Let The Church Rise

I happened to be reading a book by Eugene Peterson’s for a class I’m taking for my course work at Regent University.  The book is entitled, "Working the Angles."  I  was immediately taken by his focused and laser like approach to the state of the church.  That this was written in 1987 is no small proof to the fact he is speaking prophetically to the church in this hour.

The word picture he paints for the reader in the introduction stunned me when I first read it: “Pastors of America have metamorphosed into a company of shopkeepers, and the shops they keep are churches.” 

Little did he probably know that in the late 90’s and so far this current decade the ministry of a pastor has been reduced to just that; a shopkeeper.  In fact, so much so, that we are told the truly successful pastor will need to exhibit a CEO quality to his leadership.  This implies that a successful pastor must not only exhibit a certain personal drive and charisma, but he must gather around him a team that is going to be versed in the art of commerce!  Only by doing so will the church grow to mega proportions (as if that is the goal).

For success, you will need a VP of Human Resources, and a VP of Marketing and Advertising, you will not be able to do without the help of both a CIO and a CFO, and heaven help you if you leave off  the team the expertise of a qualified CCO (read: Chief Communications Officer – the worship and praise person). 

I am of the opinion that we’ve have moved so far away from what church and pastoring was suppose to be, that I’m not sure we would even recognize (much less validate) the authentic any longer.  To our chagrin, we have made church (and the worship of church) the center of our attention and focus.  It is not!  Certainly we would all nod in agreement that Jesus Christ is the center of our focus and attention – but more specifically, it is His kingdom and His kingdom authority and rule that is. 

From the very first day of creation He desired to have a visible display of His kingdom on earth.  Sin messed that up, but the Redeemer, our King Jesus, restored the Kingdom by dealing with the sin issue.  His message was, and has always been “kingdom.”  He preached it, he lived it, he displayed it, he promoted it, and he commissioned us to propagate it.  He only mentioned church two times in his entire ministry (Matthew 16 and 18). 

I think too often we get caught up in "church" and our way of doing "church"  - and we tend to rapidly forget that the church is the messenger not the message!!  We have made it just the opposite to our dismay.  It is a wonderful display of the Kingdom of God in action but it was never meant to be the end all to be all.  Jesus stayed with his disciples 40 days after his resurrection - to talk about what?  The church? No.  He almost exclusively emphasized the Kingdom.  Unfortunately, they didn't get it.  They didn't outright reject it - - they did worse, they reduced it.  They tried in their day to make this magnificent and total/universal Kingdom of God into nationalism.

But I'm afraid we've reduced it as well.  Foster is feeling the same way. Depending on the different times and seasons in church history these last 2000 years, we have made it innocuous by reducing it to ecclesiasticism, where the church becomes the Kingdom, or the denomination becomes the Kingdom, or the nation becomes the Kingdom, or this or that particular type of spiritual experience is the Kingdom; and so on.  

I think there is renewal afoot - and it's exciting.  I certainly sense it in me as a local pastor of a local church.  And it's a renewal of the very thing that Christ came to once again unveil - the Kingdom of God.  It so much bigger and more encompassing - - it's so totalitarian than anything we can imagine.  It is the very thing that can and will change our world - the good news, the message of the Kingdom.  

This is why Peterson’s book is so timely in my thinking.  I can’t seem to put it down and am totally challenged by its premise.  Prayer is going to have to become the priority and lifestyle of every single Christian minister and leader in the days ahead.  If we are not drawing close to God to hear His voice, we can forget about ever speaking or operating in Kingdom terms (with a prophetic word in our mouths). 

I am drawn these days to the story of Daniel.  A young man taken out of his familiar surroundings and planted dead center in the middle of an anti-God environment (much like America today?).  He represented Kingdom at every opportunity – and he did so by establishing a life of prayer, fasting and other disciplines in order that he might be the ‘prophetic voice’ that the world was looking for. 

If old King Nebuchadnezzar represents our current world – then Daniel 2:3 lets me know that there are millions of people out there waiting and anxious to “know the dream.”  By spending time in prayer and fasting before God, we can have that dream revealed to us.  I say, “Let the church rise.”

I Predict This Will Encourage You!

HERE IS A WORD THAT WAS GIVEN DURING OUR STAFF PRAYER TIME THIS MORNING (From The Message Bible):

"Say this:  God you are my refuge.  I trust in you and am safe!  That's right - he rescues you from hidden traps, shields you from deadly hazards.  His huge outstretched arms protect you and under them you are perfectly safe; his arms fend off all harm.  Fear nothing!  Not wild wolves in the night, not flying arrows in the day, not disease that prowls through the darkness, not disaster that erupts at high noon.  Even though others succumb all around, and drop like flies right and left, no harm will even graze you.  You will stand untouched, watch it all from a distance, watch the wicked turn into corpses.  Yes, because God is your refuge, the High God your very own home, evil cannot get close to you, harm cannot get through the door.  He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go.  If you stumble they will catch you; their job is to keep you from falling.  You will walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path.  And if you will hold on to me for dear life, says God, I'll get you out of any trouble.  I will give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me.  Call me and I will answer, be at your side in bad times; I will rescue you, then throw you a party!

Pretty encouraging if you ask me!

How Much of Myself Must I Give?

I was reading an excerpt from C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity this week and that same question was poised by him in the book.  It sort of stopped me cold when I realized that I didn't actually know the answer.  Better put - not sure I was living the answer.

Lewis goes on to explain the answer to this question by reminding us that the way we typically think is that as long as I'm being "good" and not "bad" or doing "bad", then all the demands for the Christian life have been met.  This stance however leaves the old natural man still as the main ingredient and hopefully he will still have some chance, to get on with life and do what he likes!

In other words - - if we answer the above question with our natural self as the starting point, we haven't answered the question correctly.

The Christian life and Christian way is much different: it is both harder and easier.  Christ says, "Give me All."  Lewis explains it this way, with God saying, "I don't want so much of your time and so much of your money, and so much of your work:  I want You.  I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it.  No half-measures will do."

In other words - we're required to hand over the WHOLE natural self, all the desires you think are innocent as well as the ones you know are wicked - the whole package.  Then He gives you a new self.  In fact, He gives you Himself.

That's both harder and easier than what we are all trying to do.  Harder, because Christ said, "Take up your cross" - in other words, it is like going to be beaten to death in a concentration camp.  The next minute he says, "My yoke is easy and my burden light."

I think he says both because he means both.  The contrast between God's way of doing things and our way is never more acute than in the area of human change and transformation.  We focus on specific actions: God focuses on us.  We work from the outside in; God works from the inside out. We try; God transforms.

When I read this excerpt from Lewis at the beginning of the year, it brought me to my knee's, and I could hardly finish it.  I suddenly knew what was wrong: I had been using my "natural self" as the starting point.  I had been trying to keep my self and its desires intact.  Christ was merely an addition to my self.  After reading this passage, I have resolved to live this year consciously listening to the voice of Christ and letting the new self - the one that Christ gives me - to come to life.

My prayer is that God will do the same for you that he wants to do for me!

Entering 2010

Well, it's finally happened. My wife and others have been after me for some time to start 'blogging' and I've determined the start of a new year is probably the best time to do so. Additionally, I am taking a course this semester at Regent University that is called "Leading Spiritual Formation and Renewal" and this course requires me to write every week on something that is affecting my "spiritual formation."

So - here we go. Stay tuned for more. I will try to hit this at least once a week.