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How Do You Measure Success?

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Today I am writing even more than usual as an old man. That’s another way of confessing that I have been reminiscing. It’s David’s fault. While reading through the Psalms the other day I overheard him speaking to himself.

Praise the LORD, O my soul;
All my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the LORD, O my soul,
And forget not all is benefits
(Psalm 103:1,2)

That last line set my mind in motion, reflecting upon God’s blessing these past three quarters of a century. The list of benefits—though I’m sure I only remember a fraction—was very long. Life has been good. Yes, I’ve had my share of pain, too—and much of it resulting from my own poor choices. But God has shown me His grace in the lows as well as the many highs.

I reflected upon our family of two sons, five grandkids and one great grandson. Fifty plus years of Christian ministry brims over with great memories made in four churches in Ohio and Oregon. I have enjoyed mission trips loaded with timely provisions from God—and far too many to justify as coincidence.

In the voyage through the winding backroads of memory, I recalled listening to an old 33 rpm record that my father had. (Those old forgotten vinyl discs seem to be popping up all over the place again. Perhaps we all have a reflective side.)

That particular record wasn’t the usual collection of songs; it contained excerpts from sermons preached by well known, godly preachers and evangelists from previous generations. I used to love listening to these men. Most of them I had never heard of, but something about them seemed to resonate in my pre-adolescent heart. Perhaps it was God planting a small seed that would germinate into His call on my life.

This record from the 50s included voices from men as far back as D. L. Moody. Moody was an evangelist in the last few decades of the 19th century, so his voice may have been recorded on one of Edison’s wax cylinders. The sound was distorted badly, but behind all the noise I could the voice of Dwight L. Moody reading the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit…”

I could hardly believe it! I knew about The Moody Bible Institute in those days, but didn’t know I would someday be an alumnus—and also a preacher. I knew the evangelist had died in 1899, but I heard him speaking from that scratchy old record back in 1957.

There was one other voice that I still remember over 60 years later. Perhaps it was his name that leaped off the record label, but I think it was his voice that camped in my mind that day. Rodney “Gypsy” Smith was born in 1860 near London, England. He was the son of a gypsy family wandering around the countryside—despised by the locals, and often accused of thievery. His father spent a fair share of time in local prisons.

Gypsy, as he became known, claims he never went to school. Not even for a single day. At 16 years of age, however, Gypsy happened to hear a Methodist evangelist preaching to a crowd. The teenager’s heart was gripped by God’s Spirit and he was, in his own words, “converted.” He returned to his family that night declaring his conversion to follow Jesus Christ. Soon he carried a Bible and a prayer book that he couldn’t read. He learned to read and preach and sing the good news. And God used him.

Crowds mobbed into churches where the young gypsy boy was preaching. He became a phenomenon in his own country and began to cross the Atlantic to preach in the States. Before his death, in 1947, Gypsy would cross 45 times and preach to huge crowds in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Paris, France.

Once when defending his lack of formal education Gypsy explained, “I never went to any of your colleges or seminaries. They wouldn’t have me, but I went to the feet of Jesus where the only true scholarship is learned.”

That uneducated, social outcast, gypsy boy became one of the most listened to preachers of his day. He often burst into song in the midst of a sermon, and it was a song that I heard on that old 33 rpm record long ago. It was the same song that I just heard once again this morning through the Internet. It moved my old heart today as much as it did my teenage decades ago. I believe the lyrics hold the secret to the success of Gypsy Smith’s long global-wide ministry.

I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
Take My cross and follow,
Follow all the way.

Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
Where He leads me I will follow,
I’ll go with Him,
with Him all the way.

Just now I listened once more, trying to sing along with this hero of the Faith, but lost my voice in the emotion of the moment. You will discover a link at the bottom of this blog if you care to hear Gypsy Smith singing in 1902.

So you ask, “What does this have to do with measuring success?”

One of the preachers on that old record album defined success this way: “Success is knowing God’s will and doing it.” 

Now I can’t swear that it was Gypsy Smith who made that statement about success, but I have always remembered it that way. If those weren’t Gypsy’s words they certainly reflect his life and the lyrics from the song above. One day a young gypsy boy, rejected and hated by peers, heard Jesus calling him to follow all the way, and he did. For over six decades he proclaimed the good news around the world.

There we have it. Success isn’t accumulating money or trophies or being famous for some other reason that our culture values. Rich men have died paupers, if not in gold, in reputation. Strong men succumb to disease and death like the rest of us. Musicians with great voices are silenced by death. But the man or woman who knows God and understands God’s will and does it will abide forever.

How do you measure success? Success is knowing God’s will and doing it.

The Essential Ingredient for Leadership

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I came across a quote by a politician I could get excited about. He wrote: “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to what light I have.”

That’s an amazing statement. He meant it, too. The trouble is, he won’t be on the ballot. That’s because the man who spoke those words was our sixteenth president, Abraham Lincoln.

That sort of integrity seems like the rarest of elements among many in leadership today. It’s true of contemporary politics, and sadly, the same thing might be said of leadership in the Church.

We can teach leadership skills, but each of us must choose integrity.

Consider Israel’s first two kings, Saul and David. Both were chosen by God Himself. Each shared similar temperaments and strengths. But one king ended his reign in ignominy, and the other continues to be esteemed today. What made the difference?

Both Saul and David physically attractive men; Saul stood a head taller than his peers, and David was ruddy and handsome. Both displayed authentic humility when Samuel anointed them to become the leader of the nation. Both were actively involved in humble work. Saul was hunting for his father’s stray donkeys; David was herding his father’s sheep.

Saul tried to deflect the attention from himself by responding to Samuel’s pronouncement that he was to be the king of Israel, protesting, “But am I not a Benjamite, from the smallest of tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? Who do you say such things to me?” (1 Samuel 9:21). Saul even withheld from his uncle the news about his new status. In fact, on the day of his coronation Saul was hiding among the baggage.

David was retrieved from the sheepfold when Samuel came to anoint him to replace King Saul. There is no record in Scripture of David flaunting that he was the heir apparent to the throne. In fact, he entered the palace to play his harp to calm King Saul’s troubled emotions. He fought as a soldier under Saul’s command.

We discover another similarity at their coronation when both were filled with the Holy Spirit. We read that ”God changed Saul’s heart… and the Spirit of God came upon him in power…” (1 Samuel 10:9, 10). As for David, “Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power” (1 Samuel 16:13).

There we have it! Both men had the blessing of God’s Spirit before they even began to reign. Tragically, the very next verse (1 Samuel 16:14) almost screams for a response:  “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him.” Whether I like it or not, the text says that God ordained this evil spirit, perhaps some type of mental disorder, to plague Saul. Surely there had to be a reason for this severe discipline. And there was.

Soon we discover a fatal flaw in Saul’s character.

Both men were fallible, and fell into sin. But what happened when the sin of each was exposed? Their responses were like night and day.

Saul displayed impatience and a lack of faith when he foolishly assumed the role of priest before a battle. He had waited the prescribed seven days for Samuel’s arrival, but the prophet was apparently running late. Israel’s citizen-soldiers, already fearful of the impending battle, began to slip away. Rejecting Samuel’s instructions, Saul took the bull by the horns and offered the burnt sacrifices on his own.

On the surface, his offense may seem trivial. After all, Samuel should have been punctual! Responding to Samuel’s interrogation, Saul explained that he was compelled to offer the burnt offering (1 Samuel 13:12). (I hear a not-too-subtle attempt to blame Samuel’s tardiness.)

Samuel’s rebuke must have shaken the young king to the core. God’s spokesman declared that God had rejected Saul’s kingship, and that another man—with a heart for God—would replace him.

Years rolled by, and Saul once again disobeyed God’s direct command. You can read about it in 1 Samuel 15. After a dramatic military victory Saul spared the king of the Amalekites and the best of their livestock. Whatever logic Saul might have been using, it was sheer disobedience. Not to mention the fact that Saul built a monument for himself at Mt. Carmel to honor his tainted victory.

Exposed by the bleating of the cattle, Samuel confronted Saul about sparing the livestock. Backed in a corner, Saul sputtered and hedged, trying to pass off the blame on his soldiers. Finally, the angry prophet shouted, “Stop!” Only then did Saul finally admit his sin. But as you will see in the account, he seemed a lot more concerned about his public opinion polls than what the God of heaven thought about his disobedience.

David wasn’t perfect by a long shot. The sins we remember about him are recorded in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. Strolling on the palace roof in the cool night air he saw a beautiful woman bathing. An innocent glance became a lustful look. Abusing his power as king he ordered servants to retrieve Bathsheba for a one-night-stand in the royal bedroom—before sending her home before dawn to conceal any evidence. But God knew.

Weeks passed, making it appear that David’s sin would remain secret. But then the message arrived: Bathsheba was pregnant. Her husband, one of David’s most valiant soldiers, was away from home fighting a war. David’s first response to hide his sin and save face resembled Saul. But before we stone David, isn’t that our normal response when we are confronted by sin?

You know the story. David sought to preserve his reputation by bringing Bathsheba’s husband Uriah home for a little R & R. Uriah, however, proved to have more integrity than the king, refusing point blank to go home to sleep with his wife while his comrades faced peril and death on the battlefield. Even getting Uriah drunk failed. David considered his options and ended up plotting Uriah’s destruction—sending him back to the front lines with his own death warrant in hand.

Free at last, David married Bathsheba and his dirty little secret remained safely hidden. But not from the Lord—who sent Nathan the prophet to confront David, exposing his sin of adultery and murder.

This is where we discover the real difference between Saul and David.

David’s response? “I have sinned against the Lord.”

That’s it. No blaming. No excuses. No minimizing. Just honest confession. “You’re right. I did it. I am guilty.”

To really understand David’s brokenness read his prayer of confession in Psalm 51. Overwhelmed by guilt he cries for mercy. With a truly broken heart, he prays, “Blot out my transgressions…. Wash away all my iniquity… Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight.”

Realizing the depth and gravity of his sins, David went on: “Cleanse me… wash me… blot out … create in me a new heart …” David’s passion for God is revealed in these words, “Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”

David had walked with God through severe times. While hiding from Saul in the desert wilderness he could say, “Though I pass through the valley of the shadow of death, you are with me.” But now he sensed the distance he had placed between himself and his Shepherd and Guide—and he couldn’t bear it. David could endure the rejection of people and their crude gossip, but he could not tolerate the thought of another moment separated from God’s presence.

Martin Luther wrote in a letter to his friend Melanchthon, “God does not save those who are only imaginary sinners. Be a sinner, and let your sins be strong [or sin boldly], but let your trust in Christ be stronger, and rejoice in Christ who is the victor over sin, death, and the world.”

Luther wasn’t advocating sinning deliberately so God’s grace could abound (Romans 6:1). Rather, he was calling for brutal honesty in confessing our sin to God. That’s exactly what John wrote: “If we confess (admit) our sin, He (God) is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

That’s integrity. That’s what God expects from us. Remove the mask and all those attempts to appear righteous. Just ‘fess up.

Saul sought the approval of the people and lost his heart for God. David sought God’s approval because he had a heart for God.

That is why David, even with adultery and murder on his rap sheet, is called “a man after God’s own heart.” He was far from perfect, but so passionately in love with our holy God that he couldn’t tolerate the thought of losing that fellowship, that intimate friendship he had loved since boyhood.

We rightly concern ourselves about the integrity of our politicians. But what about that person looking back at us in the mirror?

Sunbeam or Searchlight?

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It was 4:30 p.m. and the winter sun, low on the horizon, sent its rays streaming through our living room. Noticing that Mary was sitting in “my” recliner, I waddled over to the sofa. What a different perspective! I was almost shocked to discover the once absolutely pure, clean air was actually alive with activity. Tiny, almost microscopic particles were soaring like a flock of miniature birds, driven by the ceiling fan lazily churning the air above me, circling in preparation to land.

These invaders, whatever they were, remained invisible until they passed through the brilliant sunshine piercing the room. Suddenly appearing as they passed through the sunbeam, they shone like miniature snowflakes or transparent jellyfish floating in the current. Some passed so close that I could hold out my hand to catch them on my palm. Even though I watched them float directly into my hand, their only moment of visibility came as they floated through the sunbeam.

It was a bit disheartening to realize that the perfectly pure air I thought I was breathing was, in reality, not so pure at all. The sunlight had shattered that myth. Without its illumination, I could have remained content and at peace in my ignorance—assuming the air that entered my nose and lungs was absolutely pure and free from contaminants.

I would have never seen the airborne dust.

A little research revealed that these invading particles have a name. They are called “aerosols”—naturally existing phenomena consisting of very small particles of dust or moisture, sometimes resulting from human activity. They have always been there in our house, but I wasn’t aware of them—until they floated in and out of the brilliant sunbeam.

So what’s the point, you ask? Good question. And yes, I do have a spiritual application.

The point is that I can live day in and day out deceiving myself, and justifying myself as a “good man.” I can convince myself that I have a handle on sin. I can even begin to believe that lust, envy, wrong anger and other sins are all “in the past,” and that nothing presently exists requiring confession and cleansing. I have become the man described in 1 John 1:8 who claims to “be without sin.”

Falling into that trap is to call God a liar. A very serious charge, wouldn’t you agree?

Often the Holy Spirit, like that brilliant sunbeam, has exposed my hidden sins through the light of God’s Word. The Bible is more than just a light directing me to stay on the path of righteousness (Psalm 119:105). The Book of Books is also the sunbeam exposing the hidden particles floating around my mind, the living room and the closet of my life.

The Bible can be much more aggressive than a sunbeam. Consider Hebrews 4:12-13: “For the word of God is living an active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirit, joints and morrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

Like that winter sunbeam exposing hidden, almost invisible particles floating in the air I breathe, the Holy Spirit uses Scripture to shock me into the reality of my heart’s condition.  When that happens, I have two choices: I can ignore the evidence, deny the guilt and remain filthy. Or, I can freely admit and confess the sin and claim God’s promise to “forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

Don’t you love that word purify? Like an air filter catching and removing all foreign particles from the air God graciously removes my sin and guilt. Even greater, He replaces my guilt with the righteousness of Christ. Can it be any better than that? 

Remember the old children’s song? Open up your heart and let the sunshine in. David said it like this:

Search me, O God, and know my heart!

Try me and know my thoughts!

And see if there be any grievous way in me,

and lead me in the way everlasting!

—Psalm 139:23-24

The Bounty of the Earth

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What’s not to love about autumn?

It’s my favorite season. One morning you step outside and sense the air has changed. Summer’s gone; it feels like football season. Deciduous trees surrender their summer green in exchange for brilliant yellow, red, burgundy and gold before bowing to winter’s advance.

When I was living in Portland several decades ago, I tried to describe this in a poem. I’ll share it with you at the end of this blog.

David, the poet king, celebrated this change of season in Psalm 65:

You visit the earth and water it;
you greatly enrich it;
the river of God is full of water;
you provide their grain,
for so you have prepared it.
You water its furrows abundantly,
settling its ridges,
softening it with showers,
and blessing its growth.
You crown the year with your bounty;
your wagon tracks overflow with abundance.
The pastures of the wilderness overflow,
the hills gird themselves with joy,
the meadows clothe themselves with flocks,
the valleys deck themselves with grain,
they shout and sing together for joy.
(Psalm 65:9–13, ESV)

Rain showers soften the hard soil so seeds can erupt to greet the sun and grow deep roots, supporting tall plants laden with grain. Wagons heavily laden with grain create tracks in the dirt, leading to granaries filling up with harvest gold. The sweet smell of new-mown drifts in the wind. I really like David’s portrait of the meadows clothing themselves with flocks of sheep and goats and cattle. There will be meat in the locker this winter.

In those few lines David captures an entire agricultural season, from springtime plowing to harvest. We see the Creator’s hand throughout the entire poem, and I can picture it all in my mind’s eye.

After the harvest has been safely gathered, everybody shouts and sings with joy. Growing up on the farm, I remember that harvest was always the most joyful season of the year.

Soon we will celebrate our national Day of Thanksgiving, savoring the bounty of God’s abundantly fertile earth.

The leaves have pretty much vacated the trees around our home as I write these words, but wow, what a display! Every season has its unique beauties, but in my book autumn crowns them all.

Here is the poem that I wrote years ago, inspired by a huge maple tree in my neighbor’s yard.

Autumn’s on retreat
Outside my kitchen door.
Uniforms of red and gold
Are marching in defeat
Falling, falling on the ground
Outside my kitchen door.

First a scout, then a sentinel
Pass by in single file.
Then two, then three, then four
Then hordes and hordes and more
Ever marching in retreat
Falling, falling on the ground
Outside my kitchen door.

Soon they slow, now two
Then one, then none
Till the last battered old general
Surrenders to winter’s deadly charge
As he joins his troops
Falling, falling on the ground
Outside my kitchen door.

A Church of One

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Recently I met a new friend while climbing Bessie Butte with my friend Troll.

We had occasionally seen David (not his real name) on our descent, and one day introduced ourselves. After a few more encounters, we had an extended conversation on the summit. We learned that David, a healthy 82-year-old, was not only an avid climber, but also a follower of Jesus. Our conversations became more personal and a friendship began to blossom.

One day I asked what church he attended. His response was immediate. He no longer attended a local church, he told us, adding that God had told him to “come out from among them.” Them being organized churches. David preferred to just read his Bible and commentaries at home. Alone.

He was a church of one.

I have met these “micro churches of one” throughout my almost 50 years of ministry. Usually, these solo believers explain that their church consists of watching a television ministry or listening to a radio preacher. They enjoy a large choir and professional musicians. They tithe faithfully to their church through the mail or online. They listen to a powerful message by a gifted preacher, and may even verbalize an “amen.”

But who heard it?

Can a televised church service replace the real thing? For a shut-in who can’t get out of bed, it seems better than nothing.

A church of one, however, doesn’t really exist. It’s a contradiction in terms. The English word “church” is translated from a Greek word ecclesia, derived from a verb “to call” and a preposition “out.” The church consists of people who have been called out from the world. Believers have not only been called out from the world, but called into God’s family. We have been chosen to become part of a great family. God never intended for us to live in isolation but always in community.

Each biblical metaphor for the church emphasizes that the church consists of many parts or individuals. A body consists of many organs, and each is vital to the welfare of the rest of the body. A building consists of many parts but remains one building. A family consists of individuals, and so does God’s family.

Can a man or woman, then, divorce themselves from a local church and still be a Christian? Can a heart go on beating outside the body? Can lungs function apart from a body? Not for long! Using another metaphor, can a flaming ember continue to burn after being separated from the campfire? Again, not for long. It will flicker, smolder, and cool to ash. Professing to be a follower of Jesus Christ and choosing to live in isolation from the rest of His family is ludicrous. Let me illustrate.

 Consider the purpose of spiritual gifts. God’s Spirit gives each true believer unique strengths or abilities to share with the rest of the church family. What is the purpose of the gift of helping in a church of one? Whom do you serve with your gift? Whom would you teach if your gift is teaching? Who would encourage you or spur you on when you are struggling if you were the only member of your micro-church? If you have been gifted with leadership, who will be following your leadership? What could be more pathetic than a one-person parade?

Every spiritual gift, to be of any value at all, demands more than one person: the gifted and the one who is blessed through the gift.

Let me demonstrate the fallacy of trying to be a church of one. When you are lying on a gurney in the ER, try calling your gifted TV pastor who edifies you each Sunday morning on your wide-screen TV. Will he hold your hand and pray with you in your dying moments? Of course not, nor should he! You are not his responsibility. He may be your preacher, but he will never be your pastor or shepherd.

Or try asking him or her to officiate at your memorial service. Remember, he doesn’t even know you exist. Imagine, in your church of one, what the “other members” will share at your celebration of life since all the members are deceased.

I am amazed when people say they love Jesus, but want nothing to do with His bride.

Seems to me, there are no churches of one.

Yes, I realize there may be a persecuted believer who is being forced to live in isolation away from the visible body of Christ. For this brother or sister, I pray that they may discover another believer, perhaps even sharing a prison cell. I pray that God, in His grace and kindness, will provide another one of His children, scattered across the world in so many unlikely places, who will encourage that lonely one when they are at the brink of hopelessness. Someone who will share a verse of Scripture or perhaps a phrase from a hymn.

But pity the professing Christian in America who proudly declares his or her separation from the rest of the church.

It’s interesting to me that our new climbing friend David seems to want to stay in touch. He has telephoned and texted me. He has purchased and read my book. He also calls me “Preach” just like my friend, Troll. I suspect that David has been lonely for a long time, and hungers for a few Christian friends.

I can appreciate that. Fellowship in a church of one remains in short supply

Come Apart before You Fall Apart

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Seems like I just put the garbage can out yesterday and here it is Friday, already!

I don’t know if it is a sign of my age or if it is the age in which we are living, but it seems like time is accelerating. I also hear that comment from friends both young and old.

Isn’t it strange that we have so many “time saving” devises that our ancestors never enjoyed? Yet, we struggle to find enough time to get everything done. My grandmother, living on the farm, never enjoyed an automatic washer or dryer. Winter or summer the clothes were hung on the line, often coming in frozen on bitter cold days. She cooked and baked bread and pies on a coal stove. The garden occupied spare moments in the summer followed by canning the produce in the fall. Winter evenings found grandma quilting or embroidering or crocheting. Grandma couldn’t even imagine warming up leftovers in just a few seconds or minutes in a microwave.

So with all our time saving equipment, why is life so hectic? Why are we so exhausted at end of day? I believe there are several possible reasons such as trying to cram more things into our schedule. My grandparents and parents, and for that fact, even my wife and I never heard the words, “soccer mom.” Contemporary parents often strive to provide their children with opportunities to expand their athletic or artistic skills. That is good, unless after dropping off and picking up two or three children, the parent feels harried and exhausted.

Today two-wage-earner-families is the norm. Mother needs to punch the clock at work, but the household duties are still there when she returns home. I am not saying that a mother working is a bad thing, but it does add responsibilities that grandma never had. If either parent also volunteers at the school or church or in the community life becomes more demanding, but there are still only 24 hours in a day.

Another reason for the faster pace may be more subtle but just as demanding. We choose to do all the above but are motivated, not out of true necessity, but from our own egos. How important I feel when I can share how busy I am! Richard Foster, known for his writing and teaching about spiritual disciplines, describes it as playing like I am the CEO of the universe, at least my universe. I confess that as a pastor I appreciated affirmation for working long hours and keeping a busy schedule. But, I must also confess too often it was the image I sought.

Other reasons for our increasingly busy lives include the social media. Facebook and our smart phones scream for our attention and steal discretionary time that we used to enjoy. Consider also our near addiction to entertainment such as television. None of these are evil in themselves. But when they begin to steal time from important things they are harmful.

If your life has become hectic, I will let you decide whether any of the above is relevant in your life. What’s more important is to identify potential dangers of trying to cram too much into the time we have. First, there is the risk of adverse physical symptoms. Stress takes a toll on the human body. We weren’t designed to run on adrenalin 24/7. We are created for both work and rest- to create and recreate.

Our world has been designed for both working and resting. There’s day and night. The Sabbath rest was first modeled by the Creator. After six days of creation, God rested. I am confident it wasn’t from fatigue but to set a pattern for those of us living in bodies of flesh. The Sabbath, a day of rest, was created for our benefit not as a duty to keep. Jesus made that crystal clear when he said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27) While reviewing the Ten Commandments with the Israelites, Moses reminded them that the Sabbath Day was given to provide rest for laborers and livestock. Even the Land was to be granted rest every seventh year.

Jesus personally sought times for solitude away from the daily grind of ministry. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” (Mark 1:35) When his disciples returned from a mission trip, Jesus “took them with him and they withdrew by themselves…” (Luke 9:10)

Solomon created one of greatest poems about the seasons of life.

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:

A time be born and a time to die,

A time to plant and a time to uproot,

A time to kill and a time to heal,

A time tear down and a time to build,

A time to weep and a time to laugh,

A time to mourn and a time to dance …

Solomon continued with his list of potential activities. Check them out for yourself in Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

One thing is certain, life isn’t meant to be lived with the pedal to the metal 24/7.

We must come apart from the stressful demands or we will come apart at the seams.

I offer a few prescriptions to help put balance in the routine of life:

  • Plan times for respite. Take a break from the hectic schedule to recharge batteries and refuel the spirit.
  • Seek solitude. Find a place to be alone in the midst of Nature.
  • Practice silence. Unplug the smart phone, pull out the ear buds and turn down the relentless media bites. Listen for a word from your Creator.

Surrender control. Step aside and let Jesus be the CEO of your busy little world

Let’s Stop “Going to Church”

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No, that is not a typo.

It’s what I intended to say—even though is seems to fly in the face of everything I have been taught and have taught as a pastor.

Yesterday as I was straightening up my computer desk I ran across an article that I had clipped out of the Jan/Feb 2019 Christianity Today magazine. The article by Dr. Krish Kandiah, entitled Church as Family, sowed the seed for today’s blog. Kandiah shared an illustration that reminded me of an experience at the small Bible College in Uganda where I have taught. In fact, I have said that if I return to teach there again, I want to address this problem.

The subtitle of the CT article said it well: “It is time to reclaim the church as something we belong to, rather than just an event venue.”

Kandiah shared about a man from northern Kenya who had fled to the south after converting from Islam, being disowned by his family and facing an imminent death threat. This believer from the north was granted sanctuary in a church building in the south. He was given a room with a mattress on the floor. Food and necessities were brought by church members every day. Now I quote:

The man was extremely grateful for their hospitality. But, he confided, the hardest part of his week was on Sunday morning after the church service when everyone went home to their families and their Sunday lunches, leaving him alone…. This church was so near and yet so far from Christ-like hospitality. The church building provided shelter, the church members provided sustenance, and the church event provided sacraments and spiritual teaching—but none of these were a substitute for the lifelong intimate commitment of a family.

The church members and the guest sleeping in the church were all Kenyans. All shared the same color of skin, but they failed to share the joy of being part of the same family, God’s family. I have witnessed a similar situation in Uganda where I discovered tribal prejudice within the Ugandan Baptist churches. When Great Britain carved out a colony in eastern Africa, they created a nation called Uganda. It may look like one nation on the map, but after centuries of tribal conflict, Ugandans remain a divided people. Sadly, that is still true to some degree within the Christian Church.

We have experienced a similar symptom when the American Church gathers on Sunday mornings—except we tend to divide over racial and theological lines. If there was any place in the world where color of skin, language and cultural differences shouldn’t matter, it is the Church.

Each of the familiar New Testament metaphors that describe the church share one common truth: there is but one Body of Christ and one spiritual building and one family of God and one Bride of Christ. Interdependence is the glue that binds us together in Christ. A building consists of many parts; each essential. A body consists of many organs; each essential to the health of the body. Families consist of different members that together make up one family. A husband and wife may be two distinct persons, each playing an essential role in the relationship, but in God’s sight, “the two have become one flesh.”

Every true believer or Christ followers belongs to one Church. Saints who lived nearly two centuries ago are part of the same Church, the one true Church, as I am today.

Please hear this: We don’t go to church, buttogether in Christ, we are the Church. My point? Let us stop just “going to church” and live like who we really are: the very body of Christ in a deeply wounded, confused, and unhappy world.

Krish Kandiah referred to a book, The Churching of America, 1776 –1990, stating that the American church is fundamentally shaped by free-market capitalism. I believe the recent emphasis upon Church Growth strategies reflects the above statement. Churches, whether we want to admit it or not, often become competitors seeking to get their share of the market. Success, based upon numerical growth, is rewarded.

After nearly 50 years of pastoral ministry I have occasionally pushed back against efforts to treat the local church like it was a business. The church is not an institution but a living organism. Yes, there are most certainly things we can learn from the business world—sound principles that can protect our integrity in communication and financial responsibility. As members of a true family, however, we must always give higher priority to relationships over statistics, graphs, and pie charts.

I share another personal example that reflects how corporate business practices have been adopted by the church. After retiring from my position at Foundry Church I deliberately stayed away a few years to encourage the congregation to accept and to love their new teaching pastor. After receiving much encouragement from the pastor and the elders to return to Foundry Church, we began to attend once more. I have tried to keep a very low profile.

A few months ago a newer attendee, upon discovering I was the former pastor, exclaimed, “What are you doing here?”

I understood the question It springs from the almost universally accepted mindset that former pastors, like CEOs of a major corporation, always clean out their desk and never return.

My response to the question was that Foundry Church is a family. I’m not a retired CEO, I’m more like a grandfather. And healthy families don’t put grandpa out to pasture.

I love our church family. I believe Foundry Church is almost unique in the way we practice being family. Several years ago we began interviewing members and attendees as part of the Sunday morning gatherings (now there’s a family word). If we are family, we should know each other.

Recently, one of our young women was interviewed. Kathy (not her real name) was leaving for college in another state. Kathy had grown up in the church, and after her grandmother passed away, continued attending even though she no longer had biological family members at Foundry Church.  In the interview she shared that she now saw Foundry Church as her family—and she was having a difficult time with the prospect of leaving us.

That’s the way church is supposed to be. The epistles are filled with “one another” commands such as love one another or bear with one another or encourage one another or spur one another on to love and good deeds. That is also the reason the author of Hebrews included the command not to forsake gathering together.

Sunday morning isn’t just an event that we “go to” or attend. It isn’t just the music or sermon or sacraments and ordinances. It’s a family gathering, a time to love on each other and, when necessary, encourage someone to act like a family member is supposed to act.

Life is tough enough as followers of Christ in a broken world without trying to go it alone. We need each other. We need family to support us. We need mentors to point the way. That is why we gather on Sundays.  Or, it should be. The way we love and accept one another is a great apologetic for the power of the gospel to transform lives.

So let’s stop going to church on Sunday. Let’s stop attending an event venue or a building. Instead let’s be the church and do church by making Sunday mornings a family reunion.

Staying Awake

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This week you have the privilege of enjoying another blog from my favorite editor, Larry Libby. Larry is a free lance editor and has edited books for several well known Christian authors. He is a personal friend and an avid follower of Jesus. Enjoy.

I first got my hands on the J. B. Phillips translation of the New Testament when I was 17, at a Baptist men’s conference with my dad. I’d found it at the book table and parted with my meager high school cash-on-hand to make the purchase.

            It made no sense to Dad. After all, I already had a black, imitation-leather, red-letter, Scofield King James Bible just like his. Why on earth did I need another?

            But it was a wonderful purchase, that still touches my life half a century later. It wasn’t long before I had discovered Romans 12, and soon had it memorized. The opening words of the chapter are as familiar to me as my address and phone number.

            “With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him….”

            That may not be a literal word-for-word translation, but it’s a concept that runs right through the New Testament. Be alert. Be awake. Be aware. Stay on your toes. Keep your eyes open. Don’t get sleepy. Armor-up.

            Shortly before He went to the cross, Jesus reminded His men that no one knows the day or hour when He will come again. He told them, “Be on your guard! Be alert!” (Mark 13:33). Then, at one of the most critical moments of the Lord’s earthly life, when He needed His friends and prayer partners the most, He found them sleeping. He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Luke 22:46).

            In 1 Thessalonians 5:6 Paul wrote: “So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.” In my well-thumbed Phillips translation, it reads: “Let us then never fall into the sleep that stupefies the rest of the world: let us keep awake, with our wits about us.”

            Peter seized on the same theme, telling his scattered readers, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

            This whole emphasis of being alert, however, really started for me in the Old Testament, rather than the New. In my daily Bible reading, I found myself in the first chapter of Ezra. But on that day, I never made it past verse 5.

            The prophet tells us that “God moved the heart of Cyrus King of Persia to make a proclamation” concerning the rebuilding of the charred and ruined temple in Jerusalem. This, of course, was a direct fulfillment of what the Lord had spoken to the prophet Jeremiah, decades before.

            What a curious thing. God moved a pagan king’s heart. After all those years of captivity, a supernatural wind was stirring the leaves, and beginning to bend the trees.

            God MOVED. And then He MOVED again. In verse 5 it says, “Then…everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem.”

            Suddenly, God moved, and in a way few people expected. He moved in the heart of a Persian emperor, ruling over a huge swath of the known world. And then after that, God moved in the hearts of His people. And everyone who had been moved, started packing. I can imagine some of them saying to one another, “This is crazy, isn’t it? I have no idea what this will be like or how we’ll pull this off. It’s kind of scary to pull up roots and head out to a place most of us have never seen, but God is moving. So let’s have an estate sale, pack a bag or two and get going.”

            Ezra says that God moved in the hearts of His people.

But not all of them. Why not?

            Here was the prospect of a great adventure and a mighty move of God’s Spirit that no one had experienced in living memory. This was something so profound that people in a far-distant land over 2,500 years later would be reading about and discussing that very event. (That’s you and me.)

            Even so, the great move of God, that unprecedented opportunity, sailed right over the heads of most of the Jewish exiles; they simply weren’t going to be a part of it. Things had become comfortable in Babylon. Life was easy, and maybe everyone was just a little bit sleepy.

            After encountering the word “moved” in Ezra 1:1 and 1:5, I was curious about its Hebrew roots. What I discovered gave me a real surprise. The word literally means “to open the eyes, to awaken.” God opened the eyes of Cyrus, sitting on his throne. And then He began opening the eyes of His people.

            A silent, insistent alarm was ringing, but not everyone woke up. Not everyone pulled back the covers and opened the curtains to a most extraordinary new day. Most people hit the snooze button. Most people shrugged their shoulders, played it safe and stayed in Babylon.

            So I can’t help but ask myself a few questions. What if God moves in my day? What if—right now—He is doing something unpredictable, unexpected, even way out of left field? What if He is moving right now—in my family, in my neighborhood, in my church, in my city, in my country? Will He move me, too? Or will I miss it? Will I be hoeing my potatoes in Babylon while He is re-writing history?

            But how could that happen to me? What would keep me from sensing a supernatural groundswell?

            The answer isn’t all that complicated. If I do miss it, it will be because I am preoccupied with other things. Everyday life things. Maybe my work. Maybe my worries. Maybe my hobbies. Maybe Fox News. Maybe a health concern. Maybe all the fiction books I love to read. Maybe laziness. Maybe certain sins that I really don’t want to let go of.

            Will I be aware of a move of God under my own roof? (I could tell you about a time when it went right around me.) Will I sense a stirring in my church? Will I finally open my eyes? Or will I be on the sidelines, a sleepy, self-satisfied nonparticipant, while He shakes foundations and pierces walls all around me?

These are questions that, for me, are worth asking right now. The words I encountered back in 1968 in my Phillips New Testament keep saying the same thing.

“With eyes wide open….”

So, What’s New? (Telling Whole Story)

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Everybody loves to share good news.

When it’s really good news—big news, headline news—it’s almost impossible to get people to hold back on the details. Me? I’m more of a bottom-line-kind-of-guy. I like a quick summary, boiled down to the essentials. Get to the point and spare me the nitty-gritty details.

Years ago a man entered my office almost hyperventilating and exploding with enthusiasm as he shared details about his young son’s recent victory in the local soap box derby. I will never forget the total transformation of this once quiet, introverted father who hardly ever spoke more than the basic Sunday morning greetings. News about his son’s soapbox triumph was too good to keep to keep to himself, so I got the whole story.

That’s the way we ought to feel about the wonderful news of the gospel. Our English word gospel comes from a compound Greek word εὐαγγέλιον, consisting of an adjective εὐ (good) and a noun αγγέλιον (word or announcement). In the New Testament it is usually referred to as the gospel or the good news about Jesus Christ.

The gospel is the core, the beating heart, of our Christian message. It’s the good news from Jesus and about Jesus that we have been entrusted to share with the entire world. That is the mission of the Church and of each follower of Jesus Christ.

So then, if spreading the good news is our mission, wouldn’t you assume that we would have the message down pat?

In a word, yes.

After nearly 2,000 years of sending missionaries and planting churches and writing theology books and distributing the Bible in almost every language on planet earth, we should have a handle on the gospel. We may not agree on details about baptism or church government or some finer points of theology, but we know all about the gospel, don’t we?

Or do we? Perhaps not. At least not the complete story. If you were to have asked me 20 ago, after already serving as a pastor for over 25 years, “what is the gospel?” I would have dived into 1 Corinthians 15:1-8. That’s the passage where Paul declares that he had personally received the gospel from Jesus Christ and adds, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” To authenticate the truth of the resurrection Paul lists eyewitnesses, including himself.

Consider these statements in 1 Corinthians:

  • Christ died in our place, for our sins! The debt has been paid in full so I can be forgiven and be declared righteous in God’s sight. That is good news!
  • Christ was buried, but the grave could not hold Him. Having conquered death, Jesus departed the tomb and was seen by more than 500 eyewitnesses over a period of forty days. Death is now a vanquished foe. Jesus lives and so shall we. Good news? Exceptional!

I don’t believe Paul was claiming that the above truths are all there is to the gospel. Jesus’ death and resurrection were essential facts to support Paul’s message that death has been defeated. Paul also offered plausible explanations as to how dead, decaying bodies can live again. But his main point to the Corinthian believers was driven home in verse 58. “Therefore, my dear brother, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”

Paul shared enough of the good news to encourage his readers to hang in there through thick and thin, because everything they did had eternal value. Nothing was insignificant. Every good work would be rewarded someday.

            Now, let’s consider the rest of the story. The resurrection provides motivation for living godly lives, but also gives us the strength to endure adversity and to accomplish the mission Jesus left for His followers. We have been commissioned to be His witnesses by taking the good news to the rest of the world. To appreciate the full story of what happened after the resurrection stop and read Luke’s description in Acts 1:1-5.

Even the words, “what Jesus began to do and to teach” are significant. Jesus may have completed His redemptive mission and may have shared His last public discourse, but the work had just begun. The mission would continue without His physical presence.

Vital truths are imbedded in the first few paragraphs of Acts. Jesus “was taken up to heaven” (Acts 1:2). Jesus spoke to them about “the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3) and instructed them to “wait for the gift my Father promised” (Acts 1:4, 5).

Let’s unpack those truths.

His ascension back into heaven is described in verse 9, “before their very eyes.”  The author of Hebrews wrote, “After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3). Taking this seat of honor displayed the Father’s complete satisfaction in Jesus’ finished work of redemption. Nothing more needed to be done or could be done to please God. That’s good news! That’s gospel truth.

During those forty days Jesus continued to teach His disciples about the Kingdom of God. I believe we have essentially deleted this from the gospel. We tend to focus on the personal aspect of salvation, our relationship with God including the new birth experience. Of course that relationship is significant. It includes the assurance of spending eternity with God. No need to fear hell anymore. That is wonderful, life-giving news. According to the Synoptic (first three) Gospels, Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom. The question is, do we? Or, have we settled for only a part of the good news?

What is this kingdom gospel?  At the risk of sounding too simplistic, it is submitting to the reign of God in our personal relationships. Instead of following my natural “self-first” attitude, it is putting others first. Instead of retaliation for perceived offenses, it is turning the cheek. It is valuing what God values. Things like justice, mercy, grace and love. These are the very reasons post-moderns often choose to reject or to welcome our message. They care little about our dogma (as important as it is) but value acts of mercy and compassion in our broken world.

If and when our belief in the gospel transforms our lives so that we impact our culture, critics will take note of us as they did the first century Christians who were recognized for serving the sick and dying in time of plague, and for rescuing abandoned (usually girls) babies in the back alleys of Rome.

Finally, one more piece of the full gospel message is vital. Jesus ascended to heaven and He and the Father sent the Holy Spirit to indwell, empower and encourage Christ-followers to live out the gospel of the Kingdom in this broken world. Jesus told His disciples to wait until the Spirit came to “baptize them.” 

Consider Jesus’ promise (not a command), “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.” (Acts 1:8)

Without the Holy Spirit as part of the good news we are left to carry out a humanly impossible mission. Jesus encouraged His disciples in the Upper Room on the eve of His crucifixion by sharing something that must have sounded almost ludicrous at the time. “It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.”

Jesus came to earth to die in our place. He rose from the grave and returned to the Father and has sent the Holy Spirit to empower us to continue His kingdom work. That’s the gospel truth.

The rest is history. One-hundred-twenty ragtag followers were empowered with the Holy Spirit to unleash the gospel message and, supported by their transformed lives, to turn the world upside down. That is the power of the gospel. The full gospel.

            And if there is better news on earth or across the galaxies, I haven’t heard about it.

Making New Words

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Words are the basic building blocks of human language. We create words to describe our world and our experiences. Language is never static, but living, flowing like a river, and always expanding to describe our changing world.

Imagine our forefather Adam after he had been given the task to choose names for all the animals. I picture him like a small child, exploring his world, pointing at animals and making sounds that had never been made before… “Dog…horse…monkey….” Each new day he would be adding hundreds of words to his vocabulary.

Back in 1895, when German scientist Wilhelm Conrad Routgen discovered an invisible ray that could penetrate solid matter, he created a brand-new word: X-ray. X is Algebraic symbol for an unknown quantity.

At the turn of the 20th Century a strange, noisy vehicle began to replace the horse and buggy. At first they called these contraptions “horseless carriages,” because they were mobile, yet unattached to a horse. They could operate by themselves. Hence auto mobiles.

In the past three decades there have been so many new discoveries that the pace of creating new words has accelerated. Try these for example: The Cloud, Virtual Reality, Social Media and Artificial Intelligence. Who knows what new word will may be added to the dictionary tomorrow?

As rapidly as our vocabulary is being enlarged today, there was a time very long ago when several new words were birthed within a few hours—in response to one historical incident. Most of the words carry negative connotations and describe unpleasant emotions.

It all started in a garden many, many millennia ago. As I share the story, I will describe two days: yesterday and today.

Yesterday the couple was happily married and enjoying every experience the garden offered. Innocence and complete trust were the norm in their relationship. Yesterday they anticipated the Landlord’s daily visit in the cool of the evening. Yesterday they listened for His familiar voice while waiting at the rendezvous place. Yesterday the three of them were chatting like close friends, giving an account of their day’s activities and nibbling on their favorite fruit from the orchard.

That was yesterday.

Today everything has changed. It’s a brand-new world. Emotions never felt before are now part of their vocabulary.

Words like shame. Having eaten forbidden fruit the Landlord had warned against eating, “The eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were both naked so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves” (Genesis 3:7). Coverings, yes, but they couldn’t cover the shame that pressed at them from all sides. We still struggle with shame today.

And then there was fear. Yesterday they feared nothing, certainly not the daily visit of the Landlord. But today when “The man and his wife heard the sound of (the Landlord) … they hid themselves …” “But the Lord God (the Landlord) called to the man, ‘Where are you? He answered, ‘I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid’” (Genesis 3:8, 9). Like our ancestors, we live with fear. Left alone we either deny the Landlord’s existence or imagine Him to be unfairly harsh.

By the way, God’s question, “Where are you?” was not asked in ignorance. Nor were they the words of a police officer seeking to arrest a criminal. God knew where they were and why.  These were the words of a loving father calling out to a lost child.

Another new word describes an emotional response that didn’t exist yesterday.

Blame.

When the Landlord asked who had enticed them to eat the forbidden fruit Adam responded, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (Genesis 3:12). The woman followed her husband’s example and pointed her finger at the serpent. Yesterday they both proudly accepted responsibility, but today they are playing the blame game.

Yesterday the concept of death was foggy at best. The Landlord had warned that they would die if they ate of the forbidden fruit. But what was death? All they had ever known was life, wonderful life. Today they could still walk about the garden and breathe in air, but they were as good as dead in another sphere. The unique life they had enjoyed with the Landlord yesterday had changed. Fellowship had been broken. Every descendant would be born spiritually dead. None would know the fellowship the couple had shared yesterday.

In consequence, the Landlord slaughtered animals to create clothing for them. Sacrifice, bloody sacrifice now became part of their lives. Death became the dreaded enemy every person would now fear but also succumb to. Grief, another new word, is now part of human existence.

Yesterday the man and wife enjoyed intimacy with each other and with the Landlord. There were no hidden secrets in the closet to hinder their relationship. But today, they struggle to trust one another. New words such as loneliness, alienation and separation now describe their emotions. Today, the Landlord has forever evicted them from the garden.

These new vocabulary words described negative emotions, but a new word packed with positive emotions was also birthed that fateful day.

It was hope.

Hope has sustained people through severe trials. This hope is not wishful thinking such as “I hope it doesn’t rain on our picnic.” Biblical hope is confidence in someone or something. One dictionary defines hope as persisting in believing something against all odds or as unwavering conviction. The Bible connects hope with faith to describe Abraham’s response to God’s seemingly impossible promise to give Sarah and him a baby in their golden years: “In hope he (Abraham) believed against all hope…  fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised” (Romans 4:18, 21, esv).

Faith is a choice to believe something even when it seems impossible. Hope is the emotion that feeds off the choice of believing something because we trust the One who has made the promise. I believe all the stories in the Bible can be tied together by the word hope. God not only evicted Adam and Eve from the garden, but He also promised that someday paradise would be restored when the “seed of the woman would smite (crush) the head of the serpent” (Genesis 3:15).

The gospels open with the birth of that promised seed and close with the promise that Jesus will return again. There will be a renewed earth where God once again walks among His people like He did in the garden.

Christ-followers are to find courage in the midst of trials by claiming this “blessed hope” (Titus 2:11-14). Even Nature hopes for (anticipates) liberation from the curse. The Bible concludes with a promise, “Behold, I am coming soon.”

Today we live in the in-between time. Yesterday is forever gone. Today we live in a broken world. Since the eviction notice was served mankind no longer lives in yesterday’s paradise. Life is riddled with pain and suffering and loss. Guilt, shame, fear and alienation drive a wedge between God and us and between each other.

But we cling to tomorrow’s promise. Even in times like these we can live as people of hope. Let us begin each new day by anticipating this may be the day and respond, “Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.”

Whether through the passageway of death or the glorious return of Christ, we choose hope. We choose to believe because we know it will worth it all when see Him and hear His voice, as our first parents heard Him in a long-ago garden when the world was new.