Thoughts for the New Year - 3 things we should do better in 2014

A new year is upon us, and so it should begin with taking stock of where we have been in the old and where we want to go in the new.   

Over the  years, I’m not one for making New Year’s resolutions, as I found I too easily break them, and usually not to long after the 1^st. Usually it’s because I wasn’t really committed to my weight loss resolution, my exercise resolution or whatever other resolution I had made. Something tells I’m not alone in this. 

Some of these things, in particular weight loss and exercise, changed for me in 2013. It wasn’t out of resolution but necessity to live healthier after another bout with cancer. Sometimes God has to get our attention the hard way. But I end 2013 in the best shape I’ve been in for years and about to head to the gym for a year-end workout. 

Why do we usually fail in our resolutions? I suggest it’s because my focus was on “me,” and your resolution was on you. “Self” tends to be our worst enemy, right? We can take solace in the fact that even the Apostle Paul struggled with “self” but we should not wallow there. Instead, if we can look to God’s Word as our guide for rightful living, when we read it with how we are relate to others. 

Much of what God does have to tell is not about how we can personally have the “best life now,” personally prosper – spiritually, emotionally, financially – or achieve great things for God. Rather, God’s Word instructs us more so in how to live for Him by living for other. When we do we actually find the most blessed life now. 

With that in mind, as we start 2014, I want to offer just three things we should do or start doing better in the New Year, especially as Christ followers. This isn’t a complete list, of course, but just three major points I’m considering for 2014 and I welcome your additions and thoughts.

1. Be humble and consider others first. 

How necessary is this today in our American culture? The church needs to start to do humility much better and put others before ourselves. We live in a society that is rife with vitriol and hatred for other people’s ideas, as if our positions are really most important. In Christ, we really have nothing we can lose so we don’t need to push our way to front of our culture.  That’s not my idea, put Paul’s and therefore God’s, so it’s good advice for everyone.  The Message puts it like this: 

“If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.” Philippians 2:1-4 

2. Think before you post so as to build others up

In our social media reality of the early 21^st Century, compounded by our sound-bite culture, multiplied by our lack of humility, we need to do much better in what we post on Facebook, Tweet, and how we respond on blogs. I know I’ve been guilty of some rash comments in the past. It’s easy to get angry and tear people down, even with logical and well reasoned arguments. Just visit any religious or political blog on any given day to witness some of the vilest of behavior, on both sides of the political isle and even among Christians of differing theological perspectives.  Paul puts it like this however: 

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Ephesians 4:29

What people need more than anything is Jesus but they can't see him if we know him aren't seeking to build them up, regardless of how they are acting or what they believe.

3. Honor others above ourselves 

When you consider what Americans think of as important, it’s a safe bet based on antidotal evidence alone that we think of ourselves above others, often including other Christians. It's something innate about the American way, which is foreign to many other cultures. Today, we have a prevailing lack of respect for others in our culture, be they of political, religious, ideological or some other difference. This respect deficit has now morphed into a sick “game” called “knockout,” where young people, showing no respect all all for humanity, assault innocent people as they pass-by, for no other reason then "sport." Americans needed a campaign like “I am second” to raise awareness to life’s proper priorities - God first, we’re second was the idea. But even that, as wonderful a campaign as it is, didn’t go far enough for as Paul put it simply: 

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” Romans 12:10 (emphasis mine)

Of course, we should want to love God better and should want to love others better. But in fact, we can’t love God without loving others (1 John 2:9, 4:20) and we can’t love others without humility, wholesome talk and honoring them. It's not sufficient to simply talk about these three things but we need to live them.

Sure, I could probably make a top 10 list for things we could do better in the New Year but I'd probably just end up with another resolution list I didn't follow. If we as Christ-follower, however, do these three things better in 2014, I believer we would do well and it would make a big difference in our nation, in our lives and the knowledge of God's glory in Christ. Therefore, I resolve to do better. 

That's my New Year's resolution. What's your?

Christmas and Phil – Thoughts on the Duck Flap

 

I have been thinking about the meaning of Christmas. I don’t think it is by chance that just this past week there was this “Duck flap” around comments made by Phil Robertson, the patriarch of the popular “Duck Dynasty.” Prior to this week I had only seen one episode of  this show but I watched a few this week just to get a feel for who these people are and why they are so widely popular.  I found them down to earth, humorous and faithful to what they believe - which I find refreshing.

Enough has been said about the GLAAD reaction to comments made by Phil, and the decision by A & E to place him on “indefinite hiatus.” Could Phil have said things differently? Of course, but it’s always easy to "armchair quarterback" after the fact. I may have responded to the question, “what is sin?” with something more theologically profound but then the GQ interviewer didn’t ask me or you. Phil is who he is and that’s fine. 

Instead, I want to say something about the reaction of some Christian leaders who decried the show of support by “Evangelicals” in response to this whole Phil affair. 

 

First, isn’t it amazing today that a response can go “viral” so quickly through Social Media. Welcome to the 21^st Century! As never before Christians can show a united and very vocal response to such miscarriages of justice as Phil was the target of. And, whether you think this is good or bad, it just is our reality today. What I find amusing though is that those who decried this collective response, using the available tech to sound off in support of Phil, used the same technology to express their objections to it.

Second, the collective “Evangelical” response to Phil has been labeled by some "decriers" as support of a cultural icon, instead of support for Jesus. This misses the point. Phil was the recipient of this show of support, as he was at the center of this particular controversy. The response wasn’t anti-someone, or pro-someone (I read comments from many who had little idea who Phil was) but rather for freedom of conscience to believe what one chooses without fear of punishment or reprisal. Decrying such freedom seems to sadly miss the point.   

Third, while there are many other issues that Christians should collectively respond to, declaring that those things are more important than this matter, is of course a matter of opinion and in fact may well be a “red herring.” The importance of other issues that require the churches attention doesn’t make this “Duck flap” any less important.  I believe God uses these events to get our collective attention, as he works out his will and purposes. Of course, it would be great to see many more Christians living for God’s mission in the world but it’s an and/both, not an either/or, moment. So let’s stop all the decrying when these kinds of things happen and instead look for ways to positively lead for God’s purpose in the moment. 

Finally, I had one friend say we aren't talking about Jesus in talking about and showing support for Phil, that the focus is on “freedom of speech” rather than Christ. This too misses the point. The “Evangelical” response is about the right to talk about our Christian beliefs in the public square, just as Phil did in answering the interviewer’s questions. When the Apostle Paul was persecuted for speaking truth, and jailed so as to attempt to silence him, the Lord appeared and said to him: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.” (Acts 18:9). The Phil backlash is a direct response to cultural forces that seek to silence Christians who uphold Biblical values. Therefore, it is really all about Jesus! 

The reality of our world is that many of our Christian brethren are severely persecuted for their faith and do not have the freedom to express their views, or to openly live their faith. That is tragic and we should not over-blow this “Duck flap”, raising it to the level of being persecuted. Freedom however is never free, it is costly, and when threatened on the basis of rightful religious expression, it warrants a good corporate response. Too many today, including many Christians, have bought our cultural lies that there should be no dissension from the prevailing cultural opinion. What Phil did was challenge this falsehood, and those who would control the conversation didn’t take kindly to it. That is indeed something to push-back against with truth. 

We do need to take care in how we respond to our culture and I think Rick Warren captures this best when he recently said: “Our culture has accepted two huge lies. The first is that if you disagree with someone’s lifestyle, you must fear or hate them. The second is that to love someone means you agree with everything they believe or do. Both are nonsense. You don’t have to compromise convictions to be compassionate.” Rather we are called to speak the truth in love. 

Not widely discussed in this “flap” is what else Phil did say in the GQ article: 

“You put in your article that the Robertson family really believes strongly that if the human race loved each other and they loved God, we would just be better off. We ought to just be repentant, turn to God, and let’s get on with it, and everything will turn around.” That is a profound level of compassion and truth, “Duck” style. 

So what does this all have to do with thinking about Christmas? I found it amazing that we were having this national conversation right before Christmas, and it will probably continue through the New Year, hopefully. God’s timing is always so perfect. Instead of just talking office parties, decorating, shopping and eating, with maybe an occasional mention of the “reason for the Season,” we are discussing serious cultural concerns in answer to the question that sparked this whole flap- “what is sin?” 

As part of the Christmas story, I am reminded that Joseph needed to wrestle with cultural concerns of his day as well. Matthew reports the account this way:

         "Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to 

          public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.”

“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:19-21)

I am thinking that perhaps Immanuel was trying to get our attention off of what Christmas has become, even for most Christians, with the over-commercialization and seasonal trappings, and on to more serious issues like why Jesus needed to come to “save his people from (our) sins.” Maybe Christmas needs to become less focused on celebration and more of a time of reflecting on the question “what is sin?” in our time and how we are doing, as a people, in answering, with God's Word as our standard. Then maybe more will “call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

And, I am reminded that God spoke through a donkey (Numbers 22:28), so why not a "Duck Commander" too?

May God be with you and yours this Christmas!

Rethinking Evangelism - Part XI - Demonstration is the Key

We have been reconsidering two main ideas meant to inform our rethinking of evangelism – what it means to be “born-again” and what it means to become a “true worshiper." We must be born again, enter a process of being brought over to the Jesus way of life. And, we are to become “true worshipers” to remain in Christ. In this post, we’ll see how when understood and lived out these two ideas lead us into the “eternal life” Jesus often spoke about.

Jesus tells us in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” Hearing the words of Jesus and believing the Father is what Jesus tells us will lead to "eternal life." As we saw however in John chapter 2, simply believing in Jesus is insufficient – we must do what he says for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). By the word “hear,” Jesus call us comprehend and activate our lives around his words - in other words we are to "obey" what he says. The word “believe” does not mean to simply accept as true but to commit and entrust ourselves to what Jesus tells us. Doing so leads to "eternal life" but what is "eternal life?" That is the question we'' rethink in this post, the answer to which we need to recalibrate our lives around as Christ followers.

Jesus also says in John 5:19-21, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.” Jesus lived his earthly life fully in accordance with what the Father’s has been doing, so what has the Father been doing? The Father has been working toward the reclamation, redemption and restoration of his creation since the Fall.

We are being “born-again” to comprehend and commit ourselves to what the Father is doing. That is how we attain to the “eternal life” Jesus spoke about, which as we saw in the last post can be defined as "participation in the restoration of all things when God redeems and re-creates the earth and all that is in it.”But how do we get there? Answering that question is beyond the scope of a single post but to start to explore an answer, consider what the Apostle Peter says:

 "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

In the last post we began to explore the idea of the "eternal now," to understand eternal as something more than just a future hope in heaven. In this passage, Peter instructs us on the pathway to the "entrance into the eternal kingdom." Peter informs us that our faith is an active agent to which we must add "virtue with knowledge" which leads us to a life of love, the very essence of eternal life, for God is love (1 John 4:8) 

Philosophers have written about the "eternal now" before but they seem to argue over the meaning of past, present and future, mostly as a cognitive exercise. We tend to think of the eternal, when we think about it at all, in relation to time - past with reference to what God has done in creation and future to what God will do when he establishes the "new heaven's and the new earth." Because of how we frame our understanding of eternal, what is too often neglected is the present - although Jesus tells us to live in it (Matthew 6:34).

We understand "eternal" as it relates to time because time is our common reference point, eternal then is translated as "everlasting." It is difficult to grasp a definition of "eternal" without relating it to the future when we sing lyrics such as "when we've been there 10 thousand years..." Our ideas of salvation, especially as they involve being "raptured" into heaven, shape our prevalent understanding that "eternal life" is our promised future lasting "forever," whatever forever really means. But the fact is there is no time in eternity, otherwise God could not be omnipresent or omniscient. Rather, eternal is a state of being that we can only begin to understand, but it starts right now. 

God created time for us. He created time so that we would invest it freely in experiencing him - his fullness, his pleasure, his purposes. Humankind wanted to be more than to be "like" God (Genesis 3:6), created in his image, we wanted to be our own god, deciding what we would worship - therein Jesus call to be "true Worshipers." Sin entered the world, and brokenness with it, giving us the need to look back to the past for forgiveness and to a hope of salvation in the future. That hope however has often become more about escapism because of how we have made our message about "everlasting life" or "everlasting punishment." 

But what if rethink "eternal" not as quantitative but rather qualitative? What if "eternal life" calls us to be "partakers of the divine nature?” What if God called us to his own "glory and excellence" for his purposes now, today? What Peter tells in the above quote is for today. What if it is for this reason we are "born again," to overcome our sinful nature,  and to become "true worshipers to experience God - in increasing qualitative measure?

Hear again what Peter says, "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall." This is not a call to look back at our past, or ahead to our future, but to live fully in the present - to confirm our "calling and election" today - right now. The practice of the qualities that Peter outlines, that Paul eludes to when he speaks of the "fruit" of the Spirit, are what determine our "eternal life," in a qualitative sense. Our future hope is that one day we might experience the fullness of life God has always intended. In Christ we take that journey to our best life now and an even better life in the "eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."

Jesus speaks of the qualitative nature of eternal life, that begins now for those in Christ, when he says: "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). This is a life in which the fullness of Jesus' grace is increasingly manifested: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us… full of grace and truth… And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for [upon] grace" (John 1:14, 16). It is not our doctrine about God that effects the quality of our eternal life but rather the abiding presence of Christ: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life" (John 5:39-40).  And, Jesus speaks of his desire for us to experience our present eternal life, when he promises, "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you." (John 15:7).

The "eternal now" is a life in which the Holy Spirit is being trusted to produce Christlike characteristics in an increasing manner. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). This is a life in which God, not us, is the source of sufficiency. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God" (2 Corinthians 3:5). This is the life we are to contend for - since in him, through him and for him we find the life we are called to. "Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:12).

  

Much more could be said about this but I'll close this post with this. Michael Stewart, founding director of the Verge Network,  suggests that, "we the church— the people of God, you and me— are being prodded to embrace a deeper sense of calling, to discover our identity as disciples, as followers of Jesus." I believe Michael is right and that it will require rethinking evangelism through recalibrating what it means to be "born again," accepting God's call to be true worshipers, and entering into the "eternal now" for living sent today.