So I heard a great line today... "We need to lower the bar on how we do church and raise the bar on how to be church." Have you ever asked yourself how am I supposed to do church? I don't think many of us do, though if you have ever been thrown into a position that required you to plan a worship service that is probably the first question that runs through your mind.
In our American Christan culture today there is a lot of emphasis on how we do church, and if we are "doing" church correctly. Did we follow the correct steps, did we say the right words, did we sing the right songs, and so on and so forth. We have gotten a church service down to an art form. Well for the most part. Many people who grow up in the church end up memorizing the order and often the words in a church service. And quite often these are the ideal church goers. They know the steps and don't need anybody to guide them through a service. This repetition is often comforting to those who have done this all their life, but I think this idea that there is a certain way to "do" a worship service can breed a perfectionist attitude and culture.
This is very evident in the church culture in America today. We put on our smiling faces and best clothes on Sunday and pretend like everything is alright for a few hours. Then when we get home its back to real life. To me this is wrong. Christians are not supposed to be the people who act like they are perfect. Quite the opposite. Christians are supposed to be the ones that admit their faults and lean on one another to stand tall in Christ.
So what does it mean to lower the bar on "how we do" church. What if things changed once in a while, and people messed up and admitted their faults. What if church became less of a place and more of a people. Most Christians see a church as four walls and a roof. A church building does not reach out to the community by existing. It is stationary and its only use is to gather like minded people once or twice a week to worship God. So to lower the bar on how we do church means to loosen your expectation on how a church service should go.
So what does it mean to raise the bar on how to be church? The Church is the body of Christ. The people who strive daily to be like Jesus and lean on each other in their times of need. Instead of putting on our perfect masks and pretending everything is fine all the time we need to become more transparent and let people know what is going on in our lives. When we are down we need to let people know it is ok to be down and when people are struggling we need to let people know that we are there to catch them when they fall. The Church makes sure people are not alone in their trials.
This is why in Paul's letters he rarely talks about what should be happening in a worship service and instead focuses much more on what a Church body should look like. When 2 or more people are gathered in Christ's name He is there. There is our bar for how to do church. How to be Church takes much longer to learn and figure out and we need each other to help us when we get lost.
So lets raise the bar on being the Church. Lets act more like a group of believers than believers in ritual. While some ritual is good, it does not make a church service. The Church makes a church service.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Romans 12:1-2
Right now Christians cannot be seen as culturally irrelevant. Today's culture is on the precipice of becoming a post-Christian society and as a result Christians are seen as becoming more and more removed from the culture. Sadly many Christians are ok with this fact. This is the worst possible thing Christians can do in relation to society today. Why is it when the church needs to be reaching out to the community we have to explicitly say this is a "Christian event".
There are three possible reasons to say this. The first and my personal favorite is that Christians don't think other Christians are smart enough to figure out that an event is a led by Christians. This is my favorite because the other two options separate us from those outside the Church (the body of Christ). If this is the case, if you must explicitly say that your event is Christian because you don't think that your cause and your actions don't reveal that yourself then maybe there is something wrong with your cause and you need to reevaluate your actions. To take a verse from a great song "they will know we are Christians by our love."
The second reason is we (Christians) know that Christians only go to "Christian events". So when we say this is a Christian event, we are effectively saying, "I know you wouldn't come to this normally but since Christians are leading this its ok for you to come." Take for instance the Christian music scene. (Now don't think for one second that I am looking down on Christian music) but how many Christians would go to a Christian concert but never a secular concert. This type of mentality, shunning secular events and only supporting Christian events, has become a major problem. For some reason Christians have begun to believe that when something is Christian led nothing bad will happen. Like Christians are better than everybody else and when Christians get together in large groups their holiness increases. I have often found the opposite to be true, in large groups people get stupid and Christians are not immune to this trend. We are all sinners and live in the grace of God. So when bad things do happen we know how to show that grace and love to others.
Sometimes an only Christian event is ok, there are times that Christians need to be surrounded by other Christians. In times of hurt and struggle secular people would be lost in helping a Christian cope. However the vast majority of the time we need to be in the world being the arms and feet of Christ. This cannot be done if the Church is hugging itself all the time or has its hand in its pockets because it is afraid to go outside.
The third reason is the unsaid undertones of the second reason. We say an event is Christian led to warn non-Christians away. This is becoming more and more effective as the culture sees Christians becoming further separated from everything else. We are not saying we don't want Christians there but we are winking and giving a subtle shake of our head telling non-Christians that this event is probably not for them.
But what if the Church opened its eyes and walked out into the world. Walking that fine line of being in the world but not of it. As Christians there should be something different about us, something that separates us from the rest of society. What separates the Christian from the non-Christians should be our overflowing Joy. This should build bridges not fences to everyone on the outside. Not necessarily that we are happy all the time but that even when things are down we have a hope that other people want.
Christians, open your eyes, look at the world today, evaluate what you see both individually and as a whole. I believe that you will be surprised at what you see. The whole of Christianity has not retreated from the culture but instead valiant Christians have quietly infused Christianity in the pop culture. Listen to music, there are images of Christ and grace sprinkled here and there. Watch some tv, even in the thick of the sex and violence Christ's love is still made known. Christian themes may not be as overt as they used to be but the themes are still there in the midst of the culture. These Christian values, the need for forgiveness and grace, are most apparent when everything has fallen down and the only ones left standing are those who rely on Christ. Yes Christian characters are made fun of and their character traits exaggerated but in the end they have the rock that they can stand on when everyone else has fallen to the ground.
Christianity will not change the culture through legislation or through force. Instead Christians have a secret weapon that we have not used effectively in generations, grace. Without grace we are no different than anybody else. Grace changed the course our lives, so let it change the course of the lives of those around us.
So may you live in the grace of our lord, Jesus Christ. May you stop running away from the culture but transform it with love and forgiveness. May you go out in the world with outstretched arms to love and show grace to a world that has forgotten what grace is. May you stand on the rock that is Jesus Christ and pull those on the sandy beaches around you when they stumble. And may you reflect the infinite grace that you have been given to a culture that does not understand.
There are three possible reasons to say this. The first and my personal favorite is that Christians don't think other Christians are smart enough to figure out that an event is a led by Christians. This is my favorite because the other two options separate us from those outside the Church (the body of Christ). If this is the case, if you must explicitly say that your event is Christian because you don't think that your cause and your actions don't reveal that yourself then maybe there is something wrong with your cause and you need to reevaluate your actions. To take a verse from a great song "they will know we are Christians by our love."
The second reason is we (Christians) know that Christians only go to "Christian events". So when we say this is a Christian event, we are effectively saying, "I know you wouldn't come to this normally but since Christians are leading this its ok for you to come." Take for instance the Christian music scene. (Now don't think for one second that I am looking down on Christian music) but how many Christians would go to a Christian concert but never a secular concert. This type of mentality, shunning secular events and only supporting Christian events, has become a major problem. For some reason Christians have begun to believe that when something is Christian led nothing bad will happen. Like Christians are better than everybody else and when Christians get together in large groups their holiness increases. I have often found the opposite to be true, in large groups people get stupid and Christians are not immune to this trend. We are all sinners and live in the grace of God. So when bad things do happen we know how to show that grace and love to others.
Sometimes an only Christian event is ok, there are times that Christians need to be surrounded by other Christians. In times of hurt and struggle secular people would be lost in helping a Christian cope. However the vast majority of the time we need to be in the world being the arms and feet of Christ. This cannot be done if the Church is hugging itself all the time or has its hand in its pockets because it is afraid to go outside.
The third reason is the unsaid undertones of the second reason. We say an event is Christian led to warn non-Christians away. This is becoming more and more effective as the culture sees Christians becoming further separated from everything else. We are not saying we don't want Christians there but we are winking and giving a subtle shake of our head telling non-Christians that this event is probably not for them.
But what if the Church opened its eyes and walked out into the world. Walking that fine line of being in the world but not of it. As Christians there should be something different about us, something that separates us from the rest of society. What separates the Christian from the non-Christians should be our overflowing Joy. This should build bridges not fences to everyone on the outside. Not necessarily that we are happy all the time but that even when things are down we have a hope that other people want.
Christians, open your eyes, look at the world today, evaluate what you see both individually and as a whole. I believe that you will be surprised at what you see. The whole of Christianity has not retreated from the culture but instead valiant Christians have quietly infused Christianity in the pop culture. Listen to music, there are images of Christ and grace sprinkled here and there. Watch some tv, even in the thick of the sex and violence Christ's love is still made known. Christian themes may not be as overt as they used to be but the themes are still there in the midst of the culture. These Christian values, the need for forgiveness and grace, are most apparent when everything has fallen down and the only ones left standing are those who rely on Christ. Yes Christian characters are made fun of and their character traits exaggerated but in the end they have the rock that they can stand on when everyone else has fallen to the ground.
Christianity will not change the culture through legislation or through force. Instead Christians have a secret weapon that we have not used effectively in generations, grace. Without grace we are no different than anybody else. Grace changed the course our lives, so let it change the course of the lives of those around us.
So may you live in the grace of our lord, Jesus Christ. May you stop running away from the culture but transform it with love and forgiveness. May you go out in the world with outstretched arms to love and show grace to a world that has forgotten what grace is. May you stand on the rock that is Jesus Christ and pull those on the sandy beaches around you when they stumble. And may you reflect the infinite grace that you have been given to a culture that does not understand.
Monday, December 21, 2009
1 Corinthians 13
Most people know 1 Corinthians 13 as the love chapter, and it is often a popular passage to read at weddings. However I listened to a sermon last week from one of the few men whom I truly respect, Matt Carter and he had a different take on what Paul is speaking to. If you have heard this man speak, do so. He is a man who speaks the truth in love. Anyways I was listening to his sermon on 1 Corinthians 13, and I had heard it before but when I heard it last week my world was rocked.
I had been having a hard time and my attitude was getting pretty poor. I was feeling very frustrated and it was effecting my ministry and I knew it. I was "off my game" and I needed a pick-me-up that I knew wasn't coming any time soon. So I searched through my sermon podcasts for one that really spoke to me. So I ended up here at First Corinthians 13.
This chapter is about love, but it is often taken out of context. It was not necessarily written about a general love between two people but about a mindset we are to have when we act out our tasks in our everyday life.
The intentions behind what we do mean everything, if you speak the truth but have your own interests in mind then your work will ultimately come to nothing. If you help others but only with the idea that now "they owe you" you are really helping nobody. If you do anything only because it makes you feel good or that it makes you popular then eventually your work comes to nothing. Paul says this at the beginning of this chapter. The reason you do something means EVERYTHING.
Next Paul speaks to the hard times, to when your popularity disappears and you are not being appreciated for what you do. He does this because this is when your intentions become apparent. The world says duck and run, be popular elsewhere when this happens, but Paul says if you have been working and living with the right intentions popularity and applause and appreciation are the reward we work for.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Cor 13:4-7)
When the applause dies those who labor in love still still be going strong. The qualities above will become apparent and they will endure and God will bless them. Matt said something in his sermon from one of his mentors that really changed my attitude. He said that we were not called to be loved but to love. That hit me hard, no matter who is working against me or frustrating me I cannot falter, because I cannot be focused on what I receive from others because that is temporary but instead I must be sustained by what I receive from God and then give that grace and love to others.
This is what being a mature Christian is all about. God's grace is sufficient. Living in this fact is not easy because we like to see our praise right away, we like to be acknowledged for accomplishments and rewarded for our triumphs. But when you truly act in love none of that. When we act in love applause is nice but we know that our master saw and knows and that is more than enough.
"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears." (1 Cor 13:8-10)
I think here Paul is comforting us here. We are not perfect and we make mistakes. Paul is saying that when we make mistakes, that we should acknowledge them and refocus on the One who is perfect and seek His will. A "back to the basics" time if you will. There are times to speak and there are times to be silent. And a mature person is able to recognize these times. In the hard times, when we are "off our game" we seek to prove our correctness or sweep our mistakes under a rug. Instead I think Paul is saying repent and refocus during these times. God says if we seek Him we will find him. If we ask his wisdom He will answer. If we knock He will open the door. When we do this God will put us back on track. Not necessarily bringing back earthly praise but re-instilling our sense of security through living in His grace.
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:11-13)
Finally Paul explains that when we see this love then we are witnessing a spiritually mature person. He tells us that a person can have faith and hope but not be spiritually mature. Because faith and hope don't necessarily require pure intentions. People can have faith in God and show their faith and hope every day of their life as long as it keeps them in people's good graces. But if those good graces fall away it is love that sustains but without love, faith and hope can fall away when things get hard.
The God has given us all a role to play, and He has given us spiritual gifts to do this task masterfully. It is like God giving a boy his first knife. It is a tool, and if used correctly it will the knife can be a great asset. If used wrongly the knife can cause great damage to others and ourselves. The effectiveness of the knife does not lose its effectiveness when it is not acknowledged.
Our spiritual gifts are the same. They do not lose their effectiveness when they are not appreciated. And just like a knife our spiritual gifts have a purpose and if we use our gifts maturely, in love, others will benefit from our gifts. If we are childish in our use of the gifts God has given us we end up hurting others and ourselves.
So may you know that God has gifted you with power. And that He has given you the choice of how to use this power, for good or for evil. And may you know that when the applause fades and frustrations sets in that God's grace IS enough. So that you may stand firm in love for the world when times are hard. And that you may love like Jesus because he loves you.
I had been having a hard time and my attitude was getting pretty poor. I was feeling very frustrated and it was effecting my ministry and I knew it. I was "off my game" and I needed a pick-me-up that I knew wasn't coming any time soon. So I searched through my sermon podcasts for one that really spoke to me. So I ended up here at First Corinthians 13.
This chapter is about love, but it is often taken out of context. It was not necessarily written about a general love between two people but about a mindset we are to have when we act out our tasks in our everyday life.
The intentions behind what we do mean everything, if you speak the truth but have your own interests in mind then your work will ultimately come to nothing. If you help others but only with the idea that now "they owe you" you are really helping nobody. If you do anything only because it makes you feel good or that it makes you popular then eventually your work comes to nothing. Paul says this at the beginning of this chapter. The reason you do something means EVERYTHING.
Next Paul speaks to the hard times, to when your popularity disappears and you are not being appreciated for what you do. He does this because this is when your intentions become apparent. The world says duck and run, be popular elsewhere when this happens, but Paul says if you have been working and living with the right intentions popularity and applause and appreciation are the reward we work for.
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." (1 Cor 13:4-7)
When the applause dies those who labor in love still still be going strong. The qualities above will become apparent and they will endure and God will bless them. Matt said something in his sermon from one of his mentors that really changed my attitude. He said that we were not called to be loved but to love. That hit me hard, no matter who is working against me or frustrating me I cannot falter, because I cannot be focused on what I receive from others because that is temporary but instead I must be sustained by what I receive from God and then give that grace and love to others.
This is what being a mature Christian is all about. God's grace is sufficient. Living in this fact is not easy because we like to see our praise right away, we like to be acknowledged for accomplishments and rewarded for our triumphs. But when you truly act in love none of that. When we act in love applause is nice but we know that our master saw and knows and that is more than enough.
"Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears." (1 Cor 13:8-10)
I think here Paul is comforting us here. We are not perfect and we make mistakes. Paul is saying that when we make mistakes, that we should acknowledge them and refocus on the One who is perfect and seek His will. A "back to the basics" time if you will. There are times to speak and there are times to be silent. And a mature person is able to recognize these times. In the hard times, when we are "off our game" we seek to prove our correctness or sweep our mistakes under a rug. Instead I think Paul is saying repent and refocus during these times. God says if we seek Him we will find him. If we ask his wisdom He will answer. If we knock He will open the door. When we do this God will put us back on track. Not necessarily bringing back earthly praise but re-instilling our sense of security through living in His grace.
"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." (1 Cor 13:11-13)
Finally Paul explains that when we see this love then we are witnessing a spiritually mature person. He tells us that a person can have faith and hope but not be spiritually mature. Because faith and hope don't necessarily require pure intentions. People can have faith in God and show their faith and hope every day of their life as long as it keeps them in people's good graces. But if those good graces fall away it is love that sustains but without love, faith and hope can fall away when things get hard.
The God has given us all a role to play, and He has given us spiritual gifts to do this task masterfully. It is like God giving a boy his first knife. It is a tool, and if used correctly it will the knife can be a great asset. If used wrongly the knife can cause great damage to others and ourselves. The effectiveness of the knife does not lose its effectiveness when it is not acknowledged.
Our spiritual gifts are the same. They do not lose their effectiveness when they are not appreciated. And just like a knife our spiritual gifts have a purpose and if we use our gifts maturely, in love, others will benefit from our gifts. If we are childish in our use of the gifts God has given us we end up hurting others and ourselves.
So may you know that God has gifted you with power. And that He has given you the choice of how to use this power, for good or for evil. And may you know that when the applause fades and frustrations sets in that God's grace IS enough. So that you may stand firm in love for the world when times are hard. And that you may love like Jesus because he loves you.
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