Getting into God's Word

"The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord." 

Pro. 21: 31

Why is it so hard to convince folks to read the bible so they can get to know God?  I am aware that changing habits is difficult, but I am constantly surprised when I talk with "mature" believers who do not read the word of God and pray daily.  If that is you, don't despair but let's make a plan to get you growing into the Word of God!

First some words of confession.  I know that the bible can be a confusing and huge book for those not familiar with its contents.  When people talk of reading the bible, they often approach it like a novel.  They pick up the book and they start reading in Genesis.  Yet, the bible does not read like a novel.  Who are these people?  Their traditions are strange.  What does this mean?

By the time they get to the middle of Exodus (if they make it that far), they are bored, confused, and ready to give up the whole book!  They might not tell others their difficulty, but they do have their minds made up.  In many ways, I do not blame them.  While I love Genesis, these OT stories without their redemptive content make little sense.

What can be done?

I suggest that a new believer, a not quite yet believer, or a believer who struggles to get into the bible should start somewhere other than Genesis when they begin to learn about the bible.  All of the scriptures are useful, but some of them require some background knowledge before their true message can be understood.  Do not let this discourage you!  Start by getting some of that background knowledge!

First and foremost, start reading in the gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John at the beginning of the NT.  In these books, an honest reader will encounter the person of Jesus.  Read a chapter.  Take your time and ask the Lord to give you wisdom as to what the message means.  The bible is not a novel to be finished, but a message from God to be listen to and transformed by.  Read and think of your life. Ask God for wisdom.

After reading in the gospels, I encourage folks to take some time to pray.  I remember the first time I engaged in this pattern.  I closed by eyes and began to tell God all about my concerns.  I prayed for everyone and everything I could think of.  When I finished, I had prayed for only 5 minutes!  I have heard stories of folks praying for hours.  How is this possible?!

I have since learned that prayer is not just me telling God about my concerns, but also learning how to listen!  Here is where scripture actively works.  As I read the gospels, I ask God for wisdom.  When thoughts come to mind, I pray about them.  I ask for wisdom with people and situations.  I also find that ideas and thoughts come to mind from the scripture that help me get perspective.  Often this perspective concerns my heart and attitude!

Here is where the gospel informs my reading.  As I encounter Jesus, He often uses the Word of God to drive me to repentance.  I see my failings.  I repent of these failings, and I look to Him for mercy.  Praise be to God, He gives it!  This love poured out to me, which is the gospel promise, then allows me to see other differently.  It gives me new perspective.  It gives me love to give to others.

I also find that God will use the scriptures to encourage me as I have made good choices.  He uses His word to give me an insight before I encounter something unexpected in a day.  In other words, God's word is active in the life of those who seek Him and His wisdom!  Please seek Him and His wisdom!

This post is growing long, so I will offer some more encouragement and insight about the bible in Monday's post.  I will conclude by stating that God's word is life-changing.  I implore you to pick it up and read it reflectively!  It will change your life as you read it asking the Lord for wisdom!  As the writer of Hebrews states, 

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." (Heb 4:12)

Spiritual Warfare: The World Outside and Within

"It is possible for both individuals and churches to become devoted mainly to personal spiritual culture and forget outreach, especially if the process of reaching our involves touching those who may contaminate us. Thus many Protestant churches have in effect become closed systems for the nurture and servicing of the inheritors of a denominational tradition." 

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life.

"What is the salt loses its saltiness?  It is no longer good for anything.  It should be thrown out!"  

Jesus (Matt 5:13)

Throughout all of church history there have been renewal movements that emphasize the importance for believers to "not be of the world."  This emphasis has been the cause of several revivals when the Church became corrupt and lost its vitality.  In the place of lazy, non-engaged spirituality, people have been drawn into a deeper knowledge of Jesus by following him instead of the ways of the world.

It should not be a surprise that the emphasis to "not be of the world" has brought proper revival.  Scripture is full of commands that warn us of the world contaminating influences.  One of the clearest examples is found in 1 John 2:15-16, "Do not love the world, nor the things of the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world."  Another clear, but often missed example comes from the whole of OT history.  Throughout the pages of the OT, the Israelites are warned against the evil world that exists outside of its borders.  God knew the Israelites would wander away from faith and trust in Him if they witnessed and engaged in the pagan religious practices of their neighbors.

In my experience, many churches and many Christian take these warnings to mean that they cannot associate with the evil world "out there."  This emphasis has lead some churches to deny the need for fellowship with other believers and churches because they judge them worldly.  I have also seen individual believers, particularly those who God rescued from deep-seated sin tendencies as well as with those who grow up with performance-oriented religion, flock to churches that maintain such a rigid condemnation of the world.

Given these reactions to clear scriptural commands, how should believers understand and engage with the world?

First, we must define the world.  In scripture, the world is a system of structures and values that makes true godliness look foolish and wickedness righteous.  It is empowered by the Evil One, and it works in tandem with our flesh to bring about a lack of faith and trust in the grace of God.  The world is attractive to our flesh, and thus it is deceptive.  It has a sensual side that we are warned often about.  This should be avoided because it is destructive to our souls!  

The problem is that it also has a religious side that is equally destructive to our souls.  This religious side promotes self-righteousness that can be clearly seen in an holier-than-thou attitude.  It breeds within us an "us against them attitude" that can be smelled a mile away.  In the individual Christian or Christian family, it promotes a certain "weirdness" that everyone else can see, but the individual or family cannot.  Unfortunately, this "weirdness" does not look or smell like the person and ministry of Jesus, but it looks and smells like religious self-righteousness and judgment that says, "Come, be converted, and be like me."  For 99% of those not yet believing, this proposal looks and sounds horrible.

In other words, the world we are to avoid is not just outside the church and Christian community, but we bring it with us everywhere we go.  We need to repent of our attraction to it, and our embrace of it.  It is the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees that will spoil the whole batch (Matt. 16).

A second question that is should be asked by individual believers is, "How do I share this great discovery of Divine grace?"

In the context of 1 John 2 15-16, verse 17 states, "And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever."  What is the will of God?  I would think that Jesus and the apostles state it well.  Jesus brought the Kingdom of God into every area of the world that he touched.  He ate with and associated with "sinners."  He set people free.  Why would we not do the same?  How can we witness to God's faithfulness and love if we do not?  Paul and the apostles took the message of the gospel to the very ends of the known world.  Even the OT states that the purpose of the Jewish nation was to be a blessing to the entire world (Gen 12: 1-3).

I think what is needed is a change in focus.  What if we as believers "contaminated" the surrounding culture and individuals with the incredible love of God found in the gospel?  Why are we scared to share this good news?  My guess is not our fear of rejection (what is often claimed), but our lack of real, life-changing faith that this message is great!  If we drink deeply of the gospel and the grace of the Lord, the world, in all its forms, is not attractive.  In fact, drinking deeply of the love of God is the only thing that will break the power of sin in our lives.  When we are healed and changed, we praise God and declare His love.

Unfortunately, many of us live like the 9 men healed of leprosy who did not thank God in a loud voice with joy.  As a result, our faith has not made us well.  We are still soul sick.  Soul sick people do not witness to God's life-changing power that is working daily in their heart.  They might witness to what God did years ago, but they do not have a new story to tell.  Often their life begins to focus on their needs and wants instead of doing the will of God.

If you find yourself in this place today, repent and believe!  Confess your lack of love for those still bound by sin.  Confess the fact that you are bound by the sin of self-concern and self-righteousness.  Ask that God will help you to do as Jesus did: engage and love sinners while believing and resting in the Love of God.

Heart Transforming Grace

"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."

Galatians 5:6

"In the book The Nature of True Virtue, Jonathan Edwards demonstrates that most moral people are complying to ethical standards mainly out of self-interest, pride, and fear.  He called this "common morality" and contrasted it with "true virtue," which flows from a life transformed by experiencing God's grace.  Edwards discerned a loving and joyful heart that acted not out of superiority, nor fear of consequences, but out of delight in God for the beauty of who God is in himself."

Tim Keller, "Preaching Amid Pluralism," Leadership (Winter 2002), 35.

Last evening in our gospel-centered discipleship class, we were discussing how one must be sanctified by faith.  In the class, our discussion revolved around the topic of how hard it is to believe that faith is what actually changes us.  We shared that the overarching concern by many is that if one emphasizes faith and grace as the drivers of change, then people will not walk in holiness.

One of the participants pressed this point by illustrating the arguments made by professing Christian folks who endorse and encourage monogamous homosexual relationships as good because we are all covered by grace and those in these relationship are showing love.  These folks argue that scripture that teaches against homosexuality is merely cultural while grace and love are universal.  Thus, these professing Christians argue in support of homosexual marriage because it illustrates "faith expressing itself through love."

In response to such libertines, many other Christians have taken the exact opposite tact.  They have argued that the Law must be obeyed as proof of sanctification.  Soon, as they seek to follow the Law or "the Law of Christ" they struggle under and against the Law's commands.  If they do a better job then most, they become a self-righteous "helper of the weak" while if they fail they cover it up so as not to be exposed in their failings.  In hoping to steer clear of the shoals of absolute freedom that promotes sin (antinomianism or against the Law), they run their life toward the cliff of despair and self-righteousness that are found in legalism.

How do we escape both the shoals of antinomianism and the cliffs of legalism while remaining true within the current of the gospel?

We focus on how the gospel transforms hearts through the process of repentance and faith.  This means that we clearly teach that "There is a way that seems right to us, but in the end it leads to death." Proverbs 16:25.  In other words, we are sinful beings who always run away from God apart from His grace.  We prefer to break our relationship with God, with the way we are created to be, and with what is best for us because it "just feels right."  Because of these relational issues, we walk in sin.  All of the ways of the flesh, from our sinful self-effort and self-righteousness to our sins of inappropriate sexuality and anger, derive from our relational distance from God.  We need to repent of our heart's rebellion against God and cling by faith in Christ as our only cure.

Such teaching is found in every generation of the church.  It is the string that holds together the true Church.  Unfortunately, it is also followed and believed by only a small minority of professing believers.  

Why?  Because it feels like death to walk in faith and to rest in God's grace and beauty as all we need.  It is much more comfortable to take control of our lives, either through "sanctifying" our sinful liberty or emphasizing our ethical behavior and effort as central.  Both of these tendencies reflect our inward desire and need for control.  

Faith means trusting God's control and love as enough.  The only way we can have such faith is to know and believe that God's love and plan are good and sufficient.  The only way to know that in our heart (not just our head) is for our hearts and souls to be captured and enraptured by the beauty, perfection, and love of God.  Such heart transformation enables us to release our idols of control, self-reliance, fear, and pleasure because we want and know something better than our shallow idols.

How do we get such faith?  How do we know if we have it?

Good questions.  

I believe it was Calvin who argued that true knowledge of self points to our need for God and true knowledge of God points to correct self awareness.

Do you know your absolute need for grace?  Do you see the fruitless attempts at finding love, acceptance, and significance through your pursuit of control and pleasure apart from God?  Do you realize that your real problem is not your "fleshly desires" but the heart in rebellion against God that produces these desires that run contrary to true life?  Do you despair of even your attempts at doing good because you realize your mixed motives?  Do you feel like a fake and a poser because you know of the hypocrisy within you?

If so, repent and believe!  Confess your sin, your rebellion, your sinful ways and cling to Jesus Christ as your only hope.  With eyes of faith, look upon Him and see forgiveness instead of condemnation.  Turn to Him for your satisfaction and life.  Repent of your idols.  Ask for grace to set them aside.  Allow the joy of Christ's presence to give you all you need.  Hope in the promises for as Isaiah states,

"The Lord longs to be gracious to you;

he rises to show you compassion.

For the Lord is a God of justice. 

Blessed are all who wait for him.

O people of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more.  How gracious he will be when you cry for help!  As soon as he hears, he will answer you.  Although the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, your teachers will be hidden no more; with your own eyes you will see them.  Whether you turn to the right or left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, 'This is the way, walk in it.'  Then you will defile your idols overlaid with silver and your images covered with gold, you will throw them away like a menstrual cloth and say to them, 'Away with you!'"

Isaiah 30: 18-22

Spiritual Warfare: Combating the Unholy Trinity

"Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'" 

Gen. 3:1

"The tempter came to him and said, 'If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.'" 

Matt. 4:3

In the past 24 hours I have read several unflattering stories concerning the community of faith and our cultural understanding of the spiritual life.  I have read of a Salvation Army leader who diverted and stole thousands of dollars of donated toys that he planned to sell for profit.  I have read that porn stars have a deeper spiritual life than the average woman (go figure).  I have also read about and seen a picture entitled "The Truth" that was recently presented in Boston of Barak Obama as the crucified Christ.

How do we get to a place where these strange snap shots of reality occur every 24 hours?  How do individuals, the world system, and the evil one work together to produce temptation and sin?

These are important questions because they bear on each of our individual lives as well as the life of our culture.

In today's blog, I wish to start an answer to these question.  Each case of full-blown sin is different, but they all spring from a similar source.  To help us understand this source, we will briefly look at the fall of humanity in Genesis 3 and Jesus' temptation in Matt. 4.

In both of these passages, Satan's first move is to call into question the character of God.  

"Did God really say...." "If you are the Son of God...."  

Both of these statements point to a flaw in God's character that Satan believes everyone should see.  Of course there is no flaw in God's character!  Nevertheless, Eve takes the bait and she begins the process of the fall.  Meanwhile, Jesus knew that He is the Son of God, so he does not have to prove anything.  He completely sidesteps the temptation by quoting and living the truth, "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matt. 4:4)

Why did Eve fall?  What was her underlying sin?  I think ultimately the crack in her armor was that of lacking faith and trust in God.  

In discussing the consequences of the fall, John Calvin observes that many vestiges of the Image of God remain in us.  Thus, the fall does not mean that we are as evil as possible, because we still have the ability to express love.  Love remains a vestige of our created good.  Yet, he claims, and I agree with him, that the attribute of faith was completely lost in the fall.  

Eve lacks faith in God's character and the fall begins.  She begins to reason to herself and explain away what God has said.  Eventually, she does exactly the opposite of God's will and expressed command.  On the other hand, Jesus maintains His trust in God's character, and He resists the temptation to handle his hunger on his own.  He lives in faith and trust in God to provide.

Satan's primary temptation is to get us to trust ourselves and our strength instead of relying upon God.  When faced with a decision, if we do not look to God for answers through His word and wise counsel, we are falling right into Satan's primary temptation.

I believe one reason we do not see much outright demonization in America is that Satan's primary temptation matches perfectly with our vision of the World and the Flesh.  In other words, in the West Satan does not have to tempt or drive to fear from direct attack because believers and unbelievers are marked by self-effort, self-righteousness, and a lack of real day to day faith in the Living God.  

Everything about our culture tells us to "trust our hearts" and to "follow our own path."  The World works in perfect tandem with the temptations of Satan.  Our biggest problem is that this temptation also works perfectly with our fallen fleshly nature that loves this message!  We would like nothing more than to be the captain of our own ship and the master of our own soul.  On Satan's side, why risk exposure by being out in the open when the World and Flesh are already keeping believers and unbelievers unfruitful and lacking God's power that comes by faith?

So, how does this shed light on day's headlines?  Our greatest strengths can be used mightily to build the kingdom of God.  They can also be used mightily to keep us away from trusting God.  Who needs God when I can do it on my own?  We must be aware that our fallen human nature will always move us to trust in ourself, our efforts, and our flesh.  

For today's headlines we should ask, "Where is the living God in their thoughts, decisions, and actions?"  Do these actions promote self-effort, self-righteousness, self-promotion, and cultural achievement or do they reflect humble reliance upon God?

The direct opposite of self-effort and self-righteousness is faith and trust in God for our life, joy and righteousness.  Similar to the descend of sin, faith and trust is something that must be nurtured and built.  It is given by divine grace, but it does not come naturally to our fallen nature.  We must cultivate it!

The ascent of grace grows as we walk in repentance and faith.  As we confess our tendencies to trust in self, others, and created things for our life, joy and righteousness, we find release from bondage.  As we trust in Jesus for life, joy, and righteousness we experience authentic joy and life-transforming power. 

How about some practical steps to make the transition from the descent of sin into the ascent of grace?  

First, start by how you organize your day.  Take time to listen to God's Word and to meet with Him in prayer.  Ask Him for wisdom with the decisions you need to make.  At work and home begin to involve God in decisions that you usually just make out of habit or your strengths.  

Second, begin the process of walking by faith.  Be particularly vigilant when you feel fear.  Fear prompts us to make choices without faith.  We do not consult God or His Word.  We just react.  How can we have faith and fear at the same time?  (1 John 4:18)  Be aware that in our very spiritual world, Satan and his forces are lurking tempting us to work in our own strength without reference to God.  If you have lived in this manner, repent and believe the gospel!  

In the face of such sordid actions both locally and nationally, may we all be drawn to a deeper  faith and trust in the only True God!

What is a Confession of Faith?

"Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints."

Jude 3

Yesterday we had an interesting discussion at First CRC concerning the Belhar Confession of Faith.  The occasion of this discussion was that the Council (which is the church leadership at First CRC) proposed that we rescind our adoption of Belhar as a fourth confession and instead support the denomination's statement concerning Belhar, which affirms it as an important Ecumenical Faith Declaration, but not a confession.  The exact wording of the motion is "Council recommends to the congregation that we rescind our previous acceptance of Belhar as a confession and accept it as an Ecumenical Faith Declaration (which 2012 Synod has accepted) to be in line with the denominational stance."

What does this mean?  Some context is in order. 

First CRC adopted the Belhar Confession before I became the pastor as a fourth confession of faith.  This short statement of faith was written in 1986, and it arose out of the struggles for racial unity and equality in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.  It is a statement against  apartheid and racism, and it promotes church unity.

As with any decision made in a decent sized church, there were many personal reasons for adopting Belhar.  I believe universally there was and is a recognition that racism is wrong.  As a church we desire to see church unity expressed across racial and ethnic lines, and we have affirmed two different sister church relationship across these lines.  In addition, I think the Belhar and apartheid have specific poignancy within the CRC since as a Dutch Reformed church, it was our tradition, though in a different context, that approved apartheid.  Furthermore, in the North American context, the CRC is extremely dominated by white folks, and we have not made it easy because of our ordination requirements for minorities (really anyone who is poor or urban) to become church planters or pastors.

With all of this in mind, the leadership of First CRC was asked to adopt this standard as a confession to help push the denomination to consider it.  This action was taken without direct consultation with our local Classis (all the churches in the area).  In turn, this has caused division.  In fact, the debate concerning Belhar caused great division within the CRC in many different Classes.  In the end, this year's synod of the CRC voted to declare the Belhar Confession an Ecumenical Statement of Faith after much debate.  I was in a different Classis (Classis Atlantic North East), and we discussed Belhar before Synod.  We had at least one church that proposed an overture to synod to support Belhar as a confession and several proposed overtures to synod to decline making Belhar a confession.

All told, I believe there were 35 different overtures and much other correspondence written by Classes within the CRC to support/decline making Belhar a fourth confession.  It was debated and the decision was made to support the prophetic nature of Belhar against racism and to promote reconciliation, justice, and unity.  Yet, it was also decided to retain the three forms of unity as our confessional standards (three forms are the Belgic Confession, the Heidelberg Catechism, and the Canons of Dort).

So why was this decision made?  Are all these church composed of a bunch of racists (even if they do not realize it)?

I ask such a provocative question because this is how many see the issue.  I do not think this way of framing the question is helpful or to the point!

I believe virtually all in the CRC and at Synod strongly agree that racism in all it forms is wrong.  In addition at Synod was and is an affirmation of the prophetic nature of Belhar against racism, apartheid, and for promoting justice, unity, and reconciliation between all peoples.  Thus, Belhar was elevated to a position honor, but not to confessional level.

Why the distinction?  

Here is the true issue concerning adopting Belhar as a Confession.  It is not a discussion about racism or the themes of Belhar.  It is a discussion about the nature and purpose of a Confession of Faith.

A Confession of Faith is a positive declaration of what is believed.  

As Protestants, we believe that the Word of God alone is our ultimate standard for truth, for our faith, and for our practice.  Yet, because there is such debate over what scripture says and how to interpret it, faith communities wrote confessions of faith to positively declare what they believe scripture to teach.  Some of these confessions have stood the test of time while others have fallen into the forgetfulness of history.  Why?

To be an accepted Confession, a statement of faith needed to be in alignment with scripture.  It had to declare and teach what was found in scripture.  This is the first and most important test.  Yet, it is not the only test.  A Confession also had to be clear in what it teaches.  It had to help aid interpretation, not distort accurate biblical interpretation.

How does the Belhar stack up with both of these tests?  Of course there is debate on this subject!  With a few clicks and a google search, you can find some of these objections.  Let me share one concerning the first point from a conservative RCA pastor named Kevin DeYoung.  As he states, 

First, there are a few lines that cannot be supported by Scripture. Here’s just one example:We believe that God, in a world full of injustice and enmity, is in a special way the God of the destitute, the poor and the wronged. To be sure, the Bible is full of examples of God’s heart for the poor and the oppressed. But it goes too far to say he is in a special way a God to them. The covenant promise—I will be your God and you will be my people (language Belhar echoes here)—is for those who put their faith in God, not simply those who are poor or oppressed. In fact, Abraham, the man of faith and the model for all covenantal blessing (Gal. 3:5-9), was especially rich (Gen. 13:5-6). Is God less of God to him than to the poor man who rejects Christ? Was God a God to Job, Zacchaeus, Mary and Martha in a less special way because they were well-to-do? There are plenty of verses to support the contention that God cares for the poor and oppressed, but are there any verses to suggest that he is their covenantal God apart from faith? Or any verses to suggest that God looks on the believing poor with more favor than the believing non-poor? God does not show partiality to the poor, nor does he defer to the great (Lev. 19:15).

thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2009/05/11/belhar-confession-yea-or-nay/ 

I can hear some objections already that this is merely theological hair-splitting.  Perhaps.  But theological and biblical clarity is the goal and purpose of a confession.  One must be careful about affirming a Confession that is not clearly biblical.

Of greater concern is what folks in the North American context have done with Belhar in terms of application.  The important notion of "social justice" means something very different in our context, as it contains politically coded words to promote a very different agenda than racial reconciliation.  

I first came across those who pushed for the adoption of Belhar while I walked the halls of academia.  In that Mainline and religiously secular context, Belhar was used as a document to support a politically left social agenda.  In particular, I heard it used to support homosexual rights, homosexual ordination, anti-capitalist and pro-communist economic systems, global wealth redistribution to combat global warming, and a host of other political agendas.  

If these concerns match your political beliefs, Belhar as a confession might sound great.  If you disagree, it sounds horrible.  I must confess that when I read Belhar for myself I was surprised by the beauty of its prophetic tone against racism and for reconciliation and unity.  I agreed with so much of it!  Yet, I even as I read it, I could see how my theologically liberal friends could use it to promote their agenda even as I do not believe such an agenda was in it original intent of the Confession.  

The discussion at Synod concerning Belhar revolved around these issues.  Please notice how a discussion concerning racism and the need for reconciliation and unity is lost in our context as we debate these issues.  

In the end, the CRC voted to affirm the substance of Belhar as it spoke against racism and apartheid, while it promoted reconciliation and unity within the Church.  The question was about making it a Confession on par with the three forms of unity.  It was decided that such an affirmation was unwarranted and unwise within our context.  

What does this mean for First CRC of Seattle?  The Council has brought a motion to our congregational meeting to affirm our denominational position.  I do not believe the discussion is really about racism or our desire for racial reconciliation or unity.  As a church we are united in our desire to promote these affirms of Belhar.  Instead, question is about the use of the term "Confession."

There is much more that could and has been said.  I do wish I did not have to write about such tangential issues that can cause division.  I can affirm that I did not bring it up to the Council nor did I participate much in the discussion.  Yet, the issue is before us.  I hope this post provides some context that helps frame our discussion.

As always, discussion and comments are welcome!

Stress, Physical Overload, and Spirituality

Today is the day after Thanksgiving.  It is also the 11th day since my body had its adrenaline let-down after the birth of the baby.  That do I mean?

Two Monday's ago, my physical body completely crashed.  After six month marked by moving, getting my children adjusted to a new place and new school, assisting my wife through a long and difficult pregnancy, being concerned for the health of our coming baby, and then finally the joy of having a healthy baby girl, a healthy mom, and release from my burdens, I hit the wall.

Even as I write, I am sure some "spiritual" person will say, "Don't you know that you should pray about all these things and give them to the Lord."  Of course I know this.  Of course I did.  Over and over I prayed for and through all of these stresses.  In fact, I did not feel that stressed as I moved through many truly stressful events.  

Yet, stress and fatigue were quietly waiting for me.

Why?  We live in a fallen world and I am a fallen man.  Our bodies feel the effects of stress even if our wills seek to hold its effects at bay.  Eventually, the piper must be paid!

Here is where I found myself last Monday.  So tired.  So weary in body, emotions, and spirit.  I needed rest!  Thankfully I have received this rest.  In fact, today is the first day since then that I awoke early, before the baby, and felt like praying!  I might be coming out of the tunnel!

Today I wrote in my journal for the first time since right after the baby was born.  Today I felt like praying and speaking with the Lord.  Today my physical body does not ache.

All of these symptoms come from not getting enough sleep.  As I sleep more, as I get back to regular exercise and health eating, as I create some space to get away in quiet, I am feeling restored.

I am constantly amazed at the connection between my physical health and my spiritual condition.  I wonder how many people do not have an active and healthy spiritual life because they do not have a healthy and balanced physical life?

Today I wish to repost and share some thoughts concerning stress, margin, and spiritual vitality as shared by Richard Swenson.  I have found them true in my life.  I wonder if they might help you?

"As a result, like in modern-day America is essentially devoid of time and space.  Not the Star Trek kind- the sanity kind.  Overload is the new normal.  We have too many choices and decisions, too many activities and commitments, too much change creating too much stress.  We have too much speed and hurry.  We have too much technology, complexity, traffic, information, possessions, debt, expectations, advertisements, and media.  And we have too little margin.

But if overload is the disease, then margin is the antidote.  To balance today's lifestyles, restoring our margin is a needed first step.  The vast majority of us are healthier if we draw a line somewhere short of overload, i.e., if we preserve some margin."

In Search of Balance, 90-91.

So how do we know if we struggle with not keeping margin in our life?  I find it is always easier to see how others struggle with this concept than it is to see it in ourselves!  Swenson gives us a great test to help us gain an accurate diagnosis.

"When our margin is depleted and our reserves are gone, we shift emphasis.  Instead of being compassionate and caring in our attitude, we become apathetic or rude.  Instead of being outwardly focused in our service, we become self-protective.  Instead of pursuing innovation and productivity in our job, we become irritable and fatigued." (91)

I know at times in my life, I have really struggled maintaining proper margin.  In my life, one of the big causes of my lack of margin was my health.  For years, I struggled with a gluten allergy that I just did not know about.  In the past five years, it got so much worse!  The result was that my physical strength was limited because I was poisoning my body with the food I ate.  I tried to eat well, but what is good for others (whole wheat grains!) was death to me.

I share this because many people confuse how their spirituality works.  As humans in a fallen world, we are so interconnected between our physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional dimensions.  I meet so many who struggle with their faith, but I think the reason for this struggle is a physical, mental, or emotional problem.  In my case, the physical issue robbed me of margin and left me without the energy to engage as I would wish.  No amount of spiritual, mental or emotional fixing was going to change my physical problem!

So, as we pursue margin in our lives and as we seek a deeper walk with God, check your physical, mental and emotional resources!  If you struggle with depression for chemical reasons, seek to fix the physical problem.  If you have emotional scars from past abuse, find a pastor or counselor to help you work through these emotional and mental bottlenecks!  Having issues in any area of life is not a sign of inability or laziness or lack of spiritual depth.  It is a mark of living in a fallen world.

I will conclude with Swenson's world about regaining margin.

"Margin, rightly conceived, is not about laziness, mediocrity, and noninvolvement.  It is about focus, discipline, and self-control.  But mostly is it a prioritizing space where we concentrate on the things that matter most (balance!).

Restoring margin to overloaded lives is possible if we are willing to think creatively, live differently, act intentionally, and stop following the crowds to the malls.  Hundreds of practical margin suggestions have been written elsewhere to assist in such a lifestyle direction.  But the first step, as always, resides within each human heart."
(93-94)

Pray for the grace to see if you need to regain margin.  Pray for the grace to see what is robbing you of your margin.  May the Lord bless you as you regain capacity to love others well!

Praying as if our Life Depends Upon It

In much of the church's life in the twentieth century, however, both in Evangelical and non-Evangelical circles, the place of prayer has become limited and almost vestigial.  The proportion of horizontal communication that goes on in the church (in planning, arguing, and expounding) is overwhelmingly greater than that which is vertical (in worship, thanksgiving, confession, and intercession).  Critically important committee meetings are begun and ended with formulary prayers, which are ritual obligations and not genuine expression of dependence- when problems and arguments ensue, they are seldom resolved by further prayer but are wrangled out on the battlefield of human discourse.  The old midweek prayer meetings for revival have vanished from the programs of most churches or have been transformed into Bible studies ending with minimal prayer.

This was the picture in much of the American church until recently, and it is still almost universally the case in some instruments and organs of the churches which have to do with teaching and administration.  Why has this come about?  Perhaps it stems partly from the deficient teaching and emphasis on God himself throughout the church, and partly from the man-centeredness of much religious activity.  Deficiency in prayer both reflects and reinforces inattention toward God.

Richard Lovelace,  Dynamics of Spiritual Life, 153.

A few months back, I was teaching about the Disciples prayer that Jesus gave us in Matthew 6: 10-13.  (You can find the message/talk at www.seattlecrc.org) I began with a series of questions based upon this passage from Lovelace.  Let me share a couple of these questions.

What is your prayer life like?  Do you come before the Living God and pray like your life depends upon it?  Are your prayers mostly brief and about you and your needs?  Have you learned how to listen to God's leading?

What about your church?  Do you as a body of Christ come before the Living God and pray like your life depends upon it?  In our busy culture the Wednesday evening prayer meeting has often gone by the wayside.  Does your church have other groups that meet together for the primary purpose of prayer?  Does your church encourage such groups?

I am speaking from personal experience when I share that I have found growing in prayer to be difficult.  I will never forget the way my hypocrisy was most clearly exposed to me.  I was serving in a very good Presbyterian church in Asheville as an assistant pastor.  The church had recently lost its long-time senior pastor, and conflict was starting to brew.  Quite frankly the leadership of the church was opinionated, but not very solid or godly.  They were the leadership mentioned in Lovelace's thoughts above.  The people were growing restless.

Into the midst of this, I walked: a recent seminary graduate who the church leadership did not trust because the senior pastor hired me before he left.  The church's leadership team felt like I was foisted upon them and they did not like it.  I was asked to preach.  I chose the topic of prayer.  I encouraged the church to see that they were in a spiritual war, and that prayer was so desperately needed.  I pointed out that another assistant pastor has a mid-week pray meeting that was very sparsely attended.  I asked, "Does this lack of attendance not show our lack of attention toward God?"

The sermon was very well received.  I was glad!  Then on Wednesday, over 100 people showed up for the prayer service.  I cannot tell you the exact amount of people there, because I did not attend!  You see, I talked about prayer.  I knew prayer was important.  Yet, I did not join in prayer when it was most needed!

What a hypocrite!  Looking back, I can see that I did not join in mid-week corporate prayer because I really did not have a solid grounding in personal prayer.  I had not been led to a place where I personally prayed "like my life depended upon it."  

In the midst of my immaturity, God worked.  He led the church in one direction, and I headed off to further graduate study.  He also used this situation to constantly remind me of my obvious immaturity.  Through this situation and others, He worked over the next five years to change my heart concerning my need for prayer.  He used it to help me grow up.

Individually and corporately, most folks in America do not pray like their very lives depend upon it. It is something they talk about, but do sparingly.   Prayer does not drive their life or ministry.  If this is you or it is your church, I ask that you repent and believe!  You need Jesus and the Spirit to work to transform lives and communities.  Learn to depend upon Him.

I am so thankful this is not the case for all people.  It is also not the case for all churches.  Some individuals and churches have learned their need for Jesus and they depend upon Him for life.  Individually and corporately they have learned how to walk and live in dependent prayer.  These individuals and churches are the very life-blood of God's Kingdom on earth.  I pray that the Lord will multiply these individuals and churches!  

Friends, let us walk this week in dependent prayer.  May the Lord's grace lead us into deeper repentance and faith so that we might find our rest and dependence in Him!

Being Specific about Thanksgiving

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

From the sound of cars on the roadway, I would say that the Thanksgiving holiday has begun.  People are leaving work, heading off to visit relatives, preparing for a Thanksgiving meal of some sort, or just using the holiday as an excuse to cut off work a bit early!  I am so thankful I work 3/4 of a mile from home, so I do not have to travel anywhere on major roads.

This morning and last night I took some time to thank folks through notes and e-mail.  I was struck by how odd it felt.  Particularly the first couple of notes felt decidedly odd.  Why?  Because I do not tell people how much I appreciate them near enough!  Even if I feel thankful, I often do not express it.

I have to say to my friends, colleagues, parishioners, and especially my family, I apologize for not being more forthcoming with praise and thankfulness.  It is so much easier to be self-consumed than to be other focused.  Please forgive me!

At First CRC of Seattle, we are praying for and laboring to create a culture where people are appreciated and affirmed.  Why are such marks often lacking in the church?  If any place should take care of its volunteers and staff, it is the church.

I encourage you this holiday season to let people know how much you appreciate them as well as what specifically makes you thankful about each person.  Be specific.  Be truthful.

I encourage you to do the same with our Living God.  Let Him know about what you are thankful.  Be specific.  Be truthful.

My guess is that being thankful does not come naturally for most of us.  We have a general feeling of thankfulness, but we lack the focus to make it specific.  May this Thanksgiving and this holiday season be about making it specific!

For all my readers in the United States, have a wonderful Thanksgiving.  For the many readers around the world, thanksgiving is not only a holiday, but also a frame of mind.  May we be marked by specific and truthful thankfulness!

The Law's Path toward Holiness

Thanksgiving week is upon us!  I am looking forward to the time with friends and family.  I also pray I get some time to get into the wilderness chasing some ducks and geese.  For this to happen, I have to get everything I typically do in a week completed in three days.  I love holidays!

This morning all I could think about was all I had to do today.  I tried unsuccessfully to write, but it just would not come.  Thankfully the baby is now waking up one time a night instead of two or three, so I hope and pray my brain will start to heal.  Until that time, I might be reposting!

I am thankful for several hundred good posts that I can turn to.  I found this one rather encouraging as I re-read it.  I pray you also find it so!

The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure, 

making wise the simple;

the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

the fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true,

and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold,

even much fine gold;

sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb,

Moreover, by them is your servant warned;

in keeping them there is great reward,

Who can discern his errors?

Declare me innocent from hidden faults.

Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;

let them not have dominion over me!

Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.

Ps. 19: 7-13

This morning I had the privilege of meeting with the Lord for a great time of uninterrupted and quiet prayer.  Thankfully, I was brought to think about and meditate upon this passage of scripture.  The Lord is so good, gentle, and loving toward me.  

But, what does this mean?

The Lord is found and enjoyed when we have that great experience of joy and love found in His presence.  I will affirm that this experience is wonderful!  The beauty of enjoying the Lord's loving presence is beyond words.  It is more to be desired than much fine gold.  It is sweeter than honey.

Aw, but here is where the difficulty in description comes in.  How can you explain the sweetness of honey unless you have experienced it?  Jonathan Edwards used this terminology and description to describe the beauty of Christ found in the gospel.  He affirmed that the only way to truly know the sweetness of honey is to take it and eat it.  In short, words cannot describe the sensation adequately.

So how is the Lord to be found?  Most likely He is found, felt, and tasted as we come in repentance and faith.  As we come acknowledging our lack of resources and our great need, He comes to meet that need. This is why we often find His presence and peace at times of first faith and at times of trouble.  At those times we bring nothing to the table but our lack and brokenness.  God responds with His presence and peace.

So what does that mean for the rest of life?

Here is where the Law comes into play.  Not only is the Law the revealed Word of God, it is also very humbling.  It revives the soul, gives wisdom, brings rejoicing and enlightenment, not because it somehow teaches us so we can just "do it."  It performs these tasks by humbling us so we can see our need for Christ.  In other words, the real love of Christ is found often mere seconds and minutes after He humbles us with convicting words and thoughts.  Please do not short-circuit tasting grace by refusing to be convicted of sin and need!

Does this mean that we do not grow in holiness?  By no means!  We will find that as we walk in repentance and faith, we do obey more and more of the Law.  Increasing obedience happens through inner transformation in response to repentance and faith.  As a result of tasting the sweetness found in Christ's love and forgiveness, we see beauty in the Law instead of condemnation.  Truly the Law is the path of true life!  In keeping the Law there is great reward.

Yet, notice where the Psalmist goes after praising the Lord.  He follows it up with humble repentance.  

"Lord who can discern his errors?"  In other words, Lord, have mercy upon me!

What errors?  Both our hidden and our presumptuous sins.  Lord, forgive and keep me from them!  In his final phrase, the Psalmist proclaims that he will then "be innocent of great transgression."  

Is he not mature?  Of course the Psalmist is a mature believer!  Maturity means coming to see how deep our sin problem really goes.  It means allowing the grace of God to search deep within us to point out how much we really need grace.  In fact, maturity means we know, we feel, we profess, we live out our need for grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

How many of us actually "feel" this is true of us?  My guess is few who actively profess Christ.  We have not been taught that repentance is the mark of true spirituality.  We replace the joy of the Lord's presence in daily life with becoming "thrill seekers" who are always looking for the right worship experience to bring those feeling back.

Friends, the real presence is found in humility as expressed in repentance and faith.  The Law, when used properly, will draw us to repentance and faith.  Christ's love, mercy, and presence can be experienced and known even today.  May this day be marked by active repentance and faith for each of us!

Our Manhood Confusion

This morning I have another article to write, children in the house for Thanksgiving break, and parent-teacher conferences in two short hours.  Needless to say, I do not have time for an original thought!  In place of originality, I offer an important, though under-read, post from the past.  You might not agree with me, but I ask you to offer in the comments the basis for your disagreement so we can grow together in grace.  

Today we will explore the often lost concept of what it means to be a man.  I find our contemporary answers to this question are often demeaning and sexist.  Of course, such a statement in and of itself is worthy of argument because, as much of our political discussion dictates, attacks against the dominate social group cannot be racist, sexist, or wrong.  I look forward to the day when we can get beyond such crazy double-standards so we can again have real discussions!

Anyway, here are my thoughts concerning manhood and our confusion about the topic.  Let me know what you think!

"Brace yourself up like a man and I will question you,

and you will make it known to me."

The Lord speaking to Job

Job 40: 7

I believe in today's Western culture, particularly for those under age 40, there is no more confusing passage in all of scripture than this one! "Brace yourself up like a man?"  What in the world does this mean?

I believe there has been a concentrated and pernicious attack on men and young boys for the past forty years.  With the rise of the Feminist movement, came a prolonged attack on boys and men.  I could go into the many, many statistics to back this up, but defending this claim is not the aim of this post.  All I will say is that much like our modern political debate, instead of positively stating why women are different, special, and so needed in every realm of life, we were told why men were enslavers, manipulative, and content to keep women down.

The result?  We have leveled all of society as best as we can so as to diminish differences between men and women.  Want strange proof?  Just this week I was reading that our new aircraft carriers will no longer have urinals in the men's bathrooms.  This follows a worldwide trend.  I know several years ago a Scandinavian country tried to outlaw men urinating while standing since it was a means of showing dominance over women! 

What has been our message?  Boys and men, stop acting so "manly"!  Be calm, civilized, stop fidgeting, and stop acting like there is a difference between men and women.  We have disparaged being "macho" to the point where we have huge confusion over how a man should act, think, and be in society.

I believe we have done so to a great peril to individual men and women, the Church, and our society as a whole.  I know I have spent way too much time working with young men (and some not so young) encouraging them to act like a man.  I have found so much confusion among young men as to who they should be, how they should act, and what they should do.  For the past twenty years at least: 

Thoughtful men do not wish to be a "chauvinist pig" so they become passive around women;

Many young men struggle with their "failure to launch" so they retreat to video games, extreme sports, and they settle for part-time jobs to pay for their pleasures while they depend upon others to provide for their daily needs;

We have so emphasized our need for egalitarian relationships that men get married, but do not know how to lead a family, a Church, or a business.  Instead, they differ leadership decisions to "consensus" decisions.  Such a lack of leadership often leads to resentment, anger and broken relationships with spouses, significant others, and in all of life;

Finally, there appears to be a true lack of understanding that delayed gratification is necessary for maturity and true manhood.  If our reward is not immediate, it is not coming.  Thus our relationships, business and career decisions, life decisions, and all choices are based on our need for immediate reward.  We seem to have lost the will to live in light of next year, let alone eternity!

So what does it mean to be a man?  Our culture is so confused!  So are many in the Church.  What does the Bible have to say about it?  What does it mean to "brace yourself up like a man"?

I just read a great article in the summer 2002 Leadership magazine that I think gives some insight.  I like this following quote from Robert Lewis because it states positively what it means to be a man.  How I want my boys to hear this message!

What is your definition of manhood?

We compared the first Adam with the last Adam, Christ, and we found four differences.  They are our four foundations stones for authentic manhood.

A real man is one who rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, and expects the greater reward, God's reward.

What do you think of this definition?  Is it helpful?  How do we incorporate this understanding into our lives?  Into the life of our family?

The first place to start is always in repentance and faith.  If this makes you angry since I must be a "chauvinist pig" for saying it, repent and believe!  I am an imperfect person and often shallow thinker, what do you have that is better?  Share it with us!  

If you find that you have not lived as a man, repent and believe.  Confess to God, to others, and to yourself that you fall short.  Ask Jesus to help you live an authentic life.  Also, share this idea with others.  Perhaps others share your frustrations!  Let us press on to know Jesus and what He has for us.

Sabbath, Burn Out, and Pride

It has been a long haul these past couple of months.  Today I have the privilege of getting out of town to get some time to myself in the wilds of Washington.  It isn't even supposed to rain!

This time away will be my first since Labor Day.  I have sought to have a Sabbath rest; but because of the coming baby, I have not really gotten away to recharge.  Having moved from the country to the city, I need a little country in my life to get the batteries back up.

In keeping with this need, I will re-post instead of writing something new.  Today I will share a post from June concerning the Sabbath and the importance of regular rest.  As we enter a busy holiday season, may all of us take this to heart!

I have been troubled by a discussion I had last Thursday since last Thursday.  I was at a pastor's breakfast here in central Maine.  One of our well respected colleagues is from India, and he heads a mission to Asia.  We are truly blessed to have him in Maine.  He is probably the only internationally known pastor we have in our region!

It was his turn to lead us in our devotional time.  He was speaking of the "fact" that the word balance was not in the bible.  He was sharing, with a hint of pride, that in Asia, pastors don't take a day off.  They work until they burn out!  He was making the point that in the West, pastors are too concerned for taking care of themselves.  Instead, they should be fulfilling their calling and working.  They should "press on" in the ministry like Paul.

I must confess that I often work long hours.  I like to work.  I like "doing ministry" and I enjoy working with many types of people.  I could see in the breakfast my ministry colleagues who often do not take a day off feeling affirmed.  I know from talking to them that they feel guilty when not working!  I often share that feeling.  There is always so much to do.  There are always tasks that are yet to be completed. How can I just leave them undone?

Given this lack of finished product is the mark of ministry (and most other professions!), why should we not labor until we "burn out" and then take a break?  Since "balance" is not found in the bible, is it really important?

Here is where I was troubled at the meeting, and I remain troubled.  The word balance may not be found in scripture, but the idea of balance is built into the framework of creation.  Where?  How about the creation account and the Ten Commandments!  Look at Exodus 20: 8-11.

"For in six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath of the Lord your God; ... for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy."  

Is this rational for the commandment arbitrary?  Of course not!  Here in Exodus, Moses tells us to rest because it illustrates our trust in God.  We can rest assured that the Lord will complete all the work, as He did in creation.  

He is the creator, and He will finish His work.

We follow His example because He is able to finish all his work and make the seventh day holy or set apart.  Why is it so hard for pastors and all work-a-holics to believe this?  

Here is the root of our sin.  We think God could not do without us.  Thus, we have to "help" people because without us, the Kingdom would fall!  Of course this is crazy, but our actions show us what we really believe.  Repent and rest in Christ as the one who builds the Kingdom.  As you find yourselves itching for work, repent and ask for mercy and grace to enjoy the Lord's complete control of the universe.  After all, He made it all!

So balance is built into the created order.  We need a rest weekly!  We rest not necessarily because we are "tired" but because we are sinners who deny the sovereign control and hand of the Lord.  The Sabbath rest allows us a space to seek repentance and rest from our control issues.  As Jesus tells us, "The Sabbath was made for Man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27)  If you labor on Sunday, take another day and set it apart as holy unto the Lord.  Repent of your hard-heartedness which denies that God can and will work without you.  Learn to enjoy Him and rest in His strength.  

Again, as you find yourselves itching for work, repent and ask for mercy and grace to enjoy the Lord's complete control of the universe.  After all, He made it all and He is building His Kingdom!

Spiritual Warfare: The Religious Side of the Flesh

"True faith, strictly speaking, does not do anything; it does not give, but receives.  So when one says that we do something by faith that is just another way of saying that we do nothing- at least that we do nothing of ourselves.  It is of the very nature of faith, strictly speaking, to do nothing.  So when it is said that faith works through love, that means that through faith, instead of doing something for ourselves we allow some one else to help us.  That force which enters our life at the beginning through faith, before we could do anything at all to please God, and which then strengthens and supports us in the battle that it has enabled us to begin, is the power of the Spirit of God."  

J. Gresham Machen, What is Faith?  Eerdmans, 216.  

Found in the Sonship manual, 133.

Have you noticed how the churches and individuals who speak out the strongest against sexual sin are often marked by sexual sin?  Have you ever wondered why those who build large ministries or "successful" Christian businesses are often undone by greed, embezzlement, sex scandals, or some strange deviant behavior that was kept hidden until it appeared and suddenly destroyed their lives and  testimony for Jesus?

I have often puzzled over these questions!  I know there are always many reasons for every event, but I believe one of the clearest issues is that many of us do not understand the gospel nor do we understand the way our religious self-effort cannot "kill" sensuality within us.  In other words, believers world-wide do not understand the destructive and deceptive nature of the flesh.

What do I mean?

Most of us have been taught that if you struggle with some outward sin, let's say over-eating, we must have the will power to overcome it.  If we are strong people, we can do this.  Some of us can keep our New Year's Resolutions for months on end.  Others give up quickly.  But the strong keep going.  Our churches are often full of "strong" people who can act the part demanded.  Through self-effort they can change their behavior- at least for awhile!

So, we exercise and eat right.  We read books about diet.  We do well.  Then the Little Debbie snack cake appears in the middle of the afternoon when we are hungry.  We take a bite.  We eat the rest.  It is so good!  The sugar does great things for our attitude.  We now start thinking about food and sweets again.  We might talk the talk with our friends and family, but we are secret eaters!  Then at a barbecue, a vacation, or a buffet we finally throw off the act and eat like we wanted to.  We keep it up.  Eventually we have regained our weight.  We envy those with the strength to keep it up.  

What happened?  When it comes to over-eating, we never dealt with our heart issues.  Why do we over-eat?  Does it give us comfort?  Do we really hate ourselves?  Do we believe we deserve to be unattractive and fat?  Or do we just like food?  Is our eating a healthy and balanced desire for God's good gifts?  In other words, we rarely ask why we have these desires?

Deep within us is a very real need to find our core affirmation and love in our relationship with God.  John Calvin tells us that faith was one of the items completely lost in the fall.  I have often found this observation intriguing.  

Don't we all know that God exists and call upon Him in need?  Yes, we do.  The problem is really believing and resting in His love for us.  Such a faith is radically different than calling upon Him in a time of trial.  It is not momentary and fleeting but abiding.  It is based upon repentance of self-effort and trust in the completed work of Christ.  

Ultimately, it is life-changing because such faith is heart-changing.  With the flesh, we cannot defeat the flesh.  It will always work behind the scenes to undo us.  The only way to defeat the flesh is to allow the Spirit to deal with our heart.  We cannot deal with our heart on our own!  

When our internal desires change, our behavior changes in healthy and good ways.  It truly changes.  We do not have to "keep up the appearances" but we truly want holiness and God's presence.  We find our deepest needs met in the Lord and the sensual sins are no longer attractive because they do not satisfy!

Such a faith is receiving Christ's finished work and His love.  It is actively passive before the Lord.  May true faith and trust mark each of our lives today!

Leadership and the Process of Organizational Change

On Monday I shared a chart and some observations concerning the process of change within an organization using Everett Rogers' book The Diffusion of Innovations as a template for understanding the process.  This book has been used in a variety of different ways to describe the process by which ideas are accepted.  I presented his material as a means of understanding how churches adopt (or reject) new ideas.

Since writing that post, I have been thinking about what this means for leadership with the church.  I have often argued that a pastor's success in drawing new people to Christ through a church depends upon the leadership within the church.  In other words, take a very "successful" pastor and place him in a different setting, with different leaders, and I strongly doubt they would have the same success.  Effective lay and staff leadership is needed for any church to move forward.

So, if many churches know that they are literally "dying for change" why can they not pull it off?  Most places believe if they just get a "dynamic" new pastor or a great new idea, they will take off.  I believe such optimism is obviously false!  

Why?

In many churches as new leader who had the characteristics of Paul, Apollos, and Peter rolled into one could not change their march toward decline and death.  In fact, if Jesus himself led these churches, they would not grow.

Why?

Their structures and leadership are composed of people strongly opposed to change.  These churches have built into them a cancerous seed that leads toward decline and ineffectiveness.  These ministries are lead by the persuasive, rational, and tradition-bound members.  Here is where Rogers' chart is helpful.

What I am suggesting is that most churches promote and encourage to leadership those who would fall into the "laggard" category.  These folks can see the problems with any new idea.  They are often seen as perceptive, knowledgeable, and the "pillars" of the church because of their strength, determination, consistency, and maturity.  Yet, behind all these positive traits, they are attached to the safe and secure.  

Please note that I am not suggesting that these folks who are resistant to change are somehow less mature or that they are intentionally undermining the church.  By no means do I believe this!  I think they cannot help it.  They are being who God made them to be.

The problem is that such folks (and they might be us!) shoot down or radically change any new ideas from the innovators and they do not support the early adopters.  These folks often force those who are early adopters out of a ministry due to the early adopters frustration that nothing can ever change.  Of course these folks will rationalize that the early adopter's were just "too hasty" and that with time things could change.  All that is needed is a new leader or a new idea (other than the one just presented)!  As you can see, they will kill or radically change these new ideas also.

In response to leadership that is often blocked by those with a high propensity to change, innovators and early adopters often leave to plant new churches.  If these new works can "stack the deck" with flexible, missional folks, they will take off.  Unfortunately, as they organize they look for leadership and they often promote and encourage those "mature" folks who resist change!  Now the new work has a different mode of operation than what they left, but it is just as rigid and intractable!

What joys are found laboring in a fallen world!  How can we combat this tendency toward inertia?

I do not know!  At least I know there is no good and universal answer.  My hope is that talking about this tendency and discipling people in the gospel so they can understand themselves and confess their weaknesses is a good start.  Still, all organizations- particularly church because they are "conserving" influences in society- are marked by this tendency.

If I am right, this does illustrate why churches/church plants/denominational structures/seminaries/etc. must re-invent and renew their vision every ten years!  If we do not consciously renew and allow in new leaders and ideas, we will solidify into a ministry that is both dedicated to a past vision and highly resistant to change.