December 31, 2008

I’m still enjoying blogging – especially the interaction with my readers. Here is a summary of my most read posts from this year along with the date that I published the post:

1. Won’t Get Fooled Again (January 16, 2008)
2. Summary: Should elders/pastors be paid a salary? (October 10, 2007)
3. Eccesiology FAQ (January 1, 2008)
4. Ephesians 4:11 and the Five-Fold Ministry (April 17, 2007)
5. 1 Corinthians 9 and salaries for pastors (October 6, 2008)
6. How Does God Communicate? (March 6, 2007)
7. City Church – A Chain Blog (May 26, 2008)
8. Obey and Submit? (Hebrews 3:17) (July 16, 2007)
9. What about honor for elders/pastors? (October 8, 2007)
10. What about work? (October 6, 2007)

As you can tell, six of those posts were written in 2007. If I remove those, the following posts written in 2008 would be in my top ten most read posts:

5. Sharper than any two-edged sword (January 20, 2008)
6. A Cup o’ Joe or a Cup with Joe (May 13, 2008)
7. Investigating the New Monasticism (March 13, 2008)
8. Maturity and Education (September 17, 2008)
9. And he gave… (Ephesians 4:11) (August 18, 2008)
10. Meeting with the Early Church – Pliny’s Letter (March 10, 2008)

I’m surprised that people continue to read my older posts. Most of these are reached through search engines. I’m also surprised that my posts about leadership in the church end up being in my most read list, while they are only a small percentage of the posts that I write.

When I started this blog, I didn’t have any goals concerning the number of readers or page views. I still don’t. I’m surprised and thankful that people continue to read my blog. I’m especially thankful when you choose to interact with what I write and with one another in the comments.

Thank you for continuing to read and comment on my blog posts. My readers make this blog very valuable to me. While I started the blog to write about my studies – to put what I’m learning into words – it has become much more than that. I’m learning as much from you as from the books that I’m reading and the classes that I’m taking. Thank you!

December 30, 2008

It has become a tradition for me to choose one book that I’ve read this year as my favorite book of the year. (See my posts about the best books of “2007” and “2006“.)

I read many books this last year. I had to read most of them for school. I chose to read other books. It was more difficult to choose a “best book” this year because I read so many good books.

But, I think Reimagining Church by Frank Viola was the best book that I read this year.

I wrote about this book a couple of times this year. See my posts “A Quote from Reimagining Church” and “Reimagining Church“.

Also, I had the opportunity to interview Frank and then respond to his interview. See my posts “In Conversation with Frank Viola” and “Response to Frank Viola“.

Primarily, this book is important because Frank encourages believers to understand the church as an organic entity, not as an organization. While many would agree with this statement, the actions and practices and decisions made by many churches indicate that they do not actually believe it and they do not live it.

The church must learn to serve through relationships with one another and with the world. Currently, too many believers are hiding a lack of relationships through programs and structures.

I encourage everyone to read this book. Even if you are happy with the traditional, institutional model of the church, I believe you can learn from Frank in this book.

December 29, 2008

Last week, in a post called “A Contest: Examples of Serving“, I announced a contest where the winner will receive a copy of John Perkins’ book Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development. Please read that post for details. Remember to submit your story about serving others before January 19, 2009.

December 29, 2008

I started reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer yesterday, and I’ll probably finish it today. I saw the movie a few weeks ago, and liked it. I heard that the books were very good, so I decided to try it for part of my vacation reading.

I’ve been very pleasantly surprised. Not only am I enjoying the story, I’m learning alot about the human condition that we call sin. What? I’m learning theology from a book about vampires? Yes. Was it written with this in mind? I don’t know.

Quick synopsis: Bella moves from Arizona to Washington when her mother gets remarried. She falls in love with a boy named Edward. She soon discovers that Edward and his family are vampires. But, his family – unlike other vampires – have chosen not to hunt humans, although they continue to have the strong desire for human blood.

Edward also falls in love with Bella. And, for a vampire, this is a dangerous attraction. He now wants her blood more than anything else. In fact, whenever he is with her, he has to constantly maintain control or he would kill her.

Here is an important passage:

[Edward:] “Ask me anything.”

I [Bella] sifted through my questions for the most vital. “Why do you do it?” I said. “I still don’t understand how you can work so hard to resist what you … are. Please don’t misunderstand, of course I’m glad that you do. I just don’t see why you would bother in the first place.”

He hesitated before answering. “That’s a good question, and you are not the first one to ask it. The other – the majority of our kind who are quite content with our lot – they, too, wonder at how we live. But you see, just because we’ve been … dealt a certain hand … it doesn’t mean that we can’t choose to rise above – to conquer that boundaries of a destiny that none of us wanted. To try to retain whatever essential humanity we can.”

Does this remind of you anything? We have been dealt a certain hand as well – as sinners. And, we have also been called to rise above the boundaries of a destiny that none of us wanted. We’ve been called to “put off the old man”… to “put on Christ”… to “not sin”… to “live holy”… in other words, to live as if we are different than we were made to be. [Obviously, the analogy is different because we are also indwelled by the Holy Spirit. We "rise above" by the grace of God. Yet, there is still a denial and some responsibility required on our part.]

In the book, Edward, the vampire, recognizes that if he gives in to his natural desires, he will hurt other people. Often, as followers of Jesus Christ, we often forget that when we give in to our natural desires to sin, we also hurt other people. We are forgive by God, but there are still consequences, both to ourselves and to others.

Some have decided to live apart from the world in an attempt to remove the desires. This doesn’t work, and its contrary to the will of God as he’s revealed in Scripture. Instead, like Edward, we are live in constant recognition of our natural tendencies. We are to live in control of our selves – a control that is the product of our yielding to the Spirit living in our lives.

In reality, I am Edward the vampire, with the constant threat of hurting myself and others when I give in to my natural desires. But, also in reality, I am indwelled by the Spirit in order to rise above my natural tendencies and to live life as a new creature in Christ.

December 28, 2008

This is passage #34 in “Scripture… As We Live It“:

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us : Scripture, theology, Christology, pneumatology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. (Titus 2:1-8 re-mix)

December 27, 2008

Last summer, our family began spending time in a government assisted housing development in our area. This service began after a conversation with a friend who lives in that neighborhood. She had often asked us to pray for and help her neighbors. After talking with her, I asked if she thought it would be a good idea for us to start spending time in her neighborhood. She thought it was a good idea, and she said she would introduce us to her neighbors.

We had a simple plan when we started. We wanted to help the people physically, but we also wanted to begin building relationships with them. So, that first Saturday, we stopped by a local farmer’s market and bought $25 worth of vegetables and fruit and placed the produce in five small bags. As our friend introduced us to some of her neighbors that morning, we would give them a bag of produce, and ask them about themselves.

From the beginning, some of the people were very open to us. Others were suspicious. They are accustomed to nameless and faceless Christian groups and agencies coming in and giving stuff to nameless and faceless “poor people”. Often they are given “stuff” that they do not need – stuff like old bread, rotting produce, or cakes, cookies, and pies. Instead, we brought in fresh produce (only a little) and sat or stood with the people, talked with them, and got to know them.

Again, we did not have any other agenda. We had no plans going forward. Why? Because we did not know the people yet. We did not know what they needed. We did not know what God was going to do.

Over the last few months, other friends and families have started spending time in this neighborhood with us. By the time the farmer’s market closed in November, we were taking produce to 8 families every week. Also, we often took fresh baked (baked that morning) bread (made from freshly ground wheat) to the families.

But, more importantly, we’ve gotten to know many of the people who live in that neighborhood, and they have gotten to know us. They call us to check on us, and we call them to check on them. Even the people who were once suspicious because of past experiences with Christian groups have become good friends. We love each other… we say that we love each other… and we show that we love each other.

Besides visiting with them on Saturdays, we’ve had other opportunities to serve the people in the neighborhood. We sang Christmas carols in the neighborhood a few weeks ago. We had the opportunity to help one lady pay her utility bill. We’ve taken several elderly neighbors to doctor’s appointments, or visited them in the hospital, or even brought them home from the hospital. We tutored a single mother who is finishing her degree from a community college. We’ve provided furniture. We’ve taken meals to people who were sick. We bought toys for the neighborhood children for Christmas. We raked leaves.

We did all of these things because we love the people and we want to demonstrate the love of Christ to them. In fact, the reason that we were able to do these things is because we took the time to get to know them in the first place.

Let me repeat that: THE REASON THAT WE WERE ABLE TO SHOW THIS NEIGHBORHOOD THE LOVE OF CHRIST IS THAT WE TOOK THE TIME TO GET TO KNOW THEM FIRST. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to shout. But, statements like this are often overlooked.

As I finish this post, I encourage you to start spending time with people – both with people you already “know” and people you do not know. You will find that God gives you opportunities to serve and demonstrate his love through those relationships. It won’t be easy. It will often be messy. But, it will be real.

December 26, 2008

Last December, I wrote a post called “Guaranteed church building program“. Its not what you think. It is not a exegesis of the Book of Nehemiah. But, read it. Give it a try. The church will be built up… perhaps not in the way that you want, though.

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Guaranteed church building program

I have been part of many church building programs. I’ve heard the book of Nehemiah preached as an example of a successful church building program. However, there is a church building program that I have rarely heard mentioned, and yet, this church building program is guaranteed! That’s right, this program is guaranteed to build the church without going into debt one penny.

I like to call this program “God’s Guaranteed Church Building Program”:

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16 ESV)/blockquote>Did you catch that last phrase? By following this simple procedure, the church is guaranteed to “build itself up”! Isn’t that awesome! Isn’t that amazing! But, what is this procedure?

1. Put Christ in his proper position as the head of the church.
2. Allow, encourage, and expect all believers to serve one another.
3. Do not allow a single person or a small group of people (including leaders) to do everything.
4. Help each person to work properly among their brothers and sisters.

That’s it – four easy steps to guaranteed church growth.

Yes, I know what you may be thinking: This is not the kind of church building program that I had in mind. I understand your problem. However, it does seem that this is the kind of church building program that God has in mind. Perhaps its time to change your mind.

Perhaps there are others among you – leaders especially – who may be thinking something like this: But, those other members of the church could never do what I do; they just don’t have the experience, the talent, the training, or the education. My suggestion: You’re doing the wrong things. According to this guaranteed church building program, the church will grow only when ALL parts of the church are doing their part, not when you are doing everything the best you can.

Then, there is another question that rises about this church building program: But, if I let other people do the work, they may not do it correctly. Again, you are absolutely correct. People are going to fail. That’s why God has provided mature brothers and sisters like yourself to help them learn from their mistakes and to grow toward maturity in Christ. Perhaps you can do everything better than others – that’s good. But, according to God, that’s not best. God’s solution is for everyone to work together.

There you have it: God’s guaranteed church building program. And, the best thing about this program is that you do not have to buy a book or attend a conference. You simply trust God to work through the people that he has brought together. You allow him to use you and others to teach, lead by example, and encourage others to work together. And God says that when we do this, the church will build itself up in love. Guaranteed.

December 25, 2008

December 24, 2008

The title of this blog post comes from James C. Wilhoit’s latest book: Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered: Growing in Christ through Community. I picked this book up a few months ago, but I’ve only recently been able to start reading it. While I haven’t read much, I am excited about it so far – primarily because this is not a book that teaches a works based sanctification. Instead, he says that spiritual formation (transformation) occurs primarily as God works through a community of believers.

In his introduction, Wilhoit says:

While patterns of formation emerge, there does not exist anything approaching a “technology of spirtual formation.” Formation remains a messy and imprecise business, where character, wisdom, and faith play a far greater role than theories and techniques. Ironically, one value of engagement in deliberate formation is that it drives us to prayer because it reminds us, more than popular how-to books do, that true formation comes from grace and by grace, channeled through our humble efforts. (17)

Here are a few more quote to whet your appetite:

So many initiatives aimed at spiritual formation seem to have lost their bearings and have settled for secondary goals. We’ve learned a new terminology while maintaining the old lack of healthy spirituality. Sadly, many of these spiritual formation programs seem like third-rate manufacturers that crank out mediocre products and never seem to catch on that their manufacturing processes are finely tuned to consistently produce shoddy goods. Yet one must conclude that the program is perfectly designed to bring the disappointing results that it constantly gets. (33)

Spiritual formation does not take place primarily in small groups and Sunday school classes; instead, it mostly takes place in the well-lived and everyday events of our lives. (38)

[W]e must pattern our lives after Jesus and recognize that our perception of his example and our faithfulness in following it will be limited… Imitating Jesus’ practices of spiritual growth will include the classical spiritual disciplines but must take us far beyond them as well… True imitation respects the tension between the reality that the Holy Spirit ultimately brings about our imitation through conforming us to Christ’s likeness and the reality that we must work hard and carefully at imitating Christ by adopting his lifestyle and patterns of life… I do not intend to soften the language of command, but rather to recognize that Jesus is inviting us to a certain way of living. He is not content to simply order us to do such and such; he wants “us” far more than our action. (43-44)

I have identified four spiritual commitments, designated as the four pillars of formation; these serve as the framework for cultivating the practice of Jesus’ great invitations [to love God and love others]. They are receiving, remembering, responding, and relating… The receiving dimension highlights our need to focus on Jesus and be open to his grace for spiritual formation. Christian spirituality’s concern that we learn from Christ and receive God’s enabling grace separates it from the cultural assumption that any spirituality will do as long as we follow it sincerely. Remembering describes the process of learning to remember, deep in our heart, who we are and, more importantly, whose we are. The next dimension, responding, reminds us that the enterprise of formational changes of character and action do not exist for our own private ends but to enable us to serve others and the world through love. Finally, relating affirms that spiritual formation takes place best in and through community. (50-51)

I’m enjoying this book tremendously so far. He has helped me think through and combine some concepts that have been circling around in my mind for a while.

What do you think of these quotes?

December 23, 2008

When we get together with the church in our weekly meeting, someone leads us in singing several songs. Usually, this person changes from week to week.

If I’m scheduled to teach, I usually try to talk about some of the songs that we sang that morning. Why? So that the songs becomes more than an activity, but can actually be useful in building us up and helping us grow toward maturity:

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16 ESV)

One morning, we sang the hymn “I Surrender All” together:

All to Jesus I surrender
All to him I freely give
I will ever love and trust him
In his presence daily live

I surrender all
I surrender all
All to thee my blessed savior
I surrender all

As we were talking about the songs that morning, I was thinking about the idea of surrender and yielding our lives to God – about trusting him and him alone – about not leaning on my own understanding. But, one brother’s thoughts were elsewhere. He said that he was troubled by singing that song. I asked him why.

He said, “I don’t like lying to God, even when I’m singing. So, I sang, ‘I want to surrender all…’”

He’s right. We often sing things that are untrue. We often sing lies to God. Oh, we may WANT it to be true of us, but that doesn’t mean that it is true. Like this brother said, I think it is much better to be honest with God – and with ourselves – than to sing lies to God.

Do you think about the songs that you’re singing? Do you learn from one another when you’re singing with a group of believers? Do you allow others to admonish you when you’re singing?

I learned that day. And, I was admonished to think carefully about what I’m singing to God. I don’t want to sing lies to God.