Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

mission

Are You an Observer or a Participant?

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Are you an observer or a participant in life? How about in your local church? Most importantly, which term best describes your walk with Christ? Often we simply float through life, unconcerned or even unaware of what’s going on around us. As long as our needs are being met and we are relatively happy, it can be easy to coast and lose track of the events unfolding right in front of us. We observe without seeing and we hear without listening. We were called to a life that is so much more than this. We were created for action and created for passionately pursuing God and the goals and dreams He gives to each one of us. We were created to donate our unique gifts towards the building of His Kingdom.

Following Christ is not a passive activity, yet Western Christianity has almost encouraged it to become so. We gather in ever growing buildings and are entertained in ever more sophisticated and professional ways. The argument goes that we need these things to compete with the rest of the world. Since when did following Jesus become a competition? Since when did loving others and caring for their needs become something reflected as an accomplishment for our churches? I have nothing against large churches; I attend a fairly big one myself. I do however have a problem with the mentality that says the number of people attending a weekend service is in any way relevant to the “success” of a church. I can safely attest from experience that the number in attendance has no relation to the spiritual health of the church. In fact, I have often seen smaller churches with bigger hearts and a better sense of mission than their larger counterparts. In a large church I believe it is much easier to become complacent and to simply be an observer. We can sit in comfort and be entertained by professional musicians and speakers, then leave feeling satisfied. This continues week after week with our only involvement being to perhaps drop a few dollars in the offering plate. It’s easy to hide in any size church but harder to do so in a small church. In a small church almost everyone is involved in the ministry due to a simple matter of mathematics: there are more positions to be filled than there are attendees. Still, having grown up in small churches I know it’s possible to simply observe in these settings as well. The bottom line is this: the modern church should not exist to entertain us. If they offer opportunities to carry out the mission of Christ (feed the hungry, care for the orphans and widows, and seek justice for those in need), then we should be participating in those activities. If your church isn’t doing those things, you need to be actively engaging them in discussions about creating those opportunities. Without enabling you to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ with other like-minded individuals, there is no point to the church. Neither is there any point in you attending if all you will be doing is playing the part of the casual observer. Get involved, lend a hand, and seek out ways to better minister to those around you with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

The church should simply be a magnification of what’s going on in your own life. We should be striving every day to become actively involved in following Jesus. Seek out His footprints on the path before you. Walk in His way. Don’t watch Him walk by, run out to greet Him and then walk along side of Him. Stay by His side; follow Him everywhere. Touch the sick as He does; shelter those without any place to go. Look after widows, single moms, and orphans. Seek out those in need and care for them in any way in which you are able. This is love, this is being actively engaged; this is following Jesus. We can learn much from studying Jesus and visualizing the life He led on earth, but in the end you’ll be measured by the actions you took, by the ways in which you contributed. You’ll never be measured by the depth of your beliefs, but rather by what you did because of those beliefs. You can fall in love with Jesus by observing Him but you stay in love with Him by participating in the works He gives you to do and discovering more about Him in the process. By working to make the Kingdom of God a reality here on earth you will fall deeper and deeper in love with Jesus. This is the beauty of participation.

Simply observing life, church or Jesus is not good enough. We must be willing to put our hearts into everything we do; we must live in a participatory manner. This is how we were created; this is how we stay on mission. How are you living your life, doing church, and following Jesus? Are you living each moment with passion, determined to jump in with both feet? Do you live life as a whisper or a shout? Jesus didn’t call observers; He invited participants. Which one will you be?

Irrelevance

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There is mounting evidence that the modern church in the Western world has lost its relevance. Rapid declines in church attendance in England coupled with college aged students in America leaving the church in droves should be a clear and obvious signal that something is desperately wrong. It is late in the battle and we have done little to stem the tide. We must act swiftly, and in strength, in order to build again the church God desires.

We have lost our way because we have lost our mission. Rather, we have created a new mission, one that is not that which we were called to carry out. We have become consumed with evangelism at the cost of mercy. We have delivered a truth that is devoid of love. In our era of prosperity and mega-churches we have allowed poverty and homelessness to proliferate. We have stood by and watched genocide occur in Africa. It has been on our watch that single parent households have become an accepted norm. The prevalence of AIDS creates millions of new orphans every year. We have become irrelevant because of our silence. When the world needed us most, we were nowhere to be found. When the world needed our hands, they were too busy building larger worship centers for our own people. When the world needed our feet we were too busy running to the latest committee meeting for our congregation.

The modern church has blood on its hands because we refused to act. The screams of murdered children, enslaved teens and hungry parents ring out in accusation against us. We turned our focus inward and forgot those outside the walls of the buildings we built to cater to our comfort. The world at large starves while we indulge in every comfort know to man. There is more bread in our communion plate each week than millions of people will see in a month. We have been blessed beyond belief and we have squandered that blessing.

It’s time to return to “square go”. We must start over and build anew the church that God calls us to be. We need to strip away all that we believe about our responsibilities as Christians and return with vigor to searching the Scriptures in order to reclaim our mission. Let us return to the basics and begin at once to affect change on our world in the name of Jesus. We have food, so we must feed the hungry; we have clothing, so we must clothe the naked; we have homes, so we must shelter the homeless. Silence must no longer be our credo, but rather we must stand up boldly and call out injustice wherever it is found. In anguish we must fall to our knees and repent of our apathy. There is no one else to blame. We are the church, and we have fallen short of our mission and our calling.

These are harsh words and I don’t say them lightly, as I bear the burden of conviction along with each and every one of you who claim to follow Jesus. God forgive us for our blindness, for our lack of action and for our unwillingness to be the body of Christ to a hungry world. It’s not too late, there is hope; but we must begin today, we can no longer delay. Forget what you’ve been taught and everything you know. Return to God’s Word and seek what He would have you to see. Discover what He would have you do to alleviate the pain in this world. Seek Him passionately and allow Him to speak into your life a fresh calling. Feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. Care for the widows, the single moms, and the orphans. Be the hands and feet of Jesus. Reclaim the mission to which you were called. Don’t be content with irrelevance. Repent and boldly reclaim our relevance in a world that needs the Church perhaps now more than ever. Let’s start again and let us boldly live our calling.

Throw the First Stone

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Why do we as Christians have such an unhealthy reputation to the world outside of our church walls? It has long bothered me that Christians claim to love others and seek to fill the needs of their community, yet we are distrusted, dismissed and even despised. Something has gone terribly wrong; there is a disconnect somewhere of colossal proportions. How did it come to this, and what can we do to correct the situation?

In John 8 (verses 3-11) we find the familiar story of Jesus saving the life of a woman caught in adultery. The religious people of the day had seized the woman, and dragged her into the place where Jesus was teaching. Beyond this obvious humiliation, these same religious folks were preparing to put the woman to death by stoning her. As they stood there, perhaps with rocks in hand, Jesus calmly knelt beside the woman. He then said some of the most powerful words in all of Scripture: “Let the one with no sin throw the first stone.” When faced with their sinfulness, the people dropped their stones and went away.

Before Jesus changed the dynamics of the scene, the crowd of people was refusing to admit their own sinfulness. Instead of showing grace and forgiveness to the woman, they stood in judgment over her. We tend to do this often because it makes us feel better about our own failures. It’s far easier to condemn someone else than to confront your own weaknesses. I think the modern church still suffers from this affliction. We are so intent on judging others that we overlook our own sins. We refuse to admit that we too have issues and that we too deserve death. We don’t want to appear as anything less than “perfect Christians”; in the process we demonstrate our hypocrisy. This is what the world finds so unappealing about us. We need to show ourselves as broken people, a work in process. Instead of judging the sins of others, we should be pointing out our own failures. When the church at large begins getting real and walking in genuineness, I believe the world will respond. As long as we refuse to admit our own shortcomings and are content to target and judge the sins of others, we will continue to drive a wedge between us and those who so desperately need to hear the message of Jesus.

The life of Jesus was all about serving others. There’s little glory in service and it generally requires us to humble ourselves to do things that we consider to be beneath us. It’s far more appealing to stand in judgment over someone rather than to serve under someone in support of their life. Yet this was the mission of Christ. He did not come to condemn the world, but rather to redeem it (John 3:17). If we would follow Him, this must be our mission as well.

To change how we are seen by the world, we must change how we interact with our world. We must return to doing the work of the mission of Jesus Christ. It’s time to drop our shields, remove our masks, and admit that we need the grace of Jesus every bit as much as everyone else. We must genuinely love and empathize with others. Judgment must be left to God; this is not our calling. Instead of condemning the sins of others, let’s learn how we might serve them in such a way that they can rise above their destructive behaviors. In turn, we just might learn how to rise above our own failings. When each of us begins to love with openness and honesty, when we stop condemning and start serving others, then the world will take notice and their attitude toward the message of Jesus will turn from repulsion to curiosity. People don’t need contempt and judgment; they need healing and forgiveness. This is the mission of Jesus. This is the message of all who would follow Him.

Are You Serving or Surviving?

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Somewhere along the way, Christianity took a sharp turn from where it began. For most of us today, particularly in the West, we’ve forged a theology of safety. Churches are looked upon as a place of refuge from the outside world. We pray for safety for ourselves and our families. We pray for safety before heading out on the road. We choose safe neighborhoods to live in, and many churches choose safe neighborhoods in which to minister. It’s easier to write a check or send a few volunteers to the unsafe areas, while the church at large is content to remain in the relative safety of suburbia. As we have grown accustomed to safety, we have drifted closer to obscurity.

When I read the Bible, particularly of the early church in the New Testament, I see anything but safety. I see people being stoned, beheaded, imprisoned and deserted. When I look at the life of Jesus I see a man who had no home and no earthly wealth; I see a man who was hated and pursued by the leaders of His nation. I see the violence of His trial and the crucifixion. I see anything but safety. To the contrary, what I see is that the closer you get to Jesus the more danger you will find for yourself.

I don’t know when it was that we began to lose sight of the dangers of following Christ. Certainly those in Countries outside of the West do not subscribe to our theology. They risk their very lives to gather in secret just to talk about Jesus. Torture is very real to these people, not just some horrific act they read about in history books. Yet these same people consider the privilege and joy of knowing Jesus to be worth risking the certain torment they will face to do so.

We have so isolated ourselves for the sake of safety that we have lost sight of our purpose. We have so consumed ourselves with protecting our lives and those of our family that we have turned from the mission of Christ. To be in the will of God, in step with the things He called us to do, is to be in grave danger; its okay, we’re in good company. Again, read of the trials faced by early believers in the New Testament. They too faced persecution, torture and death. We should seek to have it no other way. If we are afraid to deal with danger, how will we ever take the message of Jesus any further than the tree lined streets of our planned communities? How then will we serve? To serve is to put ourselves in uncomfortable and uncertain situations. To serve is to love regardless of consequence.

Of what are we afraid? Are we afraid of physical pain? Jesus endured it for us. Are we afraid of losing our loved ones? Jesus survived it. Are we afraid of death? Jesus conquered it. He has gone there before us; He is there for us now. We have nothing to fear because in the very worst case scenario, we will join Him forever. Death holds no power and no sting. So I ask again, of what are we afraid?

Are you living to survive or to serve? Have you isolated yourself from the world outside in the name of safety but at the cost of Christ’s message? If so, it’s time to reengage with society. It’s time to emerge from the walled fortresses of our churches and communities and take the good news of Jesus to those who so desperately need it. We have the power of Christ within us, so reach out with His courage and His strength. Never lose sight of the fact that we are not called to safety, but rather to serve.

Here’s to Revolution

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The book, “The Hole in our Gospel”, by Richard Stearns, continues to provoke and inspire me. Currently, I’m reading through it for the second time this year, and it’s every bit as good the second time around. This morning I read the following passage in the book (page 244), “The difference between the pre- and post-resurrection disciples was astonishing. Fear became courage; timidity became boldness; uncertainty became confidence as their lives were given over to the revolution that the gospel – the good news – envisioned.” He continues a bit later on page 245, “We won’t really become change agents for Christ just by going to church every Sunday. We will have to make some ‘on purpose’ life choices and then change our priorities and behavior. Only then can God transform us and use us to change the world.” We are called to be part of the revolution that is following Jesus. Let’s break down the words of Richard Stearns as I see them applying to us, God’s revolutionaries.

Fear becomes courage. There is no fear in Jesus. He is capable of deflecting any pain and evil from our life, if He should so choose. Just as He did not call on the angels of Heaven to rescue Him from the cross, He does not guarantee that He will keep us from harm. He does, however, promise to protect us from Satan (John 17:15). We may be hurt or discouraged in this world, but we have the eternal hope of Jesus. No matter what happens to us in this life, if we are His disciples, our eternity is guaranteed to be spent with Christ. Knowing this, what could possibly scare us – Physical pain, emotional trauma, embarrassment, discouragement or simply not fitting in? Every human on this earth is a person just like you and me. No one is intrinsically better than another. If anything can be accomplished, it can be accomplished by you. Jesus was never ashamed of God when He spoke to those around Him; He was never ashamed of those to whom He ministered. Rather, He loved the Father and everyone else with a passionate and unconditional love. He wasn’t afraid to be seen with “sinners” or to touch the sick and dying. He wasn’t afraid to die for our sake. Jesus was courageous in every way. He demonstrated no fear. His power is available for the asking, His courage is available to you.

Timidity becomes boldness. Are you fearful to speak about Jesus to strangers, or even to those whom you know? Perhaps the thought of confrontation makes your stomach turn and firmly ties your tongue. Look at the life Christ lived; he was accused of many things, but timidity was never one of them! Jesus knew His mission well and He refused to be deterred from it. The shortest distance between two points may well be a straight line, but the quickest way to travel between those same two points is with boldness. We haven’t the option to be timid because our time is limited and our days are few. This is why Paul asked the believers in Corinth to pray for him to boldly proclaim the good news of Jesus (Ephesians 6:19). Timidity breeds hesitation, and when we hesitate, the moment is lost. We must never lose another moment. We must make the most of every opportunity that we are given. We can be bold in Christ; if you struggle with timidity, pray and ask Jesus to fill you with urgency and strength of character. Don’t hesitate.

Uncertainty becomes confidence. Left to our own devices, we are never quite sure if we’re doing the right thing or moving in the right direction. We agonize over our many decisions, doing everything we can to minimize the chance of error. Life seems to come at us from all directions and at break-neck speed. We become overwhelmed, lost, and confused. The ultimate GPS (God’s Positioning Service, in our case) is only a prayer away. God never loses His place, and He never loses your place in His plan. Seek wisdom from other followers of Christ, from older folks, and your peers when faced with a decision. Above all else, pray over any decision you must make. Tell Jesus of your desire to serve Him in every way and ask for His wisdom in the situation you face. After this, the next step is easy: choose! Gather what wisdom you can; come clean to God regarding your uncertainty, doubt and confusion. Then make a decision. God knows your heart and He will honor your search for wisdom. Seek Him first, and then relax. Move forward with confidence.

We are the called, we are the chosen; we are the revolutionaries of God. We are to be His agents of change in this world. Let us devote our lives fully to Him. Only then can we follow Him on the path He walks before us. Love God, love people. His power is available to each of us; we must simply ask Him for it. Through His power we can follow Jesus courageously, without fear, with boldness, and with utter confidence. Through His power we can change the world. Here’s to revolution!