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Finding Mercy in the Wake of Justice

When Mt. St. Helens erupted in 1980, my dad believed it was punishment from God for the sins of America. He never quite told me what sins America had committed that would unleash the fury of God, though looking back on it I can imagine the sins. Twenty-five years later, when Katrina hit the gulf coast, I heard the same statements coming from multiple sources, only louder. This time, though, the storm came on the heels of 9-11, and numerous people connected the dots to the conclusion: God was punishing America for their sins. Recently, with the fires in the Northwest and hurricanes in Texas and Florida, the voice of doom has been heard again, “God is punishing America for her sins!”

Retributive Theology is the belief that when something bad happens, it’s because of sin and the result is God’s punishment. It’s the kind of thinking being drawn from when people, like my father, associate the natural disasters with God’s punishment. The belief is rooted in stories like the flood (Gen. 6), where God destroys the entire world because of the people’s sin. Or when God uses Israel as punishment to evict the Canaanites from their homes because of their grave sins (Gen. 15:16). 

The story of Job is a story rooted in Retributive Theology, and all the players were driven by the belief that God was punishing Job for the sins he committed. The difference between Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) was that Job kept trying to defend his righteousness while his friends condemned him for his unrighteousness. Job might say, “I’ve done nothing to deserve this punishment from God” (see 6:24-29; 9:17-18; 13:15). His friends might counter with, “God only punishes the wicked, thus you’ve done something wrong” (see 4:7-10; 5:17; 8:2-6; 11:5-6, 10-11). The problem, of course, is that we know from the opening pages of Job’s story that he’s not being punished for wrongdoing, and that in the ending pages of Job he’s not only exonerated, but his friends must beg his forgiveness for speaking out of turn, an important fact often ignored.    

Beyond the fact that we live in a fallen world where bad things naturally happen, two points are worth highlighting. First, God’s answer to pain, suffering, sin, and rebellion is not fires and floods, but the cross.  God’s purpose for the cross was to redeem and save mankind, not to condemn us (Jn. 3:16). One could argue that if God is punishing people by way of flooding and fires, then God is devaluing the reason for sending his Son in the first place. I wouldn’t want to take the attention off the cross, but we might want to try and figure-out how to keep the cross front and center to his message. With the cross central to our faith, we might find ourselves more compassionate with the victims of the disaster instead of more condemning. 

Secondly, if God is punishing the people with fires and floods, then what is the appropriate response? When Jesus told the parable of the talents (Mt. 25:14-30), the man with the one talent held a conviction about his master (he reaped what he did not sow).  The man’s response did not line up with his conviction about his master. The master confronted him, “If you held those convictions, then instead of burying my money you should have invested it in the bank.” He then called the servant lazy, and threw him out of his presence. If these disasters are punishment from God, then the response from the people is to repent. Those making the “punishment” claim should be the ones leading the charge in repentance by tearing their clothes, putting on sackcloth’s and ashes, or in our society, by coming forward on Sunday to confess their roles in the sins of our nation. Unfortunately, what I’m seeing is a whole lot of self-righteous finger pointing, and very little repentance. 

When the disciples saw a man born blind, they created a theological debate over the reason for man’s blindness (Jn. 9:1-3). Jesus refused to enter the blame game, and instead looked for mercy and compassion, while seeking a means for God to bring healing. Maybe we ought to start doing the same. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God Is Glorified!)

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Shades of Truth

The use of shading in paintings or sketches allows for depth and realism.  Shading the truth only brings lies and deception to the forefront. I once colored a picture and was showing it to an artist.  She said, “I love your use of shadow, it makes it look like the sun is shining.” I looked at the picture I had drawn, studied the colors as I could see where I pressed harder on the left side of the paper, and lightened the coloring as I moved to the right.  I looked at her and admitted in all honesty, “It does look cool. But I never purposely tried to shade the picture. I guess I just got lucky.” Shading a colored picture is brilliant; shading the truth is another story. 

We’ve always known people who’ve shaded the truth; we’ve even done it ourselves. Abraham introducing Sarah as his sister while ignoring the glaring truth that she was also his wife shaded the truth to the Egyptians (Gen. 12:10-13). However, it seems that the shading in our society has gotten darker not lighter. Stephen Colbert coined the phrase, “truthiness,” to describe a person or people who hold convictions as true, even though empirical evidence, logic, or intellectual examination of the facts say otherwise. At the beginning of the year, Kellyann Conway coined the phrase, “alternative facts” (i.e. truth) to counter the report of the low turnout for the Presidential Inauguration. If fact is fact, or truth is truth, then what exactly is an “alternative fact,” if not shading the truth? 

This last week, in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, FaceBook lit up in what only became known as the next cycle news story perpetuated by those who like shading the truth. The facts slowly emerged, but never fast enough to counter the lies. What is true is the Lakewood Church, home of Joel Osteen’s mega church in the old Compact Center, never opened its doors for the displaced. Another truth is that the outcry against him was heard all over the internet. As the facts emerged, Lakewood was never asked to open their doors by the city, for fear of another Superdome tragedy from Hurricane Katrina (bad plumbing, no showers & fresh water, and reports of sexual abuse). The Compact Center received its own damage during the rains; between flooding and structural integrity issues, the city feared escalating problems. Besides, the city had made arrangements for a number of other places designated as refugee spots, and using the Compact Center was only a last resort plan. 

In all candor, I am not a fan of Joel Osteen, but that doesn’t mean I don’t that I have no admiration for him. Not only do I admire his personal narrative of how he reluctantly entered the preaching ministry, but I also admire his ability to attract people who flock to his church every week in a culture where many (or most) churches are struggling to maintain status quo (Phil. 1:18 might apply here). My critique is that in his attempt to offer a “positive” message, the message he offers is rooted in the self-help, prosperity gospel. If we’re going to criticize someone, let’s make sure the accusations against them are the truth, without having to shade them for our advantage. Osteen never closed his doors to the people of Houston, but offered assistance where his church could. 

FaceBook has become a breeding ground for Fake News, which is another word for lies. We share and post articles without determining their validity.  We assume far too much, and it helps perpetuate lies. We post memes because they fit our conclusions. We’ve stopped reading, and when we do read we fail to allow for reflection on what we’ve read. We share articles without ever double checking the source, the agenda, or consulting with www.snopes.com (a website committed to filtering the truth from the lies). 

Jesus claimed to be truth (Jn. 14:6). Paul exhorted his readers to embrace truth and reject lies (Eph. 4:25). David plays the role of Diogenes as he searches for anyone who will tell the truth, but he searches in vain (Ps. 12:1). Maybe it’s time for our discipleship to Jesus to force us out of the shades and into the light of truth. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God Is Glorified!)

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A Total Eclips of the Heart

With apologies to Bonnie Tyler . . . turnaround because every now and then I get a little tired. Tired of the fight. Tired of the pride. Tired of the anger.  Tired of the blame game. Tired of the incessant need to be right, instead of doing right.  The result is a total eclipse of the heart. 

Since the Charlottesville incident last week, America’s heart has been exposed for what it is – a heart eclipsed by Satan’s will and sin. What we’ve witnessed is a nation in the grips of hatred, racism, and nationalism. The news media and FaceBook have taken sides and have helped feed the frenzy. 

Maybe we’re just trying to figure out how all of this happened. Maybe we’re trying to get our heads wrapped around the events. Or maybe our hearts are that dark, and we’re exposed for what we really are. In the process we’re tearing ourselves apart; when that happens, everyone loses. We need to turnaround.

Turnaround and look at the man hanging on the cross. In that moment, God removed the barrier that existed between himself and mankind. The act was symbolized in the temple when the curtain that prevented access to God was torn from top to bottom (Mt. 27:51). Everyone now has access to God.  No human priest is needed. No human mediator is needed. Jesus fills that role as he escorts mankind into the throne room of God (Heb. 10:19-22). The work at the cross not only removed barriers between mankind and God, but also removed the barriers between each other. We are one in Christ. Paul says that male or female, slave or free, Jew or Gentile, rich or poor, black or white is irrelevant to God (Gal. 3:28), and if it’s relevant to us, it’s because our hearts have been eclipsed by sin. 

Bonnie Tyler is right, in a call for repentance, we need to turnaround. 

Turnaround . . . and realize that the sins of the White Community are coming back to haunt us. No, those of us living today have not been slave owners. But it wasn’t even a hundred years ago (my grandparents era) that the White Community could and did lynch black men for any unprovoked reason and feel justified in doing so. Eighty years ago black communities were forced to live in areas of towns that provided subpar living conditions and education. Sixty years ago the White community could discriminate simply because of the person’s skin color. In my lifetime, whenever black families tried to purchase homes in White Community neighborhoods, they have been met with resistance, followed by White Flight. Listening closely, you still hear racial slurs from White people, even those claiming to follow Jesus. 

At the most, the White Community needs to repent for holding onto racists view and spouting slurs against their black brothers and sisters, and to acknowledge that woven into the fabric of our nation was an unfair advantage given to White people over Black people. At the very least, we need more White leaders to follow the lead of Daniel by identifying with the sins of the nation or church even if we’re not directly guilty ourselves (e.g. Daniel 9:1-20).

Turnaround . . . start choosing the Kingdom of God over Patriotic loyalty, especially when Patriotic idealism clashes with God’s ethic. Some have wondered how the churches in Germany could ever support the Nazi regime. The simple answer was that somewhere along the way, Christians in German were far more loyal to the nation and blinded by the myth and propaganda produced by the government. God’s Kingdom cannot tolerate hate, racism and the dehumanization people which have been so prevalent in America and in the American churches. God, on the other hand embraces color and its diversity as the Spirit always leads toward reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:16-21; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 4:4). In the fallout of Charlottesville, we appear to be far more concerned with the well-being of statutes, than we are with the well-being of our fellow man. 

Turnaround . . . and in the midst of fear, choose faith.  I don’t know how life will unfold tomorrow. But we need to choose faith, trust God with the future, and believe that his purpose will endure long after we’re gone. 

Turnaround . . . because once upon a time we were falling in love with Jesus, now we’re only falling apart. We need cleansing from this total eclipse of our hearts. I pray that it happens. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. God Is Glorified!)

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Trying to Psalm 148 When You’re Stuck in Psalm 130

The day is burned into my memory, and was the first marker of hope in four months of darkness. My dad had passed away before Christmas in 2003. He was a recipient of a liver transplant in 1997, but nearly seven years later he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We had a family reunion to say “goodbye” to him at Thanksgiving, and after the first of the year we held a memorial service for him. While each of my brothers spoke, I gave the eulogy. 

What I never expected was how deep and dark the hole I was sinking into was going to be. For three months I never saw the Son’s ray break through the darkness, and there were times when I thought I’d never see the Son’s rays again. What made this journey more difficult was that I was preaching at the time. Every week I was standing before my congregation with a message of hope, given by someone who had all but lost hope. I distinctly remember one Sunday morning when my lips and tongue told the congregation of God’s love and mercy, but my mind was telling me, “I don’t believe it.” I was worshiping from Psalm 148, but emotionally and spiritually, I was living in Psalm 130. 

Psalm 148 is filled with hope, praise and adoration to God. God receives the glory and recognition for his creation. Everyone and everything bursts forth in praise. At the end of Psalm 148 everyone feels good, for God is in control. However, Psalm 130 is filled with despondency. The Psalmist is in the depths of despair and keeps crying out to God, a God who is not responding to the prayers of the Psalmist. It’s hard to strengthen your faith when hope is all but lost. 

So when the Psalmist stands before us and calls out Psalm 148 but you’re stuck in Psalm 130, what can you do? As someone who has been in that situation before, allow me to share with you some thoughts. 

● If you’re looking for a reason for the darkness, you may not find it. Ultimately, does knowing a reason change your response to your situation?  The story of Job places the audience in the “know” but keeps Job in the “unknown.” We know why Job was enduring suffering, but God never explains the reason to him. Maybe God knew Job wouldn’t understand, or maybe God needed Job to act in faith and to praise God in the midst of his pain, not in the absence of it. Never underestimate the power of praising the Light in the midst of darkness. 

● Draw from what you know is true, and your feelings will catch up. That morning I was preaching, I spoke the truth, though emotionally and in the moment I had a hard time believing. Given time, my feelings caught up to truthful faith and I whole heartedly believed what I said was the truth. Even if you’re stuck in Psalm 130, go ahead and sing your heart out in Psalm 148 because at some point, you’ll believe the words in Psalm 148.

● Remember that God’s final answer to suffering is the cross. When your life situation forces you to quote Psalm 22:1, remember that Jesus quoted that same verse as well. Take comfort and knowing that Jesus sits with you, not only through the darkness, but when the Psalmist is calling the assembly to Psalm 148 and you’re stuck in Psalm 130, he is praising God with you and the congregation (see Psalm 22:22;  Heb. 2:12).   

So if you’re stuck in Psalm 130, above anything else, keep reading Psalm 130. Even when the Psalmist cries out to God, his faith is fully entrenched in God, “I wait for the Lord . . . and in his word, I put my hope” (Ps. 130:5). Your faith needs that same entrenchment.

So the day that is burned into my memory is not the day my words and my mind held a crisis of faith. The day burned into my memory is that Sunday morning I turned to Cile and said, “The Son broke through this morning. Today, I worshiped.” What he did for me, he’ll do for you. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

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The Unwritten Rules

During the Saturday double-header televised baseball games of the 1970s, the network showed video clips of controversial plays. Before the umpire actually made the call, the video stopped and challenged the viewer with, “You make the call.” After the commercial break and before the game resumed, they returned to the video and explained the proper call, and you were able to test your knowledge of the rules. My rules of the game knowledge was never very good. 

The Major League rulebook contains about 71 rules; conversely the Little League rulebook holds 111. Every game has rules, and in order to avoid chaos and an unfair advantage, the rules are written down, explained and published so that everyone knows the framework by which the game is played. No one wants to play a game where rules are fluid and are arbitrarily changed just to give an advantage to one player or team. 

Baseball, unlike any other game or sport, has a series of “unwritten rules” to help guide the play of the game. According to one website, at least twenty-five of these rules exist. Some of these rules include: don’t steal third base with two outs; if a pitcher hits a teammate, hit one of theirs; no showing up or bat flipping for a home run (refer to previous rule). At least twenty-five of these so-called rules exist, and my guess is that the list will get longer not shorter with time. Baseball isn’t the only group to have rules run amok. 

According to some sources, the Jewish religious leaders in the first century had calculated that the Law contained over 600 rules. To top it off, they quickly debated among themselves the most important rules to obey. Thus, when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment (Mt. 22:34-40; Mk. 12:28-34), they were inviting him into a current discussion/debate. While one may marvel at their penchant for numbering commands, it was their Unwritten Rules that exposed their hypocrisy. 

I’ve read a number examples of the rules that were enforced in order to protect the Israelites from breaking the commands. They decided a specific distance was safe enough before breaking the 4th Commandment. They also refused to eat eggs that chickens laid on the Sabbath, because the chickens “worked” to lay the eggs. Of course we can quickly see their flawed thinking, and even mock them, because noting others’ legalism is easier than noticing our own tendencies. They were man-made. They were fluid and could easily be changed. They became more important than keeping the Law itself. They were the Unwritten Rules.

When we prescribe a dress code for worship, or demand everyone to use a certain translation, or refuse to allow certain songs sung in the song service (i.e.  Stamps-Baxter or “camp songs”), or saying the Old Testament doesn’t really count because we’re New Testament Christians (the list is endless), are we not simply creating or enforcing Unwritten Rules? 

Two passages come to my mind concerning these Unwritten Rules. First, when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he focused on Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength,” and Leviticus 19:18, “loving our neighbors as ourselves” (Mt. 12:29-31). Secondly, when he uttered the seven woes against the Pharisees and teachers of the Law, he told them they should have spent more time focusing on the more important points of the Law: justice, mercy and faithfulness without ignoring the other matters (Mt. 23:23). 

Without creating another set of rules it seems Jesus’ challenging words are clear enough. Keep loving God and each other a priority.  Start investing in justice, mercy and faithfulness. Stop creating Unwritten Rules, because keeping the first two challenges are hard enough. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. Only God is Glorified!)

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His Way: A New Way to Eat Fresh

Even though Subway has been around as long as I have lived, the sandwich shop never entered my peripheral until the turn of the century. In fact, I didn’t really see the store until Matthew started talking about his friend, Chandler, telling him it was his favorite restaurant (I think the slogan, “Eat Fresh,” was part of the reason he enjoyed the franchise).  Soon after, my friend, Terry and I, started eating lunches together and we often chose Subway as a healthy alternative to the local Mexican or the local buffet. Having fresh vegetables to add to sandwiches allows for healthier choices to our food. 

Soon after moving to Elkton, I discovered that Subway became my “go to” restaurant in a town with limited dining opportunities. Not only was it a relatively healthy and affordably priced, but it was also delicious. I ate there as many as four times a week, and created a strong friendship with the Indian husband/wife owners and their workers. When I moved to Scioto County, Ohio, I had high expectations about the local Subway stores. To be honest, I never realized how spoiled I got eating at the Subway in Elkton, as something has been missing from the number of the local Subways in Scioto County (not all, but some). 

I can’t help but wonder why the same franchise, offering the same product, has quality-control problems. How the one in Elkton could become almost an addictive treat, and the ones here struggle to satisfy? A number of reasons may exist to explain the discrepancy, but we might focus on the Subway slogan, Eat Fresh.  Could it be that some Subways cut corners on freshness? Maybe. But you’re not reading this for a critique of Subway, are you? In that case, what can we say about churches? How come certain churches, even within the same fellowship of believers, are almost addictive to be a part of while other churches within the same fellowship struggle to satisfy? Could the answer be found in Freshness verses something Stale? 

If Jesus is the Bread of Life (Jn. 1:35), then some churches are offering a Fresh Jesus, while others are offering a Stale Jesus. Let me offer three areas where we can replace the Stale with the Fresh. 

FreshWorship > When Jesus was talking to the woman at the well, he talked about worshiping in “spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:23-24). When Jesus spoke these words, he wasn’t arguing a doctrinal position about worship. In fact, he had just told her that the “place” of worship was about to mean nothing to God (Jn. 4:21).  Jesus was addressing issues of integrity, honesty and authenticity. We come to worship God with so many agendas and motives.  Sometimes we want people to pat us on the back to tell us we’re spiritual (see Mt. 6:1-18). Sometimes we’re just punching our ticket thinking we’re doing God a favor by showing up. Sometimes we arrive as critics, dissecting the worship leaders, the preacher, and the leadership.  If enough members are acting out of such agendas, the worship will be Stale. Fresh Worship means checking our hearts at the door and throwing ourselves into the worship of God. 

FreshRelationships > the New Testament contains over 100 “one another” statements (love one another, serve one another, serve one another, etc.). These statements force church members to move from peripheral relationships into something real and authentic (try that “forgiven one another” when you don’t want to forgive). Stale church relationships remain on the surface, never allowing times to share dreams, struggles, and hopes; they tend to be disposable too.  Fresh Relationships love spending time together. They create safe areas where confession is encouraged and accountability is present. Fighting for each other is far more common that fighting with each other.     

FreshPreaching > When Paul wrote to Timothy and Titus, he coined a phrase unique to those epistles, “sound doctrine.”  The teachings of the church is the best way to understand, “doctrine.” On the other hand, “Soundness” is best understood as “healthy.” The teachings of the church is supposed to be healthy for the members of the body. The word and the context of the “Pastorals” also speak to the moral and ethical message. In short, Fresh Preaching is less about the preacher’s dynamic or props he uses, nor is it about holding to party-line beliefs, but is more about healthy teaching that leads members into making changes in their lives. 

While I’m still looking to capture the Subway experience from Elkton, I’m far more interested in watching churches capture the freshness of God’s vision for the church. Stale bread needs to be thrown out and replaced with something fresh. A stale church needs the Holy Spirit to breathe freshness through it. When that happens we’ll find a new way to Eat Fresh!

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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Shepherding the Flock

On two occasions and by two Apostles, the Bible exhorts its leaders to “Shepherd God’s flock” (Act. 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). In Acts 20 Paul meets with the Ephesus elders knowing it will probably be his last chance to see them. While he hints at mutual submission, he cradles his exhortation as a reminder that elders shepherd the entire flock of God, which he states was purchased by Christ’s blood. Peter, on the other hand, when he makes the same exhortation, is checking motive. He wants to make sure that elders are shepherding for the right reasons; nothing worse than someone shepherding whose only concern is themselves or a select few people. 

Lynn Anderson, in his book, They Smell Like Sheep, gives a brief definition of a shepherd as anyone who has a flock. For instance, a parent who has children is a shepherd.  A Coach who has players is a shepherd. A teacher who has students is a shepherd.  A Scoutmaster who has a troop is a shepherd. Of course an elder(s) who has church members is a shepherd. 

When looking at the role of an elder in church, and the charge that both Peter and Paul gave the leaders, the imagery is profound. One must ask what it means to shepherd. Rooting the image in the Ancient Near East/First Century, I can think of four responsibilities of the shepherd. 

  • Feed the Flock > the shepherd leads the flock to places where fresh water and green grass is in plenty (Ps. 23:2). A bad shepherd is unconcerned that the water is dirty or the grass is brown or barren. Shepherding God’s flock ensures that the church is being fed healthfully from God’s word, by having a stake in who is preaching, or feeding oneself enough so that they are capable of feeding the flock whenever called upon. 
  • Protect the Flock from Predators > wolves, bears, and lions need to be chased off or killed less they destroy the flock (1 Sam. 17:34-36). Raiders or thieves pillaging flocks must be fought off (Ps. 23:4; Jn. 10:10), and the flock must be defended. Of course bad shepherds or hired hands run in the face of danger, or sit by watching the flock being torn apart. Elders must protect the flock as not everyone who enters the fold is a sheep; some are predators and some of those look like they’re dressed as sheep but are intent to destroy the flock. 
  • Provide a Healing Touch > when sheep gets sick, attacked or cut by briars, the responsibility of the shepherd is to nurse the sheep back to health (Ps. 23:5b). Often times the healing involved pouring olive oil on the wound, cleansing it from an infection (mind you, wounded animals may fight the shepherd who is trying to bring healing). A bad shepherd will allow the wound to fester and infect the animal, or not realize an animal under his care has been attacked, or quit helping when the animal fights back. Elders, as fellow-wounded shepherds, counsel the wounded and assist in the healing process, and many times when bringing healing are accused of being part of the pain. 
  • Seek Lost Lambs > when sheep go astray, the shepherd seeks to find and locate the animal; certainly there is monetary motivation for losing even one from the flock. Jesus talks about the shepherd leaving the 99 behind in search of the one (Lk. 15:4), as if it was common practice. A bad shepherd cares less about one insignificant sheep and takes a loss. Elders are concerned about the people in the congregation so that when someone starts “missing,” they begin the process of finding out where they are, and then leads them back to the flock. 

The role of the elder is complicated and filled with unbearable heartaches and decisions as salvation stands in the balance. In reality, shepherding the church flock looks more like herding cats than it does leading sheep, and most churches fail to appreciate the leadership before them. Shepherding, like any other ministry, is filled with failure (didn’t the Good Shepherd lose one of his own?). So shepherds find the grace, not in the realm of perfection, but when one is simply doing what God called them to do. Shepherd the flock.                                       

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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CHURCH: Commitment or Contribution?

The story is told of a pig, a chicken and a cow living together on the farm. They loved the farmer who fed and cared for them on a daily basis. One day the chicken came to the cow and the pig with an idea. Since the farmer had been so good to them, they ought to do something special for the farmer. The cow and pig readily agreed, but deciding on what to do was harder than originally thought. Finally, the cow recommended making the farmer breakfast. The chicken thought it was a perfect idea, and suggested bacon and eggs with a cup of milk. With the chicken and the cow quickly on board with the plan, the pig pipped in with his concern.  “All this sounds really good,” he said, “but just remember that while you’re making a contribution, I’m making a commitment.” 

The line between simply contributing to an organization and being fully committed to an organization may be very grey, but the distinction may also be significant for sure. Contribute may mean the bare minimum or giving the least amount of effort. On the other hand, commitment may reflect how the person is all in, and willing to sink or swim with the group or the mission. 

A student goes to school, and depending on whether she’s there for a contribution or commitment may reflect in the grades she’s earning. An athlete plays a sport, and whether he disciplines his body while working his technique or simply relies on his own talent, may be the difference between making a contribution or an all-in commitment. Co-workers shows up for work. If they are making a contribution, they are on time (barely) and finish their work as requested, but not early. If you need help on your project, you probably cannot ask them for help because they’re really not committed. 

For the past couple of weeks, we’ve been studying Exodus 3-6, and one of the themes reoccurring is Moses’ unwillingness to fully commit to God’s call to lead in the liberation of Israel. At the burning bush he gave four excuses why he shouldn’t lead Israel (Ex. 3:11,13; 4:1, 10) and then one plea in desperation for God to look elsewhere for a “volun-told” (Ex. 3:13 [contrast to Is. 6:8]). On the road to Egypt, God comes to Moses to kill him because he has not circumcised his sons (Ex. 4:24-26).  While the story has generated much discussion as to its meaning, some scholars believe that Moses has not fully bought into his role to liberate Israel (i.e. if he’s not going to take the Covenant God made with Abraham seriously, why would he take his role as liberator seriously?). Then, in his first confrontation with Pharaoh, even though God warned Moses that Pharaoh will harden his heart, Moses is exasperated to discover the difficulty of his appointed task (Ex. 4:21-23; 5:22-23). 

Moses got off to a slow start before he was finally “all-in” for liberating Israel. The good news is that once Moses bought in, God did marvelous things through him. 

I wonder if the church, as a whole, has been satisfied with offering a contribution instead of being fully committed. From a contribution standpoint, attendance, the number of times someone shows up to the assembly, is the bare minimum found among congregants. Let someone else lead the prayer, read the Scripture, serve the tables, or more importantly, teach the class, cook the meal, visit the sick, etc.

In every make up of a church, you have those who are willing to offer a contribution and those fully committed. When the number of those committed are more than those willing to contribute, the church and her ministries function smoothly. However, when the number of those who simply offer a contribution outweigh the number of those committed, the church struggles to thrive or to sustain itself. So the next time you have a glass of milk, a scrambled egg or a ham sandwich, maybe you can ask yourself, “Am I committed, or just making a contribution?” 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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CHURCH: A God-Given Growth

I sat and listened to a preacher share his insights into church, church systems and church growth.  His expertise was his own congregation experiencing tremendous growth during his tenure as the preacher.  Someone finally verbalized what I was thinking, “Why don’t you write a book about church growth?”  While he was willing to share his own experience and church story, he was reluctant to say his church’s growth can be simply duplicated for another church in another community.  I guess looking back on it, too variables were present to give someone a simple key to church growth. 

For the past forty years volumes have been written about church growth.  Like anything, it’s been a mixed bag of worth-while material versus throw-away junk, and sound biblical advice versus flawed man-driven opinion.  While the Bible says a lot about what kind of people the church must become, it doesn’t give three, five or ten principles to grow a church. 

In a context where the church was dividing over their favorite preacher, Paul tried to paint the larger picture for congregants.  A year earlier, Paul planted the seed of the gospel in Corinth and growth began sprouting.  A church was established.  But sometime after he left the city, Apollos came through the city and his preaching captivated a segment of the church.  Captivated may be an understatement for a group of people gravitating toward charisma; they became hard core loyalists and questioned the leadership of Paul (1 Cor. 3:4). 

I don’t believe any animosity existed between Paul and Apollos, and the conflict was generated by a church with a propensity to divide.  However, Paul’s approach was certainly not to undermine Apollos’ preaching, but to accentuate the bigger picture.  Sure Paul planted the seed of the Gospel in Corinth, and Apollos came in after him to water the seed, but God was responsible for the growth (1 Cor. 3:6).  To make sure his point was clear, he reiterated what he said, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow” (1 Cor. 3:7).  Drawing from the agricultural imagery, the amazing and almost magical process of growth is less about who the farmer is or what he does, and more about the God who created a world for growth.  One might argue that the farmer could ruin his crop, but he can’t grow his crop. 

While church growth is always God-given, the growth may very well be predicated on numerous factors.  One is the willingness for the church to embrace growth.  Most people talk about wanting the church to grow, but the steps it takes to implement a culture of growth can be challenging at best.  Growth means change, and the difficulty for a church to change is even more challenging.  How a church relates to each other when they are less than a hundred is quite different from a church that is 400 members.  The decision-making made in smaller churches is a different process than the one in larger churches. 

Another factor is whether or not the church will embrace the community they are planted in, even more so if the community has experienced a demographic shift.  The issue was huge when I lived in Memphis (1990-93), and no doubt is still prevalent today.  Many communities were in the process of a racial demographic shift.  Some churches refused to make the shift, while others graciously explored the opportunity for growth.  Even still, some members of these churches sought other churches to avoid a racially mixed worship. 

A church that is growing is doing a lot to prep the soil and to plant the seed.  They nurture the seedling with water, sunlight and nutrients.  Ultimately, the results are up to God, because he’s the one who causes the growth.  Since he’s the one who causes the growth, maybe he should get the glory too. 

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)

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Blue Skies & Rainstorms

On my shelf in my office is clock ship.  At the time of writing this article, the clock doesn’t work, and to my knowledge has never has worked in my possession.  But it sits where I can see it, in my bookshelf, right above my computer screen.  And it sits as a reminder of days gone by from my childhood. 

My bedroom was on the third floor of our home, and because of the stairs, coupled with respected privacy, mom rarely ventured up there.  So whenever I was sick, she made a bed for me on the living room couch.  Two things usually happened to make me as comfortable as possible.  First, dad turned the chimes off on the living room clock and stopped the two cuckoo clocks in the dining room.  Secondly, mom positioned this same ship clock near the couch and turned on the red bulbs as a night lights (never mind that outside our huge front windows was a street light on all night). 

There I lay throughout the night, sailing on dreams with a ship clock as my guide and comforter, ensuring me that when morning comes we’ll safely make it to port. 

By 1989 mom had decided to clean house and “willed” her clock collections to her children.  Steve got the clock that sat on the organ.  Tim was given the clock that chimed each hour.  David and Deanna each received cuckoo clocks.  Mom offered me the ship clock that had “run aground” so many years earlier. 

I remember having the clock in the little living room of the first house Cile and I occupied in Cookeville, Tennessee.  However, soon after, we moved to Memphis to begin my graduate training for ministry, and we stored much of our belongings in her mother’s attic, including the clock.  Three and a half years later, we moved to Greeneville, Tennessee; I left the clock at my mother-in-law’s attic and it remained there until my brother-in-law found it.  He liked it, brought it home and gave it a temporary fix.  He held on to it for about 10 years until he and his wife graciously offered it back to me last summer. 

When it was time to move to Sunshine Church, I packed it away and it took me a couple of weeks to locate the ship clock.  It has now come to safe harbor on a shelf in my office where I can see it just over my computer screen as a reminder, not of my childhood, but of my twenty years of preaching ministry. 

Ships are made for the high waters, and are intended to weather storms.  The G.T. Shed quote has merit, “The ship is safe in the harbor, but that’s not ships are built for.”  Ships were made for the ocean, but the ocean is filled with danger.  On one extreme, hurricanes and tidal waves can rip a ship apart.  On the other extreme, without wind propelling the ship, it leaves it adrift for days on end, forcing sailors to ration their supplies.  Underneath the ship, who knows what mutiny may emerge or what is living in the deep depths of the ocean.  So the ships that reach historic claims are usually the ones who thrive with Blue Skies and survive during the Rainstorms. 

The clock reminds me, like in 1 Samuel 7, that for the past twenty-plus years of my preaching ministry, God has brought me safely to this harbor, and is ready to send me out again.  During those twenty years of preaching, I’ve felt the thrill of high winds driving my sails while propelling me through the waters, like in a wedding when you feel good about the couple, or a sermon you know connected with the congregation, or receiving a note that attributes your ministry to guiding them on their spiritual journey.  But I’ve been through plenty of times when the winds have failed me and I feel adrift, and the best I can do is to lay anchor and wait while busy work replaces meaningful study, meditation, and prayer.  Then there are the storms.  Some are self-inflicted, like saying or doing something I shouldn’t have, and there’ve been plenty of those.  Other storms emerged because of personality clashes.  Still others emerged because the message of the gospel challenges power structures in place. 

So as I sit here and write this article, peering over my screen to the clock ship, I take comfort in knowing, whether in Blue Skies or Rainstorms, God will get me through any storm that comes my way, and deliver me safely to my final destination.  And by the way, he’ll do the same for you.                                         

Soli Deo Gloria!
(i.e. only God is glorified!)