Monday Morning Rewind: Shining Brightly Together

Perhaps your sense of humor is too refined to appreciate "light bulb" jokes.  But I love them!

For example, how many Gorillas does it take to change a light bulb?  Only one, but you better have a truck load of light bulbs!

How many Oregonians (I'm all the way over here on the east coast, so I can talk about them) does it take to change a light bulb?  Nine.  One to change the bulb, and eight to protest the nuclear energy plant that powers it!

Sorry, I can't help myself.

But Paul does prompt a question we should ask when he says in Philippians 2:15 that we should "shine as lights in the world."  How many of us will it take to get that done?  Well, if you are part of a church family, it will take ALL of you to do it the way your Lord and mine wants it done!

We we continue in our "One Body" series at Covenant, we find in Philippians 2:12-18, three postures--actions that are essential for every church to shine brightly in a dark world:

1. Obedience.  Ever cuss around a preacher, and then try to apologize?  As a preacher, I find those experiences to be hilarious, chiefly because I'm a little unsure of why they are so apologetic since they don't ultimately answer to me.  That's the same spirit in which Paul writes verses 12 and 13.  Essentially, he says "behave yourselves whether I am present or not, because the One you answer to is always present!"  We do that, first of all, by seeing the promise we are given here--that God is ALREADY at work inside each one of us.  In other words, we can put on the mind of Christ, we can avoid selfish ambition, act in humility, and put others before ourselves.  And we can "work that out" because God has already "worked it in!"  And obedience is when we work out in our lives the very things God has already worked into our souls through the person and work of Jesus.

When we obey in these ways, in the context of our church family, we help each other grow toward Jesus  In fact, the only way to truly "work out" what God has "worked in" is, according to Paul, doing it within the community of faith that is the church.

2. Holiness.  It is unfortunate that there is so much confusion in our day regarding what holiness is.  Too many people hear this word and think of all sorts of unpleasant things--cold showers, hard beds, no sex, no laughter, little rest, and a generally miserable existence.  C.S. Lewis commented a generation ago; "How little people know who think that holiness is dull.  When one meets the real thing, it is irresistible.  If even 10% of the world's population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before the year's end?"

What was his point?  That we have defined holiness in such a way that its the last thing on earth anybody wants to be!  Thankfully, we get some help from Paul, who uses a different but very similar word--"blameless."  And when he applies this concept to the church corporately, the lesson we learn is that truly holy and blameless people work through their problems much differently than the world does.

Think about how our world tries to solve its problems:  Presidential "debates," Jerry Springer-style drama, polarization, biased media, and the non-stop grasping for power and prestige over others.  Paul's message to the church at Philippi, and to us, is that we are supposed to be better than that.  But are we?  Perhaps the first step in becoming what Paul envisions is to admit that we are far more like the world than we want to admit--and the primary evidence for this is that we try to solve problems and navigate conflict in EXACTLY the same way they do.  But people who seek unity, put on the mind of Christ, and put others before themselves are those who give the strongest evidence that they are truly holy.

3. Joy. Think joy and holiness don't belong in the same message--let alone the same sentence?  Then perhaps you need to re-define what both mean, because they go hand in hand.

We talked a lot yesterday about the Jewish ceremonial background of Paul's comments in verses 17 and 18, but what he is basically saying is "If I am sacrificed--poured out completely for your sake--and the result is that you are unified together in your service to Jesus, I will rejoice in that!"  Another way of putting it is this: "What you are doing in Philippi as one body is more important than what I do from a jail cell 800 miles away."

That is also true for any church.  A truly unified body is so powerful that even if their spiritual father is removed from the equation they continue to shine as a bright light in a dark world.

So what if something terrible happened to me?  What if through death, or chronic illness, or something else beyond my control I am removed from the picture as your lead pastor?  Hear my heart when I say this; the greatest joy I could have would be for Covenant to be so strong, so unified, full of both holiness and joy to the extent that my absence wouldn't matter.  If our church family can find the joy Paul talks about here, we won't just "be fine."  We will thrive, regardless of what transpires.

Conversely, we can have the best communicator in the pulpit, the most talented musicians on stage, the slickest programs, the most well-run system, and the most wealthy donors in the world, but if we don't learn to take joy and delight in each other, we will never get where Jesus intends us to go.

Are we really that different?  Because we should be.  That is who God calls us to be.  And to the degree that we embody these postures, to that same degree the world looks at us and says "there worship the children of God!"

Monday Morning Rewind: A People Just Like Jesus

Goals are easy to set, but often much harder to reach.  Think for example about weight loss (yeah I know.  I could have picked a less convicting one, right?  But its pretty relevant I think)  Its easy to look at a particular physique in a magazine, cut it out, paste it on your bathroom mirror, and say "I want to look like that guy/gal!"  But getting there is hard and annoying work!  You have to sacrifice your favorite foods (which for me is ice cream.  I just can't stay away from it!), exercise, and go through those awkward phases on your way from A to B that leave you between belt loops and wardrobes.

The path is MUCH harder than the destination!

For the past several weeks, we have been moving verse by verse through Paul's letter to Philippians, and we have seen a beautiful picture drawn for us--the picture of a church that moves, thinks, and acts as ONE body!  And with that picture now posted metaphorically in our minds, Paul begins describing in depth what its going to take for us to get there.  In this too, the path is much harder than the dream, but the destination is worth it, and the three sequential steps we see in Philippians 2 lay that path out clearly for us.

1. Seek Solidarity by Seeking Unity.  The Gospel is unstoppable.  We have already seen that.  But we can be stopped from sharing in its advance if we don't seek unity.  Paul says to the church; "I will be filled with joy when I see solidarity among you.  And you will achieve that when you are of "one mind."  That's the goal!  Again, its not easy when we have so many varied and strong opinions, perceptions, ways of processing information and handling conflict, but here we are promised that if we want solidarity, the unity we need to have it can be ours!

2. Seek Unity by Seeking Humility.  Let's face it.  Humility is a hard thing to practice.  For one thing, we live in a culture that rewards pride.  But on the other hand, the church as a whole often misunderstands what it means to be humble.  Fortunately, Paul gives us an accurate definition of both pride AND humility.  Pride is when we are focused on ourselves.  Humility is when we are focused on others.

The old saying is true:  Humility isn't thinking less of yourself.  But it is thinking of yourself less.  I can say this from experience: In my 24 years of ministry, nearly every time I've seen relational breakdown in the church its been due to the exchange of godly humility for selfish ambition--"looking out for number one!"  But there is no solidarity without unity, and there is no unity without humility.  The great news is that we have a model for precisely this kind of posture in the person of Jesus!

3. Seek Humility by Seeking Christ.  Verses 5-11 are, I believe, not only the most powerful in the entire letter.  They represent the best of Paul's writing!  These seven verses are so rich with meaning we simply didn't have time to plumb their depths yesterday.  But we did have time to cover the "big idea," which is that the humility we need to "start the engine" toward unity as one body is found in how Jesus humbled Himself.  We are told here that Jesus "emptied Himself" for us all, suffered for the sake of His bride, and in doing so modeled the very kind of humility we need to assume.  True humility as members of the church means we are willing to give of ourselves for the sake of others, and suffer for, and with the other members of the body.

For Jesus, assuming that humility was repaid with His victory over sin and death, and the promise that one day, every knee will bow--every tongue will confess that He is Lord to the glory of God.

Don't confuse humility with weakness!  Jesus' humility will one day result in His triumph over all.  And our Christ-like humility toward each other will likewise produce a unity and solidarity that will be unstoppable!

Someone once told me that to lose weight "you have to be convinced that skinny feels better than chocolate tastes!"  Well, to be the unified church God has called us to be, we have to come to the conclusion that unity feels better the selfishness.  And why shouldn't it?  After all, when we move, think, and act as ONE BODY, we are no less than a people just like Jesus!

Approaching Scripture; Approaching Culture

This week, I'm teaching a doctoral seminar at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary on current issues affecting the church.  Western evangelicalism faces an increasing number of challenges when it comes to engaging its surrounding culture in a way that is both faithful to Jesus, and fruitful within our current environment.  And sometimes, we find ourselves at cross-purposes with one another regarding an issue.

Whether we are dealing with family, sexuality, ecology, technology, or any other issue which has proven to be a "moving target" in our day, our approaches are sometimes divergent.  For example, you may find between two Christian theologians that both talk an awful lot about Jesus and claim a high level of reverence for the written Scriptures, but come to very different conclusions when it comes to particular social issues that currently dominate our national conversation.

Most of the time, our differences in approach are merely that--varied and sometimes contrasting perspectives on how to effectively engage the world Jesus died to save.  But occasionally, the divide is much deeper.  The advent of what has been commonly called "post-evangelicalism" has, on the surface, seemed to be about engagement.  But beneath the surface, it becomes apparent that the issue is far more serious.

Its about how the authority of Scripture is perceived.

As a result, I will be leading our Doctor of Ministry cohort this morning in a discussion of the three prominent approaches to interpreting Scripture that are currently driving a lot of discussion within the western churches.  For pastors and other ministry leaders, this is crucially important to understand, because its not just our belief about Scripture that drives our approach to culture.  Its also how we approach its interpretation.

Currently, there are three predominant schools of thought in regard to how Scripture should be approached and interpreted.  While each approach brings perspectives that can be helpful to those who follow Jesus, some contain inherent dangers that can lead to failure rather than fruitfulness.  What follows is a very brief, and therefore admittedly somewhat oversimplified, overview of these approaches.

The Historical-Grammatical Approach:  Current approaches to this method emerged in the early 20th century in response to European higher criticism.  Like the higher critical approach, this method seeks to understand and respect the literary aspects of the Scriptural texts, and as a result gives heavy consideration to the literary, linguistic, contextual, historical, and canonical factors when seeking to determine meaning.

What sets this method apart however, is the presumption that authorial intent should govern our approach to interpretation.  And this presumption is informed by a view of Scripture that assumes a plenary verbal understanding of inspiration.  This is to say that advocates of this approach (myself included) come to the Bible presupposing that The Holy Spirit ensured that every word left to us in its pages is the fully inspired Word of God Himself.  And since this inspiration is expressed through the personalities, writing styles,  and employed literary genres of the more than 40 human authors who penned the Scriptures, the best way to arrive at Scripture's meaning is to ask one simple question: "What did the Holy Spirit-inspired author intend to say here?"

Admittedly, this approach results in some degree of circular reasoning, and some of its advocates have occasionally fallen victim to epistemological idealism--the idea that we can know truth absolutely in spite of the fact that our minds are as fallen as our bodies.  Nevertheless, this approach best undergirds a high view of Scripture as God's inspired Word, and is therefore the best starting point for understanding appropriate application to any context in which we might find ourselves.

The Postliberal Approach: This  school of thought emerged out of a view of Scripture known as "Neo-orthodoxy."  George Lindbeck, Hans Willhelm Frei, and Stanley Hauerwas, all of whom were deeply influenced by Karl Barth (the founder of Neo-orthodoxy), developed this approach to understanding Scripture while the three were teaching together at Yale Divinity School.  For this reason, the postliberal hermeneutic is sometimes loosely referred to as the "New Yale school."

Though this approach employs a non-foundationalist approach to the text, there is a very helpful side of it that recognizes--perhaps more clearly than their historical-grammatical counterparts--the noetic effects of the fall and the resulting inevitability of subjective interpretation.  Additionally, postliberal thinkers do affirm a "normative element" in every interpretation informed by the history of the church, and the way the global body of Christ has approached a given text.  Therefore, this school of thought sees a solemn responsibility of the present church as a "sub-community" which seeks to stand on the shoulders of those who read and interpreted in the past, while simultaneously forming active responses to current issues themselves.  As such, they focus on the community of faith as Holy Spirit-filled and thus competent interpreters of Scripture, further emboldened in their attempts by their brothers and sisters who interpret Scripture together with them in the sub-community.

The problem with this approach is the tendency to see the sub-community as the final authority in itself.  In many ways, this approach is an advocacy of Neo-orthodoxy in reverse.  Karl Barth taught that the transcendence of God meant He could not be fully and finally revealed in human language, and therefore Scriptural interpretation becomes an exercise in "listening past the scratches [human error in the text] in order to hear the Master's voice."  In other words, the Bible isn't the Word of God, but becomes the Word of God  as we encounter it and respond to it.  Conversely, postliberal hermeneutics require that the sub-community impart present meaning to the text, thereby placing the final interpretive authority not int he text itself, but in the sub-community.  In Neo-orthodoxy, Scripture isn't the Word of God until it meaningfully encounters us.  In postliberal thought, Scripture has no meaning until meaning is imparted by the sub-community. Current voices like Leonard Sweet have advocated this approach as the preferred approach--especially when seeking to address issues affected by philosophical postmodernism.  The inherent danger, however, is of a presumptuous sub-community that sees itself imparting meaning, and thus authority to the Biblical text.  The authority of Scripture is inherent.  Scripture doesn't need the church to be Scripture, or to have inherent meaning.

The "Redemptive Movement" Approach.  Canadian scholar William J. Webb is currently the most visible advocate of this interpretive approach.  His 2001 book Slaves, Women, and Homosexuals is a thoroughly researched, comprehensive description of this school of thought, which views Scripture as calling believers toward an "ultimate ethic" To do this, redemptive movement advocates seek to locate common "voices" in the text which collectively call believers toward a "progressive trajectory."  As a result, critics of this view will sometimes use the pejorative term "trajectory hermeneutic."

Webb point to three distinct recognitions that must be ascertained in order to properly interpret any Biblical command.  The first is the specific Biblical command itself.  The second is the cultural context in which that command appears.  The third is the "ultimate ethic" that can be determined by understanding how the command and surrounding culture relate to one another when they are placed together on a "trajectory."

This approach assumes an "arc of history" understanding of human progress.  That is, it views human history as a history of moving forward, becoming constantly more enlightened, and progressing forward in more effective ways.Though positive, this is a rather naive and simplistic view of history that sometimes results in what C.S. Lewis called "chronological snobbery."  Thinking that my grandfather probably wasn't as smart and enlightened as me simply because I grew up 6 decades after he did is historically adolescent and full of hubris.  But thinking I have a better view of the "ultimate ethic" of God than Jeremiah or the Apostle Paul is simply spiritually dangerous.

The biggest issue with this approach is that the "ultimate ethic" is never clearly defined within Scripture.  When you leave the end result open like this, the inevitable result is that culture's prevailing views will determine meaning.  Such is precisely the kind of scenario that can end with entire churches who have their feet planted firmly in mid-air, and ultimately irrelevant to their communities and the world.  Though Webb stops short of full cultural capitulation, many who have come behind him have taken those additional steps, and there is nothing in this approach to interpretation to stop them from doing so.  In particular, when you read Justin Lee or Rachel Held Evans on homosexuality, you are reading opinions that are largely informed by this approach.  One does not have to employ this approach to recognize the culturally and covenantally-bound nature of some Biblical texts.

For followers of Jesus, every subject is ultimately a spiritual conversation, and consequently, a conversation that should take us back to our source of authority.  Understanding the proper way to interpret that authority source is perhaps more important today than it has ever been.

Monday Morning Rewind: What We Face Together

When someone says they are "looking forward" to something, we generally take that in a positive way.  But truthfully, not everything we look ahead to is a good thing.  A group of Marines about to deploy have much to "look forward to," but most of it isn't good.

And sometimes, even what seems good is accompanied with less pleasant prospects.  A bride and groom standing at their wedding altar, for example, have much to "look forward to."  Some of it is great.  Some of it is horrible.  The issue isn't so much that what they face is good or bad, but that what they face, they face together.

This is also true for any church family.  Two weeks ago we saw where Paul painted a picture for the church at Philippi--a picture of the power of perspective, courage, and focus that comes to any church that finds its ultimate identity in the person of Jesus.  Yesterday, we saw in the closing verses of Chapter 1 some of the things churches that find this kind of solidarity have to look forward to.

1. Confidence.  Paul was certain that, no matter how circumstances transpired around his imprisonment, the Gospel would go forward.  To be sure, he'd much rather be released and have the freedom of movement that would help him be personally involved in the spread of this message.  But either way, he is confident, not only that his circumstances can't hinder the spread of Jesus' message, but also that his circumstances can't stop his own spiritual growth and progress.

When we stand in the fullness of the faith Jesus provides for us, there is absolutely nothing that can shake our confidence or stunt our spiritual growth.  Even when the water is over our heads, our confidence in our Lord grows.

2. Contentment.  Paul is going to speak a LOT more about contentment later in the letter, but his basis for everything he will say later is expressed clearly in verse 21, which may be the most powerful statement in all of his correspondence to Philippi!

We talk a lot in our culture about "quality of life."  Usually those conversations are related to health care, mental health, maintaining a certain standard of living, and having peace of mind.  But the darker side of those conversations are fueled by fear of economic adversity that takes away our ability to live at a certain standard, or adverse health that limits our mobility, or even to be able to think clearly and be in our right minds.

Paul dispenses with that fear with four words: "To live is Christ."  That is the greatest quality of life statement in all of history, because it enables him to say "its OK if I'm in a prison cell.  Its OK that I don't know my own future.  Its OK that the circumstances surrounding me are completely out of my control, because the essence of life only consists in union with and devotion to Jesus.  He is my whole being!"

What would it look like for an entire church to be filled with people who assume this attitude? What power would exist in the midst of one body of believers saying in unison "Our whole life is Christ!"  That's a powerful picture of a contented people.

3. Blessing.  We in the Christian community talk a lot about "being blessed.  We hashtag the term on social media, emblazzen it on T-shirts and tatoos.  But what does it really mean?

For most of us, our default is to use this word to describe when our lives are going well.  I have a tax-refund coming and don't have to pay, so I"m "blessed."  I got the promotion, so I'm "blessed."

Though its not inaccurate to use the word in that way, using it only in that way is a failure to grasp the depth of what it means.  Paul is describing a life of blessing, which he defines as a statement of contentment that allowed him to see God's work in absolutely everything--including his own hardship, persecution, or even execution.  Verses 22-24 are a picture of the most positive internal struggle that can take place. In the end, Paul expresses a feeling of "blessing" that is completely unconnected to his own personal future.  "Whether I remain with you, or go to be with Christ, my biggest struggle is that I can't do both and I can't decide which I want more!"

4. Self-Denial.  In the midst of all he faced, Paul's mind wasn't primarily on himself.  It was on his church family at Philippi.  This is a guy who is committed to live out his life for the good of others!

This comes because he realizes--as we should--that what transpires around us is always, ALWAYS bigger than us!  We will see with much greater clarity what this kind of self-denial looks like as we move deeper into Philippians.  But for now, Paul's example should prompt a question in each of us:  How willing are we to deny ourselves for the greater benefit of the ONE BODY Christ has called us to be?

5.  Solidarity.  Verses 27-30 aren't just a wish Paul has for one local assembly of believers.  Its a picture of where we all should be headed.

If you don't grasp fully what he is talking about here, find a believer who is a combat veteran and talk to them about what this means.  We have many of them in our church family, and as I'm sure they would tell you, when soldiers are in a foxhole together they don't argue over the wording in their "mission statement" of debate for hours about their "values."  They lock and load, stand shoulder to shoulder, back to back, and do what has to be done--EVEN if what has to be done is to throw myself on a live grenade and die for the benefit of my unit!

That is the solidarity that Paul describes in the spiritual realm--ONE body, with ONE mind, striving TOGETHER.  In other words, moving forward, thinking and acting, not as several hundred people, but as ONE body under the Lordship of Jesus.  And everything I do as part of the body of Christ--every action, thought, and word--is either contributing to that solidarity, or destroying it.  

There is a reason we have euphemisms in our vocabulary like "laser focus."  I have to think if Paul were writing this letter in the 21st century with our knowledge of how to convert light into laser power, he might have expressed his desire for Philippi in this way: "I want all of you to be laser-focused, as I am, on the glory of Christ."

That's our task:  stand together in such confidence, contentment, and blessing that we are, together, able to rise above our own foci and help each other grow toward Jesus in the process.

Monday Morning Rewind: Easter Changes Everything!

The early church began as an offshoot of Judaism.  So it was a very big deal when they changed their primary day of worship from the "Sabbath Day" to the first day of the week.  But the early Christians made the move, and did so for one reason--the resurrection!

In that sense, Christians consider every Sunday to be "resurrection Sunday."  But yesterday was Easter--the day we set aside on the Christian calendar that demonstrates us to be truly crazy.  Yes, we believe a dead man rose from the dead 2000 years ago, is still alive, and is coming again.  When such an audacious claim is made, there can only be one of two explanations.  One is that there is some sort of mass hysteria that is causing hundreds of millions of people around the world to give into a delusional psychosis.

The other explanation is equally simple:  that it actually happened.

Don't want to believe it?  Well, you are in good company, because neither did the first disciples.  Luke 24 records their walk along the road to Emmaus when they first encountered Jesus after He had been crucified two days before, and their response gives new meaning to the word "cynical."

We've all been there.  "Fool me once," the old saying goes, "shame on you.  But fool me twice, and its shame on me."  The world is full of people who have seen more than their share of dissapointment, and aren't about to allow themselves to be victimized again.  That's pretty much the attitude assumed by Jesus' first disciples.  But the lesson they learn in their encounter with Jesus is that His resurrection changes absolutely everything!

It changes personal expectation into providential hope.  The disciples made clear to Jesus that they had unmet expectations.  The expected that He would free Israel, kick out the Roman occupiers, and maybe even install a few of them into high level offices.  So focused are they on their disappointment, that Jesus joins them on their journey, and they can't even see Him!

One of the saddest things that can be said of a person is that greatness passed by and they missed it.  Is God doing something incredible in your life, but you can't see it because you are focused instead on what you didn't get?  We are far too easily discouraged.

It changes cynicism into trust.  Here is Jesus, risen from the dead, walking among them.  How do they not see this?!?!  That's what cynicism will do to you.  The world kicks you around to the point that you have hardened yourself, and don't want to believe anything anymore.  You are afraid to accept any good news at all, because you have an inherent fear that you will discover its not true.

The resurrection can change all of that.  After finally realizing who was walking with them, the disciples say "did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to us on the road?"  Nothing gets rid of cynicism like a once dead man showing up unannounced!

It turns washed-out people toward the Word of God.  These men are done!  Complete exhaustion by trial.  What they have been through the past two days is a world away from a long line at Wal-Mart, a bad day on the golf course, or unexpected traffic that makes them late.  When Jesus died, they watched their dreams die with Him.  Everything they were living for was crushed--or at least they thought so.

But Jesus responds by taking them back to His Word--reminding them that all of this was part of God's plan to redeem for Himself--a plan He had spoken about through His prophets for thousands of years.

If times are hard, don't wash out.  Don't give up.  Instead, turn to the Word of God and read of the Israelites escaping an inescapable situation.  Read about these Emmaus-bound disciples who encounter a guy they just saw die two days ago, now walking right beside them.  And remember that God never goes back on His Word!

Years ago, an S-4 submarine was rammed by a ship just off the coast of Massachusetts.  The sub sank immediately, leaving the entire crew trapped in a prison of death.  Every effort was made to rescue the crew, but all ultimately failed.  Near the end of the ordeal, divers went down one last time to see if there was an option they had missed.  One heard tapping coming from the inside wall of the sub.  Putting his head against the hull, he recognized the Morse code coming from a sailor on the other side----"is there any hope?"

That's exactly how the disciples felt.  Its how many people feel today.  But Jesus is risen, and that changes everything!

Islam, Muslims, and the Importance of Knowing the Difference

"I've never met Islam.  I think Islam owes me $5.  But apparently Islam hates America, which is fascinating."  -Wajahat Ali

"Islam is a diverse religion with many expressions, though unfortunately there is a demonstrable tendency among Muslims to assume only one legitimate interpretation of Islam"  -Nabeel Qureshi

Prior to the September 11, 2001 attacks on our country, few people in the west gave much thought to Islam.  Most non-Muslim Americans were aware of their fellow Muslim citizens, but because they kept their distance and never really got to know them, they had summarily stereotyped their understanding of what it meant to be a follower of Islam.

After 9/11, rather than seeking to understand through relationships, many Americans just added a suicide vest to that stereotype.  Too many of this year's Presidential candidates have jumped on that bandwagon with suggestions that range from monitoring American mosques to special ID badges for Muslim citizens.  And all of this is fueled by the generalized assumption that "Islam hates the west" or "Islam's values are antithetical to America's values."  These are strange statements to the many Muslims who have lived peacefully among us for many decades now.  I have a friend who served as a Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush, who currently works with an organization that promotes global religious freedom.  He has been a devout Muslim his entire life.

In December while at a meeting in Washington I met a former Ambassador who served during the Reagan administration--also a devout Muslim. Fighting back tears, her concern was obvious.  "I don't recognize my own country any more," she said.  I have another dear Muslim friend, a young professional with a wife and young child who is building a quiet life in the country for his family.  He is pro-life, pro-traditional family, pro-business, and believes in small, limited government.  And just recently he told me "I'm a Republican, but I fear voting for one this year might be voting for my own extermination."  I could go on, but these stories alone should demonstrate that Islamophobia is alive and well.  That national tension was exponentially increased with this week's ISIS attacks in Belgium.  The temptation to assess based on fear is understandable, but dangerous to our civil discourse, and for those who follow Jesus, it is simply antiChrist.

As an Evangelical pastor, I'm not particularly fond of Islam--not because I believe it is a threat to national security, but because I believe it endangers the soul.  But I know and walk in relationship with numerous Muslims, and I love every one of them.  Some of them have become like brothers to me, and in watching those relationships develop I've learned many valuable lessons.  But perhaps the most important lesson is this:  Islam is a highly diverse religion, practiced in at least three "denominational" expressions among more than 1.7 billion people worldwide.  Any religion with that many adherents can't simply be painted into a simplistic corner.  In fact, the best way to understand isn't to read a book about Islam, but to simply get to know your Muslim neighbor. In other words, if we want to have a meaningful conversation about what is transpiring in our world, we have to distinguish between "Islam" and "Muslims."  There are several reasons for this:

1. Faith is not a Monolith.  Think of the difference between an Eastern Orthodox Priest in Armenia, and a Pentecostal preacher in Alabama.  Both are "Christian."  But they don't look or sound very much like each other, do they?  That same sort of diversity exists within Islam.  My Turkish Muslim friends in Baltimore are anything but identical to my friend in Hagerstown who is a Burmese Imam.  Faith is a very personal thing to devout Muslims, and beyond the "five pillars" you will find a wide degree of opinion on a large number of issues.  Just ask them!

2. Systems are not People.  There are numerous Catholics who are on the pill.  Multitudes of Baptists consume alcohol regularly.  I have a Reconstructionist Rabbi friend who will not refuse a good slice of ham.  In this regard, Islam is no different.  Once you actually get to know the people who call themselves "Muslim" you discover numerous opinions on everything from shellfish to alcohol to head coverings
.
3. History is not Theology.  In recent years, an understandable question has emerged regarding which Islam is the "true" Islam?  While I sympathize with this curiosity, as a Christian theologian I have to refuse the premise of that question.  For Christians, our faith is rooted in and dependent upon the death and bodily resurrection of the Jesus of history (among other things).  But to appeal to "true Islam" by seeking its historical roots is, in my view, to commit a two-fold error.  First, doing so assumes an historical timeline that bears the same validity as our own faith, and I simply reject that.  But additionally, seeking to trace the historical roots of Islam in order to ferret out its "real" theology is to ignore that Muslims themselves worldwide rarely connect the two.  Though Muhammad is revered by all, his life, beliefs, and actions are understood very differently even within the Muslim world.  It is, therefore, unfair of us to ascribe a belief system to our Muslim neighbors that is rooted in an understanding of Islamic history they themselves may reject.

4. Lecturing isn't listening. I was 12,000 miles from home, sitting with my wife across the table from the only other white people in a Chinese city of more than 2 million.  The husband--an Indianapolis police officer--asked me what I did for a living, and when I said "I'm a Baptist pastor," he responded with the only reference point he had--Westboro "Baptist" Church, and said "so you are the folks who hate gay people?"

Feel that sting?  That's the same sting your Muslim neighbors feel when you lecture them about what they "really" believe.  So just don't do it.

Too many Christ followers make generalized claims such as "well, if they were really following the Koran they wouldn't be so 'peaceful.'"

I'm really thankful that when most non-Christians read Exodus 31:12-15, Leviticus 20:10, Numbers 21:34-35, Joshua 10:40, 1 Samuel 15:2-3, or any of the other 842 violent passages in Scripture, they give me the benefit of the doubt. Some even allow me the courtesy of explaining where these passages fit within the larger context of my faith.   I think we owe our Muslim neighbors the same courtesy with regard to Sura 2.  I'm not even saying their interpretation is the right one.  But let's allow them to tell us what they believe.  They can't do that if we are lecturing instead of listening.

Instead, get to know them, assume you really don't know what they believe--because you don't.  Ask questions.  Have a conversation.  Get to know each other.

There is much fear in our culture, but followers of Jesus who walk in the Spirit don't walk in fear (2 Timothy 1:7).  So let's stop talking about "Islam" and get to know a few Muslims.  For one, we have a mandate to share our faith--a topic most of them are eager to discuss.  But even if they never believe as we do, there is a pretty good chance that a deep friendship will result that will bless you both.

It also happens to be an excellent way to defeat terror and bigotry at the same time.

Monday Morning Rewind: All, Always, and Only About Jesus

Yesterday, we finished up part two of our ten week series "One Body."  If you were asked to describe the "one thing" that holds the church together, what would it be?

In the opening 11 verses of Philippians, Paul describes a number of things that unite us, but yesterday, we looked at the "one thing" under which our faith, service, love for each other and trust in each other must meet, and that is our common identity in Jesus.  There are three ways this common identity empowers us to move forward together.

1. It Gives Us Perspective.  Among the Philippians there was apparently a fear that Paul's imprisonment would slow down the forward progress of the Gospel.  Paul counters that fear with some very bold words.  He clams his imprisonment has actually been used by God to advance the Gospel!

I have to be honest here.  I'm not sure if I was in prison whether I would have Paul's same outlook.  But if that day ever comes and I'm unable to look at that circumstance the way Paul looked at his, it won't be because Paul didn't clearly tell me how here.  This is a guy who, after leaving Philippi, had experienced a riot, threats on his life, a combined two years in jail, an appeal to Caesar, a shipwreck, and is not imprisoned again and awaiting trial.  In the face of all that, a number of the correctional officers who were guarding him had come to faith in Christ, and that faith had spread to a number of others throughout the Praetorian guard.  It's as if Paul is saying to the church; "You think I'm chained to these guys, but the reality is, they are chained to me!"

What's the point?  Simply, that nothing can stop the advance of the Gospel!  That perspective will give us something else.

2. It Gives Us Courage.  No one likes to live through hard times.  But the witness of Scripture (and if we are honest, the witness of people we know) tell us that hard times in the life of a believer usually results in a bold witness.

Think about it.  What moves you the most?  What motivates your faith the most?  Is it watching a TV preacher who seems to "have it all together," flies around on a private jet and wears $1000 suits?  Or is it that brother or sister in Christ you know is suffering, but remaining faithful to Jesus?  I have never been more challenged in my own faith than when a member of my church family responds to suffering with the words of Psalm 73: "Whom have I in heaven but you?  And on earth there is nothing I desire besides you.  My heart and my flesh [i.e. my job, my family, my health] may fail, but you are the strength of my life and my portion forever!

There is nothing about a life of luxury promised in the false "prosperity Gospel" that builds courage.  The World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker said it well.  "Courage is doing what you are afraid to do.  There can be no courage unless you are scared."

Believing this is necessary because otherwise, when we are faced with bad situations, our temptation will be to think "when my situation changes I will be able to serve God again."  The truth is we all have everything we need right here and right now!  Our church doesn't need a bigger platform, more people, or more money to be faithful to Jesus.  And if Paul can empower and coordinate the global communication of the Gospel from a prison cell, you and I have everything we need already.

The only thing lacking is courage.

3. It Gives Us Focus.  Paul apparently had a number of fellow preachers who didn't like him very much.  We are spared the details of why this is, but what we hear loud and clear from the Apostle is "whatever their motivation, I'm happy they are preaching the Gospel, and I don't have time to be bitter or think about retaliation."

This is a great example for us, especially when we are faced with brothers and sisters in the church that we don't always agree with, or people in our church family that rub us the wrong way.  In those moments, if we can manage to lift our eyes above our differences and toward our common goal of making Jesus known, we get a wider understanding of what God is doing through us all!

A.W. Tozer said that if you have 100 pianos all tuned to the same fork, they are automatically tuned to each other.

We, as the body of Christ, are truly one body when we find our common identity in the person and work of Jesus.  It is all, only, and always about Him!

Monday Morning Rewind: What Holds Us Together

Yesterday, we started a brand new series entitled One Body.  Because our culture champions individualism, one of the darker elements of that mindset we have to avoid is thinking of the church in an individualistic manner.

For example, if you find when speaking of your church family that you use the singular "I' or "me" more than "we" or "us," you may need a good, healthy dose of what Paul offers in his letter to the church at Philippi.  For that reason, we are spending the next ten weeks moving verse by verse through Paul's letter to the Philippians.  This church, which was planted when Paul crossed the Aegean Sea in Acts 16, was a highly diverse reflection of of the port city in which it was located.  It's members included a wealthy owner of an import-export business, correctional officers, Greeks, Thyracians, blue collar port workers, and even a small number of Jews.

In other words, their diverse makeup was similar to our own congregation, which consists of white collar D.C. commuters, local business owners, public servants, University students, faculty, and administration, artists, and even rednecks!  Any time you have a congregation that diverse, unity is always a challenge.  This is because different backgrounds bring different points of view, opinions, cultures, and ways of looking at life.

But diversity was never intended by God to be a barrier to genuine unity.  Diversity is the richness of our human experience, and when we all find common ground under the Lordship of Jesus, such diversity makes for the most powerful kind of unity--because it is a unity governed by the mind of Christ.  Paul opens this letter describing for the people at Philippi--and us--the things that hold us all together, no matter who we are or where we come from.

1. Faith.  Paul's love for this church is revealed early, and its revealed strongly!  And the biggest reason for his love is the "partnership" he shared with the church.  From the very first contact with Lydia up until this moment, there has been an unbreakable bond, and its unbreakable because it is "in the Gospel."

If we all truly believe the Gospel, we won't be the kind of church that breaks up like a teenage garage band at the first sign of conflict.  For Paul, this meant neither the differences of opinion and arguments going on inside the church, or even his own imprisonment could shake the bond they shared.  Genuine faith is stronger than that!

2. Service.  Facing hardship together is a great cure for disunity and division.  For Paul, it was prison.  Can you imagine after receiving this letter how conversations leading to division might have been stopped?  I imagine someone probably said "hey guys, one of our own is in jail!  Is there really anything more pressing than that?"  Indeed, is there any conflict so great that we should let it overcome us and keep us from seeing the more important things?  When we work together with a focus on our common mission, that service does much to hold us together.

3. Love.  Paul expresses a deep love for the church, but as we will see later in the letter, this isn't a romanticized "love" that always feels good and is always pleasant.  A love that never offends anyone, or never makes anyone feel uncomfortable isn't real love.  In fact, we in the west have romanticized away everything about genuine love that makes it so powerful!  The genuine love that challenges for the good of the other is what Paul will model throughout this letter, and its a fantastic glue that holds God's people together on mission.

4. Trust.  Paul's desire here is that the love he is expressing through the letter be replicated in the church, and that it create the kind of intimate knowledge of each other that allows us to make moral distinctions.  Trust requires that we see clearly the good, bad, and ugly in each other so that we can make each other better and grow together toward Jesus.  But that can't happen if we don't trust each other!

5. Destination.  Yes, we are all going to heaven together, but Paul has something else in mind as we approach verse 11.  Namely, together is how we reach the goal of becoming more like Jesus.  This always happens in the context of church community.  There are no solitary routes to becoming like Jesus.  And this is why you need your church family.  We need each other.

The late evangelist Dwight L. Moody said "There are two ways of being united.  One is by being frozen together, and the other is by being melted together."  I think that's a pretty good picture of our choices.  Covenant Church can have a union that is cold and shallow--a union that centers around organizational documents, buildings, membership roles, and a budget.  It doesn't have to be any deeper than that.  But that's not what God wants for us!  If we truly love each other, we will aspire to the picture Paul draws for us in these first 11 verses.  Those are the things that will "melt" us together into a genuine unity.  That kind of unity, when grounded in the Gospel, is inseparable.  And as we continue this series for the next nine weeks, its exactly the kind of unity I'm praying for--for all of us.

Will you join me?

What Small Church Pastors and Andy Stanley Can Learn from Each Other.

Hopefully the headline didn't chase too many people off.

Last week, Andy Stanley, Lead Pastor of Northpoint Church which meets in multiple locations throughout the metro Atlanta area, said something very discouraging to many smaller church pastors. While preaching to his own congregation and praising the way the church had invested in his own life, Stanley apparently went off-script for a bit to berate anyone with children who would keep them in a small church.

The rant climaxed with this declaration by the Atlanta mega-church pastor:

If you don’t go to a church large enough where you can have enough middle schoolers and high schoolers to separate them so they can have small groups and grow up the local church, you are a selfish adult. Get over it. Find yourself a big old church where your kids can connect with a bunch of people and grow up and love the local church. Instead… you drag your kids to a church they hate, and then they grow up and hate the local church. 

On this subject, there really is no room for nuance.  What he said was really, really stupid.  Seriously, there was just no excuse for it.  It was simply boneheaded.  But Andy Stanley knows this, admitted it, apologized, and has since done an interview with Christianity Today to further explain himself.  It takes a big man with a lot of humility to do that, and I'm thankful for it.

I've learned an awful lot from Andy Stanley over the years, and there have also been things he has said that have highly discouraged me.  While planting my first church, I read a book he co-wrote with Texas pastor Ed Young Jr.  It was full of ideas our church just couldn't afford--ideas that had been cooked up on a Caribbean island they had visited together that I couldn't afford to get to.  I never finished reading it.

Fast forward many, many years.  I'm now serving as a professor teaching Doctoral students, and my most recent syllabus contains Stanley's book Deep and Wide on the required list for a Contemporary Issues class.  Why?  Because I find that looking into Stanley's ministry philosophy--whether or not I would approach ministry in exactly the same way--to be very helpful and challenging.

I share that piece of personal history as a way of illustrating that like many smaller church pastors who felt the unmerciful sting of Stanley's remarks, I too have been wounded by him.  But I've also been highly encouraged by him.  And more than a few times, the people I minister to have been the beneficiaries of practical wisdom that came from one of his books.

My point is simply that at heart, Andy Stanley is very much like all the rest of us in ministry.  He just happens to have the misfortune of a MUCH bigger and brighter spotlight.  So when he says something that unintentionally wounds a smaller church pastor who is slugging it out in the trenches, and is then man enough to own his mistake, it might be a good idea for all of us--regardless of the size of our churches--to learn some lessons.

1. All pastors say stupid things.  Only Scripture is inspired and inerrant.  Pastor's mouths are not--not by a long shot!  In 24 years, there have been more than a few times I have declared with authority something I found out later the Bible gave me no authority to declare.  A few times, I've had to stand in front of the people I pastor and apologize for misrepresenting God and His Word.

In other words, I can identify with Andy Stanley, because I too, have said a LOT of stupid things while preaching.  I credit providence for the fact that my earlier sermons aren't stored away in cyber-space--since my ministry began way before the day of the podcast.  Today, nearly everything I publicy say or write usually ends up on the internet, but I'd like to think I'm a little wiser in my 40s.

But that doesn't mean I won't say something stupid this coming Sunday. (although God willing, I'll be able to resist being an idiot).  We all say things that sometimes we have to retract.  That's something pastors of churches of ALL sizes have in common.

2. Most pastors suffer from "size myopia."  Andy Stanley has never, ever ministered in a small church.  That doesn't make him a bad guy.  It just means that from the standpoint of experience, he has no real reference point for what it is like to be the guy who preaches and prints the bulletins and takes out the trash and stacks the chairs.  He himself will admit that he is not a "church planter" in the truest sense of that term.  Northpoint's "core group" started with 450 people.  That's more than 5 times the size of the average congregation in North America.

This myopia explains a lot.  Our family spent 11 years at the same church where my wife and kids worshiped while I drove or flew all over the country and the world preaching in other places.  During that time, my kids--ALL of my kids--grew in their faith at a church that was never larger than 150 people.  They cried when they learned their Dad was going to be a pastor again because they loved our small church family, and didn't want to leave it.  Now they attend the church I pastor--a large one with the very kind of structure Stanley contends is necessary so they won't "hate the church," and they love it too!  My own family is living proof that the size of the church has very little to do with whether your kids will grow in their faith.

When Stanley assumes that kids will hate church if they go to a small one, I can counter that assumption with my own kids!  But I don't expect him to understand that because again, he has no reference point for it.  All he has ever known his entire life is large churches.

But if we are honest, most small church pastors have to admit that they too suffer from size myopia.  If all you have ever known is a small church environment, you don't have a reference point for Andy's world either.  I've repeatedly heard the stereotypical critique of the "mega church" by many small church pastors who assume that every mega church pastor is a spoiled rock star who is only concerned about his own "brand."  Problem is, I've met many of these guys, and with few exceptions (yes, some of them are total jerks, but so are a few small church pastors I know!) they are godly men with a vision for the Kingdom that is sorely needed in our culture.

Last week, Andy Stanley spoke out of ignorance.  Given his willingness to own his mistake, let's not respond with more ignorance.  The myopia on both sides could be easily cured if we were willing to learn from each other.

3. A few pastors are big enough men to admit it.  A couple of years ago I was consulting with the pastor of a large church with a budget of just over $4 million.  During that conversation he described how financially tight the chruch was, and told me "Joel, some weeks I wonder if I will even get paid!"

A couple of hours later I was sitting with several church planters in a coaching session.  One of those planters, whose church budget was around $75,000, told me "Joel, some weeks I wonder if I will even get paid."  He was shocked to learn that a large church pastor had, in the same day, told me exactly the same thing!

The thing is, when you have a $4 million budget, its because you also probably have $4 million in liabilities to cover, and tight financial margins feel the same no matter how large you are! (Actually, the pressure is greater in the large church, because so many more people are depending on your leadership)  We don't need more churches of one size or the other.  What we need are men godly and humble enough to admit that we all struggle, we all occasionally say stupid things, and we are all limited by our own experienes and points of view.

Jesus loves the grand mega-churches of Korea that make our mega-churches look small!  Jesus also loves the hidden house churches of China.  He loves the large, vast auditoriums full of people growing in their faith.  He loves the small building built by volunteers who worship there each week. He loves the networks of house churches led by tent-making leaders who are passionate about His truth.  Anywhere He is worshiped, His Word is taught, and His people are equipped to extend His Kingdom is a place and a people He looks at and smiles.

If Andy Stanley's recent gaffe can be the catalyst that drives us all to understand this more deeply, then I thank God for it.

Three Reasons to Leave Your Pastor Alone Just Before He Preaches

There are many things I love about the people of Covenant Church, but one of them is the importance they place on the proclamation of God's Word.  That importance is communicated, among other ways, by the time and space they give me before I preach every Sunday.  I normally arrive at the church about an hour before our first service, and aside from a sound-check, I take that time to go over my message one last time, spend some time in prayer, and focus as best as I can on what I believe God wants to say to His people that week.  The folks at Covenant feel free to interact with me in between and after services, and talk about their problems, ask for prayer, and any manner of other things.  But before that first service, they tend to leave me alone.  I'm grateful for that.

I'm grateful for it because I haven't always been in environments like that.

I have served as pastor of two other churches prior to coming to Covenant, and during my time working for the denomination I served as interim or transitional pastor for eight other congregations.  In a few of those churches, a habit had formed of "rushing" the pastor just before the service started.  Generally speaking, one of two things were on the minds of those who said "Pastor, I need to talk to you now, before the service starts!"

Announcements:  Someone inevitably, and every Sunday, had missed the deadline for the submission for announcements, and wanted me to be sure and remember to mention the softball practice on Tuesday, or the Women's group on Thursday, or the leftover casserole in the fridge that somebody needed to claim before it was thrown out.  (Nope, I didn't make that up.  It actually happened!)

Problems:  The room was too hot--or too cold.  And usually, it was both on the same Sunday according to at least two different people.  The toilet in the men's bathroom is clogged.  Or, someone is really upset "about that thing you brought up last week."

I'm not minimizing the importance of either information, or the problems that people experience (well, not most of them at least).  But before you rush your pastor this coming Sunday with news that the women's group really wants Mrs. Myrtle publicly thanked for today's flowers, you might consider three reasons bothering him right before he preaches is a really bad idea.

1. It Wrecks His Focus.  Any pastor worth his salt takes the proclamation of God's Word seriously.  He wants to get it right because he respects the Bible, he loves God's people, and he knows that, at this moment, the greatest gift he can give the bride of Christ is an accurate, compelling, challenging Word from the living God.  When you approach him with a hand full of other things you want him to suddenly remember to do, his concentration on the Word is broken and his focus goes south, because very few people have the natural ability to mentally balance multiple issues of different content on the fly.  If you want a better sermon, a great way to start getting one is to cease wrecking the focus of the guy who is doing his best to bring it to you every week.

2. It Affects the Church. When the pastor loses his concentration, it affects his delivery, which in turn, also affects the attention span of the church.  This domino effect ends with the people of God not hearing from Him as clearly as they otherwise should have.  In short, when you rush the pastor for your own interests just before he preaches, your whole church family pays for it.

3. It's Just Not that Important.  During the worship hour, the primary aim is for God's people to hear from Him.  Though that happens in many ways, in the Protestant tradition we have contended (rightly, I believe) for the past 500 years that it primarily comes through the proclamation of His Word.  So before you rush the pastor right before the service just ask yourself, "Is this announcement/problem so important that it warrants the possible garbling of God's message to His people?"

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Most every pastor I have known is accessible when he is truly needed.  But when it comes to the pre-service rush with hoards of information to announce and problems to solve, give your pastor a break.  You and your whole church family will be better for it. 

Monday Morning Rewind: Community

Yesterday, we finished up our "We are Covenant" series.  I hope it was both encouraging and clarifying for you.

We spoke for several weeks about where we find ourselves contextually as a church, what Jesus has called us to be, and how we should fulfill that calling.  But what we covered yesterday is an absolute necessity if we are to fulfill Jesus' vision.  We can't be effective at anything He calls us to do if we aren't doing it together.

Together.  Its a beautiful word, but living it out isn't easy because we are all different.  We have different tastes, different convictions, different ways of relating to each other, different ways of showing our love to each other, and all of these are fueled by different personalities.

So how on earth do we take the hundreds of people who are part of our church family--all different--and become ONE body?  We do it by emphasizing and living out Biblical community.

Another word for that is fellowship.  But when most Christians think of fellowship, they think of a long table full of casserole dishes full of delicious and unhealthy food.  But the Scriptures define community differently, and more deeply.  Community occurs when we love God's family with the love of God Himself--when our VERTICAL relationship with Him both defines and informs our HORIZONTAL relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

That is what we looked at yesterday.  And 1 John gives us a glimpse into what true community looks like.

1. Community Makes us More Like God.  The word "love" is very nebulous in our language. For example, I "love" my wife, my kids, my Harley, and Jesus--but obviously not all in the same way, or with nearly the same intensity.

Thankfully, the Greek language of the New Testament is more precise, and the word John uses here that we translate "love" has a more defined meaning.  The love we should have for each other is defined specifically as the very love that originates in God.  And when our church family has that kind of love for each other, the bond formed is so strong and powerful, it can't be avoided.

Conversely, if we don't love in this way, then we don't know His love.  But if we have His love, we are bonded together in a way that produces the unity we can then take to international students at Shepherd University, victims of trafficking, troubled kids who spent their formative years in horrible home situations, and others.  And we can provide for our community and the world something they can't find anywhere else!  Because in loving them in this way, they feel the presence of God.  But that love has to start in our midst--among each other!

2. Community helps us learn to get along.  When different people congregate together--especially when they do so in a church our size--"getting along" doesn't happen naturally.  It takes work!

Too many today conclude they don't want to invest too deeply and too emotionally in a church community because "I might get hurt."  The truth is, there is no "might" to it.  If you invest emotionally in anybody, eventually you will get hurt!  That happens because we are all imperfect, and in a sense, we are all, simultaneously both victims AND perpetrators of hurt.  This is because we all sin, and community is necessary for our sanctification (big word that means our character is gradually becoming more like God's character), and for the church on a group level

This is why John reminds us that community is commanded by Jesus.  Think about it for a moment.  Most likely, the worst emotional pain you have ever felt has come from those closest to you--your parents, your spouse, your children.  That's because the closer we are to each other, the more sin is revealed in our lives, and the more that sin exhibits itself in our relationships.  But just as we would never disown our families, we must also remain committed to each other.

In every church, there will be arguments, dissagreements, and difficulties to be worked out.  When we love each other through that process, the result is that we learn what true love really is.  And the sense of community that comes from taking those hard steps makes it worth the journey.

3. Community Helps Prepare Us for Eternity.  John isn't teaching that you get saved by loving other people.  But what he is saying is that if your conversion was genuine--if you genuinely love God with all your heart--one of the expressions of that genuine faith will be healthy, growing, mature relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

But you can't claim a love for God if you don't also love those He created in His image and for whom He sent Jesus.

But here is the exciting part.  Practicing the kind of unifying community John describes in a world full of Gazas, Fergusons, political debates, and Syrias will reveal the power of the Gospel like nothing else.

And at the end of the day, that's really what matters.  In the future as your pastor, I'll be preaching about vision, mission, structure, systems, staffing, and of course, money.  Those are all real issues and our future is affected by viewing each of them in the right way.  But none of that really matters if, at the end of the day, we aren't a true community of faith.  Because no matter howlarge,  rich, slick, or well-organized we may become, without community it all evaporates at the first sign of conflict.

Here is the great news!  Covenant has many, MANY people who have seen conflict before, and they have already modeled community for us because they are still here.  We have much to learn from them!

And we can also continue to learn this principle from the Scriptures.  Next week, we launch from the subject of Biblical community to begin a new series entitled "One Body: A Study of Philippians."  How can a diverse group of people move as one?  How can we respect our differences, celebrate our diversity, and at the same time live in Gospel community together?

For the next ten weeks, we will learn how this happens from another highly diverse church that existed in the first century.  I look forward to seeing you there!

Evangelicals and Donald Trump: Its not Him. Its Us.

Two days ago, the "Super Tuesday" elections seemed to solidify the already large lead of the current front-runner for the Republican nomination for President. Donald Trump has surprised nearly everyone, and if the trend continues, we are headed toward a Republican convention that will nominate him to face off with the Democratic nominee--presumably Hillary Clinton--in the November general election. 

It is truly sad that Donald Trump seems to be the best we can do.  It is sadder still that Trumps candidacy is enabled by prominent Christian leaders who seem to have forgotten the importance of character.  But it is tragic that Trump's road to the White House has been aided and abetted by such a large swath of voters who identify as followers of Jesus Christ.

In recent weeks, a number of folks have lamented this reality, including my friend Russ Moore.  The response from the "pro-Trump" evangelical community toward people like him, and people like me, has been less-than-friendly.  In some ways, I get it.  Your vote is a very personal thing, and sometimes its tough to get over the offense given when someone confronts you with the fact that you might not be making the wisest decision.

But the greatest frustration comes when this already dysfunctional conversation is further impeded by re-direction. Jerry Fallwell Jr. and Robert Jeffress have done it, and their re-direction tactics have been replicated multiple times by the evangelical electorate who are apparently offended in the reminder that character matters in a national leader. 

What follows are the most common examples of re-direction I have experienced in this conversation, along with my responses.  Those responses are meant to communicate that in the end, this conversation really isn't about Donald Trump at all.  Its about something much, much bigger.

We Aren't Electing a Pastor.  Another way of expressing this is; "There is no religious test for the office of President."  Both Robert Jeffress and Jerry Falwell Jr. have made this statement in a fashion dismissive of those who have challenged them regarding their support for Trump.  Both statements are usually followed by accusations that we expect the next President to be able to pass an ordination council examination in one of our churches.  Just today, Jeffress, Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, TX, said those who refuse to support Trump if he is the nominee are "fools."

I know we aren't electing a pastor.  Actually, I'd prefer we NOT elect a pastor, which is why I didn't vote for Mike Huckabee or Pat Robertson in 2008.  (Its also why I throw up a little in my own mouth every time I see Robert Jeffress on a political stage of any kind, but I digress)  But pastors aren't the only people whose continued leadership should depend on their character.  I don't expect Donald Trump to be Christian.  But those who do follow Christ should think twice before putting their support behind anyone whose moral character isn't befitting that of a national leader.  You don't have to be a Christian to lead well.  But you must possess high character.

I don't expect the next President to install a baptismal pool in the White House.  But neither do I want a stripper pole in the Oval Office.  Character matters.  And when it comes to character, the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.  If Donald Trump's past behavior--his VERY RECENT past behavior--is any indication, we have no reason to trust him with the most powerful office in the world.  I'm not asking evangelicals for an ordination council prior to inauguration day.  But I am asking for a little consistency, which means that we hold the same posture toward character that we seemed to hold 20 years ago when the subject being discussed was an Arkansas Governor named Bill Clinton.

Why Are You Attacking Him?  Simply stating the facts of someone's life isn't an attack.  Its true that Trump is thrice married.  Its true that adulterous affairs have been the catalyst that ended his previous marriages.  Its true that he has bragged about those affairs.  Its true that his presence on the debate stage has turned an already-deficient venue into the political equivalent of the Jerry Springer Show.  Its true that he supports Planned Parenthood. 

Such statements aren't attacks.  They are warnings to the evangelical portion of our electorate that its time to sober up.

We are All Sinners.  Who are You to Judge?  Someone recently asked me if Donald Trump would be welcome at our church.  Apparently, this individual thought my pointing out Trump's character deficiency meant I wouldn't welcome misogynists, adulterers, and bombastic, rude bullies into our church.  "After all, we are all sinners." 

Yes, we are all sinners.  And yes, all sinners are welcome at the church I serve as pastor.  But welcoming them and enabling them are two different things.  If a convicted pedophile wants to join us in worship, he is most welcome.  If he tries to go within 10 meters of our kids area, he will be shown the door--VERY quickly.  The Shepherd's job is to protect his sheep. 

Likewise, were Donald Trump--or any other candidate for President--to show up one Sunday, they would be welcomed, and invited into the presence of God with the rest of us.  But when we are talking about the Presidency, we aren't talking about who is welcome at church are we?  We are talking about putting someone with a history of misogyny, crudeness, immorality, and the inability to control his temper into the most powerful office in the entire world. 

Its not judgmental to suggest that this is a really, really bad idea!

Its disgraceful to suggest he may not be a Christian!  Actually, its just being accurate.  A Christian, by definition, is a person who has turned from his or her previous life, confessed their sins, asked God's forgiveness, and accepted His pardon via the substitutionary death and bodily resurrection of Jesus.  Trump, by his own admission, hasn't done this.

So contesting the bona fides of his conversion isn't an attempt to attack or disgrace him.  Its an attempt to guard the most wonderful, powerful, and eternally consequential message in all of human history from compromise.  As B.B. Warfield once said, "If everything that is called Christianity these days is Christianity, then there is no such thing as Christianity.  A name applied indiscriminately to everything designates nothing."  

Moreover, no one who truly cares for Mr. Trump would be so ambiguous as to play the "its dangerous to judge someone else's faith" card.  The Scriptures are replete with commands--and examples--of the church making judgements about what is and isn't genuine faith, precisely because we care about eternal souls too much to watch them go to hell while whispering to ourselves "well, its not for me to judge."

Why aren't you attacking Barack Obama (or Hillary Clinton)?  Nothing frustrates a preacher more than when he is addressing issues in a congregation, and instead of dealing with their issues, they redirect by complaining that you don't preach enough to the choir.  This particular objection is Exhibit A of what it means to employ re-direction as a tool to avoid the issue.

For one, Barack Obama isn't currently seeking re-election to the Presidency, and a soon-to-be past leader is hardly the concern of those who should rightly be focused on the future.

Second, the imperfections and even disqualifications of one candidate never justify looking past the disqualifying behaviors of another.  Personally, I'm no fan of Hillary Clinton.  But Clinton's liabilities don't excuse followers of Jesus from electing a buffoon to face her in the general election.

Third, no one aspiring to the 2016 Democratic nomination is in any way dependent on the "evangelical vote" to get them there.  Conversely, no one running for the GOP nomination will get that nomination without the support of evangelicals.

Simply put, if Donald Trump becomes the GOP nominee, American evangelicals will be largely responsible.  There is simply no excuse for this.

Why do you hate him?  I don't.  I'm not "against Trump."  I'm against those who claim to follow Jesus voting while wearing beer goggles.  Currently, the "Super Tuesday trend" could be reversed.  There are good men still in the race who could still be the party nominee. 

In short, this whole conversation actually has very little to do with Donald Trump, and everything to do with the integrity of what it means to be a follower of Jesus in America in 2016. 

It has to do with whether we value power more than we value truth.

It has to do with whether we are willing to justify ungodly behavior and link it to our faith.

It has to do with whether we are truly consistent when we say that people of high character matter.

It has to do with whether as worshippers of a resurrected, eternal Christ, we want to cling to a dying, temporary Caesar.

It has to do with whether we value nationalism so much that we are willing to betray the principles of God's eternal Kingom in order to make a temporary one "great again."

Trump caused neither the lack of discernment or the prioritizing of power over truth we are witnessing now among American Christians.  He is simply the result of it. 

Its not him.  Its us.

Monday Morning Rewind: Engagement

Yesterday, we finished up week four of our five week series entitled "We are Covenant."  Our focus was engagement, or as it has more traditionally been called; "Evangelism" or "Missions."

So why did we use the word "engagement?"  For one thing, we did it because the word "missions" is not found in the Bible--not even a trace!  Add to this the roughly 200 years of cultural baggage this term carries around the world--including the modern assumptions about it by many Christians--and its just not helpful.

The term "evangelism" by contrast, does have deep Biblical roots.  It simply refers to the spreading of the good news that God has fully and finally revealed Himself in the person of Jesus, and that through Jesus all people have the opportunity to have their sins forgiven, an be reunited in relationship with our Creator.

That is, by far, the best news in the world in the history of the world!  So why do we struggle so much with the concept?  Because this term too has accumulated a lot of cultural baggage.  When we hear it, some of us think of "cold calling" door-to-door and being highly confrontational with people we have never met.  Still others invoke the image of the loud, gaudy televangelist providing simplistic answers to complex issues while simultaneously promising quick rewards--if we will only send him or her our money!

True evangelism is sharing the best news in the world with people in whose proximity we are normally found.  That means we are engaging the people we see regularly, and with whom we are in relationship, with this great story.  That is at the heart of all Jesus commands us in Matthew 28:16-20, and it involves four things:

I. Preparing for Disciples.  Getting ready to share this wonderful message requires an intentional focus on WORSHIP--the very thing we looked at together last week.  And there is a reason for this.   When we are sharing our faith with others, our confidence--ALL of it--has to flow from the identity of Jesus.

Think about it.  Jesus' original disciples didn't have our seminaries, our money, our ecclesiastical structures, or our knowledge of the globe.  The context of the "Great Commission" is Jesus telling around 500 people or so who had no map, no airplane, and for most, no ability to even read (the illiteracy rate in the first century was around 90%) to cover the world with His message.  They accomplished it in around 70 years!  They were able to do this because they had built their confidence in Him, not themselves.

Building that confidence requires preparation in the form of genuine worship, and confidence in Christ's authority.

II. Making Disciples.  And the process of doing this is to be followed "as you are going."  IN other words, don't make room for evangelism.  Share your faith where and when you already are!    Its great to get on a plane, fly to the other side of the world, and serve others in the name of Jesus.  But if that same passion doesn't fuel and inform our regular, daily activities, we really have no business doing it anywhere else

Everyone has a "sphere of influence"--people you have close contact with that others don't.  Who is that person that no one else at Covenant Church can get to but you?  Who is that person who would never set foot inside one of our worship services unless YOU asked them to come?  Who is that person in your daily course of life who will never hear about Jesus from anyone else but you?  Invest in them.  Serve them.  Love them. Share with them.  And if they believe, Baptize them!  

III. Training Disciples.  This happens by word--giving instruction to others and helping them to grow in their faith.  It also happens in deed, because Jesus said to teach them "all I have Commanded you."  Simply put, you and I are to be growing and developing as Jesus' followers, thereby setting an example of what a disciple looks like to those not as far down the road as we may be.

IV Being Disciples.  We do all of this never forgetting the last words Matthew records here: "I am with you always...."  Through the up, down, good, bad and ugly, Jesus is there, suffering with us, laughing and crying with us, and in the process making us more like Himself.

So here is the question:  Is there anyone you can point to and say "they are going to be in heaven because of me!"?  A year from now, 2.5 million Americans now alive will be dead, and at least 2/3 of them (1.6 million) will go into that next world with no relationship to Jesus.  In that same time period, 54 million people around the world will meet their Maker, and an even greater majority of that population will spend eternity separated from God.

What are you doing to change that?

Monday Morning Rewind: Worship

We are in week 3 of our series "We are Covenant!"  This week, we started looking in depth at one of the three primary ways we become the kind of world-changing, Spirit-filled, loving, truth-telling, powerful people Jesus envisions us to become.  In the last two weeks of the series, we will look at engagement, and community.  But yesterday, we started with the most important--worship.

When you hear the word "worship" what comes to your mind?  Depending on where you grew up, what religion you followed as a child, what culture you were first exposed to or what tradition of Christian faith your parents belonged, you might first think of a certain kind of prayer posture, or a type of clothing, a style of music, or a certain type of emotional experience.

One of the strengths of our congregation at Covenant is that our people are highly diverse when it comes to our faith backgrounds.  Some of us grew up in no faith at all.  Others grew up in another world religion.  Many of us grew up in any one of a large number of Christian traditions--from Presbyterianism to Pentecostalism to high church liturgy to the edgy, contemporary atmosphere we experience together most Sundays.  This means that when we hear the word "worship," there are more than a few default pictures in our minds.  Some of us picture people quietly and reverently in prayer--others invoke childhood memories of shouting and hanging from chandeliers!

But regardless of how worship is expressed, yesterday we looked at how God's Word defines genuine worship.

Simply put, genuine worship happens every single time you or I bring pleasure to the One who created us.  And as we search the Scriptures, from beginning to end they tell us repeatedly that this should be our first and highest goal in life.  We also come to the inescapable conclusion that "worship" is something that transcends what happens when we get together on Sunday morning.  For the follower of Jesus, it encompasses and dominates every area of our lives.

I. In Worship, We Give God our Attention.  Paul begins Romans 12 with this encouragement: "I urge you brothers, by the mercies of God...  Basically, this means that our worship should be driven by what God has first done for us.

Within the context of Romans, we can see clearly what God has done.  He created us, revealed Himself to us in the created order as well as within our own moral consciousness.  And in spite of our rejection of Him and the gifts He has given, He sent Jesus into time and space to live the life we should have lived, and die a our substitute--taking the penalty of sin on Himself in our place.

Simpy put, God makes the first move.  And worship, in its purest expression, occurs whenever you and I recognize this fact, internalize, it, and give that attention right back to Him.

II. In Worship, We Give God Our Affection.  In view of all God has done, Paul says we are to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice."  Because He has already given all of Himself to us through His Son, we should offer everything we have back to Him.

In today's world, "affection" is understood as something mushy and romantic.  Its something that always feels good.  But in Paul's mind, affection is something far deeper.  Come to think of it, the average set of wedding vows indicate this too.  Most of us who are married made a pledge at our wedding ceremony that was something along the lines of "I am going to give all of myself to you, and no other until death do us part!"  The real test of whether we take those vows seriously rarely comes during the passion-filled nights of the honeymoon.  Most of the time it comes during times of high conflict, or stress, or chronic illness, or rebellious kids.

And in worship, the real test of whether we are truly giving God all of our affection rarely comes while the hair is standing up on the back of your neck during a powerful song on Sunday morning.  Most of the time it comes during the hardest moments of our life when we make a decision that says "God, if nothing else goes right today; if I get nothing else done today, I am going to know you better and love you more!"  And when God has all of you, the things needed to fulfill your purpose in life will already be there.  When a church is short on cash, short on volunteers, short on passion for the nations, most of the time the issue isn't structural of financial.  The problem is a group of people who haven't yet given their entire selves over to God.

Giving God your affection in this way is hard, but when we do it, the results are powerful!

III. In Worship, We Give God our Abilities.  Paul concludes by saying "this is your spiritual service of worship."  In other word, to focus all your attention on your Creator after everything He has done for you.  Responding to His undeserved love with nothing less than your whole heart and life is simply the reasonable thing to do!

In view of God's mercy, this is truly the only response that makes sense.  But that kind of service motivated by guilt is not true worship.

For example, I'm told by the Bible that as a husband, it is my solemn duty to kiss my wife.  Its true guys!  Here's the thing.  If Amy believes the only reason I'm kissing her is because I know its my duty, it sucks all the excitement and joy out of the moment.  The great news is that I quite enjoy kissing her!  Its fun!  So yes, I fulfill my duty, and I'm happy to fulfill it, and that brings both of us pleasure and joy.

Guilt-motivated service is easily detected, and nobody wants to be around that--especially our Creator!  But when we give our abilities, service, and our very lives to Jesus based on a pleasure that is motivated by all He has done for us, that is true worship!

I am praying for a church family where every member will eventually pray every night; "God, tomorrow morning I'm going back to work and my co-workers are going to get a new and better colleague.  I'm going to school tomorrow and my classmates are going to see and experience a new person.  Because from this moment, everything I do will be out of love for you and the desire to bring you the pleasure and joy you deserve from me!"

Imagine what would happen if an entire church had this attitude?  That is the kind of church that exudes the transformative power of the Gospel.  And it starts with a very simple, yet profound realization......

...We were made for His pleasure.