Losing Freedoms in America

I recently read a book called The Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek. Hayek is an Economist who fled Germany and is writing in England in the early 40’s in the midst of the war. His main goal in the book was to warn people (especially in England and America) that fascism and naziism were preceded by socialism, not accidentally but as the natural evolution of socialism. Hayek writes, “Few are ready to recognize that the rise of fascism and naziism was not a reaction against the socialist trends of the preceding period but a necessary outcome of these tendencies.” Hayek was concerned because many voices among the Allies in the 1940’s supported the permanent nationalization of the means of production and central economic planning – the very steps that Germany took in the previous 30 years. Hayek’s experience was that the more a civilization takes steps toward socialism, the more individuals are required to give up personal freedoms for the sake of the majority. And the relinquishing of personal freedoms is a dangerous trajectory to be on.

I’d like to sidestep the interesting discussion on where the USA currently sits on the continuum between capitalism and socialism in order to focus in on individual freedom. In his book, Hayek quotes Benito Mussolini - “We were the first to assert that the more complicated the forms assumed by civilization, the more restricted the freedom of the individual must become.” I find Mussolini’s perspective both disturbing and in some sense prophetic. Consider America. Our world is becoming increasingly complex. And we are seeing our individual freedoms restricted. Just consider what has happened during the tenures of our last two presidents. Under President Bush (a Republican) we’ve seen freedoms restricted in the name of national security. (I do think restricting freedoms in a time of war is legitimate – but the War on Terror is open-ended and seemingly never ending, particularly in light of domestic ‘terrorism’ like in Newtown, CT.) Under President Obama (a Democrat) we’ve seen freedoms restricted in the name of equality. I’m referring to the Affordable Care Act which in effect requires individuals to purchase health insurance whether they want it or not. This is a new type of freedom, the “right of the majority against the individual.” (Peter Drucker, The End of Economic Man)

The trajectory of American society is definitely toward less personal freedom not more. I suppose I’ve naively assumed that freedom is something you either have or you don’t. As a child I thought, “I’m free as an American but those Communists in the Soviet Union are not.” In reality freedom is a constantly varying thing – more like a polar ice cap that expands and contracts depending on the season. As a Christian living in a season of contracting individual freedom, what should be my response? We Americans must begin to recognize that freedom is not the most important thing – Christ is. Consider what the Apostle Paul wrote:

^ESV 1 Corinthians 7:20-24 “Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. ²¹ Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity. ²² For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ. ²³ You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men. ²⁴ So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God.”

Remaining with God trumps freedom. If you can only choose one: political, economic & sexual freedom or relationship with God – you choose relationship with God every time. Why? Because the freedom we have in Christ surpasses all other freedom. Freedom from guilt, sin and ultimately death are freedoms that cannot be revoked by any politician or mob or employer. So to begin with, let us keep the main thing the main thing: the key freedom to pursue and zealously guard is freedom in Christ.

            Freedom in Christ is of course not incompatible with political, economic, sexual or other individual freedoms. And in fact, Paul says (in the context of chattel slavery) “if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.” I take this to mean, resist those who seek to strip freedoms from the individual. Promote the freedom of the individual as unto Christ. But promote freedom as an adopted son/daughter of the Living God – a redeemed creature on the verge of freedoms in eternity so grand that imagination cannot sketch them. Promote freedom as one who is jealous for Christ’s reputation more than your own. And Promote freedom out of love for your neighbor – a fellow immortal. 

A Lesson from my Call to Poison Control

The other day I was in the kitchen making dinner when my little two year old Jesse came in and started burping and then actually vomiting. My first thought was, “Oh, great, I thought we’d finally gotten healthy again!” But Jesse didn’t have the flu, he had an illness far more deadly: an idolatrous sinful heart. One of my older children came up to me at the stove and said, “Dad, look – all our gummy vitamins are gone.” I thought, “Wow, those didn’t last very long.” But then it hit me. Little Jesse had beat the child-safety lid and eaten them all! This was no small feat. We buy the mega size gummy jars from Sam’s Club – the kind that hold 275. Jesse ate about 200 vitamin gummies and was now having a serious indigestion problem. In a moment I was on the phone with poison control. To sum it up, the type of vitamins he ate would not poison him. His system would expel any unneeded vitamins. Praise God that Jesse didn’t get into something more dangerous!

            I’m reminded of what the Proverbs say:

^NIV Proverbs 25:16 If you find honey, eat just enough-- too much of it, and you will vomit.

^NIV Proverbs 25:27 It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to seek one's own honor.

What in the world possessed little Jesse to eat a pile of gummies the size of a softball? Sin. Toddlers love gummy snacks. If 8-10 gummy bears are yummy, surely 200 would be even better! But we can have too much of a good thing. In fact most of our idols are not pure evil - inherently wicked in every dimension. Most of our idols are good things that we honor (overindulge in or mis-prioritize) above God. Toddler Jesse overindulged in gummies and paid the price – literally vomiting up all the “honey” he gorged himself on.

I wish I could say that our hearts were cured from the sickness of idolatry in our toddler years. Unfortunately, they are not. I’ve met men who gorged themselves on work, to the point that they were burnt out, divorced and disengaged from their children. I’ve met men and women who abused some substance so thoroughly that they self-destructed every dimension of life. I’ve met women who were such fixers, that they were enslaved to helping others – so completely needing to be needed that they too did not find the love, peace and joy that Christ (the only Savior) offers.

            The bottom line is that our hearts are desperately sick (Jeremiah 17:9). Our hearts are little “idol-making factories” – constantly displacing the Lord God with other things. What are we to do? One thing is we must consult “Poison Control” – i.e. consult the Scriptures and pray for discernment in identifying idols. Until we recognize what good thing we have turned into a poison by improperly loving it we will not realize our danger. William Greenhill in his book Stop Loving the World wrote, “We meditate most on the things we love.” What do you think a lot about? This may indicate that you’re swallowing fistfuls of gummy bears. Be warned – in seeking your own honor your life may manifest symptoms of indigestion and you may soon be forced to endure the bitter experience of vomiting up what you used to think sweet.

The other thing to consider is that Christ is the only thing you can never have too much of. Paul wrote, “Christ is all.” (Col 3:11) It is impossible to think too highly or too much of Jesus. It is impossible to love Jesus too much. In fact it is only as we love and enjoy Christ first and above all others that we can safely indulge in all lesser loves. So whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. (1 Cor 10:31)

Christians, YOU are a People of Knowledge

Dallas Willard once said that the real battle going on in our time is over authority and authority is tied to knowledge. If this is true, over the last two centuries the Church has been forced to the sidelines (and at times voluntarily retreated). In the West knowledge was separated into two spheres. The realm of the sense perceptible and the realm of the spiritual. Effectively what has happened is that sciences were granted “real” knowledge and the Church was granted sentiment, values, faith. Thus pastors and Christians and the Bible don’t deal with realities except the realities of peoples’ emotional lives. And so, Professor Willard concludes, pastors are no longer in the “knowledge” business, they are in the “faith” business. Which basically means pastors aren’t relevant to the real world or the marketplace and we have slowly been edged out of significance in the public sphere.

            I for one am tired of being elbowed out of the public sphere. It is increasingly obvious that our communities are adrift. Do we imagine that ruling “faith” out of order in politicians or civil servants or volunteers is helpful? We’re requiring people to ignore half of the universe’s knowledge! Can any society continue to make progress down the road if the steering column has limits artificially imposed on it – such that it can only turn left but never right? Is it any wonder that we seem to be swerving from ditch to ditch?

            It is time for Christians to dig in their heels and refuse to be relegated to “sentiment”. How? First by understanding that the West’s bifurcation of knowledge into two spheres is not Biblical. We must see that the Bible is God’s divinely inspired Word. A word from an Intelligent Being to intelligent creatures. And what does this Word say about knowledge? “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Proverbs 1:7. In other words, intelligence and understanding don’t even start until we factor the existence and nature of our Creator and Redeemer into the equation. The recognition of God must be the first move in any pursuit of knowledge. According to the Apostle Paul, when people refused to acknowledge God they became “futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

            We’re now 150 years down the road of futile thinking – a foolish separation of knowledge. Modern advances in technology and the sciences would seem to suggest that the splitting of knowledge into two groups was the right move. But was it? Increasingly “scientific” knowledge is being used foolishly. And we see the silliness of making decisions without factoring God into the equation.

            So what are we to do?  Corporately, churches must no longer cede the realm of knowledge to others. We are in the knowledge business. Let us stop collaborating with those who slice apart the realm of knowledge and would forbid the Church from relevance beyond peoples’ emotional lives. How are we collaborating? By an over-emphasis in our services on sentiment and experience. Pastors must not restrict our study to a narrow sliver of the realm of knowledge. And each of us as Christians must accept that we are a people of knowledge. The Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Church is relevant for us today:

“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

Will Turbo-charging our Economy Lead to $700 Donkey’s Head Stew?

I read an interesting book recently: The New Depression: the Breakdown of the Paper Money Economy by Richard Duncan. To vastly simplify Richard’s argument, it is the supply of credit more than the supply of money that influences our economy now. Or in laymen terms: the influence of a physical press printing greenbacks influences our economy orders of magnitude less than the creation of credit. In 1945 the Total Credit Market Debt held by creditors was $355 Billion. As of second quarter 2013 it is $57.562 Trillion. (http://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/z1/current/accessible/l1.htm) A 40 year credit boom has turbo-boosted our economy since the 1980’s. But at what cost? Our debt (government, business & household) now stands at 4X our GDP.

            There seems to be consensus that we are on an unsustainable path. Unfortunately that seems to be where the consensus ends. Some argue for austerity - massive cuts in spending to reduce the deficit. The difficulty with the austerity solution is that our government spends 1/3 of every dollar spent. So any significant cut in federal spending will have a negative impact on the economy. Thus many support the status quo: keep turbo-charging our economy by creating credit. This is essentially Richard’s argument. He does not deny the presence of serious warning signs, but he says we can avoid another Great Depression if we act now.

What should we do? Richard contends that we should continue turbo-charging our economy by creating credit but instead of using that credit to fuel short-term consumption we should invest in long-term profit-making ventures like solar energy. Richard concludes, “What a tragic mistake it would be to impose austerity and see our world implode, when so much credit is available at ultra-low costs. All that is required is for us, as a society, to invest that credit imaginatively. If we do, we can achieve global economic prosperity beyond the dreams of all earlier generations.”

            I’m not an economist but this conclusion seems to me to be a pipe dream. If I was struggling to pay my current mortgage, what sense does it make to buy a second house with an even larger mortgage – simply because the interest rate is ultra-low? You may hope to turn a profit on the second mortgage and thus be able to pay off the first mortgage more quickly. But then again you may not. It is all a very big gamble!

            What should our response as Christians be to the financial mess our country finds itself in? I think we must begin by practicing good stewardship at home with our own personal finances (1 Corinthians 4:2, Matthew 25:14-30). America’s over-indebtedness is not just a federal government problem, over-indebtedness is also a household problem and a corporation problem.

The second thing Christians should do is believe in absolute truth and ground that belief in Scripture and history. Many will say, “We live in a different world now. The economic process is no longer driven by saving and investment. Today it is driven by borrowing and consumption. Yes, total credit expanded 50 times in less than 50 years to keep the American dream alive and to create wealth but credit can continue to push our economy forward if we don’t stop creating it.” Richard argues along these lines. “The U.S. government can now borrow money for 10 years at a cost of 2% interest a year. If it borrows at that rate and invests in projects that yield even 3%, ‘Creditopia’ will survive. If it borrows at that rate and invests on a grand scale in grand projects, precarious Creditopia could be transformed into a sustainable Utopia in which the cost of energy falls 90% and life expectancy doubles.”

The trouble with such logic is that it flies in the face of history and embraces the mirage that you can have your cake and eat it too. The truth is there “ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” Personally, I think interrupting the normal boom and bust cycle of economies by turbo-charging them with credit over the last 40 years is simply postponing and probably amplifying the bust. Newton’s third law comes to mind: “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

Talk of a “utopia” sounds eerily similar to what Hitler promised Germany during its tumultuous economic times. As Christians we must be salt and light, anchoring our culture to the truth. Our actions have consequences. As anyone who has had a hangnail or a tooth ache knows, postponing prudent action to avoid pain now will only increase the pain later. Dear Christian, read the history of the Kingdom of Israel as recorded in the Bible (1 Samuel – 2 Kings). Notice the action – reaction/consequences connection throughout those centuries. Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.” At the height of an economic boom Solomon made gold shields (1 Kings 10:16-17). But the boom was built in large part on the “credit” of forced labor. This boom lasted 40 years (not unlike our current credit boom?) but collapsed when Solomon’s son refused to recognize the need to pull back the throttle and stop turbo-charging the economy. The forced laborers revolted, the kingdom was split in two and 5 years later the very gold shields that Solomon made during times of excess were taken (1 Kings 14:25ff).

Though most of the signs point to difficult times in our future, we are Christians and our hope is in Christ and as such our future is radiant and secure! For the Lord is a Redeemer and His eyes are on His people. At one point in Israel’s history He even rescued them from hyper-inflation that was so bad that a donkey’s head was going for $700 in the marketplace (2 Kings 6:24-7:20). Therefore let us not despair, though the earth give way or we be crushed by deflation or inflation for the city of God shall not be moved because God is in her midst! (Psalm 46)

Will Only Those Deeds done “unto Christ” Last?

In recent posts I have been trying to persuade you that there is no dichotomy between the sacred and secular. In other words, that as a Christian you are advancing the Kingdom of God not just on Sunday morning but wherever you bring order to this world – on the jobsite as an electrician, at home training your children, resolving a friend’s computer glitch, etc. But what has gone implied in some of my previous posts must be stated explicitly now to avoid misunderstanding. Your work advances the Kingdom of God if it is done unto Christ.

^ESV Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

            What does it mean to do our deeds “in the name of Christ”? We cannot hope to answer the question fully in a single blog. But at a minimum, working as “unto Christ” means our labors are done on the foundation of Christ and according to the blueprint that God established in His Word. This is the point of Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish builders (Luke 6:46-49). The wise man builds his house upon the rock: Jesus Christ and according to the instructions of the Lord Jesus Christ. Such a man is doing everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. And thus when the flood comes (a figure of Judgment Day) his work stands firm. I.e. it lasts, though it is purified (vs. destroyed) by fire – melting away the dross and leaving only what was pure (1 Cor 3:12-13). In contrast the foolish man neither builds on the foundation of Christ nor builds according to the blueprints that Christ has given (Luke 6:46). When Judgment Day comes that man and everything he has built collapses and “the ruin of that house was great.”

            Three conclusions:

1) Whatever you build on the foundation of Christ according to the Word and will of God will last. Lay up treasures for yourself in Heaven because you can take it with you! (Mt 6:19-21)

2) Only that which is done “unto Christ” will last.

3) Anything not done “unto Christ” will be lost.

            This suggests that only Christians can do deeds that last. Does this then imply that the efforts of unbelievers are worthless? In considering the full counsel of Scripture I do not think that is what the Bible teaches. The Bible does not teach that only Christians are blessed or gifted or engaged in something worthwhile. God gives gifts to both the good and the evil (Mt 5:45). The gifts and resources that unbelievers are given by God are useful not only in this age but may very well last into the next age. Consider the Parable of the Talents (Mt 25:14-30). At Judgment Day the life’s work of the worthless servant, like the foolish builder, comes crashing down. But notice that though he was cast into the darkness, the talent that he was given isn’t abolished but is transferred to the one who was faithful with 10 talents – i.e. the Christian.

^ESV Matthew 25:29 “For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”

Consider also:

^ESV Proverbs 13:22 “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, but the sinner's wealth is laid up for the righteous.”

So it is not that unbelievers cannot accomplish anything worthwhile. It is that because they reject Christ whatever they do accomplish will ultimately be enjoyed by the faithful.

            So we ought not to disparage the works of unbelievers. Often their works of art and deeds are excellent and honor God more than they themselves know. And if we’re honest, much of our work depends on the efforts of unbelievers around us and those who have gone before. (e.g. Some of the people who designed and built this computer I’m using to type this blog were and are unbelievers.) But let us point them to Christ. For apart from Him they have nothing and whatever they build will be left behind for another to enjoy – a faithful person. And let us build our lives on Christ and according to the Word of Christ. For we have the promise that we will enjoy such labors:

^ESV Isaiah 65:21 “They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ²² They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.”

            Questions to consider:

• Why is the recognition of Christ essential to truly enjoying one’s works?
• If you knew that the house you were building now is the house you would inhabit in Heaven, how would you work differently?
• What is your attitude toward your unbelieving coworkers? Do you rightly value their efforts?

Redefining “Ministry” and “Mission” takes more than a Sermon Series

            Every Christian is called by God to advance the Kingdom of God as we support human flourishing. Our support of individual and community flourishing may take “spiritual” forms such as preaching, prayer, mercy ministry, etc. but it may also take “secular” forms such as nursing, home repair, gardening, feeding your family, etc. In the work of bringing order to our sphere of influence in this world, there is no sacred – secular dichotomy as we labor “as unto the Lord”. (Col 3:23)

I’ve been tackling these themes over the last 3 months in my ministry. But a conversation last week convinced me that this sacred-secular dichotomy is deeply ingrained and will not be uprooted in a sermon series or even in a season. I was visiting with long-standing members of our congregation, folks who grew up in the Church and have been following Jesus personally for decades. They are gifted, articulate, balanced, conscientious servant-hearted and intelligent. So I was taken aback when one person mentioned that increased hours for a large employer in Madison was causing them to step back from.

“I am so busy right now at work that I don’t have the time to do ministry.”

“Why? What has led to the increase work load for you? A promotion with more responsibility?,” I probed.

“No. My coworkers have so many needs. Now that my kids are married I have more flexibility and time than I had previously. I often volunteer to cover for coworkers who need time for themselves and with their families.”

From this point I explained to my dear friend that this was ministry! In serving their coworkers in this tangible and practical way they were serving Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God. They were not stepping back from ministry, they were stepping into greater ministry and opportunity – albeit not within the four walls of our local church.

This conversation has convinced me that linking my parishioner’s current labors in the “secular” workforce to the purposes of God will take diligence. But the effort to persuade every lay person that they are a missionary is worthwhile. I think that when this dear saint saw that their current sacrifices and energies beyond the organization of our church were labors unto the Lord it unloaded a truckload of self-imposed guilt and gave new purpose and meaning to their efforts.

In her book Kingdom Callings Amy Sherman quotes a relevant statement from G. K. Chesterton: “You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.”

May we understand that every Christian is a missionary right now where we are planted and may we say grace as those who are dependent on it for the discharge of our duties – to the glory of Christ Jesus our Lord!

Do you Preach Too-Narrow of a Gospel?

I’ve been reading Amy Sherman’s book Kingdom Calling and have come across a provocative question: Do you preach “the too-narrow gospel”? The question is not, “do you preach the gospel too narrowly?” as in do you exclude some group of people from the gospel – racial minorities, Jews, gays, the rich, etc. The question is do we preach a gospel that is too narrow, too small? Ms. Sherman suggests in her book that the evangelical church has often been guilty of reducing the gospel to simply “having a personal relationship with Jesus”. As a Christian trying to live a Christ-centered, gospel-centered life, it would be easy to shrug off such a question and check the box for “got the gospel”. But let’s not be hasty.

            What is the gospel? “Gospel” means “good news”. The good news isn’t that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. The good news isn’t that God has a purpose for your life, or that you can have your best life now, or that God loves you and you should start thinking more positively, or that God wants you to be healthy, wealthy & comfortable. The health & wealth “gospel”, social justice gospel, works righteousness, Christianity as therapy, Jesus as an example / noble teacher to follow are not the gospel. The gospel isn’t strictly a truth to believe, it is NEWS to proclaim. The gospel at its core is that God has provided a substitute for sinners, His Son Jesus, to restore our relationship with Him. John 3:16 says it succinctly:

^ESV John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life”

The proper response to the gospel is also quite clear:

^ESV Mark 1:14-15 “Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, ¹⁵ and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel."

So the good news isn’t that Jesus is a wise teacher who can help me get my life back on track if I listen to Him. The good news is that Jesus has died on the cross for my sins. And when I repent and believe I’m trading my sins for His righteousness.

So the core of the gospel is that through Christ you can have a personal relationship with God. So in that sense we do preach a “narrow gospel”. There is only one way (John 14:6) of salvation, one way to get right with your Creator: to stop trying to earn salvation by your own efforts and trust in the work of Jesus Christ. No other gospel will save. Belief in God isn’t sufficient (James 2:19). Even believing true things about Jesus isn’t sufficient. You and I must believe in Jesus, i.e. trust ourselves to Him. The Apostle Peter is blunt:

^ESV Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

So evangelicals are right to proclaim the good news that you can have a relationship with Jesus and to proclaim it ‘narrowly’ in the sense of justification by faith (vs. works).

            However if in proclaiming the gospel “narrowly” we teach only about the individual restoration of my relationship with the Creator we DO teach a “too-narrow gospel”. The gospel is not just a “me and Jesus” thing, a private personal individualistic spiritual thing. The personal restoration of relationship with the Creator IS good news, but the good news is better / greater / broader than that! For the gospel is not only that Christ restores your relationship with God, it is that Christ also restores your relationship with yourself, your relationships with others and your relationship with creation itself. If the gospel we preach only impacts the vertical dimension between me and Jesus we are preaching “too-narrow” of a gospel. The power of the true gospel is more comprehensive than that. What Jesus accomplished on the cross restores four fundamental human relationships: my relationship with God, the inward relationship with myself, the relationships I have with others and my relationship with creation.

            Personal forgiveness of sins IS part of the gospel, but it is only part of it. Ms. Sherman is on to something. Evangelicals (myself included) have stressed what the gospel saves us from (sin and death) but have not adequately stressed what the gospel saves us for. Perhaps that is why evangelical churches have excelled at gaining converts but not making followers of Jesus. Let us embrace the wholeness of the gospel and let us follow the Prince of Peace in working toward restoration in every dimension – horizontal and vertical.

The Only Inflation Proof Investment

I don’t know very much about economics. I studied micro and macro economics in college but it was a simple middle school text book Whatever Happened to Penny Candy by Richard J. Maybury that has caused me to think differently about inflation. Everyone knows by experience that their dollars don’t stretch as far as they used to. I used to think that rising prices are inflation. Gas cost a $1.15 / gallon when I started driving 20 years ago and this past Labor Day weekend I spent $3.55 / gallon. But Maybury writes, “Rising prices are not inflation. They are a result of inflation.” (emphasis mine) What then is inflation? He argues that inflation is an increase in the number of dollars. Maybury says that “money responds to the law of supply and demand just as everything else does. As the number of dollars increases, the value of each individual dollar falls. Prices rise to make up for this fall.” I’ve read enough to know that not every economist agrees with Mr. Maybury’s definitions. I’m pretty ignorant about all this, but his logic makes sense to me.

            Regardless of all the causes & definitions of terms, I’ve lived long enough in America to be trained to expect that my money will be worth less in the future than it is today. That presents me with a challenge: What does a person invest in that will retain its value over time? Stuffing greenbacks in a mattress or depositing it in a CD that yields a flea’s hair more than 0% doesn’t seem prudent. Stocks? Real estate? Camels? Continued Education? Everything has risk attached to it. Bubbles could pop at any time.

            We live in a world of uncertainty. How then should we invest? Is there an inflation-proof investment? Jesus said,

^ESV Matthew 6:19-21 "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust¹ destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

A superficial pastor would say, “See, you should invest your money in the Church. That is the best use of your resources!” Perhaps. But I do not think that Jesus was so much giving financial advice on where to put our dollars. Rather, Jesus is giving us 1) a recalibration of our priorities and 2) hope in an uncertain world.

            The bottom line is that there are no guaranteed investments. Nothing in this life that is impervious to thieves, rust and moths. Even a congregation can waste resources in the name of God. There is only one sure thing, one inflation proof investment: the Lord Jesus Christ. Give to Christ all that you have – including your investments, possessions & plans. Trust Him with your future. Trust Him with your resources. Put your confidence and hope in Him.

Will we work in Heaven?

Will we work in Heaven? At first glance this seems like a pretty abstract question quite unrelated to the nitty gritty of the here & now. But it isn’t. It is hard to love something that will not last - something that “doesn’t matter” in the eternal scheme of things. If work is solely part of this broken fallen world we live in – a have to, rather then a get to – it is a curse from which we will be liberated in glory. And thus work has more to do with Hell than with Heaven. With this mindset, is it any wonder that some Christians go through the motions in their jobs?

            There is no question that sin has corrupted our work. In consequence of their disobedience God did curse work. Our work now has an element of “painful toil” and the frustrations of “thorns and thistles” and a “great increase in the pains of childbearing” (Genesis 3:16-19). But I don’t need to convince you that work can be frustrating. I do however, need to convince you that work has an element of holiness, an element of eternity within it. Or at least I need to be convinced of this!

            As a child I imagined Heaven being a place of golden harps and white fluffy clouds – a land of unceasing worship – a never ending round of “Shine Jesus Shine”. I dropped this view because honestly at 15 it sounded more like Hell than Heaven to me! (Which exposes both the shallowness of my view of worship and the fickle nature of my affections for Christ.) As a young man Heaven became a land of “sanctified self-indulgence”. Sort of like a never ending cruise. Delicious food and drink, blue oceans, white sandy beaches, beautiful people, sports, entertainment, a land of leisure and play. A place to be served, to rest, to laugh and to never ever have to lift a finger to work again. Leland Ryken in his book Redeeming the Time: A Christian Approach to Work & Leisure writes, “the brief pictures of the future life that the Bible gives us provide no hint of work but only an abundance of feasting and celebration. In addition to the rest that remains for the people of God (Hebrews 4:9-10), there is play and festivity.” There is some Biblical support for this view. Consider:

^ESV Zechariah 8:5 And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets.

^ESV Jeremiah 30:19a Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving, and the voices of those who celebrate.

^ESV Jeremiah 31:4, 13 Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel! Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. … 13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

            Heaven will certainly be a place of great festivity, celebration and joy! But our view of Heaven is impoverished if we selectively quote the Scriptures. It is quite clear that work does continue in Heaven. Consider these scriptures:

^ESV Jeremiah 31:5 Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit.

^ESV Isaiah 65:17, 21-23 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. ¹⁸ But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem to be a joy, and her people to be a gladness. …. ²¹ They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ²² They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy¹ the work of their hands. ²³ They shall not labor in vain or bear children for calamity,¹ for they shall be the offspring of the blessed of the LORD, and their descendants with them.

            We need to reconsider our view of Heaven. The Scriptures describe Heaven as a place of leisure and work. But something glorious has happened. The curse has been lifted and work is no longer frustrating. In fact it seems that in Heaven work and leisure overlap! Heaven is a place where our avocation (what we most enjoy doing) and our vocation (what we do for living) overlap! If this is so, let give our very best efforts to our current vocations. For in doing so we not only glorify God we prepare for Heaven.

When it comes to Work & Leisure, Integrity Trumps Efficiency

There has never been a generation on the earth that has been so preoccupied with efficiency and “time-saving” devices. Most of the new products we buy promise to make current tasks faster and more efficient. Yet despite decades of innovation and the invention of many “time-saving” devices we’ve rarely felt so time starved! I read recently of a study that indicated that Americans talk about rest & sleep in similar ways that a hungry person talks about food.

            Writing in the mid 90’s when pagers were in their heyday and before the advent of smart-phones, Leland Ryken said, “time-saving devices have consumed our time instead of freeing it up.” Now I am personally a fan of smart phones. My phone has increased my efficiency and effectiveness – both for work & home. But I would not say that my phone is a “time-saving” device in the pure sense that it has freed up some time for me. Instead, I find myself doing more. And to the bane of my one-track mind, I am “multi-tasking” more than ever.

            In our day work and leisure have blended. The advantage of a device like a smart-phone or laptop is that you can work anytime and anywhere. Of course, being able to work anytime and anywhere also means we can work all the time from everywhere! The lines between work & play are becoming blurred. While at work we can engage in leisure activities like checking the news, Face book, or playing a game. While playing, we can check our work emails, be reflecting on a problem at work, or in other ways get things checked off our “to-do” list. The trouble is that leisure and work have blended. And thus we neither work nor rest well.

            Recently in my personal time with the Lord I’ve been reading Ecclesiastes. The third chapter begins:

^ESV Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: ² a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; ….

Could we add: “a time to work and a time to rest”? Perhaps it is time to acknowledge that some things should not be multitasked. From my experience, rest is ruined when I start multi-tasking. And my work efficiency and effectiveness drop when I add elements of leisure into my work. Perhaps I would actually feel less frantic if I did not check my work email during times of rest and did not check my face book (or other leisure activity) during work? I’m not trying to create a new rule or regulation for my life – rather I’m attempting a mindset or attitude change: When at work – work! When at rest – rest! Integrity should trump efficiency.

            LeLand Ryken in his book Redeeming the Time wrote, “Today the confusion has deepened: we worship our work, work at our play, and play at our worship.” Christ is our Lord. He is the Lord of our work, our play & our worship. So let us live lives of integrity. Let us give Christ our undivided attention – especially when we gather with the saints for corporate worship. Then having gathered for worship, let us scatter to worship. Giving glory to God in our work by giving our employer our best. And giving glory to God in our play / rest knowing that Jesus Christ is Lord of the Sabbath.

Why “Christian” and “Risk Taker” Should be Synonymous

I’ve been reading through the Bible in a year on my smart phone using one of plans offered free through YouVersion. https://www.youversion.com/ Recently, the reading was from that obscure Old Testament book “Ecclesiastes”. Here is the enigmatic advice the preacher gives:

^ESV Ecclesiastes 11:1-6 Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. ² Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth. ³ If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie. ⁴ He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. ⁵ As you do not know the way the spirit comes to the bones in the womb¹ of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything. ⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

The passage begins, “Cast your bread upon the waters” – what does that mean!?! The last time I tossed bread onto a pond I was feeding geese. But here the preacher says after many days you’ll find it again. Frankly, I’m not sure I would want to find that soggy bread after many days! Nasty! Of course, the Scriptures aren’t referring to feeding geese or to nasty moldy mush. The wise preacher is advising the reader to take a risk.

Throughout his short book the preacher has been arguing that all is vanity. (Eccl. 1:2) Life is short, most of the important questions / mysteries of life cannot be decisively answered. Since this is true and because life is so uncertain, act! Do something! Take a risk. “Cast your bread upon the waters”. Risk your fortune on something – even something as risky as a sea venture. Do something! Just don’t sit on your hands doing nothing! Disaster may happen at any moment. But don’t live in fear of disaster -a tree falls where it will (v3) so maybe you ought not to put all your eggs in one basket (v2). Don’t over analyze things. If you wait for perfection you’ll never do anything – never start planting your fields (v4)!

“My name is Josh, and I’m a perfectionist.” There I said it. The cat is out of the bag. I’m the sort of person who will attempt to become an expert on something before I actually try doing it. I hate failure - absolutely loath it. I’ll play it safe and gather every scrap of data I can find about a subject before I attempt to do something about it. To put it another way – I’m the opposite of Apostle Peter. Conservative. Cautious. Detail orientated. Valuing Excellence. I enjoy tinkering – working to get things 10% better. All in pursuit of that elusive goal: perfection. Absence of risk. Guaranteed result. Proficiency. A quip my electrician grandpa made when I was helping him on the job site has become my mantra: “perfect is good enough”.

The bottom line is that you can’t mitigate all risk. And in fact it is counterproductive to delay action until you’re an expert. Most things in life you won’t become proficient at unless you’ve tried & failed hundreds of times. Many Christians live in fear of “evangelism”. After all, we’re talking about peoples’ eternal destinies here – this is serious stuff! You don’t want to mess it up. What if I said the wrong thing? What if I accidently drove them further from Christ instead of to Him? I’m not an expert here. I don’t have much experience. Speaking for Jesus is a big deal. I better leave it to the experts, I’d just mess it up.

Such thoughts are as far from the gospel and the Christian ethos as you can be. Do you remember Levi the tax collector? The moment after his conversion he threw a party in honor of Jesus and invited tax collectors and other sinners. I wonder if Levi, the newest intern, botched his sermon/toast that night? But it doesn’t matter. The point is – Levi acted. He did something. It seems to me evangelism is to be like that. Evangelism is inherently messy and inefficient. You scatter seed and probably only one out of four will take root. (Parable of the 4 Soils – Luke 8).

Sharing the gospel is a serious thing. Peoples’ eternal destinies depend on it. But the fact of its weightiness or importance should not discourage risk taking it should promote it. If there was ever something worthy of risk-taking it is evangelism. You’re going to fail. I’m going to fail, but not every time. “Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.” Casting bread / sowing seed can seem like such a worthless activity. But give it time. Do not lose heart. For “the Word of God shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

Hey, if you’re around the Evansville area – join us this Sunday (8/18) at 10:00am for a service in the park. And next Thursday (8/22) at 7:00pm we’re hosting a free concert at the Performing Arts Center at the High School. The Durocher Family band is coming to town. Should be a great evangelistic event! www.DurocherFamilyMusic.com  

Our work matters

In his preface to his book Heaven is a Place on Earth Michael Wittmer writes, “This book is about the meaning in life. A slew of Christian books already address the meaning of life.” Do you have meaning in life? In my time of private worship this morning I read an interesting verse:

^ESV Ecclesiastes 5:18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment¹ in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot.

In other words, amidst all the transience and impermanence of life, to have meaning in life is to find enjoyment in your “lot” in life. With joy to fully engage in the work that God has placed before you.

I’m sorry to say that many Christians I know are not any more joy-filled in their work than those who reject Christ and ignore the counsel of the Bible. I think this is a great tragedy and does much damage to the gospel witness of the believers in this world. The old adage is, “He’s so heavenly minded that he’s of no earthly good!” comes to mind.

There are no doubt many reasons why believers lack joy in their work. It could be a failure to walk in step with the Spirit (who would bear the fruit of joy, peace, patience, etc. if we did – Galatians 5:22-23). It could be that the Adversary enticed us into a lucrative field that doesn’t match our gifts or our passions (and thus our work is extraordinarily frustrating). It could be that the curse of the Fall has infested our work in the form of weeds, rust, malware, and tech glitches. Or it could be still something else. But one thing that I’m determined as a pastor that it will not be is an inadequate or unbiblical view of work.

One reason many believers lack joy in their work is because they believe that the only meaningful work is “spiritual” work. By which they mean important things like “preaching, Bible study, evangelism, mercy ministries, etc.” The reality is that much of our work isn’t “spiritual” in this sense. Prepping breakfast for the family, cleaning up the morning dishes, chores, the commute to work, the ritual of checking emails on your smart phone to get a head start in the office, the coordination and logistics just to have the bits in place to do your job, working hard to make things better, faster, cheaper, continued education, returning home, meals, diapers, noses, dog walks, mowing, laundry on and on it goes. So little of life really fits into the category of “spiritual”. If you love Christ and you have a desire to make a difference for Him all the ordinary bits of life can seem like a hassle, barriers to “spiritual work”.

What I am jealous for you to understand is that not only is Christ to be Lord over all of life, all of life matters because Christ is Lord. Jesus values our work – all of it. Chores at home, our work as learners, our work as parents, our work as children, our work as spouses, our work in the marketplace, our work in recreation, our work to rest.

^ESV Colossians 3:23 Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

This means that there is no dichotomy between the sacred and secular. Martin Luther is famous for saying that the milkmaid glorifies God just as much as the pastor. This also means that there isn’t a dichotomy within our work. Responding to emails isn’t less sacred than implementing a new idea or solving a problem. Doing dishes isn’t less sacred than swinging a hammer on the job site. All of life is worship. We exist to glorify God. Evangelism and prayer aren’t the only “spiritual” things.

            It isn’t just souls and the Bible that will last into the age to come. They are not the only permanent things. And it also isn’t true that the only thing worthwhile is doing something permanent, something that lasts. Anyone who has seen a sunset or a spring flower knows that the Lord God doesn’t just value the permanent. God clearly delights in His work – even the transient temporary evaporating things. God models for us meaning in work. The key is finding joy in the work God has placed before you and to do it to the best of your ability. How we do it matters as much as What we do.

The work you and I do now isn’t just batting practice for the life to come. And we aren’t just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Doing a repetitive unending task like dishes may seem meaningless and of little consequence. But God sees and cares. Your work is necessary for the flourishing of those God has placed around you. You don’t have to be in prayer while you wash to make the task worthwhile or holy. The task itself is necessary & important. So wash those dishes as if you were directing a symphony of suds to the glory of God!

Heaven: Place of Cream Puffs or Warp Drives?

When I was a child Heaven didn’t sound very interesting to me. This was true even after I became a Christian at 9 years old. This is mostly because the image I had of Heaven was a place where you sat around on white fluffy clouds strumming golden harps “worshipping” for eons. A little later I thought of Heaven as a place filled with every sensual delight you could ask for: a place of cream puffs with chocolate frosting and cinnamon rolls and basketball games where everyone could slam dunk. Is that what Heaven will be? How similar will Heaven be to this world? How different? What will we do for the first 10,000 years? And after that?

The Bible clearly shows that there will be great differences between this world and Heaven

^ESV Revelation 21:4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.")

But there will also be continuities between the experiences of Christians now and then as well. Revelation 21:1 describes the next age this way:

^ESV Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

The vision that the Apostle John has is of Heaven coming TO us. John was not teleported from earth to a distant fluffy place. John remained on earth and earth BECAME “Heaven” – or more precisely “a new heaven and a new earth”. When I was childish in my thinking about Heaven I ignored the phrase “and a new earth”.

God still cares for this place – despite all the graffiti and mess we’ve made of it. How does this place become “the new earth”? Until recently I thought of God destroying earth by fire & creating a new earth from scratch. This annihilation by fire idea came from 2 Peter 3:7-10 which says:

“But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. … 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies¹ will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”

The earth has fire in its future. But is this fire one of destruction and annihilation or a fire of purification and refinement? Is God detonating the universe’s largest nuclear bomb on earth to vaporize everything or is God placing the earth in a furnace? At least with respect to those creatures made in God’s image (human beings) and our works the fire is one of refinement not annihilation. The Apostle Paul writes,

^ESV 1 Corinthians 3:13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. ¹⁴ If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward.

Could it be that the refining fire that tests the quality of each person and their work is a refining fire that will sweep this planet as a whole? I’m not sure. But I do notice this: those who trust in Christ survive. And that person’s work also survives if it was built on the foundation of Christ (1 Cor 3:11) and with precious materials (1 Cor 3:12).

Three provocative implications:

1) Our Savior is not a “Star Trek Jesus”. Jesus doesn’t beam us off this dying world and out of danger. We’re not removed from danger rather Jesus comes to us through the Holy Spirit and walks with us in the midst of danger.

2) Don’t abandon ship! Paul Marshall describes one approach to faith as “lifeboat theology”. The idea is that the earth has hit the iceberg of sin and is doomed to destruction. So the only meaningful thing left to do is to abandon ship and get as many people as possible into the lifeboats. Instead of abandoning ship we should be rebuilding it with gold and precious stones. Christians are living stones (1 Peter 2:5) being built into a spiritual house for the Living God (2 Cor 6:16). To some degree we bring salvation and Heaven into the world right now. I find it interesting that enduring work is done with gold and precious stones (1 Cor 3:12) and the New Jerusalem (Rev 21:2) is also made of gold and precious stones. What if WE were actually building Heaven right now? Or more precisely, what if God was building Heaven in us and through us as we put ourselves as a tool in His hand?

3) Our work matters now and it matters for the future. If everything was going to be annihilated we should just do the bare minimum required to survive & simply get by. But if our work is not annihilated, but refined by fire, then we should do our absolute best work now – for only this type of work will endure. Our current work is more than simply “rearranging the deck chairs” on the Titanic. (more on this in my next blog)

I’m indebted to chapter 4 of Dr. Tom Nelson’s book Work Matters: Connecting Sunday Worship to Monday Work for this blog.

Words ARE Necessary

There is a popular notion making the rounds in pulpits and in devotionals these days. “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” Have you heard this idea? It is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi who founded the Franciscan order in the early 1200s. The trouble is, St. Francis never said it. If you fact check the quote (something I obviously don’t do often enough since I just discovered 5 minutes ago that St. Francis didn’t actually say this!) you will learn that no published source of this quote prior to the 1990s has yet been discovered. Even more troubling than putting words in someone’s mouth, I think if you actually investigated St. Francis himself you would discover that he was quite a preacher of the gospel and the misquote matches neither his ethos nor his actual deeds.

            St. Francis didn’t say “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” But I didn’t set out in this blog to vindicate St. Francis. Actually I had planned to provide a biblical correction to St. Francis’s philosophy of evangelism. Now I see I shouldn’t drag St. Francis into it! Unfortunately, a quote doesn’t have to be based in fact for an idea to gain traction among people. The bottom line is the philosophy “it is more important to practice the gospel than to preach it” has gained traction within the church in our day.

Is this approach valid? Does it have biblical support? In one sense, yes. Jesus said, “you know a tree by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33) And he rebuked the religious leaders of his day for being “white washed tombs - clean on the outside but full of filth on the inside.” (Matthew 23:27) And "they will know you are Christians by your love." (John 13:35) Obviously Christ condemned hypocrisy and promoted integrity. Our outward acts must match up with our words. Living a life of integrity is foundational to evangelism. I think one of the reasons that the “practice the gospel” approach has gained popularity today is because many are frustrated by “preachy” Christians whose lives don’t match what they preach. People are bombarded with hundreds of messages a day. Salesmen and advertizing abound in our generation. “Sales pitch” evangelism no longer works (if it ever did). People need to see fruit on the tree before they’re willing to buy in to something. So “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.” has a valid point in that our actions do reflect positively or negatively on our Savior and the gospel. To quote another adage – “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.” (Emerson? - fact check anyone...)

However, in a fundamental way the “practice the gospel” approach to evangelism is flawed. Its failure lies not in the desire to “practice what you preach” before a watching world, but in replacing gospel proclamation with actions only. The bottom line is that faithful evangelism requires words. Testimony must be given. The good news must be spoken not only modeled. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

^ESV Romans 10:13-15 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." ¹⁴ But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?¹ And how are they to hear without someone preaching? ¹⁵ And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

We must preach the good news. We must use words to tell others about Jesus. Ultimately “lifestyle evangelism” fails without word proclamation because the message sent is: “be a better person (like me), more loving and caring and thoughtful of others and you too can become right with God.” Is this not works righteousness? Basing our standing with God on our performance? We must use words to give interpretation to our lives so that people know it isn’t what we do that saves us but what God has done.

            So to correct a commonly misused quote, biblically we should say: “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary. And words will definitely be necessary!”

What are the Marks of a Faithful Disciple?

            There is a lot of talk about “discipleship” in the church world these days. Rarely, however, do folks actually come out and say what a disciple is. I suppose it should be a no-brainer, but it isn’t. A “disciple” is a follower. So a Christian is a disciple or follower of Jesus Christ. He or She strives to follow Jesus – to do, say, think and desire the things that Christ did. Being a disciple sounds pretty straightforward. But if you’ve been trying to follow Jesus for a while or if you’ve been trying to assist other people in their efforts to follow Christ (“discipleship”) you know how challenging this can be.

            We live in an age when it is difficult to identify with confidence the straight and narrow way. In our day many have “the appearance of godliness, but deny its power” (2 Timothy 3:5) Most people in my city say they are Christians but the lives of many deny its power. And false teachers abound in the world these days. Folks who oppose the truth, corrupt the simplicity of Christ and the gospel and sow seeds of uncertainty and confusion within the Church. One of the results of this sabotage is a loss of certainty in “the way” and confusion about what it means to be a disciple of Christ and how to help others follow Christ.

            Fortunately, the Apostle Paul cuts through all this fog & confusion with some practical advice for his young protégé Timothy, whom he had been training to follow Christ. Consider some of the last words that Paul penned:

^ESV 2 Timothy 3:10-12 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, ¹¹ my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra - which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. ¹² Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

            Paul lists 8 marks of discipleship. Paul urges Timothy to follow him as he follows Christ. A disciple is a follower. A genuine Christian will follow Christ and His Apostles in these key 8 ways:

1)      Teaching

2)      Conduct

3)      Aim in Life

4)      Faith

5)      Patience

6)      Love

7)      Steadfastness

8)      Persecutions and Sufferings

Take a moment and rate yourself on these 8 aspects of discipleship. For example, is your "aim in life" the same as that as the Apostle Paul or Christ's? Do you have the marks of genuine disciple? Now consider the list again from the perspective of those you are training. Are you discipling your children, friends, loved ones in these 8 marks of discipleship? Which are weakest? Which are strongest?

Common Good

I’ve been thinking about the concept of “common good” recently. Protestants and evangelicals in particular haven’t given much thought to this. Or at least this protestant evangelical hasn’t. (Maybe that is because the terms “protestant” and “evangelical” have become watered down of late? A topic for another blog some day…) Roman Catholics have given more attention to the concept of common good. By common good I mean a ‘good’ that is shared by all (or most) residents of a community and that is beneficial for the flourishing of that community.

You might disagree with me but I do not think that most folks outside the Church perceive the Church as working for the common good. Many are suspicious of Christianity in general and the institutional Church in particular. I’ve never had an unbeliever say this to me, but I think many subconsciously suspect that the Church is really just self-serving. Many are thinking, “Churches undertake many good ministries, projects and works but they do so for their own sake. Really they’re just out to grow their own influence, to increase their numbers and income with an ulterior motive to impose their morality on everyone else.”

To be clear, as Christians we are trying to grow in influence. This is the natural inclination of a people who have met Jesus Christ and wish to share Him with others, hoping that they too will experience a similar profound love, peace and joy. The trouble comes when we equate growth in my or our influence with growth in Christ’s influence. When we combine these two we devise outreach and service projects in the name of Christ that mostly just serve ourselves.

In contrast to this, what would it look like if Christians and local churches were serving the “common good”? What would we do whether or not our influence grew, or people joined our church, or our reputation improved? What does our community need? Whatever issues our community faces Christians ought to be engaged in it, regardless of who gets the credit! I’m not a church history scholar, but when the early Christians rescued exposed infants and cared for the sick and dying I don’t believe they did so hoping to gain credit or grow their numbers. They did it simply because these things needed to be done. According to the Scriptures God had bestowed dignity on every human being for all were made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Also “Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures.” (1 Corinthians 15:3) The inherent dignity of human beings (even those who were castaways) and the grace of God in the gospel demanded such a “common good” response. Certain people needed to be cared for, no one was doing it so some early Christians stepped up and in their service the gospel went forward and the influence of Christ expanded.

What does that mean for Christians today? In our generation nearly everyone is active in social justice. But who is working to love and serve the gang of teenage hoodlums rampaging in our community this summer? Who is working to equip our youth to become valuable contributors to our community? Many are helping the poor in times of crisis, but who is helping them break out of poverty? Oh that the Church may again be characterized by love and service and not power brokers!