Now What?

As we come to the end of the Discipleship Essentials book study, I can say it was quite a journey through these key topics of the Christian faith. It has been a good discipline for me to speak on such a broad range of topics, and I’ve tried to complement Ogden in my messages rather than duplicate what he covered.

I’ll take a survey in worship in April to get feedback on this long series. I’m wondering what members of the congregation think about the book and this series, how many people read at least some parts of DE, how many answered at least some of the questions, how many discussed it with anyone, etc. Most importantly, what impressions are they left with about discipleship. I invite anyone who has been following this blog to comment on this.

Chapter 24 brings another challenge to the congregation: to consider the call to disciple others. This is an area that has been lacking in main line churches like Zion’s, but I hope we can continue to develop this ministry. Research by the Barna Group says that churches are most effective when lives are transformed through significant relationships in the congregation that enable people to engage in ministry among themselves. “Sharing the Wealth” explores that kind of ministry.

No Wonder We Need Prayer!

I always am amazed at what happens when I ask people to pray for me in relation to a difficult situation I’m in. Invariably, I not only feel personally supported; I also discover new solutions present themselves, and the outcome is better than I could have predicted. (The examples that immediately come to mind are confidential, so I have to be circumspect in this entry. )

So for me, chapter 22, Spiritual Warfare, brings a reminder that whenever I am facing a difficult situation, there is always more to that situation than meets the eye. “Our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh” (I would say, “not only against blood and flesh”) but against … the spiritual forces of evil” (Eph 6:12).

We moderns prefer to think that people are above being affected by some sort of invisible evil power. But evil can be at work even in situations where people are unaware of its influence. The power of greed, for example, in creating the current economic crisis, has been widely discussed. Less frequently do we hear the suggestion that “spiritual forces of evil” had their influence in corporate boardrooms, where otherwise good people made decisions that brought immense wealth to the “haves” and then increased the suffering of the “poor and downtrodden” we read about in DE chapter 18. In my opinion, that is evil at work.

I don’t usually use the biblical image of “going into battle” in these situations, because that makes it too easy to mistakenly identify people as “evil” in themselves – and they are not. But evil can be at work in us (Romans 7:21) and in situations (Eph 4:27), sometimes without our conscious awareness, unless we are vigilant. Ogden seems to understand this – but he keeps the discussion on the literal and personal level. Fortunately what comes through loud and clear is that prayer is the key to dealing with these situations.

Jesus and Justice: A Most Challenging Chapter

I think some will find this the most challenging chapter in Discipleship Essentials.

Of course, “challenge” is one purpose of the study. At the end of every chapter you’ll find this question: “Does the reading convict, challenge or comfort you?” Some challenge is built into the study. For example, the chapter on prayer was a goad to better discipline myself in prayer. The chapter on sin prompted me to look at some personal issues again. And I felt the prodding of the Spirit to set aside reflection time in the middle of my Sunday message about chapter 14. I then prodded the congregation to think about – and share with others – how the Spirit spoke to them, right there in worship. A challenge for them as well as for me.

But all of these focus on the personal realm of faith. This week’s chapter moves us, at least potentially, into a more public realm. When we consider issues of justice, we begin with what is personal: my experience with someone who is poor, or with those who are different from me. But as we “stand for justice” with people who are hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick or in prison, we inevitably need to consider the social, economic and political realities that generate or perpetuate such conditions. Christians sometimes have a difficult time with this.

On a personal level, many Christians are willing to help this individual or that family in need; or contribute to food banks and soup kitchens. But here’s the challenge: what are we called to do about the institutionalization of poverty in our country? For example, I’ve recently heard of one large corporation that hires people at poverty level wages, and if they complain about low pay tells them to apply for food stamps. And instead of providing health benefits, they tell their employees to apply for SCHIP and other state and federal aid. I don’t think this is fair either for the employee or for the taxpayer who has to foot the bill for the corporation. Is this just? WWJD?

You and I as individual Christians don’t begin to have the resources to help all the people who are in need, especially when multi-million/billion dollar corporations are evading their social responsibility to provide a living wage and benefits. I quickly find myself in agreement with the conclusions in the chapter reading, and I wonder why Ogden didn’t address the socio-political aspect more directly.

The personal issue for me on this topic: how much and how far to press justice issues in my preaching at Zion?

Heavenly Adoption: Living in the Spirit

Words to a new hymn that express what I said in my message Sunday Jan 9:

 

  I lived as though an orphan, Abandoned and alone,

  So lost in sin and darkness, Without a hope or home.

  Then God, in love and mercy, From heav’n’s eternal throne

   Called out my name, declaring, “I claim you as my own.”

 

This claim God has upon me, Through Christ, God’s only Son,

Who lived in full obedience, Who died for what I’ve done.

Now through Christ’s resurrection, We gather all as one

And join in heaven’s household, Joint-heirs with Christ the Son.

 

This promise we inherit: God’s Spirit comes today.

The Spirit gives its witness That “Abba!” we may say.

We pray to God as “Father,” We’re never left alone.

We are forever cherished, Adopted as God’s own.

 

Since we have been adopted, We close not heart nor home

To any who feel orphaned, Abandoned or alone.

God, fill us with compassion, To love as you love, too,

That we may show the whole world The grace we know in you.

 

The above lyrics are based on a hymn about adoption written by Eric Schumacher, along with David Ward of Reformed Praise. Their lyrics are at http://www.reformedpraise.org/songs/modernhymns/though-i-was-born-an-orphan/. I’ve used some of their images and rhymes,  however I reshaped the lyrics on the basis of several principles (a) moving from the individual’s experience (stanza 1,2) to the community (stanza 2-4) by shifting from “I” to “we” language; (b) moving from salvation (stanza 1) to mission (stanza 4); (c) moving to an implicit Trinitarian structure for stanzas 1-3, shifting to an implied Church background behind stanza 4; and (d) I shifted from the “widows and orphans” focus to tie it more closely to my text, Romans 8, so I used the language of “Abba” and “joint-heir.” I’ve written them an email to see what they think of my version!

a biblical hat trick

The past two weeks, along with this week’s subject, present kind of a biblical hat trick: first, Grace, then Redemption, and now this week: Justification. Supersize subjects to start the new year!

A right understanding of these three changes our whole relationship to God! God is not to be seen as a Lawgiver waiting and watching to catch us in a transgression. God is not to be regarded as a Judge ready to punish us for our sins. God is Love, as revealed in Jesus Christ, searching for a way to restore us to a right relationship with God.

Justification is the name of that process, and faith in Christ is the key.

No one wants to comment on this one!

There are plenty of people who want to be good, certainly good enough to go to heaven. But it is all too human to think that by being good we’ll miss out on the fun or the “gusto” or something. So we bargain with ourselves and don’t stop doing things we know are wrong. Eventually we discover that following this “get-away-with-what-I-can” philosophy leads us into real problems and pain.

Other people don’t simply want to be good, they strive to be better: to change and grow and develop their character, striving for an ideal. The ideal may be a list of virtues (Ben Franklin tried it that way) or the goal to measure up to “the full stature of Christ” (Eph 4:13). However this can lead to frustration and a sense of failure when we struggle with temptation and find we can’t achieve the ideal or the goal we’ve set.

To me, both of these reveal the meaning of sin. (I know this isn’t exactly people’s favorite subject, but it’s our reading this week.)

Sin is more than breaking moral or religious laws – the usual definition. Sin is the stuck-ness we find ourselves in. We get stuck in sin when we try to negotiate with our conscience about our behavior (how much can I get away with) or when we strive for such a high ideal we can’t reach it (how do I deal with failure).

Ogden takes us into Genesis 2-3, the story of Adam and Eve, to explore this subject. Maybe I’ll use Romans 7:18-20, where Paul says, “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.”

So in my discipleship, I need to come to terms not only with forgiveness for my specific sins, but also with growing in faith while struggling with my stuck-ness, the human condition.

3-in-ONE Oil, a black panther, and God?

Who remembers Eldridge Cleaver? He was a member of the Black Panthers back in the 60′s and he wrote a book, Soul on Ice, while he was in prison for some violent crimes. I read the book back then, and I only remember one story. He mentioned a Sunday School class he visited in which they were studying the Trinity. When he suggested a comparison to 3-in-ONE oil the teacher rejected it, and as I recall, he rejected the church. Years later, after more life experience, much of it bad, he wrote another book, Soul on Fire, after his conversion to the Christian faith.

     The doctrine of the Trinity is often a difficult concept for people. I thought the 3-in-ONE oil comparison wasn’t such a bad way for a teenager to come to terms with it. The product was invented in 1894 by George Cole and designed to do three things: lubricate, clean and prevent rust.

Well, okay. I can’t do much with that theologically. But three-in-one pretty much captures it. Other ideas about the Trinity? Why is this chapter included in Discipleship Essentials? Why does this even matter for disciples?

Come to Church, Live Longer

Some people looked surprised when I mentioned in my message today that active church members who attend worship are healthier and live longer than the general population. So I double-checked my reference. The study was completed a few years ago, but it’s still valid:

“Weekly attendance at a religious service is associated with increased survival and a boosted immune system, a recent study shows. By studying the blood samples of Iowa adults 65 years of age or older, researchers saw that immune system health accounted for decreases in the death rate with a corresponding increase in religious attendance. … Susan Lutgendorf, a University of Iowa psychology professor who led the investigation, said the findings could be ‘quite important in the elderly. This study – unique in the religion and health field – brings together a social behavior of religious attendance, a biological response and a decrease in the death rate,’ Lutgendorf said.”

The results published in Health Psychology last fall showed that even when accounting for factors like age, sex, health behaviors, illness, and depression, religious attendance was significantly related to lower mortality over a twelve year period.

How about that! (BTW – I first mentioned this in the church newsletter in 2006!)

A Preacher’s Predicament

“There are only three kinds of sermons: dull, very dull, and unbelievably dull.” I heard someone say that way back when I was in seminary. Obviously it made an impression on me since I’ve remembered it all these years. Maybe that’s why I sometimes sing Rev war era drinking songs, or show a YouTube clip, in the middle of my message.

This week’s Discipleship Essentials reading (ch 6) is about worship. Ogden gives a good overview of the subject, so I’m looking at this from my perspective as a pastor. I usually shape the worship service around the theme of the Biblical text of the day, which for me means that worship is anchored in the message (the ‘sermon’ or ‘teaching’ or ‘homily’ depending on what your tradition calls it). So this coming Sunday I’m thinking of preaching about preaching.

And therefore I have a question: what is (or would be) most helpful to you in a message/sermon?

Feel free to comment about the dull factor!

Persevering in Prayer

For this week’s session on prayer, I’m focusing on the “Secrets of the Serenity Prayer” so I’ll only be touching briefly on the text: 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – “pray without ceasing.”

Here is a list of references that show us how Paul practiced what he preached about persevering in prayer:  Rom 1:9 God is my witness, without ceasing I remember you always in my prayers — Eph 1:16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers — Phil 1:4 I am constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for you — Col 1:3,9 in our prayers for you we always thank God …. we have not ceased praying for you — 1 Thess 1:2 we always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love – Philemon 1:4 I remember you in my prayers. I always thank my God … (for) your love for the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus  — 2 Tim 1:3 I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.

Paul didn’t recommend for us anything he didn’t do himself!