Seven Sins of Dying Churches #1

Why are so many people leaving the church?

As a pastor and church planter, I have a heart to reach the "dones".  This group of 35 million people grew up in the church or came into the church at some point in their life, but now they have nothing to do with the church.  Many still profess faith in Christ, they just think the church is not essential for their life and their spirituality.

I truly love these folks.  At this stage of my life, I can also identify with them.  While I know in my head and I have seen glimpses with my eyes that the church is the radiant bride of Christ, so often the church is concerned about things that appear to run counter to the gospel.  Even worse, though people recognize this fact, nothing appears to be done about it in 95% of the churches.

Yuck.

I get it.  I have lived and seen the ugly underbelly of fallen churches.  I have seen the hurt to individuals and families by the ungodly and uncaring attitudes of church people.  I have experienced churches and entire denominations that aren't really concerned with reaching a new generation with the gospel.

Yet, I love the Church.  I love Jesus, and He loves the Church.  I am compelled to try to make the local church reflective of the beauty of the universal Church.  When the church functions well, it is the most beautiful redemptive force in the universe.  Through the Church, the Holy Spirit flows and works.

So why do we see the beauty of the church so rarely?

Because the church is a fallen entity composed of fallen people.  If we are not constantly renewed by the Holy Spirit and the True Truth of the gospel, we fall into predictable patterns of sin.  What are these patterns?

Today I want to share a perspective written by Thom and Sam Rainer in their book Essential Church: reclaiming a generation of dropouts (2008).  As someone who has worked to help the church reclaim what is essential, I find myself in almost complete agreement with the conclusions of this book.  I share their observations for comment and consideration.

The following seven posts will include what the Rainers categorized as some of the more common transgressions that dying church commit.  I know I have seen them.

Sin 1.  Doctrine Dilution

Certain absolutes found within Scripture are so crucial that a Christian should be willing to sacrifice his or her life for them.  Cardinal truths such as the exclusivity of Christ must be followed if the American church is to survive this evangelistic crisis.  Watering down Scripture is not the answer to reaching a younger generation for Christ.  They do not want to be mollycoddled with tough doctrinal truths.  Teaching anything less than the absolute truths of Scripture will make the younger generation feel betrayed when they learn that a large gap exists between what the Bible really says and what they were taught in church.  Diluting the truth to cater to eighteen- to twenty-two-year-olds may work for a time, but low-dose Christianity stings the church much worse in the long run.

Essential Church, 16-17.

The Life Changing Power of Jesus

Many people' idea of the gospel is that some day we'll get to the bridge to paradise and be asked, "Why should you be allowed to cross?"  As long as we answer correctly, we make it across.  Answer wrongly, and we're cast into the abyss.  The gospel is redefined to the the announcements of the minimal entrance requirements for getting into heaven.

In Hank's church, this is all we asked of him.  He knew the words.  He knew what his standing before God was based upon.  But we didn't know how to transform his life.

Jesus never said, "Now I'm going to tell you what you need to say to get into heaven when you die."  The gospel writers make it clear that Jesus' good news was that we no longer have to live in the guilt, failure, and impotence of our own strength.  The transforming presence and power of God is available through Christ, right here, right now.  To live in that power, you must become his disciple, or as Dallas Willard captures it, his apprentice.

John Ortberg, "True (and False) Transformation: Two Counterfeit Forms of Spiritual Maturity, and one way to find the real thing,"  Leadership, Summer 2002, 102.

The power to change lives.  

How many of us really want to see such power!  Yet, when we look around the Christian world we don't see folks who are radically different from "nice" folks in our culture.  I find many truly nice folks. I don't find many who are radically different or refreshing holy.

Are we really satisfied that our faith is all about making us nice?

I hope not.  

When I see Jesus I see a man who the religious leaders and religious people would not consider nice.  He challenged them.  He challenged his disciples.  He did love them, but he also was too confrontative and radical to be considered  nice.

He was also holy and pure, yet fun to be around and loving to all types of people.  He taught as one with authority.  He had power to heal souls and bodies.  Those seeking God loved him and wanted to be around him.  Those seeking to put God in a box of their own making hated him and had him killed.

If we apprentice to Jesus, can we not expect to experience the same weird and apparently contrary contradictions?  Yes!  Those who walk with Jesus and learn his ways experience life changing power in the here and now.  They are transformed by grace ever increasingly to Jesus' likeness.

Why don't we see this more?

Perhaps because we don't know anything different.  Thus, we make ourselves satisfied with a cultural religious form instead of a culturally transformative religious life that always marks Christ followers.  If so, repent, believe, and follow the Lord Jesus!  He bids us to come and die to self, to being "nice", and to our addiction to fitting in.  He calls us to a life of faith, a life of love, a life of power, and a life of transformation.

Lord Jesus, power out your Holy Spirit upon us that we may walk with you and experience life transforming power!

Conversion, Prayer, and Witnessing Difficulties

"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore and make disciples ...
Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20

"A disciple is not above his teacher, not a servant above his master.

It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher,

and the servant like his master.

If they called the master of the house  Beelzebul, 

how much more will they malign those of his household."

Jesus in Matthew 10: 24-25

Where is God and why is He not working through me?  I wish to see people come to know Jesus.  Why is no one interested?

Last year, I had a message from a young lady in south east Asia who shared her desire to see people come to know Christ, but her deep concern for the lack of conversions and spiritual interest she was experiencing.  She shared about hearing of God working in and through others in great ways, but she was not seeing the action of God in her life.  I could tell she really wanted to see God work in and through her!  Yet, through her witness, only a few had expressed interest in Christ.  She asked, "Is there something wrong with me?"

I replied to her message, but I wanted to give a fuller explanation.  I believe her experience marks the experience of many!  I know for times and seasons in my life, it matched perfectly with my experience.

So, is she doing something wrong?  I would guess the answer to be no.  While she probably could be better at knowing and presenting the gospel, I can read between the lines to see that her heart is in the right place.  She desperately wants to see God's name exalted in her life and in the lives of her not-yet-believing friends.

This heart attitude is where most believers fall short in being used by God.  For many, complacency and selfishness drive our Christian life.  We view Jesus and the Holy Spirit as our personal saviors and helpers.  We seek to be healed of our hurts and hang-ups, and then we might tell others about Jesus.  

Unfortunately, this attitude is why so many people do not grow in their faith!  The Holy Spirit must go somewhere in our life.  His purpose is to exalt the name of Jesus and the bring glory to the Father.  As we share about Jesus' work in our life and the truth about who He is, the Holy Spirit shows up to bring glory to Christ.  In the process, we are changed and transformed!  

Yes, the biggest reason most of us do not grow and do not see people come to faith is that we do not share the life-changing message of the gospel!  Our "fear of rejection" illustrates a profound lack of faith.  Our desire to "be made right and holy" before we share our faith illustrates a profound misunderstanding of how we grow in grace.

So, what could be wrong?  If she is sharing her faith with a right heart, why is there so little fruit?

For the past nine years I have worked in two places in America known for their secularism (Maine and Seattle).  For eight years I labored in Northern New England, an area with the lowest percentage of church attendance  in the USA that boasts in having the highest level of "noners" (those claiming absolutely no religious affiliation or preference) in the United States.  New England, and Maine in particular, has been called the grave-yard of preachers because of the rocky spiritual soil.  I know many sincere pastors and Christians who have seen little or no conversions through their witness.

Does this mean we are all failures?  I know many need to get past the fear of rejection and witness.  Others need to stop thinking of Christ as their personal savior and see Him as the answer to virtually all human questions and needs.  Their friends and co-workers need Jesus!  But there is something more at work here.

Their is often a spiritual component to spiritual blindness and to ineffective/slow growth witnessing.

In scripture, we are told that Satan has blinded the eyes of unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4).  In my experience and in the book of Acts, I have seen some groups of people responded more favorably to the gospel, while other entire groups of people rejected the gospel.  Even Paul witnessed little conversions in Athens (Acts 16:16-34), while seeing great revival in Berea (Acts 16:10-15).  Did he do something wrong in Athens?

Some would argue yes, but I think not!  The people of Athens were more worldly and secular than the people of Berea.  By this I do not mean "evil" but instead I mean that they looked and believed in natural cause more than spiritual answers.  Secular folks rule out the work of God from consideration.  Obviously it is harder to witness to these folks!

For example, the Stoics mentioned in Acts 16:18 most likely would have been very moral people marked by great self control.  They might be "more righteous" in their conduct than anyone we know!  Yet, they rejected the supernatural as superstitious "babbling" from a weak mind.  Of course they reject Paul's message.  They probably did not even listen to it.

I would argue that such thought is the very definition of worldliness.  It is also the mark of those controlled and dominated by the blinding influence of the Evil One.

This young lady labors to witness for Jesus in an area dominated with the same worldly and secular thought.  I also labor in such an area!  What can we do?

First, pray like your life depends upon it!  In fact, pray like the lives of those to whom you witness depend upon it.  Ask for the Lord to send a spirit of revival and transformation.  Pray that the veil will be lifted so they may see their real need and embrace Christ.

Second, do not give up!  Keep praying, witnessing, and most importantly washing yourself in the gospel.  It will be easy to forget the gospel if you do not have others around you to remind you of its beauty and truth.  Find a community of like-minded believers to encourage and pray with you.

Finally, rejoice in the spiritual interest and conversions you do see.  It may not match the volume or experience of others in different towns or place, but who cares!  You do not live in those places.  God has called you to your specific place and to these people.

In other words, please remember that there is nothing wrong with you!  In fact, God has shown great trust in you by placing you in such a difficult environment.  Keep witnessing to the truth and praying for God to send His Spirit to open the eyes of unbelievers.  Immerse yourself in the gospel.  Gather with a community of believers who share the same Lord and the same struggles.  Remember that today may be the day the revival starts through your witness.  To God be the glory in that wondrous revival!

A Good Galatians Question

I am so blessed with many inquisitive friends and parishioners who are not afraid to ask good questions.    Most of the time I answer these questions with conversation or a private e-mail.  Today, I wish to answer a question by public post.  Why?  It is a good question that gets to heart of the gospel!

The following is a long quotation from an e-mail I received late last week.  It reads:

 I hope that the following points of vagueness on my part are due to the translations or the wording, but I'm afraid it may just be I am thick in the head sometimes! Ha!

The first portion of text that is tripping me up a bit is Galatians 2:17-21 which I reproduce for your own convenience from the ESV:

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Gal 2: 17-21

When Paul here asks about Christ being a servant of sin if those who believe are found to be sinners, what does he mean? It seems strange that some would think Christ is a "servant (minister HCSB) of sin" because those who believe in him sin! Did these folks believe in an early form of holiness doctrine, where once you converted you needed to live perfectly? I can somewhat understand this in context, if Paul is countering a potential claim of the Judaizers that you had to follow the law, presumably perfectly, once you believed in Christ. This seems to fit his response as well, as he puts the guilt of sin squarely on the transgressor. 

He then says, "Through the law I died to the law...". What does he mean here? Is he referring to Christ fulfilling the Law one our behalf, thereby freeing us from it by operating and fulfilling it from within? This would fit the later context of chapter 4:4, where he says Christ was born "under the law, to redeem those who were under the law...". 

Further, when he says, "the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God..", is he here referring to that conflict of the flesh and Spirit, whereby we still struggle with the flesh in our mortal bodies but live by faith in Christ that were are justified and forgiven? This seems to make sense, as he goes on to say that we do not nullify the grace of God with out sin, because sin is aroused and seen by the Law, but we are set free from the Law (vs. 21). Therefore, even though we continue to sin, we remain justified because it is by Christ's live and work, not our own works of the Law, that justify us? 

The first and most important rule of interpretation is that context determines meaning.  I know this idea sounds old-fashioned for those raised in reader-response postmodernism.  I don't care.  This whole movement of thought is at least 90% wrong.  

We do bring our own bias to the reading (that's the 10% correct), but we come to a text to understand what the author intended.  The author wrote for a purpose.  Understanding this purpose helps us understand what the author is saying.  Honestly, this should not be that difficult to understand. If it were not true, we would never write or even speak in an attempt to communicate!

Anyway, Paul's argument begins a paragraph before and it runs through the next two chapters.  What is his point?  "By the works of the law no one will be justified." (Gal. 2:16)  Thus, Jew and Gentile alike are justified by faith.  Faith is the instrument that God works to bring salvation.  It always has been, and it always will be.

What does this mean in the life of a believer?  Here is Paul's point in this passage.  Paul is writing briefly about Christian experience.  He is writing to a group that is deeply confused.  They have "begun by faith, but are now being perfected by the flesh." (Gal. 3:3).  Paul does not believe this perfection by the flesh/law/self-effort is possible.  

Paul believes we must be justified by faith and we must live by faith.

Why?  Human experience.  Believers and unbelievers alike struggle with sin.  When the law is correctly applied to our life, it does not bring freedom and joy.  Instead it brings condemnation, doubt, and death.  In our fallen world, the Law always proves us to be sinners.  Thus, before a Holy God we are dead meat!

What should be our response?  Repentance and faith in Christ.  When confronted with our sin, we should not attempt to lessen the reality of our need by explaining away God's holiness or by emphasizing our good intentions.  We need to be honest!  We are guilty before God and we need help.

This help comes from Jesus Christ who "was born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." (Gal. 4: 2-3)

What Paul is emphasizing in this passage is the entry way into our new life.  He is emphasizing the importance of conversion by faith in Christ.  This conversion is entered into by repentance and faith.  When we believe, the old self is crucified with Christ, and we are raised again in a spiritual sense with Christ.

This act of conversion through repentance and faith is just the beginning of a new life-style.  Those who were throwing the Galatians into confusion denied this life-style.  They maintained that we are justified by faith, but we grow by a now "correct application" of the Law.  Paul teaches that this is nonsense.  

In Paul's mind, God works through and by faith.  Faith allows us to be honest that we often fall to obey the law.  Thus, faith leads us to repentance and repentance leads us to faith.  In this way, the Law is our tutor/guardian that leads us to Christ. (Gal. 3:24  Not a huge fan of the ESV translation here)

So how do we live this life in Christ?  By faith.  It is started by faith and it continues by faith.  While walking in faith, I often find I am a law-breaker.  This does not nullify the truth in Christ!  In fact, it confirms that I need Jesus.

I think this great question has the right pieces, but they are not quite in the right order.  The context of the book gives us Paul's primary point in writing.  He wants the Galatians and us to know that we are redeemed and rescued by applying Christ's finished work through repentance and faith.  He also wants us to know that the entire life as a believer must be lived by that same repentance and faith.

In what do you trust to find your joy, satisfaction, and motivation in life?  Are you formed by conscience repentance and faith or have you "grown" past that stage?  According to Paul, we never grow past that stage!  If you understand this perspective, you will understand the argument contained within the book of Galatians.

Calling and a Sense of Need

Almost 25 years ago I had a serious crisis of faith.  No, I did not come to doubt the existence of God!  I came to understand that what I believed and trusted in did not answer the real questions of life.  Looking back, I can see how God worked to bring about this crisis of faith.

So what happened?  As I ended my high school career, I found myself in an enviable position.  I had navigated the shoals of high school successfully: I had friends, respect, very good grades, and a bright future.  I had achieved the high goals I had set, and I was ready to move to a bigger pond to swim with the bigger fish!

Then I began to have a gnawing feeling of sorrow.  Why?  I had achieved my goals.  I knew I could set more and higher goals, work hard, and then I could continue to achieve.  But then what?  Fulfilling my goals and achieving "my dreams" really did not make me happy.  It made me proud, but not happy.

Furthermore, I also had some friends who were disappointed with their future prospects.  In their life, things were not working out.  They were looking for jobs, and they were not happy.  We would sit around and talk.  I found that the same fears, questions, and lack of happiness marked both those who were achievers and those who were struggling.  If that is the case, what's the point?

Here is where my crisis of faith occurred.  I had trusted in the Midwestern dream of hard work, achievement, and success.  I had won this race.  Yet, I was not happy or satisfied.  If I went to college and did the same, I seriously doubted that I would be happy and satisfied.  I would then move on to a career.  If I did the same, would I be fulfilled and satisfied?

What happened if I failed?  My friends were miserable, and I knew I would be miserable also with failure.  Is life meant to be tolerated instead of enjoyed?  There had to be more to life than this rat-race of attempted success.

At this point, I did something strange.  I picked up a bible and decided to see if it had some answers.  Why did I do this?  Looking back, I can see it was God's hand at work bringing me to faith.  He was calling me.  At first I could not understand the source of this call.  I also could not grasp its meaning.  Yet, as Augustine said, "My heart was restless until it found its rest in Thee."

I believe my experience is not singular.  I think it has occurred many times and in many places with many different people.  Until we find our rest in faith and trust in the Living God, we are restless.  I so appreciate Os Guinness's take on this phenomena.  As he states,

True seekers are looking for something.  They are people for whom life, or a part of life, has suddenly become a point of wonder, a question, a problem, or a crisis.  This happens so intensely that they are stirred to look for an answer beyond their present answers and to clarify their position in life.  However the need arises, and whatever it calls for, the sense of need consumes the searchers and launches them on their quest.

Notice that "a sense of need" does not justify people's believing.  People do not come to believe in the answers they seek because of need- that would be irrational and make the believer vulnerable to the accusation that faith is a crutch.  Rather, seekers disbelieve in what they believed in before because of new questions their previous beliefs could not answer.  The question of what and why they then come to believe is answered at a later stage.  As Malcolm Muggeridge's biographer wrote of the conversion of the great English journalist, "He knew what he disbelieved long before he knew what he believed."

Os Guinness, The Call, 11.

I think so much of life is similar to hearing the call of God to first faith.  When we feel an intense angst and growing discontent with our circumstances, with life, with everything, we should ask the question, "Lord what are You trying to tell me?"

This question is not only valid for pursuing first trust in the Lord.  Continuing to ask the Lord for clarification and guidance should be taught as a natural element of learning how to walk with God.  He uses our questions, discontent, illness, hardships, major positive steps in life like marriage or the birth of a child, job loss, job gain, and growing old as catalysts to propel us deeper into faith and trust.  

In what or whom do you trust?  Is it growing stale?  Does it no longer satisfy?  Please know that your feelings of discontent or wonder are natural.  They are actually brought about by our heart's need to find its rest in Christ alone.  Take some time to be still before the creator and lover of your soul so you can begin to hear with increasing clarity the call of God.

What is Grace?

This is my 199th post of a year of writing.  Lord willing, on Monday I will complete post 200 and complete my goal!  As I prayed about what to write for these posts, I kept coming back to my first two posts on this blog about my life and my encounter with God's grace.  I wish to share these memories with you.  Over the past year, I have picked up readers from around the world.  I would love to have some of you share with me your stories!  If it is personal, I check all comments before posting, so I will not share it publicly.  May the Lord bless us with a fantastic weekend filled with His presence.

I have to admit that for years, I had no idea what grace was all about.  My discovery of this idea has taken two distinct steps.  Today's post will describe the first step of discovery.

For the first 18 years of my life, I did not understand the concept of grace at all.  I grew up in a household that emphasized, "God helps those who help themselves."  I was pretty good at helping myself.  I had good grades, musical talent, sport talent, and I was at least fairly popular.  I asked that God would bless what I did.  Yet, I had no real idea of how to relate with God!  

Then, the God of this universe began to draw me to Himself.  I began to feel very dissatisfied with my life.  I was successful, but I was not happy.  I had friends who were not successful, and they were not happy.  I realized that if I moved on to college, achieved all my goals and matched all ideas of success, I would still not be happy.  What was the purpose of it all!?  This is when I first learned about grace.

The summer after high school graduation, I began to read the bible.  I wanted to discover what my church supposedly believed.  My family attended a church that did not really teach the bible.  At least, I did not have ears to hear if they did!  That summer, I began reading about Jesus in the book of Matthew.  I was shocked!  His words and actions had such weight and power.  Why had I not heard this before?  He challenged me to "consider the cost," and to "hate my mother and father in comparison with my love for him."  This was not what I expected nor had heard.  

Then one evening, I had gone out with some friends to go partying.  I really did not enjoy it, but I went to hang out.  I noticed most of the other folks were not enjoying themselves either.  After several hours, I came home and went to bed.  I remember waking to a horrible dream.  In my dream, I was walking in the dark when I noticed a light behind me.  As I slowly turned around, I was blinded by a bright, piercing light.  I shielded my eyes, but sought to see the source.  I saw through tears a man with light coming from his face.  I was terrified!  I woke up, went to the bathroom to get some light and get out of my room.  I looked up in the mirror and saw through my own eyes, a look into my soul.  What I saw scared me.  I was guilty in God's eyes.  His piercing eyes saw right through me.  I was a sinner!  I was partying and not living for God.  I did not know what to do with this information, but I knew I was not right with God because of my actions.

In the weeks that followed, I  began reading in the first few chapters of the book of Revelation about the risen Jesus.  His holiness was so evident to John (the writer of Revelation) that he fell down as if dead.  Had I seen this same risen Christ?  I have to say that the dream scared me straight.  I stopped partying, and I continued to read deeply of the New Testament.  My saintly Grandpa came to visit, and he pointed me to some of his favorite scriptures.  He talked to me about prayer- saying it was just talking with God.  I started to try it.  I learned that Jesus claimed to be the son of God (many references throughout the gospels), and he had the audacity to say that he was the only way to God (John 14:6).  I witnessed through the pages a man different than anything I had ever seen or heard about.  

Finally, just before I moved to college, I was listening to the Boston, Third Stage album in my car.  There was a song that spoke of changes.  One line sings, "Now I can see both sides."  I realized that before I had no idea that God had a perspective on my life and all of life!  There is right and wrong, and I was on the wrong side.  Tears welled up in my eyes, and I pulled the car over.  I remember clearly asking that Jesus would forgive me for my sins.  I asked him to help me follow him.  Along the side of the road in northern Michigan, I experienced grace.  Grace is mercy and love given to one who does not deserve it.  Jesus extended grace to me.  He loved me, even when I did not deserve it, and he changed my heart.  This was my first discovery of grace.  I was changed in a moment, but I had just begun the process of learning how to live out this "God transformation" in my life.