My Boys and Girls!

My family and I have a little game we play with each other.  We 'give' each other people ... famous people, sports figures, other family members, historical figures.  For example,  Lee is 'given' all the people whose names begin with strange combinations of 's' words (she gets Brandt Snedeker, Xander Schauffele, both golfers).  It is a silly game, but funny at times, especially when someone begins a sentence with "Your boy, Adolf Hitler made history again today!"  It is all in good fun and we try not to get our feelings hurt (very much a no-no in today's world) by which person we are given.

But in the Church, things are different.  Acts often describes the believers as being "together."  In Acts, it seems that the one requirement for being a person's boy or girl is a shared belief in Jesus.  I love that, and I think that is as it should be.  We belong to each other, even if we sometimes do things to 'fry each other's bacon!'  God understood this principle well.  In Exodus 32:10 God says to Moses, "Now leave me alone with My anger, that my anger may burn against them, and then I will make you into a great nation."  Translation, "I brought them into this world, and I can take them out ... and I can make some new people who are not so stiff-necked."  Needless to say, God was mad and disappointed with disobedient people!  But Moses makes a very wise plea.  In the next verses Moses (again paraphrased) says, "They may be stiff-necked, but they are yours!"  Our lesson? The people that make you mad in the Church may be stiff-necked (or maybe you are stiff-necked) but they are yours.  They are all "your boys and girls!"

Acts has some great advice here.  If we are to ever have both the unity and power of the early Church, we have some work to do.  It starts with understanding we are the Body of Christ.  Hands, feet, fingers ... even some armpits!  But we are part of that thing that God has sent us to transform the planet.  "I am the Church, you are the Church, we are the Church together ... all who follow Jesus, all around the world, we are the Church, together!"  I may be an armpit, but I am still your boy!  And Jesus, in John 17:21, prays that all the believers are one, just as Jesus and the Father are one.  That prayer should mean something to us.

A second "we can do this" is to get rid of the unimportant.  I have to brag about our congregation for a minute.  All of you seem to be gently centered on why we are here.  We have had a good many small children in our midst and it has taken patience and grace.  You have stayed the course and stayed in focus.  I wonder if the early Church learned to "go with the flow" of life, people and a very diverse group of people.  Peter and Paul had some discussions about this in Galatians 2 and concluded that as diverse as people were, the people were all their boys and girls.  They put aside the unimportant for the work of the Church and the witness of the Gospel,  

Finally, I think the early Church had a pretty good handle on being centered on the one thing instead of their own things.  In Colossians 3 Paul writes, Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other and in step with each other.  None of this going off and doing your own thing (Col. 3:15, The Message)."  One of the hardest things to get right when playing in a band is getting in step and in tune.  No matter how "good" each musician plays, it will sound terrible if the instruments are out of tune or the musicians are playing the piece differently.  To sound right, we must play together.  In the praise band, this means we play in consideration of all the other players and parts of the band.  It is the same with the congregation.  We must be willing to let go of a little of 'self' so that the 'whole' can be healthy, vital and in step.  For the 'whole' is the witness of the Church and the representation of Jesus in our community.  It is not giving up our individual self as much as it is growing beyond the limitations of self into something bigger and better than we are individually.  We sing about this in America the Beautiful when we say, "who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life."  

In Matthew 16, Jesus refers to Peter as a rock.  More accurately, the term means 'little rock.'  The idea is that we are bound together by a strong bond (Jesus) in an amalgamation that is less like a pile of pebbles and more like concrete.  The whole is far stronger than the individual parts.  We are each others 'boys and girls!'  We are brothers and sisters, friends, bearing each others burdens and sharing each others difficulties.  That is the Church that Matthew 16 says will prevail, even against the gates of hell!  Randy

My Boys/Girls

My family and I have a little game we play with each other.  We 'give' each other people ... famous people, sports figures, other family members, historical figures.  For example,  Lee is 'given' all the people whose names begin with strange combinations of 's' words (she gets Brandt Snedeker, Xander Schauffele, both golfers).  It is a silly game, but funny at times, especially when someone begins a sentence with "Your boy, Adolf Hitler made history again today!"  It is all in good fun and we try not to get our feelings hurt (very much a no-no in today's world) by which person we are given.

But in the Church, things are different.  Acts often describes the believers as being "together."  In Acts, it seems that the one requirement for being a person's boy or girl is a shared belief in Jesus.  I love that, and I think that is as it should be.  We belong to each other, even if we sometimes do things to 'fry each other's bacon!'  God understood this principle well.  In Exodus 32:10 God says to Moses, "Now leave me alone with My anger, that my anger may burn against them, and then I will make you into a great nation."  Translation, "I brought them into this world, and I can take them out ... and I can make some new people who are not so stiff-necked."  Needless to say, God was mad and disappointed with disobedient people!  But Moses makes a very wise plea.  In the next verses Moses (again paraphrased) says, "They may be stiff-necked, but they are yours!"  Our lesson? The people that make you mad in the Church may be stiff-necked (or maybe you are stiff-necked) but they are yours.  They are all "your boys and girls!"

Acts has some great advice here.  If we are to ever have both the unity and power of the early Church, we have some work to do.  It starts with understanding we are the Body of Christ.  Hands, feet, fingers ... even some armpits!  But we are part of that thing that God has sent us to transform the planet.  "I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we're the church together!" I may be an armpit, but I am still your boy!  And Jesus, in John 17:21, prays that all the believers are one, just as Jesus and the Father are one.  That should mean something to us.

A second bit of work is our need to get rid of the unimportant.  I have to brag on our congregation for a minute.  All of you seem to keep centered on why we are here and not get too distracted by the small things.  We have had extra children and you have embraced them, distractions and all.  I wonder if the early Church just went with the flow of life with a very diverse group and didn't sweat some of the differences and distractions.  Peter and Paul had some discussions about this (Galatians 2) but they came to the conclusion that as diverse as the people were, they were all their boys and girls!  They were willing to put aside the unimportant for the work of the Church and the witness of the Gospel.

Finally, I think the early Church had a pretty good perspective of being more centered on 'one thing' than on 'their own things.'  Paul, in Colossians 3, says we need to be tuned with one another, kind of like instruments in an orchestra. "Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.  None of this going off and doing your own thing (Colossians 3:15, The Message)!"  One of the hardest parts of playing in the praise band on Sunday is getting in step and in tune.  If our instruments aren't tuned together, we will sound bad, no matter how well we think we are playing.  If we are on a different musical page, we can play beautiful notes and get a horrible sound.  To sound right/good we must play together.  Sometimes that means Andy, Rachel or I must be willing to play differently than we would like, so the whole piece of music sounds good.  It is the same in a congregation.  While we are a diverse group of people, all of us must be willing to give a little of 'self' so that the 'whole' can be healthy, sound right and express the witness of "The Church."  Some of you are saying, "So we have to give up our individuality to conform to the whole?"  My answer is ... NO!  What you must do is grow past and beyond 'individuality' to become part of something bigger than you are.  We sing it in America the beautiful ... "who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!"

In Matthew 16 Jesus refers to Peter and his confession as a rock.  The Greek idea here is not as much a piece of quartz or granite as lots of little pebbles (Peter means 'little rock') that are bound together into an amalgamation that is larger, stronger and more gifted than any individual could possibly be.  What about all the other pebbles, stones, chunks of brick and clay?  They (you) are my boys and girls, my brothers and sisters.  And what is stronger ... a pile of rocks or a block of concrete?  So ... I claim you and I hope you claim me.  For we are bound up together in Christ ... the Church that will prevail against the very gates of hell (Matthew 16:18)!  Randy

Not Anti, Just Non

You might be looking at the title above and saying, "What is the crazy preacher up to now?  That doesn't make sense!  What does he mean?"  Glad you asked!

In our series on the early Church (Acts 2 stuff), I have tried to look at that Church in the light of today, asking the question, "How were they different?"  Here are my observations.

1. In Scripture, I don't see a Church that was trying to be popular.  P.T. Barnum once said, "Without promotion, something terrible happens ... nothing!"  That seems to be the mantra of some of our congregations that want flash, charisma, loudness and other ways to entertain us.  Luke 6:26 says, "Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how your ancestors treated false prophets."  Jesus is reminding us His message isn't going to be popular with any of what we call our "perspectives."  Liberal or conservative political-correctness isn't our goal or our mission.  Our call is to "follow."  If you read Acts you will see a Church that is 'good' but not 'popular,' especially with the high-ranking religious and political leaders of that day.

2. The early Church, and I have misstated this before, wasn't "anti-culture" as much as it was non-culture.  This is an important distinction, because we (the Church) too often become immersed in the rhetoric of being against so many things.  There are truly things we SHOULD oppose.  Micah 6:8 says, "practice justice."  We often take this to mean yelling to the world about what we are against.  The meaning is deeper that that.  This passage means to oppose those things that harm and destroy God's people.  In the 70's I was a municipal planner, and we had the bright idea to bring an enclave of people to live in government housing in the suburbs.  The idea was to remove the folks from substandard housing, build new housing and place them in middle-income America, thus raising them out of crime, poverty and all the social ills we saw in the inner-city.  It was a typical governmental solution that we thought was brilliant!  It was not brilliant, not beneficial and not just.  We removed the people from all of the infrastructure they needed to get groceries, have social interaction and have some sense of community.  All the negatives moved along with the people ... crime, poverty, social ills (with new ones to boot!).  The idea was a great failure, but it taught me (and this is why we keep history HONEST and never rewrite it) that we must look at things from a lens that reflects God's view of what is just, right and good ... we are FOR that, not against the world.

3. The early Church was FOR a lot of good things.  It was a) FOR salvation, and Peter's sermon in Acts 2, in which he says, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins,"  b) FOR healing, as Acts 3 begins with Peter's healing of a lame man, c) FOR emulating Jesus, Acts 4 finds Peter and John (in trouble for healing and preaching) before the Sanhedrin, astonishing the Jewish leaders because "they took note that these men had been with Jesus," d) FOR being the Church, Acts witnesses of many cases where the Church is focused on ministry issues (never the divisive politics of their day), and FOR people ... have you read anything in Acts where the Church was not open (and expanding that openness to gentiles) to just folks, anyone wanting to find Christ and enter into His grace, healing, service and love?

There is a telling verse in Acts 2 that needs to be repeated right here in Abbeville, Alabama.  It says, "they (the people) were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other Apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"  It is a great question, but they asked the Apostles ... not self-professed charismatic speakers ... not high-ranking church officials ... not peers immersed in their political perspectives ... not the government.  There are lots of people asking this question to all the wrong people ... and the answers make them angry, nasty, loud, and just plain obnoxious.  The Acts Church was known for goodness and the fruit of the Spirit.  That attitude and personality isn't anti-culture, it's just non-culture.  Yes, we will look different.  Yes, we will be persecuted, and chastised by even our friends.  But maybe we should try it!  Randy

The Real Thing

When I was growing up Coca Cola had a commercial saying ... "It's (Coke) the real thing!"  My dad worked for Coca Cola so I pretty much agreed with this.  Later I learned that few things were truly authentic.  And for the Church, it seems that we have lost or forgotten our roots.  Whether it is from our affluent society, our propensity to be comfortable in stasis or our tendency to grab on to every wind of doctrine that affirms our political view, something has been lost.  As Waylon Jennings so well put it ... "Maybe it's time to go back to the basics of love!"

I hear a lot of talk about the early Church.  They were sent out just after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus.  The Church was rag-tag, diverse, humble, repentant and outwardly-focused.  I hear lay preachers, members of my congregation, charismatic instigators, colleagues and internet preachers all extol the virtues of the early Church.  "We need to be like the early church!"  I hear it all the time!  So ... if this is a virtue (and I believe it is) how do we become more like the early Church?

I've been thinking about this and have arrived at several basic practices we should consider restoring if we, in fact, want to reclaim the authenticity of these new believers.  This will be my sermon focus from now till the end of September, and I hope (me included) we can learn some truth that is worth knowing.  My topics will include 1) our view of Bible Study, 2) our view of power, 3) our view of fellowship, 4) our view of money, 5) how we view people (including other Christians), and 6) how we are 'impressed' (what brings a sense of awe?).  Some of these topics will be found in Acts, Chapter 2 (feel free to 'cheat' and read ahead).  Others will be found elsewhere in Acts.  I hope you will want to explore and dialogue with me on these important topics.  And I hope you will join me in the passion for restoring the idea that God can change and mold us into a people that can (by following Christ) become a Church that even the gates of hell cannot prevail against.

This Sunday we will start with the easy stuff ... how do we become those people that hunger and thirst for God's Word?  How can we make the Bible a priority and a true passion?  And how can we allow God to bring us out of our desire to find teachings that fit our lifestyle?  Paul told Timothy (2 Timothy 4:3) that this would happen, and it was happening at the time Paul wrote those harrowing words.  Jesus said (in John 7) "come to me and drink!" So let's have a cool drink of "the real thing" as we study together!  Randy

River Questions

I was listening to an old Garth Brooks song the other day.  It is called "The River," and the song, like the river, flows with my heart.  It made me think about movement, destination, beauty, and lots of other great river-related thoughts.  Two Scriptures came to mind as I was thinking about rivers. 

The first is the river flowing from the Temple in Ezekiel 47.  That river, I believe, represents the Church as it flows out of the Temple and heals and renews as it flows to its destination, the Dead Sea.  When that river enters the Dead Sea, it restores life and makes the water fresh and new.

The second river (and I think it is like the first) is the river from John 7:38. Jesus is teaching on the final day of the Festival of Booths, a harvest festival in which the Hebrews remembered God's provision as they traveled through the time of the Exodus.  It was a high and holy time for the Jews.  Jesus says, "Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink!  For the Scriptures declare 'Rivers of living water will flow from His heart!'"  I believe this river references back to the Ezekiel verse, and both remind us that Jesus is the source of living water that heals, renews, refreshes and gives life to dead things.

We will sing a song Sunday called "The River ... Come on Down."  It is a light and happy expression of Jesus' invite to come ... "Anyone who is thirsty may come to Me! (John 7:37)."  So, let's all come on down to that river of living water that:

1. Is all about the Church, taking in Jesus and giving out words and actions that bring about healing;

2. Is us following the model of Jesus, doing what John Wesley said ... "Offer them Christ!" (it is really the think of value we have to give);

3. Is ever-changing (never stagnant) and flows where it is needed and wanted;

4. Has a source, the Holy Place that is Christ ... the place where God is worshipped, proclaimed and praised;

5. Is a place to gather and drink in God's goodness and the water that gives life;

6. Is alive ... because if we have Jesus we have life, and life to the fullest;

7. Has a destination ... a place where it is going to become whatever God has made it.

The late John Prine writes that "old rivers grow wilder every day" as they pursue their course to the place they are going.  Do you have that river of living water in you?  Does it flow out of you?  What is it's source?  Does it bring life and healing to the people and things you encounter?  Is it founded in the Temple of the Lord?  Where does it get its power?  Is it going somewhere and is that direction from God or something else?

These are the river questions I would like you to consider as we move through this week, flowing into worship on Sunday.  I hope we are honest with ourselves.  I pray we will let God correct our course if we are blocked, misdirected or meandering.  And I hope each of us are willing to take that drink of living water that comes from believing INTO Jesus' life, plan and purpose for us.  Come on down!  Randy

His Mercy is More

Sunday we will do a new song called, "His Mercy is More."  The word in Greek is eleos. Where grace is forgiveness that is extended to people in their guilt, mercy is a bit different.  Mercy is God's suspension of the consequences of sin.  Our word might be pardon.  Matthew 5 says, "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy."  Where grace is something that is only given (and can only be given) by God, mercy is a behavior in which God models and we can follow God's lead.  

A friend of mine, just gone to be with the Lord, used to say, "Justice is getting what we deserve ... mercy is not getting what we deserve ... grace is getting something good from God we don't deserve."  I like this because it allows me to see these three things a bit more clearly.

In Micah 6:8 God puts all 3 of these things together.  In the NIV, the prophet says, "Act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God."  I will focus today on that middle one ... love mercy.

When we love someone/something, we spend time with it.  We become intimately acquainted with it.  We embrace it.

One Biblical example of this is the story of the woman caught in adultery.  John 8:1-11 describes a woman clearly guilty of the sin of adultery.  Justice demands punishment, in this case stoning.  Jesus does something remarkable in this story.  He does what I think He does with us every day.  He is challenged by the Pharisees to make a call (they are out for blood, and they want Jesus' participation).  Jesus just writes in the sand with His finger.  The Word doesn't say what He writes.  But it seems like Jesus is providing some time for thought by everyone.  The woman considers her fate.  The Pharisees are choosing rocks.  The onlookers are wondering what this crazy preacher will do.  Then, in total obedience to Micah's prophecy (which flowed from the mind of God), Jesus says those amazing words ... "let the one who has never sinned cast the first stone."  The men walk away, in order of the oldest to the youngest.  WOW!

Let's stop here and consider what is happening.  Our western educational perspective says, "Go with what is in your head."  But Hebrew education is participatory.  You teach. You model.  You invite the student to apply.  This is learning in Jesus' culture and time.  It is effective and good education.  Because it invites the student to spend time with the problem, embrace the problem and incorporate the solution into life.

All of the men walked away.  All of the men got the lesson (they passed the test).  The woman and the crowd got the point too.  And maybe we all learn something about love here.  Loving mercy is hard.  It defies our nature of categorizing right and wrong, and demanding justice (usually for the other person).  Love sometimes catches in our throat and causes us to be silent and draw in the sand.  Love places kindness at a premium.  And loving mercy makes us see ourselves more clearly than we would like.  We drop our rocks in the dirt.  We walk away.  And we hear our Savior extending mercy to us saying, "Go and sin no more."

Mercy is not getting what we really deserve.  And do you really want what you deserve?  "Blessed are the people who extend/love mercy, for they will receive mercy!"  That's good news for today!  Randy