April 30, 2009

The more commentaries I read concerning Hebrews 10:24-25, the more I come across statements like this:

The reason the meetings of the assembly are not to be neglected is that they provide a communal setting where mutual encouragement and admonition may occur… The entire community must assume responsibility to watch that no one grows weary or becomes apostate. This is possible only when Christians continue to exercise care for one another personally. – William L. Lane, Hebrews 9-13, Word Biblical Commentary vol 47B (Dallas: Word Books, 1991), 290

This is not an isolated conclusion. In fact, the vast majority of commentators recognize the importance of “mutual encouragement and admonition” when the church gathers together. They recognize that the author of Hebrews assumed that this would be the norm for church meetings.

So, why do so few church meetings today provide opportunities for mutual encouragement and admonition?

April 30, 2009

My friend Lew from “The Pursuit” started a new meme with two posts called “This I Used to Believe” and “This I Now Believe“. I decided to do Lew’s meme, but discuss things that I once believed and now believe concerning the church – since this blog is primarily about the church. So, here are some things that I once believed with what I now believe:

I used to believe that preaching a 30-45 minute sermon on Sunday morning or night was the epitome of the Christian life. Now I believe that neither preaching nor listening to a sermon on Sunday morning should be the center of a Christian’s life. Instead, serving and loving others in the name of Christ is much more important. Plus, many times, a five minute personal exhortation is much more effective than a general sermon.

I used to believe that leadership was the greatest type of service. Now I believe that service is the greatest type of service. However, I do believe that we should follow those who serve. But, those who serve are not so concerned about gathering followers. Instead, they are concerned with serving.

I used to believe that the 501(c)3 organization was the church. Now I believe that the people are the church… really… no, really. The church can organize, but the organization is not the church.

I used to believe that the senior pastor (and the staff under his direction) was responsible for all teaching and discipleship. I now believe that while elders (pastors) should teach and disciple, this responsibility is for every follower of Jesus Christ, regardless of the education, gifting, training, abilities, positions, etc.

I used to believe that discipleship was a 1-2 hour per week class with a workbook to be completed by those who were very spiritual. I now believe that biblical discipleship occurs 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. We must live life with one another in order to disciple one another. This cannot happen in a classroom alone, or in a programmed event alone.

I used to believe that it was the leaders’ (elders/pastors) responsibility to “run” the church meeting so that the church benefited. I now believe that it is every believer’s responsibility to think about the others in their community, and speak/serve during the meeting in a way that encourages others towards love, good works, and maturity in Christ.

I used to believe that education and knowledge were the same as maturity. I now believe that education and knowledge often have very little to do with maturity, and can be a source of pride and immaturity.

I used to believe that if I could sit quietly during and learn from the pastor’s sermon, then I was spiritual. I now believe that if I can listen to the Holy Spirit and obey him, then I am spiritual.

If you’d like to take part in this meme, please leave a note here, or on one of Lew’s posts.

April 29, 2009

This post is part of my “stories” series. In this series, I share stories of how people live their lives in response to the gospel and as a demonstration of God’s love in order to teach us and to provide an example to provoke us to love and good works. (See “stories: A New Series” for more information about this series.)

In the fall of 2007, some good friends of ours decided to start spending time in a local nursing home. This wasn’t a “church program” or a “ministry”, but a desire on their part to spend time with “the least” in order to demonstrate God’s love. They talked to the administration at the nursing home, completed the forms and classes and tests necessary to spend time with the residents, and started going to the nursing home one morning each week. They all went – the husband, wife, and their children, even their 3 year old.

They invited me to go with them, and I wanted to go. But, I couldn’t go because of scheduling – work, teaching, and school scheduling. However, last summer, when I was only working, I was able to adjust my work schedule to spend time with them in the nursing home.

I arrived at the same time my friends arrived, and I walked into a common room with them. There were already fifteen or so residents sitting in a circle – some in wheelchairs, some in chairs, some on sofas – waiting for them to arrive. My friends started greeting the residents, and I could tell right away that this was more than a “program” to them. They genuinely love these elderly men and women. Some of the residents greeted them with smiles and hugs and words expressing their gratitude for coming. Other residents nodded or moaned, but were unable to communicate more than that. Some residents seemed completely unresponsive. But, my friends made their way around to each person, holding their hand, speaking a kind word to them, showing them the love of Christ, even if the person could not respond.

Eventually, a few of my friends headed down the halls of the nursing home to the rooms of some of the residents that they knew well. A few minutes later they returned walking with or pushing someone who had forgotten that they were coming, or had been unable to come on their own. Soon, there were twenty or more residents chatting with my friends.

My friend reminded the residents that they had been reading through the Gospel of Matthew together. He opened his Bible and, he and his children started reading from chapter 25 – each one taking turns. They read two chapters, not just a few verses. I knew that some of the residents could not hear what was being read. I knew that some of the residents could hear but could not process or remember what was being read. But, they knew that my friends were there because they cared for them deeply.

Call it coincidence – or call it divine providence – but the chapters that my friends read that morning included this passage:

Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:32-40 ESV)

I couldn’t help but noticed that I was seeing this passage lived out in front of me at that very moment. My friends were loving “the least” – people who could not return their love except in a touch or a hug or a kind word, if that. But, my friends love them any. They were not looking for a response from this sweet men and women. My friends were the ones responding – they were responding to the awesome grace and love and mercy and forgiveness that God had poured out on them.

After they read two chapters from the Gospel of Matthew, my friends asked the men and women if they would like to sing. Several of them called out the names of popular hymns and we all sang. After we sang, my friends once again made their way around to each person, greeting them again and speaking to them individually.

My friends do not read my blog. They probably do not know about the term “missional”. They probably do not know about the discussion that surrounds the meaning of the word “missional” today. But, they don’t care. They do not lavish their love on these precious people so that they can claim the label “missional”. Instead, they love because they were first loved. They love because God’s Spirit is producing love within them.

April 28, 2009

Yesterday, in my post “What does not come naturally“, I quoted Dave Black as saying, “Some of this work is beyond what comes naturally to me. There is much growth and grace in that,” and “But if I am a serious Christian, I cannot do only what comes easily to me”.

Arthur, at “the voice of one crying out in suburbia“, wrote about something similar in his post called “Speaking of mutuality“. But, in the case of Arthur’s post, he was talking about something near and dear to my own hear: mutuality. Arthur shares his experiences of meeting with a church which practices mutuality. He says:

Where we are gathering for fellowship has taken some getting used to. It has been jarring to have someone different bring the primary message each week. It is hard to get comfortable with the idea of lots of different men contributing to the teaching instead of the typical model of one man teaching and everyone else listening…

It is a far cry from the single individual giving the message Sunday AM, PM and Wednesday PM that we are used to. That is familiar and comfortable. I don’t think it is Biblical but it is what we have always known and it is the cultural norm in the civic religion of America.

So, why does Arthur put up with this “uncomfortable” feeling when he meets with the church? He says,

I think it is healthy to have so many different people getting involved. The tendency of people is to get lazy. Why study for myself when the pastor will do it for me?

He continues to say that he thinks (from reading the New Testament examples) that this is how the early church met together. So, Arthur is willing to meet in a way that is “uncomfortable” to him because he recognizes the benefit. And, as Dave said, “There is much growth and grace in that”.

April 28, 2009

A few months ago, I bought the book Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and Community by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis with an Amazon.com gifts card that I received for Christmas. Several people had recommended this book to me, and the blurbs that I had read about it looked promising – although blurbs can be misleading.

Last week, I needed to read something “for fun” – yes, I had plenty to do and too many books to read for school, but I needed a break. So, I picked up this book and started reading through the first chapter. I’m hooked. I really like this book.

The authors’ premise is:

What we do is always defined by the gospel, and the context is always our belonging in the church. Our identity as Christians is defined by the gospel and the community. (16)

By being “gospel-centered”, the authors mean that we should be centered on both the message (word) of the gospel and the mission of proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. The authors recognize that some groups of Christians rightly focus on the gospel, but fail to live in the significance of the community. Meanwhile, other groups focus on the community while failing to see the significance of the gospel. Therefore, the authors suggest that the church should focus on both.

We believe there is an alternative. We need to be enthusiastic about truth and mission and we need to be enthusiastic about relationships and community. (18)

In Part One of their book, they write about the principles involved in being gospel-centered and community-centered. For example, concerning the church being “gospel-centered”, they show how God rules through his word and his Spirit. They reject a polarization between the two. Thus, the proper understanding of the word of God is as a word through the Spirit of God. Similarly, they say that this word is a “missionary” word, meaning that the good news of the kingdom is meant to be proclaimed.

However, living a “gospel-centered” life or being a “gospel-centered” church is often easier said than done. They say,

The church exists both through the gospel and for the gospel… Few Christians are going to object to being gospel-centered… The problem is the gap between our rhetoric and the reality of our practice. The continual challenge for us is to apply this principle to church life and ministry without compromise. (33)

The challenge for us is to make the gospel the center of our lives not just on Sunday mornings but on Monday mornings. This means ending distinctions between “full-timers,” “part-timers,” and people with secular employment in our team and leadership structures. We need non-full-time leaders who can model whole-life, gospel-centered, missional living. It means thinking of our workplaces, homes, and neighborhoods as the location of mission. (37)

Next, the authors examine the idea of the church being “community-centered”. They point out that following Christ is not an individualistic endeavor:

By becoming a Christian, I belong to God and I belong to my brothers and sisters. It is not that I belong to God and then make a decision to join a local church. My being in Christ means being in Christ with those others who are in Christ. This is my identity. This is our identity. To fail to live out our corporate identity in Christ is analogous to the act of adultery: we can be Christians and do it, but it is not what Christians should do. The loyalties of the new community supersede even the loyalties of biology. If the church is the body of Christ, then we should not live as disembodied Christians. (41)

This does not mean that the church becomes something that we add to our lives – just another to ball to juggle along with other responsibilities such as work, family, finances, etc. Instead, the community of Christ becomes part of our identity, such that our “problems” with work, family, finances, etc. become their problems, and their problems become our problems. We now live life together.

I think I appreciate their conclusion to this section on “principles” more than anything else that I’ve read in the book so far. Why? Because they give the same advice that I often give to people who are seeking this type of community life:

If you warm to this vision of Christian community, then start where you are. Sell the vision by modeling the vision. Don’t become a pain to your existing congregation, telling them everything they are doing is wrong. Become a blessing by offering hospitality, showing practical care, dropping in on people. Create around you a group of Christians who will share their lives and encourage one another in the faith. (50)

The only thing that I would change in that last quotation is the word “create”. I don’t think that we can “create” a community centered on Christ. However, as Christ creates that community around us, we can foster it and encourage it and not hinder what Christ is doing.

The next section of the book is called “Gospel and Community in Practice”. The authors write about certain church “practices” and how they would look if the church centered on gospel and community. I have read the chapter on “Evangelism” and thought it was excellent. Hopefully, I’ll be able to read more soon and wrote more about this book.

Meanwhile, what do you think about my quick summary of the first part? Do you think the church should be both gospel-centered and community-centered? How would you implement this in your life and community?

April 27, 2009

A few days ago, Dave Black wrote the following on his blog (Thursday, April 23, 2009 at 8:53 a.m.):

It’s good to be back on the farm. Today I’m helping Nathan and Jessie spread manure, working on a book manuscript, and beginning construction on a new hay shed. It is all work and it is all ministry. Some of this work is beyond what comes naturally to me. There is much growth and grace in that. I find writing more congenial to my personality than pounding nails. I am more delighted to be a facilitator than a leader. It is more natural for me to execute than to plan. Like you, I am sometimes put into positions I did not chose and for which I am not naturally suited. I have more than a little empathy for the student who finds Greek drudgery. Some students clearly have more language aptitude than others. But if I am a serious Christian, I cannot do only what comes easily to me. I don’t enjoy traveling. By that I mean I don’t enjoy cramped airplanes and long lines at airports. But I still accept many invitations that require air travel because, like Paul, I use travel to serve the kingdom.

Did you catch this: “Some of this work is beyond what comes naturally to me. There is much growth and grace in that”… and later, “But if I am a serious Christian, I cannot do only what comes easily to me”.

It is often uncomfortable to grow spiritually, but we are led to do things that do not come naturally or easily to us. But, if we desire to grow in maturity, we do them anyway, trusting God’s grace always – not our own abilities.

As I mentioned a few days ago, hospitality is something that do not come naturally to Margaret and me. But, we do it anyway, and we can see that God is growing us in this area.

What does not come naturally or easily to you? Are you willing to do it anyway?

April 27, 2009

In my study of “The theology of encouragement in Hebrews”, I’ve found it helpful to think of encouragement as trajectory. (For more information on this study, see my posts “Theology of Encouragement in Hebrews“, “Peterson on encouragement in Hebrews“, “Mutuality“, and “A reminder of our priesthood from Hebrews“.) When I speak of a “trajectory”, I am referring to the path followed by a moving object.

In the case of encouragement, the author of Hebrews exhorts his readers along a path. This path includes both a negative trajectory (away from something) and a positive trajectory (toward something). Both parts of this trajectory are important to the author.

The Negative Trajectory of Encouragement
In the book of Hebrews, the author often exhorts his readers to move away from some attitudes and activities. For example, he uses the language of “encouragement/exhortation” in chapter 3:

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:13 ESV)

In this case, the readers are pointed on a trajectory that takes them away from the deceitfulness which is caused by or composed of sin.

Similarly, in other passages, the author warns his readers to move away from neglecting their salvation (2:2-4), apostasy (6:4-6), forsaking to meet together (10:25), bitterness, sexual immorality, unholiness (12:15-16), failing to show hospitality, and loving money (13:1-6).

The Positive Trajectory of Encouragement
However, the author does not want his readers to simply move away from something (negative trajectory), he wants them to move toward something at the same time. Notice, for example, following the negative trajectory of 3:13 (see above), he gives his readers a positive trajectory in the next sentence:

For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. (Hebrews 3:14 ESV)

Even in these two sentences, it is clear that the author does not want his readers to simply move away from the deceitfulness of sin (negative trajectory), he also wants them to move toward firm confidence (positive trajectory).

He gives several examples of positive trajectories throughout the letter: entering rest (4:3), holding fast (4:14; 10:23), drawing near (4:16; 7:19; 10:22), going on to maturity (6:1), love and good works (10:24; 13:1), enduring (12:1), remembering others (10:24; 13:3, 7), and being content (13:5-6).

The author continuously uses examples of both negative trajectories and positive trajectories. He tells his readers to learn from these, and to follow the positive examples. I’ll examine some of those examples of encouragement later.

April 26, 2009

This is passage #51 in “Scripture… As We Live It“:

And behold, I am with you always, at the beginning. After that, you are on your own. So figure things out as best you can. to But, don’t worry, because I’ll come back and help you out at the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20b re-mix)

April 25, 2009

In case you haven’t seen it yet, the title of this post is in reference to a statement made by Stephen Colbert to Bart Ehrman during a recent interview. (See the interview here.) During this interview, Ehrman claimed that the gospels record different versions of the crucifixion of Jesus, suggesting that the accounts are not historical. As evidence, he mentions the accounts of the different sayings of Jesus in the different gospel accounts.

I’ve scanned the blogosphere for posts that related to this interview:

According to Dave Pierre’s account here, Ehrman made several statements during the interview, including the following: “The Bible shows that, in fact, some of the earliest teachings of Jesus aren’t what became the standard doctrines of Christianity”.

According to Darren’s account here, Ehrman’s main point was that “the earliest Christians didn’t think Jesus was divine”. Unfortunately, Dave Pierre (above) did not include this point, and Darren does not include any of the quotes which Dave Pierre included.

According to Wyatt Robert’s account here and mr palm’s account here, Ehrman must not have said anything, because there are no Ehrman quotes recounted in either post.

Based on these four witnesses, and using Ehrman’s own logic, it is clear that Ehrman was never interviewed by Colbert and that these people made up their accounts of the “interview” to serve their own interests. How do we know this? Because they included different information about the so-called interview. Since the accounts of the “interview” differ, it is obvious that the “interview” never occured, or at least, if it did occur, the “accounts” are highly exaggerated.

April 24, 2009

There is an article in the News and Observer from last week about churches starting community gardens for “the benefit of the church, local food pantries and other nonprofit groups”. Some friends of our in Cleveland are planning to start a community garden soon near their neighborhood. We’ve talked with some people about community gardens, and we think it would be beneficial for the neighborhood where we spend time on Saturdays.

Unfortunately, neither Margaret nor I have had much luck in the past with keeping flower or potted plants alive, much less a garden. We’ve been praying that God would bring someone into our lives who knows how to care for a garden, has a desire to help with a community garden, and has a desire to teach others how to care for a garden. So far, we haven’t met anyone.

Do you have any experience with community gardens? What do you think about community gardens? Are you interested in community gardens? Are you in the Wake Forest, NC area?