The Need to Read

I am convinced that much theological debate would be ended if people were better readers.

As a pastor I get everyone's questions about the Bible and theology. I love these questions and I am grateful to have the opportunity to speak into the lives of people.

Then there are the people who want to debate theology. The problem is that, often, they "don't read so good." Reading well requires us to pick up more than individual sentences. It requires us to place these sentences in their broader context and remembering how they fit in the broader scope.

Yes, if we simply read better then many debates would simply fade away.

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The Fascination of the Unknown

Left Behind, the reboot, is coming. The poorly written books which were made into poorly done films are being rebooted by Nicolas Cage.

A certain set of Christians are really excited.

Why? Because we don't like the mundane, the normal, the every day. We want to live the life fantastic. The Bible teaches things like loving your neighbor and entering into the every day life of the community.

That's so boring.

So, some grasp onto the excitement of a magical experience of Jesus coming to Earth, waging war, leaving Earth, returning again to reign, and then leaving, and then returning finally. They embrace the escapism that is inherent in this perspective. It feels like being in a comic book.

The alternative is lame. Jesus returns once, renews all things, and we get back to work, forever.

That's the thing though, following Jesus is about the every day, the small stuff. It's about being present in the here and now. It's about loving well. It's about suffering well. It's about taking the next step in the next moment.

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Live Into The Place

Over the last year or so I have been returning every once in a while to something that Hugh Halter said at Exponential in 2013. He was talking about sharing our faith and being in the world. His concept was simple:

Incarnation --> Reputation --> Conversation --> Confrontation --> Transformation

That's pretty straightforward stuff. Over the next few posts I am going to unpack each of these concepts. Today, we'll look at incarnation.

Incarnation in the missional context is that act of "living into" a place. You show up and be at a place. In the late 90s and early 00s there was a move for local congregations to "do incarnational evangelism". In other words, serve their community. Incarnation in the sense that we're talking about is not that at all.

What we want to do is actually inhabit or do life in a place. In Ypsilanti a few of us are living into B-24's Coffee and the Corner Brewery. We actively choose to go to these places. They become extensions of our homes. The regulars become like family. We are a community.

This is what happens when you begin to practice incarnation in a place. You become part of it and when you become part of a place you get to help shape the community and life of the place.

Where are you "living into"? Leave your response in the comments.

I'll leave you with these words from Eugene Peterson's rendering of John 1 -

Every person entering Life

he brings into Light.

He was in the world,

the world was there through him,

and yet the world didn’t even notice.

He came to his own people,

but they didn’t want him.

But whoever did want him,

who believed he was who he claimed

and would do what he said,

He made to be their true selves,

their child-of-God selves.

These are the God-begotten,

not blood-begotten,

not flesh-begotten,

not sex-begotten.

The Word became flesh and blood,

and moved into the neighborhood.

We saw the glory with our own eyes,

the one-of-a-kind glory,

like Father, like Son,

Generous inside and out,

true from start to finish.

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The Necessity of Mundane

We love dramas. Television, movies, or books. We love dramas.

The reason we love them is that they seem exciting. They create in us feelings that we desperately want to feel.

Dramas are not real.

The every day, the mundane, it is real. It feels boring. The people who are remembered are the ones who embrace the necessity of the mundane.

Every day the choice must be made to set our eye on the here and now and our heart on eternity.

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Don't Stop Keep Going!

As a Christian I am constantly tempted to quit. I want to walk away from it all and just have a "personal" relationship with Jesus. So many articles about what "Christians" think or do make me so sad and angry. Many people in my life who "go to church" are just mean. When I bump into them on Facebook or Twitter I am left aching in my heart and I want to walk away from all of it.

I know in my head that I can't do that. Those feelings often times cause guilt and shame. And yet, they come again and again.

But then I have an interaction with someone from our faith community. Or I hear a story about someone stepping out and trusting God in a rich, new way. When that happens my heart is renewed and refilled. Each new story of someone I love and care about seeing God do something in their life rejuvenates me.

I think one of the neatest technological advancements is the app that allows people to encourage someone who is out on a run through Facebook (I think Nike put it out). As your run starts a post is created on Facebook and every like or comment is shared with the runner to give them encouragement to keep going.

Paul wrote to Timothy near the end of his life and shared with him these words.

I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2 Timothy 4:1-5)

My hunch is that Timothy went back to these words over and over and over again.

"Fulfill you ministry."

Don't stop! Keep going!

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Get Going...

I really like reading guys like Seth Godin. They challenge me to think in new ways. For instance, Godin's posts are always short, pithy, and insightful. I don't always agree with him but he knows who he is and he writes about what he knows. This causes me to want to read more and think more.

Yesterday I read a post by Don Miller where he talked about how people who follow Jesus need to "shine" not "broadcast".His point was, be like Jesus and people will want to be around you and know more about this Jesus you follow. I think we could say Miller is calling us to know who we are and to live out what we know.

Every Sunday night in our community I send our folks out with Jesus' words from the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Why? It's because this few sentences remind us who we are - sent disciples - and what we are to do - make disciples. The follower of Jesus is called to live life as one who is on mission.

Think about that for a moment. Jesus commissioning is for you. He has invited and called you to take part.

The church is to be on mission not just gathered together on Sundays for worship. Our calling is bigger than that. Take a moment and reflect today on what Paul says in Ephesians 2:7-10 MSG:

Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.

 

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