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The power does not lie in the formula; the power lies in following.
When I look back at and see those people, churches, and ideas that really had the power and energy of God behind them, I see a common thread: a person or group of people were following Jesus’ lead within their specific context and time, the result of which ended up looking quite different than what others were doing. They really wrestled with and answered the questions, Where are we seeing Jesus around us? and, Where and to what is he leading us? They weren’t following a formula of success, they were following Jesus.
And then a funny and ironic thing happens. People see their success and clamor for the “secret” formula of which they are willing to travel great distances and pay lots of money to get it. Instead of asking, What is Jesus doing here and how is he asking us to participate?, they ask, What is Jesus doing over there and how can I bottle and duplicate it? We see this happening all over the place, don’t we. But Jesus isn’t interested in making clones, he is interested in creating new life.
But following Jesus rather than a formula causes our fears to surface. Our thoughts betray us: It’s unknown. What if it fails? There’s no proven track record. Will it be successful? How do I do it? What if God leads me to where I do not want to go or do? What if I loose my position or job? Will others follow as well or will I be alone? Perhaps I’ll misread God’s leading . . . and on and on our fears bob to the surface. Yet when we follow Jesus he has a way of loosening our fears and freeing us from them as well.
So I offer that the power lies in following Jesus’ lead in our lives and communities. It does lie not in a formula created by others regardless how successful it may seem to be. But which is easier, personally following Jesus or applying a formula? We all know the answer to that, don’t we. Hence the pervasiveness of formula marketing and purchasing. But which is better, formula or following Jesus? We know that answer too.
I pray that the hope and possible fruit of “answer two” begins to outweigh the temptation of “answer one”. When it does, I believe it is then that great power, creative energy and influence will be unleashed.
Lord, grant us the courage to follow you regardless the cost.
You got to love Peet’s Coffee. Not only is it way better than a certain Seattle-originated coffee place (I made a commitment not to slander on my blog) but it is also where God brought together a few unlikely people.
Jonathan Brink and I went to college together way back in the day (1993) and went our separate ways only to randomly meet up in a local Peet’s coffee where we realized that God had been speaking similar things to both our hearts. That was a little over a year ago and the rest has been history. Our families have become great friends. Then another friend of our, John Holmes, begins the conversation and recommends that a friend of his, Dave, meets with Jonathan. So Dave and Jonathan meet in a, you guessed it, Peet’s Coffee, where Jonathan suggests that Dave join a new Thrive group that begins the following Tuesday. Lo and behold, it is the same Thrive group I was involved in and when Dave walked in, him and I sensed an immediate connection (though he has a tattoo and I don’t…though that might be changing). Shortly thereafter, we had him and his now wife, Linda, over to our house for dinner and the rest is history (Jen, Linda and Christine [Jonathan's wife] are also part of the same Thrive group as each other). Since then we have shared many BBQ’s, meals, beers, wine, stories, tears, laughter, deep-thoughts, soul searching, ahh-hah moments and just plain ol’ fun times together as couples and families.
But in the midst of all that, God was weaving his dream in our hearts. And then he brought others into the dreaming: Tim, Kelly, and our wives, Jen, Christine, and Linda. Together we wrestle and think. We feel fear. We feel excitement. We feel a sense of togetherness. We feel free to disagree. We feel alive. We feel free to express anything to anyone without fear of judgment. We feel safe. We feel like we really like each other, enjoy each other, and love hanging out and being the church of Christ. 4-hours together feels like 30 minutes and we always have a sense of joy and sadness when we part, thankful to have shared time together but sad that it has to end and we have to go to work 
. We dream together and each other’s words feed our souls and stimulate thought. We are feeding off a dream that is developing more and more each time we hang out together. (You can read more about the dream here, here, and here). As we dream together we are finding new life and energy for ministry and the the love of God.
I truly wish each and every one of you could be apart of this group that God has brought together. In some ways, you are. Your words and spirit are a part of us in ways you may never know. But the cool thing is this: God has a dream for you to follow in community with those around you. This is God’s dream that God is fleshing out in our community. And the question that begs to be asked is, What is God’s dream that is being fleshed out (or wanting to be fleshed out) in your community? See, I think it is less about, What is God doing over there so we can imitate it? and more about, What is God doing right here so we can join Him?
So I dare you to listen to God’s dream. And when it finds you, have the courage to join in…regardless the cost! But I warn you, though at times it might feel as if you are losing your life and faith, you are actually finding it.
By the way, please remember to share your journey with us so we can be mutually encouraged that God indeed is at work in reconciling all creation, all men (and women), and all things to himself. Because after all, Christ is all and is in all.
Blessings!!
Some in the church think God is at work only in (or through) the church and asks the world to join it, all the while God is at work in the world asking His church to join Him.
A few weekends ago we drove to the Bay Area for my wife’s family reunion. My brother-in-law, Dave, pastors a church in San Jose and so on Sunday we thought it would be a great chance to hear him speak and see his church. Well, as it would turn out, Dave was taking a break from the pulpit. We were bummed that we weren’t able to hear him. After the service we went outside and I saw two men sitting on the curb talking; one of them was obviously homeless. It warmed my heart to see him there and that someone from the church was taking the time to talk with him. But as I learned the story behind the man, my joy ran even deeper…
You see, the church had been talking to the city officials trying to build better partnership. The city said they would love to support the church more if the church committed to helping in three areas: the environment, the ??, and the homeless. The church agreed. During a meeting where the city officials came to the church to discuss the issues, they came to the topic of homelessness and were struggling to find practical and real ways to help. Just then a man entered the church and interrupted their meeting. He was homeless. Dave went out to talk with him.
The man began telling Dave how he started a garden where the other homeless people could come to help cultivate it and eat from their fruits. He continued to say how he was running into problems because the garden was on land that the Water District owned and they wanted him and his garden off of their property. Dave smiled and asked the man if he believed in miracles. He told him that in the meeting he had interrupted were city officials and church leadership wrestling with how to help the homeless in the city. The man was thrilled and began to discuss the notion of using some of the church’s “back-lot” for a garden. Dave said that would be a great idea and asked if the man would be willing to share his story to those in the other room. He did and Jesus smiled.
Fast forward a few days. Dave went to a little deli that he rarely goes to and sure enough, the homeless man was there. Dave asked him if he would join him for lunch. The man declined at first saying that he wasn’t hungry. Dave insisted and the man joined him for conversation but not a meal…he really wasn’t hungry. The man mentioned that what he really needed was a tarp. So Dave walked over to OSH with him and they bought a tarp. When they were leaving the man asked if he could keep the receipt because the police come by and if you have anything that looks new they ask for a receipt to make sure you didn’t steal it. If you don’t have a receipt, they take the “new” item away. Dave paused a minute and came to the place of trust and gave the man a receipt.
Fast forward a few days. The man came back to the church and told Dave that another person bought him a tarp and that he returned the tarp that Dave bought with him. He said that he should expect a refund on his credit card within a few days. Talk about stereotypes being shattered!
Right now they are in the process of figuring out the logistics for the church-homeless garden (they are located next to an elementary school so they have to see if they would be comfortable having homeless men and women hanging around while the kids were in school, etc). I love seeing churches rise above their needs to join Jesus in his mission of restoration. This is just one example I thought I’d share…
This reminded me of a conversation I was having with myself (I have those often) on my way home from work. You see, a co-worker asked if I went to church and I said, “Well, kinda, but not in the way you might think,” and they began “apologizing” for the way they had been talking, and I said, “Do you think that God loves you any less?”
So this got me thinking of what really are the differences between me and them (I even hate using that language here)? And I had this mock conversation.
“You know what the difference is between me and you?” I asked.
“What?” they responded, thinking of a long religious and stereotypical list.
“Nothing. Absolutely nothing. You are made in God’s image, so am I. You are loved by God, so am I. You are forgiven, so am I. We are the same. And because I am realizing God’s love, I want to be apart of what God’s doing all around us.”
See, I’ve been taught my whole life that there are fundamental differences between “us” and “them”. That we are saved, they are not. We are believers, they are unbelievers. We are the children of God, they are the children of something else. We are forgiven, they are not. We are all loved, but it translates differently for us than it does for them (we go to heaven, they hell).
What freedom to know and receive that God likes “us” and “them”.
Or, even better said, what freedom to know and receive that God likes his kids.
Last night was special.
What would cause three grown men
- to spend a year-and-a-half of their lives writing and rewriting books, complete with the deadlines and late nights and early mornings spent glaring at a computer?
- to leave their wives, kids, and friends for a month-and-a-half while traveling to 32 cities crammed in an RV that has a tendency to run out of gas and tear itself apart?
- to grow an obscene amount of facial hair and then shape it into Mutton-Chops?
- to write a, all-be-it catchy, song and then sing it accompanied by a wash board and a trombone played by a non-trombone player?
- to basically make, as Tony put it, arses out of themselves in front of complete strangers?
- to place olive oil in little containers, falsely advertise it as the Balm of Gilead, and sell it for up to $50 (there is a point to it all and you’ll just have to go to find out)?
What would cause them to do such things? One might think, on the surface, to sell books. One would be wrong. After just six shows Mark, Doug and Tony were exhausted. They missed their families. They were thousands of miles from home (except Mark who lives in CA). Those of us who served alongside of them in making the Roadshow happen could see these things, which were clearly evident. But that wasn’t the only thing that was evident. In fact, truth be told, these “things” only made their true motive all the more evident.
See, the Roadshow has the guise of a book tour. But don’t let that fool you. It is only a cover. The true essence of it is three guys who are deeply passionate about Jesus. Who will stop at nothing to proclaim his message of hope and restoration. Who love hanging out with other people who are seeking to follow the person and way of Jesus. Whose hearts beat with an inner God-cadence and have reconciled their fear at the feet of God, saying, “We’ll speak what we hear, regardless.” It was laughter and silence and joy and profoundness and embarrassment and gut-level sharing and music (kinda) and wisdom and friendship all rolled up into two memorable hours.
For me, the whole night (we began at 3:00pm and rolled out at 11:00pm) will be a memory that I’ll recall in my spirit for many years to come. But the things that stand out will be Doug’s recalling of when he first fell in love with Jesus in that theater-turned-church and how it has taken him many years to wind his way through the “tracts” he was given and back to the essence of Jesus, whom he found that night. It will be Tony recalling his journey from systematic theology in seminary to the simplicity of Jesus of Nazareth in the South Dakota Plains with the Lakota tribe. It will be Mark speaking in the raspy voice of the “Emperor” as he recalled moments of love-lived-out in an abandoned bus in the streets of San Francisco, only to be topped by his very passionate monologue about the Kingdom of God is at hand and right here.
In addition to the memories of what took place during the “show”, there are those quieter memories of seeing old friends. Meeting new friends from as far as Tracy. Seeing the joy on people’s faces. Lifting tables and chairs, setting up lights and sound equipment, hanging banners and laying out books, labeling olive oil containers with deceptive spiritual labeling, sharing laughter and a meal with people I love dearly, some of whom I am just beginning to get to know. I am longing for the days that we have ahead of us and am excited—filled with hope—about what Jesus is doing and how he is calling us to participate.
Please hear me. If these guys are coming to a city anywhere near you, GO!! You will be blessed. I promise.
I know what you might be saying, “But it is too far away for me to go.” Ok, listen. They have driven across the entire continental United States in an RV filled with tired, stinky men to come to you, the least you can do is drive to the nearest city to go to them!!
If you can’t make it, I understand. But I am not sure God will and you’ll have to answer to God come judgment day. And without the Balm of Gilead, I’m afraid there will be no hope for your soul (at least that is what they told me in private)…
[Update] In addition to regular comments, if you’ve attended a Roadshow I invite you to comment your own reflections below. Here is Jonathan Brink’s review. John Ohara’s Review.
I pray that you know in your heart that the Father loves you, regardless.
Happy father’s day!
I was looking in my backyard today and noticed all the weeds that have been popping up. I sighed at the thought of going out there and uprooting them. What a pain. Seeing all those weeds got me thinking about Jesus’ words where he taught us not to pull up the “weeds”, but to instead let them grow and leave it to him. [See Matthew 13]
How bizarre and backwards is that? Ignore the weeds growing among us? Don’t pull them, chop them, poison them, kill them … but simply let them grow next to the flowers, in the grass, in the garden, in our yard? Absurd! To a gardener, such a suggestion would be foolishness. I offer that it is foolishness to religious people as well. So why would Jesus say such a thing?
A few reasons came to my mind…perhaps you have others.
The first is that we, as humans, have a very poor track record of recognizing weeds. Our perspective seems to be that anyone who looks or believes differently than we do is a weed. Certain prophets and Jesus come to mind in the Jewish history. Certain reformers (among many others) come to mind in our Christian history. In hindsight we see that the “weeds” we got rid of were perhaps not weeds at all. Our historical tendency has been to label weeds, “wheat”, and wheat, “weeds” and we have acted accordingly, praising the wheat-weeds and getting rid of the weed-wheats. Jesus, aware our proven biases and natural tendencies as human beings, said he’d handle the weeds and gave us the job of loving and serving them. Ugh…don’t you hate that?
Another reason is that it is not our place to pull, poison, chop and kill weeds. Even if we were able to judge correctly as humans (which we aren’t, but let’s pretend) who was a weed and who wasn’t, it is not our job to uproot them — it is Gods. Much like when my son feels it is his role to correct and boss around his younger sister. We simply tell him that she is not his concern and to leave his sister to us, her parents. It is not his role as a sibling to be a parent! But oh how he likes to take the parent-role anyhow.
We’re the same, aren’t we? We feel as if weed-control is our role. Jesus simply tells us that it is not our concern and to leave it to him. It is not our role as created humans to be God. And oh how we like to try to be God (we’ll of course never admit this, but if we were honest, it’s true…at least it is in me). We like to play judge and determine who is and who isn’t a weed and treat them according to their human-given label (which never works out to well for the “weeds”).
The last reason is our lack of trust, or even not wanting to really trust, in God. Our desire to exercise weed-control on our fellow humans reveals our lack of trust in God (again, something we’d never admit). We really don’t want to let go of judgment and give it to God (not that we ever really had it in the first place). What if God declares someone a “flower” who we think is a “weed”? (Funny thing is that our State Flower, the Golden Poppy, is in fact a weed). What if God really loves weeds and tells us to trust him because he knows we’ll get it wrong and raise havoc on his creation? What if God gets it wrong — that is, according to our thinking (theology) — and God lets all sorts of “weeds” into his presence? Do you see the problems trust creates in us? Do you see the questions and fears trust-in-God raises? At least, that is, for some.
For me, I have found great freedom in trying to relax my ingrown human need to judge and take on the task of weed-control. It’s not up to me. My job is to love and to serve everyone — everyone! — even my enemies (whom I tend to declare to be weeds). It is such a relief to let go of a burden I have self-imposed on myself and give it back to God. I was never designed to carry it. And God knew that, hence Jesus’ words.
So now that I no longer have to worry about labeling and pulling weeds, I need to get busy learning from God how to love and serve them.
I used to listen to this song REALLY loud while reclining in my Jeep with its top off, parked on a country hillside in Texas void of lights with a brilliant star studded sky stretched out above me. I would simply lie there with this song repeating and letting the words soak in.
It had been a while since I played it and I stuck it in the other day. The words “But this light that shines on me shines on you and makes everything beautiful, again” just leaped through my ears and straight into my heart in a very deep way. It reminds me that just as God causes the sun to shine on the just and unjust, the rain to fall on all, so too God’s love. Find a quiet place, close your eyes and listen:
Stars, By David Crowder
You should see the stars tonight
How they shimmer shine so bright
Against the black they look so white
Comin down from such a height
To reach me now, reach me now
You should see the moon in the flight
Cuttin cross the misty night
Softly dancin in sunshine
Reflections of this light
Reach me now, you reach me now
And how could such a thing
Shine it’s light on me
And make everything beautiful again
And you should feel the sun in the spring
Comin out after a rain
Suddenly all is green
Sunshine on everything
I can feel it now, I feel you now
And how could such a thing
Shine it’s light on me
And make everything beautiful
And you should hear the angels sing
All gathered round their king
More beautiful than you could dream
I’ve been quietly listening
You can hear ‘em now, I hear em now
And how could such a king
Shine His light on me
And make everything beautiful
And i wanna shine
I wanna be light
I wanna tell you it’ll be alright
And I wanna shine and I wanna fly
Just to tell you now
It’ll be alright, it’ll be alright
It’ll be alright.
Cus I got nothing of my own to give to you
But this light that shines on me shines on you
And makes everything beautiful, again.
It’ll be alright, it’ll be alright.
- It was clear from the beginning that this should be my role. God blessed Abraham to be a blessing to others, not to simply enjoy his blessing.
- Jesus said, come follow me. Jesus was clearly all about his Daddy’s mission. His life and death modeled a missional life that did what the Father did, said what the Father said. As an follower of Jesus, Daddy’s mission is my mission.
- I have seen missional living heal and restore people. When people believe they are loved and forgiven by their Daddy, it changes their life. My mission is simply to communicate the “you’re loved and forgiven” good news message with every joint, muscle and ligament of my being.
So that’s it. That’s why I am missional. It was clear from the beginning I was designed to be, Jesus was and so should I, and it has life-altering healing potential in other’s lives.
DISCLAIMER: Sorry for such a long post. I hope its massive length did not confuse or conceal my reasons for being missional. I tried to keep it short and simple, but I fear I let my long-windedness get the best of me once more. Please forgive my self-indulgence and lack of self control. 
———————————————————–
This was part of a missional synchroblog started by Jonathan. Here are the other participants:
Ben Wheatley—WWSBD What Would Shepherd Book Do?
Bryan Riley—Jesus is the Way and He Was Missional
Jonathan Brink—Why I Am Missional
Blake Huggins—Missional Synchroblog: Why Am I Missional
A while ago, a good friend of mine and I were hanging out in his driveway shooting the breeze when a man approached us on foot. He had very casual clothes, a gold tooth, rags and cleaning supplies. He strikes up a conversation with us, cracking jokes and overall just trying to connect with “the guys”. Then out of the blue, he sprays the driveway with some “magic” cleaner and wipes it with his rag—the result is a pristine white spot surrounded by the dark-grey driveway. He sprays the car tire, wipes it. My friend starts to protest. The last thing he wants is little clean spots sprinkled around his property. We, though laughing with our new friend from Florida, make it obvious that we are not interested in his product. Our friendly salesman then sprays his shoe and a window before we shake him and go into the house. Wow! Was he persistent!!…and incredibly disrespectful.
Fast forward. Our doorbell rings. I open the door. Oh no…they are back. I quickly tell him that I have seen his product and am seriously not interested. He says that was his competitor and his product is better. He cracks some jokes, tries to connect with me and sprays my window. Within a few minutes I manage to talk him down and he leaves.
Here is the thing. If a good friend of mine, or someone I had a relationship with, recommended the same exact cleaning product to me—heck, even gave me a demo—I would probably be using the product today. But when a complete stranger comes to my door, I don’t care what they are pushing, I am not interested. Why? It’s not the product; it’s the lack of relationship and trust.
Fast forward to last night—Valentine’s Day. Our doorbell rings. Oh no…they are back. Jen opens the door and I am sitting on the couch. I hear a man, who peaked through our window and saw our ultrasound pictures on the table, comment about the ultrasound pictures and Jen’s pregnancy. He begins to crack some jokes and try to connect with Jen. I hear him ask if she knew where the baby came from. (Huh?). And Jen tells them time and time again that this is not a good time, she is preparing dinner and its Valentine’s Day. Another man joins in and begins talking about Jesus. Again, Jen says it is not a good time. He hands her a handout and they leave. Same approach, different product. Same lack of respect, same end-game, same result—please leave, we are not interested.
Relationship is everything!! And I am talking REAL relationship. But before we judge our gold-tooth-cleaning-guy or LDS friends, how often have we been guilty of pushing Jesus without relationship? How many tracks? How many 5-steps, lines and canned approaches have we used? How many times have we tried to “connect” in an obviously false way in order to win them over? Sure, we may not go door-to-door, but that is not the issue……the lack of true and authentic relationship is. Without it, we are just another gold-tooth-cleaner-guy trying to push our product.
May we seek and build relationships with those who need to hear Christ’s love and forgiveness. It takes a lot of time and hard work, but in the end, if nothing else, you, I, and they get a real friend and a chance to be restored through Christ—together.
For more about relationships and “evangelism”, I highly recommend the book More Ready than You Realize.
This past Sunday, the church who we gather with verbally opened the communion table for some all to partake, for some all to experience the love and acceptance of Jesus through the elements—at his table, sharing his meal.
So I, too, dined. (click if you don’t know the back-story…)
It was refreshing.
Jesus said that we’d be known as his followers by our love (John 13). He also prayed that his followers would be united in love so that the world would see that God loves them as he loves his son, Jesus (John 17). I knew this about Jesus’ words, but as I was reading through Philippians—particularly the second chapter (which I’ve read 100 times over in the past)—Paul’s words jumped off the page. He talks about unity in Christ, comfort from his love, tenderness, compassion, being of the same mind, and then says this: “…Having the same love…”.
He then goes on to explain what this like-minded love looks like, and points to Jesus. That love should be the unifying factor. That self-sacrificing love helps us to be one in spirit and mind. That our like-mindedness is found in the humble, serving and loving mind of Jesus. Not only does love define us—label us, as it were—as a follower of Jesus, but love also unites us. And when the world looks on, witnessing and experiencing our love, they will know they are loved as children of their heavenly daddy.
Like-mindedness (a.k.a. unity) is found in love, expressed through humility.
So let’s take a quick test.
1) What defines us as followers of Jesus? Love.
2) What unites us as followers of Jesus? Love.
3) What draws others into following Jesus? Love.
You mean, the answers to the above isn’t “correct” doctrine? Or ___________ (you fill in the blank)? Or . . .
Perhaps (and I am using “perhaps” very facetiously) love is the greatest of these things.
May we be known and united by our love.
Jonathan said, “And even when we share the Gospel story, we’re left with the real question. If this person says, “No,” for whatever reason, will we still choose to love them? Will we still share the Gospel with them? Will we still be love, which is the fullest reflection of Jesus and the call to mission? Or, will will simply treat the person as a transaction that is defined by our duty to get them into heaven? Because real evangelism happens after they say no.“
But what if we had the foreknowledge that not only would they say no, but that they would NEVER say YES? Would we still love them? Perhaps more important, would we still remain in relationship with them? Be their friend? Stick by them? Or would we abandon them for a more “successful” project?
Or in other words, would love be motive enough?
Perhaps real evangelism stems from the place of no expectation.
Not too long ago a group of four of us drove to San Francisco to catch Rob Bell’s The Gods Aren’t Angry tour. It was . . . well let’s put it this way, being the internal processing introvert that I am, I didn’t speak much during the 2 hours following his message. It absolutely riveted me. My mind was reeling. Here is a small video snapshot:
You can order the entire DVD, but if you have friends like Jonathan (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) you can just borrow their copy
Chad got me thinking (dangerous, I know).
When Jesus says to love our enemies, who does he mean? Even “enemies” like Bin Laden? Or just our private, personal enemies?
If we saw Bin Laden on the street and had the power to take his life, should we? If not, what should the proper response of a follower of Jesus and his way be?
If we are called to love even the “Bin Ladens” of our world, what does that look like? What does it really mean to LOVE our enemies? What actions? What words? Who are some examples of people throughout history, or even in your personal circle, that demonstrated love for their enemies in real and tangible ways? Does love also entail forgiveness?
If we can’t love enemies like Bin Laden, then who can we love? Really?
I am often asked, by other Christians, “What church do you go to?” or “Where do you go to church?” This is, with regularity, followed by them saying, “Oh, I go to such-and-such church.” Another common question I get asked usually refers to the quality of the church I just went to, “How was church today?” which often is asking about the preaching, music, etc. Though these are well meaning questions, I think they point a bigger issue that plagues us today.
The bigger issue is one of “mistaken identity”. We see the church as a place we go versus a people who live in the way of Jesus. It is so prevalent that even people who do not go to church know “church” as a place, rather than a people who follow Jesus. But Paul knew better.Paul’s addresses many of his letters (Corinthians, Thessalonians, Ephesians, Revelation) to “the church in…” and names a city or providence. It is to a singular church, not plural churches (though there were many separate gatherings), that he writes to. Imagine Paul writing one letter to the all the various, individual churches in Sacramento and beginning his letter, “To the church in Sacramento”, and you get the picture. Paul used this language because he viewed God’s church as—not a place or a building—a people.
Now, I know we all agree to this in theory or theology, but seldom do we acknowledge it in our Sunday-to-Sunday language or practice. I cannot tell you the number of times that it has been insinuated or I have been directly told that “so-and-so church is better than so-and-so church”, or that “our church is in competition with so-and-so church”, or, “did you hear what happened to so-and-so church?” In Paul’s eyes, the church was in an interdependent relationship with one another as a people of God who followed and claimed the radical name of Jesus. Today, we independently operate separate church buildings and congregations, seldom uniting with or caring what happens to each other. In fact, sometimes we secretly (or not so secretly) applaud the sufferings, losses and mistakes of other congregations. This is because we really do not see them as “the church”––as brothers and sisters, as equals–– but as the other church, as the competition, or even as enemies if their beliefs differ from ours (those Baptists, Charismatics, Catholics).
It seems silly to imagine this self-destructive thinking in Paul’s day considering that the churches met in homes. The church, or the people of Jesus, met in small home gatherings located all through out the Roman Empire (though in Jerusalem they also went to the temple). Though separate, they viewed themselves as and acted like they were one body. I find great encouragement when large, diverse groups of Christians gather by the thousands in large auditoriums to worship and learn together. To me, it is a small slice of heaven. We all agree and act like we are ONE when we gather in such settings. But then something happens that saddens me. We get back to our “Churches” and resume business as usual: independent churches who could care less about each other—especially if the other church belongs to a different denomination. Jesus said that a house that is divided against itself cannot stand. Perhaps this is, in part, what we are seeing today: a divided house that is falling down.
May we reclaim our identity as THE CHURCH. May we stop nodding knowingly about this fact and start behaving how we claim to believe. May we not see ourselves as people who go to a church, but as a people who are the Church of Jesus wherever we go and whatever we do. May we be the church whether we meet in a multimillion-dollar building, or an ancient cathedral, or a living room, or a bar, or a coffee shop, or a park. May we stop competing against, abusing, slandering and destroying the other parts of Jesus’ body just because they are different then we are and because they believe differently then we do. May Jesus be our common head and may we stand in unity.
I have to confess that I have a font addiction—I have over 2,000 fonts installed on my Macbook (that felt good to get off my hairless chest). But I have to admit, I’ve never seen this font:
Is that wrong? LOL
[thanks toobstar]
For me, the living Jesus is far more untidy and undomesticated than the historical one because today he messes with MY stuff, not theirs. But he is also more beautiful because he also leads ME to love and restoration.
[Note: Forgive the false-separation of the living Jesus from the historical Jesus—they are the same person, with the former alive and active in OUR culture rather than 1st century Palestine.]
Missional living is, in part, what my sister and brother-in-law are doing. Out of the love they have for Jesus, they are in China picking up the newest member of their family, Cassie LinHua. They began the adoption process roughly 2 years ago. Check out their blog for more.
In short, missional living in listening to and joining what Jesus is doing (or desires to do) in the life of another. In this case, Cassie was born in the “wrong country” for her female gender. She was tossed aside into an orphanage and has lived there for two years today. The back of her head is flat and she has not learned how to walk from laying in a crib. After going to China, God softened Dave’s heart towards the baby girl’s in China (Becky, his wife, was already wanting to adopt from China) and from that stirring, they began the process. They sought a ’special-needs’ child and God brought them Cassie. Dave and Becky listened to God and joined him in what he was desiring to do in Cassie’s life.
So the question becomes, where is God leading you to join him in what he is doing? Are you listening? Are you able to listen? Am I?
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Other thoughts on Missional Living:
Ben Wheatley - Are Things You Are Living For Worth It
Blake Huggins - What Does Missional Living Look Like
Alan Knox - Living in the love of God
Dave DeVries - The Missional Challenge
Bryan Riley - What Does Missional Living Look Like To Me
Jonathan Brink - Meeting God Where He is Already Working
From Glenn Hager: Some of you know that I am trying to shape a ministry that would come along side these pioneers and revolutionaries and help them through the transition. This desire has grown out of my own experience of being a pastor for over twenty years, struggling find my place, and eventually, losing confidence in the church system that I used to love, but not in Christ or his mission. My questions for you are: [the one I chose to answer] What do they/you need?
In a nutshell, I think the biggest thing people who are being led to re-form and re-dream the church is a safe place to do just that. It will be messy, unpredictable, and often times unconventional, but we need heart-supporters that will give us the space to play with living out faith in the pluralistic, global and postmodern context we find ourselves in. We need elders who, though they are not feeling led to personally re-tool ministry for the droves of people who are not connecting with the modern U.S. church, see the need and who are willing to protect and support the lives and efforts of those who are being called to lead such a change.
Too often the story gets repeated of a church who wants to re-dream a ministry for—as they call them—”those postmoderners”. They hire an emerging leader and initially give them a long leash to experiment. But as the months progress, the leash gets shorter and the collar gets tighter, especially as unconventional methods are being experimented with and more people begin connecting with these “new” ways and less with the “old” ways. Rumors begin to float, meetings take place, hurtful words are thrown (by both), egos get bruised, and the emerging leader usually is forced to self-resign due to the tumultuous environment or they are just out-right asked to leave the church.
It is my judgment that most of the emerging leaders would prefer to work alongside and with existing churches; that their desire really isn’t to break-away from their forefathers of the faith. I really sense that they long for the support, freedom, protection, love, friendship, companionship, and wisdom of those who are leading existing ministries and churches. But for most—not all—emerging leaders, they are slowly (and sometimes quickly) squeezed out of their community of faith, and so they reluctantly go it alone with a few friends to follow where God is leading their heart and passion.
And sometimes you hear of denominations and established churches taking a Kingdom-risk. They see the tide of change, and though they are scared to death at times, they support, embrace, love, partner, and get messy with what God might do through someone very different from themselves. They take bullets. They bite their tongue. They watch backs. They witness mistakes. They glory in success (though not often how they might define it). And together, they set out on God’s mission into a dying world needing God’s love and the message of his undying grace.
So if you were to ask me, What is it that emerging-missional (or whatever you call us) leaders need? Here is my answer. We need a safe place to experiment new paths of mission and theology; and friends who—though they might not “get it” or understand—can support us, protect us, trust us, and ultimately trust God as he leads us.
But safe place and friendship or not, we feel that God’s movement is going to happen—regardless. We’d just like it to happen with all of us unified together in relationship and trust, instead of in banishment and fear.
We are, after all, serving and trusting the same living God. In this, we should stand—together, not apart.
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Links to all of the participants:
Alan Knox: A Revolutionary? Who? Me?
Erin Word: Are We There Yet, Papa Smurf?
Jane: Onward Christian Soldier
Jeff Greathouse: So, You Want To Change
Jeff McQuilken: The Great Shift–and My Unwitting Part In It
Jeromy Johnson: A Safe Place To Experiment
Jonathan Brink: Re-Emerging Church
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More From Glenn Hager: My personal journey, reading, blogging, and conversations with friends have led me to uncover the fringes of a huge group of people who operate under the radar of much of the world. They represent over 20 million people in the U.S. (This is the number of people who are already expressing their Christian faith in ways other than through a conventional church, according to the Barna organization.) who have lost (or, are losing) their faith in the institutional church system, yet have a deep love for Christ, his community and his mission. Many of you are a part of that number which includes those…
- Who have been wounded through serving and separating from “church as they have known it.”
- Who are feeling alone, wondering if there is something wrong with their theology, if they suffer from some personality disorder, or if they are doomed to isolation.
- Who are former church leaders or staff members trying to find a new sense of direction.
- Who eventually want to return to community and fellowship, but not get mired down in the system they left behind.
- Who long for a faith community that is vibrant, accepting, and real, that joins in God’s kingdom in practical ways where they live and beyond.
Some of you know that I am trying to shape a ministry that would come along side these pioneers and revolutionaries and help them through the transition. This desire has grown out of my own experience of being a pastor for over twenty years, struggling find my place, and eventually, losing confidence in the church system that I used to love, but not in Christ or his mission. My questions for you are:
- What do they/you need?
- What did/do you need as you as went/are going through this transitional phase?
- How can a ministry or service help them/you?
Possibly the most profound statement in the Bible: God is Love.
We all make choices. We all make interpretations. We all are led individually by the Holy Spirit. We all do the best we can with our three-pound brains and our built in, God-given human limitations. We all stake claims on our current understanding of God’s truth as revealed to us by his Holy Spirit through the bible, his creation, and ultimately through his son Jesus. And so tonight, I do so as well and stake my claim on my current understanding of God’s truth.
[In doing so, please realize that this is my human profession. By making it, I am not judging or condemning others who believe or understand God differently—we all see dimly and in part. This is simply a short, non-comprehensive statement of where I have been led and am choosing to stick my flag based on my limited, non-comprehensive human understanding. It is by no means all worked out without any issues with a tidy bow (whose belief/theology ever is?), nor do I believe it ever will be. I believe that when contemplating God, there will always be a substantial element of mystery and faith involved—if not, he would cease to be God, and I human. It is partly because of my human limitations and the mystery of God that my belief will continue to be shaped throughout my life. Currently, this is what I believe. If you don't agree with it, cool . . . that is not an expectation of mine. After all, I really believe that we will all show up with our three-pound brains before God and realize we all fell short, were in error, and misinterpreted his revelations to us to one degree or another, and even then he will show grace.]
If it helps, to understand biblically a bit more where I am coming from, I would highly encourage you to read this Word document referencing scripture before continuing: reconcilation-scriptures.doc
I believe and stand on the mountain of God’s abundant grace and love for all of humanity. That through the blood and sacrifice of Jesus, God’s justice was met and the punishment for all sin was paid in full—canceled. That because of God’s love for his kids and the reconciliation that was made through Jesus, God has forgiven all. That forgiveness is his decision alone to make and it is not dependent on our response. That a person’s belief does not trigger God’s forgiveness, but rather their belief allows them to experience and walk in God’s love and the reality of their God-declared forgiven state. That God is able to extend his love and grace even after a person’s death. That death indeed lost its victory and sting, and God is not hindered one bit by our death in extending his mercy. If God was hindered by our death, then our death would ultimately be more powerful than God. That one day, every knee shall bow (repentance) and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (worship), and on that day God will not say, “That’s great and all, but there’s nothing I can do, my hands are tied. Sorry, you died—you’re too late.” That even then man can still reject him, but I find it awfully hard to imagine them doing so given the God-reality they are now experiencing. That if rejected, God will honor their decision and what happens after that I will let God worry about. That God, in his infinite love, is just wild enough to redeem, reconcile, and restore all things to himself. That in the end, God’s love for his kids wins and we will get to join in and celebrate his victory over death and sin, and embrace our dad. That in the end, mercy indeed triumphs over judgment.
I believe that on this earth, sin still has its deadly and destructive consequences, and that God, out of his love and for the purpose of restoration, disciplines his kids. That those who ‘believe’ on earth get to begin enjoying God’s love and kingdom-life here and now, and have the honor of being God’s kingdom-vessels in both word and deed here on earth . That the good news perhaps is not, “You can be forgiven in Jesus if you believe” (which is good news to be sure), but, “You are forgiven through and by Jesus, do you believe?” That the burden of humanity’s souls is God’s burden. Our job is the declaration of forgiveness, to love God (who first loves us), to love ourselves (because he loves us), and out of God’s love we are to love our fellow brothers and sisters who happen to share the same tiny globe as us, who happen to be created by the same one and only God as us, and who happen to be loved by God as we are. That it is our joy and privilege, as pre-death embracers of God’s love and forgiveness, to love and spread the good news that man is forgiven and loved by a God—their Daddy—who is love. That through love, their image of God, themselves, and others will begin to be restored. That we can join arms and follow Jesus’ example and the Holy Spirit’s leading in bringing God’s Kingdom to earth as it is in heaven. That our highest call is love. It is on the mountain of God’s incomprehensible love and Jesus’ all-encompassing blood that I stand, come what may.
I echo the words of John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress, who said, “I will stay in Jail ’till the end of my days before I make a butchery of my conscience.” And the spirit of Martin Luther when he said, “Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God.”
And if I error, I will error on the side of God’s grace and love—for all.
“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.” Col 1:19-22
. . . he is risen indeed!
I often wonder what Jesus’ words would be if he came to our culture, in our time. Perhaps this:
One time a Bible scholar stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to receive eternal life?”
“What is written in the Bible?” he replied? “How do you read it?”
He answered, “’Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You’re correct,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you’ll live.”
But wanting to justify himself he asked Jesus, “And just who is my neighbor?”
Jesus answered with a story:
“A man was walking when some muggers got a hold of him. Stripping him naked, they took all he had, beat him just shy of death and left him for dead.
“A Pastor came and when he saw the beaten man, he crossed the street to avoid him.
“So too, a Church Elder, when he came to the beaten man, crossed the street avoiding him.