, deploy our resources or use of influence for the good of others before ourselves. More simply, you could say that a humble person is marked by a willingness to hold power in service to others. Paul writing to the church plant in Philippi states “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take interest in others, too.”

Let me be clear. I am not saying that humility automatically makes someone great. Nor am I saying you can’t ascend “the heights” without humility. What I am saying is that humility enhances the ordinary and makes the great even greater. For most of us Jesus would be the greatest example of humility that there is! He was and is the greatest King we will ever know. Can we follow His example of being the quite, innocent Lamb being lead to the slaughter (http://www.new-testament-christian.com/humility.html)? I have to admit, it seems almost impossible . . . .

But praying daily for such a heart might be a start! Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche Communications, where Henri Nouwen (http://www.henrinouwen.org) spent the most significant years of his ministry among the severely disabled, gave a fitting benediction at Nouwen’s  ordination to the priesthood: “May all your expectations be frustrated. May all your plans be thwarted. May all your desires be withered into nothingness, that you may experience the powerlessness and poverty of a child and sing and dance in the love of God the Father, the Son and the Spirit.” 

It would be good if we could memorize this prayer and start to repeat it daily. Humilitas could eventually begin to creep into our skin, our blood stream, and eventually invade our hearts.  What a humbling experience that we all need to encounter!

WWF - God Style

    In Genesis Chapter 32 Jacob starts to get his gifts ready to give his brother Esau as they will eventually meet up in the future. These gifts are a way of Israel apologizing for the long ago incident where he stole his brother’s birth rite. The apology isn’t possible until Jacob becomes Israel. The name change is the result of an encounter with God that changes his life forever. Have you ever had an encounter with God that was so powerful you thought about legally changing your name? Like from Mike to ______?

     The encounter in itself lasted part of one physical day, but the effects change Jacob’s life forever. As dawn approached Jacob suffered a physical injury to his hip, but the wrestling match that lasted all night also caused his spirit to be broken as well. Suffering in itself does not cause healing. Only suffering that has a meaning and is accepted willingly has the power to heal, to transform an individual into a whole person. That is, someone who is undivided, who can come to terms with himself/herself, and even with his/her enemies, as Jacob did with Esau and Laban. Transformation or real change of character, can take place in a person only when, through suffering he/she engages in an active struggle with the “Shadow,” which is the dark side of himself/herself.

    Jesus promises that if we are His servants we will go through suffering as it is a natural part of serving Him. Suffering so painful and powerful it forces us to look at the core of who we are. We have often heard it said, “Spiritual growth takes place in the valleys of our lives.” Have you experienced such suffering that when you looked in the mirror you didn’t recognize yourself? There was almost a demonic glow on our face and it scared us to humbly bow before His throne and seek restoration and forgiveness. Not just for ourselves, but now in a restored state for others that we have offended in our lifetimes.

     Jacob can fully face his own past only has he seeks reconciliation with Esau, and this he can do only as he becomes a different man. The formerly self-assured and successful Jacob is now diminished in appearance; no longer with a proud purposeful stride but with a hesitant limp will he greet his brother. The reconciliation occurs because Israel, not Jacob, whom Esau meets, is a  new man who asks forgiveness, if not in words then in manner, who limps toward him with a repentant air, not deceitful arrogance. He is not a man to be put to the sword, he is a man who can be loved by a brother.

     Maybe we should all pray that God would bless us through suffering and we would start limping around in life. Or we should pray for some evidence of suffering that takes place in our lives and how it has forever changed us to look and act more like Jesus. We all desire, I am sure, to be loved as brothers and sisters in Christ. As we wrestle with God, may our names be changed!

Attractional/Missional?

You would have to have your head in the sand if you haven’t read about and considered the

“Attractional/Missional” conversation addressed by Christian leaders, books, blogs and magazines articles. (Attractional or Missional? 04-15-12 www.christianstandard.com) Where do you stand?

Since I am not attractive I probably lean toward Missional. Just kidding! To summarize Attractional we have typically said that it is “Come and see. Ministers are gifted to serve us. Come to our building and we will serve you with programs and staff. You will worship at the church building. Proclamation takes place through the church and you may join us for religious services.” Is your church Attractional?

Missional, is actually more attractional to me, although I could be persuaded to be “Christianal.” On the Missional side of the coin we see: “Go and be like Jesus. The church is gifted for service. Go love others, serve in the community. Worship by your life in the community. Good news/deeds are proclaimed. Go to the people and serve their need. Life is more than a Sunday morning church event.” Is your church Missional?

 

To live missionally is more than simply doing mission activities. There are many churches taking the lead to be “Externally Focused” (http://externallyfocusednetwork.com)

But good deeds without good news is not the Gospel. “It’s going to take both missional church plus missional disciples to make a missional movement,”  says Alan Hirsch. (http://www.theforgottenways.org) It’s impossible to be a missional church if we fail to be a missional people. 

So was Jesus Attractional or Missional? Can you find examples of Jesus being both in the Bible? 

Last month I visited “Substance” (http://www.substancechurch.com)   

in Minneapolis. I talked with Armin Assadi the Campus Pastor at the Fridley Campus where I attended the service. He told me what “Substance” (in the OT) represents, basically “Jesus Christ.”  Personally, I tend to believe that Christ’s church should be both Attractional/Missional.  More importantly whatever the model it must be a representation of Jesus. More like this:  Attractional/Missional = “Christianal”

“Decisionism” ~ What’s That?

Have you ever attended an evangelistic crusade type event (http://www.tillhecomes.org/crusade-evangelism-effective) where at the end of the message the speaker has people raise their hands or come down front if they want to engage in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? The “sinner’s prayer” has been a popular conversion plan with many religious groups. The only problem is . .  . can you find that approach in your Bible? Have you ever made that decision?

Have you ever been in a church when a person comes forward at the “altar call” and wants to be baptized into Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? Sure enough, they come up out of the water cleansed and ready to start a new life with Christ. Is that it? They are now a disciple of Christ or did they just get wet? Have you ever made that decision?   

"Decisionism" (you have decided to accept Jesus) rather than "Dicipleship" (you are a lifelong learner who becomes more like Him). I believe what we have done in many movements for too long is to get “decisions.” The Bible never addresses or commands us to do this but instead exhorts us to make disciples. “Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. It remains an abstract idea, a myth which has a place for the Fatherhood of God, but omits Christ as the living Son. … There is trust in God, but no following of Christ.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/default.asp?articleid=37331

The negative evidence of “decisionism” is rampant. Why do you think there is not much difference between a “Christian” and “NonChristian” when it comes to one’s lifestyle and the choices that are made? http://ezinearticles.com/?Christian-VS-Non-Christian---Whats-the-Difference?&id=3905340  Why are so many people going right out the back doors of our churches after they make a “decision” for Jesus? One of the reasons might be that we aren’t making disciples. How are we doing as disciples? Are we lifelong learners, or like most, have we arrived at a point where not anyone (including the Holy Spirit) can teach us much about anything? 

“One more point: focusing youth events, retreats, and programs on persuading people to make a decision disarms the Gospel, distorts numbers, and diminishes the significance of discipleship.” - The King Jesus Gospel by Scott McKnight

The Bible never speaks about getting decisions. So let’s start making more disciples, who in turn disciple others. That’s called being a discipler. If this happens exponentially, Christ will be able to change the world again through His Bride, the church. Hey, Easter Sunday would be a gr eat day to adopt the Biblical command and lifestyle of Making Disciples!