the greatest obstacle to following Jesus

I recently had the opportunity to attend a great conference called 'Sentralized' in Olathe, KS a few weeks back that focused what it looks like for the Church to be a missional people. There were several speakers at the conference that I learned a great deal from.  One of the keynote speakers, Michael Frost, challenged people to 'listen to the heartbeat of your city' in order to find out how to be the hands and feet of Christ to them.  He went on to say that we must really know the inhabitants of our community in order to effectively minister to them and we must listen to their cries.

Here is my issue.  I understand what Michael Frost was getting at.  We must have listening ears and hearts in order to properly and effectively do the work of the Kingdom in our communities.  You don't start an 'Obesity Recovery Club' in a village that is starving nor do you offer English speaking classes for Japanese people in a town that is 70% Caucasian and 30% Spanish.  Listening with a prayerful heart is essential.

But what if the greatest desires, wants, and 'needs' of my community is a flat-screen to replace their 'old tv' from 2005?  What if what people desire most is a better car than the one they already have now?  A job that pays better so they can afford to go out to eat more and to support an excessive lifestyle?  Someone to repave their driveway so it looks as good as they neighbors new driveway across the street?

I hope my point is coming across.  What does ministry look like to a community and a people whose greatest desire to get more and have more than what they already have?  What does ministry look like to those who have been fully baptized into a lifestyle of consumption, comfort, and getting everything we want?


Before I go on, I thank God that I was not struck dead as I typed those last words.  I see the signs of consumerism in my own heart on a daily basis and I must bring that before the Lord in repentance regularly.

Alan Hirsch makes a great point in his book 'The Forgotten Ways' by saying the greatest obstacle in the Western Church when it comes to following Jesus is not Islam, Eastern Religions, New Age Spirituality, or whatnot.  Instead, the greatest obstacle is consumerism: the belief and desire that life is all about doing me and getting mine.  Consumerism preaches instant gratification and immediate results whereas the way of Jesus is found in pouring one's life out in servant love to one's brother and sister.  It is in the daily surrendering of one's own selfishness and asking God to renew our hearts to look more like that of our Lords.  It is the complete opposite of the consumer mindset.  The text that continually comes to mind is the descent of our Lord spoken of in Philippians 2.  We serve one who being in the very nature God made himself nothing (2:5-11).

So, what does ministry look like to those who have become entrapped in the ideology of consumerism?  

thoughts on the glbtq conversation

"The unexamined life is not worth living."  -Socrates-  I think any person that desires to walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ must regularly and continually reexamine how they are living and pray that God would help them to live faithfully.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to join in some amazing conversation with some fellow believers about what it looks like to minister to those who are either gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and/or questioning their sexuality.  As I mentioned in a previous post a ways back, when 1,000 non-believers were asked to use 3 words to describe the Western Church, the number one response was 'anti-gay.'  Now, if we as a Church are to be the 'Body of Christ' to the world, shouldn't the words people use to describe the Church overlap with the same words they would use to describe Jesus?  If those same people were asked to give one or two words to describe Jesus, I am sure we would hear words like: loving, merciful, welcoming, compassionate, etc.  How many examples do we see in scripture of Jesus exercising his greatest expressions of love and grace to those whom the community had damned as the worst of sinners while at the same time, Jesus reserved his greatest anger for those who already claimed to have already 'gotten it.'

With that said, I do not understand homosexuality much at all, simply because I cannot relate to it.  I don't know what it is like to grow up attracted to other guys.  My guess is that it is extremely frustrating being told that your natural emotions and inclinations are morally wrong.

Do I believe that homosexuality was a part of God's original plan?  No, I don't.  I believe the science behind how homosexuality has gradually arisen among humanity is far beyond my mind and comprehension.  However, if I did have to throw out a guess, I would say the recipe includes human sin over thousands of years.  Never underestimate humanities ability to take something good and jack it up.

So, what is the role of believers in regards to the glbtq community?  I say that we simply look towards the life and teachings of Christ as our primary model.  Instead of looking at someone and labeling them with their sin, we must first look into the eyes of every person and be reminded that they are first and foremost a creation of God, which makes them good.  Instead of opening up your Bible in order to read a passage regarding sexual immorality, perhaps you should look at your own life first and realize that, just like the person standing in front of you, you are desperately in need of the same grace and mercy that they are.  Instead of you trying to preach to them and tell them how they are living in sin (just like every other believer that they have encountered in person, on the internet, tv, etc), consider loving and welcoming that person.  Surprise them with how you  love and affirm their humanity.  There may be a time in the future where through your friendship and the Holy Spirit that God delivers this person from their lifestyle.  On the other hand, that time may not come.  Either way, love the person in their brokenness because you are broken too.  

Final thoughts.  At the end of my life, I would rather err on the side of showing too much love, grace, and mercy to the homosexual, l, t, b, q(if that is even possible).  I would rather Jesus say to me, "Jason, you should have spoken up a little more in regards to their behavior ...." as oppose to Jesus saying, "I wish you treated them with more love and kindness."

evangelism and culture

It is not uncommon to hear statements like, "how come our church does not (fill in the blank) like my old church did?"  Recently, someone asked me, "I remember back in the day we used to go door to door with a Bible in our hand telling people about Jesus... Why don't we do that anymore?"

Some people look at their local church and are saddened by the changes they have seen take place... and some of those feelings are for good reasons.  However, it is also important to remember that in many ways we must always be changing and evolving to in order to better minister to the culture that we live in.  There really is no disputing this truth.  If I used a curriculum that we written in the 1930s, there is a very large chance that the content will be effective simply because it was written by a people writing to others living in the 1930s.  While the core truth and beliefs may not change, the method in which that truth is taught and conveyed must evolve and change if we are to effectively relate to a 21st century people.

The reason why evangelism must look different in the year 2011 than in did 10, 20, or 50 years ago is because people and culture change.  For example, it was much easier to go 'door to door' 50 years ago because in the year 1961, the pastor/priest and the American Church was not nearly the laughing stock that it has become today.  With constant news reports of sexual abuse, child abuse, money fraud, affairs, etc, how can we not expect the image of the church to change?  How can we expect people to not question the Christian faith when they turn on the television and watch Benny Hinn hitting people with his jacket as he fills them with the Holy Spirit?  With that said, the average household is skeptical at best when it comes to the American Church.  Therefore, evangelism must look different than it did even just 10 years ago.  Before we begin telling people about our faith, we ought to embody it with a servant heart.  We must engage in the slow work of building relationships and allowing our faith story to flow out of that relationship.  Because whenever someone is truly seeking to know and love Christ more each day, it is impossible for others not to see Christ in them.

the big church

"The only way the Christian life is brought to maturity  is through intimacy, renunciation, and personal deepening." -Eugene Peterson-

For awhile, I wondered why it seemed like the bigger churches in our area of the country seemed to be getting bigger while the smaller churches seemed to be whittling down in terms of size.  My conclusion is that it is a whole lot easier to create a false sense of community and involvement in a larger church.  At the big church, one can enjoy the benefits (a great children/youth facility, a more aesthetically pleasing building, an impressive media system, etc), while not really ever experiencing any sort of intimacy.  In short, I would guess that it is much easier to attend a larger church than it is a smaller one.  At the small church, it is much more difficult to hide.  It is a lot more difficult to not know others and be known by others.

In the city I live in, there is the obvious 'big church.'  It is quite common to bump into people whom I haven't seen in a long time who tell me that they have begun attending the 'big church' across town.  In all those situations, I can't help but wonder what the motivation is for going there... What is it that they have found there that they did not find at their previous church?  What is the draw?

The only way we experience genuine growth as believers in Christ is when we open up our lives to God and to others... when we welcome God to search the very depths of our hearts and lives and allow ourselves to fully participate as members of Christ's body.

"I didn't get much out of worship today"

I overheard someone say that the other day... "I didn't get much out of worship."  I thought about saying something but I am always cautious about coming across as condescending.  This is not the first time that I have heard a statement like this and, in fact, I am sure I have said it at one time or another in my life.  What irks me about a statement like this is the consumeristic nature of the statement... That somehow gathering for worship has become more about gathering to be pampered.  Don't get me wrong, when we come before God in a spirit of worship we will definitely be blessed, but may 'being blessed' never precede our desire and intention to offer up our worship.

And while I may have already beaten the dead horse in previous entries, this is what I find to be a continual pattern in many people's understanding of the worship time, especially in Protestant circles.  We come seeing if the pastor has good insight this week, if the band plays our favorite songs with excellence, if the powerpoint/videos are appealing, and so on.  I wonder if there would be as much 'church hopping' if we ceased to think this way...