THE PREMISE OF CHRISTIANITY…

It sucks that we have turned Christianity into a religion.

For the record…Christianity is not about rituals, practices or habits.  It’s not about tithing, church attendance, or volunteering.  It’s not about programs, ministries, and mission statements.  It’s not about dressing up or dressing down.  It’s not about saying the right thing, in the right way, at the right time.  It’s not about guilt and shame.  It’s not about hell and condemnation.   It’s not about behavior modification. It’s not about singing and communion.  It’s not about worship styles, scripture translations, or orders of worship.  It’s not about the name of the sign outside of the building.  It’s not about fellowship meals, game nights, and small groups.  It’s not about sermons and Bible classes.  It’s not about VBS and door knocking.  It’s not about baptism, confession, or repentance.  It’s not about neat and orderly. It’s not about morality.  It’s not about America.  It’s not about a political party.  It’s not about you looking like you have it all together.

The premise of Christianity is that we are newly formed….born again into a new way of being human because our God loves us.

Shame on us when we teach as if Christianity is simply behavior modification to adhere to a sort of vague pious lifestyle instituted by a distant God who is waiting to pounce on our mistakes.  The God revealed in Scripture is not against us…He is for us.  All of us.  Not some of us.  Not the good ones.  Not the ones who have it all together.  This God is for all of us.

It’s time we wake up and live in that truth.  Because this world will never see the Kingdom of God when the followers of Christ can’t see it themselves.

NIMROD AND THE DIFFERENT HUMANS…

Our students are going through a series in our worship gatherings entitled ‘the God story.’  The God story is a journey through the Genesis narrative … a seeking to understand the storyline of what the original author intended to unveil to his audience.  (side note:  creation, the fall, the flood…these are all storylines which reveal something deep, profound, and engaging about this God which the writer expresses).  Our journey through the beginning of things brought us to a story in Genesis 10 and 11 … the storyline of a guy named Nimrod and his vision to build a city.

In interest to keep this relatively short, I won’t go into full detail.  But, there’s a lot going on here behind the scenes.  Nimrod was a sort of living legend…a hunter so well skilled at his craft that he was regarded as a sort of king sent from the gods to walk among them.  The original hearers of this story would’ve known Nimrod…he would have filled the legends and stories of the Babylon empire.

At this point of the story, the early humans are on a journey eastward…populating the earth as they move forward.  This moving east is significant in the storyline.  It’s significant because it finds it’s roots in another story…the story of Noah.  After the flood this God speaks to Noah and says, ‘Go forward and multiply.  Fill the earth.’  This wasn’t a command.  This was destiny.  God was revealing to Noah his destiny…to fill this earth.  “This is what you were created for.  Now go forward, and live in your destiny.”

And so, in the moving forward of things, a man rises up and says… we are done with the moving forward of things.  And so, Nimrod says, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower reaching into the heavens.  This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”  And the people moving forward, moving eastward in their journey…stop and build a city.

Now, this is where the story gets strange.  Apparently this God comes down from the heavens and walks around the foundations of this city.  He becomes fearful of the potential of these humans…and says ‘Come, let us confuse the people with different languages…then they won’t be able to understand each other.’

Weird.

For the longest time, I couldn’t grasp this story.  Why would Moses write about this?!!  The people just wanted to build a city…a place to call home.  What was so wrong, so offensive about that?  We build cities all the time…

But this is about more than a city.  This is about more than buildings, streets, and governments.  This is about the early human’s destiny – about their very definition of what it meant to be human.  This was an act of rebellion and defiance with implications larger than they could’ve understood.

This was treason.

And we find the treason in this statement:  “Let’s make a name for ourselves.”  This is intentional from the writer’s standpoint…because Genesis is rich with God naming things.  He names the day, and the night.  He names Abraham and Israel.  He looks at Adam and Eve and names them humans.

This God names things not out of boredom, but out of purpose.

To say ‘Let us make a name for ourselves’ is to denounce the name God had given the people.  It was to separate themselves from the journey and destiny that God had prepared for them.  It was a choosing to become a different human than the humans they had been created to be.

The different humans go on to build this city in Babel…which later becomes the foundation for Babylon…an oppressive empire founded on the backs of slave labor and injustice.  The empire which would enslave and de-humanize the people of God.

For the original audience, this was the “ah-ha” moment.

Because the writer’s chief concern isn’t that they grasp the history of the moment, but that they grasp the teaching of the moment:  let us never settle outside of the path God has given us.  Let us always move forward, and never settle.

Genesis, after all, was written to the Hebrew nation as they wandered in the wilderness for forty years on a quest to discover and take hold of the Promised Land.

And that message is still for us today.  May we never settle in a broken world.  May we never become the different humans – choosing to walk away from our destiny found in the Creator.  May we instead choose to be the new humans – choosing to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly in the path of God.

And may we walk … because following Christ is never stagnant nor stale.

IT MIGHT BE TIME….

The SuperBowl is right around the corner.

Which is, of course, a marketer’s favorite time of the year.  Gigantic risks, edgy commercial spots, and hopefully brand recognition which resonates throughout the rest of the year.

And we get to set back and judge it all.

So…what’s your favorite SuperBowl commercial of the last three years?

(mine happens to be this commercial from Career Builder during last years SuperBowl)

WHAT IS “IT”?…..

What is “it”?

“It” is bigger than charisma.  Plenty of people are charismatic….likeable from the moment you meet them, and engaging every time you are exposed to their thoughts.

“It” is bigger than passion.  There are a billion passionate people in the world…yet, problems still persist, wrongs are still acted out, and complacency is still the norm.

“It” is bigger than a revolutionary thought.  Every single one of us has a revolutionary thought at some point in our life.  Yet, that thought is never given credibility, never put on display…and never allowed to breathe.

Yet, “it” is what moves companies, organizations, and personalities from mediocrity and obscurity to recognizability and influence.  “It” is what separates a book from the back shelf and the New York Times Bestseller List.  “It” is what transforms a band from playing gigs to selling out arenas.  “It” is what takes you from your cubicle to a corner office.

So the question is, what is “it?”

IN THE BEGINNING….

In the beginning…..God created.

God created….what?  Our answer is quick to recount the listing:   the heavens and earth, stars, moon, sun, plants, animals, sea, sky, man, woman…life.  But what if in our faithful recounting of the creation of things, we’ve totally missed the point of the creation story?  What if the point of the creation story isn’t a how-to-manual for the creation of a universe, or loaded fodder for a creation vs. evolution debate?

What if there is a totally different purpose behind the creation story than just to recount the making of things?

The Genesis is the beginning thoughts about this God which we discover through the Bible.  The Bible is a historical narrative revealing individual and communal stories wrestling with their inclusion in the larger God story.  The creation story becomes the unveiling of who this God is and what this God is about.  And so, in the beginning, we see that this God was existing in the beginning.

The story says that this God was existing before our notion of time, and His spirit was ‘hovering over the darkness and the waters.’

His Spirit was moving.  He was restless amid nothingness.

It’s as if the writer wants us to know that this God isn’t satisfied just existing, which means that this God can be satisfied with something.  So the writer is opening a window into the heart of God to see that this God….feels.

So this feeling God is hovering, moving from dark place to dark place, from deep water to deep water.  You start to get the image that this God is everywhere.  He is above all things, around all things, and in all things.  He is the center for all things.

He is everywhere, and He is creating.

To create something is a work of art.  Art is an expression of passion, desire, and vision.  To create something is to envision something, and throw yourself into the project until it is created.  And what every great artist knows is that art is love.

It’s the extension of ourselves.

And so, the God story begins with a God who is everywhere creating things that He loves and attaching His feelings to these created things.

It’s as if the writer wants us to know at the very beginning of the story:

this God loves us.

THOUGHTS ON THE KINGDOM

The message of Jesus Christ is nothing short of revolutionary.  Jesus Christ, the craftsman and leader of this universe, left heaven to become human.  He lived with us.  He saw what we see, heard what we hear, and felt what we feel.  He attended weddings and went to funerals.  He went to church and hung out in bars.  He laughed, and He screamed.  He was glory in everyday clothes…the real Son of God living next door.

He lived in a world of oppression and bondage…a land that used people as pawns for power, prestige, and authority.  Government officials and religious leaders made their living ensuring that people would never see their true worth or potential.  The system dehumanized people – violently robbing them of life as it was meant to be lived, and forced on them this sort of structured and conflicted life.  Religion existed to bring the privileged more privilege.  Government existed to bring the wealthy more wealth.

In the midst of this empire, He taught us that He was raising up a new kingdom….a different kingdom….the kingdom of God on this planet.  He was bringing a kingdom that wasn’t ruled by violence or coercion.  But rather, He was building a kingdom that values the human and invites the sacred.  A kingdom that is just…full of mercy, compassion, and righteousness.   A kingdom strong enough to survive the most brutal attacks from it’s enemies.  A kingdom which could claim victory over hell itself.

He said the way into this kingdom was to die to ourselves….to leave our old nature behind and pursue a new way of living and being human.  It was through this kingdom and this way, that He revealed God to us.  He showed us a God that is more compassionate and more merciful than we have ever dared to dream.  A God who hears the cry of the oppressed, and sees the afflictions of those who have been cast aside.  This God is on the side of the defeated…not the powerful, prestigious, wealthy, got-it-all-togethers.  This God moves on behalf of those who can’t move for themselves.  He said that this God was for us, not against us.

He proclaimed that He would give us entrance into the very house of God.  That He would reconcile us…that even though we had drifted far from Him, He would be the way to bring us back into God.  He said God was waiting….desiring for us to come home.

He was what we needed, what we had longed for and dreamt of for generations upon generations…..and we killed Him.  We couldn’t handle Him…couldn’t refine Him to our system, or teach Him to play by our rules.  The empire…the system…had won.  And it seemed that everything was over.

But He came back.

He conquered death, and taught us that we have nothing left to hide behind.  All things have been exposed for what they are…temporary and weak.  The kingdom remains.  His kingdom will forge forward;  changing lives, shaping societies, and bringing redemption for all people.  That kingdom is still present, still alive, still active today.

Who wants in?!

THOUGHTS ON ‘THE WAY’

Acts 19 has been killing me lately.  The following story takes place in Acts 19:23-41, and reveals how ‘the Way’ was influencing the city of Ephesus.  So, for the next few posts, let’s embark on what it looks like to be a part of ‘the Way.’

Ephesus was a booming, vibrant, emerging city with several privileged and esteemed personalities. One of the most influential of these personalities was Demetrius, the CEO of a local blacksmith co-op. Demetrius’ company employed several skilled craftsmen, which means that this business provided a powerful reputation, a comfortable living, and I’m assuming, a more than a few fringe benefits. The entrepreneur leveraged his entire business on the production of quality material for the city’s largest attraction: the temple of the goddess Artimus. And business was good…

Until the Way began to emerge.

It seems that there was this grassroots movement which was infiltrating every fiber of the city’s existence, reputation, and structure. This movement was, of course, comprised of followers and believers of Jesus Christ, who were living their faith so passionately and boldly that their reputation began to be defined by their lifestyle. The Way was compromising and redefining everything.

Including Demetrius’ livelihood. Ever the market analyst, Demetrius’ assembled his skilled tradesmen together, a reactionary move to thwart the progress of the Way. It appears that when your business is the mass production of silver goddesses and her ornaments, it’s not good for business when there is a large following proclaiming that these relics are simply not what they claim to be. So in chapter 19 (vs23) of the book of Acts we come across this all-telling phrase: “Serious trouble developed in Ephesus concerning the Way.”

Side note to the story: I can’t help but be amazed that a powerful and prestigious business leader was concerned about a church. The Way was building momentum, and the city’s landscape was beginning to reflect that. The Way had undeniably come to town and set up shop.

Which makes me question: Are our churches really affecting our communities? We yell pretty loud, give some pretty convincing arguments, and picket a whole bunch of things. We knock on some doors, invite to VBS, and have a student ministry. But is the dynamic of our community and city changing because we’re gaining momentum and leveraging influence?

We’ve become really good at telling people what not to be, but are we teaching people who they are in Christ? Shouldn’t our churches should be causing radical grassroots uprising in our communities…not through picket lines, abrasive church signs, boycotts, or judgmental stances but rather through our radical pursuit of compassion, justice, and grace. Shouldn’t businesses, leaders, and dynamics that profit from the misguidance, misfortune, and mistreatment of fellow humans feel threatened by our message, lifestyle, and influence? The way of Jesus demands that “business as usual” not be “business as usual.”

Isn’t it true that we are often more concerned with our churches attendance and budget than we are with influencing our culture with this new, redefined way of living? Isn’t it sad that most of our churches teach a removal from culture rather than a leveraging of culture? Isn’t it humiliating that we hold up our traditions at the cost of reaching the next generations with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Isn’t it ridiculous that the church has become defined by our indifference? And doesn’t it suck that we don’t seem to really care all that much?

Maybe our churches are as in as much need for the Way as our culture is.

I digress. Back to Ephesus…

CATALYST BOUND

I’m somewhere in the Carolinas on my way to Atlanta for Catalyst (a conference for next generation leaders). I’m so amped for some ridiculous worship plus Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Tony Dungee, and Louie Giglio (just to name a few)! I plan on blogging thoughts, quotes, and ideas…in essence taking you to the conference with me! Stay current with the conversation through this blog, or by following me on Twitter!

Let the re-blogging begin!

WHEN CHURCH BECOMES A DESTINATION

My friend, Adam Ellis, posted this quote from Brian McClaren on his facebook this morning: “What is the purpose of the church? [Is it] to enfold and warehouse Christians for heaven, protecting them from damage and spoilage until they reach their destination? Or to recruit and train people to be transforming agents of the kingdom of God in our culture? The missional church understands itself to be blessed not to the exclusion of the world, but for the benefit of the world.”

McClaren killed it with that truth. We have defiled the church’s true beauty and identity. We have made the church an entity, an enterprise, a social club, a gathering, a place….ultimately, a destination. I use “we” intentionally and not generically, because in my own life I have been a part of this abuse.

But “the church” is the body of Christ on this earth…it is the moving of His passion for His purpose, which is to be a seeker redeemer of all men and all women, not an aquarium for the saved. May we repent…may I repent…from turning the movement of heaven into a destination on earth.

Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting on some various things surrounding this question….”So, what is the church?” Would love your feedback!

SNIPETS FROM SUNDAY’S SERMON

If you’re a subscriber, and you’re getting multiple feeds from me today via email or facebook, I’m sorry about the mess.  Our student ministry is researching podcasting to launch this fall, and I’ve been toying around with how to best link or embed it on blogs and facebook profiles.  So…please excuse me! 

Sunday’s sermon kicked my tail…and I want to share a few of my thoughts with you for further discussion and thought.  Here they are, in no particular order:

• The church is really good at talking about faith, yet scared to actually live in faith.
• We tend to blame the culture for the ineffectiveness of our churches (i.e.,  this generation is too lazy, this generation is godless, this generation doesn’t care, etc.)
• The world has always been full of godless people who could care less about faith…when churches become living examples of faith, that excuse becomes our greatest attractor.
• We are more relient on our heritage, traditions, and practices than we are on Christ.
• What would happen if we let go of “the way things have always been” for “the way things can be”?
• What if we lived in a daily expectation of the impossible?  Wouldn’t that be what faith is?
• Unless we are dreaming impossibly as a church, then are we really trusting in God to make impossible things happen?
• Churches should not be static destinations or arenas of Christians…rather, churches should be living, breathing, evolving organisms of faith in Jesus Christ.
• When a world sees a church let go of it’s heritage with its’ saints to pursue a future with sinners, then the world sees a God who is unfailing in His love, kindness, and grace to this world.

Again, just a few thoughts from my sermon this Sunday.  Feel free to comment, add to, or add your own thought from Sunday’s sermon if you were @ Belpre.   If not, then here’s your thought for discussion:  what is it that holds the church back from living her true destiny?