A Gut Response to the Tragedies of This Week

This week we have seen in our world two tragedies. Tuesday night a student at EMU was killed. Today we are experiencing the horror of a school shooting in Connecticut that has resulted in the death of nearly thirty children.

It is at times like this when I fall to my knees and ask God, "Why?" Where is God in the midst of this kind of tragic violence? Why did God allow this senselessness to happen? Why? Each one of the children in the Antioch Movement could have been at that school today.

Why?

We live in a world that is broken beyond our comprehension. Human sin is rampant. Self-hatred and hatred of others is at an all time high. Hate and distrust is the air we breathe.

So we ask, "Why God?"

The Scriptures are full of people experiencing pain, suffering, and evil. Psalm 88 is one of the darkest moments in human literature. If we are honest with ourselves we struggle in moments like these to believe that God is sovereign and good.

But he is.

We ask, "If God is omnipotent why didn't he stop this?" I don't know. I don't have any answers for the kind of pain that comes from moments like this. I struggle with God over why he allows evil to accomplish these kinds of things.

But, at the end of the day I am able to return to the fact that God is good and he is sovereign.

Do you know what comes after Psalm 88? Psalm 89, "I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithulness to all generations. For I said, "Steadfast love will be built up forever; in the heavens you will establish your faithfulness." It goes on to say, "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you."

While, in the moment we have no answers what we can know with certainty is that righteousness, justice, faithfulness, and steadfast love are God's. That is why the Psalmist can enter into a time of sadness in the second half of the Psalm and then close with, "Blessed be the Lord forever! Amen and Amen."

We may never know the why from this week. We as followers of Jesus must change the question and reorient ourselves to the reality that God is just, righteous, sovereign, good, and full of steadfast love.

As the days go forward some in your lives will argue against God and use these events as reason for why God cannot exist. In reality they point us to the fact that the world would be much, much worse if we didn't have a God who is restraining most of humanity through his common grace.

Some people in your lives may ask why, it's OK to say, "I don't know." Remember though that while we can't answer the why we can answer the what, God is in control and that even in these dark times he is just, righteous, faithful, and full of steadfast love.

These are the moments that serve as reminders for us the necessity of the gospel. This man, needed the gospel. He needed to know he was forgiven.

God is sovereign and God is good.

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The Difficulty of Staying True

When I began the process of church planting there was one thing that became abundantly clear, vision is the first casualty. Every time I share with someone about what is happening with the Antioch Movement they have advice for me. This advice is their vision, their hope, their dream of the church.

It seems like every time a conversation like this takes place there is a vortex that grows. Another voice is added to a litany of other voices that are clamoring for attention.

When you add to this the details, hoops, and other things that call for your attention it becomes easier and easier to move away from the heart of the vision. I look around for the people who sat in coffee shops with me and dreamed with me about what the "church" can look like.

Many of them are gone.

The ones that remain are a balm to my soul. They encourage me and refocus me.

The ones that are gone bring me grief. The ones who have "sold out" break my heart.

A good friend reminds me every time I spend time with him that the vision must be protected. That I must remain true to what God has laid on my heart. He reminds me that the draw to the world's view of success is real and it is significant. The sucking of the vortex cannot be escaped. Therefore, it is necessary to find a center place that grounds you and reminds you of what God has called you too.

Thankfully the community that God is building in The Antioch Movement provides that for me. He is raising up a people who own the vision and remind me of what we are together called to be. We have our roles and we each play different parts, but we are in this together and it's beautiful.

When I begin to despair or struggle with the calling an email or a Facebook post or a meeting over coffee happens that reorients me.

I'm not alone.

The difficulty of staying true is real.

But it's getting easier because...

I'm not alone.

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The Danger of Trusting in Celebrity

I have recently had a few people tell me, "Pastors keep failing. I think that God is raising up athletes to be his spokesmen to reach this generation." Then the names of certain prominent Christian athletes are brought up.

Pastors fail all the time.

So do athletes.

The ones we know about are also celebrities.

Christian celebrity is a new phenomenon. It really began with the First Great Awakening. Prior to that most pastors labored locally. Some traveled (the Methodists are the best example) but most settled in for a long faithful pastorate caring for and preaching the gospel to a particular people.

In the last handful of years we have come to see the rise of the Celebrity Clergy taken to a new level (Billy Graham is the prime example). When these pastors began to have moral failures (Bill Graham is thankfully excluded from this!) many Christians have begun to look for new heroes to share the gospel for them.

Thus, the rise of the celebrity Christian athlete. When a professional athlete wins and begins to state his faith in Jesus and praising God many good Christian folk begin to look to that person as one who can be a hero for them, one who can share the gospel for them.

When we begin to look for a celebrity to be a representative for Jesus on our behalf we are missing something.

Where does this come from?

First, many of these folks listen to many pastors. There is nothing inherently wrong with that. However,  it creates a competition in their heart over their local pastor. In my tradition becoming a member is like getting married. Vows are made. I think we need to consider the ramifications of searching out other pastors. I think there is something similar to this and men who "check out other women" and how that often leads to an affair. We are better to commit ourselves to a community and not allow our hearts and minds to wander by seeking out famous pastors.

Second, I think this comes from a desire for people who desperately want folks to come to know Jesus. They want this so bad that they are unwittingly giving themselves over to a worldly model of gaining acceptance. What do I mean by this statement? When the world wants to sell something they find a celebrity to embrace the view or product that is being pushed. We do the same thing by turning the keys of the kingdom, as it were, over to the next celebrity Christian. We want to be accepted and think that this acceptance will bring conversion. But we are wrong. This simply sets us up for failure

Finally, we have lost our sense of mission. We talk a good game but ultimately most of us in the West believe that you have to be a professional to share the gospel. We have forgotten that within each Christ follower is the capacity to launch a movement that will transform the world. Because we have forgotten this we place our hope in the celebrity, whether an athlete or actor, we look outside ourselves for someone to "really" represent Jesus more broadly than we ever could. No, God has not called celebrities to stand in the gap for us. He has and will continue to use the average, everyday Christian to be his witness.
These mindsets, attitudes, and actions are lies. We must call them out as such and move on from them. We must stop placing our hope in the celebrity Christian.

We have come to a time when we must place our hope in the living God. Or even better as Paul and Timothy put it in Colossians 2:6,7:

6 Therefore,as you received Christ Jesus the Lord,so walk in him,7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith,just as you were taught,abounding in thanksgiving.

Friends, it is time to "walk in him". Stop looking to celebrities. Look to Christ and walk in him.

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