A Lifestyle of Peace

Sunday, October 7, 2018

A Mighty Faith Community: Committing Subversive Acts of Love and Holiness

Audio Message:

The story is told of a religious man who was shipwrecked on a deserted island. He found ways to survive, for seven years, and finally he was rescued by a ship passing by. When the ship crew came upon his encampment they saw his shelter. But they were surprised to see another building, and then another building next to that one. So two additional buildings. And the captain asked the man, “What is this building here?” And the man replied, “That’s my church. Where I worship God.” The Captain smiled and said, “What about the second building?” And the man replied, “Oh that’s the church I used to go to.”

Many today church shop, for the church that is the most engaging, that has the best preacher, the best music, or the best morning coffee? It’s funny to think that even on a deserted island a man might switch churches. But it’s endemic of our culture. We go most places to be served, to receive care and service. And sometimes we bring that attitude of entitlement, and I want what I want to church, instead of thinking of church as a place where I serve.

Church membership… what does that bring to mind for you? I think of a dusty church building, with an old binder, that hasn’t been looked at in years, full of a list of names who no longer go to the church.

Church membership, as a knee jerk reaction makes me think of something passe’, something I don’t care about, something institutional, denominational, something that is part of a bygone era. And if I’m seeing “church membership” in this way, then I’m not seeing it correctly.

Let me tell you who you really are: you are part of a holy insurgency, a great Jesus movement that began 2,000 years ago at the resurrection of Christ. And we as that body of Christ, this army on Earth, have been fighting, tooth and nail, day and night, to pull souls from the depths of hell and darkness, ever since Christ left us with His Holy Spirit and returned to heaven. You are part of a legacy of victory over death that spans human history. You are a holy resistance movement against the kingdoms of darkness of this world.

You’re currently under orders from Christ our commander, to commit subversive acts of love and holiness that shock people out of their apathy, toward realization of ultimate reality. You are bursts of light and color in a shadowed world of bland grays, cubicles, contracts, bills, and dull monotonous consumerism.

You bring a clear, meaningful message to a confused world: God does exist. Sin is a disease on humanity. And Jesus Christ is the cure. Heaven is real, hell is real. And everything hangs in the balance, today.

Catherine Booth said, “To better the future, we must disturb the present.”

Be a disturbance to your friends, neighbors, and people you see at gas stations, department stores, and grocery markets. Disturb their misery with just a few words: I’m praying for you. Jesus loves you. Can I give you a Bible? Or even, “Let’s pray right now.” Make the other people in line wait a little longer.

You’ve been chosen by God for this task. You’ve been chosen by the creator of space, time, the universe, and humanity to be part of his own personal family. This is a great gift. But also a great responsibility: People out there are counting on you to fulfill the calling God has placed on you. And we’re all called to serve.

Each of us… chosen by God. That’s crazy to me. Because I never get chosen for anything. I’ve never won a prize drawing in my life. I was never cool in high school; I’m still not cool today. But I’m chosen by God. He chooses outcasts, the most unlikely people. And let me add this: He has chosen you for just such a time as this.

Christianity was once the predominant view of what life really is on this Earth. But we’ve seen in the past 100 years, a decline in the influence of Christianity in public life. Today, sometimes we treat it as if it’s a nice thing, a nice social activity that isn’t really true though. Or maybe we believe in God but practically we live like an atheist. To me, there’s far too much at stake to live as if there is no God.

As C.S. Lewis said: “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

Once I got saved, I saw what was happening to my own generation. So many young people are estranged from the church, lost in sin, cut off from the God that loves them. I get on the L train, and I sit down, and I watch people. I’m an introvert I like to watch people, what they do. And my heart aches as I look at their faces. They need Jesus. And if only someone just a little braver than me was there to speak up and say something, do something. But it’s just me. But sometimes, every once in a while, I do say something. Hope.

Honestly, “you don’t know what you don’t know.” I’ve lived that. You go to school, work the job, play videogames, drink on weekends, watch football, go to concerts, go to the dentist, visit grandma, and… they just don’t know about Jesus. There is a massive stream of people, millions and millions out there who are oblivious to the reality of Christ.

Jesus is coming back, and he is making all things new. So there is a great urgency to our church mission. And you and I are chosen by God, to be part of the body of Christ, what we call, the church. We are church members.

So, I will cherish church membership as a gift. It is a gift. It’s a sacred gift, better than any gift I’ve ever received in my life, or will receive. Better than millions of dollars, better than the perfect house and the white picket fence, better than true love, marriage and children, better than retirement, better than anything, is my love relationship with the eternal God.

That said, I have to ask the question: Is something out of order in your life? My membership in the body of Christ is ultimate, #1. Do we treat it like that? Or do we show up once a month, or less? Do we treat our faith relationship with God as some sort of caboose, an end attachment that doesn’t really matter?

Are you cherishing something above God? Anything above God is an idol. And anything we put above God we will lose. Do you love your wife or husband or children more than God? Do you love your car, your house, and your big bank account more than God? Here’s a good one, do you love your own selfish pleasures and desires more than God?

We have so much in our society: All the science, all the technology, the free market system, the internet, insurance policies, and every luxury… it’s a house of cards. The only reason we have any of these blessings is because God gave us those things.

The entire world is held together by the one God-man, Jesus. The Jesus who went to the cross. So I want to transition to Jesus. Because everything in the Bible, in the world, and in our lives as church members is ultimately about Jesus.

And if you’ve never heard the gospel, or maybe you’ve forgotten it, the gospel is this: Jesus Christ, lived perfection, as God with us, on a secret mission, to free us from the shackles of sin. Jesus was nailed to a cross, and slaughtered as a substitution for you and me. They call this the great exchange. Every sin I committed, every time I lied, stole something, hurt someone, got drunk, used a girl, manipulated someone.. all of that was put upon Jesus, on the cross. Jesus said, put your sins on me, I’ll take the punishment you deserve. And in exchange, Christ gives us his righteousness, his life, is put inside us… and we are reborn. And just as Jesus Christ came to life, after 3 days of death, so we also, though we die one day, we will be raised just as Christ himself was raised.

Through the long sleepless night of his suffering, and the long morning of his death, Jesus carried our death and sorrow, and pain, away from us, and onto himself.

I’ll direct your attention to John 17:13-23, when Jesus spoke with his disciples at the last supper. And after they had fellowship together, Jesus prayed. Jesus prayed to the Father saying: John 17:13-23 (MSG)

“Now I’m returning to you. I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing, So my people can experience My joy completed in them. I gave them your word; The godless world hated them because of it, Because they didn’t join the world’s ways, Just as I didn’t join the world’s ways. I’m not asking that you take them out of the world But that you guard them from the Evil One. They are no more defined by the world Than I am defined by the world. Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth; Your word is consecrating truth. In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world, I give them a mission in the world. I’m consecrating myself for their sake. So they’ll be truth-consecrated in their mission.”

Several of those words stand out to me. We are not defined by the world. We are consecrated “set apart” separate from the world. We are made holy by his word. And we have a mission, in which to live differently. Defined By God, not the world. Consecrated, how, by the word, biblical truth. Holy, set apart from the world for… Mission, our mission in the world, as the church, to move people toward Christ.

I like how the Message translates Jesus’ words as my people are “truth-consecrated” in their mission. Which is why we consider so carefully the reality of church membership, as an expression of ultimate reality. To be “truth-consecrated” I think means for us, to see our eternal future and to see the infinite value of what we do for God.

Because of this consecration the glory of Christ reflects off us, and is a stark evidence to the gray world out there, that there is a God over creation. Thus the lost are invited to partake through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, into a unified fellowship, as we ascend on the road to heaven. God’s future kingdom is coming; indeed, it is coming very soon.

Let’s look at three ways we can put this into practice:

1. Live missionally on a personal level – Be a self-driven evangelist, on an individual level. Just you and God, taking action throughout the week: Pray for your friends. Talk to your friends about Jesus. Invite your neighbors to become part of the church family. Post about Jesus on social media. Hand out Bibles at a homeless shelter. Go for a weekly prayer walk. Make a personal plan.

2. Serve on a church level – Serve in this corps. Help out with one of the programs. Get to know someone here that is different than you are. Start an evangelism group, and go door to door around this neighborhood. Tithe regularly, tithing isn’t a suggestion, it’s a command of God.

3. Become an adherent or a soldier- Is God calling you to step up and become a soldier of the Salvation Army? If you aren’t ready to be a full on soldier, you could become an adherent. And maybe, just maybe, God is calling you to become an officer. If God is tapping you on the shoulder right now, start praying about it.

In conclusion, our church membership is a gift from God. So please do cherish it as a gift. Because it’s not a binder in a church basement, it’s your life, your future, and your only check against the ways of the world, that are ever present, trying to dissuade you from following Jesus. Thankfully we are not alone. Jesus guides us along this journey, walking beside us every day. And as such, you are a subversive, set apart, revolutionary movement to spread Jesus to lost humanity. We’re traveling home together, to our ultimate home in the new city of God, a perfect, timeless reality. And it’s not simply a nice idea, but a concrete, real future.

Related Posts:

Thursday, September 27, 2018

Speak Up for Jesus: Be the Voice of Christ in the World

Mark 16:15 And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."

Speak up for Jesus. Speak up now. Be the voice of Christ in the world. Too often we're afraid to speak up, because we know we'll be criticized. We'll be attacked, often by other Christians who will call us judgmental. Speak up anyway, because when you speak, things change. Speak up, and don't stop speaking. Shout Jesus from the rooftops.

Preach the gospel on the streets, preach the gospel in the coffee shops, preach the gospel in the broken places of this world, preach the gospel in the city, preach the gospel in the prairie, preach the gospel outside sporting events, preach the gospel on the subway, preach the gospel at the park, preach the gospel at the dinner table; preach the gospel everywhere.

Talk about Jesus Christ on social media. Post about Jesus on Facebook. Tweet about Jesus on twitter. And keep on doing it, even when you get nasty messages in your inbox. Keep forcing the world out there to encounter Jesus Christ.

Talk to that homeless person. Tell that waitress. Hold up a sign. Walk along a busy beach. Speak into a megaphone. Go into the jail. Visit those in the hospital. Hang out at a soup kitchen. Do something. Say something. Don't be silent!

There is only a little time left. The clock is ticking. We must speak now, before it's too late.

The world won't like it. They don't want to hear from us. And even fellow Christians will get angry. They'll tell you to stop making a scene. They'll tell you to keep it in the church on Sunday.

Christians will criticize you for being so vocal about your faith. They will criticize you for living missionally. They will call you names, tell you "this isn't the way" or say "you're being judgmental."  Unfortunately many Christians today are lost in the ways of the world. They don't evangelize, they don't pray too much either, and then they go about criticizing those who do.

But don't let them dissuade you from your mission. Fulfill the great commission. Carry the gospel to the lost. And do it with great love, and mercy.

Romans 10:14 "How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"

But be assured, if you decide to really live out your calling you will face skepticism from many. You will be criticized. You will be hated for the stand you take. I can assure you of that. And should we expect anything less? All those who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

But we want to make sure that we're being persecuted for righteousness sake, not because of our own poor choices. Then again, we will make mistakes, so it's OK to make a mistake, confess it, repent, and then keep pushing forward. But it's tough, especially if you're a sensitive person like myself.

In my own family movement, the Salvation Army, there are people I've never met who despise me because of what I write and share with others. I'll go to conferences, or events, and find people who won't even speak to me, or will just glare at me, and give me the cold shoulder. For someone as sensitive as I am, it's heartbreaking. I will ruminate on those sort of things for days, even weeks. It's bitterly painful at times. But what can I do? I can only continue speaking. And so should you.

It's well worth it, to proclaim the gospel and do my duty to teach the truth of biblical Christianity. I'm not accountable to people of the world. I'm accountable to Jesus Christ, my Lord and master.

It's all worth it, is what I'm saying. Don't be surprised when you're finding yourself at times isolated, and hurting, because it happened to the prophets, the disciples, the apostle Paul, and to Jesus. When the Salvation Army was first founded by William and Catherine Booth, a counter movement formed on the streets called "the skeleton army" that would launch attacks on the Salvation Army, and throw trash, beer bottles, and bricks at them. If you're doing God's will, you will be apposed. Just make sure you're being apposed for the right reasons, not because you've been foolish.

I'm the first to admit, I've been foolish at times in the past. I've made mistakes. I've gone too far with things. But I've tried to repent, and to do the good work of an evangelist. I will make mistakes. And I'll try to correct them. But I won't stop speaking.

Everyone needs Jesus. Jesus is real. Jesus is life. Jesus is the meaning of everything. Everything is about Jesus. Jesus Christ is the cure for death. Jesus is the hope of humanity. Jesus is the gospel. Jesus paid it all. Speak up for Jesus. Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Yes, live it out as an example of faith.

Yes, pray hard. Pray often.

Yes, serve suffering humanity.

But there is no gospel without words.

So speak up for Jesus.

Even if it means that to some you may seem intolerant or exclusive. The gospel is an offense to the world. But to those who are being saved, it is life itself.

1 Corinthians 1:18 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

I'm no one special. I'm just a guy that Jesus loves. Jesus paid it all for me. And I'm the most undeserving of all, yet Jesus even offered salvation to me, of all people! It's insane, and beautiful, and unimaginably wonderful.

And I'm a coward. I make it sound like I speak up so much, but I don't really. I wish I spoke up a lot more. I wish when I saw that homeless person that I had the courage to go tell them about Jesus. But often I'm too afraid. And I shy away. But I keep trying. Because the world needs Jesus. I hope you'll keep trying too. Don't give up. Keep praying. Keep speaking. And you will be the hero. I believe in you. I know you will do great things for God. Amen.

If I've offended you in the past, please forgive me. I'm sorry for what I said. I'm a work in progress.

If your near me say hello! If I'm speaking, listen. If I'm silent, speak up yourself. Someone has to speak.

There's so many people out there, so many thousands and millions. If they're near you, go to them. If they come to you, speak to them.

Jesus is Lord. Jesus lives today, the door is open. If you're afraid, do it anyway. Never give up hope. Never stop fighting. Gather a band of mighty men and women, and go to work for Christ. Start an evangelism group. Start a Bible study. Start a discipleship group.

Speak up for Jesus. Make a plan. Do it today. Speak up for Jesus. He is the only way. Hope is kindled, when you speak up for Jesus. Wherever you are right now, you can do it. In Christ all things are possible. If I don't see you on this side of Earth, then I'll see you in heaven.

Matthew 24:14 "This gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

Related Posts:

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

The Mission Statement of the Salvation Army: What's your personal mission statement?

cc 2.0 open source image

This is a personal blog. The views on this blog do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of the Salvation Army, it's employees, or partners. The views on this blog are solely of those making them, based on the teachings of the Bible, in the Spirit.

We’re looking at the Salvation Army mission statement and how that is applied to ministry work. My own personal mission statement is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in full time ministry. For my ministry career my mission statement will be functionally the same as that of the organization I work for, the Salvation Army. Therefore, for all intents and purposes, my own mission statement will be synonymous with that of the Salvation Army, which states: “The mission of the Salvation Army is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and meet human needs in His name without discrimination.”

What is your mission statement? Does it jive with the organization or church you serve with? We should each take a few minutes to write down our mission statement for life, and consider how we'll accomplish it.

The mission statement of the Salvation Army jives perfectly with my own personal mission statement. It reflects well the dual emphasis of Jesus Christ to carry the message of the kingdom, and to meet the temporal needs of the people in his context. Jesus Christ fundamentally did two things: He spoke about the kingdom of God and he performed acts of healing, mercy, love, and compassion. That is my life mission, to preach the gospel, and to meet the needs of those around me.

The theological basis is two-fold: Make disciples of all nations and meet the needs of people near me. This is the core imperative of the scriptures. It is not a full demonstration of the entirety of the scriptures. It is a concise definition of a primary imperative. That’s how I draw my imperative from the scriptures.

There are so many things that could be listed off, like “loving God and loving others” or “worship and praise” or “evangelism” but fundamentally what is the chief imperative? The chief imperative is to make disciples and meet needs. The primary imperative that flows out from the revelation of the kingdom of God, the gospel, is the great commission to make disciples of all nations and meet human needs (Matthew 28:19, Matthew 25:31-46). That’s what Jesus did, that’s what he taught and what he lived.

So if this is the theological basis, if this is the profile of the full revelation of the scriptures the question becomes: What are the core ministry values that emerge from this scriptural exegesis?

If we are looking at a holistic approach to the kingdom program of God revealed in the scriptures, then I see four core values that emerge from the words of Jesus in practicing the core theology of scripture: Worship, evangelism, discipleship, and meeting needs. These four key values are derived from the scriptures, and the kingdom program of God. Therefore, they should be the primary concern of my ministry.

It's interesting that people with a certain passion in ministry, they often tell us that we have to be passionate about it too: prison ministry, social justice, multicultural ministry, and all these various concerns. It is true that we are all gifted in many areas. But there are a thousand different things we can do in ministry. And if we don’t have a primary imperative then we’ll run ourselves thin trying to do a little of everything. My mission is to teach about Christ and to reach people for Christ. I’ve got to do this through the most direct means I can summon.

Worship is an absolute must. We have to worship to grow in fellowship with God. That’s why worship comes into the four basic areas. Worship is vital, in gathering the community together, teaching the Bible and singing songs of worship. That’s the basic format of the church community. And therefore it is vital.

Evangelism also comes very high on the core ministry functions. Evangelism is about sharing the gospel with non-believers. It’s about doing the real work that Christ taught us to do. And it’s absolutely vital. Especially in our broken world and de-energized church, where young people no longer see faith as a viable option regarding the meaning of life, more and more we’ll have to go out on the streets and carry the gospel to our neighbors through evangelism. Of course there is no good “evangelism program” evangelism instead will have to be baked into everything we do as a church movement.

Discipleship is absolutely vital as well. Christ taught us to make disciples of all nations. That requires really digging into the scriptures and moving into a deeper, more mature Christian walk. Discipleship is necessary, otherwise we’ll never mature as believers.

Meeting needs is absolutely vital as well. What is the point of evangelism or worship if we aren’t really living as Jesus did? We have to live it out and show our faith through acts of love and mercy. That’s what Jesus taught us to do, so we must do it. Meeting needs is important, but it shouldn’t overtake the other areas, which seems to have happened to a certain extent with the Salvation Army. The main goal has to always be at the fore-front, of carrying the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The core values that I see in fulfilling the mission statement of the Salvation Army are worship, evangelism, discipleship, and meeting needs. Each of these are absolutely necessary to living out the gospel given in the sacred scriptures. I want to challenge you: What is your mission statement? And, what does fulfilling it look like in practical ministry? Figure that out, and you'll be able to fulfill that mission.

Related Posts:

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

A Holy Insurgency: Called to Acts of Sabotage against the Kingdoms of Darkness

As I live in the big city, I realize that I am part of a holy insurgency. As C.S. Lewis said, we are warriors on a battlefield called to acts of holy sabotage against the kingdoms of darkness that cover this world.

The truth exists in our world in a state of subjection to lies and misery. The truth exists only as something put down, locked out, and openly ridiculed. That is the state of things. Why?

Because as Jesus said, The truth shall set you free (John 8:31-32). Who is the truth? Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). The truth is scandalous and powerful because it breaks every chain. It breaks things we're told are unbreakable. It frees people from the binding contracts of hell, Satan, and darkness. The grace of Christ cancels every sin, every condemnation, and every binding cord of the enemy of God. Once we discover the truth, then we're charged with proclaiming it to to others (Matthew 10:27, Matthew 28:16-20).

I'm charged with the seemingly impossible task of portraying a living gospel to a dead people, who would much prefer to hear nothing of it. They don't want to hear anything of the truth, and yet... Something inside them craves it (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

I know only too well, and if I were too quick to judge them, I might remind myself that I was once thick as thieves with just such folk. I was the misanthrope, I was the nihilist, the cynical guy who hated the God he didn't believe in.

So, I must discover how exactly to be a subversive pastor. The world will try to push me into the position of being self-help chaplain to the secular culture. I have to fight out of that role, and be something more, someone who is proclaiming a living gospel, a real kingdom that messes up peoples perfect picture of their life, the white picket fence, the family, the nice car, and the great job. I must discover how to be one who, having found humanity subverted, must then subvert the subversion. When I subvert the subversion I'm helping disconnect people from the lies of the world, and plug them into the transforming reality of God's kingdom.

We're insurgents against the kingdom of Satan. We just won't stay in line and keep our mouths shut about Jesus. We just won't stay obedient to the worldly values, feeding at the trough of carnal pleasure. How dare we break up perfectly good misery by bringing up Jesus? Just who do we think we are?

After all it's impolite and impolitic to talk to some stranger about the love of Christ! That's simply not done! There are social norms. And they demand silence! Don't talk to people in line at the grocery store, don't introduce yourself to your neighbors, and don't give a Bible to your friend. Just stay in your church, have your little service, be quiet, and be content to preach to a dwindling congregation.

We make ourselves targets when we do these things, targets for the enemy's kingdom. Oh, such a thought puts a smile on my face. There is a beautiful word for it... defiance. We defy the enemy, reject the false social standards, and proclaim the gospel stubbornly. Hit, and run, hit and run, day in and day out, gospel here, gospel there, and we stubbornly refuse to stay silent.

We're a small minority among the cities of the west. We're a small minority among the churches of the west! We're the insurgency. And we're working day and night, behind the scenes, to expose the world to Jesus Christ.

Our acts of sabotage are not material. Our act of sabotage is to declare Jesus Christ, organize Bible studies, plant churches, and develop fellowship. The overall goal of course being to subvert the kingdoms of man with the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is coming. In fact it's here right now. But Christ will return in the flesh. And I want to be busy at work for his kingdom when he returns. I'm sure you do too! Get to work. Make a plan. Be subversive. Get a group of insurgents together and be subversive together. Subvert the kingdom of Satan, and strengthen and spread the kingdom of God. Amen.