Orphan Church

As we continue to think about the question, "Are we Post-Christian or Pre-Christian?", I can't help but think about how this question is directly related to our attitude.  Paul uses a phrase that relates to "attitude."  The phrase is "mind of Christ."

Paul uses this phrase in at least 2 places ... Philippians 2:5 and 1 Corinthians 2:16.  "In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus," Paul says in Philippians 2:5.  He then goes on to describe Christ as a submissive and humble servant of the Father.  In 1 Corinthians 2:16, Paul expresses the difference between the culture (that believes things of faith are foolishness) and the faith, "but we understand these things because we have the mind of Christ."  In both passages, Paul is recommending a mindset and thought process that is not of this world.  He is also calling us, as the Church, to remember we are bound for another place, where we will spend eternity.  There, we will be residents, citizens, and sons and daughters of the King.  Here, we are more like orphans.

Why do I say this?  Orphans are separated from the parents of their birth by some event.  I am not suggesting we latch onto the negative part of this definition, which leaves us drifting without mooring in the values of parenthood.  Rather, I am reminding us that our primary parent, to whom we can always go for guidance, support, help, and unfailing love is our Lord, Jesus Christ.  And the Church, which we have often called the building or the denomination (one Bishop called it "Mother Church"), has a Groom and we have a parent in the person of Jesus!

I offer this analogy (some of you might take exception) to remind us that we must not become so resident and comfortable in a building or a denomination, that we move the main thing down the priority list.  In a song about life's journey and lost relationships, Gillian Welch expresses the need for Jesus in this world of challenges.  The song Orpahn Girl reminds us that 1) all of us will have troubles, including lost loved ones, 2) all of us will have friendships which may help us in the journey, 3) our desire to become reunited with our friends/family in faith needs to be tethered to a willingness to see past what Periti calls, "This Present Darkness and, 4) that we must pray for God to be our ultimate (and always present) parent, so that we can arrive safely home with God.  The main thing is to remember we are making disciples of Jesus Christ, to whom we testify as our Lord and Savior.

Paul reminds us that as we "have the mindset of Christ Jesus," we will find ourselves orphaned from much of the world, some of our friends, and sometimes even our blood relatives.  They will think us foolish, dogmatic, and counter-cultural.  We might even be disowned.  But take heart!  Our Father in Heaven and His Son Jesus Christ, will never disown us or leave us stranded.  The song reports, "When he calls me, I'll be able, to meet my family, at God's table, He'll be my mother, my father, my sister, my brother ... no more an orphan girl."  If you are a Christ follower, you have a family waiting at that table!  AMEN

 

The Mission Field

It is somewhat ironic that we, and many other churches, are sending teams to what we call "the mission field."  I am not downplaying the need to go, the motivation to make a difference, or the desire to spread God's Word to every person on the planet.  These are good things that we should do.  They should be a part of who we are.

Here's the ironic thing.  As we "tell the story to the nations," I can't help but have a heart for telling the story here.  This is why we have started the Wednesday evening discipleship group.  We want to become a church that makes disciples that make disciples.  In this country, our "business as usual" churches are not gaining ground in spreading the Gospel.  We are losing ground.  I want US to be a catalyst in changing that.

So, as I board a plane on Saturday, bound for Belize, I am asking each of you to do several things:

1. The first thing, and really, an easy thing, is to pray for our church to become a place of discipleship and disciple-making.

2. I am asking, I think by direct command of Jesus (Matthew 28), for you (yes YOU) to become a person willing to learn about disciple-making.  I will be doing some things during the late summer and fall to make this easier for you, providing materials, instructional support, and place (hopefully some of you will be agents of providing this place).

3. I am asking you to change your priorities.  I get lots of pictures of many of you cruising the lake, hanging out on the beach, and being in your prime place of "fun."  Others of you, thankfully, are posting about your activities and priorities related to our body of believers.  For our country to change, YOU and I have to change.

4. I am asking you to reconsider our "context" of a rural Alabama community as being a Christian bastion.  Until our churches become filled ... until our hurting are healed ... until our relationships become more important than our feelings ... until the Kingdom of God becomes more important than our politics ... until we seek for the Kingdom to "come on earth as it is in heaven," then we will live in the shallow end of the faith pool.  I invite you to come to the deep and dangerous end, where you might have to lose yourself for the Kingdom of God.

As you leave your house tomorrow, remember you are entering a mission field, every bit as needy as those in Africa, Belize, and Costa Rica.  I hope you will pray and respond to God's call, saying, "Here I am, Lord, send me!"

Pre-Christian

I have been getting a little weary of a commonly-used term (Post-Christian) I am hearing in Christian circles.  It is a pessimistic term that seems to defer power to our societal trends in America.  We see these trends becoming less Christian and more worldly (denominations, the fading mega-church model, self-orientation), and we see the Church as somehow drifting into obscurity.

Then, I think of our little sign in the FLC that says, "What is Jesus doing?"  Are these trends, and the negative comments related to them, really the work of Jesus, or are they the suggestions and thoughts of Satan?  I believe Jesus answered this in His prayer in John 16:33, "I have told you these things so that you might have peace!  In this world, you will have trouble, but take heart!  I have overcome the world."  So, in the Spirit of trusting what Jesus IS doing, I am suggesting a new word.  This new word will be the subject of several sermons over the next few weeks.  The term is, Pre-Christian.

What do I mean by Pre-Christian?  First, I believe Jesus is active in the world despite what we see or are led to believe.  Psalm 12 is our text for this belief.  In this Psalm, God says, "I will rise up and rescue them, as they have longed for me to do."  Embedded in the negativity I hear, is a sense of longing for something better, pure, right, and good.  While our society says, "Just go with the flow and submit," God says, "long for and believe I am faithful to come to your rescue."  That is the intent and direction of our God.

Second, God sees what is happening.  He knows ministry in this society is missional and difficult.  Isaiah said it over 2,500 years ago ... "I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5)."  Psalm 12 echos the chaos happening in society ...  "the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land."  If God sees, and God is active, something is about to happen.  You can count on it.

Finally, look around, seeing through God's eyes.  Every week I hear of a new congregation happening in our conference.  Africa is about to explode with new churches and congregations.  Young people are awakening from the "woke" culture to a dawning of the light of Christ and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  God is doing something, and I think it is something big!

How can we participate in God's work here?  How about entering a discipleship process?  You can do this and we can help!  Come Wednesday night to learn a basic, but effective, model of leading a band.  Start a home band with your friends.  Join your brothers and sisters in worship ... for this is not optional if you want to be a disciple.  Join a servant-band (the Childrens ministry team, the mission team, help at the Thrift Store, get a team together and remove weeds from our flower beds, etc.).  And learn to witness to your faith, as we grow in Christ together.  We talk about how this can happen on Wednesday nights.

As I compile this list, I think of 2 groups that seem to get the point.  Our Sunday morning kids want to serve, and they are passionate about being part of what is happening.  It is an honor to them to be part of worship!  And, in videos and pictures from Africa (specifically the Congo), people are coming in droves to be part of the praise, learning, giving, and caring that takes place in early-Church-style worship.  They are not entertained ... they are invested.

God knows the barriers we face.  He has seen them before.  So I ask, do you believe Jesus, who said, "I have overcome the world?"  Are you resigned and defeated, calling our current era, Post-Christian?  Or are you part of the new thing God is doing in this Pre-Christian world?  

The Paradox (and confusion) of Freedom

In the movie, Princess Bride, Wesley (the main character), tells the Sicilian (one of the bad guys), "I don't think you know what that word means (referencing the word, "inconceivable"). There is a "cultural" meaning of freedom, and there is a Biblical meaning of freedom. I don't think we have a healthy grasp of what that word means. Let's see which one we really want!

Biblically, Jesus gives us a short definition of freedom. "Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed (John 8:34-36)." Here's the paradox. You can live in a "free country," and you can sing the songs of freedom, but remain a slave. Or, you can be in jail in Russia, but be living in a greater freedom that can only be found in Christ.

In this short passage from John 8, in which Jesus' testimony is delegitimized by the Pharisees, He is chastised by the religious regime. In the same chapter, the Pharisees dispute the identity of Jesus.  A third thing happens in this chapter. The Jews claim the name of Abrahan as their ancestor, and they claim they are therefore "chosen" and free. Jesus responds by telling them their ancestry and country is not the source of their true freedom.

Jesus could have had this conversation with any group of Americans. Because we are confused by this "idea" of freedom, and often miss the actuality of true freedom. Jesus' message is pointed, but very unpopular.  1) Your freedom can only come from the sacrifice that has paid for your freedom. 2) Your freedom doesn't come from your ancestry ... it comes from a relationship with God's Son.  3) If you are enslaved by sin, you have not yet been brought into the family of God.

Jesus is saying, choose Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and become a free man/woman.  And, for you historians, let's take a critical look back at history.  Freedom is, historically, fleeting.  Nations can only provide a temporary glimpse of freedom.  Over time, nations have a way of forgetting their foundational principles.  Does this sound familiar?

I am intrigued by the overall discussion in John 8.  First, the leaders challenge what Jesus is saying (His testimony).  Then, they challenge His actual identity.  Then, they even say Jesus "isn't really one of them."  This scarily resembles conversations happening in denominational disputes and in extreme political disputes.  This turmoil boils down to a lack of understanding of the freedom offered by Jesus, and we must (nationally) hold to Him, lest we become spiritual wanderers, "Like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36-38)."

As we celebrate our Independence, let's remember that true freedom isn't doing whatever we want.  True freedom is choosing those things (and the one person) that offer "abundant life (John 10:10)."  Let's love our country, and long for our home with Jesus.  And let's spread the true message of freedom, from sea to shining sea!

The Battleground

Are you in or out of the battle? Is there a battle happening?  Do you know you are choosing as you live out your day?  These are questions that I think about.  What about you?

I often look at my Facebook posts and wonder what professing Christians think.  While the Bible is calling us to be aware and careful where we invest our resources and our relationships, we often seem to be wandering along as what the Bible calls, "sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36)."  When Jesus said this, he was observing the Jewish people as they did life, oblivious to the wars happening for their very souls.  He follows this statement with a verse that convicts us, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few (Matthew 9:37)."

Today, I want to equate the two verses, above, with another verse from Ephesians 6.  Ephesians reminds us that we battle against forces we (in the "enlightened" world) seem to ignore or not believe.  "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12)."  While this is a mouthful, and is starkly against a culture that ignores the idea of unseen forces, I want us to take some time to examine where these battles take place, and with whom we are fighting.

Three places are mentioned.  The unseen world, this dark world, and heavenly places.  Biblically, the unseen world represents powers and presences that are among us but are not visible.  In the Bible, there are 2 realms of creation.  The first is the Elohim, where angels, spirits, and the "sons of God (note the lowercase "s") exist.  The Elohim can be either the place or the beings from this realm.  Created beings from the Elohim have, in the Bible, come into the world, and have created both mischief and good (angels come with the blessing of God ... other beings have come in disobedience)   This dark world is where we live, in the seen part of the creation.  There are mighty powers here, some from evil people and some from beings that have come here (from the Elohim) for nefarious purposes.  Finally, there are evil spirits in heavenly places. These spirits wage a cosmic battle against God (Isaiah 14, Revelation 9).  Our world, at least as it is described in Scripture, is not one-dimensional.  

Three enemies are mentioned.  Evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world include fallen "sons of God" who are declared enemies of God in Genesis, Isaiah, and the Psalms.  Most people ignore or consign these powers (and references to them) to myth, allegory, or just hyperbole.  If you believe Scripture, and you are not blinded by our culture, you might begin to see these powers (and their patterns).  You might even ask, "Why do certain places in the world seem to produce incredible evil that permeates an entire area/culture?"

Mighty powers in this dark world are also mentioned.  There are people, some having great resources or great authority, that have joined Satan in his plan to bring people under his authority.  These people have sold out, and are now part of Satan's plan.  Some of these are even false prophets who lead people astray by looking like the good guys.  Have you seen this?  I know I have!

Finally, there are evil spirits in heavenly places.  It is interesting to know that even in God's realm of the Elohim, there are created beings that oppose God.  Lucifer, before he was cast out of heaven, was "an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11)."

I'll leave on these few thoughts.  We will sing a song in 1st Service this week.  It is called, "Ain't No Grave."  A line in the song tells us about the battleground, and about our champion.  "There is a battle, a war between death and life, there on the cross, the Son of God was crucified, He went on down to hell, and took back every key, He rose up like a lion, and now He's setting all the captives free!"  Jesus has won the battle, so Paul says do 2 things.  Put on the full armor of God (truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and God's Word).  And pray.  Pray "in the Spirit,"  For this battle is a spiritual battle.  You can't escape the battleground, but, with Jesus' help, the battle is won!  AMEN, and praise God!

Always Monkeys!

I have learned, in life, that when you are in an exciting situation with opportunities, momentum and imminent success, there is always a monkey!  It seems that obstacles and difficulties are both normal and inevitable.  It is just life, I guess!

You might ask, what kind of monkeys are you talking about?  When I visited Brazil, we were taken out into a beautiful rain forest of trees older than America.  There were beautiful birds, stunning flowers, and we had to catch our breath at the lushness of what we saw.  But, true to form, there were monkeys.  These trashy creatures gathered in the trees, chattering and leaping around, very upset with our presence.  When this didn't cause us to leave, the nasty things started throwing fruit at us.  So much for pristine and quiet beauty!  There are always monkeys!

John 4 recounts a story of ministry success.  Jesus' disciples were baptizing and leading many people to the faith, much to the dismay of the Pharisees, the church leaders of Jesus' day.  Monkeys!  To add complication to the situation, Jesus and the disciples were rerouted through Samaria.  The Jews viewed the Samaritans as monkeys (bad actors in the play of life), and the Samaritans viewed the Jews as monkeys.  And one more complication.  As Jesus comes into town, he meets a Samaritan woman, and one of notorious ill repute.  Another monkey!  Even for Jesus, no good deed goes unchallenged!

In life there are always those monkeys, trying to impede or stop things that are both good and right.  What do we do?  Jesus embraced the situation.  He took the trip through Samaria in stride, and (recounting the birth story of Jesus) it is likely his parents, Mary and Joseph, elected to travel through Samaria, ignoring the bad name of this hated place.  He looked for an opportunity to announce the Kingdom of God.

Jesus used the situation (and this woman) to make several theological points we can grasp and apply today.  The Kingdom of God welcomes those that society casts out (women, those who are sinners, those who don't have their act together, those who are not popular with the in crowd).  Jesus doesn't just embrace these folks ... He converts and redeems them!  The Kingdom of God is for all people willing to listen, believe and allow the Gospel to make its way into their hearts.  The Kingdom of God goes everywhere ... even into places the "elite, proud, popular" people avoid.

Jesus used the situation to ask this untrained, spiritually-unprepared woman to go to, tell, and bring others to the feet of their Savior.  Jesus ends this story with both promise and one more "monkey."  The promise is that the harvest is plentiful.  The "monkey" is the lack of workers.  Matthew 9:37-38 says, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few."

We often avoid, abandon or just stop ministries that present obstacles.  It is our nature.  But, what if we 1) embrace the situation, 2) use the situation, and (doing what Jesus did in Matthew 9) 3) pray to the Lord of the Harvest for guidance, solutions and power over those nasty monkeys?

Out Of The Box?

You all know how much I dislike cliche's, especially the politically-correct buzzwords of our time.  But I am breaking from my pattern and using the phrase, Out Of The Box. This is sort of appropriate for me, since using cliche's is "out of the box" for me.

The Acts Church was, truly, a group of dedicated believers that had chosen to leave the structure and norms of their Jewish roots.  They broke away from the Law of Stone and embraced the Law of Grace.  They deferred to God's calling through God's Spirit, leaving the control of the Pharisees and Sadducees.  They understood that God was FOR them but was not ABOUT them.  Their center was Jesus.  Their power was from God's Spirit.  They were out of the box!

Last week the Alabama Supreme Court denied the standing of 45 congregations to have their case heard in a court of law.  These 45 congregations had cited unlawful and inconsistent behavior by the United Methodist Church in relation to property and financial practices.  Without dwelling on the case, and the merits thereof, I am thinking that this decision should cause these "churches" to make some hard, and possibly freeing, decisions.  Here is my advice.

I would advise them to "just walk away."  Paul said, "I focus on this one thing: forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us (Philippians 3:13-14)."  That is a mouthful, but Paul is saying what my friend Karl Stegall shared in a message to our recent Annual Conference ... remember that the windshield is far larger than the side view mirror for a reason.

In Acts, the new Church, People of the Way (Acts 9:2), were disenfranchised and persecuted by the Jewish leadership, the Roman authorities, and those with economic interest in the "status quo."  There is an almost exact Scriptural parallel to the conflict inside the United Methodist Church and their member congregations.  It is found in Acts 5, where the apostles are basically told (by Jewish leaders) "Follow us, our reconstruction of Scripture and our control over what and where you can preach/teach."  Here is what the apostles did (Acts 5:41-42) ... "The apostles left the high council, rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus.  And every day, in the Temple and from house to house, they continued to teach and preach this message: "Jesus is the Messiah."

They left the box.  They taught about Jesus and the Kingdom of God.  They followed their leader, Jesus.  They were led by the Holy Spirit.  And they (by their radical message that "left the box") changed the world.  AMEN!