As a pastor of a local church (Southern Baptist) I am often amazed at what I see and hear. After my years in the business world and time spent on the campus of a state university I am surprised that I can still be shocked. Paul gave Timothy a warning of what he would continue to face and run into in 2 Timothy 3; he used words like "brutal", "lovers of themselves", "lovers of money", and "slanderous" to describe the actions and attitudes of people. Actually, none of this is a surprise at all, and most of us are used to dealing with this sort of thing and battle these tendencies in our own lives. But I have run into a few things lately that are scary on one hand and offer opportunity on another.
Last week our church hosted a Vacation Bible School for our community. It proved to be a great opportunity to meet and connect with some new families. As always, there were families who attended who already belong to a Bible preaching church, and they and their children were very knowledgeable of the Bible. However, I have to admit that I was surprised to hear a five year old child say "what's pray" when we were about to pray. I was taken back a little when another child confessed that they had never heard of Jesus. At first glance the reality that these children are ignorant of Bible basics is scary, but on another hand it simply shows the opportunity that exists to share God's love with people right in our own neighborhoods who have literally never heard it before. This is exciting!
For those of us who grew up in church it is hard to imagine not praying as a child or knowing about Jesus, but that is today's reality for many right here in the United States. All of this will prove to be a challenge for many churches who have a hard time imagining that there are folks out there who simply aren't "churchy" at all- masses who have never been in church and don't really know what it's all about. But again, that is what's exciting- the opportunity to connect with these people and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with them. After all, this is why we are here! The challenge then is many faceted for the church. How to connect to these people is only the first question. A better question might be "is the church ready and willing to accept them and deal with them once we reach them?" What will discipleship look like in a church where many are ignorant of biblical basics, which is not often the norm in many of the churches with which I am familiar or have attended?
Scary and exciting...right now that is all I have to say...
Oh, for even scarier check out this blog from Albert Mohler entitled "Does Your Pastor Believe in God?" at http://albertmohler.com/blog_read.php?id=3532
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
the plight of the "neither poor nor rich" and financial aid woes
I have always appreciated Proverbs 30:8-9:
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God. (New International Version)
These verses just make sense on so many levels to me; I feel like I get what the author is trying to say. In the case of the rich man or the poor man the temptation is to lose focus and bring reproach and harm to God's name and glory is greater than for the man in the middle.
If you are blessed with great wealth I simply encourage you to realize that you are blessed for a cause and purpose greater than yourself. God has blessed you for His purposes. Likewise the poor; God loves you and has a plan and purpose for your life. He desires to be your greatest treasure and can offer something far greater than riches. But that brings me to the point of this post:
If you are neither rich nor poor heed my words. Plan ahead and save diligently for your child's college education!!!! The sad reality is that if you are not dirt poor the financial aid system will not help you much. Hard working people who pay taxes and try to pay their bills get left out when it comes to grants and subsidized loans etc. I guess the rich can simply stroke a check, so they aren't all that concerned.
The bottom line: if you are in the "middle" tough luck. Hopefully your child will have a mind like Einstein, a bat like Albert Pujols, an arm like Roy Halladay, can tackle like Brian Urlacher, or run the ball like Ladainian Tomlinson; if so, a scholarship might be feasible. The normal, run-of-the-mill honor student who was active in clubs, sports, and philanthropy doesn't count for much in the "money for college" game. Am I whining? Yeah, I guess I am.
So back to the theological side of all this. Fortunately God loves the middle-class too and His promises apply to them. He "owns the cattle on a thousand hills," and it wouldn't take too many head of cattle to cover college tuition! But seriously, either way He has a purpose in it all....to be continued
8 Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.
9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you
and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’
Or I may become poor and steal,
and so dishonor the name of my God. (New International Version)
These verses just make sense on so many levels to me; I feel like I get what the author is trying to say. In the case of the rich man or the poor man the temptation is to lose focus and bring reproach and harm to God's name and glory is greater than for the man in the middle.
If you are blessed with great wealth I simply encourage you to realize that you are blessed for a cause and purpose greater than yourself. God has blessed you for His purposes. Likewise the poor; God loves you and has a plan and purpose for your life. He desires to be your greatest treasure and can offer something far greater than riches. But that brings me to the point of this post:
If you are neither rich nor poor heed my words. Plan ahead and save diligently for your child's college education!!!! The sad reality is that if you are not dirt poor the financial aid system will not help you much. Hard working people who pay taxes and try to pay their bills get left out when it comes to grants and subsidized loans etc. I guess the rich can simply stroke a check, so they aren't all that concerned.
The bottom line: if you are in the "middle" tough luck. Hopefully your child will have a mind like Einstein, a bat like Albert Pujols, an arm like Roy Halladay, can tackle like Brian Urlacher, or run the ball like Ladainian Tomlinson; if so, a scholarship might be feasible. The normal, run-of-the-mill honor student who was active in clubs, sports, and philanthropy doesn't count for much in the "money for college" game. Am I whining? Yeah, I guess I am.
So back to the theological side of all this. Fortunately God loves the middle-class too and His promises apply to them. He "owns the cattle on a thousand hills," and it wouldn't take too many head of cattle to cover college tuition! But seriously, either way He has a purpose in it all....to be continued
Monday, July 13, 2009
Shiny Plastic People, spiritual ruts, and a call to honesty
There are times when I think I am the only one- the only one confused, the only one struggling to maintain joy and a hopeful focus, the only Christian enduring a crisis of faith. Unfortunately, most Christians I know are "shiny plastic people" who feign a smile and always wear an "everything is great" mask. But this isn't reality! Dark times come; they are real, and we must be prepared for them.
I am encouraged when I consider the great men and women of God in the Bible and throughout history who endured times walking through a dark valley. Moses, Elijah, David, and Peter quickly come to mind; these men all faced times of crisis, doubt, and failure. C.H. Spurgeon, the "prince of preachers" and one of my favorites, had well-known bouts with depression. The Bible reminds us and encourages us to approach these times with a proper focus; we should not pretend they aren't real and don't happen to God's children but should instead remember that God has ordained and allowed these dark times for a reason.
Perhaps James 1 is the most well-known passage that deals with trials and tribulations, as it reminds us that they produce endurance in us. We are also told by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 than God always provides a way of escape and will not place upon us more than can be handled; in addition, God promises never to leave or forsake us. The reality that we are created for His glory and purposes (Isaiah 43:6-7) should also help us endure knowing that there is always a greater purpose to everything, and Jesus' words found in Matthew 6 about worry in light of the fact that we are more valuable to God than the lilies or the sparrows should offer encouragment. We take these thoughts and couple them with the reality that there is a spiritual battle that we can not see being waged all around us, and that the enemy is at work and wants to bring us down. With these thoughts in our mind we can begin to make sense of the battles we face and find strength and a reason to carry on through the tough times.
This post is a call for honesty among Christians. I am not advocating a perpetual whining or complaining, but I am encouraging God's people to face that reality that dark times- times in the valley- are real. I am hoping that we will be reminded of their purpose and the fact that God is allowing them and will use them for good. Furthermore, I hope that we all will use the weapons that God has given us to fight these spiritual battles in our lives. During my times of doubt, crisis, and struggle I have noticed that what I allow into my mind is of utmost importance. There is a direct correlation in my own life to time spent in Scripture, what music and movies and TV I am taking in, time in prayer, and areas of basic disobedience to my spriritual outlook. In other words, when the times of testing and trial and doubt do come I find that I can only trudge through if my focus is where it should be. If I lose focus I sink deeper in the mire.
A few things that are invaluable during the times of darkness: an accountability partner, a small group of Christians with whom you can share like a Sunday school class or Bible study group, a habit of personal devotion time in the Bible and prayer, a habit of gathering with other Christians to worship and serve, and a realization that God allows tough times. This is not an exhaustive list, but all of these have meant something to me in the last several days of my own darkness. I also found great encouragment from these two posts and I would encourage you to check them out http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1908_how_long_will_this_last/ and http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/944_what_i_learned_in_a_spiritual_storm/
I am encouraged when I consider the great men and women of God in the Bible and throughout history who endured times walking through a dark valley. Moses, Elijah, David, and Peter quickly come to mind; these men all faced times of crisis, doubt, and failure. C.H. Spurgeon, the "prince of preachers" and one of my favorites, had well-known bouts with depression. The Bible reminds us and encourages us to approach these times with a proper focus; we should not pretend they aren't real and don't happen to God's children but should instead remember that God has ordained and allowed these dark times for a reason.
Perhaps James 1 is the most well-known passage that deals with trials and tribulations, as it reminds us that they produce endurance in us. We are also told by Paul in 1 Corinthians 10 than God always provides a way of escape and will not place upon us more than can be handled; in addition, God promises never to leave or forsake us. The reality that we are created for His glory and purposes (Isaiah 43:6-7) should also help us endure knowing that there is always a greater purpose to everything, and Jesus' words found in Matthew 6 about worry in light of the fact that we are more valuable to God than the lilies or the sparrows should offer encouragment. We take these thoughts and couple them with the reality that there is a spiritual battle that we can not see being waged all around us, and that the enemy is at work and wants to bring us down. With these thoughts in our mind we can begin to make sense of the battles we face and find strength and a reason to carry on through the tough times.
This post is a call for honesty among Christians. I am not advocating a perpetual whining or complaining, but I am encouraging God's people to face that reality that dark times- times in the valley- are real. I am hoping that we will be reminded of their purpose and the fact that God is allowing them and will use them for good. Furthermore, I hope that we all will use the weapons that God has given us to fight these spiritual battles in our lives. During my times of doubt, crisis, and struggle I have noticed that what I allow into my mind is of utmost importance. There is a direct correlation in my own life to time spent in Scripture, what music and movies and TV I am taking in, time in prayer, and areas of basic disobedience to my spriritual outlook. In other words, when the times of testing and trial and doubt do come I find that I can only trudge through if my focus is where it should be. If I lose focus I sink deeper in the mire.
A few things that are invaluable during the times of darkness: an accountability partner, a small group of Christians with whom you can share like a Sunday school class or Bible study group, a habit of personal devotion time in the Bible and prayer, a habit of gathering with other Christians to worship and serve, and a realization that God allows tough times. This is not an exhaustive list, but all of these have meant something to me in the last several days of my own darkness. I also found great encouragment from these two posts and I would encourage you to check them out http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1908_how_long_will_this_last/ and http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/944_what_i_learned_in_a_spiritual_storm/
Friday, July 3, 2009
Michael Jackson, Jesus, and starvation
Maybe it's a little weird that words from the mouth of the "king of pop" would cause me to consider the words of "The King of Kings" and "Lord of Lords", but Michael Jackson's Man in the Mirror has been reverberating in my head for the past two weeks and reminding of Jesus' own words to His followers. Jesus stated emphatically that He had come to seek and to save the lost; He came to bring ultimate healing (spiritual) to humanity. Along the way He modeled for us what it means to be a servant of all. Jesus was the one who would touch the leper, the blind, the deaf and mute, the demon-possessed, the child who had died or simply needed a blessing; he reached out to the poorest of the poor and the destitute. Those who weren't "upper crust" in society were just the ones that He sought to impact. Jesus stated that he had "not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many."
I heard recently that 16,000 children will die today alone from starvation related illness...just think about that! I could go on and on about the ills and suffering that exists in the world beyond this as well. But it begs the question of what will those of us who have food enough do about it? The same for any other need that exists around us. Who will reach out and make a difference? This is where the king of pop comes in: "as I turned up the collar on a favorite winter coat the wind is blowin my mind I see the kids in the street with not enough to eat who am I to be blind pretending to see their needs...I am starting with the man in the mirror...if you wanna make the world a better place just look at yourself and make a change."
This lyric speaks to us all, but it should have special meaning for followers of Christ. We not only have the responsibility to reach out in love and meet the practical needs all around us, but we have the "bread" that everyone most needs- the "Bread of Life"- Jesus Christ. But we are selfish with this spiritual food just like we are with physical food. God help a Christian or community of Christians ("church") that turns a blind eye to the either the physical or spiritual needs all around them. Judgment awaits the "country club" Christian and churches that are so prevalent today. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done..." (2 Corinthians 5:10).
I heard recently that 16,000 children will die today alone from starvation related illness...just think about that! I could go on and on about the ills and suffering that exists in the world beyond this as well. But it begs the question of what will those of us who have food enough do about it? The same for any other need that exists around us. Who will reach out and make a difference? This is where the king of pop comes in: "as I turned up the collar on a favorite winter coat the wind is blowin my mind I see the kids in the street with not enough to eat who am I to be blind pretending to see their needs...I am starting with the man in the mirror...if you wanna make the world a better place just look at yourself and make a change."
This lyric speaks to us all, but it should have special meaning for followers of Christ. We not only have the responsibility to reach out in love and meet the practical needs all around us, but we have the "bread" that everyone most needs- the "Bread of Life"- Jesus Christ. But we are selfish with this spiritual food just like we are with physical food. God help a Christian or community of Christians ("church") that turns a blind eye to the either the physical or spiritual needs all around them. Judgment awaits the "country club" Christian and churches that are so prevalent today. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done..." (2 Corinthians 5:10).
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