a tale of two churches

In the book of Revelation, we find Jesus addressing various churches. While He speaks to seven, two of them in particular stand out to me.

The church at Ephesus was quite a church. They were commendable for their work and effort. They were doctrinally sound. They recognized the error of false apostles. Their perseverance was admirable. I get the sense that today this church would be recognized for their dedication. Most likely they would be a case study for those in academia desiring to discover the secrets of growing a successful church.

Immediately following the description of the church at Ephesus we find another church. The church at Smyrna was certainly not nearly as successful. They were poor, experiencing tribulation and suffering. They faced persecution. If one reads between the lines, it would appear that they were a broken church; one that would never be held up as an example of a successful church.

Ironically, the church most reprimanded was the “successful” church. In all their activity they completely missed the point. The weak broken church elicited praise from Jesus once again pointing to the fact that the ways of God are drastically different from our paradigms of success.

For years, I attempted to build an Ephesus church. Over the years we succeeded in the endeavor. Pastors from other churches and communities began to ask me the secrets of our success. That’s heady stuff for a young man! Yet in the success something was lost. Like the church at Ephesus, I became focused on the activities and the dedication required to achieve the vision. As our labors began to bear fruit, we became even more focused on the vision. As vision becomes more focused it easily becomes the sole focus. No longer is it an outworking of our relationship with God, the vision becomes god.

It took God asking me to relinquish the position of leadership to begin the process of seeing the emptiness of our labors. Success according to God is frequently at odds with our humanistic ideals of success. We think big is better. Busy activity is esteemed highly. Yet God seems less impressed with our activity and our success than with our brokenness.

Today I interact closely with group of broken followers of Jesus. We are messy, and broken. Each of us clearly recognizes our weakness. When it comes to telling an impressive church success story, one would not point to our band of believers. Yet in the midst of our brokenness we have discovered the reality of God. No longer is He a simply an aloof figure in an intellectual theological framework. He is alive, interacting with us in our brokenness. His presence highlights our weakness; His healing grace highlights His goodness.

Is God in control?

This week I had a heart-wrenching conversation with a client. Earlier this year, his wife left him for a lesbian relationship. He spoke of the transformation of his wife into someone he barely recognizes. The woman she was has been traded for a new identity. At one point he asked a question that so many of us ask when our world disintegrates – Why did God allow this to happen?

I frequently hear people say, “Well…God is still in control.” That thought process leads us to question why God would allow terrible things to happen. In fact it deeply calls into question the goodness of God. If God is in control of the situation, then is it not His fault that children are abused, that women are raped, and that children destroy their body with drugs?

God never created people to be puppets on a string, involuntarily dancing to his beck and call. He created us in His image with the ability to control our own destiny. He gave us the ability to make decisions and the responsibility to suffer the consequences of those decisions. Unfortunately the impact of negative decisions extends far beyond the one making that decision.

Does God have the power to be in control? I am convinced that He possesses that power. However I am equally convinced that God has limited himself in the affairs of humanity. I believe that part of what it means to be created in the image of God is that we have the ability to create our own destiny. Most of the destructive events that occur in humanity are the result of people making destructive choices. Most of the blessings that occur in humanity are the results of people choosing to live life according to God’s pattern.

Is God in control of every situation here on earth? No. He is not in control when innocent people are killed. He is not in control of my client’s wife. She has chosen to reject God for a self-determined path. Is God in control when Christians act maliciously toward other Christians? No. The actions are a consequence of a self-centered heart.

It God is in control, then He is to blame for millions of Jews killed in Nazi concentration camps. If God is in control, then He is at fault for the abortions of millions of babies. The very chaos of war and violence indicates that He is not in control.

Now do not hear me wrongly here. I believe that God could be in control. He has the power to do whatever He pleases. However, since creation, God has limited Himself in this world, allowing us to choose our own destiny. When we depart from His ways, He freely allows us to pursue our own ways. Conversely when we embrace His ways, we find blessings and peace.

following who?

At the height of the Roman Catholic Church's power and influence, the Church dominated every realm of life. In fact, in many ways, the Church was given equal to or even greater than status God. Whatever decisions were made by the hierarchy of the church rulers stood as law regardless whether the decisions harmonized with God's ways as revealed in scripture. For most people, the church became more important than God. It was their security, their place of trust.

I am beginning to believe that most people who call themselves Christians today are no different than those who were in the Roman Catholic Church over 500 years ago. When the stability of the institutional church is rocked, people panic immediately. When people do not have the reassurance of regular Sunday meetings, paid professional clergy, and all the rest of the trappings of the institutional church, they become immobilized.

I am also convinced that the followers of Jesus today have much less dependence on the institutional church. Their focus is not on the church but on Jesus. However, they also instinctively know the power of deep heart connections with other believers. They gather together without needing to be chided to do so, without a sense of duty or obligation. Church is an outworking of their walk with God, not the focus of their walk. They may be part of the institutional church but their spiritual well-being does not depend on the welfare of the institution.

Just as the Reformation began to break people's dependence on the institutional church, so today God is shaking the structures in which people trust. People's response to that upheaval in the institutional church reveals much about whom they follow.

the gospel according to us

Last week Bev and I drove past a church building. A sign boldly proclaimed "Jesus came to earth so you can go to heaven". I wonder if anyone at the church took the time to place that scripture against the words of scripture. I am sure that most Christians will be surprised to discover that the Bible never makes this kind of statement. I am not saying that the statement is false, however, there is not Biblical basis for this statement.

I am convinced that much of our understanding of the gospel is shaped, not by the scripture but by our tradition. I find it amazing that people who insist that they adhere to the Bible hold to so many beliefs that are extra Biblical. (However, beware if you challenge the validity of their beliefs! You will be attacked and ridiculed)

Perhaps this is no more evident than in the Christmas carols we hold dear. Angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plain. Where in scripture do we find the angels singing at Jesus birth? It came upon a midnight clear... How do we know that the night of Jesus birth was cloudless? ...no crying He makes... Why should we assume that the baby Jesus did not cry?

The most dangerous aspect of our extra-biblical beliefs occurs when we present them as foundational biblical beliefs. It points to a deeper issue - an issue of creating our own doctrines and then cloaking them as biblical. I realize that it is easier to create doctrinal paradigms that fit our desires than it is to wrestle with the difficulty of the scriptures. Yet if we persist in holding to doctrines based not the scripture but on our tradition or our own ideas, we are in danger of creating a false gospel that causes us to miss the point entirely.

simeon's blessing

This Christmas season, there is a scripture that will probably not be used much in the myriad of Christmas sermons that are preached. It will probably not make it on the front of any Christmas cards. Neither is it likely that it will be the subject of songs that are sung.

They are the words of Simeon, an old prophet in Jerusalem at the time that Joseph and Mary took Jesus to the temple for His dedication ceremony. I quote:

Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

What an interesting "blessing" - yes, a sword shall pierce your soul. What kind of blessing is that? A Child destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel - we are okay with a Child destined for the rising of many in Israel but we are less comfortable with the fact that a fall must precede the rising. A sign which will be spoken against - instead of unifying the nation, it sounds like the Child will be opposed and resisted. All this so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.

In all of this blessing we find only one "positive" word - that this Child will bring the "rising" of many in Israel. Yet even that rising is preceded by a fall. Because of the image of God which we bear, we instinctively know that the realm of God is one of righteousness, joy, and peace. We desire to rise above the mundane to a place of significance. However scripture is clear that the realm of God is accessed in proportion to the decrease of self.

The pattern of the Child Messiah opposes much of our humanistic image of entering the realm of God. I am convinced both from the words of scripture and experientially that the rise from the muck of this world into the realm of God only occurs after we fall to a place of helplessness. We inherently resist any kind of fall. I find it interesting how often the work of God causing people to fall is labeled as the work of the enemy. In our aspirations of glory and significance while opposing the "fall" work of God, we create an illusion of living in the realm of God. In a self-centered false paradigm, we violently oppose all that appears insignificant. We resist the hand of God that brings us to the place of nothing, stubbornly clinging to our self-created false realities.

Yet we must fall from our lofty self-inspired places of glory to a place of nothingness, to a place where we are completely helpless to help ourself. Our self-sufficiency runs very deeply in our psyche. We struggle with submission to the hand of God as He attacks what we have become, as He reveals the thoughts of our hearts.

The way we respond to His hand causing us to fall reveals a great deal about our inmost thoughts. If we resist Him, rebuking His work as that of the enemy, the depth of our ungodly selfishness is revealed. We are destined to a life of resisting Jesus (perhaps all the while deeply embracing religion) as long as we cling to self. On the other hand if we allow Him to bring us to the end of ourselves, we can also expect that He will also transform us into citizens of His kingdom. His promise is that as we trust Him through the valley of shadow of death, He will cause us to rise to new heights.

Convenient belief

We live in a world that operates a great deal on "smoke and mirrors". For instance, our banking institutions are discovering that one cannot ignore sound financial principles in business. A false economy was created by cheap and easily available credit. However the lenders should have known that loaning people money that had no ability to repay can not be a sustainable practice. However, instead of operating according to truth, they created an illusion of something in order to justify their continued behavior.

Unfortunately, I find the same kinds of wishful illusions in the church world as well. It never ceases to amaze me how people can declare that they believe in something deeply but when that "deeply held belief" becomes inconvenient, suddenly they no longer hold to that belief. I call it the phenomena of convenient belief.

Convenient belief is never centered on God. The foundation of convenient belief is self (or as I like to put it, the self-god). This kind of belief maybe defended vociferously at times. However the since basis for convenient belief is not built on truth as defined by God but on the preservation of self, it can change quickly. The self-god seeks to self-preserve, self-determine, and self-justify at all costs. Therefore nothing is as important as self.

However, the self-god also desires to hide behind a facade of godliness and goodness. Therefore the self-god will gravitate toward beliefs that benefit self while appearing God-centered. The intensity with which the self-god defends these convenient beliefs is directly tied to the amount of benefit received from defending them. If there is no longer any personal benefit from a particular belief, that belief is quickly discarded.

For instance, we frequently pride ourselves in the fact that we are full of grace toward people. We put ourselves forward as loving people unconditionally. However, when the time comes to put our reputation on the line in the restoration of those who have become lost, we quickly distance ourselves from those people.

On the other hand, belief centered on God, belief that arises from literally and practically following Jesus will always lead to the death of the self-god. While following Jesus transforms and adjusts our belief system, those changes and adjustments are not based on convenience. They occur as a natural part of the transformation that occurs as Christ is formed within us.

Apple pie and the goodness of God

This past week on a cold rainy fall day, I walked into the house. As soon as I approached the kitchen, I could smell that Bev had spent the afternoon engaging in one of her hobbies. The aroma of chicken roasting in the oven filled the room. Something about the aroma made my heart sing.

Several days later I came into the kitchen to the smell of freshly baked apple pie. We were visiting with friends later in the evening and Bev had baked a pie to share with them. When we left, Bev carried the pie to the car. She put her nose toward the pie and inhaled deeply and promptly proclaimed, “I smell the goodness of God!”.

This past weekend we were at our lakefront property in New York to close down the camper and take the docks out for the season. Sunday morning was rather brisk with temperatures in the high teens. Once the sun rose, I cooked breakfast outside and we ate around the fire. Coffee, homefries, bacon, eggs and toast mixed with the smell of wood smoke from the fire and oak leaves on the ground on a crisp morning to create another aroma moment. Everything about that moment pointed to the goodness of God.

The more “God-conscious” I become; the more aware I am of His goodness. The more aware I am of His goodness, the more “God-conscious” I become. I don’t think that God is “any more good” now than in the past. It’s just that I am more aware of it. Neither does the heightened sense of His goodness mean that life is easier than it used to be. I face perhaps more personal struggles than ever. However, the awareness of God’s goodness toward me helps me incredibly in the midst of those struggles.

Last spring, I watched a video for work at our Eastern Sales Meeting. It was done by Dewitt Jones, a photographer for National Geographic. The theme of the video was “Celebrate What’s Right with the World”. At one point he made a profound statement. He spoke of growing up with the philosophy of “I have to see it to believe it”. However, he admitted that philosophy limited him from seeing the potential that really exists. He spoke of a new reality that opened new potential. It was a philosophy of “we need to believe it to see it”.
And so it is with the goodness of God. If we don’t really believe that He is good, we will never see His goodness. We will be stuck in the humdrum of life, missing the aroma of His goodness in apple pies, in wood smoke on a crisp morning, and in the smell of freshly brewed coffee

destabilization

As I learn from the life of Jesus and allow Him to impact me more fully, I have become aware of what I call the "ministry of destabilization". It seems as if everywhere Jesus went, He destabilized the established systems and thought processes. (i.e. - touching untouchables, overturning money tables, teaching with authority, healing on the Sabbath, redefining the family, challenging the paradigms of the religious.) Jesus spoke of the destabilizing effect of His life when He stated that He did not come to bring peace but a sword. I am convinced that true followers of Jesus will have the same effect today. We are a living prophetic example that brings destabilization to both people and institutions.

Every time God does a new thing, it is birthed in the midst of chaos. While this is true historically, it is also spoken of in the current/future sense in the book of Hebrews. (12:25-28)

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven, whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven." Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

If we are to participate with God in His work in the world, we must participate in His "shaking ministry" that destabilizes the established ways to reveal them for what they really are. If we are to walk with God, we must submit to His shaking in our own lives, a shaking that reveals much about the true nature of our motives and actions. I regularly hear Christians refuse to wrestle with the difficulty of God, choosing instead to live in the safety of their established view of God. We must allow God to shake us, to destabilize us in order to discover what cannot be shaken. We must also embrace the destabilization ministry that results as we pursue God practically. This frequently puts us at odds with our own need for validation from people as well as with the people being destabilized.

There is another ministry, a ministry contrary to the ministry of destabilization in which we engage. I call it the ministry of preservation. In the ministry of preservation, we attempt to preserve the status quo. I am convinced that a very large percentage of the church engages in the ministry of preservation. We put much effort into maintaining ministries within the church. Let an elder suggest that the time for having a children's church program is over and therefore it needs to be ended! Let a pastor suggest that God is sending the entire church out into the world to expand God's kingdom and therefore the church will no longer meet on Sunday morning. The very suggestion of these things will bring out the ministry of preservation in a hurry!

We cannot be involved in both the ministry of preservation and the ministry of destabilization/shaking. We embrace one and resist the other. We cannot be motivated by the need for things to run smoothly. Each of us must realize that the ministry of preservation is rooted deeply in us. Yet if we are to be involved with God today, we MUST embrace the shaking spoken of in Hebrews. In the shaking we find the things that are the eternal realities that come from the heart of God.

The proliferation of stupidity

The writer of the Proverbs gives the following insight - The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. The word fear is not an unhealthy fear that immobilizes people but rather it implies a healthy respect.

If these words are true then the opposite is true as well. If there is no reverence/respect for God, if there is no acknowledgement of Him there is no wisdom and understanding. To put it more bluntly, if there is no God consciousness or God awareness there is much stupidity!

One of my observations has been that there seems to be a proliferation of stupidity recently. One of my clients faces financial disaster and makes decisions that create even more difficulty. He has no God-awareness. Instead of seeking God's wisdom for his situation, he makes decisions based on his self-centered desires. As a result, stupidity abounds.

The stupidity is not just limited to the world "out there". I find it in the church world as well. Christians say and do stupid things under the guise of godliness. However, they have no God-awareness. When crisis arises, they panic instead of watching for the hand of God. In the place of panic they say and do stupid things that only magnify the crisis.

If we choose the way of self over the way of God, we are doomed to stupidity.

transformation of the mind

God’s ways and methods are incomprehensible to the natural mind. Perhaps the most difficult of all transformations is the transformation of the mind. Every inclination of the natural mind rebels against transformation.

The transformation from living from natural mind to being Christ-minded (I call it being God conscious) requires a great deal of submission to the ways of God. Walking in harmony with Him feels unnatural and dangerous to the natural mind. At the point of these feelings arising, we have a choice to make – will we subdue our feelings and trust that God knows what He is doing or will we take matters in our own hands in order to feel better?

When we decide to take matters in our own hands, we are choosing independence from God. To mask our desire for independence from God, we create a façade that looks godly. We sit in the place of God putting ourselves forth as God. In other words we live from the natural mind but call it God. In our own mind, our thought processes and actions are justified if we attach God to them.

During a gathering of church leaders, there was debate over how to handle a situation. One of the leaders spoke rather emphatically the following words. “We can do things Glen’s way and wait for God to move or we can take care of it ourselves.” These words came from the natural mind, a mind that was unwilling to wait on God. The inclination of the natural mind is to forge ahead in action since God seems to be absent at the time. Scripture repeatedly tells the stories of people who took matters into their own hands and acted independently of God. Every one of those stories ends in disaster.

For me, the greatest transformation of my mind occurred, not on some mountaintop, but in a several periods that I call my valleys of the shadow of death. Even though I had been a pastor and a church planter, yet my mind was still primarily operating in a state of self-consciousness. God began to invite me to walk and live in a different way, not according to my thought patterns but according to His paradigms. For a time, I felt like He was my enemy as He targeted my natural mindsets. He took aim at what I had become as I had followed the dictates of the natural mind. However, Each time I have walked through one of the valley periods, I have emerged transformed.

As you enter your own valley of the shadow of death, allow the transformation of your mind by living according to the invitation of God. Resist the urge to take matters into your own hands. As you find yourself in the depths of despair, resist the urge to give up on God. When you finally feel like you cannot go on, look up, breakthrough is near. The entire journey through the valley of the shadow of death will transform your mind.

I'll try

The greatest battle in this life is not a struggle between God and the devil but a battle between myself and God. Everything within me wants to live independently of God, to make my own decisions, to determine my own version of right and wrong. The self-god attempts assert itself, creating a god in our own image.

I've recently noticed one of the manifestations of the self-god recently in conversations with people. A common phrase I hear is "I'll try..." I'll try to forgive. I'll try to love. I'll try respect. The starting point of "I'll try" is self.

Notice that scripture never tells us to try to love or to forgive. The expectation of God is that we love, that we forgive. Now I realize that we frequently feel like God demands the impossible and truly it is impossible to love from a center of self. Yet in the expectation of the impossible we become faced with our inability to to do the expected. In that place of inability, we can either draw close to God and allow Him to work the impossible into us or we can try to do the impossible in our own strength.

Unfortunately we do not possess the wherewithal to be what God expects. Quit trying and allow Him to transform you!

demonization, shunning and an apology

Perhaps the greatest learning opportunities are not found in a school, but rather in the observation of the world around us. I have learned more by keeping my eyes and ears open and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach me in whatever circumstance I find myself. Additionally, much can be learned from the experiences of others, in hearing their story.

One of the observations I have made over the past several years has to do with religion and religious mindsets. Unfortunately, religion in general frequently goes hand in hand with control. Just like in Jesus day, religious people today use control techniques to attempt to keep people (and God) within the accepted boundaries.

The stories of numerous people align with my own experience in this. When one chooses to step outside the institutionally accepted parameters to follow Jesus, almost immediately an uproar ensues. If one does not quickly step back into line, they will be demonized by the religious crowd. That demonization will justify all sorts of ungodly behavior by the religious even though the demonization is not even based on fact. If none of this works to bring a person in line, then they are shunned. Religious people will warn others not to associate with the "deceived" person. They will refuse to interact in a healthy way.

I have discovered the church world to be much more savage than the business world. Very good people began to act out of character as their religious paradigms are threatened. Nice, gentle people will spew venom toward the one perceived as a threat; they would be aghast if they really saw how they were acting. In their protection of a religious system, they engage (and feel justified in doing so) in behaviors that are far from godly.

All this grieves my heart. Malachi speaks of the hearts of the fathers being turned toward the children and vice versa. When the fathers (leaders in the church) begin to control and manipulate people, then a curse comes on the land. If you have been wounded by controlling religious leaders attempting to make you conform to their perspective of God, I apologize to you. If you have been shunned by "Christians" because you think outside of the box, I apologize to you. What was done to you was wrong. God forgive us!

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Blessed are you...

I think I must be the most blessed man on earth! This past weekend Bev and I spent several days at our lakefront property in Upstate NY. I had some time to reflect on my life in general while I was away from the busyness of everyday life. The goodness of God toward me caused a deep sense of gratefulness to arise in my heart.

I have a better wife than I deserve. After almost 24 years of marriage, I love her more deeply than ever. We truly are best friends. Middle age has brought a depth to our marriage that carries into every aspect of our relationship - spiritual, emotional, and sexual. I am still in awe of her, of her beauty. (I'll just let it at that!)

My children bring me a great deal of joy. They are living in the purpose for which they were created. Justin is teaching and going to grad school at Clemson University. The academic world fits him perfectly at this stage in his life. He gets to do two things he loves deeply at Clemson - teach and learn.

After a season ending ACL injury last fall, Heidi is playing soccer again for Eastern University. Several times this season I have seen her play like never before. She is following the God-given desires of her heart at Eastern. Since this is her senior year, she will be student teaching this year. Her excitement about teaching is evident.

Karisa left for northern India two weeks after graduation for high school. While she is halfway around the world, we are still able to connect and talk on the phone. Her joy at being involved in the redemptive plan of God comes through in every conversation. Her own discovery of God's goodness causes Bev and I immeasurable joy.

Sarah is a senior in high school. She has much favor with her friends and is a quiet leader. Academically she excels. Relationally there are always a group of friends around her. Bev and I are Momma and Pappa Peach to her friends. What a privilege!

And then the other stuff...The dreams I relinquished to follow Jesus fifteen years ago, God is restoring. Not only are the dreams of the distant past being restored, the dreams of the more recent past are being fulfilled as well. For a time, God took me/us through a season when He seemed to be our enemy as He vigorously attacked what we had become. On the other side of the dark night of the soul, He has showered us with His goodness.

Because of the call of God on our lives, Bev and I are the object of frequent personal attacks. In light of the goodness of God toward us, these attacks are nothing more than bumps in the road of life, bumps that help in the humility department. Jesus told us that we would be blessed in the midst of personal attacks.

And so I am blessed...blessed beyond measure!

gambling, alcohol, church and emptiness

Last week I spent some time in the Midwest for continuing education with the company for which I work. Thursday evening a group of us decided to go out for the evening. Since I drink only moderately, I was the designated driver. I made some startling observations during my time on the town.

Our first stop was at a new casino just several miles from our hotel. We arrived at the door, declining the valet parking. We were greeted by well-dressed greeters that opened the doors and welcomed us inside. The interior decor was rather elaborate. The lobby area had absolutely beautiful and wonderfully comfortable leather sofas and easy chairs. I watched as people played various games of chance, slots, roulette, poker, and more. Every once in a while a voice announced a big winner.

I began to look closer, to observe those playing the games. I saw elderly people, people in wheelchairs, and several people on oxygen tanks. While not everyone playing the games were elderly, the vast majority appeared to be old enough to collect social security. As I looked closer, past the feverish tempo, I saw empty people. People whose eyes were tired as they pursued the high of winning.

We left the casino to go the the grand opening of a sports bar complex. The atmosphere there was much more relaxed. The pretty bartender shouted a greeting as we walked inside. As the evening progressed, more people showed up and mingled. A band (not a very good one!) played music. My co-workers began to hit the alcohol, drinking non stop. People began to gradually show the effects of the alcohol. I had several conversations with complete strangers, for that moment in time we were friends.

Once again, I began to see past the alcohol, the inferior music, and the laughter. I saw people desperately trying to have a good time. I saw middle aged women desperately trying to recapture their teen years again. Overweight middle aged men strutted like body builders. Alcohol causes people who can't dance think that they can. And yet, just like in the casino, there was a great deal of emptiness behind all the noise.

As I sat at the bar and watched people, I realized several things. First, I felt somewhat out of place. It didn't have anything to do with either gambling or drinking. Rather, the entire atmosphere in both places was set by people attempting to fill a deep void with external activities. At the casino, the hope for happiness hinged on winning the jackpot. At the bar, people slowly lost their inhibitions in search of a feeling of community and happiness.

The second realization struck most forcefully. I realized that I felt the same way that I frequently do when I am "in church" or with people who profess to be Christians. I am not sure that there is much difference between people in the bar or the casino and people in church on Sunday morning. We try some external activity hoping it will bring us happiness and fulfillment. We busy ourselves with activities and noise, yet in the end we feel empty. Unfortunately our emptiness drives us to drink more, gamble more, or engage in more religious activities.

True fulfillment comes not from winning the jackpot, losing ourselves in alcohol, or increasingly busy church activities. The fulfillment for which we yearn comes only as we are reconciled with God deep in our heart. We will never satisfy our God-yearning with any external activities.

The Blessing of Exposure

For several years, I have been sensing that we are entering a time of exposure. God is revealing the things that "truly are". It will become increasingly hard to hide ungodly attitudes, actions, and mindsets. A friend of mine told me recently that to her it seems like God is poking and prodding people until the "ugly" manifests. While initially it is frightening when confronted with our ugliness, the revelation of the sin allows for the healing power of God to transform us (if we allow it).

This past week, an increasingly familiar scenario occurred. For the past months there has been a great deal of hype about Todd Bentley and what was happening in Lakeland. Unfortunately we are discovering some "rot" in the life of Todd. Any time this kind of revelation surfaces, it creates a great deal of turmoil. Those who held Todd in too high regard are devastated. Those who for one reason or another disliked Todd feel vindicated. (Unfortunately neither attitude comes from the heart of God).

Several weeks ago, I woke up with the words "there is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed" in my spirit. I realized that these were the words of Jesus from Luke 12:

“Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Later in the morning as I was pondering what I heard earlier, I again heard the following phrase in my spirit: "fall on the rock". Once again I immediately recognized the words of Jesus from Luke 10:

Then He looked at them and said, “what then is this that is written: The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone’? Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”

The inescapable fact of exposure leads to the dilemma of a response to that which is being exposed. For those to whom the exposure leads to a brokenness, abundant life results. For those to whom exposure leads to an attempt to conceal that which God exposes, destruction results. If Todd Bentley embraces the exposure of the faults and falls on Jesus, he can expect healing and life. However, if he attempts to minimize the faults, destruction will find him.

In my own life, recently God exposed a deeper weakness. The exposure demolishes any kind of self-righteousness and any measure of self-goodness. Once again I am required to cry out to Jesus for His grace to face my ugliness. My awareness of my susceptibility to ungodly thought patterns and actions has deepened. On the other hand, my awareness of the goodness of God has deepened as well. As I throw myself on the Rock, as I am broken, I discover life.

In observing what is happening in the world around me I notice another phenomena. I see people who are experiencing God's exposure. Instead of embracing the work of God, they continue in the attempts to hide from the exposure. At best, they minimize the work of God by pointing to their "goodness". At worst, they resist the work of God by calling it the work of the enemy. Ultimately, the Rock will fall on them and they will be crushed by Him.

From personal experience, I can say that this time of exposure is a blessing. It allows me to be in a position to truly experience the redemptive power of God. While many will blame the enemy for Todd Bentley's faults, I believe this is not the work of the enemy. Rather, I believe that this is the work of God revealing what "really is" so that an opportunity for healing can manifest.

The demonization of Jesus (and those who follow Him)

I was reading in John 8 today. Jesus is engaging with the Pharisees, causing them to face the reality of their godlessness. As the conversation progressed, they became increasing vicious in their attacks on Him. In the ongoing dialogue, there is a statement that reveals at least one contributing factor to their anger. Verse 30 sums up what was happening with the following words - As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.

I believe that the Pharisees were fully aware that their religious control over people was being threatened. For years, in spite of differing views, the religious sects of the day played by the same rules. They were more interested in protecting their systems and theology than they were about the restoration of people. As long as all the different groups played by the same set of rules, the religious equilibrium was stable.

However, the entrance of Jesus on the scene upset the status quo. His words and actions indicated that God cared more for people than for the established religious systems. He healed on the Sabbath. He interacted deeply with unclean sinners. He touched the untouchable. And now people were drawn to Him. His words and actions gave them hope. Furthermore, Jesus' words revealed the condition of the Pharisee's heart. Their self-god was being exposed.

As the exposure increased, so did the vicious nature of the attacks. The Pharisees implied that they were better than Him because they were not born in fornication. (As if Jesus could have done anything about the circumstances surounding His birth!) As their anger increased, they continued to attack Jesus. They accused Him of being a Samaritan, of being demon possessed.
Finally, their rage culminated in an effort to kill Him.

A hallmark of people following the self-god is this kind of demonization. The self-god operates behind a facade of godliness. When the presence of God exposes the hypocrisy, the one through whom the presence of God is manifest must be demonized. Demonization of the person justifies the feelings of superioirity and rage. Ultimately it opens the door for all kinds of ungodly actions toward people.

Jesus said that a servant is not greater than His master. Those who follow Him should expect the same kind of treatment from the modern protectors of the religious systems.

How Big is Your God?

Lately I’ve been thinking a good deal about our perception of God. More specifically, I’ve been thinking about the way we make God into our image (or perhaps make a god in our image). Now, none of us would ever admit to making God in our image. However, our perception about the greatness of God is usually limited to our own abilities. In other words we limit our picture of God to what we can or cannot do ourselves.

Let me illustrate – I frequent an Internet forum that has the stated purpose of seeing revival break out. However, instead of talking about revival, most posts deal with the dangers of deception. Posters obsess with who is deceived and who is okay in the church world. Continual warnings are posted about various deceptions.

Why the obsession with deception? I believe it has to do with people’s perspective of God. They do not believe that God is greater than any deception. Therefore, deception must be feared. They doubt God’s ability to reveal deception; therefore they must take matters in their own hands. They have to be very careful lest some deception from another person “gets on them”.

Somehow we inherently believe that world or deceptions are greater than the God in us. We are afraid that the “world” will taint us. If we really understood the nature of God, we would expect the God in us to “taint” the world. We would expect the God in us to expose deception. Light is greater than darkness, life is greater than death.

I have a friend who talked with her church leaders about a desire to penetrate society. She was quickly warned about the dangers of associating with the world. She was told that it takes a mature Christian to withstand the allure of the world. Huh? The God in my friend is the same God that dwells in mature Christians. God is able to keep her fully.

The problem with the advice my friend received was that it minimized God. I believe that subconsciously, her leaders had a small view of God. Their statements reveal that they hold to a view that the world is more powerful than God.

How big is your God? Is He capable of handling the things you face? Is He capable of getting you back on track if you get lost? Do you expect Him to affect those around you in a powerful way?

Into the Shadowlands

I postedthis early last year. I felt like I needed to share it again with you all.

Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him: “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him to the Gentiles; and they will mock Him, and scourge Him, and spit on Him, and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again.” (Mark 10:32-34)

From my leadership experience, I have discerned a startling truth – People will willingly follow a good leader almost anywhere except into the valley of the shadow of death. God’s pattern of leadership as revealed in Jesus requires leaders to embrace what feels like a downward spiral into the shadows, into a place where the glory of leadership dissipates completely.

Jesus’ disciples were astounded that He would choose to travel to Jerusalem in the face of imminent danger. His steady movement toward a place of apparent death struck fear to their hearts. Their consternation with Jesus’ travel plans blinded them to see through the valley of the shadow of death to the glorious reality of the resurrection.

Jesus’ disciples had dreams of Jesus being a king like David. In their minds, not only was Jesus destined to be a king, but they were poised to have leading roles in this emerging glorious kingdom. Therefore, Jesus’ journey into the shadow lands of death caused a great deal of consternation in them. They needed Him to establish a kingdom, to be the monarch of the new Jewish superpower.

In the context of Jesus’ journey into impending death, in the context of their fear, James and John came to Jesus asking for positions of power in the empire that they were certain that Jesus would establish. (Read Mark 10:35-37). It was as if they were reminding Jesus that He had a responsibility to establish the new Jewish superpower.

Jesus’ experience with His disciples mirrors much of my own experience. People will follow a leader as long as the leader is building something magnificent. They deeply desire to be a part of something grandiose.

For leaders seeking validation from the people they lead, it becomes easy to never make the journey into the valley of the shadow of death due to the expectations of those being led. To not complete the leadership journey, however, will negate the leader from engaging with God’s pattern for leadership. Consequently the Kingdom of God is never established through that leader.

It is important to note that Jesus’ own journey into the shadow lands was the prelude to resurrection power. God was establishing His kingdom through Jesus. Even so today – leaders must journey to the shadow lands of death to discover a new and fresh authority and life.

From my own experience I can tell you that any leader who makes the journey into death and the cross will probably not be popular. Throughout the years of leading and being a catalyst in the emergence of God’s Kingdom on earth, I have experienced the resistance that comes from the demonic hordes seeking to destroy the new things God was bringing forth. However, the greatest resistance I have received on my walk with God occurred when I intentionally followed God into the valley of the shadow of death.

Many of the people I have led consistently applied pressure on me to abandon the journey into “nothingness” regardless how much I tried communicate with them the power (and the Jesus pattern) of the journey into “nothingness”. Beyond the pressure from people, my own desire for significance was compounded by the voices of the enemy encouraging me to choose a less threatening path to resurrection life. (Which, incidentally, does not exist).

For the past number of years, the gentle whisper of heaven, the voice of the Father, has invited me to choose the way of the valley of the shadow of death, to enter a place that seems and feels insignificant. I have chosen to resolutely heed the invitation, knowing that in all likelihood, I would find myself not on some grandiose stage, but in the shadows of the world and the church.

However, I have found some diamonds in the place of darkness. In the shadow lands I have found that the barrier between heaven and earth are minimal. In the shadow lands, I experience the kiss of the Father for an extended period. His kiss has sustained me in my resolution to press ahead. In the shadow lands, I discover God as my friend. I become acutely aware of the invitation to participate with Him in the redemption of creation.

Press on to Jerusalem; it is the way of God. Purpose to enter the valley of the shadow of death as God invites you to do so. To grasp at our dreams of greatness will cause us to miss the point, to miss resurrection life.

The work of God

I am overwhelmed at times that God desires me to be involved deeply in His work in the world today. His invitation moves me from being a spectator to being a participant, not as some insignificant pawn in His hand but as a partner. Paul, in his letter to the church at Corinth, understood the invitation.

Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

The invitation of God is to a ministry of reconciliation. As we reconcile people to God, they discover abundant life. This ministry of reconciliation is not some ethereal concept but a practical lifestyle. People get lost. They wander away from God, heeding the allure of the self-god. As they
give ear to the self-god, they become even more lost until all that they can hear is the enemy of their soul speaking through the self-god.

Our ministry is to bring people back to God in a practical way. The ministry of reconciliation requires us to become deeply involved with people. Bringing people to abundant life cannot be done from a distance. The example of Jesus coming to earth to live with us points to the deeply interactive nature of this ministry. God immersed Himself in our world, living among us. He felt what we feel, experienced the suffering we suffer so that He might reconcile us to the intended relationship with God. (Again - I am not talking about a theoretical relationship but a practical interaction with Him).

In the same way, if we are to be involved with God in His work of reconciling people to Himself, then we have to get involved with people. We must interact with broken, wounded people; people whose sin repulses the religious. Our interaction with them cannot be from a position of superiority based on our goodness. Our attitude must be one of humility born from the realization of our own tendencies toward sin. I had a man ask me why I pursued him. I replied that someday I might need him to pursue me.

For far too many years, I wanted to reconcile people to God from a distance. I wanted the recognition that I was working with God but I was unwilling to draw close to those who needed reconciliation. A number of years ago, God began to show me that while we had started churches, while we looked successful as defined by secular success, in reality, we never really discipled people. We didn't participate with God in His redemptive work on a heart level. When we started Grace Covenant Church, we built our house in a wooded area that the base of a mountain. One purpose for choosing that location was that I wanted to get away from people when I was not preaching/teaching. I wanted to be involved in the ministry of reconciliation from a distance.

Fortunately, God has been gracious with me. He gave me another chance to become involved with reconciling people to Himself. For the past several years, we have had the privilege of interacting with broken people, people who have gotten lost. We have seen the process of reconciliation begin to affect their lives. We've seen them discover God and life. We've cried together, eaten together, and shared our stories together. When we have experienced breakthrough, we've celebrated together. In the process, God's work of reconciliation affected us as well, drawing us closer to Him, restoring us to a partnership with Him

Spiritual warfare

I have been thinking about spiritual warfare a good deal lately. Let me preface my thoughts with my own experiences. I have been involved with what we call spiritual warfare exercises most of my life. I have gone on prayer walks, prayer drives, and have prayed at "strategic" locations. I have rebuked evil, spoke truth, and made declarations.

When I look at spiritual warfare in the life of Jesus, I see another aspect of spiritual warfare. The Bible never tells us about the content of the conversations between the Father and Jesus in those times when Jesus went to the mountain to pray. Maybe Jesus prayed that principalities would be bound, that truth would be released, but it is never recorded. What is recorded is the spiritual warfare that took place as Jesus interacted with individual people. Jesus perceived that an evil spirit bound a man that could not speak, He cast the demon from the man. When a Peter spoke from his human intellect and became a mouth-piece for the evil one, Jesus rebuked Him. When a woman was brought to Him that was caught in the act of adultery, Jesus spoke words to release her from the curse of condemnation.

It seems to me that Jesus engagement in spiritual warfare occurred primarily in the life of individual people. He plundered the enemy by freeing people from bondage by His words and by His interaction with them.

In my own life, the most intense spiritual struggles and battles occur as I interact with people heart to heart, as I get involved in their mess. Tearing down strongholds in the minds of people can be intense at times. On the other hand, seeing freedom and life come to people in a practical way is exhilarating as well.

Might it be that we would rather pray over a geographic area than get involved with the people in that area. Might it be that we would rather rebuke the evil one than show people how to live by interacting deeply with them? Is it possible that we would rather proclaim from afar instead of engaging with broken people?

Rest?

And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested (literally - to cease from exertion) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.

It's Sunday morning. I am sitting at the kitchen table, listening to two different kinds of music. I have my favorite old hymn (Great is Thy Faithfulness) playing on the computer. The door to the deck is open and I can hear at least three different kinds of birds. I slept in this morning, not worried about the demanding voice of the alarm clock. In my place between sleep and wake, I sensed the presence of God caressing me. I made some coffee a little earlier and I am still enjoying what's left of it. I am resting. My heart feels full, full of gratefulness toward God, full of joy, full of life.

I wonder for how many people, this morning was restful. I wonder for how many was it stressful. I have four children and can understand the stress that families undergo on a Sunday morning. We want to rest but the alarm clock demands that we start the day. We push the snooze button for five more minutes of pillow time. Suddenly we realize that we better get out of bed and get going. Somehow that extra five minutes mysteriously cause us to be at least fifteen minutes behind schedule. We feel the first tentacles of stress beginning to squeeze us. We pick up the pace which in turn causes a bit of frustration with other family members who seem to not have the same sense of urgency. Our frustration spills out on them. Within minutes the frustration level in the household increases. And this is a day of rest!

I wonder how many of us really have a day of rest. If God needed to rest, then most certainly we do as well. Yet our perceptions of the demands of God frequently cause us to be stressed. We feel guilty if we are late for church. We feel even more guilty not attending a church service on a Sunday morning. I don't know what God did on the seventh day, but I highly doubt that He felt guilty for resting.

If your day of rest is causing more stress than a normal day, if you are motivated to perform certain expected actions on your day of rest, then something is wrong in your life. You are headed for a spiritual and physical train-wreck (I speak from experience!) My morning has been glorious. My mind is refreshed, my heart is alive. All because I ceased from exertion!

The power of obstacles

In our walk with God (and in life in general), people frequently attempt to avoid obstacles. Obstacles are perceived to be hindrances in fulfilling our God-given purpose. We lament the fact that they keep us from abundant life, from fulfilling our purpose. I often hear people talking about "if only..."

I believe that it is time to see obstacles in a different light. Instead of being the thing that hinders us, in reality obstacles are the avenue for the release of God's miracle working power. The next time you face what seems like an insurmountable challenge in your walk with God, I encourage you to see that challenge differently. Look from the historical perspective of the Bible.

The nation of Israel was trapped between the Red Sea and the wrath of Pharaoh and his Egyptian army. They faced certain destruction; it seemed as if following God had led them to this place of insurmountable obstacle. However, their situation was the catalyst for them to experience the power of God.

Jesus and His disciples spent the day with multitudes of people in the remote wilderness. With nothing to eat all day, the people grew hungry. There was no way to provide for their need. Once again the circumstances were ripe for the manifestation of the miraculous power of God.

History is filled with examples of people who embraced obstacles, instead of shrinking back from the impossibility of their circumstances, they pressed ahead. These are the history-makers, people who change the face of their generation. History is also filled with people, who when confronted with obstacles, chose to shrink away in fear. These are the people who have been largely irrelevant to the kingdom of God.

When one becomes possessed by his/her God-given dreams and boldly tackles obstacles, something transformational begins to occur. As obstacles are conquered, an authority, a "weightiness" begins to be evident in the individual. Conversely, when one shrinks from the inevitable obstacles that result from heeding the invitation of God, they become changed as well. Negativity, fear, and an unhealthy spirit of competition begins to define them.

I am convinced that the main difference between history-makers and irrelevant people is their attitude toward and their response to obstacles. The reason most of us never experience the miracle working power of God is that we have no need for it. We spend our life in "smallness" never needing God's power on our behalf.

Obstacles are the medium through which men and women are made. Obstacles are catalyst for the unleashing of the power of God. Embrace them...overcome them...be transformed!

A heart condition

For the past several years, there has been a great deal of debate in Christendom about the state of a person's heart. There are people who insist that the heart is evil and can quote scripture to prove their point. There are people who insist that God gives a new heart and therefore the heart is good and can be trusted (and they can quote scriptures to prove their point). The debate frequently erupts on some of the Internet forums that I read.

Recently I was reading some of the parables that Jesus taught. A familiar story about seed, about different kinds of soil, and the resulting interaction between the seed and the soil caught my eye. Jesus had told a story to the crowds of people following Him about a man who sowed the same kind of seed on different kinds of soil with different results. Later the disciples asked Him the meaning of the story. Here are the words of Jesus:

Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

As I was reading the words of Jesus, the last line leaped off the page. In order for the word of God (the seed) to bring forth fruit, it must be heard with a good and noble heart. Of course I had some immediate questions.

1. Since the seed (the logos, the word of God) finds fruitfulness only in a good and noble heart, are the people that insist the heart is wicked unable to receive the word of God in a way that results in fruitfulness?
2. Why/how does the devil have access to the heart of those who are compared to the wayside (or path)? Is their heart evil? Does that evil-ness allow access?
3. Do the first three soils correlate with the condition of a person's heart? Are these the people who insist that their heart is evil?

I don't profess to have the definitive answers to these questions. However, Jesus words seem to indicate that there is a correlation between the degree of fruitfulness of a person and the condition of their heart. In other words, if one does not have a good and noble heart, then it impossible to provide the incubator that brings the word to complete fruition.

The emerging leadership in the church

Since the days of Jesus, we have wrestled with a different kind of leadership. In the kingdom of God, leadership is vastly different than in the world. Jesus had the following to say about leadership. (from Mark 10)

But among you it should be quite different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be the slave of all. For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many."

As God begins to restore the church to the Biblical patterns, a new (for us) kind of leadership will emerge. Leaders will no longer work at building their own kingdom. Instead they will work toward building God's kingdom. In so doing, they will follow Jesus' example. Jesus never demanded a position or privilege. Look at His example in the midst of the disciples arguing about who was the greatest among them:

Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.

Jesus was fully aware of His authority, of His relationship to the Father. Yet instead of demanding that He be honored by having His feet washed, He took the position of a servant, choosing to be the one supporting the disciples. Jesus never demanded that His disciples submit to His authority and position.

Even today, Jesus' power and authority is not for His benefit. He exercises that authority for our benefit. Paul, in His letter to the Ephesians, makes note of this:

And God has put all things under the authority of Christ, and he gave him this authority for the benefit of the church.

In the past, leaders in the church have far too frequently acted more like the world than like Jesus. They have demanded submission. They have protected their position. Some tasks are seen as too menial for leaders. Many times, the people have existed to serve the leader and his/her vision.

The role of leadership in the kingdom of God is to facilitate the building of the kingdom of God. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not allowing people to enter the kingdom of God. As I leader I must be careful to not hinder people from engaging with God. I don't think leaders consciously hinder people, however over the years I have consistently observed it happening. When a church member comes to a leader and expresses a desire to follow Jesus into a new venture, all too frequently the leader squashes the initiative because the person is needed in the leader's sphere. Instead of exploring what God may be doing and how His kingdom may be expanded by this new venture, the leader simply assumes that this idea cannot be from God because it doesn't fit with the building of his/her personal kingdom.

There is a new (or old, depends on how you look at it) kind of leadership emerging. Leaders will facilitate the expansion of God's kingdom by blessing and releasing people into the dreams they may have. Leaders will use their anointing to call people into a deeper walk with God, instead of using their anointing to self-fulfill their own desires for their own kingdom. Authority will be used to benefit those being led. Since the kingdom of God is within people, leaders will recognize the movement of God's Spirit in the hearts of those they lead. They will freely choose to wash feet, serving those they lead in whatever way is best for those being led. As a result, the kingdom of God will grow exponentially.

Excited about church

I have been thinking about the church a good deal recently. I can't help but be excited about what I believe is in store for the church. Perhaps I should define church before I go further. Far too frequently people associate church with a building, or a service on Sunday morning, or programs like children's ministry or youth ministry. Now I want to be clear, these things are not wrong it's just that they should not define church.

In the Biblical paradigm of church, none of these defining items are even mentioned. In the Bible, church is about people, followers of Jesus, doing life together. Church was not something to attend but something to be together with other followers of Christ. Look at the following description:

They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.

I would like to make some observations about the nature of the first century church from these words.

1. Church relationships were far deeper than meeting once a week. Church broke out every day of the week - in homes and in the temple. It seems to me that church erupted at the workplace and in the streets on a DAILY basis
2. There was a deep sense of community that resulted in needs being known and met. They ate together, shared together, did life together in vulnerable, raw community. They prayed for each other because they deeply cared for each other.
3. Their shared walk not only enabled them care for each other, it allowed for a spirit of praise to arise as the goodness of God was evident to all. Joy and simplicity marked their interaction. In other words, they had a good time. (They might have even laughed together!!) There was not any kind of posturing or jockeying for position.

For the past several years, I have been privileged to experience some of the sense of community seen in this account. I am walking in close proximity with other believers, sharing joys, doubts, and the wonder of discovery. Life and laughter spills out as we celebrate God's goodness. We share sorrows and burdens as well, our hearts being knit to each other and to the Father as we experience the difficulty of life at times.

People ask me from time to time what new thing I see emerging in the church. One of my close fellow travellers on this journey made an insightful comment recently - "Is it possible that the new thing God wants to do is really an old thing?" I think she was on to something. I believe that there are glorious days ahead for the church as we re-discover the simplicity of God's original intent for church.

Everywhere I go people are longing for this kind of community. Community that practices discipleship as a lifestyle instead of a class or a program. People hunger to experience the presence of God as seen through the Body of His Son. This stirring for deep connection with other believers that spurs us to deeper relationship with God, this hunger for life is God breathed as we return to the simplicity of church.

As I ponder these things, I can't help but be excited!

Destroying the church??

Recently I have been accused of trying to destroy the church. I find that accusation rather amusing since the church cannot be destroyed! However, I think I know the source of the accusation.

Let me start by defining "church". The Greek word we translate as church is "ekklesia". Quite literally it means "a calling out" and it refers to a group of people. As I get older, I am becoming more aware of the need to be part of an "ekklesia". Christianity is meant to be lived in community, close intimate community. We see this in the early church in the book of Acts (read Acts 2).

Some years ago, the Holy Spirit challenged me to measure our current church activity against the template of the life of Jesus (we are the body of Christ) and against the example of the early church. Much to my surprise I discovered a lot of things that did not align with either example. I don't think that every thing we do has to be exactly like the early church. For example, while the early church did not have buildings, I do not feel that there is anything wrong with a body of believers owning a building that facilitates their walk with God.

However, what does bother me is that there is a system of beliefs and actions in our current church mindset that is synonymous with God in the minds of many people. If we depart from that system beliefs or actions, we are accused of being deceived. For instance:

• We measure a person's spiritual growth by their attendance of a meeting on Sunday morning. We see church as something to attend. If someone does not attend a Sunday service, they are somehow rebellious. (Regardless of whether they are living out the life of Jesus and the pattern of the early church throughout the week)

• We have recreated an OT type of worship with a priest (the pastor) and a temple (the building). Our primary worship is in the building under the leading of the priest.

• The structure of the church becomes more important than God and His work in the life of individuals. For instance - we recruit people to fill ministry spots instead of freeing people to pursue the path God has for them.

• Through the years, most of the leader's meetings in which I participated (and led) had more to do with keeping the structure running smoothly than they did with building deep heart to heart relationships with other believers.

It seems to me that much of our current paradigm of church has been influenced, not by Jesus and a Biblical paradigm, but by a system that has been handed down for centuries. That system is not inherently wrong UNTIL the system takes the place of God. In other words, we become more interested in protecting the church system than we are in following Jesus. When that happens, we usually attempt to make Jesus fit our framework of church instead of allowing our ideas about church to be formed by Him.

I have spoken with leaders and believers from across the United States and from other countries who will confess that the "system" is counterproductive to the expansion of the Kingdom of God. When the system becomes more important than people, people will be used or discarded according to their loyalty, not to God, but to the system. The system rewards leaders with power, a sense of worth, and in certain situations, financial security. People become the fuel to fire the engine of efficiency and productivity. The problem is not with the way we express the church, the problem arises when our expression of church becomes more important than God's work.

It is that system that kills the church. It is that system that holds people in bondage, keeping them from fulfilling their God-given purpose. It is that system that oppresses creativity. It is that system that opposes the priesthood of believers. It is that system that resists servant leadership. It is that system that is facing the judgment of God. It is that system that I will violently oppose.

Those who think I am destroying church are confusing God's idea of church with the "church system" that opposes radical interaction with God and the expansion of His kingdom. It is the ungodly system that God will destroy. Because their love for "the system", people feel threatened by this judgment of God.

I am deeply committed to Jesus and the Body of Christ. Church (ekklesia) is God's idea. I am deeply invested in heart to heart relationships with a community of believers. I deeply value the privilege of being part of the church. I have no desire to destroy the church. (And I couldn't if I wanted to!) I simply want people to be free to experience and be the church according to the Biblical pattern.

Merchandising, the church and evangelism

Bev and I were in South Carolina last month to visit our son. Every time I am there, I can't help but notice the amount of billboards extolling the virtues of attending specific churches. It seems as if churches are competing for a clientele, attempting to lure people with promises of satisfaction. Is that what the Kingdom of God is about - getting people into my building to be part of my clientele?

Yet it is not just in South Carolina that this attitude prevails. Recently I had to attend a business meeting at a local restaurant. As I was entering the restaurant, I met an acquaintance at the cash register. He began to tell me about a specific waitress to whom he had been talking. He wanted me to know that he was sure she could be convinced to attend Grace Covenant Church. He wanted me to "close the deal" with her.

Is that what Christianity is about? Are we to convince people of the value of the services they will receive if they attend our church? Sometimes I wonder if Christians have attended a used car sales training seminar. To me it all feels more like we are trying to sell used cars than inviting people into our lives to see firsthand our journey with Jesus. Quite frankly, I think we are more interested in building our own kingdom than we are about the expansion of God's kingdom. In my opinion, the good news of God's present kingdom here on earth is frequently lost in our efforts to build our church.

Life, not misery

It's 1:00 AM and I am sitting in the PA Farmshow Complex. While I recently started a new job with Agri-King, a livestock nutrition company, I still work for the state at the Farmshow Complex from time to time. Tonight I have lots of time to think as I make sure nobody steals the antiques on display for a show. I am surprisingly lucid...maybe it's the coffee!

In my last post I reflected on the goodness of God. (And for all those who will meet with GCC on Sunday, it is a preview of what I will be teaching). I think that I am beginning to understand eternal life. The Kingdom of God is righteousness, joy, and peace. This is not some ethereal concept but a practical reality.

I am aware that many teachers in the church world resist the idea that life can be good, that God desires us to enjoy life. They speak of dying to self, of the fact that Jesus said that in this world we will experience trials. Unfortunately they never move beyond the suffering. Jesus did not come so that we could suffer. Jesus did not come so that we would spend our days being miserable.

Will following Jesus cause us to die to self? Absolutely. However death is not the destination. It wasn't for Jesus and neither is it for us. Death and suffering are simply the doorway to the realm of God, a place of righteousness, joy, and peace. Taking up our cross and dying to self is for the purpose of experiencing resurrection life, not just in theory but in reality.

Do not give ear to people who spend their entire life in misery. They have not truly experienced God. Do not be swayed by those who promote Christianity as a struggle to "hold on" until they reach heaven some day. These miserable Christians frequently attempt to place guilt on those who are enjoying life. They are much like the older brother in Jesus' story of the prodigal son.

Jesus came so that we might have abundant life...enjoy it lavishly!

God is so good

I know the title of this entry sounds rather cliche-ish. However I do not know any other words to use to describe what I am experiencing as I walk with Him. In 1994, Bev and I relinquished our dream to own a farm and breed the best herd of Holstein cattle possible. God invited us to leave it all and follow Him into the unknown. We simply assumed that the dreams of raising livestock, of cows contentedly lounging on a green pasture were gone.

For the past several years, I have done some security work at the Pennsylvania Farmshow and Expo Center. Last fall as I watched a cattle show, I began to realize how much my heart was still stirred by the thought of breeding cattle. I began to wonder if maybe my heart dreams that I relinquished in 1994 were perhaps coming to life again.

In January of this year, God opened the door for me to work in the livestock nutrition field. Once again I find myself working a job that is not work for me. It makes my heart come to life. The dream of breeding fine cattle is stirring again.

When I gave my dreams to God, relinquishing my right to fulfill them, I assumed that He had discarded them in some eternal trash can to buried in the landfill of selfish desires. Instead, He deposited those dreams into an eternal bank account for a time. While I thought that they were dead, in reality, like any good investment, they were collecting interest until the time for them to be given back to me. God could have chosen to discard those dreams, instead He took care of them for me. God didn't have to keep those dreams for me - but He did!

And so I find myself in a place where my heart explodes with gratitude. His goodness in giving the dreams back to me was not required for me to love Him. He has already done enough. But the lavish restoration of relinquished dreams points to His extravagant love for me.

To all of this I can only say GOD IS SO GOOD!

My frustration with small-minded, irrelevant people

I have a confession to make. I am deeply impatient with and frustrated by what I call "small-minded, irrelevant people". Let me explain...

They are small-minded because they have no real concept of the larger work of God. They are kings of their own kingdom, creating false realities that strengthen their deception. While they may be able to parrot the correct words that sound spiritual, they have no concept of the kingdom of God. They create their own god, a god that caters to their desires. They frequently insert themselves into places that are none of their business, attempting to be God in the lives of other people. They claim to speak for God without ever having any consciousness of God. They have preconceived notions of how things ought to happen. They pompously judge other people all the while ignoring their own ugliness.

They are irrelevant to the kingdom of God. Because they have no concept of the work of God, they cannot and will not participate with God in His redemptive work. While they put themselves forward as teachers and leaders in the church, their efforts are completely outside of the rule of God. As a result, they are irrelevant to expansion of the realm of God on the earth today. They speak of power but have none. They are more interested in protecting their religious system than they are in conforming to the will of God. They are more invested in making sure things get done their way than they are about the kingdom of God coming to earth. They impose their own will instead of allowing the will of God to be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Jesus was confronted by this same type of people in His day. He pointedly spoke to their hypocrisy. He was angered by their callous attitude toward people who need healing. In the end, they were irrelevant to what God was doing in that day.

Give up

I have noticed a lot of self-effort recently in my conversations with Christians. People try to love more, try to be a better person, try to forgive, try follow Jesus. The problem with trying is that the starting point for the self-effort attempts is still self. When our starting point for any kind of transformational work is self, we are doomed to failure. If we could transform ourselves into people who love without restraint, who freely forgive without limitation, who radically follow Jesus without reservation, we would have no need for a Saviour.

I have discovered that embracing my human-ness, and coming to grips with my own inability to to live in the manner expected by God allows me to experience the transformational power of God. Instead of attempting to cover my ugliness with a veneer of goodness, I throw myself on the mercy of God, realizing that apart from Him I have no chance of ever changing. Instead of focusing on changing my behaviors, I run into Him with all my destructive ways, allowing His words and work to transform me.

As I yield my ugliness and humanity to Him, I have discovered that He begins to transform my thought processes and behaviors. I no longer need to strive to change myself into what I think God wants. I allow Him to change me into what He wants.

Instead of trying harder to change, I encourage you to abandon yourself in all your ugliness to God. Let Him define you with His words, let Him transform you by His Spirit, embrace His strategy for your transformation. You cannot change yourself, you cannot rescue yourself. Instead, allow the supernatural work of Jesus to become real in you.

Ministry?

It seems to me that our perceptions of ministry are shaped more by tradition than by either God or the Bible. Just recently I found myself confronted with my own faulty premises about ministry. In January I took an Area Manager position with an agricultural company specializing in livestock nutrition. I struggled internally for several weeks, wondering if I left my calling. I finally realized that God desires to bring His kingdom (His realm or rule) to the farmers with whom I work. My life is ministry and my work is spiritual. God desires for my clients to prosper as they put God's business principles into practice.

As I thought about my struggle, I realized that my paradigm of ministry was shaped more by the traditions of church than by God's definition. In the church world, the pinnacle of ministry is "full time ministry" especially pastoring. Our verbiage indicates our paradigm. "Full time ministry" means to us that we are getting paid to do ministry. The questions that arises in my mind is this - are those of us who do not get paid for ministry engaged in a lesser form of ministry? I have heard leaders lament the amount of pastors who leave the ministry. Huh? Does that mean that those of us who have been pastors and are now in the business world are somehow less involved in the expansion of the realm of God? Does that mean that we have betrayed God and settled for something less significant.

In the past I have been paid the equivalent of a full time salary for the work of ministry. I currently receive no income for ministry except the voluntary gifts of people who have been touched by God through me. I am not less spiritual today than when I led Grace Covenant Church. In fact, in many ways, I feel more deeply involved with the expansion of the realm of God today than I ever was.

Perhaps part of the reason we misinterpret ministry is our categorizing of things into sacred or secular. We assume our work is secular and in contrast anything to do with church is sacred. In reality, every part of my life is sacred because of God in me. He extends His kingdom through me wherever I am. I have come to the realization that whether I am engaged in church activities or in the business world, I am in full time ministry because of God in me!

Are you irrelevant?

The life of Jesus provides us a great deal of insight into spiritual reality. Jesus' greatest resistance came from the religious leaders of the day. They were deeply invested in protecting their ideas of God and the proper expression of religion.

Tragically these experts in religious matters were drastically out of touch with God, with His ongoing plans and purposes in that day. Instead of allowing God to be God, they created an image of God according to their desires. Their stubborn insistance that God could only operate according to their parameters set them at odds with Jesus.

Jesus on the other hand, allowed the Father free reign. He spoke only what He heard from the Father; He did only what He saw the Father doing. Instead of demanding that God conform to a set of parameters, He willingly submitted to the will of the Father.

Here is the interesting point for me. The religious leaders, in spite of their rank and position, were largely irrelevant to the work of God in that day. In all their efforts to protect a religious system and their own perceptions of God, they missed the point completely. While they appeared devout, while they put forth an image of goodness, they were irrelevant to the Kingdom of God.

Over the years, I have observed people who stubbornly cling to their perceptions of God. They resist anything that does not align with their ideas. Like the religious leaders of Jesus day, they are irrelavant to the ongoing redemptive work of God. They may position themselves as being on the cutting edge of Christianity but in reality, their life is at best not in harmony with the work of God and at worst resists the very God they claim to serve. They are irrelevant.

Discipling?

Recently I noticed an increase in awareness about discipleship. People are discussing the need for more intentional discipleship. I am not sure, but it seems to me that this might be the latest buzzword or "buzz-concept" in certain circles.

In no way do I want to diminish the need for discipleship. In fact, my lack of discipling other people while pastoring a church is one of my regrets. Several years ago Beverly and I changed our lifestyle dramatically so that we could begin to disciple people, a change that is beginning to yield a great deal of fruit. I am fully aware of the need for discipleship today.

However, much of what I am hearing and seeing in the current discussion about discipleship equates discipleship with another program to be implemented. In other words, discipleship is discussed as something we need to teach, a class that must be presented. I can tell you from experience that discipleship does not occur in the context of a class.

True discipleship is not the transfer of information. Rather it is the transfer of life. Or as Paul put it - follow me as I follow Christ. A teacher teaches a class and goes home. A person who is a true discipler teaches with his life at home, inviting others into his walk with God.

Our current system of events, classes, Sunday School, and teaching will never created disciples. Disciples are created as they see how leaders live. This was the pattern of Jesus. He invited the twelve to be with him, not in a classroom, but in all of life. Anything other than Jesus' discipleship pattern is doomed to failure.

To reduce discipleship to a program, to depart from Jesus' example of life interaction with those being discipled, reveals that we have no understanding about discipleship. We may be able to parrot the correct phrases and words but in reality we are powerless to make disciples.

more confessions of a converted pastor

Recently, an acquaintance of ours attended a Sunday morning church service. When time came for the sermon, the pastor spoke about the value of attending Sunday morning church services. He stressed the need for connection with other believers, his premise being that Sunday morning attendance equated with connection.

Yesterday I sat in a church service as well. As I observed the people sitting around me, I realized that I had no deep heart connection with most of them. There were people in that service with which I do have significant connection. However, that connection was not formed in the context of a Sunday morning service. Rather, it was formed around our kitchen table, it was formed riding in a car together. Our connection emerged, not around hearing a preacher preach, rather it emerged around shared struggles and joys, life lived together.

If deep connection with other believers does not happen in the context of a Sunday morning meeting, then why do church leaders continually stress the importance of attending church? From my experience as a pastor, I believe I can answer that question. Pastors, like the rest of us, deal with insecurities. Almost every pastor I have ever known feels better about himself/herself if there are more people in their services. In the posturing that occurs when pastors get together, several common themes repeatedly emerge. Large churches are perceived to more successful. When the conversations get around to talk of attendance numbers (and it always comes up sooner or later) pastors of small churches quickly point to the fact that they are growing in numbers. (Or they bemoan the fact that factors beyond their control are limiting their attendance numbers).

Quite simply - the more "successful" a church is, the more bodies it takes to maintain the appearance of success. Therefore, people must be encouraged to attend services and to participate in services. The real reason has nothing to do with heart to heart connection, it has to do with feeding the need for people to prop up a system that strokes the pastor's ego.

Lest you think I am opposed to large churches or Sunday morning services, let me assure you I am not. In fact for the past two months, there has been only one Sunday morning when I didn't preach at a church. However, to equate Sunday service attendance with connection to the body of Christ is a paradigm out of touch with reality.