Alright, item number three on my quest to boil down my teaching to a few things. I suspect that over time this list might be different. I think at every stage in our lives, we tend to think we have things figured out. But times change, we change and our priorities change. Of course, the gospel is unchanging, but how we communicate it and which elements of the gospel are especially poignant for a particular time will change. OK, on to number three.
I'm going to sound pretty charismatic today, but here it is: God wants more for you than you want for yourself. Here's where you expect me to say, "God wants us to have two Cadillacs instead of just one..." But as tempting as that is, I will refrain--forgive me for my sarcasm. Actually, I think that's maybe our biggest problem. We tend to think things like Cadillacs, success, safety, and security are the pinnacle of life, but God thinks our dreams are too small. God has dreams for us that go way beyond future scrap metal and positions of power. God's dreams are eternal--that we can be a part of building more than a company, we can build and participate in a Kingdom that will last for all eternity.
In John 10:10, Jesus says, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Shouldn't the creator of life know what real, full and true life is? But the problem is that we act as though the best we can do in this life is to be comfortable and safe and secure. Is that what God really wants for us? Is that what's fulfilling for us?
But I believe that when we start to see things from God's perspective and give up on the tiny dreams we have for ourselves and pursue God, He'll show us life we didn't know we could have; a life that's more than riches or climbing the social ladder.
I believe the same for our churches as well. I think we often feel we're limited by what we can see so we settle for a nice respectable church that has good potlucks and good relationships with each other, but make minimal impact on our community. How exciting would it be if we were to leave behind all those things that make us happy and comfortable and give ourselves completely to the cause of the Kingdom? What would that look like? Do you think that would be a bigger, better dream than we could have for ourselves? I think so. So the question is; whose dream will you--will we-- pursue?
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Think Kingdom
Wow! I've just determined I might be the world's worst blogger. Funny how these things have a way of getting away from you, huh? In any case, I promised that I would talk about what I would teach if I could only teach a few things. Last post, I said that the essence of discipleship is getting over yourself.
Today, I think what I'll talk about is this: I've come to believe that many of us need a change of mindset--that we need to start to think "Kingdom" rather than "salvation."
I can't say that salvation isn't a Biblical concept. It clearly is. But I think we've come to misunderstand Biblical salvation. When we talk about it today in evangelical churches, what we mean is that "when I die, I'm going to go to heaven." So, I can remember being trained to do evangelism by asking the question, "If you were to die tonight, do you know where you would spend eternity?"
I don't know, maybe that's a good question, but I think it's a pretty one-sided question according to the Bible. I think as Christians, our calling is to follow Jesus. In fact, if you look at the ministry of Jesus, He didn't tell people to get saved. He does talk about eternal life, which includes living forever in the presence of God, but it means much more than that.
You see I think we often teach a pretty self-centered salvation. As long as I'm OK--as long as I'm going to heaven that's what God wants. This view of salvation, lends itself to having churches that have little impact on a community or the world. But I believe Jesus calls us to even more than just reserving a place in heaven when we die.
Ever since the fall, God's purpose has been to redeem all of creation. He created each day and said that it was "good." Humans are the prize of His creation, for sure and we have a great say in what happens to the world. Ever since the fall (since Adam and Eve sinned), we've managed to mess it all up and all of creation suffers because of it. A world that was once filled with beauty and peace and relationship is now characterized by ugliness, war, and broken relationships. There are glimpses of the original creation, but what we see is only a shadow of what God intended when He put us in charge.
In Matthew 6, Jesus taught us to pray "[God's] Kingdom come, [His] will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In other words, originally, the earth was God's Kingdom and His will was done on earth as it is in heaven. But now things are corrupted and we God's will isn't always done on earth and we pay the price for that daily.
But when Jesus talks about eternal life, He's talking about us entering the Kingdom of God--that His will is done in our lives as it is in heaven. That's what it means to be "born again." We're born again into a new picture of the world, into a new way of living our lives that was made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We're forgiven for how we've messed up the world and messed up our own lives and given a clean slate and the power of the Holy Spirit to impact our fallen world for the Kingdom of God.
In the Old Testament, we read that the people of Israel were God's chosen people. Have you ever asked what they were chosen for? Were they chosen to reap all the benefits of God's love, but have no responsibility? Not at all. They were chosen to be a "blessing to all the nations." (Genesis 18:18) Israel wasn't given a blank check to live however they wanted and enjoy God's favor forever. They were chosen for a purpose and when they didn't fulfill their purpose, God allowed them to be punished (taken into exile).
In the same way, we read in Ephesians 2 that we were saved by God's grace. But that's not the end of it. In Ephesians 2:10 Paul writes this, "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." We were saved in order to partner with God to bring people a glimpse of His Kingdom. That includes heaven, but it also means that we live our lives now as if we have heaven inside our hearts. We pray for and work tirelessly for God's Kingdom to expand in our world here and now. It won't come completely until Jesus returned, but God doesn't just love Christians--He loves everyone and wants them to experience His Kingdom.
So whenever I teach about being born again or being saved, I believe it means having our eternity settled, but I also believe it means we've joined the team, not an exclusive club. So think Kingdom.
Today, I think what I'll talk about is this: I've come to believe that many of us need a change of mindset--that we need to start to think "Kingdom" rather than "salvation."
I can't say that salvation isn't a Biblical concept. It clearly is. But I think we've come to misunderstand Biblical salvation. When we talk about it today in evangelical churches, what we mean is that "when I die, I'm going to go to heaven." So, I can remember being trained to do evangelism by asking the question, "If you were to die tonight, do you know where you would spend eternity?"
I don't know, maybe that's a good question, but I think it's a pretty one-sided question according to the Bible. I think as Christians, our calling is to follow Jesus. In fact, if you look at the ministry of Jesus, He didn't tell people to get saved. He does talk about eternal life, which includes living forever in the presence of God, but it means much more than that.
You see I think we often teach a pretty self-centered salvation. As long as I'm OK--as long as I'm going to heaven that's what God wants. This view of salvation, lends itself to having churches that have little impact on a community or the world. But I believe Jesus calls us to even more than just reserving a place in heaven when we die.
Ever since the fall, God's purpose has been to redeem all of creation. He created each day and said that it was "good." Humans are the prize of His creation, for sure and we have a great say in what happens to the world. Ever since the fall (since Adam and Eve sinned), we've managed to mess it all up and all of creation suffers because of it. A world that was once filled with beauty and peace and relationship is now characterized by ugliness, war, and broken relationships. There are glimpses of the original creation, but what we see is only a shadow of what God intended when He put us in charge.
In Matthew 6, Jesus taught us to pray "[God's] Kingdom come, [His] will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In other words, originally, the earth was God's Kingdom and His will was done on earth as it is in heaven. But now things are corrupted and we God's will isn't always done on earth and we pay the price for that daily.
But when Jesus talks about eternal life, He's talking about us entering the Kingdom of God--that His will is done in our lives as it is in heaven. That's what it means to be "born again." We're born again into a new picture of the world, into a new way of living our lives that was made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We're forgiven for how we've messed up the world and messed up our own lives and given a clean slate and the power of the Holy Spirit to impact our fallen world for the Kingdom of God.
In the Old Testament, we read that the people of Israel were God's chosen people. Have you ever asked what they were chosen for? Were they chosen to reap all the benefits of God's love, but have no responsibility? Not at all. They were chosen to be a "blessing to all the nations." (Genesis 18:18) Israel wasn't given a blank check to live however they wanted and enjoy God's favor forever. They were chosen for a purpose and when they didn't fulfill their purpose, God allowed them to be punished (taken into exile).
In the same way, we read in Ephesians 2 that we were saved by God's grace. But that's not the end of it. In Ephesians 2:10 Paul writes this, "For we are God's workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." We were saved in order to partner with God to bring people a glimpse of His Kingdom. That includes heaven, but it also means that we live our lives now as if we have heaven inside our hearts. We pray for and work tirelessly for God's Kingdom to expand in our world here and now. It won't come completely until Jesus returned, but God doesn't just love Christians--He loves everyone and wants them to experience His Kingdom.
So whenever I teach about being born again or being saved, I believe it means having our eternity settled, but I also believe it means we've joined the team, not an exclusive club. So think Kingdom.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Teach Less for More #2
OK, I've been trying to sit down and think about if I were to only teach a few things over and over, what would I teach.
I've come to believe in the principle that if you want to really communicate to people, rather than trying to communicate more things, we should actually try to communicate less, more important things, over and over. Doing this helps people cut through the confusion so many people have about their faith. So I'm not putting these things in any particular order. (It's hard enough to boil the spiritual life down to just a few things, let alone prioritize them).
The first one I thought of is this: True discipleship starts with getting over yourself. I believe the Bible teaches us that that heart of sin in self-focus. Pride comes when I have an inflated view of myself. I lie when I'm trying to manipulate people into doing something I want them to do. I get angry and bitter when someone doesn't give me what I want.
So when it comes to spiritual growth--what we call discipleship--the whole point is simply to get over myself. I think the flagship verse for this is in Philippians 2:
What about Bible knowledge? It's only good insofar as it shows me Jesus. When I understand Jesus, I'll understand that I'm not the center of the universe and Jesus freed me from the need I have to how people how great I am.
What about going to church? Church is a great place for me to learn to give myself up. The church isn't just there for me. The body of Christ exists for the world and when the church is willing to give itself up for the world, that's when we look like Jesus.
What about staying away from sin? Sin is our attempt to focus our lives on ourselves, rather than on God. When we let go of this need and focus on God, our lives are moving in the right direction.
This principle plays itself out in many areas of life. What do it mean to get over myself in my marriage? What about at work? What about as a parent? In my church? On the basketball court? The point at which I begin to grow spiritually is the point at which I let go of myself as the center of my universe. Until I'm willing to do that, I can never be more than what I am right now.
I've come to believe in the principle that if you want to really communicate to people, rather than trying to communicate more things, we should actually try to communicate less, more important things, over and over. Doing this helps people cut through the confusion so many people have about their faith. So I'm not putting these things in any particular order. (It's hard enough to boil the spiritual life down to just a few things, let alone prioritize them).
The first one I thought of is this: True discipleship starts with getting over yourself. I believe the Bible teaches us that that heart of sin in self-focus. Pride comes when I have an inflated view of myself. I lie when I'm trying to manipulate people into doing something I want them to do. I get angry and bitter when someone doesn't give me what I want.
So when it comes to spiritual growth--what we call discipleship--the whole point is simply to get over myself. I think the flagship verse for this is in Philippians 2:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:What Paul says we should imitate about Jesus is the "emptying." Jesus had every right to claim all the accolades and privileges that go along with being God and yet instead He gave up all those things and chose to serve. What does it mean to be a "good Christian?" Get over yourself! That's it.
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant...
What about Bible knowledge? It's only good insofar as it shows me Jesus. When I understand Jesus, I'll understand that I'm not the center of the universe and Jesus freed me from the need I have to how people how great I am.
What about going to church? Church is a great place for me to learn to give myself up. The church isn't just there for me. The body of Christ exists for the world and when the church is willing to give itself up for the world, that's when we look like Jesus.
What about staying away from sin? Sin is our attempt to focus our lives on ourselves, rather than on God. When we let go of this need and focus on God, our lives are moving in the right direction.
This principle plays itself out in many areas of life. What do it mean to get over myself in my marriage? What about at work? What about as a parent? In my church? On the basketball court? The point at which I begin to grow spiritually is the point at which I let go of myself as the center of my universe. Until I'm willing to do that, I can never be more than what I am right now.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Teach Less for More
Over the last few years, I've come to believe that in our world of seemingly endless options, focus is more valuable than ever. All in all, I think options are a good thing. I think a world where people are driving a variety of different makes, models, and colors of cars is a better world than if everyone had to drive the same car. I like to listen to a number of different styles of music although I do still believe that a world without country music would much more palatable. (Incidentally: I'm currently forming a series called "Why God?" that will address the questions people have about belief and I'm seriously wrestling with the question of how a good God could allow country music and cats.)
On the other hand, when we live in a world of so many options, people expect options in every area of life. For instance the question, "How can Jesus be the only way to God?" is a natural question in a world like ours. Options give us control. Everything's a buffet.
But I guess that brings up some very important questions: Aren't there some things that all humans have in common--or at least all people in our city? Don't we have to assume that in general, when a person breaks his arm or has an infection or gets cancer, that there are some tried and true ways to treat him that also works for other people. While doctors can do some individualization of treatment, there has to be something people have in common that we can study and assume that if it worked in one person, it could work in another human as well.
Leading a church can be an overwhelming experience. Even within a church of a hundred people, there will be a hundred different opinions and likes and dislikes and gifts and backgrounds and...and...and... It's enough to make your head spin.
A couple of weeks ago, I was reading a book by Andy Stanley, a pastor and author from the Atlanta area. As he's giving advice for leading a church one of the principles he cites is to "teach less for more impact." His reasoning is that we often try to please everyone and end up pleasing no one. What's more important is to determine what's important for people to learn and teach that. Rather than trying to address every minute detail we could possibly address, just teach the important stuff.
There's some Biblical precedent for this, too. Jesus was very simple in His teachings. He didn't address every single possible sin people could commit or write and exhaustive treatise on theology. He knew He only had a short amount of time (three years) to teach people everything they should know from God incarnate. So when He was asked to boil down all the Old Testament teachings, He said, "Love God with everything you've got and love your neighbor as you love yourself." That's what God wants. Simple, but not easy.
So as I thought about that concept, if I can only teach a few things to people in my church and in my community of Minneapolis at this particular time in history and this particular cultural environment, what would those things be. To be honest, this was a pretty fun exercise for me. I'm sure I'll have to do a lot more thinking on this, but I wanted to share a few things I came up with. Over the next few days (or weeks) that's what I'll do. As I said, the list isn't fully formed. If I took more time to refine the list there might be some different things I would choose and maybe some of these things wouldn't make the list, but I'll share what I have so far.
I'll start with the list in my next post, but here are some things you probably won't find me spending much time on:
On the other hand, when we live in a world of so many options, people expect options in every area of life. For instance the question, "How can Jesus be the only way to God?" is a natural question in a world like ours. Options give us control. Everything's a buffet.
But I guess that brings up some very important questions: Aren't there some things that all humans have in common--or at least all people in our city? Don't we have to assume that in general, when a person breaks his arm or has an infection or gets cancer, that there are some tried and true ways to treat him that also works for other people. While doctors can do some individualization of treatment, there has to be something people have in common that we can study and assume that if it worked in one person, it could work in another human as well.
Leading a church can be an overwhelming experience. Even within a church of a hundred people, there will be a hundred different opinions and likes and dislikes and gifts and backgrounds and...and...and... It's enough to make your head spin.
A couple of weeks ago, I was reading a book by Andy Stanley, a pastor and author from the Atlanta area. As he's giving advice for leading a church one of the principles he cites is to "teach less for more impact." His reasoning is that we often try to please everyone and end up pleasing no one. What's more important is to determine what's important for people to learn and teach that. Rather than trying to address every minute detail we could possibly address, just teach the important stuff.
There's some Biblical precedent for this, too. Jesus was very simple in His teachings. He didn't address every single possible sin people could commit or write and exhaustive treatise on theology. He knew He only had a short amount of time (three years) to teach people everything they should know from God incarnate. So when He was asked to boil down all the Old Testament teachings, He said, "Love God with everything you've got and love your neighbor as you love yourself." That's what God wants. Simple, but not easy.
So as I thought about that concept, if I can only teach a few things to people in my church and in my community of Minneapolis at this particular time in history and this particular cultural environment, what would those things be. To be honest, this was a pretty fun exercise for me. I'm sure I'll have to do a lot more thinking on this, but I wanted to share a few things I came up with. Over the next few days (or weeks) that's what I'll do. As I said, the list isn't fully formed. If I took more time to refine the list there might be some different things I would choose and maybe some of these things wouldn't make the list, but I'll share what I have so far.
I'll start with the list in my next post, but here are some things you probably won't find me spending much time on:
- End times prophecy. I think we have a habit of misusing the book of Revelation and if anyone thinks they can understand the book of Revelation with any degree of certainty, I think they're half-crazy. Once everything plays out, then I'll talk more about it.
- Peripheral theological debates like Calvinism vs. Arminianism, particular denominational disagreements, politics or the theology of the political parties.
- The latest Christian novel (or fictionalized history)
- Star Trek (I just thought I'd throw that one in there)
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