The goal.

In all areas of life that involve working and striving towards a goal, we must define the ‘win.’ Had some interesting conversations with people recently about what does it mean to ‘win’ in the Christian life. Perhaps the reason some of us are frustrated in life is that we’ve made something our goal that may not be attained in this life. Or tomorrow.

Here’s my simple take:

The goal of Christian spirituality is Christ-likeness and restoration of the image of God (2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Peter 1:4)

To that end, let us welcome God as He introduces anything into our lives that leads us towards Christ-likeness. Any circumstance that makes be depend upon God and lead us towards Christ-likeness can be received by faith as in keeping with His will. As we are being restored into the image of God, we will be less of our own ‘self.’ At least less self-concerned, and more consumed with Him and His will — loving people. It’s a journey. In the end shall be like Him (1 John 3:2).

 

Free and content — in His promises.

Yesterday I re-read the last chapter in the letter to the Hebrews. Here’s a command that won’t let go of my mind:

“Keep your life free from the love of money, and be content with what you have, for He has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” — Hebrews 13:5

The things we love captivate us. It takes wisdom and diligence to keep those things from capturing our affections in ways they were not meant to. How many of us have possessions that in actuality possess us? (Searching my own heart here.) The path to true joy is to repent of trusting in these things and turn to God who supplies all our needs. Repentance is more than a one-time act; we get to trade one short-lived pleasure for a greater one, for when we repent, we turn from one thing to the One who is much greater, more pleasureful, and longer lasting.

When we are content with what we have, we say to God in effect, “You are enough!

As this Scripture reminds us, God’s promise of His presence with us will sustain us through any circumstance. Being with Him is the great promise of eternal life, which for we who trust in Christ has already begun.

 

What Drives us? Protection?

Time for installment three of our What Drives Us series looking at why we do, think and feel the way we do. The core idea is this: we either make our decisions based on God’s promises in the Gospel, or on something else.

We’ve looked at Preference and Perfection. Now it’s time for a dominant purpose here in the comfy West: Protection — safety at all costs.

Does Protection drive you?

Let’s look at how this may play out in life.

Situation … response:

  • When all is well in my lifeI feel secure (and probably depend upon God [and pray] less).
  • When trials enter my lifeI pray more, for safety, for life to steady (to control my surroundings).
  • When I am criticized, IGet defensive or run away to a safe place, avoiding the pain.
  • My relationship with GodHelps me find shelter from the battles of daily life.
  • Motivation: Insecurity and fear.
  • When I sinI don’t want anyone else to know and guard my reputation tightly.  (I may be prone to shift blame to others who threaten my peace of mind.)
  • I trust in people who can keep me safe from any stress or harm. Who will protect me?
  • My greatest strengths/ weaknesses are … my strength is that I see dangers others neglect; my weakness is that I live a boring life.
  • My identity is found inbeing safe and comfortable, in having a good reputation.

What is the antidote?

The Gospel shows a God who is willing to forsake His own comfort, and endure pain and shame on our behalf (Hebrews 12:1-3). Why? Because it is worth it; God the Father and the reward at the other end is of far greater value. For that reason when we come to God through Jesus we can be assured that everything we forsake is of lesser value than Him.

When we learn to love God for who is He, more than what He can do for us, we are beginning to grasp that our comforts will fail us and He will satisfy. As we grow in endurance through suffering and dependence, we will become better (not bitter) and learn how to truly love ourselves. Self will no longer be the abiding center of our lives; God will be, and others will be higher on our radar. This is the beginning of what it means to “love your neighbor as yourself,” as Jesus taught. We love what we think about. And we think about what we love.

While our desire for protection is good, it simply cannot be ultimate. Otherwise our trusting in Christ would be the end and not the beginning of an amazing adventure, full of risk and reward, with dangers on every side (2 Cor. 4-6, esp. 4:7-12) and joy in risking everything for our Savior. In the day to day pressures of life, turning over our worries (our cares and anxiousness) helps us flee the idol of comfort and find security behind the walls of His power and love (Philippians 4:6-7).

Paul states it decisively:

“For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.” (2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

Are you willing to forgo your protection to find refuge in Him?

 

Behind every sin

Behind every sin is a lie about God.

Most of us believe that the way to stop sinning is to change our behavior. Is that true? Can we simply try harder?

(Of course, some believe there is no such thing as ‘sin,’ or it is an allusion or self-imposed rule. That is not only unhelpful, it also flies in the face of reality.)

Assuming we recognize sin and error in our lives and want to change, consider why we get upset at others when they don’t do what we want. Making it personal, what led me to get upset, to yell, and to try to control others? (We’re at more of a root cause thant simply looking at our poor behavior. Yet, we haven’t gone far (or deep) enough in considering why we do what we do.)

If behind every sin is a lie about God, then what really needs to change is what I believe in my heart. Why do I want to control others? Is it because I neglect to truly believe GOD IS GREAT?

Consider Psalm 145:3:

“Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unfathomable.”

Fathoms are units of measure, such as to measure how deep the ocean is offshore. God’s greatness is beyond measure — His sovereignty is beyond limit.

So, if you and I worn out in busyness and stress, or feel the need to control others, it may be that we don’t really believe God is sovereign and in control. Instead we will seek to take control of situations ourselves, with disastrous results.

Since lies about God are what get us into sin, what gets us out? What sets us free? Consider the words of Jesus:

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (Jesus in John 8:31-32)

 

Philippians 2:1-11: Satisfied, Unified, Glorified.

Oregon Women of the Word

Kari is the speaker for the Oregon Women of the Word conference this weekend in southern Oregon. It’s a humbling request and yet fully in line with her passions, talents and character. I love to cheer her on, pray for her, free her up by being with the kids, and observe the deep commitment she has in preparing both by whole life and each day for such an opportunity.

Here’s a short outline of her three Bible-teaching sessions, on Philippians 2:1-11:

  1. Satisfied // God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him
  2. Unified // Unity displays the glory of the gospel
  3. Glorified // Humility is the glory of humanity

While the passage is essentially divided in three parts: verses 1-2, 3-4, and 5-11 for the three sessions, the teachings will cross over quite a bit. These women desire to go deep in God’s Word, so that He can go deep into their lives. May Jesus be the One who satisfies, unifies and is glorified.

 

A thought on productivity tools

Maximizing productivity.

Productivity is good. Good tools are very much needed. I regularly use Evernote, OmniFocus, Google Apps, an iPod Touch (as a PDA), text messaging, Google Voice (formerly Grandcentral), a bound journal, and the handy file sharing service DropBox.

But, let’s ask ourselves this question: Why do I want to be productive?

I’m learning that the goal of productivity is more than efficiency and getting more tasks done. The highest goal is to do God’s will. And to that end the more immediate goal is to be more present.

When I use tools to ‘capture’ my pressing thoughts, goals, tasks, and other info I am seeking to rid my mind of the clutter of the ‘other’ places I need to be, the people I need to contact, and unfinished projects.

Those are necessary distractions, but need to be ‘captured’ so I can get back to the more necessary task at hand: to be all here, right now. (Like when I’m home with my kids, sitting down with a hurting person, or engaging with God in His Word and through prayerful dependence.)

 

Jesus Sneezed.

Jesus Sneezed // discipleship in the church [originally written for manofdepravity.com]

Jesus sneezed the divine ‘virus’ on His followers, who in turn spread the ‘virus’ to others.

I chuckled the first time I heard that analogy (earlier this year from Alan Hirsch at the Verge — video here). It stuck with me. I keep thinking about sneezing and how viruses thrive in certain situations. So when a couple weeks ago I taught middle schoolers on the spread of the Gospel and the church, a summary of the Book of Acts, guess what analogy we used? Yep, Jesus sneezed. In fact we were sneezing all over the place, and made sure to sneeze out the core message of the early church: Jesus is Lord! (Acts 4:12).

He was the Master, the only true God who called the shots in their lives, so they lived as His missionaries, sent with the Spirit and sent by the One who was sent by the Father (John 17:18). In a age where we’re inoculated with a partial Gospel (go to heaven when you die) it is refreshing when one sees true discipleship spreading like a virus. Receiving Jesus as Lord is both the end of an old life and the beginning of an amazing new reality. Everything changes — past, present, and future. We can now walk in ‘new life’ (Romans 6) and ‘by the Spirit’ through God’s enablement, to venture towards loving God and people fully (Matthew 22:37-40). Thankfully, we shall not walk alone; we belong to one another (Romans 12:3-8). This is the only virus that makes us stronger the more we share it.

Personally, without the impulse towards discipleship present in others (like a virus) I would not be a disciple of Jesus today, nor a faithful husband, a loving father, and certainly not a pastor. Because in our society older men don’t know how to finish well, young men don’t know how to stay married, and young adults are aimless and confused. I would have simply been a statistic, but for the faithful investment of men. There were godly men — many of them, and especially a handful over the years — who poured their lives into me. Jason, Ben, Scott, Mark, Jeremy, Adam, Cliff. I continue to learn from them, and in time they learned from me. Their investment was self-sacrificing and rooted the love of God — He compelled them (2 Cor. 5:9-21). No doubt there were times where my progress seemed doubtful, my pride too present. Yet God is faithful, and through shared life experiences we all were changed.

There were some practical realities at play: first, we spent time together.

Sometimes it was a scheduled hour a week, other times it spilled over into “non-ministry” time. Meals, weekends, playing with their kids, trips to the store. Most of us like sports, so we hit the courts, or gathered a group of guys to tackle one another. I iced twisted ankles and watched Blazer games on their couches. I knew how to reach them, their families welcomed me — for example, I know where the dishes were in their kitchens. Because of a whole-life view, we could each call each other out when our lives where not in line with the Gospel (Galatians 2). Each of these men would say the benefit was mutual (though I argue they invested far more in me). I learned how the Gospel was for all of life, not to be compartmentalized.

They modeled renewal and developed a history with God.

Their “testimony” was not only how God had rescued them in the past from sin, slavery, death and hell. He was and is their present Savior, the all-satisfying One rescuing them in the past, giving hope for the future, and working presently in their lives (we walked through Romans 5-8 time and time again). They connected their story to the Big Story (Creation ➙ Fall & Rebellion ➙ Redemption ➙ Re-Creation), having experienced the risen Christ. There are no shortcuts to developing a history with God. We cannot cram character or spiritual growth. We need to interact with God daily and be renewed by the Spirit. These men not only experienced that reality; they shared it with me and together we dug in the Scriptures and asked God to change us. We saw a key to renewal as God’s initiative and our response, applying our lives to His Word. (Note the order.)

Keeping the Gospel at the center.

What was at the center of our relationship? Christ. That may seem self-evident but these days when I hear middle-aged men talk about discipleship it seems they gravitate towards accountability as the center. Accountability is key, and we must confess our sins to one another, be healed and move forward in freedom. Yet, the Gospel of grace must be the center of our relationships. It means we don’t have to try to impress one another (or God), as Jesus has impressed the Father for us. We can bank on our acceptance before God as motivation to move forward with selfless, bold, and compelling lives. That way I share with you my faith and my unfaith, my obedience and disobedience (to borrow a phrase from Jonathan Dodson). It means we can fight the fight of faith, through the weapons of grace, and be changed into the image of Christ in the process. Only if the good news is at the center of these relationships will we be changed. Otherwise we’re stuck in moralism, seeking to change through self-effort, self-righteousness, or self-actualization. Most of the “Christian” books these days advocate those paths, which are neither helpful or produce long-lasting fruit. We must come back to the Gospel as the only way to get saved, and the only way continue in the life of faith (it is the A-Z  of the Christian life, much more than the ABCs).

Discipleship is also about mutual fascination.

There were many other men who have tried to teach me. For some it was a matter of geography (one of us moved), or life-stage, but more often the reason it did not ’stick’ was because one of us what was astonished by the Gospel (continually). Because the Cross levels the ground on which we stand, we can both look up at the heavens and be amazed at God’s grace and love. He chose me? You? Amazing! Rehearse the Story of God with one another, share how He is at work in your lives, and be changed by the reality of Jesus conquering your heart.

Paul reminds us that what we stare at is what we become — 2 Cor. 3:17-18 (to behold is to become). Taking a specific example, if young men are staring at porn every day, it takes someone to walk with them and learn how to stare at Christ and see His glory and worth as far more beautiful and satisfying. “Stop it” won’t work with young men who are in bondage and know no other way to get through the day. Plus, if they’ve been captive for years a new pattern of life will take time to emerge.

Discipleship must be integrated with life.

“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” —St. Paul, 1 Thessalonians 2:8

For centuries spiritual life was taught alongside a trade, a skill for young men to learn and master. Productivity was a way to be a cultivator, provider, and learn wisdom. Today we operate in a low-level dualism, when our spiritual lives are separated from our daily rhythms. So, reading the Bible, praying, ‘going to’ church, and other spiritual practices (fasting!) are thought of as add-ons to our jam-packed lives. We simply don’t have time for all of that. Only the exceptional do them, all or part, and usually they are segregated and hidden from daily life. Our Christianity is personalized and privatized. (Public piety sounds so, well, pious!) As evidence we hear one another bemoan how busy we are and how we know we “should” do this or that. But then not much changes. Either we feel guilty or don’t care all that much, so we give up too quickly. We don’t know the “how” or the “why” of being disciples and engaging in Christian spirituality.

Imitation is a key to discipleship, and a common theme in the NT Epistles: check out 1 Cor. 11:1; 4:15-17; Phil. 3:17; 4:9; 2 Thess. 3:7-9; 2 Tim. 3:10-11. If we’re serious about discipleship, especially leaders and pastors, we must model this with public piety (Titus 2:7-8; 1 Tim. 4:12). Together we can subvert the patterns of our age through living a different kind of life.

What if we reversed the trend, through sharing rhythms and patterns of life that peeled back the veneer of our consumerism? And since training works best with a partner, what if we who are spiritual took the time to invest in one person this year to teach them the basics of the Christian life? No one will regret it, and while it will impinge on our lives and free time, it is well worth the investment. Let’s do it together, spur one another on. Get creative. Integrate it with daily life. Talk over lunch, or go for a run together and pray up that grueling hill. Unplug from the computer and take the family for hike. Do something constructive together — change the oil in your cars, serve the community, or prepare a meal for a family. Have a landscape project? Share the load and get dirt under your fingernails. If a young man sees how an older man and husband uses his money wisely (or frivolously), ask him about it. We live in an age where much of the common sense that parents (dads) should teach their kids gets forgotten or assumed. So we know little about how things work, how to make a plan to accomplish goals, eating healthy, how to spark up a conversation. Talk about keeping a schedule, how you manage communication (I have 5,000 unread personal emails, so perhaps I’m the one who needs help there), and project & task management. Ask questions, be curious, spread the virus of learning. The list goes on and on, and this is where discipleship gets practical and helpful. The spiritual hits real life.

Release them to spread the virus with others.

One feature of healthy life is that it reproduces. Watch how a vine spreads, over decades how a tiny acorn can grow into a foundation-splitting oak tree. Dynamic life is unstoppable. Paul sets out a pattern for discipleship to the 4th generation: “what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful  men who will be able to teach others also.”

The ‘virus’ and truth spread from Paul ➙ Timothy ➙ faithful men ➙ others. We cannot contain life that wants to grow, and should structure our methods to ensure God’s life spreads this way. I think there’s a reason Paul reminds Timothy to “teach” what he has shared publicly. Not so much a lecture format (a teacher downloading to students everything he or she knows), but effective teaching is actually giving space for people to obey. The best teachers won’t move on rapidly (as slaves to the content or schedule) but will pause, reflect, and wait to see the progress in the student. Mutual fascination is quite helpful in this respect. So is being connected to the church family.

Showing How Jesus is the Good Life

Jesus sneezed His ‘virus’ on His first Disciples, and they caught it. Everywhere they went, God’s Spirit and God’s good news (the Gospel) went right with them. Like the best ‘virus’ ever, the Gospel spread among thousands of new believers in Jesus. They turned the world upside down. Just as Jesus prayed (John 17:20-23) and promised (Acts 1:1-8) — the first disciples demonstrated privately and publicly (Acts 2:42-47). They caught the virus and nothing could ever be the same.

Do you have His ‘virus’? How will you intentionally share it with others? Stick around and be all there. Sneeze on people. Show how Jesus is the good life.

Keep sneezing. Jesus is Lord!

 

Can you sneeze this? Jesus is Lord.

Movements are built on a central idea that people get infected with, and of which they cannot help but be carriers and spreaders of this ‘virus.’ Consider the virus that was intended to spread over the whole universe:

[An intro video on the central theme of Jesus is Lord by Alan Hirsch at the Verge conference 2010.]

Notes:

The Incarnation does not alter the fundamental, practical God-centered nature of the scriptures; rather it restructures it around Jesus Christ. Jesus becomes the focus point in our relationship to God. Jesus not only initiates the new covenant, He is the New Covenant. “Jesus is Lord” is the covenant claim of God over our lives—the unshakable center of the Christian creed and confession.

At its very heart, Christianity is a Jesus movement, one that seeks to consistently embody the life, spirituality, and mission of its Founder. “Jesus is Lord” is about our becoming like Jesus our Lord and Founder. This confession lies at the epicenter of the church’s task. In order to recover the ethos of authentic Christianity, we need to refocus our attention back to the Root and recalibrate ourselves around Jesus. The great truth of our faith is that Jesus is Lord! But it is also true that it is Jesus who is Lord. The Jesus of the Bible defines our faith. We must strive to know him as he reveals himself to us.

Keys To Understanding:

  • Jesus is Lord emphasizes Jesus as focus point of relationships with God, others, and the world
  • We actively seek unaltered loyalty to Jesus in all areas of life; there is an active effort to exclude all other claims to false loyalty
  • Jesus is the abiding center of Christianity and we actively seek to keep it that way
  • We seek to have a whole-life-under-God faith

[from The Verge Network]

 

The pastor’s question

A couple weeks ago I had brunch with a couple close pastor friends, and about 30 other pastors. Apparently they wanted to fatten us up a little on food and the gospel (food was hearty bread pudding, bacon and sausage!)

The talk was about marks of faithful Gospel ministry (which translated for non-pastor types means we were seeking what is it we designed by God to do as pastors in our churches).

The talk turned to a theologically-informed discussion (which I like), and then some of the Q&A shifted to church practice (membership, discipline, leading through change, preaching the Gospel through all avenues, etc.) Good times, and I’m glad we went. Plus, who can argue with free books!

Afterwards I spoke briefly with Kevin Palau (that one; he’s the real deal) about what pastors think and talk about most. Seminary students may like to debate theology (and I’m happy to jump into the ring on that one), but faithful pastors move to a more practical theology. (Note I did not say a pragmatic theology, though that is far too common these days.)

What we (I) wrestle with most is this: how do people change?

Later that night with a few free moments I picked up Eugene Peterson’s The Contemplative Pastor. Right of the bat, in a conversational interview format, Peterson points to a couple great truths for pastoral ministry:

The pastor’s question is, “Who are these particular people, and how can I be with them in such a way that they can become what God is making them?”

Then he considers the purpose of helping people change through the Gospel, defining “Christian spirituality”:

“Christian spirituality means living in the mature wholeness of the gospel. It means taking all the elements of your life—children, spouse, job, weather, possessions, relationships—and experiencing them as an act of faith. God wants all the material of our lives.”

—Eugene H. Peterson, vol. 17, The Contemplative Pastor : Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction, The Leadership library (Carol Stream, Ill.; Dallas; Waco, Tex.: Christianity Today; Word Pub.; Distributed by Word Books, 1989), 11, 12.
How do people change? By the Gospel of Jesus.
 

Joseph: Generous, humble, grateful

Perhaps you know the story — Joseph gets left for dead and sold off into slavery by his brothers, and then the narrative takes a redemptive turn. An amazing true picture of the Gospel, about 4,000 years ago. Let’s pick it up at the climax, Genesis 50:15-21:

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.
18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

This text, especially verse 20 as a summary of the theological thread in the story, helps us see a sort of “compatiblism.” That is, what one can intend for evil, a much greater One can intend for God. We can argue over if it is “intend” or “use” (make use of), or even “design” — as in God designed this seemingly horrible event for a greater purpose. Won’t get into those various theological views in this space at this time. Something more important must be seen here.

But what needs to be said is this: Joseph gets it. He is a true disciple and worshiper of God, for what is the outcome after 17 years in prison from the false accusation of another, preceded by estrangement from his family, and the while living as a forgotten on in a foreign land? All of that was not wasted in the forming of his character. (Which is to say that all of it was strangely necessary in God’s economy.) We see in Joseph a unique man, standing above the others of his day. He still worshiped God through it all. The pain, loss and confusion in his life draw him closer to God. Plus, the working of the events in his life came about for the rescuing of the “many” (v. 20). This man is aware of the implications of his actions, though not overestimating his own contribution.

Here was a man high in generosity AND humility. (How many people are generous, just as long as they get the credit? That’s called pride.) A friend pointed this text out to me yesterday, and I cannot take credit for this observation: Joseph was a generous person, high in humility because he was grateful in all things. (He is a living picture of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, if your mind is now thinking about these biblical themes.)

As a grateful person, Joseph saw his life as serving a greater purpose: for the saving of many lives. He essentially died to his brothers and father, and his life was hid in God for the sake of rescuing thousands. (For context: the famine that hit that land would have affected dozens of surrounding countries, not just Egypt. Joseph’s God-inspired wisdom prevented famine for that pivotal country and for so many others, evidenced in his brothers coming as sojourners to buy grain. A less generous man would not have cared, and without God already humbling him, what would motivate this man to reconcile with his brothers?)

How do we become generous people who live in proper humility? Gratitude is the dynamic reality that daily keeps us in this ‘happy tension’ of joyfully giving away our lives for a cause much greater than ourselves. Joseph became that man in the crucible of pain. There is no other way, and we must praise God and thank Him for His work in every circumstance under the sun. None of it has just ‘happened.’ For that we can be grateful.

When our lives become about the rescuing of many lives, we are no longer living for ourselves but for Him who for our sake died and rose again (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Those people get it. God sees it in their generosity, gratitude, and humility.

(Thankful for my friend Jon who pointed this story out to me yesterday. I’ve been meditating on it since then.)