What the %@#&* is happening to me?!
It happened again. Another person drawn in.
A fairly new friend of mine was doing nothing but minding his own business. Well, actually he was consumed with his own business. Venting to God about said business. This idea of even talking to God as if he were really there is a new thing for my friend. But he was trying it out, and found out that it works. God responds. 
After a few times of doing this kind of prayer-therapy with God, venting his frustration and asking hard questions and directions regarding his own life, he called another friend of mine and had a very interesting question. Choking back tears, he whispered into his cell, “What the %@#&* is happening to me? I’m trying to pray but I keep saying words I don’t understand.”
This gets me thinking. How many people experience glossolalia (speaking in tongues) for the first time and have no idea that it is the Holy Spirit?
I had a friend in college who was en route to become a Catholic Priest, and when we got together one day and prayed, he was obviously moved on and began speaking in tongues.
I asked, “When were you first filled with the Holy Spirit?”
He said, “Is that what that gibberish funny-talk is?”
For me, I don’t think the Spirit is simply tongues, but I do think God has has poured his Spirit into people around the world and they have received supernatural power, a counselor, the Spirit of truth, a comforter and more … and they have no idea.
What stories can you tell of people who wondered what the %@#&* was happening to them, when it was just God at work … in them?
Decisions that define us
At The Journey, we’re making some decisions that clarify our goals as a church.
These are not goals, as in a destination … but goals as in the direction of our journey … they are declaration of intentions … borrowed from Graham Cooke.
Decisions that define us
We’ve decided that teaching the Gospel without demonstrating the gospel in not enough. Good preaching, good doctrine, being good people is not enough.
We’ve decided that having a good church club is not enough. Good fellowship is not enough. And just being a member of that club is not enough.
We’ve decided that having good Bible studies is good, but not good enough. That just making it to heaven is not our goal, and that knowing about God without truly knowing and experiencing God is meaningless.
We’ve decided that having good programs is not enough; that change without transformation is intolerable. And that staying the same is not an option.
We’ve decided that gifting without character is futile.
We’ve decided that singing songs without worshiping is hollow and having meetings without God showing up is pointless.
We’ve decided that having faith without works is not enough and having works without love is not acceptable – that our function comes out of our relationship first with the Father and second with each other.
We’ve decided that reading about the book of Acts without living the book of Acts is unthinkable.
We’ve decided that confident faith is good…..bold faith is better.
We’ve decided that hearing about the Holy Spirit without experiencing Him….. is silly. That believing in His presence without seeing it manifested in signs and wonders……is hypocrisy. That believing in healing without seeing people healed……is absurd. And that believing in deliverance without people being delivered………is absolutely ridiculous.
We’ve decided to be Holy Spirit filled, Holy Spirit led, and Holy Spirit empowered – anything less doesn’t work for us.
We’ve decided to be the ones telling the stories of God’s power – not the ones hearing about them.
We’ve decided that living saved, but not supernatural is living below our privilege and short of what Christ died for.
We’ve decided we’re a battleship not a cruise-ship! An Army not an audience! Special Forces not spectators! Missionaries not club members!
We’ve decided to value both pioneers and settlers – pioneers to expand our territory and settlers to build on those territories – but we are not people who take up space others have fought for without improving it … we are not squatters.
We’ve decided to be infectious instead of innocuous. Contagious instead of quarantined! Deadly instead of benign!
We’ve decided to be radical lovers and outrageous givers.
We’ve decided that we are a mission station not a museum.
Therefore:
We honor the past but we don’t live in it.
We live in the present with our eyes on the future.
We see past events – the successes and failures – as stepping stones not stop signs.
We pursue learning in order to be transformed, not learning in order to know.
We are people of engagement not observation.
We focus on what could be – not on what is or has been.
We are not limited to the four walls of this building – our influence is not restricted by location. Not even the nations are out of bounds.
We are more concerned about how many we send out into the world then how many we convince to come into the building. This building is meant to be filled and it will be – but it will NOT be the measure of who we are or the measure of our effectiveness.
We raise-up world changers, not tour guides. We train commandos, not committees.
We are a people of our destiny, not our history.
We’ve decided that it is better to fail while reaching for the impossible that God has planned for us than succeed in settling for less.
We’ve decided that nothing short of His Kingdom come and His will be done, in our world as it is in Heaven, will satisfy.
We’ve decided that we will not be satisfied until our world freaks out and cries out, “Those who have turned the world upside down have come here too.”
These are some of the decisions that define who we are as a community and how we live our lives.
These decisions are not destinations – but rather a journey – a journey along an ancient path – we’ve not found some new way – but rather rediscovered the path as old as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The same path followed by Moses, Joshua and Caleb – Paul, John and Peter.
The path followed by the first century church – a church that revolutionized the culture of the first century and beyond.
It’s a path that will impact the world we live in today. It’s a path of Bold Faith – believing that what God says is really true and acting on it.
It’s a path of Outrageous Generosity – giving our life away in order to demonstrate His Kingdom.
It’s a path of Radical Love – loving God with EVERYTHING in us and our neighbor as ourselves.
This is a path of liberty, freedom and healing.
On this path – you will find significance, purpose, and destiny.
It is a path less traveled however – it’s not a path only available to a select few – but to whosoever will … they may come.
It’s for people of EVERY nation, tribe and tongue – for those in any occupation or vocation.
No matter where you are in your journey – there’s room on this path for you.
Trouble Brewing: A relaxed attitude toward drinking?
It seems that almost all denominations and churches are having to re-establish the essentials of The Faith from the non-essentials of their personal convictions. Old traditions, customs and “our way of doing things” are being weighed and found wanting. Christianity Today published a very telling article about the Southern Baptist and other organization’s struggle for clarity on the issue of alcohol and their ministers. This is one issue, but how it is being handled is very telling of a bigger problem. Are churches and leadership and denominational structures willing to separate the essentials of the faith from their faith traditions? At this point, do they know what the essentials are anymore?
Does anyone really focus on the essentials of the faith anymore? Can someone step outside their traditions and not be labeled a heretic by those closest to them?
For the 15 years, I’ve been a part of an organization myself that has held a strong stance against the drinking of alcohol since the 50’s (they drink nothing at all … not even in moderation). It is preached and taught against. It is looked down upon, but it is strangely not in their beloved articles of faith; though they do declare boldly that they wholly disapprove of co-ed gym classes where boys and girls play baseball together.
What’s the point, you may ask? My point is that I know we have to have “house rules” for churches and organizations. But we need to call a spade a spade, and house rules are based on the personal convictions or even the spiritual convictions of a church’s or denominational leader. Okay, I get that. It is leadership. God expected Moses to draw a line around Mt. Sinai where the people couldn’t cross over, and then didn’t tell Moses the details of where the line should be. That’s what pastors … of which I am one … that’s what we do. But the reason I have chosen this particular ministerial organization to be part of is because of their Fundamental Doctrine; it is so pure and simple. Every organization has house rules, but when the house rules overshadow the essentials in importance, there is a major problem.
But can we please have some honesty? Can we have some thorough study of scripture, without trying to start with a conclusion and find out how the Bible can support it? Yes, alcohol can be abused. So can coffee. I myself am having to limit myself because coffee is tearing up my stomach one drink at a time. But the issue isn’t really about alcohol, or music styles, or tatoos, or church-appropriate clothing, or hair length, or tithing. What does the Bible label sin? What does the Bible say will keep someone from the kingdom? That is our list of don’ts. If a pastor or denomination has personal convictions or spiritual convictions given by God above this list of don’ts, please explain the biblical principle behind that conviction … and don’t declare it as sin.
I’m truly afraid we have brought many personal convictions into the essentials of the Faith and called them necessary. It is confusing new converts, which is frustrating those who have been in our churches for awhile and don’t wrestle with these questions anymore.
The Christianity Today article, which is a good read by the way, is a good indicator of where denominations are changing on their view of alcohol … but this is really only a surface level issue. The bigger issue remains untouched.
What say ye?
Slow Boat and Free Fish Mark 6:32-44
In an attempt to run away from the masses of people, Jesus and his disciples jump on a boat. It’s a slow boat, though. Slow enough, I suppose for them to get some rest. But the boat is so slow that the crowds of people walk around the lake to where Jesus is going, and they are waiting on him when he gets there. They were determined to get something from him.
Imagining myself here.
I’d love a long ride in a slow boat right with Jesus right about now.
When Jesus lands, he has compassion on the people and begins teaching them. That’s my Jesus, but that’s not necessarily me. I look at people sometimes as time-wasters, energy suckers, life-drainers, joy-hogs. When I do have compassion, it is only Jesus’ Spirit in me coming through. Now I love to teach and tell people what to do, and I recognize that I can do it two ways. I can do it in my meanness (telling people how I think they ought to live) or I can teach in the spirit that Jesus did. One is effective and leads toward righteousness, the other is controlling and results in me getting corrected by the Master.
Later that afternoon, the disciples in their wisdom told Jesus it was time to close shop and send the people away so they could go eat. But because they were on the other side of the lake, in the middle of nowhere, there was nowhere for them to go. I personally think the disciples were hungry, and just wanted to eat, and it was a good plan for them. Jesus was probably hungry too and thought it best to treat everyone like he would want to be treated. So, he fed them all.
It was miraculous to feed 5,000+ people with so little food, with 12 baskets of leftovers. Jesus is that kind of man … and he is that kind of God. Compassionate. Miraculous. Available.
THINK and comment:
- How determined are you to get something from Jesus? Would you have walked around the lake to get to him?
- Have you ever endured physical fatigue when seeking Jesus? Other than a tired rump when a preacher is going too long?
- Would you have eaten the fish and bread that day? Even if you couldn’t explain where they all came from?
- What are you refusing to accept from God today because it isn’t logical and you can’t explain how it is going to happen?
Why is the Apostolic Doctrine best suited to affect our society?
Why is the Apostolic Doctrine is best suited to affect our society?
Experience.
Our society wants something experiential, not blind obedience to theology. They desire something tangible, not something philosophical. They want feelings to accompany their faith, to see the supernatural in the natural, to experience the unexplainable. They want to taste what God “supposedly” has to offer, something substantial that proves it is worth doing, it is worth living, it is worth sacrificing for, it is worth trying.
They want a salvation that will enable them to quit addictions, that helps them sleep at night, and gives them peace, courage, direction, wisdom, and forgiveness each time they stumble. They want to know they are “saved” and have become “right with God”, and to have a mile marker experience where they can look back and know exactly when it happened. They want a salvation that cannot be manipulated, something reliable in an unreliable world. They want something more than mere opinion and theology. They want an experience with God himself!
In almost every church that holds to the Apostle’s Doctrine and in homes or families that hold to this doctrine, someone at anytime can physically, emotionally, and spiritually experience God’s answer to these demands. Note: Apostles’ Doctrine or Teaching is a biblical phrase used in Acts 2:42 that refers to how people apply the Gospel to their lives, Acts 2:38. It is this application that is so crucial. Because “believing” in Jesus alone, as we have seen it in American Christian Society, is not enough. This only changes surface level behaviors. Our society needs a baptism of the Holy Spirit to infuse them with true life-changing power.
Bottom line: our friends, family, co-workers, and our society in general needs an experience with God.
The source of this experience is the Holy Spirit. This is not some lofty idea preached from a pulpit, but God himself manifesting himself to the person. In most cases, it is a tangible experience that becomes their concrete evidence of the invisible God. It becomes their proof of God. It becomes their proof of his love and care for them.
The very thing that our culture is seeking … some type of experience that changes them … we have. We do not believe a gospel that is only mental, but is spiritual and physical. God still heals. Miracles still happen. God still answers prayer. God still delivers from addictions. God still moves among us. God still speaks to anyone who will listen. God cares enough about us to be with us in the middle of our messy lives.
Our society needs this kind of church. And this is the kind of church I want to be a part of.
Join in and refuse to be content with a church that does not experience God. Strive for real relationship with Him. Push through your religious barriers and old unbiblical concepts of God. Invite Him to move on you, fill you, change you. Experience Him. Tell others about it. Watch God change them too.
When is it time to stop? Mark 6:30-32
After the disciples spent a time of traveling and ministering, Jesus offered them the next part of their schooling: Rest.
Working with people on any level is difficult and rewarding. Dealing with them on a spiritual level is exhilarating and exhausting at the same time, because you pouring into them who and what you are. The Apostle Paul said it this way, “We were pleased not only to impart to you the Gospel, but our own lives” (1 Thess 2:7)
Jesus took them to a solitary place. There were no cell text messages to respond to, no cell phones ringing, no email alerts to hear. It was quiet. They were alone, as alone as you can be with 13 people. But all of them had experienced the highs and lows ministry. They had that in common.
Jesus knew they needed time alone. Time alone to process everything that they experienced. Time alone to be quiet. Time alone to be themselves. Time alone with Jesus.
I like the phrase “sharpen the axe”, especially when it’s referring to resting in order to work more. That’s what rest does. You may have banged and banged away at something, and before long you are dull and ineffective. Rest is the solution. Sharpen the axe. Renew your mind, your body, your soul. Some of you are dull and worthless right now because you need rest. You need renewal. Being present in ministry is not enough, you must be sharp, ready, effective.
On the other hand, and this has to be said … too many people don’t know how to use their axe in the first place. They don’t ever jump into anything and put forth a good effort. They prepare themselves, but never do anything. They think more sharpening is needed.
All the time I was growing up, I was bent on being prepared. I wanted all things in place, and perfect. It would take me 30 minutes to get gear and tools together to do a 5 minute job. It was at these times that my dad would always pass on his dad’s advice,”Son, you’ve whetted your sword till the battle was done.”
And for many of us, we are trying to get everything in perfect order, before we begin doing what God has been calling us to. If that’s you, then you don’t need rest. You need a kick in the pants.
THINK … and comment. Get a discussion started:
- Are you giving yourself to people in the work of God, or are you exhausted from pursuing your own interests?
- What are you waiting on, in order to do what God has called you to?
- When are you usually your lowest? Is there a pattern to this exhaustion?What do you do to recoup when you are at a low point?
- Is Jesus involved your efforts? Is Jesus involved in your rest?
Lent Day 25: The Crazies Come Out, But They’ve Been There All ALong
We’ve been fasting. We’ve been praying. And things are happening. Some things in the spiritual realm are stirred.
I got a phone call the other day from a man I don’t know and the conversation went like this:
Caller: Are you the pastor?
Me: Yes.
Caller: I have some things I want you to pray about. Do you have a pen and paper ready?
Me: Uhh … sure.
Caller: I’m requesting prayer for me and my soon to be wife. We’re both born again, Spirit-filled believers. But mostly I’d like you to pray for her because she is filled with the spirit of divination.
Me: LOL. (I didn’t say “LOL”. I actually laughed out loud). Did you just say you were both filled with the Spirit of God, and that she works for Satan and you want to marry her?
Caller: Yes, and according to my understanding of the demonic, blah blah blah. (Honestly, my ears were ringing and I had trouble focusing at this point)
Me: I don’t mean to be rude. But could you define what you mean by “spirit of divination”? Because we may not be talking about the same thing.
Caller: Yes, she reads palms, tarot cards, tells fortunes, dark magic and other stuff.
Me: I don’t mean to be offensive, but you are not filled with the Holy Spirit of God if you think God is leading you to connect your life to someone who actually works for Satan. And she is not Spirit filled either. How do you know you are Spirit-filled?
Caller: Sir, I don’t want to wrangle with you about doctrinal issues … blah blah blah … my opinion is … blah blah blah … and I’ve done spiritual mapping and had a friend fast for 35 days … blah blah blah.
Me: Again, how did you know you were filled with the Holy Spirit of God?
Caller: Like I said, I don’t want to wrangle about doctrinal issues. I’d just like you to pray for me and my wife to be that she would be delivered of this spirit of divination …
Me: Okay, let’s pray now.
YIKES!
Like bugs are drawn to light bulbs, the crazies are coming out and finding us. For the past 25 days we’ve been praying and fasting for our families, our church and our city. We’ve been seeking God for a great outpouring of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, a great manifestation of his presence, a pulling down of the spiritual strongholds that are demonic, and that our church becomes a hospital. And since the first week, things like this have been happening.
This guy’s phone call was not ironic it it’s timing. It was one of many times this last month that God has moved on desperate people in response to our prayer. The caller here was hurting, confused, ignorant of the truth, and in the midst of demonic activity. This is not a time for tolerance of other beliefs. This is when the church stands and proclaims Truth in love. The problem was that in the end, the caller was not willing to answer to the questions posed to him. He had all the answers and wanted to teach me all about demonic activity. He didn’t want to “wrangle about doctrinal things”, but was so far off base, that my instant reaction to his dilemma was not for prayer. He needs instruction in truth. He needed light shed on his personal situation. He needed to know that neither he nor she were full of the Holy Spirit. Maybe at one time they were, but now they were not. Repentance was needed. Willingness to re-evaluate Truth was needed. Exorcism was maybe needed. Infilling of God’s SPirit was definitely needed.
And the baptism of the spirit, or the infilling or indwelling, or countless other ways that the book of Acts labels it when a believer is initially filled with the Holy Spirit, it is identifiable the instant it happens. Check out Acts 2,4,8,10,19. They knew the very moment it happened. But yet, so many people are misled by a false-doctrine that the reception of the Holy Spirit is a “receiving Jesus into your heart” when you first believe. Not BIBLICAL! Look at the Biblical accounts. There is a physical manifestation so that the individual who is receiving the spirit will know and those around them will know also.
I prayed for the caller that day, and today. He represents a whole generation of knowledgeable people, thinking they are following after Jesus, but actually is following after his own pursuits and labeling them God’s. It is a religious mask for selfishness. It is demonic.
When the Spirit of Truth comes, Jesus said, he will guide us into all truth. And the Spirit of Truth is the Holy SPirit (John 14).
What does righteousness and wickeness have in common, the Apostle Paul asked in 2 Corinthians 6:14 … and what fellowship can light have with darkness … and what harmony can be between Christ and Belial?
Since receiving the Holy SPirit is essential for salvation (John 3, Romans 8), how do we know (Biblically) when a person has truly received the Holy Spirit? Read the Scriptures, think, and comment below.
Hum and Buzz: A book in progress
A full blown revolution is coming—an undertow stewing beneath society’s ocean. The guerillas aren’t bound together by age or ethnicity; you won’t recognize us by our political party, culture, music or clothing. Under the nose of unsuspecting masses we gather behind closed doors, discussing our options. We feel no other recourse but to make a stand and change our worlds. This is my people, my generation … working together to reconstruct Christianity. Our weapons: love, respect, purity, truth. Our leader: Jesus.
There is something we're refusing to acknowledge.
As a collection of essays, this book journals my first years as a young man planting a church in a highly cynical, subjective, naturalist community. Daily I am with people, dialoging about life and God, quickly finding myself sounding like a gold-fingered TBN preacher, making statements I don’t even believe. After slamming into a glass ceiling, I finally asked myself and God the larger questions of faith, purpose and life. My conclusions are revealing more problems.
I am becoming noticeably different from my leaders and considerably different from neighboring pastors. I don’t align with breezy, mainstream Christianity; and I no longer fit the rigid mold of my Apostolic-Pentecostal tradition. I feel lost.
I began to discuss these issues openly with others who had nothing to lose if they differed from any denominational flavor. Surprisingly, our conclusions are similar. I am stunned by their simple, sound biblical reasoning. They also feel bound to a disconnected faith tradition, but afraid to live outside it. I have stumbled upon an entire generation, boxed-in by fear and ignorance, desperately seeking the abundant life Jesus promised. It is a quiet undertow of Christianity. I am both horrified and inspired.
Our quest … our crusade … is genuine, with pure motives. How do we live according to Apostle’s teachings in the 21st century? How did we digress? Is return possible when our very questions and faith are invalidated by our religious institutions? If our whole life is worship to God, how do we put the fun back in fundamentalism? The purpose of this book isn’t to draw a line in the sand, separating us from traditionalists. Rather, it’s a creative presentation of our legitimacy—a review of biblical principles for inclusion amid differences over nonessential issues.
For Christianity to navigate through the present, we must pay close attention to the “hum and buzz of implication”; the whispered assessment of the intimate issues of life, and the elephants that others refuse to acknowledge. It’s the part of a culture that is never really stated, but is paramount in staging and activating larger events. These thoughts are spoken around kitchen tables, silent emails, in slang, humor, and music. It paints the backdrop for our future.
This book is simply a sound-bite of the hum and buzz of my generation, religious rogues. We’re not rebellious or bitter, but we cannot deny our zeal, passion, and calling. We have silently suffocated enough in our religious institutions. So here we stand, crying in the wilderness, calling for Christianity to become balanced and authentic … to return to Jesus.
Just bring it down the mountain to us. Part 2
Jesus has just come to correct all this wrong thinking among the Hebrews. Long story made short, 3 days after they killed him, he was raised from the dead. Before being airlifted into Heaven, he taught some of the more faithful Hebrews for another 40 days. He was telling them that the Spirit of Truth (a.k.a. Comforter) would soon guide them in God and in life. His last words were for his followers to wait in Jerusalem for what he called the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Ten days later, they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Pentecost like all good Hebrews did. They were most likely talking about old Moe and God and the fire on Mt. Sinai … when a violent wind rushed through their midst. The source of this wind is an important detail of the story. It blew directly from Heaven (the same place Jesus had just ascended to).
The wind tore through the 2nd story room where they were sitting, and with it, fire. This fire came in as one blaze, but separated and became a singular flame above each person’s head. Reminiscent of Mt. Sinai bursting into fire as God descended onto it, each person in the room had a flame over their head as they were filled with the Holy Spirit. By yielding themselves to be filled with what Jesus called the Spirit of Truth, these ordinary people became the very priests that God had intended the whole nation of Israel to become.
Read the book of Acts for yourself. These Spirit-filled people were the ones to guide the rest of the world in truth, by forming what we call the church. Scripturally, everyone who became a part of the church was filled with the same Holy Spirit, which enabled them to be priests too. No wonder the early Christians turned the Roman Empire upside down. Every believer was empowered with the ability to know and hear the creator’s voice, to work on behalf of God. Two of the most famous events in the book of Acts were ignited by a couple of ordinary, unassuming young men who were chosen to serve food to old widows: Stephen and Philip.
What happened to the church since then? Where are the people who are filled with God’s spirit? Why are they silently passing through life … like the Hebrews and their superiority with the law? Will their indifference for others ever be judged?
These questions are constantly rolling around in my head today as I re-think being a pastor. It’s a daily issue. I always come back to one major concern. Am I willing to be a Moses? Am I willing to be the mediator between Jesus and his people, telling them what to do in every aspect of their lives? My first response is a shrug of the shoulders and a shy, “Sure.” I feel compelled by Jesus to teach people about him. That’s part of my calling. It’s necessary. It’s in the job description, right?
But then after looking at scripture and talking with God about it, I think, “Heck no!” God draws people to himself, fills them with his Spirit, forgives their sin through his blood, and walks with them throughout their lives. I’m just an overseer. I’m more like the sheep than I am the shepherd. I am an instrument of God’s truth (a priest), not because I’m a pastor … but because I’m filled with his Spirit.
Jesus said my duty as a Christian is to devote myself fully to him and to others … a ministry of reconciliation. As a pastor, I’m learning that it’s my job to keep pointing people back to Jesus (myself included). He’s the creator and healer and can work out the junk in their lives. I’ll love them, pray with them, baptize them, teach them, and live in community with them. But that’s still not enough, because I’m not Jesus. They need to know Jesus themselves. If people don’t yield to Jesus and receive his Spirit themselves, they’ll always be looking for me (or someone) to give them blow by blow details of how to live and what to do in every situation of their lives.
Like old Moe, I don’t want that responsibility, and I don’t think Jesus is putting it on his leaders. I’m always hearing of pastors going insane and running off with their secretaries because of the stress of the job. But I think it’s because they’re trying to be God for people. Nobody is built to handle that but Jesus.
The main reason I don’t think Jesus is putting this responsibility on me is because I have read the New Testament. Look closely at his requisites for salvation. One major thing that God requires is for humans to receive his Spirit into their physical body. It’s simple and mandatory. When a person yields to God and receives his Spirit, their human spirit is reconciled with God … which enables them to hear God for themselves. With the Holy Spirit in us, John says we “don’t need anyone to teach us” because his Spirit will lead us in all things. That’s why Jesus called this the Spirit of Truth. That’s why we become priests when we are filled by him.
On the other hand, because we have a tendency to do life on our own, to be selfish, we need pastors in our lives. They speak God’s truth when we need it and keep pointing us back to Jesus.
Remember Jesus calling himself the Comforter and the Spirit of Truth? He said he was with his followers at that time, but would soon be in them, guiding them. So, it’s by his Spirit (in us) that he leads us into truth. It’s by his Spirit (in us) that we can rightfully sing Matisyahu’s lyrics of being comforted, “You keep my mind at ease and my soul at rest, and not vexed.”
Without God’s Spirit in us, though, we don’t belong to God and we cannot enter into God’s kingdom. Why? Without receiving the Holy Spirit, individuals don’t know God’s thoughts, and are reduced to following laws, which almost always results in legalism. He doesn’t want his kingdom full of legalists. Look at the history of the Hebrews. It’s futile. The human tendency is to elevate the laws above God himself. Law-abiding Christians end up believing that knowing the laws is the same as knowing God’s heart. But God rejects that kind of thinking. He requires us to have a one-on-one experience with him.
When we yield to God and trust him fully, he fills us with his Spirit. But he’ll wait until we are ready. He’s a gentleman and doesn’t want to skeer us. Only then, when we have received his Spirit, will he claim us as his own.
As a pastor, I’m coming to the understanding that if people aren’t willing to receive God’s spirit, I can only do so much for them. I can’t ascend the mountain for people who won’t pursue God themselves. I won’t be like old Moe in this aspect. Though I’m young and eager, my knees are giving out from trying. There’s a ton of spiritually lazy, quazi-Christians hiding among us, wanting their leadership to struggle up the mountain and seek God’s will for their lives and then write it down like a personal growth plan. They just want rules because its easier that way. But they want no relationship or experience with God. This kind of easy lifestyle never pans out for anyone. They’re soon belly up, wondering what went wrong … angry that God doesn’t care, that their leadership was wrong again, and that the church is not relevant to their life.
This is where Derek Webb steps to the pulpit and throws his sticky, sarcastic lyrics in our faces.
Don’t teach me how to listen to the Spirit,
Just give me a new law.
I don’t wanna know if the answers aren’t easy,
So just bring it down from the mountain to me.
I want a new law.
Derek ends the song by addressing the fear that arises when we begin laying down our systems and living by God’s Spirit … when we recognize our need for him and really encounter God’s presence. Like Torino and the Hebrews, many of us have had an experience with God that makes us somewhat afraid of his presence. But genuine Christians must embrace both God’s searing holiness and God’s gentle love at the same time. If we are going to be led though this life by Jesus, we must be willing to experience him on a regular basis.
The last words of the song repeat over and over and over, like a marching drill or chant. To me, it’s like the repetitive sound of footsteps slowly ascending a mountain:
Do not be afraid.
Do not be afraid.
Do not be afraid.
Do not be afraid.
Do not be afraid.
My resolution is simple. Because climbing God’s mountain is skeery, I’ll climb with anyone who wants to go up the mountain. I’ll teach people how to yield to God, about being filled with his Spirit. I’ll coach them in listening to his voice and overcoming the fears of his presence. I’ll educate them in being a 21st century priest. I’ll teach them how to wrestle with God about the issues in their lives. But I will not haul a bunch of laws down from God’s mountain and expect anyone to live by them (except those in the bible). We live in a time when God no longer accepts that kind of relationship. He offers more, and expects more.
* * * *
So, what does Pentecost have to do with me, now, after all these years? Everything. It signifies the closing of an era when God overlooked legalism. Best of all, it signifies the beginning of a new era when we can be filled with his Spirit and always be in his presence. It means he knows our frustrations and will comfort us through them. It means we can hear God’s voice and understand God ourselves. It means my job as a pastor is to lead people back to Jesus so he can guide them through life. He is our creator, our pastor, our truth, our savior, our friend.
Sources:
Exodus 19:6; 20:18-20 … Too much to list here … see Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy
Acts 1:3-5; 2:1-4
Revelation 1:6; 5:10
1 John 2:26-27
John 14:15-20; 3:5;
Romans 8:9
1 Corinthians 2:14-16
Ronald Sider. Living Like Jesus. Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI. 1996. p17.
Just bring it down the mountain to us. Part 1
This is a chapter in a book I’m still tweaking. Take a read and let me know what you think. Thanks, Toby.
When it comes to music, I’m a lyrics guy. I’m moved by good music, by someone’s ability to make an instrument talk to my emotions, to make me feel what they feel. But I’m changed by good lyrics. They probe my mind and open my eyes. Through good lyrics, I see life differently. I experience people differently. Each morning, I know when I can’t sleep any more because the lyrics of some song will be out for a stroll just behind my eyelids, and I begin analyzing them as they pass by.
This is probably because I’m an English major … which enables me to do absolutely nothing in the real world. With my ability to interpret e.e. cummings and dig impossible meanings from William Blake, I taught high school English for a year. In reality, I only taught teens how to dissect Eminem songs. Looking back, I see how my employment could have been a misappropriation of tax dollars. I’m glad nobody said that to my face, though; I probably would have thought it meant something really deep. Somehow I’d have connected anti-war politics and the lack of good education in the state of Louisiana with my purpose in life, and it would have seemed like a compliment.
Lately, there are two songs that I cannot push out of my mind: Matisyahu’s King Without A Crown, and Derek Webb’s A New Law. Both artists come from different cultures, create different styles of music, and have very different theological purposes in mind. Yet they come together and paint a picture in my mind. Whether my eyes are closed or open, I can’t listen to either of them without seeing Mt. Sinai on fire … the very first time when God spoke to his people without a mediator.
Imagine this situation with me. Let’s start with Moses. Don’t think of him as he was played by Charleton Heston in The Ten Commandments, all handsome and bronze. Think of him like he really is in the Bible, hairy and ticked off. He’s hairy because he’s a Middle-Eastern Hebrew before Gillette disposables were created. He’s ticked off because he has a strange ability to hear God’s voice. This may seem like a really neat gift, but what frustrates Moses about it is that when he tells the Hebrews (God’s chosen people) what God says … they don’t like it. They always have better ideas.
Trying desperately to be a good pastor, I’ve felt like Moses a few times. A young guy recently asked me what the Bible said about certain things that were going on in his life. I pointed out a few scriptures and explained them. He responded with a modified rendition of “That’s your interpretation! I can sleep with my girlfriend and rob banks if I want to because the Bible says God loves me like I am!”
Times like this make me think of all the CSI episodes I’ve seen. I close my eyes and rub my forehead, reminding myself, they always catch the murderer … no matter how meticulously it’s planned.
I like to think Moses and I would have gotten along like thieves. I could call him Moe he’d call me old Tobe, and we’d complain about God’s people to each other. We could give people bad advice and then watch them do the opposite, and then we could laugh at it all. I’m sure there would be times we’d be mischievous and take his rod (that turned into a snake) and slip it into different people’s tents, just to see their reactions. We’d be good friends. I bet Moe would agree that leading people to God is like trying to herd cats.
In reality, Moses was totally frustrated with the Hebrews. He was tired of the responsibility of leading them when they weren’t in sync with God’s master plan. He didn’t want to be their mediator anymore. After a while, God told Moses to prepare the people to hear God for themselves … directly, without a middle man, without an interpreter, one on one. Imagine the look on Moses’ face! He had to have been ecstatic. His mediating job was over. The people would soon be listening to God all for themselves. And Moe could just walk away from them and go pick flowers if he wanted to. Every Hebrew was about to become their own priest. They would all be able to communicate with God, and could each teach the world what God wanted from humanity. Israel would be known as a nation of priests. The people were excited, and took 3 days to prepare themselves.
The day arrives. The Hebrews all approach the base of Mt. Sinai and wait. Suddenly, God shows up. The mountain bursts into flames. Smoke mushrooms into the sky and blocks out the sun. Darkness shrouds them as lightening flashes through the smoke, illuminating the silhouette of the mountain. Fierce winds rage through the flames, sounding like trumpets, blowing down the slopes to the people. The immense heat of the fire reddens their faces. The voice of God rumbles like thunder down to the people, and for the first time in their lives, they hear the voice of God. They had seen his handiwork in all the plagues in Egypt, and in the opening of the Red Sea, but at this moment he spoke to them individually: the creator to his creation. The distant, supernatural God they believed in was suddenly not so distant. Matisyahu’s lyrics set the scene:
I look to the sky, where my help comes from,
Seen it circling down from the mountain.
Thunder! You feel it in your chest.
You keep my mind at ease
And my soul at rest, and not vexed.
I love Matisyahu’s flair and intensity. Being a convert to Judaism, he offers what traditional Hebrews want to remember of this event; that the presence of their deliverer set them at ease, the Torah bringing rest to their souls. But that’s hardly what happened! Moses refers to this interaction a few times and records how coldly the people respond to their God. Basically, his presence made them uncomfortable and they did not want to hear from him again. They were afraid of God. Being a nation of priests wasn’t worth dealing with these scary elements surrounding God’s presence. The conversation between God and the Hebrews was over.
My friend Torino told me about a similar experience, when God’s presence scared the pudding out of him. He said he was going through a really hard time of loneliness and had just read a book about how God’s Spirit is real and alive and comforts us if we ask, that He responds to us in real time. A little wigged out, but curious, Torino sat on his mom’s plastic covered couch, wondering what words to speak to conjure God into the room. He said he was nervous and looked to the ceiling and just muttered, “God, please come in here and … uh … I guess … uh … sit with me.” That’s when he got really freaked out.
“Why’d you get scared?” I asked.
“The cushion next me sunked down, like somebody had just sat in it!” I still remember the look in his brown eyes when he said it, and the way he spread his fingers and pushed his hands down through the air. It scared me. I had only been interested in God for about a month at the time. This was a bit much for me.
“What did you do?” I asked.
“I run out of the house!” He loves telling this story, because he likes the ending. “After walking round the block, I told the Lord that he skeered me. I said I wanted him to be wit me, but I don’t want to be skeered of him.” This is when he would launch into his God is a gentleman speech, telling how God is gentle with us and won’t push himself on us … but that he is Spirit and we have to understand that the spiritual realm is real. Torino is not the model citizen, he has his own issues. But he can tune into God when he needs to, and does a pretty good job of telling others how they can do it too.
The problem with the Hebrews at Mt. Sinai that day, is that they heard God and deliberately chose not to listen again, ever. They turned back to Moses, “You just tell us what to do. Don’t let God talk to us.” That’s when Moe (ticked off again) went up the mountain alone. I don’t blame him, but I would have gone over the mountain and into the promise land all by myself. Forty days later Moses returned with a print-off of what God had just spoken to them; the Ten Commandments.
Since the Hebrews refused to follow God directly, he gave Moses hundreds of laws to govern his whiny people. I think it was punishment for their unwillingness to become the priests he wanted them to be. So, God dictated every gamut of their lives, from clothing to food to sex and work. He also mandated holidays (holy days) for them, a time to reminisce about God’s providence. One in particular was called the Feast of Pentecost. It was primarily to celebrate the law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. But they often focused on the wrong part of it. They usually celebrated being the only people in the world to whom the creator could entrust his laws. How quickly they forgot. They could have been priests, teaching the world how to be reconciled with God. Instead, they settled for feeling superior that they knew God’s laws, while others didn’t.
(This is the end of part 1. Please turn the tape over and press play for part 2.)
Day 7 of our Lent fast … the breaking begins
Sometimes it’s hard to read a face. As a pastor, I’ve learned not to use facial expressions, or the lack thereof to be a measurement of what is going on inside a person. Emotions and feelings don’t always make it to the surface, but it doesn’t mean nothing is going on inside.
Ellen and I got the following email from someone in our church on Monday. It is referring to our time of prayer on Sunday:
“WOW! I have got to tell you guys… I HAVE NEVER FELT GOD MOVE LIKE THAT BEFORE!!! OK, so I’ve felt him move twice before, but second to receiving the spirit, I have really never felt him move like that. When we were praying it was totally amazing! Was I the only one who felt that? Is that what you guys are talking about when you say you can feel God moving? I don’t know how to put into words how it feels … That over powering suffocation/sensation … But, I was still breathing … I loved it … I could breath. It was so peaceful, so easy to pray. I was so relaxed… It’s gotta be the best high that exists. How do I open myself up to him moving more often?!?! That was so awesome!”
I’m finding that you never know what kind of soil a person has in their heart. And in a row of people, while most are thinking about their laundry lists and watching the clock, there may be one sitting there having the experience of their life. The soil in their heart is happy and joyful to be receiving the seed that God is placing in them.
My aim is for us all to get to a point where we are tired of containing what is going on internally and it begins to bubble and erupt, and what God is doing inside us becomes obvious to others. Isn’t that the point of the seed? To appear above ground?
When we really get down to brass tacks, isn’t that a great part of what the Apostle Paul called the “power and demonstration of the Spirit”? His Spirit working in and through ours?
Mark 4:1-20 Jesus confuses people
What a serene scene! Jesus gets into a small boat and pushes out a bit and anchors so he can teach the very interested and large crowd. HIs words travel easily on the water, so he doesn’t have to raise his voice. Everyone lines the water’s edge in anticipation of a life-changing message. Seagulls flap overhead in a gentle wind. It’s just Jesus, the gulls, the waves lapping the shore (remember it’s a lake, not an ocean). But shortly into his teaching, there was one other sound.
Across the crowd, a deep exhale takes place. This sigh is audible confusion. I think maybe a few people were thinking, “Hey, the chosen one isn’t the best teacher. Do you get anything he’s saying?”
Dirt? Seeds? Birds? Rocks? Crops? And Jesus wraps up his very impacting sermon with this dandy, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
I wonder if Jesus wrestled with low self esteem after preaching? Did he wonder if people got it? Were enough lives changed? Was anybody changed? As a pastor I know the angst of not clearly communicating something that I earnestly want to, but I’m still clueless as to why Jesus taught this, when he only wanted the 12 to understand it (vs 11).
At first, even the 12 golden boys didn’t get what the heck Jesus was saying. So they kindly waited until Jesus finished his “clear as mud” sermon and asked what it meant. This happened a lot. Many times, they waited patiently until everyone was gone, and then asked Jesus, “What were you really trying to say back there?”
I love it when people in our church ask me that after a message. At least I know they are interested in what I was trying to convey.
Matthew 13:1-23 records this same parable. In my opinion, it’s easier to understand when reading Matthew 13:18-23. The basics are these:
- The seed is the message about God’s Kingdom: it is here, how to enter, how to live inside it, why you will like it, etc.
- The 4 different soils are different people.
- Packed soil is a path, where the seeds just gets eaten by birds. These are people who hear about the kingdom but don’t understand. Satan comes along and takes away what they heard.
- Rocky soil receives the seed and produces a plant, but it can’t develop roots because of the rocks, it is short lived. These are people who receive the truth and are joyful about it, but because they aren’t rooted, when trouble comes, they quickly fall away.
- Thorny soil receives the seed, but its necessary nutrients are stolen by the thorns. These are people who receive the truth, but their worries about life and security and their desire for other things choke out the message of the kingdom.
- Good soil receives the seed and produces a large crop. These are people who hear the message and receive it. Because the seed is the message or the word about the kingdom of God, they create more seeds. This means that good soil people will produce a hundred times more seed that what they received. They will be people who create opportunities for other people to hear the message.
THINK:
- What are the thorns/worries in your life that choke out your spiritual life?
- What are the stones in your life that keep you from growing spiritual roots?
- What do you know about the birds that try to steal the messages of God’s kingdom in your life?
- How do we change what kind of soil we are? Are we doomed to always be the same? What steps could you take to improve the soil of your spiritual life?
- What crop does Jesus want to yield?
Everything’s amazing; nobody’s happy
I miss the unsolicited input from old people I know. Sometimes it’s that rough advice you weren’t looking for that helps you bolster your framework, through which you can really deal with your life.
Being fairly new in Alaska, I’ve not had the opportunity … or taken the opportunity to get to know people outside my age group (+/- 10 years). And I crave input from people my parents would call “sir” or “ma’am”. On the outside, the elderly may just seem like cranky, crochety geezers who smell funny. But slow down and really listen. Some of them have gone kooky from dealing with life; but even that’s a lesson. The sane ones, when they give their input, have wisdom to pour out. It’s not likely you’re going through anything they didn’t go through. Life isn’t so bad. Like Garrison Keillor says, “It could be worse.”
When I saw this clip, it made me think of how one-dimensional I/we have become. He was my old geezer today. His words reminded me that all the things we have and want that are supposed to help us … well … sometimes they ends up making us … punks.
Mark 3:7-19 Runaway Jesus
Okay, here we have Jesus running away because he was about to be killed. He wasn’t afraid, it just wasn’t his time. I think it’s fairly important to know when it’s our time … to do what we came to do. We ought not die on molehills if we’re destined for dying on mountains. If Jesus had been caught and stoned for breaking the sabbath, where would we be now? He knew “when to hold ‘em, and when to fold ‘em, when to walk away and when to run” (that’s a Kenny Rogers song for you youngsters).
When Jesus delivered some of these people from demonic spirits, they fell down before him and loudly declared who Jesus was: God in a human body. But what’s strange is that Jesus commands them not to tell anyone (vs 12).
Why not tell anyone who Jesus really is? This would be like uncovering the true identity of Batman or even like pulling out old photos of Michael Jackson. But Jesus didn’t want people to know who he was, yet. He had a reason. Jesus had a lot of work to do yet, and if it got out that he was being called the son of God (God manifest in a human body), that he would surely be arrested and killed … too early. He gave up instant recognition for his greatest opportunity.
Then Jesus climbs up a mountain and invites only a few people out of the crowd. How frustrating for the people who were left behind. These 12 would be his closest disciples, his apostles. Except for Judas the idiot … he would kill himself after he sold Jesus out. Isn’t it strange that Jesus willfully chose a guy who he knew would betray him?
THINK:
- What were the crowds looking for in Jesus?
- What do you think he was looking for in the crowds?
- What qualities did the 12 disciples have that urged Jesus to choose them?
- If Jesus overlooked you in the crowd that day, and chose Judas next to you, how would you have felt watching them walk up the mountain together?
- How would you feel if Jesus called you up the mountain that day? Has he called you in some form or fashion to be his follower?
Got myself a Chocolate Jesus
Don’t get on my knees to pray
Don’t memorize the books of the Bible
I got my own special way
But I know Jesus loves me
Maybe just a little bit more
I fall on my knees every Sunday
At Zerelda Lee’s candy store
Well it’s got to be a chocolate Jesus
Make me feel good inside
Got to be a chocolate Jesus
Keep me satisfied
Well I don’t want no Abba Zabba
Don’t want no Almond Joy
There ain’t nothing better
Suitable for this boy
Well it’s the only thing
That can pick me up
Better than a cup of gold
See only a chocolate Jesus
Can satisfy my soul
When the weather gets rough
And it’s whiskey in the shade
It’s best to wrap your savior
Up in cellophane
He flows like the big muddy
But that’s ok
Pour him over ice cream
For a nice parfait
Well it’s got to be a chocolate Jesus
Good enough for me
Got to be a chocolate Jesus
Good enough for me
Make me feel good inside
Got to be a chocolate Jesus
Keep me satisfied
This is for the pastors, teachers, ministers
In the middle of a rant to the church in Corinth that he started and Pastored, the apostle Paul said something very indicative of our church, and all churches, and all people who seek God.
“You already have more access to God than you can handle.” 1 Corinthians 4: 7-8, The Message.
Throughout chapter 4, Paul continues speaking plainly to the church about their unwillingness (which he begins in ch 3).
“It seems to me that God has put us who bear his Message on stage in a theater in which no one wants to buy a ticket. We’re something everyone stands around and stares at, like an accident in the street. We’re the Messiah’s misfits. You might be well-thought-of by others, but we’re mostly kicked around. Much of the time we don’t have enough to eat, we wear patched and threadbare clothes, we get doors slammed in our faces, and we pick up odd jobs anywhere we can eke out a living. When they call us names, we say, “God bless you.” When they spread rumors about us, we put in a good word for them …”
He finishes his letter in 16:13-14 by this, “Keep your eyes open, hold tight to your convictions, give it all you’ve got, be resolute, and love without stopping.”
This final part is my prayer today for pastors, teachers, ministers everywhere. You are the Messiah’s misfits.
Memories of a hearse driver
Several of us sat around at the McMahons tonight and talked about death … and then we told about strange things that happen around death and funerals and everything in between. Like weird customs or rituals. And there are a bunch of them.
Ever hear of kids kissing the corpse in the coffin? It scarred and scared one of the guys telling stories tonight.
Ever hear of schiva? Sitting, waiting, silently with those grieving. Beautiful, but I’ve never seen it or been a part of it. Done a sorta-schiva for a friend whose wife left him, and he was grieving. I sat with him and a lot of the time we just sat. I suppose it’s similar.
My favorite story to tell about funerals was when I had a job driving hearse in St. Louis for a funeral home. My first solo drive was to a ceremony/burial at the big fancy military cemetery. Somehow they rousted 3 VFW guys off their porches long enough to put what looked like old Boy Scout uniforms on them, give them each a gun, and some directions about firing in unison. When we arrived, these 3 stooges were saluting the casket as I directed the pall bearers to their duty. After placing the casket on the stand, and a few fumbles of the 3 VFW stooges, those attending the funeral stood back to watch the 21 gun salute.
It wasn’t quite a salute, but sounded more like a New Year’s Eve firework show. There was no rhyme or rhythm or consistency. Just shooting. After re-tucking their shirts in underneath their overgrown bellies, 2 stooges stood guard as one of them pressed play on the tape player by his guncase and Wal-Mart bag. Taps played through the tinny speakers. Crickets even stopped to listen.
As a minister in training, I wanted to see the eulogist in action. What does a minister say about someone he didn’t know? I learned that they just speak in vague terms of goodness and responding to the call of action, and duty. A lot of mention about duty and responsibility. But more than duty, was the constant droning of the scriptures. I love the bible, but this guy was killing all of us with it. It was slow death for the whole congregation, until the wasp visited us.
The eulogist was prattling on through 1 Corinthians 15, “And this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” And then, he paused for a theatrical effect I suppose (note to self) and he raised a fist and shook it at the ceiling of the tent we were under, “O death, where is thy sting?” Which was a little melodramatic for this sullen crowd … and then it happened.
From underneath the casket came the loudest wasp you could ever imagine. It sounded like a bomber plane carrying vibrating death on it’s wings. He zoomed everyone on the front row, then took off directly for the eulogist. He awkwardly jumped and flitted around the podium, losing all composure, swatting at this killer wasp with his bible, all the while trying not to fall into the oversized hole they dug for the casket.
And it was then that I noticed the greatest feat of all. He continued reading the scripture and the eulogy as if nothing uncommon were happening to him right at that very moment. As his voice carried bravely on with the funeral, his mortal body was dealing with imminent death. ”Oh … grave!” he was out of breath a little, “where is thy … thy victory?”
