I'm having extreme difficulty in discovering what I am to preach on this week. I have lots of ideas but nothing feels right. Usually by this time, I have the sermon written in my head and just have to type it out. Please pray that God would guide me.
***
Church conflict has many symptoms. People argue over the color of carpets, the style of music, the balance between predestination and free will, etc. The list goes on and on. We have the crazy ability to split churches over tons of different topics.
However, I think the source of these symptoms is usually the same. When the people in the church loses focus on loving God and loving their neighbor as themselves, conflict is going to happen. The key to being a fruitful church that is unified is to continue your focus on those two greatest commandments. Everything else pales in comparison.
Watch out for the potholes.
A Book Game
Brief updates before I get to the book game.
Eli's first birthday party was today. Pictures will be coming soon.
I will be in Lansing tomorrow helping the store there get organized.
I preach for the last time before our new pastor comes next Sunday, so you will be getting glimpses of my sermon throughout the week. I'm debating on which way to go right now. It might either be on healthy relationships (friendships) are necessary for the kingdom to shine or When we remove ourselves from God's will he lovingly accepts us back.
****
I ran across something similar on another blog. Here is the game. Find the book that you have most recently purchased or checked out from a library. Turn to page 82 (I came up with that number by randomly opening the book). In the comments write the name of the book, author, and the first full paragraph on page 82.
Here is mine.
The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael McManus
"If you are a follower of Christ and you have allowed yourself to be domesticated, you have lost the power of who you are and who God intends for you to be. You were not created to be normal. God's desire for you is not compliance and conformity. You have been baptized by Spirit and fire. Asleep within you is a barbarian, a savage to all who love the prim and proper. You must go to the primal place and enter the presence of the Most High God, for ther you will be changed by His presence. Let Him unleash the untamed faith within you."
Have at it and have a good day.
Eli's first birthday party was today. Pictures will be coming soon.
I will be in Lansing tomorrow helping the store there get organized.
I preach for the last time before our new pastor comes next Sunday, so you will be getting glimpses of my sermon throughout the week. I'm debating on which way to go right now. It might either be on healthy relationships (friendships) are necessary for the kingdom to shine or When we remove ourselves from God's will he lovingly accepts us back.
****
I ran across something similar on another blog. Here is the game. Find the book that you have most recently purchased or checked out from a library. Turn to page 82 (I came up with that number by randomly opening the book). In the comments write the name of the book, author, and the first full paragraph on page 82.
Here is mine.
The Barbarian Way by Erwin Raphael McManus
"If you are a follower of Christ and you have allowed yourself to be domesticated, you have lost the power of who you are and who God intends for you to be. You were not created to be normal. God's desire for you is not compliance and conformity. You have been baptized by Spirit and fire. Asleep within you is a barbarian, a savage to all who love the prim and proper. You must go to the primal place and enter the presence of the Most High God, for ther you will be changed by His presence. Let Him unleash the untamed faith within you."
Have at it and have a good day.
A Radical Approach to Church Finances
This week the Antwerp Community Church took a leap in the right direction. A need arose with a couple who was in a car wreck and had some financial repercussions as a result of it. The church gave the family $400. Awesome!
I'm extremely happy that people are being shown love in financial ways, but there are still a few kinks in the program that I am uncomfortable with. For starters, I'm against designated offerings. You know those areas in the church budget that you can designate your offering to go towards. They rub me the wrong way. They seem to be a manipulative tactic appealing the god of individualism in our culture. "You can give to the church and have your money spent the way you want it to." It allows one to give to a church without any submission to the spiritual authority placed there. The main thought I have with designated offerings is why do we even give to the church in the first place if I am the one in charge of where my money can go in the church. If something is important enough for the people to God to do, then just make it an integral part of the budget. If it isn't that important, then the church as a whole probably shouldn't be doing it.
Our church is in somewhat financial dire straits, so the amount of money we set aside for loving actions isn't probably what it should be. However, I strongly believe that if churches start focusing on loving people with their money and on the tasks that God has laid down in Scripture, then they will have an overflow of blessing. When I was in the church in Lansing, I do not recall any financial need ever coming along that we did not have the resources to meet. God always provided for us to be a blessing to others and bring him glory. We follow a God who does incredible things in unusual ways, a God who wants to be glorified by the actions of those who follow him. The key to financial solvency is not a tighter budget and frugality. It is in opening the coffers to acts of love. When we become a blessing to those around us, God will bless us.
I would love to see our church make a commitment to be spending 50% of its offerings in loving financial ways five years from now. If we had that as a goal everytime a decision had to be made, everything would be placed in its proper perspective. I could almost guarantee that if we made a radical commitment like that, God would bless us in unforseeable ways.
Watch out for the potholes.
I'm extremely happy that people are being shown love in financial ways, but there are still a few kinks in the program that I am uncomfortable with. For starters, I'm against designated offerings. You know those areas in the church budget that you can designate your offering to go towards. They rub me the wrong way. They seem to be a manipulative tactic appealing the god of individualism in our culture. "You can give to the church and have your money spent the way you want it to." It allows one to give to a church without any submission to the spiritual authority placed there. The main thought I have with designated offerings is why do we even give to the church in the first place if I am the one in charge of where my money can go in the church. If something is important enough for the people to God to do, then just make it an integral part of the budget. If it isn't that important, then the church as a whole probably shouldn't be doing it.
Our church is in somewhat financial dire straits, so the amount of money we set aside for loving actions isn't probably what it should be. However, I strongly believe that if churches start focusing on loving people with their money and on the tasks that God has laid down in Scripture, then they will have an overflow of blessing. When I was in the church in Lansing, I do not recall any financial need ever coming along that we did not have the resources to meet. God always provided for us to be a blessing to others and bring him glory. We follow a God who does incredible things in unusual ways, a God who wants to be glorified by the actions of those who follow him. The key to financial solvency is not a tighter budget and frugality. It is in opening the coffers to acts of love. When we become a blessing to those around us, God will bless us.
I would love to see our church make a commitment to be spending 50% of its offerings in loving financial ways five years from now. If we had that as a goal everytime a decision had to be made, everything would be placed in its proper perspective. I could almost guarantee that if we made a radical commitment like that, God would bless us in unforseeable ways.
Watch out for the potholes.
A Book Review - The Crystal Shard
"Every day in every place is an adventure. This you have not yet learned. And so you chase down the distant roads, hoping to satisfy the hunger for excitement that burns in your heart...Perhaps when you return you will understand the excitement of simply being alive."
I just finished reading a book strictly for pleasure. Okay, that's not true. If you know me, I can hardly do anything for pure enjoyment. I overanalyze everything. As a matter of fact, Lindsay and I were sitting watching television last night when she told me that I was doing it. I don't know how anyone can put up with me as much as she does. But I digress.
I can't put a handy link up in case you want to hop on over to Amazon, purchase it, and allow me to get a portion of the proceeds. The Amazon Associates site is down. Not that it really matters anyway. The only sales I get appear to be the ones that I do myself. However, if you have used my Amazon search bar and purchased from Amazon, I am sorry if I have not given you the credit you deserve. Thank you if you are out there.
Onto the book.
The Crystal Shard by R. A. Salvatore.
I wouldn't describe myself as a fantasy fan in the least. I have only read a few fantasy novels (not including Lord of the Rings) in my life that I have been able to finish. I was thinking to myself after finishing this book that it was great. Then I realized I think that about every book I finish. I began to wonder if I am just easily entertained. Then the piles and piles of unfinished books that I will never continue to read came to my mind. (This heap is imaginary although it would be neat to have.) A book has to be good if I am ever going to finish it. I quit reading books when they stop being interesting. They are for my enjoyment and if they aren't producing enjoyment, they're added to the heap of unfinished books. I would not turn my entertainment into a chore.
I could give you the details of the book, which I will a little bit later. I could tell you of the gigantic battles or great quests. However, I judge a book not by what happens or how it was told, although that does matter, but by whether it makes me a better person. If a book makes want to be more loving, if it instills in me principles that will make me a better leader, then I love the book. This book did that. In all the adventures, the main characters were people that are much better people than me. They have traits that I would love to have.
If I were to summarize the book, it is about an ignorant barbarian becoming a dynamic leader. It is the story of a hardened dwarf learning to lov. It is about friendship and trust. It is about leadership and perseverance. I give it the Regan Book of the Month club approval. (Maybe someday I'll have a neat little logo.)
Spoiler Warning.
The one part of the book that touched me the most is when the barbarian leader is trying to receive permission to have his barbarian tribe join the human civilization. The deal would be mutally beneficial, possibly even better for the humans since they were in dire straits at the time. One of the human leaders, who is full of much deserved hatred towards the barbarians, mocks the barbarian leader and taunts him the whole throughout the discussion. However, much to the surprise of everyone, the barbarian leader just ignores it. He remains focused on the important task at hand.
At the end he acknowledged the comments from the taunter. "For now I am responsible for all of my people. Thus have I disregarded your insults."
We have a great task at hand being children of God. We need to let the insults of others just roll of us if we are to accomplish the work that is planned for us.
Watch out for the potholes.
I just finished reading a book strictly for pleasure. Okay, that's not true. If you know me, I can hardly do anything for pure enjoyment. I overanalyze everything. As a matter of fact, Lindsay and I were sitting watching television last night when she told me that I was doing it. I don't know how anyone can put up with me as much as she does. But I digress.
I can't put a handy link up in case you want to hop on over to Amazon, purchase it, and allow me to get a portion of the proceeds. The Amazon Associates site is down. Not that it really matters anyway. The only sales I get appear to be the ones that I do myself. However, if you have used my Amazon search bar and purchased from Amazon, I am sorry if I have not given you the credit you deserve. Thank you if you are out there.
Onto the book.
The Crystal Shard by R. A. Salvatore.
I wouldn't describe myself as a fantasy fan in the least. I have only read a few fantasy novels (not including Lord of the Rings) in my life that I have been able to finish. I was thinking to myself after finishing this book that it was great. Then I realized I think that about every book I finish. I began to wonder if I am just easily entertained. Then the piles and piles of unfinished books that I will never continue to read came to my mind. (This heap is imaginary although it would be neat to have.) A book has to be good if I am ever going to finish it. I quit reading books when they stop being interesting. They are for my enjoyment and if they aren't producing enjoyment, they're added to the heap of unfinished books. I would not turn my entertainment into a chore.
I could give you the details of the book, which I will a little bit later. I could tell you of the gigantic battles or great quests. However, I judge a book not by what happens or how it was told, although that does matter, but by whether it makes me a better person. If a book makes want to be more loving, if it instills in me principles that will make me a better leader, then I love the book. This book did that. In all the adventures, the main characters were people that are much better people than me. They have traits that I would love to have.
If I were to summarize the book, it is about an ignorant barbarian becoming a dynamic leader. It is the story of a hardened dwarf learning to lov. It is about friendship and trust. It is about leadership and perseverance. I give it the Regan Book of the Month club approval. (Maybe someday I'll have a neat little logo.)
Spoiler Warning.
The one part of the book that touched me the most is when the barbarian leader is trying to receive permission to have his barbarian tribe join the human civilization. The deal would be mutally beneficial, possibly even better for the humans since they were in dire straits at the time. One of the human leaders, who is full of much deserved hatred towards the barbarians, mocks the barbarian leader and taunts him the whole throughout the discussion. However, much to the surprise of everyone, the barbarian leader just ignores it. He remains focused on the important task at hand.
At the end he acknowledged the comments from the taunter. "For now I am responsible for all of my people. Thus have I disregarded your insults."
We have a great task at hand being children of God. We need to let the insults of others just roll of us if we are to accomplish the work that is planned for us.
Watch out for the potholes.
Denial or Grace
The biggest problem that the church faces is denial. Denial about our materialism. Denial about our idolatry. Denial about our failures. We want to live in a rosy world, and we will lie to ourselves to make us feel like we are.
Grace frees us from denial. It allows us to look at ourselves for who we really are. It allows us to see Jesus for whom he really is. It allows us to see the kingdom for what it can be.
Denial and grace are bitter enemies. One dresses itself up in order to like the other. The other acts like itself and doesn't appear like others think it should.
Grace is the pauper to the bourgeois' life. The bourgeois that are worried about respectability and material values overlook what grace has to offer because it is dressed in garments of servitude, piety, and surrender.
A church free of denial, with all of its clothes off, will not always be the prettiest site. In it you will see humans weeping, hurting, struggling, and longing for a better life. But you will also see people laughing, loving, helping, and living a more fulfilled life.
Everyday we can choose the life of the pauper or bourgeois, the life of denial or the life of grace. I pray that I will always have the strength to choose grace.
***
I've been in the mood to write at night rather than the morning lately. It seems odd. I think I am less coherent at night, so I almost apologize. It certainly has a different feel.
***
I keep putting off writing on The Dysfunctional Family of God. I'll try to get to it some day. Lindsay has helped me have something good to say concerning my thoughts on the matter. Maybe someone else could take it up the task of writing it if they want.
***
I'm in a weird mood. Probably most of you haven't read one of the greatest comic books of our time, Bone. I highly recommend it.. In it Grandma Ben always gets the gitchie feeling when something is going to happen. I seem to get in a weird mood when something is going to happen. Something is going to happen. I'll keep you posted.
***
Watch out for the potholes.
Grace frees us from denial. It allows us to look at ourselves for who we really are. It allows us to see Jesus for whom he really is. It allows us to see the kingdom for what it can be.
Denial and grace are bitter enemies. One dresses itself up in order to like the other. The other acts like itself and doesn't appear like others think it should.
Grace is the pauper to the bourgeois' life. The bourgeois that are worried about respectability and material values overlook what grace has to offer because it is dressed in garments of servitude, piety, and surrender.
A church free of denial, with all of its clothes off, will not always be the prettiest site. In it you will see humans weeping, hurting, struggling, and longing for a better life. But you will also see people laughing, loving, helping, and living a more fulfilled life.
Everyday we can choose the life of the pauper or bourgeois, the life of denial or the life of grace. I pray that I will always have the strength to choose grace.
***
I've been in the mood to write at night rather than the morning lately. It seems odd. I think I am less coherent at night, so I almost apologize. It certainly has a different feel.
***
I keep putting off writing on The Dysfunctional Family of God. I'll try to get to it some day. Lindsay has helped me have something good to say concerning my thoughts on the matter. Maybe someone else could take it up the task of writing it if they want.
***
I'm in a weird mood. Probably most of you haven't read one of the greatest comic books of our time, Bone. I highly recommend it.. In it Grandma Ben always gets the gitchie feeling when something is going to happen. I seem to get in a weird mood when something is going to happen. Something is going to happen. I'll keep you posted.
***
Watch out for the potholes.
Never To Buy Gas In Coldwater, MI, Again
If you are a loyal Pulling Weeds reader, you might remember the incident around Thanksgiving in which I was filling up our car with gas while the person next to me was doing the same but continued to let his car run. You can read all the details here, but needless to say I was a little frustrated.
Now, it is much clearer to me how women still cut off their boyfriend's penis. Not that has anything to do with this story, but it goes to show that we have stupid people in our crazy society.
I wish I had my digital camera with me yesterday. I didn't think it would happen again. Here I am filling up my car with my whole family when another imbecile decides to keep his wife and child warm while pumping up his car by leaving the engine running. I would've taken a picture of the guy pumping gas into his running car standing next to the sign that declares the need to turn your engine off. Hello, McFly!
But that wasn't the end of it. Oh, no. God apparently has a sick, twisted sense of humor. After my rant last time, he must've thought, "I'll show him." (Now I know people like Fabian out there think that God has better things to do with his time than to interact with anyone's life in such a way, but we won't get into the warped theology of any of this. I think he might just enjoy a good harmless laugh from events like this once in a while) I have one guy pumping gas into his running car on the one side of me when a man pulls up in his rusted Impala, hops out without turning the car off, and begins to pump gas while his car is still running on the other side of me. I'm surrounded by morons. What in the world!?
The last time this happened to me it was at the same Shell gas station in Coldwater, MI. Apparently, the some of the residents of Coldwater are a little slow on the uptake if you know what I mean. I have come to the conclusion to never buy gas in Coldwater again. The town is just too dangerous. Some of the people there are just too stupid to trust your life with. I'll pump my gas where people are intelligent enough to turn off their engines.
Now, I know there are exceptions to these few idiots of Coldwater who have briefly endangered the life of my wife and children at the Shell station. My wife is a lovely and intelligent Coldwater grad who turns off her car when at the gas station. Ben Brown or Carrie Leazanby (two Coldwaterians that I know), do you let your cars run at gas stations? This is an epidemic that needs to be stopped before a gas station goes up in smoke. However, I guess I shouldn't be that overly concerned any more since I will no longer fill up in Coldwater, MI. Join me in this boycott of the dangerous Coldwater gas stations.
Watch out for the potholes or the stupid people next to you that want to keep their car running while filling up their tank.
If you were expecting to read about The Dysfunctional Family of God, then stop back tomorrow. I've had even longer to think about it.
Now, it is much clearer to me how women still cut off their boyfriend's penis. Not that has anything to do with this story, but it goes to show that we have stupid people in our crazy society.
I wish I had my digital camera with me yesterday. I didn't think it would happen again. Here I am filling up my car with my whole family when another imbecile decides to keep his wife and child warm while pumping up his car by leaving the engine running. I would've taken a picture of the guy pumping gas into his running car standing next to the sign that declares the need to turn your engine off. Hello, McFly!
But that wasn't the end of it. Oh, no. God apparently has a sick, twisted sense of humor. After my rant last time, he must've thought, "I'll show him." (Now I know people like Fabian out there think that God has better things to do with his time than to interact with anyone's life in such a way, but we won't get into the warped theology of any of this. I think he might just enjoy a good harmless laugh from events like this once in a while) I have one guy pumping gas into his running car on the one side of me when a man pulls up in his rusted Impala, hops out without turning the car off, and begins to pump gas while his car is still running on the other side of me. I'm surrounded by morons. What in the world!?
The last time this happened to me it was at the same Shell gas station in Coldwater, MI. Apparently, the some of the residents of Coldwater are a little slow on the uptake if you know what I mean. I have come to the conclusion to never buy gas in Coldwater again. The town is just too dangerous. Some of the people there are just too stupid to trust your life with. I'll pump my gas where people are intelligent enough to turn off their engines.
Now, I know there are exceptions to these few idiots of Coldwater who have briefly endangered the life of my wife and children at the Shell station. My wife is a lovely and intelligent Coldwater grad who turns off her car when at the gas station. Ben Brown or Carrie Leazanby (two Coldwaterians that I know), do you let your cars run at gas stations? This is an epidemic that needs to be stopped before a gas station goes up in smoke. However, I guess I shouldn't be that overly concerned any more since I will no longer fill up in Coldwater, MI. Join me in this boycott of the dangerous Coldwater gas stations.
Watch out for the potholes or the stupid people next to you that want to keep their car running while filling up their tank.
If you were expecting to read about The Dysfunctional Family of God, then stop back tomorrow. I've had even longer to think about it.
Taking the Day Off
Well, I'm sick. I've been real sick since Friday. The brain just doesn't want to concentrate long enough with all of the snot around it. Hence, I'm not going to blog today although I do have a post running through my head. So stop back tomorrow and read about my post entitled "The Dysfunctional Family of God."
Watch out for the potholes
Watch out for the potholes
The only people doing their job
The Army recruiters understand that my store is a great place to recruit for future soldiers because of the amount of teenagers that spend time hanging out at my store. They have left brochures for me to sit on my counter. Today they asked me what night the most teenagers are there, so they can come over, hang out, play games with them, get to know them, and hopefully recruit them. Despite being non-violent and the inner conflict all of this causes on me, I was impressed.
But I was also saddenned. I have prayed that a local youth pastor would come down and befriend many of the teens that hang out at my store. Many of them come from terrible family situations. Most of them don't have parents that care about them. I would almost wager that none of them have parents that discipline them. And sadly, almost all of them are void of knowing Jesus and his kingdom. But no youth pastor has come. I have been there two years and still no youth pastor. It seems weird that a youth pastor wouldn't ever come and hang out with kids playing games. I'm baffled.
The army knows how to recruit. The church has something much greater than simply recruitment to get done, and, sadly, it isn't getting done.
Unless, of course, they know that I'm a Christian and think that the store is my territory. I don't think that is the case.
Watch out for the potholes.
But I was also saddenned. I have prayed that a local youth pastor would come down and befriend many of the teens that hang out at my store. Many of them come from terrible family situations. Most of them don't have parents that care about them. I would almost wager that none of them have parents that discipline them. And sadly, almost all of them are void of knowing Jesus and his kingdom. But no youth pastor has come. I have been there two years and still no youth pastor. It seems weird that a youth pastor wouldn't ever come and hang out with kids playing games. I'm baffled.
The army knows how to recruit. The church has something much greater than simply recruitment to get done, and, sadly, it isn't getting done.
Unless, of course, they know that I'm a Christian and think that the store is my territory. I don't think that is the case.
Watch out for the potholes.
Breakfast and a Book
Crazy. I thought I published this early in the morning, but apparently it didn't take. I'll be brief.
If you're a male, in the Antwerp area, interested in reading Christian writings, and like to discuss what you read with other people, then I have good news for you. Starting next Friday at 6:00 a.m my father, whoever else is interested, and I will be getting together at Archer's Restaurant to discuss what we are going to do. The group will be leaderless. We will all be expected to read one to two chapters in a book and come prepared to discuss the thoughts we had while reading. The first book will be Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others by Scot McKnight. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
If the time doesn't work out for you but you are interested in doing it, feel free to contact me and let me know. We might be able to move the time.
Watch out for the potholes.
If you're a male, in the Antwerp area, interested in reading Christian writings, and like to discuss what you read with other people, then I have good news for you. Starting next Friday at 6:00 a.m my father, whoever else is interested, and I will be getting together at Archer's Restaurant to discuss what we are going to do. The group will be leaderless. We will all be expected to read one to two chapters in a book and come prepared to discuss the thoughts we had while reading. The first book will be Jesus Creed: Loving God, Loving Others by Scot McKnight. If you have any questions, feel free to email me.
If the time doesn't work out for you but you are interested in doing it, feel free to contact me and let me know. We might be able to move the time.
Watch out for the potholes.
My struggle with entire sanctification and my church
Milestone today. Pulling Weeds out of Potholes is more than likely going to receive its 10,000th unique hit. If you are that lucky person, please leave a comment.
***
I planned on doing today what I did yesterday; however, I was sidetracked. My thoughts raced in one direction and decided to stay there. I couldn't continue reading. This is the result of that. It all began with this quote from Doug Pagitt's Reimagining Spiritual Formation.
I've mentioned Entire Sanctification briefly a few weeks back. One of the things I have been struggling with is what to do with this concept in a church that requires their ministers to believe in it. To put it bluntly, it appears that if I don't believe in the doctrine of entire sanctification, then I will never be allowed to become a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene.
At first, I liked the concept of entire sanctification. It made Christianity easier to swallow. It did exactly what Doug Pagitt described in the above passage: It created a tier of Christians who have a "simple belief about Jesus" and antoher tier of Christians who are "very devoted." I liked the sound of it. Believing that seemed to somehow liberate me from judgmentalism or some sort of legalistic tilt for the first few hours of contemplating it. However, I came to the conclusion that the liberation was a false freedom.
One of the problems with the American church is that we have tried to make Christianity easy to swallow. We're a culture used to gelcaps. We don't want anything that will inconvenience us. The church has compromised the kingdom because of a healthy desire, but it is a healthy desire that has been misprioritized. It seems to be the result of placing evangelism as a priority over being the people of God. I too often see churches that fail to be a glimspe of the kingdom of God focus on evangelism. I don't understand it. If you aren't the kingdom, then what are you evangelizing people to? The church in America has been quick to water down the gospel and meet our culture where it is at. We need to shine the gospel like a giant lighthouse, showing our culture the path that we all need to take. We don't want to water the gospel down because we are trying to save ourselves and them from the water.
Now, I'm back to my beliefs. I don't think I can believe in entire sanctification if it has to be a seperate act from salvation, but I do believe in the concept. That might be a little confusing, but we just disagree on when it happens. I don't believe there is a minimal Christian. What makes one a Christian is when they completely surrender their life to God. Now, they won't be perfect yet. The entire sanctification that has happened in their heart hasn't yet been able to actualize itself in their body. The sinful nature of the body continues to cling on. But it is a work in process. Even the Nazarenes admit that a person who has been entirely sanctified will still continue to sin. The problem I have is that they believe entire sanctification is an event that happens later in one's spiritual life. I believe complete sacrifice of one's self is the foundational element upon which one's Christianity begins. You can't become a Christian unless you give up your life, take up your cross, and follow the example of Jesus daily. You cannot be a Christian unless you have experienced what the Nazarenes describe as entire sanctification.
The reason the concept was so appealing to me the first time I heard it was that I would like to say that everyone who gives intellectual assent to the concepts of Scripture and intellectually accepts the grace of Jesus given to us on the cross are saved but not yet completely committed to living out the Christian life. But no matter how much I would like that, it just isn't true. There is no lesser tier of Christians. Either we are completely committed to following God and being his people, or we are not his people.
I don't hate the concept of entire sanctification. It's just when it occurs that I disagree with the Nazarene church. It also baffles me that believing when something like entire sanctification happens could prevent me from being a pastor in a denomenation's church. It's like making someone believe a certain endtime theory in order for them to be accepted. It just seems odd. But the main question I am struggling with is, "Should I even remain in a church that will not allow me to become a pastor because of a belief that I differ with them on?" That is one of my big struggles right now.
***
Here is a list of Scriptures that they use and my thoughts concerning them:
Leviticus 19:2 - "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."
I see a call to holiness, but I do not see how that is something seperate from an essential element of what it means to be a Christian.
Acts - They just list the whole book. I would have to see some specific examples, but I also don't think that the teaching of holiness in Acts is seperated from salvation.
Romans 6:1-12 - "What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Chirst, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions."
Paul is writing to Christians who appear to be continue in a life of sin despite their claim to be Christian. Paul is trying to call them back to the holy life that God has intended for them to live. Paul wrote, "For whoever has died is freed from sin." We do not join Jesus in resurrection unless we have joined Jesus in his death. I don't see how we could possibly seperate salvation from dying to ourselves. Paul doesn't seem to be addressing a point in a life in which a believer then becomes holy: He is trying to tell believers who are living in a dangerous grace that they need to live the holy life God intended for them to live. Just because a believer can stray and live his faith on the edge of the pit doesn't mean that entire sanctification happens at a later date, does it?
My take on this writing of Paul is the same as my take on the teachings of John Wesley concerning entire sanctification. Both are writing to people who claim to be Christians, who are part of the church, yet refuse to live their lives in the way God intended. They weren't trying to make people realize that they need to become entirely sanctified: They were trying to teach people that they have already been entirely sanctified. It is time to make that fact that occurred at the time when you joined Jesus in his death and resurrection a reality for your life.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 - "May the God of peace himself santify you entirely; and may your spirt and soul and body be kept sound and blamess at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
If we are to be kept sound and blamess, then that seems to mean that we already are.
But the real thought I have about this is that it isn't written to one individual but to a group of people. I could read it as Paul wishes for the everyone in the entire church to be saved. It would make sense especially in the context. This follows a list of things that Paul is encouraging them to do or telling them to fix. However, we know that one of the items in the list, "admonish the idlers", was a problem that they didn't fix because of Paul's writings on that in 2 Thessalonians. Paul is telling them to be a church that is full of people who are committed to following Christ. It is a statement written to a collective group and not just one individual. Do you think I have been dishonest with this passage?
1 John 2:1-2 - "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."
Again, nothing here that makes me believe entire sanctification is a seperate act from the sanctification that happens at salvation.
***
A few more quotes from Reimagining Spiritual Formation by Doug Pagitt:
"Accountability is built on the notion that a person will do her own work as she seeks to live a Christian life while others do what they can to keep her on track. This may seem like the best our local community can offer us, but we are striving for more. We feel called to vulnerability. We are seeking to move into relationships where we don't merely ask others to hole us to living in the way of Jesus, but where we invite them to participate in our efforts to do so. We are trying to open our lives up in such a way that others do not simply keep us on track, but become actual agents of redemtption and change.
"It seems to me that this call to communal spiritual formation challenges us to reimagine the gospel itself. Perhaps the challenges of living the dreams of God in the post-industrial world go beyond methodology problems. Perhaps we have been propagating a limited message, reducing biblical authors to sound bytes that cut the gospel message into so many pieces that we are left with little more than statements of what we believe rather than the broader story of how we are to enter into God's story through a life lived in faith."
Watch out for the potholes.
***
I planned on doing today what I did yesterday; however, I was sidetracked. My thoughts raced in one direction and decided to stay there. I couldn't continue reading. This is the result of that. It all began with this quote from Doug Pagitt's Reimagining Spiritual Formation.
"I contend that Kingdom living and following in the way of Jesus are essential to the way we understand the lessons of the New Testament church. There are many of us who have come to believee that the 'gospel' that sits at the center of much of Protestant life today is a bifurcated version of the gospel message, one that reduces the call to Kingdom life to simple belief about Jesus while leaving the exemplary Christian life to the 'very' devoted."
I've mentioned Entire Sanctification briefly a few weeks back. One of the things I have been struggling with is what to do with this concept in a church that requires their ministers to believe in it. To put it bluntly, it appears that if I don't believe in the doctrine of entire sanctification, then I will never be allowed to become a pastor in the Church of the Nazarene.
At first, I liked the concept of entire sanctification. It made Christianity easier to swallow. It did exactly what Doug Pagitt described in the above passage: It created a tier of Christians who have a "simple belief about Jesus" and antoher tier of Christians who are "very devoted." I liked the sound of it. Believing that seemed to somehow liberate me from judgmentalism or some sort of legalistic tilt for the first few hours of contemplating it. However, I came to the conclusion that the liberation was a false freedom.
One of the problems with the American church is that we have tried to make Christianity easy to swallow. We're a culture used to gelcaps. We don't want anything that will inconvenience us. The church has compromised the kingdom because of a healthy desire, but it is a healthy desire that has been misprioritized. It seems to be the result of placing evangelism as a priority over being the people of God. I too often see churches that fail to be a glimspe of the kingdom of God focus on evangelism. I don't understand it. If you aren't the kingdom, then what are you evangelizing people to? The church in America has been quick to water down the gospel and meet our culture where it is at. We need to shine the gospel like a giant lighthouse, showing our culture the path that we all need to take. We don't want to water the gospel down because we are trying to save ourselves and them from the water.
Now, I'm back to my beliefs. I don't think I can believe in entire sanctification if it has to be a seperate act from salvation, but I do believe in the concept. That might be a little confusing, but we just disagree on when it happens. I don't believe there is a minimal Christian. What makes one a Christian is when they completely surrender their life to God. Now, they won't be perfect yet. The entire sanctification that has happened in their heart hasn't yet been able to actualize itself in their body. The sinful nature of the body continues to cling on. But it is a work in process. Even the Nazarenes admit that a person who has been entirely sanctified will still continue to sin. The problem I have is that they believe entire sanctification is an event that happens later in one's spiritual life. I believe complete sacrifice of one's self is the foundational element upon which one's Christianity begins. You can't become a Christian unless you give up your life, take up your cross, and follow the example of Jesus daily. You cannot be a Christian unless you have experienced what the Nazarenes describe as entire sanctification.
The reason the concept was so appealing to me the first time I heard it was that I would like to say that everyone who gives intellectual assent to the concepts of Scripture and intellectually accepts the grace of Jesus given to us on the cross are saved but not yet completely committed to living out the Christian life. But no matter how much I would like that, it just isn't true. There is no lesser tier of Christians. Either we are completely committed to following God and being his people, or we are not his people.
I don't hate the concept of entire sanctification. It's just when it occurs that I disagree with the Nazarene church. It also baffles me that believing when something like entire sanctification happens could prevent me from being a pastor in a denomenation's church. It's like making someone believe a certain endtime theory in order for them to be accepted. It just seems odd. But the main question I am struggling with is, "Should I even remain in a church that will not allow me to become a pastor because of a belief that I differ with them on?" That is one of my big struggles right now.
***
Here is a list of Scriptures that they use and my thoughts concerning them:
Leviticus 19:2 - "Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy."
I see a call to holiness, but I do not see how that is something seperate from an essential element of what it means to be a Christian.
Acts - They just list the whole book. I would have to see some specific examples, but I also don't think that the teaching of holiness in Acts is seperated from salvation.
Romans 6:1-12 - "What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Chirst, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, do not let sin exercise dominion in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions."
Paul is writing to Christians who appear to be continue in a life of sin despite their claim to be Christian. Paul is trying to call them back to the holy life that God has intended for them to live. Paul wrote, "For whoever has died is freed from sin." We do not join Jesus in resurrection unless we have joined Jesus in his death. I don't see how we could possibly seperate salvation from dying to ourselves. Paul doesn't seem to be addressing a point in a life in which a believer then becomes holy: He is trying to tell believers who are living in a dangerous grace that they need to live the holy life God intended for them to live. Just because a believer can stray and live his faith on the edge of the pit doesn't mean that entire sanctification happens at a later date, does it?
My take on this writing of Paul is the same as my take on the teachings of John Wesley concerning entire sanctification. Both are writing to people who claim to be Christians, who are part of the church, yet refuse to live their lives in the way God intended. They weren't trying to make people realize that they need to become entirely sanctified: They were trying to teach people that they have already been entirely sanctified. It is time to make that fact that occurred at the time when you joined Jesus in his death and resurrection a reality for your life.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 - "May the God of peace himself santify you entirely; and may your spirt and soul and body be kept sound and blamess at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
If we are to be kept sound and blamess, then that seems to mean that we already are.
But the real thought I have about this is that it isn't written to one individual but to a group of people. I could read it as Paul wishes for the everyone in the entire church to be saved. It would make sense especially in the context. This follows a list of things that Paul is encouraging them to do or telling them to fix. However, we know that one of the items in the list, "admonish the idlers", was a problem that they didn't fix because of Paul's writings on that in 2 Thessalonians. Paul is telling them to be a church that is full of people who are committed to following Christ. It is a statement written to a collective group and not just one individual. Do you think I have been dishonest with this passage?
1 John 2:1-2 - "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world."
Again, nothing here that makes me believe entire sanctification is a seperate act from the sanctification that happens at salvation.
***
A few more quotes from Reimagining Spiritual Formation by Doug Pagitt:
"Accountability is built on the notion that a person will do her own work as she seeks to live a Christian life while others do what they can to keep her on track. This may seem like the best our local community can offer us, but we are striving for more. We feel called to vulnerability. We are seeking to move into relationships where we don't merely ask others to hole us to living in the way of Jesus, but where we invite them to participate in our efforts to do so. We are trying to open our lives up in such a way that others do not simply keep us on track, but become actual agents of redemtption and change.
"It seems to me that this call to communal spiritual formation challenges us to reimagine the gospel itself. Perhaps the challenges of living the dreams of God in the post-industrial world go beyond methodology problems. Perhaps we have been propagating a limited message, reducing biblical authors to sound bytes that cut the gospel message into so many pieces that we are left with little more than statements of what we believe rather than the broader story of how we are to enter into God's story through a life lived in faith."
Watch out for the potholes.
As I Read - Reimagining Spiritual Formation
Here is a lame attempt to be as funny as Mike is every day over at his blog.
I have found the greatest invention for humanity. This invention will help relationships to flourish.
Although the intention is for a woman to use it on herself during that real emotional time of the month, I propose that every man in the nation also carry a bottle around with them wherever they go. When a woman is showing signs of PMS, pull the bottle out and spray her down. Not only will women control their emotional madness because of the spray, but the threat of being sprayed by every man in the vicinity if they have an emotional outburst in public will make the world will be a much better place.
Thank you Bath & Body Works. It's about time.
***
Here is a new thing I'm going to try today. I am starting to read a new book: Reimagining Spiritual Formation by Doug Pagitt. As I read through the intro and first chapter, I'm going to type up the thought-provoking quotes and my thoughts, if any, on them. We'll see how this works. As always, feel free to share any thoughts that you might have.
I have found the greatest invention for humanity. This invention will help relationships to flourish.
That's right. Bath & Body Works' PMS Relief Spray Mist. What a wonderful discovery.
Thank you Bath & Body Works. It's about time.
***
Here is a new thing I'm going to try today. I am starting to read a new book: Reimagining Spiritual Formation by Doug Pagitt. As I read through the intro and first chapter, I'm going to type up the thought-provoking quotes and my thoughts, if any, on them. We'll see how this works. As always, feel free to share any thoughts that you might have.
One of the interesting things before we get going. The author is telling the story of one week in the spiritual life of his church. It's an interesting idea. One of the strange things about his church is its name, Solomon's Porch. That was the name we gave to the church in Lansing before the intitial parting of ways. I loved that name from Acts 3:11. "And as the lame man which was healed held Peter and John, all the people ran together unto them in the porch that is called Solomon's, greatly wondering."
"The life of Solomon's Porch is not primarily about the things we do, or the reasons for our doing them. Solomon's Porch is about people. It is a community trying to live with God in the world."
If you're interested in doing church in a different way, I just went to there church website to see what it looked like. It was awesome and had lots of neat articles and useful information. Part of it included this excerpt from the book.
We dream of a church where:
* We listen to and are obedient to God
* People who are not Christians become followers of God in the way of Jesus
* Those who are not involved in church would become an active part of it
* People are deeply connected to God in all of life; body, mind, soul and spirit
* Beauty, art and creativity are valued, used, and understood as coming from the Creator
* Culture is met, embraced and transformed
* Joy, fun and excitement are part of our lives
* The kingdom of God is increased in real ways in the world
* The Biblical story of God is told and contributed to
* Biblical justice, mercy, grace, love and righteousness lead the way
* Truth, honesty and health are a way of life
* We value innovation and are willing to take risks in order to bring glory to God.
* Worship of God is full, vibrant, real, and pleasing to God
* Faith, hope and love are the context for all
* The next generation of leadership is built up and leaders are servants
* Everyone is equipped to do ministry
* God's Spirit takes precedence over all structures and systems
* Christian Community is the attraction to outsiders and the answer to questions of faith
* People participate in the kingdom of God in accordance with their abilities and gifts
* We are connected to, dependent on and serve the global Church
* People learn the ways of God and are encouraged to make it central to their lives
* Other churches are valued and supported
* Peoples' visions and ideas of ministry come to life
"We are working with a view of spirutal fomration in which we forget about working on a part of a person's life, and instead work with people as if there is no distinction between the spiritual, emotional, physical, social, professional, and private aspects of life. We hope the result of this vision of human formation will be a move toward a place where we focus on the holistic formation of people who are in harmony with God in all arenas of life, and who seek to live in the way of Jesus in every relationship, every situation, every moment."
"Maybe there is something to the critique that the church is marginalized in the world to such a degree that the marks of a 'successful' church have been reduced to tangible evidence such as size, market share, political influence, healthy budgets, and the creation of model citizens living the American Dream. This marginilization is not due the the Church's poor use of marketing techniques or lack of effort in discipleship. Rather, I've become convinced that our misguided belief that life change can come through proper knowledge acquired through education has failed to produce the kind of radical commitment to life in harmony with God in the way of Jesus that we are called to. When the realitites of life crash into our knowledge of God, faith is often the prime casualty. Doesn't the role of communities of faith need to include more than making converts and educating people in right belief? Doesn't it need to also make possible corporate and personal lives lived in harmony with God? I am not suggesting that churches have not sought this holistic approach to faith in other times, but I do believe that the knowledge-based spiritual formation of the 20th century has so reduced the call of Jesus to right belief that many become confused about why mere profession of belief does not bring about life change."
"Two decades from now, will our efforts at human formation be shown to have contributed to the lives we have led for the past 20 years? Will they have helped us live as blessings to the world, or will we simply be living the kind of self-absorbed 'personal' Christian lives that are so common today? This is the kind of issue that those who buy in to the educational model of spiritual formation may not need to struggle with. The educational approach provides assurances of effectiveness through tests, catechisms, and statements of faith, which meaasure whether people have been 'properly' formed. When we move beyond belief-based faith to life-lived, holistic faith, the only true test is lives lived over time."
I'm not even through the first chapter yet. Reading this way is taking even longer than anticipated. However, it does make me think more about what I am reading and ponder it a little harder. I like that.
I will repeat the feelings of my heart once again. This book stirs those feelings within me. I long to experience Christian community again. I want to live my life together with fellow Christians. I believe so strongly that by living our lives together as Christians we are effective witnesses to the world. People will not know Jesus by trick evangelism tools or proper spiritual education, they will know him by believers like you and me living our lives together where we live. Then our neighbors, friends, and co-workers will see Christ as being relevant for today. I long to be part of a Christian community that isn't afraid to share their lives with one another. I just don't know where or how to begin in the setting that I am in.
Watch out for the potholes.
"The life of Solomon's Porch is not primarily about the things we do, or the reasons for our doing them. Solomon's Porch is about people. It is a community trying to live with God in the world."
If you're interested in doing church in a different way, I just went to there church website to see what it looked like. It was awesome and had lots of neat articles and useful information. Part of it included this excerpt from the book.
We dream of a church where:
* We listen to and are obedient to God
* People who are not Christians become followers of God in the way of Jesus
* Those who are not involved in church would become an active part of it
* People are deeply connected to God in all of life; body, mind, soul and spirit
* Beauty, art and creativity are valued, used, and understood as coming from the Creator
* Culture is met, embraced and transformed
* Joy, fun and excitement are part of our lives
* The kingdom of God is increased in real ways in the world
* The Biblical story of God is told and contributed to
* Biblical justice, mercy, grace, love and righteousness lead the way
* Truth, honesty and health are a way of life
* We value innovation and are willing to take risks in order to bring glory to God.
* Worship of God is full, vibrant, real, and pleasing to God
* Faith, hope and love are the context for all
* The next generation of leadership is built up and leaders are servants
* Everyone is equipped to do ministry
* God's Spirit takes precedence over all structures and systems
* Christian Community is the attraction to outsiders and the answer to questions of faith
* People participate in the kingdom of God in accordance with their abilities and gifts
* We are connected to, dependent on and serve the global Church
* People learn the ways of God and are encouraged to make it central to their lives
* Other churches are valued and supported
* Peoples' visions and ideas of ministry come to life
"We are working with a view of spirutal fomration in which we forget about working on a part of a person's life, and instead work with people as if there is no distinction between the spiritual, emotional, physical, social, professional, and private aspects of life. We hope the result of this vision of human formation will be a move toward a place where we focus on the holistic formation of people who are in harmony with God in all arenas of life, and who seek to live in the way of Jesus in every relationship, every situation, every moment."
"Maybe there is something to the critique that the church is marginalized in the world to such a degree that the marks of a 'successful' church have been reduced to tangible evidence such as size, market share, political influence, healthy budgets, and the creation of model citizens living the American Dream. This marginilization is not due the the Church's poor use of marketing techniques or lack of effort in discipleship. Rather, I've become convinced that our misguided belief that life change can come through proper knowledge acquired through education has failed to produce the kind of radical commitment to life in harmony with God in the way of Jesus that we are called to. When the realitites of life crash into our knowledge of God, faith is often the prime casualty. Doesn't the role of communities of faith need to include more than making converts and educating people in right belief? Doesn't it need to also make possible corporate and personal lives lived in harmony with God? I am not suggesting that churches have not sought this holistic approach to faith in other times, but I do believe that the knowledge-based spiritual formation of the 20th century has so reduced the call of Jesus to right belief that many become confused about why mere profession of belief does not bring about life change."
"Two decades from now, will our efforts at human formation be shown to have contributed to the lives we have led for the past 20 years? Will they have helped us live as blessings to the world, or will we simply be living the kind of self-absorbed 'personal' Christian lives that are so common today? This is the kind of issue that those who buy in to the educational model of spiritual formation may not need to struggle with. The educational approach provides assurances of effectiveness through tests, catechisms, and statements of faith, which meaasure whether people have been 'properly' formed. When we move beyond belief-based faith to life-lived, holistic faith, the only true test is lives lived over time."
I'm not even through the first chapter yet. Reading this way is taking even longer than anticipated. However, it does make me think more about what I am reading and ponder it a little harder. I like that.
I will repeat the feelings of my heart once again. This book stirs those feelings within me. I long to experience Christian community again. I want to live my life together with fellow Christians. I believe so strongly that by living our lives together as Christians we are effective witnesses to the world. People will not know Jesus by trick evangelism tools or proper spiritual education, they will know him by believers like you and me living our lives together where we live. Then our neighbors, friends, and co-workers will see Christ as being relevant for today. I long to be part of a Christian community that isn't afraid to share their lives with one another. I just don't know where or how to begin in the setting that I am in.
Watch out for the potholes.
Fifth Anniversary
Today, Lindsay and I are officially observing our fifth anniversary. It was actually Saturday, but we just spent the day at home. Today we're going out all day as long as the kids feel good. Isaac went to sleep with a belly ache and woke me up once in the middle of the night whining. If he is not feeling well, then the day is cancelled.
So no blog today.
Watch out for the potholes.
So no blog today.
Watch out for the potholes.
So you want to reach perfection?
Yesterday, I was in a conversation with someone about a church. Churches will remain anonymous. Names even moreso. But I will give the church a fake name - Pleasantville Church.
Pleasantville Church is actually better than every other church in its community. Better in the sense that they are more loving, encouraging, and accepting. However, they have made a terrible blunder and stopped admitting that they have problems, which has put a halt to trying to improve themselves. I told the member on the phone that they need to do some reexamination. They need to stop comparing themselves to other churches in their community and start comparing themselves to Christ.
If I compare my life and my walk with God to those around me, I might be able to become prideful about my spirituality. It would all depend on the circle of people around me. If I always compare my life to Christ and his perfection, I will always see the ideal I need to strive for, room for improvement, and the need to continually stand on grace.
That is the problem with Pleasantville Church. They compare themselves to the failing churches of their community rather than the ideal Church of Christ. Sadly, they have probably never exeperienced or seen a church that is totally committed to doing God's will. If I was to give one sentence of advice to Pleasantville Church, it would be, "Live in God's grace."
When we live with the world's mindset of success we try to sugarcoat our resume so that we are appealing to those around us. Our blemishes are something to hide. When we live in God's grace we are free to acknowledge our failings and improve upon them. God's grace allows for all of our silly and, sometimes, very serious imperfections. He is willing to take us with all of our faults and begin to improve upon them.
If you want to reach perfection, live in God's grace where you are free to admit your failings.
Watch out for the potholes.
Pleasantville Church is actually better than every other church in its community. Better in the sense that they are more loving, encouraging, and accepting. However, they have made a terrible blunder and stopped admitting that they have problems, which has put a halt to trying to improve themselves. I told the member on the phone that they need to do some reexamination. They need to stop comparing themselves to other churches in their community and start comparing themselves to Christ.
If I compare my life and my walk with God to those around me, I might be able to become prideful about my spirituality. It would all depend on the circle of people around me. If I always compare my life to Christ and his perfection, I will always see the ideal I need to strive for, room for improvement, and the need to continually stand on grace.
That is the problem with Pleasantville Church. They compare themselves to the failing churches of their community rather than the ideal Church of Christ. Sadly, they have probably never exeperienced or seen a church that is totally committed to doing God's will. If I was to give one sentence of advice to Pleasantville Church, it would be, "Live in God's grace."
When we live with the world's mindset of success we try to sugarcoat our resume so that we are appealing to those around us. Our blemishes are something to hide. When we live in God's grace we are free to acknowledge our failings and improve upon them. God's grace allows for all of our silly and, sometimes, very serious imperfections. He is willing to take us with all of our faults and begin to improve upon them.
If you want to reach perfection, live in God's grace where you are free to admit your failings.
Watch out for the potholes.
Finding Peace and Comfort
I had a long conversation yesterday with a friend at work who is extremely depressed about his career and what he is to do with his life. I prayed for sensitivity to have the words he needed to hear, but not much came to mind. I mainly just listened and encouraged.
Anyway, here are the thoughts that came to my mind while I was listening.
The secret to finding peace and comfort is.........Know where you're heading.
So many people are worried about who they are. It's the new age craze of finding oneself. However, I think as Christians, we need to define ourselves by who we will be. We are much more significant than the frail and fallen self we find when we look in the mirror. We are redeemed. We are justified. We are sanctified. We are Christ's hands and feet to the world. We will find peace and comfort when we are heading towards the finish line God has planned for us. Every other path will bring frustration.
It's never too late to switch gears and hop onto the path God has planned for our lives. The frustration we are in can subside. But it isn't a magic formula; it's not a quick fix. Frustrations will still come. We are sometimes deceived about where God wants us to go. I was depressed and frustrated three weeks ago. I thought I knew what God wanted to do with my life, and that door was closed. I'm still confused about that situation and what God wants done, but I have reached the place again of having the joy and peace that Christ brings in my life. I became content with the situation I am in.
The key to peace is comfort is more than just knowing where you are headed but letting God define who we are and allowing ourselves to be molded by him. This way we can head where he wants us to go.
Watch out for potholes.
Anyway, here are the thoughts that came to my mind while I was listening.
The secret to finding peace and comfort is.........Know where you're heading.
So many people are worried about who they are. It's the new age craze of finding oneself. However, I think as Christians, we need to define ourselves by who we will be. We are much more significant than the frail and fallen self we find when we look in the mirror. We are redeemed. We are justified. We are sanctified. We are Christ's hands and feet to the world. We will find peace and comfort when we are heading towards the finish line God has planned for us. Every other path will bring frustration.
It's never too late to switch gears and hop onto the path God has planned for our lives. The frustration we are in can subside. But it isn't a magic formula; it's not a quick fix. Frustrations will still come. We are sometimes deceived about where God wants us to go. I was depressed and frustrated three weeks ago. I thought I knew what God wanted to do with my life, and that door was closed. I'm still confused about that situation and what God wants done, but I have reached the place again of having the joy and peace that Christ brings in my life. I became content with the situation I am in.
The key to peace is comfort is more than just knowing where you are headed but letting God define who we are and allowing ourselves to be molded by him. This way we can head where he wants us to go.
Watch out for potholes.
False Faith Vs True Faith
The truth is worthless to those who hold to obstinate reason. Reason ignores the words of God, the writings of God, and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, which God uses to try to convert her. Reason suppresses and burns the writings of God similar to the way King Jehoiakim burned the writings of Jeremiah that were given to him by God (Jeremiah 36). Reason eventually forbids, silences and condemns the words of the Lord. Worldy enlightenment banishes and slays those who stand up and speak what the Lord inspires.
It is remarkable that we don't see more people slain, banished, or persecuted because they stand up and speak against the sins of the people. I'm surprised there aren't more more people that are forced to follow in the footsteps of John the Baptist. Herodias' daughter, after winning the favor of her uncle and step-father (see the problem) by erotically dancing for him (see another problem), asked for John to be put to death because he had stood up and spoke out against her mother's sin of adultery (Mark 6:14-29). Such a great man had to die for a most disgraceful reason. And Herodias wasn't alone in her hatred of John. The Jews also joined in for a similar reason. John also stood up and spoke against the sins of the Jews; therefore, they said that John had a devil. Everyone except those willing to listen to the voice of God hated John because he stood up and spoke against their sin.
In a similar manner, there have been numberless disputes about true and false worship. Abel was slain by Cain because Cain he was angered by his brother's exalted worship. The wise and educated treat the worship of modern-day prophets in the same manner that Cain treated the worship of Abel, but the wise and educated's worship is just another form of idolatry. It springs from reason and human works, not from faith. Natural reason came to the wise and educated and tells them that the way they worship is done for the honor of God and is right. They have fallen into the path spoken by Jesus: "They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God" (John 16:2).
In a similar manner, all of the idolatry of the Old Testament was started by the wise and educated, not because they wished to bow down to wood and stones, but because they wished to worship the true God. They ignored that God had forbidden that way of worshipping him because it was the conclusion that reason brought to them when contemplating how to worship God. God had forbidden worship in that way, yet they still did it; therefore, we can be assured that this worship was a creation of their own fancy, independent of faith. It was of Satan, not of God. The prophets then declared that the worship of the wise and educated was not a service of God but one of idols; however, they would would not endure or listen to the teachings of God's prophets. They eventually turned to killing the prophets. But the prophets, following God and not the reason of man, continued to march towards their deaths, banishments, and persecutions because that is what God would have them do.
The whole dispute consists in this: The false saints quarrelled with the true saints about the worship of God and the role good works. The false saints declared that their acts of worship and good works were divine worship. The true saints declared that what the false saints were doing was an act of idolatry and unbelief. This has been the way it has been since the beginning; it will continue this way until the end.
We can see it in our day. Many have devised good works and divine worship with their outward deeds and laws. But they are faithless things when they are founded only upon works and are inititiated without God's commands. It is spiritual drivel. So we say that they do not serve God; they serve themselves and Satan, as is the case with all idolatry. They mislead people from the Christian faith and loving community. The false saints do not appreciate us calling a spade a spade, so the misery begins again.
Both, the false saints and true saints, agree that we are to serve God and do good works. We disagree on the what that means. What is the service of God and good works? It appears that we will never come to agreement. For false saints say faith amounts to nothing; only natural reasoning shows us what works are good and right.
We will find agreement with the false saints concerning the sinfulness of the obvious sins of murder, adultery, and robbery. But when it comes down to the way in which we live out our Christian lives we are as far from each other as the winter is from the summer. The true saints fear God and hold to him and his mercy. The false saints run to wood and stones, food and clothing, holidays and times of celebration. They wish to win the favor of God by building, by fasting, by their great singing, and by the way they look. They fear nothing, are shameless and full of every kind of presumption. Oh! What a holy, wise, learned people, for whom God's prophets, wise men, and scribes are neither sufficiently holy, wise, nor learned.
This is a modern paraphrase of a small section of Martin Luther's St. Stephen's Day Sermon (I.6-9). It might be step one in paraphrasing a lot of Martin Luther's work into our normal language.
Watch out for the potholes.
It is remarkable that we don't see more people slain, banished, or persecuted because they stand up and speak against the sins of the people. I'm surprised there aren't more more people that are forced to follow in the footsteps of John the Baptist. Herodias' daughter, after winning the favor of her uncle and step-father (see the problem) by erotically dancing for him (see another problem), asked for John to be put to death because he had stood up and spoke out against her mother's sin of adultery (Mark 6:14-29). Such a great man had to die for a most disgraceful reason. And Herodias wasn't alone in her hatred of John. The Jews also joined in for a similar reason. John also stood up and spoke against the sins of the Jews; therefore, they said that John had a devil. Everyone except those willing to listen to the voice of God hated John because he stood up and spoke against their sin.
In a similar manner, there have been numberless disputes about true and false worship. Abel was slain by Cain because Cain he was angered by his brother's exalted worship. The wise and educated treat the worship of modern-day prophets in the same manner that Cain treated the worship of Abel, but the wise and educated's worship is just another form of idolatry. It springs from reason and human works, not from faith. Natural reason came to the wise and educated and tells them that the way they worship is done for the honor of God and is right. They have fallen into the path spoken by Jesus: "They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God" (John 16:2).
In a similar manner, all of the idolatry of the Old Testament was started by the wise and educated, not because they wished to bow down to wood and stones, but because they wished to worship the true God. They ignored that God had forbidden that way of worshipping him because it was the conclusion that reason brought to them when contemplating how to worship God. God had forbidden worship in that way, yet they still did it; therefore, we can be assured that this worship was a creation of their own fancy, independent of faith. It was of Satan, not of God. The prophets then declared that the worship of the wise and educated was not a service of God but one of idols; however, they would would not endure or listen to the teachings of God's prophets. They eventually turned to killing the prophets. But the prophets, following God and not the reason of man, continued to march towards their deaths, banishments, and persecutions because that is what God would have them do.
The whole dispute consists in this: The false saints quarrelled with the true saints about the worship of God and the role good works. The false saints declared that their acts of worship and good works were divine worship. The true saints declared that what the false saints were doing was an act of idolatry and unbelief. This has been the way it has been since the beginning; it will continue this way until the end.
We can see it in our day. Many have devised good works and divine worship with their outward deeds and laws. But they are faithless things when they are founded only upon works and are inititiated without God's commands. It is spiritual drivel. So we say that they do not serve God; they serve themselves and Satan, as is the case with all idolatry. They mislead people from the Christian faith and loving community. The false saints do not appreciate us calling a spade a spade, so the misery begins again.
Both, the false saints and true saints, agree that we are to serve God and do good works. We disagree on the what that means. What is the service of God and good works? It appears that we will never come to agreement. For false saints say faith amounts to nothing; only natural reasoning shows us what works are good and right.
We will find agreement with the false saints concerning the sinfulness of the obvious sins of murder, adultery, and robbery. But when it comes down to the way in which we live out our Christian lives we are as far from each other as the winter is from the summer. The true saints fear God and hold to him and his mercy. The false saints run to wood and stones, food and clothing, holidays and times of celebration. They wish to win the favor of God by building, by fasting, by their great singing, and by the way they look. They fear nothing, are shameless and full of every kind of presumption. Oh! What a holy, wise, learned people, for whom God's prophets, wise men, and scribes are neither sufficiently holy, wise, nor learned.
This is a modern paraphrase of a small section of Martin Luther's St. Stephen's Day Sermon (I.6-9). It might be step one in paraphrasing a lot of Martin Luther's work into our normal language.
Watch out for the potholes.
The Spearheaders of Christian Love?
Troy wrote a post today on the Mormons which got me thinking about my interaction with Mormons. The only real life interaction I have had with any is at my store. They never tried to witness to me, although I did ask them a lot of questions. They were both from Utah and actually helped work for Salt Lake City during the Olympics.
Anyway, one of my co-workers at Farm Bureau told me the following story about her mother who lives in Utah. Her mother is not a Mormon. Her mother is crazy and doesn't have a job. What did the Mormons in the community do? The story amazed me. Various members of the Mormon church made three meals a day for her and delivered them at the designated meal times. Now that is love.
The sad thing is that I believe the Mormons don't have the right intellectual message to go along with their loving actions. Makes me wonder if those churches who have the right doctrinal beliefs but aren't filling their communities with love really have the right doctrinal beliefs. Jesus says that we will know them by their fruits. What do we know about many churches by their fruits? What do we know about the Mormons by their fruits?
Who bears the fruit of Christ in our communities?
I wonder if there is room in Antwerp for a community association that is focused on assembly loving Christians together and helping them spread the love of Christ to the community in tangible ways. But does the world need another para-church ministry? Is there a church in Antwerp that gives strangers three warm meals a day? Is there a church in Antwerp that individuals in the community know they can go to when they are in a slump? Maybe. But I don't know where it is. I wonder what kind of budget it would take to love the community of Antwerp the way God desires for it to be loved.
Watch out for the potholes.
Anyway, one of my co-workers at Farm Bureau told me the following story about her mother who lives in Utah. Her mother is not a Mormon. Her mother is crazy and doesn't have a job. What did the Mormons in the community do? The story amazed me. Various members of the Mormon church made three meals a day for her and delivered them at the designated meal times. Now that is love.
The sad thing is that I believe the Mormons don't have the right intellectual message to go along with their loving actions. Makes me wonder if those churches who have the right doctrinal beliefs but aren't filling their communities with love really have the right doctrinal beliefs. Jesus says that we will know them by their fruits. What do we know about many churches by their fruits? What do we know about the Mormons by their fruits?
Who bears the fruit of Christ in our communities?
I wonder if there is room in Antwerp for a community association that is focused on assembly loving Christians together and helping them spread the love of Christ to the community in tangible ways. But does the world need another para-church ministry? Is there a church in Antwerp that gives strangers three warm meals a day? Is there a church in Antwerp that individuals in the community know they can go to when they are in a slump? Maybe. But I don't know where it is. I wonder what kind of budget it would take to love the community of Antwerp the way God desires for it to be loved.
Watch out for the potholes.
Life is like a dense fog
We had extremely dense fog last week. It was crazy. I've never seen anything like it. School was cancelled four out of five days. It was crazy. One day as I was driving 30 mph to work, I came up with the following thoughts during an extremely dense fog in which I could only see one or two of the passing line dots in the middle of the road. It was extremely terrifying crossing roads that had oncoming traffic.
***
Life is like driving through dense fog down a foreign road with many curves. I do not know where I am going. I only know a few feet at a time. Some times I'm blessed with patches of clear sailing. They are a nice respite from the fog. But then it all comes back.
Cautious, careful, and ever alert I must remain, for I don't know where God will take me. If I blink, I might miss. But even worse. If I miss his warning about a stop ahead, I could be in an accident or dead. I must remain focused on looking for warning signs and driving down the path ahead of me.
Then comes another behind me. They are pushing me to go faster. Ignorantly, I become sidetracked. My focus shifts from following the road and looking for signs to glancing in the rearview mirror to see if I'm safe. I want to change the way I am driving in order to accomodate them, but I can't without risking disaster.
Life is like driving through dense fog down a road with many curves.
Watch out for the potholes.
***
Life is like driving through dense fog down a foreign road with many curves. I do not know where I am going. I only know a few feet at a time. Some times I'm blessed with patches of clear sailing. They are a nice respite from the fog. But then it all comes back.
Cautious, careful, and ever alert I must remain, for I don't know where God will take me. If I blink, I might miss. But even worse. If I miss his warning about a stop ahead, I could be in an accident or dead. I must remain focused on looking for warning signs and driving down the path ahead of me.
Then comes another behind me. They are pushing me to go faster. Ignorantly, I become sidetracked. My focus shifts from following the road and looking for signs to glancing in the rearview mirror to see if I'm safe. I want to change the way I am driving in order to accomodate them, but I can't without risking disaster.
Life is like driving through dense fog down a road with many curves.
Watch out for the potholes.
A toot, a vineyard, and me
Isaac just had one of the loudest toots ever. What he is doing up with me this early in the morning I will never know? We did a special sleep in the living room night last night. I figure it will be a monthly tradition. I woke up at 4:45 for no reason. I just couldn't sleep anymore. Isaac woke up at 5:30. There goes my morning of solitude. Anyway, back to the toot. It was loud.
I asked him, "Was that your mouth or was that a real toot?"
He replies, "A real toot."
I proclaim, "A super-toot!"
He says, "Just like Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man."
It made me laugh.
***
Here is the finished produt that will be shared tomorrow morning at 10:30 at Antwerp Community Church. If you're bored and in the are, feel free to come on over. Please say a little prayer for me in this matter.
***
When we received the big snowfall a couple of weeks ago and church was cancelled, I tried to save some money. Instead of calling someone with a big truck and a snowplow to come and clear out our long driveway, I decided to get in the Blazer and drive up and down the drive for twenty minutes trying to make a good trail to get through. I did a decent job. I’ve only fallen off of the trail and got my car stuck a few times, and none of those times, thankfully, were anything that going in forward and reverse for five minutes couldn’t handle.
Today we’re going to read a passage from Isaiah 5. Isaiah was written to try to get the people of God, at that time the nation of Israel, back on the trail he made for them. I think there is a lot we can learn from this book and this passage in particular. I’ll be reading starting at verse 1.
Isaiah 5:1-7
"1 Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!"
God has a vineyard. I have a garden. If you've been to my house, my garden is one of the many eyesores in my yard. I'm not the best at protecting my garden. We have rabbits and failed to plant any marigolds to keep them away, so the rabbits are free to eat whatever they whenever they want. It all depends on whether my dog is out there to chase them. We have weeds growing in the garden that are almost as tall as me. My garden is not a garden to be proud of, but the vegetables we have pulled from that garden are. We are fortunate to have such great soil, that despite all of my inadequacies in gardening I have had the biggest tomatoes I have ever seen come out of it. I have had cucumbers that were abnormally large. I actually should have pulled them before they became that large. Now if only it would've produced giant pumpkins, but I digress.
I have heard garden horror stories too. I have heard stories where people take immaculate care and love their garden, yet it just does not produce good fruit and vegetables. Those great garden caregivers are somewhat like God. God is far superior to me in gardening (and everything else for that matter) in that he did everything he could to make his vineyard fruitful. Forget marigolds to keep rabbits out; he built a stink'in watchtower. I tilled my garden and forgot it. God painstakingly cleared his vineyard of every stone. I have no idea how to tell what strain of tomatoes, peppers, green beans, or the like, are good, so I just planted what the greenhouse carried. God planted choice vines. I was just fortunate to have good soil. God actually checked the soil before planting his vineyard.
Everything about God's vineyard was perfect, perfect for growing the best grapes ever made - except for the grapes themselves. God could only do so much. The grapes had to grow on their own.
This story is a sort of parable. God is talking about bad grapes, but in actuality he is talking about his stubborn followers. His people refused to grow and be what he intended them to be.
There are many people out there who refuse to follow God because of his grapes. At one point I was one of them. At one point in my journey while I was a youth pastor I gave up on Christianity. I became completely frustrated with what I felt was the whole charade going on around me.
I remember coming back to Antwerp and going to an event at the church I grew up at on the other side of the river. They were having their annual campfire and campout party. I went for a walk with my mom around the church. Not to kiss like naughty teenagers, but to talk. During that walk I told her a conclusion that I had arrived at. I said, "I don't think I'm a Christian any more." She wept. I hugged her. I said, “I can't be a Christian when all the world is filled with all of these fake people who think they are saved just because they have proper belief statements and don’t live their faith out in actions. If what they believe makes them live the way they do, then I don’t want to believe what they do.”
Thankfully, God didn't give up on me and my arrogant self. God laid this passage from Isaiah on my heart. It's a story about God trying his best to create a fruitful vineyard. However, he did all he could and it still produced bad grapes. And the verse that really brought me back is the one where he tells us to "judge between me and my vineyard." At that point I decided to do just that. We shouldn’t judge God based upon the people who claim to follow Him. We need to view him for who He is and judge Him accordingly. If there is one passage in the Bible that has saved my soul, we read it today.
And we might think it is a copout to not follow God because of the people who claim to follow him. It is. It will hold no weight at the time of judgment, but, unfortunately, it seems to be the copout that most people use to not follow God. I've yet to run across someone who told me that they don't follow God because they can't accept the Trinity. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because the church is full of gossip. I have yet to run across someone who told me they refuse to follow God because they don't know if they can trust the Bible. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because they have been emotionally hurt by people who claim to follow Him. I have yet to run across someone who told me they refuse to follow God because they don't understand the balance between free-will and predestination. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because they feel the church is not loving. I'm sure there are some out there who don't follow God because of intellectual reasons, but most people don't follow God because of the people who claim to follow him.
There was a somewhat obscure band in the mid-90s that I listened to named the Caulfields. They wrote a song about how it is tough to follow God. I'm not going to sing it like some who have stood up here and quoted lyrics from songs. I’ll save you from that awkward situation. If I did, we might wind up with people who refuse to listen to this message because of the quality of my singing.
I’m not sharing this song because we should believe what it says. I’m sharing it because it is a glimpse into the mind of someone who seems to refuse to follow God because of those who claim to follow Him.
Fragile by the Caulfields
I'd love to hear your thoughts
On sinners you have caught
And what about the ones who got away
Where are they today
You see them everywhere
And they don't care
And if we all seem terrified
It's just because we are
We're fragile
Don't let us down too hard
God
What does it all achieve
The orphaned family grieves
But still believes
In our rebirth
You damned us all to earth
And turned it into hell
And wished us well
And if we all seem petrified
It doesn't mean we're hard
We're fragile
Don't let us fall too far
Is this the part
When everyone gets on their knees for you
I always wanted to believe in you
But you never gave me half a chance
Or half a reason to
Are you fragile too?
God
I'd love to make you proud
But I know
They sure put on a show
And man they say it loud
They're not my crowd
And if I can't believe in you
It doesn't mean I don't
I'm fragile
Don't let me fall alone
I'm fragile
I can't fall alone
Since today is Superbowl Sunday, what would be a sermon without a football illustration. I was taught in college not to use sport illustrations in sermons since they usually alienate over half your audience, so please humor me on this once since it almost a national holiday. For those who don't follow football, the game later today will have two of the greatest coaches in the NFL facing off against one another. They are great motivators and tacticians, and they have trained their players well.
However, if we transplanted their careers and always placed them with players who refused to learn or be motivated, they would not be where they are today. Their success depended upon the moldability of the players they have coached up to the point they are in their careers. And their success today will depend upon their players. It doesn't matter if they are the best leaders in the world, the best tacticians, their success is all dependent upon the players on the field.
Take my high school football coach for instance, Coach Snoad. When he was our coach in 1993 we went 0-10. We actually put the Antwerp football program on the map by making the USA Today twice. Once was when we lost to Columbus Grove 92-0. The other was when Holgate ended their 60 game losing streak against us. After that season Coach Snoad left. The next year he was coach of the year in the Defiance Crescent for the job he did at Napoleon. Was he “coach of the year” quality when he was our coach? I would assume so; however, the players made him look bad.
Christians are led by the greatest leader in all of history, God. And yet some of those who claim to follow him are immune to his motivation. They are immune to his training. If you're not a Christian and you have seen that – if you’re sitting there thinking you are justified in not following God because of the hypocrites who do, please do what God asks you to do in this passage: Judge between Him and His people. Your decision to not follow Him because of those who do holds no water.
When Lindsay’s Grandma Tootie was on her deathbed, the family decided that I would be the one to go in to her and share the good news of the kingdom of God. She had always been a little cynical toward the church (except for when they had bingo), so I was very hesitant to go in there and share with her. Grandma Tootie was the type of older person who wasn’t afraid to share her mind, so I was worried that she might tell me off or something like that. I had no idea how it would go. After much prayer and consideration of what she needed to hear, I went in and shared with her today’s passage along with a few others. I told her that she had probably seen many Christians who claim the name but don’t live as if they are redeemed. She, in her long life, had probably seen more fake Christians than I can imagine. But I shared that God is still God and he shouldn’t be judged by the failures of his people who he is quick to forgive.
After sharing with her and praying with her, she responded that she wanted to be one of God’s children. We baptized her and shared her first communion with her. All of this happened less than one week before her funeral. It was one of the most touching moments in my life.
Now, I’m not up here trying to say that this passage is the ultimate evangelism tool. Strap this passage to your evangelism batbelt and everything will be okay. I don’t think that is the case. But I do think this passage contains the secret to the ultimate evangelism tool, living the Christian life together as the people of God. If we were to examine the other side of this passage we would see what God wants out of us. On the surface the passage says, “Judge between me and my vineyard.” On the flipside it tells those that claim to follow Him to become people who don’t just claim to be his people but really are.
God is looking for a group of people that he doesn’t have to tell non-Christians, “Judge between me and my people.” He wants a group of people that he can say, “Look at them. You can see me through them.” Are we willing to step up, make the sacrifices necessary, and be His people?
Notice that it is people and not person. A faithful Christian’s witness is often thwarted by the witness of people who call themselves Christian but refuse to live out the Christian life. Each member of the body is important to the effective witnessing of the whole body. We are not individual Christians living separate lives from one another but Christians that form one body together. We are parts of one another.
Take for instance the vineyard illustration. If there was some good grapes in a vineyard full of bad grapes, would it really matter? It wouldn’t if I was the one eating the grapes. After five rotten grapes in a row I would move on. At some point I think all of us would give up on that vineyard.
Imagine if you would that I’m a grape seed. You can call me Mr. Grapeseed. Not your normal grape seed, but a grape seed that wants to grow into the type of grape that is worthy for a king. And in so doing I want to find a vinegrower who is the master of grapes to mold me into that grape. Would I decide that the vinegrower in charge of a vineyard with more rotten grapes than good ones was the one I seek? No, I would see the rotten grapes and move on. I wouldn’t want to be like them. There is nothing more detrimental to the witness of the Christian faith than lukewarm or cold Christians. I think there are some people genuinely seeking, but the church is not always the best place to find God.
But on the flipside of that, there is nothing more effective for evangelism than Christians being the people of God, living our lives together in Christ, and loving one another as if we are truly brothers and sisters in a healthy family. We are called to be the people of God. And in so being, we will be the type of people that God would send the seekers to.
Let me read some passages from 1 Peter.
1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
We are God’s people in order to proclaim the mighty acts of God.
1 Peter 2:11
“Beloved I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.”
People that don’t know God and even malign us as evildoers will eventually glorify God because of the way we have conducted ourselves around them.
1 Peter 3:1
“Wives in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”
Wives are to win over their unbelieving husbands without a word but with the conduct of their lives.
1 Peter 3:13
“Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”
Our lives should spark people to ask us about the hope that is in us.
As many of you already know, I sell games for a living. Board or card games are one of my favorite things in the whole world. We sell many obscure and unheard of board games - mainly European imports. When I’m trying to sell one – if all I do is explain what it is about, I will never sell it. However, if I place the game in their hands and explain it to them, the chance of me selling it goes up. If I have the game set up, and show them how it works, my chances of selling it increases a little more. If I play a game with them and teach them the game, my chances of selling it increases even more.
We are wired to respond to action. We are overloaded with words and concepts. We are trained that actions usually don’t lie but words often do. A fake Christian can tell you all about the theological truths in conversation. A genuine Christian can show you the love of Christ in their life.
Now, we have to be careful, especially those of us who have ever worked in sales. Jesus should never be turned into a sales pitch. Nothing about church or Jesus should ever be turned into a sales pitch. We are not trying to sell people on Christianity. We are just trying to be faithful to God, which inevitably draws people to Jesus. Too often we make the goal of our lives evangelism or something else. We try to take the work of God into our own hands. The goal of our lives should never be evangelism or anything else, it should be loving God by being the people He intended us to be. In being people that God can say, “Look at them and see me,” we will inevitably be used by God to bring people to him. We will be used by God to do all of the lesser things that we sometimes make our spiritual priority.
God desires for the world to know Him. He wants our neighbors to know Him. He wants our co-workers to know Him. He wants us to shine wherever we go. We need to make sure that we are living our lives in such a way that we aren’t an obstacle to the work of God but are actually participants. We need to make sure we place the U-Haul trailer behind the car, rather than in front. Have you ever seen anyone trying to drive with a U-Haul trailer in front of the car? Everything has its place. But the most important thing we should focus on is us loving God by being the people he planned for us to be.
Life is often like driving down a snowy, unplowed driveway that has only two tire trails for us to drive through. My father’s four wheel drive blazer made a path in our driveway. It was up to me to keep my car in that path in order to get through. It is like that with our lives in Christ. We can either stay focused on the way that is prepared for us or we will have a very rough time ahead. Sometimes we might get stuck. Sometimes we might get stuck so badly that we will need others to help us out. Whether we are stuck in a rut and need some help getting back on the trail Jesus blazed before us, just temporarily sidetracked, or trying faithfully to abide in the trail, I hope we all will be reinvigorated in our focus to be the people of God and stay in the path Jesus blazed; our lives will be much more fulfilling and the souls of our neighbors unknowingly depend upon it.
***
Watch out for the potholes.
I asked him, "Was that your mouth or was that a real toot?"
He replies, "A real toot."
I proclaim, "A super-toot!"
He says, "Just like Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man."
It made me laugh.
***
Here is the finished produt that will be shared tomorrow morning at 10:30 at Antwerp Community Church. If you're bored and in the are, feel free to come on over. Please say a little prayer for me in this matter.
***
When we received the big snowfall a couple of weeks ago and church was cancelled, I tried to save some money. Instead of calling someone with a big truck and a snowplow to come and clear out our long driveway, I decided to get in the Blazer and drive up and down the drive for twenty minutes trying to make a good trail to get through. I did a decent job. I’ve only fallen off of the trail and got my car stuck a few times, and none of those times, thankfully, were anything that going in forward and reverse for five minutes couldn’t handle.
Today we’re going to read a passage from Isaiah 5. Isaiah was written to try to get the people of God, at that time the nation of Israel, back on the trail he made for them. I think there is a lot we can learn from this book and this passage in particular. I’ll be reading starting at verse 1.
Isaiah 5:1-7
"1 Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!"
God has a vineyard. I have a garden. If you've been to my house, my garden is one of the many eyesores in my yard. I'm not the best at protecting my garden. We have rabbits and failed to plant any marigolds to keep them away, so the rabbits are free to eat whatever they whenever they want. It all depends on whether my dog is out there to chase them. We have weeds growing in the garden that are almost as tall as me. My garden is not a garden to be proud of, but the vegetables we have pulled from that garden are. We are fortunate to have such great soil, that despite all of my inadequacies in gardening I have had the biggest tomatoes I have ever seen come out of it. I have had cucumbers that were abnormally large. I actually should have pulled them before they became that large. Now if only it would've produced giant pumpkins, but I digress.
I have heard garden horror stories too. I have heard stories where people take immaculate care and love their garden, yet it just does not produce good fruit and vegetables. Those great garden caregivers are somewhat like God. God is far superior to me in gardening (and everything else for that matter) in that he did everything he could to make his vineyard fruitful. Forget marigolds to keep rabbits out; he built a stink'in watchtower. I tilled my garden and forgot it. God painstakingly cleared his vineyard of every stone. I have no idea how to tell what strain of tomatoes, peppers, green beans, or the like, are good, so I just planted what the greenhouse carried. God planted choice vines. I was just fortunate to have good soil. God actually checked the soil before planting his vineyard.
Everything about God's vineyard was perfect, perfect for growing the best grapes ever made - except for the grapes themselves. God could only do so much. The grapes had to grow on their own.
This story is a sort of parable. God is talking about bad grapes, but in actuality he is talking about his stubborn followers. His people refused to grow and be what he intended them to be.
There are many people out there who refuse to follow God because of his grapes. At one point I was one of them. At one point in my journey while I was a youth pastor I gave up on Christianity. I became completely frustrated with what I felt was the whole charade going on around me.
I remember coming back to Antwerp and going to an event at the church I grew up at on the other side of the river. They were having their annual campfire and campout party. I went for a walk with my mom around the church. Not to kiss like naughty teenagers, but to talk. During that walk I told her a conclusion that I had arrived at. I said, "I don't think I'm a Christian any more." She wept. I hugged her. I said, “I can't be a Christian when all the world is filled with all of these fake people who think they are saved just because they have proper belief statements and don’t live their faith out in actions. If what they believe makes them live the way they do, then I don’t want to believe what they do.”
Thankfully, God didn't give up on me and my arrogant self. God laid this passage from Isaiah on my heart. It's a story about God trying his best to create a fruitful vineyard. However, he did all he could and it still produced bad grapes. And the verse that really brought me back is the one where he tells us to "judge between me and my vineyard." At that point I decided to do just that. We shouldn’t judge God based upon the people who claim to follow Him. We need to view him for who He is and judge Him accordingly. If there is one passage in the Bible that has saved my soul, we read it today.
And we might think it is a copout to not follow God because of the people who claim to follow him. It is. It will hold no weight at the time of judgment, but, unfortunately, it seems to be the copout that most people use to not follow God. I've yet to run across someone who told me that they don't follow God because they can't accept the Trinity. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because the church is full of gossip. I have yet to run across someone who told me they refuse to follow God because they don't know if they can trust the Bible. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because they have been emotionally hurt by people who claim to follow Him. I have yet to run across someone who told me they refuse to follow God because they don't understand the balance between free-will and predestination. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because they feel the church is not loving. I'm sure there are some out there who don't follow God because of intellectual reasons, but most people don't follow God because of the people who claim to follow him.
There was a somewhat obscure band in the mid-90s that I listened to named the Caulfields. They wrote a song about how it is tough to follow God. I'm not going to sing it like some who have stood up here and quoted lyrics from songs. I’ll save you from that awkward situation. If I did, we might wind up with people who refuse to listen to this message because of the quality of my singing.
I’m not sharing this song because we should believe what it says. I’m sharing it because it is a glimpse into the mind of someone who seems to refuse to follow God because of those who claim to follow Him.
Fragile by the Caulfields
I'd love to hear your thoughts
On sinners you have caught
And what about the ones who got away
Where are they today
You see them everywhere
And they don't care
And if we all seem terrified
It's just because we are
We're fragile
Don't let us down too hard
God
What does it all achieve
The orphaned family grieves
But still believes
In our rebirth
You damned us all to earth
And turned it into hell
And wished us well
And if we all seem petrified
It doesn't mean we're hard
We're fragile
Don't let us fall too far
Is this the part
When everyone gets on their knees for you
I always wanted to believe in you
But you never gave me half a chance
Or half a reason to
Are you fragile too?
God
I'd love to make you proud
But I know
They sure put on a show
And man they say it loud
They're not my crowd
And if I can't believe in you
It doesn't mean I don't
I'm fragile
Don't let me fall alone
I'm fragile
I can't fall alone
Since today is Superbowl Sunday, what would be a sermon without a football illustration. I was taught in college not to use sport illustrations in sermons since they usually alienate over half your audience, so please humor me on this once since it almost a national holiday. For those who don't follow football, the game later today will have two of the greatest coaches in the NFL facing off against one another. They are great motivators and tacticians, and they have trained their players well.
However, if we transplanted their careers and always placed them with players who refused to learn or be motivated, they would not be where they are today. Their success depended upon the moldability of the players they have coached up to the point they are in their careers. And their success today will depend upon their players. It doesn't matter if they are the best leaders in the world, the best tacticians, their success is all dependent upon the players on the field.
Take my high school football coach for instance, Coach Snoad. When he was our coach in 1993 we went 0-10. We actually put the Antwerp football program on the map by making the USA Today twice. Once was when we lost to Columbus Grove 92-0. The other was when Holgate ended their 60 game losing streak against us. After that season Coach Snoad left. The next year he was coach of the year in the Defiance Crescent for the job he did at Napoleon. Was he “coach of the year” quality when he was our coach? I would assume so; however, the players made him look bad.
Christians are led by the greatest leader in all of history, God. And yet some of those who claim to follow him are immune to his motivation. They are immune to his training. If you're not a Christian and you have seen that – if you’re sitting there thinking you are justified in not following God because of the hypocrites who do, please do what God asks you to do in this passage: Judge between Him and His people. Your decision to not follow Him because of those who do holds no water.
When Lindsay’s Grandma Tootie was on her deathbed, the family decided that I would be the one to go in to her and share the good news of the kingdom of God. She had always been a little cynical toward the church (except for when they had bingo), so I was very hesitant to go in there and share with her. Grandma Tootie was the type of older person who wasn’t afraid to share her mind, so I was worried that she might tell me off or something like that. I had no idea how it would go. After much prayer and consideration of what she needed to hear, I went in and shared with her today’s passage along with a few others. I told her that she had probably seen many Christians who claim the name but don’t live as if they are redeemed. She, in her long life, had probably seen more fake Christians than I can imagine. But I shared that God is still God and he shouldn’t be judged by the failures of his people who he is quick to forgive.
After sharing with her and praying with her, she responded that she wanted to be one of God’s children. We baptized her and shared her first communion with her. All of this happened less than one week before her funeral. It was one of the most touching moments in my life.
Now, I’m not up here trying to say that this passage is the ultimate evangelism tool. Strap this passage to your evangelism batbelt and everything will be okay. I don’t think that is the case. But I do think this passage contains the secret to the ultimate evangelism tool, living the Christian life together as the people of God. If we were to examine the other side of this passage we would see what God wants out of us. On the surface the passage says, “Judge between me and my vineyard.” On the flipside it tells those that claim to follow Him to become people who don’t just claim to be his people but really are.
God is looking for a group of people that he doesn’t have to tell non-Christians, “Judge between me and my people.” He wants a group of people that he can say, “Look at them. You can see me through them.” Are we willing to step up, make the sacrifices necessary, and be His people?
Notice that it is people and not person. A faithful Christian’s witness is often thwarted by the witness of people who call themselves Christian but refuse to live out the Christian life. Each member of the body is important to the effective witnessing of the whole body. We are not individual Christians living separate lives from one another but Christians that form one body together. We are parts of one another.
Take for instance the vineyard illustration. If there was some good grapes in a vineyard full of bad grapes, would it really matter? It wouldn’t if I was the one eating the grapes. After five rotten grapes in a row I would move on. At some point I think all of us would give up on that vineyard.
Imagine if you would that I’m a grape seed. You can call me Mr. Grapeseed. Not your normal grape seed, but a grape seed that wants to grow into the type of grape that is worthy for a king. And in so doing I want to find a vinegrower who is the master of grapes to mold me into that grape. Would I decide that the vinegrower in charge of a vineyard with more rotten grapes than good ones was the one I seek? No, I would see the rotten grapes and move on. I wouldn’t want to be like them. There is nothing more detrimental to the witness of the Christian faith than lukewarm or cold Christians. I think there are some people genuinely seeking, but the church is not always the best place to find God.
But on the flipside of that, there is nothing more effective for evangelism than Christians being the people of God, living our lives together in Christ, and loving one another as if we are truly brothers and sisters in a healthy family. We are called to be the people of God. And in so being, we will be the type of people that God would send the seekers to.
Let me read some passages from 1 Peter.
1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
We are God’s people in order to proclaim the mighty acts of God.
1 Peter 2:11
“Beloved I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.”
People that don’t know God and even malign us as evildoers will eventually glorify God because of the way we have conducted ourselves around them.
1 Peter 3:1
“Wives in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”
Wives are to win over their unbelieving husbands without a word but with the conduct of their lives.
1 Peter 3:13
“Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”
Our lives should spark people to ask us about the hope that is in us.
As many of you already know, I sell games for a living. Board or card games are one of my favorite things in the whole world. We sell many obscure and unheard of board games - mainly European imports. When I’m trying to sell one – if all I do is explain what it is about, I will never sell it. However, if I place the game in their hands and explain it to them, the chance of me selling it goes up. If I have the game set up, and show them how it works, my chances of selling it increases a little more. If I play a game with them and teach them the game, my chances of selling it increases even more.
We are wired to respond to action. We are overloaded with words and concepts. We are trained that actions usually don’t lie but words often do. A fake Christian can tell you all about the theological truths in conversation. A genuine Christian can show you the love of Christ in their life.
Now, we have to be careful, especially those of us who have ever worked in sales. Jesus should never be turned into a sales pitch. Nothing about church or Jesus should ever be turned into a sales pitch. We are not trying to sell people on Christianity. We are just trying to be faithful to God, which inevitably draws people to Jesus. Too often we make the goal of our lives evangelism or something else. We try to take the work of God into our own hands. The goal of our lives should never be evangelism or anything else, it should be loving God by being the people He intended us to be. In being people that God can say, “Look at them and see me,” we will inevitably be used by God to bring people to him. We will be used by God to do all of the lesser things that we sometimes make our spiritual priority.
God desires for the world to know Him. He wants our neighbors to know Him. He wants our co-workers to know Him. He wants us to shine wherever we go. We need to make sure that we are living our lives in such a way that we aren’t an obstacle to the work of God but are actually participants. We need to make sure we place the U-Haul trailer behind the car, rather than in front. Have you ever seen anyone trying to drive with a U-Haul trailer in front of the car? Everything has its place. But the most important thing we should focus on is us loving God by being the people he planned for us to be.
Life is often like driving down a snowy, unplowed driveway that has only two tire trails for us to drive through. My father’s four wheel drive blazer made a path in our driveway. It was up to me to keep my car in that path in order to get through. It is like that with our lives in Christ. We can either stay focused on the way that is prepared for us or we will have a very rough time ahead. Sometimes we might get stuck. Sometimes we might get stuck so badly that we will need others to help us out. Whether we are stuck in a rut and need some help getting back on the trail Jesus blazed before us, just temporarily sidetracked, or trying faithfully to abide in the trail, I hope we all will be reinvigorated in our focus to be the people of God and stay in the path Jesus blazed; our lives will be much more fulfilling and the souls of our neighbors unknowingly depend upon it.
***
Watch out for the potholes.
Kingdom Thinking vs Symptom Thinking
Ken Ham in his book Why Won't They Listen wrote:
"There is a major problem in Christendom. Too many people concentrate solely on fighting the symptoms, when the issues are the problem. They are simply the symptoms of the real problem."
This seems to be a problem in almost every area of society. We deal with poor people by giving them money rather than educating them how to fend for themselves. We have a medical culture that deals with symptoms rather than the real problems. All across the board the Christian Right, or whatever they call themselves nowadays, tries to legislate morality. Dealing with symptoms will never fix any problem.
The problem is people's hearts. We want to see abortion stopped in America, then we need to help Americans believe that God loves each and every unborn child. If we want to see the poor fed, then we need to instill in everyone a genuine love for the poor so that they will have a desire to help the poor people that want helped out. The problem is symptom thinking rather than kingdom thinking.
In kingdom thinking we will love in order that Christ will shine through us. Symptom thinking causes us to force people to adhere to what we want them to do.
Watch out for the potholes
"There is a major problem in Christendom. Too many people concentrate solely on fighting the symptoms, when the issues are the problem. They are simply the symptoms of the real problem."
This seems to be a problem in almost every area of society. We deal with poor people by giving them money rather than educating them how to fend for themselves. We have a medical culture that deals with symptoms rather than the real problems. All across the board the Christian Right, or whatever they call themselves nowadays, tries to legislate morality. Dealing with symptoms will never fix any problem.
The problem is people's hearts. We want to see abortion stopped in America, then we need to help Americans believe that God loves each and every unborn child. If we want to see the poor fed, then we need to instill in everyone a genuine love for the poor so that they will have a desire to help the poor people that want helped out. The problem is symptom thinking rather than kingdom thinking.
In kingdom thinking we will love in order that Christ will shine through us. Symptom thinking causes us to force people to adhere to what we want them to do.
Watch out for the potholes
Ohio's only Democrat Supreme Court Justice
In case you don't see the news. The democrat on the bench in Ohio gets busted for drinking & driving.
I can't even come up with some witty commentary. My brain is fried today after thinking about and writing my sermon the last two days.
***
The President's State of the Union was on last light. It was incredible. I haven't fallen asleep that well since - I don't remember when. Thank you President Bush. I think Lindsay was extremely happy when I finally fell asleep so she could change the channel.
The thing that baffles me about politics is how the Democrats seem to be against things that the Republicans propose just because the Republicans proposed it, and vice-versa. I remember after Mitch Daniel's (new governor of Indiana) proposal to raise the taxes on those who make over $100,000 for one year some Democrat was on the radio speaking out against raising taxes. A democrat against raising taxes. The only conclusion one can come to is that a Republican must be for raising taxes.
It's so bad that I think if the Republicans became pro-choice, the Democrats would become pro-life. What a ridiculous charade we have going in Washington.
***
A few good posts from my friends this week.
If you haven't already, check out Sam Long's (aka mobygunner) post on Passing the Buck.
Also, Shannon Caroland (aka Shannon Caroland) had a great post on the early church having No Needy Persons.
I highly recommend both since I am too lazy today to come up with some spiritual thoughts.
Watch out for the potholes.
I can't even come up with some witty commentary. My brain is fried today after thinking about and writing my sermon the last two days.
***
The President's State of the Union was on last light. It was incredible. I haven't fallen asleep that well since - I don't remember when. Thank you President Bush. I think Lindsay was extremely happy when I finally fell asleep so she could change the channel.
The thing that baffles me about politics is how the Democrats seem to be against things that the Republicans propose just because the Republicans proposed it, and vice-versa. I remember after Mitch Daniel's (new governor of Indiana) proposal to raise the taxes on those who make over $100,000 for one year some Democrat was on the radio speaking out against raising taxes. A democrat against raising taxes. The only conclusion one can come to is that a Republican must be for raising taxes.
It's so bad that I think if the Republicans became pro-choice, the Democrats would become pro-life. What a ridiculous charade we have going in Washington.
***
A few good posts from my friends this week.
If you haven't already, check out Sam Long's (aka mobygunner) post on Passing the Buck.
Also, Shannon Caroland (aka Shannon Caroland) had a great post on the early church having No Needy Persons.
I highly recommend both since I am too lazy today to come up with some spiritual thoughts.
Watch out for the potholes.
The Importance of Being the People of God
I think the sermon for Sunday is done except for a few transitional paragraphs.
Here is the introductory paragraph that will go before what you read yesterday.
I tried to save some money during the last snowstorm. Instead of calling someone with a big truck and a snowplow to come and clear out our long driveway, I decided to get in the Blazer and drive up and down the drive for twenty minutes trying to make a good trail to get through. I did a pretty good job. I’ve only fallen off of the trail and got my car stuck a few times, and none of those times, thankfully, were anything that going in forward and reverse for five minutes couldn’t handle.
***Here is the second half that will go immediately behind what I wrote yesterday.
When Lindsay’s Grandma Tootie was on her deathbed, the family decided that I would be the one to go in to her and share the good news of the kingdom of God. She had always been a little cynical toward the church except for when they had bingo there, so I was very hesitant to go in there and share with her. Grandma Tootie was the type of older person who wasn’t afraid to share her mind, so I was worried that she might tell me off or something like that. I had no idea how it would go. After much prayer and consideration of what she needed to hear, I went in and shared with her today’s passage along with a few others. I told her that she had probably seen many Christians who claim the name but don’t live as if they are redeemed. She, in her long life, had probably seen more fake Christians than I can imagine. But I shared that God is still God and he shouldn’t be judged by the failures of his people who he is quick to forgive.
After sharing with her and praying with her, she responded that she wanted to be one of God’s children. We baptized her and shared her first communion with her less than one week before her funeral. It was one of the most touching moments in my life.
Now, I’m not up here trying to say that this passage is the ultimate evangelism tool. I don’t think it is. But I do think this passage contains the secret to the ultimate evangelism tool, living the Christian life together as the people of God. If we were to examine the other side of this passage we will see what God wants out of us, to become people who don’t just claim to be his people but really are.
God is looking for a group of people that he doesn’t have to tell non-Christians, “Judge between me and my people.” He wants a group of people that he can say, “Look at them. You can see me through them.” Are we willing to step up, make the sacrifices necessary, and be His people?
Notice that it is people and not person. A faithful Christian’s witness is often thwarted by the witness of people who call themselves Christian but refuse to live out the Christian life. Each member of the body is important to the effective witnessing of the whole body. We are not individual Christians living separate lives from one another but Christians that form one body together. Take for instance the vineyard illustration. If there was some good grapes in a vineyard full of bad grapes, would it really matter? It wouldn’t if I was the one eating the grapes. After five rotten grapes in a row I would move on. At some point I think all of us would give up on the vineyard.
If I was a grape seed in training and was trying to find the Master of grapes in order to mold me into a grape worthy for a king, I would not seek after the farmer in charge of a vineyard with thousands of rotten grapes. I would see the rotten grapes and move on. I wouldn’t want to be like them. There is nothing more detrimental to the witness of the Christian faith than lukewarm or even cold Christians. But on the flipside of that, there is nothing more effective for evangelism than Christians being the people of God, living our lives together in Christ, and loving one another as if we truly are brothers and sisters in a healthy family. We are called to be the people of God.
Let me read some passages from 1 Peter.
1 Peter 2:9
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
We are to proclaim the mighty acts of God.
1 Peter 2:11
“Beloved I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.”
People that don’t know God and even malign us as evildoers will eventually glorify God because of the way we conducted ourselves around them.
1 Peter 3:1
“Wives in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”
Wives are win over their husbands without a word but with the conduct of their lives.
1 Peter 3:13
“Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence.”
We need to always be ready to share with people the reason why we do what is right. This presumes that the people of God will be doing what is right.
As many of you already know, I sell games for a living. Board or card games are one of my favorite things in the whole world. We sell many obscure and unheard of board games - mainly European imports. When I’m trying to sell one – if all I do is explain what it is about, I will never sell it. However, if I place the game in their hands and explain it to them, the chance of me selling it goes up. If I have the game set up, and show them how it works, my chance of selling it increase a little more. If I play a game with them and teach them the game, my chances of selling it increase even more.
We are wired to respond to action. We get words all the time. We are trained that actions usually don’t lie but words often do. A fake Christian can tell you all about the theological truths in conversation. A genuine Christian can show you the love of Christ in their life.
Now, we have to be careful, especially those of us who have ever worked in sales. Jesus should never be turned into a sales pitch. Nothing about church or Jesus should ever be turned into a sales pitch. We are not trying to sell people on Christianity. We are just trying to be faithful to God, which inevitably draws people to Jesus. Too often we make the goal of our lives evangelism or something else. We try to take the work of God into our own hands. The goal of our lives should never be evangelism or anything else, it should be loving God by being the people He intended us to be. In being people that God can say, “Look at them and see me,” we will inevitably be used by God to bring people to him. We will be used by God to do all of the lesser things that we sometimes make our spiritual priority.
God wants the world to know Him. He wants our neighbors to know Him. He wants our co-workers to know Him. He wants to shine wherever we go. We need to make sure that we are living our lives in such a way that we aren’t an obstacle to the work of God but are actually participants. We need to make sure we place the U-Haul trailer behind the car, rather than in front. Have you ever seen anyone trying to drive with a U-Haul trailer in front of the car? Everything has its place. But the most important thing we should focus on is us loving God by being the people he planned for us to be.
Life is often like driving down a snowy, unplowed driveway that has only two tire trails for us to drive through. My father’s four wheel drive blazer made a path in our driveway. It was up to me to keep my car in that path in order to get through. It is like that with our lives in Christ. We can either stay focused on the way that is prepared for us or we will have a very rough time ahead. Sometimes we might get stuck. Sometimes we might get stuck so badly that we will need others to help us out. Whether we are stuck in a rut and need some help getting back on the trail Jesus blazed before us, or just temporarily sidetracked, or trying faithfully to abide in the rut, I hope we all will be reinvigorated in our focus to be the people of God and stay in the path Jesus blazed; our lives will be much more fulfilling and the souls of our neighbors unknowingly depend upon it.
Watch out for the potholes.
Don't Judge God by His Followers
Following is the first point of the sermon I will preach on Sunday:
Isaiah 5:1-7
"1 Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!"
God has a vineyard. I have a garden. If you've been to my house, it is one of the many shames in my yard. I'm not the best at protecting my garden. We have rabbits and failed to plant any marigolds to keep them away, so the rabbits are free to eat whatever they whenever they want. It all depends on if my dog is out there to chase them. We have weeds growing in the garden that are almost the size of me. This is not a garden to be proud of, but the vegetables we have pulled from that garden are. We are fortunate to have such great soil, that despite all of our inadequacies in gardening I have had the biggest tomatoes I have ever seen come out of it. I have had cucumbers that were abnormally large. Now if only it would've produced giant pumpkins, but I digress.
I have heard garden horror stories. I have heard stories where people take great care and love their garden, yet it just does not produce good fruit and vegetables. God is far superior than me in that he did everything he could to make his vineyard fruitful. Forget marigolds to keep rabbits out; he built a stink'in watchtower. I tilled and forgot it. God painstakingly cleared it of stones. If you wanted to this afternoon, I'm sure you can still go in my garden and find stones. I have no idea how to tell good strains of tomatoes, peppers, green beans, or the like, so I just planted what the greenhouse carried. God planted choice vines. I was just fortunate to have good soil. God actually checked the soil before planting his vineyard.
Everything about God's vineyard was perfect - except for the grapes. He could only do so much. The grapes had to grow on their own. His people refused to grow and be what he intended them to be.
There are many people out there who refuse to follow God because of his grapes. At one point I was one of them. At one point in my journey at Great Lakes to become a pastor I gave up on Christianity. I became completely frustrated with what I felt was the whole charade of Christianity.
I remember coming back to Antwerp and going to an event at the church I grew up at on the other side of the river while I was in college. They were having a campfire and such. I went for a walk with my mom around the yard. During that walk I told her a conclusion that I had arrived at: "I don't think I'm a Christian any more." She wept. I hugged her. I just couldn't be a Christian when all the world is filled with all of these fake people who think they are saved just because they have proper belief statements.
Thankfully, God didn't give up on me. God laid this passage from Isaiah on my heart. It's a story about God trying his best to create a fruitful vineyard. However, he did all he could and it still produced bad grapes. He told us to "judge between me and my vineyard." At that point I decided to do just that. I can't judge God based upon the people who claim to follow Him. I need to view him for who He is and judge Him accordingly. If there is one passage in the Bible that has saved my soul, we read it today.
And we might think it is a copout to not follow God because of the people who claim to follow him, but, unfortunately, it seems to be the copout that most people use to not follow God. I've yet to run across someone who told me that they don't follow God because they can't accept the Trinity. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because the church is full of gossip. I have yet to run across someone who told me they refuse to follow God because they don't know if they can trust the Bible. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because they have been emotionally hurt by people who claim to follow God. I have yet to run across someone who told me they refuse to follow God because they don't understand the balance between free-will and predestination. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because they feel the church is not loving. I'm sure there are some out there who don't follow God because of intellectual reasons, but most people don't follow God because of the people who claim to follow him.
There was a somewhat obscure band in the mid-90s that I listened to called the Caulfields. They wrote a song about it being tough to follow God. I'm not going to sing it like some who have stood up here and quoted lyrics from songs. That is probably for the better because we might wind up with people who refuse to listen to this message because of the quality of my singing.
Fragile by the Caulfields
I'd love to hear your thoughts
On sinners you have caught
And what about the ones who got away
Where are they today
You see them everywhere
And they don't care
And if we all seem terrified
IT's just because we are
We're fragile
Don't let us down too hard
God
What does it all achieve
The orphaned family grieves
But still believes
In our rebirth
You damned us all to earth
And turned it into hell
And wished us well
And if we all seem petrified
It doesn't mean we're hard
We're fragile
Don't let us fall too far
Is this the part
When everyone gets on their knees for you
I always wanted to believe in you
But you never gave me half a chance
Or half a reason to
Are you fragile too?
God
I'd love to make you proud
But I know
They sure put on a show
And man they say it loud
They're not my crowd
And if I can't believe in you
It doesn't mean I don't
I'm fragile
Don't let me fall alone
I'm fragile
I can't fall alone
Since today is Superbowl Sunday, what would be a sermon without a football illustration. For those who don't follow football, the game later today will have two of the greatest coaches in the NFL facing off against one another. They are great motivators and tacticians, and they have trained their players well.
However, if we transplanted their careers and always placed them with players who refused to learn or be motivated, they would not be where they are today. Their success depended upon all of the players they have coached up to the point they are today. And their success today will depend upon their players. It doesn't matter if they are the best leader in the world, their success is all dependent upon the players on the field.
Christians are led by the greatest leader in all of history, God. And yet some of those who claim to follow him are immune to his motivation. They are immune to his training. If you're not a Christian and you have seen that, please do what God asks you to do in this passage - judge between Him and His people.
There's a flipside to this verse. (And that we will more than likely get to tomorrow.)
Watch out for the potholes.
Isaiah 5:1-7
"1 Let me sing for my beloved my love-song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; he expected it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for my vineyard that I have not done in it? When I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting; he expected justice, but saw bloodshed; righteousness, but heard a cry!"
God has a vineyard. I have a garden. If you've been to my house, it is one of the many shames in my yard. I'm not the best at protecting my garden. We have rabbits and failed to plant any marigolds to keep them away, so the rabbits are free to eat whatever they whenever they want. It all depends on if my dog is out there to chase them. We have weeds growing in the garden that are almost the size of me. This is not a garden to be proud of, but the vegetables we have pulled from that garden are. We are fortunate to have such great soil, that despite all of our inadequacies in gardening I have had the biggest tomatoes I have ever seen come out of it. I have had cucumbers that were abnormally large. Now if only it would've produced giant pumpkins, but I digress.
I have heard garden horror stories. I have heard stories where people take great care and love their garden, yet it just does not produce good fruit and vegetables. God is far superior than me in that he did everything he could to make his vineyard fruitful. Forget marigolds to keep rabbits out; he built a stink'in watchtower. I tilled and forgot it. God painstakingly cleared it of stones. If you wanted to this afternoon, I'm sure you can still go in my garden and find stones. I have no idea how to tell good strains of tomatoes, peppers, green beans, or the like, so I just planted what the greenhouse carried. God planted choice vines. I was just fortunate to have good soil. God actually checked the soil before planting his vineyard.
Everything about God's vineyard was perfect - except for the grapes. He could only do so much. The grapes had to grow on their own. His people refused to grow and be what he intended them to be.
There are many people out there who refuse to follow God because of his grapes. At one point I was one of them. At one point in my journey at Great Lakes to become a pastor I gave up on Christianity. I became completely frustrated with what I felt was the whole charade of Christianity.
I remember coming back to Antwerp and going to an event at the church I grew up at on the other side of the river while I was in college. They were having a campfire and such. I went for a walk with my mom around the yard. During that walk I told her a conclusion that I had arrived at: "I don't think I'm a Christian any more." She wept. I hugged her. I just couldn't be a Christian when all the world is filled with all of these fake people who think they are saved just because they have proper belief statements.
Thankfully, God didn't give up on me. God laid this passage from Isaiah on my heart. It's a story about God trying his best to create a fruitful vineyard. However, he did all he could and it still produced bad grapes. He told us to "judge between me and my vineyard." At that point I decided to do just that. I can't judge God based upon the people who claim to follow Him. I need to view him for who He is and judge Him accordingly. If there is one passage in the Bible that has saved my soul, we read it today.
And we might think it is a copout to not follow God because of the people who claim to follow him, but, unfortunately, it seems to be the copout that most people use to not follow God. I've yet to run across someone who told me that they don't follow God because they can't accept the Trinity. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because the church is full of gossip. I have yet to run across someone who told me they refuse to follow God because they don't know if they can trust the Bible. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because they have been emotionally hurt by people who claim to follow God. I have yet to run across someone who told me they refuse to follow God because they don't understand the balance between free-will and predestination. But I have ran across many who refuse to follow God because they feel the church is not loving. I'm sure there are some out there who don't follow God because of intellectual reasons, but most people don't follow God because of the people who claim to follow him.
There was a somewhat obscure band in the mid-90s that I listened to called the Caulfields. They wrote a song about it being tough to follow God. I'm not going to sing it like some who have stood up here and quoted lyrics from songs. That is probably for the better because we might wind up with people who refuse to listen to this message because of the quality of my singing.
Fragile by the Caulfields
I'd love to hear your thoughts
On sinners you have caught
And what about the ones who got away
Where are they today
You see them everywhere
And they don't care
And if we all seem terrified
IT's just because we are
We're fragile
Don't let us down too hard
God
What does it all achieve
The orphaned family grieves
But still believes
In our rebirth
You damned us all to earth
And turned it into hell
And wished us well
And if we all seem petrified
It doesn't mean we're hard
We're fragile
Don't let us fall too far
Is this the part
When everyone gets on their knees for you
I always wanted to believe in you
But you never gave me half a chance
Or half a reason to
Are you fragile too?
God
I'd love to make you proud
But I know
They sure put on a show
And man they say it loud
They're not my crowd
And if I can't believe in you
It doesn't mean I don't
I'm fragile
Don't let me fall alone
I'm fragile
I can't fall alone
Since today is Superbowl Sunday, what would be a sermon without a football illustration. For those who don't follow football, the game later today will have two of the greatest coaches in the NFL facing off against one another. They are great motivators and tacticians, and they have trained their players well.
However, if we transplanted their careers and always placed them with players who refused to learn or be motivated, they would not be where they are today. Their success depended upon all of the players they have coached up to the point they are today. And their success today will depend upon their players. It doesn't matter if they are the best leader in the world, their success is all dependent upon the players on the field.
Christians are led by the greatest leader in all of history, God. And yet some of those who claim to follow him are immune to his motivation. They are immune to his training. If you're not a Christian and you have seen that, please do what God asks you to do in this passage - judge between Him and His people.
There's a flipside to this verse. (And that we will more than likely get to tomorrow.)
Watch out for the potholes.
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