TILL HE COMES Blog

This Post is based on the Grace Commentary for Luke 1:8-10.

It is difficult to know why they all showed up. One of them, Zack, was there because it was his duty. But more than that, it was also his privilege. Nevertheless, he most likely carried it out with great fear and trembling. After all, some had died doing what he was about to do.  

A few probably came out of genuine desires and pure motives. But others came only because it was what they had always done. It was tradition. On this day, for an hour or two, they came and performed their duty.

But many came because of the rumors. Zack, it was rumored, was going to die today, and everybody wanted to be there when it happened. He had been chosen and he wasn’t ready. He thought he was ready, but everyone knew he wasn’t. It was so obvious.

So when he went in, everybody held their breath…and waited…

——————-

If you have already read the commentary on Luke 1:8-10, you know that I am talking about Zacharias going into the Temple to make the daily offering. Luke makes a point of stating that multitudes were outside waiting, and he has already pointed out that Zacharias and Elizabeth were childless. In Jewish culture, this implies they were cursed.

I’m speculating that maybe some of the people in the crowd that day were there with something less than pure religious motives. They’re not there to worship God, but to see Zack get fried.

At this point, as a “pastor in search of an application”, I am supposed to ask, “So, why do you go to church? Is it worship God, or just to see a good show?” Because if you want a good show, churches that provide one are a dime a dozen. (Actually, they are about $12-$20 million a dozen. The greatest show on earth doesn’t come cheap. But that’s a different point. )

And that is the way I used to preach this passage. In fact, I think when I first preached this passage, that truly is the way I preached it. I tried to put a guilt trip on people who maybe didn’t have the best motives for coming to church.

Today, I don’t care why people come to church, as long as they tithe. After all, I have to feed my kids and pay for the new education wing.

I’m joking.

Here’s the way I would preach this passage today: This passage truly is about the greatest show on earth, and that show is this: One man, going humbly before His God to worship and to pray. He doesn’t care what people think of him. He doesn’t care what people say about him. He only cares about the supreme privilege of meeting one-on-one with God.

Certainly, he went with fear and trembling, maybe wondering if he was wrong. But live or die, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And besides, even if God did strike him dead, what a way to go! Who else had a story like that!

Maybe Zacharias wasn’t thinking that last part, but the point is this: What Zacharias was able to do only once in his entire life, we can do every single day if we want. But how few of us do.

You want to be part of the greatest show on earth — the one that even angels watch with amazement? Just come to God in worship. I don’t care how, where, or when. Sure, it could be at “church.” But don’t limit yourself! Worship God in the forest, worship him at work. Worship Him while you play tennis, paint a picture, or study. Worship for an hour, or a few seconds while gazing at the stars.

Live a life of worship. Be like Zacharias. Be the greatest show on earth.

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I watched Bill Maher’s documentary Religulous over the weekend. I don’t recommend it…but not for the reasons you might guess.

First, a summary. The documentary is entertaining, and he makes several points that will cause you to think, but overall, the documentary has one goal: to make fun of everything religious. The documentary attacks several different religions. Along with Christianity, he also makes fun of Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Scientologists, and Mormons.  Oh, and don’t forget “The Church of Marijuana.” Maher’s conclusion is that religion is the cause of nearly everything that is wrong with the world, and the sooner we rid the world of religion, the better off the human race will be.

Ironically, I kind of agree of him, and I speak from the viewpoint of someone “on the inside.” All day long, every day, I deal with the beliefs and practices of various religions. And while I wouldn’t say that religion is the main cause of all that is wrong with the world, I definitely put it in the top five. (The reason I stay and work in a religious setting is that I hope to  redeem it, and the people trapped in it.)

As I watched the documentary, I found myself agreeing with Maher on point after point. Many of his complaints and criticisms are my complaints and criticisms. Some of these criticisms I have written about over the past couple of years on this blog. For example, at one point, Maher voices his opinion that modern “Christianity,” with pastors wearing expensive suits and watches, driving fancy cars, and preaching in giant buildings, cannot be what Jesus wanted for His future followers. (See, for example, this post.)

So why don’t I recommend the movie? Well, for one, there is some profanity, and a mild sex scene (between the Holy Spirit and Mary???). But aside from that, the movie is too disjointed. Not only does he jump from religion to religion, he jumps from issue to issue. Yes, there are issues with religions, but Maher doesn’t seem to desire logical, coherent discussion about the issues, and instead likes to lob in one bomb after another, gleefully watching his target (the person he is interviewing) run around dodging shrapnel. He never really allows any person he is interviewing to finish a point they are making before he switches subjects and asks another loaded question. The one person who was able to make his point was a Jewish Rabbi who, every time Maher tried to change the subject, kept saying “Let me finish.” Maher finally gave up on that interview. Although, I must admit that the Rabbi was not making much sense.

If Maher really is seeking truth (which he claims to be at the beginning of the documentary), rational, respectful, logically-ordered dialogue is the best approach. Maher does none of these things. But then, what can you expect from a comedian? So it’s not truth Maher wants; it’s laughs. And I guess viewed from that perspective, the documentary is a success. It’s not a helpful contribution to the ongoing upheaval in theology and ecclesiology, but it is funny.

So, if you want to laugh at religion (and there’s lots to laugh at!), I guess I recommend the movie after all. If we can’t laugh at ourselves, we have more serious problems in our theology than any of the issues raised by Maher.

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“Go to church and sin!
    Attend Bible studies and multiply your sins!
Volunteer to clean the church.
   Faithfully tithe your 10%.
Praise Jesus for all He has given you.
   Thank God for your many blessings.
For these are the things, Oh Christian, you love to do,”
    says the Lord God.  

“I hate your pot lucks.
    Nor do I delight in your Christian concerts.
Though you give generously to support the building fund,
   And donate faithfully to the Christian organizations,
I will not even look at these many gifts.

“Cease your many sermons,
    Stop writing your faithful blog.
Get out of your pew,
   Put away all your Christian books.

“When you fast, I will not listen.
   Though you cry out, I will not hear.
I will not accept your offerings
   And sacrifices of praise.

“Take away from me the noise of your many songs,
   Your numerous prayers are an abomination!
Quit playing the guitars, banging on the drums, 
   And raising your hands in praise.
Stop trampling the parking lots 
   In your eagerness to get to church.

“Sunday morning, Sunday night.
    Wednesday evening, Friday morning.
I hate all your meetings.
   I despise your numerous studies.
They are all evil in my sight.

“Instead, let justice roll down like a waterfall,
    And righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
   I want you do justice, love kindness,
And walk humbly with your God.”

———————————

Offended? Try these:
Isaiah 1:12-13
Amos 4:4-5
Amos 5:21-24
Jeremiah 14:12
Hosea 6:6
Micah 6:6-8

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Today in the M’Cheyne reading plan, I read Numbers 17-18. This section (actually, chapters 16-18) of Scripture has been bothering me recently because of the frequent struggles church leaders have with others in the church who either are leaders or want to be leaders. I’m sure all of us who have been involved in any sort of ministry position have experienced such tensions in ministry leadership. I know I have…and am.

I have often thought how nice it would be to call for a “prophet’s duel” as we read about in 1 Kings 18 or here in Numbers 16-17, just to see who is really right.

If you have ever been in such situations, you have probably caught yourself thinking, ”Lord, may the ground swallow them up!” If you haven’t thought something similar, well, you are better than I.

You see, we leaders have the idea that we are like Moses, and all those who challenge our position are like the rebellious family of Korah. We preach sermons based on the Psalm 105:14-15: “Touch not the Lord’s anointed” and how we are “above reproach” and so should not be reproached.

Talk about an egocentric reading! If we really want to plug in people to Numbers 16-17 (which I am not sure is the right way to “apply” this text), I think it is safest to say that all of us, church leaders and pastors included, are the rebellious family of Korah, and Jesus is Moses. As we fight among ourselves for positions of power and authority, we are like Korah, trying to take for ourselves what belongs to Jesus only.

So are you experiencing power struggles in your church? For proper perspective, don’t read yourself in Moses. Read yourself into Korah, and see how that changes your dealings with “the others.”

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I read this on the Glocalnet blog today:

Hooray for Leadership Journal in their most recent issue!!!! Rock on Marshal Shelley!!!! They have an article entitled “Ministry Lessons from a Muslim – His Unexpected Message to Church Leaders: fully embrace your Christian Identity.” This is the most “progressive” journal for Ministers in existence. I both read it and have been in it, yet two things stand out to me in the title. First, “a Muslim” – not Eboo. This is probably the first time there has been an article about “a Muslim” and what he would say to Christian leaders. Being the best magazine there is on “pastoring” in America, what does that say about our understanding the world, other religions, and our ability to communicate with one another? The second thing is “embrace your Christian Identity” – as radical as that might sound – I hear that a lot around the world from my friends who are Muslim. They believe that following Jesus as prescribed in the New Testament would be incredible.

Eboo talks about four responses to our world of faith:

First, there are those who live in the bubble – they want only to be around people of their own religion and to communicate to each other. The problem is, the bubble sooner or later always burst and people are left with no where to go.

Second, there are those who are barriers – they view religion as us against them and it’s all out competition. This is why I talk about planting the seed of the Gospel and how it grows, and we don’t have to force it. Any religion that has to be forced upon someone, through coercion or guns is destined to die sooner or later. Truth doesn’t emanate from force, but thought.

Third, there are those who would bomb. Terrorism and/or war is the way to move your religion forward and demolish others.

Fourth, there are those who would build a bridge. The bridge would allow us to work, talk, communicate, and understand one another. This is the hope of the future. This is what Eboo is doing.

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Many years ago, as I walked along the Path, I stumbled over some truth. I was happy to see it, though not surprised, for it was what I was searching for.

I picked it up, put it in my pocket, and walked along, whistling a happy tune.

Now, many years later, and miles down the road, I pulled the truth back out, to admire it once again.

Upon my examination, I was surprised to find that the truth had lost its meaning. It no longer made sense, or had significance.

I considered tossing the truth aside, but instead, I sighed, shrugged my shoulders, and redeposited the truth into my pocket. After all, I reasoned, if it was true once, it must still be true today. And even if not, maybe it will be true again.

So with truth confidently in my pocket, I carried on, whistling a happy tune.

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Imagine that you are a parent of a teenage son, and one day he comes home from school and blurts out, “I’ve started doing drugs. Am I going to hell?”

How do you answer?

What if he said, “A few years ago, someone at school gave me a Playboy, and I been masturbating to it several times a week. Am I going to hell?”

Or, “My girlfriend and I have been having sleeping together for about three months now. Am I going to hell?”

Most Christian parents, I think, would rightfully be alarmed at such confessions, but few would tell their son that he was going to hell. Most parents would seek to help him through these

But what instead, your son said, “For a few years now I’ve been attracted to other guys, and over the last few months, I’ve started having sex with another guy at school. We love each other very much. But someone told me today that unless I change, I’m going to hell. Are they right?”

Now how do you answer?

Most evangelical Christians, when confronted with this hypothetical scenario, respond by saying, “Oh, that would never happen with my son. You see, he had involved father, a mother who wasn’t domineering, and he was never sexually abused as a child. Studies prove that most gay men have had at least one of these things happen to them.”

This, of course, is not an explanation of how you would respond if your son “came out” to you, but is rather a denial of its possibility. It is a non-answer.

Which is why, I suppose, most Christian families are shocked and completely unprepared when such situations do happen to them. We have been caught unaware and unprepared. We never thought it would happen to us, and so we didn’t think about what we should do or say if and when it did.

However, in a world that increasingly welcomes and accepts those of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual (GLBT) orientation, Christians must open their eyes and ears to what GLBT people are saying about God, the Scriptures, the church, and human sexuality. This is especially true if we want to minister among them.

Furthermore, the GLBT issue is increasingly being brought up on television and in politics. Numerous states are passing laws legalizing same-sex marriage. Therefore, it is vitally important for Christians to know how to respond to these situations, not only in truth, but also in love.

Andrew Marin is one Christian who is pioneering the way.

In his newly released book, Love is an Orientation (IVP, 2009), Andrew Marin provides an excellent overview of the absolute necessity for Christians to build bridges to those people who are in the GLBT community. As Christ took the initiative and came to us, we must take the initiative in building bridges of hope and love to others.

Thankfully, Andrew Marin is not writing theoretically, but from yeas of experience from living among the GLBT community as the “gayest straight person in the world.”

The book provides excellent insights and guidelines for working alongside and developing relationships with people in the GLBT community. For example, Andrew advises the four of the most important things Christians can do are (1) love, (2) listen, (3) don’t judge, and (4) seek friendship and conversation. Also, he recommends we stop saying “Love the sinner; hate the sin” and referring to those in the GLBT community as “homosexuals.” Both, he explains, are derogatory.

One helpful feature of the book is the answers to the five main questions that are on the minds of most Christians. The questions are:

1. Do you think that gays and lesbians are born that way?
2. Do you think homosexuality is a sin?
3. Can a GLBT person change?
4. Do you think that someone can be gay and a Christian?
5. Are GLBT people going to hell?

I imagine that as you read this short review, one or two of these questions crossed your mind as well. I believe that Marin provided some excellent answers to these questions in his book. Sadly, I don’t have room to reproduce the answers here…so I guess you’ll just have to buy and read the book for yourself.

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This post concludes my “What if…” series. I am sure I will have more questions in the future as I try to seek answers to those already asked, but that’s what this process of reimagining church is all about.

I know that most of these questions will come back to haunt me in the future….

What if Prayer were different?

What if when we prayed for something, we concluded every prayer by asking, “How can we ourselves be an answer to our prayer?”

What if we didn’t feel the need to bow our heads, close our eyes, and fold our hands when we pray?

What if prayer was more like a conversation with God than a strange, wordy, repetitive incantation?

What if we stopped saying “Father” after every phrase? (I thank you, Father, for this beautiful day, Father, and for the opportunity to be here, Father….). He knows we’re talking to Him. He doesn’t need the constant reminder.

What if we didn’t backtrack on our prayers of faith with the statement “…if it’s your will”? (I know Jesus prayed this way once, but that’s a subject for a different study.) 

What if we stopped using prayer as an excuse for gossip?

What if strategies for getting money were different?

What if we didn’t pass tithe plates?

What if, when someone wanted to give a large sum of money to the church, we had them sign a document saying that they understood this did not entitle them to any sort of recognition in the church, or any power or say over where/how the money was used?

What if we didn’t take “special offerings” multiple times until we got the amount we were “praying” for?

What if we didn’t pressure people into giving “10%” (which is a misunderstanding and misapplication of the Old Testament principle of tithing)?

What if fellowship were different?

What if believers actually cared for each other?

What if we wanted to spend time together? How would we encourage this to happen?

What if we were more interested in loving and serving each other than in being served?  But HOW?

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One big issue with church today is where, when, and how we meet. So as we think about reinventing church, there are several questions that need to be asked.

What if the meeting times, places, and format were different?

What if the best time for a church to meet is not on Sunday morning?

What if the best place to meet is not in a building?

What if the best format is not song, announcements, songs, prayer, sermon?

What if believers realized that church has nothing to do with the building on the corner?

What if we didn’t have the financial black hole of a building?

What if when we had “service” we actually did some service?

What if our only “service” of the week was service? (Meet. Eat. Teach. Serve.)

Ministries
What if we started ministries based on what spiritual gifts were present in the church, not based on what the church down the street was doing?

What if we didn’t feel like we had to offer all things to all people?

What if we had fewer ministries, and did not expect people to be involved or present in all of them?

Church Planting
What if our goal for church planting wasn’t to plant churches, but to make disciples?

What if our goal wasn’t to get a crowd together, but to change the world, to turn the world upside down?

What if our way of “doing church” was so simple, basic, memorable, easy, reproducible, that anybody could do it, no matter how long they have been a Christian, or how much they know, or how much training they don’t have?

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Here is Part 3 of my imaginations about ways to reinvent church. This post deals with leadership in the church. I know that various congregations around the country are already practicing several of these ideas, and so there is really not much new here.

What if leadership structure, requirements, and functions were different?

What if we didn’t promote people into leadership just because they had letters after their name, or lots of donations in the tithe plate?

What if elder’s meetings were more about prayer for the people and ministries of the church than discussing the myriad and minute problems and issues of the church?

What if leaders didn’t have to “dress up” in order to show they were the leaders?

What if, when a new person visited our gathering, it wasn’t immediately obvious who the leader was? Would this be possible?

What if decisions were made, not based on what other churches or doing, not based on what the church has always done, not based on what the numerous church policies say, but instead only made after people had sought the truth of God through Scripture, the timing of God through prayer, and the leading of God through reliance on the Holy Spirit?

What if leaders were chosen, not based on who gave the most money, who was the most vocal complainer or critic, who had been at the church the longest, but on the spiritual characteristics of humility, teachability, servant hearted, and had respect for authority?

What if we didn’t have committees?

What if people didn’t need permission from the pastor or a committee to go serve and meet a need?

What if leaders were chosen from within the current fellowship, rather than being recruited or hired from outside?

What if all local churches were autonomous…meaning they were not part of a denomination?

What if all local churches were part of a denomination?

———-

Feel free to answer these below or provide questions of your own.

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