Being Jesus . . . Our Call From God

People living in the Greater Valley Area, home to both Point University and the Chattahoochee Fuller Center for Housing had the opportunity this past week to witness something pretty amazing. For Point, what we have been calling Impact Day became Impact Week. For the Fuller Center, the largest number of volunteers in its history worked all week in the name of Christ, answering God’s call to His people to be Jesus to the world around us. Spring Road Christian Church also played a major role in Impact Week, providing leadership in ways that made the 400+ volunteers manageable! 

By late Friday afternoon, 61 homes in the Lanett, Alabama mill village had been improved and the place simply looks better. We mowed lawns, trimmed shrubbery and trees, raked up leaves, picked up trash, edged overgrown curbs, painted, repaired, and who knows what else. The long-term impact of Impact Week is known only by God, but the immediate and observable impact is that homes look better and Point students, faculty, and staff had the opportunity to make a difference in a neighborhood long-since left behind by the mills that once were the staple of the Greater Valley Area.

Years ago I read a little book by William Robinson titled The Biblical Doctrine of the Church. Robinson believed that the church is, when all is said and done, truly the body of Christ sent to the world to do for those around us what Jesus did for Israel. John 20:21 – As the Father has sent me, so send I you – was more than just another verse of Scripture.

In describing the nature of the church, Robinson says, “She (the church) is in the world to redeem it. Her position is not one of privilege, but of responsibility. That she is described as ‘leaven’ means that she is a hidden explosive force, for leaven in its operation is both unseen and explosive.” (pages 118, 199) Two places immediately come to mind when I think about where the “leaven” was hidden last week. One is in the lives of people who, at least for some, might have experienced for the first time in their memories what it means to be on the receiving end of “being Jesus to the world.” The other is in the hearts of students, faculty, and staff whose lives might have been changed by being Jesus to others, and they may not even realize it yet. That’s what I think of as “the time bomb” nature of the Christian gospel.

In Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s  Life Together, while writing about what he calls “the ministry of serving,” he says, “Only where hands are not too good for deeds of love and mercy in everyday helpfulness can the mouth joyfully and convincingly proclaim the message of God’s love and mercy.” (page 100) Last week over 400 pairs of hands found a way not to be “too good for deeds of love and mercy.” And again, I remind myself that only God is able to fully know and measure the impact those deeds of love and mercy will have in eternity.

One of the great things I observed last week – in addition to so many people from Point and the Fuller Center, Spring Road Christian, and other places serving – was that you could see people in the neighborhood whose houses weren’t on the list for our service outside doing some clean up kind of work. They were, along with all of us, taking care of creation, the world God Himself declared to be “very good” as He finished His work of creating the universe.

I have no idea how many different faith groups were represented among the volunteers for last week’s Impact Week. But I do know that when people who follow Jesus decide to work together in the name of Jesus, God blesses those endeavors. It seems to me that the less sectarian we are, the more He blesses. That confirms my long-held idea that if you and I believe the truth about Jesus, then everything else in life can be worked out around His name.

Thank God for Impact Week. Thank God for Kasey Bodine, Mary Susan Underwood, Chris Beirne, and Donna Phillips who did a lot of the leg work on the Point side of things. Thank God for Kim Roberts from the Fuller Center – she made it all happen in ways that are remarkable. Thank God for house captains, tool providers, and other leaders, many of whom were from Spring Road Christian Church. Thank God for a part of the world called the Greater Valley Area, where opportunities to be Jesus to the world abound.

Mark Driscoll and the Gospel

I don’t know Mark Driscoll. I’ve never met him. I think I might have listened to a sermon or two of his on a podcast. I haven’t read his books because I tend to read at a different place that he has targeted in his writings.

I have read lots about him. Some of it appears to be true – it comes from his own confessional statements about his past. No doubt some of it is not true – not sure one human being could actually manage to do all that some have said he has done.

Theologically, he and I are not on the same page on more than a few issues, though I do think he believes pretty much the same thing about Jesus that I believe. If that’s true, then in order to be consistent with what I’ve been saying in class for a hundred or so years, I have to think “everything else can be worked on.”

I’m guessing that his personality and mine would clash pretty seriously if we had to work together, but have a hard time seeing that as mortal sin. Some of his tactics – especially those that involve saying pretty harsh things in the context of anonymous internet posts – are offensive to me. He often seems prone to treat very complex issues in very simplistic ways and that doesn’t appeal to me. Issues of gender and sexuality are way more complicated than I think he thinks. We would probably disagree on which word in the phrase “servant leadership” is most important. 

But today is a sad day and I refuse to join the choruses of those who see his resignation as somehow a victory of sorts. It should break our hearts that an obviously effective communicator and leader is stepping away from the place of service he has occupied for a long time.

I’ve always found Paul’s comments in Philippians 1:15-18 very convicting. Remember, he is writing those words from a prison cell, in Rome most likely, and from my calculations about the timeline of his life, he has been in jail either in Jerusalem, Caesarea, or Rome for about four years. Clearly in Philippians 1 he isn’t sure what the ultimate outcome is going to be. 

Yet he somehow musters the courage of faith to declare that even though some “proclaim Christ from envy and rivalry . . . selfish ambition, not sincerely but intending to increase my suffering in my imprisonment” he will still rejoice because “Christ is proclaimed in every way, whether out of false motives or true, and in that I rejoice.”

Far too many believers, and especially leaders, seem to operate from a “my way or the highway” approach to life. Unless you do ministry like I do, in the same kind of context I do, and aren’t one person bigger than my church in average attendance – then you can’t be “of God.” Please. Where does that come from?

I wonder what would happen if we somehow found the courage to rejoice every time the kingdom of God advances its territorial claim to planet earth and found the compassion to be heartbroken every time someone stumbles. 

Mark Driscoll and I would probably never be close friends. But I refuse to find any joy in the fact that he no longer is the preacher at Mars Hill.

Perhaps we should pray that God would make us a bit more like Paul and whole lot less like those who rejoice (even if privately in our hearts because we’re too afraid to do so openly) when a fellow believer struggles.

It’s About the Grey Matter

Something happened to humans when Adam sinned – and it has mostly to do with corrupting the quality of human thinking that God gave to Adam and Eve when He created them. After the fall, they are still creatures made in God’s image – as are we – but they no longer have the “grey matter power” to live in relationship with self, each other, God, and creation as He intended to be true for humans – and neither do we! The subsequent stories of Cain killing Abel, the flood of Noah story, and the Tower of Babel story all testify to the brutal reality that something happened when sin entered the world. What the Hebrew Scriptures would later describe as shalom was no longer present.

The great prophet Isaiah reminded Israel on behalf of God about this very issue when he said, again on behalf of God, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” And later in that same text, the Lord says, “So shall my Word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:8-11)

Jesus’ conversation with the rich man in the story of The Rich Man and Lazarus includes Abraham saying to the rich man in reply to a question about his brothers, “They have Moses and the prophets.” When the rich man replies “But if someone from the dead were to come . . .” Abraham insists that if they won’t listen to Scripture, they won’t listen to a miraculous word from the grave. (Luke 16:19ff)

Could it really be about the grey matter?

Romans 12:1,2 is perhaps second only to John 3:16 when it comes to memorized passages of Scripture. The phrase we should think about from that text today is “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” What else could Paul mean other than as we use God’s Word, which has “gone out from His mouth” to restore the quality of human thinking that God gave to Adam and Eve at creation, our lives can be transformed. That is the kind of metamorphosis that in nature changes an ugly caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly, and in the kingdom of God, changes a sinner into a saint!

In Colossians Paul talks about this in terms of “letting the peace of Christ rule us,” “the Word of Christ dwell in us richly” and “whatever we do – word or deed – do in the name of Jesus.” (Colossians 3:15-17) In Ephesians, it comes out in the idea of “be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:15-21)

It can’t be either mere culture or mere coincidence that when Jesus first appeared to His disciples in John 20, His first words were “Peace be with you.” (20:19) and a week later when Thomas was with the group, His first words were “Peace be with you.” (20:26) John’s “first day of the week” focus in his testimony about Jesus’ resurrection, along with the last words of Jesus from the cross being “It is finished” (19:30) perhaps point us to the reality that in Jesus, a new creation has entered human history and the ancient concept of shalom was now ours to take up as God’s gift to His creation.

But the gift of peace – self, others, God, and creation – doesn’t appear to be the story line of human history right now. New creation requires a new way of thinking – and that new way of thinking is described by Paul in Romans 12 as “renewing our minds.” When that happens, shalom can become our word and the more we expand the reign of Christ in our world, the more it will become the story line of human history. 

Grey matter seems to be important!

Kingdom People Doing Kingdom Things

I don't know how long I've been saying something to the effect that "it is all about kingdom people doing kingdom things." Long enough that when my adult children are in a room where I'm speaking, they seem to anticipate the phrase before I do. But I'm not embarrassed by that - it truly is all about kingdom people doing kingdom things.

Just as I was handing out our first test in Biblical Interpretation on Monday of this week, I got a message that, despite my tendency to ignore the iPhone while in class, I checked. It was from a former student, Laurie Wardle, telling me that earlier Monday morning, another former student, Scott Gamel, had unexpected died of a massive heart attack. (Somehow I think Scott might have chuckled a bit when he realized that he had just interrupted my Interp test!)

Today I've been looking at Facebook with an uncommon interest in what people are posting. Lots and lots of Scott's friends have posted sweet notes about Scott's life and notes wanting Vicki and the six sons they brought into this world to know that prayers are being offered in their behalf. When moments like this come barging into our lives, one thing we know for sure is that the body of Christ knows that it is time for us to get on our knees. There's comfort in that thought all by itself.

Scott was at Point (then ACC, but Scott loved the college and supported its ministry and on his FB page you see "Point University") during a time when there were lots of great young men who would marry equally great (or greater - smart boys marry up) young women who have truly become kingdom people doing kingdom things. I'm thinking right now about posts I've seen from people like Buck and Laurie Wardle, Mike Thompson, Chris Rollins, and lots and lots of other people who are stunned by the untimely loss of such a great kingdom worker. Seeing what they are writing reminds me of what a blessed life I have had to have been a part of their lives at some level.

Scott was a model of what I hope Point continues to produce - both in ministry degree programs and other degree programs where students may not have vocational ministry in mind, but understand that when all is said and done, we're all ministers. He believed it was all about Jesus. Period. No more. No less. He refused to let the gospel, anchored in Jesus and oozing grace, be encumbered by the nonsense of legalism, tradition, and the rest of that stuff that keeps us from transforming the world. Despite his die-hard Alabama Roll Tide view of life, I think he actually thought it was possible for Auburn fans to go to heaven - but only by the grace of God! Young guys like Scott, Buck, and Chris - and lots of others - have established kingdom outposts in very different places in the United States - but somehow with the same message: Jesus. Period. No more. No less.

It's so rewarding from my vantage point in life to see them post on Facebook about their churches and ministries, their families, their kingdom outlooks, and life in general. The occasional email or response to some blog I've written more than makes the day. It's hard for me to imagine why God would bless me with the opportunity to have been a part of the lives of young Christians like this - but I'm incredibly thankful He has.

I've been thinking about Scott - and Vicki and their sons, their church family, all their family and friends from all around all day. I can't help but think of a little verse from Jeremy Camp's Give Me Jesus.

When I come to die
When I come to die
Oh, when I come to die
Give me Jesus

It wouldn't surprise me if Scott loved that song as I do. But even if he never heard of it - it was his song.

Thank God for Scott Gamel - a kingdom person who did kingdom things!

Troubling Reminders and The Breaking of Dawn

Last week in my Biblical Interpretation class, we were finishing up a section titled, “Is Scripture the Trustworthy Word of God?” The subtitle to that section is “If it is, what do we do with it?” A part of how that second question is to be answered is to realize the transforming power of Scripture in the heads and hearts of those who follow Jesus. The exact quote from the PowerPoint slide at this point was, “With Scripture – the extant story – in head and heart, believers are to the world what Jesus was to Israel.”

We spent a little time talking about “the world” to which we are called to bring the transforming message of Jesus. I asked a simple question – “What’s going on in the world right now?” The answer wasn’t quite so simple. Students mentioned issues like the outbreak of Ebola in Africa, the questions about justice in Ferguson, Missouri, the Ukraine versus Russian story, the Hamas versus Israel story, and of course the beheading of two American journalist by ISIS. Most of the students in this class aren’t old enough to remember the details of September 11, 2014 – but someone mentioned the anniversary was coming up – and that the events happening right now were cause for concern.

Perhaps we will never know exactly all the motivation for the horrific events of 9/11, or for that matter, what could motivate ISIS to do such cruel and inhumane acts against two Americans. Even more troubling is the fact that if what we read is true, often Christians are being targeted by terrorists groups simply because of their faith in Jesus. 

Our culture’s insistence on remembering 9/11 every year along with the reality of today’s headlines provide for us troubling reminders of how desperately our world needs the Jesus story to become its story. To His own disciples, Jesus said, “As the Father has sent Me, so send I you.” (John 20:21) Only in our willingness to be Jesus to the world will His story become its story.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote much of Ethics while in concentration camps in Germany during the last years of his life. I think that if he and I compared “troubling reminders,” I would quickly concede and admit that he faced far greater struggles as a believer than I have. But that isn’t to say that the rather long and troubling list of items from my class when I asked them to tell me about our world isn’t challenging. 

In the mist of his struggles, Bonhoeffer said “The night is not yet over, but already the dawn is breaking.” (Ethics, page 17) He said that in the context of understanding our call as followers of Jesus is to be Jesus to the world. “Only the form of Jesus Christ confronts the world and defeats it. And it is from this form alone that there comes the formation of a new world, a world which is reconciled with God.”  (17)

I reminded my students that when we allow Scripture to be what God intended it to be and in our wrestling with its meaning and application in our own lives, “it allows us to move from mere story line about a man named Jesus to an agenda for the world which transforms it into the Kingdom of God.”

Just thinking about the memory searing images so many of us witness on September 11, 2001 is a troubling reminder of how evil humans apart from Jesus can be. Reading the front page of yesterday’s  newspaper likely does the same. The world without the Jesus story embedded in its core being has no way to live beyond the old, beyond death, beyond sin.

But what we know – because the Jesus of trustworthy Scripture told us – is that God’s mission is to renew and restore creation to its God-intended purpose. In the person of Jesus, God has inaugurated that mission which will one day be fully consummated in the glory of His reappearing.

Until then, surrounded by troubling reminders, let us not forget what Bonhoeffer understood – The night is not yet over, but already the dawn is breaking.”

Hot House Flowers

In his masterful little book on the value of Christian community, Life Together, Dietrich Bonhoeffer says, “Human love breeds hot-house flowers; spiritual love creates the fruits that grow healthily in accord with God’s good will in the rain and storm and sunshine of God’s outdoors.” (page 37) That statement is in the midst of a discussion on the importance of having the courage to “be ready to leave him (the unbeliever) alone with this Word for a long time.” (page 36) That idea is, from Bonhoeffer’s perspective, the right alternative to taking “pleasure in pious, human fervor and excitement.”

Last spring, for some special occasion that slips my memory at the moment, I sent my wife a “hot-house” grown – in full bloom – hydrangea. It was beautiful and, I thought, the perfect flower to send, since I love hydrangeas and want as many different kinds as I can manage to plant in my yard. So, once the flowers began to fade, I planted it in a great spot for a hydrangea. I did all the necessary soil amenities required when you plant something in North Georgia red clay.

For a while, in the cool spring time days where plenty of rain showers kept it moist, the hydrangea looked pretty good. But as the days grew warmer and the rain showers grew less frequent, my poor little hydrangea suffered. Only because I kept it watered, put some mulch around it, and otherwise babied it along has it survived.

Not ten feet from that particular hydrangea, I planted one that wasn’t from a hot house – but to use Bonhoeffer’s language, was from “the rain and storm and sunshine of God’s outdoors.” It has grown to triple its original size – and I’ve seldom needed to water it. When it comes to plant life, apparently “the real world” does a better job than “the artificial world” of a hot house.

I think there is a lesson there for us, especially if we are interested in being a part of God’s work to renew and restore creation through the body of Christ. Rather than retreating to the safety of spiritual hot houses, we need to be willing to trust that the Word – in all its meaning – can and will transform us and the world around us. Raising my children in an artificial hot house of pseudo-spirituality is a formula for failure. Seeing the church as little more than a safe haven from the godless world around us is a guarantee that we won’t change that godless world. Failing to learn about the whole world – yes, even science and the liberal arts – means that we continue in our cute little individualism that reeks of the same hypocrisy modeled by the Pharisees and was so disgusting to Jesus.

The gospel – the good news that in Jesus of Nazareth God has kept His promise to renew and restore creation – isn’t a very good hot-house plant! But it thrives in the “rain and storm and sunshine of God’s outdoors.” But we have to be courageous enough to trust that it will do just that!

Reading through the first six chapters of Acts this week has reminded me again of just how true that is. It is a remarkable story of kingdom growth. The story starts out with 11 guys still unsure what the kingdom is all about and by the time you get to the end of section one (6:7), Luke can only describe it by saying “the Word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.”  (NRSV)

Interestingly, there are a few occasions in this first section of Acts where “the world” is on the attach when it comes to the body of Christ. But when that happens, it only makes the church grow more rapidly and encourages it members to be more courageous in their witness. Only when there is an “internal, retreat mode” problem (Acts 5:1-12) do we see a bit of a bump on the road to advancing the Kingdom of God.  Using Bonhoeffer’s language, it was a “hot-house flower” moment.

If Paul could lay down the gauntlet to the Roman Emperor in the opening words of Romans by declaring “I am not ashamed of the gospel, it is the power of God for salvation for everyone who has faith, to the Jew first and also the Greek,” (Romans 1:16) it seems to me that we ought to have confidence in that Word to renew and restore creation to its God-intended purpose. 

That can’t happen in the hot-house world of retreat, but only in the courageous world of “the rain and storm and sunshine of God’s outdoors.”