Life, Death and Beauty

Our society is attracted to attraction!  We are repelled by "ugly."  And we have, sadly, adopted the societal norms of what is good, bad and ugly.  What if we, today, allow God's Word to weigh in on this?

Isaiah 53 is both a terrible and beautiful example of what God thinks is ugly, unattractive and beautiful.  The Chapter is written in the form of Hebrew poetry.  Hebrew verse is, in general, meant to flow in theme and rhyme very differently than we expect from Western poetry.  Here is how Isaiah 53 flows:

1. Revelation - God is revealing His "powerful arm (v.1)"

2. Unattractive Revelation - "Nothing beautiful or attractive (v.2)"

3. Troubled Existence - "Despised and rejected (v.3)"

4. Paradox - "Yet ... He bore our weakness and sorrow (v.4)"

5. Sacrifice - "But, He was pierced for our sins, beaten so we could be whole (v.5)"

6. Atonement - "Our sin was laid on Him (v.6)"

7. A Perfect Lamb - "He had done nothing wrong, but was killed (v.7-9).

8. Part of a Perfect Plan - "It was the Lord's good plan (v.10)."

9. Accomplishment - "God's plan satisfies Him (v.11)."

10. Exaltation - "I will give Him the honor of a victorious soldier (v.12).

The writer of this passage calls us to see past the ugliness, past the attitudes of people, past the torture and death, past the burial, and past the apparent uncleanness of the troubled life of Isaiah's suffering servant.  Instead, Isaiah offers a beautiful poem about life, death and what real beauty looks like.

Sunday, names will be read.  All of the names are people God created.  In my experience, I have found no people unscathed by the struggles, difficulties and mistakes of life ... NONE!  Yet, as we encounter the pallor of death, stand underneath the weight of loss and struggle, and cower "in the shadow of death," I think we gain some perspective on Isaiah 53.  We are able to put away our superficial definitions of beauty ... for beauty is defined by the good in a life.  Instead of titles and accolades, give me testimony of how that life touched/blessed other lives in the name of Jesus.

I expect, at his funeral, the Apostle Paul could have been remembered as a crusty, opinionated and educated curmudgeon that was often "in-your-face" on matters of the faith.  I don't remember reading that Paul was beautiful or even pleasant to look at.  But for congregations all over the Mediterranean rim and West Asia, who experienced the coming of Jesus and the Holy Spirit to their people, Paul was beautiful.  Like Jesus (our "Suffering Servant"), "because of His experience, the righteous servant made it possible for many to be counted righteous."  And because Paul knew Jesus, he introduced countless millions (in person and through his writings) to the Savior that "bore all of their sins."

Life isn't always beautiful, though it can be glorious!  Death is stark and terrible, but it can be atonement!  And beauty is in the testimony of life well-lived in Christ, not in the fickle eye of society.  That's my take!  Randy

Changing Our Culture

Jeff Greenway, in his message to Annual Conference, expressed a number of cultural shifts that we must make if we are to express the Gospel message into the world in which we live.  One of these shifts is the shift from being "cultural" to becoming a Christ-centered and Spiritual Church.  How can this happen?

There are many answers to this question, but one way is to throw off the yoke of Egypt that has held down our congregations for over 50 years.  I was reminded of this as I began to receive calls from congregations about "what do we do now?"  For the longest time the people called Methodists have been directed, by the corporate church, to follow the denomination and allow the "mother church (a Bishop in our old denomination used those exact words)" to lead us.  In Exodus 16:3 the Hebrews said, "At least in Egypt we sat around pots of meat and we ate as much food as we wanted."  This is a fundamental lie that Satan told the Hebrews and is telling us now. If we live to have our needs met, then we are nothing more than our needs!

Caedmon's Call wrote a song about the Dalit in India.  The Dalit are the Untouchables, the lowest caste in Indian society, even lower than animals.  The song expresses the lie of the world (culture) and the hope God has for them (God's Spirit).  It says, "When we're fed that we are nothing, we'll believe it, and we'll do what we are told."  That's slavery folks!  But then the song says, "Spark of the divine, I see it in your eyes ... it's there behind the lies that tie you down!"  That's God's hope for freedom and abundance ... you/we are sons and daughters of the King.

Our church and it's people are attitudinally in Egypt.  They look to the denomination to meet their needs.  How about we all change that?  We become churches that live in a culture of Biblical and Spirit-led values ... 1) Becoming transformed disciples that make disciples (Change), 2) Becoming people who share the Good News of the Gospel fearlessly (Evangelism), 3) Having a church-planting mindset, even inside their current congregation (Newness), 4) Understanding that every person is called by God to work (not be coddled) in their congregation (Service), 5) Hunger and Thirst for Jesus' teaching (Learning), and 6) Throwing off the yoke of our prejudice (Seeing people through God's eyes).  We cannot allow culture to teach us these things!  God has an opinion here, and it is not affirmation of sin, our choices, our needs, our feelings and our plans as ultimate authority.

As I wrote this, a young man came into my office.  His issues were life-choices and the people he associates with.  He is in Egypt!  But before you say "thank God I am not like that," are you/we passionately and recklessly seeking God's Spirit in the church, as we seek to follow Jesus (not the denomination)?  Do we look back and say, "We had a denomination that told us what to do ... how do we live forward?"  My young friend must change his culture.  And we (the Church) must be willing to change our culture.  We can no longer live in the lies that tie us down and tell us we are powerless to change our situation.  It is a new day with Father God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Time to throw off the yoke of "mother church!"  Time to be those called out of the culture and into the abundant life of Christ!  Randy

Egypt

This week Lee and I have been out of town at St. Simons Island at a church leadership meeting.  So my blog will be brief.  Phillip Pinyan will preach this coming Sunday and I will have the honor of hearing him speak for the first time at Abbeville Methodist.  His message will be about leaving bondage, so I just had one thought to share with you.

Over the past year or so we have been moving away from our previous denominational connection, and I wanted to remind you of one danger that occurs when you make a big change.  That danger is failing to leave the "Egypt" you say you left.  Moses had an easier time of getting the people out of Egypt than he did getting the Egypt out of the people.  Let's be aware of this danger as we worship passionately, love extravagantly and witness boldly!  Randy

Shifts 3 - Politeness to Honesty

I am the world's worst about avoiding conflict!  I either clam up, or I just ignore the situation.  It is a character flaw I am not proud of, but at least awareness allows me to work on it with intentionality.  But I (and the Church) must press forward to seek truth instead of "fluff" in our relationships, our faith-walk and our culture.  We are to "speak truth in love, growing to become the mature body of Him who is the head, that is Christ (Ephesians 4:15)."  Paul understood that the Church is to grow to maturity if it was to become the life and world-changing entity Jesus sent out.

I remember a story of a town in which the Town Hall caught fire one evening.  The people stood around watching it burn until a family in an old, beat-up truck drove into the middle of the fire, got out, beat out the fire and saved Town Hall.  The Mayor ran out, made a speech congratulating the family, and giving the mad $50 as a reward.  He asked the old man, "What will you do with the money?"  The man said, "First thing I'm gonna do is fix the brakes on that truck!"

We are confused.  We think we see things clearly, but we miss what is really going on.  We are into the "fluff" of living.  Football shows highlight the design of the uniforms worn by the teams.  We are caught in the non-reality of reality shows.  We affirm everybody and get upset when someone says, "Wait a minute ... that is wrong!"  The truth-bringers that say, "Town Hall is on fire and someone needs to put out the fire!" are targeted as "storm-crows" and "alarmists."

Jeremiah was truthful about the state of Judah and Jerusalem.  Jeremiah said that the people had become followers of Baal, even to the point of sacrificing their children.  He was called an alarmist and a "purveyor of doom!"  He was ignored, and even had death threats.  In 587BC Babylon destroyed Solomon's Temple and took Judah's brightest and best off into exile.

Jesus came with a message of truth and salvation.  He called-out the Scribes and Pharisees for their falseness and apostasy.  You know the story ... He was crucified.

There are (at least) two points here.  The first point is the truth about what happens with truth-tellers.  We bring the truth in love, but the response is anything but loving.  A group of women who don't want to compete with biological men in women's sports are called, by some, bigots.  I call them truth-tellers.  A group of congregations that place the authority of Scripture above cultural norms are called "dinosaurs."  I call them Bible believers.  Both groups will be persecuted.

The second point is more hopeful.  In Matthew 16 Jesus says that those who become His Church (His followers who believe He is "the Christ, the Son of the Living God") will not be overcome, even by the very gates of hell.

Town Hall is on fire.  I don't think an old man and his family in a beat-up pickup truck is coming to put the fire out.  But we are here.  To tell the freeing truth of the Gospel.  To leave our politeness and say what Paul said.  We are sinners, we need salvation, we need Jesus crucified, risen and forgiving our sins.  We need an intentional and everlasting God ... not an accidental hero.  As I said in my message last week ... normal isn't coming back ... but Jesus is!  That's the truth! Randy

Shifts 2 - Maranatha

First, I want to make a correction to my message on Sunday.  Please read and re-read the Galatians passage 5:22-23, the fruit of the Spirit ... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.  These are our "sifters" for our shift from worldly views to Spirit-led views.  Ok, now for shift 2 ... asking God to "please come Lord.".

Over the past century, at least, we have been all into membership.  "How many members do you have?"  "Who is 'in' your church (as opposed to those who are out)?'"  "We want to grow our church by attracting new members!"  Is this model Biblical?

If we look at the Acts Church, we find the expression of the Gospel story and the following of God's Spirit causing God to "add to their numbers."  The events that lead to these statements are not planned revivals, Gospel sings or even what we would call a worship service.  They (the events) seem to happen organically out of the presence of God's Spirit mixed with contrite people who have more questions than answers.  The manifestation of God's Spirit happens ... seemingly because God wants to appear and act.

Over the past 6 months I have increasingly seen people, congregations and what we would call 'churches' become bewildered, at a loss for what to do and in a state where there are many more questions than answers.  And (this is not expected at all) the groups of believers that are seeming to thrive are those that allow God to pour into them, expectantly allowing God to lead them.  They are far from an attitude of seeking members.  Instead, they are having to become "The Church" rather than go "to church."  I wonder if God is "making disciples" that "are added to the Church daily."

Last observation (and this one is a little scary) ... maybe God is exerting Himself as He breaks out of the little box we have put him in.  And as I am watching this unfold all around, I 1) want you to see and perceive it, 2) want to share this amazing story, 3) want to proclaim a truth that is true today and has been true since we were placed in Eden ... GOD HAPPENS!  God happens in spite of us, but God REALLY happens when open, contrite, receptive, humble and expectant people say what the ancient Church said ... Maranatha ... "Come Lord!"

Shifts

It is football season, in case any of you need to be reminded.  Some teams have started well and are (for now) staying the course.  Some teams have struggled "our of the gate" and need to make adjustments if they are to have a successful season.  Jeff Greenway, in a book subtitled A Bold Witness of Wesleyan Faith at the Dawn of the Global Methodist Church, identifies some necessary adjustments that must be made if we are to live into a thriving and Biblical future.  Over the next 9 weeks, I will be focusing my messages on the shifts identified in this forward-looking book about the future of our church.

This Sunday we will look at the first "shift" ... the shift from infancy to maturity.  The Bible has a lot to say about this.  Hebrews 12:12 says, "In fact, by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths about God's Word.  You need milk, not solid food."  When my children were first born, they needed milk and formula, not solid food.  This is natural for humans and other mammals.  What is not natural is for adolescents and adults to continue to need milk, when they should be progressing to solid food.  If an adult can't tolerate solid food, we would all know something is wrong.  But what about the food of God's Word?  Do we still seek and rely on milk when we should be seeking and craving the meat of God's Word?  Sure, it is harder to digest!  Sure it requires the effort of chewing!  But for those growing in God's Word, God's plan and God's kingdom, this is the expected behavior.

Ephesians 4:14 amplifies this point by telling us the benefits of growing into spiritual maturity.  "Then you will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching, and by the cunning and craftiness of people and their deceitful scheming." Paul's points?

1. Infancy is something to grow out of ... not live in.  It should pass quickly for those who are hungry and thirsty for God's "bread of life."

2. Infants are confused and drawn in by the glitter, movement, sound, and passion of the waves.  Eloquent speakers ... music that has a good beat (but no substance) ... online prophets (you can add volumes to this) can all become clanging cymbals and loud voices.  But if they do not have love for Christ and His teaching, they are just noise to be avoided.

3. Infants are easily duped by clever schemes and street-side prophets.  Paul reminds us that there is an evil and intention behind those who teach a gospel that is not from Jesus.  These teachings are masked and veiled in enough truth to draw you in ... but they are "craftiness and deceitful scheming."  We have an enemy that works through willing people.  Some of them are clever and bought-into the work Satan is doing in the world.

There is a current stream of nonsense happening in my Facebook feed that is disturbing.  A woman has published a prophetic look at current events that point to what she says is "The Rapture."  While Rapture-Theology didn't appear till the 1800's (sorry for that true but disturbing fact) I will reserve that discussion for another time.  But the woman's post claimed (now past-tense) that the Rapture should have happened yesterday.  If it did, it seems no one was "taken up." And let's remember, "No one knows the day or the hour (except the Father) [Matthew 24]."  Yet people, claiming to be mature Christians, bought into this clearly non-Scriptural (and now untrue) prediction.

Don't accept living in spiritual infancy.  Don't believe everything you hear and see on the internet.  Do fill your heart, soul and mind with God's Word, so that you will be strong when the wind, waves and schemes come your way.  Live in Christ today, and you will have peace and sufficiency.  AMEN

Cords and Chains

The Bible has a lot to say about cords, chains and binding and loosing.  We might think of cords and chains as ways of tying things/people up.  But in Scripture, these two things are treated very differently.

Chains are usually spoken of in terms of holding and confining someone.  The demon-possessed man in Mark 5 was bound with chains, though it didn't work.  Peter was bound with chains in Acts 12.  Paul and Silas were bound with chains in Acts 16.  Chains were used to confine and imprison.

Cords are different.  In Ecclesiastes 4:12 we find that cords bind things together in a unity of strength.  "Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.  And a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

Chains confine us.  Cords hold us in a unity that is hard to break.  So, how is this relevant in the Church?

During recovery month, I want us all to pray and practice binding and loosing.  In Matthew 16:19 Jesus tells Peter (and the Church) "I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."  Jesus describes a church with powers beyond our sight ... powers that transcend from the seen realm to the unseen realm.  Read carefully what this says ... through Christ's gift and authority, we have the power to bind and loose.

Here are a few observations about these passages and about chains and cords.

1. We, the Church, can bind things.  I think (this is purely my take) we bind things mostly with cords.  Why?  Because we, God, Jesus aren't into confining and conscription as a method of operation.  I think Ecclesiastes 4 uses cords because cords hold things and people with gentleness.  A threefold cord is hard to break, but if we work hard enough we can break it.  And a threefold cord can be untied.  You are not confined!  You have free will to follow or not.  You have our love and our support, but if you try hard enough you can either break or untie cords.  But remember ... God put those cords in place.  So let's bind up the wounded, unite with our fellow workers and allow God to "bind us together with cords that cannot be broken."

2. We, the Church, can be agents of release, freedom and loosing people from bondage.  Let's pray, practice and persevere so that chains are broken, bonds are loosed and people can live in the freedom God has graciously given.  The Tasha Cobb song says, "There is power, in the name of Jesus ... to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain."  Let's become chain breakers that loose people from the bondage of culture, possessions, control, drugs, alcohol and pride (yes, pride is an addictive behavior).

Let us bind each other up in the love of Christ and the nurture of the Church, on earth as it is in heaven.  Let us loose each other from all those things that chain our souls, our potential and our witness so we are able to do what Paul said in Ephesians 5:8 ... "For you were once in darkness.  But now you have light from the Lord.  So live as people of light!"  Worship passionately ... love extravagantly ... witness boldly! Jesus said, when we appropriate His gift of the "keys to the kingdom of heaven" the very gates of hell will not prevail against us (the Church)." AMEN