TILL HE COMES Blog

There are three kinds of people in the world, those who make waves, those who ride waves, and those who sit on the beach.

Wave Makers
Wave makers are those who innovate, create, and change the direction of culture and society. They are often well known, and people who know about them feel very strongly one way or another about them. Such people are catalytic, sparking great excitement or great contempt. Steve Jobs is a wave maker in the technology realm. Brian MacLaren is a wave maker in Christianity. He may be the father of the Emerging Church movement, and people who are aware of him think that he is either a genius or a heretic. I’ll withhold judgment for now.

There are really more wave makers than you might think. The problem with being a wave maker is that it is hard work, and often involves swimming against the tidal wave of tradition. As a result, most wave makers are never heard of, because most of them drown. Though wave makers are necessary and needed, being a wave maker is risky and tiring.

Wave Riders
The second type of person is a wave rider. This is the person who waits in the water for some brave soul to create the wave, and then they jump on for the ride. They are students of culture and can feel the subtle changes in the current of society. They look for patterns and new developments, and upon sensing them, paddle madly to catch the next big wave. The most dedicated wave riders will ride one wave for a while, and then paddle back out to wait for the next one.

There is risk in riding waves, but not nearly as much as in making waves. As such, there are always a lot more wave riders than wave makers. Most wave riders survive, but the drawback is that most of them do not become well known. A few will get book deals and prominent leadership positions, but most will just keep riding waves. Another drawback is that many wave riders are criticized for “going with the flow” and just following every new wave that comes along.

Sand Sitters
Finally, there are those who sit on the beach and watch it all happen while soaking up the sun. They are the sand sitters. They either ”Ooh” and “Aaah” at the wave makers and wave riders, or criticize them and tell each other what they would have done differently if they were the ones out in the water, braving the sharks and rip tides. There is nothing really wrong with sitting on the beach, enjoying the rays of the sun. After all, the wave makers and wave riders need someone to cheer them on.

But sand sitters have the danger of getting burned. If they aren’t careful, never get out and splash around in the water, and fall asleep on the beach, they end up with nasty sunburns (Read 1 Cor 3:15).

So what kind of beach goer are you?

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I hope you are enjoying the insights from Zane Hodges on how to understand the book of Hebrews. It really is one of the more difficult books of the New Testament, especially with those five warning passages. Also, while I am not Zane, if you have questions about anything he says, go ahead and post them here for discussion.

In case you missed them, here are the previous three parts: Part 1   Part 2   Part 3

Also, don’t forget that you can get these by subscribing to my podcast.

This fourth lesson is called Entering God’s Rest and is based on Hebrews 3:7-19; 4:9-11.

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I’ve written briefly on this before, but Wendy and I are coming to the firm conviction that we are not cut out to be what is commonly thought of as a “Pastoral family.” I am no longer a pastor, and she is not a pastor’s wife.

Nor are we going into “church planting” even though I have talked and written a lot about it.

Instead, we have decided to go into missions. We are going to be missionaries. We will be a missionary family. The only question now is “Where?” Well, that question is still a little bit up in the air, but we do have a general area of the world that we know God is calling us to.

God is calling us to be missionaries in a part of the world that is increasingly hostile to Christianity, is largely unchurched, and according to some studies, unreached.

The great thing is that since I’m pretty bad and learning foreign languages, this part of the world speaks English. Also, I’m somewhat familiar with the culture, which is helpful as well, since all expert missiologists say that indigenous missionaries are typically the most successful missionaries.

What part of the world are we headed to? It is the part of the world known as the United States of America. Please pray for us as we make preparations, look for sources of income (which will include a job), and ultimately settle on a specific location within the United States to continue our missionary efforts.

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Here is the third recording from Zane Hodges on the book of Hebrews. Enjoy!

Remember, there are eight lectures, and I will try to provide one or two per week until all are available, so keep checking back. You can get e-mail updates by subscribing to this blog, and you could also add my podcast feed to your iTunes.

This third lesson is called Suffering for the World to Come and is based on Hebrews 2:5-13, 18; 12:1-2.

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In complete contradiction to my post from Wednesday, and in response to my blogging friends Helen and Bullet, I decided to post the following article. I wrote it several months ago, and have wavered about posting it, but never have, for fear of being too critical of those who are critical. So you be the judge: Does the following type of criticism need to be said, or are such things better left unsaid? Notice I don’t name any names…but I easily could. Maybe if I said it with more humor? Maybe I should just go back to bed.

The biggest church fad of all time is carried out by those Christians who take it upon themselves to warn others about all the church fads going around. Every time a new Christian book comes out, these self-proclaimed prophets of discernment send out a newsletter slamming the book and the author. Every time someone preaches something a little questionable, or does something a little edgy in their service, you can be sure this discernment ministry will condemn such practices in their newsletter or next book.

Such “discernment ministries” have criticized the seeker-sensitive movement, the purpose-driven church, the emerging church, and every other attempt that some Christians make to reach this world with the love of Jesus.  Meanwhile, they’re not really doing much evangelism and ministry themselves. They talk a lot about grace, but don’t actually live or show it. But they are expert finger pointers.

And I am always amazed at the following that such “truth at all cost” teachers amass!

On the other hand, I shouldn’t be too amazed at how many people follow along. After all, in the 1980’s millions of us spiked our hair, wore fluorescent green shirts, and tight-rolled our pants. And when we emerged from that fad, most of us scratched our heads and said to ourselves, “What were we thinking?” That is happening today as well, as people come to their senses about such “ministries” whose primary purpose seems to bash every other ministry. We’ve had enough. We want ministries and ministers of love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness, who don’t just talk about such things, but actually live them.

So there I go, bashing other ministries and Christians. I know, I know…Jesus did it (see Matt 23), and Paul (in almost every letter he wrote), and John (see every letter he wrote), and all the prophets (all the Prophetical books), but I’m not Jesus or an apostle.

So I’m torn. I’ve spent so much of my life being critical of others and I want to stop, but at the same time, some things need to be said. I suppose it’s an issue of balance. Anyway, thanks for joining me on this schizophrenic post!

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I have noticed on other blogs that many bloggers do a “Friday is for Friends” feature where they mention other blogs and web resources that have recently been helpful. I won’t do this every Friday, but below are a few new features and resources that might be helpful for you.

1. Facebook
First, notice that I have a Facebook account! Please, if you are on Facebook, add me to your friends. Just click on my picture to the left.

2. Missional Networks
Second, notice that I have three missional network logos on the left as well. They are Allelon, Friend of Missional, and Missional Apologetics. Their logos are below. Another blog I have been enjoying is the Missional Church Network. All of these sites have great resources as well as more links to other missional leaders, websites, and blogs. Enjoy!

If you know of other “missional” networks and/or blogs that are helpful, please include them in the comment section below. Thanks!

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Here is the second recording from Zane Hodges on the book of Hebrews. Enjoy!

Remember, there are eight lectures, and I will try to provide one or two per week until all are available, so keep checking back. You can get e-mail updates by subscribing to this blog, and you could also add my podcast feed to your iTunes.

This second lesson is called Partners of the King and is based on Hebrews 1:6-9; 3:1, 14; 12:28. 

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I used to be very critical of everybody and everything that didn’t do things the way I thought they should be done and didn’t believe the same way I believed. I have been trying to change so that I am much less critical. This is especially true since I realized that much of what I criticize in others comes around to happen to me.

But there was still one group I tended to criticize…I am now critical of those who are critical…

I now find myself thinking, “I can’t believe how critical they are! All they do is judge people who they know nothing about. Don’t they see how negative they sound and how damaging it is to Christian love and unity to be so judgmental and critical?”

Ironic, isn’t it?

It’s like pride. As soon as you think you’ve got it mastered, you’ve lost the battle.

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Many years ago, I read somewhere (I think it was in Joseph Dillow’s book The Reign of the Servant Kings) about the revolutionary lectures by Zane Hodges on how to understand the book of Hebrews. Dillow’s book was printed in 1992, and so Zane’s lectures must have been given at least twenty years ago. When I read this, I wanted to find out what Zane had said, and tried in vain to get a copy of these lectures.

When I worked at the Grace Evangelical Society, we must have received requests almost monthly for these recordings, but nobody, not even Zane, knew how to get a copy of them.

Well, finally, through a friend of a friend, some traded e-mails, and the wonders of the United States Postal Service, I got my hands on these tapes, and have digitized them for your listening pleasure! The recordings are very poor, but what can you expect from tapes that are about 20 years old?

I’ve already listened to them, and while I don’t agree with everything Zane says, I kind of doubt he would still agree with himself either. But if you have ever struggled with how to understand the book of Hebrews, Zane’s lectures will send you off in the right direction.

There are eight lectures, and I will try to provide one or two per week until all are available, so keep checking back! You can get e-mail updates by subscribing to this blog, and you could also add my podcast feed to your iTunes.

His first lecture is called Never Give Up and is based on Hebrews 1:1-4, 13.

To download, right-click the button and select “Save file as…”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Do you want to see churches planted, but don’t have loads of money? Do it missionally. Here’s a basic outline by which anyone can plant a church.

1. Get a job, any job. But not a pastoral job, unless the church which employs you allows you to plant churches in the way outlined below (I’ve seen it happen, but it is very, very rare). In this way, you do not depend on the “church” for your income. You have no idea how liberating and freeing this is.

2. Develop and/or find a simple and easily reproducible way of making disciples. It should be something that anybody can learn to teach anyone else after seeing it only once or twice, and which is advanced enough for even the most knowledgeable Christian. It should also involve active service in the community. I highly recommend “Life Transformation Groups” by Church Multiplication Associates as talked about in Neil Cole’s book Organic Church.

3. Find a marginalized, fringe group that is rejected, neglected, outcast, condemned, criticized, and judged by the majority of society, especially by “religious” people.

4. Insert yourself into this group with one goal only: to make life-long friends with some of the people in this group. Your goal is to become friends with these people, even if they never accept your beliefs about Jesus and the Bible. Do not try to turn every conversation around to God and the Bible. Don’t have an agenda!

5. Live like Jesus among this group: Love, accept, forgive, serve. Laugh a lot. Have fun.

6. If/when someone becomes interested in your way of living and believing, invite them to join you in the discipleship process of step 2.

7. If/when they believe in Jesus for eternal life, invite them to remain in their community, practicing these seven steps among their friends and family.

This approach is not flashy, will take time, and will not help you gather huge crowds or construct big buildings. But disciples will be made, and that, after all, is what Jesus called us to do (Matt 28:19-20).

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