Jacked-up Gospel = Jacked-up Disciples

I need to take another step back before we try to move forward. We have to understand “sin” before we can understand the Gospel and Discipleship. And this is where the Church, especially here in America, is faltering.

I was listening to a preacher the other day and he was explaining our need for a Savior. He was talking about the “bad things” we do that deserve God’s “righteous wrath.” His presentation went something like this: “God is holy and pure and He can’t tolerate anything or anyone in His presence who isn’t also. And you and I have done bad things. That makes us bad people. Even if you have done a whole bunch of good things, they can’t erase the bad things that you have done so you deserve to be judged and sent to Hell. That’s why you need a Savior!” Is that a Gospel presentation which you have heard before? I have heard it dozens of times. The problem is: That’s just wrong.

Please don’t misunderstand me. There’s some truth in that presentation. God is certainly holy and pure (I would prefer the word “righteous”). But, if God can’t be in the presence of anyone “bad,” then how does He have conversations with folks in the Bible? Think about Moses on Mt. Sinai being told to remove his sandals – but not himself – because the place was holy (Exodus 3:5). None of us would say that Moses the murderer was “pure.” How about Satan standing in God’s presence and challenging Him concerning Job (Job 1:6-12).

And as far as the “good” things we do outweighing the “bad” things, Isaiah 64:6 tells us that “all” our righteous deeds are “filthy rags” before the Lord because we ourselves are unrighteous. Why do I hammer on this point? Because a jacked-up Gospel leads to jacked-up thinking and jacked-up Discipleship.

You see, Jesus is the One we should be looking to for an understanding of the Gospel, not a televangelist or pastor or even Peter and Paul. The Disciples’ understanding of the Gospel and their subsequent communication of it are indeed very important, but the One who knows best is the Person who actually is the Gospel. And Jesus did not come into the world proclaiming the 4 Spiritual Laws. In fact, time and time again, the gospels refer to Him proclaiming the “Gospel of the Kingdom” (Matthew 4:23, 9:35, 24:14; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:43, 8:1). Look at two more examples:

Luke 16:16  “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the Kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.” This is Jesus’ synopsis of redemptive history. He says that up to the time of John the Baptizer, the Law and the Prophets were proclaimed. Later in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus would explain to two disciples on the road to Emmaus that the proclamation of the Law and the Prophets was about Him: He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses (the Law) and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself. (Luke 24:25-27)

Acts 8:12  But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Notice that Philip is continuing the ministry of Jesus, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and the person of Jesus.

The message of the Bible is not about how God is demanding that we “be good enough,” not for salvation and not for sanctification. The message of the Bible, from beginning to end, is about a Creator God who is actively involved throughout history bringing His Creation under His sovereign rule by means of the work of Himself in the person of Jesus. We don’t have the authority to speak of “good” and “bad” things apart from the reign of the King. There are those who throw themselves at His feet in subjection and those who are in active rebellion against Him. That is what “sin” is, sedition against the King. We do not have the authority to tell Him that, because we were loyal most of the time, He should or must pardon our treasonous activities. The King alone holds the power over life and death. All of Creation is His. There is nothing which exists that doesn’t fall under His authority. But He, in His love and mercy, has offered His grace to those who would receive it and pledge their undying devotion to Him.

More to follow…..

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Mission or Discipleship?

Have you taken the week to think about this question? Which is the Purpose of the Church, Missions or Discipleship? This is a question which, though probably not uttered much, is definitely at the heart of much of the differences in the local churches around you. Some believe that the message of the Gospel of forgiveness of sins is not going out enough, that the world is filled with lost, dying people who will enter an eternity of judgment if the Gospel is not proclaimed to all peoples. Their ministries emphasize local and global missions and their preaching is about Jesus as Glorious Savior. Then there are those who believe that there are too many people who have “received the Gospel” but have remained spiritual babies and have not been discipled in the faith. While they probably support Mission work globally, the emphasis of their ministry is on Bible teaching, through the pulpit and in Sunday School (by whatever name – SS, ABF, Discipleship Classes, Small Groups). Which of these emphases seems right to you? Your opinion is probably based more on your story than on the Word….

For those who have spent any time in the Church, it’s clear that Evangelism and Discipleship are radically different:

Evangelism is all about you being a sinner and deserving God’s punishment for your bad deeds. You can’t save yourself because nothing you could do “right” can erase the stuff you’ve done “wrong.” You need a Savior, and His name is Jesus. You just have to “receive” Him (or “repent and receive”) and you will have forgiveness of sins and will get a SWEET eternity! Is that pretty much what’s familiar to you? Maybe there is a class (Discipleship) on Evangelism where you learn how to “share the Good News” by handing out tracts, or sharing your testimony, or inviting people to church or your home for a Gospel presentation. 

Discipleship is about “becoming like Christ,” which generally is taken to mean becoming sin-free. It’s about listening to solid biblical preaching and teaching that “feeds you meat instead of babies’ milk.” There are classes and Bible studies. Maybe you get into Small Groups and study and discuss the Word in your homes. There are Disciplines that you practice, like Fasting, Tithing, Serving, Prayer, and Giving. And the purpose of all of this (and a laundry list of other things) is to remove sin from your life and to make you holy and pure like Jesus. Fair, if not generous, appraisal of what we have?

Well, if that’s what we have, if that’s the way it’s supposed to be, then there SHOULD be a war waged over which is the purpose of the Church. Without Evangelism, there could be no Discipleship, though lots of churches are trying to do just that, create holiness in people who have never given themselves to Christ. But if Evangelism is as described above, we would never fulfill the Great Commission to “make disciples” since we would only ever make “converts.” This problem is no secret. The seminary I attended made me take a class called “Evangelism and Follow-up,” acknowledging that it’s not enough to get someone to just pray a prayer. We know there has to be something more. “If not, we’d never get enough money to pay our salaries or enough volunteers to staff our programs!”

But what if everything that we have been taught about Evangelism and Discipleship and everything we have experienced in our churches is just a little off (to be generous and not say “wrong”)?

Why Discipleship?

So, let’s just start with the question: Why Discipleship? It seems like an unnecessary question to most in the Church. However, if Discipleship isn’t happening in our churches across America, it’s probably the place we need to start. I make no apologies for starting there. If you start in the wrong place, you are surely going to arrive at the wrong destination. When the Green Bay Packers were on a 10-year losing streak and at the bottom of the league, Vince Lombardi (yeah, the guy the trophy is named after) came in with vision, inspiration, and strategy but quickly determined he’d have to take the players back to the basics for any of that to produce results. He gathered the team, held up a ball, and uttered the now-famous words, “This is a football…” Once they were clear on the fundamentals of the game, then the team was ready for vision, inspiration, and strategy. And the results are part of Hall of Fame history.

The simple answer to our question is: It’s the purpose of the Church! Right now, my Reformed brothers are screaming “Foul!” because the Westminster Confession states that the chief end of man, and by extension the Church, is to glorify God. Point conceded. However, that is dangerously vague; it doesn’t give us marching orders. The Church glorifies God by fulfilling its purpose, to make disciples. And my Purpose Driven brothers are crying out, “But there are 5 purposes.” I honestly wish there was a different word being used. “Purpose” is your reason for existing. While I believe that the PD model is not only valid, but useful for maintaining a holistic, well-rounded, “healthy” church, I also believe that it allows for individual churches and individuals to compartmentalize and re-prioritize.

Why do I say that Discipleship is the purpose of the Church? Because of the Great Commission. Do you know what I’m talking about? Do you know where it is? If you said Matthew 28, you get half credit (because we like to treat Discipleship as though it’s school and there will be an exam at the end – but that is a post for another day). Let’s look at the Great Commission as it appears in Scripture:

Matthew 28:18 -20  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” 

Mark 16:15-16  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.  Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.”

Luke 24:45-48  Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.”

John 20:21  Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (This is one we will come back to….)

Acts 1:8  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Maybe you don’t get half credit but 20% credit, since the Great Commission is found five times in Scripture. You see, The Great Commission, Christ’s instructions to the Church concerning what she is to be doing until He returns, is about Discipleship. It is by fulfilling this purpose in the manner in which He commands that the Church glorifies God. And the whole (Church) is the product of the parts (the faithful). This is not something that someone can opt out of or delegate to “professionals.” This is the calling of everyone who has called upon the name of the Lord.

Do I hear moaning? Do I hear complaints that I have made the case with those verses for the mission of the Church being Missions/Evangelism and not Discipleship? That’s the next post….

What Does the LORD Want Explored?

So, after taking such a long break from blogging, the question was: So, what do I start with? It's not that I have nothing on my mind. For any of you who know me, it should be clear that the problem is exactly the opposite. I have TOO MUCH on my mind. A much bigger problem for me is focusing in on a single topic and sticking with it - rather than chasing down rabbit trails.

So, as I was praying about what I should blog, a discipleship partner made a suggestion. The irony in the circumstances is that what he suggested wasn't even on my radar. For the past 5 years, since leaving SoCal and moving to Lanco, I have been obsessed with Ecclesiology, the theology of the Church, what and how she is to be and do. There was and is so much brokenness in this area (I'm sure not just this area), that it consumed me. Why can't the Church be all the Lord wants her to be?

But this brother in the Lord, another abused and wounded saint, pointed me in a new direction. It was during a mini-rant on Discipleship that he politely interrupted me saying, "That may be the third time you have said that same thing to me about Discipleship and I have never heard it before from anyone else. I think you should blog about that!" Honestly, I thought, "But I'm interested in sharing what is wrong with the Church!" Then it began to dawn on me, like a wave washing over me: The reason the Church is so messed up is because it's full of people, including its leaders, who have never been discipled.

I confess that I had been so focused on what is wrong in the Church that I missed all of the clues around me as to the REASON. And when I say "clues" I don't mean items which must be deciphered and which will lead you to the answer. It was the actual answer being plainly repeated to me over and over again. From the church member who said no one was interested in teaching her about Christianity, to the brand new pastor who was bitter because no one in his church had ever discipled him. From the seeker fumbling through her brand-new Bible desperately trying to find John while the teacher droned on unwaveringly about the church's position on Eternal Security to the three-decade Christian who said that he learned more from me in 32 months of Discipleship than in all his previous years combined. The REASON was right there before my eyes and ears all along. Discipleship isn't happening in most churches in the US.

Before you accuse me of being this wounded, jaded man who makes up things to complain about, you need to know that this is the same conclusion that most contemporary surveys of the US Church have come to. The most well-known is the Willow Creek Reveal study. The sad fact is out there from many sources - We are not discipling the folks who call themselves "Christian."

I will endeavor to unpack this problem over the next MANY blog posts. In taking on this challenge, I will start by saying that I don't have all the "right answers." What you will get is my perspective, the perspective of an APE (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist), informed by Scripture and my observations of and experience with many churches over a decade and a half of ministry. I also have as my guide the Living Spirit of God, Someone with Whom I am in intimate fellowship. And I submit all that I write and say to the communion of the faith, to the True Church, those who have genuine relationship with the Lord, who seek to walk in His ways and to glorify Him in all that they do as they "keep in step with the Spirit" (Gal. 5:25). As a reminder to myself and as an example to you, I insert a section of Anselm's Proslogion in his attempt to prove the existence of God. May it encourage all of us as to what can be if we earnestly seek faithfulness.

I have come to you as a poor man to a rich one, as a poor wretch to a merciful giver. May I not return empty and rejected! And if "I sigh before I eat" (Job 3:4), once I have sighed give me something to eat. Lord, turned in (incurvatus) as I am I can only look down, so raise me up so that I can look up. "My iniquities heaped on my head" cover me over and weigh me down "like a heavy load" (Ps. 37:5). Dig me out and set me free before "the pit" created by them "shuts its jaws over me" (Ps. 67:16). Let me see your light, even if I see it from afar or from the depths. Teach me to seek you, and reveal yourself to this seeker. For I cannot seek you unless you teach me how, nor can I find you unless you show yourself to me. Let me seek you in desiring you, and desire you in seeking you. Let me find you in loving you and love you in finding you.
I acknowledge, Lord, and I give thanks that you have created in me this your image, so that I can remember you, think about you and love you. But it is so worn away by sins, so smudged over by the smoke of sins, that it cannot do what it was created to do unless you renew and reform it. I do not even try, Lord, to rise up to your heights, because my intellect does not measure up to that task; but I do want to understand in some small measure your truth, which my heart believes in and loved. Nor do I seek to understand so that I can believe, but rather I believe so that I can understand. For I believe this too, that "unless I believe I shall not understand" (Isa. 7:9).

Amen & amen...

Safe to Get Back in the Water

Well, I took quite a while off blogging. I did this for a couple reasons. First, folks were reading into my posts about specific circumstances despite the fact that I talk about general issues. While I can't stop that (and hope that people actually take biblical principles and measure their specific circumstances against those standards), I thought it best to lay low until the dust could settle. But also, there was an individual who was obsessed with my blog, checking it 3x each week. This behavior lasted for months after I suspended posting. It seems that he/she hasn't returned in quite a while now, so perhaps it's safe to get back in the blogging swing. My hope is that this space will help you to think deeply about our calling as Christ's representatives in the world, that deep reflection will lead to conviction, repentance and change if warranted, and that the Kingdom of God would expand in influence in your corner of this world.

Grace and Peace in Christ Jesus!
s

What about Saturday?

So, yesterday was Good Friday and tomorrow is Easter Sunday, but today is Saturday. What do you do with that?

Catholic tradition calls it Holy Saturday, the day that Christ’s body lay in the tomb. The Eastern tradition calls today The Great Sabbath because it’s the day that Jesus rested from His finished work on the cross. But both of those focus on God lying in state, if you will. And I have been reflecting on the disciples on that first Saturday.

Scripture is silent about Saturday, but I think it’s easy enough to know what was happening based upon Friday and Sunday. We know that on Sunday the disciples were together and they were not at the tomb. But why weren’t they standing outside that tomb waiting for Jesus to come out? He had told them several times that He would rise on the third day. Yet, they were not there. But they hadn’t scattered; they were together on Easter morning. Think about Friday. John tells us who was at the cross:

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19:25-27

Where are the disciples? Only John is mentioned being there. Well, think back to when Jesus was arrested and taken before the authorities. Peter followed along, trying not to be noticed. But he was recognized and confronted about being part of the Jesus following. Folks, this was a very real threat. Jesus had been arrested as a traitor. Anyone associated with Him could likewise be executed. That’s why Peter denied Christ three times; he was trying to stay alive. And that’s where all of Christ’s Apostles are until Easter morning, hiding out in fear of death.

Stay with me. Isn’t that where each one of us is following Good Friday? Without the Resurrection of Easter morning, don’t we have a dead savior? If Christ wasn’t raised on Easter, there is no hope. Nothing He said or did, even who He was, is true. And if He is not God, we have no hope.

Look at it another way. Did Jesus die for your sins, receiving the punishment that was rightly due you? I hope you answered “Yes!” But, if He wasn’t raised from the dead, He could not and cannot save you. That’s not a philosophical argument; it’s what Scripture says:

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 1 Corinthians 15:17-19

You see, living in Holy Saturday is hopeless. But many a Christian professes a crucified Savior, but misses the power and life of the Resurrection. They are perpetually living the fear and uncertainty of Saturday. So, reflect today on the hopelessness of crucified hope. Reflect on the fear that grips the desperate, hopefully just for this day. For tomorrow brings a new day, a GLORIOUS DAY…

Good(?) Friday

I had thought of lots of things that I could write on this Good Friday, 2012. But I'm not sure that there's anything worth adding to what the Scriptures have already said. So, today, on this Good Friday observance, I will post something for Sean. You see, Sean thinks the Bible was written to support the stories of the disciples, so that they could have power and recognition. But this is an odd story to write. It's not the story I would write. I would not create a weak god. He would not suffer. He would demonstrate power, not servitude.

But my god would whimper before this God. This God was not created by clever tricksters of the first century. This God revealed His coming to men, more than 500 years before He came, weak like an infant. Read Eugene Peterson's translation of Isaiah's prophecy of the death of Jesus. This is not the story that men would write. Therefore, it is infinitely more glorious. Read it and reflect. Easter is coming, full of light and hope and life. But let today be Good Friday. Let it be our darkest day so that His light may shine all the brighter. S

Isaiah 53 - The Message Paraphrase
Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?
The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.

Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.

Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.