Not long ago, I heard Felicity Dale, co-author of “The Rabbit and the Elephant,” make this comment: “During the Reformation God put the Bible into the hands of ordinary people. Today, God is putting the church into the hands of ordinary people.”
The content of the comment struck me as thought provoking. But the fact that she brought up the Reformation also struck me as very interesting. I’m hearing a lot of talk about the Reformation these days.
As a Lutheran, I observe that we tend to claim the Reformation as “our thing.” Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress,” “Here I stand, I can do no other,”--we celebrate, remember, and treasure the Reformation.
More and more, however, I am hearing Reformation talk from broader Christian circles. They’re making it more “their thing” too.
Why? What’s happening?
Let’s answer the question by looking at five key phenomena happening then and now:
1. Technological Innovation: 75 years after the invention of the printing press, the dissemination of information was at a new level. Today, immediate digital communication is in the palm of people’s hands. Something new is happening and the church is wondering how this might impact the mission of God.
2. Institutional Fatigue: As the Roman Catholic Church battled corruption and financial desperation for in-house projects, today’s mainline denominations continue to hurt financially and disintegrate theologically. The church is wondering what this might mean for a post-denominational and post-congregational mindset.
3. Personal Conviction: Luther was gripped by the Gospel. The message of salvation by grace through faith drove him to be a voice for God’s true Word. Today, many are being gripped by mission, the sentness of God’s people into a lost world. New voices are being raised to advocate outreach action and sentness versus inreach complacency and isolation.
4. A New Location: Rome was the epicenter of the church during the pre-Reformation era. Germany was on the fringe of where “it was happening.” But change happened from outside the institutional safe-zone. Today, Asia, Africa, and South America are demonstrating rapid movements of Kingdom expansion while the church in the west is, at best, trying to figure out the key to church multiplication and, at worst, distracted by its own inward thinking.
5. Transitional Times: The Reformation was a messy time of new communication modes, new ways of life, new thoughts, and re-developing theology. We live in a similar time--in-between conventional and new methods of communication, in-between the old analog and new digital, in-between store and online shopping, in-between church the way it was and church reinvented. It’s a messy time of transition, and we don’t know how it will end up.
The times are very similar to Reformation times. Do we realize it? Are we engaging in asking questions, lifting up our prayers to the Head of the Church, and listening for His guidance? Are we willing to be courageous as the ways of man are cast aside and the ways of God break through into our lives?
During these Reformation days, are we willing to be a part of it or will we resist it to preserve our comfort levels and control?
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
Accidental Pharisee, Part 2
As we become weary with a culture that drifts farther away from Christ's ways, our own souls can become sour. At a recent conference, Larry Osborne gave a talk about becoming an “Accidental Pharisee,” stumbling into a critical and bitter life that becomes angry at unbelievers instead of showing compassion.
In part one of this article, I mentioned the trap of arrogance. Osborne highlighted five additional pitfalls for Kingdom workers:
1. You trust in your own righteousness, your work performance, your knowledge of doctrine, and your “give-it-all” attitude as you grow bitter at people who don’t perform like you. You may even take credit for God’s successes. The answer? Remember who you really are: a broken sinner who has received the precious gift of God’s grace in Jesus. This levels the playing field in a big way.
2. You raise the bar that Jesus came to lower. It’s so easy to become frustrated when people don’t take the church as seriously as you do. In fact, you can become downright angry, coercive, and rude. You may even start to despise “carnal Christians,” nominal believers on the fringes who don’t perform for the church. The answer? Jesus didn’t come to enhance our spiritual performance. He went to the cross to lower the bar! His yoke is easy and burden is light. It’s time to reflect that grace to the world and to bless the world, not curse it.
3. You demand from others what you fail to do yourself. This is the curse of hypocrisy. We can’t pretend to be what we aren't and teach people to do what we don't. The answer? Not perfection. Not expertise in every area of life. The answer is simple authenticity, acknowledging that you are a fellow struggler sitting at the feet of your Savior.
4. You idolize the past. This will cripple your ministry. The Pharisees loved everything the way it was. But God put us here right now. He wants us to live right now. The answer? Give God thanks for the past, but ask Him to give you wisdom and grace for this time and this generation.
5. You put sacrifice and rules above mercy. The Pharisees turned the gift of the Sabbath into a set of regulations. As we become more passionate about God’s gifts, we may also get more black and white about living out the Gospel. The answer? Remember what God requires: To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Mercy, not sacrifice. The Bible is not a rulebook. It is written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, we may have life in His name.
As the culture becomes less church-like and as you get more passionate about God’s work, be careful that you don’t wake up as an accidental Pharisee. If you find yourself getting angry about Kingdom work, you may need a good dose of the Living Word--leading you to repentance and the refreshing grace of God for us sinners.
In part one of this article, I mentioned the trap of arrogance. Osborne highlighted five additional pitfalls for Kingdom workers:
1. You trust in your own righteousness, your work performance, your knowledge of doctrine, and your “give-it-all” attitude as you grow bitter at people who don’t perform like you. You may even take credit for God’s successes. The answer? Remember who you really are: a broken sinner who has received the precious gift of God’s grace in Jesus. This levels the playing field in a big way.
2. You raise the bar that Jesus came to lower. It’s so easy to become frustrated when people don’t take the church as seriously as you do. In fact, you can become downright angry, coercive, and rude. You may even start to despise “carnal Christians,” nominal believers on the fringes who don’t perform for the church. The answer? Jesus didn’t come to enhance our spiritual performance. He went to the cross to lower the bar! His yoke is easy and burden is light. It’s time to reflect that grace to the world and to bless the world, not curse it.
3. You demand from others what you fail to do yourself. This is the curse of hypocrisy. We can’t pretend to be what we aren't and teach people to do what we don't. The answer? Not perfection. Not expertise in every area of life. The answer is simple authenticity, acknowledging that you are a fellow struggler sitting at the feet of your Savior.
4. You idolize the past. This will cripple your ministry. The Pharisees loved everything the way it was. But God put us here right now. He wants us to live right now. The answer? Give God thanks for the past, but ask Him to give you wisdom and grace for this time and this generation.
5. You put sacrifice and rules above mercy. The Pharisees turned the gift of the Sabbath into a set of regulations. As we become more passionate about God’s gifts, we may also get more black and white about living out the Gospel. The answer? Remember what God requires: To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God. Mercy, not sacrifice. The Bible is not a rulebook. It is written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, we may have life in His name.
As the culture becomes less church-like and as you get more passionate about God’s work, be careful that you don’t wake up as an accidental Pharisee. If you find yourself getting angry about Kingdom work, you may need a good dose of the Living Word--leading you to repentance and the refreshing grace of God for us sinners.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Walking Sacraments
Dr. Jack Preus gave an excellent presentation at the 2011 Professional Church Workers’ Conference in Houston. His talk about incarnational witness caused me to recall Luther’s entertaining the idea that confession and absolution could very well be a sacrament. The command from Jesus is there. The promise of forgiveness of sins is there. Luther wondered what might the visible means be. Perhaps the pastor. Luther ventured into the sacramental, incarnational work of Jesus through people!
God established His incarnational, sacramental presence immediately as He interacted with His precious creation. He walked with Adam in the Garden of Eden. After the Fall He continued to be present with His people. The burning bush, the pillars of fire and cloud, the smoke in both tabernacle and temple. This was God--present for the purpose of salvation.
Add to that sacramental presence the person of the prophet--his word and action. See the incarnational, sacramental presence of God reach a high point in the Word made flesh who made His dwelling among us, Jesus Himself. Note that instead of leaving us with no incarnational presence, Jesus instituted and gave the gift of the Lord’s Supper.
God is always present for the purpose of His salvation. Look at baptism. See the living Word of God.
And look at people--believers in Christ. Luther was on the right track. We are “walking sacraments.” We’ve been commanded to go. We’ve been “instituted” to forgive the sins of others. We’re visible and tangible. Believers are God’s sacramental, incarnational presence in the world.
Instead of merely sitting in church waiting for God to show up in the world, we’re called to get out into the world as walking sacraments, as the incarnational “showing up” of God where He is needed most. When God’s redeemed people show up, He shows up. His real presence is made manifest through us to bless the world, to give the world the hope it needs, and to send more “walking sacraments” to people who desperately need to see that God is truly with us!
God established His incarnational, sacramental presence immediately as He interacted with His precious creation. He walked with Adam in the Garden of Eden. After the Fall He continued to be present with His people. The burning bush, the pillars of fire and cloud, the smoke in both tabernacle and temple. This was God--present for the purpose of salvation.
Add to that sacramental presence the person of the prophet--his word and action. See the incarnational, sacramental presence of God reach a high point in the Word made flesh who made His dwelling among us, Jesus Himself. Note that instead of leaving us with no incarnational presence, Jesus instituted and gave the gift of the Lord’s Supper.
God is always present for the purpose of His salvation. Look at baptism. See the living Word of God.
And look at people--believers in Christ. Luther was on the right track. We are “walking sacraments.” We’ve been commanded to go. We’ve been “instituted” to forgive the sins of others. We’re visible and tangible. Believers are God’s sacramental, incarnational presence in the world.
Instead of merely sitting in church waiting for God to show up in the world, we’re called to get out into the world as walking sacraments, as the incarnational “showing up” of God where He is needed most. When God’s redeemed people show up, He shows up. His real presence is made manifest through us to bless the world, to give the world the hope it needs, and to send more “walking sacraments” to people who desperately need to see that God is truly with us!
Monday, September 19, 2011
Accidental Pharisee, Part 1
At a recent conference, Larry Osborne gave a talk about becoming an “Accidental Pharisee.” He promised a book would be coming soon. When the book comes out, I would recommend reading it.
The subtitle of his talk was: “The hidden dangers of high-commitment Christianity.” In other words, what starts out as a very good thing can become toxic and harmful. As Osborne pointed out, the Pharisees excelled in the qualities of what a disciple of the true God should be. But they went from passionate, to becoming self-appointed defenders of God, to morphing into the enemies of God.
This can happen to us, too.
In his talk, Dr. Osborne highlighted six danger signs that indicate you might be in “Pharisee-land.” The first is:
A tendency to look down on everyone else.
This is the sin of arrogance. Dr. Osborne pointed out Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. He emphasized that it is a small step from being discerning to becoming critical. What are some symptoms that you might have stumbled into “Pharisee-land”?
1. No one matches up with you except those in your tribe--and, sometimes, just a subset of your tribe. If your overall attitude toward fellow believers is to test their doctrine as a first step, you may be in serious danger. If you feel like you can’t even trust your own tribe, arrogance may be a serious issue in your life.
2. You begin to lose grace for blind spots people might have. Even God forgave people’s blind spots and weaknesses. Some of His most effective servants had blind spots. If everyone else is unworthy and flawed in your view, you may be falling to the sin of arrogance.
3. You lose your mercy for the struggling. Pride is really a big deal. Osborne made a dramatic point by saying: "Jesus would rather have you struggle with porn than pride. Why? Because he says he hates pride. This is what caused Lucifer to be cast out from the presence of God.” Neither sin is acceptable, but pride is more destructive than we realize.
Dear friends, be on guard against becoming and accidental Pharisee! Take refuge humbly and repentantly in living Word of God. Let the Good Shepherd restore your heart and soul.
Next Installment: Danger Sign #2: You Trust in Your Own Righteousness.
The subtitle of his talk was: “The hidden dangers of high-commitment Christianity.” In other words, what starts out as a very good thing can become toxic and harmful. As Osborne pointed out, the Pharisees excelled in the qualities of what a disciple of the true God should be. But they went from passionate, to becoming self-appointed defenders of God, to morphing into the enemies of God.
This can happen to us, too.
In his talk, Dr. Osborne highlighted six danger signs that indicate you might be in “Pharisee-land.” The first is:
A tendency to look down on everyone else.
This is the sin of arrogance. Dr. Osborne pointed out Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector in Luke 18. He emphasized that it is a small step from being discerning to becoming critical. What are some symptoms that you might have stumbled into “Pharisee-land”?
1. No one matches up with you except those in your tribe--and, sometimes, just a subset of your tribe. If your overall attitude toward fellow believers is to test their doctrine as a first step, you may be in serious danger. If you feel like you can’t even trust your own tribe, arrogance may be a serious issue in your life.
2. You begin to lose grace for blind spots people might have. Even God forgave people’s blind spots and weaknesses. Some of His most effective servants had blind spots. If everyone else is unworthy and flawed in your view, you may be falling to the sin of arrogance.
3. You lose your mercy for the struggling. Pride is really a big deal. Osborne made a dramatic point by saying: "Jesus would rather have you struggle with porn than pride. Why? Because he says he hates pride. This is what caused Lucifer to be cast out from the presence of God.” Neither sin is acceptable, but pride is more destructive than we realize.
Dear friends, be on guard against becoming and accidental Pharisee! Take refuge humbly and repentantly in living Word of God. Let the Good Shepherd restore your heart and soul.
Next Installment: Danger Sign #2: You Trust in Your Own Righteousness.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Casual Church
A Christian in India said to Francis Chan: “How can you be casual about something you’ll lose everything for?”
This Christian was asked why his faith in Christ spilled over into every area of his life and conversation.
In China, Chan described a uniquely Western phenomenon: “Where I come from people go to services in buildings and switch if they want a better speaker or better childcare or better music.”
The underground church participants laughed hysterically. Impossible, they thought.
In our Western bubble, we sometimes believe that the United States’ expression of the Christian Church is the norm around the world. We think that because of the freedom of Christian development, we represent what the world should conform and aspire to. Organization, education, strategy, you name it: we can begin to believe that we’re doing everything the way it should be done.
But the facts are much different. The United States comprises only 4% of the world’s population. The way “we” do it is, in fact, a minority expression of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Of course, Biblical principles are to remain consistent in the body of Christ. But a number of non-biblical attitudes and practices have taken hold in the cultural development of Western Christianity. These attitudes and practices are not necessarily all bad, but they may skew Western Christianity’s congruence with what the Scriptures show the Church is to be.
One skewed reality is casual and compartmentalized Christianity. As one Asian believer stated: “To have people come into a room who do not want to be disciple-makers doesn't make sense.”
Will we as Western believers defend all we’re doing and vehemently declare that in the area of Church we have no sin? Or will we humbly and repentantly consider the question we started with: “How can you be casual about something you’ll lose everything for?”
This Christian was asked why his faith in Christ spilled over into every area of his life and conversation.
In China, Chan described a uniquely Western phenomenon: “Where I come from people go to services in buildings and switch if they want a better speaker or better childcare or better music.”
The underground church participants laughed hysterically. Impossible, they thought.
In our Western bubble, we sometimes believe that the United States’ expression of the Christian Church is the norm around the world. We think that because of the freedom of Christian development, we represent what the world should conform and aspire to. Organization, education, strategy, you name it: we can begin to believe that we’re doing everything the way it should be done.
But the facts are much different. The United States comprises only 4% of the world’s population. The way “we” do it is, in fact, a minority expression of the Church of Jesus Christ.
Of course, Biblical principles are to remain consistent in the body of Christ. But a number of non-biblical attitudes and practices have taken hold in the cultural development of Western Christianity. These attitudes and practices are not necessarily all bad, but they may skew Western Christianity’s congruence with what the Scriptures show the Church is to be.
One skewed reality is casual and compartmentalized Christianity. As one Asian believer stated: “To have people come into a room who do not want to be disciple-makers doesn't make sense.”
Will we as Western believers defend all we’re doing and vehemently declare that in the area of Church we have no sin? Or will we humbly and repentantly consider the question we started with: “How can you be casual about something you’ll lose everything for?”
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
This is Hard
I received a note from a friend of mine who has served as a missionary in Burkina Faso, West Africa for twenty years. He shared the news that for the very first time in history, the local people who are now believers will be praying for their people. Most of the Koromba people are either animist or Muslim. A small band of about 30 believers in an area of over 100,000 people will be lifting them up in prayer that all may know Jesus and the life He gives.
This is a big deal. It’s taken decades to get to this point. It’s been a challenging, stretching, high-effort, persistent, relational outreach. Little by little fruit is being borne.
When we in the U.S. hear about the growth of Christianity in Africa or Asia, we rejoice, but we also may veer off in two directions.
First, we may think it’s easy. We think the Western cultural barriers don’t lend themselves to a movement of Kingdom expansion. We imagine that our lives are much more complex, fragmented, technical and advanced. People in our culture, we conjecture, aren’t as amenable to the Gospel. But in Asia and Africa--well, life is simpler, more networked and, therefore, “easy pickings” for the spread of the Gospel.
Second, we may miss the point. Instead of marveling at the work of the Holy Spirit in the Southern Hemisphere, we may start to worship the movement. We may become enamored with the numbers and lust after the phenomenon as an idol. Crying out “We want a movement, too!” may be more about possessing success than seeing God succeed in people’s hearts and souls.
Two truths need reinforcement among us in the West. First, the movement of the Gospel in Africa and Asia is hard work. It’s a difficult journey. The blood of many believers cries out from the ground of those nations and forms a foundation for what is happening today. The living Word continues to pound against spiritual and cultural barriers that we can’t even imagine.
Second, a primary weakness in our lives is the production of idols. The book of Deuteronomy opens with a dissection of our souls, making us aware of the fact that we always lean toward idol development and worship. As the Church expands around the world, we need to keep our eye on the ball--the cause of the Gospel, and not lapse into competing for the best world mission movement.
Around the world, every believer in the East, West, South or North has been called by Jesus to deny himself and take up his cross and follow. It’s hard. And it’s all about Jesus, not about us.
This is a big deal. It’s taken decades to get to this point. It’s been a challenging, stretching, high-effort, persistent, relational outreach. Little by little fruit is being borne.
When we in the U.S. hear about the growth of Christianity in Africa or Asia, we rejoice, but we also may veer off in two directions.
First, we may think it’s easy. We think the Western cultural barriers don’t lend themselves to a movement of Kingdom expansion. We imagine that our lives are much more complex, fragmented, technical and advanced. People in our culture, we conjecture, aren’t as amenable to the Gospel. But in Asia and Africa--well, life is simpler, more networked and, therefore, “easy pickings” for the spread of the Gospel.
Second, we may miss the point. Instead of marveling at the work of the Holy Spirit in the Southern Hemisphere, we may start to worship the movement. We may become enamored with the numbers and lust after the phenomenon as an idol. Crying out “We want a movement, too!” may be more about possessing success than seeing God succeed in people’s hearts and souls.
Two truths need reinforcement among us in the West. First, the movement of the Gospel in Africa and Asia is hard work. It’s a difficult journey. The blood of many believers cries out from the ground of those nations and forms a foundation for what is happening today. The living Word continues to pound against spiritual and cultural barriers that we can’t even imagine.
Second, a primary weakness in our lives is the production of idols. The book of Deuteronomy opens with a dissection of our souls, making us aware of the fact that we always lean toward idol development and worship. As the Church expands around the world, we need to keep our eye on the ball--the cause of the Gospel, and not lapse into competing for the best world mission movement.
Around the world, every believer in the East, West, South or North has been called by Jesus to deny himself and take up his cross and follow. It’s hard. And it’s all about Jesus, not about us.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Five Challenges for the American Church
In a recent presentation, David Olson, author of “The American Church in Crisis,” highlighted five outreach challenges facing the American church today. Below are the five challenges along with five questions for your planning process as you enter a new season of ministry:
1. The Population challenge - America is the only highly developed country that is seeing population growth. Over the past twenty years, the population grew by over 56 million people. The church's net gain during the same time period was 400,000. How is your church planning to reach the growing population with the Good News?
2. The Regional challenge - In a study of some key Texas Roman Catholic diocese, it was found that only 8.7% of Hispanics attend Mass on a given weekend. If you think Texas’ Community churches gather mass amounts of the population, the fact is that only 10.5% of people attend an Evangelical Church in Texas on a given weekend. The harvest is plentiful. How will you reach the ever-growing number of non-churchgoers and disenfranchised Hispanic Roman Catholics with the Gospel?
3. The Vitality Challenge - On the average, all churches over 40 years of age are declining. The 40-year mark is the break point. The only ways for the church to make progress is to get younger people or plant new churches. When and where will your next church plant be?
4. The Multi-ethnic and class challenge - The American church is becoming more suburban, more affluent, more educated, and more Anglo. The greater the poverty in the community, the worse the church is doing (this seems backwards). Monoethnicity can warp the gospel. The church's ability to really see the Scriptures is impaired when there is not a presence of the many cultural and class voices. What plan do you have for reaching “the least of these” during this new ministry season?
5. The Generational Challenge - Traditional American Christianity is feeling the "quakes" from secularization and new expressions of Christianity. Half of each new generation has the potential to connect with established churches, the other half will need new church plants--new expressions of Christianity. What new expression of Christianity will your new church plant focus on?
What progress can you make in answering these questions as you plan ministry this year and for the next five years?
1. The Population challenge - America is the only highly developed country that is seeing population growth. Over the past twenty years, the population grew by over 56 million people. The church's net gain during the same time period was 400,000. How is your church planning to reach the growing population with the Good News?
2. The Regional challenge - In a study of some key Texas Roman Catholic diocese, it was found that only 8.7% of Hispanics attend Mass on a given weekend. If you think Texas’ Community churches gather mass amounts of the population, the fact is that only 10.5% of people attend an Evangelical Church in Texas on a given weekend. The harvest is plentiful. How will you reach the ever-growing number of non-churchgoers and disenfranchised Hispanic Roman Catholics with the Gospel?
3. The Vitality Challenge - On the average, all churches over 40 years of age are declining. The 40-year mark is the break point. The only ways for the church to make progress is to get younger people or plant new churches. When and where will your next church plant be?
4. The Multi-ethnic and class challenge - The American church is becoming more suburban, more affluent, more educated, and more Anglo. The greater the poverty in the community, the worse the church is doing (this seems backwards). Monoethnicity can warp the gospel. The church's ability to really see the Scriptures is impaired when there is not a presence of the many cultural and class voices. What plan do you have for reaching “the least of these” during this new ministry season?
5. The Generational Challenge - Traditional American Christianity is feeling the "quakes" from secularization and new expressions of Christianity. Half of each new generation has the potential to connect with established churches, the other half will need new church plants--new expressions of Christianity. What new expression of Christianity will your new church plant focus on?
What progress can you make in answering these questions as you plan ministry this year and for the next five years?
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