TILL HE COMES Blog

As mentioned previously, I just obtained a copy of Frank Viola’s new book, Reimagning Church. It is the sequel to Pagan Christianity, in which Viola strips away nearly everything we think of as “church.” The book leaves you thinking, “Well, if none of these trappings are necessary for church, what exactly is necessary?” Though I have some preliminary answers of my own, I look forward to reading Viola’s new book to see what he says.

Anyway, after flipping through the book the day it came in the mail, my eyes landed on a section on pg. 27 called “I Have a Dream” (adapted from the speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). Here is what he says:

I have a dream that one day the church of Jesus Christ will rise up to her God-given calling and begin to live out the true meaning of her identity–which is, the very heartthrob of God Almighty–the fiancee of the King of all Kings.

I have a dream that Jesus Christ will one day be Head of His Church again. Not in pious rhetoric, but in reality.

I have a dream that groups of Christians everywhere will begin to flesh out the New Testament reality that the church is a living organism and not an institutional organization.

I have a dream that the clergy/laity divide will someday be an antique of church history, and the Lord Jesus Himself will replace the moss-laden system of human hierarchy that has usurped His authority among His people.

I have a dream that multitudes of God’s people will no longer tolerate those man-made systems that have put them in religious bondage and under a pile of guilt, duty, condemnation, making them slaves to authoritarian systems and leaders.

I have a dream that the centrality and supremacy of Jesus Christ will be the focus, the mainstay, and the pursuit of every Christian and every church. And that God’s dear people will no longer be obsessed with spiritual and religious things to the point of division. But that that that their obsession and pursuit would be a person–the Lord Jesus Christ.

I have a dream that countless church will be transformed from high-powered business organizations into spiritual families–authentic Christ-centered communities–where the members know one another intimately, love one another unconditionally, bleed for one another deeply, and rejoice with one another unfailingly.

I have a dream today…

What do you think?

(By the way, I am going to be hearing Frank Viola speak at the House 2 House National Conference here in Dallas, TX on August 29-31. If you are in the area, you should try to come.)

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I want to make another post about some of the things my pastor, Stephen Hammond, said in his message on Sunday. If you want to listen to all of it, you can do so through his podcast here. The section I am quoting below begins at 13:00 from the July 20 message.

What would our community look like if we began to really understand where God was wanting to take us?

Could you imagine a community where everyone was accepted?

Could you imagine a community where everyone got a chance to participate in what God was doing? Even our friends who haven’t yet trusted Jesus? There’s a starting point for them too. Even for our atheist friends, or for whatever friends you may have. Even for people who have been Christians for a long time. What would it look like if everyone got a chance to play, and service wasn’t just for the paid staff?

Imagine a community where everyone was forgiven, and if you hurt somebody, they would just say, “You know what? I forgive you as God has forgiven me.”

Imagine a community where everyone is accepted. Democrats hung out with our Republicans, and our Librarians hung out there too.  I mean, Libertarians. Librarians are welcome also.

…We are a community that wants to help take care of the world’s problems. Imagine a community where AIDS is taken care of in our lifetime. Imagine a community where no one in El Salvador has to drink dirty water again.

Imagine a community where whatever your race, whether black, or white, or Hispanic, or Asian, when people looked at you, they just saw a heart, a soul, and a spirit.

I really like Stephen’s thinking here (which is part of the reason we attend Mosaic). I think all of us must continually imagine and reimagine the church, what we could do, what we could look like, and what we could accomplish, if we simply changed a few things.

I have a blog post I’ve been working on for over a year now called “What if?” It contains all my musings about how the church could function differently and more effectively than it does today. Someday, I’ll get around to posting it, though right now, in it’s present state, it is so long it would take over 20 posts.

On a related note, I just received an advance copy of Frank Viola’s Reimagining Church in the mail today. I am pretty excited to read it. As I was browsing the book, I found a short section on p. 27 called “I Have a Dream” which is where he lays out his dream for the church. If a get a chance later this week, I will post his dream.

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In a previous post, I made some suggestions about how to do evangelism more effectively. Yesterday, at Mosaic Arlington, Stephen Hammond provided the following list, which I thought was excellent, so I am sharing it with you here:

“Ways to get On Mission this Summer with your Life”

*Host a party for your neighbors as a way to get to know each other

*Organize a garage sale with the proceeds going to help us drill our next well in El Salvador (or you pick another great cause)

*Spend a few hours with the ‘least of these’ as you learn more about life, love and hope

*Start a book reading club at the local bookstore

*Host a charity poker tournament to help relieve AIDS suffering in Africa (or another charitable cause you want to help out)

*Share with your friends how Jesus is changing your life

*Take your family to the $1 movie….but pay for the family behind you as well as a way to demonstrate God’s love in a very practical way

*Get involved in cleaning up the debris in your neighborhood/city

*Prayer walk your neighborhood, your job site, your school or any place you desire to see God’s hope come

*Clean a friend’s home

*Provide free childcare to a family who could use a date night out but probably can’t afford childcare right now

*Host a ‘gaming’ night for your friends

*Pick something/anything that will bring hope and encouragement to another person and then just do it!

Thanks Stephen!

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I was recently talking to a pastor who was telling me about the amazing things God was doing in his church. The church is 150 years old, and had gone into steep decline. Up until a few months ago, they were averaging only 8-10 adults on a Sunday, all of whom were over 65 years old.

The pastor shared with me that recently, in response to many years of prayer, God had brought “revival” to the church, and they were now averaging about 150 people!

I was amazed and impressed. The church went from 10 to 150 in a few months! And while I believe in the power of prayer, I was amazed when the pastor said that, aside from praying a lot and building a brand new building (how did they fund that with only 10 people?), they hadn’t really done anything different with outreach or their worship service.

But as I talked longer, it came out that the 140 people had come from a big church across town that split.

My heart sank at the news. This pastor was thrilled at the “health” of his church, and the “revival” that God was bringing in response to years of prayer, but really, not a single new person in the community had come to faith in Jesus. Instead, a church across town experienced a messy split, and 140 people came over to the church in town with a new building. Is that really a “work of God”?

As I sat there fuming, trying to decide if I should burst the pastor’s bubble by telling him what I thought, and that it was probably just a matter of time before his church split also, God reminded me that in my first pastorate, I was actually praying for other churches in town to split or fold, and for other pastors to have moral failures, so that my church could possibly receive some of the people in those other churches. It saddens me to even think about it!

But this is what the American church has come to…feeding off each other as we try to survive a nose dive into oblivion and cultural irrelevance. If we want to not only survive but thrive, we need to change. I think I am beginning to see and envision what some of these changes will mean for me. The question now is whether or not I have the faith and courage to follow through on them.

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I finished reading How Women Help Men Find God today. It’s a book written for women, but as a former (and future?) pastor, I wanted to read it because it is packed full of ideas on how women  (and churches in general) can help men become followers of Jesus.

Such a book is desperately needed because the average church today is seeing a massive drop-out rate among men. We are not just losing a generation; we are losing an entire sex.

Of course, if your congregation is bucking the trend and is comprised of at least 50% men (in all age groups), then chances are good that you and your church are already doing some of the things mentioned in this book. Read it to affirm what you are already doing, and maybe to provide insights on some other areas that could be tweaked to encourage greater involvement by the men in your church.

But if your church is like the vast majority of churches in the United States, and your congregation consists primarily of women, this book is for you. It is full of practical suggestions (often written in a humorous way) to help men see that following Jesus is not just for women and children.

For example, most men don’t mind singing in church, but songs about being held by Jesus, and kissing Him, and Him being our lover will keep most men from singing too boisterously. As Michael Frost has said, Jesus is NOT my boyfriend.

In a similar vein, don’t invite men into a “relationship” with Jesus. Such terminology is attractive to women, but men respond better to the more biblical invitation to “follow” Jesus. This is especially true when the dangers and risks of following Jesus are emphasized.

Also, simple things like changing the way the church is decorated can go a long way in showing men that church (and following Jesus) is for them as well.

The book is also full of helpful suggestions on how to evangelize men, how to disciple men, and how to encourage them to take the role of spiritual leader in the home and in the church.

So do you know a man who needs to become a follower of Jesus or take a more active spiritual role? Do you want your church to become more effective at reaching men, making disciples, and raising up leaders? Read this book.

Oh, and don’t forget to check out David Murrow’s two websites: www.speakingofmen.com and www.churchformen.com

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As I drive around Dallas for my carpet-cleaning job, I can’t help but notice how much land is tied up in church real-estate. I drove by one mega church today that must have had 50-40 acres in land, and a good 20 of it was nothing but grass. Think of the tax revenue the city is losing! But I’ve written on that before.

With just a tiny bit of creative thinking, churches could be redeeming their land and buildings in ways that would truly benefit the community. Take the Episcopal Church of Our Savior in Pleasant Grove, Texas as an example. It’s a church of only 30 people, but they recently divided their four acres of land into garden plots, and rented them out to area residents for $30 a month and an agreement to donate 10% of their produce to a local charity.

Since 2003, they have donated 18,000 pounds of produce to area food pantries.

So what are you growing on your church property? Who uses your church building Monday-Saturday? Can you think of any better uses for both?

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As I was cleaning carpets today in a house in Arlington, I noticed that there were several books sitting around called Red Letters by Tom Davis. I asked the homeowners about it, and they informed me that they attend Pantego Bible Church and lead a home group, in which they are currently reading and discussing this book.

Then they gave me a free copy!

There is almost nothing I love more than free books.

On the ride back to the shop, I opened the book up, and not only did I get the book free, but is has been autographed! That was a bonus.

And to top it all off, there was a piece of paper stuck inside the front cover as well. I opened it up, and out fell a check for $10,000!

No, I’m just kidding about the check. But there was a piece of paper inside, and on it was written “A Franciscan Blessing” which was exactly what I needed to hear today. Here is what it says:

May God bless you with discomfort…
     at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships,
     so that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger…
     at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
     so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears…
     to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war,
     so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness…
     to believe that you can make a difference in the world,
     so that you can do what others claim cannot be done,
     to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen.

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A few years ago, Wendy started a family tradition called “Daughter’s Day.” She figured, “We have mother’s day and father’s day, so why not daughter’s day?” So she began one.

So, happy Daughter’s day Taylor, Selah, and Kahlea! I love you!

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I do not think I deserve to be called a Christian. Most of my believing friends would probably disagree with that statement, but I think it is possible that some of my friends who do not believe in Jesus for eternal life would probably agree with me. To some of my unbelieving friends, I probably do not fit their idea of how a follower of Jesus should live, talk, and act.

And guess whose opinion is more important?

In this matter (as in many others), the opinion of those who do not believe in Jesus for eternal life trumps the opinion of those who do. So, I guess I cannot call myself a Christian.

And as I was thinking about this recently, I realized that this is exactly the point!

The first group of people who were called “Christians” did not claim the title for themselves. Instead, it was a title given to a group of people who not only believed in Jesus, and talked a lot about Him, but also lived like Him in generosity, service, forgiveness, and love. They were “called Christians” (Acts 11:26). I believe that the title “Christian” is like the British honorary title “Sir.” Neither are titles that can be taken; both can only be bestowed.

There are great masses of people today who like Jesus and think He and His teachings are great, but who want nothing to do with those who claim to be His followers, by those who claim to be “Christians.”

However, I firmly believe that if a group of people who believed in Jesus for eternal life, and committed themselves to living and loving like He commanded, a watching world would soon take notice, and declare, “Now here…Here is a group of people that could be called Christians, for here is a group who seems to take Jesus seriously and want to live like Him.”

To me, that would be the greatest honor I could receive in this life. I don’t want to take the name “Christian.” But if I could be called a Christian, now that would be something! If a person who is not a follower of Jesus could look at my life over years of observation and friendship, and say “You are what I imagined followers of Jesus to be like. You are a true Christian” I would consider my life a success.

So who is calling you a Christian? Is it just you and your other “Christian” friends? Do people who are not “Christians” look at your life and say that you just don’t look like the Jesus they read about in Scripture? If so, my guess is that you are claiming a title you have not yet earned.

Don’t call yourself a Christian until someone who is not a Christian calls you one first.

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I attended a Mormon church last Sunday. I haven’t really had time to write about it much because I worked 15-16 hour days on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I took Thursday and Friday off, and then I go back to work on Saturday. In many ways, my wife feels like a single mother, so please pray for us. 

Anyway, after attending the Mormon church with my co-worker, below are a few of my initial observations as gleaned through my own personal conversations:

1. I am amazed that Mormonism is so popular since in many ways, their style of “worship” service is nearly identical to that of fundamental Baptists. They only use the King James Version, they pray using words like “thee,” “thy,” and “thou,” all the men come dressed is slacks and ties, and the entire morning lasted three hours, with a heavy emphasis on extended times of teaching. Since fundamental Baptists are seeing a rapid decline in attendance, but Mormons are on the rise, what is it about Mormonism that people find attractive?
2. Theologically, Mormonism does not seem to be as “wacked out” as some Christian critics portray them to be. In fact, when it comes to the doctrine of salvation, I could easily argue that Mormons are just as orthodox as many ”evangelical protestants,” specifically in regard to the role of good works in salvation (in other words, they base it partly on their own works). Also, there are many similarities between a Mormon’s view of Joseph Smith and other groups within “Christendom” (e.g. Catholics and some Charismatics) who believe in some sort of apostolic succession or ongoing prophetic additions to Scripture.
3. They believe they are the one true church, and all others are in apostasy to one degree or another. They believe that Joseph Smith restored correct practice and doctrine as it was originally taught by Jesus Christ and Paul. Again, this idea is not unique to Mormons, as there are many groups and teachers who think they have a corner on the truth, and everybody else is in error.  
4. There are, of course, serious problems with Mormon theology and practice. For example, they don’t really believe in the Trinity the way most evangelical Christians do, and they don’t seem to believe that Jesus was eternally God. It is probably for these reasons that they are labeled a “cult.” Also, some of the primary practices of Mormons seem to be based on obscure passages of Scripture. For example, a common Mormon practice is baptism for dead ancestors, which is based on a particular interpretation of 1 Cor 15:29.
5. Most Mormons are convinced that their beliefs are correct because they had a supernatural experience which proved to them that what they believe is true. I have men many people within various brands of Christianity who argue along similar lines. It is next to impossible to convince such a person through logical reasoning and arguments that what they believe might not be true. As I have conversed with my Mormon co-workers about their faith, every time I bring up a question they don’t seem to be able to answer, they revert to talking about their experience (vision, dream, inner feeling, etc.) which proved to them the truth of what they believe, and then they tell me that if I really want to know the truth, I should pray for wisdom and ask God to give me a similar experience to reveal the truth to me.

There are numerous other things I could discuss, but these are the five that stand out to me right now. One thing I am becoming more and more convinced of is that before you go blast someones life, theology, or practice, you should not go read a book about them, but instead endeavor to become friends with someone of that group. Once you do, it will become impossible to blast them. Things are not as cut-and-dry, black-and-white as some speakers and authors would make you believe.

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