Who Will I Obey? More Thoughts for Rethinking Your Immigration Position

There seems to be much confusion about the law, as it relates to the issues of immigration and the crisis at the border. The complexity of the issue certainly makes that understandable. However, we need to allow this crisis to provide the opportunity to inform and challenge our thinking and presuppositions. 

Yesterday, in response to my prior post, I received a text from a friend who asked, “…. if we as Christians provide assistance (to these children) are we aiding in breaking the law?” The position of my friend was that we are “commanded to obey the laws of authority - aka the U.S. Constitution.”

Where do we begin to rethink this question of who will I obey? Let me begin to unpack this with three simple points to consider: 

First, the U.S. Constitution does not in itself tell us what kind of immigration policy is right and just. What the Constitution, the 14 Amendment, does tells us is that anyone born here is a citizen (and those born to U.S. citizens have the same status regardless of where they are born.) The 14th Amendment was needed to address the citizenship rights of those brought here as slaves under prior "laws of authority." Think about that for a moment.  

Second, nowhere in scripture are we commanded to obey the “laws of authority,” as opposed to the laws of God. If that were true, the Church would have died in the 1^st Century. I'll get back to this point. 

Third, some confusion arises from a misapplication and misunderstanding of what Paul is saying in Romans 13:1-3. I have seen this passage appealed to a number of times in recent days. There Paul writes:

“Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”

Paul was writing to the Church of Rome – an “illegal” church! The Christian movement during the first three centuries from Christ was an illegal, thought to be subservice, movement in the Roman Empire. It was not until April 311, that Roman Emperor Galerius, who had previously been one of the leading figures in the persecution of Christians, issued an edict permitting the practice of the Christian religion under his rule.

Prior to that time Christians were prosecuted and persecuted for their faith, but the movement grew from a handful to over 25 million in the first centuries. For Paul to take all this time in his inspired letter to the Romans, of how to live the Christian life, and then conclude that it was unlawful to do so would be irrational.

In Romans 13:1, the word “subject” is the Greek word “hypotassō” which means to subordinate oneself. Paul’s advice is to subordinate ourselves to the governing authority, because they have been established by God. The opposite would be rebellion but is rebellion against the governing authority, in all cases, rebellion against God? 

Governments are established to maintain civil order and protection of the citizenry. That is the proper role of government. The rebellion of which Paul speaks is to disturb and disrupt civil order. Paul earlier, in Roman 12:18, instructs “if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Certainly, that is great advice, for it maintains a level of civility for human flourishing.

But is everything that a government does good and right before the Lord? Of course not. What do we do when government fails to protect civil rights? Do we simply subject ourselves to the “governing authorities”? The precedents we find in Church history and in Scripture tell us otherwise. 

Daniel had been ordered not to pray, by governing authority. He went directly against a king's decree because it was the right thing to do. He did so in a way that was publicly noticed, standing firm on his right of freedom of worship. If we take Romans 13 to mean that we are subject to every whim of government, every decree issued, all laws of the land passed, Daniel was obviously in grievous sin. 

In Daniel 6 verse 5 we read the legislative conspiracy to entrap Daniel: “We will never find any basis for charges against this man Daniel unless it has something to do with the law of his God.” That led to the unrighteous degree issued by King Darius, that anyone who prayed to any god or human being during a thirty day period, except to the King, would be thrown into the lions’ den (Daniel 6:7).

Daniel needed to decide whom he would obey. His response needs to inform us: “Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.” (Daniel 6:10). 

If we know the rest of the story, we know that God rescued Daniel from the lion’s den. Daniel’s experience also tells us that often there is a price to pay for doing the right thing, for obeying God, but if God is with us that too will be made clear. If God is for us, who can stand against us? 

Ray Stedman, speaking to the Romans 13 passage, writes: “Governments have authority over what we do with our property and how we behave with one another, but our Lord clearly indicates they have no right to touch what God has put his image on, which is the spirit of man.” The image of God in the individual takes precedence over the right of governments. Responding to and respecting the “imago Dei” is always the right thing to do.

We claim to be “One nation under God.” What should that mean for us as we respond to the needs of the foreigners and fatherless at our border? Do we allow our immigration laws, that gave us our broken immigration system, compounded by an Executive Order of the current President, to be the supreme authority or do we obey the Word of the Lord, which is meant to best serve the “spirit of man”?

Today, if we are to submit to all governing authority, do we not as Christians need to rethink our opposition to 'gay marriage' and abortion? The conclusion of being subject to all governing authorities would lead us to acquiesce to laws that damage and or destroy the image of God. I don’t think that is what Paul had in mind.

Why then do many want to uphold the U.S. Constitution as above the law of God, and his many decrees for the foreigner and fatherless? Because they are not citizens? Is that a valid reason? Not according to the precedents set in the Bible.  

What is our motive for appealing to our immigration laws as supreme, when migrant children are in harm’s way and being abused? 

We need to take those questions before the Lord, understand his Word, and know what to do about this crisis. We are not "aiding in breaking the law" especially since these children might be rightly considered refugees. These children also have at least temporary status here under the law for their protection.  But there is an even higher law we are subject to.

Paul goes on in Romans 13 verse 10 to tell us, “Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.” Do we really need to ask again, “who is my neighbor?” We need to take this opportunity to rethink our position on immigration as we follow Paul’s advice in Romans 12:1-3:

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” 

7 Reasons Glenn Beck is Right: A Brief Biblical Survey for Rethinking Your Immigration Position

Immigration is making the news again. The debate rages again. I blogged about this issue last year here. 

Of course, this issue has been in the news often over the last two decades but sadly not much progress has been made in improving our immigration system. Now this policy failure has become a crisis with tens of thousands of children flooding our southern border.

Yesterday, I was at a meeting with over 250 Evangelical leaders where the border crisis was discussed. It was reported these children are fleeing conditions that are deplorable in their home countries - extreme poverty compounded by oppression and the human tragedy made worse by drug wars and murderous gangs. Parents are having their children flee to the U.S. for a chance at a better life, often at great personal risk.

Compounding this issue is also a misconception about U.S. immigration policy being exploited by "coyotes" to traffic drugs. Central America remains among the world's most violent regions. The problem is real and needs our well thought out response. 

These children arriving here are literally corralled into inadequate facilities and treated like prisoners. They come with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Many arrive with diseases that are totally curable in the U.S. – head lice, scabies and the like. Some arrive with more serious but treatable health conditions. The border patrol is overwhelmed by the needs and unaccompanied children are off limits to NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) assistance, at least at present. It is a crisis like none the U.S. has faced before.

Regardless of how we might feel about this crisis politically, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins reminded us at the meeting yesterday that these are children, created in the image of God and precious in his sight. They are not “economic immigrants” but truly the “least of these” in our midst – 2000 are coming to Dallas, my home region. How we, the Church, respond will make a huge difference to these kids. Just as important, it will make a huge difference in our witness to a watching world. 

Will we see protests and picketing when these kids arrives in Dallas, as has happened elsewhere, or will we respond with the compassion of Christ and work together to make sure these kids have their needs met and know God loves them. At this meeting, I could not help but to think of the dual meaning of the Chinese word for crisis and opportunity.

I don't make it a practice to follow Glenn Beck but over at Revangelical there is a very thoughtful post about Beck’s recent response to the crisis. Brandan Robertson begins with this thought:

Last Wednesday (7/9) “….Glenn Beck, the uber-conservative, tea party-ish, Mormon political commentator and personality took to the airwaves to announce that he was going to be making a “potentially lethal” career move that would put his new television network and non-profit in jeopardy. But with tears in his eyes, he looked directly in to the camera and said, “I have never, ever taken a position that is more right than this.” Following the emotional build up, Beck announced that he would be loading up a tractor trailer with teddy bears, soccer balls, and hot food and driving it down to McAllen, Texas to encourage the nearly 3,000 undocumented immigrant children whose lives and well-being are trapped in the middle of the intense immigration debates in Washington. This action by Glenn flies directly in the face of all of the right-wing’s positions on immigration and border control. In essence, he’s aligning himself with the pro-immigration movement and against his own audience. That’s a pretty gutsy move.”

Gutsy? Perhaps for Glenn but as Brandan points out, Beck has plenty to fall back on if his audience flees over this issue. The responses I have read on blogs shows some movement in that direction. That’s truly sad. But perhaps the Lord is using this counter-Right-wing-cultural move by Beck to get the attention of those who profess his Name but don’t know to follow his Word, at least not on this issue.

Can we honestly think that God is at all concerned with our comforts and conveniences we too readily take for granted when tens of thousands of children are fleeing the poverty, preponderance of violence and prevailing evils of their homelands to come here at great risk? 

Regardless of the political decisions that led to this crisis, as Christ followers our call is to respond with Jesus’ love and compassion as he gives us opportunity. Yes, we need to do something to improve border security, that is obvious from the ability of children to cross, but we must not allow politics to be our response to the needs of these “foreigners,” who are very much the "fatherless" in their distress (James 1:27a). 

We need to understand what God would have us do. We need to consider, firstly, that we as people of the Word, are required to know it and live it as best we can.

Could it be that most Evangelicals do not really understand God’s concern with respect to the immigrant and orphan? The Bible does tie together these two groups, the foreigner and fatherless, eighteen times in the Old Testament. This crisis provides an opportunity to rethink our immigration position through a Biblical perspective. 

I don’t know that Glenn Beck was thinking about a Biblical response when he decided to send truckloads of soccer balls to the border. I am not saying that is the right response - helping can hurt. But we must consider the counsel of the Lord and allow the Word to enlighten our thinking.

Therefore, let's briefly explore 7 Biblical reasons that Glenn Beck is right, at least to respond compassionately, and perhaps sacrificially concerning his career, to this crisis:

What does the OT tell us?

1.  God desires to be worshiped by all foreigners. From the very start of the nation of Israel, God desires that all peoples have the same access to freely worship him. Immediately upon making their exit from Egypt, where the rights of the Hebrews to worship had been burdened and oppressed, God directs his people to provide the same level of access to worship to the foreigner they would enjoy in their new found liberty. In Exodus 12:49 we read:

“The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”

What law? The law the Lord was establishing in how to live as his people and worship him. God does not have a special plan for one people over another, as he is no respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). Our Lord desires that we all have the same freedom to worship and history demonstrates he is always moving people in that direction. 

At the meeting, it was mentioned that many of these children are asking for Bibles.

2. God’s fair treatment for foreigners. Upon exiting Egypt, the Israelites are instructed in a number of ways so as to demonstrate the fairness of God for all people. Only when all people can see the impartiality of God can the true knowledge of who he is be more widely known. Treating other peoples as the unwanted "other" impedes this witness and therefore God establishes rules of conduct early on for the Israelites. We read in Exodus 22:21:

“Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.”

Moses repeats this command in Deuteronomy 10:19 reminding the Israelites that they were to love those who are foreigners” for they themselves “were foreigners in Egypt.” I am often reminded of my own family’s immigration story, how they fled an encroaching German occupation prior to World War I.

These children at our border are fleeing drugs wars and murderous gangs.

3. God’s justice for the foreigner.  God had told the Israelites that they were no better than others and in fact had been foreigners themselves, so they were not to think of themselves as somehow exceptional. Doing so would certainly bring the judgment of God.  God desires equal justice for all. We read in Deuteronomy 27:19:

“Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.”

Later in his discourse, Moses warns the people of Israel that their failure to obey the Lord and respond to the foreigner with compassion will result in judgment. The result will be a reversal of the good futures the Lord would bless his people with for their obedience (Deuteronomy 28:43). The history of ancient Israel tells us of their disobedience and the resulting judgment, directly resulting, at least in part, from their mistreatment of the foreigner and fatherless (Ezekiel 22:7,29).

4. God protects the foreigner. The Psalmist speaks of the protection of the Lord for the weak, the helpless and hopeless. In Psalm 146:9:

“The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.”

It is primarily through God’s people that he accomplishes his plans and purposes (1 Corinthians 12:27), as well as provides his protection. From the time of the Exodus, the people of Israel were expected to provide protection of the foreigner (Exodus 23:9). They failed.

How should these first four points inform our response to this crisis? Yes, this is Old Testament stuff but consider: would God be righteous to judge the nation of Israel for their failure to respond with his heart of compassion to the foreigner and fatherless and allow this “Christian nation” to do likewise? Actually, we are called to a higher standard. 

[Note: In the OT, the word ‘foreigner’ is translated from the Hebrew word ‘ger’ which means stranger, not one of us, different ethnically and culturally.  A ‘ger’ was a newcomer lacking inherited rights.]

What about the NT? 

The OT sets the precedents. The NT sets the example we are to live by. Let’s look at just three passages in the New Testament to help inform our thinking. 

5. God requires we love the foreigner. We know that Jesus told us to love our neighbor as ourselves, although this too was an Old Testament command (Leviticus 19:18). However Jesus heightens this requirement to also loving our enemies (Matthew 5:43). This removes any exception to who we are to love.

Jesus also gave us a new command (John 13:34) that also heightened the requirement of love – requiring sacrificially giving to “one another.” His new command makes it an imperative to demonstrate our love for the foreigner and fatherless in tangible ways based on the blessings we have received. To whom much is given.... 

6. God requires we welcome the foreigner. All of the above points call us to welcome the stranger. I saw a Facebook post today that read, “We don't mistreat the legal foreigner.” Does that make it okay to mistreat the “illegal" foreigner? The lack of critical thinking expressed in such a post should make us cringe. 

Jesus gives us two options, regardless of how we might perceive our present laws - to welcome the “stranger” (Matthew 25:35) or not (Matthew 25:43 ). But he also gives us the results of our choice saying, “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” But wait, many will insist, "I said the sinners prayer and trusted in Jesus for my salvation." It will be dreadful to hear on that day, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” Hey folks, I'm just the humble messenger. 

The Bible lays out for us a very clear and direct response to the plight of the foreigner and fatherless. Many will argue, no doubt, “but what about our own problems here, what about the homeless of our inner cities, the children in need right here in my town?” No one is suggesting that we do not have systemic issues of our own. What we need to consider, each of us, is exactly what we are doing to meet those needs and what we, each of us, can do to minister in this present crisis. It’s not an either/or choice but an and/both.

Now let me conclude with the 7^th reason Glenn Beck is right in responding to this crisis: 

7. God moves the foreigner where he wants them. This border issue has broader implications concerning our understanding and acceptance of God’s sovereignty. God is not more concerned with our national border than he is in making himself – his mercy and justice - known to the foreigner and fatherless. In fact, history demonstrates that God moves people where he wants them to be for his purposes. The Apostle Paul understood this when on Mars Hill he says:

“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.” (Acts 17:26-27)

God sets the boundaries of nations for the purpose that none should perish apart from the knowledge of who he is for them, in his timing, according to his will.

That is not to argue for open borders. It is to say we need good policy and must think critically about the challenge before us. First, we need to meet the present crisis. Could the Lord be using this crisis to challenge our priorities and preconceived ideas about what we think is important, juxtaposed against what he desires to do to make himself known? 

Let us pray

I for one WILL allow that question to shape my thinking as well as my prayers. How about you? 

Brendan concludes his post suggesting we pray... 

"...that our leaders and that each of us individually would be willing to sacrifice all that we have to do what’s right, to work to establish the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. Because until we are willing to do that, transformation will never come to our communities, our culture, or our world. God is calling us to follow in Jesus’ example. It’s a way of pain, suffering, and marginalization. But it’s also a way of abundant life and extravagant beauty." 

America has done some wonderful and compassionate thing in our history. Let us pray our response to this border crisis is one of them. 

* This amount is calculated by dividing the $3.7 billion  request of the President on 7/13 to address the costs of this crisis by 100 million Evangelical adults = $37.00/12 months  =  $3.08 a month or about the price of a "Tall" Latte. 

GIGO - What are we Producing?

You have probably heard of the principle GIGO - Garbage In - Garbage Out.

GIGO is used in the field of computer science or information and communications technology. GIGO refers to the fact that computers, since they operate by logical processes, will unquestioningly process unintended, even nonsensical, input data ("garbage in") and produce undesired, often nonsensical, output ("garbage out").

Basically, what we put into a process is what we get out of that process. 

There is another term used today - Garbage in, gospel out - as a more recent expansion of the acronym.What this GIGO definition is saying is that since the data goes through a computer, people tend to believe the data.

Because the data is taken at face value, actually digging into that output is out of the question, even if one has good cause to be suspicious. The "garbage out" becomes "gospel truth" and becomes widely and wrongly believed to be the right result, even though the product is false. One prime example today would be the data about Anthropogenic Global Warming.

GIGO is also commonly used to describe failures in human decision-making due to faulty, incomplete, or imprecise data.

GIGO requires we have a willingness to rethink what we are producing, to think about results we are getting. Unless we have such willingness to change input we will keep getting a less than desirable output. The question we want to ask is this: is what we're producing acceptable, reasonable, and up to the manufactures standard for the desired outcome?

Take for example the process of discipleship. Is what we are producing, in the Church today, up to the desired outcome standards set by the manufacturer, our Creator? Or, have we produced a result, that is less than gospel truth, even though it's thought to be, because we haven't put the right input into the process? According to the principle of GIGO, we get out what we put in.

That famous passage of Scripture called the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), has long been thought of as the call to "Missions." Most Christians know Jesus says, "Go" but only a few, very few actually, do so, entering the "Mission Field."

Jason Mandryk, editor of Operation World, informs our thinking that only 1 in 100 Christians have any meaningful involvement in the Great Commission. Is this the outcome we should accept as reasonable?

Based on the principle of GIGO we have produced what would be expected based on the input that the Great Commission is a call to missions for the few. It's not.

In fact, the Great Commission is not a call to missions (the whole Bible is actually a call to the mission of God) as much as it is a call to reproducing disciple-making. The imperative in Matthew 28:19 is not on the "go," which can be better translated as "as you continue on your way" or "as you continue to live your life." The imperative is on the "make disciples."

If what we are producing by our understanding of the Great Commission is not disciples, who make disciples, who continue the process (2 Timothy 2:2), we are producing less than what the process was designed for.

We need to rethink, retool and recalibrate our input so we get the desired output - disciples who live to make disciples and repeat the process.

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus speaks to this GIGO principle this way: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." How does salt lose its saltiness?

Chemically, salt is a very stable substance. It can remain so for many years unless it is acted upon by some other agent or process. One of the ways salt loses its saltiness is when it gets diluted. Is our input diluting expected saltiness and therefore yielding a less than desirable output?

Did Jesus really intend that only 1 out of 100 of those who said they were following him to have any meaningful involvement in the Great Commission? Of course not. Then why do we see those the results? GIGO is a universal truth.

The Message renders Matthew 5:13 like this:

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

If we are not being "salty" bringing out the "God-flavors of this earth," producing and reproducing disciples of who follow Jesus, we have lost our usefulness.

The problem that Jesus was addressing was that the religious process in place at the time was feeding a GIGO output of less that desirable results. Jesus came to bring new programming, to recalibrate the input to produce the desired output - Kingdom citizens who make disciples for the glory of God among "all nations." He in fact gave us everything we needed to do so, including the process to follow (see blog post: Rethinking Discipleship: 12 Disciple-Making Essentials from Luke 10)

Two thousands years later, it doesn't look like the desired output is up to our CEO's (Chief Eternal Officers) excellence standards (Matthew 5:48). When 99% of the resulting output is not performing up to design specifications and missional capacity, the problem is not with the output - it's with the input or the application thereof.

What we put into a process is what we get out of that process.

It's time to retool so we can get the job done properly and finish the assignment Jesus gave us to do. That begins by understanding better the process Jesus set up. We need to reclaim that process more widely, especially in the West, and where the system has gone off track.

Let's change GIGO to Gospel In - Gospel Out for the glory of God among "all nations,"

Coming Summer 2014!

God I.N.C. - Finding Your Place in the Family Business

Overcoming the Sin of Fear - Part I

Extremism is based in fear. Whether it be religious or political. Fear of loss of identity. Fear of loss of control. Fear of the future. Fear is a liar. 

Today, political ideology, Left and Right, is fear based on the premise that if we lose our identity or control, the future will not turn out the way we hope. Such as it is, it is a fear response.

But what hope are we holding on to? Who are we trusting for the future?

Fear starts all wars and is the cause of all human suffering. Fear is irrational, as is extremism, as is most ideology today. Fear makes decisions based on emotion instead of reasoned and rational thought. Fear causes us to react negatively to the little that we see and know.

What is fear?

False - untruth, lies, and distortions of fact

Expectations - what we believe will happen

Appearing - what we think we see and know

Real - actually existing

Humankind has been trapped by fear since the beginning.

In the very first recorded conversation between God and Adam, we see fear. Adam says, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” (Genesis 3:10). Adam had believed a lie, his understanding was very limited, he was responding to what he saw - his nakedness - so he reacted irrationally - hiding himself.

What if Adam had said, "I know I messed up, please forgive me?" But Adam's fear of God drove him from the Garden, from intimate relationship with his Creator. Adam's fear kept him from trusting in the goodness of God, the forgiveness of God, the grace of God and the sovereignty of God.

Fear is a snare that traps us from experiencing God's best - true freedom.

But we are not to be trapped by fear. Rather we are to be compelled by love. "There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

God's commands are designed to overcome fear so that we can live in the light of his truth and love freely. In Christ, we are being made perfect in love. Anything other than a response of love is falling short of God's glorious standard. FEAR is sin, since we are to have the mind of Christ, who is without fear.

As we approach the day, we must embrace the fact that "God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7).

What might we accomplish in his power, by his love, following Christ's example - today? We have the freedom in Christ to find out.

Rethinking “Things”: Dismantling our Compartments

How we think about things makes all the difference in the world.

Paul thought so when he wrote:

"Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:1-4)

Because of our many “things,” we tend to compartmentalize our lives to cope. We have our family “things,” our business “things,” our job “things,” our school “things,” our sports “things,” our social “thing.” and our secret "things." We also have our religious “things,” including our “Christian” things. While there is some interaction between these things, typically one of these things will receive most of our attention. What we focus on says a lot about what we value.

Churches too have compartmentalized "things." We have our children's department, our adult department, our worship department, as well as our missions department, and perhaps a myriad of other departments into which we try to arrange and manage ministry. This leaves us with divisions in a body that is supposed to be one.

What compartmentalization does is systematize our lives, and our churches, allowing us to neatly order our lives, at least make that attempt, in such a way that we think we can better handle all the things” of our busy lives, or so we think.

You may be a fan of compartmentalization but the thing is that compartmentalization is not Biblical. It’s rather Greek actually. Ancient Greek philosophers spoke of compartmentalizing life into five realities: physical, mental, social, financial, and spiritual.  It's not Biblical because it's not Hebraic and the Bible must be read through a Hebrew worldview, or we lose sight of the “things” Paul is telling us here.

The idea of compartmentalization, while it may comfort us or trick us into thinking we have "things" under control, is antithetical to a Biblical worldview. While we may relentlessly attempt to organize everything into manageable intellectual blocks and structures we too often live lives of stress and anxiety, judgment and criticism, wondering why we lack peace.

The compartmentalized life is opposed to the very nature of how God has wired us to live, who we are in Christ, and how we can obtain peace, the shalom, of Christ we know is so missing from our lives and culture.

Paul tells us to set our hearts on "things above," not as an escape from this world but rather as a reality where Christ is ever present. But what has your hearts affections - earthly things or "things above?" When we compartmentalize our lives, the affections of our heart is divided, so we're without peace, the peace that Jesus promised he left for us (John 20:21).

Paul in addressing the Colossians, in the passage above, gives us three mission critical ways toward eliminating this compartmentalized thinking, toward achieving the shalom life, a peace that surpasses understanding, that is meant to be ours in Christ. 

1. Our mind is to be fixed on Jesus. Paul says, "Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things." This does not mean we're to develop systematized theologies and complex doctrines of heaven, who’s in and who’s out, or about how to get there. Rather simply our minds are to be renewed by the reality of the very present God. The "things above" should inform us that there is a better way to live today, a higher reality - a Kingdom life - not simply find some solace in getting to heaven one day. The question, we need to repeatedly ask ourselves, is what direction am I thinking my life toward this very moment? (Romans 12:1-3, 2 Corinthians 13:5)

2. Our life is to be concealed by Jesus. Paul says, "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." We do not create a new religious compartment when we come to faith, adding Jesus as just another thing to our other "things." That is in fact polytheism. Rather we have a brand new life in Christ. The old has gone and the new has come. The continuous question we must ask is who do others see more of in me? (2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:24)

3. Our reality is to be found only in Jesus. Paul says, "When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." Christ is our life right now, right here and always, if we are in Christ. The word ‘life’ here is the Greek "zoe" which means the absolute fullness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God. This is to be our present reality. The very idea that Christ is our life should eliminate the compartmentalization that causes us to worry about tomorrow and lack the peace he promises.  The question we must ask is who's life am I now living? (Galatian 2:20, Galatians 5:24)

 In our culture, we have compartmentalized everything, including Christianity. But Jesus is not just an idea we add to our lives, but the "all" of everything who defines who we are and how we are to live - in Christ. The Gospel is that this life is now available for all, by faith. We are to repent from our own “things.” We are to put on Christ, as our “all.” This speaks to a Biblical worldview where everything in our lives is conformed or being conformed to Christ – his life, his mission, his purpose, and his peace – for “Christ is all, and is in all.” (Colossians 3:11)

Paul goes on say, "Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature..." (Col 3:5). That includes the compartmentalization of our lives. In so doing we can, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts." (Col 3:15).

Do we ever get this perfect? Well Jesus did say, "be perfect even as your heavenly father is perfect" (Matthew 5:48)), right? Does he ask us to do anything impossible – for him? Such is to be our pursuit for  Living Sent Today. 

Rethinking Discipleship: You’re Simply Qualified!

What qualifies a person to make disciples? 

 

Depending on who you ask, you’re sure to get different answers. I tell my Perspective students all the time that only two things qualify us to “make disciples” – obedience and the Holy Spirit. That's my answer and I'm sticking to it.

If, plausibly, that is all that qualifies a person to make disciples, why don’t we see more Christians making disciples? 

If it was that simple, you would think that many more us who call ourselves Christ followers would be following Jesus instruction to “make disciples,” right? That is after all what Jesus did do and instructed us to do. But only 1 in 100 Christians have any meaningful role in disciple-making (see Jason Mandryk - The State of the Gospel)

If we just doubled the number of disciples being made each year, we would quickly see the world transformed, the Great Commission completed and the “end” come (Matthew 24:14), just like he wanted – simple. 

The good news is that it is really is that simple. 

It was that simple for the woman at the well. Many Samaritans came to faith due to the simple testimony of a scorned woman who had an encounter with Jesus. Many more came to faith after meeting Jesus (John 4:39-41). 

It was that simple for the demoniac who had a transformational encounter with Jesus. After meeting Jesus, he simply went and told others about whom he had met and “all the people were amazed.” (Mark 5:20). While we don’t know how many came to faith, we do know this newly transformed man was widely admired (the Greek sense of the word amazed). 

It wasn’t who these people were that made the difference, which made them qualified. It was who Jesus is that makes all the difference in the world! 

Allow me to suggest some reasons why many Christians are not making disciples today. It’s really not very complicated. 

First, many Christians have not had a power encounter with the Living Lord, like the above two accounts. That’s not their fault. Millions are born into a “Christian” home and enculturated into a Christian faith, taught to follow a Christian ethic and perform Christian duties – daily Bible reading, a quiet time with the Lord, go to church on Sunday, pray and live a godly life. There is certainly nothing wrong with any of those things, in and of themselves - unless we're content with that.

Second, the ecclesiological model of the last 150 years short-circuited missional potential. Why do only 1 out of 100 Christians have meaningful role in making disciples? Could it be that the top down approach toward discipleship, the distinction between clergy and laity, the professionalization of the Gospel, placed limits, whether real or perceived, on what it meant to be a disciple and make disciples? The expectation for going and sharing became “bring a friend to church.” If and when that instruction was followed, the non-reproducing pattern would simply repeat itself. 

Third, systematic theology largely replaced a compelling love (2 Corinthians 5:14) and passion for Jesus. This effected how evangelism was done. Evangelism,which should be considered the first step in discipleship, became a 13 week study program, replete with illustrations and memorized scriptures, taking an “unsaved” person from a question to a rational decision. Evangelism became other than simply focused on who Jesus is always and what he has done eternally and became a road to lead people to a guilt decision, which later became ineffective as the American culture changed from Christian to post-Christian. 

Evangelism, while it was believed necessary became little practiced, in our culture of 'tolerance' and enlightenment. Many felt inadequate in their apologetic, so they remained silent. In his article entitled, Bad Reasons Not to Evangelize, Stephen Matteson points out that “Since spirituality is often considered private and personal, such discussions are avoided at all costs—especially with those who don’t share our beliefs and worldviews.” Many chose to listen to the culture rather than obey Jesus.

Then, it became more about service projects, with the unspoken idea that people will ask us why we are doing the things we are doing, which too often turned out to be short-sighted and not very helpful. This is not to devalue the important work of community development, there is much great work going on. But over this was laid the idea that we needed to earn the right to share a 'Gospel' message, which was then seldom done, instead of simply sharing Jesus naturally.

Somehow, over the past half century, discipleship then became an inwardly focused self-improvement program, for the best life now, instead of a joy-filled reality of living for a Person who defines everything and compels us to share his life with others. Is it any wonder than that so few, who said they were following Jesus, actually understood what it meant to “make disciples” – and even fewer actually obeyed? 

Matteson further suggests that, “In a society that revolves around logic, science and concrete data, and within a world that values wealth, power and fame, it’s often absurd to promote such a contradictory faith—it doesn’t make sense!” But that is the beauty and transforming power of simplicity – his ways are not our ways! 

Jesus’ final instruction was simple – “Listen guys, it’s really all dependent on me, so here is what I want you to do. As you continue to live your life tell others who I am, what I did for you, and teach them to do what I instructed you to do. And, not to worry, I got you covered and will take care of the rest, Okay? (Matthew 28:18-20 paraphrase mine). 

Jesus didn’t make his requirements complicated because he knew he was dealing with simple people – a scorned woman at a well, a very troubled soul, some fisherman, a tax collector and other “sinners.” 

What qualified any of these people to do what they did – lead a village to the Lord, go and share the Good News in 10 cities, become the leader of the first church of Jerusalem (Peter), write an account of all that Jesus started to do (Matthew)? One thing, one living person, the only one who can be trusted to get it right – Jesus! 

What qualifies anyone to make disciples today? Again, two things only: obedience to Jesus and the Spirit of Jesus. Jesus taught that making disciples was about simple everyday life, empowered by him! 

What is fascinating and hopeful today, is that Jesus seems to be returning his Church back to this simple model of simply following him. He did say that he was going to build his Church and nothing could stand in its way. He may be simply simplifying things to remove the many spots and blemishes from his “Bride” (Ephesians 5:27).  

We have the instruction manual, the Word of God, to follow and that it is all many need around the world to make disciples. That’s not to say we need to look to the Bible for a complex theology, created by 16th Century men, to guide us. We have the simple parables and stories Jesus taught his disciples. We need to understand the letters Paul wrote not as doctrinal constructs but as from a missionary who was simply pointing people to Jesus. 

What many have already discovered is that by keeping it simple movements to Jesus grow quickly. Because the barriers to making disciples have been removed, organic movements just like what Jesus started are taking shape in many places, just like he promised (Acts 1:8). 

David Garrison, who has mapped many Christward movements in the Muslim world, said in a recent interview that his “sincere desire is that the body of Christ in the West would learn from the body of Christ in other parts of the world that has been effective.” Movements are growing because they are simply following Jesus. 

If you are not familiar with these movements, read Movements that Change the World by Steve Addison and visit T4TOnline.com. 

It’s that simple! We are qualified to make disciples by our obedience and the Holy Spirit. It’s simply what living sent today is all about!

Why all the Fuss??? Heaven is For Real!!!

For heaven's sake, what do you know about heaven?

Well, the only thing I really know about heaven is that heaven is the abode of God and one day I want to get there. Sometimes, I think sooner rather than later.

Some are claiming to have had near death experiences where they have seen heaven.  Some of these accounts are making news today. Books are selling and movies are being made. Are these visions true?

There are a few ways to handle that question. One way would be to simply ignore these episodes as irrelevant. Humanists might do so.

Here another way, "Heaven Is For Real - David Platt - Secret Church" - a speech by David Platt at a recent conference called "Secret Church." I find the idea of "Secret Church" more disturbing than the idea that some are having visions that are being talked about at a "Secret Church" conference. There is nothing secret or to be secret about the Church (In our American context. That is not to discount the necessity of the "underground" church in some parts of the world)!

But perhaps asking if these visions of heaven are true really is not the right question. Perhaps the better question is what can we learn from these experiences and our response to them? 

As much as I appreciate the ministry of David Platt, I think he is missing the point and the opportunity here in his recent talk (see Youtube link above). The experience of a little boy named Colton is personal - for Colton. I don't think it is necessary to make truth claims about personal experiences. Personal experiences are not testable or proveable but rather subjective and, well, personal.

These visions of heaven seem very real to those who have had them. I am not saying they are accurate portrayals of heaven. But rather that they seem very real in the moment to those who report them. I find it somewhat audacious to declare they cannot be true and then try to argue from Scripture like John MacArthur did recently.

MacArhtur, also known for his cessationist views, in an upcoming book dealing with this subject of visions of heaven, says:

We know this with absolute certainty, because Scripture definitively says that people do not go to heaven and come back: "Who has ascended to heaven and come down?" (Proverbs 30:4). Answer: "No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man" (John 3:13, emphasis added). All the accounts of heaven in Scripture are visions, not journeys taken by dead people. And even visions of heaven are very, very rare in Scripture. You can count them all on one hand.

I have two problems with this line of reasoning. First, the first sentence in the quote is a red herring. The Colton ("Heaven is For Real") experience is not an in body experience, as we know that little Colton never left the planet to go to heaven and return, physically. Neither have any of the others who have reported their visions. Second, why is it necessary to discount the Scriptural evidence of visions of heaven we do have to make an argument against visions of heaven?

What can we understand about this place called heaven from the Scripture evidence that we do have?

Four authors in the Bible were blessed with visions of heaven and wrote about what they saw: the prophets Isaiah (Chapter 6) and Ezekiel (Chapter 1) gave us some amazing detail, along with the apostles John (Revelation 4). The apostle Paul also had a vision of heaven that he describes as indescribable and says, "I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord" (2 Corinthians 12:1-7). Two others, Micaiah and Stephen, got glimpses of heaven, but what they saw is only mentioned, not described (2 Chronicles 18:18; Acts 7:55). 

That makes six accounts, but I only have five fingers on one hand. Hopefully you do as well.  That's fairly weighty evidence if we believe that these authors are inspired and making truth claims.

Isn't it short-sighted to discount these Biblical witnesses because we doubt the accounts of a young boy? To MacArthur's first point above, Paul says he does not know whether his experience was in the body or in the spirit - but only God knows (1 Corinthian 12:3). That's how it should be.

Jesus also gives us an other-worldly view in the story of the the Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). Obviously, it was important to our Lord for him to tell us at least something about how heaven is for real. We may accept by faith that heaven is our final destination but as we see pictured in the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus not everyone enters heaven. And, that should always be the point!

We can take at face value that those who report these visions of heavens are expressing a subjective personal experience. We can also accept that because it is a personal experience it may not be an accurate account of what heaven is like. Is the Holy Spirit "kind of blue?" To one little boy that is how it seemed.

What all these books sales should tell us is that there is spiritual hunger in the land. That people are looking for hope - even most Christians.

What we should be talking about with respect to these various visions by those who have had a near death experience, which science cannot explain, is the reality of heaven and the only way to get there (John 14:6). Visions should point us to the God who is there and to the only way to heaven. What we should be talking about is Jesus! 

Randy Alcorn, author of "Heaven," expresses it well in his review of the movie, "Heaven is For Real" when he writes:

"My prayer is that God will use the interest around the movie to open doors for believers to be bold in sharing what Scripture has to say about Heaven and the need for everyone to place their faith in Jesus Christ."

When we focus on attacking the veracity of personal experiences, however, we can miss the opportunity those accounts present to share the Gospel. Could God be using these accounts to get our attention today? Let us pray it is so. God uses that which he wills to accomplish that which he purposes, for heaven's sake!