‘Tis the Season

Over commercialized holiday.  A pagan ritual that should not be recognized by the church.  Mythical celebration by first century Christians set in time to coincide with the winter solstice and therefore avoid detection.  I think I have heard every reason in the world not to celebrate this holiday.  Some members of the churches that I’ve grown up in have almost become hostile in their reaction to other family’s buying CHRISTMAS PRESENTS.  What next?

 

This world is hurting.  This world is in dire need of a savior.  In a recent movie about a “man of steel,” the hero is quoted as saying “I hear the world crying out for a savior.”  I agree.  Just look outside of our walls of the church (For that matter, look INSIDE the walls of our church).  Watch the news every night.  Sit inside city, county, and state offices of social services.  People are in desperate need of a savior. 

That savior is Jesus Christ.  When he became flesh, the Gospel story here on Earth began.  The day he rose from the dead, the triumph over Satan’s plan of death was complete.  His life is our example.  His death should be ours.  His resurrection is our salvation.  Why NOT celebrate his birth if it brings others into contact with Him.  My argument: Just don’t stop with the manger.  Finish the rest of the story. 

Was Jesus born on Christmas?  Lots of arguments for and against.  The Jewish calendar marks the 6^th month (as mentioned in Luke) as falling somewhere in August or September.  Some people refer to the sheep grazing on the hills while the angels proclaimed his birth as an indication that it was more like March or April.  One thing and one thing only matters:

 

Jesus, the incarnation of the living God, had arrived. 

Soul Searching and Fire Insurance

This week we’ll end our series of “Share the Well,” a set of lessons aimed at reshaping our idea of evangelism. 

I have to admit, though, that this series has been on the bottom of my concerns over the last few weeks.  My little family has gone through some pretty huge incidents over the past month and a half, and I’m still feeling (will always feel?) their effects.   However, I’ve re-examined my relationship with God and determined that I am being shaped for something special. 

Work has been a challenge.  Vocational Ministry is not as easy as it seemed to be when I was in full-time ministry.  Our church finalized it’s budget for 07, and I became disgusted with the amount of money that is being set aside for paying a full-time pulpit minister.  Maybe I’m jaded.  I just don’t think that a 30-something M.Div minister with 15 years of experience and 2.4 kids (I’m exaggerating, I know) can demand a 65K salary.  Two-thirds of the body does not make that kind of money.  I don’t want him to be in the poor house, but we need to get the “mush” out from between our minister’s ears to realize that there is a differernce between MINISTRY VALUE, and MARKET VALUE. 

So Richland Hills is going instrumental, eh?  I pray that a “unified eldership” has God’s Will at it’s center.  As a dear friend of mine said, “there might be a bunch of “unified elderships” that are left out of heaven.”  Jesus knew what he was doing when he prayed for unity in John 17.  We need all the help we can get. 

Share the Well…Part 1

I’ve heard many jokes about being a member of the church of Christ, mostly told by members themselves.  One in particular hit home. 

 Three ministers were discussing a pest control problem.  Each minister was dealing with a family of rats that had made their “church home” in one of the pews in the sanctuary (auditorium for all of you CoCers).   Each one was discussing different ways to rid themselves of the pesky critters.

Minister 1: I’ve tried rat poison, I’ve tried traps.  Nothing seems to get rid of these rats!

Minister 2: I’ve tried those new high frequency emitters.  That didn’t even work.

The third minister smuggly sat back in his chair and stated, “Well, I finally found a way to get rid of my rats for good!”

Minister 1: Really?  I’d love to know how!

Minister 2: Me too, contribution is being affected!  Members are starting to smell things in the seats!

Minister 3: I finally decided to baptize all of the rats and make them new members.  After that happened, they left the building and never returned!

One of the goals for the Central family in 2007 concerns local evangelism.  What is the difference between discipleship (I know that can be a scary term in our fellowship) and conversion?  I saw this on another blog.  Let me know what you think:

1.  Discipleship begins prior to conversion.
2. Discipleship involves participation in community (church) prior to conversion.
3. Discipleship often involves participation and experience (in a similar belief?) prior to conversion.
4. Discipleship often involves participation in service prior to conversion.
5. Discipleship often involves participation in missions prior to conversion.

 How does this change our thinking on “local evangelism?”  Does it?  Are the above 5 statements correct?  If so, how does this alter our approach to reaching others? 

The Death of Christianity

I just read about the head of the evangelical community confessing to buying meth and other acts.  I’m not so concerned about the actual “sin” as I am the attack and black eye this event will have on the world’s view of Christ followers. 

 When are Christians going to realize that the true power of Christ comes by recognizing our own inadequacies and relinquishing them over to Jesus?  If you are SET FREE from sin, it has NO POWER over you.  None.  Zero.  Satan cannot then hold your past against you come the judgement day. 

We’re scared.  We’re scared of what people will think of us.  We should be more concerned about what GOD ALREADY THINKS OF US.  People in the world will judge us, right or wrong, by how we live in accordance with what we preach.  Christians, it’s time we put our money where our mouth is.  Forgive.  Heal.  Love.  Nurture.  Discipline.  Yes, all of those words belong in the same paragraph. 

More later…

The church of ME

I get worried whenever I hear these words coming out of Christian’s mouths:

“My needs aren’t being met by (fill in ministry name/minister name/church name here).” 

“I don’t think (fill in appropriate minister/elder/teacher name here) can connect with what I’ve gone through in life.  I just don’t think he/they have anything to say to me in my life.”

“I just don’t get anything out of worship anymore.”

Since when did the concept of Christianity become about “me?”  I don’t know that I read ANYWHERE in the New Testament about Christians looking out for themselves in the first church.  (Flipping through Acts…)   Nope.  I don’t see it. 

The SECOND we start looking to our own needs and desires is the second we lose the focus of what church should be about: getting closer to what GOD wants. 

True: We may become “filled” when we do serve others in the name of God.  This is a SECONDARY gain.  If in fact we were only out to be served, we would constantly be looking for the next “high” or “feel good feeling.”  Sounds kind of like an addiction, doesn’t it.  Maybe that’s what it is: “The church of ME addiction.” 

Perspective

If I told you about a woman who has had 3 different husbands, now living by herself, plays the piano, active in her social group, what kind of woman do you picture?   

I had a dear friend of mine give me a little bit of a different view on the woman in John 4. 

In this passage, Jesus tells the woman that he knows that she has had 5 different husbands and that the man she was with now was not her husband. 

Question: How many times was this woman divorced?  According to scripture, the answer is NONE.  We don’t KNOW how many times this particular woman was divorced.  Is it LIKELY that she was divorced at least once?  Yes.  Likely more than once?  Yes.  For CERTAIN more than once?  No. 

I always envisioned this woman as a young promiscuous lady with a knack for getting kicked out of her home for cheating on her current husband.  Actually, we don’t know that she was promiscuous.  She might have OUTLIVED her other husbands.  It may be that this woman is an older woman who still carried out her daily chores just like the younger women in the village.

Is it LIKELY that she cheated on other men.  Yes.  Is it LIKELY that she was living with a man who was not her husband and sexually active with this man?  Yes. 

Jesus still addressed this woman’s hurts, though.  Think about it.  If she had actually outlived all of her husbands, could you imagine the pain she has endured?  If, in reality, she had cheated on all of those men, could you imagine the shame she had to live with every day, carrying that same jug of water back to the same well?  If she had been “wrongfully” divorced by her husbands, could you imagine the worthlessness she felt? 

Jesus still made her feel welcome.  Jesus made her feel safe.  Jesus made her feel whole.

Amazing.

By the way, the woman described at the top of this article?  A ninety plus year old nursing home resident who is a dedicated member of her church. 

Different views on the same people.  Jesus sees it all.

Seismic Shift

Since when was the Republican party God’s party?  I’m hearing more and more Christians voicing “left leaning” views about their lives.  Is that ok?  Since when was God interested in political debates?  Some may argue that we HAVE to be affiliated with one party or another based upon the respective party’s platform, but I would argue that we FIRST must affiliated with “God’s Party”…His Kingdom. 

Do we have a moral obligation to oppose injustice?  Yes.  Do we have a moral obligation to stand up for those that cannot be heard?  Yes.  Do we have a moral obligation to treat each other fairly, no matter what?  Yes. 

So…do EITHER parties have it “all together?”  No.  Do either parties have SOME things right?  Yes.  Paul nailed this argument concerning citizenship and political squabbling when he stated that his “citizenship was in heaven,” and that he eagerly awaited Jesus’ return so that he could take Paul “home.” 

One political party may be in for a shock this election year.  I’m not sure which one, but I know that I’m fairly certain that God expects us to first “Love our neighbor as ourselves.”  That includes those whose political affiliations are not necassarily “God’s Party.”

And Another Thing…

Larry James’ post today (9/5/06) is absolutely right on. Make sure you visit his site and see the ministry that is happening in Urban Dallas.

Now, one may wonder as to my personal investment in this field of work…I’d say to you: “You bet I’m invested in this type of work! That’s my calling! That’s why I went to school to get my degree in Psychology! That’s why I want to serve others!”

I went to a VERY interesting rally yesterday for Labor Day. Politically slanted in a direction that I didn’t grow up believing. In fact, I still have trouble wrapping my mind around some of the convictions that others have. But…

Is there somewhere in the middle of the road that we can effectively teach others to become better people while nurturing those that need it and celebrating those that have achieved? What is a Christian to do…?

Becoming all things

I just had lunch with a PhD and a Master’s Degree intern.  Some individual’s minds are so complex that it takes me a few days to really comprehend the conversations we have together.  On the other hand, some people simply have a difficult time using proper grammar. 

I’ve read numerous posts and blogs by “theological kings” of the internet recently.  I’m not sure if these individuals can relate to the “sick” of the world.  I’m not sure if a clean cut, M.Div. toting Caucasian male can relate to the profound loneliness embedded in the life of a drug addict.  I’m not sure that a suit-wearing family man who grew up in a small town can truly empathise with a homeless single mother.

I know that I have trouble relating…

But Jesus doesn’t.

He could talk with the divorcee who came to the well to provide water for her “family.”  He could discuss taxes and politics with the other “conquered people” living under the Roman Empire.  He was able to teach and clarify scripture with the “M.Div” scholars of the day. 

Amazing…

No wonder Paul tells us that we should become all things to all men…to win some for Jesus…who can relate to us all!

I don’t want to be a Pharisee

More on this later…

I’ve noticed that there are a lot of “amateur theologians” out there in cyberspace.  My prayer is that I don’t get caught up in the flow of “sounding biblical.”  I want to BE biblical.  I want to LIVE as a Christian, not just write about it.  Which means I have to get AWAY from this keyboard every now and then.