Take a quick musical survey from pop culture and look for the answer to
this question: what is love? You would likely find that love is a
cliché - it’s in the air or some feeling a person experiences - or you
would find that love is used synonymously with lust and sex. Surveys of
teenagers confirm that most describe love as either a feeling or as a
sexual act. In this context, it’s not hard to understand why many of us
struggle to give and receive love.
First, let’s consider how we
define love. Real love would better be describe as unconditional love.
Unconditional love is free from the bonds of the spirit performance.
It does not change based on mood or actions or thoughts. Real love can
only increase and never decreases. This love is embodied in the person
who sees us for all we are, knows all of our faults, understands are
secrets and chooses to love us anyway. This is the love that God has
for us. He knows us for all our faults, all our failings, all our
secrets and He loves us just the same.
Romans 8:38-39 “For I am
convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor
depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Hear the
weight in that verse!! The things Paul lists here are areas that we are
consumed with! Life and death; demons; the future; power…everything in
all creation! What Paul is saying is that nothing…not even
ourselves…can separate us from God’s love. Nothing!!
Consider
the practical meaning of this. When we fail to accomplish the tasks
we’ve been asked to do…God’s love for us doesn’t change. When we turn
are back on Him or even deny that He exists…His love for us doesn’t
change. When we betray God…His love doesn’t change. No matter how far
we walk away from God, He never ceases to love us. This is
unconditional love.
Now consider the flip side. We can’t earn
God’s love either. When we do everything we’ve been asked to do…God’s
love remains the same. When we teach 100 people about God and they
choose to follow Him…God doesn’t love us any more than He already did.
When we encourage others or help someone in need…God’s love doesn’t
change.
So why is unconditional love so important? Because we
all need to have true acceptance. We need to be fully known and fully
accepted. It’s in our creation DNA that we exist to be fully known and
fully accepted. Our struggle to find acceptance is at the root of our
pain. The spirit of performance that is at work in the world has
convinced us that we are not good enough. From a young age we learn
that if we do the “right” thing, we are rewarded; but if we do the
“wrong” thing, we are punished. We learn to hide our mistakes and stop
asking for help. We don’t admit our struggles and pretend to “have it
all together.” Yet, we hurt because we wonder if we are really loved.
We turn to other things to numb our pain. We engage in sexual activity
in a search for “love”. We hurt and so we in turn hurt other people.
Hurting
people hurt people…. It’s a true saying lived out in our lives
everyday. It’s an endless cycle of pain and destruction. Every bit of
this cycle rests in the heart of the spirit of performance - the spirit
that lives in opposition to God.
So how do break the cycle? How
do we find healing for our own wounds and offer hope to others in pain?
Jesus gave his disciples very few commands, but one defined everything
that He stood for.
"A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will
know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." - John
13:34-35
Love. Nothing more and nothing less. Unconditional,
true love. Love that forgives and hopes and trusts. Love that serves
others. For us to find the healing we need we must first accept God’s
love for us, then turn and give this love to others - even the one’s who
don’t deserve it and even the ones we don’t like.
Consider this passage from 1 Corinthians 13 in closing:
If
I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am
only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of
prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a
faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I
give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but
have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does
not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is
not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of
wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Thoughts on family, church and leadership.
Monday, October 15, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Simplicity
In a world of ever increasing complexity, perhaps the church should
stand out and offer a return to simplicity. As we look at the world
around us, it becomes clear that our world is complicated and places
many demands on our resources. Cell phones and e-mail, both wonderful
tools I enjoy using, have made us available to others nearly 24 hours a
day. The pressure to be active in community events, extra-curricular
activities, job responsibilities and our own interest have us stretched
in so many directions that sometimes are deepest desire is to have some
time to just do nothing. Add to this the adding complexity of children’s
schedules and ever having a moment to just “be still” becomes nearly
impossible. If you watch and listen to commercials, many advertising
agencies are trying to capitalize on this reality. Ads today are filled
with phrases like, “simplify you life” and the word “relax”. Apple Co.,
in particular, has based the entire iPhone campaign around the idea of
simplifying your life. The next time one of these commercials is on,
watch and listen for phrases about simplifying life. Based on the
success of the iPhone thus far, perhaps they have found a way to connect
their product with people on a deeper level. There is of course some
irony in the fact that the iPhone makes one available via all forms of
communication (phone, e-mail, instant messenger and even through the
internet). Interesting that as with so many things in life, the iPhone
seems to promise one thing but actually delivers the entire opposite.
Regardless, there is a desire in our society to try and find some simple
things in life.
What if a church was able to offer something simple? What if the church were to stand up and cry out, “God wants you to rest!” Perhaps God was not just calling His people to rest, but also to simplicity when He established the Sabbath day. Yes, the life of faith is filled with mystery and intrigue, but in many cases the chains of legalism and the bonds of complexity have stolen away the simple truth of God’s message of hope for our lives. In contrast, the church should be a stronghold of simplicity. Simple worship. Simple doctrine. Simple teaching. Simple ministry. Everything a church does should convey simplicity. For many churches, I wonder if we’ve poured so much time and energy into making everything look right, feel warm and inviting and making sure everything we say is worded just right, that we create an organism that is overly complicated and ultimately uninviting.
Martin Luther as an advocate of the people desired simplicity in the church. One of the major objections he had with the Catholic Church (as it existed in Europe at the time) was that the church’s doctrine suggested that only clergy could really understand the deep truths of God. Consequently, he felt the church discourage personal reading of the Bible and generally conducted mass in Latin, a language few commoners understood. To Luther, this seemed to be the opposite of what God’s invitation implied; that all people, from all nations, would gather together to become the church. He also seemed to advocate that the Bible, and the pursuit of God, is not a complicated thing. Certainly it is not an easy endeavor, but the challenge of a walk of faith should not stem from someone being stymied by confusing and complicated church doctrine. This called to simply would seem to be one that ought to be sounded again in the modern church.
Perhaps one of the reasons the church is seemingly struggling to reach new people is because we have made the church so complex and complicated. Have all of our efforts to become “seeker friendly” really just turned into a scheme to make ourselves feel better about the color of the walls in our building? Has our doctrinal stance on social issues served merely to pat ourselves on the back and reminds ourselves that we have always been right? Could it be that we have become such legalists in our pursuit of being right, that we have neglected the true purpose(s) of the church?
I for one am ready for something different. I am ready to be part of a church that seeks and brings simplicity to a walk of faith. I am ready to join with other believers in the pursuit of hope. I am ready to become part of faith community that seeks to truly make a difference in the world we live in. I am ready to move beyond talking about “us” and instead start carrying a simple message of hope to those who feel wounded, broken and alone. This is the church Christ died for. This is the church God is raising up.
What if a church was able to offer something simple? What if the church were to stand up and cry out, “God wants you to rest!” Perhaps God was not just calling His people to rest, but also to simplicity when He established the Sabbath day. Yes, the life of faith is filled with mystery and intrigue, but in many cases the chains of legalism and the bonds of complexity have stolen away the simple truth of God’s message of hope for our lives. In contrast, the church should be a stronghold of simplicity. Simple worship. Simple doctrine. Simple teaching. Simple ministry. Everything a church does should convey simplicity. For many churches, I wonder if we’ve poured so much time and energy into making everything look right, feel warm and inviting and making sure everything we say is worded just right, that we create an organism that is overly complicated and ultimately uninviting.
Martin Luther as an advocate of the people desired simplicity in the church. One of the major objections he had with the Catholic Church (as it existed in Europe at the time) was that the church’s doctrine suggested that only clergy could really understand the deep truths of God. Consequently, he felt the church discourage personal reading of the Bible and generally conducted mass in Latin, a language few commoners understood. To Luther, this seemed to be the opposite of what God’s invitation implied; that all people, from all nations, would gather together to become the church. He also seemed to advocate that the Bible, and the pursuit of God, is not a complicated thing. Certainly it is not an easy endeavor, but the challenge of a walk of faith should not stem from someone being stymied by confusing and complicated church doctrine. This called to simply would seem to be one that ought to be sounded again in the modern church.
Perhaps one of the reasons the church is seemingly struggling to reach new people is because we have made the church so complex and complicated. Have all of our efforts to become “seeker friendly” really just turned into a scheme to make ourselves feel better about the color of the walls in our building? Has our doctrinal stance on social issues served merely to pat ourselves on the back and reminds ourselves that we have always been right? Could it be that we have become such legalists in our pursuit of being right, that we have neglected the true purpose(s) of the church?
I for one am ready for something different. I am ready to be part of a church that seeks and brings simplicity to a walk of faith. I am ready to join with other believers in the pursuit of hope. I am ready to become part of faith community that seeks to truly make a difference in the world we live in. I am ready to move beyond talking about “us” and instead start carrying a simple message of hope to those who feel wounded, broken and alone. This is the church Christ died for. This is the church God is raising up.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Spiritual Growth
I was sitting in a leadership meeting recently discussing congregational
concerns. This meeting was no different than any other leadership
meeting you may have attended. This was somewhat unique for me in two
ways. First, after getting to attend these meeting for years every month
when I was the youth minister, I had not attended an elders and deacons
meeting in almost 18 months. Second, I have never been a deacon before,
which is to say that I have never been in one of these meeting where I
also have a job outside of the church. While that discussion is for
another blog topic, I will simply say this: the view from this side of
the fence is very different. I think every minister should be required
to work in a non-church job while trying to support their family; it
would change some perspectives I think.
Anyway, on the agenda to discuss was this recently raised concern: “Need for congregational emphasis on spiritual growth.” When I read this statement, the first thought that popped into my head was, “What does that mean?” As I began to mull this over in my head I became increasingly concerned with how I have understood what spiritual growth is for most of my life. I have been in many meetings and discussion with different groups of people who have often discussed the need for spiritual growth. As I began to think through these conversations I made some disappointing observations.
Perhaps the most disappointing is the realization that most, if not all, of the times I have discussed spiritual growth it has been in the context of something others need to do. The conversation was laced with phrases like “Why don’t they think this is important?” and “How can we help them be more spiritual?” How embarrassing!! How arrogant!! I wonder if this is a major turn off to people who are either outside of the church or have just begun their walk of faith. I can only imagine how this attitude has come across to others over the years. I guess I wonder if there is still at least a hint of this attitude in our theology. Perhaps we understand spiritual growth more as a series of checklist items we can “complete”. It concerns me that so often the conversations about spiritual growth are almost always tied to how many people we are (or aren’t) baptizing. It’s almost as if we assume that if our church is not baptizing many people; then we must not be growing spiritually. Of course if we are asked if that’s how we measure “growth”, we are quick to say “it’s not about numbers,” but let’s be honest, it is about the numbers. I am often concerned that when we talk publicly about spiritual growth, our conversation is about needing to pray a little more or read our Bibles a little more. Perhaps we even have an occasional talk about fasting or some other spiritual discipline, but the reality seems to be that we don’t really expect anyone to adopt these practices. I wonder if all of this stems from our over emphasis on the beginning stages of the faith walk: coming to church and getting dunked.
Spiritual growth is about the pursuit of holy living. It’s about becoming increasingly holy; being set apart. It’s about choosing to give up the things that make us comfortable in the attempt to become more like the image of Christ. It’s about changing the way we think and refining the way we see. It’s about confronting evil. Standing out as light in the darkness. Holy living brings abuse and persecution. When Jesus taught about holy living, he made people sad and uncomfortable because they knew it was not something they had arrived at. Think of the rich young ruler, told to go and sell everything and give it away. He had completed the checklist (following the ten commandments) but still needed to grow spiritually. Note to that the scriptures say that Jesus “had compassion” for the man – and he still went away sad!! Look at Job. This man had everything taken from him except those who were discouraging to him. For Job, his call to holy living was simply to not curse God when everything around him was screaming at him to do it! Esther was called to confront evil, face to face, and risk her own life. Look around today. There are people living out this pursuit of holiness all around us. People who are moving up the ladder of success, but rather than spend their additional resources on themselves, they are moving into smaller houses and driving older cars so that they can find ways to give more to others. Around us are those who when they say the spent last night praying for us, we know it wasn’t a passing statement in a prayer over a meal, but rather that they were literally on their knees all night crying out to God on our behalf. People who giving up there own comfort to serve others, often to serve the outcasts of society. They seldom talk about themselves or what they are doing; rather, they quietly go about their lives advancing the Kingdom of God into new places. What always strikes me is how I feel both drawn to these people, yet also struggle to be around them. For me, when I am around them I see my own failures. It’s like the light shining from them exposes the darkness in my life. And seeing my own needs, I am faced with a choice…to be like them, empty myself and pursue holiness; or return to the safe group who talks about a new program to help people experience spiritual growth…
It’s time for the church, the body of Christ, to be about holy living.
Anyway, on the agenda to discuss was this recently raised concern: “Need for congregational emphasis on spiritual growth.” When I read this statement, the first thought that popped into my head was, “What does that mean?” As I began to mull this over in my head I became increasingly concerned with how I have understood what spiritual growth is for most of my life. I have been in many meetings and discussion with different groups of people who have often discussed the need for spiritual growth. As I began to think through these conversations I made some disappointing observations.
Perhaps the most disappointing is the realization that most, if not all, of the times I have discussed spiritual growth it has been in the context of something others need to do. The conversation was laced with phrases like “Why don’t they think this is important?” and “How can we help them be more spiritual?” How embarrassing!! How arrogant!! I wonder if this is a major turn off to people who are either outside of the church or have just begun their walk of faith. I can only imagine how this attitude has come across to others over the years. I guess I wonder if there is still at least a hint of this attitude in our theology. Perhaps we understand spiritual growth more as a series of checklist items we can “complete”. It concerns me that so often the conversations about spiritual growth are almost always tied to how many people we are (or aren’t) baptizing. It’s almost as if we assume that if our church is not baptizing many people; then we must not be growing spiritually. Of course if we are asked if that’s how we measure “growth”, we are quick to say “it’s not about numbers,” but let’s be honest, it is about the numbers. I am often concerned that when we talk publicly about spiritual growth, our conversation is about needing to pray a little more or read our Bibles a little more. Perhaps we even have an occasional talk about fasting or some other spiritual discipline, but the reality seems to be that we don’t really expect anyone to adopt these practices. I wonder if all of this stems from our over emphasis on the beginning stages of the faith walk: coming to church and getting dunked.
Spiritual growth is about the pursuit of holy living. It’s about becoming increasingly holy; being set apart. It’s about choosing to give up the things that make us comfortable in the attempt to become more like the image of Christ. It’s about changing the way we think and refining the way we see. It’s about confronting evil. Standing out as light in the darkness. Holy living brings abuse and persecution. When Jesus taught about holy living, he made people sad and uncomfortable because they knew it was not something they had arrived at. Think of the rich young ruler, told to go and sell everything and give it away. He had completed the checklist (following the ten commandments) but still needed to grow spiritually. Note to that the scriptures say that Jesus “had compassion” for the man – and he still went away sad!! Look at Job. This man had everything taken from him except those who were discouraging to him. For Job, his call to holy living was simply to not curse God when everything around him was screaming at him to do it! Esther was called to confront evil, face to face, and risk her own life. Look around today. There are people living out this pursuit of holiness all around us. People who are moving up the ladder of success, but rather than spend their additional resources on themselves, they are moving into smaller houses and driving older cars so that they can find ways to give more to others. Around us are those who when they say the spent last night praying for us, we know it wasn’t a passing statement in a prayer over a meal, but rather that they were literally on their knees all night crying out to God on our behalf. People who giving up there own comfort to serve others, often to serve the outcasts of society. They seldom talk about themselves or what they are doing; rather, they quietly go about their lives advancing the Kingdom of God into new places. What always strikes me is how I feel both drawn to these people, yet also struggle to be around them. For me, when I am around them I see my own failures. It’s like the light shining from them exposes the darkness in my life. And seeing my own needs, I am faced with a choice…to be like them, empty myself and pursue holiness; or return to the safe group who talks about a new program to help people experience spiritual growth…
It’s time for the church, the body of Christ, to be about holy living.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)