In the church world, we hear much about ministry. We argue about whether women can be in ministry. We debate how soon after personal infidelities and indiscretions can a person be in ministry. Some people are "in full time ministry". I heard a clergyman discuss how an allegation of child abuse or sexual misconduct can ruin a person's ministry.
Each of these comments/discussions reveal a deeper flaw in our thinking. Most of us believe that ministry is a position or a responsibility. It becomes something I do or a position I hold. Perhaps this thought process is best illustrated by a scripture in Luke 3:23 about Jesus - Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli. (NKJV)
Notice the italicized portions. Those are words that are added to the original to make it more readable. In other words the original manuscript reads - Now Jesus Himself began at about thirty years of age... Luke, when he was writing this account, never used the words "His ministry". Yet to us it makes no sense that Jesus "began" at the age of thirty. I believe that is because of our flawed perspective of ministry.
Ministry is not something we do...it is something we are (Jesus began). You cannot take ministry away from me...it simply spills out of who I am. If I never speak in another church meeting...if I never again have the opportunity to teach a class...I WILL STILL MINISTER! I do not have a ministry because I led a church. I do not have a ministry because I wrote classes and books. I minister because of my place of oneness with God the Father, with Jesus, and because I am filled with the Holy Spirit. I minister because the I AM has invited me into His counsel room. I minister because I am a son of the Creator of the Universe.
Everywhere Beverly (my wife) goes, people call her mom. My children's friends call her Mom Peachey, I have heard people in our geographic community refer to her as mom. Why? Because that is who she is. Just recently a young man sat in our house and poured out his heart to her, sharing things that he never told anyone. Why? Because she is mom. She doesn't need business cards neither does she need the recognition of a religious system. She is mom because she is.
To reduce ministry to anything less than interaction with God and responding to His invitation to participate with Him in His work in the world today is to miss the point.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Message on a sign
This past week I drove past the building where a church meets (I refuse to call the building a "church"). Their sign had the following statement - The Magical Formula for Happiness and Success is J-E-S-U-S. I drove by a second time to make sure I had read it correctly!
HMMM...I am puzzling over this one...Jesus never said much about a magical formula. He did invite people to give up their security (for a rich young man it meant selling all his wealth and giving it away...for Peter and Andrew, James and John, it meant giving up the security of the family business). He did tell us that to be a disciple of His meant that daily we would have to take up our cross. He invites us to follow His example of giving up our rights to self determination so that the will of the Father would be done. (see Philippians 2:5-11).
I am not going to try to discern the motives of those who put the message on the sign. I do know however, that we often attempt to make the message of Jesus somehow more attractive. Bev (my wife) recently had a conversation with a believer who came to Christ many years ago. This lady realizes that some of her current disillusionment comes from the fact that she believed that when she came to Christ, everything would somehow be easier. Yet she has discovered that in many ways, following Jesus has made life more difficult.
If we define success and happiness according to the definition of the world in which we live, then the quote on the sign is very incorrect. Jesus is not some self-help guru interested in making you happy. We do people (and Jesus) a great disservice by presenting Jesus as the Oprah of God's kingdom. He is far more radical and dangerous than Oprah.
On the other hand, if we define happiness and success according to definition of God, then following Jesus is the answer. In the realm of God, as seen in the example of the life Jesus, success comes as we choose to give up our rights to self-determination. True happiness and fulfillment happens only as we take up our cross. Resurrection life (abundant life) happens only on the heels of death.
There is no magical formula for happiness and success! I don't believe we can order happiness for three equal payments of $49.99 plus $6.95 shipping and handling. All we can do is heed the invitation of Jesus to follow Him embracing both the cost and the joy.
HMMM...I am puzzling over this one...Jesus never said much about a magical formula. He did invite people to give up their security (for a rich young man it meant selling all his wealth and giving it away...for Peter and Andrew, James and John, it meant giving up the security of the family business). He did tell us that to be a disciple of His meant that daily we would have to take up our cross. He invites us to follow His example of giving up our rights to self determination so that the will of the Father would be done. (see Philippians 2:5-11).
I am not going to try to discern the motives of those who put the message on the sign. I do know however, that we often attempt to make the message of Jesus somehow more attractive. Bev (my wife) recently had a conversation with a believer who came to Christ many years ago. This lady realizes that some of her current disillusionment comes from the fact that she believed that when she came to Christ, everything would somehow be easier. Yet she has discovered that in many ways, following Jesus has made life more difficult.
If we define success and happiness according to the definition of the world in which we live, then the quote on the sign is very incorrect. Jesus is not some self-help guru interested in making you happy. We do people (and Jesus) a great disservice by presenting Jesus as the Oprah of God's kingdom. He is far more radical and dangerous than Oprah.
On the other hand, if we define happiness and success according to definition of God, then following Jesus is the answer. In the realm of God, as seen in the example of the life Jesus, success comes as we choose to give up our rights to self-determination. True happiness and fulfillment happens only as we take up our cross. Resurrection life (abundant life) happens only on the heels of death.
There is no magical formula for happiness and success! I don't believe we can order happiness for three equal payments of $49.99 plus $6.95 shipping and handling. All we can do is heed the invitation of Jesus to follow Him embracing both the cost and the joy.
Friday, January 19, 2007
how shall we live, how shall we respond?
As many of you may know, I do some part time work at the PA Farmshow Complex in Harrisburg in the security department. I recently spent eight days working the largest show of the year. For thirteen hours a day I was immersed in "the world". It was a rather "raw" experience for me...so different from the culture of the church world.
How do you respond to people who seem to think that every word either begins or ends with the f-word ??? How do you respond to being flashed by a woman thankful that I gave her a parking spot??? (Its true...it really did happen!) How do you relate to rodeo cowboys so hung over from partying that they could hardly function??? Do you laugh at the extremely vulgar (and extremely funny) jokes??
It would be easy to retreat into a world of the church culture...it seems safer there. Yet I also realized that Jesus seemed to relate to notorious sinners comfortably (see Matthew 9:10-13). My question is this - How did Jesus respond to vulgar jokes, foul language and inappropriate displays of skin?
As church-goers, we often are quick to rebuke the notorious sinners...Yet Jesus' sternest rebukes were not for the notorious sinners but for those in the religious circles (See Matthew 23). When Jesus was confronted with a woman caught in adultery, He chose not to condemn (See John 8:1-11). He didn't even lecture her on the evils of her lifestyle...He didn't quote the law in an attempt to make her see her wrong. He simply instructed her to not sin any more. So my inclination to condemn the "wicked" probably is not the way of Christ.
I am convinced that there is no formula for relating to pagans. Yet that leaves me rather uncomfortable...do I join their party when invited? Do I say nothing to confront the blatant sin??? Perhaps the answer is to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit...yet that seems to be a rather vague answer.
This I do know - the world I experienced the past week was the same world that Jesus engaged. He didn't seem to shy away from the ugliness of it...He didn't seem to be put off by the "raw-ness" of it. He was in it but not of it...God help me do the same.
How do you respond to people who seem to think that every word either begins or ends with the f-word ??? How do you respond to being flashed by a woman thankful that I gave her a parking spot??? (Its true...it really did happen!) How do you relate to rodeo cowboys so hung over from partying that they could hardly function??? Do you laugh at the extremely vulgar (and extremely funny) jokes??
It would be easy to retreat into a world of the church culture...it seems safer there. Yet I also realized that Jesus seemed to relate to notorious sinners comfortably (see Matthew 9:10-13). My question is this - How did Jesus respond to vulgar jokes, foul language and inappropriate displays of skin?
As church-goers, we often are quick to rebuke the notorious sinners...Yet Jesus' sternest rebukes were not for the notorious sinners but for those in the religious circles (See Matthew 23). When Jesus was confronted with a woman caught in adultery, He chose not to condemn (See John 8:1-11). He didn't even lecture her on the evils of her lifestyle...He didn't quote the law in an attempt to make her see her wrong. He simply instructed her to not sin any more. So my inclination to condemn the "wicked" probably is not the way of Christ.
I am convinced that there is no formula for relating to pagans. Yet that leaves me rather uncomfortable...do I join their party when invited? Do I say nothing to confront the blatant sin??? Perhaps the answer is to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit...yet that seems to be a rather vague answer.
This I do know - the world I experienced the past week was the same world that Jesus engaged. He didn't seem to shy away from the ugliness of it...He didn't seem to be put off by the "raw-ness" of it. He was in it but not of it...God help me do the same.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Welcome to my blog
I welcome you to my blog. I will share my thoughts and observations as I am on the journey of following Jesus in a practical way. I invite you to share yours as well. I am discovering the presence of God as I dialogue honestly with other fellow travellers on this journey. Feel free to agree or disagree with the things shared here. HOWEVER...please do not respond to others in a critical or harsh way.
I will post regularly and I invite you to do the same!
Blessings
Glen
I will post regularly and I invite you to do the same!
Blessings
Glen
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