Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community

I have just finished reading Total Church, A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. In this book, to be centered around the gospel means to be word-centered and mission-centered. Word centered because God speaks through the words of Bible, not only to save us, but to give us the instructions for life. Mission centered because our reason for existence is to spread the glory of God through the proclaiming of His word. We are also to be community centered because we are not individuals, but rather part of the body of Christ, the church.

"Being both gospel-centered and community-centered might mean:

-seeing church as an identity instead of a responsibility to be juggled alongside other commitments

-celebrating ordinary life as the context in which the word of God is proclaimed with "God-talk" as a normal feature of everyday conversation

-running fewer evangelistic events, youth clubs, and social projects and spending more time sharing our lives with unbelievers

-starting new congregations instead of growing existing ones

-preparing Bible talks with other people instead of just studying alone at a desk

-adopting a 24-7 approach to mission and pastoral care instead of starting ministry programs

-switching the emphasis from Bible teaching to Bible learning and action.

-spending more time with people on the margins of society

-learning to disciple on another - and to be discipled - day by day

-having churches that are messy instead of churches that pretend"

(p.18)

Being mission-centered "'turns inside out and upside down some of the common ways in which we are accustomed to think about the Christian life. . . It constantly forces us to open our eyes to the big picture, rather than shelter in the cosy narcissism of our own small worlds.'

-We ask, 'Where does God fit into the story of my life?,' when the real question is 'Where does my little life fit into the great story of God's mission?'

-We want to be driven by a purpose that has been tailored just right for our own individual lives, when we should be seeing the purpose of all life, including our own, wrapped up in the great mission of God for the whole of creation.

-We talk about 'applying the Bible to our lives.' What would it mean to apply our lives to the Bible instead, assuming the Bible to be the reality - the real story - to which we are called to conform ourselves?

-We wrestle with 'making the gospel relevant to the world.' But in this story, God is about the business of transforming the world to fit the shape of the gospel.

-We argue about what can legitimately be included in the mission that God expects from the church, when we should ask what kind of church God wants for the whole range of his mission.

-I may wonder what kind of mission God has for me, when I should be asking what kind of me God wants for his mission."

(p.35)

What if we lived our lives as if we were missionaries living in another country and culture? Would we worry about getting the best education and the highest paying job? Would we buy the best house we could afford? Would we be as bothered by the insignificant, everyday worries. How would we view and pursue evangelism? How would we respond to personal hardships? How important would the community of fellow believers become? How would it change our daily devotions and walk with God?

In short, why would we live so much different in another culture as missionaries than we do right here at home? Nothing changes, our ultimate goal in life should still be to glorify God by living missional lives for Him.

The Problem of Life

My life has been wonderful the past few months. Three great conferences and a wedding, topped off by a vacation in Guatemala for a week. Now I lie in bed at night and wander what is next. My mind wanders through the things I need to get done. Got to get some new wall joist nailed in and mount a new window in that rotten wall I tore out today. That way I can finish putting up the drywall in the room and then work on the flooring. Also need to cut and nail up new siding boards on the outside and finish painting the exterior of the house. I'd really rather just take a break from the house for a while and finish mowing the cow pasture. Need to clear the area for a new fence Sam wants to build and start setting some posts in the ground so we can run the wire. I really should get a new shed built with the extra lumber so we can move out some of the equipment that is parked under the wood shed right now and get it clear for the firewood this fall. I'm not getting payed for any of this, so I must make time in between to work for the farmer down the road who has been paying me so that I will be saving some money over the summer. Got to settle on what I am going to do for college this fall since application deadlines are coming up. And on and on is goes until I am feeling overwhelmed and depressed by it all.

I wake in the morning, reluctant to drag myself out of bed and tackle these endless jobs. I guess this is life and folks say you just got to suck it up and keep pushing on. If this is life, I will pass and have none of it. "For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors with under the sun? For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest." (Ecclesiastes 2:22-23)

It is at times like this, when I lose sight of the big picture, that the troubles of life creep in and steal my joy. I have to be drawn back and given the ability to see it in the light of eternity and a God that is bigger than it all. That makes my life look small and insignificant and then somehow the problems of life become just as small and insignificant.

Agua Viva Children's Home

I think it is necessary to clarify that I don't consider the trip to Guatemala to have been a "mission trip". The reason and purpose of missions is to share the good news of Jesus Christ with people who have not heard it. This was not the case on this trip since the Agua Viva (which means Living Water) is very Christian, and the children there are constantly exposed to living examples from visiting church groups as well as the biblical teaching of those who run the home. Still, it gave me a new prospective and love for the worldwide body of Christ and hopefully a greater desire to spread the love of God across the world through real world missions. It was very encouraging to spend time and to be able to serve such wonderful children. To hear and see the living testomies of the effect that mission teams like ours have had through giving of time and money to care for these children.

http://aguavivahome.org/

Reflections from Advace09

It seems like I have become a conference junky, three conferences in about a months time.  I think this can be a bad thing since it can take the place of personal devotion and a commitment to everyday life if you are always living on the highs from one Christian conference to the next.  Still, the power of the preached word with the conviction of the Holy Spirit, in a prayerful gathering of God's saints is an awesome and effective thing.  Often in my hurry, I don't take the time to stop, put it in park, and let the word of God take hold on me and a conference in many ways forces me to do this.

The Advance09 conference, hosted by Desiring God, Vintage 21, Act 29 Network, and others, was a focused look at advancing the church of God through reviving the boneyard of dead and dieing churches.  So many churches have lost their focus, which should be centered on Christ and His gospel, and are now swirling with doctrinal divisions and religious traditions.  This has created a toxic, unholy culture within the church and has left it irrelevant to the modern world around us.  This problem is particularly obvious in the South where you can find a church on every corner, and an ages and rapidly shrinking congregation within.  

Part of the problem is that there is an assumption that people already know the gospel and the nature of God, and so the focus of the preaching within these churches is on the practical issues of living out a christian life.  This damns people to a religious pride of "being good" so that they are either blind to or not bothered by their habitual sin.  It may also lead to a sense of unfullfillment that results in a disenchantment with the church and a despair in their inability to follow the set of rules.  A religious attitude is our default mode and will become the mark of our churches unless there is a continual culture of repentance maintained.  When there is not repentance, there is idolatry and heresy.  

We are all unceasing worshipers and we get our identity from, and define ourselves by, the things we worship.  Idolatry is worshiping anything other than God.  Idols are usually a good thing that gets elevate to the level of God in our life, and that makes it a sinful thing.  Idols serve as functional saviors and God becomes the means to our idol, in other words, the idol is our reason for our walk with God.  An idol is something you are willing to make undue sacrifices for such as money, family, sex, drugs, alcohol, food, morality, people, ministry, and religion just to name a few.

Another reason for the decline of the American church is the fear of the culture and the tendency to "circle the wagons" as the "gates of hell" press in.  This is due to the the loss of a broader visions for fulfilling the Great Commission of missions and a preoccupation with local concerns.  Missions is the means to worship, just as worship is the fuel of missions.  The goal of missions is to spread the glory of God as seen through Jesus Christ to as many people as possible.  It is only through the hearing of the Word, the power of pray, and the work of the Holy Spirit that people are saved.  God's desire is for His people to see His glory, the pinnacle of which was the act of love and grace on the cross.  Missions is how we show God's glory to others, and the church advances.

Online messages from Advance09 conference:

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/ConferenceMessages/ByConference/45/

Thoughts on Next

I have just returned from four days in Baltimore, Maryland at Sovereign Grace's Next conference.  The worship was powerful, with three different bands performing wonderful songs.  Hundreds of Christians packed together with hands raised, singing their hearts out.  The testimonies of the people who stood up to tell their story of how Jesus Christ sought them out, were gut wrenching.  The deep, rich messages delivered by some of the greatest teachers of our time should be mandatory listening for all Christians.

Yet, there was much to that could be found lacking in paying such a large amount of money for the conference.  The bands rocked out with rows of speakers that were deafening, and made it appear more like a concert than a worship service.  People jumped and danced around, caught up in the music and the emotions of the moment.  In a room of that size, you were forced to watch the speakers on the overhead projectors, which means you might as well just stayed home and downloaded the video and gotten just as much out of it.

So, what was so different about this conference that continues to so deeply impact people year after year.  It is because the Spirit of God was there.  Alone, the music would be only music.  The people would have been play acting hypocrites.  The speakers would perhaps been impressive, but most of it would have been over-the-head and their would defiantly been no lasting change in any life.  When the Spirit of Christ is present, everything changes and there is a passion instilled in your heart like no other.   This revelation came to mind strangely enough when I played ultimate frisby with some of the other young people attending.  I admit I was expecting the usual gentle, peace loving church kids.  What a thrill when I started getting knocked down, beat up, and exhausted.  These people's passion for knowing God translated into everything they did, whether it was a competitive spirit or the thoughtfulness of tipping the maid and giving their extra food to the homeless.

This has left me to wonder how many time in my own church do we focus on the style of worship, the method of preaching, the opportunity to fellowship with friends.  Somehow it seems we loose focus on Jesus Christ Himself and the power of His Spirit, and so when the teaching or music does not meet our standards, or the fellowship is not all that great, we become disenchanted.  Or more commonly, we just walk away from the Sunday meeting with the feeling that something is missing.

This is why I loved everything about the conference.  My prayer would be that every Sunday morning, God would dwell with in such a way that, as Sinclair Ferguson put it, "our hearts would be strangely warmed".

Online messages from Next conference:

http://www.thisisnext.org/resources/

Is there a Cause?

Is there a cause worthy enough to join or dedicate myself too?  How do I decide to which one I should give my time and money.  It is an issue that has given me thought because I don't want to be a passive, apathetic Christian.  As I look around, there are many worthy causes that are out there.  Pro-life, Pro-family, Pro-Constitution...causes for feeding the hungry, reaching lost people for Christ, the list goes on and on.  In Genesis 11, the people said "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth."  How does this relate to the different causes out there?  Well, first of all because some causes are out to do just that, to be heard and make a name for themselves.  The others fall into the "let us" catagory.  Let us. . . hold a rally, a march, a protest, a whatever.  In otherwords, they are saying our power and ability to do good is in being heard, finding the stength in numbers, and that the most vocal side wins.  I believe this was the mistake that was the downfall of the people at Babel.  God is the one who calls people to do His work, He is our stength to do good and make a difference, and He always wins!  Joining a cause is only a good idea if it recognizes this truth.

Notes from The Truth Project

Here follows some of the points, summary of notes, and personal thoughts from Dr. Del Tackett's teaching this past weekend at The Truth Project training conference:

-We live in a culture of tolerance which says that if I don't tell you that you are wrong, then you don't tell me that I am wrong.

-We tend to turn away from God when what they see about the nature of God doesn't match with their own desires.

-A right knowledge of the truths about God will lead a person to either repentance and transformation, or depression and despair.  This is why many people don't want to hear about the truth and others are checking out of life.

-When transformation is the result of the knowledge of the truth, our true selves and our culture are exposed, and it creates people who are world-changers.

-The major obstacles to living significant, world changing lives:

1. Hungering for to live the fake life of this world

2. Natural myopia - not being able to look beyond yourself

3. A persistent sin that is left unaddressed

4. Apathy that come from living for yourself

5. Fear. . . of venerability, of losing face, fear of man.

-We are the most connected generation of people ever through modern technology, yet we are arguably also the loneliest generation, since we have forgotten how to have meaningful relationships and instead live self-centered lives of seeking our own happiness.

-Each of us is born with a hunger for significance that can only be satisfied in God.

-Every time we try to defy the laws of God, the effect is unavoidable.  In the physical realm this effect is immediate, for example trying to defy the law of gravity.  In the social realm, the effect may not be immediate, but it is just as unavoidable.

-A good thing cannot be called good unless it is used the way God intended and designed it.

-Two things are decisive in defining our worldview: how we think about who man is and who who God is.

-According to a poll, 80% of Christians walk away from their faith after attending college. This is due to a lack of having the confidence of a truth based worldview which leads to falling captive to assumptive lies.  

From personal experience, that percentage is significantly higher in the military.  So should we avoid secular institutions in order to protect ourselves and our faith from exposure to the lies and wrong thinking?  No, we should arm ourselves with the truths of God, verify that it is based in the heart and not just a public profession, and expose the blindness of our culture with the truth in a loving and graceful way.  This done is through building real relationships with people, praying with them and for them by name, that God would do His work in them.  By living a selfless life of total submission to God and a willingness to be a stepping stone for others.  By looking at people as prisoners of the world they live in and needing the truths of God to set them free.  Not judging them by the first thoughts that cross our mind when we meet them.  By avoiding all pride that would lead to ungraciousness, haughtiness, and an unwillingness to live our lives in a way that makes God look glorious.  Our goal is not the survival of our selves and our faith, but to live in our world in such a way that God will can take hold of us and use us to storm the gates.  How do we do this?  As Dr. Tackett put it "I have no clue, but God does and there is no higher calling."