4.02.2006
Where Have All The Martyrs Gone?
Where Have All the Martyrs Gone?
The recent controversy surrounding the fate of Abdul Rahman, accused of converting from Islam to Christianity, a capital offense, in Afghanistan begs a serious question in contemporary Christianity. To some it might be the title at the head but it is the question behind the question I find more interesting. In the entire history of Christianity there has been an almost unrelenting parade of martyrs. From Stephen, the first Christian martyr to modern martyrs like Jim Eliot and Nate Saint, subjects of the recent film End of the Spear, ours has been a history of individuals willing to give their lives for a cause greater than their own lives.
Most of the martys in the 2,000 year history of Christianity were individuals who were willing to pay the ultimate price for their convictions and beliefs. They were willing to suffer beatings, imprisonment, exile and even most cruel death for such issues as whether or not they were willing to be baptized a certain way or give a verbal assent to a creedal statement. So where are today's martyrs?
The initial answer is that persecution in the world is politically and socially unteneable in all but the most totalitarian of regimes. Only a monster would kill his own people for something as esoteric as their beliefs and religious practices in today's politically correct climate. But a more thorough investigation may turn up other reasons for the loss of Christian martyrs. Or perhaps not. The same culture that is likely to express political and social disapproval of persecution is just as likely to express the same disapproval for individuals willing to hold views worth being martyred for. So the question is not "Where have they gone?" but instead, "Is there anyone who holds their faith so passionately that they would be willing to die for it?"
Our current consumerist Christianity and culture of church shopping for the congregation that has the best audience appeal places so little emphasis on beliefs and convictions that few people look for a church based on what they believe. Doctrinal differences are seen as divisive and so they are downplayed to the point where few, if any, churches contain congregations that are committed to the core beliefs of their denominations. American Christians are unlikely to persecute others because of their beliefs about baptism or unwillingness to submit to the authority of the pope, but they are just as unlikely to make such issues worthy of life-and-death commitment.
It is hard to imagine the Southern Baptist Convention being willing to die over the issue of baptism or the Presbyterian Church in America willing to relocate whole congregations to unsettled, inhospitable territory for the cause of ecclesiology. While state-sanctioned persecution like the Spanish Inquisition is inconceivable today, a less appreciated extinction is the Christian martyr. It is difficulty to imagine any kind of commitment to high-stakes Christianity that drove men like William Tyndale to the stake for the cause of translating the Bible into the vernacular language of his day. Americans hold their tenets so loosely that it is nearly impossible to come up with a cause that Christians would be willing to sacrifice their livelihoods, homes, families and even lives to promote.
The same political correctness that anathematizes a mentality that fosters persecution is the one that makes the existence of martyrs just as anachronistic. The live-and-let-live outlook that refuses to condemn the erroneous beliefs others also refuses to stand with conviction and finality for its own beliefs. We may applaud the loss of persecution and need for martyrdom, but we should grieve the loss of a faith of our fathers that is worth dying for.
The recent controversy surrounding the fate of Abdul Rahman, accused of converting from Islam to Christianity, a capital offense, in Afghanistan begs a serious question in contemporary Christianity. To some it might be the title at the head but it is the question behind the question I find more interesting. In the entire history of Christianity there has been an almost unrelenting parade of martyrs. From Stephen, the first Christian martyr to modern martyrs like Jim Eliot and Nate Saint, subjects of the recent film End of the Spear, ours has been a history of individuals willing to give their lives for a cause greater than their own lives.
Most of the martys in the 2,000 year history of Christianity were individuals who were willing to pay the ultimate price for their convictions and beliefs. They were willing to suffer beatings, imprisonment, exile and even most cruel death for such issues as whether or not they were willing to be baptized a certain way or give a verbal assent to a creedal statement. So where are today's martyrs?
The initial answer is that persecution in the world is politically and socially unteneable in all but the most totalitarian of regimes. Only a monster would kill his own people for something as esoteric as their beliefs and religious practices in today's politically correct climate. But a more thorough investigation may turn up other reasons for the loss of Christian martyrs. Or perhaps not. The same culture that is likely to express political and social disapproval of persecution is just as likely to express the same disapproval for individuals willing to hold views worth being martyred for. So the question is not "Where have they gone?" but instead, "Is there anyone who holds their faith so passionately that they would be willing to die for it?"
Our current consumerist Christianity and culture of church shopping for the congregation that has the best audience appeal places so little emphasis on beliefs and convictions that few people look for a church based on what they believe. Doctrinal differences are seen as divisive and so they are downplayed to the point where few, if any, churches contain congregations that are committed to the core beliefs of their denominations. American Christians are unlikely to persecute others because of their beliefs about baptism or unwillingness to submit to the authority of the pope, but they are just as unlikely to make such issues worthy of life-and-death commitment.
It is hard to imagine the Southern Baptist Convention being willing to die over the issue of baptism or the Presbyterian Church in America willing to relocate whole congregations to unsettled, inhospitable territory for the cause of ecclesiology. While state-sanctioned persecution like the Spanish Inquisition is inconceivable today, a less appreciated extinction is the Christian martyr. It is difficulty to imagine any kind of commitment to high-stakes Christianity that drove men like William Tyndale to the stake for the cause of translating the Bible into the vernacular language of his day. Americans hold their tenets so loosely that it is nearly impossible to come up with a cause that Christians would be willing to sacrifice their livelihoods, homes, families and even lives to promote.
The same political correctness that anathematizes a mentality that fosters persecution is the one that makes the existence of martyrs just as anachronistic. The live-and-let-live outlook that refuses to condemn the erroneous beliefs others also refuses to stand with conviction and finality for its own beliefs. We may applaud the loss of persecution and need for martyrdom, but we should grieve the loss of a faith of our fathers that is worth dying for.
5.07.2005
Dandelions
Yesterday I was speeding down the same freeway I've been travelling for years now, seeing the same things I always see but somehow transformed. I worshipped and praised God for the beauty of the trees, the ponds, the grass, the clouds, the vultures circling lazily and gracefully, the hawk waiting patiently, the kestrel hovering busily over the median....
And then I remembered reading a travelogueist tell about how boring the interstate highway system is. His complaint was that it misses all the quaint, interesting things on driving tours like towns, and villiages.
I reflected that that sense of boredom was a diaffection with what God had made and the interest is in the trinkets and tchotchkes that man has made.
So life isn't about finding interesting things to see but finding interest in the things you do see.
One of my favorite lines from The Mask of Zorro is where the Alcalde asks the Antonio Banderas character what he seeks in Mexico and he replies, "A sense of the miraculous in everyday life." Maybe we need to sit in our gardens, unfinished though they are at this time of year, and notworry for the moment about how we can "fix" it but how it is alive and vibrant and working even while we do nothing. Life is blooming all around us right now. Bury your hands in the soil and let the sense of life travel up your arm and let God's peace rule in yourheart. Watch the bees. They don't care if they have sweet peas that you've planted or sweet clover that comes up on its own. It is all beautiful and good to them. Find a peace in the untilled soil, the unworked ground, the undisturbed fields and woods and when you find it, then you can participate with God in the good work that he has made.
My neighbor grieves when he mows his yard full of dandelions because it is covered with weeds.
I grieve when I mow because I am chopping up beautiful yellow flowers.
May God bring many dandelions into your life,
And then I remembered reading a travelogueist tell about how boring the interstate highway system is. His complaint was that it misses all the quaint, interesting things on driving tours like towns, and villiages.
I reflected that that sense of boredom was a diaffection with what God had made and the interest is in the trinkets and tchotchkes that man has made.
So life isn't about finding interesting things to see but finding interest in the things you do see.
One of my favorite lines from The Mask of Zorro is where the Alcalde asks the Antonio Banderas character what he seeks in Mexico and he replies, "A sense of the miraculous in everyday life." Maybe we need to sit in our gardens, unfinished though they are at this time of year, and notworry for the moment about how we can "fix" it but how it is alive and vibrant and working even while we do nothing. Life is blooming all around us right now. Bury your hands in the soil and let the sense of life travel up your arm and let God's peace rule in yourheart. Watch the bees. They don't care if they have sweet peas that you've planted or sweet clover that comes up on its own. It is all beautiful and good to them. Find a peace in the untilled soil, the unworked ground, the undisturbed fields and woods and when you find it, then you can participate with God in the good work that he has made.
My neighbor grieves when he mows his yard full of dandelions because it is covered with weeds.
I grieve when I mow because I am chopping up beautiful yellow flowers.
May God bring many dandelions into your life,
Regrets
I resented the aphids on my roses
Until I remembered
Killing the ladybugs who sought shelter
In my house for the winter.
Until I remembered
Killing the ladybugs who sought shelter
In my house for the winter.
5.01.2005
Association by Guilt
This is a response to a discussion item from one of my groups:
In an earlier post I honed in on the idea of "when have we done enough?" or a definition of what constitutes acceptable performance.This is predicated on the notion that many, many sermons begin withthe premise, "We have not done enough when it comes to personal evangelism. We need to do more."
So by asking, "OK. If what we are doing today is 'not enough' then how much do we have to do before we can say 'that is enough'?" I'm sure you will agree with me that this is a bad question. What you may not agree with is that this questionis a natural segue from the premise of the admontion, i.e. we aren'tdoing enough.
My point is that this is a guilt-mongering tactic aimed at stepping up performance by making people feel badly about their lack of activity.The reason this is an illicit activity or motivational tactic isbecause there is no clearly defined standard of acceptableperformance.
So, to answer your questions...
No, it is not a guilt trip to encourage. It is a guilt trip toDIScourage people who fail to live up to some high performancestandard of what constitutes acceptable Christian behavior becausethey lack the necessary resources for achieving the establishedperformance standard.
Yes, the guilt trip is self-imposed. But it is in impostion that stems from the understanding that NO ONE can sit in such a sermon and say tothemselves, "Well, this doesn't apply to me because I'm doing asufficient amount of personal evangelism." Have you ever been to an evangelism conference or heard a sermon where ANYONE is identified as someone who does enough personal evangelism? We look at people who do an above average amount be we never admit that they have done enough and certainly never more than enough.
As for the Holy Spirit, I thought Jesus sent him as the Comforter tobelievers, not the Convictor. I thought that role only applied to theWorld. Maybe I've missed that. Where in the Bible do we see the HolySpirit's role toward believers as One Who makes us feel guilty for a lack of acceptable Christian performance? I hope you get the notion that I don't think very kindly of ANYperformance-based religion. I think performance is an outworking of an inward transformantion, not something we do to merit God's favor.That's the trouble with beign raised Calvinist, I somehow believe that grace is how we live after we are saved and not just before salvation.
In an earlier post I honed in on the idea of "when have we done enough?" or a definition of what constitutes acceptable performance.This is predicated on the notion that many, many sermons begin withthe premise, "We have not done enough when it comes to personal evangelism. We need to do more."
So by asking, "OK. If what we are doing today is 'not enough' then how much do we have to do before we can say 'that is enough'?" I'm sure you will agree with me that this is a bad question. What you may not agree with is that this questionis a natural segue from the premise of the admontion, i.e. we aren'tdoing enough.
My point is that this is a guilt-mongering tactic aimed at stepping up performance by making people feel badly about their lack of activity.The reason this is an illicit activity or motivational tactic isbecause there is no clearly defined standard of acceptableperformance.
So, to answer your questions...
No, it is not a guilt trip to encourage. It is a guilt trip toDIScourage people who fail to live up to some high performancestandard of what constitutes acceptable Christian behavior becausethey lack the necessary resources for achieving the establishedperformance standard.
Yes, the guilt trip is self-imposed. But it is in impostion that stems from the understanding that NO ONE can sit in such a sermon and say tothemselves, "Well, this doesn't apply to me because I'm doing asufficient amount of personal evangelism." Have you ever been to an evangelism conference or heard a sermon where ANYONE is identified as someone who does enough personal evangelism? We look at people who do an above average amount be we never admit that they have done enough and certainly never more than enough.
As for the Holy Spirit, I thought Jesus sent him as the Comforter tobelievers, not the Convictor. I thought that role only applied to theWorld. Maybe I've missed that. Where in the Bible do we see the HolySpirit's role toward believers as One Who makes us feel guilty for a lack of acceptable Christian performance? I hope you get the notion that I don't think very kindly of ANYperformance-based religion. I think performance is an outworking of an inward transformantion, not something we do to merit God's favor.That's the trouble with beign raised Calvinist, I somehow believe that grace is how we live after we are saved and not just before salvation.
The Gospel
I've been in discussion online about the basic question of what's the gospel. In Brian McLaren's books A New Kind of Christian, The Story We Find Ourselvels In and A Generous Orthodoxy, he speaks very loudly of us being heirs of Abraham's promise and of us being a blessing TO the world, not just receiving blessings IN the world. This resonates very deeply with me because I see it as anti-narcissism which seems to be a good thing.
The Jews both succeeded and failed in this part of the Abrahamic Covenant, just like, I believe, we are today. We are both a blessing and not a blessing. However, we are mostly on a hunt to do two things (and not just according to BMc but also general observation and non-Christian pundits):
1. Get our butts in heaven (and in more extreme cases, making sure OUR butts are the only ones in there or if other butts are in, then they are relegated to a lower status than us)
2. Getting God (or circumstances or other people) to do things for us. This may include getting prayers answered, getting legislation passed, or Bad Things not happening to us while they happen to other people.
In the current Fudagelical paradigm, is there anything more to the Christian life? So when we talk about the Good News of Jesus Christ, is that it? Is there no Good News for people who aren't one of us? Is the Good News of Jesus confined to those two core Christian principles or is there something else we are missing and missing Big Time just like the Jews did?
I'm inclined to think there is.
If you ask me it is an unhealthy focus on The Left Behind Series and missing the fact that it is a transition to the Millennium.
The Jews both succeeded and failed in this part of the Abrahamic Covenant, just like, I believe, we are today. We are both a blessing and not a blessing. However, we are mostly on a hunt to do two things (and not just according to BMc but also general observation and non-Christian pundits):
1. Get our butts in heaven (and in more extreme cases, making sure OUR butts are the only ones in there or if other butts are in, then they are relegated to a lower status than us)
2. Getting God (or circumstances or other people) to do things for us. This may include getting prayers answered, getting legislation passed, or Bad Things not happening to us while they happen to other people.
In the current Fudagelical paradigm, is there anything more to the Christian life? So when we talk about the Good News of Jesus Christ, is that it? Is there no Good News for people who aren't one of us? Is the Good News of Jesus confined to those two core Christian principles or is there something else we are missing and missing Big Time just like the Jews did?
I'm inclined to think there is.
If you ask me it is an unhealthy focus on The Left Behind Series and missing the fact that it is a transition to the Millennium.
4.22.2005
4.19.2005
A Conversation between Abraham and Sarah
Here's my imaginary scenario. Abraham is played by Billy Crystal, Carl Reiner or Mel Brooks and Sarah is played by (I can't remember her name but can see her face) who played Miracle Max's wife in "The Princess Bride".
"Avram! Avram!"
Rolls eyes, "What now, my little Princess?"
"Avram. What was it again that the angels said to you?"
"About what, my little sugar plum?"
"Avram, don't be goy with me. What was the promise?"
Sighs and repeats in a sing-song voice, holding hands palms up in resignation, "Dat I would be da father of a great nation and dat I would be blessed and be a blessing to da woild." (It's hard to type with an accent. Y'all fill it in on your own from here.)
"Aha! Aha!"
"What's aha?"
"Aha. I see it now. The promise said you would be the father, no?"
Shrugs.
"Uh huh. Exactly."
"What's exactly?"
"I knew it."
"What did you know? Could you fill me in? I mean the promise was to me and you would think that I would be the one to know what it is, eh? But look who knows so much, the one who WASN'T EVEN THERE and has to ask me EVERY DAY 'What was the promise? What did the angel say?' So are you going to tell me what you know so much that I don't even know myself?"
"Think about it, Avram. What did the angel NOT say?"
"What do you mean 'What did the angel not say?' There was a lot the angel did not say. The angel did not say 'Hey, Avram, nice weather we're having, isn't it?' The angel didn't say, 'Brooklyn hasn't been the same since the Dodgers left.' The angel didn't say, 'Where can I get a good pastrami around here. The last place had so much fat I thought I was going to gag.' What do you mean 'What did the angel not say?' "
"Eh, men. You always think you know so much. If your nose wasn't on the front of your face you'd never be able to find it. Hmpf."
"OK. So what did the angel not say?"
Sarah goes back to making dinner.
"Oh, so now you won't talk. I tell you to shut up you keep talking. I ask you for your opinion and now you shut up."
Still kneading bread dough on floured board.
"So maybe I should ask your opinion more often. That way I can get some peace and quiet."
"Men."
"What's that? What did you say my sweet honey cake?"
"Men. All you think about is yourself."
"That's right. All I think about is myself. I got me a nice tent to lug around the desert for who? For me, you say. So if it's for me, then why am I never in it? I'm always out in the field."
"That's not what I mean."
"Oh, no, it's the jewelry that I bought from the Midianites. That's it. I only bought that for myself. I just forgot to put it on this morning."
"You know what I'm talking about."
"I know? I know what you're talking about? If I knew what you were talking about would I have to be asking? I could be out feeding the goats and camels, but no I have to stand here all day listeing to you tell me what I already know. So what do I already know already?"
"The promise."
"Yes. I know the promise."
"It was to you."
"Yes, the promise was to me."
Sarah stops and looks at Abraham, her eyes beginning to well up with tears.
"What's the matter? Why are you crying?"
"Because your promise was to you. It wasn't a promise to me."
"What do you mean? Of course it was to you too."
"Avram, how can you say that. Every day I ask you to tell me the promise and every day you say the promise to me. And every day I hear that you are going to be a great Father."
"So? Why is that making you cry?"
"Don't you see, Avram? You are to be a great Father, but there is nothing in the promise that says I am going to be a great mother."
"What do you mean? Don't be ridiculous. Of course you are going to be the mother. Who else would be the mother?"
"I don't know, Avram. God only knows."
"Sarah, my sweet desert rose blossom, how could there be any other mother? It must be you. I have no other wife."
"But Avram, the problem is with me. You can be a father but I cannot be a mother."
"Of course you can. It will be a miracle from God."
"A miracle. Did the angel say anything about miracles? Was that in the promise? If it was I didn't hear you say anything about it. Are you not telling me all the promise? Are you holding something back from me?"
"Well there must be a miracle. If I am to be a father, then there would have to be a miracle for you to be a mother."
"Only there was no miracle in the promise, was there?"
Abraham is silent.
"See? See? No miracle. I knew it."
"But there has to be a miracle."
"Does there? If there was to be a miracle, don't you think the angel would have told you?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"Avram! There is no miracle. But there is a promise. You are to be a father. I cannot possibly be the mother of God would have opened my womb. So that can only mean one thing."
"What?"
"Someone else will be the mother."
"(expletive deleted)"
"No, Avram, I mean it. I have a slave. Let her be the mother and when she carries the child, I will have her deliver it into my lap. We will raise it as our son. That way you can be a Father, even if I cannot be a mother."
"No. No, Sarah, I cannot. I will not."
Sarah, in tears now, "But, Avram. I have no other answer. We are getting old. Our time will be short. Let me live long enough to see you father a son. I don't have to be the mother. This I will give up. I want to see the promise come true. I am not getting any younger or any better. You should act now while you still can. You can be the father now but if we wait, who knows?"
And after days of the same thing, finally Abraham relents and goes in to Hagar and the rest is history....
"Avram! Avram!"
Rolls eyes, "What now, my little Princess?"
"Avram. What was it again that the angels said to you?"
"About what, my little sugar plum?"
"Avram, don't be goy with me. What was the promise?"
Sighs and repeats in a sing-song voice, holding hands palms up in resignation, "Dat I would be da father of a great nation and dat I would be blessed and be a blessing to da woild." (It's hard to type with an accent. Y'all fill it in on your own from here.)
"Aha! Aha!"
"What's aha?"
"Aha. I see it now. The promise said you would be the father, no?"
Shrugs.
"Uh huh. Exactly."
"What's exactly?"
"I knew it."
"What did you know? Could you fill me in? I mean the promise was to me and you would think that I would be the one to know what it is, eh? But look who knows so much, the one who WASN'T EVEN THERE and has to ask me EVERY DAY 'What was the promise? What did the angel say?' So are you going to tell me what you know so much that I don't even know myself?"
"Think about it, Avram. What did the angel NOT say?"
"What do you mean 'What did the angel not say?' There was a lot the angel did not say. The angel did not say 'Hey, Avram, nice weather we're having, isn't it?' The angel didn't say, 'Brooklyn hasn't been the same since the Dodgers left.' The angel didn't say, 'Where can I get a good pastrami around here. The last place had so much fat I thought I was going to gag.' What do you mean 'What did the angel not say?' "
"Eh, men. You always think you know so much. If your nose wasn't on the front of your face you'd never be able to find it. Hmpf."
"OK. So what did the angel not say?"
Sarah goes back to making dinner.
"Oh, so now you won't talk. I tell you to shut up you keep talking. I ask you for your opinion and now you shut up."
Still kneading bread dough on floured board.
"So maybe I should ask your opinion more often. That way I can get some peace and quiet."
"Men."
"What's that? What did you say my sweet honey cake?"
"Men. All you think about is yourself."
"That's right. All I think about is myself. I got me a nice tent to lug around the desert for who? For me, you say. So if it's for me, then why am I never in it? I'm always out in the field."
"That's not what I mean."
"Oh, no, it's the jewelry that I bought from the Midianites. That's it. I only bought that for myself. I just forgot to put it on this morning."
"You know what I'm talking about."
"I know? I know what you're talking about? If I knew what you were talking about would I have to be asking? I could be out feeding the goats and camels, but no I have to stand here all day listeing to you tell me what I already know. So what do I already know already?"
"The promise."
"Yes. I know the promise."
"It was to you."
"Yes, the promise was to me."
Sarah stops and looks at Abraham, her eyes beginning to well up with tears.
"What's the matter? Why are you crying?"
"Because your promise was to you. It wasn't a promise to me."
"What do you mean? Of course it was to you too."
"Avram, how can you say that. Every day I ask you to tell me the promise and every day you say the promise to me. And every day I hear that you are going to be a great Father."
"So? Why is that making you cry?"
"Don't you see, Avram? You are to be a great Father, but there is nothing in the promise that says I am going to be a great mother."
"What do you mean? Don't be ridiculous. Of course you are going to be the mother. Who else would be the mother?"
"I don't know, Avram. God only knows."
"Sarah, my sweet desert rose blossom, how could there be any other mother? It must be you. I have no other wife."
"But Avram, the problem is with me. You can be a father but I cannot be a mother."
"Of course you can. It will be a miracle from God."
"A miracle. Did the angel say anything about miracles? Was that in the promise? If it was I didn't hear you say anything about it. Are you not telling me all the promise? Are you holding something back from me?"
"Well there must be a miracle. If I am to be a father, then there would have to be a miracle for you to be a mother."
"Only there was no miracle in the promise, was there?"
Abraham is silent.
"See? See? No miracle. I knew it."
"But there has to be a miracle."
"Does there? If there was to be a miracle, don't you think the angel would have told you?"
"Maybe. Maybe not."
"Avram! There is no miracle. But there is a promise. You are to be a father. I cannot possibly be the mother of God would have opened my womb. So that can only mean one thing."
"What?"
"Someone else will be the mother."
"(expletive deleted)"
"No, Avram, I mean it. I have a slave. Let her be the mother and when she carries the child, I will have her deliver it into my lap. We will raise it as our son. That way you can be a Father, even if I cannot be a mother."
"No. No, Sarah, I cannot. I will not."
Sarah, in tears now, "But, Avram. I have no other answer. We are getting old. Our time will be short. Let me live long enough to see you father a son. I don't have to be the mother. This I will give up. I want to see the promise come true. I am not getting any younger or any better. You should act now while you still can. You can be the father now but if we wait, who knows?"
And after days of the same thing, finally Abraham relents and goes in to Hagar and the rest is history....
4.16.2005
Jesus Junk
I was thinking about Jesus Junk on the drive home last night after watching a car with fish symbol behave badly in traffic.
One of the reasons I don't wear Jesus Junk is because I don't want to reflect badly on the "brand" name. I'm not sure how good a representative I am of Jesus. I mean, would Jesus want someone like me walking around wearing an "I'm With Jesus" slogan on the back of a T-shirt? Especially when the front says "Hi. I'm A Sinner And..."?
But as I reflected on the gospels at 35 mph on a 4 lane freeway designed to handle speeds in excess of 70 mph in misnamed rush hour traffic, surrounded by ironies, I came to the ironical conclusion that Yes! I am EXACTLY the kind of person Jesus wants representing him on this earth. I'm right there with the guy that was running naked through the tombs, with the woman caught in adultery, with the greedy tax collector up a tree, the impetuous self-promoting fishermen. I'm all them. And more. Only worse.
So maybe I should stop trying to protect Jesus' reputation and let everyone know I'm a follower of him. A crippled, halting, stumbling, imperfect follower, sure; but a follower nonetheless. I may not follow well or closely but I am doggedly persistent. I will make big mistakes along the way but isn't that who Jesus is looking for? Honest people who depend on Him to get them through life? Didn't he come to seek and to save the lost rather than the found? Heal the sick rather than the ones who don't need a doctor? Well I definitely need the Doctor.
Come to think of it, all those hospital and drug testimonials come from a bunch of sick people don't they? It's the bald kid getting chemotherapy advertising Children's Hospital's cancer treatment center, not the cute little cherub who is the picture of health. "Undergoing Treatment" may not be a bad slogan for a Christian bumper sticker.
Maybe I will get the T-shirt. I wonder if they have that one at the Jesus Junk Store?
One of the reasons I don't wear Jesus Junk is because I don't want to reflect badly on the "brand" name. I'm not sure how good a representative I am of Jesus. I mean, would Jesus want someone like me walking around wearing an "I'm With Jesus" slogan on the back of a T-shirt? Especially when the front says "Hi. I'm A Sinner And..."?
But as I reflected on the gospels at 35 mph on a 4 lane freeway designed to handle speeds in excess of 70 mph in misnamed rush hour traffic, surrounded by ironies, I came to the ironical conclusion that Yes! I am EXACTLY the kind of person Jesus wants representing him on this earth. I'm right there with the guy that was running naked through the tombs, with the woman caught in adultery, with the greedy tax collector up a tree, the impetuous self-promoting fishermen. I'm all them. And more. Only worse.
So maybe I should stop trying to protect Jesus' reputation and let everyone know I'm a follower of him. A crippled, halting, stumbling, imperfect follower, sure; but a follower nonetheless. I may not follow well or closely but I am doggedly persistent. I will make big mistakes along the way but isn't that who Jesus is looking for? Honest people who depend on Him to get them through life? Didn't he come to seek and to save the lost rather than the found? Heal the sick rather than the ones who don't need a doctor? Well I definitely need the Doctor.
Come to think of it, all those hospital and drug testimonials come from a bunch of sick people don't they? It's the bald kid getting chemotherapy advertising Children's Hospital's cancer treatment center, not the cute little cherub who is the picture of health. "Undergoing Treatment" may not be a bad slogan for a Christian bumper sticker.
Maybe I will get the T-shirt. I wonder if they have that one at the Jesus Junk Store?
11.12.2004
Salvation Is Restoring All Things
by John Brimacombe
Have you ever thought about the fact that In Christ all things are being restored. The Scriptures tell us that God through Christ was pleased "to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Col 1:20).
Think with me what this means. It means that anything in our world that was trampled by the fall has been restored for God's glory and to be used for his glory. Sex, music, dance, art, business, and many other venues that once was thought to be the world of the devil has actually been redeemed for God's glory.
Albert M. Wolters has a nice little book out that talks about this called "Creation Regained." It tells the story of how God has provided our salvation through Jesus' death on the cross for our sins. This salvation covers not just our sins, which enables us to have a relationship with God, but redeems back those things which were once only used for our own selfish gratification. He goes on to say that what actually happens is a "re-creation" of sorts. God doesn't, as Wolters says, scrap his original creation "but rather to suggest that he hangs on to his fallen original creation and salvages it. He refuses to abandon the work of his hands--in fact he sacrifices is own Son to save his original project. Humankind, which has botched its original mandate and the whole creation along with it, is given another chance in Christ; we are reinstated as God''s managers on earth. The original creation is to be restored" (Wolters, 58).
What this means is that all those old things that we once struggled with can now be used to glorify God. All things have been reconciled to himself and God desires that we live our lives, not in some slavish attitude towards him, but in creativity and in various activities.
Many, when they think of serving God, immediately think of becoming a professional minister." They think of going to Africa and being a missionary. God may call you to a full-time ministry or mission status, but not all are called to this specific situation. If the fact were known, God calls the majority of us to an everyday, normal, hodge-podge type of existence. I'm not knocking that. I'm saying that very few of us will be called to be a Billy Graham, or live the life of a contemporary Christian rock artist. This is not bad...it is the life that God has called us to and we must find our own way to serve God.
What does this have to do with God's redeeming all things? Much! God has redeemed all things. Every avenue of life can be used for his glory. Are you a dancer? Dance for God! Are you a singer? Sing for God. Do you own your own business? Then conduct business in light of your relationship with God. And I'm not talking about becoming a contemporary Christian artist. Nothing wrong with Christian music...if that is what God has called you too. What I'm talking about is realizing that God can use you, in your everyday life, as a witness for him.
Saying that, I think God can use people's talents and abilities in the church too. To many churches have got stuck in the traditional rut of an opening prayer, hymn, message, and invitation mode. Churches today need to explore different ways of expressing their love for God through drama, dance and art. Multi-media is a medium through which God can use a person. Some churches today are hiring communication pastors that help in the multi-media presentations for the different ministries of the church. They provide skills that are much needed in our 21st century world.
What I am ultimately saying is break out of the normal mode of viewing things and realize that God can use you and areas most often thought of as embracing the so-called secular world. God has redeemed all things to be used for his glory. Let's not waste the gifts that God has given us.
Have you ever thought about the fact that In Christ all things are being restored. The Scriptures tell us that God through Christ was pleased "to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Col 1:20).
Think with me what this means. It means that anything in our world that was trampled by the fall has been restored for God's glory and to be used for his glory. Sex, music, dance, art, business, and many other venues that once was thought to be the world of the devil has actually been redeemed for God's glory.
Albert M. Wolters has a nice little book out that talks about this called "Creation Regained." It tells the story of how God has provided our salvation through Jesus' death on the cross for our sins. This salvation covers not just our sins, which enables us to have a relationship with God, but redeems back those things which were once only used for our own selfish gratification. He goes on to say that what actually happens is a "re-creation" of sorts. God doesn't, as Wolters says, scrap his original creation "but rather to suggest that he hangs on to his fallen original creation and salvages it. He refuses to abandon the work of his hands--in fact he sacrifices is own Son to save his original project. Humankind, which has botched its original mandate and the whole creation along with it, is given another chance in Christ; we are reinstated as God''s managers on earth. The original creation is to be restored" (Wolters, 58).
What this means is that all those old things that we once struggled with can now be used to glorify God. All things have been reconciled to himself and God desires that we live our lives, not in some slavish attitude towards him, but in creativity and in various activities.
Many, when they think of serving God, immediately think of becoming a professional minister." They think of going to Africa and being a missionary. God may call you to a full-time ministry or mission status, but not all are called to this specific situation. If the fact were known, God calls the majority of us to an everyday, normal, hodge-podge type of existence. I'm not knocking that. I'm saying that very few of us will be called to be a Billy Graham, or live the life of a contemporary Christian rock artist. This is not bad...it is the life that God has called us to and we must find our own way to serve God.
What does this have to do with God's redeeming all things? Much! God has redeemed all things. Every avenue of life can be used for his glory. Are you a dancer? Dance for God! Are you a singer? Sing for God. Do you own your own business? Then conduct business in light of your relationship with God. And I'm not talking about becoming a contemporary Christian artist. Nothing wrong with Christian music...if that is what God has called you too. What I'm talking about is realizing that God can use you, in your everyday life, as a witness for him.
Saying that, I think God can use people's talents and abilities in the church too. To many churches have got stuck in the traditional rut of an opening prayer, hymn, message, and invitation mode. Churches today need to explore different ways of expressing their love for God through drama, dance and art. Multi-media is a medium through which God can use a person. Some churches today are hiring communication pastors that help in the multi-media presentations for the different ministries of the church. They provide skills that are much needed in our 21st century world.
What I am ultimately saying is break out of the normal mode of viewing things and realize that God can use you and areas most often thought of as embracing the so-called secular world. God has redeemed all things to be used for his glory. Let's not waste the gifts that God has given us.
