Seminarian: Take Your Time!

Andy Hynes serves as the Director of Admissions and Dean of Men at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary where he is also a Ph.D. candidate. He is married with two boys, Samuel and Nathan. Connect with him on Twitter: @ABHYNES.  

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I am currently in my seventh year of seminary education. I plan to finish writing my dissertation within the year and move on to what God has in store for my family and me. I suppose many of you are or were in the same situation. I can remember the beginning of my master’s work. We moved to Memphis in July 2006 and I was eager to get started. We had been serving at a local church in southwest Georgia before we moved. While serving there I spent a lot of time “doing” ministry. I had a B.A. in Theology, and I was learning something new every day.

When we arrived in Memphis, I knew that was going to be the time God was going to prepare us for my delusions of grandeur. I was going to speed through the 96 hours of the M.Div. and then consider earning a Ph.D. I wanted to get done quickly; the sooner the better. Investing in my education was not a concern.

Those were some of the most foolish things I have ever thought.

It was not until I neared the end of my third year that I could look back and see God had been poking and prodding me. All along now I see where God was providentially carrying me while I was quickly washing away into a sea of “knowledge.” I was learning a lot of book knowledge, and even being allowed to apply some of that knowledge in the venues where I was serving, but I was wasting years of time of intimate communication with the Father. I was learning much about the Father, but I was not growing more intimate with the Father. At a time when “growth,” specifically “spiritual growth,” should be at its highest, it was actually at its lowest.

So What Happened?

I lost sight of the purpose. My education became about getting a degree and not about doing as unto the Lord. While Paul teaches about doing everything unto the Lord (1 Cor. 10:31), I saw my education as unto my preparation for moving forward.

I allowed my reading and studying to be sufficient for my intimacy with Christ. As we see the life of Christ, there are various times when he goes to be alone, to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. He needed those times to connect with the Father. In ministry, and even in school, the same necessary times are there to find a regular time to seclude and silence oneself.

Following Christ can become a chore while in seminary. It becomes just something that you do, and not a representation of who you are. Chores are those menial tasks you are asked to do by a parent or spouse like taking out the trash, washing dishes, or folding laundry. They become a routine and mandatory.

How to Avoid Complacency

1. Remain in awe of who God is! Allow yourself to be wrapped up in the attributes of God on a daily basis. J.I. Packer in Knowing God talks about letting the study of God move beyond knowledge. His main point is to allow your study to be a time of meditation that results in action. So why couldn’t this same principle be applied to all our studies while in seminary? I think it could. Everything from History of Christianity to preaching, missions, and beyond could if we’d only grasp the depths of the glory of God through all our studies.

2. Never become satisfied with where you are. Paul was never satisfied with his holiness before Christ. He constantly pushed himself and others toward a deeper more intimate fellowship with Christ. When we get to school we may think that we have arrived at a place of relaxing and learning. When in fact what we are doing is taking in information and growing in knowledge. If we are not careful and purposeful it never gets beyond that. If we were to move beyond the informative idea of school and into a practical sanctifying work, I think we would avoid the trend of men and women laying aside their growth in Christ while in school.

3. Practically apply what you are learning and put forth the maximum effort in all you do. Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. We can get into such a fast-paced mentality and never stop to put into practice what we are learning at the time. I have seen student after student (myself included) finish a master’s degree having spent very little time investing in their education. I rushed through my degrees and finished all the classes, but I had grown so little.

Take Your Time

It was not until the Father faithfully destroyed and wrecked my heart and exposed ALL the gross infirmities that I had no idea were there, that I began to realize how much of my “education” was poorly poured into. Now I look back and long to do it over. I wish I could go back and invest in learning and growing, not for the sake of getting some degree or a notch on the ministerial belt, but to GROW in wisdom and knowledge of the depths of the love of Christ, as Paul prays for the Church at Ephesus.

Maybe you have been there, or are there right now. In my current role at Mid-America, I have the privilege of speaking to many of our prospective students. One of the main things I emphasize is TAKE YOUR TIME. Invest in learning and growing in your intimacy with Christ while in school. Let your classes be a part of your growth, not a means to an end. It is the greatest time to study the things of God and allow them to saturate and permeate your life. Do not try to expedite this time of your life.

Not Only Spirit Filled, But Also Spirit Controlled

Why are Christians so unkind to one another and the world? Why do we criticize, degrade, and dismiss? Why do we act like jerks? I have experienced the sting of Christian criticism many times as I’ve posted Scripture or encouragements online. I’m sure you’ve experienced this, too. Christians critique my use of the Bible and correct my theological positions. This happens so frequently on Twitter, there is now a hashtag, #JesusJuked, for Christians who use Scripture as a correction-weapon to tell others how they are wrong. This isn't cool and this isn't classy. Nowhere in the Bible has God given us license to treat each other like jerks.

If we continue to pridefully announce our objections to everything, we will soon lose credibility to speak the truth of the gospel. We will be known for our desire to be right and prove others wrong, instead of being known for our love for one another. The world will not believe our points about God's love when they are delivered with disrespect and pride. Some Christians have been so busy trying to make their argumentative points, they have lost the opportunity to make a difference. It’s that kind of non-Spirit-led, fleshly preaching that turns people from the gospel everyday.

Again, why do we act with such pride and arrogance toward one another?

At the root, we are relying on our own intellect, ego, and proven arguments instead of Christ. We are prideful and think we can get people to see the truth in our own strength. We trust our smarts and wit more than Christ. With our eyes on our selves, we miss others and the gospel.

A Matter of Control

Today, we have access to the Holy Spirit's power to control our lives. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15) and be “the aroma of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15) to the world around us. God has commanded us to walk and live by the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. - Galatians 5:22-23

Scripture tells us "when the Holy Spirit controls our lives," we will have certain characteristics that demonstrate his character. Through our words and actions people should see certain aspects of God’s character: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. If we are speaking out of bitterness, anger, frustration, fear, we are not being controlled by the Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are the picture of what it looks like to follow Jesus. If our actions do not display these fruits, we aren’t being controlled by the Spirit.

We often get confused into thinking our frustrations and bitterness are actually righteous obedience. The reality is, however, the righteous acts are those of peace, patience, and kindness.When we aren't patient with our unbelieving neighbor and his journey with faith, we are not living by the Spirit. When we lose our temper when our co-worker asks another hard question, we are not living by the Spirit. However, when pursue peace among those quarreling in the office, we are living by the Spirit. When we sacrifice our Saturday to help our neighbor with their yard-work, we are living by the Spirit. As the Spirit controls our lives, we become a better picture of God's character and the gospel.

We not only need to live Spirit-filled lives, but also Spirit-controlled lives. If you don't know if your actions or words are from the Spirit, ask: Is this statement done out of joy? Done out of love? Done out of gentleness? Done out of kindness? If the answers are no, it’s not of the Spirit.

A Better Way called Grace

Make no mistake. We are called, as Christians, to persuade others towards the gospel. It is one of our main responsibilities. Paul says: “Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this too” (2 Corinthians 5:11). We are to share the message of grace.

I’ve been asking myself a question lately, and it has been wrecking my heart: “How is the world supposed to see the grace of God if the people of God are not gracious?”

The wise in heart are called discerning, and gracious words promote instruction. - Proverbs 16:21

The writer of the proverb is saying: "Gracious words make a person persuasive." It is not our arguments or our tight-doctrine that make us persuasive to people, it is the graciousness, love, and joy that only comes from a Christ-filled and Spirit-controlled life. If we walk in step with the Spirit and exhibit these characteristics to a world thirsty for grace, who wouldn’t want to be around us?

When we are gracious, we introduce a little more of the character of God to the world. God, more than anyone, has the right to banish us, to speak ill of us, to expose our heart’s motives, to reveal how wrong we are, and yet God is gracious. He doesn’t critique, jab, or JesusJuke his children.

The gospel shows us that God is not running after us to smite us, but to save us. "God so loved the world,” and “God did not come to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.” (John 3:16-17). God lavishes us with grace.

The gospel is not our work, our rules, or our religious structure. It’s the news that Christ has come, died, and rose again for the sake of us sinners. God wants to reconcile people to himself and he’s given everything in His Son to reconcile people to himself. God has done it all for us and that is grace. That’s the gospel the world needs to hear. It’s this simple proclamation and the hearing of this good news that transforms the human heart.

This gospel preached graciously does something profound to the human heart. When we talk about who Jesus was, and what He did, and His great love and gracious covering for our sin - God takes it and drives it supernaturally into the human heart, and the Holy Spirit draws people into faith in Christ. As we graciously share this story of Jesus, the graciousness of God is evident and draws people to the grace of Christ that can save them. When we pridefully argue our points, the message of grace is lost.

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Matt and Michelle Brown are evangelists and founders of Think Eternity, an evangelistic nonprofit. Matt is the author of several books, including Revolutionaries: Men and Women in Every Century Who Advanced Christianity and a frequent blogger. You can connect with them on twitter@evangelistmatt and @Thinke. Matt also wrote the article: Evangelism Has Become a Dirty Word.

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Read more on making sharing the gospel with grace in Jonathan Dodson's book, Unbelievable Gospel: How to Share a Gospel Worth Believing

Avoid Making Disciples of Yourself

Those of us who take seriously the Great Commission recognize how Christ’s charge compels us not to make converts on a superficial level but Christ followers in every area of life. This rightfully includes a healthy obedience to Jesus Christ, the head of the church, and a deep love for Christ’s body, the local church. We cannot create missionaries without making disciples. But we who make disciples must remember our own fallen state. Though pure in motive, without great care we may—in the name of disciple making — focus on making those we disciple like us rather than like Jesus. True, Paul told those he discipled to follow him as he followed Christ, and there is a sense in which one of the best ways to show a disciple how to follow Christ is by demonstrating such a life. But we must be aware of our own biases as we lead others.

As we make disciples, we need to take care to be balanced and holistic in our training. All of us have personalities and passions that make us unique, but our goal in disciple making is less to note our uniqueness and more to spotlight Christ. If we are not careful, we will inadvertently push those we follow to pursue our personal passions more than Jesus. The goal is to make Christ followers not us followers.

Three areas represent how to balance the heart of our disciple making and mentoring:

•  Orthodoxy, or right belief — we must affirm and guard fundamental teaching of Scripture.
•  Orthopathy, or right affections — we must have a deep love for God and for others.
•  Orthopraxy, or right actions — we must demonstrate our faith effectively in how we live.

In other words, we should be discipling others (and ourselves) to give glory to God through our head, our heart, and our hands. This is hinted at in Luke 2:52 where we read our Lord grew in wisdom, stature, and favor with God and man. We see this in the earliest description of life in the church in Acts 2:42-47:

• Orthodoxy: They gave themselves to the apostles’ doctrine.
• Orthopathy: They were praising God and having favor with the people.
• Orthopraxy: They sold their possessions and distributed to those in need.

Here is how we must take care not to make followers of us rather than followers of Christ. We all have a tendency to favor one of these areas — doctrine, affection, or action — more than the others.

You probably know some believers who love to study doctrine or some subset of theology, from apologetics to a specific theological trend (eschatology, for instance). Sometimes folks given to such interests display a less-than-gracious capacity to relate to others or to practice their faith in the real world. And, sometimes they would rather argue their theological convictions than take time to hear yours.

Others have a great heart for people and really love God, but the idea of a doctrinal study gives them chills. They have affection but do not adequately value truth.

Then again, some just want to know how to “do” the Christian life. These are the activists, jumping from one cause to another, sometimes running over people who do not share their fondness for said cause, and often not able to articulate biblically why they have such an activist bent.

You may be given to one of these three tendencies more than others, but take care: If you focus on one in your disciple making to the neglect of the others, you are not making followers of Jesus. You are making followers of you.

Consider these unbalanced approaches:

Orthodoxy + Orthopraxy – Orthopathy = legalism.

The Pharisees were keen on preserving the truth and on doing their religious duties. But they did not love people. Modern-day Pharisees still don’t.

Orthopraxy + Orthopathy – Orthodoxy = liberalism.

You have heard the expression a “bleeding-heart liberal.” Liberals love to talk about their love for people and causes, but loathe to talk about doctrine and changeless truth.

Orthodoxy + Orthopathy – Orthopraxy = monasticism.

Monasteries seek to preserve a pure faith. They love those inside their safe walls. But their focus is on what goes on inside their sanctuary far more than what happens in the surrounding culture. I know many churches who function this way, gathering together regularly, loving their fellowship, standing on the promises while they sit on the premises of their church facility, but who do so little in their communities that if they vanished no one would notice.

We must be aware how we as individuals and churches focus on one of these to the exclusion of the others. We need balance. Not a milque-toast, generic version of each, but a bold, unashamed passion for truth, for God and people, and a burden to live out our doctrine and our affection effectively. Students need to see where they are strong and where they are weak in these areas, and student ministries must as well. Most student ministries focus primarily on affections, and then to some degree activism, but give far too little focus to doctrine. I want to dig deeply into the riches of God’s Word, have a heart for my Savior and the people for whom He died that is apparent to all, and be able to live the faith in this culture in such a way that believers and unbelievers alike see there is no better way to live. Or to think. Or to love.

Understanding this not only helps us disciple those who have come to follow Christ, it can help us evangelize as well. Some people need to be shown theologically the truth of the gospel. But some also need to see and sense the great love of God for them in addition to the propositions of the gospel. Further, some need to see how our faith actually works in the real world, how following Christ affects our daily lives and decisions. The effective gospel bearer will learn to explain the gospel in such a way that one sees its truth, senses its heart, and realizes its practicality in a broken world.

Be busy making disciples. Just be busy making disciples of Jesus, with all of our hearts, minds, and activity. Such disciples may make people take notice. They did in the early church. And they will today.

The following is an excerpt from Alvin Reid's new book, As You Go: Creating a Missional Culture of Gospel-Centered Students (Navpress). Continue reading As You Go.

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Alvin L. Reid is husband to Michelle and father to Josh and Hannah. He is a professor of evangelism and student ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as a popular speaker and author. He has written numerous books on student ministry, evangelism, missional Christianity, and spiritual awakenings.  Follow on twitter: @AlvinReid.

Be a Storyteller

What do you do when you get together with friends? You start with story. What do you do when you return from vacation? Do you pull out the agenda from the cruise and walk them through a list of what you did? No, you share story. How do you explain your childhood to your kids? Story. It is almost impossible to separate storytelling from the fabric of relationship. We like to tell stories and hear stories. Sharing them is the foundation of relationship. And yet, we often fail to share the story of the scriptures in the same natural way. If story is the way we share  how our day went, why is it not the form in which we clarify the gospel? If story is the way we instruct our children in the way they should live, why don't we become storytellers to instruct disciples in the way of obedience. We like stories as illustrations in sermons to clarify meaning but fail to see the story of Scripture as the place to find meaning. I want to call us back to narrative. I invite us to become gospel storytellers. The Bible is nearly two-thirds narrative. It is the story of God. We ought to share it.

Stories are Where We Go for Meaning

"What is the meaning of life?" is the timeless question. It is the question asked in Micah 6:8: "What is required of man?" It is Aristotle’s question: "How should a man lead his life?" Historically, humanity has answered this question through philosophy, science, religion, and art. The first three have failed us or been disregarded. No one reads Plato outside of homework and cramming for exams. We are tired of science’s polished but empty answers. Religion is a place of hypocrisy, ritual, and superstition. The world of cynics has rejected all but the art and story is the dominant art form:

The world now consumes films, novels, theatre, and television in such quantities and such ravenous hunger that the story arts have become humanity’s prime source for inspiration. Robert McKee, Story.

Many of the stories we hear and tell fall short of the meaning of life. As a society, we are beyond the myth of progressive human progress. We have far too many evils to remind us we aren’t getting better. The depravity of the world is our base assumption and our human hunch is that life was not supposed to be this way. Stories try to explain the way forward through this mess. However, void of the gospel story, our neighbors hears some variation of this plot: you can fix your problems, if we are creative, courageous, and smart enough. The meaning of life in contemporary stories is: you are the center of the problem and the solution. The story, or life, is about you. However, the gospel is the story of God for you, for your life. The story of a gracious and just God who goes to great lengths to save and redeem those who don't deserve it. The story of God gives humanity a new identity, meaning, and purpose.

Stories are Where We Turn for Guidance

Kenneth Burke said, “Stories are equipment for living.” We model our own life choices on the stories we believe are best or the stories we wish to avoid. We hear how things worked and didn’t work in the years before and make adjustments. We learn from how our older siblings stories and model our own lives after them. Not only do my parents and teachers have major impact on forming the way I wanted to live, but so did Huck Finn, Bill Huxtable, the Box Car Children, and the group from Saved by the Bell. These stories and characters instructed and formed my proper view of living. They taught me how to live adventurously, with integrity, and even how to ask a girl out on a date. They do so, because we connect with the characters. We witness what they witness, we experience what they do. Stories are shaped in the reality of the world. They reflect what is true of us and our surroundings. As we listen to a story, it informs how we live. How does the story of the Bible inform how you live? What would it look like to have life shaped by the gospel story and bring others into that story?

Stories are the Glue of Community

Stories form and hold groups of people together. They are the folklore shared, the background , and the history of our greatest triumphs over our most challenging days. The inside jokes, the shared experiences turned lifelong memories, and anything that follows “remember that one time” binds communities together. The stories a community shares are the stories that define it. If the story is one of independence and self-reliance, the community will be shaped by this. If the common story is one of pleasure and riches, it will be defined by this, too. If the community's story is one of hope, grace, and love, it will be characterized by hope, grace, and love.

The Good Story

Robert McKee, the self proclaimed story guru of the 21st century, writes that "a good story tells the world something it wants to hear and it's the artists job to figure out what it wants to hear." The gospel is that good story. It is the story of what the world needed but didn't deserve being given by God through Christ. It is the story of true acceptance, adoption, belonging, gifts, overcoming the destruction and devastation of this world. Eugene Peterson explains this well:

Stories are the most prominent biblical way of helping us see ourselves in ‘the God story,’ which always gets around to the story of God making and saving us. Stories, in contrast to abstract statements of truth, tease us into becoming participants in what is being said. We find ourselves involved in the action. We may start as spectators or critics, but if the story is good (and the biblical stories are very good!), we find ourselves no longer just listening to but inhabiting the story.

The gospel is a story not a list of facts. It is the story about God redeeming, rescuing, and recreating his creation. The story of God taking it upon himself to save us from death and bring us to life. The gospel is the true story and only trustworthy account for what has been done to redeem the world. The story is good news. The gospel is the compelling story that doesn’t fall flat on meaning. The story that satisfies our longings for purpose and joy. It is the greatest story because it instructs us in how to live with faith and in close relationship with God. Furthermore, it creates a community. The story of God makes a new people characterized by grace, because the story is about grace. The community is centered around God because the story is about God. This is a story the world wants and needs to hear.

Sheryl's Story

Her family tree mostly produced problems. Its fruit wasn't peppered with convicts or crazies, just disappointments: neglected homes, broken promises, and abandoned children. The residue of family pain was silent relationships. She knew at an early age that everything would be uphill for her and no one was going to carry her. Whatever she gained would be by her sweat. Whatever the costs, she would pay. She was raised religiously in what to do and how to do it. She knew the right things to do but was never told the story.

One evening, she came to our home for our community's weekly meal and story time. We shared and engaged the story of the early church (Acts 2). We shared the story of God's adoption of us and the creation of the church. It was story-time. In the middle, Sheryl asked, "I've never heard this story, but is the church a family? All I've heard is God wants us to do stuff for him and live right, this story sounds like God loves us like children." My wife explained, "Church is family. We are a family. Even when we are not together we are the family. But all good families get together, catch up, share stories, and live life together."

Sheryl was raised to know the right things to do and the bullet points of theology. She was never told the story of the Gospel. The story she had believed was one of self-reliance and moral behavior. She found meaning in it and had accepted this story for her life. But it wasn't the true story. We had the blessing of sharing the story of God with her. Unfortunately, most of the people we live around and work with don't know the gospel story, either. They may know some of the points, or some of the characters, but they haven't heard the story. Like Sheryl, they need to hear it and engage. Be a storyteller to them!

Become a Storyteller

How do you become a gospel storyteller?

• Begin by knowing it as a story. Read it, listen to it, and engage it in conversation with us. Place yourself in the narrative, not as the hero but as the everyman. 
• Ask of the story? If this were true, how would it change my life, community, city?
• Participate in the Story-Formed Way created by Soma Communities.
• Speak it. The best way to learn is to share it and try!
• Share your life story and how it is really part of God's story.

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Brad Watson serves as a pastor of Bread&Wine Communities in Portland, Oregon. He is also the director of GospelCenteredDiscipleship.com. Brad is the co-author of Raised? Doubting the Resurrection. His greatest passion is to encourage and equip leaders for the mission of making disciples. He is Mirela’s husband and Norah’s dad. Twitter: @BradsStories

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Read more on story-formed discipleship: A Story of Gospel Community by Seth Mcbee.

Avoiding the Pain of Boston

Tim Briggs is the Creative Media Pastor at Church at Charlotte in Charlotte, NC. He blogs regularly at Church Sports Outreach.  He also regularly writes about ministry, the church, technology, culture, and creative stuff. He is married with two children and is currently pursuing a M.A. in Biblical Studies from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. You can find Tim on Twitter: @timbriggshere. ___

You can learn a lot about yourself in how you react to a tragedy like the Boston bombings.

Ask yourself, what did you first feel when you heard the news? What did you do when you saw the first images?

For many, emotions like this began to fester: anger, frustration, sadness, hopelessness, fear... the list goes on. Not me though. Like many, I read the news on Twitter but I didn't initially feel any of the above emotions. Rather, I met the news with a cold indifference. I brushed it off. No sympathy, no prayer, just emotional lethargy.

Sound calloused? Cold-hearted? On the surface, you could chalk it up to that, but it goes much deeper than the initial reaction. Later in the day, I began to ask myself the all-important question: Why? Why did I react so blankly to the news? Why was I so indifferent? After wrestling with that for an evening, I came to this conclusion: It was for my protection.

Mercy in Pain

If I internalized the pain and suffering in Boston, it could lead to fear, anger, sadness, etc. and I didn't want to feel that. I didn't want to let what happened in Boston affect my little world and make me uncomfortable, so I moved on with my day as if nothing happened. You see, indifference has become an acquired skill over the years that provides a refuge from pain (or so I believe). This realization, which took me hours to discover after the fact, took only seconds to happen in the moment. It's amazing how quickly we can emotionally render a situation.

Of course, it's all a lie. This coping mechanism can't go on forever. After all, pain will always be a reality this side of Heaven. In the midst of that somber reality, there is hope. Not only is Jesus making all things new, but he understands my pain. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses … Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16). Yes, I need mercy and I need grace. And so do the people of Boston.

My belief in indifference will never deliver on its promise of keeping the pain away. At best, it will only delay it. What Christ offers in the midst of suffering, though, is "peace which transcends all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). The truth that needs to soak into my soul is that Jesus tenderly awaits to deliver it to me. It's a counterintuitive truth that says that I should lean into the pain, not run from it. And Jesus promises that he will meet me there.

I pray that whatever you felt while hearing the news of the bombings in Boston, you won't run from it. Embrace it, lean into it, and experience the mercy of God.

The Burden of Shepherding

It's an understatement to say that the Apostle Paul faced challenges. In 2 Corinthians 11, he rattled off a list of some of the difficulties he encountered as an apostolic church planter. He was beaten, imprisoned, whipped, and shipwrecked. He experienced sleeplessness, hunger, nakedness, rejection, false accusation, and persecution. His work was literally dangerous. He used the word “danger” eight times to describe it. This list de-romanticizes the apostolic gifting and calling, doesn’t it? And yet, at the end of his vivid description of the suffering he had faced, he makes a very telling statement: “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my anxiety for all the churches” (2 Corinthians 11:28). Everything else refers to his being shipwrecked, beaten, homeless, hungry, etc. There was something  beyond these struggles. What could be more difficult to endure than all of that “everything else?” Evidently, of all the challenges Paul faced, the burden of caring for the churches was the most difficult. Paul’s concern for the church caused him anxiety. This is the very same word used in 1 Peter 5:6-7: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”  Anyone who has ever answered the phone at 3 am to the sound of someone weeping can relate to Paul. Anyone who has sat with a woman after she’s learned her husband has cheated on her can understand what he’s feeling.  Anyone who has driven around town in the dark looking for the guy from their missional community who is strung out on meth can begin to comprehend what Paul is saying. Caring for people is extremely difficult work that has the potential to cause great anxiety.

I am frequently asked: “How to you handle the burden of shepherding people? How do you avoid making people’s problems your own? Where do you find the strength to continue caring for them, even when it’s extremely difficult?” Often, the person asking these questions are being crushed under this burden.

I think there is something healthy about Paul’s anxiety. He continues his thought by saying, “Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” (2 Corinthians 11:29). We are actually commanded to “weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12:15). The word “compassion” literally means “to be moved in one’s intestines.” When other people are hurting, we should feel it deeply, too. On the other hand (and I have no idea if this was the case for Paul), I think there is often something unhealthy about the anxiety we feel.

Two False Beliefs that Lead to Unhealth

While there may be many factors that contribute to unhealthy anxiety, in my own life I see two primary reasons I end up feeling the burden of shepherding.

1. I think it’s my responsibility to “save” people.

It’s my job to “fix” them. I need to save this couple’s marriage, I need to ensure that this man overcomes his porn addiction, I need to heal this woman from her sexual abuse. Those statements sound ridiculous because they are never stated that explicitly but are buried under a pile of good intentions and pious justification. Justifications such as: “We are called to bear one another’s burdens,” “We are the hands and feet of Jesus,”and “this is the work I’m called to do.”

What I’m truly saying when I take ultimate responsibility for the well-being of others is: “If they crash, it’s on me. My worth and value is at stake. If this doesn’t end well, it will reflect negatively on me, and I don’t want to look like an idiot.”

The good news, however, is Jesus Christ is the person responsible for the shepherding and care of every person in our church family! He is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10). He is the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5), which means he’s the Senior Pastor. He’s the one who indwells people with his Spirit; the same Spirit that raised him from the dead. He is the one who brings about transformation. Let that sink in for moment:  It’s the Spirit’s job to care for people and to change people. The amazing thing is that he asks us to join him in that work-not to own that work, but to join that work.

2. I think I can do my part with my power.

The Chief Shepherd is responsible for everyone, but he asks me to shepherd his flock, too. The weight is on his shoulders, while I am given the opportunity to serve him by serving others. Even when I’m clear on this, however, I sometimes end up feeling the burden of shepherding because I attempt to do “my” part in the power of my own strength.

Here are some indicators that I may have slipped into this faulty thinking/belief:

• I am concerned about saying the wrong thing.
• I am uncomfortable with silence.
• I get nervous about heart level conversations.
• Shepherding leaves me completely exhausted.
• I find myself worrying about the people I'm caring for
• I get frustrated (rather than grieved) by a lack of progress

Jesus has, in fact, asked us to join him in his work of caring for his people. But he has also given us every resource needed to do that work. Every resource! He’s given us his Spirit, who supernaturally empowers us for ministry (Ephesians 1:19-20, Colossians 1:29). The Spirit is the wisdom and the power of God, so we lack neither the necessary wisdom or the necessary power to care for others. The challenge for me is to “serve by the strength that God provides” (1 Peter 4:11) rather than “leaning on my own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5). Self-reliance is a sure path to shepherding burnout.

Three Helpful Practices in Shepherding

How can we actively engage in the care of people’s hearts without getting completely overwhelmed in the process? How do we avoid unhealthy anxiety, and consider the health of our own hearts as we shepherd others? I’ve found these three practices to be helpful:

1. Repent of my desire to save people in order to make myself significant. This is nothing short of idolatry, and a flat-out denial of the work of Jesus. He alone defines me. I am one with him, and my life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). Additional efforts to prove my worth are an insult to the One True Savior. We must repent of this idolatry and return to worship of the only savior.

2. Affirm that it is the Spirit’s responsibility to change people. Repeatedly entrust people to his care. They belong to him! (Psalm 24:1). I often lift my hands in the air as I’m praying early in the morning for a hurting person, reminding myself that they belong to him, and that they are ultimately in his hands. I can trust him to do all of the things Jesus said he would do: convict, teach, comfort, remind, and glorify Jesus.

At the end of a hard meeting or a heavy phone call, pray and entrust the person into the Spirit’s ongoing care. Make it clear to God, yourself, and the other person that you are trusting the Holy Spirit to be the one to bring about transformation in the person’s life.

Worry and anxiety are often a sign that we believe our identity is in question. “If this doesn't work out well, it will impact my worth and value.” Casting all of your anxieties upon him means affirming that the outcome of any shepherding situations we find ourselves in will have no impact on our identity. I find this prayer helps me affirm the Spirit’s work and my identity. I pray:

This is your responsibility, not mine. This is in your hands. I trust you to work. Regardless of what happens, I will entrust this person to you, and I will entrust myself to you. I will not be anxious, feeling that I must perform in order to be significant or worthy. My worth and value comes exclusively from the work of Jesus and through my connection to him. I cast my anxieties upon you, because you care for me, and because you are responsible for them and for me. This is your job and I trust you to do it!

3. Pray and ask the Spirit to speak to you concerning the people you shepherd. “What do I need to say? What questions do I need to ask? What scriptures might be relevant?” Then, pray and ask the Spirit to fill, empower, and speak through you. My flesh (Romans 13:14), my “old self” (Ephesians 4:22) hates to depend on the Spirit. It is filled with pride and desperately wants me to look smart, to appear as if I have it all together.  Total dependence on the Spirit puts me in a place of humility, and gives me greater energy and clarity for the task at hand.

Peter’s words to elders should serve as a fitting closing word to anyone involved in the shepherding and care of others. May the Spirit fill us for the task at hand!

I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. - 1 Peter 5:1-5

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Abe Meysenburg serves as a pastor and elder with Soma Communities in Tacoma, WA. After living in the Midwest for most of their lives, he and his wife, Jennifer, moved to Tacoma in the summer of 1999. In 2001, after working as a Starbucks manager for a few years, Abe helped start The Sound Community Church, which then became a part of Soma Communities in May 2007. Twitter: @AbeMeysenburg.

Other articles by Abe Meysenburg: Grief and the Gospel and The Gospel and the Great Commandment.

Staying for the Best Things

I can't shake the scene of that little room where Passion and Patience sit waiting. The boys' sitter instructed them to stay still, to rest side by side, to hold out for what's best. What we come to find is a quest for pleasure so intense we're compelled to take note. John Bunyan is telling that kind of story in The Pilgrim's Progress. He brings us along with Christian every step of the way and at this particular point Interpreter is our guide.

Interpreter leads Christian into a small room to observe two kids seated in parallel chairs. Passion is the restless one. He is discontent, perhaps huffing and puffing, frowning and squirming. Beside him is Patience. He's the one who keeps quiet. Bunyan implies his posture: feet straight in front of him, neatly squared up in the middle of the chair, hands folded in his lap (i.e., not the way my kids sit at the dinner table). The boys were plainly told they had to wait for the best things. The best things were coming to them, but wouldn't get there until early the next year. Passion can't stand this. We can tell by how he acts. He just wants it all now. Then someone walks in the room and dumps a bag of treasure at his feet. Aha! Passion jumps down from his chair and happily scoops up the goodies. Grinning, he looks over at Patience, still sitting quietly, and he laughs him to scorn.

But Christian continues to watch. He sees that Passion “quickly lavishe[s] all away” until he "had presently nothing left him but rags." Interpreter explains:

These two lads are figures: Passion, of the men of this world; and Patience, of the men of that which is to come; for as here thou seest, Passion will have all now this year, that is to say, in this world; so are the men of this world, they must have all their good things now, they cannot stay till next year, that is until the next world, for their portion of good. . . . But as thou sawest that he had quickly lavished all away, and had presently left him nothing but rags; so will it be with all such men at the end of this world.

Christian replies,

Now I see that Patience has the best wisdom, and that upon many accounts. First, because he stays for the best things. Second, and also because he will have the glory of his, when the other has nothing but rags.

How'd He Do That?

Bunyan leaves us to wonder how Patience's waiting actually looked. Sure, we understand the end. We get that he has the best wisdom. But how exactly did he wait? What did he think about while sitting in that chair? Watching Passion indulge in the treasure? Remembering the sitter's words? How was Patience, well, patient?

Answer: he was a Christian hedonist.

Now to be sure, it doesn't sound very hedonistic at first. Denying himself the bag of "treasure" tossed in front of him resembles more the tune of self-denial. But self-denial, for the Christian Hedonist, is not for the sake of self-denial.

Patience saw Passion dive into the mass of goodies, and he denied his impulse to do the same. He held back. And this is biblical, of course. The apostle Paul writes in Titus 2:11–12a, "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions." Paul says there are things in this world we're supposed to renounce, that is, deny. And the "self" in self-denial is composed of these things. That self is the old self, the one that was crucified with Jesus (Romans 6:6), the one in whom we no longer exist (Galatians 2:20). That is the self Patience denied, the self of ungodliness, worldly passions, and inferior pleasures.

"For the Best Things"

You see, this doesn’t end up as a negative enterprise. Remember how Bunyan says it. Patience sat quietly in his chair "because he stays for the best things." It appears that Patience realized he sat in that room with pleasures for which that bag of treasure could not satisfy. Denying the treasure didn't shrivel up his appetite. It was that his appetite was so big it shriveled up the treasure. Patience didn't bury his head in the sand either. He wasn't frantically shouting "No!" over and over. He simply kept his eyes on next year. He trusted what he was told. Passion could have done the same had he not been far too easily pleased.

We learn that Patience’s self-denial came from a craving for the superior pleasure. This is the self-denial of the Christian Hedonist. Patience wasn't merely holding back, he was looking forward. His resistance from that bag of transient treasure was actually his feasting in eternal joy. As Paul continues in Titus 2:12b–13, "training us. . . to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ."

What Bunyan means is that Patience halted the world's empty promises because he had something better ahead (namely, our Savior Jesus Christ).

Different and the Same

So we're different from Patience, and we're the same. We're different in that we're in a much sweeter spot than he was. He sat in that chair with the promise of better things (convincing enough) while we sit here, in the room of this world, with not only a promise, but also God's very Spirit living inside us. We have the active communication of himself through his word. We have the experience of being "in Christ" now, of being seated with him now in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Our lives are hidden in him now (Colossians 3:3). We are brought to God now and enjoy his fellowship (1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 1:3).

But there is still more to come. Like Patience, what's better remains out in front. Learning again from Paul, we've not yet obtained the fullness of our portion. We're not yet perfect (Philippians 3:12). We are waiting, too. We are waiting for the consummation of God's great work, the revealing of our Lord Jesus and the final redemption of our bodies (1 Corinthians 1:7; Romans 8:23). So as wondrous at it is now, the "far better" is yet next year (Philippians 1:23).

And waiting like this is staying for the best things.

Editor’s Note: This is a repost of “Staying for the Best Things“ from the Desiring God blog. It appears here with the author’s permission.

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Jonathan Parnell is a content strategist at Desiring God. He lives in the Twin Cities with his wife, Melissa, and their three children: Elizabeth, Hannah, and Micah. Twitter: @jonathanparnell

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For more free articles, read: Five Lies that Kill Obedience by Brad Watson and Patience and Discipleship by Jeremy Writebol.

What Would Jesus Say About That?

“I DO DRUGS. WHAT WOULD JESUS SAY ABOUT THAT?”

How would you respond to this question? Here’s the context: you’re a night security guard and the only Christian in your workplace. Another guard suddenly sticks his head into your office. Pointing his finger he almost accuses, “You’re one of those ‘Christians,’ right?” You get a little nervous. Nothing good ever follows that question. No one gives you a high five, says “good job,” and goes about their business. They only want to debate, challenge, or stump you. You respond with regretful hesitation, “Yeah…”

He crosses his arms, looks you square in the eye and then brings the challenge: “I do drugs. What would Jesus say about that?” How would you respond? More pointedly, how could you respond in a way that might actually resonate with the asker?

THREE INSUFFICIENT RESPONSES

I’ve posed this scenario, which actually happened to a leader I was coaching, in trainings around the country. No matter where I am, I hear these responses:

1. “Um, I Don’t Know Exactly”

For some followers of Jesus, our gut response would be to look down, stammer a bit, and ashamedly admit we don’t know what Jesus would say. Maybe, we give in to the pressure of the unexpected question, the outlandish honesty, or the shock of a challenge at 2 a.m. Perhaps we have a general sense of what Jesus might say, but have a hard time putting it into words. It could be that our “people-pleaser” kicks in and we simply can’t tell him the core of what we believe. Sometimes, we are afraid. A common response to this question is a blank stare. Put yourself in the shoes of the asker: “I don’t know” looks like ignorance. This simply isn’t a sufficient answer, the asker really wants to know what you and Jesus think.

2. “He’d tell you to stop.”

For other Christians, the answer would stem from the moralistic, humanist culture we grew up in. Our answer is some form of Bob Newhart’s MadTV sketch: a counselee admits a number of struggles, while Newhart, the counselor answers each with a blunt “Stop it!” Even if we intellectually know Jesus is our savior, we function as if he is simply a good guy with ethical advice. When asked about any sin issue – by anyone, Christian or not – we espouse surface-level fixes. Instead of addressing the true sin, we merely address the outflows or consequences of sin. Maybe we look for five easy steps to end a struggle; advise a few “good works”. Perhaps we appeal to legality (“you’ll get arrested”), personal welfare (“it might kill you”), heartstrings (“if you get arrested or die, can you imagine how your family will feel?”), or moralism (“you know it’s wrong”). It could be that we even quote a verse: “He’d say ‘you shall have no other gods before me’ – that’s the first commandment.” Put yourself in his shoes again“He’d say, ‘Stop it’” fits a view of God they’re most likely assuming of a no-fun, rule-giving, demanding, and impersonal deity. This too doesn't get to the heart of the matter.

3. “He died for your sin so you can be with him in heaven”

A final common response acknowledges their need for the gospel. Maybe you’ve been praying for this guard. Perhaps, you’ve intentionally spoken of faith before to “peak his interest.” It could be that in this moment of boldness, you’re elated that God finally opened the door. So, you share the gospel many of us know well. You gush out some form of, “He’d tell you that God is perfect and heaven is perfect, but because of sin, you’re not perfect. God sent Jesus to die for your sin so you can be reconciled to God and live eternal life with him. If you accept Jesus he’ll forgive your sin of drugs!” This is all true – and praise God it is! But, if he’s ignoring God, he doesn’t care about heaven. If he’s like much of the world, he doesn’t believe he’s too bad a person. If he’s a common American, it’s likely he doesn’t fully understand sin or his need for Jesus. There’s a strong possibility he doesn’t believe in God – or at least, a God who makes any difference in his daily life. Even the objective, big-picture gospel is not a sufficient answer!

CHILDREN, TOSSED TO AND FRO

These three responses fail because they don’t get to the heart of our faith! The first answer is empty, the second is moralistic, the third is futuristic: it sees the gospel as merely a past event that greatly benefits my future but has nothing to do with today. Many who question the gospel need to know how it applies to them in their current situation. Behind the challenging question is a heart in need of applicable truth.

Futile and failed attempts like these, for growing or explaining faith, are not unique to our culture. Writing to first-century Ephesus, Paul explains the goal of Christian life is maturity in Christ. How do we attain maturity? Paul gives three ways we cannot grow: “[by] every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph 4:14). Following new doctrinal trends, teachers, or even gaining more head-knowledge of the Bible isn’t enough. We will always be let down by relying on our own power and “cunning,” to make new rules and fix ourselves or each other. Some are deceived by false teachers, with false hope, and false ways to solve real issues. This is how we often answer any question, not just the 2 a.m. drug challenge. Difficult questions like:

• “How can God redeem my broken marriage?”
• “I’m so angry at my boss, what do I do?”
• “We just want a baby!”
• “How do these verses or commands apply to me?”
• “Where is God in this (recent tragedy)?”

Our answers are some mixture of:

• “I don’t know” (and if you’re really good, you’ll add “but I’ll pray for you.”)
• “Let me give you a great book on that.”
• “Let’s meet every week for accountability.”
• “Do these three things or steps.”
• “You just need to trust Jesus.”
• “One day, all this will be better.”

None of these, Paul would say, are sufficient for faith or maturity. He even claims answers like this likens us to “children, tossed to and fro by the waves” (v.14). These answers fall short because they don't come from belief in the gospel. Pointing people to books, programs, and renewed moralism to receive blessings and solve problems demonstrates a lack of belief that Jesus is sufficient for our struggles, doubts, hopes, and frustrations. We are saying, "that's a tough question, let me point you to some human cunning or the latest in pop-psychology.

APPLYING AN OBJECTIVE GOSPEL TO SUBJECTIVE SITUATIONS

In conversations like these, we miss a great blessing of the gospel. It is a past event, both historically and personally for every Christian. It does give future hope, for personal reconciliation and the renewal of all things. But it also impacts every moment of our present lives! Paul writes in Romans, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:16-17). Verse 16 shows the past reality of the gospel; in the verses following these, Paul explains coming wrath and eternal power: the future reality of the gospel.

But verse 17 says our faith doesn’t just “save us,” and “give us eternal life.” Faith is the very power by which we live. The gospel does mean something: to everyone, everyday and for every situation. We just don’t seem to know how to apply it! To the Romans, Paul says we learn to “live [now!] by faith.” To the Ephesians, he says that while those other ways will fail, the way to “grow up in every way into him who is the head” is to “speak the truth in love” (Eph 4:15). Jesus himself, the greatest proclaimer and very embodiment of the gospel, gives us an example of what it looks like to apply the objective truth of the gospel to the specific, subjective need.

When Jesus meets a Samaritan woman in John 4, she challenged him with a question of race and gender roles, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (v.9). Jesus doesn’t ignore her first question; he doesn’t tell her to stop worrying about her situation; he doesn’t answer that he’ll die soon to reconcile the broken socio-economic status, so she should believe in him for eternal life. Instead, he starts by addressing her obvious need, thirst: “there is greater water than this well can give,” he says – “living water” will forever quench your thirst (v.10, 13).

Here’s what is often missed in this passage: Jesus speaks to something deeper than thirst. He speaks to the woman’s lack of satisfaction. We see this in her desire to be filled, never having to drink again: “Sir, give me that is water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water” (v.15). We see this as they discuss her string of spouses: “You’ve had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband” (v.18). In her unfilled desire to worship: “[Jews] say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship” (v.20). At every point, Jesus shows himself and God’s truth to be more satisfying than any of her lesser pursuits: water, good husband or fulfillment in a man, or worship location. Finally, she declares her need for a Messiah as he reveals, “I who you speak to am he” (v.26).

Jesus spoke “truth in love.” He met her on her turf. He showed her how faith matters for her present life. Jesus spoke the objective gospel: “There is a Messiah, coming to free you to worship God in spirit and truth, and I am he!” But he spoke that objective gospel in a way that addressed her subjective situation. He started with her felt needs, then pointed to her greater, heart-level need: “God will satisfy you more than this!” It’s a poignant picture of Jesus, truth incarnate, speaking truth to her in a way that she can immediately resonate with and understand.

HOW WOULD YOU RESPOND?

Back to the original scenario and challenge: “I do drugs. What would Jesus say about that?” How do you answer that question? What deeper need is the asker really addressing? What true struggle is he admitting? Put yourself in his shoes: how can the objective truth of the gospel apply to their subjective situation?

Here’s how my friend responded to the challenge, and I couldn’t be prouder of him. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I think Jesus would tell you that you’re looking for hope in a place that’s going to let you down. You know it lets you down because you have to take a hit three times a day. So I think Jesus would tell you that he’s a better place to put your hope, because he promises he’ll never let you down.” Jesus spoke the gospel truth as it addressed satisfaction; my friend spoke the gospel truth as it addresses personal hope. He exalted Jesus as the objective answer to the guard’s subjective question. God has thousands of years of history, 66 written books, and millions of lives throughout history to prove that Jesus is man’s greatest hope.

No, the guard didn’t fall on his knees weeping that night. God didn’t redeem his soul in that office. But he uncrossed his arms, shook his head, smiled and told my friend: “No one has ever told me that before. That actually makes a lot of sense. We should talk more about that sometime.” That night, the guard walked away from my friend, having heard the gospel spoken to him in a way that resonated with him in his present life.

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Ben Connelly lives in Fort Worth with his wife and daughters. He started The City Church in 2010 and lives on mission by teaching public speaking at TCU. Ben sits on the board of a few city-focused organizations, trains occasionally across the country, and writes in spurts at benconnelly.net. Twitter:@connellyben

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Related articles:  Questioning the Gospel by Jonathan Dodson and What is the Purpose of the Bible? by Jeremy Carr

It’s Grace All the Way

This is an excerpt taken from On the Grace of God by Justin Holcomb copyright ©2013. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.org. ---

From Jesus Christ “we have all received grace upon grace” (John 1:16). We are saved solely through faith in Jesus Christ because of God’s grace and Christ’s merit alone. We are neither saved by our merits nor declared righteous by our good works. We do not deserve grace, or else it wouldn’t be grace. This means that God grants salvation not because of the good things we do or even because of our faith— and despite our sin. This is the ring of liberation in the Christian proclamation. If it is not grace all the way, then we will spend our lifetime wondering if we have done enough to get that total acceptance for which we desperately long. “I said the prayer, but did I say it passionately enough?” “I repented, but was it sincere enough?” Election puts salvation in the only place that it can possibly exist: God’s hands. God’s election is the unconditional and unmerited nature of his grace.

Ephesians 2:4–5 proclaims Gods grace clearly: “God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace have you been saved.” Regeneration (being made spiritually alive) takes place when we as spiritually dead people are made alive in Christ. Dead people do not cooperate with grace. Unless regeneration takes place first, there is no possibility of faith. Paul got this from Jesus, who told Nicodemus: “Unless a man is born again first, he cannot possibly see or enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:3).

Ephesians 2 is filled with the high-octane gospel of grace for both our justification and sanctification. It begins with how believers were dead in their sins, then moves to how God loved us and rescued us from this death by his grace, bringing salvation to all in Christ, uniting Jews and Gentiles as one people in which the Spirit of God dwells. The first half of the chapter focuses on God’s rescue operation for his people, which delivered us from our sin and God’s wrath, and ends with the verse 10, which centers on how God’s deliverance means we are created anew for lives of righteousness. As one commentator notes, salvation has already been described by Paul as “a resurrection from the dead, a liberation from slavery, and a rescue from condemnation”; he moves now to the idea of a new creation.

The theme of Ephesians 2:8-9 is clear: grace. This theme was already mentioned in Ephesians 2:5, but what was then more of an “undercurrent” now becomes the main point.

We are saved by grace, not anything we have done. The passage is a traditional one used to support the idea that justification before God is by grace alone, and not anything we do.

And for good reason. The verses strike with great emphasis the note of salvation as a complete “gift of God.” We have done nothing to bring it about that could lead us to boast about it. And yet it is nearly impossible not to boast in the radical love of God when we grasp this reality.

We now move to Ephesians 2:10 with its focus on “good works.” It is tempting at first glance to think that verses 8-9 are about grace and verse 10 is about works. But this would be to miss something very important that we easily neglect: everything is grace. Or, as one scholar puts it, “It is grace all the way.”

But what does that mean exactly?

Notice how God-centered Ephesians 2:10 is. In the Greek, the first word in the sentence is “his,” which is an unusual placement and puts the emphasis squarely on God. We are “his workmanship.” We “are created [by God] in Christ Jesus” for good works. These good works were those “that God prepared beforehand.” Clearly works are important to Paul, but his emphasis here is on God bringing them about within us.

Notice that this verse does three important things.

First, it gives the reason why Paul can say in verses 8-9 that salvation is a complete gift of God: because we are his workmanship, re-created in Jesus Christ.

Second, it points forward to other places the new creation idea is found in Ephesians.

Third, it completes the section of Ephesians 2:1-10 in a fitting way by using again the idea of “walking,” which contrasts with Ephesians 2:2 where Paul talks about how we used to “walk” in sin, following the “course of the world.” Now we “walk” in good works God has set before us.

Ephesians 2:10 continues that we have been created in Christ Jesus “for good works.” So we are saved for the purpose of walking in good works. Good works are never the ground or cause of our salvation. They can’t be, they just don’t work like that. They are not the cause but the “goal of the new creation.”

And God has already prepared them for us ahead of time.

We must always hold Ephesians 2:10 together with 2:8-9. The Bible paints a holistic picture of the believer as one whose life is continually lived in grace that bears fruit, fruit that is used by God to bless others.

How do we then live? If our works are “prepared beforehand,” what do we do? Paul says we “walk in them.” We show up. We abide in the vine of Jesus (John 15:4). We walk by the Spirit (Gal 5:16-25). We do our best not to muck it up. But we will; and when we do, grace picks us up again. It’s like the old Rich Mullins lyric: “If I stand, let me stand on the promise that you will see me through, and if I can’t, let me fall on the grace that first brought me to you.” There is a damaging idea floating around that says, “God saved you, now what are you going to do for him?” This is a recipe for failure. If you come to the table believing you can do anything for God in your own strength or repay him on any level, you have already lost. You are back to confessing your self-dependent spiritual death from which Jesus saved you.

Above all else and before any discussion of what we should do, we must understand deeply in our bones who we are: the workmanship of God. You are his project. So, you are invited to be who you are. Your life is not your own; it was bought with a price. Live with the gratitude, humility, joy, and peace that come from knowing it does not all depend on you. You are loved and accepted in Christ, so you don’t have to focus on what you do or don’t do for God. Now you can focus on what Jesus has done for you, and that will cause you to love God more. Then you can’t help but walk in grace, realizing how costly God’s grace was.

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Justin Holcomb is a pastor at Mars Hill Church, where he serves as executive director of the Resurgence. He is also adjunct professor of theology and philosophy at Reformed Theological Seminary and previously taught at the University of Virginia. Justin holds two masters degrees from Reformed Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from Emory University.

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Read Gospel Amnesia: Forgetting the Goodness of the News by Luma Simms

What is the purpose of the Bible?

I was recently taking a walk with my family through our neighborhood. We ran into some neighbor friends and in the midst of conversation began discussing the recent History Channel series, “The Bible.” The neighbor asked my thoughts on the program’s accuracy, both historically and theologically. This opened the door for the question: What is the purpose of the Bible? This is a great question that is not always answered well. There are several misconceptions about the Bible’s purpose. For some, the Bible is seen as a collection of mythical stories about heroes whose point is to convey a moral lesson. For others, the Bible is seen as a book of lessons and rules by which we live good lives. In the over-churched yet under-gospeled South, the Bible has even been misapplied to justify preferences, lifestyles, and, at times, foolishness, that Scripture itself does not mandate.

Often, this stems from limiting the Bible to information that a person should learn – mere knowledge to acquire but never practice. Likewise, the Bible can be limited to mere practical steps for living. While both of these features are important and have a role in discipleship, they miss the full purpose of Scripture. Scripture is a grand story of redemption in which we find our story. It is the authoritative word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit, revealing the person and work of Jesus. When we listen to Scripture in discipleship, we will be transformed to become more like Jesus together.

Listening Well

As a music major in college, I studied classical guitar. I also played in a local band that kept busy playing shows, recording albums, and pursuing the rockstar dream. This often  kept me from a disciplined practice of classical guitar. Once in a group meeting of all the classical guitar majors, our instructor advised, “Be sure you’re listening to good music. Don’t listen to junk that’ll just ruin your ears. Listen well and strive to create something good.” He urged us to focus on both music theory and practice.

Around that time I attended a concert in Atlanta featuring Christopher Parkening, one of the greatest classical guitarists of our time. Parkening played solo guitar in a way I never thought possible. His dynamic style featured fast, technical melodies as well as lush, peaceful tones. The concert was nothing less than inspirational. In that moment, I witnessed the beauty of both the technical theory of music and its performance. I was transformed and encouraged to study the technique of classical guitar as well as to strive to excel as a performing musician. This affected not only me, personally, but also my fellow classmates, as we cheered each other on toward better performance.

Similarly, our discipleship is a marriage of theory and practice – the information of gospel truth as well as the practical application of that good news. In this way, Scripture becomes the tune to which we are to listen – a beautiful symphony composed and performed by God.

The “information” of Scripture is the grand story of redemption, revealing the identity, character, and nature of our God. This story’s hero is Christ himself. In teaching his disciples, Jesus states, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (Luke 24:44).

Likewise, the “practice” of Scripture is the application of this truth. James 1:22 says to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” Other examples include the instruction to love one another (John 13:34-35; 1 Peter 1:22, 4:8; 1 John 3:11), fellowship with one another (1 John 1:3-7, Acts 2:42-47), forgive one another (Ephesians 4:25-32), accept one another (Romans 15:7), serve one another (Galations 5:13-14), teach one another (Colossians 3:16), be patient with one another (1 Thessalonians 5:14), pray for one another (James 5:13-16), submit to one another (Ephesians 5:1-21), and encourage one another (1Thessalonians 5:11-15). Since our new identity is found in the person and work of Christ, new actions and a new way of living follow.

As we listen, we take in not only the information of gospel truth but also the practical application of this good news, thereby being transformed to become more like Christ together. Acts 2:42-47 is a great example:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The disciples’ devotion to the teaching affected their personal lives as well as their shared community. Through worship and obedient action together, their hearts were “glad and generous.” They did not merely do generous things, they had an inner transformation together. This is summed up in the word “fellowship,” which describes a community of active participation.

Rhythmic Participation

Heeding the wisdom of our guitar instructor, we music majors devoted ourselves to classical guitar together. We would listen well and practice often; culminating in performing recitals and concerts, both as soloists and together in ensembles. There’s a drastic difference between being being a mere listener of music and being a musician. And although many can appreciate the sound of good music, its creation comes from those who not only listen but who also devote to practice and performance. So it is with discipleship in listening to Scripture.

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” In this gospel commission, Jesus charges the disciples to make disciples by bringing to bear both the “information” and “application” of the good news together for transformation.

First, we see that “teaching” is sharing the information of the gospel. Jesus states that all Scripture bears witness about him (John 5:39) and that Scripture written about him in the law of Moses, Psalms, and Prophets would be fulfilled in him (Luke 24:44). Since all Scripture is about Christ, this is what we are to teach. This is the information of the gospel.

Second, we see the application of the gospel in the instruction “to observe all that I have commanded you.” Teaching is not a one-time passing of information but the ongoing action of kneading the gospel into the hearts and minds of disciples through observing what has been taught. When questioned by the religious elite of the day, Jesus replies, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” In quoting Scripture from Deuteronomy 6, Jesus displays his authority over the Old Testament as well as the continuity of God’s redemptive plan in gospel discipleship.

Third, we see transformation in Christian discipleship. Discipleship begins with Christ (“all that I have commanded you”) and involves both a teaching disciple (“teaching”) and a learning disciple (“to observe”). Yet teaching information alone is not sufficient in becoming a disciple. Likewise, merely adhering to what is taught or commanded does not truly encompass discipleship. True discipleship in light of the gospel gives disciples of Christ a new identity that results in new action. This transformation is a work of the Holy Spirit that includes both instant and ongoing action.

As we listen to Scripture, the Holy Spirit works to transform us, empower us, and mature us together.

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Jeremy Carr (ThM, MDiv) is lead teaching pastor and co-founding elder of Redemption Church in Augusta, GA. He has been a member of the Acts 29 network since 2007 and has written for the Resurgence. Jeremy is husband to Melody and father to Emaline, Jude, Sadie, and Nora. His book, Sound Words: Listening to the Scriptures, will be released by GCD books in May. Twitter: @pastorjcarr.

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Equip, Don't Enable

One of my great concerns for the church in America today is the consumer mentality that has become so pervasive. Unfortunately, in my experience, most pastors complain about it a lot but then unintentionally, or even intentionally, propagate that reality in their churches as, rather than equipping our people, we are enabling our people. Ephesians 4:11-13 has an important word to offer to us to that end. Consider these words:

And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness

While this passage is not unknown to most pastors, I am not sure we have really considered the application of the text. I see four major implications of this text that cannot be missed by those who are leaders in the church.

1. God gives the church leaders. (11)

Leaders are not in their role simply because of giftedness, or desire, though both of those things are important. Leaders exist in their roles, first and foremost, because God has ordained that they be there. Your role as a church leader is a commission; an assignment from the God of the universe. It cannot and should not be approached with lazy, half-hearted effort. Leaders are given, as a personal gift from God. Notice the text. Leaders do not just exist. They do not just exist because God put them there. They exist as God's gift to the church. The idea here is that church leaders are intended by God to be a good, and gracious gift to the church.

2. Leaders equip the body. (12a)>

It is difficult to overstate this. God does not give us church leaders so that they can simply "do ministry." This text reminds us that He gives us leaders to equip the body, as a whole, to do ministry. In the American church we have even modified our vocabulary about the vocational expectation of a pastor to indicate that when we assume certain aspects of pastoral leadership that are focused on serving the needs of others we are now known as being "pastoral.” This belies a belief that what it means to be pastoral is to minister to the needs of others. This is unfortunate because, not only is it not faithful to the biblical text, but it is enabling, rather than equipping the church.

While this practice can sound noble, and while the pastor should certainly be a servant, we do a disservice to the people we serve and the kingdom of God, if we as leaders do the ministry that God has called the whole church to do. I want to suggest that while “pastoral ministry” is part of our responsibility as the body of Christ, the unique responsibility of the church leader is not to be extraordinarily good at “doing ministry”, but instead to invest our lives equipping the body to serve.

Not only that, though, the bible is clear that the ministry will not be done well, when we assume that posture, and the church will not grow, when we assume that posture.

Far too often we have developed a form of church that reflects our consumer driven society. “Church” is where people go to receive goods and services, and the pastor’s job is to deliver those goods and services. In this model,  we don’t create disciples, we create customers.

3. The body is built up. (12b-15)

The ability of the church to be built into the image of Jesus is dependent upon the leadership training and handing off ministry. Allow me to say that again. The ability of the church to be built into the image of Jesus is dependent upon the leadership training and handing off ministry. This cannot be stressed enough. The spiritual growth and maturity of the church is incredibly dependent upon the church leadership's capacity to develop the body to serve in ministry.

Colossians 1:28-29 reminds us, We proclaim Him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving with His strength that works powerfully in me

I know so many pastors and church leaders who are living out this passage, and yet they are frustrated because much of their effort seems to be ineffective. I want to suggest that our effectiveness as a pastor or church leader is extraordinarily connected to our capacity to hand off ministry others.

Notice how Paul says the church will grow, when leaders are developing others and handing ministry off to them. Paul says that the church will grow in unity, knowledge, doctrinal stability, gracious speech & the character of Jesus. Is it surprising, then, to note that much of these described character traits are absent from the church today? Could it be that our insistence on doing what we should be equipping others to do with us is radically inhibiting our churches?

The ability of the church to be built into the image of Jesus is dependent upon the leadership training and handing off ministry. All this is done as Jesus enables it to be so, and it is done to bring him great glory. As we serve passionately, equipping the body for the work of ministry, the body matures into what God intends for them to be. His bride is made perfect (or complete) as they mature, and that maturity does not happen apart from equipping. Notice the progression of the text concerning what Jesus accomplishes in the church, as leaders equip the church instead enable the church.

4. Jesus is glorified. (16)

All this equipping, this "building up of the body" is done as Jesus enables it to be so, and it is done to bring him great glory. As we serve passionately, equipping the body for the work of ministry, the body matures into what God intends for them to be. His bride is made perfect (or complete) as they mature, and that maturity does not happen apart from equipping. Notice the progression of the text concerning what Jesus accomplishes in the church, as leaders equip the church instead enable the church. The text explicitly points out that when church leaders equip the body, this is what would happen in the church:

- Jesus brings the church together (unity in diversity)

- Jesus makes the church grow

- Jesus increases the church’s capacity to love

- Jesus helps every believer to reach their potential

Ultimately, in the end, all of these things serve to make us like Jesus and advance Jesus’ mission. If we want to lead churches to be like Jesus; if we want to lead churches to advance Jesus’ mission, then we must determine to do the hard work of equipping the people. We must hand off ministry. Unfortunately, the reality is that in too many churches this kind of ministry shift would be challenging. Objections are sure to come from lazy church members who are happy as consumers, but I fear that the greatest objections will come from pastors who are fearful of doing the hard work of leading this kind of change, or who feel personally fulfilled when the church is radically reliant on them being Pastor Superman.

Remember this radically important lesson. You church's mission effectiveness is directly tied to ministry multiplication. Yes, this is hard. It may even be costly, both personally and professionally, but I am confident that the future success of the church is dependent upon it.

3 Reasons I May or May Not Follow You on Twitter

On Twitter it seems common to know more what users are against than what they are for. Sometimes, I get the sense that everyone is a watchdog not only for themselves, but ostensibly on behalf of everyone else. Now I understand the importance of good doctrine and protecting sheep from wolves, but what I do not understand is when people within the Church expend so much of themselves in policing on social media. Below are some reasons I keep my "following" column to a minimum. 1. Geographical Distance: One of the benefits of having moved so many times, and having lived in many different cultures in the U.S. and overseas, is that I've had a good amount of my ethnocentrism stripped away. Don't get me wrong, I still love the Northeast with its mountains, rivers, and rich bed of American history. It will always be home to me. But I've realized there are some ways we Northeasterners "do church" that simply can't compete with the Deep South. In the same way, there are some detrimental patterns in the Bible Belt that simply aren't issues for churches up north.

These geographical differences result in dialect, mindset, humor, historical, and cultural differences. This sets social media users up for a whole host of possible blunders or miscommunication. I think there is a reason Jesus commanded His disciples to go from Judea to Samaria to the ends of the earth; He was saying, among other things, "You're most equipped to do ministry first locally, and as you learn you go, and as you go you learn." I'm simply not interested in what a grudging person in Virginia has to say about a pastor in Idaho. Nor am I too much interested in what a seminary punk in Washington has to say about a rural pastor in Maine. They're not speaking the same language and probably aren't even trying to.

2. Relational Distance: The Internet has closed the geographical gap in some ways, but I'd argue that reach and ministry are two different things from a user's standpoint, and we ought to note that difference even just personally. Thousands of people who listen to Matt Chandler on podcast would consider him their pastor. But Matt actually is my pastor; he knows me and is covenanted at The Village Church with me. So while he may reach people across the world, when he stands account as pastor of The Village Church, he stands account for his ministry to me.

When Twitter users troll pastors and leaders with whom they have no relationship, and no intention of building relationship, it is not helpful, nor is there a precedent for it in Scripture. "Well of course there isn't," you say, "face-to-face was the only option when Scripture was penned." Well then, I say, close that gap as much as is within your power. You have an issue with someone? We have the gift of modern transportation—use it. Using social media to continually push back on someone is cowardly.

3. Spiritual Distance: If you have an issue with another user on social media, and all I see is you pushing back on them repeatedly, I'm going to assume you have not done your best to close the gap of which I spoke above. Because of that, I'm going to assume you are not interested in true communion within the Church, but only your pet doctrine or peevish point. In this case, your seasoning is not welcome in my steak.

Titus 3 gives pretty clear directives for what to do with those stirring up foolish controversies, so I'll try to push back in a tender way, then perhaps a bit more firmly, but third strike and you're out. Your salvation is not in question and your brotherhood is always welcome, but I simply am not going to submit the health of my soul to someone who seems to be only interested in self.

The Social Media Pulpit

With these three considerations in mind, I guard my "following" column on Twitter pretty carefully. I do not think I have to only follow those with whom I agree, but just as we would not expect someone to walk into a room where stones are being tossed in every direction by those who should be my family, I'll do you one better: I'm not going into the house.

A fellow blogger received some pretty heavy hits recently and when she asked me if I thought she should continue to engage those throwing stones at her on Twitter, my counsel was simple: Preach the Word with joy and continue walking the path set before her. Standing at the crossroads and arguing ad nauseum does no one any good, and no one moves forward. Instead, I advised that she take the path in front of her with joy and the Holy Spirit, inviting others to follow to a more full likeness of Christ.

If you use Twitter, you have a pulpit. So, "Preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching (2 Tim. 4:2)." Be known for what you're for, rather than what you're against, and always be long-suffering even in your shortest replies.

Note: I want to just say that I don't use these same considerations for blogs/articles. I take them into account, but my criteria for discerning which sites to read is more robust and full. I am mainly addressing Twitter in this. In other words, I'm using 800 words to describe what should happen in 140 characters.

Race and the Gospel

On the wall of my office hangs a picture of Jackie Robinson stealing home during a Dodgers game in 1947. I like the message it sends about courage and taking risks, but more importantly I like the message it sends about how Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the game of baseball, pioneering a way through the racial tensions in our country. It can be argued that this event opened up the possibility for the Civil Rights Movement. In 2004, Major League Baseball declared each subsequent April 15th “Jackie Robinson Day.” On this day, I am reminded that few people have done more for racial reconciliation and equality than Jackie Robinson. Except Jesus.

The Dividing Wall

Imagine for a moment that you are a Gentile living in first century Palestine. You’ve grown up with Jewish friends, in a Jewish world, surrounded by a Jewish way of life. As part of that life, your friends participate in temple worship. Out of curiosity, you follow them to the temple one day. As you come close to the Temple Mount, you begin to get excited. Your friends have told you about the experience of worship, and the anticipation builds as you imagine what it might be like to encounter Israel’s God.

As you arrive, you are surprised by a sign on the wall of the temple. Looking a bit closer, your heart drops as you read the words: “Gentiles enter upon pain of death.”

You’ve just encountered one of the most egregious experiences of racial segregation in history. The temple, created as a house of prayer for all nations (see Isaiah 56), had become an exclusionary place of worship, guarded by a series of courts which kept certain groups of people (Gentiles, women, etc.) from getting near the Holy of Holies. The Court of the Gentiles was the outer-most court of the temple and kept every non-Jew on the outskirts. But this racial discrimination extended beyond temple worship. If you were a Gentile, a Jew would be considered unclean if he stepped into your house. If you were a Gentile woman in labor, Jews were not allowed to help you through childbirth. The list goes on.

One in Christ

Enter Jesus. He healed a Roman Centurion’s son. He told a story where a Samaritan (a Gentile half-breed despised by Jews) was the hero. And he, in Paul’s words, “broke down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility (picture the wall in the temple which kept the Gentiles out)…that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body…for through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father” (Ephesians 2:14-18).

Jesus died in order to kill the hostility between Jew and Gentile. In Galatians 3, he says there is no longer “Jew or Greek.” The cross is where all racial hostilities cease. Paul says that both groups (Jew and Gentile; also black and white, American and Iraqi, etc.) have the same access to the Father. If we have the same Father, that makes us brothers and sisters. And this despite differences in ethnicity, socio-economic status, and other worldly divisions.

The idea is that you have more in common with an Iraqi who follows Jesus than you do your own brother or sister if they don’t follow Jesus. It also means that despite whatever differences you have (skin color, country of origin, etc.), those differences are not as important as the one thing you do have in common with believers of other races – Jesus.

Seeing Like Jesus

So, the gospel breaks down racial barriers. It redefines what family and citizenship means. That’s why in the next verse of Ephesians, Paul says that we are “fellow citizens with the saints, members of the household of God” (Eph. 2:19).

So live like it. Whatever your color or background – the gospel calls us to care for all of the nations and love one another like Jesus loved us. If we are going to be gospel people, we must see one another as God sees us. God loves all people the same, regardless of color. Race should never be a barrier. This is what Jackie Robinson Day is all about.

For the Christian, this is what every day is about.

Kermit Gosnell and the Culture of Death

The picture to the left is my daughter, Harper Grace Smith, on March 29, 2013. In this photo and subsequent photos and videos, we were shown her developed vital organs, her strong heartbeat, and her incessant kicking and squirming. According to U.S. law, we could decide to stop these things from ever happening again. If we didn't want her, we'd be perfectly justified legally to end her 20-week-old life. In fact, we'd have a few weeks to think about it. The debates rage on about the human rights for the unborn, using labels such as "zygotes," "fetuses," and other non-human terms for the developing life inside a woman. This debate alone is a tragedy. And this disturbing testimony by a Planned Parenthood representative notwithstanding, basic human morality would promote the idea of embracing the life of a child actually delivered from the womb. Or so we hope.

Building a Culture of Death

Since at least 1973, with the decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, we've been publicly conditioned to value human life only when convenient. It's amazing that these were debatable matters of the court, and they triggered the start of a frightening ethical progress. In short, abortion went from an idea to a normative option. I'm no fan of tracing the acts of extremists back to the roots of a belief system, but surely such degradation of life led to the reprehensible actions of Kermit Gosnell, an abortion "doctor" in Pennsylvania. According to reports, Gosnell performed innumerable illegal abortions well past the 24-week limit set by the state, including severing the spinal cords of babies who partially and fully left their mother's womb. Mothers of some children even died during the process due to shabby procedures and conditions. All with the help of underage "nurses."

That abortion exists at all, and that it's culturally acceptable, opens the door to the extreme horror of Gosnell's practice. And let's be clear: Whether a life is ended at 24 weeks (the legal limit) or 25, at one week or at birth, a life that God created is destroyed. The gruesomeness may be more obvious to the senses, but the savagery is the same.

Our world is becoming inoculated to the deaths of 1.2 million children every year, to the point that the media isn't putting Gosnell on the front pages and average Americans aren't raising much concern about the silence. Akin to the brainwashing of the majority in Nazi Germany, culture's acquiescing to the systematic destruction of a group of people immunizes our hearts to its ghastly reality. In Inside Hitler's Germany, Matthew Hughes and Chris Mann explain that brainwashing started with German youth. By the time the real violence began:

Ordinary people went along with this appalling violence against fellow Germans. One remembered that while [the attacks on Jews] was a shock, "When the masses were shouting 'Heil' what could the individual person do? You went along. We went along. That's how it was. We were the followers." (101)

Sound familiar? And while both pro-choice and pro-life proponents are equally flabbergasted by the Holocaust now, there will be a day when history will look back on today's America, India, China, and other life-destroying cultures and be repulsed by the staggering abortion numbers from 1973-???. Or so we hope.

Promoting a Theology of Life

For the Christian, this should be a non-negotiable issue. God creates human beings in his image (Gen. 1:27) and, in turn, knows them intricately in the womb (Ps. 139:13-15). God is a God of life, and each life belongs to him and no one else. Life itself is woven into every theological construct from anthropology to soteriology to eschatology. We are created to physically live, redeemed to spiritually live anew, and given eternal life to live forever.

As Jesus's disciples, we follow his lead on matters of justice. All things are for him, through him, and to him (Rom. 11:36), and he cares about mankind. For this very reason, the second great commandment orders us to love others as we love ourselves (Matt. 22:39). I don't know about you, but I would expect those who had the choice to defend my life when I had no choice. It's easy to promote abortion when you weren't the one aborted; it's righteous to defend the unborn precisely because you weren't the one aborted.

As culture presses in on our beliefs, posing us as the close-minded bigots of our era, we must stand firm. We will not be silenced. We must take this truth to the pulpits, the streets, the social media realm, and beyond. Let us follow in the footsteps of Jesus who healed the blind man even when he was pressured to leave him helpless (Matt. 20:29-34). If we take up our crosses and follow Jesus, contending for what is right and true, we can raise a clarion call for the value of human life in this age.

Or so we hope.

When We Stop Dreaming

The following is an excerpt of Freefall to Fly by Rebekah Lyons, used by permission. Purchase the entire book on Amazon.  ---

My head snapped up from the pillow at the sound of my daughter calling my name from downstairs. Good Luck Charlie had ended, and my job needed to start again. More than fifteen years removed from my napkin dreams, I was running fast. I’d been given a front-row seat on a rickety wooden roller coaster motoring on a never-ending loop. Twisting, turn- ing, backward, forward. Straining to find my bearings, but never slowing enough to compose myself. Going in circles, but never finding my dreams.

If we ignore the yearnings of our souls, we atrophy, and our dreams die. Sadly, many of us choose this descent because we believe it’s safer. If we don’t hope, we won’t be let down. If we don’t imagine, reality won’t disappoint. Either way, we avoid pain.

These destructive tendencies seem to afflict women in particular. Since 1988, the use of antidepressant drugs has soared nearly 400 percent, and women are 2.5 times more likely than men to take them. Twenty-three percent of women ages forty to fifty-nine regularly take these drugs, more than in any other demographic. Nearly one in four. A devastating statistic. Why the struggle? Why the heaviness?

As for me, I wondered: Is this just seasonal depression? Or will it linger? My faith was flailing. The gloom lifted by spring, but the lurking shadow reminded me that January would come again. I think perhaps the antici- pation of the darkness returning was as precarious as when it settled.

A friend recently confessed through tears that she struggles with bitterness. Her life doesn’t look the way she’d hoped it would. She couldn’t reconcile how her life—looking so successful on the surface—disguised the aching void that brings her tears the moment she opens her balled fists.

Are we grieving because our lives don’t look the way we imagined in our youth?

Do we pressure our children to reach their potential because we aren’t living up to our own?

Are we spending every moment cultivating the lives of everyone . . . but ourselves?

Women are stars fading behind the dark shadow of those we care for, and we often look a little worse for wear. Our light is dimmer than it used to be as we find ourselves unable to dream beyond our current reality.

So we compromise. My childhood dreams were just that—dreams. I should let them go. We push down any hope when we sense it emerging. The desire for change uncovers what terrifies us most: failure.

Then we go numb. We tell ourselves a quick fix will do just fine. Whatever will keep our heads above water—whatever will allow us to keep making lunches, paying the bills, getting through sex, doing the kids’ carpool, working out, pursuing that career, and so on—will just have to do. We don’t want to become the crazy lady at the bus stop, so we think to our- selves, Just give me the shortcut. Then I’ll be okay.

Perhaps most alarming are the many women who don’t see past their manicured lives—grasping for society’s definition of being “put together.” We have pretty ways of masking our lack of meaning, using all kinds of beauty products and retail therapy. We have homes to furnish and decorate, then redecorate once we tire of what we have. We keep up with fashion styles, throw and attend parties, and maintain a rigorous pace. While these are all delightful and beautiful and often worthy goals, using them to conceal our unfulfilled lives is dangerous.

Some women uncover their talents before having kids and then shelve them while raising their children. They’ve experienced a sense of fulfill- ment in living out their purpose but believe they must set aside their pursuits for the sake of motherhood. They’ve bought into the belief that their gifts and child rearing are disparate parts, unable to coexist. Instead of fighting to figure out the balance, they stuff their dreams in a box marked “Motherhood.”

Other women never identify their purpose before having children. Parenthood sets in and can unknowingly become the excuse to stop cultivating their dreams. Instead, they place their quest for significance on the lives of their children (as we see played out on Facebook every day). But this suffocating pressure is too much for anyone to bear, much less a five-year-old.

In either case, the displacement of a mother’s purpose (beyond child rearing) becomes a huge loss to our communities. If women aren’t empowered to cultivate their uniqueness, we all suffer the loss of beauty, creativity, and resourcefulness they were meant to inject into the world.

Can a mother chase the dreams that stir her heart and simultaneously raise her children?

Can a woman chase the dreams that stir her heart when life gets in the way?

The masks need not remain. The fading is teaching us to turn from try- ing to prove to each other that we have everything together to letting our wounds show. We speak words that ring out in the air and just sit there. Moments of sharing and pain and desperation. Desperation to be heard, to be understood, and to know we are still in this life together. The years give us new perspective and freedom to be honest. In these settings, an echo keeps surfacing. Struggle, responsibility, pain, and in the midst of it all, faith.

Aging is paradoxical: the older we get, the less we are sure of. All we hope for is the courage to keep walking. And our understanding of God’s grace takes new shape for us. Our hearts stumble into unknown territory as our lives twist and turn. Yet we aren’t sure how to respond.

We thought we had faith figured out before, when life was a negative in black and white. But now that we see in full color, the image has faded. Clarity left long ago when we were held in the tension between seeing how things ought to be in contrast with how they really are. We freefall because we never figured out what makes us fly.

We stopped dreaming.

I’m riveted by the scene in The King’s Speech when Prince Albert, Duke of York, delivers a discourse to a large crowd on a dreary London day in 1930. He stutters conspicuously, and the crowd squirms in their seats. Out of desperation to defend her husband’s reputation, the Duchess of York travels to a dilapidated part of town to locate Lionel Logue, a speech therapist. He has Bertie (his affectionate nickname for Albert) wear headphones and listen to blaring classical music while reading Shakespeare’s well-known soliloquy from Hamlet. Lionel records Bertie’s voice as he stutters through the famous first phrase—“To be or not to be”—but Bertie’s final frustration drives him out of the room, recording in hand, shouting, “What’s the use?”

Bertie hides the vinyl recording in his desk drawer. Just out of reach. But he knows it’s still there. After a week passes, Bertie pulls out the record and listens. As his smooth, liberated speech echoes out of the speaker, he is dumbfounded, amazed by the gift he possesses. He hears words of conviction soaring without stutter. Beautiful like music. His wife bears witness. An epiphany. They promptly return to Lionel in secret to continue working. Too often we live with our talents hidden in the desk drawer. Just out of reach. We’ve tucked them away. Refusing to listen. It hurts too much to hope. So we go on with our lives, not allowing ourselves to go near that drawer.

“We arrive in this world with birthright gifts—then we spend the first half of our lives abandoning them or letting others disabuse us of them,” Parker Palmer writes in Let Your Life Speak. “Then—if we are awake, aware, and able to admit our loss—we spend the second half trying to recover and reclaim the gift we once possessed.”

This was an excerpt from Freefall to Fly by Rebekah Lyons. Purchase the entire book on Amazon. 

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Rebekah Lyons is a mother of three, wife of one, and dog walker of two living in New York City. She's an old soul with a contemporary, honest voice who puts a new face on the struggles women face as they seek to live a life of meaning. As a self-confessed mess, Rebekah wears her heart on her sleeve, a benefit to friends, and readers alike. She serves alongside her husband, Gabe, as cofounder of QIdeas, an organization that helps leaders winsomely engage culture.

Can Racially Diverse Churches Exist?

In 2006, I planted Emmaus Church with a small team of people who dreamed of a gospel-centered, multi-ethnic, multi-racial church. We had a vision that our church would not just have racially integrated worship services but also racially integrated community life because of the reconciling power of the gospel. In the early years of pursuing this vision, we were often told this goal was impossible to reach (especially for a church in Portland, Oregon, the whitest major city in America). I would like to report to you that we never for a moment believed such voices, and we never failed to believe that God was willing and able to make our vision become reality.

But I can’t.

Despite our full commitment to pursuing a gospel-centered, multi-ethnic, multi-racial church – and despite our unwillingness to settle for only half of that equation – we often doubted it could happen. And when it did in fact happen, we then doubted it could be sustained. Of course we have not been alone in this sentiment. The vast majority of pastors I know would love for their churches to reflect the racial diversity of their cities. Yet those very same pastors make little to no attempt to actually achieve that desire. This is because in America, in general, and in American Christianity, in particular, there are so many factors working against a truly integrated church family that it most often feels like a fool’s errand.

But is it?

Can American Christians find themselves in gospel-centered, multi-ethnic, multi-racial churches that are integrated both in and beyond the Sunday gathering? Can this be normal? Based on the Scriptures and my personal experience, I believe the answer is “no and yes.”

No, Racially Diverse Churches Cannot Be Normal

Racially diverse churches cannot be normal because unity is not normal. Human beings have been against each other since Adam and Eve hid their nakedness and blamed each other before God. It is in our sinful nature to be both divided and divisive (Galatians 5:19-21). This is one of the reasons that the Homogenous Unit Principle often works; it appeals to the sinful desires of our hearts to exalt ourselves and separate from those who do not likewise exalt us by affirming who we are and what we like.

This inborn tendency toward division and divisiveness is made even stronger by the social construct of race because it provides us with (false) justification for our sin. If we adopt the man-made category of race we escape condemnation because we are now convinced that our division and divisiveness is not a product of our self-centered hearts but a product of God-ordained biology. This is how American slavery was defended in the 18^th and 19^th centuries (e.g. “God built white superiority into creation so he intends for society to function this way”), and this is how the segregation of American churches is often defended in the 21^st centuries (e.g. “God made us to worship differently, so it makes sense for us to worship separately”).

In light of the fact that we have inherited both a sinful tendency toward division and a social construct that exploits it, a truly racially unified church will never be normal. Never. This is clearly implied in Jesus’ extended prayer on the eve of his death. In John 17, Jesus prays three times for the Father to unite the members of his church with one another just as Jesus is united with the Father. He then twice says that it is through such unity that the world will know that Jesus is who he says he is (John 17:21, 23). In other words, unity of this sort is so rare that the world simply cannot explain it apart from the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is in fact the utter abnormality of true unity that makes people stop, notice, and seek an explanation when it sees Jesus’ church united.

Yes, Racially Diverse Churches Can Be Normal 

The fact that unity requires an explanation reveals that unity is not normal, but the fact that Jesus is the explanation for said unity reveals that unity can become normal for those who are in Christ. Thus, while racially diverse churches will never be normal in America, they can become the new normal for American Christians because Jesus has not only done everything necessary to unite us to God, he has done everything necessary to unite us to each other. Consequently, living to see racially integrated churches as the new normal is not just possible, it is preferable for at least three reasons.

First, we should do everything we can to make racially diverse churches the new normal because this is a model Scripture gives us. In Acts 6, the apostles work to integrate and unify a culturally diverse church and, as a result, “the word of God spread” (Acts 6:7). In Acts 11:19-26, we are introduced to the ethnically diverse church of Antioch, and in Acts 13:1-2, we are introduced to their diverse leadership team which consisted of blacks and whites, Africans and Greeks, Gentiles and Jews. I do not think it is a coincidence that it was in Antioch that the disciples were first referred to as “Christians” (pejorative or not), as their multi-cultural, multi-national, multi-ethnic unity could only be explained by their connection to Christ.

Second, we should do everything we can to make racially diverse churches the new normal because racially diverse churches reflect the coming kingdom. When the Apostle John received the revelation, he was given a vision of the redeemed which he described as “a great multitude…of every nation, tribe, people and language” worshiping God in unison (Revelation 7:9). This is what Jesus’ coming kingdom will look like. The church is tasked with bringing a foretaste of this coming kingdom into this present world. Thus, as much as the American church works to bring God’s kingdom into this world through helping the poor, forgiving offenders, and healing the sick, we should also work to bring God’s kingdom into this world through integrating our worshiping communities.

Third, we should do everything we can to make racially diverse churches the new normal because Jesus is the only reasonable explanation for racially integrated churches. True unity between human beings is so rare that Jesus says it requires an explanation for which only his person and work will suffice. If this is true of unity in general, it is much more true of unity across racial lines for two reasons. First, racial categories are more immediately visible to Americans than any other. Second, racial tensions are more palpable and potentially explosive to Americans than any other. Therefore, racial unity is both more obvious than unity across other categories (so our non-Christian neighbors immediately recognize it) and more unlikely than unity across other categories (so our non-Christian neighbors cannot explain it). This opens the door for us to offer Jesus and his gospel as the answer to a question they are actually asking.

American Christians want to experience racially diverse churches for the reasons above. American Christians can experience racially diverse churches because Jesus has done everything necessary to unite us to God and to each other. But American Christians will experience racially diverse churches, if, and only if, we are intentional about seeking them.

Racially Diverse Churches Will Only Become Normal Through Intentionality

Racially integrated churches do not “just happen” any more than conversion “just happens.” Though the Holy Spirit is the only one who can convert people who are spiritually dead, he chooses to do so through human beings who commit themselves to declaring and displaying the gospel to their neighbors. In the same way, though Jesus is the only one who can build racially integrated churches, he does so through human beings who commit themselves to building racially integrated churches.

Are you willing to make that commitment?

If so, there is no formula for success apart from a wholehearted commitment to what seems impossible and a willingness to do whatever is necessary to get there. This means that what is right for another church may not be right for yours. For example, I know of a gospel-centered, multi-racial church that became racially integrated largely because of its exceptional worship team, which was intentionally multi-cultural in its song choice and performance. This worked for them. Yet because of the limited pool of human and financial resources we had when we planted, this would not have worked for Emmaus. Instead, we made a conscious decision to avoid having any music in our worship services for the first year and a half of our existence. We knew that the moment we chose one musical style over another we would be unintentionally choosing one culture over another.  Therefore, we waited for our church to become multi-racial so diverse music could come from our diverse congregation rather than the other way around.

While there is no formula for success, there are several things through which everyone who wants to experience a racially diverse church will have to think. As I share a few of these topics below, I do so with white church leaders and members (like me) in mind. I am convinced that pastors of color are much more equipped to plant and lead multi-racial churches because American culture forces them to be aware of race and to live in a multi-racial environment every day of their lives. For those like myself who need additional guidance, here are four key areas you will have to intentionally think through.

1. Church Leadership

It is very easy to say you want a racially diverse church. But few people will believe you or follow you if you are not willing to also have racially diverse leadership. If you are white, you must consider the fact that people of color are asked to submit to white leadership every day in virtually every sphere of their lives. If they are to believe your church is offering something different from the world, they will have to see you not only empowering minority leaders but also willfully sharing your authority with them and submitting your authority to them. Are you willing to do this with people who see the world and ministry through a different lens than you? This is ultimately what you’re asking your congregation to do, and they will only do it if you model it for them.

Invariably, when I talk about this particular issue with other pastors the same question comes up: Where will I find them? This very sincere question reveals two very sincere problems. The first problem is that white evangelicals live such segregated lives that they can’t think of any people of color who could be potential church leaders. The second problem is that white evangelicals define “potential church leaders” not only in biblical terms but in culturally shaped, non-biblical terms that automatically eliminate a large number of Christians of color. Are you willing to work with leaders who do not come from the overwhelmingly white Bible colleges and seminaries of your particular theological ilk? Are you willing to work with leaders who do not have leadership experience in the overwhelmingly white para-church ministries you are most familiar with? Are you willing to work with Jesus loving, gospel-centered believers who do not share your affinity for a euro-centric view of church history and theology?

2. Worship Service

When most of us think of the ideal worship service, we unintentionally think of a worship service that most appeals to our particular racial, ethnic, or cultural experience. This means that we are vulnerable to defining the elements, order, and style of a good worship service in ways that exclude or otherwise alienate those from other racial, ethnic, and cultural experiences. For instance, to the average white hipster in Portland, a good musical worship set is moody and dark, while to the average black adult in Portland, a good musical worship set is celebratory and upbeat. Similar distinctions can be observed in preferences about the length of the music set and sermon, the oratory style and chosen illustrations of the preacher, the frequency and method of receiving communion, and even the best way to welcome visitors. Are you willing to re-evaluate every detail of your worship experience in your pursuit of a fully integrated multi-racial church? If so, what is the process?

 3. Congregational Education

If an American congregation is to be racially diverse it will most likely include its share of white people. We white Americans have inherited many privileges on the sole basis of our skin tone. One such privilege is not having to think about race at all and especially not having to think of ourselves in racial categories. As such, the white members of our congregations are likely to have difficulty understanding why our church is talking about race so much and making so many intentional decisions with race in mind. It is not uncommon for white Christians in these circumstances to unintentionally and unconsciously speak and behave in ways that actually work against racial unity in the congregation. It is not that they are racist. It is that they do not know how to live in a truly racially integrated environment. Are you willing to make the white members of your congregation aware of their whiteness and all the privileges it affords them? Are you willing to call the white members of your congregation to voluntarily lay down their privileges in service to the black, Latino, Native American, and Asian members of your church and your community? If so, how will you do that?

 4. Humble Listening

If you are going to pastor an integrated church, you are going to have a church full of people whose experiences and viewpoints are different from yours. Likewise, you are going to be aiming to reach a city full of people whose experiences and viewpoints are different from yours. Formal training in Bible college or seminary can prepare you for many things in ministry, but it cannot train you to see through someone else’s eyes. Reading books and blogs from white people who do multi-racial ministry (like me) can help you ask the right questions, but it cannot help you answer them. Your own observation of another’s racial experience and cultural distinctions can be helpful, but it cannot be complete nor wholly accurate. The only way to know what the various people of color in your church or city are thinking, feeling, and desiring is to ask them and listen without any agenda other than learning from them.  Are you willing to profess your own ignorance and to have those conversations?

Racially diverse churches will never be normal. And that’s the point.

In conclusion, let me be clear that I am not an expert on multi-racial churches. Though God has graciously honored our prayers and made Emmaus a gospel-centered, multi-ethnic, multi-racial church, we are only an average-sized church, and we still have a very long way to go. For example, our city is 9% Latino, but our church is less than 2% Latino. We are dissatisfied with this and are intentionally trying to minimize that gap in order to accurately reflect the diversity of our neighborhood, bring the gospel to one of the fastest growing people groups in our city, and learn more about the God we worship through the rich contributions of Latino culture. To do this, our church is in the process of translating its bulletins, website, song slides, and other printed materials into Spanish while I, as lead pastor, am reading books on Latino culture and history, listening to my Latino neighbors, and spending more than 10 hours a week trying to learn the Spanish language. I confess that this is difficult work, and I have no idea if any of it will bear fruit. But I can guarantee we will never see fruit if we’re not intentional in our pursuit of our goal. And that goal is worth every bit of the work.

I hope that you determine the same for your church.

Integrated, racially diverse churches will never be normal. And that’s the point. It is precisely because they are abnormal that they are worth every sacrifice you have to make in pursuit of them. Their utter abnormality causes people to search for an explanation for every one of them that exists. And that explanation is solely found in who Jesus is and what Jesus has done. May you and I work together to see racially integrated churches become the new normal so that all of our churches require such an explanation.

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Cole Brown is founding pastor of Emmaus Church, a multi-racial congregation in Portland, OR. He is the author of Lies My Pastor Told Me & Lies Hip Hop Told Me and blogs on race, culture, theology and related topics at colebrownpdx.com. He lives in Portland with his wife and two children and loves Jesus, Hip Hop, and comedy. Twitter: @colebrownpdx

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Warning: Don't Bury Our One Talent

Adam Cavalier currently serves as cross-cultural worker in southeast Asia. His home church is The Chapel on the Campusin Baton Rouge, LA. He holds a Master of Theology (Th.M.) in pastoral ministries from Dallas Theological Seminary. Check out his blog at From Cajun to Asian.  

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Imagine there is a young, flourishing leader in your church. He is a bright, humble, and faithful extrovert. Not only that, but Extrovert has an insatiable desire to know God through his Word, exudes confidence, has impressive communication and social skills. Everybody in the church loves him and believes he has great potential to be a celebrated leader in God’s church. Extrovert just read a book on missions, has been infected with the Great Commission bug, and it looks like he is never going to recover. Now when he reads Scripture, he sees God’s heart for the nations on every page. After praying through a book that lists unengaged, unreached people groups, he has zeroed in on a particular people group in Northern India. Currently every time he prays, God continually places this specific people group on his heart. He believes God is calling him to dedicate his whole life to this group by learning their language, translating the Bible into their native tongue, and sharing the gospel with them until either every single person in that group believes in Jesus Christ or the he returns in glory.

Also, imagine another young leader in the church who is not so dynamic. People aren’t necessarily overly drawn to his personality. He has a quiet, gentle, introverted spirit, but some find him a little odd. Although he has his little quirks, Introvert has exemplary Christian character. He is faithful, honest, dependable, and he can handle the Word well. The church loves him, but they don’t want him on stage. And because he doesn’t have an infectious personality like Extrovert, they keep him relegated to less visible responsibilities in the church. Dissimilar to Extrovert, Introvert isn’t as drawn to the cross-cultural mission field. He sees God’s passion for the nations, but isn’t personally called to be a missionary. He feels called to stay home, equipping and sending others.

Misguided Intentions

There is a problem. Most people in his church and community think that both their plans are misguided and ill-advised. The church wants to send Introvert to the field, and keep Extrovert home. They wonder why Extrovert would want to go and use his God-given personality overseas. He could cultivate it and have a much greater impact on God’s Kingdom at home where the crowds are. Likewise, they think that Introvert could better be used cross-culturally. He doesn't light up the stage, but there are unreached people who are lost and dying apart from the knowledge of Christ in distant lands. Though he is a tad awkward in social settings in our culture, he could be effective in international ministry. I have heard these arguments time and time again. This is not a hypothetical story; it’s the story of many believers who desperately want to be a part of God’s promise to have someone from every tongue, tribe, and nation represented in Heaven worshiping the one true King.

Praise God For All Types

The intention should not be to regard certain personalities as essential over and against others. The call is for Christians to regard all personalities as fundamental to God’s purposes for nation-saving, sin-breaking, life-changing, risk-taking, God-honoring purposes. We are not to pity persons who are individually called to go to the cross-cultural mission field, we are to praise them; better yet, we are to praise God for them. One the one hand, those who want to serve Christ overseas are invaluable here. They are precious, and we need more people with a heart for the nations at home to function as senders and equippers. The missions-minded believer will be a catalyst for others to give more time, resources, and thought to what God is doing in the nations. A believer who is willing to go must also be willing to stay.

On the other hand, someone who feels called to serve Christ overseas would have immediate impact on the field. Go-ers should go! I believe our desire has all too frequently been to export our under-developed introverts and hoard our over-exposed extroverts. Many in our Western cultural are guilty of burying our one “talent” in the ground and waiting for our “hard” Master to return (see Matthew 25). As Westerners, we do a great job of giving time, money, resources, and prayer to the foreign mission field. But when it comes to what we cherish most – our beloved people – we are less willing to give that up to God. I believe that we should not only be lavish in our distribution of gifts, talents, and resources, but also our people. As John Piper says in his book Let the Nations Be Glad!, “Many Christians in the West think that the day of sending missionaries from our churches is past. This is tragic. Presumably, what we should do now is support missions from the Global South (“the Christian church in Africa, Latin America, and Asia”). My way of putting that would be: Let them shed their blood. We will just send money." This is true of believers in the West, but I believe it is especially true of our well-liked extroverts.

Let God Decide

I believe this problem often stems from our seemingly-impenetrable pragmatic worldview. Who doesn’t want a dynamic pastor that can handle and communicate the truth of God properly? Don’t misunderstand me. I think we should have well-trained pastors and church leaders equipped with biblical truth and skills to minister in the local church effectively. But I believe we have not always done a good job of balancing this principle with an uncompromising faith in God’s astonishing promise that he will carry out the work – regardless of our best attempts to help (or hurt). Will the dishes get done if your child helps you in the process? Sure, we might break a dish or two in the process, but God decides to include us in the task that has a sure outcome. Someone from every single tongue, tribe, and nation will be present before the throne. The question is this:  Will we completely trust that God will accomplish his purposes through us in a way that only he can do?

Our subtle response to person's calling is to respectfully ask, “Did God really say that you should go to that people group?” I think that if we continue on this Spirit-quenching approach to Kingdom growth, we will deliberately stunt Spirit-empowered growth and will only allow for man-made results. Can’t you hear it? Some have said, “Come, let us build ourselves a nation and a church with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” The good news is that this is not an unsolvable problem.

By the grace of God and with his help, we can overcome our poor stewardship by only one thing: Believing the gospel. We should be eager to send our “best” people out to the field, not reluctant to let them go. Time and time again, I have seen Christians willing to send out “strange” introverts to the cross-cultural field, but hesitant to send their fashionable extroverts. Joseph and his dreams can go to distant lands and foreign people, but the older brothers can stay. David can go out to the fields and tend to the sheep, but the stronger brothers can stay and fight. The character and calling of a believer should override our (sometimes selfish) opinions on guiding our brothers and sisters on where they should go or what they should do with their lives. In this case, Jim Elliot’s memorable quote should ring a resounding amen in our hearts, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

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For another great article on extroverts and introverts, see Seth McBee's article HERE.

Questioning the Gospel

Christians do a lot of back slapping when it comes to belief in the gospel. It’s like we’re afraid to ask hard questions, struggle through difficult times, and doubt the faith. Jenny is a new Christian. She’s well educated, thoughtful, terribly excited about the gospel, and acquainted with suffering. As we talked about her newfound faith, she explained to me that she tried church in the past. She’d had a “bad experience.” I braced myself for some church trashing, but quickly realized Jenny had something to say to the church. Jenny recounted story after story of her difficult questions being turned away by Christians and pastors. She was told, “All the answers are in the Bible. Just read it and have faith.” Her doubts were dismissed as undermining skepticism. Eventually, despite her admiration for the church, she left. Why? She wasn’t allowed to question the gospel.

The Bible Invites Doubt

Non-Christians aren’t the only ones that need to question the gospel. On the other side of faith, our discipleship should be suffused with doubt. Many of us run from it. We look down on doubt. In contrast, the whole Bible presupposes doubt. The Bible is largely written by believers to believers who doubt their beliefs. Many saints were adept at questioning God, asking questions like:

• “Will you put to death the righteous with the wicked?” (Gen 18:25)
• “Oh, Lord, will you please send someone else?” (Ex 4:13)
• “Why do the wicked prosper?” (Ps 73)
• “How long Oh Lord?” (Ps 79)
• “Have you not rejected us, O God?” (Ps 60)
• “How will this be since I am a virgin?” (Lk 1:34)
• “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46)
• “Why do I do what I do not want?” (Rom 7:20)

These men and women questioned God, to his face. Thomas was incredulous when told about the resurrection. Facing Jesus, he still doubted. Just prior to the ascension, with the risen Jesus standing in their midst, we’re told disciples “…worshiped but some doubted” (Matt 28:17).

Recovering the Practice of Doubt

Christians have lost the practice of doubt. Instead, we often reinforce blind faith. We gather like-minded people around us to reinforce our beliefs, while isolating ourselves from genuine questions about God, Scripture, and life. Non-Christians see this and are put off. Some assume that Christianity is pure indoctrination. Others believe that you have to check your brain at the door of church. So they remain, on the outside of the church, with important, authentic questions about the gospel, with no one to hear them out.

We need to learn from our skeptical friends and neighbors. We need to be more honest about how bizarre our faith sounds. Have you ever considered that Christianity sounds like a cult? We purport that our leader died and rose from the dead, but that he is now, conveniently, invisible. We believe that he will reappear one day to set all things right. Do you really believe this? Why? Can you account for it in a believable way? Many of the gospel teachings are slipped onto the shelf of our mental library, where they gather to collect dust. Sure we “believe” them, but don’t pull them down often enough to doubt them.

God has created a world filled with irony and incongruity. We are redeemed but we aren’t. We are perfect in God’s sight but not in real time. Jesus has defeated death and evil, but people die and suffer every day. Then, there’s the everyday struggle to believe. We possess the promises of God, but fail to believe them every single day. Instead, we believe in the fleeting promises of the world. We believe the approval of co-workers is better that the enduring approval of God the Father. We believe holding a grudge will bring more satisfaction than giving away Christ’s forgiveness. Suffering through a trial, we believe God in unjust or we are awful, instead of seeing God’s grace and goodness to purify misplaced faith in ourselves or in the comforts of this world. O, how we disbelieve.

Blind Faith is Blinding to the World

We disbelieve the gospel because we fail to doubt the gospel. We don’t interrogate it to find better promises. We don’t question God, asking him for greater joy than the fleeting satisfaction we have in comfort. We don’t query the gospel to make better sense of suffering. Instead, we place one hand over our eyes, and point upward: “Just have faith.” This is unbelievable. It is shallow.

Blind faith is blinding faith. It masks the light of the gospel, covering up the perceptive truths of Scripture that must be queried to be uncovered. People like Jenny need Christians who welcome, not stomp, doubt. An unbelieving world needs to see why the gospel is worth believing. They need to see what atonement has to do with pluralism, what regeneration has to do with environmental stewardship, what propitiation has to do with humility, what adoption has to do with sex trafficking, what justification has to do with self-esteem, what new creation has to do with the Arts, what union with Christ has to do with longings for significance. Our colleagues, coworkers, and neighbors also need to hear us doubt the gospel in face of: literature, homosexuality, racism, women, technology, pluralism, hypocrisy, evolution, and atheism, to name a few. The gospel must be questioned if we are to uncover its riches, not only for ourselves but also for the world.

Blind faith reroutes a detour around God’s design in suffering. Peter reminds us that trials are meant to make us question, reflect, and refine our faith. When we suffer the loss of a friend, job, or dream, we are meant to question the gospel. We are meant to discover, through trial, how Christ is better, not just affirm that he is better. Suffering can show us how God is sufficient and the Savior is sublime. But we must doubt. We must take our hands off our eyes to stare our troubles in the face. Only then can faith become precious and perceptive. We’ve failed to realize we are meant to doubt our way into faith every single day. When we doubt the gospel, in God’s presence, we find Jesus standing up in our circumstances, flooding them with hope.

Doubting for Joy

Standing in front of the risen Christ, “they worshipped but some doubted” (Matt 28:17). The disciples are skeptical. They possess the facts, the proofs to believe, but still don’t have faith. Or maybe they believed but lacked faith? Making a distinction between belief and faith Harvard Religion scholar, Harvey Cox writes: “We can believe something to be true without it making much difference to us, but we place our faith only in something that is vital for the way we live.” If we don’t see the gospel as vital, then we will restrict it to the realm of belief. In other words, we can believe the gospel with it making very little difference to our lives. We can believe without faith.

The way forward from belief to faith is through the path of doubt, down the road of inquiry. We must question what we believe in order to increase in faith. For Christ to become vital, we must see how essential he is, in everything. We need the vital organ of faith. Belief cannot live without faith, the animating power of actual trust in a trustworthy gospel. This comes through testing our faith, asking how God is good in our pain, what Jesus has to do with Science, how the Holy Spirit changes on culture. We need to get in front of the face of God and ask the hard questions with humility. We need to pull the gospel off the shelf and doubt it for joy.

Seeing the resurrected Jesus, some disciples “disbelieved for joy” (Lk 24:41). Doubt arose in their hearts. Jesus patiently revealed his hands and feet, scarred from his crucifixion. This was no spirit. Touching his body, they tested their beliefs (that the resurrection wasn’t plausible), and considered the immense promise this belief held if it were true. They leaned forward into faith. The closer they got to the risen Lord, under scrutiny, the more belief gave way to faith. They even watched Jesus perform an experiment, eating to prove he wasn’t an apparition. The prospect of the gospel became more compelling as they questioned the gospel in the face of Christ. They disbelieved for joy. Like the wonder we feel when we hit a homerun, ace the test, or win someone’s affection, they disbelieved for joy. Stunned in awe, they couldn’t believe it, but they were jumping up and down for joy inside. Disbelieving for joy, they fell headlong into faith.

This month marks a new series of articles at GCD following the theme of: Questioning the Gospel. We hope you’ll come doubt the gospel with us and disbelieve for joy.

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Jonathan K. Dodson (MDiv; ThM) serves as a pastor of City Life Church in Austin, Texas. He is the author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship andUnbelievable Gospel. He has discipled men and women abroad and at home for almost two decades, taking great delight in communicating the gospel and seeing Christ formed in others.

The Shadow of Secularization and the New Dawn of the Church

The sky is falling. Secularization is on the rise, or so it seems. Positions long held by Christians as central to our faith are now massively unpopular and Christians are increasingly marginalized because of it. What is more, there seems to be a growing movement away from identification with Christ and his church, and towards an embrace of no religious affiliation at all. Of course, this is leading to an increasing pessimism among churches that are being marginalized, and this sentiment is understandable. I want to suggest however that this encroaching secularization may, in fact, lead to the dawn of a new era for the church, an era in which the church may actually prosper and grow like it has not in America in some time.

Same-Sex Marriage

Same-sex marriage is coming. As of this moment it has not been recognized by the Supreme Court, but I have little doubt that it is coming. While it may not ultimately be determined by the Supreme Court, it will certainly be determined by the court of public opinion and in that domain, those of us who would advocate for a traditional understanding of marriage as a lifelong commitment between a man and a woman have lost. 58% of all Americans now believe the legalization of same-sex marriage is inevitable. 70% of all Millennials support same-sex marriage. Half of all U.S. Senators have now publicly announced support for same-sex marriage and even prominent Republicans are joining that chorus. The verdict may not have been announced yet but, apart from an act of God, the verdict is now in. Same-sex marriage will be the law of the land, and it will happen soon.

With that said, I think the ramifications run deep. The increasing marginalization for those who support traditional marriage will only pick up speed as these decisions are ratified in the public square. It would not surprise me to see Christians who embrace traditional marriage, during my lifetime, viewed with much the same disdain as those who embrace white supremacy are currently viewed. Obviously this will increasingly diminish a conservative Christian ethic from the general acceptance in the marketplace and serve to push conservative Christianity to the margins.

Encroaching Secularization

Another troublesome trend that seems to be discouraging many within contemporary Christianity is oft-reported, and regularly referred to as, “the rise of the nones.” This phenomenon is the movement of significant numbers of Americans who previously identified with Christianity and who now identify as having no religious preference. This scares a lot of Christians, and the fear has been fueled by many in the media who may struggle to understand the nuances behind it and are reporting that Christianity is in substantial decline. Thankfully Ed Stetzer, who I work for, has been at the forefront of researchers who have identified that committed Christianity is not actually disappearing, but nominal Christianity is. In other words, what is actually happening is that those who have not really expressed any tangible commitment to their faith, but have previously identified as a follower of Christ, are now acknowledging what has probably been true all along, that is they are not actually believers.

The New Dawn of the Church

In spite of these incredibly fast-changing realities for the American church, I am not nearly as discouraged as one might assume. These changes, among others, would seem to indicate doom for the church, and yet I am convinced that there are reasons for hope.

1. Christianity is strongest as a counter-cultural movement, rather than as a form of civil religion.

In America, we have long been told that America was founded on a "Judeo-Christian ethic.” While this may be true, it has unfortunately led to an unintended problem, namely that Christianity long ago began to be assumed by many inside and outside of the Christianity community. Anytime something is so broadly “known” that it begins to be assumed, or taken for granted, any attempts to learn about it will be subtly, but surely, diminished. Why learn about something that everyone already knows? This has certainly become the position of Christianity in the USA. Our churches are full of Christians who are extraordinarily unfamiliar with their bible, and as a result, they are unfamiliar with their faith. Of course, this is to say nothing about those outside of the church who are increasingly unfamiliar with the claims of our faith. Beyond this, assuming the faith has led to a diluted faith which is not a clear picture of the faith of Jesus at all.

As Christianity continues to be marginalized, and as those who claim the faith are reduced to only those who are most committed to the faith, this naturally leads us to a place where Christianity is no longer assumed. When it is no longer assumed, it becomes more and more difficult for it to be misunderstood, though it may often be dismissed, allowing the church a unique opportunity to declare and display the unique story of God to the world. This is a good thing.

2. Christianity is strongest when Christianity means something more than nominal identification.

This should be seen as one of the great blessings of “the rise of the nones” across the country. As we find fewer and fewer people who willingly assume the title “Christian” without any tangible commitment to the faith, a substantial barrier to effective evangelism comes down, namely the barrier of false belief. Those who have spent any time in areas cloaked with an aura of Christianity understand how difficult it is to share our faith with people who are far from God, and yet are convinced that they are in the faith.

Another wonderful consequence of the changing moral norms, and the decreasing identification with Christianity, is the number of those who are convinced of their eternal security because of their ability to adhere to a moral code is also reduced. In other words, those who have embraced a sort of moralism as their faith, and interpreted that moralism as Christianity, are going to disappear. This dilution of authentic faith is problematic to gospel expansion, and as it disappears, the growth of the gospel seems more likely. Again, these are good things.

3. Christianity is strongest when we assume a missional posture.

Missional activity occurs most naturally in an environment where Christianity is not regularly seen or understood. I know this is true for me, personally. For instance, when I find myself in a foreign country that is unfriendly to the gospel I find myself more intentional in my behavior and my conversations. I find myself more accommodating, relationally, to those who disagree with me. This is often not true when I am in the majority.

Sadly, my story has too often been the story of the church in America. The church has assumed a position that could be considered anything but missional. Far too regularly we have talked down to those who disagree with us. We speak using verbiage that most do not understand, and we expect them to modify their behavior if they want in our “club.”

As Christianity is marginalized in America; as most are not only non-believers, but are aggressively opposed to our faith, I think the church will find itself increasingly forced into a missional posture. This, of course, is a good thing.

4. Christianity has historically thrived when it is the minority.

History tells us that Christianity is most sharp; it is most clear and it is most aggressive, when it is in the minority. It is when the faith becomes generally accepted as normative that the church begins to function lazily, when lethargic, and even lapsed faith often becomes the norm and the church begins to decline. We have seen this over and over throughout the millennia.

So the decline of the church's supposed influence may, in fact, be the spark that leads to a renaissance of our faith. Even, potentially, the persecution of those who identify with Jesus could be a blessing. It was early church father Tertullian, after all, who reminds us that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." While I do not foresee martyrdom coming in the U.S., his point stands. The isolation and marginization of the church may end up being the fuel that drives her growth. This is a good thing.

To be fair, it should also be noted that history does not always indicate the best future for post-Christian corners of the world. The Middle East and Western Europe are not exactly shining examples of our faith on display after Christianity has moved off the scene as a dominant force.

In light of all of the above, I think the church should approach the future with some level of brevity. We should be aware of the challenges that are ahead of us, but we should not run in fear. The future can be bright, for all the reasons I laid out, and even more. Most of all, the future is bright because God is good, he is still sovereign and he loves his bride, the church. And this is a great thing!

The Missional Shift in Student Ministry

Alvin Reid is a great partner and friend of GCD. This last week he released his new book, As You Go: Creating a Missional Culture of Gospel-Centered Students. In this great read, Alvin hopes to help students and leaders to have their entire lives defined by the mission. This is a much needed resource for the church in America and we are happy to share this excerpt of As You Go with our readers. ---

On the east coast of North Carolina a windy spot named Kitty Hawk faces the Atlantic Ocean. On that site over one hundred years ago two brothers named Orville and Wilbur Wright made a discovery that has radically changed my life and most likely yours as well. On a cold December day in 1903, these brothers tested what became the first fixed-wing flying machine in history. Their efforts marked the tipping point of a movement leading to global air travel, which has become a staple of culture now. A century later, in Atlanta alone, numbers equivalent to a small city pass through a single airport, traveling literally all over the world in a matter of hours.

Airplanes have not changed travel – the movement of people from one place to another -- in its essence. But the means and speed of travel have changed dramatically.

We have an unchanging Word from God (the Bible) and a unique message (the gospel), but the world in which we teach and live and share the truth of a relationship with God has changed significantly in recent years. Today, we have the largest number of youth ever in history, and by far the most unreached.

From the earliest days of the church in Acts until now, the Great Commission has not changed in its essence. But the approach to the missionary enterprise of taking the gospel to the world has changed dramatically. Peter and Paul had ink to pen their writings, but no blogs or Twitter feeds. The United States has become the fourth-largest mission field in the world. This means a fundamental shift must take place: Student ministers must recognize more students today are lost without Christ than ever in history, and the “market share” of students active in church is shrinking. In other words, student ministry needs a revolution. We live in a time when much is at stake and much is changing, as revolutionary as the Renaissance and Reformation, a time when the stakes will not allow status quo Christianity to continue unchallenged, if any season ever did. Where do we begin if we hope to see a movement of God create a missional revolution among students?

1. God.

We need a new vision of God: His vastness, His involvement in all things, His love and His justice. If your students have a lot better grasp of you as the student pastor than God -- who sustains the world by the word of His power -- you have a problem. If your students understand the latest stats on sexuality in America more than they know the attributes of God and how He is King over all of life, you have a serious problem. We need student pastors and who are better at theology than at new ideas. Years ago the founders of one student ministry said it is a sin to make Christianity boring. Agreed. And it is a greater sin to make Christianity silly, which is what has happened far too often. We must exalt a great God and give focus to His Word.

2. The  gospel. 

A movement of gospel recovery is happening today. Read Gospel by J. D. Greear or The Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson. Or better, read Romans or John. We have shrink-wrapped the gospel, paring it down to the most bare of propositions. We must recover the great drama of redemption in Scripture, and see the gospel reflected in culture from movie plotlines to the wonder of creation. The one thing that is constantly newsworthy in your ministry is not an Ipad giveaway. It is Jesus. We need a radical, Christocentric transformation, understanding the gospel is for salvation and sanctification, for saved and unsaved alike. Jesus is the answer to all of life—not the superficial, subcultural Jesus, but the Jesus who cares for the broken and rebukes the self-righteous: the children-loving, disciple-calling, leper-healing, Pharisee-rebuking, humbly born, and ultimately reigning Lord Jesus.

3. The goal

Every ministry exists to glorify God. The goal of student ministry is to glorify God by developing disciples who learn both to see the world as missionaries and live as missionaries—to live focused on the mission of God. This means focusing less on discipleship aimed toward the lowest common denominator, which is a failed paradigm. It means you score success in long-term discipleship, equipping students for a life of service to Christ. It means helping students grow and develop their own plan for gospel impact now.

4. The gathering.

Connect to the whole church, across generations. Today’s teens are not only the most numerous; they are also the most fatherless. We must connect students to the larger church and not function as a parachurch ministry within a church building. We need a Titus 2 revolution where older men teach younger guys and older women teach younger ladies. We have spent so much time on the imperative that I fear we have lost the indicative, the “why” of all we do with, for, and through students. Once a person meets Christ he or she goes on a journey to further understand the message of God and live out the mission of God, to build a gospel-centered life with a missional posture toward everything: career, family, church, economics, fitness, morality — everything. Gabe Lyons in The Next Christians observes via research what I see consistently in my frequent interactions with leaders. Leaders seek a “new way forward;” they “want to be a force for restoration in a broken world even as we proclaim the Christian Gospel.” I, and others, call this way forward missional. Being missional means to think like a missionary, and missionaries travel: geographically to far lands, or sometimes they simply take a journey into their own communities to share Christ more effectively and intentionally. Geography does not define a missionary; the mission does.

Continue reading As You Go.

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Alvin L. Reid is husband to Michelle and father to Josh and Hannah. He is a professor of evangelism and student ministry at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary as well as a popular speaker and author. He has written numerous books on student ministry, evangelism, missional Christianity, and spiritual awakenings.  Follow on twitter: @AlvinReid.

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Related Resources 

Unbelievable Gospel by Jonathan Dodson 

How to Disciple Urban Youth by Eliot Velasquez

Replacing the Center of Youth Ministry by Josh Cousineau