Tending to the Private Life of a Public Person

Doug Fields, one of the nation’s leading youth workers (behind our very own Doug Ranck of Santa Barbara, of course) declares these to be warning signs that your life is slipping toward the dark side:

• a cluttered appearance (unless you are just naturally a really sloppy person) – your office is messy, your car is messy, you are messy … not good
• low level paranoia – there’s this looming fear that people will find out you’re not perfect
• you leave a series of disappointments in your wake – you miss appointments and you break commitments, without meaning to
• excess time spent on easy, unproductive tasks – you file away the paperwork or throw a few quotes on facebook rather than plan your 18 month strategic calendar or dive into exegeting this week’s text for your sermon
• your connections with Jesus are rare and lack depth
• you begin skimming in relationships – like your lack of intimacy with Jesus, you begin connecting on a surface and superficial level with others
• you’re easily discouraged

The danger in slipping toward the dark side is not so much arriving there, but the temptation to think that we can overcome the dark side simply by “doing” more.

The analogy Doug Fields uses to describe the soul of the leaders is the basement.  Our souls are either finished or unfinished depending on how we tend to them.  There are six “rooms” every leader (every person for that matter) needs to have in their basement in order to live a life that overcomes the dark side.

1. Drive/Achievement/Motivation Room – If business is your motivation then you’re headed for a life of hurt.  Healthy people begin with the end in mind (sounds like Covey to me) and create a life that moves them toward that end.
2. Time – Identify and track the rhythm of your time and don’t fight it, use it.  If you’re not a morning person then try to be a morning person.  Remember that every “yes” is a “no” to someone. (I think he has a book with this in the title.)
3. Study – You need to decide if you want to study or if you want to skim.  The difference is offering your people a juicy filet mignon or taco bell meat … they can tell the difference.  If you have to, write the names of the authors you are reading in your calendar so it looks like you have an appointment with them.
4. Spiritual Strength – You should know what life looks like when you are full and when you are empty.  What are your warning signs?  Schedule times of solitude.
5. Refreshment – Read Exodus 31:17 and ask, How do I refresh myself?  Make sure you practice a regular sabbath.
6. Calling – Know that you are called to this ministry.  At the same time, be in touch with your own depravity and know that you are always only one bad decision from shipwrecking your calling.  Know your limits and get help when you need it.

In Pursuit of Maximum Faith

“We’re not making disciples because we’re offering our people a menu of ministries that leads to a vicious cycle of activity and striving.” – George Barna at the FAM Conference at APU, 2012

Discipleship is a word that all ministry leaders use, but few seem to feel confident they are seeing it take place in their churches.  When asked about how we make disciples we often point to our ministries – small groups, recovery groups, kids’ groups, youth groups, Sunday school, choir, worship team, Habitat for Humanity, Awanas, etc.  These programs and groups can help us disciple our people, but unless we have a destination in mind and a plan to get there we may just find ourselves going through the motions.

This is where Barna argues for trading our menus for a map.  He suggests a map with 10 stops on the way to wholeness, or holiness (Galatians 6:15 and Romans 12:2).  So, if you’re interested in moving from broken to whole here’s what you can expect, according to Barna.

1. Ignorance of Sin – we all start here.
2. Indifference to Sin – at some point we become aware of sin, but we don’t care.
3. Concerned about the Potential Effect of Sin – we start to wonder if maybe this sin thing isn’t a bit more insidious than we first thought.
4. Acceptance of Christ – we believe that Jesus can offer us a way out of the consequence of sin.
5. Increased Religious Activity – finding new life in Christ we become a “churchy” people and do “churchy” things.
6. Holy Discontent – After following Jesus in the “churchy” life for about 15-20 years we begin to wonder, Is this all there is?
7. Brokenness – the place where we reach our own limitations and can’t find an answer or the power to move on in ourselves.
8. Surrender and Submission – this is where we cease trying to be our own savior and allow God to work.
9. Profound Love Connection with God – the first real step in fulfilling the Great Commandment.
10. Extreme Love for People – the next step in fulfilling the Great Commandment.

Barna’s research shows that 56% of all people (I’m assuming in America) land somewhere in stages 1-3.  Those coming to faith in Christ and getting involved in church (stages 4-5) make up another 33%.  Those who come to a place of holy discontent (stage 6) make up a mere 6%, while those who learn to embrace their brokenness, surrender to God and truly love (stages 7-10) make up 5%.  The point being, not many fulfill the Great Commandment.

So what do we do with this?  Here are a few ideas.

1. Self-Examination – Use the list to examine your own life and see where you are in the journey.  Be careful of coming to the conclusion that you have already entered into stages 7-10 too quickly.  Perhaps you can have a few close friends examine your life as well.
2. We can tell others about this journey.  We can talk about it and share where we are and what the next stage might look like.
3. Seeing faith as a journey can motivate us to find mentors for the journey.  Someone 2-3 stages ahead of us just might make the best mentor.
4. As ministry leaders we can invest in the “lonely stops” of the journey – holy discontent (stage 6), brokenness (stage 7), and surrender (stage 8).  This is the make-it-or-break-it section of the journey.  No one wants to admit they are discontent or broken.
5. Finally, if this map is even somewhat accurate, then it should cause us to rethink our metrics for measuring success.  Somehow, we must learn to count the work that takes place in the later stages and invest there.

It may be worth noting that someone in the audience asked Barna if he thought the 12 Steps of AA worked because they reflect this map of the spiritual journey.  Barna replied by saying, “Yes, they’re similar because both are based on acknowledging one’s brokenness and looking to a power from outside yourself to do something about it.”

Brokenness was a common theme throughout all the speakers at the FAM Conference.  The tricky thing about brokenness is that we often resist it and try to push through it on our own.  As long as we keep rescuing ourselves we’re not truly broken.  That is, until we can admit that we are broken (“powerless” as the 12 steps say) then we will never surrender to the God who seeks to heal us.  Brokenness, therefore, usually only comes through a series of crises, rather than a single crisis.  The most love-filled people I can think of are also some of the most broken (yet healed) people I know.

(This post is a compilation of notes taken during a lecture given by George Barna at the FAM Conference, May 10, 2012.  They do not necessarily represent my thoughts or opinions.)

Learning the Skills of Trust

“Sometimes you have to help people make another organization successful.” – Dr. John Townsend

Boundaries are about one thing – guarding your heart because God has given you a mission.  Proverbs 4:23 says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.”  Your heart is the place of values, thoughts, feelings, decisions, time, energy, etc.  Boundaries are not about selfishness, but about stewardship.

There are two types of boundaries – definition boundaries and protective boundaries.  Definition Boundaries are about Who I am and Who I am not.  If you’re not defined then you will lose a lot of energy.  The psalmists are often well defined people.  They can maintain who they are in the midst of their circumstances without losing sight of who God is.

Protective Boundaries are necessary for leading a productive life and guarding the heart.  These are the boundaries we draw with other people in order to protect our heart.  By not practicing healthy boundaries we often avoid people altogether and create emotional deficits.  The vacuum of people in our lives cannot be filled only with God because we were created for God and people.

Beginning to trust again involves several learnable skills.  First, ask yourself if you have learned the lesson.  In other words, can you answer the question, What was my contribution to the hurt?  (For example, I was afraid to have a voice, I allowed little things to pile up and become a big thing, I maintained defensive hope, I tried to rescue.

Second, ask yourself, Is the offending party getting the right anti-body?  We have all been hurt by someone who said they would never do it again.  But, how many times have we been re-hurt by that same person?  Before investing again we need to make sure they are investing.  For example, if we are dealing with a dishonest person is he surrounding himself with honest people?  If a controlling person, is he surrounding himself with people who value freedom?

Finally, we need to ask ourselves, Are they trustworthy?  While we are called to love everyone, we are not called to trust everyone.  Love is free, but trust is earned.  Ask yourself, Is she concerned about the impact she made on me?  If not, she is probably not trustworthy yet.  Is she connected to growers?  What company does she keep?  Who is holding her accountable?  If you are the only one investing in her then it probably won’t work.  She has to make her life available to others, as well.

Take the Steps to Heal a Relationship

1. Have the Talk – You have to articulate the reality of the relationship, the good, the bad and the ugly.  This is a time to be honest about your reservations and to ask them what their plan is for moving forward.  They have to have a plan!
2. Be ready to deal with the speed bumps.  They aren’t train wrecks, but they might feel like it.  Be honest when you’re feeling this way and allow God’s perfect love to cast out fear.

The Hebrew word for trust means to be careless or unedited.  With whom can you be unedited?

 

(This post is a compilation of notes taken during a lecture given by Dr. John Townsend at the FAM Conference, May 10, 2012.  They do not necessarily represent my thoughts or opinions.)

Debunking 5 Marriage Myths

According to Shaunti Feldhahn, most couples get divorced or choose to cohabitate for one reason – lack of hope.  Why?  They all hear these statistics and conclude, What hope do we have?

• 50% of all marriages end in divorce
• the divorce rate in the church is the same as the world
• 80% of all married people claim they are unhappy
• 70% of all second marriages end in divorce
• Marriage is hard and there’s no way to win

The truth is, none of these statistics are true.  They are all simply myths and misinterpretations of research.  The real statistics are much more hopeful.

• The divorce rate in America is about 36%
• The divorce rate of active church goers (2x per month, regardless of socio-economic status) is about 18% … half of that of the world
• 80% of all married couples report that they are happy
• Divorce is rarely about a “big ticket” item, therefore, little efforts can make a big difference

So what?  Well, these statistics provide hope.  Which is more hopeful, believing that half of all marriages end in divorce or that you have a high chance of making it?  Which is more hopeful, believing that Jesus makes no difference whatsoever in married life or knowing that active faith can reduce your chances of divorce by half?  Which is more hopeful, ministering believing that you are not making an ounce of difference or ministering knowing that God is right and His ways work?

I don’t know about you, but I think I’m going to go and give my wife a hug and tell her how much I love her.

Notes taken from Shaunti Feldhahn’s lecture at the FAM Conference hosted by Homeword Ministries, May 10-12, 2012.

Miracles, Where Have They Gone?

According to Philip Bence, author of Acts: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition,

God may choose to perform fewer miracles now than in the New Testament era; God may have had special reasons which required greater frequency of miracles at critical points in biblical history.  Perhaps the church today is responsible; we might not be asking or believing for miracles as God’s previous servants did.  Or maybe the church today overestimates the frequency of first-century miracles, or underestimates the frequency of miracles in our time.  There might be truth in all of these answers.

John Stott, author of The Bible Speaks Today: Acts, writes,

If, then, we take Scripture as our guide, we will avoid opposite extremes. We will neither describe miracles as ‘never happening’, nor as ‘everyday occurrences’, neither as ‘impossible’ nor as ‘normal’. Instead, we will be entirely open to the God who works both through nature and through miracle. And when a healing miracle is claimed, we will expect it to resemble those in the Gospels and the Acts and so to be the instantaneous and complete cure of an organic condition, without the use of medical or surgical means, inviting investigation and persuading even unbelievers. For so it was with the congenital cripple. Peter took his miraculous healing as the text of both his sermon to the crowd and his speech to the Council. Word and sign together bore testimony to the uniquely powerful name of Jesus. The healing of the cripple’s body was a vivid dramatization of the apostolic message of salvation.

The Power of Two

This morning my fast from coffee ends.  I’m a coffee purist, so to me black is the only way to enjoy this delectable delight.  I know that some find it quite repulsive on its own and so they add flavored creamer.  Coffee and creamer, what a combination!  There are a lot of things in life that go better together.  For example, you wouldn’t have as much fun with a baseball bat if you didn’t have a baseball.  Or consider owning a lock without the key.  As the old country western music song goes, “like a hammer and a nail. like socks and shoes … like rhythm and blues.”  Even some words are more powerful together.  Consider the word I for a moment.  I defines you and differentiates you from others.  The word do is often used to evaluate your worth, “So, what do you do for a living?”  But if you put them together, “I do,” your life could be changed forever.  Some things are just better together.  That’s the power two.

In the Apostle Peter’s first sermon he lists no less than four powerful combinations, each important on their own, but unbelievably powerful when combined.  That’s the power of two.

 Fellow Israelites, listen to these words! Jesus the Nazarene was a man whose credentials God proved to you through miracles, wonders, and signs, which God performed through him among you. You yourselves know this.  (Acts 2:22 CEB)

Peter is explaining to the crowd gathered on the day of Pentecost that Jesus is the Messiah.  Peter is clear to state that Jesus was a man.  However, we wasn’t merely a man, he was fully a man.  We are merely human because of the fall, but by the grace of God we are becoming fully human like Jesus.  The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was man like us, tempted in every way, yet without sin.  That Jesus was without sin is important because that is what qualifies him to be the passover lamb of God.

Jesus’ life was proved by God through miracles, wonders, and signs.  The nature of Jesus’ miracles were to demonstrate the power of God.  The nature of his wonders were to arouse astonishment.  The nature of his signs were to point to spiritual truth.

In accordance with God’s established plan and foreknowledge, he was betrayed. You, with the help of wicked men, had Jesus killed by nailing him to a cross.  God raised him up! God freed him from death’s dreadful grip, since it was impossible for death to hang on to him.  (Acts 2:23-24 CEB)

Death is a powerful event.  Death has the power to move us deeply and affect us in ways that are unpredictable.  Death, being the last enemy, is a powerful adversary.  Death is also powerful in another way.  Death means blood, and blood means atonement.  The death of Jesus provides the atonement necessary for the forgiveness of sin.  His death is a mystery.  It comes in part because God had determined to hand over his only son and in part because of the wickedness of the Jewish and Roman leaders.  Through the death of Jesus, God’s saving purposes were being worked out.  By itself, the death of Jesus is a powerful event, but it is insufficient for abundant living and eternal life.  For that God had to combine the death of Jesus with the resurrection of Jesus.

Life is a powerful event.  At the birth of my children I was overwhelmed with joy, love, awe, and fear.  Nothing is more precious than life.  Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life to the fullest!”  If Jesus had died only, then we would would live forgiven, but death would still be the final answer.  However, God raised him from the dead.  He was dead indeed, for, “Death had its painful grip on him,” but God released him and raised him up.  Jesus truly died and truly rose thereby conquering death forever!  Death and resurrection – that’s the power of two!

 25   David says about him, ”I foresaw that the Lord was always with me; because he is at my right hand I won’t be shaken. 26 Therefore, my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover, my body will live in hope, 27 because you won’t abandon me to the grave, nor permit your holy one to experience decay. 28 You have shown me the paths of life; your presence will fill me with happiness.“ 

29 “Brothers and sisters, I can speak confidently about the patriarch David. He died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this very day. 30 Because he was a prophet, he knew that God promised him with a solemn pledge to seat one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Having seen this beforehand, David spoke about the resurrection of Christ, that he wasn’t abandoned to the grave, nor did his body experience decay. 32 This Jesus, God raised up. We are all witnesses to that fact. 33 He was exalted to God’s right side and received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit. He poured out this Spirit, and you are seeing and hearing the results of his having done so.

34 David didn’t ascend into heaven. Yet he says, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right side, 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’” 36 Therefore, let all Israel know beyond question that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:25–36 CEB)

Peter has made some bold claims – that Jesus was put to death and raised to life.  But no claim has any validity without a witness.  In fact, according to the Law, no testimony could be heard from a single witness.  For there to be any credibility there must always be at least two witnesses.  Just another example of the power of two.  Peter’s claim that Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead is no exception.  Therefore, Peter’s first witness is King David.

Peter quotes Psalm 16:8-11, in which, he claims, the death and resurrection of the Messiah was foretold.  King David wasn’t speaking of himself for his body still remains in his tomb to this day.  He was speaking of God’s anointed one, Israel’s Messiah.  This makes sense if one understands that all scripture points to Jesus.

That’s one witness, but what about the other witness?  For this Peter reminds the crowd, “This Jesus, God raised up.  We are all witnesses to that fact.”  With two witnesses established Peter is now free to speak of the implications of these events, “Therefore, let all Israel know beyond question that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

37  When the crowd heard this, they were deeply troubled. They said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”

38 Peter replied, “Change your hearts and lives. Each of you must be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is for you, your children, and for all who are far away—as many as the Lord our God invites.”

40 With many other words he testified to them and encouraged them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized. God brought about three thousand people into the community on that day.  (Acts 2:37–41 CEB)

At these the words the crowd is cut to the heart; they are convicted and cry out, “What should we do?!”  Peter responds with two more sets of powerful twos – two promises and two conditions.

The first of the promises is that this Jesus, whom God raised from the dead, can forgive sins.  He doesn’t simply forget all the harm you have done to yourself and to others, he forgives it.  He offers a full pardon, a full re-start on life.  No more guilt.  No more baggage.  No more trauma.  He takes it all away.  What an amazing offer!  However, this offer would only be momentarily enjoyed if we were left unchanged.  For each of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and without some kind of empowerment we would soon return to our wretched ways, like a dog returning to its vomit.  Fortunately, forgiveness does not come all by its lonesome.

The second promise is the indwelling presence of God’s Holy Spirit, transforming those who believe and making them whole and holy.  Jesus offers to all – “you, your children, and for all who are far away; as many as the Lord our God invites” – forgiveness and empowerment.  No more “prone to wander, Lord I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.”  Forgiveness and empowerment – that’s the power of two!

These promises, though, are based on two conditions.  The crowd, after hearing Peter’s sermon, cried out, “What should we do?”  First, “Change your hearts and lives.”  The first condition is to repent of a life that rejects God’s Son.  Stop doing harm.  Start doing all the good you can.  Learn to stay in love with Jesus.  Second, “Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”  In other words, by faith, receive Jesus into your lives and be baptized as an outward sign of this inward condition.  Repentance and faith go hand in hand and are the conditions upon which the two promises are made.  Repentance is impossible without faith, for without faith one cannot turn from sin and turn to God.  Repentance and faith – that’s the power of two!

There are two little words that will change your life.  Each word on their own is powerful, but together they will transform you and change you for all eternity – Yes, Jesus.

He is risen.  He is risen indeed!

The Wisdom of Stability

We’ve all experienced the temptation to run when things get tough. The problem from running from our demons is that they will be waiting for us when we arrive at our new destination. We can never escape. This is what The Wisdom of Stability is about – staying put and facing our demons.

If a trial comes upon you in the place where you live, do not leave that place when the trial comes. Wherever you go, you will find that what you are running from will be ahead of you.(35)

The Wisdom of Stability is great for anyone who is contemplating leaving because they are facing trials. The wisdom in this book is that it encourages people to stay put and deal with their demons. Too often in the body of Christ (and in life in general) when we face conflict we simply pick up and move on to the next church. While we avoid the conflict in the present moment we only delay the inevitable – face the demons within or move on to the next church.

It is only by sending out deep roots that we will ever come to the place of stability necessary to deal with life’s struggles. In fact, the body of Christ is designed to help one deal with one’s inner demons. Conflict is to be worked through rather than avoided.

“If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” – Matthew 18:15-20

So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. – Matthew 5:23-24

Stability is a sign of faith that Jesus can meet us and help us wherever we are. We have been conditioned here in the US to avoid stability. We leave for college far from home. After college we move to a new location for graduate school. We spend a few years traveling and working allowing our employers to relocate us at will. Then we move again to complete a terminal degree and jump right back into the work and travel motif. There is little room for stability.

What The Wisdom of Stability lacks is a discussion of the need for some to move about. While monasteries are rooted they were founded by people who were called to travel. Many of the leaders of these movements (we even call them movements) were on the move. Jesus himself was on the move and called his followers to follow him. While there are those who were told to “return home and tell of all that God has done for you” there were also those who were told “you will be my witnesses unto the Gentiles.” There is a balance that must be achieved between movement and stability.

Do Not Worry About Your Life

“Cast your burdens on Jesus for he cares for you … Higher higher higher higher higher …” is often easier sang than done.  The Apostle Peter reminds that Jesus loves us and invites us to cast our burdens, our worries, our anxiety on him.  Why?  We were never made to worry.

In the garden, Adam and Eve hadn’t a care in the world.  all they had to focus on was being obedient to God and enjoying creation through care and cultivation.  That is what we wee designed for – obedience and enjoyment.  Unfortunately, like Adam and Eve, we have traded in obedience and enjoyment for worry.  We worry about everything.  Just about each and every one of us can readily identify what we waste our time worrying about.

Our worries can probably be grouped into categories like the bare necessities, the future, and evil.  There is one little word that summarizes all of this … LIFE.  Perhaps that is why Jesus begins where he does,

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” (Matthew 6:25-27)

“Do not worry about your life.”  What a tough command.  We’re not even allowed to worry about something as significant as our own life.  The psalmist reminds us that ultimately it is a waste of energy to worry about the finality of our life, “Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.  In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, when none of them as yet existed.” (139:16)  Death is a certainty for everyone so you don’t have to worry about whether or not you are going to die.  And, if the psalmist is right and God does know how many days you have, you don’t even have to worry about whey of are going to die because that’s taken care of as well.

For those who are worried about what kind of rewards they will have toward the end of their lives – a good retirement plan, nice toys, the right piece of property and so on – the ever skeptical and cynical Qhohelet, the author of Ecclesiastes, reminds us, “So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety?  Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.”

The Prophet Jeremiah said it well when he described the life of one who is worry free,

“Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD.  They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream.  It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Drought can mean death for a tree.  Yet, in the year of drought those who trust in the LORD are not anxious.  This is what it means to not worry about one’s life.

So, how do we cast our burdens on Jesus?  How do we resist the temptation to worry about our life?  The answer, Jesus said, is, “But seek first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  The best way I know to do this is found in the Lord’s Prayer.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread.  And forgive us our sins, as we forgiven those who have sinned against us. And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.

Seeking the kingdom of God begins with hallowing God’s name.  In other words, exclaim why God is holy and worth of praise.  What has God done that is revealed in Scripture?  What is God doing that is revealed in Scripture?  What has God done in your life?  How about in the lives of those you know and love?  Praise him for.  Worshiping has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

Next, seeking the kingdom of God involves asking for God’s will to be done right here and now.  That means we must be willing to be obedient.  We peer into heaven to see how things are and then we go about striving to be that way.  Obeying has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

Next, seeking the kingdom of God involves dealing with today’s needs.  We learn to ask for daily bread and to be content with daily bread.  We also learn how to ask for others as the words, “Give us …” imply.  Asking has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

Next, seeking the kingdom of God involves forgiving and asking for forgiveness.  This means we will have to be willing to practice confession with one another, be willing to go to a brother or sister we know has something against us, and be willing to go to a brother or sister that we have something against.  We must be ready for the hard work of forgiveness.  Forgiving has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

Finally, seeking the kingdom of God involves following.  We follow Jesus out of our darkness and into his glorious light.  Each of us can identify at least some of our own sin tendencies, some of those areas where we are prone to wander away from Jesus and into the nasty habit of doing harm.  It is in these moments that we must remember what the Apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth,

“No testing has overtaken you that is not common to everyone.  God is faithful, and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing he will provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” (! Corinthians 10:13)

Jesus invites us in this prayer to ask the Father to lead us out of temptation, to show us the way out.  When we are tempted to worry the Father will show us the way out.  Following has a way of mysteriously moving worry to the side.

E. Stanley Jones, a Methodist missionary to India and graduate of my alma mater Asbury University, wrote these words,

I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath–these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely–these are my native air. A John Hopkins University doctor says, “We do not know why it is that worriers die sooner than the non- worriers, but that is a fact.” But I, who am simple of mind, think I know; We are inwardly constructed in nerve and tissue, brain cell and soul, for faith and not for fear. God made us that way. To live by worry is to live against reality.

Father, help us to cease our worrying and cast all our cares upon Jesus.  Teach us to live by faith and not by fear.  In our moment of worry show us the way out as we worship, obey, ask, forgive and follow.  In Jesus’ name we ask these things.  Amen.

Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness

Jerry Cook sets forth to articulate his philosophy of the church in Love, Acceptance and Forgiveness: Being Christians in a Non-Christian World.  While it would seem from the title that the book is about these three values they only appear intermittently throughout the book.  Rather than an articulation of love, acceptance and forgiveness, this book is a look at the difference between church as a field and church as a force.

Chapter one looks briefly at the prerequisites of the church’s ministry: love, acceptance and forgiveness.  “If people are not guaranteed these three things, they will never allow us the marvelous privilege of bringing wholeness to them through the fellowship of the church.” (12)  The church must learn to enjoy people, so they can like people, so they can love people.  The church must learn to communicate the significance of each individual through the act of acceptance.  The church must learn to forgive as they have been forgiven.  Cook reminds the reader that love is not license for misbehavior.  Acceptance is not agreement.  Forgiveness is not compromise.

Chapter two addresses the need for a guiding philosophy of ministry.  Such a philosophy is essential if the pastor is to avoid three common pitfalls of pastoral ministry: (1) pastoring from crisis to crisis; (2) becoming trendy; (3) simply accepting what is handed down to them.

Chapters three through eight address the concepts of church as a field and church as a force.  The church as a field is characterized by its need for visibility and attractive programming. Its goals are focused on attendance, budget and facilities.  The church as a field accomplishes ministry by bringing people into the facilities and pulling them out of the culture.  What motivates the church as a field is getting people in and keeping people in because people serve the facilities, pay for the facilities and keep the facilities from shrinking.  The main danger with this approach is second- and third-generation mediocrity.  The founding generation may be well enough excited but the second- and third-generation have no stake in the accomplishments and they begin to settle for mediocre.

The church as a force, on the other hand, is characterized by an emphasis on worship, training and fellowship.  The goals of the church as a force are personal: each member coming to wholeness, equipped and released into the world to minister.  The church’s ministry then is the automatic result of great healing, which is, great outreach.  The motivation is wholeness and holiness in every person.  These realities are recognized by the church as a force:

• The saints are already equipped for ministry by virtue of being filled with the Holy Spirit.  They only need opportunity, permission and guidance.

• The power is in the gospel, not the presentation or the delivery.  Let the people share the gospel.

• Ministering is not inviting people to church services.  Inviting people to services is called “inviting people to services.”  Ministry is serving people.

• Every generation must equally disrespected.  In other words, they all count!

• Teaching a biblical lifestyle – going beyond mere biblical knowledge – is best done within the context of the family (Deut 6 and Eph 6).  Therefore, train your families to train their children and train your families to bring those without family into their family.

• Schism and conflict are never left alone, but confronted directly and firmly for the sake of the body. (Titus 3:9-11)

• The people are primary and the building is secondary, maybe even lower.

• The church is present in the world as a servant bringing healing.

In the final chapter, Cook offers his closing thoughts on leading a church as a force.  First, he offers to sure ways to kill the church: micromanagement and unfocused methods of delivery.  Two questions we must always ask are: (1) Are we reproducing the life of Christ in our congregation? and (2) Are we ministering as Jesus in our world?  Those who lead the church as a force will demonstrate the following characteristics: authenticity (the ability to live life with the members of the church), a clear and reproducible lifestyle of following Jesus, an appreciation of the natural network of friendship, and will be a collector of stories that demonstrate God’s power in fresh and contemporary ways.

First, what the book doesn’t offer is an explanation of love, acceptance and forgiveness.  These themes are briefly mentioned but not explained in great detail.  One is left with the understanding that they are important and you’ll know them when you see them.  There is no discussion on how to cultivate these virtues within the body.  The book’s chapters also seem to lack any coherent connection as they jump from church staff, to marriage, to programming, to discipleship in the family.  Each of the chapters are wonderful and provide the reader with food for thought, but they simply don’t flow together to form a meta-narrative.

What I appreciate about the book is its consistent look at what it means to be the body of Christ.  I agree with the author that too few pastors have seriously considered their theology of the body of Christ.  I recently wrote a brief pamphlet for my denomination of the subject of the body of Christ and was surprised by the paucity of resources.  Jerry Cook gets it absolutely right when he writes,

One thing working all kinds of devastation in the life of the church is the failure of  the leadership to have a solid philosophy – a well-defined concept of how a church ought to operate and why.  In the absence of such a philosophy, pastors tend to do one of the following: (1) they pastor from crisis to crisis, (2) they pick up on the current fad, or (3) they simply subscribe to a concept of church life handed down to them. (27)

The people themselves are the ministers and Sunday morning is a meeting of the church staff.  If this is true then Sunday mornings should include ministry reports, personal reports, brainstorming, evaluation and feedback, admonishment, updates, directives, calendaring, training, fellowship, etc.  Staff meetings are much more participatory than the typical Sunday morning worship service.  If it really is a staff meeting then that means we must really work for someone, i.e. Jesus the King!

People must be trained in their gifts and given permission to use their gifts.  Permission and authority have to be given away by the leadership.  Responsibility must be retained by the leadership.  This is scary but it seems to be the secret to every member functioning.

The church is people, redeemed, filled with the Holy Spirit, equipped to serve, meeting needs everywhere in Jesus’ name.  The church focuses on worship, training and fellowship because these are the things that produce Spirit-filled people who can meet other’s needs in Jesus’ name.  Therefore, the pastor’s job is to equip the saints, not meet their needs.

The body must disrespect every generation equally – in preaching, song selection, style, structure, programming, etc.  They all matter to God so they must all matter to us.  This is why every generation must be connected to the life of the body in a vital and visible way.  Age-appropriate experiences and programming is great, but they must not become substitutes for the body of Christ.  The goal of children’s ministry and youth ministry then is to integrate them into the life of the body of Christ.

The family is the God-designed context for discipleship of children.  This is most clearly seen in Deuteronomy 6 and Ephesians 6.  The church often fails, its children’s and youth ministries often fail, and even its private Christian schools often fail at discipleship because the church fails equip families to engage in the process of discipleship.

“The answer is in the room.”  This phrase must become the heart of the members.  They must learn to see themselves as the solution to the problem, not the professionals.

The church must always ask two questions: (1) Are we reproducing the life of Christ in our members? and (2) Are we ministering as Jesus in the world?  Everything we do must produce a resounding YES to these questions.

Review of “I Am a Follower”

Mine was a love-hate affair with Leonard Sweet’s latest book, I Am a Follower: The Way, Truth, and Life of Following Jesus.  The premise of the book, “It’s never been about leading,” (from the front cover) has been a growing interest of mine in the midst of all the business-model-leadership books I have been asked to read, chose read and forced to read.  None of them have taken seriously what it means for Jesus to be the head of the church, the Shepherd, the one in charge.  Sweet’s book comes close, but not without some baggage.

I Am a Follower opens and closes with two “Reel to Real” clips that ask the reader to go online and watch two videos.  Creative, but not helpful for the unmotivated.  The main body of the book is composed of four parts: place, way, truth and life.  Each section ends with a series of group questions (a group study guide of sorts).  The sections are broken down into small (2-5 page) mini-sections, which makes the reader at times feel like he or she is accomplishing much.  However, the short sections also lend to a sort of “scatter-brained” feel to the book.

The first section, “Vece: The Place,” sets the framework for the discussion.  Here, Sweet quickly browses the landscape of leadership models and supports the idea that the leadership myth is on its way out.  For him there are two fundamental, biblical categorical imperatives in this regard: (1) Jesus is the Leader; (2) We are his followers. (27)

The second section, “Via: The Way,” looks at what it means to live missionally as a follower of Jesus.  First-Followers (a term Sweet likes to use for authentic followers of Jesus) live a different way.  The life of a first-follower should be characterized by a series casting, setting something out in front to which one moves toward.  What first-followers cast is hope, heaven, love, joy, peace, patience, trust and rest.

The third section, “Verita: The Truth,” looks at what it means to live relationally as a first-follower.  Current leadership models tell us that we are the leaders and others are the followers.  A right relationship with Jesus (the Big J) puts us in the position of being a follower (little j) who points the way for others.  He challenges the current strengths movement, expert advice and the professional clergy model.  These, he argues, are unbiblical and create false categories (i.e. clergy vs. laity).

The fourth section, “Vita: The Life,” looks at what it means to live incarnationally as a first-follower of Jesus.  Such a life means a life of active discipleship.  There is no substitute for living life together and pointing others along the way.  One sign that the church has gotten it wrong is that very few pastors, let alone laity, can answer the question, “Who discipled you?”

I agree with Sweet that the church in the West has looked to Wall Street far too frequently for her guidance.  We’ve replaced Jesus with celebrities and have turned body of Christ life into entertainment.  His description of “casting” is a beautiful reminder of what it means to follow Jesus.  Followers of Jesus should be the most joyful, hopeful, trustful, peaceful, restful, loving, heaven-oriented people on earth.  One quote sums it up well, “Our guardian angels are bored.” (125)

I also agree with Sweet that what we should be are actual-event witnesses as opposed to expert witnesses.  “We often try to be expert witnesses for Christ instead of being actual-event witnesses to what we have seen and experienced in our own lives.  We prefer to talk theory of Christ rather than to talk about our life in Christ.” (156)

Perhaps the greatest moment of this book is found in the short section, “Implanted, Not Imprinted.” (240)  Sweet compares much of USAmerican (another term he is fond of) Christianity to the natural process of imprinting among birds.  A baby duck will imprint the first moving being it sees.  If it happens to be the mother duck, great.  However, if it happens to be a barking dog then its mother will “forever be a barker, not a quacker.” (240)  Too many Christians have implanted cultural Christianity rather than have experienced Christ implanted in them.

This book also had some down sides, both aesthetic and intellectual.  Shane Claiborne is quoted on the cover saying, “Leonard Sweet is a theological poet.”  If you happen to not be fond of poetry you will find some of his descriptions and anecdotes to be over the top.

He also has a habit of quoting widely in this book.  Now, there is nothing wrong with included a plethora of voices, but quotes without context can be dangerous.  For example, he quotes Pelagius, a well know heretic by many accounts.  He quotes a Sufi poet and makes a brief reference to the meaning of the name YHWH, which sounds dualistic and anti-Genesis. (233)

He also makes a biting critique of all things strengths related.  His argument his based on a misinterpretation and application of Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” and God’s statement, “My strength is made perfect in your weakness.”  As if his push against learning to operate within the unique talents God has given each person isn’t bad enough he criticizes those who seek to know and use their Spiritual Gifts.  He is of the mindset that these are automatically determined and one cannot help but operate in them.  And if that is not bad enough, he uses Joyce Meyer, another heretical teacher by many accounts, as an example of what God can do with weak people, “Her great weakness [(her voice)], the personal characteristic that most troubled her, was used by God to be her greatest strength once she turned over her entire self to God.” (165)

In the end, the book is worth the read for those who are interested in understanding followership more than leadership.  I’m not sure what long lasting impact this book will have on the discussion, but Sweet certainly has been an influential voice in the West and is worth considering.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.