Leadership 101 – NOT!
Jesus would flunk out of most modern “Christian” leadership training courses. Jonathan at “Missio Dei” does a great job pointing this out in a post called “Jesus was a terrible leader“. Jonathan says:
Jesus was a terrible leader, in the short run. He wouldn’t get a job in today’s church marketplace. Think about it. He spent three years with 12 people. He talked to a lot of people but his primary focus was on twelve people who didn’t always get a long and didn’t always get it.
“Where’s the growth” people would ask? “How are we gonna pay the bills” others would say, albeit quietly in from the other side of the room. “This guy just doesn’t seem to get it.”
Then, Jonathan concludes poignantly:
I wonder if those in leadership will someday follow the model Jesus developed. He followed His Father’s voice to transform the lives of twelve ordinary people.
Follow the voice of the Father… act like a servant, not a leader… pour your life into people… give up everything for those people. Perhaps its not the best paradigm for “church leadership”, but it seems to be “Jesus leadership”.
The day after Resurrection Day
Okay, so yesterday was Easter Sunday – Resurrection Day – the day that most Christians and many nonChristians celebrated the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Today, then, is the day after Easter – the day after Resurrection Day.
The suits and dresses are all hung in the closet. The bonnets are stowed away safely. The cantatas and special-emphasis sermons have been delivered. The lilies are fading. The eggs were found. Now what?
What about today?
Is today Resurrection Monday for you and your family and your friends? Will tomorrow be Resurrection Tuesday? Will next Sunday still be Resurrection Sunday?
The amazing thing about the resurrection of Jesus Christ is that it is eternal. Yes, he was risen on the third day after his crucifixion – probably a Sunday. But, on Monday, he was still risen. On Tuesday, he was still risen.
Today, he is still risen.
He is still Lord.
He is still head of his church.
Today, and every day, is Resurrection Day. If we lived as if Jesus was risen yesterday, that’s wonderful! But what about today? Can we live today – Monday – as if Jesus is risen? Because he is. If the resurrection of Jesus Christ does not affect us today as it did yesterday, then perhaps it was not the resurrection that we were celebrating yesterday. Perhaps we were just taking part in another tradition, not celebrating a risen, living Savior.
What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ mean to you? How did his resurrection affect your life today?
An untraditional Easter
I’m sick. I’ve been sick for the last several days – the flu, bronchitis, something that seems to be going around here. Fortunately, or unfortunately, last week was a break week from school, so I did not miss any classes. But, I did miss spending that extra time with my family. Well, I did spend that extra time with them, but I was just asleep for most of it.
Today is Easter Sunday – Resurrection Sunday. This is the day that most Christians and many nonChristians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This will not be a traditional Easter celebration for us, nor will this be a traditional Easter blog post (my “Easter” blog post will come tomorrow). Today, my family is staying home – not because we’re rebelling against the modern celebrate of Easter, but because I’m sick and Margaret starting feeling ill last night. So, we’re staying home. We will not be meeting with the church today, and we will not be eating lunch with our friends – which was originally scheduled to take place in our home.
I’m disappointed that we will not be meeting with the church today. But, my disappointment is not caused by missing the traditional Easter hymns or the traditional Easter sermon – which we would not have heard anyway. No, I’m disappointed because I will not be spending time with the brothers and sisters that God has placed in my life. He has chosen these people to impact my life and they always do. We don’t always see eye to eye; sometimes our disagreements cause relationship problems; sometimes talking together is strained; but this is my family. I have not seen many of them in a week, and I miss them.
I’m also disappointed that I will not be eating lunch with many of these same friends. Again, my disappointment is not caused by missing good food – although I’m sure the food will be very delicious. No, I’m disappointed because something special always happens when we sit around the table together. That fellowship always reminds me of the presence of God and his love and care for me, my family, and my friends. He reminds me of this through the voices, concerns, smiles, tears, jokes, hugs, and struggles of the people around the table. As we break bread together, we also open our hearts to one another. And, in their hearts I find God revealing himself.
So, my family is going to celebrate an untraditional Easter – but, He is still risen. Yes, He is risen indeed.
2nd Blogiversary!
Today is my second blogiversay! I started publishing this blog two years ago on March 21, 2006, writing two posts “Welcome” and “Questions“. (My first blogiversary post was simply called “Blogiversary“.)
Usually, at a milestone such as this, I would list my most popular blog posts. Instead, this time I’m going to list my favorite blog post or series for each month of the last year:
April 2007 – “Connecting the Dots” series
May 2007 – “Do we want to be associated with a Samaritan?“
June 2007 – “Edification” series
July 2007 – “But I have perfect attendance…“
August 2007 – tie: “Please allow me to introduce myself” and “It is dangerous to ask ‘Why?’“
September 2007 – “Elders” series
October 2007 – tie: “Dropping the ‘H’ bomb” and “Should elders be paid a salary?” series
November 2007 – “Spiritual Gifts” series
December 2007 – “Guaranteed Church Building Program“
January 2008 – tie: “Baptism” series and “Won’t Get Fooled Again“
February 2008 – “Theological Sources” series
March 2008 – “Stumbling Blocks“
Primarily, I started this blog as an aid for my studies. As I studied and read about the church, I wanted an outlet to discuss many of the ideas that I’ve read about or that I’ve formulate. In that sense, this blog has been a huge success. However, I don’t think the success of this blog is due to my writing. Instead, the success is due to the interaction that I’ve had with many of my readers, both through the comments of this blog, through emails, and in person.
By the way, when I say that this blog has been a success, I’m not talking about the number of hits or pageviews, although I’m happy that those have grown. Instead, I’m saying that this blog has been successful as an outlet and a place for discussion about the church.
Some may not realize that the things that I’m studying are not merely academic to me. When I learn something about the church or about God or about life or about service or about love, I try to implement in my life. This does not mean that my life is an “experiment”. However, it does mean that I recognize that God will continue to teach and grow and mature me. Sometimes he uses Scripture. Sometimes he uses experiences. Sometimes he uses books. Sometimes he uses other people. There are many avenues, but God uses all of them to mature me (and all of us) in Christ Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
So, thank you – my readers – for being part of my discipleship process. Believe me, I learn from you every day, and I do not take your interaction for granted. I thank God for you often and ask him to use me in your lives as much as he’s used you in my life.
I do not consider myself an expert. Instead, I see us all as pilgrims, sharing a journey with our Lord as we make our way home. Thank you for walking with me and helping me walk more like our Lord.
Good questions
Mary, at “One Thing Is Needed“, has asked some very good questions in a post called “When?“. Here are her questions:
When will we learn that:
~ unity is not attained by conformity?
~ the Word of God is not to be wielded as a cattle prod?
~ God loves our enemies?
~ if we have to tell people that we have authority, then we most likely don’t?
~ we know much less than we think we do?
While these are mainly rhetorical questions, I think that all followers of Jesus Christ should think about them seriously. In a comment, I added the following question to Mary’s list: When will we learn that education is not the same as discipleship?
What question(s) would you add to her list?
Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets
Later this morning, Maël, my good friend, brother, and fellow-elder (and occasional blogger) is going to teach from Matthew 5:16-20, God willing:
Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:17-20 ESV)
As I have studied this passage this week, I have been overwhelmed by the reality that Jesus expressed here. 1) Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets (the Scriptures). 2) The Law and the commandments remain. 3) Only those who are more righteous than the scribes and Pharisees (who spent their life keeping the letter of the law) will be part of God’s kingdom.
The implications of this passage are phenomenal. I cannot keep the law and be part of God’s kingdom on my own merit. But, Jesus Christ fulfilled the law. As a child of God, his righteousness has been credited to me. I am righteous because he was righteous, not because of the things that I do. I am forgiven because he was forsaken on my behalf, not because of my ability to stop sinning.
Thus, when I recognize my sins – when I am convicted – my only response is Paul’s response: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25 ESV) and “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)
What an awesome thought! God exchanged my sin for Christ’s righteousness. God exchanged my death for Christ’s life. Today, I live in righteousness – not because of what I do or don’t do, because of Jesus Christ and him alone! I hope I never “get over” this.
Tae Kwon Do and Community
Last Spring, I wrote a blog post called “Christian Martial Arts?“. In the post I talked about how our children took part in a Tae Kwon Do tournament with their marital arts school. The school is run by Cheryl, a good friend of ours, who sees Tae Kwon Do as more than physical fitness. She also sees it as an opportunity to disciple about twenty students.
Today, Cheryl’s school participated in a Tae Kwon Do tournament again. I’ll probably post videos and pictures on our family blog in the next few days. It was great to see her students do well in the tournament. But, it was even more encouraging to see the students respond to Cheryl and their friends, as well as the other competitors and the judges. I did not hear any negative comments or disrespect. They were very encouraging to one another.
Several families came to watch the tournament – families who do not have children taking Tae Kwon Do – but, they came anyway to support Cheryl and her students. We prayed together; talked together; talked to other people; hugged the students.
At the end of the day, when only the adults were left to compete, most of the children had left – except Cheryl’s school. Almost all of her students and their parents and friends stayed to cheer her on as she won her own division. Why? Because Cheryl is more than a teacher to them. She is a friend, and a discipler. She teaches them more than Tae Kwon Do. She teaches them what it means to follow Christ in everything that you do – including Tae Kwon Do.
My PhD Mentor
People often ask me why I decided to study for a PhD at SEBTS. There are many answers to that question. But one important factor regarding my decision to remain at Southeastern is my PhD mentor – my doktorvater. I was given some good advice about a year before I started my PhD studies. Someone told me to think about different schools and programs, but to also remember that your mentor will play a large role in your studies. Therefore, I was advised, pick a mentor whom you respect, with whom you can work, and who will be a good model.
My PhD mentor, Dave Black, fits that advice precisely – not merely in his academic work and his teaching, but also in his life. He constantly challenges me to live the new life that Christ has created within me. Consider this gem which he posted on his blog on Wednesday, March 12, at 5:44 pm:
In recent days I have been relating the intimate story of a pastor’s wife in Ethiopia. The scene is Addis Ababa, but it could be any city in the world. It is a case where one believer saw a need and did what she could – as a “layperson†– to help. I am absolutely convinced that had not Becky been an aggressive medical advocate for sister Aberesh, baby Nathan would be no more. Why go to so much trouble? The answer is found, I think, in the little letter of Philemon, which we studied today in New Testament class. Here Paul does something very simple, so simple in fact that it is easy to miss. He calls upon Philemon to act as a Christian. When we were worth nothing, God gave us everything. This is how God acts toward us, and we in turn are called upon to take that same attitude and exhibit it toward all men, even our enemies. The mark of a true believer, writes Paul to Philemon, is that his actions toward his fellow men are governed by the love of God poured out into his heart by the Holy Spirit. God has given every believer a new nature, one characterized by giving rather than getting, by love rather than hate, by selflessness rather than selfishness, by forgiveness rather than bitterness. Since this is true of all believers everywhere, it should be natural and normal for us to want to help each other. The family of God to which we belong includes all Christians of all ages, all levels of intelligence, all levels of social strata, all nationalities. We are all “fellow citizens with the saints,†and therefore we are called upon to demonstrate the reality of our oneness in Christ in tangible ways. “Bear one another’s burdens,†says Paul. “Place your shoulder beneath the burdens under which a fellow believer is groaning, whatever those burdens may be!” The reality of our unity in Christ makes inevitable and inescapable demands on us regardless of race, color, age, denomination, nationality, or political affiliation. Yet individualism has shattered our churches and our communities. How can I give up my job, my health, my ease, my family for the sake of others? Our oneness is organizational, occasional, and spasmodic. If any unity appears it tends toward the back-slapping variety of the country club. Paul was eager to remind Philemon that the church is nothing less than a community of love: Christ-in-me loving Christ-in-you. And for this love to be real it must issue forth in forgiving one another’s sins, bearing one another’s burdens, washing our brother’s feet, caring for our neighbor’s children, helping in the tiny incidents of everyday and the great emergencies of life. A heavy responsibility, then, lies on our shoulders.
The church today must deliberately move toward this type of Christianity. But only Christ can produce it. The danger of dwelling too long on “our†service is that we soon begin to speak as if we had done it by ourselves. We can be sure that we contributed nothing in comparison to what Christ has done for us. It is His wonderful and mysterious love that is at work in and through us. How much reason, then, to pray that God will turn our hearts to Him and set us free by His love to serve others.
As the drought makes me wish for rain, the clouds for the sun, the storms for the gentle winds, so my heart yearns for Thee, my Lord and my God!
And, this thought-provoking excerpt from his blog post on Thursday, March 13, at 8:20 am:
The genius of the Protestant Reformation lay in its struggle with the problem of justification in all its aspects. For the greatest question of life is the conversion of man and his reconciliation to God in Christ. But Protestantism, once it answered this question biblically, failed to press on to treat Christianity in its most radical form — the form presented in the New Testament. The Protestant teaching on justification, in emphasizing truth, sometimes leads to a neglect of the new life, life in the Spirit, life in Christ, life as Christ’s body. Koinonia takes on a superficial and rather suburban goodness — moral platitudes, covered dish fellowships, an occasional “mission trip” to the local nursing home or to a nearby state. The Christian life has become merely a fidelity to ethical prescriptions or participation in the multitudinous programs in our churches. There is little real sacrifice about it. Witnessing becomes a trite tract or a bumper sticker. Heb. 10:24 is cited to drive people back into church but not to encourage them to “provoke one another to love and good works.” Passive spectatorism becomes par for the course.
It is to the credit of the Jesus Movement of the 1960s (of which I was a part) and perhaps of the modern emerging church movement (of which I am not a part) that both sought to expose this hideous problem for all to see. There is a new generation and a new spirit at work today, and perhaps it will turn out to be the catalyst that will bring on our transformation from churchianity to a Christianity that is dedicated to the forceful living out of the life of Jesus in this world.
This is the kind of encouragement and admonishment that I – and all other believers – need! Plus, his teaching extends beyond the classroom, as he lives his life as an example for others, opening his home to visitors and spending his own time and money to serve our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia. This is a very important distinction, because it is easy to think that scholarship is discipleship or that academic work is service.
If you are considering PhD work, I pray that God would provide a challenging, godly mentor for you as well.
Salt and Light
In just a couple of hours, we will be getting together with the church. A friend of ours is scheduled to teach on Matthew 5:13-16 as we continue to study through the Sermon on the Mount:
You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
In this passage, Jesus cuts through all the religious talk and the feel-good-do-nothing rhetoric that we tend to wrap ourselves in. In this passage, Jesus gets to the heart of the matter: Do you say that you are God’s children – citizens of his kingdom? If so, then you will be affecting the world around you in such a way that people notice. Not only will they notice, but they will also recognize that the things you do are actually works of God. They will not praise you, but instead they will praise God.
I’ve done many works where God’s people (especially those that I know) praise me. I’m not sure how many things I’ve done where others – people of the world, and people that I don’t know – see those works and praise God for them.
Stepping into God’s path
We’ve been friends with Stan and Renata for over five years, starting back in 2002 when Stan and I started working together. We’ve spend time in their home, and they’ve spent time in our home. We’ve played with their children, and they’ve played with our children.
Several months ago, Stan and Renata moved from North Carolina to the Cleveland area. Many people in the seminary could not understand their move. Stan was not taking a “ministry position”, nor was he going as a “church planter”. Instead, they moved their family into an urban area of Cleveland because that’s where they think God wants them. They are living as salt and light, building relationships, making disciples.
The last few months have been very difficult for them. So, I was excited to read Renata’s blog “Nurturing Notes” Thursday night. In a post called “A renewed passion“, she told how God has renewed her interest in Public Health. That night, she didn’t know what that meant, so she closed her post with these words: “This has reminded me how much I really want to move away from just thinking and start working this out with real people (i.e. my community).”
When Renata wrote those words Thursday night, she didn’t know what God had planned Friday. On Friday, she had a conversation with someone who shared the same interests as Renata. Not only does this person share the same interests, but he had alread taken some steps in that direction. Renata told us about this in a post on Friday called “Exciting update from my past post“:
Well, I don’t know what to make of all of this yet, but in casual conversation with a fellow storytimer at the library today, let’s just stay that desire has just taken one baby step closer to reality. And I wasn’t even trying to make this happen, neither did I bring this subject up.
I don’t know how fast things could develop, I think it is still a long time coming, but as I am comfortable in sharing details, I will definitely blog about it.
Renata was very vague in her blog post, so I had to call her to see what was going on. I’m not going to reveal any details, since, like she said, it could still be a long time coming. But, suffice it to say that God was already working in the direction that he was leading Renata. She didn’t know that, but she started stepping out in faith, trusting God even though she didn’t know what he was doing. And, as she started stepping out in faith, she stepped right into the path where God was already working.
I can’t count the number of times when I’ve seen God work in similar ways. Times when God has encouraged me or another person to step out in a certain direction, and as soon as I or the other person stepped in that direction, God revealed what he had already been doing.
What is God calling you to do? What passions or interests has God stirred in your heart? What gifts or talents or training do you have that God wants to use to expand his kingdom? Step out in faith, even though you do not know how God is going to use you, or what God is going to do. You may find that you step directly onto a path where God has already been at work. Then, like my friend Renata, you can watch in awe as God does wonderful things through you.