Do You Love Your Neighbor?

The logo for this article is taken from a web site I sometimes frequent called Christian Church Today. I have it as one of the links listed on this site. When I found this site I was researching graduate schools over 2 years ago. I would look at the site initially every 3 days or so because they also have ministry listings and at the time I was in a tough situation with my former Church. I began to notice over time that the site had a forum section on it and all you had to do to participate was to sign up for membership. I first began just reading through the threads for a long period of time and eventually got the nerve to begin to post. I hesitated to post because while it is a Christian site I noticed that people could sometimes take theological debates and get a bit ugly with one another. Eventually I began to post and met some good Christians and experienced some decent online fellowship. I have even had some trouble with a few people just getting a bit nasty from time to time. Some of those who I have become fond of on the site have been harassed by a few rotten apples who like to come on to that site and create problems for everyone. I suppose in many ways a Christian website reminds me of the Church.

Of course all of this bickering on the website did calm down a bit through July because the website went off-line for a while and when it came back up the forum section was still undergoing maintenance. This past week the forum section was running again, but many have deserted this site for a better time of fellowship at a different location. I was among those who choose to fellowship at the other, but will continue to visit and perhaps even post at Christian Church Today. This type of bickering and frustration has always been in the Church since it started (see Acts) and it will unfortunately always be around. Paul wrote to Timothy and said that "in the last days the love of many will grow cold!" The last days started at Pentecost when Peter preached a powerful sermon and some 3,000+ were saved. We don't have to look very far today to see that there is a love problem, even within the walls of the Church building. This for me is the most frustrating aspect of the Christian life. The lack of love among God's people with each other and apart from each other. We need to learn to love as Jesus loved! We need to learn to extend grace as Jesus extended grace! I think part of the problem is our ego-centric thinking that we cling to everyday. We are being formed and shaped to be a community that loves each other and God.

I recently made a comment in the Church about someone who I think has potential for greater leadership responsibilities. When I mentioned this openly someone pointed out that the person mentioned has had some problems with their life. They were referring to the persons past sins. Isn't that incredible? Jesus can forgive us and wash us clean yet we like to point out the problems of others so easily. This is not what Christ died for! He died for the ungodly and the sinner. That is who I am! That is who you are!

While Christian Church Today website was closed for most of this month I began to frequent other Christian websites and blogs more than usual. I saw a lot of finger pointing by Christians toward other Christians. I read how each denomination has it right and how the other ones are all wrong. One of the days of this I experienced depression and headaches. This is not what Jesus suffered for. He suffered so that His people could have an abundant life. Jesus said the 2 Greatest Commandments were loving God with every aspect of you being and loving your neighbor as yourself. When the Church starts to learn the first one it will not have a problem with the latter. No matter what denomination you are in you are commanded to love your neighbor! If they bear fruit for the Kingdom they are your neighbor. When we learn to love we will learn to move forward with God into a greater spiritual depth. Everyday God gives me the choice to be a Christian who loves.

Freedom of Simplicity

Our staff just finished Freedom of Simplicity by Richard Foster who writes primarily in the area of Spiritual Formation. I have always enjoyed Foster and believe that he and Dallas Willard are 2 of the best writers of our day in the area of Spiritual Formation. Freedom of Simplicity forces any Christian to look deep within at the lifestyle they are living. Foster forces the reader to re-evaluate what we value in the Christian life against the backdrop of the New Testament. This is a book that spends time on lifestyle and our Christian role in the area of social justice. Foster is a Quaker which means that he has a natural bent toward social justice, simplicity, and conservation. Personally I think that Foster was a bit too green for me, but believe that this is a must read for any Christian servant-leader.

Unfortunately this book will probably not find its way on to the top selling list of CBD or your local Christian book store. Those in the Church today spend more time justifying a lifestyle that mimics the world instead of re-ordering a lifestyle that fits a biblical model a bit more closely. If you have struggled with material issues as a Christian and have a desire to be challenged I would recommend this book. Some consider Foster a Christian-mystic which in itself is not a terrible label unless you are in the camp of ultra-conservatism. Foster is a voice that the Church needs to hear from and listen to in the 21st century. This book is a challenge and written with a philosophers heart so do not expect to be able to quickly run through this and not have to put it down occasionally to digest the material. If you want to be challenged then spend a little time with Foster. I also recommend Foster's Celebration of Discipline to those who want to have a richer and more fulfilled Christian life.

X + Y = CHAOS

Yesterday in my travels of ministry I ran into many different types of people who represent our Church. As I look back on those interactions I realize that I engaged 4 different generations that make up the modern (or postmodern) Church of America. As I reflect on yesterday I wonder to myself if we understand our generational differences at all and even respect them? The answer is a simple no! Unfortunately we (all generations in the Church) kick and scream at times like little children wanting things done our own ways so that each generation will get what they want from Sunday morning worship or from the ministries offered from the Church.

In the past couple of years I have started to notice a trend with 2 specific generations that is starting to trouble me. The generations are X and Y (sometimes called millennials). In the modern Church I represent GenX being in my 30's and those who are Y are usually in their early 20's. The trend that I am noticing with these 2 different generations is what I like to call a "catered mentality." These 2 generations that have grown up at the height of the technological revolution are the most restless generations that this nations has probably ever known. We have grown up with television as our babysitter and our world is full of screens. Our attention span has been said by experts to have only a 3-5 seconds. We need to be entertained and always seem to be on the go. Slowing down for us is watching television for an hour or so. We have an expectation of being fulfilled or we will take our desires somewhere else and that includes that Church. These 2 generations have seen the largest divorces among any other generations in our American history that has lead to drug use, sexual addiction, homosexuality, and disrespect of most authority figures. But you would think that once a person has entered a relationship with Jesus that most of these problems would take care of themselves, but that is no the case.

Generation X & Y are two completely different generations. GenX is probably the last generation of teens who worked thankless jobs and have a quasi-hard work ethic. GenY are the children of those who did not have much and what they did have gave all of that to their children in the hope that it would bring them happiness. With all of this baggage some from these 2 generations enter through our Church doors every Sunday morning looking for fulfillment. We need to realize how they think and learn how to connect the preceding generations to them. X & Y need to learn from the generations who are ahead of them and need to connect to those from those generations for the Church to become a place of spiritual growth and nurture. Instead of battling over music and ministries we need to be finding some middle ground in light of God's Word together. The generations above X & Y need to be ministering to these younger generations who will and have begun to take over the operating functions of the Church. If generations do not learn to move forward together in the Name of Jesus there will be more chaos in the future than there is today in the modern Church. No matter what generation you are in you have a command to work together for the Lord in unity. Someone who answers Jesus' call to "love his neighbor" will respect other generations and do their best to minister too them.

Judge Not

Bible study & prayer can be frustrating! When you get out of rhythm with it you are only left with a bad attitude. When you get into a rhythm of it you begin to be convicted by the Holy Spirit of things that hinder your walk with Jesus. My conviction over the past 2 weeks has been that of judging other people. Then when I get to this weeks passage for my sermon series which is James 4:1-12 I come across the word judge in the text. I do a little language work and notice that the word judge is in the present active mode which means that James is talking to those in the Church who are currently judging or involved in actively judging others. When it comes to understanding the Bible, context is everything! Read all of James 4:1-12 and notice how James not only talks about judging at the end, but he also talks about Church battles. I think this is a good text for all of us to memorize.

I don't want anyone to think that by talking about judging others that I am suddenly Politically Correct because I probably will never cross that bridge. I am talking about judging others by tearing them in half verbally or internally because of what they say and what they do. We have many passages in the New Testament for those who sin against each other or the Church and refuse to repent. Those passages must be adhered to without wavering. But judging each other due to personality flaws seems to be a trend that has been around since the 1st Century. We forget that most of the time we have a fallen nature that is always battling with our Spiritual life. Remember Romans 7? Because of this battle we are so quick to point out most peoples faults instead of admitting our own and working through them. It could be my culture, my country, my upbringing, or perhaps my sinful nature that leads me to be so quick to pick apart others. No matter what label I ascribe to this sin it is still judging others which causes disharmony between myself and God and many around me. I am tired of the Church falling prey to this sin and I am tired of falling into this sinful trap.

I have realized through introspection and Holy Spirit conviction that I am guilty as charged by the Word of God! I realize as a Christian that I have an expectation to turn this around. I have made a commitment to God and myself that this must change. It will take time, prayer, hard work, and reliance on the Holy Spirit to get me to where I need to be. But I am willing to get through this because I have been stuck in this rut for several years now. Can you imagine being freed from the bonds of judgmentalism? I want to spend more time correcting myself and loving others than I do judging them. Remember the golden rule? We break that rule by being kind to ourselves and disrespectful to others when we pass our judgments on their faults and attitudes. I want to love like Jesus loved which means more grace and less judgmentalism. It is possible, but it requires effort.

The Fruit of the Spirit Is....

Last night I was reading on a private forum of a fellow Pastor and his struggles with the congregation he serves. When he talked about his situation it took me back in time to a situation that I would like to share with you today. The situations are so similar that I thought it was the Church that I left over a year ago. It is not the same Church, but it proves that many Churches in America have become consumed with Sunday morning instead of their relationship with Christ.

Cornerstone Christian Church (not its real name) is like most Churches in America. They cling to their traditions which primarily revolves around how they worship on Sunday morning. While at Cornerstone Christian the worship committee decided one evening that we needed to change things up a bit. One of the people proposed that we change the order of service since it had been the same for a very long time. We moved several things around and put communion (we partake of it weekly) after the sermon instead of before. The committee agreed and when proposed to the Elders they were all in agreement said it was a great idea. In just a few short weeks when I met with the Elders again there was a big problem with the new order of service. One of the Elders wives was upset and told her husband that communion should always be before the Word is presented. She told her husband that she could not focus on the Word until she had communion. This woman had been to Bible College for 1 year many years ago and was known for believing that she had a handle on the Bible more than just about anybody else in the Church. In the Elders meeting the Elder whose wife complained said we had to move it back. When asked why he repeated what his wife said and the added "who would know better than her where it should go?" We did not move it back to where she wanted it because Easter service was coming and many people enjoyed something a bit different for worship.

Looking back on this I have to shake my head and laugh a bit. We get so bent out of shape in the Church over the smallest things don't we? Unfortunately this problem I had experienced was one of many petty problems from my time at that ministry. What bothers me the most is that Cornerstone Christian represents many Churches in America. People are fighting and bickering over petty details of what should happen on Sunday morning instead of worrying about growing closer to Christ and bringing Him honor in their daily lives. When things like this happen we look just like the world to each other and to outsiders. What a shame! Then we wonder to ourselves why God is not using us or blessing our Church.

In Galatians 5:22-26 there are 9 attributes listed that are called the Fruit of the Spirit. These attributes should be flowing out of every person who is an apprentice (disciple) of Christ. We don't talk about the Fruit of the Spirit like we should. We need to be asking ourselves and others if we have these qualities in our lives. The ones we are lacking in we need to notice and pray about. 1 John 5:14 "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." Powerful words from the Apostle John! We need to understand that it is God's Will that we bear fruit. God desires for you to have the fruit listed in Galatians 5. The problem is that we are taking our focus of of Jesus in the Church and putting it on other things that are unfruitful. When someone becomes fruitful in their lives the Church will reap the benefits. Others will see that it is possible to live and "abundant" life that Jesus promised. When more people become convinced they will give more time and energy to their relationship with Christ. As people grow the Church grows spiritually. When a Church grows spiritually it begins to focus on reaching out instead of focusing on the order of worship. We have a duty as Christians to think beyond ourselves and the Sunday morning worship. People who are consumed with the order of worship worry me. If you are worried more about Sunday morning order of worship more than glorifying God with your life and reaching out to a hurting world you need to repent and ask Jesus to move in fresh ways in your life. You have the choice everyday to bear fruit or to become a rotten apple.

How Spiritual Is The Modern Church?

Many years ago I had a Church Leader pull me to the side because his Church was dealing with an issue of immorality. He wanted to know what the Churches authority was with members in this precarious situation. I began rambling off the different texts in the New Testament and then turned to him and said, "but you know what these verses say concerning this issue!" His response amazed me! He said "I really don't know what the Bible has to say about this issue!" When I asked him if he had ever been through the New Testament he just looked to the ground with a look of shame and told me that he had never read the New Testament.

I wish I could tell you that this was an isolated incident, but it was not. Through the years I have noticed that many Church Leaders and many Christians in the Church just don't have a good overall Biblical knowledge like they use too. Being a Pastor this not only breaks my heart, but it frustrates me to no end. We have greater opportunities than most people in the world when it comes to growth and development of our relationship with Christ. We are squandering it away because we are lazy in the American Church. Maybe part of our problem is that we come to Church with an expectation that growth should only happen within the walls of a building instead of being a continual process that we are to go through.

Every Church needs to make sure that its leaders know the Word of God and that they are promoting growth among its members. When we are not growing spiritually we are nothing more than a club or organization that meets once a week because we believe in something. The Christian life was promised to be a dynamic relationship with God. Do you feel that your spiritual life is dynamic? If it is not then can you say that it is the fault of your Church? While it does matter that you are getting solid Biblical teaching from the body that you belong too you also have a huge responsibility for yourself. We are forgetting that there is a lifestyle involved with the Christian life. Being a Christian is not a label, it is a name given to those who follow Jesus with passion and persevere with Him no matter what is happening in their lives. Pick up the Word and start growing and don't just rely on your Church to move you forward with God.

Are We Too Comfortable?

I get upset sometimes in the morning if I don't have half & half to pour into my coffee. I don't get a little irritated, I actually become a bit angry for about a half hour or so. That seems very petty and immature I think to myself as the day goes on. Through the day I forget about it and then as I am flipping through the channels at 8:30 p.m. I am reminded how immature it really is. I come across a Christian channel that primarily shows many Pentecostal programs, but this one is not Pentecostal and it is very different. The Program I watched was Life Today which is a ministry of James and Betty Robison. I believe that James Robison is a former Baptist Pastor which is a bit different from the Independent Christian Church freewill theology that I am accustomed too. His background does not bother me at all because as I have been watching the program lately I see a fellow Christian brother with a heart that takes him out of his comfort zone.


Yesterday's episode had a guest on talking about wisdom and a little booklet that the guest had written. Usually they focus on a person and the ministry connected to that person and I enjoy the show if I am interested in the subject matter. Yesterday's program had a 10 minute segment at the end that dealt with the ministry work that James & Betty do on the continent of Africa. They have a heart and passion of making sure that those without clean running water will receive it. I have known about their work for some time, but last night it tugged at my heart in a new and fresh way. It made me examine my own lifestyle and I began to think of all the little things that I complain about and take for granted. It made me realize that I live a wonderful life of comfort without a great deal of sacrifice.

Our lifestyle as Christians are very lavish in North America. I believe that God formed me and knitted me together as Psalm 139 tells me. I believe that God formed and knitted me together for this time and for the place that I live. But do I buy into the comfortable lifestyle a bit too much? I am starting to think that I have too much. I find myself wanting to learn how not to be so materialistic. I am realizing that I am not so sure of the time God has allowed me to have in this place. There is no guarantee of my life span. What I do with the time God has given me is extremely important. I must prayerfully desire to become a daily blessing in all areas of my life and learn to be a sacrificial Christian. I might not be able to touch the continent of Africa in a way that James and Betty do, but I can have a huge impact in my own community.

Everywhere there are people around us who are hurting in some way. It could be financial problems, marital problems, emotional problems, or problems just dealing with life. A disciple of Jesus in North America must learn to get out of their comfort zones and self-centered living and engage those outside of the Church in the name of Jesus if they want to make an eternal impact. Our days are filled with meeting our own needs and we see this as normal. What a shame! Matthew 25 deals with people who did the work of the Kingdom and those who did not. Every Christian should periodically look at this chapter of the Bible. Have we forgotten that there is expectations on the Christian life? We need to get moving! We need to get out of our comfort zones! Jesus sacrificed His life for us! What are we doing for Him?

Respond If You Want

When I started this blog I left the comments section of each article open to anyone who wanted to respond. After receiving anonymous comments from a guy at my former ministry I changed it to blog members only. I have decided once again to open every article up to anyone who chooses to respond. Of course this time I have enough sense to moderate every comment like a few of my brothers in ministry do on their blogs. I probably will let any negative comments into the articles because I like other perspectives and I enjoy a good debate. The Church cannot be afraid to debate one another in this postmodern milieu we find ourselves in. Christians need to engage other Christians to promote greater harmony and to hopefully build a greater desire to reach out beyond the sanctuary walls of our rote routine.

Anonymously Missional

The word "Missional" seems to be a big buzz word with the Church right now. I don't know what you think of the word, but I have become fond of it in that last year. Our Youth Pastor gave me a book by Mark Driscoll (Confessions of a Reformission REV) and that was the first place that I heard of it. I like the word because it reminds the Church that there is work to be done. I like the word because the Church has become complacent in America instead of being Missional. Everyday I wake up I make sure I offer up praise to God for the Church that I am blessed to Pastor because they have a Missional mindset. Great Elders, Great Staff, and a wonderfully loving congregation.

Several days ago it was mentioned that a family in our Church had a need and that they are in a tight spot for the moment. It was mentioned because someone with a Missional mindset decided that it was time to quit talking about it and time to make a move about the situation. Within 48 hours of making the need known to one person, it became known to many more. Today I received a phone call from someone in the Church who caught wind of this need who also has a Missional heart and they decided to take care of the need. This is what it is all about! The love of Christ should compel His people to minister to each other because their lives have been so radically transformed by His love and grace.

Missional for me is reaching out to a believer or non-believer both in the name of Jesus. There are many in all of our Churches who do not have this mindset. Church has become a ritualistic practice instead of a transforming experience. We need Missional minds in the 21st Century to impact the culture around us. James 2 tells us that "faith without works is dead!" So if Sunday morning is nothing more than a ritual or a routine do you really have a Biblical faith? Missional Christians understand that there is always work to be done in the Kingdom and for the Kingdom. They are passionate people who are connecting to Jesus and in turn are on fire for His agenda in their communities to be accomplished. A Church that collectively understands this is a Church that is moving forward with God. This mindset needs to permeate every Disciple because it is what Jesus taught the first disciples. 12 men once changed the world, how much more can thousands of churches filled with Missional Christians?

All Mixed Up

My wife and I drive a Ford Taurus. We like the car and after being in a small accident we can affirm that it is truly one of the safest cars in its class. We have been happy with the car until some recent news came out about the Ford Corporation. We learned that Ford had recently supported a Gay Pride Festival and were shocked that a major corporation would do something like this. We forget sometimes as Christians that not everyone around us shares our Christ-Centered Worldview. We made a decision that we will never buy a Ford product again as a family. This was not an easy decision because we enjoy their products. We feel as Christians that we must take a stand in as many areas that we can. In this process of discovering this out about Ford we have since come to find out about many other national companies. As Christians this is troubling because of what the Bible says about the sin of homosexuality.

The issue of the declining moral values in America is something that my wife feels a burden for. Both of us feel that the Church of America is laying down right now concerning many moral issues that will eventually affect all of us in the Church unless Jesus returns within the next decade. Being passionate about this my wife sometimes sends emails out to friends and family to let them know about issues like Ford or other companies supporting gay rights. We may not always agree in the Church about doctrinal issues, but we should always agree with the basic tenets of the Word. This past week my wife sent an email to a friend out west that dealt with the issue of gay rights and Christians taking a stronger stand against it. The friend replied with this statement; "I would love to hear from you, but please don't send me things like this. I am a huge advocate of equal rights for everyone, regardless of sexual preference, and some of the people I love best on this world are gay. " This response is from a fellow Christian. I believe it depicts that there is a dividing wall within the Church.

This reply took the wind out of my wife and stayed in her head all that day. It stayed in me throughout the entire weekend. Why should there be a dividing wall with the issue of homosexuality within the Church? I believe that we must minister to the gay community, but in love we must hold true to the Word of God. Romans 1:18-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, and Revelation 21:8 all deal with homosexuality and immorality. There are other scriptures that deal with immorality that can be linked to homosexual practices, but these are the strongest concerning homosexuality as a sin and the punishment of such an act.

Before you think I might be going off the deep end let me explain a few things first. I would welcome a homosexual into our Church without hesitation, but I would not back down from the Biblical stance of homosexuality and our Church would not let someone join as a member until they renounced that lifestyle. My wife and I know several homosexuals whom we love. One is a member of my wife's family and I enjoy their company every time we get together. Regardless of my feelings for those in the homosexual lifestyle I still must not waiver on the Biblical stance one bit. Someone might say, "But isn't Jesus all about grace?" Yes He is! "Then how do you think Jesus would say to a homosexual?" I think He would say "leave your homosexual lifestyle and follow me!" I say that because Jesus is saying to everyone "lay down your sins and come and follow me!" This issue of homosexuality is invading the Church and we need to be engaging it head on because it is not going away. My desire is that as we engage this issue we will do so in a loving Biblical manner.