why i can't be good for goodness sake

A couple of weeks ago the "American Humanist Association" started a 40,000 dollar ad campaign in Washington D.C. promoting their cause for leaving Christ out of Christmas. "Why believe in God? Just be good for goodness sake" the advertisement says.

A spokesperson for the group said, "we are trying to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds."

Here's why I think that seed would never take root if we are thinking rationally or critically:

1. It is irrational to think that a person can believe there is no God and then to say he will be good "for goodness sake". That statement is as much of a faith statement as any religious assumption and does not hold up to critical scrutiny. My question to the AHA would be, "How does one define goodness?" Or maybe an even better question would be, "How does one know that there is such a thing as goodness?"

When a person makes a statement that we should be good for goodness sake he is presupposing that goodness has been defined in some way and is broadly understood and has influence and meaning. To assume goodness is to assume some kind of moral absolute- a kind of higher authority has to be in place to define that goodness. Otherwise, what makes MY assumption of goodness any better than anyone else's? Who says your definition of goodness is really good? By what standard are you defining your goodness?

For instance, what is the moral authority in Atheistic humanism? Isn't it true that Darwinian atheism would have to say that the highest good is that which advances the species? Is it not true that in nature big fish eat little fish and big cells eat small cells? Does it not stand to reason then that if your definition of goodness is "survival of the fittest" that murder and pestilence and rape and racial genocide are all as equally good and acceptable as any expression of love or kindness?

So I have no problem with the atheist who wants to advertise his world view on Washington city buses saying something like "Be good for your own sake but don't push your sense of goodness on me!" or "Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die!" and claiming to be rational and consistent in his beliefs in those expressions, but it is intellectually dishonest for him to say "Just be good for goodness sake" when the very philosophical world-view he is trying to promote assumes that "goodness" is an unprovable and even irrelevant concept.

2. A second observation I would make is that it is irrational and not critical thinking for a group that claims to be atheist and therefore does not want a holiday promoting a religious view to then want to promote their own world view. After all, are they not then guilty of the very thing they are criticizing? If a person is trying to make the argument that no truth is absolute and therefore we should live in a world without any faith assumptions, without any religions or expressions of religion (like Christmas) because after all truth is not knowable and so we should live in harmony without having all these faiths pushed upon us, then by virtue of their own argument they should not be trying to promote their view.

The humanist objection to religion is that it is "unscientific" and superstitious. The humanist believes that truth is relative and therefore religious claims on absolute truth are irrational. But to say "Truth is relative" is a statement of truth and therefore should be considered not dependable and irrational. To the person who says "There is no such thing as absolute truth", we should always ask, "Are you absolutely sure about that?" If truth is unknowable then that truth is unknowable and therefore the belief about what is not knowable is by virtue of it's own definition a faith assumption. Make no mistake about it, the American Humanist Association is a faith organization. Their expressions of non-religion are in and of themselves religious views. They are faith assumptions about the meaning of life, being and salvation. "Be good for goodness sake" is as much a religious statement as "Oh come let us adore Him".

3. It is irrational to think that if everyone in America believed like the AMA that somehow the world would be a better place. Nothing could be further from the truth (and I believe that absolutely). Imagine what it would be like if everyone of us relied upon our own version of goodness.

For thousands of years Christian culture has believed that man's sense of morality and goodness came from outside of humanity and is therefore not determined by his feelings, sensitivities or emotions. Morality has always been understood as something that has come to us. In fact, the very celebration of Christmas points to Immanuel- God has come to us. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God..." (John1:1)

The influence of humanism in our culture is increasing. This is seen in a new kind of morality that says that truth is not found in a higher authority, but is found in the personal whims and feelings within the human heart.

Think of how destructive this belief truly is.

Imagine if Western culture had continued in the Greco-Roman ethic of the first century that women were little more than property and that weak, handicapped and female newborn babies could be cast into garbage dumps and that lower castes are destined for exploitation. What if Christianity had not reversed these terrible paganisitc beliefs in the third century?

What would it have been like if Christianity had not taken hold and Western culture bought into the Humanistic idea that we can find goodness in ourselves?

Imagine what our world would be like if it had not been for great men of faith and science like Augustine, Anselm and Ambrose- who were inspired by their reading of scripture and from a desire to know His creation sewed the seeds of scientific method and philosophy.

Imagine our world without hospitals or universities, public education and health care, all the result of Christianity's influence in the Middle Ages.

What if Western cultures had just relied on their own sense of goodness and not begun the exploration of a created universe as a way of better understanding the glory of God?

Imagine if their had been no Luther who held up Scripture and pointed to the injustices of a bloated institution that was operating more out of it's own need for power than it was an understanding of the sacred text.

What if 18th century England had not mandated the end of slavery because of their biblical understanding of the value of all human life?

Imagine if their had been no Puritan movement that dreamed of a society based on the Biblical concepts of community and righteousness and so acted on that belief by sailing to a new world and risking everything to establish the American colonies.

Imagine how terrible the outcome if Atheists and Humanist world views promoted by men like Hitler, Marx, Stalin, Lennon, Mao and Pol Pot had prevailed in the early 20th centuries .

Imagine an America without the Great Awakenings in which social movements, inspired by spiritual renewal and the teaching of scripture such as the abolition of slavery, child labor laws, property rights, and women's right to vote had never been enacted.

Imagine if there had been no Martin Luther King who led a movement across the south for racial equality based on his view that there was a higher moral law that superseded the laws and "feelings" of man.

The AHA is neither rational nor thinking critically in their advertisement and I hope their ideas do not prevail. But they have every right to promote their beliefs and to do what they can to convince others to believe in their religion.

But they only have that right because they are beneficiaries of a society that was established on the biblical concept of soul competency and freedom of the conscience of belief promoted by theologians like Roger Williams, the 17th century Baptist minister who founded Rhode Island and whose beliefs, rooted in scripture, were formalized into law and became the precursor to the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

To say that we can simply rely on the goodness of the human heart is not just irrational, it is also terribly naive. If there is no God, there is no moral absolute that defines the meaning of goodness. The lessons of history very clearly teach that man is incapable of finding his own goodness.

That is why I can't be good for goodness sake.

And it is the reason that this is the time of the year we so vigorously celebrate His incarnation by singing songs like "Joy to the World" that have words like this:

Joy to the world, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

giving thanks in all circumstances

I was thinking this morning that Thanksgiving could not have come at a better time this year- a person is hard pressed to find much good news these days (unless of course you are a Sooner fan and your team obliterated the number 2 team in the nation last week!).

Providentially, our text and memory verse this week is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thess 5:16-18)

I will never forget my New Testament professor at Southwestern Seminary, Dr. J.W. McGorman lecturing on this verse one day in class. He said to us in his thick Nova Scotian accent,

"Give thanks IN all circumstances, not FOR all circumstances. One never gives thanks for those things that break the heart of God. But one can always find reason to be thankful."

C.S. Lewis has famously said he believes the first words we will say in heaven are the words, "Ah hah, now I understand..."

I think of a classic example of this in the story of Corrie Ten Boom, the committed Dutch believer whose family provided refuge for Jews during the German holocaust of World War 2.

She and her other family members were caught and as a result were thrown into several prison camps before eventually ending up at the infamous Ravensbruk concentration camp in Germany. She tells the story in her autobiography, The Hiding Place, of complaining to her sister Betsie about the horrible filth surrounding her bunk in that prison- and especially the flies. Her sister reminded her of this very passage- give thanks IN all circumstances. The two women sat on Corries bed and Betsie led them in a prayer of thanks for the flies.

Corrie commented that she could be thankful for just about everything in her life- except for those blasted flies.

It wasn't until years later after Corrie had been liberated from the prison that she had a conversation with one of the men who had been a prison guard at the camp that she learned the reason she and Betsie were provided relative freedom in their rooms- and thus were able to keep Bibles and to hold Bible studies and to develop somewhat of a Christian community in that horrible place-

The reason was that the guards couldn't stand the flies.

We may not always know why we are giving thanks IN the circumstances- but God does.

This Thanksgiving in between watching football and cooking meals and catching up with family-why not spend some time thanking God for those blessings you can see all around you- and then devote some time thanking Him even for the things you don't understand right now-

but one day will.

new day at imb

This past week I have been in Houston Texas for the latest installment of the International Mission Board. Here are the highlights:

1. The Board has definitely changed. I am truly amazed at how quickly the complexion and dynamics have changed over the past year. We are no longer bogged down in meaningless controversy over senseless minutia. There is a strong sense that what we are dealing with matters and that we are putting our energies into those things the convention has assigned us to- reaching the nations for Christ.

2. Paul Chitwood is proving to be an excellent chairman. He is professional, concise and fair. I appreciate how he handles our meetings. He is well informed on the issues and anticipates problems before they come to the public meetings. He is well liked and seems to have a great relationsihp with staff.

3. The Board is setting a course for radical change within the IMB. The details have not yet been hammered out, but to summarize we are moving from a strategy that is regionally based to a strategy that is more oriented to people groups and will seek to more concisely partner with local churches to reach clusters of people groups around the planet. Although there are still many questions, I am excited about what these changes may mean for the future of misisonal strategies for churches like ours. The hope of the board is that we will be ahead of the curve in implementing this strategy as missional philosophy changes in the coming years from a more institutional centric approach to a more local church sending approach.

4. There is more harmony and synergy on the Board than at any time in my five years. We are finally working together WITH staff to accomplish objectives. The divisiveness, power plays and suspiciousness of the past has given way to a dedicated commitment to accomplish a big and meaningful objective. The controversies of the past have practically evaporated. Trust levels are high and the spirit is positive. We all seem to be driven the same agenda.

5. We commissioned one of our largest groups of missionaries in the history of the Board this week. I continue to be blown away by the quality of new missionaries coming in. The young men and women coming on the field are the absolute cream of the crop! There is no question about it- the best thing we do as Southern Baptists is world missions.

In a day of great skepticism regarding convention politics and power plays, at least from my little corner of the world within the IMB Trustee Board, I will tell you I am increasingly optimistic that though we are not perfect by any stretch, we finally seem to be spending more time focusing on the mountains than we do the molehills.

For that I give God the glory!

why so downcast?

Have you noticed that there is more than a little paranoia going around today? What is our response as believers?

I have always found it interesting that Psalm 42:5, 42:11 and 43:5 all say the same thing.

Why are you downcast, O my soul?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

The implication of this passage is that if I look on the inside and see that I am downcast, it can only mean that I have been investing my emotions in the wrong stock.

My "downcastness" tells me some things about myself. Worry is an indicator of a spiritual condition- it is a sure sign of lack of faith.

All of this is a good reminder for us that as Christians we have a view of history that is unique in all the world. When the Psalmist says "Why so downcast Oh my soul?" he is not just soul searching, he is making the point that the way we believe about our faith (trust in the Lord) will impact the way we see our future.

So how are we as Christians to see history and our future? Here are a few things to keep in mind while living in times of uncertainty:

1. To understand the meaning of the future is to understand the meaning of history.

The reason so many are paranoid about the future is because they don't have a proper understanding of history. Hedrikus Berkof observes:

"Our generation is strangled by fear: fear for man, for his future, and for the direction in which we are driven against our will and desire. And out of this comes a cry of illumination concerning the meaning of he existence of mankind, and concerning the goal to which we are directed. It is a cry for an answer to the age old question of the meaning of history."

He goes on to say that the church should provide the answer to this question since we have it in the Bible. We have in scripture all we need for a complete theology of history. But because we don't have it and don't contemplate it, we are struck down by our fears and fail to live in the full light of the Christian interpretation of history.

He continues:

The twentieth century Church is spiritually unable to stand against the rapid changes that take place around her because she has not learned to view history from the perspective of the reign of Christ. For that reason, she thinks of the events of her own time in entirely secular terms. She is overcome with fear in a worldly manner, and in a worldly manner she tries to free herself from fear. In this process (her view of) God functions no more than a stop-gap."

So it is good for us to have a clear understanding of history. The Bible teaches us plainly and effectively that all of history has a beginning, a middle and a glorious ending. This is unique in all world philosophies and religions. Only Christianity sees history and the future as a linear plane from beginning to end.

Ancient Greek philosophy and Eastern religions saw history as cyclical- nature and creation are constantly reincarnating and reinventing itself. Things occur in endlessly repeated cycles so that what is happening today will somehow be repeated in the future. This is the common world view of most Eastern religions today. In this perspective of life, the individual is devalued and life cannot be seen as moving toward any significant end. Time and history are not on a linear plane, therefore the only relief from the bondage of time is to somehow be released from it. In other words, in this view life is something to be escaped from- there is no sense of destiny or hope or future glory. This is the predominant view of most of the world's population.

Another view of history is the atheist view that we are all here by chance. The atheist sees no purpose for history or the future and believes that life has no meaning whatsoever. This is the existentialist view that says "get all you can out of life, can all you get, and then sit on the can!" Life has no meaning in other words, history is just a chance conglomeration of events that have no significant meaning or course.

There are many Christians today who are practical atheists. That is to say they profess Christianity but they live like atheists. In other words they live as if man is at the center of history. They live as if life has no meaning or direction. They live as if they are the center of the universe and "if it is to be it is up to me!" They live as if they are the captain of their own ship and the master of their own soul.

That is the atheist view of history.

But it is not the Christian view.

a. First of all, the Christian sees that everything in life is working out for the good.

This is what we call "sacred history". That is to say the redemptive plan of God is working all throughout history from the time of the Old Testament to it's fulfillment in the life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Christ. All of history points to that central event. The Christian perspective since that time understands that we have entered a "new age" in which the purposes of God will finally culminate in full fruition at the final redemption at the end of the age in the second coming of Christ.

b. God is the Lord of history.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, happens in this life without the knowledge and direction of God. He turns the heart of the king wherever he wishes (Proverbs 21:1), He accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will (Ephesians 1:11), and he has set the times and determined the direction of nations (Acts 17:26) and all things work together for the good of those who know Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). Because He is in control, history has direction and meaning and purpose.

c. Christ is at the center of history.

Have you ever wondered why we live during a time that is called 2008? The reason is that we mark our calendar by the time of Christ. All of history is marked by B.C. and A.D.- "Before Christ" and "After His Dominion". This illustrates an important biblical understanding of history- that the central event of human history was the coming of Christ. The central truth of our lives is the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross for payment for our sins and the redemption of mankind.

d. The new age has therefore already been ushered in.

The Christian in the early church believed he was living in the last days and in a new age. Every believer since that time has seen that he or she was living in a new day that was ushered in by the coming of Christ. "The Kingdom of God is among you" Jesus told the disciples. When Jesus said of John the Baptist in Luke 7:28, "Among those born of women none is greater than John, and yet he who is the least in the kingdom of God is greater than John" He is making an important point about the Kingdom ushered in by Christ. He is making the point that John the Baptist is the last of an old age- he is an Old Testament prophet pointing to Christ. But that those who become a part of Christ's kingdom will begin to live in a new aeon- characterized by the work of His Spirit and the formation of the Church. We are living in a new age brought about the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

But just because Christ rules in our heart and has begun a new age, it does not mean that there are not other forces at play. We are in the "already not yet" time of the Kingdom. The wheat continues to contend with the tares. The kingdom of man exists alongside the Kingdom of God. There will come a day when the Kingdom is experienced in full fruition after the coming of Christ, but until that time we still deal with "this present darkness". In other words, just because Christ has won the victory, it doesn't mean that all of creation has figured it out yet. I can see that in those times when my soul is downcast it is likely because the enemy has done a good job of convincing me that I can be my own salvation. John Marsh illustrates this point well:

Hitler had occupied Norway, but in 1945 it was liberated. Suppose that up in the almost inaccessible north, some small village with a Nazi overlord failed to hear the news of the liberation for some weeks. During that time, we might put it, the inhabitants of that village were living in the "old" time of Nazi occupation instead of the "new" time of Norwegian liberation. Any person who now lives in a world that has been liberated from the tyranny of evil powers either in ignorance of, or in indifference to, what Christ has done, is precisely in the position of those Norwegians t o whom the good news of deliverance has failed to penetrate. In other words, it is quite easy for us to see that men can live in B.C. in A.D.

e. All history is moving toward the ultimate goal of the new heavens and the new earth.

The Bible sees all of history moving toward a divinely appointed goal. Every line, paragraph and page of scripture points us to the centerpiece of history in the coming of Christ and moves us forward toward the ultimate day of His second coming when all of creation will be healed once and for all.

This leads to the second important point about understanding history:

2. The Christian view of history is overwhelmingly optimistic

The cosmic dimensions of history are clearly taught in scripture in glorious passages like Ephesians and Colossians 1 and Romans 8. Scripture is replete with enthusiastic passages that are incredibly optimistic in their scope and future outlook. All of scripture is escatological in nature. That is to say scripture is continually pointing us to the future. Christianity, therefore, by it's very nature is optimistically futuristic.

We will live today exactly the way we believe about the future. If you have hope for a glorious future, it will impact your present.

As an example, think of two people who both have the same boring and difficult job. Imagine that they both work 10 hours a day doing the same laborious task over and over again- but one of them believes that at the end of the year he will make 10,000 dollars while the other one believes he will make 10,000,000 dollars. Do you think they would see their work differently?

Of course they would! The one who believes he is only making 10,000 dollars at the end of the year will probably quit after a few days while the other one who believes he is making millions will see his work as joy.

The way you believe about your future will absolutely impact the way you live today. So when the Psalmist asks, "Why so downcast?", he is making the point that when we have our trust directed at those things that really matter and really count, it will impact the way we see life to the degree that we are not overwhelmed by life's circumstances. This is why we say a proper theology of history will help us to see current events no matter how daunting or discouraging, in a realistically optimistic light.

light and darkness in india

As a follow-up to last weeks post- here are the reflections of one of our lead pastors, Todd Tamura, who traveled with our team on the mission trip to the orphanage we are helping to build in Motipur India:

India is an all-out assault on the senses. From the moment we hit the ground in Delhi, we were bombarded by the sights, sounds and smells of the city. People are everywhere and packed into tight spaces – over 18 million in this city alone. Smoke and fumes from countless fires and motor vehicles hang heavy in the air. Traffic is a symphony of chaos. The sound of honking horns is constant as cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, bicycles, rickshaws, pedestrians and animals all vie for the road. It is impossible to venture anywhere on foot without being accosted by beggars. Images of Hindu gods adorn vehicles, homes and places of business. Temples and mosques are woven into the city’s grid at frequent and regular intervals. Everywhere there is filth, abject poverty, hopelessness and despair.

Yet in the midst of this dark landscape, we visited one of the Christian “slum schools” run by Global Action on the south side of Delhi. The children greeted us with beautiful smiles and sang joyfully of Christ. Some blessed us with Scripture they had memorized, and we prayed for them. When school was dismissed, many of the children escorted us to our vehicles, waved goodbye and then disappeared into the neighborhood. God is at work here.

Later that evening, we attended a Glomas graduation ceremony for over 100 graduates of Global Action’s 10-month training program for pastors. Sundar Singh Moses, who preached at Council Road this past February, has left his pastorate to become the National Director for Glomas training in India. Reverend Moses gave the graduation address and exhorted the graduates to remember the Lord’s call on their lives as children of the Father, ambassadors of the King, servants of the Master and shepherds of God’s flock. The atmosphere was exciting and celebratory. We enjoyed worship with these Indian brothers and sisters. Some of the songs we knew, some we didn’t, but it didn’t matter because the Spirit was the same. And I am reminded of one of the great designations of the church as the “communion of saints,” a phrase dating back to The Apostles’ Creed regarding the communion of all Christians that is rooted in Jesus.

Our constant escort and companion from this point on was Abhishek Subhan. Abhishek’s father, Daniel, is the Director of the India Hope Center, the primary focus of our trip. “Abhi,” as we call him, is Chief of Operations for the center which includes the orphanage, school and church. An overnight train ride brought us to Lucknow, another bustling city of over 11 million. We met Ahbi’s wife, Jessie, at their home. They are expecting their first child in January.

The five-hour drive from Lucknow to the India Hope Center in Motipur defies description. We share the road with thousands of motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, and an assortment of animals including cows, water buffaloes, goats, dogs and monkeys. There is no concept of “your lane” as we know it in the U.S., and nose position determines right of way. The result is that you end up playing a constant game of “chicken” with oncoming and merging traffic. Not that you ever become accustomed to it, but eventually you realize that no matter which way you lean in the backseat, it has no effect on your driver. Never before have I seen people so reckless with their lives. Abhi tells us that in India there is not the same value placed on human life: “They think, if I die, I die, and I no longer have to struggle.”

On the edge of the north Indian jungle, not more than 15 miles from the Nepali border, stands a small collection of buildings called the India Hope Center. Fifty-three boys and girls have been rescued from unimaginable circumstances and call this place home. The children sing of Jesus with all their hearts, and their smiles tell you all you need to know. They are genuinely happy in this place!

They have so little here compared to what we are used to in Oklahoma. But they have a bed to sleep in, a roof over their heads, three meals each day and foster parents who love them. They go to school and worship together. They help each other and relate to each other as brothers and sisters. And somehow it is enough.

There are four couples who act as foster parents, as well as teachers. They are devoted followers of Christ and called to this sacred work. They must be. This is an up at dawn, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year call to a very arduous life with very few comforts and no luxuries. The heat and humidity must be unbearable during the summer months. The commitment as a foster parent at the center is a minimum of 10 years.

What a joy and privilege to play with the children and help teach in their school. They are so bright and love to learn. I taught fifth grade math. We multiplied and divided fractions. The children kept asking me for more problems. We also helped the contractor pour concrete for the footings of new family units that are under construction.

One week in India is really not enough to be of much practical help. The real benefit of a short term mission trip like this is mutual encouragement in the faith and the changes that take place in one’s own heart. We came to India hoping and praying that we would be of some blessing and benefit to our hosts. Instead, those of us who went were the ones who were overwhelmingly blessed. Despite the darkness of this country, God is rescuing children from the brink of disaster, and we have seen it with our own eyes. What long arms of grace our God has! He is raising up leaders from among His people to minister to this land in spite of persecution and great spiritual resistance. Clearly, those of us who went on this trip have a responsibility to be advocates for our brothers and sisters in India.

Pray for Abishek Subhan and his wife, Jessie. Pray for the pregnancy and the health of mother and child. What great respect and admiration I have for Abhi. He is so gifted. He could be and do anything, but he has answered his call to the India Hope Center. In addition to the day-to-day operations of the center, Abhi also oversees the construction of six new family units. These units are fully funded in large part because of the fund-raising efforts of those in our church and in our local business community. Future plans include a dairy farm, medical clinic and vocational training center. As if this were not enough, Abhi also has a heart for the surrounding community. The local town is Muslim, but secularized and practical in their thinking. The people are very curious about the center, and they see the improvements that are being made to the property. We were able to host games for the local children, and our men even played cricket with men from town. The mayor hosted our entire team for dinner one evening. Some of the town children joined us for Sunday night worship where the gospel was shared. Pray that the India Hope Center would be salt and light to this Muslim community.

Pray that God would raise up more foster parents to staff the center. With the six new family units scheduled for completion in six months, the limiting factor for expanding the center’s operation and taking on more orphans is the identification of more foster parents. Pray for Global Action’s slum schools. Pray for the young pastors who are graduating from Glomas training and are returning to their cities and villages to minister in the face of persecution. Pray for Sheeba Subhan, Abhi’s sister, and Director of Global Action Projects in India. These projects include Glomas training for pastors, the slum schools, the India Hope Center, and blanket distribution. Pray for Lars Dunberg as he directs Global Action on an international level. Pray for a great outpouring of God’s Spirit across the land of India.

When our pastor returned from India last year he said, “I think I have seen genuine Christianity for the first time.” I understand now what he meant. The Christian leaders God is raising up in India are completely sold out to Christ. They have forsaken all that this world has to offer for the sake of the cross. Here in America we are so tied to our comforts. We consider them “necessities.” We want all the spiritual blessings in Christ, but we hedge, not wanting to miss out on anything this life and this world has to offer. We want it all, and I include myself in the indictment. But what we saw in India were believers who embrace the sufferings of Christ just as readily as they look forward to sharing in His glory.

We have seen great darkness, and we have seen a bright light, and the light has a name.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:4-6 NIV

putting worry in context

Our team that has traveled to Motipur India to help with the orphanage we are helping to build there is making their way back to the states as I am writing this. We just got a note from one of our lead pastors, Todd Tamura, who is on his first trip to the orphanage and who, as a former fighter pilot with the United States Air Force (insert your favorite F-150 joke here) has seen a lot of the world and has had his share of adventure. He wrote in part:

It's around midnight Wed night/Thurs morning. We just drove 5 hrs from
Motipur. There are no words to describe how dangerous the roads are
around here: thousands of people walking on and along the road, cows,
monkeys, dogs, water buffalo, trucks, buses, cars, bicycles, rickshaws.
They drive on the left side of the road around here, but really noone
owns any lane. My pics will never do justice to the head-on games of
chicken that they play around here.

The Hope Center and the children were absolutely awesome. Over fifty
children who have been rescued from unimaginable circumstances. Now in
school, in a Christian environment, with food to eat and people that
love them. It's amazing what God is doing there. It gives you a sense of
how big our God is and His love for all people. The children have such
joy even though they have so little. The foster parents have 10-15
children each and they are the limiting factor in terms of expanding the
operation. It's a 10 year commitment and huge because of the remoteness
of the location and the austere conditions.

Here at home, we obsess over elections and stock markets and who will win the next football game.

It is a good reminder that in most of the rest of the world, the part of the world where transportation likely means a donkey or moped and the burning question of the day is not where I will eat lunch today but IF I will eat lunch today- that part of the world where (as it is in Motipur) the nearest medical clinic may be 60 miles away and you and your loved ones have no way of getting there- the rest of the world where 18,000 children die every single day of starvation- and where 2.67 billion people have never heard the gospel or own a Bible...

...people in the rest of the world don't have the luxury of worrying about the kinds of things that give us stress.

I have a feeling that when our team comes back, we will notice that something about them has changed- and I am not just talking about their renewed enthusiasm for American cheeseburgers- I have a strong sense that "worry" will have a different context.

reasons i'm not worried

Someone asked me last week if I thought the latest financial crisis was a sign of the second coming?

I gave him all the reasons I believe the Bible seems to speak more to the advancement of the gospel around the world as something to look for than it does to any particular socio-economic or political event when it comes to the coming Parousia.

The last few sands in the hour glass will not be shifted as much by these kinds of crises as they will by the darkest corners of the planet being reached by the light of Christ and every nation language and tongue having access to the message of Christ. I believe that is what we are to look for more than anything that happens on Wall Street or the White House or on some foreign battlefield or inner workings of an earthly kingdom.

So, in short, I didn't think what were experiencing last week was more than a blip on the radar screen in the total scope of human history. It feels unsettling and is definitely a troubling and dynamic financial crisis- but I certainly don't see it as having much escatological significance.

Of course, that was before Texas beat OU and OSU beat Missouri in the same weekend.

That aside, the current political and economic upheaval does raise some important theological questions I would like to briefly address. How do we as Christians respond when the foundations begin to shake?

We need to keep in mind these three key promises of scripture:

1. For the Christian, the worst things that happen to us in this life are used for good.

All things work together for the good of those who love Christ and are called according to HIS purpose (Romans 8:28).

Those of us who have been around more than three decades would attest to the truth that the bad things that happen to us in this life God has used effectively to grow and shape our character in Christ. It is helpful to remember that God is more interested in our character than He is interested in our circumstances.

2. For the Christian, the truly good things in this life can never be taken away.

Scripture teaches that there are really only certain things in our life that are truly good. By that I mean there are some things that are good to the core and many things that seem good but are only a mirage. There are only certain things for instance that will last forever and consequently will truly matter to you a hundred years from now.

Everything else is just chaff in the wind.

The Bible teaches that the truly good things you possess in this life- God's love, His joy, His peace, His salvation - can never be taken away.

When the Bible speaks of the "glory of Christ", it is using a very important and specific word in defining the lasting nature of what is truly good. The word "glory" means literally "weight". It is where we get the English word "matter". The only things in this life that really have weight, that really matter, are those things that last.

When you drop paper in a stream it floats with the current, but when you drop a stone in the current, it sustains it's position despite the water flowing over it.

In the same way, the truly substantive things in this life that are promised us by Christ can never be taken away.

It is important to remember in times of change and turmoil, that there are things in our life that have enough substance to withstand whatever is thrown our way.

That is what we mean by the glory of Christ.

3. For the Christian, the very best things in this life are yet to come.

Christianity is the only religion that is truly escatological and futuristic. Every other religion either looks backward to a law and tradition or spins the adherent in endless cycles or reincarnation and reinvention.

Only Christianity sets the future on a linear plane and points to a glorious conclusion.

Christianity teaches that our future will be so glorious and complete, in fact, that whatever we go through in this life cannot even be compared to is as far as it's value and importance.

We all know that when a person has lost only one of his senses, his life is changed dramatically. Imagine having thousands of senses! Imagine seeing millions of colors and having your taste sensation multiplied exponentially! The Bible seems to imply that this is what we will experience in our future.

I think of the words of C.S. Lewis as he reflects on what all of us will one day be:

Remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you may talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and corruption such as you now meet if at all only in a nightmare. (C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory).

Think of it like this- our future glory will be so overwhelming that comparing our present self to our future self is a little like comparing a tomato or squash to our present self.

The apostle Paul put it like this in Romans 8:18:

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

These are the important Biblical truths that every Christian has access to- the worst things in this life Christ will use for good- the truly good things can never be taken away- and the very best in this life is yet to come!

india burning

If you think Islam is the biggest offender of religious liberty around the world- you are mostly right. In India, Hindu radicals are now making a run for that ominous distinction. The next time you hear a Hollywood celebrity talk about the acceptance and tolerance of Eastern "New Age" religions, think about how Hindus are treating Christians in "modern" India. (Read the documentation of the persecution here).

Over the past few weeks, while we here in America have been consumed with elections and hurricanes, churches in India have been burned to the ground and Christians thrown into prison, beaten, persecuted and in some cases brutally killed. One of our church planters from India recently learned that his elderly mother has been arrested by the Hindu thugs. Her crime is that she runs a Christian Orphanage that takes care of over 1,000 children.

Last Friday I received the following email from my good friend Lars Dunberg, whose organization Global Action we are partnering with to build an orphanage in Motipur. You may remember that Michael Butler and I traveled to Orissa last year to help lead a conference for young Christian leaders. That part of India is now especially out of control:

Twenty fifth August 2008 has become one of the saddest days in the history of Orissa as the angry mob attacked Christian Churches, Institutions, burned houses to ashes, beaten and even killed a number of pastors, missionaries and believers. 4014 houses burnt in 300 villages displacing more than 50,000 people, 2 pastors killed, 6 priests severely injured, 1 Nun gang raped, 2 ladies burnt alive, 24 other Christians killed and many injured. The young pastor of the church in Tatamaha was brutally killed. The mob dragged his dead body and thrown it in the field by the road-side. His wife and two-year old daughter are missing. At Sankarakhol, the pastor was asked to deny Jesus, as he refused to deny Him they cut his throat and killed him. His house and the church destroyed.

The village of one of our students was attacked by the mob. Church building and Houses were destroyed and burned. Three people were killed in this village. The believers are still hiding in forest. In Gajapati, about fifteen villages have been attacked. Churches and houses burned, destroyed and looted. Another one of our students said, ‘Two men were killed; one of them was burnt alive. People are still in jungle as some of these villages have been attacked for the second time."

Another student serves as a pastor with Bible Fellowship Church. About 70 people came and ransacked his house and destroyed it. He, his wife and their two little children ran for their life and escaped. Meanwhile the mob looted his house and another student, being unaware of what has happened, came across the mob as he was riding his bicycle on his way to conduct worship service at a house church four kilometers away from Khurda district head quarters. He thought some accident might have taken place, so the people have gathered. But when he came nearer to them one from the mob said this fellow is a Christian, catch him. The mob got hold of him, beaten him badly, poured diesel on him to burn him alive. But something unusual happened, none of the match-sticks lit up. By the time police came and he was rescued. Even our own office was not spared. The mob managed to take about eight cartons of books, dumped those in front of our gate, poured petrol over them and burned them."

The church here in America needs to pray for India. The church here needs to pay attention. We need to get the word out about the suffering of our brothers and sisters in this part of the world.

Spread the word.

Indian churches are burning.

why covenant matters

In my previous two posts regarding the need for covenant in church membership I pointed us to the Biblical context of covenant. I argued that the strength and heart of any relationship is the covenant. After all, a relationship in which one person is allowed to constantly violate the unspoken terms upon which the relationship is based is very definitely an unhealthy and even abusive relationship. A relationship without boundaries (covenant) is called "co-dependent". God is not an enabler. He invites us into healthy relationship.

Similarly, we are to arrange our relationships within the Body of Christ in this way. The strength and vitality of our growth together will depend upon our agreed upon covenant. In this post I would like to demonstrate why this arrangement is so important. I want us to see that the purpose of the church is so incredibly important and that the mission that each of us individually and corporately are called into is of such great and transcendent importance, that to not join together in this way diminishes all that we are called to accomplish in this life.

The trajectory of the gospel is from heaven to earth, redeeming the earth and bringing it into complete fulfillment, culminating in the second coming of Christ.

Every other religion envisions an escape from earth into a heavenly realm that is purely spiritual and non-material. Only Christianity sees the work of God as healing creation and bringing the material world into reconciliation. We learn in scripture of God’s love for the city. God told Adam and Eve to develop the world. In their disobedience they were cast out. The city was given to us as a way of contending with the fall. It is a place of protection and development and advancement and spiritual challenge. A missional church is one that has the gospel at the very heart of its belief and passion.

Missions comes from the heart of God. Missional people are driven to move the gospel message wherever they are and implement The overriding knowledge for the Christian is that Christ died for us. That one truth affects and instructs every other truth. At the cross, the wrath of God was satisfied by His grace and love. Christ went to the ultimate extreme in forsaking His place in heaven, becoming human flesh and humbling Himself to the point of death on the cross. The trajectory of salvation is from heaven to earth, from the immaterial to the material. God has moved into our world and is redeeming the earth.

Sin, justice and wrath are not popular subjects in modern culture, but how else can one explain the issues of evil and suffering? The world suffers because it needs redemption. More and more intellectuals today are coming around to the idea that there is evil in the world. I recently heard the story of a minister who was asked to advise a panel of Hollywood producers who were determined to make more religiously-oriented films. He asked them, “How many of you believe in God?” Only about half of them raised their hands. He then asked, “How many of you believe in evil?” Every single one of them admitted that because of their own experiences and observations about life, they could not deny that evil was present in the world. The problem of evil in the world is undeniable.

The secularist who does not believe in God’s wrath and justice has no answer to the issues of human violence and evil. After all, when one looks around nature, he sees that violence is natural and that evil is prevalent. If it is OK for big animals to eat small animals, for instance, what is wrong with murder and violence and war in human behavior? If it is true that human beings are a part of nature and have no other meaning above their natural content, then why would we recoil at human violence?

How is it that the human heart understands the plumb-line of human immorality? It must mean that God’s perfect sense of justice is in place and therefore that justice must be satisfied. It is only in Christianity that you find such a complete answer to the problem of evil and justice. God in His perfect sense of justice cannot just “let sin go”. Sin has to be paid for in some way. God in His justice demands payment, but in His grace and love He provided a way in the death of Christ on the cross.

His redemption: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and JUST and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

By His death on the cross, Christ paid the price once and for all in real and tangible expressions. It is interesting that this verse says if we confess our sins, “He is faithful and JUST and will forgive us.” His justice is satisfied by His death. Because He died I don’t have to die. On my behalf, He will plead not for mercy, but for justice, because God in His perfect justice will not require more than one payment for my sin. Both legalism and liberalism corrupt the meaning of grace. Religious legalism uses God - it serves God in order to get something out of Him.

True Christianity serves God out of the knowledge of His love and the abundance of His grace. Cain’s sacrifice was not accepted because he did not have faith in the abundant mercy and grace of God, while Abel’s offering came from a joy and appreciation for what God had already done in fulfilling His covenant promise (future tense). Therefore, it was the sacrifice of Cain that was honored by God. This story from Genesis 4 is a precursor to the Gospel. Cain, the older brother, tries to coerce God into his mold, while, Abel, the younger and less impressive brother depends solely on the work and grace of God. The theme of the older brother not receiving the honor (birthright) of God is all through the Old Testament (as well as a parable of Christ) and foreshadows the coming of Christ, the second Adam, who by His new covenant brings a new and better way.

The question for all of us is, “Am I a Cain or an Abel?” The Cain’s of this world are only concerned with self, power and control. Christ is the new and better Abel, whose blood cries out from the ground not for justice, but for mercy and grace (see Hebrews 12). As followers of Christ our passion is for His redemptive work in the world.

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

To understand the gospel is to have passion for reconciliation. Christ reconciled us to Himself and then gave us the ministry of reconciliation. From the gospel we learn of God’s passion for the lost. He was the first missionary, walking in the garden in the cool of day calling out to Adam, “what is this that you have done?” Even at the moment the curse took affect, God was providing a way. “You will strike his heal and he will strike your head,” He said to the enemy, prophesying the coming of Christ on the cross. At the cross, Christ took the blow and became the covenant curse so that we could be the covenant blessing.

As we are drawn into Him and become more like Him it is natural for us to open our eyes and hearts to a lost world. As the Father seeks worshippers and calls out for covenant restoration, our passion is for reconciliation and restoration. Missions is at the heart of God and therefore is at the heart of every believer. At the very core of our being we are drawn into Him and out into a lost world.

So what does the ministry of reconciliation look like? As the Bride of Christ, we are to have the priorities of Christ. Jesus made it clear that he came to “seek and save that which was lost.” We believe every member is a missionary, and every member is a minister. All of us are called into the Cause. Our “CAUSE” is to “love people to Christ” – to “reconcile” them to Christ. It is our “Lp2C” formula. There is a profound implication in those words. We are to love them to Christ. We are not to beat them to Christ, guilt them to Christ, scare them to Christ or badger them to Him. These failed strategies are a turnoff anyway, and have done immense damage to the witness of the church. All of us are called to reach our world for Christ; there is no question of this. But how are we to do it? The answer is found in the words and example of our Lord:

You are the salt of the Earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. (Matthew 5:13-15)

Jesus makes a clear allusion here between the church’s responsibility to be an influence to the community outside it’s walls. The church is to have an outward focus. It involves getting outside the comfort zone of the “Christian bubble” and moving into the darkness. Salt has no effect if it is not out of the salt shaker. A light hidden is useless. We must be actively relating to people who don’t know Him, investing in their lives and inviting them to be part of our faith journey.

We also have a role as a church community. It is to be, as Robert Lewis puts it, “a church of irresistible Influence.” Lewis writes of the huge difference between the evangelical church at the beginning of last century—with its reputation for impacting society through humble acts of charity, effective community strategies and far-reaching acts of community ministry and sacrificial works of service—and the single-minded “proclamation by preaching” that passes for an evangelical expression of Christian faith in most evangelical churches today. He writes:

The evangelical church finds itself, not surprisingly, disconnected from the real world. We are isolated, self-assured and socially uninvolved. The Church of the 21st century must shift its focus from an institutional orientation to a community orientation if it is to survive and thrive. (Robert Lewis, Church of Irresistible Influence).

In its disconnection from the real world, the church becomes increasingly adamant in its disgust and opposition to popular culture. What the world sees is angry shouting and moralizing, with threats of boycotts and strong-armed political pressure aimed at conforming state to church and forcing people to act more like us. The problem with this, of course, is that the church loses its saltiness if it no longer has influence. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. To love people to Christ is to show love in such compelling and irresistible ways that the Gospel is brought to bear not just by what we proclaim, but by the way we live. Evangelism, in other words, is not just something you say, it is what you are. And additionally, as we covenant together in membership, it is therefore who we are.

living missionally

LP2C (loving people to Christ) is first and foremost an attitude of the heart. As we are captivated by the gospel, our eyes are opened to the incredible value and worth of every human being we meet. Every single person we encounter in this life is seen as someone for whom the God of the universe was willing to die.

I was reminded of how the gospel affects us in this way yesterday when I read the following email from Denise Behymer, the wife of our Executive Pastor, Norman Behymer:

Today I went to the dentist. It was a dreary and rainy day in the middle of August which was a rest from the one hundred degree days we have been having. I saw her immediately when I walked up to check in at the desk. It’s a small office so I really couldn’t miss her. She immediately quipped out, “I like your purse.” I said thank you and sat down beside her to chat more about the purse. “I like a big purse,” she said. And we started talking about the features of the purse that we both liked.

She announced that she was ninety one years old. I noticed there was no one there with her and later on found out she had driven herself there. With no apparent apprehension she started telling me her story. She had lost her husband several years back due to complications of diabetes, and added in that no one helped her with him. She didn’t seem to be angry, just sad. As I listened to this ninety one year old lady spill her heart out to a complete stranger, I asked myself and questioned the Lord. “What are you doing here Lord?” She began to tell me how she had sold everything after her husband had died. My immediate reaction was, “Wow I wish I could have been there for that sale!” Her lovely 3000 square foot home and most everything in it including some very expensive silver and her farm with livestock and chickens were sold also.

She began to tell me that her only son had married but her daughter in law didn’t like her. “He never calls,” she said. Lonely, she’s lonely I thought. Also thinking, their going to call my name any minute and I’m not sure I’m finished with her. I kept listening for an “in” to her faith or if she even had any. She did mention that she went to the Catholic Church so I asked her if she had friends from her former church in another town. She only said that she thought they would call when she moved but they didn’t.

One of the stories she told me was that she took her granddaughter shopping and just let her try on everything she liked and then bought everything for her. They didn’t teach her to say “thank you” she said. Holding a lot of grudges I thought. How sad. I just sat and listened and nodded every once in a while with a smile. She just needed someone to talk to and spill her hurts to. Still a complete stranger…

Finally I heard my name called as well as her name. We were headed in the same direction and then I turned to her and told her that I hoped she would find peace and then we went into different rooms. I couldn’t get her off my mind all the time I was getting my teeth cleaned.

What was so funny is that this little lady just couldn’t get past how much she liked my purse, even offered to pay me to find her one. So she ended up giving me her name address and phone number. I told her she could go to Ross and find one perhaps and told her how to get there.

Long story longer, I went to Ross to look for her a purse to no avail and there she was. I ended up walking her to her car in the rain and she said the most precious thing I have ever heard said to me. She looked at me standing in the rain and said, “I like you, I really like you”
I have spent the rest of the day crying and thinking about her. Worried if she got home in this weather, thinking about her being all alone in a town she doesn’t think cares for her. I imagine I will just write a note to her and send my purse to her. I hope that thru my actions that some how she saw Christ, that maybe I was His hands and His feet and His touch to her today.

As I was driving home with tears filling my eyes feeling like I hadn’t done enough I heard the words come into my mind. “I was a stranger and you took me in.” Oh my, thank you Lord for an experience I will never forget.

please pray

I want to let everyone know of a couple of urgent prayer needs:

From Chris Wall:

"We had a sweet young single parent family in our church from Korea. Christine (Eunju) was the mother and she was a doctoral student at OCU. Robin and I met her walking through our neighborhood. Robin invited her to church and about two months later, prayed with her as she accepted Christ. After she got saved, she went back to Korea and brought her two daughters to live with her here in the states. The oldest, Joy, went to kids camp this summer.

Today is a sad day because this afternoon, all three were on vacation in Virginia on a tour bus. The bus crashed and Christine was killed. The two girls were mediflighted to separate hospitals and are in ICU. The oldest, Joy, is doing better. The youngest, Michelle, is in surgery as I write this email. I do not know the details of the crash, only that Christine died at the scene. Moon, one of our church members was able to call Christine’s mother in Korea to tell her the tragic news and she is on her way to the United States. Moon has also agreed to go to be with the girls until their grandmother can arrive from Korea. Another Korean lady has willingly agreed to go with Moon so they can minister to the girls. Several of our church members have committed to pay for this trip and send these ladies to be with these precious girls.

Please pray for these little girls. They are very precious and we are all so sad that this has happened. In the midst of our sadness, I am so thankful that Christine came to the United States and gave her life to Christ."

The second is from Kris and Shelley Riggs, who are missionaries connected to our church who are a part of the Western Niger Fulani team:

"We've been asked by some of our believers here to pray for rain. They've planted their fields some twice and others three times already this rainy season. The current crop is starting to yellow and they need rain desparately to save this crop. Furthermore, if this one doesn't make it, the rainy season would likely be too short to provide even a decent yield to sustain them. These guys in particular are in a remote village and are the makings of one of our church starts. As you pray that the Father would send them good, regular rains for their fields, please pray that God would strengthen their faith and increase their numbers in their fellowship."

getting membership right

In my last blog post I established the biblical basis for covenant. I did this as a way of reminding us that the only way a church truly sets itself apart and establishes itself as a body is in those things they covenant and purpose to do together. The covenant always establishes relationship. In scripture, the relationship between God and His people was established around the covenant.

In ancient times, the covenant agreement between the Suzerain King and the subservient vassal was called a "Suzerain Treaty". Suffice it to say that the treaty was always favorable to the King. It was typical in the establishement of this covenant that the vassal was required to walk through the broken pieces of animal parts spread out in two sections. The vassal was saying in affect, "May I be like this animal if I don't keep this covenant!" Two points here:

1. The King, for obvious reasons, was not required to walk through the pieces.

2. It was not just symbolism. In these violent primitive times, a vassal was quite literally torn to pieces when he violated the treaty. It was a very effective way of doing business. (I have tried for years to convince brides to utilize this method of covenant agreement during a wedding ceremony- no takers yet).

With this context as a backdrop, go back and read Genesis 15 and notice that God Himself passes through the pieces and does not require Abraham to pass through, as if to say, "I will be torn to pieces if my people do not fulfill the covenant."

Our relationship with God is established by this covenant, fulfilled by Jesus Christ, the lamb of God, who was torn to pieces and became the covenant curse so that we could become the covenant blessing.

Do you see that we could not know relationship with God if it were not for the covenant?

In the same way, every relationship you have is established by some covenant. You came into that relationship because you fulfilled the "obligations" of an unspoken and yet very real covenant. By this I mean that every single relationship is defined by the acceptance and acquiescence of the people in that relationship to certain qualities that are unique and unchangeable. Every married person knows exactly what I am talking about here. There are things about my wife I will not change. There are many things about me my wife cannot change. We have to accept a certain degree of "unchangeableness" in order to stay in relationship and truly love each other. That is our unspoken covenant.

I have found through the years that the better the understanding of the unspoken covenant in a relationship, the better the relationship. I remember watching a video when I was in college which illustrated the importance of non-verbal communication in marriages. Women were asked to observe a video of their husbands as they were being interviewed in a separate room. The women were asked if they could tell what the husbands were thinking by mere observation. The study concluded that the married couples who defined themselves as "happily married" were much more capable of reading each other's body language than those who described themselves as "unhappily married".

The difference between the two groups was that happily married people had a better grasp of the unspoken covenant, while the others did not.

So the more clear the covenant, the better the relationship. In a church body, which is the visible earthly expression of the family of Christ, the need to understand clearly the terms of the relationship are extremely important. In other words, we need to know what it means to be "members of one another" (Ephesians 4:25).

I am convinced the reason we as Southern Baptists are now dealing with the problem of unregenerate membership is that we are reaping the result of a century of emotionalism and attractional evangelism. Could it be that we have so greatly emphasized bigger numbers and have utilized a pragmatic and sometimes manipulative approach to "get people down the aisle" that in our enthusiasm for numerical growth, we have forgotten our mandate for "making disciples". Could it be we have forgotten the end game is growing disciples and the only effective way of establishing a discipling relationship is by understanding and implementing the terms of our covenant agreement? And it could be that the reason so many SBC churches today have no idea who their members are or where they are is that our pragmatism has skewed our understanding of biblical covenant membership?

When we use an emotional manipulative approach to evangelism and then hand a person a card and tell them they are a member, are we not just anesthetizing them to the gospel and the true meaning of membership? A recent study by David Kinnaman of the Barna Research group confirms that somewhere around 70% of people who are registered as "accepting Christ" in revivals or crusades never actually end up committing to the life of the church. He goes on to make this observation:

As Christians, we have to keep in mind that response rates are not the ultimate goal but rather the wise and careful stewardship of the image of God......If you create more barriers with outsiders because of your tactics, you have not been a good steward of the gospel. How we choose to share Christ is as important as our actually doing it.

Consider from a biblical perspective how ridiculous the idea of having members that are not actually committed to the church:

1. Early disciples met together for the purpose of learning from the apostles teaching. (Acts 2:42-47)

2. The early church kept some kind of record of members as "the Lord added to their number" (Acts 2:42-47)

3. The word for "Church" is "Ekklesia", which means "called out ones".

4. The Bible teaches church discipline. One cannot be removed from that which he has not belonged. (1 Corinthians 5, Matthew 18:15-17)

5. Shepherds are required to take care of their flock. It would be impossible for a shepherd to take care of sheep he doesn't know about. (Acts 20:28)

6. Members are required to submit to spiritual leaders. (Hebrews 13:17, 1 Thess. 5:12-13, 1 Timothy 5:17) The only possible way to stay accountable to spiritual leaders is within the context of a body of believers who actually know each other.

the meaning of covenant

When we think of "covenant" we are tempted to think in terms of a "contract". But a covenant as defined in scripture is much different than a contract. When it comes to God making a covenant with man, only God gets to decide the terms of the covenant, and in the case of God’s covenant with Abraham, He decrees that not only will He be the one to establish the covenant, but that He will be the one to take the blow if the covenant is not fulfilled. The beauty of God’s covenant with us is not only do we have an obligation as we enter into it, but God puts Himself under the obligation of it’s fulfillment. By His grace we are given the means of it’s fulfillent.

He was the one who walked through the pieces in His covenant with Abraham, saying in affect, “If this covenant is not fulfilled I will be torn to pieces”, thus prophesying the death of Christ on the cross. So He comes to us offering relationship with the terms of the covenant already decided.

Psalm 111:9 says, "He has commanded his covenant for ever. Holy and terrible is his name." Judges 2:20 says, "This nation has transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers."

John Piper observes:

So there is mutual obligation, but not mutual determination of what those obligations are. God comes to the covenant knowing what is best for us and we come trusting and obeying or not at all. In a covenant between God and man, God sets the obligations, not man.”

God says to Noah, "I establish my covenant with you . . . and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth" (Gen. 9:11).

And to Abraham God says, "I will make my covenant between me and you and I will multiply you exceedingly . . . you shall be the father of a multitude of nations" (Gen. 17:2,4).

And to Moses God says, "Behold, I make a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels such as have not been wrought in all the earth" (Exodus 34:10).

And to David God said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, I will establish your descendants for ever, I will build your throne for all generations" (Psalm 89:3-4).

In the sweep of scripture we see that God’s will in human history boils down to two covenants (Testaments). Hebrews 8 contrasts the two. The first is the covenant that God made with Israel when He took them out of Egypt and established them as a faith community; the second was the one God made with the church when Christ died for her and rose from the grave. The first covenant established the nation of Israel; the second established the church as the true spiritual Israel. In the old covenant, man’s obligation is to fulfill the terms of the law, in the second covenant; Christ is the one who completes the terms of true righteousness. So God both sets the terms of His righteousness and simultaneously creates the faith and righteousness that is needed through Christ by His grace as we place our faith in Him.

Notice how Hebrews 8:6b speaks of better promises: "He (Christ) is the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises." The reason it is a better promise is that unlike the nation of Israel, who were never able to fulfill their obligations under the old covenant, those of us who are under the new covenant find our fulfillment in Christ alone, thus releasing us from the curse of the law. God causes the elect to fulfill the obligations of the covenant. So what makes the new covenant a better one is that Christ not only seals the terms of the covenant by His blood and His death on the cross thus guaranteeing eternal life for his people, but also the faith and obedience to carry out the terms. It is not by our own righteousness that we are saved, but by His!

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them upon their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people . . . For I will be merciful to their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more. (Hebrews 8:10-12)

So you can see that the covenant is the central component of our faith. At the last supper Jesus took the cup and said, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The "many" is the universal church- the “elect”, the “spiritual Israel”. So with the death and resurrection of Christ, God’s final decisive and sovereign act to create a people for Himself was realized with the birth of the church and the establishment of the new covenant. A covenant not just to create a people by purchasing their forgiveness, but also by purchasing their faith and obedience in fulfillment of the new covenant promises: "I will put my laws into their minds, and I will write them in their hearts."

You and I exist as Christians because of the dynamic and irrepressible force of the new covenant promises. The Bible teaches that the Church was brought about by the providence of God as a spiritual community to carry out the purposes of God in eternity against which the gates of hell could not prevail. It exists in two forms, the universal or the invisible- and the local or physical. The church is both the physical embodiment of faith community and the spiritual embodiment of God’s elect all through eternity. Every Sunday a physical gathering of saints takes place wherever His people gather, and simultaneously in heaven there is an invisible gathering of the “ecclesia”. The one is what we see the other only Christ sees. So the local, physical church is the physical expression of God’s will being done “on earth as it is in heaven”.

This the primary reason it is appropriate for a local physical church to exist as a “covenant community”. Christ has created us by His blood to be a people, not just individuals, but a gathered people who covenant with one another to be His body, His bride and to carry out His redemptive work for His glory. As his local physical church, we are pointing to and shadowing His universal invisible church. As we have entered into covenant with Him by His grace through faith and thus become a part of the invisible church, so too do we enter into covenant with one another as an expression of our commitment to the local physical body of Christ. When we ask the question, “what sets us apart as a local body of Christ that reflects the true church?” We naturally come to certain conclusions:

1. It is not just that we profess faith in Christ, as this does not set us apart and distinguish us a local body.

2. It is not just that we are baptized, as one is not baptized into a local church, they are baptized into Christ. (Baptism is not seen in scripture as an initiation into a local church as Landmarkist Baptists of the past and some Southern Baptists today seem to believe and teach).

3. It is not just that we are a part of a local community, as there are many in our community who do not believe in Christ.

4. The one distinguishing factor that sets us apart as a local body is that we covenant together for the same purpose and agree together to the same biblical values for life and mission.

The points above were the basic conclusions of the earliest Baptists in America in 1649 in Cambridge Massachussets as they began to organize around established biblical values (John Cotton, Richard Mather and Ralph Patridge “Model of Church Government”). Baptists have long agreed that the one thing that establishes the visible union of believers into a local church is that they covenant together for some purpose. It is what makes us who we are and gives us the basis for our mission, our discipleship and our accountability to one another.

It is a clear understanding therefore of the meaning of covenant in the biblical text that gives us a clearer purpose in our life together as His body. It is our understanding of the meaning of covenant that reflects the gospel that brings joy and strength to our lives and guides us in the spiritual disciplines and instructs and informs our mission and discipleship.

koinonia

In our final study of the book of Galatians last week we came across a passage that has some very interesting implications for what it means to be a part of a church. The passage is found in Galatians 6:6:

"Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor."

At first glance this seems like a very strange command when read in the English language- almost like the elementary rules of a kindergarten classroom- something like, "good students will always be nice to their teachers..."

But a rudimentary study of the original context helps us clear things up. The word for "instruction" is the word "katacheo" in the Greek, and denotes a serious student. It is where we get the word "catechism" today and has come to mean the memorization of a large body of doctrine. The word "instructor" is a word more closely akin to a "mentor" or a "pedagogue"- someone who is more than just a mere lecturer, but rather a person who is walking with you for the purpose of leading you to a masterful understanding of the material he is teaching. In ancient times, privileged students were given mentors not just for specific study but for instruction in all matters of life. The word "share" is the word "koinonia" in the Greek language, denoting a higher level of community and fellowship than what can be found in casual friendship.

So in this context, the apostle Paul writing to the churches in Galatia has a level of expectation that within the life of the church, these kinds of relationships are normative. He doesn't merely make a command hoping to bring them about, instead his command is predicated on the fact that these relationships are already in place.

Reading passages like this are very challenging to me as pastor. I am forced to ask if these are the kinds of relationships we are promoting in our church? Is this what we are about? Have these kinds of relationship been so infused into the life of our church that they are more the norm or the exception? Of course the answer is that we regularly promote these kinds of relationships and encourage them as a part of our programming. But I wonder how much of this kind of thing is actually happening. I wonder too if this is where we are applying all our energy as a church?

I do think we have these kinds of relationships. I see them everywhere in our faith community. But I believe many of these relationships occur not because we energetically formalize them as such but because they are the dynamic natural work of the Holy Spirit in us. My contention is that if we are His Body, then all that we do in a formal way should reflect what is already going on in us spiritually and is specifically commanded in scripture. I do believe the life and mission of the church hinge upon the effective carrying out of the interchangeable and interconnected biblical concepts of "koinonia" on the one hand and "katecheo" on the other. The health and life of the church is determined by how effectively it lives out community and disciple making.

In my next post I will discuss some ideas of how we can begin to formalize and promote some of these specific commands from scripture.

katecheo

Yesterday some of the staff teased me about how "coincidental" it was that our Bible study last week in Galatians just HAPPENED to land on this interesting passage:

"Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor." (Galatians 6:6)

The word "instruction" is the word "katecheo" in the Greek. It is where we get the word "catechism".

This word is also used in 1 Corinthians 14:9:

But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

As I said on Sunday, someone who receives instruction in this way is a serious student- someone who is not just hearing instruction but is held accountable in some way for that instruction. It is the difference between an auditor who is a passive listener and a student who is taking the tests and held accountable for what he is learning. It seems to me that this kind of discipleship is sorely lacking in most churches today.

I have been telling our staff for months that I believe it is time we dust off one of our Baptist catechisms and make it our own as an approach to teaching children, growing up new generations and holding each other accountable in our discipleship and education ministry. When asked about my timetable on this, I have said that after I have been here five years, I would be ready to tackle it.

Well... exactly one week after my five year anniversary- gee, look at that, right there in the passage we're studying

- whatdayaknow!

Let's call it providence.

There has been a lot of talk lately about the meaning of membership in churches- especially the Southern Baptist variety. The SBC has passed a resolution at this years convention calling for member churches to more correctly and accurately identify their true membership. The convention reports a membership of 16 million nationwide, but the total actual membership is not completely known but believed to be somewhere way south of 6 million.

Of course, the thinking is that not only is this not a good thing for our understanding of where we are, it says something about our integrity- it says something a little disturbing about WHO we are, in other words.

So the resolution did not just call for better numbers- it also called for repentance.

The implication here is that not only do we have a organizational responsibility to make the necessary changes that reflect true membership, we also have a moral and spiritual obligation. We have an obligation in our witness. This issue speaks to the very core of who we are.

In the coming weeks, I will be leading our church to begin the process of better identifying our true membership. This will require us to do some soul searching as well as some scripture searching. We will study together our ecclesiology- what we believe about the church; and we will study our epistemology- why do we believe what we believe. I believe it will be important for us to think through both of these things. One cannot stand on firm ground without the other. There are a lot of churches who feel strongly about WHAT they believe about the church- but they have no clue WHY they believe it. That is a dangerous position to be in.

I do not know where this will lead us- but in my next few blog posts I will explore various topics around what the Bible teaches about church membership, relationships within the church, church ordinances and practices, the meaning of covenant and the need for discipline.

I am excited about the process and believe it will make us stronger as we reflect together about what this means.

thank you crbc

Teri, Taylor, Tallie and I want to thank you for last Sunday. We were absolutely blown away by the outpouring of love and affection that we felt from you, our church family. We feel as if we are the most blessed pastor's family in all the world to be a part of such a wonderful Fellowship of Grace- and that is what you have been to us these past five years.

Of course, the entire weekend was planned behind my back- which makes me a little nervous now that I think about it- and was a complete surprise. We were expecting a congratulations and a thank you and a "we love you!" but nothing like what you gave to us. I truly wish that every pastor could feel such love and support from His church.

Thank you for our generous and wonderful gifts. The picture frame and portrait will be a part of our lives from this time on- and we will always remember the circumstances of this beautiful gift. Thank you for thinking of my children, and for making the day special for them. I am most grateful as a pastor and as a father, that my children are surrounded by such a spiritually mature and loving congregation. They have only felt your love and your joy and your strength and excellent example of how a church should love their pastor's family- my children's experience as "PK"s has been nothing but positive and uplifting- they have grown to love their church and to understand what true Christian love looks like. For that Teri and I are eternally grateful.

And thank you for the monetary gift. Teri and I have decided that we will set it aside and use it next summer to help pay for a family mission trip to the Middle East. This will allow us to spend some very important and quality family time together the summer after Taylor graduates from High School. We are so blessed to have this opportunity.

Thank you for your continual encouragement, grace and steadfast love. Thank you for the grace you have shown in allowing me to be myself and to make mistakes and find my way while gaining my bearings during a time of transition. Thank you for your love and maturity that has allowed us to see together what God is calling us toward even as we have experienced the awkwardness of trying to figure each other out.

What a joy it is to be your pastor!

I am very excited about what God will do as we journey together from this moment on. Truly, in many ways I believe we are just now starting this journey. And I am as excited to see what our future holds as I am confident in the One who holds our future!

thoughts on five years

This Sunday Teri, the kids and I will celebrate our 5th anniversary at Council Road.

Hard to believe.

In some ways it seems like it was only yesterday that we stood before the church and accepted the call. In some ways it seems like it has been a lifetime!

There are days when I feel like I have been here my whole life- and there are others that I think I have only just begun.

Allow me to reflect on that.

Our family has developed friendships these past five years that seem as if we have had for many many years. We have renewed old friendships. We are continually making new friends.

In the sense that our relationships here are perhaps deeper than anywhere we have been it does seem strange that we have ONLY been here five years.

There are many many people in our lives today that I can't imagine ever not having.

But in another sense it does indeed seem like we have just begun.

I have been thinking this week about our journey together over these past few years and have thought about the road we have traveled. Here are a few thoughts:

1. I am grateful for every moment I have been pastor of CRBC- the good and the not so good- the fun and the gut wrenching- the times that have seemed so easy and the times it has seemed like we were pedaling uphill against the wind- I would not trade for one minute of it.

The truth is, if it were not for the good AND the difficult times we have had we would not know the full extent of the goodness and grace of God and how He calls us moves us along and providentially uses all things for His glory.

These past five years have been an incredible learning experience. I have gained invaluable knowledge about the church and the church has learned much about my leadership and passion. The result is that after five years we have come to what I believe is a calm assurance that God has brought us together for a wonderful mission purpose.

It hasn't always been easy. I came from a church I dearly loved and had been with from it's beginnings. I knew every member intimately and was the only pastor most of them had known. It was extremely difficult to rip myself away from that community of believers and come to a more established church with rich tradition and a significantly larger membership and history of great pastors. I was grieving the loss of my last church and CRBC was grieving the loss of a dearly loved pastor.

It took some time to get used to each other. But after five years we have settled into a great place- a place of understanding and trust and deep affection.

2. In some ways I think we are only just beginning.

The adage in ministry is that a pastor doesn't really get started until he has been around about five years. I think that has especially been true of us.

Five years ago I began to introduce new language. Today, words like celebration, connection, community and cause are normative. We have embraced an understanding of what it means to be missional, to understand that every member is a missionary and that we all have our own mission field. We are continually reinforcing our essential doctrines.

Although these are objectives that we have embraced- I do believe we are just starting in many ways.

We still have a long way to go. But I believe the difficult work of transition and scaling the learning curve is now behind us.

3. There are things that I believe I can lead us to now after five years that I was not able to accomplish before now.

As an example, I think it is now time for us to establish a church covenant that reflects our values. Our current bylaws do not include a covenant.

One of the basic values of Baptist ecclesiology is a commitment to membership around a agreed upon covenant. Over the past five years we have begun to lay the groundwork for this. We have developed a better understanding of our mission, what it means to be on a journey together and what we consider to be the most essential doctrines that shape our lives and commitment as we live life together.

I would like for us to begin work to clarify and formalize these values into a covenant that will strengthen our understanding and commitment to membership.

Last week the SBC passed a resolution encouraging churches to clean up their membership roles and to make a fresh commitment to "regenerate" membership. I believe this is good impetus for us a congregation to learn together what that might look like for us. We have people on our church role who the CIA and Jack Bauer couldn't find. We have people on our roles who are technically members but who are not committed to membership.

We need to remedy that. It will make us a stronger church and establish a healthier approach to every aspect of church life.

I would like to see us utilize a Baptist catechism as a benchmark for teaching our children and guiding us in our discipleship ministries.

I see us becoming more of a church planting church. In the past year, we have planted three churches and we have plans for three more in the next year. I can see us training leaders and pastors and encouraging other churches to start churches. I am very excited about our partnership with organizations like the BGCO and NAMB and Vision 360 to continue to encourage church planting movements.

I also see us becoming more intentional in our overseas initiatives. I would like to see us take a more direct approach to partnering with our missionaries who are attached to our church. I want to see us continue to expand the orphanage we have helped start in Motipur India. I want us to send even more people on short term mission trips, understanding that the more people get on the field, the more we will become a church with a global big Kingdom passion.

I can see us becoming more a church of different cultures. In addition to our two different morning worship services that meet in our big room, we have become a church of different congregations reaching into many different cultures around the city. We have ministries that reach into urban culture with The Bridge, one that targets Hispanic culture with our Espanol worship, one that targets people in need of recovery in Celebrate Recovery, we have a congregation that meets at the truck stop, a congregation that meets downtown and we are now organizing a church plant that will target Asian Indians.

This year our debt for the CUBE will fall below 1 million dollars. I think we are fully capable of paying off this debt in just one year if we pull together. With our church debt free we can focus more of our resources toward our mission causes. I would like to see us accomplish this.

4. I can see that what God has started in us is beginning to take shape in exciting ways.

We have become more missional. We have grasped the values of biblical community and a commitment to His word and disciple making. God is giving us a big Kingdom vision.

It is good for us to celebrate what He has done these past five years.

Even better for us to role up our sleeve and look excitedly to our future!