Some Church Comics
My friend Dan at “Some Church Stuff” has started drawing some comics about the church. So far, he’s drawn three.
And, since Dan hasn’t named his new comic series yet, I’ve decided to give it a name: Some Church Comics.
The first two are called “Makes Sense” and “Money.” Hopefully, they’ll both make you think.
But, the one that I appreciate the most is the last one that he’s drawn and published (so far). It’s called “Caring.”
Please take the time to look at and read that comic (at least). From what I’ve heard from different people, that’s exactly the way many brothers and sisters in Christ feel about the arguments and discussions about the church.
So, while you’re talking about caring for people… are you actually caring for people?
Because Paul only preached the gospel where Christ was not already named, right?
Over the next few days, I’m going to examine a few statements made by Paul that I think are taken out of context in the way the statements are often applied today. This is not really a series, because the posts won’t really build on one another. Each post will cover a different statement.
For example, in this post I’d like to consider another statement made by Paul that I think is often misunderstood and/or misapplied today. The statement is, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation.” (Romans 15:20 ESV)
Again, it’s not my intention to interpret what Paul is saying. Instead, I want to look at a few ways this passage is often used. First, here is the passage in context:
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God. For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me to bring the Gentiles to obedience—by word and deed, by the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God—so that from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the ministry of the gospel of Christ; and thus I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation, but as it is written,
“Those who have never been told of him will see,
and those who have never heard will understand.”This is the reason why I have so often been hindered from coming to you. But now, since I no longer have any room for work in these regions, and since I have longed for many years to come to you, I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain, and to be helped on my journey there by you, once I have enjoyed your company for a while. At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. (Romans 17:20-25 ESV)
Now, I’ve heard this passage used to justify only serving people in one way, perhaps only in evangelism or perhaps only in teaching or some other type of service. The justification? Well, Paul only proclaimed the gospel (evangelized).
Also, I’ve heard this passage used to justify separating areas of service, especially when used by various missions organizations. The justification? Well, Paul did not want to build on anyone else’s foundation.
But, this statement could not have meant these things to Paul. How do we know?
1) Paul could not have meant that he ONLY evangelized. While Paul definitely proclaimed the gospel and wanted to go to other places (such as Spain) to proclaim the gospel, that is definitely NOT all that he did. Even in this passage we see that Paul had put off traveling to Rome (and then Spain) because he was working with other believers in Macedonia and Achaia (Romans 15:26) to help out some brothers and sisters in Christ in Judea. We find several other examples in Acts and in his letters where Paul spent extended time teaching and encouraging people who were already believers.
2) Paul could not have meant that he did not serve where other believers had evangelized. The most obvious evidence that this could not have been Paul’s intention is that Paul was planning to go to Rome, where there were already several thriving groups of Christians. Who evangelized these people? We don’t know, but it was not Paul, because he had never visited Rome. In Acts and in Paul’s letters, we see several other examples of Paul working in areas where others had proclaimed the gospel first. (For example, consider Damascus, Antioch, Colossae, and even Ephesus.)
So, when Paul said, “I make it my ambition to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, lest I build on someone else’s foundation,” he could not have meant that he only evangelized, and he could not have meant that he never worked in the same area where someone else had already evangelized.
Messiness is fine… as long as it’s my mess
Last week, Fred from “On the Journey” wrote a very good post called “We All Need Abishai.” (You’ll need to read his post to find out who Abishai is and why Fred mentioned him in the title.)
In the post, Fred talks about finding a community of brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ to gather with and to share his life with. It’s not the kind of community that he was looking for. As he says, “God led us to a community of faith in what some would call a traditional church.” He then describes a group that loves God and one another, caring for one another throughout the week, not just on Sundays.
Toward the end of his post, Fred makes this statement:
Jan and I gather with this church because there is first of all a love for Jesus that is evident. The other reason is the community that we have with the people. We have felt loved and accepted from the first day we visited. We gather together on Sunday, and at various times throughout the week. We realize that our relationships will get messy and difficult from time to time, but we hope in the Gospel to bring us through the mess and into deeper relationships.
Yes, we all know that relationships are messy. But, as I read Fred’s post, I realized something: I’m not opposed to messes, as long as I can control what kind of mess there. But, when the mess is out of my control or not the kind of mess that I approve of… Well, that’s a different story!
Real community in Christ happens when we put Jesus in control of everything… even the mess.
Because Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles, right?
Over the next few days, I’m going to examine a few statements made by Paul that I think are taken out of context in the way the statements are often applied today. This is not really a series, because the posts won’t really build on one another. Each post will cover a different statement.
For example, in this post I’d like to consider the statement that Paul was an “apostle to the Gentiles.”
Paul made this statement twice, writing to two different groups of Christians: those in Rome and those in Galatia:
Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. (Romans 11:13-14 ESV)
On the contrary, when they saw that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been entrusted with the gospel to the circumcised (for he who worked through Peter for his apostolic ministry to the circumcised worked also through me for mine to the Gentiles)… (Galatians 2:7-8 ESV)
I’ve heard Paul’s statement used as justification for only serving certain people (perhaps people groups) or certain types of people (age groups, vocations, hobbies, etc.). Unfortunately, I’ve also heard this statement used as justification for NOT serving other people because they are not called to those people.
I think this is a misunderstanding and a misapplication of Paul’s statement.
Now, in this post I do not intend to work through exactly what Paul meant when he referred to himself as “an apostle to the Gentiles.” In this case, it’s much easier to recognize what Paul did not mean: Paul could not have meant that God had called him to serve the Gentiles and ONLY the Gentiles.
In both letters in which Paul referred to himself as an apostle to the Gentiles, he was writing to mixed groups of both Jews and Gentiles. Paul often served Jews both through evangelism and through various types of service to help Jewish Christians growing in their faith and maturity in Jesus Christ.
In fact, in the book of Acts we find that when Paul entered a city, he usually began by going to Jews, spending time with Jews specifically when they gathered in their synagogues. Only if the Jews rejected him (and that happened often) did Paul then turn to the Gentiles. However, even when Paul turned to the Gentiles, he did not ignore or neglect the Jews.
(By the way, the same could be said of Peter, who Paul refers to as an apostle to the circumcised. But, it was Peter who God first used to bring the good news to Gentiles.)
When Paul referred to himself as “an apostle to the Gentiles,” he did not mean that God only wanted him to serve Gentiles. As we see through Scripture, God often wanted Paul to serve Jews as well as Gentiles.
God may choose to use us primarily to serve a certain sector of society. But, we should never use this statement (“apostle to the Gentiles”) as a justification to ONLY serve those to whom we think God has called us. If God brings someone into our life, then God intends for us to serve that person (even if that person is not part of the sector of society to whom we are “called”).
Learning about prophets from prophets
God has not gifted me in prophecy. I’m not a prophet. I don’t even play one on TV. But, like Paul, I know that prophecy is beneficial for the church, just like all the gifts and services of all God’s children are beneficial for the church.
I was interested, then, in reading the thoughts of two prophets about the spiritual gift of prophecy.
Miguel at “God Directed Deviations” wrote a post called “Prophetic Agitation.”
Donald at “Unapologetic Prophet” wrote a follow-up post called “No School for Prophets: We Are Equipped, Not Academically Created.” (which is true for all of God’s children, by the way.)
Their posts reminded me of something… something that I already knew. But, still, the reminder was good.
God uses us to equip others to serve. And, he uses others to equip us to serve. Yes, God provides the gift, the opportunities, the passions, etc. But, as Paul wrote, he uses others to equip us so that we are ready to serve others.
We can definitely learn generally from people like Miguel and Donald, even though we’ve never met in real life, and have never spent time together – much less a significant amount of time. But, from what I’ve learned, God primarily uses those who are close to us in real life.
Who are your equippers (prophets, evangelists, or any other gifted persons)? Who are you to equip? Look around you? See those people who God has brought into your life. That’s who.
My love/hate relationship with Bible trivia games
Have you heard that there’s a new game show called The American Bible Challenge on GSN (Game Show Network) hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy? I watched an episode a few days ago, and I enjoyed the show. There were some great questions from Proverbs during the final segment of the show.
The show reminded me of a board game that I was given for Christmas once. It was a Bible trivia game based loosely on the popular board game Trivial Pursuit… and I loved both the Bible version and the original Trivial Pursuit game. I’m not bragging… but I’m pretty good at trivia. I have a good memory and a brain filled with useless (or rarely useful) information.
I like trivia… I like Bible trivia. I love moving my little game piece around the board and filling the slots with the little multicolored pie wedges.
I once thought that my ability to recall tidbits of information about the Bible indicated that I was a spiritual mature person. I mean, if I know alot of stuff about the Bible, then certainly I’m a good follower of Jesus Christ, right?
But, of course, there are several problems with my thinking.
First, knowledge of tidbits of information about the Bible has nothing to do with being a follower of Jesus Christ. In fact, in many ways, these tidbits of information distracted me from actually following Jesus.
The second problem with my thinking is that the Bible (the Scriptures) were not written to provide people with tidbits of information. In other words, I was completely missing the purposes of the Scriptures.
So, I still have a love-hate relationship with Bible trivia… even the new show The Great American Bible Challenge. But, this time, I found that I was able to watch the show without thinking my ability to answer the questions (or not) was an indication of following Jesus Christ.
However, when I watched that episode of the game show… and while all the contestants were answering questions about the Bible… I couldn’t help but wonder, “Are they missing the point of the Scriptures? What are they teaching their audience about the Scriptures?”
What do you think?
The difference between alive/dead and healthy/unhealthy
Last year, when I started eating better foods and exercising regularly (ok… exercising at all), I learned something important. There is a difference between being alive and being healthy. (In the same way, there is a difference between being dead and being unhealthy.)
For several years, I had been living a very unhealthy lifestyle, although I was still alive… I was still living. I was not dead. Thankfully, people did not treat me like I was dead even though I was unhealthy.
You know, it’s only people who are alive who can be healthy or unhealthy.
That’s true for physical life and physical health. It’s also true of spiritual life and spiritual health.
I’ve noticed that people often confuse the two issues. I’ve seen spiritually dead people exhorted toward spiritual health. I’ve also seen spiritually unhealthy people treated as if they were spiritually dead.
The issues involved with being spiritually alive or dead are different than the issues involved with being spiritually healthy or unhealthy.
It’s only people who are spiritually alive who can be spiritually healthy or unhealthy.
Did you know that almost all of Scripture was written to people who were already spiritually alive in order to encourage them toward being more spiritually healthy? It’s true. Even passages that discuss spiritual life and death were usually written to remind those who are already spiritually alive. (For example, consider Ephesians 2:1-10.)
Have you ever thought about the difference between being spiritually alive/dead and spiritually healthy/unhealthy? Do you make a distinction when you talk to and encourage other people? Do you know if you are encouraging them toward spiritual life or toward spiritual health?
What happens if you do not make a distinction? What happens if you exhort spiritually dead people in ways that are intended to help people who are already spiritually alive become more healthy?
What happens if you address spiritually unhealthy people as if they were spiritually dead?
Scripture… As We Live It #225
This is the 225th passage in “Scripture… As We Live It.”
Let those of us who are mature think this way, and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal that also to you change the way you are thinking. Only let us hold true to what we have attained everyone hold to what I have told you. (Philippians 3:15-16 re-mix)
(Please read the first post for an explanation of this series.)
Replay: Follow the Leader or Simon Says?
Five years ago, I wrote a post called “Follow the leader or Simon says?” In the post, I compared the two children’s games “Follow the leader” and “Simon says.” Believe it or not, both children’s games have leaders, but the leader in one game functions quite differently than the leader in the other game. I one of these games is a good example of how “leaders” should function among the church, while the other game is a good example of how “leaders” often function today among the church… unfortunately.
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Follow the leader or Simon says?
I’m working on a series about the role and function of elders among a community of believers. I’ve discussed leadership on this blog before, and those posts usually generate great discussions both online and off-line. I hope to begin publishing that series next week, but I may have to push it back another week. As I study, the series keeps expanding.
As I was thinking about the relationship between elders and leading, I thought about two children’s games: “Follow the leader” and “Simon says”.
In the game “Follow the leader”, children follow the actions of a “leader”. If the “leader” walks, then the others walk. If the “leader” runs, the the others run. The “leader” is doing everything as an example for others to “follow”. But, the important point here is that the “leader” is doing – he or she is active. The other children in line follow the example of the “leader’s” actions.
In the game “Simon says”, children follow the directions of a “leader”. If the “leader” says, “Walk”, then the others walk. If the “leader” says, “Run”, then the others run. The “leader” is not active. Instead, the “leader” tells the others what to do. The other children do not follow the example of the “leader’s” actions. Instead, the other children are supposed to follow the commands of the “leader”.
I think many churches are built around “Simon says” type leadership, while Jesus points to “Follow the leader” type leadership. In fact, there is only one “Simon” for the follower of Jesus Christ. And, while Jesus alone possesses the authority to command, he chose to come as a “Follow the leader” type leader.
We need more examples to follow, and less Simons to obey.
How do we know whether to turn back or keep going in the face of struggles?
In my previous post, I asked, “Are struggles a sign from God to stop or an opportunity to persevere?” In Scripture, we see examples of both.
In some cases in Scripture, struggles and trials are an indication that the person is going in the wrong direction (think about Jonah). In other cases in Scripture, struggles and trials come along because the person is going in the right direction, and God intends for them to persevere through the difficult times (think about all of Paul’s shipwrecks).
So, when we face difficulties, how do we know if God wants us to push on and persevere through the struggles or if God wants to us to stop or change directions because we’re going against his will?
The answer is both extremely simple and extremely complicated. God will tell us.
This is extremely simple because we do not have to worry about which direction to take. God will communicate that to us. Remember, he loves us more than we can ever realize. He is not like us; he does not take pleasure in his children going in the wrong direction; he does not sit back and laugh at our mistakes or make fun of us when we fail. He loves us. And, we can trust that he will communicate his desires to us.
But, the answer is also extremely complicated. The answer is not complicated because of God; the answer is complicated because of us. Although God communicates to use clearly, we do not always hear him clearly. We allow so many other voices and concerns and noises and worries and desires drown out his clear and loving directions.
Did you know that Paul did not always start out going the way that God wanted him to go… and, yes, I’m talking about after his conversion:
And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. (Acts 16:6-10 ESV)
Even though Paul and his team headed in the wrong direction a couple of times, God continued communicating to them and did not give up on them. Also, did you notice that after Paul’s vision, the group (“we”) together concluded that the dream that God was directing them to go to Macedonia?
Yes, head in the direction that you think God wants you to go, and keep listening to him. Read Scripture and ensure that your plans are not contrary to what God has already revealed, and keep listening to God. Talk to the brothers and sisters in your life, listen to their advice, and keep listening to God. Always, always, always be ready to change directions. Never conclude that you’ve got it all figured out.
And, most of all, trust God.