Oregon Shooting, Miss Clara and Prayer

Another horrific mass murder, this time on the campus of a small community college in Oregon, leaves us with the same political debate that other recent and similar incidents have. Arguments will be made for more gun control on the one side and tight controls on guns will be argued against on the other. The arguments will go on, the politician may bring some change to laws, but the underlying reason and response to such tragedy will go largely undiscussed and unaddressed. My heart goes out the families of the victims.

I don’t want to enter into the gun control debate. I see problems with the arguments on both sides. It seems to be a divide that cannot be crossed in a rational and reasonable way. But such madness, as leads to these debates, has no political solution as such evil cannot be addressed through policy change. 

Rather, I want to think about our response to such tragedy, in a still largely Christian nation. We have some information about how the victims responded to the threats posed to their lives. We do know that they were made to confess whether or not they were Christians. Those who said yes, were shot in the head. Those who said they weren’t were shot in the leg.The facts are still unfolding.

The possibility is more real today that some deranged individual with evil intent will walk into a public place and open fire. Friday night my wife and I went to the movies and standing outside were two armed police officers. That was not a scene we would have taken much notice of ten years ago in my hometown of McKinney. Times have changed and are changing quickly.

We must be prepared but how?

We went to see the latest Kendrick brother’s movie “War Room.” If you have not seen this outstanding and very well acted movie you really need to. It is that important. 

There is a scene in which Miss Clara, the protagonist of the movie who is a elderly prayer warrior, and Elizabeth, a young wife and mom struggling with her marriage and the Lord, are walking in a public parking garage. They are accosted by a knife wielding man and ordered to turn over their money. Elizabeth responds with fear and willingness to comply with the thief. Miss Clara stands firm and rebukes the thief in “Jesus’ name.” The thief flees. 

What is the different between Miss Clara and Elizabeth?

Elizabeth and her husband Tony are Christians. They are pursuing the American Dream. They are portrayed as occasional church-attenders. They pray and give thanks before their meals. They do have serious marital issues and Tony is caught in an unethical business dealing as well as thinking about adultery.  Unfortunately, they are all too representative of the cultural Christianity that permeates much of American life. 

Miss Clara, on the other head, is a senior saint and widow who has discovered the power of the “War Room.” She understands deeply the power of prayer to overcome the flesh, the world and the evil one. Miss Clara understands the enemy is not the other person, not even the knife-wielding thief, but a real thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). She is confident that through intercessory prayer Elizabeth can regain peace in her life, as well as her marriage. The power of her prayer life allows her to stand boldly before her would be assailant. She is prayed up! 

A pastor friend of mine recently asked on Facebook, “The gunman in Oregon told all Christians to stand and then he shot them. Would you have stood?” How would you answer that question? 

Many of the responders offered a bold “yes” which is certainly good, if also subject to some self-examination. Without being in such a life threatening situation we can only hope how we might respond, especially if we’re not prepared or trained. It’s easy to be bold on Facebook but Facebook is not the real world. My response: “I would depend on the Holy Spirit, prayerfully.” At least, I hope I would. 

In Nehemiah chapter 2, we find a different real world encounter. Nehemiah, the king’s cupbearer, went before Artaxerxes to ask to be sent back to Jerusalem to begin a rebuilding project. We read: 

“In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, so the king asked me, ‘Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.’”

“I was very much afraid, but I said to the king, ‘May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?’”

“The king said to me, ‘What is it you want?’”

“Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.’” (Nehemiah 2:1-5, emphasis mine). 

A servant was not permitted to be sad in the presence of the king. It was no a small matter, as it could cost his life. Nehemiah’s faith was strong even if his countenance wasn’t but he was still afraid. When confronted by the king as to the nature of his request, Nehemiah first prayed (Nehemiah 2:4). Right there, before the king, Nehemiah prayed. But this wasn’t the first time Nehemiah had prayed. According to the first chapter of this account, Nehemiah had prayed for days (v 1:4). Nehemiah was prayed up! 

What does this have to do with the Oregon shooting and the answer to the question of how would you respond in the face of such a life-threatening encounter? 

The story of “War Room” and of Nehemiah inform us well of an important reality, especially in a culture where we turn first to our own strengths and abilities. Regardless of how we might profess our boldness, if we don’t know the power of a prayed up life, if we are not walking in the Spirit daily, and trusting his presence in our lives, we just may fail the test if that moment comes. 

The contrast between Miss Clara and Elizabeth is an important one today when we in the Church of America take intercessory prayer for granted and it is seldom practiced. Now more than ever we must stand boldly, in the full armor of God, and as Paul instructs: 

“pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.” (Ephesians 6:18). 

Thankfully, we also have the promise that our response doesn't depend on us when we depend on him (Matthew 10:19-20). 

Prayer for assurance: 

Lord, I do not want to fail you if that moment was to come but while I know that my spirit is willing the flesh is weak. Meet me in the “War Room” where I desire to find and trust in you alone. Fill me each day with your power and presence so that I might stand boldly in Christ. Amen.

The Urgent Need for Trained Pastors and the Great Commission

Is there a de-emphasis of the biblical role of pastor in some mission thinking today, even as church planting movements quickly add new churches and expand the need for pastors?

In an age of Church Planting Movements, has the emphasis been on number of churches at the expensive of the health of those churches?  

The Western importance placed on theologically trained pastors with seminary education may even perpetuate the de-emphasis of the key pastor-teacher role, in some missional thinking. This may be due to the emphasis that such training places on academics rather than reproducible disciple-making, the most recent buzz phrase of modern CPM thinking. 

A 2000 Mission Frontiers article entitled “Nine Obstacles to CPMs” makes the following point: 

“Whenever well-intentioned missionaries, churches or denominational leaders impose requirements for church leaders that exceed those stipulated by the New Testament, a Church Planting Movement is impeded.

New Testament models are found in Christ's selection of the twelve disciples (Matt. 4:18-22) and Paul's criteria for bishops and deacons (1 Timothy 3). It is striking that moral character and willingness to follow Christ are given much greater weight than theological training or academic degrees.” (source: http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/nine-obstacles-to-cpms) 

But is such a re-emphasis a legitimate concern? Do academics exceed the New Testament standard?

While “moral character and willingness to follow Christ” are primay qualities for all church leaders, education and theological training has been a defining standard for Christianity since God used a theologically trained man with the highest academic letters to write much of the New Testament.  The Apostle Paul certainly went beyond his academics into practical expressions of effective ministry expansion (2 Timothy 2:2), while developing a profound Christology even his colleague Peter thought confusing (2 Peter 3:16). 

The emphasis on theological thought is seen from the beginning of the Church as the Jerusalem Council wrestled with new faith issues (Acts 15). Three centuries later, theologians came together to give us creedal expressions for the faith in the first Council of Nicaea (325AD). 

The point is that de-emphasizing the necessity for sound Biblical and Theological training is in itself unbiblical (1 Timothy 4:8-11) and can only lead to churches that suffer from error or worse heresy. As an example, a pastor in Africa taught his people that to see Jesus they needed to climb a tree, because that is what Zacchaeus did. But any emphasizing of the need for “academic degrees,” as a requirement of pastors, is also unrealistic – socially, economically, and in some cases culturally where any formal learning is unavailable or oral learning is predominant. As in any eco-system, there is a delicate balance to be maintained and valued. 

We must recapture a missions emphasis on well-trained pastors who are able to think, live, preach and lead biblically, especially if our aim is to “finish the task” and complete the Great Commission. 

Theodore Munger made this point over one hundred years ago when he said, "The weak spot in missions today…is not in the field…nor in the administration of the Board, nor in the pews, but it is in the pulpit." Munger was of course writing from a “West to the Rest” mindset and referring to Western pastors. Today, could Munger’s thought not equally apply to the vast number of untrained pastors globally who lack biblical preparation and therefore cannot adequately equip their people for the task of world evangelization? 

When only five out of one-hundred pastors are trained for pastoral ministry, the mission of God is slowed and church health suffers, thereby impeding sustainable church growth. But what if the pastors were better trained to live out their vital Ephesians 4:11 role? How would that affect what we see in terms of Ephesians 4:12 expressions? 

"So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up"  Ephesians 4:11-12

With the urgent emphasis on local pastors that Munger was calling for over one-hundred years ago, how might this serve the Great Commission today? From a mission strategy perspective, local pastors are on-site, longer term, less expensive and more relevant to their context than a “foreign missionary” can hope to be. That being true, would it then not be most strategic to consider how we might better train pastors globally, especially given the prevailing lack of training worldwide? 

According to a Gordon Conwell mid-2015 study*, there is a structural imbalance of congregations (4.3 million) to ordained clergy and pastors (1.4 million). This does not include the many bi-vocational and un-ordained pastors. How then can churches flourish, experience both growth and health if many churches are without a pastor, and only a small percentage of pastors are trained to lead their congregations effectively? 

The urgent need today, and perhaps one of the most important missions strategy for the 21^st Century, is for more trained pastors. Who better to mobilize the workers and pray-ers for the coming harvest? Who better to prepare and send workers to a nearby “unreached” regions? Who else is charged with the spiritual shepherding of the people of God? If as Theodore Munger told us the weak spot is still in the “pulpit,” now due to lack of training, then how might we collaboratively affect change for God’s global mission and the cause of Christ worldwide? 

Answering those questions is why we are calling pastoral trainers to Bangkok, Thailand in June 2016, for the Global Proclamation Congress for Pastoral Trainers. The GProCongress is being developed to connect, unite and strengthen trainers of pastors together to improve and deliver more pastoral training to where the church is growing.  

If you train pastors (or aspire to traint them), or are a missions strategist, educational theorist, or resource provider for pastoral training, learn more about GProCongress at www.GProCongress.org. 

As Congress General Convener, Dr. Ramesh Richard, says with respect to the purpose of this historic gathering, “The Congress is not about pastoral training for the sake of pastoral training but pastoral training for the sake of the Great Commission.” 

* Source: http://www.gordonconwell.edu/resources/documents/1IBMR2015.pdf

Brian Considine serves as the mobilization director for the GProCongress. Write him at Brian@rreach.org.

Same-Sex vs the Bible - Part II - What Would Jesus do About the Cake?

(Read the first post in this series here.)
 

A gay couple walks into a local bakery and wants to buy a cake for their upcoming nuptials. You are the owner and a Christian. What would you do?

This scene has played out across the U.S. at least a few times over recent years, as a reality in our 21st Century post-marriage culture.

That I know of, these few incidents involved Christian business-owners who objected, for reasons of moral conscience, to doing business with the couple. At least one at a heavy price to their business. 

In a free nation, no one should be compelled against their will to provide services to others, especially by the government. "Free enterprise" should include the freedom to choose with whom we do business. It should not cost an owner their livelihood to decline business they have a religious objection to. It may tag them a racist or bigot to do so but that is their right too. Hopefully, very few business-owners fit those categories and shame on those who do. 

The above is just my opinion, not any legal advice, so if you are in business you should check the State laws in which you operate. Many have anti-discrimination laws now and as Christians we’re required to follow the law of the land (Romans 13:1), right?

And, things are changing rapidly as the U.S. Supreme Court renders what looks to be an historic decision on same-sex marriage this month. How do we live in response to this decision and the cultural changes shaping our nation? In this post, let's talk about the cake, in the next we'll talk about the marriage itself.

For Living Sent Today this is not a matter of sexual-orientation, SCOTUS decision or business practice. Rather, is it a matter of Christ-like witness that is of first importance, especially for any business representing itself as a “Christian business.”

It's really as simple as this, if you are a Christian business-owner, God has placed you there to be a witness first. By refusing to bake the cake, Christian business-owners place their own moral convictions above their first call to be a good witness. Biblically, it matters little what our personal convictions might tell us^__ Jonah found that out the hard way. What matters is what we place as our first priority when we represent ourselves as Christ followers, so I am asking, "What would Jesus do about the cake?"

REASONS JESUS WOULD BAKE THE CAKE

 Recently, I posted the following on Facebook…

Note: Andy is Andy Stanley.

How could I make such a statement as, " Jesus would bake the cake as an unselfish act of love and a witness to who who he is"?  Obviously, we cannot really know what Jesus would do in our 21st Century context but we do need to consider his example. Let me suggest some reasons Jesus would bake the cake. Please consider:

1)  Jesus understood his mission priority

John 3:17: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” Jesus’ mission was clear and his priority was single-minded. He came to tear down barriers that kept people from God, not erect them. He did not come to condemn but to connect God with people and people with God. Jesus came as a witness, and set the example by his sacrificial life. His first priority was to "save the world" which informed how he lived to serve others. 

2)  Jesus did not come for the moral  

Mark 2:17: “On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.'" Jesus understood all too well the immoral condition of the human heart. It was the very reason he came into the world, to reach the sinner...like me. As a doctor would not place obstacles to healing before the sick, Jesus would not place obstacles to coming to him, especially before those living less than morally righteous lives...and aren’t we glad?

3) Jesus crossed cultural lines without hesitation

John 4:10: “Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’” Jesus crossed beyond the socially acceptable, religiously imposed, norms of his time to minister to those in need. In this account, Jesus conducted “business” with an adulterous woman who was scorned by her community, embarrassed by her lifestyle, and forced to come to the well at the hottest part of the day. The reaction of even his disciples tell us the distance Jesus traveled to connect with those in need of his gift. He did not hesitate to engage the lost world knowing what he had come to do.

4)    Jesus was known to enjoy the company of sinners

Luke 7:34: “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'” Jesus was unconcerned with what others thought of his associations with sinners. Rather, he was deliberate in his efforts to connect with the broken, outcast and marginalized, seeking relationships that would lead them to discover who he was for them. Immediately following this statement, Jesus goes to Simon's house and does the unthinkable and blesses a sinful woman. 

5)      Jesus did not condemn the immoral for their lifestyle

John 8:11: "’No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” Jesus came to set people free from the bondage of sin, he did not condemn the human condition - even the worst harlot in town. Rather, he purposed to make a way for all humanity to experience a life free to worship God. Where the religious leaders wanted to condemn the human condition, Jesus say “go now” and live an abundant life...in Him. While Jesus preached repentance it was for the purpose of entering into the fullness of life he wants for each of us. 

6)      Jesus was opposed to the moral opinions of the religious right

Matthew 23:13: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.” Jesus did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it^__ in himself. His opposition to the teaching of the Pharisees was not a correction of the law but the religious leaders interpretation of it. He was zealously opposed to shutting the door to his Kingdom life, to anyone for any reason, based on human understanding. He made a matchless effort to assure anyone, even a condemned sinner, could enter the Kingdom by removing religiously imposed constraints.

7)      Jesus offered his life for all

John 10:18: “No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father." Jesus freely gave his life so that all who would believe would experience the fullness of life he proposes. That is not a life without struggles and hardship, but a life of forgiveness and acceptance. If he was so willing, joyfully, to endure the worst human torture ever conceived, to think he would not bake a simple cake for a gay couple brings his unconditional love, and God's grace, into question.
 

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BAKE THE CAKE

I asked a Facebook friend, who took exception to my FB post above, on what biblical basis would Jesus not bake the cake? No real answer was offered. Before you start throwing stones, verbally or otherwise, I ask you to consider the same question. If you cannot articulate a clearly biblical rationale for your position, then may I encourage you to do some rethinking about it. Knowing my own human frailty, I am always willing to rethink my own ideas but I do look to the Bible for answers. 

Now some might argue, “By baking the cake we would be blessing a same-sex marriage” and Jesus would never do that! Really? An eighth and maybe the most compelling reason Jesus would bake the cake is because he commanded us to bless our enemies (Matthew 5:44). Crazy, I know. But Jesus removed any socially imposed limitation on whom we, as Christ-followers, are to 'bless' and to whom we should show his love.

Turning away a gay couple because of a disagreement with their lifestyle  closes any opportunity for the business-owner to be used by God as a witness. Baking the cake does not bring us into agreement with their behavior but it does bring us into obedience with Jesus’ example and mission. What if by doing so it opens a door to a relationship that demonstrates his love and kindness, which leads to repentance (Romans 2:4)?

You should have the freedom to do what your conscience dictates. You should have the freedom to not bake the cake. Just please do not use Jesus as an excuse not to be Christ-like when such an opportunity presents itself.


This will be a developing series on one of the most important cultural challenges of Living Sent Today. Like us on Facebook at -  Living Sent Today - to follow the series.