April Needs the Gospel

My family and I were on our way to Sea World this morning when I realized that I needed to stop for gas.  I pulled into the gas station and drove up to the pump.  Out of the corner of my eye to the right, I thought I saw a woman sitting in the passenger seat of a truck crying uncontrollably.  As I looked over, what I saw began to break my heart.  The woman was weeping and cowering like a dog that had just been beaten.  There was a man at her window obviously trying to make up for whatever had just gone down.  I've seen that lying look on the face of all kind of abusers.  You know the one.  "It's not that bad."  "I'm sorry, but you shouldn't have talked like that."  "Baby, please forgive me."  "Stop crying, you're making a fool out of yourself."

I felt the adrenaline start to rush inside of me and the Holy Spirit saying, "what are you going to do?"  So that I didn't do anything stupid, I got out of the van and began to pump gas and pray, watching as the man left the woman in the truck to go inside.  She was still crying, looking in the mirror, trying to compose herself.  Now I could see the bruises on her cheek.  My wife later told me that she could see the bruises on her arms.  Unfortunately, I didn't witness anything or I would have called the police.  I finished pumping the gas, put my keys back in the van, and walked over to the truck where the woman was crying.  I asked her if she was ok and what her name was.  She said her name was April and that they had been arguing, but nothing violent had happened.  She was obviously lying out of fear.  I told her that she needed help and how she could could contact me for help.  She told me she lived in Altamonte Springs.  Seeing that she wasn't going to do anything right then and not wanting to get her in more trouble, I prayed with her and we left.

As we drove away, I cried.  This is the very reason that we can not play "churchianity" anymore.  April needs the GOSPEL!!!  She doesn't need our programs, our Bible studies, our potlucks, our giveaways, or our churchy talk.  She needs to know the truth that she is an image bearer of God, suffering under her own sin and the sin of those around her.  She needs to know that the God who made her came to this earth to save her from sin.  She needs to know that she has a perfect Father, Friend, Savior, Brother, Husband, and Counselor and His name is Jesus.  She needs to know that Jesus died for her sin and was raised from the dead so that she might move from a life of death to an eternal life.

Without communities being transformed by the gospel, we will miss the April's of this world.  They will pass through our Sunday morning feel good events and leave never seeing the hope lived out among the people of God.  We have to stop going to church and start being the church.  The church sent to continue the work of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit.  We have to bring healing to our communities, our cities, and the world.

Because there are people out there who need the gospel.
Because that man needs the gospel.
Because April needs the gospel.

Freed To Love

Have you ever considered how enslaved we really are?  We are so captivated (notice the word captive there) by our never ending hunger for peace of mind.  I am always amazed at where I look for this peace of mind.  Food, entertainment, knowledge, relationships, sex, etc, etc.  We are unsuspecting slaves, searching for the one thing that will satisfy all our cravings, all our longings.  I say unsuspecting because, at first, we believe that we are the masters in control of our cravings.  We believe our favorite late night snack exists to comfort us.  We believe movies exist to let our imaginations soar.  We believe that our knowledge of a particular skill will help us advance in our careers.  We believe that sex exists for our enjoyment and will bond us to another.

How quickly our cravings turn on us though!  What we once thought we had mastered, now becomes our master.  Food, once a comforting late night friend, now becomes our only comforter.  Movies, once a provocative entertainer, now twist our thoughts into torturous dissatisfaction.  Knowledge, once a helpful tool, now pushes us into careers full of discontent.  Sex, once a joyful experience, now becomes a lust that is never fully satisfied.  What happened?  We were just out there enjoying our lives, when all of a sudden everything we enjoyed turned into a cruel, demanding slave driver.  We find ourselves shackled to the things we once only occasionally tinkered with.  They were like pets in our home, who suddenly were able to speak, overpowered us, put us in collars, and chained us on a leash.  We can't seem to survive without our masters.

Most of us never want to admit how enslaved we really are to our cravings.  It is embarrassing!  If people only knew!  I want you to try something right now.  Close your eyes and imagine all the masters in your life.  Who dictates what you do and why you do it?  Not who do you want to dictate, but who IS dictating.  Is it your career, your spouse, your children, your Doritos, religion, pornography, friends, yourself?  Now, ask this, "am I satisfied in these masters?"  If you answered "no", then there is hope.  If you answered "yes", then know that all these masters will let you down some day.

You see our desire for an all satisfying answer to our craving for peace of mind is not some cosmic joke.  There really is a cure for our cravings.  But there is only ONE cure for those cravings.  We are not the answer.  Food, entertainment, knowledge, relationships, and sex do not exist to serve our purposes.  They exist because they were CREATED, just as we were CREATED!  All of creation was not created to serve us, but to serve the purposes of the creator.  They exist for God, just as we exist for God.  What will inevitably happen when we try to make created things serve us?  Those created things will become our masters, our gods.  But they are unable to satisfy, because they were not created for themselves either.  Who will free us from this death spiral that chokes the very life and light out of us?  It is for this very reason that Jesus came!

We are on this quest for peace of mind because we do not know the one who made us.  Only He can put us at ease.  So in our life absent from God, we search for something to take His place, rebelling against His love.  A deadly spiral of lust giving birth to sin which gives birth to death becomes our daily reality.  The death spiral must be removed before we will see God.  Jesus' death on the cross was to break the curse of sin and death that we might be free from our chains.  Through faith (belief and trust) in the finished death and resurrection of Jesus, we are free to love the way we were created to love.  Have you ever noticed how all these false masters lead to broken relationships in our lives as well?  It is because we are not free to love.  But in Christ Jesus we are FREED TO LOVE!!!  We can have that ever escaping peace of mind, we can love God freely, and we can love others without restraint.  Paul's words in Galatians 5:1 and 5:13-14 make our souls soar with satisfaction in the completed work of Jesus

Galatians 5:1 ~ For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:13-14 ~ For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

Confess, Repent, Forgive, Reconcile

Lately I have been learning some valuable lessons about how we grow in discipleship with one another.  Probably the main lesson is something I want to share here.  When fighting sin in our lives as a community, I believe there are four things we should strive for through the power of the Holy Spirit.  I believe these four things are meant to build on one another.

1)Confess

Confession is more than talking to a priest or admitting to God that you did something bad.  We must confess our sin to one another, admitting that we do not worship Jesus as we should.  This part of confession is the admission that we are sinners in need of a savior.  As John writes in I John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  If we are unable to confess our sin, then we are still hiding behind the lie that we have no need for a savior.  John continues in verse 10, "If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."  Confessing, or admitting to, our sin is crucial to our growth in knowing our need for Jesus.

Confession is also confessing that Jesus is Lord.  This means that we admit that He has defeated sin and death and is Lord over our sin.  Confessing Jesus is vital to reminding ourselves of the Gospel that Jesus is glorious because He has power over sin.  Otherwise, in our confession of sin, we will be left to think we have to fight it on our own.  But we fight sin by the power of the Holy Spirit, which is the same power that rose Jesus from the dead.  Without confessing Jesus as our Lord, we do not have the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.  John says in I John 4:15, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."  To fight sin, we must start by confessing that sin and then confessing that Jesus is Lord over the sin.

2)Repent

To repent means to turn around and head in a different direction.  Once we have confessed our sin, we must turn from it.  Biblical repentance is a result of God's kindness, revealing to us how far from Him we actually are (Romans 2:4).  Being so far from Him, we can't possibly know Him.  And knowing the Father and Jesus is the very meaning of life (John 17:3).  So, the sight of sin should grieve us to the point of turning from it and never wanting to see it again.  If we are grieved because someone calls out our sin, we will never really turn from it.  But if we realize how greatly we have offended God in our sinning, we will turn from it to pursue Jesus.  As Paul says in II Corinthians 7:9-10, "As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death."

Repentance is more than turning away from our sin.  If this is all we do and have no vision for where we are going, we are doomed to make a 360 and head back for sin.  That is why Jesus came, to reveal the mysteries of God.  He came to save sinners, so that they might have life and have it to the fullest.  Paul tells the church in Thessalonica, "you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God."  We don't just turn our back on sin, we now live in the power of God serving Him.  In repenting from sin, we turn away from it, but then we ask ourselves, "what will I pursue in Christ?"  Do we need to trust that He is ultimately good?  That He is more gracious than anyone else?  That He is greater than all my circumstances?  That He is more glorious than everyone else?  Turn from sin and turn towards our loving Savior.

3)Forgive

As we turn from our sin and turn towards Jesus, we have to be reminded that we have been forgiven for our sin.  As John said, if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us.  Most of us hang on to sin and keep looking back because we do not believe the gospel enough.  The gospel is the good news that for God's glory, Jesus died for our sin and was resurrected, so we might move from death to life.  We have been forgiven so we might live.  Jesus has already saved us from the penalty of sin, so we do not have to punish ourselves.  Colossians 1:13-14, "He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." We should accept this forgiveness freely given in Christ, not trample it by punishing ourselves over sin.

We also must seek to forgive others as we overcome sin in our life.  Satan will attempt to lie to us, telling us that the blame for sin is laid at the feet of others.  But we take responsibility for our own sin.  And if anyone has sinned against us, we must remember that we are not their judge.  If Christ has forgiven us, how can we not forgive others?  To grow in our discipleship means to forgive others, just as we have been forgiven.  Ephesians 4:32, "Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you."

4)Reconcile

The end result in all of this is to be reconciled.  This is exactly the ministry that Jesus came to do, to reconcile lost humanity to God.  His ministry was one of reconciliation.  Know that if we walk through confession, repentance, and forgiveness, we will be reconciled to God.  God reconciled us while we were His enemies through the death of Jesus.  He holds together that reconciliation through the resurrection.  Romans 5:10, "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."  So worship God!  If we believe that God has done all this in Jesus, then there is no condemnation.  We are free to be with our God.  Reconciliation.

If we are reconciled to God, we can be reconciled to one another.  We are ministers of reconciliation, seeking to bring others into unity through Jesus.  The work of Jesus was to save sinners and reconcile them to God.  But this has a byproduct as well.  Reconciled sinners are also reconciled to one another.  And as a reconciled community, we stand as a testimony to the redeeming, unifying work of Jesus to bring peace to all men.  Paul says it best in II Corinthians 5:17-21

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Elders and the Church

What is an elder?

            The concept of Elder (aged, mature, example among the people) is definitely tied to the concept of overseer (supervisor, looks after) and shepherd (pastoring the flock).  However, in I Peter 5, Elder is the noun, oversight and shepherd are the verbs.  We should be careful not to assign titles where they are unnecessary.  The less titles in the church the better.

            Taking a broad overview of scripture leads me to this conclusion.  Elders are mature men of the faith, equipped and called by God to set an example for the church in word and deed.

            This means that they are to be examples of what it is to follow Christ, prior to being recognized as an elder.  Whether it is an outsider or part of the family, others should look at an elder and think, “that is what it means to be a Christian.”  Not perfection, but a Gospel-centered, humble lifestyle that seeks to give God glory in every area.

            It also means that they should already be teaching others how to follow Christ.  They should be leading a Gospel Community, regularly involved with both believers and unbelievers.  All of their relationships should be intentional disciple making relationships.  One should be recognized as an elder among the people, not handed a title.

What does an elder do?

            In 1 Timothy 3, the term elder is not used, but the noun form of overseer is.  The description of this “office” is very similar to Titus 1 where Paul writes about elders.  It is probably safe to assume that the usage of Elder and Overseer is fairly interchangeable.  This makes a great deal of sense based on the OT usage of elders.  They were to look after the people, make judgments, and lead families in following God’s ways.

            It would seem that the responsibility of an elder should be to oversee the Gospel Communities.  This is where we live out our faith.  The best way to do this would be through two methods.

1)  Coaching the Gospel Community leaders in a cluster

2)  Meeting regularly to discuss matters related to the extended church family (teaching, discipline, support, planting, sending, etc)

            Elders, like everyone else in the church, should work within their gifting.  Some are teachers, some are pastors, some are prophets, etc.  No two elders are alike.  We must celebrate our differences so we can become a more holistic body.  Because of this, some elders will be paid by the church, some will not.  Some will focus on the gathering, some on church planting, some on global missions, some on gospel communities.  It will depend largely on their gifting by the Spirit.  What a freeing concept!

How do we recognize elders?

            As mentioned before, men become elders not through titles or elections, but through living as an example.  Therefore, we do not appoint, approve, or vote in an elder, rather we recognize elders that God has raised up.  They should be confirmed through a system.

            I Timothy 3 says, “if anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.”  The aspiration to be recognized as an elder should first come from the individual.  They may be encouraged by others and even “recruited” by current elders, but ultimately the individual should have to take the first step.

            Once they have submitted themselves, the elders should conduct a thorough investigation.  How are they doing leading their family?  How are they doing leading their Gospel Community?  What kind of reputation do they have at work or in their neighborhood?  This process should involve interviewing both the potential elder, his family, his Gospel Community, and several outsiders.

            After enough information has been gathered about the potential elder, the elder body should discuss whether the individual meets the criteria of scripture.  There are other factors that should come into play as well.  The 4 C’s (from North Point):

            -Character (I Tim 3, Titus 1, and I Peter 5)

            -Competence (can they coach others and teach people)

            -Chemistry (is “now” the right time for them with the current team)

            -Culture (do we agree doctrinally and philosophically)

How long should an elder serve?

            When we see the church as family, this question seems a bit odd.  Eldership is a role that the elder should continually aspire to.  In fact, if at any point he does not want the responsibility of eldership, he has neglected the first qualification in I Timothy 3.  Elders are elders for life, because that is who they are.

            However, because being an elder is based on who you are and not what you do, if the individual ceases to be worthy of the recognition of elder, he should also be stripped of the title.  All elders should be formally evaluated yearly and informally evaluated every day.  If the elder is failing to fulfill his calling as an elder, he needs to repent and take appropriate action.  If he refuses to act on his own, then the other elders must take actions to bring him to repentance and reconciliation.

Where is the Lord's house?

My trip to Myanmar made me think deeper about the issue of "places of worship."  In John 4, the Samaritan woman questions Jesus about the proper place for worship.  His response to her is that the Father is looking for worshippers who worship in Spirit and Truth.  But what about all of the examples in the OT where God calls His people to come worship Him in the Temple?  Or where the Psalmists long for worshipping in the Temple in Jerusalem on Mount Zion?  This seems to create a yearning for location specific worship.  Psalm 122 really had me thinking about this:

A Song of Ascents. Of David.  

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of the house of David. 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! “May they be secure who love you! Peace be within your walls and security within your towers!” For my brothers and companions’ sake I will say, “Peace be within you!” For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your good.

David had such a longing to go to the house of the Lord.  He loved the city, the brothers and companions there, and he longed for the peace of the city.  David's heart is not to be lost.  It carries into the life of a Christian.  But Psalm 122 is no longer about the city of Jerusalem.  It is about the church!

In Hebrews 8-10, the author goes to great length to explain that the tabernacle, sacrifices, and law are all only a shadow of heavenly realities.  They were given to show us how dim everything is in comparison to the magnificent glory of God.  That glory was fully displayed in Jesus Christ.  What He came to do was to shine light on the shadows so that we could see clearly.  And that is why we see Psalm 122 in light of Hebrews 8-10, the church IS that city bound firmly together, the church IS the house of the Lord (I Corinthians 3:9-17, Ephesians 2:11-22, I Timothy 3:14-15).

So let us walk back through Psalm 122 through the lens of a church reconciled to God through the redemptive work of Jesus.

1)"I was glad..." - Someone who has been bought by the blood of Jesus has been born into a new family. The church is that family.  The Scriptures really do not entertain the idea of a lone ranger Christian.  Our heart is that we are glad to "go to the house of the Lord!"  And by house of the Lord we do not mean the church building.  We mean that we are glad to be gathered with our church family whether it be in corporate worship, dinner, serving our neighborhood, rejoicing over the birth of a child, or mourning the loss of a loved one.  A follower of Jesus is GLAD to be with the people of Jesus.  You will not know this gladness unless you've lived among the people, unless your feet have stood in the gates.  So taste and see that the Lord is good.  Enjoy the company of the house of the Lord.

2)"A city that is bound firmly together" - The church is united in the bond of peace through the power of the Holy Spirit.  You know that you have found a true church family when nothing can shake them.  It was recently shared with me that about 50% of the churches in New Orleans ceased to exist after Hurricane Katrina.  Why?  Because the storm washed away their buildings.  But those that continued to exist had a bond stronger than brick and mortar.  They were firmly bound together by brotherly love and service.  Our churches are only as strong as our dependence on the unifying work of the Holy Spirit.  If we have to manufacture community, then whatever we are being, we are not being the church.

3)"The tribes go up... to give thanks to the name of the Lord." - The church is a people made up of those giving thanks to the name of the Lord.  Thanks for what?  Not only thanks for His numerous gifts in our lives, but one particularly unifying cry of praise.  We thank Him for His unparalleled gift of salvation!  This is why there is no one like our God.  What sets our Lord apart is that Jesus came to die for us, defeated sin, death, and Satan, and is reigning in His church even now.  We give thanks for this!  A church must be characterized by their praise of the glorious name of Jesus.

4)"Pray for the peace..." - there are 3 areas that David prayed for peace and the church should follow suit.

• Bring security to those who love the church!  The Lord has given us much strength within the church, providing living stones (Christians) who stand firm for the sake of the Gospel.  Pray that their steadfastness will not waiver.  Pray that more believers will be secure stones in the wall and not be tossed to and fro by the cares of life.
• Peace among brothers and companions.  Pray for the unity of the church!  The glory of God will be displayed among the church if we are unified in Him.  If we have no love for one another, then the love of God is not in us at all and we are liars.  Pray for the kind of love that would cause God to die for His creation.
• Pray for the good of the church.  When was the last time you prayed that the church would be successful in God's mission to the world?  Pray that God would give the church favor in the workplace, marketplace, schools, and neighborhoods.  Pray that the church would be given opportunities to bless the city she lives in.  Pray for the GOOD of the church!

The Lord's house is His people.  The church is the Temple of the Living God, Jesus.  Do not look to this mountain or that mountain to find worship, worship the Lord in the midst of His people!  You will find many glorious, messy, truths about God among His church.  I hope that you will come and find Him among us.

The Path of Discipleship

Once a month I take a day to get away, pray, read, study, and just enjoy some time with God.  This past Tuesday I walked down to the Mount Dora Mountain Bike Trail and decided to walk it.  It was a beautiful day and allowed me to free my mind from all the noise up there.  The Spirit told me to just simplify and listen.  I was able to enjoy the trees, birds, the water still in the trees, and all of God's creation.  But as I walked the trail, the Spirit began to share something else with me.  So I thought I'd share it here with others.

After a slight distracting phone call, this thought overwhelmed me.  Walking that trail is just like the walk of a disciple.  In Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus says, "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."  It is not the straight and narrow, it is the hard and narrow.

You see a path has some very distinguishing features.  First of all, a path is a distinct way cut through the woods, the desert, mountains, etc.  However, most paths do not feature "guard rails" to keep you on it.  There are definite boundaries that mark the path, but nothing to stop you from wandering off if you so wish.  However, to get where you are going, you need to stay on the path.  The way to follow Jesus is hard.  It bids a man to come and die to himself and follow Jesus forever.  Along the way, there will be many distractions in relationships, money, cares of this world, anxiety, and so on.  We will grow weary and tired.  We will stop for a rest.  We will stop to pray.  Sometimes we will look back and wonder if you should go back the way we came.  But the path calls us to keep walking so that we can get to where we were going.  And for us, this is to the Father.

At some points, the boundaries of the path are very unclear.  You can vaguely make out where you are supposed to go, but it seems that the difference between the path and not being on the path are not easy to figure out.  The longer you have been on the path, the easier it is to notice the distinguishing marks of the path.  What would be really helpful would be to have a guide, walking you down the path.  Someone that made the path, that knew more intricately than you ever could.  Jesus gave His followers His Spirit to guide them on His path.  In John 14:26 Jesus says, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."  The Spirit is given to us to walk us down the path, teaching us the boundaries and showing us the way.  He is guiding home to the Father.

Sometimes the path gets dark, making it nearly impossible to see.  It is always nice to have a light with you in those moments.  It is no accident that the Psalmist writes in Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  God's word lights up the path for us.  The word will not walk the path for us, but will show us where we are walking and the help us see what lies ahead of us and behind us.  It illuminates the boundaries and helps us to discern our surroundings.  It keeps darkness off of the path.

The path of discipleship is hard.  Along the way are many distractions that Satan uses to distract us.  But remember, Satan can not push or pull us off the path.  The lusts of our hearts may cause us to go after the distractions, but as long as we are on the path we are walking in the peace of God.  So maybe today you need to raise up your head and let God's word illuminate your way.  Maybe you need to get back on the path of the Gospel.  Maybe you need to listen to the Spirit guiding you along.  Hopefully you can walk the path the way I ended my time.  Joyfully singing praises to God, clearly seeing where to go, and content to be right where you are.