Category Archives: Wrestling With Scripture

Discipleship, Ethos, Experience, Faith in Action, Leadership, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture, Youth Ministry

Cracking Under the Pressure

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A few years ago we were out at dinner with a few friends at a brand new restaurant. The place had only been open a week or so when we gathered together for some cheddar biscuits and conversation.

That night I ordered a big, tall glass of Coca-Cola. When the waiter brought me my drink I grabbed it, lifted it to my mouth, and the glass shattered into a million pieces mere inches from my face.

I would like to blame the demise of the glass on my bulging muscles but the truth is that the glass shattered because it couldn’t take the pressure.

This brand new glass succumbed to the pressure of the heat from the dish washer and when it came to doing its job, holding cold drinks, the glass cracked. Its integrity gave way.

So it is with us.

I spoke to a group of High School students yesterday about submitting to authority (a cracker-jack topic, I know). I told them that this is one area where their integrity can be compromised everyday. It is such a temptation to defy authority or to fail to understand the importance of living under authority. For us, God is the ultimate authority and learning to live under human authority figures helps strengthen our reslove and honors our heavenly Father.

I was honest with them and told them that I have struggled my whole life to live with integrity on this issue. I am independent and I am strong willed. I take issue with poor authority figures and struggle with following men and women I perceive to be weaker leaders. However, God doesn’t put caveats on submitting only to strong leaders or wise authority figures. In Romans 13, Paul states that Everyone must be subject to authorities. That’s a pretty definitive statement.

Standing before them I realized that I was 10 years older than those in the Senior class and I was about 10 years younger than most of the teachers. Every single one of us was under some authority. Some of these authority figures are good, godly, wise, nurturing individuals. Give thanks to God for these men and women. Some though are weak, selfish, and incompetent. Learning to live under both of these types of leaders ultimately gives glory to God and honors his commands.

Often times I have had to learn the hard way and have made many mistakes. Thankfully God keeps repairing the cracks in my heart. Learning to live under authority, good or bad, is just one way to make sure that you are living with integrity.

Don’t crack under the pressure and try to take out your King (1Sam 24). Honor them as you honor God. He is ultimately in control and the ultimate authority of our lives.

By the way, I still had to pay for that Coke. What’s up with that?!?!

Wrestling With Scripture, Youth Ministry

Difficult Passages of the Bible…

…to Teach to Teenagers on Wednesday Nights.

Our teen Wednesday night class has become my favorite night to be with my students. We meet together (7-12th grade) to pray, read, and discuss. Our discussions have been growing better and deeper over the last few months and it is just amazing how interested most of the teens seem to get into expressing their thoughts and feelings concerning certain passages. The overarching theme that has carried us over the course of the year is “Becoming a Disciple.” Right now I have been teaching through the letter to the Philippians. Last night we were in chapter 3.

Finally, my brothers, rejoice in the Lord! It is no trouble for me to write the same things to you again, and it is a safeguard for you.

Watch out for those dogs, those men who do evil, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh— though I myself have reasons for such confidence.

If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.

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 9and 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.

So I begin to walk through the passage. I remind them that Paul was writing to them to encourage them to keep holding on to Jesus in the face of opposition. In chapter 3 Paul gets specific about who or what is threatening these young Christians. It was the idea that these Gentiles must become Jews in order to become Christians. So far they are with me.

Then we get to the part about circumcision. I, gingerly, explained what it was and, because it represented the covenant God had made with his chosen people, why it was important to the Jewish believers.

I can start to see the guys squirm and giggle.

At that point I stop them and say, “Let’s not get caught up on circumcision, ok? Just understand that these people Paul was warning about were saying that just believing and obeying Jesus wasn’t enough. They were telling these new Christians that they had to do more in order to be saved. They had to “look” a certain way and that by looking that way they would find favor with God. It’s about outwardly appearing to be holy.” At that point they stop giggling and I hear a few “ohs” and “Ok I understand.” I am getting ready to to bring the comparison to today in and one of the boys raises his hand. He still has a confused look on his face. A confused look mixed with fear.

Teen: “How long ago was this?”
Me: “About 2000 years ago.”
Teen: “So there were no knives!?!?! (panic sets in) What did they use? Sticks!?! Rocks!?!”

I was so afraid at that point that “circumcision” was going to totally derail the discussion but it didn’t. I assured him that there were knives at that time and his face relaxed and so did the other guys. They stayed with the rest of the discussion and all went well.

I guess I learned, again, to never take anything for granted when it come to teaching teens. Don’t assume that they have been taught about the background to anything. Don’t ignore their concerns (even about renegade Rabbis with circumcision stones).

Treat them fairly and answer any and all questions no matter how funny, serious, or seriously funny they are.

Awesomenessness, Discipleship, Faith in Action, Ministry, Podcasts, Preaching, Questions, The Word, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture

Goodstuff

I have been just living inside of a great study on the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan, pastor of Cornerstone Church in Simi Valley, CA.

Last summer, Chan preached a 7-part series on the Holy Spirit to his congregation and I have just now been able to begin working through the podcasts. Chan is an incredible teacher and his passion and desire for God is made evident when he is expressing this gift.

The podcasts have been great but I have been able to go deeper into the study by following the small group study page Cornerstone provides their people. (they are available for every lesson on the Cornerstone website. Main>Media>Sermons)

I have never heard lessons on the Holy Spirit this revealing, tempered, and powerful. Like Chan, I too believe that our greatest sin to the people we lead is neglecting the power of the Spirit.

The last few days have been eye opening for me. I have been able to approach this (too often) delicate subject without fear and trepidation. I have just found myself meditating and marveling at some passages of scripture that I feel like I have missed over the years.

My heart is so full right now that I find it difficult to put my thoughts in blog form.

The long and short of it is this: the Holy Spirit, promised by Jesus, sent from the Father, is a mysterious truth that we will never fully understand. I am grateful that through these podcasts and through the Word of God I am scratching the surface of this mystery.

Discussion Question:
Why do we neglect teaching about or learning about the Holy Spirit?

Book Review, Ethos, Leadership, The Word, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture

The Real Political Alternative

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From Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw:

Our president is not organizing another political party, nope… not even running with Nader on the Green ticket.

Jesus is forming a new kind of people, a different kind of party, whose peculiar politics are embodied in who we are. The church is a people called out of the world to embody a social alternative that the world cannot know on its own terms. We are not simply asking the government to be what God has commissioned the church to be.

After all, even the best government can’t legislate love. We can build hundreds of affordable housing (a good thing by the way) and people still might not have homes. We can provide universal health care and keep folks breathing longer (another nice move), but people can be breathing and still not truly be alive. We can create laws to enforce good behavior, but no law has ever changed a human heart or reconciled a broken relationship. The church is not simply suggesting political alternatives. The church is embodying one.

I didn’t agree with everything in this book. The author’s painted with a very large brush (they admit that right up front) and some of their theological conclusions (read: oversimplifications) made me scratch my head.

At times the book even made me angry. I was angry at the authors, politicians, the man, the left, the right, the system, and most of all, at myself. I wrestled all day long with Jesus for President yesterday as I wrestled with my decision to involve myself in the political process.

One thing is for sure: If Jesus did run for President he would lose in the most devastating landslide in the history of democracy. The way of Jesus stands in stark contrast to the agendas of the Republicans and the Democrats. His Kingdom is not of this world.

All of this did make me think yesterday, if none of these candidates look like Jesus, talk like Jesus, walk like Jesus, or live like Jesus then who do I vote for?

Discipleship, Ethos, Ministry, Questions, The Word, Theology, Wrestling With Scripture

The Stories We’ve Been Given

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I had lunch with a friend of mine the other day and we began discussing the importance of story in the Bible. The conversation turned from the standard “What is the story of the Bible?” or “What is the story of the Gospel?” to a much more philosophical question.

My friend asked me about the specific stories that we’ve been given in Scripture.

I believe that we were given the Bible, the epic love story of Almighty God for his people, for a reason. God wanted us to know what he did, why he did it, and how we are invited into this story (See Ephesians).

It goes to follow that everything we are given points us to this end. Everything in scripture – talking donkeys, kings, prophets, miracles, widows, shepherds, everything – give us insight into Almighty God and his story. However, we are given larger glimpses into some stories rather than others. We began to ask Why?

Why do we know more about Moses than we do about Job? We know almost everything about Moses’ life yet we only get a small glimpse in Job’s life, focused primarily on his suffering. Many scholars believe Job was the first OT book written. There must be a reason we are told what we are told.

What can you tell me about Thaddeus or Bartholomew? Out of the twelve apostles we really only know about half and we really only know half of those. Don’t even get me started on Matthias.

Why do we understand more about Paul than Barnabus? My friend said that if you was going to throw a party you would send an invitation to both men but that you would really hope Barnabus showed up. What little we know about Banabus is that he was the type of Christian you’d want to be- encouraging, strong, faithful. Why are we given more about the life of Paul?

In the whole of Scripture, 6 stories stand out over and above everything else:

Abraham
Moses
Joseph
David
Jesus and Pals
Paul and the Church

I believe that the stories we have in Scripture are not put there by chance. There is a bigger reason to study these stories. These overarching stories must connect us to something much deeper than the average Bible lesson (if there is such a thing as an average Bible story).

Why do you think we’ve been given a larger glimpse into some of these stories rather than others? What story would you like to know more about? Who would you like to know more about?

Discipleship, Wrestling With Scripture

Humility

I like being right.

Scratch that, I love being right. When I’m right about something my head swells a little, I stand taller, and I smirk. Yes, I smirk. When I’m right a tiny little band inside my head plays a triumphant tune and I literally have to keep myself from dancing.

I wish that I was exaggerating but alas, I am not.

I love being right but unfortunately I hate who I become when I’m right. I hate it because I act and think in ways that are contrary to the Gospel. I am imitating the world instead of my Jesus.

The psalmist says that “The LORD supports the humble, but he brings the wicked down into the dust.” (Psalms 147:6)

Paul invites us to remember that Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.” (Philippians 2:7)

Both Matthew and Mark proclaim that Jesus “did not come to be served, but to serve.”

For me these verses act as a warning and as a comforting reminder. They warn me that nothing good can come from my selfishness and assine behavior. They also comfort me to know that by being humble and seeking to serve others I’m in great company.

I think that humility is the way to go.

I’m right about that much.

Discipleship, Ethos, Faith in Action, Ministry, Questions, Wrestling With Scripture

K.I.S.S.

A simple church understands that people are at different places in their spiritual journey, that spiritual growth is a process. The church is designed to partner with God to move people through stages of spiritual growth.

Sadly, most churches miss this truth.

They are not simple. They have not designed a simple process for discipleship. They have not structured their church around the process of spiritual transformation.

And they are making little impact. (62)

I have been really enjoying Simple Church by Rainer & Geiger. I passed it by so many times this year in the bookstore. It’s plain white cover would stand straight and all but wave hello at me as I browsed the ministry section. I ultimately succumbed to its siren call and I have not been disappointed.

The above quote is right on the money. Most churches do not focus on discipleship. Most, because it is easier to quantify, focus on church involvement as their “spiritual maturity barometer.” To be honest, mere church involvement can’t tell you everything about a persons spiritual well-being.

As I’ve been thinking about spiritual growth I keep going back to John 15.

“Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me.

“I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.” (John 15:4-8 MESSAGE)

I feel like there a lot to say about spiritual growth in this chapter but these are the verses that jump out at me. The simple- remain in Jesus, mature, bear fruit.

What does this mean for us?

Remain in Jesus: Love God.

Mature: Love God and love others (Matthew 22:37-40)

Bear Fruit: Serve the world

That’s a pretty simple equation right there.

I should finish the book before Christmas and I’ll post a little more of my thoughts then.

So my question to you is…

In what ways have you seen churches focus on spiritual maturity?

What have you seen that is successful in growing disciples?

Books, Wrestling With Scripture

WWS: What Is Worship?

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I read this earlier in the week.

Is the author right on? Is he missing something?

Let me know what you think. Give me some honest feedback in the comment section.

We must seek to truly worship God in “spirit and in truth” while realizing that has little to nothing to do with external modes of expression that we fight over (i.e. clapping, instruments, power point, old songs/new songs, order of worship, meeting at the building Sunday nights, etc.). God has been and will continue to be more concerned with the condition of our hearts than with our methods (“These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”- Is 29:13; Mt 15;8, Mk 7:6).

This specific issue was addressed by Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well. One major issue (there were plenty) dividing these two people groups was the way in which Samaritans and Jews went about expressing their worship to God (mode of expression). Jesus is talking to her about receiving the living water but the woman immediately jumps into a defensive posture concerning the differences in worship styles (in this case the place where worship happens). Jesus points out that there is a time coming when God won’t have to be worship on the mountain or in the temple. He says that the modes will be rendered obsolete because true worship isn’t about a place it is about worshiping in the Spirit and worshiping the truth.

We have for years misquoted John 4:21-24 to in essence say that if you are expressing your worship in way that deviates from tradition than you are no longer worshiping “in spirit and in truth.” According to John 14:6 worshiping the truth has more to do with Jesus Christ than with following a detailed plan. We also wrongly marry this passage to 1 Cor 14:40 (everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way) to further cloud the true meaning of Jesus’ words on worship.

In all our arguments over worship very little of our energy is spent on the object of our worship, Almighty God. We instead focus on following the “letter of the law.” We therefore worship the expression (mode) more than than the object (God). 2Cor 3:6 reminds us that the “letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”

For us, following the letter has killed relationship after relationship. Because of worshiping a mode over God churches won’t associate with one another. Trees are killed and ink is spilt so that we can denounce one another because a perceived rule has been broken.

This is what outsiders see.

They see us focused on shooting each other and they scratch their heads wondering what all this has to do with loving God and loving others.

–Eric Blair, Looking Back on the Worship Wars, p.84

Discipleship, Wrestling With Scripture

Salt pt. 1

I’m trying to be a little more honest and vulnerable here so I think that I need to confess something to everyone. This is something I’ve struggled with my entire life and I am sick of hiding. Here it goes (please don’t judge)…

I’m a picky eater.

It’s true. I eat the most boring foods and I always special order at restaurants. I eat only cheese pizza and I don’t stray too far away from vanilla ice cream. I don’t eat candy bars. I don’t use condiments. I avoid fish at all costs. I don’t put syrup on my pancakes and I don’t butter my bread. I am convinced that this condition goes beyond pickyness and into something more like a psychological condition.

I have a video of me when I was about a year old. My grandmother is feeding me tiny pieces of a biscuit. As she gives me a piece she says (in a great grandmother voice), “Oh, Micheal. We’ll put some jelly on that and it will be so so good!” My mom tells her that she has tried to put jelly and butter on biscuits for me before but that I wouldn’t eat them. To this day, I cannot tell you the last time I ate a biscuit with jelly on it.

You can also add salt to the list of things I don’t put on food. Obviously, I eat food that has salt in it. I just don’t reach across the table for the salt shaker. I just never add salt to anything.

Maybe that’s is why I have always found Jesus call to be “salt of the earth” a bit confusing and disconcerting.

Like Alan’s comment from the last post, I too have always been taught the old “salt is a preservative schpeel”. However, that explanation has always left me wanting.

A key tenet of hermeneutics is that an interpretation should match up with the whole of scripture. I just cannot find a commandment or a teaching that calls Christ-followers to preserve the world around them. Let’s be honest, I would be out of a job and there would be no youth ministry if I were to challenge students to stay where they are in their faith.

I think we can do better than that. I think we owe it to the world to do better than that.

Salt does more than act as a preservative. It adds more than flavor.

Salt transforms whatever it touches.

Tomorrow: Moving from Checklist to Transformation

Wrestling With Scripture

WWS: Matthew 5:13-16

I spent most of my study living in the Sermon on the Mount last week and I want to share what I’ve been reading, listening to, and pondering this week in Wrestling With Scripture. I’ll be out of pocket today but I want to post Matthew 5:13-16 so that we can begin the conversation bright and early this morning.

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16 TNIV)

Discussion Questions:
How have you been taught what this passage means? How would you teach the meaning of this passage?

Describe how you have been salt to those around you.

Describe your thoughts on this passage.