community

Earlier this summer, Bev and I spent an evening with several friends, celebrating a birthday at JP Edwards in Burnham. The evening deeply imprinted itself on my heart and mind. I don't think about it in a nostalgic wistful way but more in a grateful overwhelming way. The evening helped me realize what a special thing our relationships are.

The evening was not made special by the food - although it was great. The conversation was great, not just surface "weather" kind of conversation but heart to heart conversation. We ate outside on the patio; the weather was delightful. (Other than the flying umbrella!) However, the beautiful weather is not what made the evening special.

The six of us come from diverse situations. There is a 20 year difference in age. One couple has grandchildren, one couple has young children at home. Our life experiences vary greatly. There have been times in our life when we all lived in different communities, scattered across the country and the world.
Our diversity does not divide us. Neither are we bound together by membership in an organization.

We drew our waitress, young enough to be my daughter, into the conversation to the point that when she finished her shift she came to the table and talked for a while. She talked about her life, about her struggles and about the uncertainty of her future.

What embedded the evening indelibly on my mind? It was the realization that I am part of something really special. Close relationships, the kind where there is no reason to pose and posture, are rare today. Sharing deeply and actively in another's failures and successes seems to be uncommon. Yet God's way is one of close community, life done together. The practical reality of the transformational work of Jesus emerges as we do life together - It is church!

underground and out of sight

“Take care! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired, because then you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven. When you give a gift to someone in need, don’t shout about it as the hypocrites do—blowing trumpets in the synagogues and streets to call attention to their acts of charity! I assure you, they have received all the reward they will ever get. But when you give to someone, don’t tell your left hand what your right hand is doing. Give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. “And now about prayer. When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. (From Matthew 6)

I am fascinated by these words. When I read them, I am reminded once again how the kingdom of God differs dramatically from the ways of man. Our insecurities cause us to search for validity. As a result we frequently "advertise" our ministries.

On the other hand, the way of the kingdom is not as much about public activity as it is about the hidden work of God. For 300 years the church expanded and grew in the midst of persecution and resistance. It was primarily a hidden work, hidden in order to survive. More recently, the explosive growth of the church in China occurred almost entirely underground, out of sight of the general public.

I have been involved  in church planting for most of my adult life. For years we would advertise heavily when we started a new church. As I reflect on our past strategy, I conclude that our strategy was born more from the ways of man than from the ways of God. In my experience, the most transformational ministry occurs not in a public meeting but in relational interaction. The relational interaction usually occurs out of sight, hidden from the general public.

Unfortunately the hidden, relational ministry usually does little to satisfy our need for validation. I suspect God designed it this way. True ministry is not about fulfilling our need for validation.

the underground kingdom

Some time ago, Beverly had a conversation with a client. In the conversation, the client mentioned that a mutual acquaintance had felt that God desired to establish "safe houses" in Juniata County for people who  lost their way.

As Bev and I discussed what could be called a prophetic word, we began to realize the truth of word. We know of three different situations where followers of Jesus ( incidentally with no relational connection with each other) have opened their home to people who have lost their way. In all three situations, people felt the gentle nudge of the Holy Spirit to utilize their home for the establishment of a place where restoration could occur.

This is an example of the kingdom of God being established like yeast in dough or like seed in the soil. So often when we hear the prophetic word outlining God's desire, we quickly establish a program or a ministry to accomplish the word. We advertise our ministry so people will know what we are attempting to accomplish. Perhaps the most effective ministry occurs in secret. Jesus said the following - Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.

The three "safe houses" (and for all I know, there are many more in the area) were established, not by people seeking the glory of ministry, but by followers of Jesus who were moved by the leading of Holy Spirit. They did not wait for a pastor's permission, they did no seek to be sanctioned by "the board". They were not even aware of the larger work of God in the area. They simply acted on what they knew.

As a result the kingdom of God expands like yeast in the dough, like seed in the soil.

disoriented

I had a rather disconcerting moment this week. I was driving on a rather narrow road on which I had never travelled before. The road wound around the hills through some valleys. There was enough cloud cover that I could not see the sun. I realized that I was in a place with no familiar landmarks to guide me. Since the sun was hidden behind the cloud cover, I had absolutely no point of reference. I could not see beyond the tree lined road! The lack of landmarks and familiar reference points suddenly caused me to feel rather uncomfortable. I wasn't lost; I just didn't know where I was at in relation to the river and the highway.

Later in the day as I reflected on the whole experience, I realized the parallels between walking with God and my driving by faith. There are times in our life experience when God invites us to walk in place where there are no familiar landmarks. All the usual points of reference seem to be obscured. At that point, trust becomes an issue.

Any time God begins a transformative work in me, it is accompanied by a sense of disorientation. The familiar pathways have vanished from the rear view mirror. I feel unsettled by the lack of familiarity. Everything seems vague. In that place of disorientation, I am faced with the choice - Will I trust the invitation of God, leaving the security of the familiar to embrace the adventure of the unknown or will I make a hasty retreat to the last known landmark?

Oh...and by the way, I found my way. I am no longer wandering the back roads of Perry County!     

real

I received a compliment today from an unlikely source. I married a young couple, friends of mine. The wedding was less than formal, primarily because neither the groom's or the bride's family are not into show or formality. The wedding and the reception were held in the same location, a local Grange Hall. At the reception I sat beside a young lady probably in her late teens or early twenties. I had barely sat down when she turned to me and and said, "I have been to other weddings but this was different. It was real".

I've been reflecting on her words. From the bit I know about her, I can assume that church is not part of her world. That's why her words were a compliment to me. Jesus had the ability to move freely among sinners, among those that were considered "less than" by the religious folk of the day. He was "God with us" yet those who considered themselves to be the people of God gave Him the most trouble. It almost seems as if the "sinners" were closer to the Kingdom of God than the religious. Repeatedly we find that the "Word in Flesh" touched common people in a way that the religious elite did not.

I have found sinners to be interested in God, in the Bible and the practical application of the Bible, almost more so than the religious. They want to know how to do life. They want to know what God has to say. However, the have no interest in theory or the theology of self hidden behind the facade of God. They easily discern the difference between what is real and the religious posers.

I get frustrated with Christians who continually lament how evil the world is; how difficult it is to witness. I don't think the problem lies with the bad people in the world. I believe that the problem lies within us. For many of us Christianity is a facade. We say the correct things but our heart is far from our words. The sinners instinctively sense our hypocrisy and shut us out.

However, if we began to live the 'Logos", the word, the sinners will take notice. They respond to real.  

in what do we trust?

Once again I heard the voice of truth in a strange place. I was listening to a sports talks show on the radio while on the road in my truck. The host stated that whenever you threaten the thing that brings security to a person, the person will always react strongly. He went further to say that it is easy to discover the source of a person’s security by watching to what they react consistently and strongly.


How true! This morning I spent some time on the water fishing. My mind pondered this truth for a time. I was reminded of an incident that occurred in the Middle East several thousand years ago. The nation of Israel had once again turned from the worship of the I AM to the worship of the popular created gods of society. A fearful young man received a mandate from the I AM to destroy the man-created image that the people of his household and of his city worshipped. One night he dared destroy the image of the god along with the instruments of worship used in their religious ceremony.

The next morning, the men of the city immediately pronounced a death sentence on Gideon for destroying their god. They demanded that Joash, Gideon’s father, immediately deliver Gideon into their hand. In the midst of the chaos and tumult, Joash spoke words of truth and wisdom - But Joash shouted to the mob, “Why are you defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who knocked down his altar!

If Baal was truly a powerful god, then surely Baal could defend himself. However, Gideon’s actions revealed the heart of the matter. Baal was the creation of man and as such he needed the protection of man to exist. He was not a powerful god able to defend himself. The source of security for the men of the city was revealed. It was not the I AM but a creation of their own.

Thousands of years later, we are really no different than those Israelites living in the Middle East. When the source of our security is anything other than the I AM, we quickly lash out at whatever threatens our sense of security. That is why truth is frequently attacked viciously. It reveals the source of our security.

On the other hand, if we allow ourselves to be overtaken by the I AM, if He becomes our source of security, then we find ourselves in the place of Psalm 91:

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
Will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
This I declare of the LORD:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
He is my God, and I am trusting him.

what shall we build?

I want to build a great church. Through the years I have heard church leaders make that statement repeatedly. If you were to rewind the words I have spoken and play them back again, most likely you would hear me say them at some point in time.


While I am not sure that there is anything inherently wrong with these words, they usually point to an underlying issue that is a problem. Jesus said the He would build His church and by implication that work probably extends to us as well. However nowhere in scripture do we see that our focus is to be “building the church”.

The problem occurs when the church (or perhaps something posing as the Church) becomes more important than people. Jesus, at the point of His ascension, instructed the disciples to go into the world and make disciples. Paul told the saints in Galatia that he labored until Christ be formed in them.

I cannot speak for other church leaders. For me however, the intent of building a great church had less to do with people and more to do with building a great system of programs, services and facilities. It had to do with the desire to be cool and cutting edge. When I place this paradigm against the template of scripture, I find a great deal of discordance between the two.

Without a doubt I am involved in building the Church today. However my focus has changed from being toward a structure and a system to being toward building people. The primary fruit of Jesus’ ministry with people was not the evolution of a great healing ministry complete with conferences and programs. No, the fruit of Jesus ministry primarily manifested in the lives of 11 diverse followers in whom He poured His life.

We build the Church as we make disciples. We build the Church as we labor until Christ is formed in people. Both endeavors require us to leave our elevated platform and pulpit to interact deeply with the lives of people. We will be pricked by the rough edges of life; pummeled by the raw emotion of wounded people. Our neatly constructed theology will fall woefully short in our efforts to make disciples.

The time has come for us to focus less on building a church and more on building people!