Out of the Ashes

One thing we Americans are good at is fixing things. It doesn't seem to matter what the problem is, we've got the solution, or we'll find one. For example, I have heard that one woman fixed the problem of her free flying birds pooping on the carpet, the counters, the children's toys and bedspreads at home. She invented "Flight Suits", as they are known, little birdy diapers that fit snugly onto most household birds. Someone else invented hands free binoculars so you can drink your beer and eat your peanuts at the ballgame, but still see the game from the nosebleed section. That's where I usually am. There's the alarm clock that rolls off your bedside table, on to the floor and across the room. You have to get up to turn it off and before you can hit it with a hammer! I even heard there is a motorized ice cream cone so you don't have to turn the cone yourself. Only in America!

In America, we can fix just about anything. One thing we can't fix though is our problem with sin. No matter how much you might want to fix this problem, there nothing in the yellow pages or online that can help. My father-in-law is a great handyman, but even he doesn't have the right tool to forgive me for my sin. Every look in the mirror, every gray hair and wrinkle, every aching joint, every trip to the eye doctor for a stronger prescription, every funeral reminds us that we are formed of the dust and to dust we shall return. Before I know it; in the blink of an eye, the gravestone will read "Here Lies Andrew C. Elling". Trust me, there will be one like it for you too.

At our Ash Wednesday service the other night, we all acknowledged this conundrum. The conundrum is why we showed up there that night in the first place. It's why we put dirty ash crosses on our foreheads. We can't fix this problem, but we have a God who can. Ash Wednesday is an acknowledgement of this. It is the beginning of a journey. Too often we skip ahead to the joy of resurrection day. Jesus didn't do that. He walked the journey there one step at a time. Our faith will not be as deep and strong as it can be until we all walk with him. Walk down the mountain resolutely toward Jerusalem. Stand with him on trial and as the whips tear the flesh off his back. Carry the cross with him up to Golgotha. Feel the nails pierce his hands and feet as if they were your own. Do not let yourself jump ahead too quickly to Easter Sunday. The good news is that day will come. Instead, wait a while first. Walk with Jesus. Feel it. Shed some tears. Gaze upon our bloody and beaten Savior. That Savior is the only possible fix for your problem of sin and mine.

At the service on Ash Wednesday, we all read Psalm 51. You should too. If you feel your failures like King David did. If you admit your weakness, acknowledge the flaws, confess your sin to God, give your life to God, pray for His forgiveness through Christ, then you will live in the end. In fact, you will live starting today. If you can say the same words to God that King David did, then when you die, when you return to the dust, then the gravestone might have your name on it, but you will not be there. Like our Lord Jesus Christ, like King David, you will not be there. It is on your journey to the cross of Jesus that you will find life.

Jesus and the Biker Bar

You might not think much about going to the local biker bar for Jesus. If Jesus came back today, you probably would not go looking in a biker bar for him either. But He might be there. He just might be. What about you?

In John 4, Jesus does not go to a biker bar, but where He did go was at least as controversial. The passage is literally a laundry list of “don'ts” for anyone, let alone the Messiah. The gospel points out that Jesus went through Samaria, talked to a Samaritan, talked to a woman, talked to divorced woman, asked to be served by such a woman, offered to serve such a woman, and offered the gospel to such a woman all in one fell swoop. Imagine your pastor serving in the local x-rated movie theater. That's the equivalent of what's going on here.

This example that Jesus demonstrates for us kind of shatters the common understanding of ministry today, doesn't it? Okay, so maybe you don't start out at the local biker bar or x-rated movie theater, but if we really want the lost to know Jesus, we all have to go somewhere. Jesus did say, “Go!”, and He showed us exactly what He meant.

In his book, “God Space”, Doug Pollock asks the question, “Who should make the first move?” He says, “If I go down to the bar and [invite them to church], how many bar hoppers do you think would be willing to leave their 'club' to join your 'club' on Sunday morning? What would compel someone to give up what he likes to do most on Sunday morning, borrow a suit and tie, sing songs to somebody he can't see, listen to someone speak at him for 30 – 45 minutes about someone who lived more than 2,000 years ago, and then pay for the experience with something called an offering? How many takers do you think I'd have?”

The point is, as believers in Jesus Christ and with the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is our job to make the first move. Start with a simple blessing (Gen. 12:1-3). Start with the folks God has put in your life. Ask a thought provoking question. Trust the Lord to work. Pray. Once you start getting the hang of this, then stretch yourself in faith. This is what Jesus really meant by “Go!”

Entertaining Angels

I was visited by Jesus today. His name was Bill. He looked a little different though; no robe, beard or long hair. He was unkempt with dirty hands. He smelled. He had a tattoo and his teeth were rotting. He just showed up without an appointment! Ugh! I am extra busy now that it's Christmas. I am busy doing the real ministry of answering phone calls, writing letters and emails. Oh, and blogging too! Now that's some real ministry! Actually, I was heading into the sanctuary to pray when He arrived. Really, I mean it. I am not making this up for dramatic effect. It was really inconvenient for Jesus to show up when I was about to pray. What was He thinking? The more I think about it, the more upset I get that Jesus would interrupt my ministry like that. Damn it! It wasn't on my google calendar for today to waste an hour and half helping Jesus with gas and food. I kept looking at my watch. After that, I only had six hours to get 8 hours of real ministry done. I mean I had some filing to do! I had to clean off my desk. It was a real mess. It's clean now. At least I got that done! I hope Jesus doesn't show up again anytime soon, especially without an appointment. If He does, I'll be really ticked.

Get Your Shovel

Chances are, if you're like me, you sell yourself short. The truth is, though, we all have a great purpose because we have a great God. How great? Well, our God made Canis Majoris. This is the largest star ever discovered. Apparently, I've never measured, but you could fit 7 quadrillion earths inside this star. To give you an idea of how big that is you could only fit 1 million earths inside our sun. I haven't tried this, but I heard you could do it from a good source. It's kind of a science and math thing. Anyway, the same God who made Canis Majoris, the sun, Mt. Everest and a beautiful lily flower also made you and me. I am pretty sure He did it all for a reason.

As Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ showed us and told us that reason. The reason is to move mountains. It's to love God and neighbor. Like Abraham, it is to be a blessing. According to Jesus Himself, the reason is to do even greater things than He did. Don't believe me? He said, "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. They will do even greater things than these" (John 14:12). So, think you have been selling yourself short yet?

You might wonder, like I did, how to get started doing "even greater things" than Jesus? When you think about that, it kind of feels like a lightening bolt is coming, doesn't it? DUCK! Actually, it's okay. Jesus said that so we're safe. How do you do it? The answer is pray. The John 14 context is prayer. John 14:13-14 says, "I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name and I will do it."

Prayer is the mountain mover of our faith. Jesus also said, "I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea', and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer" (Matthew 21:21-22).

It sounds to me like prayer is a great tool. Actually, it's the greatest and most powerful tool ever invented. Yes, it's even better than the Swiss Army Knife. If you have a mountain to move though, better not leave this tool in the barn. Prayer is a tool God wants us to use. Jesus told us to us it. He used Himself many times. Prayer takes persistence though. It takes faith. It takes effort day in and day out. Jesus didn't say how long it would take for the mountain to move, but He did say it will move. So get your shovel out of the barn and get to work. Just imagine what could happen if we all did just that!

The Real Meaning of "Go!"

Jesus did say, "go", didn't He? If I remember correctly, that was the word. He didn't say "Wait for them to come!" I'm pretty sure about that. He didn't say, "Do the best you can, wait, and then complain about the empty seats!" I know he didn't say that. Ahhhh! Yes! I have it right here in front of me. It is all coming back to me now. Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations..." Yep, that's what Jesus said. He simply said, "go".

The word "go" here really does mean "go". The Holy Spirit chose this word with the traveler in mind. It is a word with intent behind it and also a destination. There is not one shred of "the wait and see" approach woven into this word. You can dig, but you'll never find wait in this word for "go". The kind of action in mind is urgent action. The word is used to describe Paul who was ""compelled by the Spirit". It says, "I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there... I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace" (Acts 20:22-24). Paul's intention, his destination, his urgent action was all aimed at finishing "the race" and completing "the task the Lord Jesus has given me, the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace". To accomplish this task, he did not wait, he did not hope, he did not complain about empty seats. Instead, he just went, and guess what? God worked.

The BIG problem today is that churches are waiting for people to come to a place where more and more people aren't coming. They just aren't. No matter how many bells and whistles we have, or even really good coffee, all the trends are saying that it is just not working. If we do fill the empty seats, it is usually someone hopping from church to church. Those folks will fill some other church's seat temporarily as well. The unbelievers and "unchurched" of the world are not waking up on Sunday morning today and saying, "I have nothing else to do today so I guess I'll go to church". It is just not happening despite the coffee, even if it's Starbucks.

I believe Jesus knew this when he made his very last statement to the disciples. The word "go" was intended for them and it was intended for us today. When you are a goer you understand, as Reggie McNeal writes, "if they aren't going to come to us, then we've got to go to them. This is the crux of the issue. Churches that understand the realities of the present future are shifting the target of ministry efforts from church activity to community transformation. This is turning the church inside out."

It is high time to turn the church inside out. The fellowship in the church is still powerful. People still need an invitation in to experience it, but only to get recharged and refocused on "go"ing. It is the task the Lord Jesus has given us. It is the only way to "finish the race". It is the only way to "complete the task". So, let's get going. If we do, guess what? God will work.

The Steeple OR Starbucks?

I'm reading a book by Reggie McNeal right now and I love it! It is a scathing indictment of how we "do church" today. I don't love that we are indicted, but I do love that someone is pointing out that "doing" church and "being" the church have become two very different things. For example, in his book "The Present Future", McNeal writes, "The death of the church culture will not be the death of the church. The church Jesus founded is good; it is right. The church established by Jesus will survive until he returns. The imminent demise under discussion is the collapse of the unique culture in North America that has come to be called "church." This church culture has become confused with biblical Christianity, both inside the church and out. In reality, the church culture in North America is a vestige of the original movement, an institutional expression of religion that is in part a civil religion and in part a club where religious people can hang out with other people whose politics, worldview, and lifestyle match theirs. As he hung on the cross Jesus probably never thought the impact of his sacrifice would be reduced to an invitation for people to join and support an institution."

I love this stuff. I don't love it because I always agree. I love it because of the challenge. These words, McNeal's book and others like it are challenging the church today to be the church Jesus truly did envision as he hung on the cross. In so many ways, we are falling short and we need to hear the critique of those pushing us all to be more missional or outward focused. We will only be better off by praying and applying our way through the missional zingers being zung at the institutional church today.

On the other hand, it does seem like the missional movement would like nothing more than to tear down the walls of the "institutional" church. I could not agree more that some walls need to be torn down, but I strongly believe that there is still plenty of room for "church as we know it" today too. There is room for the "attractional model" in balance with the missional. We absolutely need both. The reason for this is the power of the fellowship.

There is real power (dunamis) in the fellowship. Yes, there is power in the fellowship at Starbucks as the missional movement rightly points out. Believers need to infiltrate the Starbucks' of the world for Jesus. It is God's Will! But we also need to be in our church buildings for Jesus as well. Yes, we even need to invite people there. The reason for this is that God is within those walls! Okay, okay, I know God is not ONLY there. He is in Starbucks too, of course. He was especially in that Vanilla Creme Frappachino I just slurped down last night! Praise God! Make no mistake though, when believers come together to worship, and praise, and rightly preach and teach the Word, God is in that fellowship in a powerful way. Guess what? If you invite someone into that fellowship, the one we're not supposed to give up (Heb. 10:25) even if it happens to be inside a brick building with a cross on top, something powerful will happen. Praise God for that too!

Paul had confidence in the power of the fellowship. I like to call it his ministry of presence. Paul knew there was power (dunamis) in the gospel (Rom. 1:16-17), but he also knew there was power in just his presence. Romans 1:11 says, "I long to see you that I may impart some spiritual gift to make you strong, that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith." For Paul, it was powerful for him to just show up. He knew God's power was at work in the presence of believers meeting together. Sooooooo, it is our responsibility to invite the lost, the lonely, the afraid, fellow believers, seekers, and unbelievers into the fellowship of God. If we do, trust God, something powerful will happen there. I am pretty sure the bible says something about that.

It is my humble opinion that the death knell of the institutional church was rung a bit prematurely by the missional movement today (of which I am part of by the way). This church has been around for thousands of years. Rightly or wrongly, we humans built those walls to meet in. It is okay though. Whether it is the walls of the church or the walls of Starbucks, God is there, and He can handle it.

One Way To Find True North

How many times do we tell our kids to say, “thank you”. The number is infinite. We beat that drum equally as hard as our parents did to us. “Did you send those thank you notes yet?” I cannot remember how many times my Mom asked me that. It was usually because it was January or February. My birthday is in November.

I did not always like writing thank you notes. I tried that trick where you write the same thing over and over again. Just insert a new name each time, but don’t forget to get the gifts right! Regardless of how I managed to get it done, and no matter how long I put it off, I always felt so much better thanking the gift giver. It works the other way too. I try not to expect thanks for gifts I give, but when I get thanks, it feels really good. There is something that is just right about saying, “thank you”.

When was the last time you said, “thank you” to God? Have you tried that lately? Saying “thank you” to God is a form of praise. Did you know we were made to say “thank you” to God? It is how we’re wired. Paul says, “Devote yourselves to prayer with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). Paul also writes that God’s grace to us is designed to “cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God” (2 Corinthians 4:15). Jesus Himself repeatedly gave “thanks” to God throughout His life and ministry.

When you give thanks to God, it does something to you. Giving thanks is an unselfish act in a selfish world. Giving thanks points the compass of your heart and soul toward God. It helps you have the proper posture before God to receive His blessings and understand your purpose. Giving thanks helps you find your true north.