Life and Lessons: Part 2 – Unintentional Community

Nothing is more natural than community.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness’” (Genesis 1:26a). God the Trinity, being in community in His very being created mankind. Therefore, community is part of the fabric of our nature.

The issue then is what it is exactly that binds people together in different communities. The Christian contention is that unless a community is built on and for obedience to God through Christ by the Holy Spirit it is ultimately evil. The essence of evil is understood to be putting anything in one’s life above God in importance.

The primary intention for Christians is to love God with all their heart, mind, strength and soul, then to love their neighbors as themselves (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27). This reality will look the same in everyones life to some extent, but ultimately each person has different giftings and callings that will make their loving God and neighbor unique to them alone (1 Corinthians 12:7). This is accomplished by following Christ’s example, who knew the Bible well enough to stun theologians of his day as a 12 year old (Luke 2:46-47), often withdrew to lonely places and prayed to God the Father (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16), and then by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16) not only knew what the Father wanted him to do in life (John 5:19), but did all and only what the Father told him to do in perfect obedience (John 5:30, Matthew 26:39).

Out of this obedience, Christ was surrounded by a constant fellowship of twelve men he chose to be with (Mark 3:13-19), three of whom were especially close (Matthew 17:1, Mark 5:37, Mark 9:2, Mark 14:33, Luke 8:51), one who was closer than all of them (John 13:23, 19:26, 21:7, 21:20). Outside of them, he had several other very close friends which he loved dearly and would visit (John 11:5). Beyond that, he constantly sought people out by the Holy Spirit’s leading and taught (Luke 4:14-16), ate (Matthew 9:10), and shared life with them. Community in the life of Christ and subsequently in His Church was formed out of love for God, and therefore obedience to Him. There were, however, times when the community was threatened and broken because some were in community for reasons other than obedience to God. Many followers of Christ left when He stated clearly that he came down from Heaven in obedience to God to give eternal life, and that eternal life was gained by eating his flesh and drinking his blood (John 6:66). Christ had to constantly re-establish the purpose of the fellowship he had by reminding his followers of the mission God had him on, and that it was a spiritual and not a physical war they were apart of (John 6:60-65; Mark 7:18). Ultimately the community disbanded, for all intents and purposes, having gone into hiding after Christ’s death (Matthew 26:56). Once Christ rose, He had fellowship with and made the Scriptures clear to his community, and they then reunited around their King, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and waited for his promised Holy Spirit to seal them for salvation, empower them for ministry, unite them in mission and bind them for eternity (Luke 24). Once Christ ascended, following the same pattern of Christ, the Community of Christ prayed constantly (Acts 1:14) , knew and trusted the Scriptures in a way that shocked the religious teachers of their day (Acts 4:13),  and by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:1-4) listened to God and did and said what he commanded (Acts 4:18-20), namely preaching the Gospel boldly (Acts 4:31).

Today, Christians are living out the same reality, loving God with everything, and then by extension loving their neighbor out of obedience to God, which includes at its foundation the reality of the Gospel. The birth, death, burial, resurrection, ascension and eternality of Jesus Christ as the one true and only God of all the universe is the foundational reality at the root of every true Christian community.

The one intentional thing every Christian does is follow Christ, and everything that comes with actively doing that one act. This means that they cling to his words, they follow his example, they submit to his doctrine, and they obey what he tells them. By virtue of the fact that there is more than one Christian, the groups of people who follow Christ are naturally in fellowship with one another, and naturally have community with one another. If a Christian does not have this fellowship happening, than there is a problem with their connection to God, and they must intentionally seek Christ in order to find fellowship with others doing the same thing.

From the very beginning, God’s children have not listened to him, and have found other voices to obey. When people do this, they form communities built on listening to those other voices. The Bible tells repeated stories of God raising leaders who were listening to his voice to bring his message to the masses so that he might be the one they listen to and obey. As creator, he has every right to do this and the right to do the way he understands is best. This is why Christian communities, at their best, are communities of humility and repentance, because like our first parents and their early prodigy, we too listen to other voices repeatedly and need God to speak to us through His word and His faithful ministers in order to remind us to listen to him.

Today, like in the beginning, there are voices fighting to be heard as God who are in fact not God. One of those voices that has gotten very loud in my day and among my generation is saying that in order to find the wholeness that we seek, we need to intentionally focus our efforts on building community with people. This voice says that we tend to individualistic and isolated from one another and that this is the root of the problem of our human condition, and that by making it our primary goal to live in community we will fix the problem.

The deception here is the implication that loving your neighbor is of first importance. Christ claimed that the greatest commandment was the greatest for a reason. That being that loving God with everything comes first. Christ withdrew from his neighbors often to places where he was alone and loved God by himself by communing with him.  Did he have community? Yes. Did he love it? All indications from Scripture point to another yes. Was it his primary intention to build and develop community? Absolutely not! His primary intention was obeying God. Subsequently, he developed community to that end, to obey God the Father by establishing His Kingdom community. His primary way of staying on task was through prayer and active knowledge of the Bible. Christ would quote the Old Testament when talking about himself. When community facilitated this end of obedience or was a byproduct of it, it was embraced. When it got in the way, it either had to change or was rejected. What made the community pure, what made it great, what made it right was that it was only as a result of and a means to obey God, therefore glorifying, magnifying, worshipping and pleasing him.

This lesson I am constantly learning, as every follower of Christ will. I don’t think I can ever emphasize the importance of seeking God with everything in the life of a Christian enough, and how only that will produce the kind of community so many are searching for. God calls people to Himself, God builds community around Himself and His will, God gives purpose and meaning to life, and the only way to find true life is not by intentionally seeking it, but by intentionally seeking, following, listening to and obeying God. I suck, and my close friends suck. But Christ has saved us by dying for us and paying for the fact that we suck, and because of this salvation and by the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to know God’s perfect and pleasing will (Romans 12:2), and able to grow in obeying Him (1 Peter 1:2).

^{1 Peter (ESV)}

¹³Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, ¹⁵but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ¹⁷And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. ²⁰He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you ²¹ who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

 ²²Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴for

   ”All flesh is like grass
   and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
   and the flower falls,
²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

Why this may be my favorite Christmas in a long time…

With my work and school situation being what it is right now, I haven’t been able to be with family on holidays. Thankfully I don’t have to work this Christmas and my parents, sisters and grandmother came to me. However, before I begin explaining why I’m enjoying this Christmas, I must clarify that it is with the one major exception that I will not be able to spend time with all my family.

That being said, Christmas isn’t exactly about me being with my family. It’s about Christ. While family and Christ are not destined to be mutually exclusive, they can be. The nominal Christian who loves Christmas and being with family, but doesn’t really follow Christ isn’t really celebrating Christmas. I’m dealing with a loaded issue, one that I don’t care to unpack at the moment. I just felt the need to reflect on the fact that for the first time since I began to be sick with materialistic Christianity bowing down to its Christmas tree idol, offering its sacrifices in carefully wrapped packages, I have managed to avoid it as much as possible. I’m not implying that everybody having a traditional Christmas is worshiping an idol, only that its possible and pervasive. If that offends anyone, just ask yourself honestly if that’s what you do. If not, good for you.

One thing I have particularly enjoyed this holiday season is receiving donations at the City Mission from families who decided to give to the poor instead of “doing Christmas” this year. With all the economic panic, these people have given substantial gifts that will meet the basic needs of those who otherwise wouldn’t have it. Seeing that everyday has been more Christ for me than all the Christmases in my life combined. Just so you don’t get the wrong picture in your head, one of me glibly skipping around a homeless shelter glowing and chipper playing Santa to all the local disenfranchised, I actually struggle through the days. Donations are great, but it creates more work in my job. I have joked with a board member and some volunteers at the Mission by saying that one bad thing about this job is that sometimes it makes you wish people would take a break from their benevolence. I of course don’t mean that, but it is hard to keep up with massive donations in a limited space. The payoff for me is late at night, like now, when reflecting on this “problem” I have at work, I’m like “wow, what a great problem to have.” This is a major contributor to why this is one of my favorite Christmases in a long time.

I suppose I just feel like whatever I think Christmas is supposed to be, it melded into the rest of normal life quite easily this year. It fit more readily into my day to day. There wasn’t the same fuss over things that don’t matter like the holidays usually cause. I’m thankful to God for disciplining me and those around me to be more sensitive to the things He is sensitive to, for giving us His word and a hunger for it.

I don’t wish anyone a Merry Christmas, only the type of Christmas that will point you to Christ and help you be obedient to Him. That may mean having a terrible Christmas by the worlds standards.

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. [Revelation 3:19]

A Palm Branch for Palin

I am compelled to provide an interlude to the Life and Lessons Series, which will continue when I obtain the power of stopping time, so that I can pause from fulfilling responsibilities of life and give more time to blogging.

I woke up this morning to look out my window and see a mess of cars and streams of people. I live across the street from the Ralph and Gladys Koehler Fitness and Recreation Complex on the University of Findlay campus. Today Sarah Palin was speaking there around 10:30AM. It has been quite the buzz around town, and I anticipated that this event, like the others at the Koehler Center, would mean that traffic around out house would get a little crazy. Police were everywhere, and as I left home to drive to work on this cold morning, I thought I wouldn’t make because of all the streets that were closed. As I arrived to work at the City Mission, a radio was on so that we could hear her speech in the office.

As I listened to what sounded like the Beetles at Shea Stadium in 1965 due to the shrill screaming, an array of thoughts blew through my mind, most of which I will not be sharing with anyone. However, I feel the need to give a piece of encouragement to my brothers and sisters in Christ during this and every other election season. Take note that we are not citizens of this world, and that our Savior is not either. I understand that many Christians believe heavily in the value of getting the right person in to politic office, but measure your excitement and faith in that person compared to Christ. Are we as Christian people praying and living with faith that Christ is the true source of power and control, or are we joining the world in celebrating another festering turd in the toilet bowl of political scheming that is just passing through making room for the next dump?

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. [Philippians 3:20]

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. [Ephesians 2:13-22]

 

Life and Lessons: Part One – When and Why worry is a sin

My whole life, I’ve been familiar with the idea that to worry was wrong. The reason being that in the Christian life, to worry meant that trust was not being placed in God, and if trust was placed there a lack of faith was the only reason worry could enter the picture. Cognitively, this is a simple concept. Even those who don’t believe in God would surely agree that the Christian logic towards worry makes sense if only among themselves. However, in practice this idea loses some of its simplicity. Once responsibilities get numerous or more weighty, worry seems like a necessary component of life. To not worry would seem as not caring about important matters. Wrestling with this basic complication to the simple Biblical concept has proved to be a very valuable lesson in my life recently. One I suspect I will learn over and over again, as life progresses and brings new complications to the table, and as God pulls me closer to Himself.

The heart of the idea that worry is wrong comes from Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. [NIV]

In my life I’ve been worried about a lot of things, both very important and very stupid. I’ve come to realize that there is both a wrong and a right way to be concerned or, for lack of better words, worried about certain things, and that it takes a clear Biblical definition of what worry is to know the difference. In order to do that I’m going to post the six New Testament occurrences of μέριμνα (merimna), the noun form or worry, and the nineteen occurrences of μεριμνάω (merimnao), the verb form. For those concerned about proper interpretation and not taking scripture out of context, which you all should be, I will address the context of certain passages where necessary for clarification of what I’m saying, but will leave the extensive reading for your personal enjoyment. Feel free to fill me in on any disagreements. After posting the verses I will address what I feel to be the obvious implications for a Christian understanding towards worry, how it should affect all our lives, and how it has specifically affected mine.

The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. [Matthew 13:22]

…but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. [Mark 4:19]

The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. [Luke 8:14]

Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. [Luke 21:34]

Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. [2 Corinthians 11:28]

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. [1 Peter 5:7]

Simply from examining the noun form of worry in the NT, you see a profound reality take shape. The parable of the sower and the seed makes its way in all three synoptic Gospels, which point to worries of this life being the reason that God’s Word becomes unfruitful and preventing spiritual maturity. These are people who have received God’s Word and His truth, but because they were more worried about other things, job, family, friends, status, their maturity was cut short and the idea in these passages seems to indicate that they turn away all together. Materialism is the idol that becomes god in these peoples lives. How many Christians are there in this situation? Sadly there are many, especially in our churches. Luke 21 addresses the end of the age, and warns against worrying for materialistic things again, with the mindset that the end could come, so be careful not to put wrongful stock in the concerns of this life.

Now in 2 Corinthians 11, Paul shares his history of being persecuted for the faith, and says the icing on the cake is his worry for the churches he’s planted. This is a legitimate concern. This is not sinful worry about greedy materialistic desires. Even so, he finishes the passage by saying “Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?  If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying” [2 Cor. 29-31]. This is the end to a tirade against false teachers in Corinth, when Paul purposefully goes on about all he has been through to show his authority to judge their situation. But he ends by pointing out the fact that this highlights his weakness, and by extension the strenth of God. 1 Peter is a great summation of how a Chritian deals with anxiety, all our worries must be cast upon Christ, the sinful ones in order for repentance and the legitimate ones to prevent sinning. Before making anymore conclusions, let us move on to the occurrences of the verb worry in the NT.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. [Matthew 6:25-34]

But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. [Matthew 10:19-20]

‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’ [Luke 10:41]

When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say. [Luke 12:11-12]

Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [Luke 12:22-34]

I would like you to be free from concern. An unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs—how he can please the Lord. But a married man is concerned about the affairs of this world—how he can please his wife—and his interests are divided. An unmarried woman or virgin is concerned about the Lord’s affairs: Her aim is to be devoted to the Lord in both body and spirit. But a married woman is concerned about the affairs of this world—how she can please her husband. I am saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way in undivided devotion to the Lord. [1Corinthians 7:32-35]

But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. [1 Corinthians 12:24-25]

I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. [Philippians 2:19-21]

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. [Philippians 4:6]

There are a great number of overlapping themes and theological points to be made in these passages. However, focussing on worry alone, there seems to be a clear way to see both sinful and sinless types of worry. Sinful worry has to do with doubting God’s ability, whether consciuosly or unconsciously, to meet your basic physical and spiritual needs. It is also a worry that leads to despair and depression. Sinless or Godly worry is in relation to the spiritual welfare of others and in relation to obedience to God. “Seek the Kingdom,” it says in Luke 12, or more plainly stated in Matthew 6 and as quoted in a popular hymn, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Worry is a sin when it has replaced seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. Godly worry, or more accurately stated in English, Godly concern is tied to seeking His Kingdom. It is being concerned with the things God is concerned about, being sensitive to the things that He is sensitive to. It is letting your emotions give way to the same things that cause God’s emotions to give way. The only way to know what God is concerned with is to know the Word and to listen to Him. Hence, my belief that listening to God is the foundational precept and practice for Christian living.

I’m afraid there are too many Christians for whom some of these passages will make no sense, because they have never experienced following God and listening to Him that closely. What Christian will care that the Spirit of God will give them the words they need to say in life or death situations when they have never risked their lives or anything else for Him? What Christian will care about whether or not to get married and have their attention divided between worldly affairs and God’s affairs when no one has every shown or told them they need to ask God if, when, who and how to marry? What Christian will even know the danger of not seeking God’s Kingdom and His righteousness first, when their whole life their church and family have sought the righteousness of friends, political parties and their leaders, their country, and their favorite celebrities without distinguishing or even trying to understand the difference between what God says is worth caring about and what the world does?

I have discovered that Godless worry leads needlessly to despair, deep confusion, depression, idolatry, mediocraty, hatred, arrogance and many other sins. However, Godly worry leads to intercession, deep prayer, excellence, sorrow that leads to repentance, spiritual renewal, deeper faith, Godly kindness, harsh and theologically correct anger, and all kinds of love. Whether or not one is worrying in either way depends on if they are truly listening to God or not. I hope this is as helpful a lesson to you as it has been and is being to me. As I encounter further responsibilities and greater visions in life, I pray now for my future self, that I will then as now by God’s grace seek His Kingdom and His righteousness first. I hope you do the same.

Life and Lessons: Intro

Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word. [Psalm 119:67]

It’s safe to say that what I’m doing in my life right now is nearly nothing like what I expected. I’m convinced that there is nothing more central to Christian living than listening to God. I’m not going to spend my time here detailing what I mean by that, only state that this is what I try to do and what I’ve staked my life on. In light of that, and in light of one of my reasons for blogging being to keep my friends up to date on what is happening in my life, I’ve decided to do a short series of blogs roughly covering my recent activities and the lessens I’m learning in the process. I’m going to go about it using a method I’ve heard referred to as the helicopter approach. I’ll first cover all the ground quickly, then come back and swoop down to hone in on key things along the way.

Briefly I would like to share, for the sake of God’s glory, what the past year has been for me.

I graduated May of 2007 from Kentucky Christian University with plans to work a decent paying job that Summer and attend Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary that Fall. I was accepted and had a plan for paying the over $30,000 a year in tuition and fees for two years to get an M.A. in Biblical Languages. This goal stemmed from the fact that I feel called to eventually plant and teach at a Bible College/Seminary in Hyderabad, India with several of my close friends, one who is from Hyderabad and who’s family plants churches there. Without going in to too much detail, I reached a point in College where it was clear to me I was supposed to do this College plant deal, and in the meantime earn the appropriate degrees in order to be officially recognized as capable of doing so. Getting back to the story, I soon discovered that there was a massive problem, that being the job I was supposed to get didn’t work out. I soon found myself working much harder than I imagined as a hard-wood floor installer and making much less than enough for school the coming Fall. At the same time, Jeff, my Indian friend from Hyderabad, was having trouble getting prepared to pay for school as well. He had the added pressure of needing to officially be a student in order to extend his visa. A week before he was about to be shipped out, we both realized we were screwed. I was house-sitting for for some friends at this time, sitting in my underwear feeling really depressed, when I get a call from a family that supports Jeff’s family’s ministry. I had met them at our graduation.

Dr. Staats was on the line, and he began spelling out the option of us switching our plans from GCTS in Boston, MA to Winebrenner Theological Seminary in Findlay, OH at a third of the cost. Despite the obvious switch in the “cool” factor of our destination, we felt like a rope had been thrown to us right before we sunk. Within 48 hours, we were in. A week later my close friend Adam had made the switch as well. Shortly after this, I was able to help my home church by filling an interim role as Youth Minister. Home in Versailles, KY was four hours away from Findlay, and that was the commute I made once a week to attend classes on Tuesday. Dr. Staats and his wife were kind enough to let us stay Monday through Wednesday morning, and I was able to drive back to church just in time for Wednesday night youth meetings. The drive was sometimes unbearable, except when driving past Touchdown Jesus just North of Cincinnati, when I would bust into laughter even though I had past it numerous times. The $250,000 the Solid Rock Church paid to build that thing is almost worth it for the consistent laughter it brought to my life, but not quite. Despite the drive, I was having a great experience with the school, and I was spending less money than if I had attended Asbury Seminary which is about half an hour away from Versailles. I was able to pay for my first two semesters without taking out any loans, a commitment I made after getting into ridiculous debt at Bible College. I was also able to go to India and Bangladesh in December, and had the privilege of visiting a Bible College and Seminary that proved to be immensely insightful considering what I feel called to do with my life.

Preaching in Kolkata, India

Come May of this year, it was clear that a move to Findlay was needed. The role I was filling in for at my home church was no longer empty, so I left and moved to Adam’s in Indianapolis to consolidate our efforts in looking for a house, a job and a time to move to Findlay. I was still paying on my Spring semester, and the prospects of paying that off while finding a place to rent and a job were not looking good. During the month and a half at Adam’s, I managed to worry like crazy, pray a little crazier, watch all four seasons of Lost, watch both seasons of Extras, read at least ten books, do three phone interviews, fill out thirteen applications online, and get absolutely no closer to getting to Findlay at all. While this was going on, our friend Keith was also planning to come live with us and was back at his home in Akron, OH. He too was having no success getting anything to go his way in regards to Findlay. There are many reasons why we were certain this move was what we were supposed to do. Aside form the obvious benefit of being close to school as opposed to 250 miles away, we also knew that we were supposed to be together. And I don’t mean this as any kind of “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” We felt called to go together as missionaries to pray for people, cast demons out of their lives, put the Gospel in the ears and watch Christ pursue their heart wherever we were. We have learned very valuable lessons about this at College. We also had begun to meet several Indian students from the University of Findlay. A couple of them had converted to Christianity while here and were shunned by their families back home, who then withdrew their support and left them completely hanging. There are around 1,000 international students at U of F, 400 of which are Indian. I was shocked when I first came to Findlay to see so many Indians in Northwest Ohio, but I guess they are everywhere. We could see the need and potential for a more consolidated ministry to these students, and felt that God was essentially calling us as missionaries to Findlay. That being said, the fact that all our efforts to make the move happen were failing terribly became a great source of stress.

Late June Jeff’s family was in Findlay at the Staats’ place, and I was responsible for taking them to several churches down in my neck of the woods. So I packed my basket of clothes, which I’m still living out of, and took them on the Kentucky part of their fund-raising tour. I loved it, but my depleting funds, current debt to school, and lack of housing and income stayed in the forefront of my mind. I found solace in a combination of stress filled prayer and eating copious amounts of curry that Jeff’s mom Esther would make, the going rate for a tour of Kentucky if you need my help. Upon returning to Findlay and taking the Gujjarlamudi’s to the Columbus airport, Jeff and I once again found ourselves in a desperate spot. With the pressure mounting I began to interview for a job at the local City Mission, and frantically looking for a house to rent. By God’s grace and complete providence, I got a job at the Mission, but was still in debt and homeless myself. I thought I was going to have to join the residents at my new place of work. Slowly God opened things up. We found a house about four or so blocks from the Seminary on Main Street and were allowed to move in without signing or paying anything up front. Then, as I began to realize that my income at the Mission was not only insufficient for paying school as I go but also wasn’t anywhere near what I needed to pay off my debt, I was able to secure a second job at a local coffee shop and have my wonderful family help me with the debt.

I’m currently writing this sitting in that very house on Main Street, with sore legs from walking to the Mission everyday thirty minutes both ways to save money, with concern that I can’t remember half of my intense training at the coffee shop and just know I’ll be the cause of losing some customers when I screw up their drinks, with some anxiety at the prospect of throwing two Seminary classes on top of my new and very busy schedule, and feeling so incredibly amazed that any of this has actually happened. I’m still waking up after a month of living here saying, “What the heck am I doing in Findlay?” Sometimes I find other words to express myself. A lot of my amazement just comes from the fact that this is kind of a strange place. For example, until I moved here, I didn’t know that anyone every smoked and rode their bicycle at the same time. Here, every other person does, and I find it shocking and very funny every time. Maybe I’m the odd one, but in any case it is strange to me. Another example is the choice of names for tobacco stores. I nearly live just across from “Butts-N-Nuts“. On the East end of town you can find the “Butt Hut” for your nicotine needs. Again, maybe there are a lot of “Butts and Nuts” and “Butt Huts” out there, I’ve just never been aware of them. Those are a few of the less serious examples of why I’m amazed that I live here. The more serious ones include that if it wasn’t for God making it clear that this is what I need to do, not only would I never have come here, it just would not have been possible. From the start of my experience with Findlay to where I am now, I can interpret it in no other way but God wanted it to be so.

That previous sentence leads me to the conclusion of my introduction. I was so confused and frustrated at my seemingly God given plans becoming so hard to follow through with. I slowly have been able to accept the fact that there was one major reason why I needed to struggle the way I did to be where I am now. I remember sitting in my dorm room at College an endless number of times, feeling so worthless inside the bubble of Christian Education, so fed up with stupid and mindless crap that was always going on, so upset that I couldn’t seem to pull myself together the way I knew I should be doing and praying that God would teach me exactly what it means to follow Him. I know that I would have done fine going to other Seminaries and being in other places, but knowing that God has intentionally placed you somewhere for specific and general purposes changes everything. The variable difference in the quality of each Christian is how much they really listen to God. That’s why some Christians are absolutely worthless though they may pass through the fire of death, and others move mountains though they live in the fires of life. Without all the back and forth, the inconsistent timing, the laborious drives and the failing jobs I would have ignored a lot of what God was doing for and saying to me. I have not found it easy, at this stage in my life, with so much of what I’m doing on the line, to accept that any struggle God providentially puts me through is worth it simply because it may mean that on the other side I know a little more what it is to follow Him. I haven’t even dealt with the real difficulties like Job, or like many persecuted Christians through history who, though they were and are being slaughtered, cry out to God equally with supplication and praise. It is so important to destroy all things that come between following God and following self. Many Christians straddle the line and live in abject mediocrity all their lives. Knowing that God has placed me here is more valuable to me than anything save Christ Himself.

I’ve only scratched the surface here, and have purposefully not tried to be extensive or define and defend my statements. I would just like to end by saying I’m far from perfect, and my life here is not paradise. I’m not always happy. I’m still quite confused about a lot of things. But I’ve got no problem stating with confidence that God brought me here, and that listening to Him is possible and the only thing that matters for anyone. I hope to spell out more of what I mean in the coming posts.

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He’ll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

["What a Friend We Have in Jesus" by Joseph Scriven and Charles Converse]

The Curry House Posse

Dr. Les Lightner

A great man died yesterday afternoon. To me Les was a professor, and over the course of the past year we became friends as we were able to spend time away from class together, and as we traveled together to New England this summer. His compassion, pastoral giftedness, intellect, and his hard work will be missed by friends, family, and students and coworkers at Winebrenner Theological Seminary. 

As I walked into the Lightner’s house last night, the sorrowed looks of friends and family lasted only long enough to greet me and acknowledge mutual sympathy. However, something more deeply mutual began to take over within seconds. As I hugged Les’s wife Shirley and sat down, she told everyone a story from our trip to Boston this summer which was met with laughter and smiles. Glimmers of joy kept peering through the sorrow that evening, and while grieving and tears found a home in everyones heart, they could not move the deep rooted joy that had its place there already. Binding us together in that house of death, was the promise of life, the reality that Les was not merely somewhere better, but in the best place. Sad as we were, everyone knew that there would be no challenge as to where our comfort would come from, and when grief slipped away for brief moments we laughed. I couldn’t help but think the entire time I was there, “We don’t grieve like those with no hope. We grieve, but not like those with no hope.”

I thank God for giving me the brief time I had to know and learn from Dr. Lightner. I know many others will join me in praying for Les’s wife Shiley, his sons Erik and John, and his daughter Bethany as they ban together in the wake of this passing. I hope everyone will grow to know Christ more and more in the coming weeks, and what it means to grieve like those who have hope.

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. [1 Thessalonians 4:13-14]

American Christian

I spent the the best part of June with the Reverend Doctor Sampurna Rao Gujjarlamudi, founder and director of STAR Ministries in Hyderabad, India. Most people who know me know of my intentions to help him and his ministry in whatever way I can for the rest of my life, not merely from feeling compelled by way of obligation but sensing that it is part of my life calling. This is the second year in a row that I have been able to take Sam on part of his yearly fund-raising and update tour in the United States. I am fascinated with the varying response Sam gets while sharing about his life and ministry in India.

If he is sharing somewhere for the first time he starts from the beginning, often telling of his great-grandmother who was killed by the men in her Hindu family when she came to Christ, and moving through his life quickly till he found himself called to the ministry. Quitting a lucrative future in hotel management, he plead for a scholarship to a Bible College where he went on to complete three degrees, finally earning a Masters of Theology before pastoring a small church. While at the Bible College he married Esther, who was also a student. For two years he prayed to God for an opportunity to teach, and one day a man approached him about teaching in a Bible College, but without a guarantee in regards to salary. Sam went there for seven years and never received regulated pay. Before the school finally had to close Sam came with the Director to the U.S. for fund-raising. Sam had $80 in his pocket and a briefcase. During this 1987 trip his goal was to raise money for a printing press to print gospel tracks. He met Dr. Staats and his wife Janet who took him in their care as they have done every year since. It was shortly after this point that Sam planted a church in an area of Hyderabad that previously had no Christian activity. As time passed there were those who from miles away requesting services closer to them. This continued for 20 years until Sam had planted 6 churches. He has only recently purchased a house for the third church, and still has the last three in rented houses. During this time, these churches have faced increasing persecution from groups of radical Hindus. Pastors have been beaten, stabbed, cut up, had acid poured on their faces, thrown into bags and then into a dump or river, weddings are stopped, any singing is stopped and threats made especially in the rented houses, and the list goes on. Sam is now on a hit list and requires escorts when he goes to his daily Bible studies at the different churches.

If you are familiar with the magazine and organization “Voice of the Martyrs” you know that this scenario is not unique to Sam and not unique to India. In many places in the world claiming Christ and trying to spread the Gospel, which goes hand in hand, earns you this kind of struggle. Sam’s son, Jeff, went to Bible College with me and is living with me now as we attend seminary. He was beaten the year before he came to the U.S. and left for dead. When he gained consciousness, he knew God wanted him for to care for the churches his dad had planted. When he first told me his stories it changed the coarse of my life. And while I don’t expect everyone to be called to drop everything their doing at hearing such a testimony to throw the full weight of their resources behind partnering with Christians in these situations, I can’t see how people who live the comfortable American Christian life will not be incredibly challenged when they come face to face with these realities.

I am greatly blessed while traveling with Sam and his family to see people who are truly touched, who make sacrifices on their behalf, and make these persecuted people from the other side of the world part of their family. However, there are so many times I am smitten with shame at how oblivious and and shallow entire churches can be in regards to making Christ so central that death is no object. Churches that claim the New Testament, the authors of which were skinned, beheaded, crucified and stoned, live in complete overabundant affluence and can’t see the value in a humble life lain down for the sake of Christ. Seeing how people and churches react to Sam and Jeff has become a sort of litmus test for me to see whether or not a church is completely cursed or not. Thankfully my home church, which is a perpetual blessing to me, responded way beyond what I expected. There are so many churches and people on both sides, ones who are such a blessing even when they don’t have anything more than a place to stay for while, and ones that are so cursed they would rather have a paved parking lot than see unreached people groups get exposed to the Gospel for the first time. It isn’t that all American or Western Christians are bad or worse than other people from around the world. Sam and his family are not perfect, and just because the threat of death us upon some Christian for preaching the Gospel doesn’t mean they’re purer than one not under that threat. The major difference I’ve noticed in the Christian West compared to the Christian East is pride that comes from affluence or wealth.

The best Biblical example I can think of concerning this comes from the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. There are two churches that Christ has nothing against in the cities of Smyrna and Philadelphia. The rest he has something against, but the worst is the seventh church in Laodicea. I will quote the passages concerning Smyrna and Laodicea here for you to see the difference.

To the angel of the church in Smyrna write:

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich! I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death. [Revelation 2:8-11]

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. [Revelation 3:14-22]

The church in Smyrna is in very humble circumstances, and is so strong spiritually all they need is encouragement to endure for the Gospel, and a reminder that death cannot truly harm them. At the same time, the church in Laodicia has wealth, but is weak spiritually and needs to be called to repentance in a bad way. They have been blinded by their wealth by apparently putting more faith in it than in Christ. This is the one of the fundamental differences I see among churches around the globe, just one of the several, and it is a key difference between churches with wealth and churches without it. Christ is clear, being committed to Him while in poverty (or not) is expected and commendable, having wealth and forgetting Him is damnable and calls for urgent repentance. You be the judge for yourself and for your church, but this issue has been at the forefront of my mind since struggling with my faith through Bible College, and having realized my Laodician tendencies I have every intention of banishing that pride from my life.

I have considered writing a book about this subject bearing the same title as this blog. I would love to get feedback on these things, as these are merely my preliminary thoughts in need of further development and organization. My prayer is that we may find in our day more cities with Christians like those in Smyrna, humble and simple servants only needing encouragement in the day of persecution that Christ is worth dying for.

Demons

It is sad that I can say the following without any real backlash: it goes without saying that Christianity in this part of the world is extremely shallow. Who will really argue with that? Everywhere I’ve been, Bible College, Seminary, all kinds of churches from different countries, it is a given that Western forms of Christianity are on the outs because it is so weak. I know non-Christians agree to this, it is the fact that so many Christians do that blows me away. Many agree to this and do relatively nothing different. Then there are those who do actually do something, but forgot to read Matthew 7 about doing things in Christ’s name but being rejected in the judgment because He won’t know them, meaning that somehow Christ was left out of what they were doing. They become more socially active, they sing at “worship services” more emotionally, they talk about God more, they go to church regularly and so on. Yet they ignore Christ, and there still is a general consensus, where I’ve been, who I’ve talked to, what I’m reading, that we are weak beyond measure.

So, I’ve thrown my fit, now what. Well, I just felt the need to try to at least destroy one area of shallowness in an effort to help my readers along the way to becoming more of the solution than the problem of Western Christianity. Since this topic is largely mis-taught, and since I’ve been dealing with them this morning, I’ve decided to do a little ditty on demons. Please note that I chose to write about Christ and His Kingdom before this (For more information on current problems in Western Christianity dealing with Christ, see “Jesus Christ is God” on the Basmati House Review). The lack of understanding surrounding those topics results in the lack of this one, and the former are far more essential for deep faith.

What does the Bible say? That question has increasingly become a good one, not because the Bible has gained in value, but because no one knows how valuable it is anymore. When I say no one, I mean few Christians really know or want to know what the Bible has to say on any given topic in any amount of definitive detail.

Demons are real: Scripture assumes the reality of demons

• Jesus affirms their existence and establishes the fact that He has authority over them by casting them out.

Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. [Matthew 12:22-29]

A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.” [...] Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour. [Matthew 15:22, 28]

• Jesus expects His followers to have faith to deal with demons.

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.” “O unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment. Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” [Matthew 17:14-20]

The rest of the New Testament references demons more than a hundred times including the times they are called angels and spirits. A few noteworthy passages include the following:

• Demons know who Jesus is.

“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!” [Mark 1:24]

• They know their eventual doom.

“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” [Matthew 8:29]

• They are monotheistic.

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. [James 2:19]

• They develop and promote doctrines/teachings contrary to the Bible (you should read it to know the difference).

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. [1 Timothy 4:1-2]

• They have superhuman strength.

When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him any more, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. [Mark 5:2-5]

• Whether or not a person can effectively deal with all demons depends on their relationship with Christ. (In this case, these Jews did not really believe Jesus was God, and were just using His name as a tool. This can even be done by false Christians who believe Jesus is God but do not have a relationship with Him, e.i. Matthew 7:21-23).

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. (One day) the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. [Acts 19:13-17]

The Old Testament refers to demons in relation to idol worship, such as in Deuteronomy 32:17 and Psalm 106:37. Note that these passages deal with Israel, God’s own people. Behind ever idol, that is everything worshiped other than the one true God, there is demonic activity.

Other notable attributes include that Satan is the prince of demon’s, Matt. 12:24 (wouldn’t want to leave him out); they oppose God’s plans (Dan. 10:10-14), but can be used by Him for His purposes, Judg. 9:23, 1 Sam. 16:14, 1 Kings 22:22, 2 Cor. 12:7. They promote idolatry, OT references, 1 Cor. 10:20. They promote a worthless version of a savior and a salvation by works and not God’s grace, 1 Tim. 3:16-4:3, 1 John 4:1-4. They afflict, pervert and posses people, just read the NT.

For some information regarding my own experiences in this area, refer to “Christian Warfare” in “Crossing KCU.”

It is no wonder Christianity is weak in its affluent Western form, we worshiping demons at every turn with our wealth which we idolize, our knowledge which we depend on, and our pride. By using West here it has more of a cultural meaning than a geographic one. Even in India, I saw some affluent Christians totally out of touch with the Gospel, not willing to give up their place of privilege for the sake of thousands of unreached people groups, some who don’t have Bibles in their language. There are some Christians who don’t even believe in demons, or at least that we have anything to do with them. I don’t even know what to say anymore. Just give me the person who prays and you can take the one who votes. Give me the person sold on reading scripture and you take the social activist. Give me the person willing to die for the Gospel message and you take the Bible College graduate. Give me those who see the Kingdom of God as existing within the kingdoms of man and by extension Satan’s kingdom, who will fast and pray, failing all the time, but concerned only for God’s glory, and you take the Republican Party. Give me those wanting to show Christ to the illegal aliens regardless of what the government is doing, who want to show Christ to the abortionists and those pro-choice regardless of government policy. Give me those who believe in life before conception (Jer. 1:5), and you take the biology expert. I want those who know they’re in a war, who live like they’re in a battle, who know they will die without Christ, who know they’re already dead in Christ, who could sell everything they had if called to, go anywhere on earth, die any kind of death because they love their Bibles, their Church and especially their Leader Jesus Christ.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. [Ephesians 6:10-20]

Death

I wasn’t immediately aware of what I had just saw fall from the shovel of the bulldozer as I began walking toward a large group of people gathered around it in the distance. They were looking for something to be dug up apparently. Within seconds the reality was absorbed into my consciousness and I begin to feel what I had been thinking about all day and seeing all afternoon. Sometimes death seems to be closer than other times, like a person walking a few steps behind you as opposed to a distant relative you only see and give thought to at funerals. This day was one of them.

I wasn’t able to reach the group of people before being called over to another group to pray. I huddled in with everyone else, surrounded by what used to be a village of some few thousand people on the Western border of the Dominican Republic, but what was now a barren wasteland of rocks, destroyed huts, U.N. and other military relief workers, and the kind of desperate weeping that is a means to its own end. I had never seen such devastation, but I knew it existed and I knew it wasn’t going to end that day.

Today in Asia the relief efforts in responses to tsunamis, earthquakes and cyclones/hurricanes make what I saw in May of 2004 in the D.R. look desirable. Efforts to clean up our own country from Katrina are still a concern, and that is just underneath the immediate concerns created by the current death and devastation being cause in tornado alley in the Midwest. On top of all that, today we memorialize the death of military persons, and for some all family and friends who have passed on. This day was created and maintained in order to prevent distractions from ever completely wiping out our recognition of death at some level, and it is honored by nearly all.

Death is the great equalizer. To defeat it is to be officially better than everyone else. Today as we join in the effort to not only memorialize the death of specific people as family and friends or of our military, but memorialize death in general as a common reality for all, do not fail to see behind it. To fail to see Jesus Christ behind this memorial of death is to erase all notions of life, for He is the only one who has defeated death. For the Christian, there is no memorial to death greater than that of Christ’s, and the Christian who is more fervent about the individuals they honor today than they are about Communion has made a grave mistake. The reality of Christ’s death and defeat of death in His resurrection should be memorialized in the life of every Christian daily, and consideration of that reality should stir more passion in the Christian’s heart and soul than any known fact or unknown possibility. Today the Kingdom of God should be noticeably different than the kingdom of man. While the world laments the end they face, or falsely ascribe hope in anything other than Christ, we rejoice knowing death leads to life and are reminded God works all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28).

“Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” [1 Corinthians 7:10]

“But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” [2 Timothy 1:8b-10]

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.” [Hebrews 2:9]

“Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” [Hebrews 2:14-15]

“But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” [Philippians 3:7-11]

“But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [Romans 6:22-23]

Be careful, fellow followers of Christ, not to have a view of death that is ever void of the Gospel, such that you can say and mean these words:

“I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” [Philippians 1:20-21]

Kingdom

I love castles. So as I approached the oldest section of Warwick Castle on a damp July day in 2005, I was full of childish excitement. I ran up steps almost a thousand years old to the ruins of an old tower overlooking a massive landscape. The view began with a small river parted by a narrow island reminiscent of Eden, and continued to endless rolling hills perfectly mowed and raked for harvest. Straight down, fifty yards in front of me, sitting in the middle of my newfound Eden, was a glorious sight. A perfect replica of a trebuchet from the 13th century. I saw it in a different location when I first arrived and was awestruck then, but now something was wonderfully different…it was pulled back and loaded, waiting to be fired. As fate would have it, the stars aligned and I reached the perfect viewing place just in time to see a boulder launched several hundred yards into the distance, landing with a dull and crushing thud that could be ever so slightly felt anywhere on the castle grounds. I told my friends later that if a sword would have been in my hand at that moment, I could have conquered a neighboring country all by myself. It was just that inspiring.

It is said that the Chinese were the first to really master any form of catapult for military superiority in the 11th century. By the 12th century such historical military figures as Richard the Lionheart were laying siege to enemies by smashing their city walls and lobbing various projectiles over them. Trebuchets were a powerful sight in “Return of the King,” the last of the Lord of the Rings series, as they were the most devastating in battle. Through the years it is no surprise that military leaders backed by mighty military machines have inspired so much loyalty and patriotism from their compatriots. The sense of purpose and duty, the promise of power, the solidarity from a common cause all ban together and lead to great and devastating results in any age, from any person.

I remember the evening the “shock and awe” campaign began in Iraq. It was supposed to be a display of the most advanced weapons our US military had to offer. I remember the following day hearing about it in school, and the following Sunday hearing about it in church. Some were upset because their idea of social justice was not satisfied, most were pleased in some form or another. I remember being confused. I stayed confused for a long time. Certain words from the Bible kept clawing at me.

Jesus answered, ” My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” [John 18:36]

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. [1 Peter 2:11]

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [Matthew 7:21]

While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.” He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” [Matthew 12:46-50]

To an American mind, perhaps it is clearest to say that Christians are the Mexicans of the earth (I love Mexican people. The more the merrier, this is just an example). They are immigrants, an alien race setting up camp in someone else’s land. All that matters in the Kingdom of God is following the King. Christ is the Christian’s great inspiring war machine. He is their “shock and awe” to the world. He is the devastating blow that utterly destroys the enemy. He is both the military leader and the military weapon. Surely, for the Christian, Christ would supersede any faint notion of patriotism to an earthly kingdom? Surely, His great and awesome power would be evident to those kingdoms that look in to His, seeing His people standing in stark contrast to their notions of love, war, peace and justice? Surely, these other kingdoms would be amazed at the humility of Christ’s Kingdom since they are commanded: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.” [1 Peter 2:13-14]? And surely these kingdoms are absolutely frustrated with Christ’s Kingdom, because the same man inspired by the same God said this to earthly leaders when they got in the way of Christ’s Kingdom: “Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” [Acts 4:18-20]? Surely these things are the case?

Surely no one in Christ’s Kingdom is more excited about democracy than Christian Doctrine? Of course, there just couldn’t be those more inspired by the stars and stripes than the bread and wine in Christ’s Kingdom? Those in Christ’s Kingdom always know that they have more in common with foreign Christians than pagan neighbors, that they have more in common with the Arab Christian than the American Soldier who hates Christ; don’t they know that? Surely citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven are most concerned with pointing other kingdoms to their King, not looking to other kingdoms for a king? Surely, for the love of God, it would be clear as day that praying is more important than voting; that prayer would be preached and taught, both at home and in church, more ardently than voting for “the right person?” Surely Christ is the obvious choice as the Christian’s greatest treasure? This simply must be the case, for what fools would trade so great and eternal a citizenship for such a tattered and temporary one?

“Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.” [Philippians 3:17-21]