The Eight Ball

In a continuation of solidarity let’s do a brief exploration of the teachings of Jesus in relation to His commitment to the “Other.”  (For those interested in measuring the orthodoxy of such an adventure please note the following are my theological non-negotiables.

Note: This is not a lengthy apologetic on all that I believe; rather, it is a snapshot of what I consider most important, as I continually seek to be informed by scripture, history and the voices of other believers – past and present.

1.       CREATION.   I believe that the scriptures teach that God is the creator of all things. This creation is attributed to the triune Godhead; to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God created the whole of the universe, the heavens and the earth and all of humankind.  I believe that God’s creation is good in intention, design and essence – and that God created humanity in His own image (Imago Dei) and for His own purpose.  Both men and women together reflect God’s image. We are therefore both privileged and responsible, as image bearers, we bear a special relationship to God and have a specific role in restoring and reconciling creation to its harmonious relationship with its creator.  This role as an ambassador of reconciliation is at the heart of my understanding of the good news of God.

2.       THE INCARNATION.  I believe Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  He is, in other words, simultaneously fully human and fully divine in both his nature and being.  The scriptures teach that God ‘became flesh and moved into the neighborhood’ of humanity in the person of Jesus Christ – and that in so doing, Jesus made himself nothing, taking the nature of a servant and being made in human likeness – and for all appearances, as a man.  The bible teaches that the fullness of God found in Jesus is the image of the invisible God and the exact representation of the divine being. He is the ultimate reconciler between God and man, as is evidenced by his death on the cross and his victory over sin and death.  He invites all of humanity to participate with Him in this new way of relating to the Father, made possible by his atonement.  Even in the name ‘Immanuel’ (God with us), the triune God communicates the distance between creation and the creator has been reconciled in the very act of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.  In the Incarnation, Jesus signifies God’s solidarity with all of humanity in the midst of our brokenness. ‘while we were yet sinners…’

3.       SALVATION.  What is quite possibly the best known verse in the bible lays the foundation of salvation through faith;  “whoever believes in Him shall not perish but has eternal life.”  Yet that’s not the whole story.  Such belief is effective because of the undeserved love of God – that is grace. Receiving something you didn’t earn, work for, gain or deserve. The very definition of grace magnifies this truth.  Literally, unmerited favor.  The apostle Paul expands upon this idea in his letters to the various churches.  In his epistle to the Romans, for example, he clearly states that righteousness comes by grace through faith and that no one deserves or earns it, but rather attains it only through and by (and even because of) the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

4.       THE TRINITY.  The term ‘Trinity’ designates one God in three persons. Throughout the scriptures we find the Father, Jesus (the Son), and the Holy Spirit each referred to as God; yet again and again the authors of the sacred text describe God as one, single and unique.  We find glimpses of the Trinity in the old testament, in the Genesis narrative of the creation account, and in select passages in the new testament. Acknowledgment and celebration of the triune God is also found in the earliest creeds of the Christian church.  Perhaps the most important aspect of God as Trinity is the interdependent, communal choreography of God in relationship.  It is in this very core of Trinity that we are pointed back most clearly to the Imago Dei in each of us – created in and for relationship with others.

5.       THE SCRIPTURES.  I believe the bible (the Hebrew scriptures or ‘old testament’ and the Greek ‘new testament’), to be the inspired and authoritative words of God, which reveals His will, ways, purposes and character through recorded conversations among people – individuals and communities – with God.  The biblical library is a carefully selected group of ancient documents of paramount importance for people who want to understand and belong to the community of people who seek to understand God.  I believe the bible is complete and reliable as it relates to matters of Christian faith and life, and divinely inspired through the personalities and expressions within the context, language and culture of the original authors.  I believe the most valuable aspect of the scriptures is that they illuminate the very logos of God – Jesus Christ.  

6.       THE RESURRECTION.  Belief in the literal physical resurrection of Jesus from the dead is a basic tenant of the Christian faith and an essential belief in orthodoxy. All four gospel accounts describe Jesus’ resurrection, and it is also affirmed in the early creeds of the Christian church. The apostle Paul writes to the Corinthians that without the resurrection, our faith is empty and worthless.

In outlining these essentials, my desire is not to divide; rather, it is to seek solidarity in the unifying mission of those who would call themselves followers of Jesus – to live as agents of reconciliation on behalf of God. 

Do you remember the story of the Good Samaritan?  It might help to refresh your memory.  A "teacher of the law" comes to Jesus asking how to inherit the abundant life of God’s kingdom. Jesus helps the conversation along, evoking the ‘right’ answer from the man.  “love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”  This raises an important question, one asked by the scribe who had been instructing others in the way of Yahweh, “who is my neighbor?”

So, this tale is woven by the son of God, toying with preconceived notions of holiness, cleanliness, and the “Other.”  It turns out, according to Jesus, that the “Other” is actually our neighbor, and we’re prompted to move toward them with a compassionate hospitality rather than avoiding them altogether (or even worse – moving toward them with a suspicious hostility unless and until ‘they’ become one of ‘us’).

Please don't miss this.  In the divine parable, the compassion with which the Samaritan – the unclean, half-blood gentile who worshipped on the wrong mountain and was considered an apostate – moves toward the hurting traveler is the same compassion with which God moves toward humanity. In the incarnation itself, Jesus signifies God’s solidarity with all of humanity in the midst of our brokenness. ‘while we were yet sinners…’

The story of the Good Samaritan flips the very concept of “US vs. THEM” on its head.  At its end, Jesus alludes to our mission today as ambassadors of reconciliation when he says ‘Go and do likewise.’

So what does that look like? Some of us are asking this and other, similar questions. We readily acknowledge that we’ve found ourselves behind the eight ball in conversations with our neighbors - whether our neighbor is gay, divorced, worships differently, or wanders across some other imaginary line that serves as a litmus test of being one of “US.”

Please take a moment to watch this video by Professor Scott Alexander, Chair of the Department of Intercultural Studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.  The Professor seeks to provoke conversations, inspiring solidarity with the "Other" rather than indulging in an insatiable appetite to convert “them” to “our” way of thinking and believing.  I wonder if we can find a way of holding our Christian identity that sends us toward the "Other" with love and hospitality rather than with fear and hostility.  So, I ask, “What do you think?”

Be Blessed!

Solidarity

I think many people have already heard of Brian McLaren’s most recent work entitled “Why did Jesus, Moses, the Buddha, and Mohammed cross the road?:  Christian identity in a multi-faith world.”  It seems to be flying off the bookshelves everywhere and has been critically acclaimed as his most important work to date.  It is equally likely (not surprisingly) to be the most disruptive yet to the Conservative American Evangelical status quo.  There is much to be said about it.  It certainly has people asking questions and wondering if their own way of thinking and being as a follower of God in the way of Jesus.    

In characteristic skillful prose, McLaren poses questions that point us toward a strong, benevolent Christian identity in a multi-faith world. Still, many of his critics would declare some of his wonderings wander beyond the boundaries of orthodoxy.  McLaren himself reflects, ‘The deeper question is not whether revision [to doctrines, the church calendar, et cetera] is allowed, but rather whether [it] as it is currently practiced is actually working. Is it producing Christians with a strong and benevolent identity? If not, then how, in these critical times, could we possibly justify not revising it?’ 

In the midst of a world at the boiling point of religious tensions and hostility, a conversation such as this is desperately needed. Particularly in light of global current events such as the ignorant portrayal of leaders of other faiths as bloodthirsty, ignorant, sexually confused fools with an insatiable appetite for pleasure (while ignoring those very elements of our own religious history) combined with the angry, violent reaction from some within that faith in response, our hostile religious climate begs for a better way forward… a way to move beyond and rise above the cycle of violence between faiths before we find ourselves immersed in what McLaren has previously called a ‘last-tango, nuclear-biochemical kamikaze crusade jihad.’  That not-so distant reality is, for those paying attention, close enough to taste.  Even at CNN.com, McLaren’s recent article has gotten an overwhelming response – 7,000+ comments, 15,000 Facebook recommendations, et cetera – further highlighting the intensity with which so many approach the delicate discussion of inter-faith dialogue.  Yet in order to even begin to hold these conversations from a truly Christian perspective – to join with what the Holy Spirit of God is doing among people of (and without) faith – I am convinced an intentional thirst for understanding God’s departure from division and his commitment to reconciliation is needed.  Even for Jesus, as McLaren points out, ‘it is permissible to say, ‘The Scriptures say…but I say otherwise,’ if the otherwise takes us in the direction of greater compassion, kindness, non-violence, and reconciliation.’  Yet an acceptance of the other is exactly what has habitually been an aversion to ‘us’ throughout our religious history.  Our refusal to repent of our intolerance of the “Other” is precisely what Jesus’ gospel calls us to repent of.  

Be Blessed! 

Heretical, but Biblical

Bear with me here.

Too often our definition of the Christian faith and spiritual maturity is defined by doctrine, and not by how we relate to the people in our life.  God, people, that’s what matters not doctrine. Here, many will state that doctrine is indeed a priority.  That it is, in fact, “the” priority.  That it is the primary source for knowledge of living out and growing in our faith.  They’ll argue that in order to love God you have to know God; and that in order to know God you have to study God; and in order to study God, you’ve got to have the right doctrine.  I see how many arrive at this conclusion.  I simply fundamentally disagree. 

Proper “ologies” come into play in intellectually stimulating, academic conversations surrounding this discussion.  Proper christology.  Proper soteriology.  Proper pneumatology.  Proper eschatology.  Proper ecclesiology.  Proper epistemology.  Proper bibliology.  And the list goes on.  But here’s a question: which of these are essential?  What matters the most?  What did Jesus say mattered?  God, people, that’s what matters.  Not doctrine.

I’m not saying that doctrine isn’t fascinating; that it cannot enrich our lives and deepen our understanding of God.  Doctrine is certainly beneficial.  There is a place for proper doctrine.  It can help us grow, it can stretch us, it can encourage us, supplement and assist us on our journey as we seek to find and follow Christ.  But it is not the pre-eminent and essential part of our faith.  The pre-eminent and essential part of our faith is, by its very nature, relational.  How we relate to God.  How we relate to people.  Doctrine is nice.  But it’s not the point.  It’s not what matters.  God, people, that’s what matters.

I am convinced that our Western obsession with studying of doctrine has caused more problems than good. The focus on who’s right and who’s wrong over any number of potentially divisive subjects in the church has pulled us further away from Jesus and community rather than drawing us closer to Him and each other. We’ve missed the point and need to refocus.  Having “right” or “proper” doctrine (whatever that may be) doesn’t mean that our hearts are in the right place.  It doesn’t mean that we love God or others.  Right doctrine does not mean right living.  Right doctrine does not mean you’re a Christ follower. 

It isn’t that doctrine isn’t important or that it doesn’t matter, but it can’t be the focus or priority of our faith lest it be rendered useless.  Christ’s focus was loving God and loving people.  That’s what He told His followers to focus on.  The danger in our obsession with doctrine is that we miss the point and lose focus of loving God and loving others.  We need unity of community, not uniformity of doctrine.  There are varied backgrounds, unique opinions and diverse worldviews and abilities that make up our community of faith. Many of those in that community will not share the same opinion about a great many doctrines as I do.  We may even disagree.  But it’s not the point.  I have an opinion on a lot of doctrines.  I’ve been fortunate to spend years in churches and schools where I learned about doctrine:  its implications; its history; its answers to the questions of life.  Yet though I’m certain there are indeed answers to the mountain of theological
questions that tug at our heartstrings as part of God’s creation longing to be reconciled to Him, I willingly admit that I don’t always know the answer.

My life–the pains of my past, my present restoration and the joy of the prospect of my future–has pushed me further into the camp of asking more questions than giving answers; of being tolerant versus shunning those of different viewpoints or experiences (whether in one’s beliefs or religious practices or their doctrines); of appreciating and celebrating community instead of seeking to “convert” everyone around me to my held views under the presupposition that I couldn’t be wrong and if they disagree with me they couldn’t be right; of seeking to help our society with the conscience of Christ rather than spending the majority of our time and effort on the minute details of a particular doctrine; a focus on community over institutional values; of asking questions of God and each other rather than assuming that the Christian story and all its related questions are known in their entirety by (even the brightest) finite minds of our day; of living the gospel daily in community rather than spending hours telling my brothers and sisters that they don’t believe the “right” version of that same gospel; of rethinking what it means to be a Christian, rethinking what it means to evangelize and rethinking what exactly the “good news” of Jesus is.  God, people, that’s what matters. 

I believe that the good news of Jesus is that God desires to reconcile the world unto Himself (Romans 5:9-11; Ephesians 2:1-16; Colossians 1:18-20).  This is done in the context of relationship.  It isn’t enough to simply claim Jesus as Savior.  We are called to follow Him as Lord.  And following Jesus is relational. We can’t journey alone.  Following Jesus is done in community.

Last week I read Rob Bell’s “Velvet Elvis”, and stumbled upon the following appropriate commentary:

"The Bible is a communal book.  It came from people writing in communities, and it was often written to communities.  Remember that the printing press wasn’t invented until the 1400s.  Prior to that, very few if any people had their own copies of the Bible.  In Jesus’ day, an entire village could probably afford only one copy of the Scriptures, if that.  Reading the Bible alone was unheard of, if people could even read.  For most of church history, people heard the Bible read aloud in a room full of people.  You heard it, discussed it, studied it, argued about it, and made decisions about it as a group, a community.  Most of the “YOU’s” in the Bible are plural.  Groups of people were receiving these words.  So if one person went off the deep end with an interpretation or opinion, the others were right there to keep that person in check.  In a synagogue, most of the people knew the text by heart.  When someone got up to teach or share insight, chances are everybody knew the text that person was talking on and already had their own opinions about it.  You saw yourself and those around you as taking part in a huge discussion that has gone on for thousands of years.  Because God has spoken and everything else is just commentary.  Contrast this communal way of reading and discussing and learning with our Western, highly individualized culture.  In many Christian settings, people are even encouraged to read the Bible alone, which is a new idea in church history.  A great idea and a life-changing discipline, but a new idea.  And think of pastors.  Many pastors study alone all week, stand alone in front of the church and talk about the Bible, and then receive mail and phone calls from individuals who agree or don’t agree with what they said. This works for a lot of communities, but it isn’t the only way.

In Jesus’ world, it was assumed that you had as much to learn from the discussion of the text as you did from the text itself.  One person could never get too far in a twisted interpretation because the others were right there giving that individual insight and perspectives he/she didn’t have on his/her own.  Jesus said, when he was talking about binding and loosing that “where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Community, community, community.  Together, with others, wrestling and searching and engaging the Bible as a group of people hungry to know God in order to follow God.  In Matthew’s gospel we read the story of the protectors of doctrine coming to Jesus and “testing” Him with a question:  “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied:  “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

These are the pegs.  Loving God and loving others.

All the Law.  All the Prophets.  All doctrine.  Everything.  Love God.  Love Others. The rest hangs on this. When we don’t have that right, I would argue that right doctrine doesn’t matter–at all.

I am convinced that Christ is calling His church back to the basics of the faith–to follow Him in community together, making a difference in our world by loving those we encounter with an unconditional love that comes from God the Father in Jesus of Nazareth.  If that’s what Jesus was focused on, then perhaps we should focus on it too.  Heretical, but Biblical indeed! 

Be Blessed!

Transformers

We are called to love.  To love with no strings attached, with no promise of being accepted in return.  Just to love.  The problem is, more often than not, we hope there’s transformation.  Deep down, we have an agenda.  We want the ‘other’ to become like us – to BELIEVE like us, to BEHAVE like us, to BE like us.  We want transformation. 

We deceive ourselves, and claim to love without an agenda.  We deceive the ‘other’ and love only if and when they transform.

I can’t help but wonder what would happen if we focused, not on the transformation of 'others,' but on our own transformation.  What if we loved, not in an attempt to convert, change,  or ‘win over’ others, but instead as an opportunity for discovery in our own lives – an opportunity for us to transform more into the image bearers we are created to be?

What if we were willing, for our own misunderstandings, stereotypes, and fears, to be not only exposed, but transformed as we put names and faces on the conversation?  What if we thought through the implications of our actions, words, positions, and responses toward issues through the lens of relationships we’ve built with real people?

What if we were willing to sacrifice our agenda and just love?

Be Blessed!

"US" vs "THEM"

This whole "US vs THEM" thing is getting a little old. The lines are more blurred than we care to realize – and certainly more than we care to admit.  These lines were blurred nearly 2,000 years ago  Jesus really messed up that whole "in vs. out," "us vs. them" dynamic.  No matter how hard we try to force his life and teachings into that box, God keeps getting out and extending his grace beyond our borders. And as we follow God in the way of Jesus, we continually find ourselves forced out of the comfort zone of "US" and into community with "THEM."  You know, our neighbors. the “Other”. 

A few days ago I shared this definition of the “Other” – anyone who is considered to be an outsider, "not one of us," belonging to a differing group, gender, orientation, party, community, religion, race, culture or creed.  A Christian faith without commitment to the “Other” is really no Christian faith at all, because Christ was committed to the “Other”.  The barriers between what was holy and common – the sacred and profane – were broken down in the very act of the incarnation – Jesus, the word made flesh – God in the form of an infant again made intimate with his creation as he had intended from the beginning.  Throughout his entire life, we see a commitment to reconciling the relationship lost in the garden of the Genesis narrative.  Jesus’ customary walks as an adult in the garden of Gethsemane must have reminded him of a time when he waltzed through the garden in the cool of the day with the crown of his creation before the “Imago Dei” became distorted by sin.  Ye,t it is in Christ that the power of the barrier of sin has been broken and the separation that had previously existed between the Maker and his creation was torn from top to bottom, just like the veil in the Holy of Holies that symbolized that same separation.  The barrier no longer exists.  Grace has prevailed.

God is present – with us, Emmanuel -in the midst of the mess of our own humanity. The incarnation is evidence of God’s intentional solidarity with humanity and all of creation.  The barrier is broken and the concept of the “Other” rendered obsolete. this principle is at the epicenter of our sorely misunderstood doctrine of salvation, and expanded upon by Paul in his epistles [one obvious example is Galatians 3:28  “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”].  Yet how many more examples do we gloss over in our cursory and elementary glance at the gospels?

Jesus ushering in a new way and breaking the old law in his healing touch of the lepers; stepping outside Jewish tradition in his solitary discussion with the Samaritan woman about her social status and streams of living water; siding with the sexual sinner in the woman caught in adultery, standing in solidarity with her whom the law dictated must be stoned for the punishment of her sins. 

The Messiah’s preferential treatment of prostitutes and tax collectors, or his profound appreciation of the whore whom anointed him in preparation of his coming burial by pouring perfume on his feet and massaging them with her hair, as the woman of ill repute was being secretly slandered by the religious elite, the Christ rebuked them, declaring that what she had done was beautiful – and declared wherever the gospel was preached throughout all of history, her story too would be shared.

Could it be that whenever the gospel of Jesus is given without careful attention given to HIS interactions with the “Others” – specifically this woman – by his own words it is no gospel at all?  Could it be that a Christian faith without commitment to the “Other” is really no Christian faith at all, because following the example of Jesus dictates a commitment to others? 

The implications for us to intentionally live as ambassadors of reconciliation are simply staggering, and yet we find ourselves doing theological gymnastics and wrestling with one another on the merits of acceptance of the “Other”.  Too often, we demand conversion and conformity prior to connection – in stark contrast to the example Christ left for us.  I wonder at what point (or at what cost?) we will sacrifice the barriers constructed in self-righteousness for the life giving gospel Jesus offered.  What do you think?

Be Blessed!

MOVE

I want God to move in my life, in my relationships, in my community and in my world.  I want Him to move and I want to be a part of it.  As I have prayed for this expectantly, I’ve realized that in order to allow Him room to move in my world - in my life and in my relationships - in order to join Him, I need to be the one who moves first.  We all do!  We're getting in the way and we need to move.  We need to move from manipulation to intentionality, from talking to listening, from apologetics to apologies, from debate to dialogue, from exclusion to inclusion, from learning ABOUT Christ to being LIKE Christ. 

Let's move from manipulation to intentionality.  Most of us have seen it–the churched community puts on a big outreach event and we’re encouraged to bring our un-churched friends…something fun, something trendy, something crazy–something they’d never expect a church to do.  They’ll have a great time, hear a big name band, be befriended and engaged, be entertained somehow and then, right before we let them leave…we’ll ambush them with a gospel message and a call to repentance.  All too often our churches are geared towards a “bigger is better” gimmick-type outreach–rather than following the example of Jesus and relying on relationships to influence our friends through “loving them well” towards faith in Christ.  Instead of concerning ourselves with and allowing ourselves the freedom to love the people God has put in our lives–ultimately showing them “His” love and grace through the context of relationships and conversation–we throw an event.  We’ll put on a show; a concert; a movie; even a circus–some big draw to trick those nasty pagans into getting inside the four walls of our church building to rub shoulders with the holy saints.  Once we’ve bamboozled them into our territory, we smack them upside the head with the gospel message.  They never even see it coming. “AHA!  Now you recognize your need for Christ!”  Unfortunately, we are frequently afraid to follow Christ’s example and invest the time, effort and energy necessary to earn credibility through practicing the art of relationships and instead settle on a professional presentation of the gospel message by our pastoral staff or an outside self-proclaimed “expert.”   

Intentionality means we are deeply involved and investing intensely into our relationships–meeting people where they are at in their journey and joining them along the way.  Intentional relationships have purpose–but they are not designed or manufactured to manipulate individuals into a certain mindset, behavior, or system of beliefs.  To be intentional means that we are willing to enter into the messiness of authentic relationships with those who are like-minded as well as those who think differently.  It means that we are not only willing but are committed to doing so, and that we’re determined to stick it out with them “as their friend” even if their mindset “doesn’t ever change”.  Jesus was accused not of simply being friendly to sinners and tax collectors, but of being a friend “of” them.  We should be accused of the same…and it should be true.

Let’s move from “talking” to “listening”!  For some reason, many Christians persistently believe that we can talk people into following Jesus.  We are habitually taught that individuals can be persuaded to do just about anything with the right sales pitch, and we then practice ours as we seek to sell Christ–that is often why we think we need to memorize the right words to say when asked about our faith or even the right way to tell the tale of our own life-story, practicing, polishing and labeling it as our “testimony” (as if we can’t even remember own story without both rehearsing and re-packaging it).  Part of moving in our relationships and intentionally deepening our investment in others requires us to stop talking so much, and to start listening more.  We all know the impact it has on us when someone listens to us.  The simple act of listening is sadly so rare that whoever practices it (even if they practice it poorly) is immediately set apart in our minds as someone we’d like to spend more time with.  Lovers list "being listened to" and "heard" as chief among reasons for compatibility with their chosen partner.  If we are called to love others–to really, truly love them–perhaps it would behoove us to stop trying to convince them of our point of view, to stop talking–and just listen.

Let’s move from apologetic to apology  The status quo of evangelistic conversation is to “prove” Christianity is the only “real” religion; yet, it cannot be proven.  While studying at the University, I had the opportunity of hearing a sermon series entitled “Valid Reasons NOT to Follow Jesus.”  Instead of denying the valid doubts, concerns, and questions that many have when faced with the choice of whether or not to follow Christ, we ought to validate their apprehensions and fears.  They are legitimate.  When we attempt to “defend” the faith against all comers, we position ourselves in a battle against the very people we have been called to love and minister to.  We have done this for centuries–and it has never ended well.  It never will–until we stop viewing it as “us” versus “them.”  However, when you begin to tell someone,  “I’m sorry for the way we Christians have misrepresented Christ”  it almost always surprises them.  Frankly, most non-Christians have learned to see Christians as arrogant and unconcerned about their opinions, feelings, or concerns.  In his 2003 book, “The Heart of Christianity”, Marcus Borg of Oregon State University describes how his university students have a uniformly negative image of Christianity.  “When I ask them to write a short essay on their impression of Christianity,“ says Borg, “they consistently use five adjectives: Christians are literalistic, anti-intellectual, self-righteous, judgmental, and bigoted.“  Offering an apology may in fact be the most effective way to get a conversation rolling.  The old adage here applies: people don’t care how much you know until they first know how much you care.  Simply saying something like, “I’m sorry that we’ve failed in representing Christ; that really doesn’t look much like Jesus, does it?” can open the door to some unbelievably beneficial and relationally rich conversation.

Let’s move from debate to dialogue.  Consistently, our conversations concerning spiritual things turn out to be nothing more than debates on dogma and doctrine.  Debate is about humiliating your opponent.  That is what we’ve done for years, and it hasn’t worked.  Coming from a standpoint of apologetics and defending the (or better, “our version of the”) faith, further perpetuates a dangerous and erroneous way of thinking: that we are in opposition to the very people we are called to love in the way of Christ.  The “us” versus “them” mentality not only DOESN’T work very well;  it really isn’t even biblical.  Dialogue is about inviting our friends into the conversation.  If we listen to what he/she has to say, we may even learn something.  Jesus was an expert in dialogue, and invited many people into conversation.  He asked lots of questions.  He engaged.  He met people wherever they were at and seasoned His conversation with grace.  He didn’t use power to overcome, but instead used kindness to overwhelm.

Let’s move from exclusion to inclusion.  A shift in focus needs to take place to allow God the room to move in our world.  We must corporately progress from a place of exclusion to inclusion–from a focus that is searching for differences (e.g., whether in doctrine or in practice) and in so doing, participating in a means that eventually excludes the very “others” we are called as followers of Jesus Christ to love.  Even with the most noble of intent (spiritual conversion to our version of the faith) at some point these differences emerge and a barrier to authentic relationship is created.  When we begin to define people by what they believe instead of who they are created to be, these natural barriers instinctively create an exclusive mentality and we lose our ability to genuinely love, to be intentional, to listen, to sincerely apologize, and to invite others in dialogue.

Let’s get out of the way and watch God do amazing things as He moves in our lives, in our relationships, in our communities and in our world.  Let's be a part of it!  Let’s move from manipulation to intentionality; from talking to listening; from apologetics to apologies; from debate to dialogue; from exclusion to inclusion; from learning ABOUT Christ to being LIKE Christ.  Let’s move together and let’s join God where He’s going. 

Be Blessed!

Life's Greatest Investment

Acts 26:13-18

About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

“Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’“

‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.  ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

What is the most worthwhile investment a person can make in life?  Is it a great stock that produces enormous dividends or a satisfying, lucrative career?  For some, family might be the answer, whereas others might choose giving time and treasure to the church.  All of these things are good, but the Lord showed Paul what He considers the best use of our lives:  Helping someone come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is the greatest achievement possible. 

I believe when you become an instrument in God’s hands as He transfers someone from the realm of darkness into the kingdom of His Son, you have made a difference in the person’s eternal destiny.  Not only that, but Satan also received a devastating blow.  Just imagine the defeat he suffered when Paul turned to Jesus.  The same holds true for any new believer:  All the Devil’s plans for that individual are thwarted.  As a person begins to live in God’s will, there’s no telling what the Lord will do in and through him.

Furthermore, whenever you introduce someone to the Savior, you are carrying out the workd of the Lord.  Jesus told His followers to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19).  This gigantic task is accomplished one person at a time, as we each do our part to share the gospel.

God’s plan for enlarging His kingdom is so simple – one person telling another about Jesus.  Yet we’re busy and full of excuses.  Just remember, someone’s eternal destiny is at stake.  The joy you’ll have when you meet that person in heaven will far exceed any discomfort you felt in sharing the gospel.

Be Blessed…..and bless others as well.