If I falter, Lord, who cares?
I feel sorry for “anonymous.” Seriously, I do. She (or he) doesn’t know what it means to live among God’s family when they are truly living as brothers and sisters in Christ.
What am I talking about?
Well, thank you for asking.
Last Sunday, someone requested that we sing the hymn “Just A Closer Walk With Thee.” According to our song book, the song was written by someone named “Anonymous,” who apparently wrote many songs, poems, sayings, etc.
Anyway, I had not sung that song in a long time, so I was paying close attention to the lyrics. (I don’t know about you, but I tend to zone out when I sing a song that’s very familiar…) Everything was going great, until we got to verse three:
In this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, who cares?
Who but Thee my burden shares?
None but Thee, oh Lord, none but Thee.
So, you see, I feel sorry for Anonymous. When anonymous fails, no one cares but Jesus. If Anonymous lived among brothers and sisters in Christ who were truly living as family with one another, she (or he) would find several who not only cared about her failures, but would even willingly help her bear her burdens. They would love her, forgive her, strengthen her, support her, help her heal.
Oh, don’t misunderstand me… it’s true that Jesus always cares, and he alone is able to truly carry those burdens. However, it’s also true that Jesus often works through other believers to show us his love, concern, correction, and even burden-bearing.
But, apparently, Anonymous doesn’t know anything about that. That’s sad.
We are not created (or newly created, for that matter) to live this type of lonely, isolated existence. We are created to have a relationship with God, but we are also created to have a relationship with one another.
And, God-created, God-honoring relationships include caring for one another and sharing one another’s burdens.
So, I decided to rewrite that third verse:
In this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord, they care!
You – through them – my burden shares!
All with Thee, oh Lord, all with Thee.
The ONE church that Jesus is building
I love Aussie John (from “caesura“). Love him! I wish I could afford to fly to Australia and spend a few days, or weeks, or months talking with him and learning from him. Since he started commenting on this blog a few years ago, he has made it a richer experience for myself and my readers.
Last weekend, he published a post called “Is it possible?” He begins by asking if what we call “Christianity” today is actually the greatest enemy of Christ. Strong words, yes, but perhaps strong words like this are necessary at times.
Towards the end of the post, he touches on a subject that is very dear to my heart: the church. He writes:
The Scriptures do reveal the characteristics of the churches of New Testament times, and the principles by which they functioned, yet we certainly do not have a clear, indelible blueprint according to which churches are to be set up or formed!
With all our sincere desires and efforts to have a “New Testament church”, is it possible that all we are actually achieving is the development of a myriad of other systems, or sects, with differing sets of legalistic rules, traditions, and regulations, sectarian bigotry, and remaining as spiritually lifeless as those we have left behind in the trash-can of our experience of searching for the church that suits our imaginings or tastes.
There is only ONE Church, the one Jesus is building, which is a dynamic living organism, from which rivers of living water flow. Its source is ONLY in the person of Jesus Christ. And built upon the cornerstone of His practice and completed work.
His church is totally dependent on Him through the working of His Holy Spirit in its members.
I’m often asked, “Why do you remain associated with a denomination (and I am) if you believe that denominations tend to divide the church (and I do believe that)?” Why? Because the people who are part of this denomination are my brothers and sisters in Christ and are, therefore, part of the church that Jesus is building.
I’m often asked, “Why do you continue to carry out some of the traditional rituals/practices if you believe that these are not necessary and may hinder spiritual growth?” Why? Because the people who have chosen to continue using these practices are my brothers and sisters in Christ and are, therefore, part of the church that Jesus is building.
I’m often asked, “Wouldn’t it be better to move away from this organization and/or denomination and start with a clean slate and meet in a manner that you think is more like the characteristics of the church that we see in the New Testament?” No, it is better to remain in fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ who are part of the church that Jesus is building.
No, the buildings and systems and hierarchies and programs and activities and rules and confessions and denominations are not the church. But, those people are your brothers and sisters in Christ, and they ARE the church.
There is one church. Separating from our brothers and sisters in Christ – even because we don’t agree with how they understand the church – is not the answer. The answer is living together in the fellowship of the Spirit and in the church that Jesus is building, in spite of our differences.
Thank you, Aussie John, for reminding us of this great truth in Jesus Christ!
Replay: Are you willing to be impacted by others?
In honor of my sixth blogiversary – which I celebrated a few days ago – I’m “replaying” the post “Willing to be impacted by others” which I first published six years ago during the first week of this blog. It’s a short post… I didn’t write as much back then. But, I think the point is very important. Yes, it’s important for us to be willing to get involved in the lives of other people. But, it’s just as important for us to allow other people to be involved in our lives.
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Willing to be impacted by others
A commenter made the following statement at The Interrelational Church:
I think that the problem we encounter is that most people are readily willing to impact others lives, but are not as willing to be impacted by the lives of others.
Can true relationship exist between two people if one or the other refuses to be impacted – changed – by the other person? This is a question that the church must answer. Biblical fellowship is not “shake hands with three people around you.” Instead, biblical fellowship is sharing in each other’s lives… something that cannot happen in two hours on Sunday morning.
Vulnerability… that seems to be key here. Are we willing to allow other people to see us at our worst? Are we willing to allow the Spirit of God to work through other people to affect change in our lives? These two questions are related… Can we have fellowship with one another if we are not willing to impact the other person’s life, and to be impacted by the other person?
A church that perseveres through temptation
A few months ago, I wrote a series about some of the lessons that I’ve learned trail running. But, I want to talk about something else that I’m learning as a result of running: perseverance. You see, even though I love to run, that does not mean that I love to run every week, or every day, or every step. Sometimes, I have to make myself run even though I don’t want to. That’s perseverance. Sometimes, I have to start running again because I’ve stopped for a time. That’s perseverance.
Perseverance is one of those difficult lessons. First, it’s difficult because it always involved something that is not easy. Second, it’s difficult because it’s easy to drift into thinking that it’s all about me or all by my power. Finally, it’s difficult because it’s easy to sit back and assume that God is going to make everything pleasant and perfect and desirable before I have to get started. But, perseverance isn’t any of those things.
So, in this short series, I’m going to look at some aspects of life in which the church is called to persevere… to stand fast… the keep on keeping on… to not stop.
The first of these is temptation. James writes:
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. (James 1:12-14 ESV)
While temptation can come from many different directions, James points to our own hearts as the center of temptation. Even when the temptation is spiritual or worldly (systemic), it is the desires of our own heart (perhaps to control our own lives) that makes lure a temptation.
Here’s the thing: temptation is something that will come. It seems to be a given in Scripture. (Jesus said, “Temptations to sin are sure to come” – Luke 17:1) But, it is also something that must be withstood. Like other forms of perseverance, standing firm in withstanding temptation (withstanding firm?) is hard work. It is not something that is pleasant, and it is not something that we also want to do.
What does this have to do with the church? Well, withstanding temptation can be a community exercise. Yes, sin is often personal, but it is never ONLY personal. Sin and temptation always affect the body of Christ, whether we realize it or not and whether we know how it is affected or not.
We must understand and accept that when we yield to temptation we are harming the church. Then, we must be willing to ask for the church’s help in persevering in withstanding temptation. (If someone or some group judges you because you are tempted in a certain area, then find another group of brothers and sisters who will not judge you, who will accept you, and who will stand with you to persevere through these temptations.)
Yes, we need God to persevere through temptation. Yes, we need to stand firm ourselves when we are tempted. But, we also need one another. We can persevere together against temptation.
I’d love to hear your stories about how your brothers and sisters in Christ have helped you or others persevere through temptation.
Guest Blogger: You are not well… come here!
I’ve invited several people to write “guest blog posts” for this blog. There are several reasons for this: 1) To offer different perspectives. 2) To generate even more discussion and conversation between blogs. 3) To introduce other bloggers to my readers.
(If you are interested in writing a guest blog post, please contact me at aknox[at]sebts[dot]com.)
Today’s post was written by Dayna Bickham. You can follow Dayna at her blog “A Year in the Spiritual Life” or on Twitter (@Dayawren).
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You are not Well… come Here!
What is the church’s response to someone that has been so offended by something that they blame the church and now lump the love of God with the failings of us as a body together? Whenever I talk to someone that is this hurt, (and I was there for years) I am moved with such compassion.
Pain, no matter the reason, has one source: the enemy. (John 10:10) Emotional pain is like a bruise that never quite heals and it is possibly the hardest to get free from. So when we, the body of Christ, His church, see someone who is so hurt they lash out at us, what should our response be?
I believe it is this: You are not well… come here..
We must be transparent (1 Thessalonians 5:9) before the world and this means sharing our failings and our triumphs. The body is made up of broken people that are being made whole by the love of Christ. Notice the verb “being made”. It is present tense and we are in a constant state of change, renewal, growth, and transformation. (Romans 12:1-3, Galatians 6:15, Acts 20:32)
When people realize we are “real” and not pretentious self-possessed and self-righteous snobs, they begin to pay attention to what is going on in our lives. This is our witness: that though it rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45), we have a place to run that is our refuge. A spiritual triage, if you will. The church is that place. Here the body acts like the nurses, attentively caring for the hurting, while the Great Physician heals the source of their pain.
Bruises, iniquities, the old wounds that we almost forget about until someone knocks into them, are the hardest to get over. They are the ones we hold onto and caress like a little child. The ones we bring out at holidays and birthdays and special occasions to nurse until no one around can ignore the pain they cause. When we do this we pay more attention to the bruise than to the Healer. (Matthew 9:35) Our job as the body is to remember why Jesus came, and to share that reason with the hurting. (John18:37, Romans 9:16-17) He came to heal the broken hearted, to bind up their wounds, and to set them free!
So, when we encounter that individual that is actively holding on to hurt and blaming the Church body and God for their pain, what should we say? What should we show? I believe it is the transparent and transforming love of Christ active in our lives we should show and we should say, “No matter your pain, no matter your hurts, I know the Great Physician and you need His attention. You are not well… come here. Come to get loved on, come to get taught, come to get your wounds bound up and come here to get well!”
What say you?
The Togetherness of the Gospel
The gospel of Jesus Christ results in a new people of the Spirit. I think that most people would agree with that statement. However, sometimes we miss just how much “togetherness” there is associated with the gospel in Scripture.
For example, I was recently reading through a familiar passage in Ephesians, and I came away from that passage with an every greater appreciation for the fellowship, unity, community, and… well… “togetherness” of the gospel.
It all began when I read this short passage:
For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles — assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. (Ephesians 3:1-6 ESV)
I originally turned to this passage to think about the “mystery” that Paul said had been revealed to him and to others in his generation. But, when I got the last sentence, I was struck by something unexpected.
You see, “fellow heirs,” “members of the same body,” and “partakers” are three adjectives in Greek, each of which have been prefixed with the conjunction that means something like “together with.” When you look at the sentence in Greek, those three adjectives stand out like rhyming words or capitalized words in English.
Perhaps it would help if we translated the verse in a way that highlighted these parallels: “This mystery is that the Gentiles are heirs together with us, members of body together with us, and partakers of the promise together with us in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”
If I’m right, then Paul is heavily emphasizing the “togetherness” that he says is “in Christ Jesus” and “through the gospel.”
But, the emphasis is even more apparent when we realize that Paul is talking about Gentiles TOGETHER WITH Jews in the grace of God. As he had written just a few paragraphs earlier:
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. (Ephesians 2:13-16 ESV)
Enemies have now been reconciled to God and to one another, to live TOGETHER WITH God and one another. If enemies have been reconciled to God and to one another through the gospel, how much more should those who are not enemies share their lives TOGETHER WITH one another?
Paul did not know of an individualist gospel. Of course, I think that’s because Jesus did not know an individualistic gospel either. The good news of Jesus Christ includes salvation for people… a salvation that creates a new people who are known for togetherness.
But, if we’re not know for togetherness…
Guest Blogger: (Part 2) Working with people who are already in a community for the sake of the gospel
Yesterday, I published the first part of this guest post about working with people who are already in a community without making them dependent on outsiders. The post was written by Jonathan who is currently living in a community and is watching what is happening among the people of that community when outsiders come in. Even the best of intentions can lead to problems of dependence. (See Part 1 at the link above for Jonathan’s description of his work in this community.)
Here is part 2 of our interaction:
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Question (from Alan): Your situation does sound similar to many situations related to “foreign missionaries.” You said that the short termers “pay into the ministry.” What is this money used for? Why do you think “not very much local ministry is being raised up”? What do you think is causing that?
Answer (from Jonathan)
The local church plant cannot afford salaries for church positions. The summer programs and short terms pay for salaries, along with additional fundraising to keep things going. The pastor is pretty clear about what the money is for – no subterfuge at all. I’ve argued, are we ‘creating’ work for short termers to do – just for the money? The last time I brought this up, I was told we need to have a ‘long term’ conversation about that. Originally the church was NOT dependent on short termers, but was not told what changed.
A few non white leaders coordinate the short termers, but all the interns and the majority of short termers are white. The church is half white, poor, and the neighborhood is very poor. At first I didn’t think so, but now I believe there’s a dependence on the outside money; from leaders AND neighborhood members. The financial piece is troubling. Even if all the money and personel were non white, I still feel that 1 Theassalonains 4:11-12 should be followed.
Disturbingly in our city, New Orleans, I know of three other miniseries in poor neighborhoods all run by different organizations and denominations; this is the model. Outsiders come in, lead, fundraising activities, bring short termers in then… Show me how the people of the culture lead, and you’ll be hard pressed to find someone who grew up in that neighborhood or city; leading. Lack of Discipleship. My theory is the material needs in urban areas are so great that the educated folks began the programs and fundraising, but those become the idol.
Question: Do you have any suggestions as to how discipleship would help locals get involved in ministering to their >own neighbors without depending on outside help?
Answer
I think this is a tough one that takes time. IN the spiritual realm it’s a matter of showing someone that Christ is all sufficient but our tendency is to do program based things, which are needed (literacy, food, etc).
Currently my wife and I talk often about this as she’s away on sabbatical. When she returns, we plan reach out hospitality-wise. We’ve invited people to our home, but our perception is this may be a class hurdle (we got the nice house and they’re on subsidies attitude). So we’re trying to find ways to go to their home (i.e., playing with the kids, hanging out on their porch).
Clearly things have to be Holy Spirit led. It’s so hard to wait and hear from God when you see so many physical needs. We do address physical needs: food, (we have to be careful with) money, helping with errands, and medical emergencies.
We see things more relationally then programmatically. I don’t come from a simple gathering background but it seems applicable here. Follow the Holy Spirit, Build Small via relationships. I think it’s key to let myself and new disicples see that it’s God doing it and not a human person, ministry, or aid group.
Guest Blogger: (Part 1) Working with people who are already in a community for the sake of the gospel
A few weeks ago, in response to my post “Why can’t we work together for the gospel?” Jonathan left a very intriguing comment. In the comment, he said that he is currently “living this out” in his neighborhood and has seen how easy it is to “drop money and personnel” into a context. But, it is much harder to live among the people in a community and trust God to work through them.
In response to that comment, I emailed Jonathan asking for more information about his situation. That email started a thread that was very helpful for me. I asked him if I could publish this as a “guest post,” and he agreed. I’ll publish our interaction as two posts, with the second part being published tomorrow…
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Question (from Alan): I’d love to hear more about how you’re working with “locals”…
Answer (from Jonathan)
My wife and I joined a neighborhood church that’s been around for 10 years, but is a plant of an para church organization. We’ve been there five years and since 2009 have chosen, with a few others, to live in a neighborhood that is plagued with crime, drugs, poverty, and some prostitution. BUT we see God at work.
My frustration comes from the short termers. They help run a day camp, provide games to the neighborhood kids in the evening, as well as pay into the ministry. Two issues immediately arose. I’ve asked, “What would happen if these teams didn’t come?” Clearly, there’s the financial aspect, because the Church (sigh) is dependent on the outsider. Second, in my opinion, not very much local ministry is being raised up, as things are coordinated by a few locals, but all the money and personel leave after a time. Honestly, I look at it a little differently now that I LIVE with my neighbors. I’m not driving in or stopping by. Dealing with my neighbors is on the job training in ‘Loving my neighbor’.
Without complaining here’s the challenge: How do you give believers not from our community the cross cultural experience, without all the voyeurism or vertical relationship. I’m seeing these last few years that it’s one thing to organize a program for the poor than to live with and friend the poor. All the isms are very real when the person you’re serving is your friend.
I think to minister in some of these urban environments (ok all) we need more discipleship. One Sun morning I didn’t go to my local service, but walked around and prayed about 10:30AM. I saw what I saw everyday-Life. I counted five church services in session, but I still saw drunks staggering, people loitering, not sure if I saw the dealing that morning, but for everyone not going to a service-life as usual. It tells me, “We need a different approach to engage people physically where they are.” My wife has a vision of living water flowing out of our neighborhood. My vision is that someone will call 911 not because a crime is committed, but because there are too many people assembling praising God.
Question: Your situation does sound similar to many situations related to “foreign missionaries.” You said that the short termers “pay into the ministry.” What is this money used for? Why do you think “not very much local ministry is being raised up”? What do you think is causing that?
Answer: Coming tomorrow…
Is God opening a door of opportunity for us in The Congo?
It looks like God may be opening a door of opportunity for us to serve in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And, when I say us, I don’t mean just me and my family. I mean that God may be providing an opportunity for the church to connect with other believers and other churches in the Congo.
Let me explain. First, as you can probably guess (for those of you who know that Dave Black is my PhD mentor), I’ve been greatly influenced by Dave and BeckyLynn Black’s work in Ethiopia. (You can find more information about that in their “Ethiopia Files.”)
As a church and as a family, we have worked with the Blacks to serve the people of Alaba, Ethiopia for several years. I even spent a couple of weeks in Alaba two years ago. I love the way they work through existing relationships and in the work that God is already doing in Ethiopia.
(I hope this relationship and working partnership continues! One of our brothers from Ethiopia is even planning to meet with us in a few weeks.)
Now, some friends of ours are planning to move to the Congo. Their work will primarily be in the area of Bible translation, but they will also be meeting and working with local believers. Hopefully, if God leads us to continue in this direction, they will be able to connect us to our brothers and sisters in that area of the Congo. I see this as being a two-way partnership, so I’m just as excited about what we can learn from them as what we can do for them.
We’ve looked into partnerships like this before. But, this time, there’s something present that has always been missing before: an existing relationship!
For example, I think about Paul getting ready to go to Rome. He had never visited Rome before, but there were brothers and sisters in Rome (at least Prisca and Aquila) with whom he already had an existing relationship. When he traveled to Rome, he would be continuing that relationship as well as building new relationships with people that they introduced him to.
If we travel to the Congo, we will be continuing our relationship with our friends, and at the same time, building new relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ who live in that area.
So, this could be an exciting time for us. We will learn more after our friends move in a few weeks and as they get settled in and begin learning about what God is already doing in that area of the Congo.
There are no perfect churches
I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve been part of a conversation about the church, when the other person seeks to end the conversation by saying something like, “Well, there are no perfect churches.”
The point, I assume, is that since there are no perfect churches, then there is no reason to seek to be perfect. Usually, of course, these conversations center around the differences between what I understand about the church and what the other person understands about the church.
The other person, at some point, might admit that there are problems with his or her understanding of the church, but, as is often said, “there are no perfect churches.”
I agree with that statement. Churches are gatherings of people. There are no perfect people, and so there are no perfect churches. I have no problem with that statement. Instead, I’m concerned about what is typically meant by that statement: since there are no perfect churches, then you should not expect us to change, even if we are imperfect.
But, there’s a huge difference between imperfect, and seeking to grow and change and become more like the church that is described in Scripture.
Believe it or not, I’m not surprised when people disagree with me. I’m not taken aback. I don’t separate from people or stop fellowshiping with them because they disagree with me about the church. As long as someone is in Christ, then I accept that person as a brother or sister, and attempt to treat them as such.
But, I think there’s a problem with accepting imperfect churches without seeking to grow and change.
Paul addressed many imperfect churches. He wrote to churches among which there were many different kinds of problems; some with problems understanding who God or Jesus Christ is; some with problems understanding how to respond to the gospel; some with problems understanding the end times; some with problems concerning the church itself.
The only group of believers that he almost separate from were the churches in Galatia. He almost separated himself from them because they were walking away from the gospel. However, he did not separate from them right away, but instead wrote to them to help them understand their error.
For the others, he accepted them as brothers and sisters as they were. He called them saints (holy ones). He called them children of God. He recognize that they were indwelled by the Holy Spirit. In spite of the fact that they were imperfect churches, the accepted them.
But, he did not want them to stay the way they were. He wanted them to grow and mature in their relationship with God and also in their relationships with one another. He knew they would never be a perfect church, but he wanted them to continue growing, changing, and maturing.
I think this should be our view of ourselves as well. We are in Christ, but we are still growing in our understanding of him and what it means to live according to the Spirit that is in us. We are not perfect, but we should be maturing.
In the same we, churches are not perfect either. However, we should be surprised if we are not continually growing and changing and maturing as individuals and as churches.
No, there are no perfect churches. But, there should be no static churches either.