american christianity ™

Weekend Reading, 3 July

Frank

A lot of church-themed blogs and articles this week to reflect on. Sometimes it hurts to look at ourselves in the mirror, but we need to take these honest looks at ourselves.

“Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16)

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” (James 1:22-25)

  • Do you ever find yourself in a conversation and it just “feels like church“? Jezamama urges us to open our doors to the dregs.
  • If you’re not afraid to be judged as a dreg, maybe you’ll be judged by whether or not you’re wearing pantyhose. At least Matthew Paul Turner’s mom used to feel that way.
  • If you’re not a dreg, and you don’t wear pantyhose, chances are you worship differently than I do. I’ll try not to judge, but will you feel comfortable in my church?
  • Jon Acuff has a theory for why Christians are so mean online. Maybe it relates to the same reasons we’re so judgemental in the links above?
  • Jake Meador speculates part of the problem is that we’ve become engulfed in our culture rather than create a “viable alternative” to the world around us.
  • Jay Guin longs for a post-denominational church uniting to serve in Christ.
  • Churches in Atlanta are actually doing just that as Church Marketing Sucks points out. Unfortunately it’s only for one weekend.

Have a happy 4th of July weekend. Celebrate your freedoms and remember that those freedoms include the freedom to worship.

Flashback Friday: 4th of July

Frank

***Originally posted for the 4th of July, 2007. Enjoy your freedoms this weekend. I’ll be enjoying mine camping and worshiping the God of Creation.***

Last Sunday for communion I shared about freedom and what that means to us as Christians. I was inspired after talking with one of my friends who was concerned about the lack of “true worship” in our church and reminded me that God freed the Israelites from Egypt specifically so that they could worship him. So freedom and worship go hand in hand. The wheels in my head started turning and out came this:

Wednesday is the fourth of July. A day to celebrate the birth of our country and the freedoms we have. But how does that relate to us, this morning, as we’re gathered to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? First of all, we’ve heard from this podium before, in fact I’m sure I’ve even said it myself from up here, that we should be grateful to God that we have the freedom to gather together to worship him without fear of death, injury, or persecution. We are guaranteed the freedom to worship publicly. But we’re also given the freedom to worship as we choose. And that’s a part that I think is often forgotten. If you look at the history of this country many of those who first settled here did so so that they could worship they way they wanted to: Quakers, Puritans, Catholics, and others all came to this land because they were required to worship a certain way where they came from and were persecuted for not doing so. So today we have the freedom to worship however we want to. This freedom enabled the different Great Awakening periods as well as the Restoration Movement that we owe our history to. So without this part of our freedom, we may have been able to worship publicly, but it’s unlikely we’d be worshiping in this church.

But this isn’t a patriotic rant or an historical lesson. I’m here worship our Lord through communion. Remembering the sacrifice of Jesus. And that’s where I want to turn our attention. God has consistently used the freedom of his people for worship. Mishach, Shadrach, and Abendigo were thrown in the fire for not worshiping how they were told. And then saved so that they could freely worship the one true God. The Jews in exile with both Ezra and Nehemiah were freed so that they could worship God in Jerusalem by rebuilding the temple and then rebuilding the wall. And probably most explicitly, God freed the Jews in Egypt so they could worship him freely. In Exodus 7:16, when Moses was confronting Pharaoh, God instructed Moses to say, “The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert.” And that reason did not change as Moses continued to confront him through all the plagues.

It is no different for us today following Jesus. Jesus died so that we would be freed from the slavery of our sin. But he also died to free us from the religious tradition that ruled his day. Just because our country allows us to worship however we like, doesn’t mean we should. Paul said not to use our freedom as an excuse to indulge in sin. In the same way, we can’t use our freedom to worship as an excuse to make up our own traditions, our own rules, or bind old traditions to others arbitrarily. Please turn to John 4. Starting in verse 19, we read…

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:19:26)

To worship in spirit and in truth. That’s what Jesus died for and what we need to reflect upon when we celebrate our freedom. Are we worshiping in spirit and in truth? With the hundreds of denominations that exist today, I’d argue that we’re not. With the countless traditions, expectations, and doctrines that continue to divide, I am certain that we’re not. This morning I want to call us to a higher standard, to worship our Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

So I left it hanging. What does it mean to worship in Spirit and Truth? Does it mean ecumenism, seeker-friendly services, Power Point slides, instrumental music or a-capella, emerging churches, speaking in tongues, etc, etc? I’ll leave it to you the reader to search this out for yourself. Let me know what you find.

Flashback Friday: 4th of July

Frank

***Originally posted for the 4th of July, 2007. Enjoy your freedoms this weekend. I’ll be enjoying mine camping and worshiping the God of Creation.***

Last Sunday for communion I shared about freedom and what that means to us as Christians. I was inspired after talking with one of my friends who was concerned about the lack of “true worship” in our church and reminded me that God freed the Israelites from Egypt specifically so that they could worship him. So freedom and worship go hand in hand. The wheels in my head started turning and out came this:

Wednesday is the fourth of July. A day to celebrate the birth of our country and the freedoms we have. But how does that relate to us, this morning, as we’re gathered to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? First of all, we’ve heard from this podium before, in fact I’m sure I’ve even said it myself from up here, that we should be grateful to God that we have the freedom to gather together to worship him without fear of death, injury, or persecution. We are guaranteed the freedom to worship publicly. But we’re also given the freedom to worship as we choose. And that’s a part that I think is often forgotten. If you look at the history of this country many of those who first settled here did so so that they could worship they way they wanted to: Quakers, Puritans, Catholics, and others all came to this land because they were required to worship a certain way where they came from and were persecuted for not doing so. So today we have the freedom to worship however we want to. This freedom enabled the different Great Awakening periods as well as the Restoration Movement that we owe our history to. So without this part of our freedom, we may have been able to worship publicly, but it’s unlikely we’d be worshiping in this church.

But this isn’t a patriotic rant or an historical lesson. I’m here worship our Lord through communion. Remembering the sacrifice of Jesus. And that’s where I want to turn our attention. God has consistently used the freedom of his people for worship. Mishach, Shadrach, and Abendigo were thrown in the fire for not worshiping how they were told. And then saved so that they could freely worship the one true God. The Jews in exile with both Ezra and Nehemiah were freed so that they could worship God in Jerusalem by rebuilding the temple and then rebuilding the wall. And probably most explicitly, God freed the Jews in Egypt so they could worship him freely. In Exodus 7:16, when Moses was confronting Pharaoh, God instructed Moses to say, “The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert.” And that reason did not change as Moses continued to confront him through all the plagues.

It is no different for us today following Jesus. Jesus died so that we would be freed from the slavery of our sin. But he also died to free us from the religious tradition that ruled his day. Just because our country allows us to worship however we like, doesn’t mean we should. Paul said not to use our freedom as an excuse to indulge in sin. In the same way, we can’t use our freedom to worship as an excuse to make up our own traditions, our own rules, or bind old traditions to others arbitrarily. Please turn to John 4. Starting in verse 19, we read…

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:19:26)

To worship in spirit and in truth. That’s what Jesus died for and what we need to reflect upon when we celebrate our freedom. Are we worshiping in spirit and in truth? With the hundreds of denominations that exist today, I’d argue that we’re not. With the countless traditions, expectations, and doctrines that continue to divide, I am certain that we’re not. This morning I want to call us to a higher standard, to worship our Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

So I left it hanging. What does it mean to worship in Spirit and Truth? Does it mean ecumenism, seeker-friendly services, Power Point slides, instrumental music or a-capella, emerging churches, speaking in tongues, etc, etc? I’ll leave it to you the reader to search this out for yourself. Let me know what you find.

R12: What is authentic community anyway?

Frank

Famous last words. The cliche of leaving that last impression, something that will survive history, long after you are gone. Often times, they’re not famous though. They’re honest, open, and heart-melting with an awareness that the end is near. The last thing I said to my grandfather before he died of a heart attack was “see you tomorrow.” Neither he nor I had any idea what the next day would bring. I remember the last words of my father vividly. He, on the other hand, knew that his time left on this earth was short. His last words were filled with a sense of foreknowledge, “you win some and you lose some, but you gotta keep playing.” Even though we were talking about football, I knew what he meant. And he succumbed to cancer two days later.

Jesus, on the last night he spent with his disciples (prior to the resurrection, but they did not see that coming), gave his disciples a command. These last words, which could be expected to resonate throughout religious history, were not about politics (though many of his disciples, especially Judas, expected him to be a political or military leader), were not about the current state of the synagogue/temple or Pharisees/Sadducees, nor were they about church polity. Instead, they were focused on the disciple’s relationship with each other. “A new command I give to you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) His disciples had no idea a new church, a new religion, would be established following Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. If they did, they may have expected some “how to’s” for this new movement. Ironically Jesus gave them just that- instructions on how to establish this new church- by loving one another.

This weighed so heavily on Jesus’ heart, it was even the focus of his prayer in John 17. Love. Unity. These were important to Jesus. More than politics, religion, or even a list of pious do-nots. Now look around the religious landscape today. Do you see Jesus’ prayer answered? Do you see his “new command” followed? This was Jesus’ intent for the Church. This is his prayer for our relationships.

This love, this unity, is not only for inside our walls, but should also extend outside our walls. It should exist beyond Sunday mornings. It should be vulnerable and honest. It should show the world that we really are his disciples. As Chip Ingram puts it, “the credibility of Christianity would rise or fall on the basis of Jesus’ followers’ relationships with one another.”

By Chip’s definition: Authentic community occurs when the real you shows up and meets real needs for the right reason in the right way. The next few chapters will show us how.

Think: What did Jesus command and pray for His disciples?
Reflect: Why do you think Jesus made such a point of focusing on our relationships with one another?
Understand: What gets in the way of experiencing authentic community in your life? Too busy? Too religious? Disconnected from like-minded believers?
Surrender: Are you in a meaningful, growing, Christ-centered relationship with a handful of people? If not, will you ask God to show you what you need to do in order to move in that direction… or deepen what He has already provided you?
Take Action: Declare war on isolation adn superficial relationships in your life! Write out John 13:34-35 on a 3×5 card and commit to living it out as God leads you this week.
Motivation: Consider watching the fourteen-minute video message “How to Experience Authentic Community” at r12 online [r12 button on the right, Serving tab, under “free resources”].
Encourage Someone: Make the first move this week. Initiate coffee, dinner, or dessert with someone(s) and talk about your common need/desire for authentic community.

Today continues our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For an introduction with disclaimers, click here. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

R12: What is authentic community anyway?

Frank

Famous last words. The cliche of leaving that last impression, something that will survive history, long after you are gone. Often times, they’re not famous though. They’re honest, open, and heart-melting with an awareness that the end is near. The last thing I said to my grandfather before he died of a heart attack was “see you tomorrow.” Neither he nor I had any idea what the next day would bring. I remember the last words of my father vividly. He, on the other hand, knew that his time left on this earth was short. His last words were filled with a sense of foreknowledge, “you win some and you lose some, but you gotta keep playing.” Even though we were talking about football, I knew what he meant. And he succumbed to cancer two days later.

Jesus, on the last night he spent with his disciples (prior to the resurrection, but they did not see that coming), gave his disciples a command. These last words, which could be expected to resonate throughout religious history, were not about politics (though many of his disciples, especially Judas, expected him to be a political or military leader), were not about the current state of the synagogue/temple or Pharisees/Sadducees, nor were they about church polity. Instead, they were focused on the disciple’s relationship with each other. “A new command I give to you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35) His disciples had no idea a new church, a new religion, would be established following Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection. If they did, they may have expected some “how to’s” for this new movement. Ironically Jesus gave them just that- instructions on how to establish this new church- by loving one another.

This weighed so heavily on Jesus’ heart, it was even the focus of his prayer in John 17. Love. Unity. These were important to Jesus. More than politics, religion, or even a list of pious do-nots. Now look around the religious landscape today. Do you see Jesus’ prayer answered? Do you see his “new command” followed? This was Jesus’ intent for the Church. This is his prayer for our relationships.

This love, this unity, is not only for inside our walls, but should also extend outside our walls. It should exist beyond Sunday mornings. It should be vulnerable and honest. It should show the world that we really are his disciples. As Chip Ingram puts it, “the credibility of Christianity would rise or fall on the basis of Jesus’ followers’ relationships with one another.”

By Chip’s definition: Authentic community occurs when the real you shows up and meets real needs for the right reason in the right way. The next few chapters will show us how.

Think: What did Jesus command and pray for His disciples?
Reflect: Why do you think Jesus made such a point of focusing on our relationships with one another?
Understand: What gets in the way of experiencing authentic community in your life? Too busy? Too religious? Disconnected from like-minded believers?
Surrender: Are you in a meaningful, growing, Christ-centered relationship with a handful of people? If not, will you ask God to show you what you need to do in order to move in that direction… or deepen what He has already provided you?
Take Action: Declare war on isolation adn superficial relationships in your life! Write out John 13:34-35 on a 3×5 card and commit to living it out as God leads you this week.
Motivation: Consider watching the fourteen-minute video message “How to Experience Authentic Community” at r12 online [r12 button on the right, Serving tab, under “free resources”].
Encourage Someone: Make the first move this week. Initiate coffee, dinner, or dessert with someone(s) and talk about your common need/desire for authentic community.

Today continues our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For an introduction with disclaimers, click here. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

R12: Where do you fit in God’s family?

Frank

Knowing who you are is only a start. You need to know where you belong. As the book puts it, it’s like getting all dressed up with nowhere to go. To follow an old adage, in order to know where you’re going, you need to know where you’ve been. Another paraphrase that I’ve heard is where you are depends on where you started. So I pray you’ve been taking the lessons from earlier this week seriously and taking time for some hardcore spiritual introspection.

But now we’re here. The past behind us, the future ahead. We need to know where we’re going. The second of life’s major questions, following “who am I?” is “where do I belong?” This is another question that the world has long deceived us. We join clubs for similar interests, we flock around people like us, we describe ourselves by what we do instead of where we belong. Our fast-paced online world has created virtual communities through Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Sometimes our best friend is the stranger that we only know by their user name on World of Warcraft. But we fool ourselves into believing that there we belong.

The world fails us in this relationship and sadly the church has too. We sit with best friends and seldom venture outside of our comfort zone, too many congregations are racially segregated, and small groups form around like hobbies instead of shared needs. Yet the answer to this question, “where do I belong” is answered by the church. The “where?” isn’t so much as a “to what?” Where we belong is the same as to what we belong. The where isn’t the address of your church, the what is the Body of Christ. Romans 12:4-5 reads:

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

The Apostle Paul describes this in greater detail in 1 Corinthians 12, noting that some of us are like “hands” and others “eyes”. We can’t say to parts not like us that they do not belong, but recognize that they serve a different function. And we have to see the bigger picture, the Body needs both the eyes and the hands.

Think about this for a moment. The Body needs you! You are uniquely created by God (Psalm 139:13-14) for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10). There is no one else in the world like you. No one else has the same abilities, talents, and spiritual gifts. No one else has the unique wisdom from your personal experience. And the Body is not whole without you. (As an aside, this should stir our heart for evangelism as well. That stranger down the street is unique and Christ’s Body is not complete without her.)

Besides being needed to make the Body whole, notice how Romans 12:5 ends, “each member belongs to all the others.” This isn’t possessive. I can’t boss you around and treat you like I own you. Instead we need to look at one another as a mutually symbiotic relationship, where we rely on one another to survive, rather than a parasitic relationship where we suck the life out of those closest to us or vice versa. If you’ve ever served in a teen ministry or a recovery ministry, you can relate to that last one. At the same time, if you’ve ever been a teenager (and we all have) or have struggled through serious sin in your life (and we all have ), then you’ve sucked the spiritual life out of someone who cared, prayed, and fought for you. While we’re human, and we suck, the truth is we need one another to survive.

I’m tempted to slam the church. In fact, I probably do that too often on this blog. So let me quote from the book for a moment.

But before we begin to blame the church- the institutional church- and take potshots at all that is wrong, I suggest that equal weight must fall upon our shoulders; individual Christians like you and me who have gladly bought
into the consumer mind-set of the contemporary church.

Sadly, the mantra of the average believer in the contemporary church is, “Ask not what you can do for your church, but ask what your church can do for you.” Our consumer attitude shows up as parents shop churches for the best-themed children’s program. (“I don’t’ think we’ll go to this church- we’re looking for a more Noah’s Ark theme). We’ve run from program to program and to the hottest new-thing in the community to get our needs met and our kids helped with as little involvement as possible.

Becoming a Romans 12 Christian is not about slamming the pastor or taking potshots at sincere ministries’ and churches’ best efforts; it’s seeing where we are today and putting into practice the raw and radical commands of Scripture in our own personal relational networks to become the kind of people Jesus called to be “salt and light”.

So how do we flip the question? Ask not what the church can do for you, but what can you do for the church? The first step is to identify our strengths and weaknesses. We should contribute our strengths to the church and share our weaknesses so that our needs can be met. Mutually symbiotic-I give, you give, we both grow. I don’t think it’s coincidental that Living on the Edge just started their series Your Divine Design. This lesson series focuses on our spiritual gifts and using them to build up the church. I strongly encourage you to follow these lessons. Subscribe to the podcast, bookmark the site, whatever you need to do to identify what you have and why you need to contribute it to the Church.

Finally to close, I’m going to quote from Ephesians 4:7-13 with emphasis added:

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why
it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train and
gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended
to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended
higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who
gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some
to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so
that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Amen.

Think: What thought or concept was most important to you in this chapter [post]? Why?
Reflect: Do you know “where you belong”? What’s good? What’s missing?
Understand: Was it easier to list your strengths or weaknesses? Why do you think that was true for you?
Surrender: Sit queitly before the Lord and thank Him for your strengths and your weaknesses. Open your hands (palms up) to offer to God afresh your strengths to serve His Body and your weaknesses to receive grace from others.
Take Action: Fill out the three-strengths-and-weaknesses card in the book. [basically list your top three strengths and your top (or bottom, I guess) three weaknesses on a 3×5 card. Do this before Undersand and Surrender above]
Motivation: ask two or three friends what they think your top three strengths are and compare with what you wrote down.
Encourage Someone: Jot a handwritten note to someone whose strengths have been God’s love expression to some need in your life. Thank them for using their strengths to make Christ known to you.

Today continues our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For an introduction with disclaimers, click here. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

R12: Where do you fit in God’s family?

Frank

Knowing who you are is only a start. You need to know where you belong. As the book puts it, it’s like getting all dressed up with nowhere to go. To follow an old adage, in order to know where you’re going, you need to know where you’ve been. Another paraphrase that I’ve heard is where you are depends on where you started. So I pray you’ve been taking the lessons from earlier this week seriously and taking time for some hardcore spiritual introspection.

But now we’re here. The past behind us, the future ahead. We need to know where we’re going. The second of life’s major questions, following “who am I?” is “where do I belong?” This is another question that the world has long deceived us. We join clubs for similar interests, we flock around people like us, we describe ourselves by what we do instead of where we belong. Our fast-paced online world has created virtual communities through Facebook, Twitter and other social media. Sometimes our best friend is the stranger that we only know by their user name on World of Warcraft. But we fool ourselves into believing that there we belong.

The world fails us in this relationship and sadly the church has too. We sit with best friends and seldom venture outside of our comfort zone, too many congregations are racially segregated, and small groups form around like hobbies instead of shared needs. Yet the answer to this question, “where do I belong” is answered by the church. The “where?” isn’t so much as a “to what?” Where we belong is the same as to what we belong. The where isn’t the address of your church, the what is the Body of Christ. Romans 12:4-5 reads:

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

The Apostle Paul describes this in greater detail in 1 Corinthians 12, noting that some of us are like “hands” and others “eyes”. We can’t say to parts not like us that they do not belong, but recognize that they serve a different function. And we have to see the bigger picture, the Body needs both the eyes and the hands.

Think about this for a moment. The Body needs you! You are uniquely created by God (Psalm 139:13-14) for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10). There is no one else in the world like you. No one else has the same abilities, talents, and spiritual gifts. No one else has the unique wisdom from your personal experience. And the Body is not whole without you. (As an aside, this should stir our heart for evangelism as well. That stranger down the street is unique and Christ’s Body is not complete without her.)

Besides being needed to make the Body whole, notice how Romans 12:5 ends, “each member belongs to all the others.” This isn’t possessive. I can’t boss you around and treat you like I own you. Instead we need to look at one another as a mutually symbiotic relationship, where we rely on one another to survive, rather than a parasitic relationship where we suck the life out of those closest to us or vice versa. If you’ve ever served in a teen ministry or a recovery ministry, you can relate to that last one. At the same time, if you’ve ever been a teenager (and we all have) or have struggled through serious sin in your life (and we all have ), then you’ve sucked the spiritual life out of someone who cared, prayed, and fought for you. While we’re human, and we suck, the truth is we need one another to survive.

I’m tempted to slam the church. In fact, I probably do that too often on this blog. So let me quote from the book for a moment.

But before we begin to blame the church- the institutional church- and take potshots at all that is wrong, I suggest that equal weight must fall upon our shoulders; individual Christians like you and me who have gladly bought
into the consumer mind-set of the contemporary church.

Sadly, the mantra of the average believer in the contemporary church is, “Ask not what you can do for your church, but ask what your church can do for you.” Our consumer attitude shows up as parents shop churches for the best-themed children’s program. (“I don’t’ think we’ll go to this church- we’re looking for a more Noah’s Ark theme). We’ve run from program to program and to the hottest new-thing in the community to get our needs met and our kids helped with as little involvement as possible.

Becoming a Romans 12 Christian is not about slamming the pastor or taking potshots at sincere ministries’ and churches’ best efforts; it’s seeing where we are today and putting into practice the raw and radical commands of Scripture in our own personal relational networks to become the kind of people Jesus called to be “salt and light”.

So how do we flip the question? Ask not what the church can do for you, but what can you do for the church? The first step is to identify our strengths and weaknesses. We should contribute our strengths to the church and share our weaknesses so that our needs can be met. Mutually symbiotic-I give, you give, we both grow. I don’t think it’s coincidental that Living on the Edge just started their series Your Divine Design. This lesson series focuses on our spiritual gifts and using them to build up the church. I strongly encourage you to follow these lessons. Subscribe to the podcast, bookmark the site, whatever you need to do to identify what you have and why you need to contribute it to the Church.

Finally to close, I’m going to quote from Ephesians 4:7-13 with emphasis added:

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why
it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train and
gave gifts to men.” (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended
to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended
higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) It was he who
gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some
to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so
that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Amen.

Think: What thought or concept was most important to you in this chapter [post]? Why?
Reflect: Do you know “where you belong”? What’s good? What’s missing?
Understand: Was it easier to list your strengths or weaknesses? Why do you think that was true for you?
Surrender: Sit queitly before the Lord and thank Him for your strengths and your weaknesses. Open your hands (palms up) to offer to God afresh your strengths to serve His Body and your weaknesses to receive grace from others.
Take Action: Fill out the three-strengths-and-weaknesses card in the book. [basically list your top three strengths and your top (or bottom, I guess) three weaknesses on a 3×5 card. Do this before Undersand and Surrender above]
Motivation: ask two or three friends what they think your top three strengths are and compare with what you wrote down.
Encourage Someone: Jot a handwritten note to someone whose strengths have been God’s love expression to some need in your life. Thank them for using their strengths to make Christ known to you.

Today continues our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For an introduction with disclaimers, click here. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

R12: Introduction

Frank

Today begins our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

It’s also important for some “official” disclaimers before we dig in. I am not affiliated with the ministry of Living on the Edge, Venture Christian Church, or Walk Thru the Bible. The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and do not represent Chip Ingram or any of the organizations above. At the same time, the video lessons linked to at R12, do not represent myself or my church.

While I agree with and endorse the purpose of the Living on the Edge ministry, I do disagree with some of its theology. This becomes clear at the outset with the video questions: How Can I be Certain I’m a Christian? and Is Surrendering to Christ the Same as Becoming a Christian? Chip and I have different answers for these two questions. Personally, I do not believe “Christian” is a label ever intended to look like it does today. It was originally an insult meaning “little Christ”. It is not a marketing or political label. And it didn’t describe the casual believer in Jesus. I believe most Christians in America are not disciples of Jesus, so I share that concern with Chip and is why I’m pushing this lesson. But unlike the answers in the aforementioned videos, I also question many Christian’s salvation, so I pray not only that this lesson helps revitalize the Church with “sold-out” disciples of Jesus, but also that this lesson leads the lukewarm into a deeper, saving relationship with Christ. So where Chip and I diverge is in the second question where my answer would be, “yes, surrendering to Christ is the same as becoming a Christian.” Simple statements of faith have nothing to do with our personal relationship with God, and accepting God’s grace without repentance and a commitment to count the cost of daily carrying the cross cheapens the Gospel.

———————————————————————————-

On to the introduction…

To quote from the preface of the book: “Is this book for you? The answer is YES if…

  • You are spiritually stuck.
  • You are tired of the spiritual status quo.
  • You wish you knew what God really wanted from you.
  • You long to break free from some habitual sin.
  • You desire to grow spiritually.
  • You need a clear pathway to spiritual maturity.
  • You are discipling other believers.”

Look around and consider the numbers from Barna describing the spiritual health of the Church. Look at your own life and your walk with Jesus. It becomes clear we’re not all that Christ would want us to be. This isn’t an indictment, but a call to grow. This isn’t a criticism, but an acknowledgement of a common state from which we can learn and repent.

It is important to point out early that Romans 12 is not a list of “to dos”. Religious activities does not equal being a disciple, that leads to religiosity. Absence of sin does not equal being a disciple, that leads to impossible expectations. Keeping rules does not equal being a disciple, that leads to legalism. Romans 12 is only a description of what a disciple of Jesus should look like. Evidences of your faith lived out.

Romans 12 follows Romans 1-11. It begins with “Therefore…” So something must come first. This lesson will not be effective unless you start with a conviction of the sacrifice of Jesus and what that has done in your life. Therefore… this is how we should live. If we try and apply this without that conviction, we are no different than the Pharisees.

Chip gives his background in the introduction. If you have the book, you could replace his story with mine and it would be almost identical. I say almost. I stuck with church at the same point he turned away. I did so convinced that God wanted something special from me, but I grew frustrated trying to figure out what that was. Like Chip, I didn’t have anyone to teach me how to get deeper, how to grow. And like Chip in the earliest years of true Christianity, I kept one foot in religion and one foot in the world, and it was tearing me apart. And like Chip, it was Romans 12 that opened my eyes to a different way to “do religion”. It is that conviction that leads me to “Therefore…”

Finally, to quote from the introduction, “The great majority of Christians have been taught that life is about coming to know Christ personally, being saved, being good, and then helping other people ‘get saved’. Before long, they become part of the religious machinery whose primary goal is to help more people enter the kingdom of God.” In the book Sticky Church by Larry Osborne, the problem of this mentality is described in detail. Assembly line Christianity does not address personal growth, personal discipleship, and as the book puts it, so much effort is made making the “front door” as large as possible, we don’t notice when many leave out of the “back door”. It’s not meant to be this way.

In his introduction lesson, Chip gives some more damning numbers describing the Church today: One in twelve Christians live a Christ-centered life, described as holding a Biblical worldview, living their lives with integrity, are other-centered, and manage their money, career and relationships focused on Jesus. Less that 20% of Christians are involved in any service to the Church, including small groups or “do[ing] life together”.

If these numbers shock you, convict you, or sadden you. Stick around. Let’s change it. Let’s use R12 to transform the Church.

R12: Introduction

Frank

Today begins our “virtual small group” covering the book Living On The Edge. For how this group is going to work, read this entry. For some numbers from Barna to motivate you to continue reading, go here. For the R12 videos, click the R12 button on the sidebar to the right. Finally, as we move forward through the book you can always catch up by clicking the R12 label at the end of each post.

It’s also important for some “official” disclaimers before we dig in. I am not affiliated with the ministry of Living on the Edge, Venture Christian Church, or Walk Thru the Bible. The opinions expressed on this blog are my own and do not represent Chip Ingram or any of the organizations above. At the same time, the video lessons linked to at R12, do not represent myself or my church.

While I agree with and endorse the purpose of the Living on the Edge ministry, I do disagree with some of its theology. This becomes clear at the outset with the video questions: How Can I be Certain I’m a Christian? and Is Surrendering to Christ the Same as Becoming a Christian? Chip and I have different answers for these two questions. Personally, I do not believe “Christian” is a label ever intended to look like it does today. It was originally an insult meaning “little Christ”. It is not a marketing or political label. And it didn’t describe the casual believer in Jesus. I believe most Christians in America are not disciples of Jesus, so I share that concern with Chip and is why I’m pushing this lesson. But unlike the answers in the aforementioned videos, I also question many Christian’s salvation, so I pray not only that this lesson helps revitalize the Church with “sold-out” disciples of Jesus, but also that this lesson leads the lukewarm into a deeper, saving relationship with Christ. So where Chip and I diverge is in the second question where my answer would be, “yes, surrendering to Christ is the same as becoming a Christian.” Simple statements of faith have nothing to do with our personal relationship with God, and accepting God’s grace without repentance and a commitment to count the cost of daily carrying the cross cheapens the Gospel.

———————————————————————————-

On to the introduction…

To quote from the preface of the book: “Is this book for you? The answer is YES if…

  • You are spiritually stuck.
  • You are tired of the spiritual status quo.
  • You wish you knew what God really wanted from you.
  • You long to break free from some habitual sin.
  • You desire to grow spiritually.
  • You need a clear pathway to spiritual maturity.
  • You are discipling other believers.”

Look around and consider the numbers from Barna describing the spiritual health of the Church. Look at your own life and your walk with Jesus. It becomes clear we’re not all that Christ would want us to be. This isn’t an indictment, but a call to grow. This isn’t a criticism, but an acknowledgement of a common state from which we can learn and repent.

It is important to point out early that Romans 12 is not a list of “to dos”. Religious activities does not equal being a disciple, that leads to religiosity. Absence of sin does not equal being a disciple, that leads to impossible expectations. Keeping rules does not equal being a disciple, that leads to legalism. Romans 12 is only a description of what a disciple of Jesus should look like. Evidences of your faith lived out.

Romans 12 follows Romans 1-11. It begins with “Therefore…” So something must come first. This lesson will not be effective unless you start with a conviction of the sacrifice of Jesus and what that has done in your life. Therefore… this is how we should live. If we try and apply this without that conviction, we are no different than the Pharisees.

Chip gives his background in the introduction. If you have the book, you could replace his story with mine and it would be almost identical. I say almost. I stuck with church at the same point he turned away. I did so convinced that God wanted something special from me, but I grew frustrated trying to figure out what that was. Like Chip, I didn’t have anyone to teach me how to get deeper, how to grow. And like Chip in the earliest years of true Christianity, I kept one foot in religion and one foot in the world, and it was tearing me apart. And like Chip, it was Romans 12 that opened my eyes to a different way to “do religion”. It is that conviction that leads me to “Therefore…”

Finally, to quote from the introduction, “The great majority of Christians have been taught that life is about coming to know Christ personally, being saved, being good, and then helping other people ‘get saved’. Before long, they become part of the religious machinery whose primary goal is to help more people enter the kingdom of God.” In the book Sticky Church by Larry Osborne, the problem of this mentality is described in detail. Assembly line Christianity does not address personal growth, personal discipleship, and as the book puts it, so much effort is made making the “front door” as large as possible, we don’t notice when many leave out of the “back door”. It’s not meant to be this way.

In his introduction lesson, Chip gives some more damning numbers describing the Church today: One in twelve Christians live a Christ-centered life, described as holding a Biblical worldview, living their lives with integrity, are other-centered, and manage their money, career and relationships focused on Jesus. Less that 20% of Christians are involved in any service to the Church, including small groups or “do[ing] life together”.

If these numbers shock you, convict you, or sadden you. Stick around. Let’s change it. Let’s use R12 to transform the Church.

Why R12?

Frank

So I’ve been mentioning all week I’ll be hosting a “virtual small group” starting Monday going over the book Living on The Edge. You may be asking yourself, why me, why you, why here, or why now?

I’ve already given some background on why me, but I’ll dig deeper as we go through the studies.

Why you? Well, chances are if you’re taking the time to visit my blog, given its theme and topics, you have some passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That makes you the perfect person to take this lesson and spread it to your own small group, house church, congregation, ministry leadership, neighbors… you get the idea.

Why here? Well, this isn’t only one place this will be happening. You can also follow me on Twitter for more topics for reflection, Facebook for more discussion (sorry I don’t give that one out, but if you want to follow me, leave me a message and I might hook you up), and the LOTE Facebook page for even more discussion. There will be more on that tomorrow or later this evening.

Why now? Well, that’s the important question. This book came out at the beginning of the year, but I’ve had the original R12 study guide for a year now. I figured right after Easter is the perfect time for a spiritual ‘rebirth’ and that gave me time to get a head start on the discussion. But on a larger scale, why now, is because the American christianity (TM) is hurting. Faith is dwindling, the Gospel is watered down, corruption seems rampant, and our focus is not where it should be. In fact, Living on the Edge commissioned a study by the Barna Group to dig deeper into this.

I want to share some numbers that should keep you up at night if you’re in love with Christ’s bride:

  • 81% of those calling themselves Christians said spiritual maturity is “following all the rules”
  • Half of churchgoers don’t know how their own church defines a “healthy, spiritually mature follower of Jesus”.
  • Only 21% of Christians described their relationship with Jesus as a sign of their own personal spiritual maturity, 14% living a moral lifestyle, 13% being involved in spiritual disciplines.
  • A minority of churches have a written statement outlining the expectations of spiritual maturity and they often define this by what people do, not what they believe.
  • Outside of the Barna study, an anecdotal example Chip gives is someone he knows was traveling and speaking at different congregations. He asked fifty pastors what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Only one was able to give a coherent answer. Everyone else gave a vague version of “a follow of Jesus”. When asked further what that looks like, answered varied as the numbers show above.

The fundamental question I will be asking throughout the study of this book, what does a disciple of Jesus look like? Chip often says the mission of his ministry is to help “Christians live like Christians.” I think that is a purpose we can all get behind. If that’s your desire, if that’s what you long to see in your church and in the Church Universal, come back Monday as we dig in to this great study.