What do I mean by "Church Seasons"? I'm referring to particular chunks of time in church history. There are many ways to divide church history, but as I listened to a summary of the three ecumenical creeds recently, I realized that the church has had an interesting historical flow that may relate to mission outreach--and the hesitance to reach out--during our era of church history.
An initial season of church history can be called a season of doctrine. For the first 800 years or so of the Christian Church's existence, teachers asserted ideas that were opposed to Biblical orthodoxy. Marcion didn't like anything Jewish, so he started to slice sections out of the Bible. Montanus advocated adding to the Scriptures through the revelations of his ecstatic prophets. Valentinus promulgated Gnostic teachings. Arianism led to the first ecumenical council in Nicaea in 325 A.D. There are plenty more, but you get the idea. Biblical orthodoxy was being defined in response to unscriptural teachers. Ecumenical councils were convened. Doctrine was being sorted out.
The next season to develop was a season of corruption. The institutional church became a place of power and control. Political and Ecclesiastical lines became blurred. Human traditions and inclinations supplanted Biblical mandates and emphases. The church was a mess. Money, sex, and power became the prevailing themes within the church. It was an ugly season.
The third major season of the church was a season of reformation. While many voices of reformation cried out during the season of corruption, Martin Luther stands out as the person who led a season of reform in the church. Luther sought to bring the church back to the Bible and back to the cross of Christ. It was a season of refocusing on God's will, His ways, and His gifts.
The season of reformation led to another season of doctrine. As the new phenomenon of protestant movements and denominations developed, departures from the historic teaching of the Scriptures came on the scene. The church wrestled with the definition and nature of the sacraments, teachings on millennialism, the nature of church and ministry, and more. Some older heresies resurfaced and caused the church to wrestle anew with ancient issues. Stretching into the 1800's and 1900's everything from Biblical liberalism to the development of false "Christian" groups presented the church with doctrinal challenges.
This second season of doctrine fueled another season of corruption. Religious charlatans, money-focused televangelists, and a sexual scandal laden Roman Catholic priesthood mark our present era. In addition, a desire for fame, power, and control in the church taints and distracts from the Christocentric aim of the body of Christ.
So, as one of my professors used to say, "Cui bono?" In other words, "To whom for good?" "What's the point?"
Here's the bottom line:
- While all these seasons happen to some degree all the time in the church, we are living in a time poised for another season of reformation. Will this mean a recovery of the mission of the church? Will it mean a return to authenticity versus institutionalism? I don't know, but we are moving toward reform.
- When the rumblings of reformation begin to happen, the people caught up in the season of corruption believe that change equals heresy instead of reform. This is very important. Corrupt church leaders try to cast Biblical and Gospel reforms as doctrinal errors. This is done to prevent change and to maintain control. The Roman Catholic Church excommunicated Martin Luther on doctrinal grounds. Instead of adopting a spirit of repentance based on an honest look at the Scriptures, the church in Luther's time did not want to surrender control and, therefore, misinterpreted reform.
It is important that we do not make the same mistake. The big question is: Can we recognize when change is true reformation and welcome it with a spirit of repentance?
What changes in the church today are moving us back to the cross of Christ? What changes are bringing us back to what the church was designed to be by its head, Jesus?
We're running into a season of reformation. We need to watch carefully.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Who's Story?
Time Magazine's Millennium Edition rated Martin Luther as one of the most significant people in the past 2000 years. We would tend to agree. Why? Was it because of his courageous action? Does it boil down to German pride? Hermann Sasse asked these questions in his book Here We Stand. His conclusion? We don't worship a hero. We don't celebrate heritage. In fact, Luther and the Reformation are not stories of human triumph or theological development. Sasse cited "the profound conviction of Luther that church history is not a history of what human beings have done, but a history of what the living and mighty Word of God has accomplished in its course through the nations of the world" (p.184).
This is all about the Gospel. This is not our story. It is God's story.
In The Message paraphrase of Romans 4, Eugene Peterson expresses the first part of verse three ("What does the Scripture say?") as: "But the story we're given is a God-story."
By God's grace, we are living in His story. This has powerful implications for mission and ministry--implications that follow the pattern of Luther's life.
What does being in God's story do?
Being in God's story creates in us to zeal for the Word of truth versus concern about personal status. Luther gave up his standing in the church and was willing to give up his life because the true Gospel was too important to compromise. Luther was not nitpicking about traditions. He knew that people would be lost eternally if the Gospel was not given free course. He understood that the light of Jesus Christ could not be placed under a bushel. The news of salvation by grace alone could not be blockaded by traditions of men. It could not be diminished into meaninglessness by the distracting and destructive "add-ons" of human tradition and contrivance. The main thing was the Word of life, and the Word of life had to get out into the world. God's story needed to prevail.
Being in God's story also grows in us a sense of servanthood verses a quest for control. As the institutional church sought to crush Luther, the Reformer focused on helping people understand and share the Gospel. Papal pawns worked to reinforce the control of those in command, but Luther continually brought people back to the Word of God. What gifts did God give? What was His calling? What is His mission? How is God dislodging us from our plans and preferences in order to serve Him and His people? Being in God's story leads us to be faithful script followers not commanding playwrights.
Finally, being in God's story leads us to expansive vision versus self-centered shortsightedness. I recently heard two pastors discussing which of them could get a certain church planter for the new missions they wanted to launch. What a refreshing conversation! The "competition" between these churches was all about new outreach. The energy of these pastors was being devoted to Kingdom multiplication. Instead of internal squabbles or a comparison of how each church was doing, an expansive and contagious Kingdom vision was taking hold. Being in God's story means the Church has an exciting future.
Who's story are you living? Through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, you're given the gift of a God-story. Live it well.
This is all about the Gospel. This is not our story. It is God's story.
In The Message paraphrase of Romans 4, Eugene Peterson expresses the first part of verse three ("What does the Scripture say?") as: "But the story we're given is a God-story."
By God's grace, we are living in His story. This has powerful implications for mission and ministry--implications that follow the pattern of Luther's life.
What does being in God's story do?
Being in God's story creates in us to zeal for the Word of truth versus concern about personal status. Luther gave up his standing in the church and was willing to give up his life because the true Gospel was too important to compromise. Luther was not nitpicking about traditions. He knew that people would be lost eternally if the Gospel was not given free course. He understood that the light of Jesus Christ could not be placed under a bushel. The news of salvation by grace alone could not be blockaded by traditions of men. It could not be diminished into meaninglessness by the distracting and destructive "add-ons" of human tradition and contrivance. The main thing was the Word of life, and the Word of life had to get out into the world. God's story needed to prevail.
Being in God's story also grows in us a sense of servanthood verses a quest for control. As the institutional church sought to crush Luther, the Reformer focused on helping people understand and share the Gospel. Papal pawns worked to reinforce the control of those in command, but Luther continually brought people back to the Word of God. What gifts did God give? What was His calling? What is His mission? How is God dislodging us from our plans and preferences in order to serve Him and His people? Being in God's story leads us to be faithful script followers not commanding playwrights.
Finally, being in God's story leads us to expansive vision versus self-centered shortsightedness. I recently heard two pastors discussing which of them could get a certain church planter for the new missions they wanted to launch. What a refreshing conversation! The "competition" between these churches was all about new outreach. The energy of these pastors was being devoted to Kingdom multiplication. Instead of internal squabbles or a comparison of how each church was doing, an expansive and contagious Kingdom vision was taking hold. Being in God's story means the Church has an exciting future.
Who's story are you living? Through the shed blood of Jesus on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, you're given the gift of a God-story. Live it well.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
How Are You Struggling?
Has my life been perfect? Have my days been problem free?
Because I'm a pastor, some people have thought that my life-journey has been smooth sailing the whole way. It's not true. Just as the world groans, each one of us groans inwardly as we await restoration from the Lord (Romans 8). Life is difficult and challenging.
The question is not whether or not you will struggle. The question is HOW will you struggle. When challenges come calling, when difficulties test your heart and soul, when temptations knock on your door, when life isn't very good, how will you respond?
Will you struggle poorly? Will you give in to the blowing winds of the world? Or will you struggle well? Will you see the new pathways of redemption, grace, and strength Jesus provides?
I've received some very positive feedback about my new book, "Struggle Well." God is using it to reach deeply into the lives of His precious children. The book is being offered at a special discounted price on Amazon.com. If you'd like to order a copy, click the link to the right of this article to access links to purchase the book.
During a season of the year that brings many struggles, get equipped to Struggle Well.
Because I'm a pastor, some people have thought that my life-journey has been smooth sailing the whole way. It's not true. Just as the world groans, each one of us groans inwardly as we await restoration from the Lord (Romans 8). Life is difficult and challenging.
The question is not whether or not you will struggle. The question is HOW will you struggle. When challenges come calling, when difficulties test your heart and soul, when temptations knock on your door, when life isn't very good, how will you respond?
Will you struggle poorly? Will you give in to the blowing winds of the world? Or will you struggle well? Will you see the new pathways of redemption, grace, and strength Jesus provides?
I've received some very positive feedback about my new book, "Struggle Well." God is using it to reach deeply into the lives of His precious children. The book is being offered at a special discounted price on Amazon.com. If you'd like to order a copy, click the link to the right of this article to access links to purchase the book.
During a season of the year that brings many struggles, get equipped to Struggle Well.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
It's Going to Be Okay
One mission, one message, one people.
Witness, mercy, life together.
Do you see a similarity? The priority is telling what we have seen and heard, being all about God's mission, bearing witness to Jesus. The outward action is connecting people with the Gospel through word and deed, sharing the message, showing and speaking the mercy of God. The solid foundation is the community of faith, the church, God's people, our life together.
When our focus is truly on the mission of God given in the Scriptures, changes in leadership or the tweaking of programs do not move us away from what we are called by God to do.
This is the beauty of a Biblical church.
Personal agendas and axes to grind may be floating around the periphery of the mission. Quests for power or desires to control may simmer beneath the surface of personalities involved. Ministry emphases may be articulated and prioritized in different ways. In the mix of it all, some personalities will be more abrasive than others. But if the Word runs the show, the head of the body, Jesus Christ, will prevail. His Church will move forward.
Of course, we must be good and attentive stewards of the mysteries of God. We are called to unity, kindness, forgiveness, and love. But we do not have to be afraid. As the Bible says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7). By God's grace, we are equipped to move forward with strength--even in the midst of change and turbulence. Hebrews 10:39 declares, "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."
In His grace and mercy, God moves us forward in His mission. With humility and gratitude, we are called to run the race set before us as servants of the risen Savior. We need to be on guard and always be watchful, but we do not have to be afraid.
God's mission is going to be okay.
Witness, mercy, life together.
Do you see a similarity? The priority is telling what we have seen and heard, being all about God's mission, bearing witness to Jesus. The outward action is connecting people with the Gospel through word and deed, sharing the message, showing and speaking the mercy of God. The solid foundation is the community of faith, the church, God's people, our life together.
When our focus is truly on the mission of God given in the Scriptures, changes in leadership or the tweaking of programs do not move us away from what we are called by God to do.
This is the beauty of a Biblical church.
Personal agendas and axes to grind may be floating around the periphery of the mission. Quests for power or desires to control may simmer beneath the surface of personalities involved. Ministry emphases may be articulated and prioritized in different ways. In the mix of it all, some personalities will be more abrasive than others. But if the Word runs the show, the head of the body, Jesus Christ, will prevail. His Church will move forward.
Of course, we must be good and attentive stewards of the mysteries of God. We are called to unity, kindness, forgiveness, and love. But we do not have to be afraid. As the Bible says, "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline" (2 Timothy 1:7). By God's grace, we are equipped to move forward with strength--even in the midst of change and turbulence. Hebrews 10:39 declares, "But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved."
In His grace and mercy, God moves us forward in His mission. With humility and gratitude, we are called to run the race set before us as servants of the risen Savior. We need to be on guard and always be watchful, but we do not have to be afraid.
God's mission is going to be okay.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Discovering Your Faith Language
I had the privilege of serving at a Christian camp over the weekend. Even though I was there to teach, I learned so much more. As it happens so often, God placed before me the remarkable stories of His work among His people.
As I spoke to these dear and faithful servants of Jesus, I heard them speak about their trials and challenges in a "faith language" that inspired me and led me closer to the Savior. It made me wonder if workers in the harvest field need to discover and develop their "faith language."
I'm not talking about preaching. I'm talking about using language that shows you remember God's work. I'm referring to the natural references you make to your Savior who promised to be with you always. I'm thinking of language that reflects your trust in God who hears your prayers and knows your needs. Over and over the Psalms make reference to declaring to the assembly what God has done: "Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders" (Psalm 107:32).
When people are assembled and you're talking about your life, are you making sure God has his rightful place in the story? Or are you leaving out the most important person?
At camp, I heard men talk about how God walked with them and taught them as they navigated the difficult and stressful world of business. I heard couples talk about Jesus' presence in the midst of cancer diagnoses and treatments. I heard some tough dudes utter statements that told of changed lives and eager ears awaiting the voice and guidance of the Lord. I heard moms talk about how they were eager to make Christ's difference and how this world is nothing compared to the glory of heaven.
It was faith language. It was natural. It was winsome. It communicated a real and present God, a good God, an active and living God. It caused me to want to know Him more.
What if you practiced your faith language this week? What if you made sure to include your Savior in your conversation? What if you let the assembly know who the main character of your story really is?
Just think, instead of figuring out an evangelism technique or getting nervous about sharing a testimony, you could simply speak in faith language that glorified God and showed the people in your life that He's the real deal and that they can know Him too.
Will you try it this week?
As I spoke to these dear and faithful servants of Jesus, I heard them speak about their trials and challenges in a "faith language" that inspired me and led me closer to the Savior. It made me wonder if workers in the harvest field need to discover and develop their "faith language."
I'm not talking about preaching. I'm talking about using language that shows you remember God's work. I'm referring to the natural references you make to your Savior who promised to be with you always. I'm thinking of language that reflects your trust in God who hears your prayers and knows your needs. Over and over the Psalms make reference to declaring to the assembly what God has done: "Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders" (Psalm 107:32).
When people are assembled and you're talking about your life, are you making sure God has his rightful place in the story? Or are you leaving out the most important person?
At camp, I heard men talk about how God walked with them and taught them as they navigated the difficult and stressful world of business. I heard couples talk about Jesus' presence in the midst of cancer diagnoses and treatments. I heard some tough dudes utter statements that told of changed lives and eager ears awaiting the voice and guidance of the Lord. I heard moms talk about how they were eager to make Christ's difference and how this world is nothing compared to the glory of heaven.
It was faith language. It was natural. It was winsome. It communicated a real and present God, a good God, an active and living God. It caused me to want to know Him more.
What if you practiced your faith language this week? What if you made sure to include your Savior in your conversation? What if you let the assembly know who the main character of your story really is?
Just think, instead of figuring out an evangelism technique or getting nervous about sharing a testimony, you could simply speak in faith language that glorified God and showed the people in your life that He's the real deal and that they can know Him too.
Will you try it this week?
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Pretty-Ugly Factor
Honda and Toyota came out with some redesigned vehicles recently. These Japanese automakers used to be lithe and nimble in design, production, and sales. Vehicles were inexpensive and reliable. In fact, they were beautiful. They were pretty automobiles. But since the car companies have grown and expanded, some quality glitches have surfaced. And some of their designs are downright ugly.
The same thing happened to GM, Ford, and Chrysler in the course of their history. For a while, the American automakers churned out some ugly vehicles. Bloated versions of the Ford Thunderbird and Chevy Impala appeared in the '70's and 80's. Cadillacs looked like boats on wheels. Remember the Pontiac Aztek? Yikes!
American automakers seem to be coming back with some sleek designs these days, but what gets into a company to become ugly? Can the church learn anything from this swinging pendulum? Let's try:
First, the car companies took the easy road of tweaking what exists instead of inventing something new. The result can be very ugly. In the church, tweaking routines and old ways can happen for a while, but keeping the old around for too long will result in something that people view as irrelevant and meaningless. Car companies will always make cars, and the church should always reach people with the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ. But never inventing new ways to reach out with the Good News of Jesus adds up to laziness. Never creating innovative ways to communicate the Gospel will hurt the work of the church. It's ugly.
Second, the car companies became out of touch with people. They lived in denial. Instead of considering people's genuine needs and feedback, they plowed ahead as institutions with blinders on. They were big ships that resisted the blowing winds of change. The church must listen to people. True, it can't be blown around by the winds of untruth and relativism, but it has to hear what people are saying. The church must know how people are hurting and where the world is sending them. If the church really listens, it can bring God's truth to peoples lives in a vibrant and powerful way. That's a beautiful thing.
Third, the car companies drifted into valuing survival over service. They let the bottom line of profits erode their focus on people. Once a local church is born, the tendency to focus on survival becomes an enticing false god. Staying in "business" can replace the risk-oriented, life-sacrificing spirit of laying it all on the line for Jesus and His Kingdom. A survival spirit will take the heart and purpose out of an organization. If the church forgets that it is here not to be served, but to serve and give its live as a ransom for many, it will become an ugly, bloated, beast.
Fourth, the car companies lost the joy in their work. They cranked out products. They kept the lines running. But they let the joyful art of automobile design and creation slip from their grasp. All over the Bible, the church is described as the Bride of Christ beautifully adorned. God bestows a crown of beauty on His redeemed. The feet of the one who brings good news are beautiful. God's work is not a joyless grind. Lives are being changed for eternity. If the people of the church lose their joy so the "assembly line" can keep running, something may need to change. Purpose may need to be revisited. The living Word may need to be inwardly digested. Reaching out may need to be rekindled. Why? Because God's Church is a beautiful thing!
(Church Planting Series, Part forty-three)
The same thing happened to GM, Ford, and Chrysler in the course of their history. For a while, the American automakers churned out some ugly vehicles. Bloated versions of the Ford Thunderbird and Chevy Impala appeared in the '70's and 80's. Cadillacs looked like boats on wheels. Remember the Pontiac Aztek? Yikes!
American automakers seem to be coming back with some sleek designs these days, but what gets into a company to become ugly? Can the church learn anything from this swinging pendulum? Let's try:
First, the car companies took the easy road of tweaking what exists instead of inventing something new. The result can be very ugly. In the church, tweaking routines and old ways can happen for a while, but keeping the old around for too long will result in something that people view as irrelevant and meaningless. Car companies will always make cars, and the church should always reach people with the unchanging Gospel of Jesus Christ. But never inventing new ways to reach out with the Good News of Jesus adds up to laziness. Never creating innovative ways to communicate the Gospel will hurt the work of the church. It's ugly.
Second, the car companies became out of touch with people. They lived in denial. Instead of considering people's genuine needs and feedback, they plowed ahead as institutions with blinders on. They were big ships that resisted the blowing winds of change. The church must listen to people. True, it can't be blown around by the winds of untruth and relativism, but it has to hear what people are saying. The church must know how people are hurting and where the world is sending them. If the church really listens, it can bring God's truth to peoples lives in a vibrant and powerful way. That's a beautiful thing.
Third, the car companies drifted into valuing survival over service. They let the bottom line of profits erode their focus on people. Once a local church is born, the tendency to focus on survival becomes an enticing false god. Staying in "business" can replace the risk-oriented, life-sacrificing spirit of laying it all on the line for Jesus and His Kingdom. A survival spirit will take the heart and purpose out of an organization. If the church forgets that it is here not to be served, but to serve and give its live as a ransom for many, it will become an ugly, bloated, beast.
Fourth, the car companies lost the joy in their work. They cranked out products. They kept the lines running. But they let the joyful art of automobile design and creation slip from their grasp. All over the Bible, the church is described as the Bride of Christ beautifully adorned. God bestows a crown of beauty on His redeemed. The feet of the one who brings good news are beautiful. God's work is not a joyless grind. Lives are being changed for eternity. If the people of the church lose their joy so the "assembly line" can keep running, something may need to change. Purpose may need to be revisited. The living Word may need to be inwardly digested. Reaching out may need to be rekindled. Why? Because God's Church is a beautiful thing!
(Church Planting Series, Part forty-three)
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Hall of Fame
I watched the Hall of Fame induction speeches on Saturday. The theme of each speech was remarkably similar. Each football player recounted how impossible it seemed for him to one day play in the NFL. Speaker after speaker told of their upbringing in poor, working class neighborhoods; in single-parent, disadvantaged surroundings; in an environment that pulled them toward rebellion or despair; in a situation that systematically told them "you can never have a better life." But there they stood, miracles of human beings. Some gave glory to God and praised Jesus. Others sighed in relief and disbelief that their lives were now being cheered by a throng of fans on a sultry night in Canton, Ohio.
I watched. I listened. I saw a picture of heaven.
As I sat in awe at the athletic accomplishments of these men and as I listened to the ups and downs of their lives, I saw that they were being enshrined in spite of their imperfections and in the face of the walls of impossibility that stood before them. Poverty, bad influences, poor decisions? They were being enshrined. Failures, imperfection, stumbles along the way? They were being enshrined. Good games, bad games, bad press, good press? They were being enshrined. On that evening in that place and at that time, their lives were being lifted up. In that moment, they were all good. Everything was just right. Grace covered the blemishes, and their achievements were bigger than life, projected on the giant screen behind them.
I thought of Jesus' dialogue with believers at the heavenly enshrinement in Matthew 25: "Come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
The "sheep" responded: "When did we do all this?" Jesus told them, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
In other words Jesus enshrined a bunch of lowly, disadvantaged, fragile and failing people. He made their lives all good. Everything was just right. Grace covered their blemishes and their achievements were bigger than life. They were now in God's Hall of Fame.
This applies to you, of course. But it also applies to the people you meet and are with. As a servant of Jesus, you will meet many broken, dysfunctional, hard-to-get-along-with, unreliable, vacillating, insecure, poor-decision-making people. You will get frustrated and be tempted to push them all out of your life. You will be tempted to give up all hope when they don't get their acts together in a timely or efficient way. You will be tempted to lash out when they hurt you or let you down.
But remember, these are God's Hall of Famers. One day, on that Great Day, if these hobbled human beings stumbled along with a shred of faith, they will be enshrined. Their lives will be lifted up. Everything will be good. Grace will have covered their blemishes and they will be celebrated by the throngs of heaven.
That's what God's redemptive gift of His Son has accomplished. Sin-cold corpses have been raised up to stand on the victor's podium. A bunch of nothings will be celebrated as the greatest somethings.
When you feel like you're wasting your time on persistent problem people, press on. You're rubbing shoulders with God's Hall of Famers.
(Church Planting Series, Part forty-two)
I watched. I listened. I saw a picture of heaven.
As I sat in awe at the athletic accomplishments of these men and as I listened to the ups and downs of their lives, I saw that they were being enshrined in spite of their imperfections and in the face of the walls of impossibility that stood before them. Poverty, bad influences, poor decisions? They were being enshrined. Failures, imperfection, stumbles along the way? They were being enshrined. Good games, bad games, bad press, good press? They were being enshrined. On that evening in that place and at that time, their lives were being lifted up. In that moment, they were all good. Everything was just right. Grace covered the blemishes, and their achievements were bigger than life, projected on the giant screen behind them.
I thought of Jesus' dialogue with believers at the heavenly enshrinement in Matthew 25: "Come you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."
The "sheep" responded: "When did we do all this?" Jesus told them, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
In other words Jesus enshrined a bunch of lowly, disadvantaged, fragile and failing people. He made their lives all good. Everything was just right. Grace covered their blemishes and their achievements were bigger than life. They were now in God's Hall of Fame.
This applies to you, of course. But it also applies to the people you meet and are with. As a servant of Jesus, you will meet many broken, dysfunctional, hard-to-get-along-with, unreliable, vacillating, insecure, poor-decision-making people. You will get frustrated and be tempted to push them all out of your life. You will be tempted to give up all hope when they don't get their acts together in a timely or efficient way. You will be tempted to lash out when they hurt you or let you down.
But remember, these are God's Hall of Famers. One day, on that Great Day, if these hobbled human beings stumbled along with a shred of faith, they will be enshrined. Their lives will be lifted up. Everything will be good. Grace will have covered their blemishes and they will be celebrated by the throngs of heaven.
That's what God's redemptive gift of His Son has accomplished. Sin-cold corpses have been raised up to stand on the victor's podium. A bunch of nothings will be celebrated as the greatest somethings.
When you feel like you're wasting your time on persistent problem people, press on. You're rubbing shoulders with God's Hall of Famers.
(Church Planting Series, Part forty-two)
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