QUOTE FOR TODAY AND A BIBLE PASSAGE TO GO WITH IT: "The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself." (Mark Caine)
"Beloved [here, followers of Christ in first century Asia Minor are being addressed, but the words are for all Christians, whose true home is with God], 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." (First Peter 2:11-12)
Thursday, September 11, 2003
Tuesday, September 09, 2003
The Obsession Continues
In my last column, I mentioned two recent CD releases to which I've been obsessively--and enjoyably--listening: "More Than You Think You Are" by Matchbox Twenty and "The Beautiful Letdown" by Switchfoot. Today, I want to mention two other CDs that I highly recommend.
(1) "The Light of Things Hoped For..." is the second release from Brave Saint Saturn, a four-man group made up of members from the soon-to-be-defunct ska band, Five Iron Frenzy.
This release is a pleasant surprise, as the quartet's first CD was unimpressive. Reese Roper, who serves as part-time assistant pastor of the wonderfully-named Scum of the Earth Church in Denver, handles most of the composing and lead singing duties, as he did in his other band.
Many of the tracks seem to deal with the after-effects of a relational break-up. This helps to make "The Light of Things Hoped For..." the most emotionally poignant album I have heard since Bob Dylan's 1974 release, "Blood on the Tracks."
Roper has an interesting voice. His lyrics run the gamut from an irony reminiscent of Steve Taylor or They Might Be Giants to a tenderness that can evoke tears. Musically, this is a rock band that can occasionally break into ballads.
(2) Two members of the OC Supertones, calling themselves Grand Incredible, use overdubbing to sound like a traditional rock foursome on "G.I.gantic." While containing many thoughtful tracks, this is a fun release which is at times musically reminiscent of Elvis Costello or the J. Geils Band.
Like Switchfoot and Brave Saint Saturn, these Christian musicians produce more than praise music, although it should be remembered that according to the Bible, everything we do well and with the right intent can glorify God. The Bible says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (First Corinthians 10:31). Martin Luther once said, "A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God." Today he might also say that a rock musician can do the same thing plunking his or her bass guitar.
Conversely, Christians should feel free to enjoy the work of non-Christian bands like Matchbox Twenty because, "every perfect gift" (one surmises that this includes the gift of musical talent) comes from God (James 1:17).
Whenever musicians use their talents to build up, strengthen, encourage, incite thought, give expression to our common emotions, or just positively entertain us, God is glorified.
Luther also said, "Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise." I believe that.
In my last column, I mentioned two recent CD releases to which I've been obsessively--and enjoyably--listening: "More Than You Think You Are" by Matchbox Twenty and "The Beautiful Letdown" by Switchfoot. Today, I want to mention two other CDs that I highly recommend.
(1) "The Light of Things Hoped For..." is the second release from Brave Saint Saturn, a four-man group made up of members from the soon-to-be-defunct ska band, Five Iron Frenzy.
This release is a pleasant surprise, as the quartet's first CD was unimpressive. Reese Roper, who serves as part-time assistant pastor of the wonderfully-named Scum of the Earth Church in Denver, handles most of the composing and lead singing duties, as he did in his other band.
Many of the tracks seem to deal with the after-effects of a relational break-up. This helps to make "The Light of Things Hoped For..." the most emotionally poignant album I have heard since Bob Dylan's 1974 release, "Blood on the Tracks."
Roper has an interesting voice. His lyrics run the gamut from an irony reminiscent of Steve Taylor or They Might Be Giants to a tenderness that can evoke tears. Musically, this is a rock band that can occasionally break into ballads.
(2) Two members of the OC Supertones, calling themselves Grand Incredible, use overdubbing to sound like a traditional rock foursome on "G.I.gantic." While containing many thoughtful tracks, this is a fun release which is at times musically reminiscent of Elvis Costello or the J. Geils Band.
Like Switchfoot and Brave Saint Saturn, these Christian musicians produce more than praise music, although it should be remembered that according to the Bible, everything we do well and with the right intent can glorify God. The Bible says, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" (First Corinthians 10:31). Martin Luther once said, "A dairymaid can milk cows to the glory of God." Today he might also say that a rock musician can do the same thing plunking his or her bass guitar.
Conversely, Christians should feel free to enjoy the work of non-Christian bands like Matchbox Twenty because, "every perfect gift" (one surmises that this includes the gift of musical talent) comes from God (James 1:17).
Whenever musicians use their talents to build up, strengthen, encourage, incite thought, give expression to our common emotions, or just positively entertain us, God is glorified.
Luther also said, "Next to the Word of God, music deserves the highest praise." I believe that.
CDs to Obsess On
[I write a regular column for the Community Press newspapers in the Cincinnati area. This is the first of two columns I've just submitted dealing with four newer CDs I find myself listening to a lot these days.]
Music has always been important to me and I tend to obsessively listen to several new CDs for weeks or months on end before moving onto the next obsessions. Right now, my attention is on four recent releases, all of which I highly recommend. In this column, I'll review two of them and in the next, I'll look at the other two.
(1) Matchbox Twenty occupies a place in the contemporary pop-rock pantheon just one step below bands like U2 or the Rolling Stones. Security from their niche in the music world may explain the lyrical and musical confidence that is evident on each track of "More Than You Think You Are."
Although Matchbox Twenty is often derivative in their melodies and arrangements, the tunes–from rollicking rockers to ballads–are always satisfying. Lead singer and composer Rob Thomas pens wonderful lyrics; memorable lines abound on this CD.
(2) "The Beautiful Letdown" comes from Switchfoot, whose music off of previous releases added so much power and beauty to the movie, "A Walk to Remember." One word describes "The Beautiful Letdown": passion. But not the cheap version of that rich and important word that is often trotted out on prime time TV and in movies. Composer and lead singer Jon Foreman oozes with a passionate desire to live life to its fullest, refusing to take a single moment for granted.
Switchfoot isn't so much a Christian band as they are a band made up of Christians. The result of that twist on their identity is that Foreman and mates avoid the cliches of much Christian music today. There are no praise tracks here. Foreman is unapologetic about that. He said in a recent interview with "Guideposts for Teens" that not every building designed by a Christian architect is going to be a cathedral, so we shouldn't expect a Christian musician to only produce worship music.
But in Foreman's case, what you can expect are haunting melodies, engaging arrangements, sparse and insightful lyrics, and authentic wrestling with the real gut issues of life. Dim echoes of Sting and the Police can be heard in Switchfoot's work. But they really use their influences as launching pads for creating truly unique music. This is my favorite CD of the past year.
To be continued...
[I write a regular column for the Community Press newspapers in the Cincinnati area. This is the first of two columns I've just submitted dealing with four newer CDs I find myself listening to a lot these days.]
Music has always been important to me and I tend to obsessively listen to several new CDs for weeks or months on end before moving onto the next obsessions. Right now, my attention is on four recent releases, all of which I highly recommend. In this column, I'll review two of them and in the next, I'll look at the other two.
(1) Matchbox Twenty occupies a place in the contemporary pop-rock pantheon just one step below bands like U2 or the Rolling Stones. Security from their niche in the music world may explain the lyrical and musical confidence that is evident on each track of "More Than You Think You Are."
Although Matchbox Twenty is often derivative in their melodies and arrangements, the tunes–from rollicking rockers to ballads–are always satisfying. Lead singer and composer Rob Thomas pens wonderful lyrics; memorable lines abound on this CD.
(2) "The Beautiful Letdown" comes from Switchfoot, whose music off of previous releases added so much power and beauty to the movie, "A Walk to Remember." One word describes "The Beautiful Letdown": passion. But not the cheap version of that rich and important word that is often trotted out on prime time TV and in movies. Composer and lead singer Jon Foreman oozes with a passionate desire to live life to its fullest, refusing to take a single moment for granted.
Switchfoot isn't so much a Christian band as they are a band made up of Christians. The result of that twist on their identity is that Foreman and mates avoid the cliches of much Christian music today. There are no praise tracks here. Foreman is unapologetic about that. He said in a recent interview with "Guideposts for Teens" that not every building designed by a Christian architect is going to be a cathedral, so we shouldn't expect a Christian musician to only produce worship music.
But in Foreman's case, what you can expect are haunting melodies, engaging arrangements, sparse and insightful lyrics, and authentic wrestling with the real gut issues of life. Dim echoes of Sting and the Police can be heard in Switchfoot's work. But they really use their influences as launching pads for creating truly unique music. This is my favorite CD of the past year.
To be continued...
Sunday, September 07, 2003
Purpose Driven Living:
What's Life About?
Matthew 25:14-30
(shared with the people of Friendship Church, September 7, 2003)
An elderly woman approached me one day. "Mark," she said, "there's something that I've been meaning to ask you. Why exactly are we alive? I just can't figure out what life is all about." This an important question which everybody asks at least once in their lives, I think.
There are all sorts of answers that people give about the purpose of life. Author and business consultant Steven Covey once conducted a thorough study of all the self-improvement literature produced in America from Revolutionary times through the bicentennial year, 1976. Each of the books Covey surveyed tried to help people live "on purpose," to answer the question that woman posed to me: What exactly is my time on this earth supposed to be about? In his survey, Covey noticed something curious. For roughly the first 150-years he surveyed, the primary theme of all this literature was character, how to make oneself useful to God and neighbor. The underlying assumption would seem to have been that life's purpose is found in service to God and others. But then, this self-improvement literature took a major turn. Most of the books for the next fifty years, Covey observed, said that life was about getting: more money, more financial security, more power, more prominence. Twenty-seven years later, that's probably still true.
Back in the Stone Ages when I was growing up, the phrase American Dreamwas used of universal human desire to be free--free to worship, free to think, free to speak, free to live where we wanted, free to marry who we wanted, free to be our best selves. Now, it seems that the American Dream is about one thing: show me the money. The result is a deep seated unhappiness of the kind that prompted that woman to ask her question of me.
Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, begins with a truly subversive assertion for this day and age. He writes simply, "It's not about you." I don't know about you, but I find that a little hard to swallow. One of the reasons I so love the classic movie, It's a Wonderful Life, is that I identify with its main character, George Bailey. Any average two year old and everybody else on this planet has probably said or at least thought the words that George spoke to Mary that night he finally realized he was in love with her: "I want to do what I want to do!" So, if it's not about me, what is life about?
Our Bible lesson for this morning contains a famous story, or parable, that Jesus told during His time on earth. A wealthy man goes away for a time and leaves three employees in charge of talents. A talent was a unit of money. The boss doesn't leave the same amount of talents with each guy. He parcels them out according to their ability levels. One guy got five, another two, and the last guy got one talent. But you shouldn't feel sorry for the third guy. One talent was equivalent to about sixteen years of pay for the average wage earner in first century Judea. In today's money, the first worker was told to manage $2,080,000, the second $832,000, and the third guy $416,000, astronomical sums of money.
After doing this, Jesus tells us, the boss went away for an indefinite period of time. He didn't say when he was coming back exactly. The great nineteenth century devotional writer Andrew Murray, in his book God's Plans for You, points out that this is exactly what Jesus has done with us. After Jesus died and rose and spent forty more days with His followers, He ascended back into heaven and He said that He would come back one day, although none of us can know precisely when. Before He left though, Jesus entrusted incredible riches to us. To all followers of Jesus, He gave something called the Great Commission. He said that you and I are to be in the disciple-making business, helping others to turn from sin and death to instead, follow Jesus and receive everlasting life with God. Jesus also entrusted another treasure to all of us who call ourselves His followers: the Great Commandment. In it, He tells us to spend our lives loving and serving God and loving and serving our neighbor. On top of all that, the God we know through Jesus also gives to each of us our own custom-made cluster of blessings: our minds, our bodies, our talents, our passions, our interests. The value of all these treasures dwarfs anything the boss in Jesus' story gave to those three employees.
Jesus continued His story. The boss came back and called the three men together to give an accounting of what they had done with the talents with which he'd entrusted them. The first guy reported that he had been able to double the boss' money. The second had done the same. Because of their faithful pursuit of the boss' purposes, their portfolio was doubled. The more willingly you and I step out in faith, using the blessings of God to love God and love neighbor, the more God blesses us, sometimes in ways we don't see or fully appreciate.
The third guy stepped forward. Timidly, he told the boss that he knew the boss to be a demanding character. He hadn't wanted to lose anything that he'd been given. "So," he says, "I buried the talent that you gave me. Here it is; I'm giving it back." This poor old dufus probably thought he was doing a good thing. Instead, the boss takes away the talent, gives it to the first guy, the one who had taken the bigger risks, and threw the third guy into what Jesus calls "the outer darkness." Jesus explains:
"...to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."
The late humorist Erma Bombeck once wrote about a recurring dream she had:
"[In it]...I am asked to give an accounting of my...life to a higher court, it [goes] like this: 'So, empty your pockets. What have you got left of your life? Any dreams that were unfulfilled?
Any unused talent that we gave you when you were born that you still have left? Any unsaid compliments or bits of love that you haven't spread around?
"And I will answer, 'I've nothing to return. I spent everything you gave me. I'm as naked as the day I was born.'"
You and I will never find our purpose in life by dedicating our lives to getting. Nor will we find our purpose by holding back, hoarding all of God's gifts to us. We find our purpose in life when we commit ourselves to giving ourselves, our time, our talent, and our treasures in service to God and neighbor.
From Jesus' Great Commission and His Great Commandment, we know that life is really about five basic things: loving God with our whole lives; being active participants in God's family, the Church; letting God hammer at and mold us into becoming more like Jesus Christ; willingly serving God and other people; and telling others about how Jesus changes us from God's enemies to being God's friends.
Living life that way isn't always easy, for sure. But I firmly believe that until we begin to live our lives for God's purposes, we won't be living. Life--real life--can only be found when we start to live it in accordance with the specifications invented by the One Who gave us life in the first place!
When we yield control of our lives and let Jesus Christ take control, using whatever gifts God has given to us, for God's purposes, then we will find the meaning and purpose for our lives. It begins with a simple act of surrender to Jesus Christ. That's what I want to invite you to do right now and everyday of your life.
[This series of messages is built around the book, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, which the people of Friendship Church began reading together on Tuesday, September 2. While I don't agree with everything Warren writes in this book, it really is tremendous and I recommend it to everyone! Rick is a Baptist pastor who founded and serves the progressive Saddleback Valley Community Church in southern California.
[The Covey survey of self-improvement literature can be found in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The interpretation of what he found is my own.
[The Erma Bombeck anecdote, taken from a column she wrote in 1987, appeared in an e-mailed inspiration by Methodist pastor Steve Goidier. Steve is a phenomenally insightful and helpful writer and I recommend that everybody with access to e-mail receive his Life Support mailings. You can e-mail Steve at: LifeSupport-owner@yahoogroups.com. In addition to being a gifted writer and speaker, Steve is pastor of a congregation in Utah.]
What's Life About?
Matthew 25:14-30
(shared with the people of Friendship Church, September 7, 2003)
An elderly woman approached me one day. "Mark," she said, "there's something that I've been meaning to ask you. Why exactly are we alive? I just can't figure out what life is all about." This an important question which everybody asks at least once in their lives, I think.
There are all sorts of answers that people give about the purpose of life. Author and business consultant Steven Covey once conducted a thorough study of all the self-improvement literature produced in America from Revolutionary times through the bicentennial year, 1976. Each of the books Covey surveyed tried to help people live "on purpose," to answer the question that woman posed to me: What exactly is my time on this earth supposed to be about? In his survey, Covey noticed something curious. For roughly the first 150-years he surveyed, the primary theme of all this literature was character, how to make oneself useful to God and neighbor. The underlying assumption would seem to have been that life's purpose is found in service to God and others. But then, this self-improvement literature took a major turn. Most of the books for the next fifty years, Covey observed, said that life was about getting: more money, more financial security, more power, more prominence. Twenty-seven years later, that's probably still true.
Back in the Stone Ages when I was growing up, the phrase American Dreamwas used of universal human desire to be free--free to worship, free to think, free to speak, free to live where we wanted, free to marry who we wanted, free to be our best selves. Now, it seems that the American Dream is about one thing: show me the money. The result is a deep seated unhappiness of the kind that prompted that woman to ask her question of me.
Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life, begins with a truly subversive assertion for this day and age. He writes simply, "It's not about you." I don't know about you, but I find that a little hard to swallow. One of the reasons I so love the classic movie, It's a Wonderful Life, is that I identify with its main character, George Bailey. Any average two year old and everybody else on this planet has probably said or at least thought the words that George spoke to Mary that night he finally realized he was in love with her: "I want to do what I want to do!" So, if it's not about me, what is life about?
Our Bible lesson for this morning contains a famous story, or parable, that Jesus told during His time on earth. A wealthy man goes away for a time and leaves three employees in charge of talents. A talent was a unit of money. The boss doesn't leave the same amount of talents with each guy. He parcels them out according to their ability levels. One guy got five, another two, and the last guy got one talent. But you shouldn't feel sorry for the third guy. One talent was equivalent to about sixteen years of pay for the average wage earner in first century Judea. In today's money, the first worker was told to manage $2,080,000, the second $832,000, and the third guy $416,000, astronomical sums of money.
After doing this, Jesus tells us, the boss went away for an indefinite period of time. He didn't say when he was coming back exactly. The great nineteenth century devotional writer Andrew Murray, in his book God's Plans for You, points out that this is exactly what Jesus has done with us. After Jesus died and rose and spent forty more days with His followers, He ascended back into heaven and He said that He would come back one day, although none of us can know precisely when. Before He left though, Jesus entrusted incredible riches to us. To all followers of Jesus, He gave something called the Great Commission. He said that you and I are to be in the disciple-making business, helping others to turn from sin and death to instead, follow Jesus and receive everlasting life with God. Jesus also entrusted another treasure to all of us who call ourselves His followers: the Great Commandment. In it, He tells us to spend our lives loving and serving God and loving and serving our neighbor. On top of all that, the God we know through Jesus also gives to each of us our own custom-made cluster of blessings: our minds, our bodies, our talents, our passions, our interests. The value of all these treasures dwarfs anything the boss in Jesus' story gave to those three employees.
Jesus continued His story. The boss came back and called the three men together to give an accounting of what they had done with the talents with which he'd entrusted them. The first guy reported that he had been able to double the boss' money. The second had done the same. Because of their faithful pursuit of the boss' purposes, their portfolio was doubled. The more willingly you and I step out in faith, using the blessings of God to love God and love neighbor, the more God blesses us, sometimes in ways we don't see or fully appreciate.
The third guy stepped forward. Timidly, he told the boss that he knew the boss to be a demanding character. He hadn't wanted to lose anything that he'd been given. "So," he says, "I buried the talent that you gave me. Here it is; I'm giving it back." This poor old dufus probably thought he was doing a good thing. Instead, the boss takes away the talent, gives it to the first guy, the one who had taken the bigger risks, and threw the third guy into what Jesus calls "the outer darkness." Jesus explains:
"...to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away."
The late humorist Erma Bombeck once wrote about a recurring dream she had:
"[In it]...I am asked to give an accounting of my...life to a higher court, it [goes] like this: 'So, empty your pockets. What have you got left of your life? Any dreams that were unfulfilled?
Any unused talent that we gave you when you were born that you still have left? Any unsaid compliments or bits of love that you haven't spread around?
"And I will answer, 'I've nothing to return. I spent everything you gave me. I'm as naked as the day I was born.'"
You and I will never find our purpose in life by dedicating our lives to getting. Nor will we find our purpose by holding back, hoarding all of God's gifts to us. We find our purpose in life when we commit ourselves to giving ourselves, our time, our talent, and our treasures in service to God and neighbor.
From Jesus' Great Commission and His Great Commandment, we know that life is really about five basic things: loving God with our whole lives; being active participants in God's family, the Church; letting God hammer at and mold us into becoming more like Jesus Christ; willingly serving God and other people; and telling others about how Jesus changes us from God's enemies to being God's friends.
Living life that way isn't always easy, for sure. But I firmly believe that until we begin to live our lives for God's purposes, we won't be living. Life--real life--can only be found when we start to live it in accordance with the specifications invented by the One Who gave us life in the first place!
When we yield control of our lives and let Jesus Christ take control, using whatever gifts God has given to us, for God's purposes, then we will find the meaning and purpose for our lives. It begins with a simple act of surrender to Jesus Christ. That's what I want to invite you to do right now and everyday of your life.
[This series of messages is built around the book, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, which the people of Friendship Church began reading together on Tuesday, September 2. While I don't agree with everything Warren writes in this book, it really is tremendous and I recommend it to everyone! Rick is a Baptist pastor who founded and serves the progressive Saddleback Valley Community Church in southern California.
[The Covey survey of self-improvement literature can be found in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The interpretation of what he found is my own.
[The Erma Bombeck anecdote, taken from a column she wrote in 1987, appeared in an e-mailed inspiration by Methodist pastor Steve Goidier. Steve is a phenomenally insightful and helpful writer and I recommend that everybody with access to e-mail receive his Life Support mailings. You can e-mail Steve at: LifeSupport-owner@yahoogroups.com. In addition to being a gifted writer and speaker, Steve is pastor of a congregation in Utah.]
Sunday, August 31, 2003
Changing Your World: Through Service in Jesus' Name
James 1:17-27
(shared with the people of Friendship Church, August 31, 2003)
In a recent letter to supporters of his ministry, evangelist Ron Hutchcraft shared the true story of an event that happened in a remote village in Cambodia. In 1999, a Cambodian pastor came to that village to share the good news that all who trust Jesus Christ as their God and Savior have everlasting life. The pastor was amazed to find that the people of the village were, almost without needing to be convinced, excited and ready to turn from sin and death and to receive Jesus into their lives. One woman knelt down before this pastor, kissed his hand, and said, “We’ve been waiting for you for twenty years!” That pastor was obviously interested in learning what she meant.
Some of you will remember that several decades ago, Cambodia suffered under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. For the Khmer Rouge, it was a matter of policy to kill en masse. To this day, mass graves from that awful time are being found throughout the countryside. In 1979, Cambodian soldiers entered this particular remote village. They told everybody to leave their huts and to dig a huge pit. The villagers all knew that they were digging their own mass grave.
Desperate, the people began crying out to all the gods or spirits they could remember ever hearing about. While this was happening, one woman remembered hearing her long-dead grandmother mention a Supreme Being. Filled with anguish, she began to cry out to the One Who might best understand her suffering at that moment. Help us, she cried, God Who hung on a cross!
When those terrified people finished digging the giant hole, they noticed that quiet had settled over the whole village. One man finally gathered enough courage to look over his shoulder and was amazed by what he saw. More accurately, he was amazed by what he didn’t see: the soldiers had disappeared into the jungle.
From that moment forward, the people of that village waited for someone to come to them and let them know the God Who hung on a cross, Jesus the Christ.
In spite of all the superficial indicators to the contrary, I believe that there are thousands of people among our neighbors who, just like the people of that Cambodian village, want to know the God Who hung on a cross. They want to meet an actual Christian who is actually following Jesus with a servant’s heart, a heart like that of Jesus.
Instead, we Christians get hung up on superficial, unimportant things.
This past week, the cable news networks have been full of the controversy over the removal of a monument commemorating the ten commandments at an Alabama court house.
Let’s think about this for a second, folks. Where in the New Testament can you find a place where Jesus demanded that the Roman government erect a monument to His particular religious beliefs? The answer is nowhere.
Jesus was too busy loving, preaching, teaching, praying, giving, worshiping, healing, and serving to get caught up in needless controversies. Jesus never tried to force Himself down people’s throats; He loved them into relationship with Him!
In fact, this Ten Commandment monument controversy bothers me for several reasons.
First of all, I’d be willing to bet that 90% of the people who are so hot to trot for this monument couldn’t name all ten commandments if they had to.
And secondly, if people expended one-scintilla of the energy they’re using to protest and complain and petition and lament the sorry spiritual state of our nation and instead, loved and served their neighbor in Jesus’ Name, the sorry spiritual state of our nation and our community would change for the better.
If you want to know why our country is in such a sorry mess spiritually and relationally and psychologically, the answer is simple: Christians have either turned their faith into a spectator sport or they’re engaged in unnecessary arguments that keep them from doing what Jesus Christ has called us to do.
Our Bible lesson for this morning, written by James, one of Jesus’ earthly brothers and a leader of the early Church, reminds us of our calling as followers of Jesus:
"...be doers of the Word [of God], and not merely hearers...Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
To change the sorry state of our nation and world, we must change the way we live. We need to serve others in the Name and in the manner of the One Who hung on a cross.
One night, New Yorker Flo Wheatley and her son, who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment in Manhattan, left the hospital in order to board the subway for Queens. As they awaited the train, Flo tried to help her son keep standing while people hurried by.
A “rough-looking stranger” offered to help. He slung the suitcase Flo was carrying over his shoulders and cleared the way for Flo and her son through the crowd. Later, he helped them change trains and to get a cab. Flo learned that the man was homeless. But when she tried to hand him a five dollar bill, he refused it. He simply closed the cab door and said, “Don’t abandon me.”
That became the inspiration for Flo to take on a ministry of service in Jesus’ Name. With winter coming on, she gathered scraps of fabric and created quilts and sleeping bags for homeless people. She and her kids sewed eight sleeping bags that year, each of which Flo’s husband took into the city and gave to people on the streets.
Eventually, Flo was joined by others inspired by her example to form My Brother’s Keeper, providing many sleeping bags and blankets for homeless people each year.
Jesus once said that when we serve those in need, we really serve Him. You and I meet people every day who have all sorts of needs. Some simply need to be listened to. Others may need a ride to the doctor’s office or help with school work. You and I can’t do everything, that’s true. But the fact that we can’t do everything shouldn’t prevent us from doing some act of service in the Name of the God Who hung on a cross.
Let me suggest three things we can do as servants Jesus has deputized to change the world.
First: We need to listen to others with servants’ ears. When Flo Wheatley heard that homeless man’s words–“Don’t abandon me”–she heard them with a servant’s ears. She set out to find a way to fulfill that man’s request.
Installing servant's ears on our selfish skulls can be difficult. There are times, for example, when I get so caught up in my own agenda that I fail even to hear the things my wife says to me. Just this past week, Ann asked me if I had taken care of something which she had spoken with me about twice...and that I completely forgot about! I didn't even remember her talking with me about it.
When we listen with servants' ears, of course, we need to also be listening for needs that God has peculiarly designed us to fill. Ever since I was a little boy, I've taken an interest in politics, government, and public affairs. I ran a congressional campaign when I was twenty-two years old, for years.
In spite of that interest though, until a few years ago, I had been uninvolved in anything political since becoming a pastor. But a few years back, when our local school district was desperate for funds and had levy and bond issues on the ballot, I volunteered to participate in the campaign. I ended up helping put together the strategy and advertising for the campaign...and we won.
A few years later, the school superintendent asked me to chair the levy renewal campaign. After some heavy-duty praying and hard work, we ended up getting 72% of the vote.
Now, I'm getting involved in the levy campaign for the local Mental Retardation-Developmentally Disabled agency.
I've decided that just as I ask the people of this congregation to serve God and neighbor apart from what they do at work or in their home lives, I need to be willing to use my talents as a campaigner in a volunteer capacity.
Each of us who follows Jesus needs to find the ways of serving others that fit our personalities and God-given talents. Not everyone of us can sew like Flo Wheatley. I can't, for example. That's why I volunteer my services as a campaigner.
Second: We need to find ways to use every event that comes to us in life as occasions for service. After the wedding Ann and I attended a few weekends ago up in northwestern Ohio, we went to the reception and noticed that on each table, there was a small, discrete note that said: “In gratitude to God for all His blessings, Beau and Susan have made a donation to the Filling Memorial Home of Mercy.” The Filling Home, as some of you know, is a home for the severely mentally and physically handicapped, run by the Lutheran Church, up in Napoleon, Ohio. As I read those cards at Susan's and Beau's wedding, I thought, “Wow! What a great idea!” This couple militated against the self-absorption that often goes with wedding days by giving to others. And in doing that, they prompted all of us to think of how we could serve our neighbor.
Third: We need to consider how we can serve in organized service ministries. Carol Barrett has lots of great ideas for fun and meaningful ways we can serve our neighbors as part of Friendship's outreach for Christ. You can volunteer to get involved in those ministries of service with her.
I also hope that you’re continuing to pray with me about where in the world we might go on a short-term mission trip in 2004. Since I last discussed this with you, I’ve been in contact with a Christian ministry called Short-Term Evangelical Missions. In a few weeks, I hope that I can report to you about the possibilities for you and me to go on a servant trip.
You’ve probably heard the story of the young teacher who was working in an inner city school. He had a nice new car and was driving home one afternoon when he stopped at a traffic light. One of his students saw the teacher and his wheels and approached close enough to talk with the teacher while he waited for the light to change. “Where’d you get the car?” the boy asked. “Well, my brother gave it to me,” the teacher said. What the boy said stunned the young teacher. “I wish,” he said, “that I...could be a brother like that!”
Fact is, no matter what our means, we can all be brothers and sisters like that. Grateful for the love of God given to us through Jesus, we can give of ourselves, we can serve in Jesus’ Name, we can help the world know the God Who hung on a cross, and when we do, we can change the world for the better.
[I appreciate the inspiration for this series provided by the pastors and staff of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church of Burnsville, Minnesota through their Thematic Programming publication.]
James 1:17-27
(shared with the people of Friendship Church, August 31, 2003)
In a recent letter to supporters of his ministry, evangelist Ron Hutchcraft shared the true story of an event that happened in a remote village in Cambodia. In 1999, a Cambodian pastor came to that village to share the good news that all who trust Jesus Christ as their God and Savior have everlasting life. The pastor was amazed to find that the people of the village were, almost without needing to be convinced, excited and ready to turn from sin and death and to receive Jesus into their lives. One woman knelt down before this pastor, kissed his hand, and said, “We’ve been waiting for you for twenty years!” That pastor was obviously interested in learning what she meant.
Some of you will remember that several decades ago, Cambodia suffered under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. For the Khmer Rouge, it was a matter of policy to kill en masse. To this day, mass graves from that awful time are being found throughout the countryside. In 1979, Cambodian soldiers entered this particular remote village. They told everybody to leave their huts and to dig a huge pit. The villagers all knew that they were digging their own mass grave.
Desperate, the people began crying out to all the gods or spirits they could remember ever hearing about. While this was happening, one woman remembered hearing her long-dead grandmother mention a Supreme Being. Filled with anguish, she began to cry out to the One Who might best understand her suffering at that moment. Help us, she cried, God Who hung on a cross!
When those terrified people finished digging the giant hole, they noticed that quiet had settled over the whole village. One man finally gathered enough courage to look over his shoulder and was amazed by what he saw. More accurately, he was amazed by what he didn’t see: the soldiers had disappeared into the jungle.
From that moment forward, the people of that village waited for someone to come to them and let them know the God Who hung on a cross, Jesus the Christ.
In spite of all the superficial indicators to the contrary, I believe that there are thousands of people among our neighbors who, just like the people of that Cambodian village, want to know the God Who hung on a cross. They want to meet an actual Christian who is actually following Jesus with a servant’s heart, a heart like that of Jesus.
Instead, we Christians get hung up on superficial, unimportant things.
This past week, the cable news networks have been full of the controversy over the removal of a monument commemorating the ten commandments at an Alabama court house.
Let’s think about this for a second, folks. Where in the New Testament can you find a place where Jesus demanded that the Roman government erect a monument to His particular religious beliefs? The answer is nowhere.
Jesus was too busy loving, preaching, teaching, praying, giving, worshiping, healing, and serving to get caught up in needless controversies. Jesus never tried to force Himself down people’s throats; He loved them into relationship with Him!
In fact, this Ten Commandment monument controversy bothers me for several reasons.
First of all, I’d be willing to bet that 90% of the people who are so hot to trot for this monument couldn’t name all ten commandments if they had to.
And secondly, if people expended one-scintilla of the energy they’re using to protest and complain and petition and lament the sorry spiritual state of our nation and instead, loved and served their neighbor in Jesus’ Name, the sorry spiritual state of our nation and our community would change for the better.
If you want to know why our country is in such a sorry mess spiritually and relationally and psychologically, the answer is simple: Christians have either turned their faith into a spectator sport or they’re engaged in unnecessary arguments that keep them from doing what Jesus Christ has called us to do.
Our Bible lesson for this morning, written by James, one of Jesus’ earthly brothers and a leader of the early Church, reminds us of our calling as followers of Jesus:
"...be doers of the Word [of God], and not merely hearers...Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."
To change the sorry state of our nation and world, we must change the way we live. We need to serve others in the Name and in the manner of the One Who hung on a cross.
One night, New Yorker Flo Wheatley and her son, who was undergoing chemotherapy treatment in Manhattan, left the hospital in order to board the subway for Queens. As they awaited the train, Flo tried to help her son keep standing while people hurried by.
A “rough-looking stranger” offered to help. He slung the suitcase Flo was carrying over his shoulders and cleared the way for Flo and her son through the crowd. Later, he helped them change trains and to get a cab. Flo learned that the man was homeless. But when she tried to hand him a five dollar bill, he refused it. He simply closed the cab door and said, “Don’t abandon me.”
That became the inspiration for Flo to take on a ministry of service in Jesus’ Name. With winter coming on, she gathered scraps of fabric and created quilts and sleeping bags for homeless people. She and her kids sewed eight sleeping bags that year, each of which Flo’s husband took into the city and gave to people on the streets.
Eventually, Flo was joined by others inspired by her example to form My Brother’s Keeper, providing many sleeping bags and blankets for homeless people each year.
Jesus once said that when we serve those in need, we really serve Him. You and I meet people every day who have all sorts of needs. Some simply need to be listened to. Others may need a ride to the doctor’s office or help with school work. You and I can’t do everything, that’s true. But the fact that we can’t do everything shouldn’t prevent us from doing some act of service in the Name of the God Who hung on a cross.
Let me suggest three things we can do as servants Jesus has deputized to change the world.
First: We need to listen to others with servants’ ears. When Flo Wheatley heard that homeless man’s words–“Don’t abandon me”–she heard them with a servant’s ears. She set out to find a way to fulfill that man’s request.
Installing servant's ears on our selfish skulls can be difficult. There are times, for example, when I get so caught up in my own agenda that I fail even to hear the things my wife says to me. Just this past week, Ann asked me if I had taken care of something which she had spoken with me about twice...and that I completely forgot about! I didn't even remember her talking with me about it.
When we listen with servants' ears, of course, we need to also be listening for needs that God has peculiarly designed us to fill. Ever since I was a little boy, I've taken an interest in politics, government, and public affairs. I ran a congressional campaign when I was twenty-two years old, for years.
In spite of that interest though, until a few years ago, I had been uninvolved in anything political since becoming a pastor. But a few years back, when our local school district was desperate for funds and had levy and bond issues on the ballot, I volunteered to participate in the campaign. I ended up helping put together the strategy and advertising for the campaign...and we won.
A few years later, the school superintendent asked me to chair the levy renewal campaign. After some heavy-duty praying and hard work, we ended up getting 72% of the vote.
Now, I'm getting involved in the levy campaign for the local Mental Retardation-Developmentally Disabled agency.
I've decided that just as I ask the people of this congregation to serve God and neighbor apart from what they do at work or in their home lives, I need to be willing to use my talents as a campaigner in a volunteer capacity.
Each of us who follows Jesus needs to find the ways of serving others that fit our personalities and God-given talents. Not everyone of us can sew like Flo Wheatley. I can't, for example. That's why I volunteer my services as a campaigner.
Second: We need to find ways to use every event that comes to us in life as occasions for service. After the wedding Ann and I attended a few weekends ago up in northwestern Ohio, we went to the reception and noticed that on each table, there was a small, discrete note that said: “In gratitude to God for all His blessings, Beau and Susan have made a donation to the Filling Memorial Home of Mercy.” The Filling Home, as some of you know, is a home for the severely mentally and physically handicapped, run by the Lutheran Church, up in Napoleon, Ohio. As I read those cards at Susan's and Beau's wedding, I thought, “Wow! What a great idea!” This couple militated against the self-absorption that often goes with wedding days by giving to others. And in doing that, they prompted all of us to think of how we could serve our neighbor.
Third: We need to consider how we can serve in organized service ministries. Carol Barrett has lots of great ideas for fun and meaningful ways we can serve our neighbors as part of Friendship's outreach for Christ. You can volunteer to get involved in those ministries of service with her.
I also hope that you’re continuing to pray with me about where in the world we might go on a short-term mission trip in 2004. Since I last discussed this with you, I’ve been in contact with a Christian ministry called Short-Term Evangelical Missions. In a few weeks, I hope that I can report to you about the possibilities for you and me to go on a servant trip.
You’ve probably heard the story of the young teacher who was working in an inner city school. He had a nice new car and was driving home one afternoon when he stopped at a traffic light. One of his students saw the teacher and his wheels and approached close enough to talk with the teacher while he waited for the light to change. “Where’d you get the car?” the boy asked. “Well, my brother gave it to me,” the teacher said. What the boy said stunned the young teacher. “I wish,” he said, “that I...could be a brother like that!”
Fact is, no matter what our means, we can all be brothers and sisters like that. Grateful for the love of God given to us through Jesus, we can give of ourselves, we can serve in Jesus’ Name, we can help the world know the God Who hung on a cross, and when we do, we can change the world for the better.
[I appreciate the inspiration for this series provided by the pastors and staff of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church of Burnsville, Minnesota through their Thematic Programming publication.]
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
Tonight, I attended the first organizational meeting for the Clermont County Mental Retardation/Developmentally Disabled (MRDD) Board levy campaign. Ordinarily, a campaign organization working to pass a levy issue in November would have begun much earlier. But our county commissioners, understandably, wanted to await giving approval to having the ballot issue before the voters this November until after an extensive audit of the Clermont MRDD, done by State Auditor Betty Montgomery, was completed.
That audit, which looked at management and financial practices of the Clermont MRDD, concluded that the agency is soundly operated. The 128-page report also made helpful suggestions for improved operations.
The modest operating levy that the county commissioners enthusiastically approved placing on this November's ballot will allow the Clermont MRDD to continue to provide excellent and necessary services to the county's mentally and developmentally handicapped. To me, this is about as appropriate and defensible a use of my property taxes as I can name and I'm happy to volunteer in helping the campaign on behalf of those who can't really campaign for themselves.
It seems to me that when citizens or public officials are faced with decisions, there are two paramount questions that need to be answered from a Christian perspective: (1) Is it right? (2) Does it make sense? The reason for the first question: God wants us to do right. The reason for the second: God gave us our minds with the obvious hope that we would use them.
I could be wrong in my judgment on the MRDD levy. But I personally believe that it is both right and sensible. I hope that the voters of our county will agree.
That audit, which looked at management and financial practices of the Clermont MRDD, concluded that the agency is soundly operated. The 128-page report also made helpful suggestions for improved operations.
The modest operating levy that the county commissioners enthusiastically approved placing on this November's ballot will allow the Clermont MRDD to continue to provide excellent and necessary services to the county's mentally and developmentally handicapped. To me, this is about as appropriate and defensible a use of my property taxes as I can name and I'm happy to volunteer in helping the campaign on behalf of those who can't really campaign for themselves.
It seems to me that when citizens or public officials are faced with decisions, there are two paramount questions that need to be answered from a Christian perspective: (1) Is it right? (2) Does it make sense? The reason for the first question: God wants us to do right. The reason for the second: God gave us our minds with the obvious hope that we would use them.
I could be wrong in my judgment on the MRDD levy. But I personally believe that it is both right and sensible. I hope that the voters of our county will agree.
Monday, August 25, 2003
REFLECTIONS ON THE PROVERBS (Here, I continue to note and briefly discuss passages from God's book of wisdom that I find especially enlightening.)
PROVERBS 9:10:
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."
Awesome passage! When I try to “figure things out” on my own, I usually end up in a pickle. When I try to put myself and my desires first, it hurts me and it hurts others. These are lessons I have learned the hard way, but I could have learned more easily had I simply listened to God. “There is a way that seems right...” to we human beings, but it’s usually wrong! A wise person builds on the Rock, God! (Fear, as used in Biblical passages like this, doesn't mean terror as much as it means awe and respect for the perfect, ominipotent, omniscient God.)
PROVERBS 10:4:
"A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich."
There is great truth to this so long as it isn’t used to explain away the poverty of those who have been discriminated against and held down. It also shouldn’t be used to justify laziness. There is nothing wrong with wealth, so long as it isn't the focus of one's life. The famously misquoted passage of the New Testament tells us that "the love of money" is the root of evil. Even a perfunctory look at the world will bear the truth of that statement out!
PROVERBS 9:10:
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight."
Awesome passage! When I try to “figure things out” on my own, I usually end up in a pickle. When I try to put myself and my desires first, it hurts me and it hurts others. These are lessons I have learned the hard way, but I could have learned more easily had I simply listened to God. “There is a way that seems right...” to we human beings, but it’s usually wrong! A wise person builds on the Rock, God! (Fear, as used in Biblical passages like this, doesn't mean terror as much as it means awe and respect for the perfect, ominipotent, omniscient God.)
PROVERBS 10:4:
"A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich."
There is great truth to this so long as it isn’t used to explain away the poverty of those who have been discriminated against and held down. It also shouldn’t be used to justify laziness. There is nothing wrong with wealth, so long as it isn't the focus of one's life. The famously misquoted passage of the New Testament tells us that "the love of money" is the root of evil. Even a perfunctory look at the world will bear the truth of that statement out!
Sunday, August 24, 2003
Changing Your World: Through Prayer
Ephesians 6:10-20
[shared with the people of Friendship Church, August 24, 2003]
“When we work,” someone has said, “we work. But when we pray, God works.” For several months now, we’ve been talking about how you and I can change the world–and change our own individual worlds–for the better. But the simple fact is that on our own, we can’t change the world for the better. Only the God we meet and know through Jesus Christ can do that. Whatever good we want to see happen in our lives, in the life of our families, communities, school, friends, neighbors, or world will absolutely have to begin in prayer.
Bill Hybels is the pastor of one of the largest and most dynamic churches in the world, Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago area. Some years ago, his father, who had always been physically active, suddenly died of a heart attack. He wrote movingly about that experience in his book, Too Busy Not to Pray:
"As I drove to my mother’s house in Michigan, I wondered how I would function without the person who believed in me more than anyone else ever has or will.
"That night in bed, I wrestled with God. 'Why did this happen? How can I put it all together in my mind and in my life? Am I going to recover from losing my father? If you really loved me, how could you do this to me?'
"Suddenly, in the middle of the night, everything changed. It was as if I had turned a corner and was now facing a new direction. God simply said, 'I’m able. I’m enough for you. Right now you doubt this, but trust me.'
"[Hybels goes on to reflect] That experience may sound unreal, but its results were unmistakable. After that tear-filled despairing night, I was never again tortured by doubt–either about God’s care for me or my ability to handle life without Dad. Grief, yes–his death wounded me deeply, and I will always miss him. But it did not set me adrift without anchor or compass. In the middle of the bleakest night I have ever known, one overpoweringly intimate moment with God gave me courage, reassurance and hope."
Life can sometimes overwhelm us. That’s because, as our Bible lesson tells us, our enemies in this life aren’t the spouse with whom we disagree or the child who rebels or the co-worker who gets on our nerves. Not even the sins that tempt us or the death that comes to us all, which have after all, already been defeated by Jesus Christ, are our real enemies. Our real enemies, our Bible lesson reminds us, are the spiritual forces of darkness. These are the enemies that pull the human race–and each of us individually–down into the pits of despair, depression, apathy, relational discord, and hollow, shallow, pointless living. We cannot overcome them on our own. We need to call on the only One Who can overcome them. We need to pray to God.
And we need to pray not just for ourselves. We need to pray for others. Lutheran pastor Walt Kallestad tells about a friend of his who was being annoyed by a check-out clerk. The clerk “was slow, fumbling, and couldn’t seem to do anything right for the people she was supposed to be ‘serving.’” Kallestad goes on to write:
"Irritated, my friend grumbled to God, ‘Why does this always happen to me?’ Then [a]...thought struck her, ‘You’re here because you’re the only one in line who will pray for this clerk and treat her with patience and kindness, which she needs right now, instead of angrily rattling her more.”
God isn’t just interested in our prayers of cosmic significance for world peace or an end to terrorism. An old saying tells us that “the devil is in the details.” Satan loves to discourage us in the little, everyday places in which we live, in the details. He knows that if he can trip us up there, there is no way that we’ll ever be free enough to address the bigger issues of life. So, we need to pray for ourselves and we need to pray for others. When we do, we’ll change our worlds.
But how do we go about praying exactly? To tell you the truth, I get bored easily. So, I tend to change my approach to prayer about once every six months. But this morning, if you’re interested in establishing prayer as a regular part of changing your life and changing your world, I’d like to share a simple formula for praying each day that I’ve shared before and which people have told me, they find helpful. It’s not the only good formula on the block. A few weeks ago, I helped Kelsey win a Cub Scout merit badge and we learned a formula for praying called PATH: Praise, Ask, Thank, Help! I like that. Another, which is the basis for the dailywalk devotions for this week is PRAY: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield. Good stuff. Today, I want to talk about a formula that has worked for me: ACTS. I like that acronym because it reminds me that when I pray, God acts.
Following the ACTS formula for praying, the first thing we do when we pray is adoration. We praise God for Who He is, for His characteristics or personality traits. (The theologians speak of God's attributes.) More often than I care to admit, my prayers are offered in a hurry when I’m facing a challenge or uncertainty. “God,” I might say, “I don’t know what to say to so-and-so, who is dealing with difficulty.” Or, “God, any ideas for my sermon for Sunday?” Or, “Protect my kids.” There’s nothing wrong with bringing our everyday prayers of desperation to God. Like the loving Father He is, God loves to hear from us. But more than anything, God wants to have a relationship with us.
God can really work in the lives of those who hop off of their own agendas long enough to cultivate a relationship with Him. When we begin our prayer time with adoration, praising God for Who He is–a God of infinite power, love, wisdom, grace, mercy, helpfulness, infinite life–we take the focus off of ourselves and open the channels of communication to our soul. Sometimes, when I’m sure that nobody is around, I do this part of my praying by singing a song of praise like, “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” or "I Love You, Lord." When God hears my early-morning yodeling, He may hope that I won’t sing forever. But like the good parent He is, I think that God is pleased even if I am off-key. The point is that when we praise God, we’re ready to take direction from Him.
The C in the ACTS formula for prayer is confession. If adoration opens us up to communicating with God, refusing to confess our sins to God is sure to close off our communication with Him. But we need to be earnest about this business of confession. A few weeks ago, in our Wednesday night discussion group, we were talking about confession in our weekly worship celebrations. We seemed to agree that public confession is necessary, but it’s also dangerous. Public confessions are of necessity, somewhat generalized and vague; they have to be worded so that they speak for all of us as we bring our sins to God for forgiveness. But I know that in my own case, that can set a bad pattern for my personal prayers. I say, “God, forgive me for my sins,” which may not really not be a confession at all. It may only be me mouthing religious-sounding words I’ve heard somewhere else. A good rule for effective praying of whatever kind is: get specific. “God, forgive me for being such a critical, stick-in-the-mud with my family.” “Forgive me for trying always to get my way with such-and-so.” “Forgive me for cutting off that red Volvo on the freeway this morning.” Invite God to forgive and help you change in the specific, little places of your life and then things can really begin to change for the better!
The T in ACTS stands for thanksgiving. You know the famous incident when Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one returned to thank Him? One analyst of this passage has said that you can be sure than all ten were grateful for their healing, but only one expressed that gratitude. Probably most of us in this room today are grateful for the blessings we have in our lives. But when we take the time to thank God for our blessings–like the blessing of being forgiven for being a critical, stick-in-the-mud with our families, for example–we remind ourselves of where our blessings come from and our relationship with God is deepened.
Finally, the S in ACTS is the strangest word of all to our modern ears. It’s supplication, which means humbly asking God for help in our lives. Having adored, thanked, and confessed to God, we now can bring our laundry lists of needs and wants to God. Repeatedly, the Bible confirms that God wants to hear our requests. “Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart,” the Old Testament says. (I think that passage is interestingly worded. It really tells us that if we will delight, first of all in God, He will work a transformation in us and change our priorities so that what we want will be exactly what God wants to give.) “Ask,” Jesus tells us in the New Testament, “and you will receive.”
Repeatedly throughout history, the world has been changed by the supplications of those who established strong relationships with God through time spent in adoration, confession, and thanksgiving. Slavery was brought to an end peacefully in England through a movement that began in prayer. (Slavery ended only after a violent Civil War in America and Abraham Linclon said in his second inaugural address as president that the war came precisely because of the spiritual failings of the country.) The Cold War ended, I’m convinced not because of the policies of any government, but because of people who prayed. Alcoholics Anonymous, one of the most important movements of the twentieth century, began with prayer in Jesus’ Name. So did Habitat for Humanity. So did every worthwhile, life-changing endeavor in the history of the human race.
The world we face is full of challenges too big for any of us to handle in our own strength, too big even to be dealt with by a collection of people in their collective strength. We need to remember something: When we work, we work; when we pray, God works...in us, through us, for us. There’s a whole world in need of changing. Let’s pray and see how God works!
[The book by Bill Hybels, Too Busy Not to Pray, inspired much in the development of this message. The phrase that serves as the title for Hybels' book was one written by the ever-busy Martin Luther, suggesting that activity is no excuse for prayerlessness; in fact, the more active we are, the more we need to pray. The story about Walt Kallestad's friend comes from Pastor Kallestad's book, Be Your Own Creative Coach.]
Ephesians 6:10-20
[shared with the people of Friendship Church, August 24, 2003]
“When we work,” someone has said, “we work. But when we pray, God works.” For several months now, we’ve been talking about how you and I can change the world–and change our own individual worlds–for the better. But the simple fact is that on our own, we can’t change the world for the better. Only the God we meet and know through Jesus Christ can do that. Whatever good we want to see happen in our lives, in the life of our families, communities, school, friends, neighbors, or world will absolutely have to begin in prayer.
Bill Hybels is the pastor of one of the largest and most dynamic churches in the world, Willow Creek Community Church in the Chicago area. Some years ago, his father, who had always been physically active, suddenly died of a heart attack. He wrote movingly about that experience in his book, Too Busy Not to Pray:
"As I drove to my mother’s house in Michigan, I wondered how I would function without the person who believed in me more than anyone else ever has or will.
"That night in bed, I wrestled with God. 'Why did this happen? How can I put it all together in my mind and in my life? Am I going to recover from losing my father? If you really loved me, how could you do this to me?'
"Suddenly, in the middle of the night, everything changed. It was as if I had turned a corner and was now facing a new direction. God simply said, 'I’m able. I’m enough for you. Right now you doubt this, but trust me.'
"[Hybels goes on to reflect] That experience may sound unreal, but its results were unmistakable. After that tear-filled despairing night, I was never again tortured by doubt–either about God’s care for me or my ability to handle life without Dad. Grief, yes–his death wounded me deeply, and I will always miss him. But it did not set me adrift without anchor or compass. In the middle of the bleakest night I have ever known, one overpoweringly intimate moment with God gave me courage, reassurance and hope."
Life can sometimes overwhelm us. That’s because, as our Bible lesson tells us, our enemies in this life aren’t the spouse with whom we disagree or the child who rebels or the co-worker who gets on our nerves. Not even the sins that tempt us or the death that comes to us all, which have after all, already been defeated by Jesus Christ, are our real enemies. Our real enemies, our Bible lesson reminds us, are the spiritual forces of darkness. These are the enemies that pull the human race–and each of us individually–down into the pits of despair, depression, apathy, relational discord, and hollow, shallow, pointless living. We cannot overcome them on our own. We need to call on the only One Who can overcome them. We need to pray to God.
And we need to pray not just for ourselves. We need to pray for others. Lutheran pastor Walt Kallestad tells about a friend of his who was being annoyed by a check-out clerk. The clerk “was slow, fumbling, and couldn’t seem to do anything right for the people she was supposed to be ‘serving.’” Kallestad goes on to write:
"Irritated, my friend grumbled to God, ‘Why does this always happen to me?’ Then [a]...thought struck her, ‘You’re here because you’re the only one in line who will pray for this clerk and treat her with patience and kindness, which she needs right now, instead of angrily rattling her more.”
God isn’t just interested in our prayers of cosmic significance for world peace or an end to terrorism. An old saying tells us that “the devil is in the details.” Satan loves to discourage us in the little, everyday places in which we live, in the details. He knows that if he can trip us up there, there is no way that we’ll ever be free enough to address the bigger issues of life. So, we need to pray for ourselves and we need to pray for others. When we do, we’ll change our worlds.
But how do we go about praying exactly? To tell you the truth, I get bored easily. So, I tend to change my approach to prayer about once every six months. But this morning, if you’re interested in establishing prayer as a regular part of changing your life and changing your world, I’d like to share a simple formula for praying each day that I’ve shared before and which people have told me, they find helpful. It’s not the only good formula on the block. A few weeks ago, I helped Kelsey win a Cub Scout merit badge and we learned a formula for praying called PATH: Praise, Ask, Thank, Help! I like that. Another, which is the basis for the dailywalk devotions for this week is PRAY: Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield. Good stuff. Today, I want to talk about a formula that has worked for me: ACTS. I like that acronym because it reminds me that when I pray, God acts.
Following the ACTS formula for praying, the first thing we do when we pray is adoration. We praise God for Who He is, for His characteristics or personality traits. (The theologians speak of God's attributes.) More often than I care to admit, my prayers are offered in a hurry when I’m facing a challenge or uncertainty. “God,” I might say, “I don’t know what to say to so-and-so, who is dealing with difficulty.” Or, “God, any ideas for my sermon for Sunday?” Or, “Protect my kids.” There’s nothing wrong with bringing our everyday prayers of desperation to God. Like the loving Father He is, God loves to hear from us. But more than anything, God wants to have a relationship with us.
God can really work in the lives of those who hop off of their own agendas long enough to cultivate a relationship with Him. When we begin our prayer time with adoration, praising God for Who He is–a God of infinite power, love, wisdom, grace, mercy, helpfulness, infinite life–we take the focus off of ourselves and open the channels of communication to our soul. Sometimes, when I’m sure that nobody is around, I do this part of my praying by singing a song of praise like, “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” or "I Love You, Lord." When God hears my early-morning yodeling, He may hope that I won’t sing forever. But like the good parent He is, I think that God is pleased even if I am off-key. The point is that when we praise God, we’re ready to take direction from Him.
The C in the ACTS formula for prayer is confession. If adoration opens us up to communicating with God, refusing to confess our sins to God is sure to close off our communication with Him. But we need to be earnest about this business of confession. A few weeks ago, in our Wednesday night discussion group, we were talking about confession in our weekly worship celebrations. We seemed to agree that public confession is necessary, but it’s also dangerous. Public confessions are of necessity, somewhat generalized and vague; they have to be worded so that they speak for all of us as we bring our sins to God for forgiveness. But I know that in my own case, that can set a bad pattern for my personal prayers. I say, “God, forgive me for my sins,” which may not really not be a confession at all. It may only be me mouthing religious-sounding words I’ve heard somewhere else. A good rule for effective praying of whatever kind is: get specific. “God, forgive me for being such a critical, stick-in-the-mud with my family.” “Forgive me for trying always to get my way with such-and-so.” “Forgive me for cutting off that red Volvo on the freeway this morning.” Invite God to forgive and help you change in the specific, little places of your life and then things can really begin to change for the better!
The T in ACTS stands for thanksgiving. You know the famous incident when Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one returned to thank Him? One analyst of this passage has said that you can be sure than all ten were grateful for their healing, but only one expressed that gratitude. Probably most of us in this room today are grateful for the blessings we have in our lives. But when we take the time to thank God for our blessings–like the blessing of being forgiven for being a critical, stick-in-the-mud with our families, for example–we remind ourselves of where our blessings come from and our relationship with God is deepened.
Finally, the S in ACTS is the strangest word of all to our modern ears. It’s supplication, which means humbly asking God for help in our lives. Having adored, thanked, and confessed to God, we now can bring our laundry lists of needs and wants to God. Repeatedly, the Bible confirms that God wants to hear our requests. “Delight in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart,” the Old Testament says. (I think that passage is interestingly worded. It really tells us that if we will delight, first of all in God, He will work a transformation in us and change our priorities so that what we want will be exactly what God wants to give.) “Ask,” Jesus tells us in the New Testament, “and you will receive.”
Repeatedly throughout history, the world has been changed by the supplications of those who established strong relationships with God through time spent in adoration, confession, and thanksgiving. Slavery was brought to an end peacefully in England through a movement that began in prayer. (Slavery ended only after a violent Civil War in America and Abraham Linclon said in his second inaugural address as president that the war came precisely because of the spiritual failings of the country.) The Cold War ended, I’m convinced not because of the policies of any government, but because of people who prayed. Alcoholics Anonymous, one of the most important movements of the twentieth century, began with prayer in Jesus’ Name. So did Habitat for Humanity. So did every worthwhile, life-changing endeavor in the history of the human race.
The world we face is full of challenges too big for any of us to handle in our own strength, too big even to be dealt with by a collection of people in their collective strength. We need to remember something: When we work, we work; when we pray, God works...in us, through us, for us. There’s a whole world in need of changing. Let’s pray and see how God works!
[The book by Bill Hybels, Too Busy Not to Pray, inspired much in the development of this message. The phrase that serves as the title for Hybels' book was one written by the ever-busy Martin Luther, suggesting that activity is no excuse for prayerlessness; in fact, the more active we are, the more we need to pray. The story about Walt Kallestad's friend comes from Pastor Kallestad's book, Be Your Own Creative Coach.]
Thursday, August 21, 2003
Another gem from an e-mailed inspiration of several weeks ago from Pastor Glen VanderKloot. Write to him at pastor@faithlutheran.com to receive his daily e-mailed, OnLine with Faith.
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A Thought for the Day
A whale is as unique as a cactus.
But don't ask a whale to survive Death Valley.
We all have special gifts.
Where we use them and how determines whether we actually complete something.
Max DePree, Leadership Is an Art. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 3
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Bible Verse
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts,
but they all come from the same Spirit.
There are different ways to serve the same LORD,
and we can each do different things.
Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.
The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.
Contemporary English Version
Prayer
Lord, thank you for making me special and unique.
Help me to use my gifts to serve you and your people. Amen
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*****************************************************
A Thought for the Day
A whale is as unique as a cactus.
But don't ask a whale to survive Death Valley.
We all have special gifts.
Where we use them and how determines whether we actually complete something.
Max DePree, Leadership Is an Art. Leadership, Vol. 15, no. 3
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Bible Verse
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts,
but they all come from the same Spirit.
There are different ways to serve the same LORD,
and we can each do different things.
Yet the same God works in all of us and helps us in everything we do.
The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.
Contemporary English Version
Prayer
Lord, thank you for making me special and unique.
Help me to use my gifts to serve you and your people. Amen
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WHAT ABOUT CLAPPING IN WORSHIP?
A few months ago, I was asked, "Is it appropriate to clap hands during worship?"
To some who read this column, that may seem a strange question. For them, clapping is as regular a part of worship as sleeping through the pastor's message. But for others, such clapping is a foreign notion.
In Bible times, clapping was used in several different ways. It could be used to express regret for one's sins and their consequences (Ezekiel 6:11). It could convey condemnation. In the Old Testament book of Nahum, a time is foretold when an aggressive empire would fall and relieved celebrants would clap.
But in Bible times, clapping was most often used in worship, to express praise for God. "Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with songs of joy!" (Psalm 47:1).
Today, it seems to me that there are three healthy ways for clapping to occur in our worship celebrations.
First: As part of our praise of God, such as when we're singing worship songs.
Second: To thank those who help us, whether through singing or testimony about God's work in their lives or by their service to God, help us to see God more clearly. One Biblical writer, the New Testament preacher Paul, commended people in this way in the letters he wrote to early churches. One example of this can be found in Colossians 4:7-14. I think Paul would have approved of the words of William Arthur Ward: "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
Third: To acknowledge those who walk closely with God. Paul constantly did this in his letters, written to be read during the early church's worship celebrations. (Check out Romans 16:3)
I think that there are a couple of inappropriate ways to use clapping during worship. One is to drain our applause or clapping with music of all meaning through repetitive overuse. Clapping in worship can be as much a habit as a threadbare liturgy or the hollow recitation of the Lord's Prayer or Apostles' Creed.
A more dangerous misuse of clapping in worship is to do so in response to a "performance," thereby not praising God, but feeding people's egos. While it is true that Christian worship is meant to be a performance of praise and devotion for an audience of one, God, it isn't meant to be a Vegas lounge show we put on for each other. When we applaud in this latter vein, we've taken a wrong turn.
Is the risk of worship-time applause such a danger that it should be completely discouraged by churches and their pastors? No, I don't think so. You can't banish benign practices simply because of the risks involved. If risk were reason enough to banish certain practices, churches would also get rid of preaching and teaching and serving because the appreciation accorded those who do such things might puff some people up. Some people's egos will be fed by our clapping, it's true. But God can also be glorified by it.
(This is the latest installment of a column I enjoy writing for a local chain of suburban newspapers.)
A few months ago, I was asked, "Is it appropriate to clap hands during worship?"
To some who read this column, that may seem a strange question. For them, clapping is as regular a part of worship as sleeping through the pastor's message. But for others, such clapping is a foreign notion.
In Bible times, clapping was used in several different ways. It could be used to express regret for one's sins and their consequences (Ezekiel 6:11). It could convey condemnation. In the Old Testament book of Nahum, a time is foretold when an aggressive empire would fall and relieved celebrants would clap.
But in Bible times, clapping was most often used in worship, to express praise for God. "Clap your hands, all you peoples; shout to God with songs of joy!" (Psalm 47:1).
Today, it seems to me that there are three healthy ways for clapping to occur in our worship celebrations.
First: As part of our praise of God, such as when we're singing worship songs.
Second: To thank those who help us, whether through singing or testimony about God's work in their lives or by their service to God, help us to see God more clearly. One Biblical writer, the New Testament preacher Paul, commended people in this way in the letters he wrote to early churches. One example of this can be found in Colossians 4:7-14. I think Paul would have approved of the words of William Arthur Ward: "Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."
Third: To acknowledge those who walk closely with God. Paul constantly did this in his letters, written to be read during the early church's worship celebrations. (Check out Romans 16:3)
I think that there are a couple of inappropriate ways to use clapping during worship. One is to drain our applause or clapping with music of all meaning through repetitive overuse. Clapping in worship can be as much a habit as a threadbare liturgy or the hollow recitation of the Lord's Prayer or Apostles' Creed.
A more dangerous misuse of clapping in worship is to do so in response to a "performance," thereby not praising God, but feeding people's egos. While it is true that Christian worship is meant to be a performance of praise and devotion for an audience of one, God, it isn't meant to be a Vegas lounge show we put on for each other. When we applaud in this latter vein, we've taken a wrong turn.
Is the risk of worship-time applause such a danger that it should be completely discouraged by churches and their pastors? No, I don't think so. You can't banish benign practices simply because of the risks involved. If risk were reason enough to banish certain practices, churches would also get rid of preaching and teaching and serving because the appreciation accorded those who do such things might puff some people up. Some people's egos will be fed by our clapping, it's true. But God can also be glorified by it.
(This is the latest installment of a column I enjoy writing for a local chain of suburban newspapers.)
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
This striking vignette, taken from a sermon by Max Lucado, is presented as today's e-mailed inspiration from OnLine with Faith. To subscribe to OnLine with Faith yourself, contact Pastor Glen VanderKloot at pastor@faithlutheran.com.
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A Thought for the Day
Touching Jesus
Some years ago, David Robinson, who plays basketball in San Antonio, visited our church. He's not a member of our church, but he shows up occasionally. You can imagine the stir that occurred when that seven-foot striking fellow walked into the auditorium.
We have two worship services, and he came to the first one. At the end of it, people mobbed him. Kids all wanted his autograph. Dads lined up, allegedly to get things signed for their kids, but we all knew the
truth. The brouhaha finally settled down and David went his way, and we began the second service.
In the second service that day, I was standing to do the announcements when something happened that has never happened since. A homeless person walked in the back of the auditorium, came down the center aisle with his backpack, ratty jeans, torn T-shirt, unshaven face, and distinct odor. He walked down to the front, and he sat down.
The contrast struck me. When David Robinson entered, he was immediately swarmed. People wanted to touch him and be close to him, be next to him. However, I'm sad to say that nobody jumped up to run and sit next to the homeless man.
After two or three awkward minutes during which I was trying to act like
nothing was happening, one of our elders got up from his seat and sat by the man and touched him. I was struck. Wouldn't you have been as well?
The message that I received in my heart that morning was: Which of these men do you think touched Jesus? If you want to touch Jesus, whom do you touch?
Jesus said, "Whatever you've done for the least of these, my brethren, you've done also to me."
[Citation: Max Lucado, "Touch of Christ," Preaching Today No. 197]
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Bible Verse
James 2:2-4
Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes
to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. You must not give the best seat to the one in
fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or
sit on the floor. That is the same as saying that some people are
better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.
Contemporary English Version
Prayer
Lord, help me to reach out to others in the name of Jesus. Amen
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*****************************************************
A Thought for the Day
Touching Jesus
Some years ago, David Robinson, who plays basketball in San Antonio, visited our church. He's not a member of our church, but he shows up occasionally. You can imagine the stir that occurred when that seven-foot striking fellow walked into the auditorium.
We have two worship services, and he came to the first one. At the end of it, people mobbed him. Kids all wanted his autograph. Dads lined up, allegedly to get things signed for their kids, but we all knew the
truth. The brouhaha finally settled down and David went his way, and we began the second service.
In the second service that day, I was standing to do the announcements when something happened that has never happened since. A homeless person walked in the back of the auditorium, came down the center aisle with his backpack, ratty jeans, torn T-shirt, unshaven face, and distinct odor. He walked down to the front, and he sat down.
The contrast struck me. When David Robinson entered, he was immediately swarmed. People wanted to touch him and be close to him, be next to him. However, I'm sad to say that nobody jumped up to run and sit next to the homeless man.
After two or three awkward minutes during which I was trying to act like
nothing was happening, one of our elders got up from his seat and sat by the man and touched him. I was struck. Wouldn't you have been as well?
The message that I received in my heart that morning was: Which of these men do you think touched Jesus? If you want to touch Jesus, whom do you touch?
Jesus said, "Whatever you've done for the least of these, my brethren, you've done also to me."
[Citation: Max Lucado, "Touch of Christ," Preaching Today No. 197]
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Bible Verse
James 2:2-4
Suppose a rich person wearing fancy clothes and a gold ring comes
to one of your meetings. And suppose a poor person dressed in worn-out clothes also comes. You must not give the best seat to the one in
fancy clothes and tell the one who is poor to stand at the side or
sit on the floor. That is the same as saying that some people are
better than others, and you would be acting like a crooked judge.
Contemporary English Version
Prayer
Lord, help me to reach out to others in the name of Jesus. Amen
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
QUOTE FOR TODAY: "'It's impossible to feel good about yourself when you think you've done something wrong,' says writer and educator Adam Khan. 'So the way to like yourself better is to clean up your integrity.' Fortunately, [the apostle] John goes on to tell us how we can do that: 'If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.' Through our confession and Jesus' cleansing, God creates in us positive, sound feelings. We become more like Christ in thought, word, and deed." (Walt Kallestad, in his wonderful book, Be Your Own Creative Coach: Unlocking the Power of Your Imagination to Revolutionize Your Relationships, Careers, and Future, p.133)
Tuesday, August 05, 2003
QUOTE FOR TODAY: This comes from Zig Ziglar in his latest newsletter: "You will make a lousy anybody else, but you are the best you in existence. You are the only one who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility."
A BIBLE PASSAGE THAT GOES WITH THE QUOTE: "...it was You Who formed my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." (Psalm 139:13-14)
A BIBLE PASSAGE THAT GOES WITH THE QUOTE: "...it was You Who formed my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." (Psalm 139:13-14)
Monday, August 04, 2003
Changing Your World: By Being a Disciple
Ephesians 4:1-16
(Shared with the people of Friendship Church, August 3, 2003)
Jimmy Carter was in a funk. He had just made his first bid to be elected governor of Georgia and had lost in the Democratic primary. He was depressed and turned to his sister, the evangelist Ruth Carter Stapleton for comfort. But at first, he derived very little comfort from Ruth’s words. In fact, at first she upset him a little bit. She basically told him, “Jimmy, you call yourself such a great follower of Jesus. But when I look at how you’re reacting to losing an election, I wonder. If you’re really following Jesus, you ought to be willing to give up anything that’s important to you, even being a success in politics.”
Carter felt defensive. He had calculated recently that with mission trips taken by his church from Georgia to New York City, he had spoken with and personally invited at least 700 people to follow Christ. That was a pretty good record, wasn’t it? Yet, as Ruth’s words sank in, he suddenly compared that number to the millions he had asked to vote for him to become governor. He realized that in his life, he gave his own desires and those of his family higher priority than he gave to Christ and His priorities for Jimmy Carter’s life. Later in their conversation, Ruth asked her brother a telling question: “Jimmy, if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
Carter thought about that question and decided, “No, there wouldn’t be enough evidence to convict me of being a Christian.” He also told God something, “Lord, if you want me to get out of politics, out of business, whatever, I will. From here on, You will be the highest priority in my life.”
Many people are amazed by the life that Jimmy Carter has lived since leaving the White House in January, 1981. His work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center, fighting disease and promoting democracy, have earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. But Carter’s post-presidential accomplishments shouldn’t amaze us. The committed follower of Jesus, what the Bible calls a disciple, is a person Jesus Christ can use to change the world. That happens when believing men and women like you and me, grateful that God has put us first by going to a cross for us and rising for us, dare to put God first in our lives.
Our Bible lesson, from the New Testament book of Ephesians, encourages us “to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” No matter what our jobs or professions may be--Jimmy Carter’s happened to be politics, our calling as followers of Jesus Christ is always the same. In our own unique ways, we’re called to put Jesus Christ first.
People who live as Christians and don’t just call themselves Christians, can be used by God to do wonderful things. The reverse is also true. People who call themselves followers of Jesus but aren’t do incalculable damage to themselves and everyone they encounter. Erv Streng, who retired as pastor of Lutheran Church of the Resurrection about six years ago, once told me about the experience of his son-in-law as a youngster in a church. A man from the congregation had done thorough research and one Sunday morning, gave a stirring presentation on an overseas ministry in which laypeople from a congregation like theirs could go and serve the poor in the Name of Jesus. The boy who would become Erv’s son-in-law was excited and inspired by this presentation. So, he approached the man who had given it and said, “I’d like to help. I’d like to go.” The man looked at him and said basically, “Son, you go on home and enjoy yourself. It was just a talk.”
How many people in our world are turned off by Christ and the Church because those of us who call ourselves Jesus’ followers aren’t really following Him, we’re just talking?
We do a bang-up job of showing up each Sunday and putting some money into the plate.
We show up for every social function our church offers. We may even do a little volunteering.
But if we were tried for the crime of being Christians, there wouldn’t be enough evidence to convict us. On examination of our lives, it would be found that we’re every bit as two-faced, every bit as consumed with money, every bit as cynical, every bit as apathetic about the needs of others, and every bit as selfish as the non-Christian world.
And believe me, in saying these things, I point the finger at myself too. I am a sinner who falls far short of who I would like to be and far short of being the person God wants me to be.
Yet, our Bible lesson reminds us that God has not only called us to live as disciples, God has also equipped us to be disciples. Our lesson tells us that God grants gifts, special abilities, to every believer in Jesus. With them, we can point the world to Jesus. And when every Christian uses the gifts God gives in the right way, the world begins to change for the better.
A few years ago, I shared the true story from Decision magazine of a woman who had decided that God called her to share Christ with others and told her husband that meant she should be a missionary. Her husband wasn’t so sure of that. He urged her to try being a missionary in the neighborhood first and see where God led her from there. So, the woman thought about her gifts. Apparently, she was a pretty good baker. So, she started baking bread for all the new people who moved into her neighborhood. Over the years, this woman positively influenced many of her neighbors, some of whom came to faith in Christ. Willing to go wherever God sent her, this woman found that God had called and equipped her for mission right in her own neighborhood. Maybe he’s got the same thing in mind for you.
So, we’re called to live as Jesus’ disciples and we’re equipped to live as His disciples. But how do we figure out our own unique gifts as Christians? How do we grow up, finding the gifts God has granted us and becoming the maturely functioning children of God we were called and equipped to be? The same way we find out our other talents and abilities in life.
When my dad was a little boy, his dad had a service station. People would bring their cars into the station and his dad would work on the vehicles to make them run again. My dad found that interesting. In fact, when he was just four years old, dad somehow figured out how to get my grandfather’s tow truck started and rumbled down the road some distance before my grandfather was able to hop onto the running board and get his foot on the brake. Dad’s interest in things mechanical continued. He was a grease monkey from the time he was young and kept working on cars, taking on increasingly difficult jobs. When he was in the Air Force, they turned him into a jet mechanic. When he got out, he worked at some filling stations as a mechanic and later, worked as a buyer and manager for some auto parts stores. At four, dad wouldn’t have been ready to be an auto parts store manager; he wasn’t even ready to drive the tow truck. But through trial and error, daring to move onto the next level, dad grew up as a mechanic. The God Who calls and equips us followers of Jesus Christ, also calls us to do the same thing. He calls us, through trial and error, to grow up, to mature in our faith.
People who are growing up in their faith–and creating positive change in their own lives and in the lives of others around them–usually are committed to the healthy habits for living that we’ve talked about at Friendship. They’re committed to meeting and knowing Jesus Christ through the habits of Bible study, prayer, worship, service in Jesus’ Name, giving in Jesus’ Name, telling others about Jesus, and fellowship with other believers, like a person can enjoy when they’re part of small groups. They know that God loves them just as they are. They know that God isn’t standing over them with a checklist to make sure that they pursue these habits every day. But they do know that these habits become the places where God will meet them and help them to become everything God made them to be–people who are called by God, equipped by God, and given maturity by God so that, in the words of our Bible lesson, they can “grow up in every way” as followers of Jesus!
I see many people like that at Friendship. Just this past week, I had one conversation after another with Friendship people–from those enduring difficult crises to those who face the strenuous demands of everyday living. In one way or another, almost all of them told me that they wanted to live their lives with Christ as their highest priority. As long as being Christ’s disciples remains our highest priority–as long as we strive to live lives in which there is sufficient evidence to convict us of being Christians, I know that God will use Friendship to change our world for the better and this will be an exciting church for people to be called, equipped, and to mature as God’s people!
Ephesians 4:1-16
(Shared with the people of Friendship Church, August 3, 2003)
Jimmy Carter was in a funk. He had just made his first bid to be elected governor of Georgia and had lost in the Democratic primary. He was depressed and turned to his sister, the evangelist Ruth Carter Stapleton for comfort. But at first, he derived very little comfort from Ruth’s words. In fact, at first she upset him a little bit. She basically told him, “Jimmy, you call yourself such a great follower of Jesus. But when I look at how you’re reacting to losing an election, I wonder. If you’re really following Jesus, you ought to be willing to give up anything that’s important to you, even being a success in politics.”
Carter felt defensive. He had calculated recently that with mission trips taken by his church from Georgia to New York City, he had spoken with and personally invited at least 700 people to follow Christ. That was a pretty good record, wasn’t it? Yet, as Ruth’s words sank in, he suddenly compared that number to the millions he had asked to vote for him to become governor. He realized that in his life, he gave his own desires and those of his family higher priority than he gave to Christ and His priorities for Jimmy Carter’s life. Later in their conversation, Ruth asked her brother a telling question: “Jimmy, if you were on trial for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?”
Carter thought about that question and decided, “No, there wouldn’t be enough evidence to convict me of being a Christian.” He also told God something, “Lord, if you want me to get out of politics, out of business, whatever, I will. From here on, You will be the highest priority in my life.”
Many people are amazed by the life that Jimmy Carter has lived since leaving the White House in January, 1981. His work with Habitat for Humanity and the Carter Center, fighting disease and promoting democracy, have earned him the Nobel Peace Prize. But Carter’s post-presidential accomplishments shouldn’t amaze us. The committed follower of Jesus, what the Bible calls a disciple, is a person Jesus Christ can use to change the world. That happens when believing men and women like you and me, grateful that God has put us first by going to a cross for us and rising for us, dare to put God first in our lives.
Our Bible lesson, from the New Testament book of Ephesians, encourages us “to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” No matter what our jobs or professions may be--Jimmy Carter’s happened to be politics, our calling as followers of Jesus Christ is always the same. In our own unique ways, we’re called to put Jesus Christ first.
People who live as Christians and don’t just call themselves Christians, can be used by God to do wonderful things. The reverse is also true. People who call themselves followers of Jesus but aren’t do incalculable damage to themselves and everyone they encounter. Erv Streng, who retired as pastor of Lutheran Church of the Resurrection about six years ago, once told me about the experience of his son-in-law as a youngster in a church. A man from the congregation had done thorough research and one Sunday morning, gave a stirring presentation on an overseas ministry in which laypeople from a congregation like theirs could go and serve the poor in the Name of Jesus. The boy who would become Erv’s son-in-law was excited and inspired by this presentation. So, he approached the man who had given it and said, “I’d like to help. I’d like to go.” The man looked at him and said basically, “Son, you go on home and enjoy yourself. It was just a talk.”
How many people in our world are turned off by Christ and the Church because those of us who call ourselves Jesus’ followers aren’t really following Him, we’re just talking?
We do a bang-up job of showing up each Sunday and putting some money into the plate.
We show up for every social function our church offers. We may even do a little volunteering.
But if we were tried for the crime of being Christians, there wouldn’t be enough evidence to convict us. On examination of our lives, it would be found that we’re every bit as two-faced, every bit as consumed with money, every bit as cynical, every bit as apathetic about the needs of others, and every bit as selfish as the non-Christian world.
And believe me, in saying these things, I point the finger at myself too. I am a sinner who falls far short of who I would like to be and far short of being the person God wants me to be.
Yet, our Bible lesson reminds us that God has not only called us to live as disciples, God has also equipped us to be disciples. Our lesson tells us that God grants gifts, special abilities, to every believer in Jesus. With them, we can point the world to Jesus. And when every Christian uses the gifts God gives in the right way, the world begins to change for the better.
A few years ago, I shared the true story from Decision magazine of a woman who had decided that God called her to share Christ with others and told her husband that meant she should be a missionary. Her husband wasn’t so sure of that. He urged her to try being a missionary in the neighborhood first and see where God led her from there. So, the woman thought about her gifts. Apparently, she was a pretty good baker. So, she started baking bread for all the new people who moved into her neighborhood. Over the years, this woman positively influenced many of her neighbors, some of whom came to faith in Christ. Willing to go wherever God sent her, this woman found that God had called and equipped her for mission right in her own neighborhood. Maybe he’s got the same thing in mind for you.
So, we’re called to live as Jesus’ disciples and we’re equipped to live as His disciples. But how do we figure out our own unique gifts as Christians? How do we grow up, finding the gifts God has granted us and becoming the maturely functioning children of God we were called and equipped to be? The same way we find out our other talents and abilities in life.
When my dad was a little boy, his dad had a service station. People would bring their cars into the station and his dad would work on the vehicles to make them run again. My dad found that interesting. In fact, when he was just four years old, dad somehow figured out how to get my grandfather’s tow truck started and rumbled down the road some distance before my grandfather was able to hop onto the running board and get his foot on the brake. Dad’s interest in things mechanical continued. He was a grease monkey from the time he was young and kept working on cars, taking on increasingly difficult jobs. When he was in the Air Force, they turned him into a jet mechanic. When he got out, he worked at some filling stations as a mechanic and later, worked as a buyer and manager for some auto parts stores. At four, dad wouldn’t have been ready to be an auto parts store manager; he wasn’t even ready to drive the tow truck. But through trial and error, daring to move onto the next level, dad grew up as a mechanic. The God Who calls and equips us followers of Jesus Christ, also calls us to do the same thing. He calls us, through trial and error, to grow up, to mature in our faith.
People who are growing up in their faith–and creating positive change in their own lives and in the lives of others around them–usually are committed to the healthy habits for living that we’ve talked about at Friendship. They’re committed to meeting and knowing Jesus Christ through the habits of Bible study, prayer, worship, service in Jesus’ Name, giving in Jesus’ Name, telling others about Jesus, and fellowship with other believers, like a person can enjoy when they’re part of small groups. They know that God loves them just as they are. They know that God isn’t standing over them with a checklist to make sure that they pursue these habits every day. But they do know that these habits become the places where God will meet them and help them to become everything God made them to be–people who are called by God, equipped by God, and given maturity by God so that, in the words of our Bible lesson, they can “grow up in every way” as followers of Jesus!
I see many people like that at Friendship. Just this past week, I had one conversation after another with Friendship people–from those enduring difficult crises to those who face the strenuous demands of everyday living. In one way or another, almost all of them told me that they wanted to live their lives with Christ as their highest priority. As long as being Christ’s disciples remains our highest priority–as long as we strive to live lives in which there is sufficient evidence to convict us of being Christians, I know that God will use Friendship to change our world for the better and this will be an exciting church for people to be called, equipped, and to mature as God’s people!
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