by Tom Johnston
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15 ESV
The message of Jesus is the message of the Kingdom. It is this message, the proclamation of a new ruling order, which is at the core of the Revolution. The coming of the Kingdom of God is what the Revolution is all about – the overthrow of one world order for another. Jesus is the ultimate revolutionary – and He is still at work.
When Jesus was declaring the “good news” He was speaking forth the euangélion – the glad tidings of a victory which has established the empire – and consequently – a new peace (Isaiah 52:7). Also, euangélion was proclaimed at the birth of a new Roman emperor - a time of great joy and celebration, as this meant to the people that the government and peace they enjoyed would continue unbroken (in reference to Christ, see Luke 2:10-14). This term was a Greco-Roman political term, and in understanding it, we understand what the message of Jesus is all about. Jesus came proclaiming God’s right to rule on earth, and to be Lord in the affairs of men. He came to proclaim the overthrow of a rebellious world order and the re-establishment of the Father’s unquestioned dominion.
The message He preached was the Gospel (euangélion) of the Kingdom. It might surprise some that he did not come preaching the Gospel of Salvation. Salvation for humankind is not the core of the Gospel – the Kingdom is. Salvation for us is a blessed outcome of God’s kingdom rule in our lives. No Kingdom rule re-established, no salvation for humankind. The Cross is God’s weapon of His warfare (Colossians 2:15) in reclaiming His universe – and His people. The message of Christ and His Cross is the message of spiritual revolution, overthrowing the kingdom of darkness and re-establishing the Father’s blessed realm.
It is this revolutionary message we preach – a Christ-centric message. We are not preaching a human-centered (read: self-centered) message: the Self-improvement Gospel, or the Health & Wealth Gospel, or the Social-welfare Gospel. We preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, the message of revolution, which demands all from those who would enter the Kingdom (Mark 8:34-38). In that Kingdom (which is now, but not yet fully here), as a result of God’s rule, our souls are enriched forever, every need is met in Christ, every injustice is set aright – in the “now” in part and completely in the “not yet.”
In Mark 1, Jesus proclaimed the emergence of a new universal order, one in which we are to trust completely. We are to trust it in such a way as to rely completely upon it, changing our heart and mind, reorienting life and ministry around the commands of the King. The time has come for us to embrace this revolutionary message afresh, in our own lives and in our ministry, and join the Revolution of Jesus.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
For the Sake of the Gospel
by Mike Chong Perkinson
Maryanne Hannan states a rather bold assertion in an article entitled “The Discomforts of Discipleship.” She opens up her heart and confesses that “I write about a set of beliefs that I support but do not fully live. My own writing disturbs my conscience more than what I read of others’ writings. Because I am unworthy of the message, should I stop writing?” (Spiritual Life 46:4 Winter 2000: 197) What an honest confession and one I’m sure that our hearts resonate with. Such honesty opens up the questions and let’s us ponder before the Holy Spirit the deep issues of our life. How do we deal with the internal paradox? Are we really doing all “for the sake of the gospel?” “Do I really believe all this stuff about Jesus? God? The Bible?”
There is a lot of emphasis in our church culture on reaching the postmodern generation. It is driven by a heart that desires to see this unchurched generation find a relationship with our loving savior. I applaud all these attempts and ask God on a daily basis “to raise up more laborers for the harvest.”
Ironically, I find myself deeply challenged in this new day where old methods of reaching the unchurched find themselves rather impotent. I’m not challenged because of an inability to adjust and adapt to an ever-changing culture, but find myself asking the question that stuns me into reality. “Am I doing all this for the sake of the gospel?”
It’s easy to answer the question with a blatant, “yes!” However, if I allow the Holy Spirit to peruse my heart, I find that I am forced to ask whether I did enough for the sake of the gospel or whether I did everything for the sake of the gospel. There is a large difference. Paul emphatically and poignantly explains:
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (I Cor. 9:19-23, NIV)
When I listen to the words of Paul I am confronted radically with the issue of motive. He lived his life “for the sake of the gospel” and did everything he possibly could for the gospel. Am I maintaining my stand for a postmodern church that effectively contextualizes the message of the cross for the gospel or for myself? Is my position determined more by a western Enlightenment autonomism (self-rule), or is it determined by what Paul Tillich called “christonomism,” the rule of Christ? Hard questions to ask and frightening at that, but questions that must be asked by the Church. If we are going to be a people that live out the gospel, then we need to be confronted by its message, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and living in the love and grace that Christ so wonderfully demonstrated for us. Contextualizing the message is right, but we must incarnate it – that is live it out in front of the world in honor of our God.
Dr. Robert Webber writes; “Spirituality is essentially turning our backs on evil and embracing what it means to be fully human. God in becoming a man actually shows us what a true human being looks like . . . showing us what it means to be a true servant and a person of love, joy, and peace.” If it is true that Jesus has come to give us life and it abundantly (Jn. 10:10), then it only seems logical to assume that those in the church would be living a life that is a cut above the world. The church then should be full of people who are out living the world – we should be a model of what a human being really is. Jesus was that model for us and demonstrated what a life could do when it is fully submitted to God. As people look at our lives, are they reflections of a life that has been radically transformed – reflections of the heart and holiness of our Father? How do our lives reflect the love, joy and peace of our Father?
I often wonder if we, the Church, have somehow missed the essence of Jesus’ admonition to love God with all of our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. Our focus tends to be on the arena of external living. You know, memorize scripture (so that we can be right), stay away from evil (translated means “those awful and disgusting sinners”), pursue righteousness (often means run from the world and retreat in safety) and pray for the world (which often means we seek to find ways to force our personal agendas on others). There is nothing wrong with the practices just noted, I am in question about the heart that is practicing them.
The gospel is about freedom and a new life in Jesus. Paul pens these wonderful words in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (NIV). It is rather apparent that the gospel can become many things, often serving the self-interests of those who are promoting its truths. Franciscan peace activist, Sr. Rosemary Lynch, tells how she is able to remain so cheerful and forge on with her difficult work. She tells a powerful story of how as a child she thought the actual words to the hymn “Oh Lord, I am not worthy” were actually “Oh Lord, I am not worried.” To the mind of a child it made sense – If we are loved by God then there is no need to worry. What this tells me is that when we realize how much we are loved by God, our hearts melt in humility and humanness finds its true expression. In other words, it all starts with the love of God as was so wonderfully and radically demonstrated on the cross.
Before I conclude let me say that this article is not an invitation to excessive self-scrutiny – after all such does not elicit true humility nor does it bring rest from the burden of life. And so, “am I doing everything I can for the sake of the gospel?” What a question – I like it because it forces me to sit at the feet of the one who knows. Something each of us should consider doing – after all, He is the one who brings definition and release to our existence. May we find the life He has for us and may we be the people that dynamically reflect the love, joy and peace of our Father!
May our prayer be:
“For the sake of the gospel, O God, that is my plea.
For the sake of the gospel help me to lay aside all pettiness And meanness of spirit.For the sake of the gospel let me find ways to overcome conflict and divisions.For the sake of the gospel may I not substitute what is not gospel for the gospel of compromise the gospel out of fear or betray the gospel out of self-interest.For the sake of the gospel help me to stand fast for the gospel.For the sake of the gospel help me to be faithful to the gospel.And finally, O God, for the sake of the gospel enable me, above all, to distinguish what is gospel from what is not the gospel.For the sake of the gospel enable me to discern the line I must never cross.
For the sake of the gospel enable me to know when to yield and when to stand fast.Through Jesus Christ, your gospel. Amen.” (E. Glenn Hinson, “Reconciliation and Resistance,” Weavings 15:6 Nov/Dec 2000 : 46)
Maryanne Hannan states a rather bold assertion in an article entitled “The Discomforts of Discipleship.” She opens up her heart and confesses that “I write about a set of beliefs that I support but do not fully live. My own writing disturbs my conscience more than what I read of others’ writings. Because I am unworthy of the message, should I stop writing?” (Spiritual Life 46:4 Winter 2000: 197) What an honest confession and one I’m sure that our hearts resonate with. Such honesty opens up the questions and let’s us ponder before the Holy Spirit the deep issues of our life. How do we deal with the internal paradox? Are we really doing all “for the sake of the gospel?” “Do I really believe all this stuff about Jesus? God? The Bible?”
There is a lot of emphasis in our church culture on reaching the postmodern generation. It is driven by a heart that desires to see this unchurched generation find a relationship with our loving savior. I applaud all these attempts and ask God on a daily basis “to raise up more laborers for the harvest.”
Ironically, I find myself deeply challenged in this new day where old methods of reaching the unchurched find themselves rather impotent. I’m not challenged because of an inability to adjust and adapt to an ever-changing culture, but find myself asking the question that stuns me into reality. “Am I doing all this for the sake of the gospel?”
It’s easy to answer the question with a blatant, “yes!” However, if I allow the Holy Spirit to peruse my heart, I find that I am forced to ask whether I did enough for the sake of the gospel or whether I did everything for the sake of the gospel. There is a large difference. Paul emphatically and poignantly explains:
Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. (I Cor. 9:19-23, NIV)
When I listen to the words of Paul I am confronted radically with the issue of motive. He lived his life “for the sake of the gospel” and did everything he possibly could for the gospel. Am I maintaining my stand for a postmodern church that effectively contextualizes the message of the cross for the gospel or for myself? Is my position determined more by a western Enlightenment autonomism (self-rule), or is it determined by what Paul Tillich called “christonomism,” the rule of Christ? Hard questions to ask and frightening at that, but questions that must be asked by the Church. If we are going to be a people that live out the gospel, then we need to be confronted by its message, transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit and living in the love and grace that Christ so wonderfully demonstrated for us. Contextualizing the message is right, but we must incarnate it – that is live it out in front of the world in honor of our God.
Dr. Robert Webber writes; “Spirituality is essentially turning our backs on evil and embracing what it means to be fully human. God in becoming a man actually shows us what a true human being looks like . . . showing us what it means to be a true servant and a person of love, joy, and peace.” If it is true that Jesus has come to give us life and it abundantly (Jn. 10:10), then it only seems logical to assume that those in the church would be living a life that is a cut above the world. The church then should be full of people who are out living the world – we should be a model of what a human being really is. Jesus was that model for us and demonstrated what a life could do when it is fully submitted to God. As people look at our lives, are they reflections of a life that has been radically transformed – reflections of the heart and holiness of our Father? How do our lives reflect the love, joy and peace of our Father?
I often wonder if we, the Church, have somehow missed the essence of Jesus’ admonition to love God with all of our heart and our neighbor as ourselves. Our focus tends to be on the arena of external living. You know, memorize scripture (so that we can be right), stay away from evil (translated means “those awful and disgusting sinners”), pursue righteousness (often means run from the world and retreat in safety) and pray for the world (which often means we seek to find ways to force our personal agendas on others). There is nothing wrong with the practices just noted, I am in question about the heart that is practicing them.
The gospel is about freedom and a new life in Jesus. Paul pens these wonderful words in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery” (NIV). It is rather apparent that the gospel can become many things, often serving the self-interests of those who are promoting its truths. Franciscan peace activist, Sr. Rosemary Lynch, tells how she is able to remain so cheerful and forge on with her difficult work. She tells a powerful story of how as a child she thought the actual words to the hymn “Oh Lord, I am not worthy” were actually “Oh Lord, I am not worried.” To the mind of a child it made sense – If we are loved by God then there is no need to worry. What this tells me is that when we realize how much we are loved by God, our hearts melt in humility and humanness finds its true expression. In other words, it all starts with the love of God as was so wonderfully and radically demonstrated on the cross.
Before I conclude let me say that this article is not an invitation to excessive self-scrutiny – after all such does not elicit true humility nor does it bring rest from the burden of life. And so, “am I doing everything I can for the sake of the gospel?” What a question – I like it because it forces me to sit at the feet of the one who knows. Something each of us should consider doing – after all, He is the one who brings definition and release to our existence. May we find the life He has for us and may we be the people that dynamically reflect the love, joy and peace of our Father!
May our prayer be:
“For the sake of the gospel, O God, that is my plea.
For the sake of the gospel help me to lay aside all pettiness And meanness of spirit.For the sake of the gospel let me find ways to overcome conflict and divisions.For the sake of the gospel may I not substitute what is not gospel for the gospel of compromise the gospel out of fear or betray the gospel out of self-interest.For the sake of the gospel help me to stand fast for the gospel.For the sake of the gospel help me to be faithful to the gospel.And finally, O God, for the sake of the gospel enable me, above all, to distinguish what is gospel from what is not the gospel.For the sake of the gospel enable me to discern the line I must never cross.
For the sake of the gospel enable me to know when to yield and when to stand fast.Through Jesus Christ, your gospel. Amen.” (E. Glenn Hinson, “Reconciliation and Resistance,” Weavings 15:6 Nov/Dec 2000 : 46)
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Klingon Christianity
by Mike Chong Perkinson
Life in Christ is full of twists and turns. Complicating this life of twists and turns is ministry – leading God’s people to the promised land of life and hope. One would think the journey would follow a straight line to the land of abundant life, peace, and joy. Oddly enough, our life in Christ, much like the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites, is filled with odd turns, twists, and character adjusting moments that result in agonizing flesh moments of anxiety, confusion, and fear – the pathway to trust and faith. You know, the questions that float to the surface: Why is the happening? Why isn’t my ministry going as well as Pastor Perfect? Why do I have to struggle so much while other leaders seem to coast into the Promised Land? Stop with the depressing honest questions – that’s enough reality for one day.
Maybe the problem many face in this day of self preservation and self-promotion is that we are way too much alive where we need not be and dead where we need to be alive. The leaders of God’s people tend to be just as busy, hurried, stress filled, anxious, mean, and angry as those without Christ rather than enjoying and living the abundant life of joy and peace Jesus promised. Is it possible the reason we are living so far below what God has promised is that we are dying poorly. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24, ESV) Is it possible that we remain alone and do not bear much fruit because we are way too much alive to our own agendas?
To help us here we turn to the world of Star Trek where we find some wonderful words of wisdom from the race of warriors called, the Klingons (If you are not a Trekkie our heart goes out to you and we will be praying for you). For the Klingon honor was held above life itself – honor – a word that is gradually disappearing from our vocabulary and practice. The greatest honor for the Klingon was to die in battle. In the Star Trek world it was not uncommon to hear a Klingon warrior say “Today is a good day to die.” Philosophically, the Klingon warrior lived his life in anticipation of victory in battle, willing to give his life. “A Klingon is always prepared to die.”
Like the Klingons, we are in a war, a spiritual war that involves a rather focused, angry, conniving, and evil opponent who has so powerfully been defeated by the all powerful Son of God. Strangely enough, he was beaten by the all powerful Son of God that was rejected, despised and killed. Jesus fought in a way that is foreign to our current mindset, but maybe is precisely the way the battle is won on our front. Jesus came to serve and not to be served (Mark 10:45), not counting equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2:6), serving the Father’s agenda and not his (John 5:19), using weapons of love, vulnerability and sacrifice that brought release and life to the captives (Luke 4:18-19).
Dear Pastor and leader maybe “today is a good day to die.” Maybe we need to rethink how we live and consider how we die. Maybe we need to redefine what success means and base it on the values of the Kingdom of God. Maybe we need to change our scorecards and assess our effectiveness differently. You know, not basing our success on the ABC’s of ministry (Attendance, Buildings, and Cash). Nothing wrong with being wise stewards of such but maybe we need new scorecards that assess our effectiveness based on how we are loving God, loving others as we love ourselves, and making disciples as we live life. Maybe we should score the transformations of people’s hearts in our ministries not just professions of faith.
Maybe we should regularly ask ourselves the question: “who are we becoming?” Ralph Waldo Emerson warns us, “A person will worship something, have no doubt about that…That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.” Do our lives reflect more today than yesterday the heart and character (fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23) of our Father?
Jesus wept over Jerusalem and was broken for her because she would not allow Him access into her heart. As leaders we tend to weep on Mondays because our attendance and tithes are low. Rather than weeping for our cities and neighborhoods because they are broken, poor, hungry, and lost without the greatest love in the universe. Again, “who am I becoming?”
It’s time that God’s servants die to human agendas and to live for honor. The honor of loving our God and doing what He asks (no matter what it is all a privilege); the honor of loving our neighbors with acts of kindness, mercy, patience, goodness, and faithfulness (loyalty). And finally, the tremendous honor we have to give away what has been given to us as we live life making disciples for our King.
Let’s honor our Master by becoming more like Him each and every day. May you discover what the Father is doing and then do it (true success). Fellow warrior, “today is a good day to die.”
And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. (Mark 8:34-35, ESV)
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21, ESV)
Life in Christ is full of twists and turns. Complicating this life of twists and turns is ministry – leading God’s people to the promised land of life and hope. One would think the journey would follow a straight line to the land of abundant life, peace, and joy. Oddly enough, our life in Christ, much like the wilderness wanderings of the Israelites, is filled with odd turns, twists, and character adjusting moments that result in agonizing flesh moments of anxiety, confusion, and fear – the pathway to trust and faith. You know, the questions that float to the surface: Why is the happening? Why isn’t my ministry going as well as Pastor Perfect? Why do I have to struggle so much while other leaders seem to coast into the Promised Land? Stop with the depressing honest questions – that’s enough reality for one day.
Maybe the problem many face in this day of self preservation and self-promotion is that we are way too much alive where we need not be and dead where we need to be alive. The leaders of God’s people tend to be just as busy, hurried, stress filled, anxious, mean, and angry as those without Christ rather than enjoying and living the abundant life of joy and peace Jesus promised. Is it possible the reason we are living so far below what God has promised is that we are dying poorly. Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24, ESV) Is it possible that we remain alone and do not bear much fruit because we are way too much alive to our own agendas?
To help us here we turn to the world of Star Trek where we find some wonderful words of wisdom from the race of warriors called, the Klingons (If you are not a Trekkie our heart goes out to you and we will be praying for you). For the Klingon honor was held above life itself – honor – a word that is gradually disappearing from our vocabulary and practice. The greatest honor for the Klingon was to die in battle. In the Star Trek world it was not uncommon to hear a Klingon warrior say “Today is a good day to die.” Philosophically, the Klingon warrior lived his life in anticipation of victory in battle, willing to give his life. “A Klingon is always prepared to die.”
Like the Klingons, we are in a war, a spiritual war that involves a rather focused, angry, conniving, and evil opponent who has so powerfully been defeated by the all powerful Son of God. Strangely enough, he was beaten by the all powerful Son of God that was rejected, despised and killed. Jesus fought in a way that is foreign to our current mindset, but maybe is precisely the way the battle is won on our front. Jesus came to serve and not to be served (Mark 10:45), not counting equality with God something to be grasped (Philippians 2:6), serving the Father’s agenda and not his (John 5:19), using weapons of love, vulnerability and sacrifice that brought release and life to the captives (Luke 4:18-19).
Dear Pastor and leader maybe “today is a good day to die.” Maybe we need to rethink how we live and consider how we die. Maybe we need to redefine what success means and base it on the values of the Kingdom of God. Maybe we need to change our scorecards and assess our effectiveness differently. You know, not basing our success on the ABC’s of ministry (Attendance, Buildings, and Cash). Nothing wrong with being wise stewards of such but maybe we need new scorecards that assess our effectiveness based on how we are loving God, loving others as we love ourselves, and making disciples as we live life. Maybe we should score the transformations of people’s hearts in our ministries not just professions of faith.
Maybe we should regularly ask ourselves the question: “who are we becoming?” Ralph Waldo Emerson warns us, “A person will worship something, have no doubt about that…That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.” Do our lives reflect more today than yesterday the heart and character (fruit of the Spirit, Galatians 5:22-23) of our Father?
Jesus wept over Jerusalem and was broken for her because she would not allow Him access into her heart. As leaders we tend to weep on Mondays because our attendance and tithes are low. Rather than weeping for our cities and neighborhoods because they are broken, poor, hungry, and lost without the greatest love in the universe. Again, “who am I becoming?”
It’s time that God’s servants die to human agendas and to live for honor. The honor of loving our God and doing what He asks (no matter what it is all a privilege); the honor of loving our neighbors with acts of kindness, mercy, patience, goodness, and faithfulness (loyalty). And finally, the tremendous honor we have to give away what has been given to us as we live life making disciples for our King.
Let’s honor our Master by becoming more like Him each and every day. May you discover what the Father is doing and then do it (true success). Fellow warrior, “today is a good day to die.”
And he called to him the crowd with his disciples and said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. (Mark 8:34-35, ESV)
For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Philippians 1:21, ESV)
Mutant Incarnation
by Tom Johnston
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:17, ESV
The Eternal Word – God Himself, put on flesh and dwelt or “tabernacled” – literally “pitched His tent” – among us. This very same God continues His incarnational work in this world through the Church, which is His “body,” the fullness of Him that fills everything in everyway (Ephesians 1:22). This “body,” His people, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, becomes His hands which serve and heal, His arms which embrace in love and acceptance, His feet which carry the euangélion – the good news of the Kingdom.
Every living thing – everything with a body – has DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) which defines it. The DNA is the substance that informs the development of the living creature as it grows and reaches maturity. This “genetic code” determines what we will look like, how tall we could be; the color of our hair, our eyes, our skin. The Body of Christ, too, has a genetic code, but being spiritual in nature, this code is of the Spirit, and not of the flesh. At the core of the Christian live and experience is this spiritual DNA – what we at Praxis refer to as the “Irreducible Core” of the Christian faith – namely Jesus’ commands to love God, love others and make disciples (Matthew 22:34-40, 28:18-20). This “code” is like spiritual strands of DNA which inform what we should look like as we grow and mature as the Church – becoming like Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15). Wrap around this core, this spiritual DNA, the cultural elements in any land, of any people, and you can get a glimpse of what Jesus would look like in that environment – and what His Church should look like as well. That’s all good.
In biological life forms something unhealthy happens when elements not found in the DNA are added into the initial life-forming mix – or the DNA itself is tampered with or damaged. We get what is known as mutation – changes in an organism that results from chromosomal alteration. A mutant organism is one that has gone through such changes. Some such mutations produce birth defects, some of which are so severe as to cause major mental and physical dysfunction, and even death. I have one of these genetic defects, a condition know as Cystic Fibrosis, which kills most with the condition by age 30, and affects many aspects of my physiology. I guess that makes me a mutant (a fact that friends and close associates have known for years!)
It seems in the biological realm that all mutation is derived from the Fall – death entered the world, and organic life, broken by that alteration of our universal reality, in essence continues to replicate that brokenness by reproducing after its kind. All health care is focused on combating and rectifying the ongoing mutation in the human form. These mutations by and large are negative – not the kind we find in fantasy tales that enhance superheros like the X-Men with unique powers and special attributes. Quite the contrary – mutation is disempowering.
You can see where I am going with this, I’m sure. When applied to the Church in the Western world, the spiritual DNA within what we call “church” has been so radically altered – through both addition to and subtraction from – and mixed with other substances – like incompatible worldviews – that the “church” looks little like Jesus. Certainly, we would have to admit that we function in the West with a fraction of the effectiveness and fruit of the Church that Jesus founded. We’re mutants, plane and simple, a mutant incarnation that has the form of faith, but not the power of the living Christ. Our genes have been altered to such an extent that we are losing the power to give life – that life of Jesus Christ. We bear His name, but look little like Him. How can I say this? The ugly mutant statistics prove it – we spend more than $280 Billion on ministry in the USA every year, and our witness continues to rapidly decline as a percentage of the current population.
So, is all hope lost? Is the Church in the West locked into a death spiral, a flat spin from which there is no recovery? Not at all. The Church in the Western world is in serious trouble, but the Church of Jesus Christ is not. The Church in the West can become once again the Church of Jesus Christ through one simple process – spiritual gene therapy. We must have a fresh infusion of the Irreducible Core of the Christian faith, aligning our lives and organizations with this original DNA from the Maker. Church life and ministry practice must be once again driven by loving God, loving others and making disciples everywhere we go, all the time. Gene therapy is a difficult process in the natural, our technology for it is immature. However, spiritual gene therapy by the Maker and Builder of the Church is not as difficult, with the Holy Spirit of God reshaping and realign us with His original spiritual genetic code.
All we must do is admit our defects and embrace His spiritual realignment of who we are – individually and organizationally – and let Him make us whole. We must look in the mirror, admit we are mutant Christians, a mutant incarnation and embrace the re-implantation of His DNA with meekness. Being remade in His image, we can then truly reproduce disciples that look like the Master.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:17, ESV
The Eternal Word – God Himself, put on flesh and dwelt or “tabernacled” – literally “pitched His tent” – among us. This very same God continues His incarnational work in this world through the Church, which is His “body,” the fullness of Him that fills everything in everyway (Ephesians 1:22). This “body,” His people, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, becomes His hands which serve and heal, His arms which embrace in love and acceptance, His feet which carry the euangélion – the good news of the Kingdom.
Every living thing – everything with a body – has DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) which defines it. The DNA is the substance that informs the development of the living creature as it grows and reaches maturity. This “genetic code” determines what we will look like, how tall we could be; the color of our hair, our eyes, our skin. The Body of Christ, too, has a genetic code, but being spiritual in nature, this code is of the Spirit, and not of the flesh. At the core of the Christian live and experience is this spiritual DNA – what we at Praxis refer to as the “Irreducible Core” of the Christian faith – namely Jesus’ commands to love God, love others and make disciples (Matthew 22:34-40, 28:18-20). This “code” is like spiritual strands of DNA which inform what we should look like as we grow and mature as the Church – becoming like Christ (Ephesians 4:13-15). Wrap around this core, this spiritual DNA, the cultural elements in any land, of any people, and you can get a glimpse of what Jesus would look like in that environment – and what His Church should look like as well. That’s all good.
In biological life forms something unhealthy happens when elements not found in the DNA are added into the initial life-forming mix – or the DNA itself is tampered with or damaged. We get what is known as mutation – changes in an organism that results from chromosomal alteration. A mutant organism is one that has gone through such changes. Some such mutations produce birth defects, some of which are so severe as to cause major mental and physical dysfunction, and even death. I have one of these genetic defects, a condition know as Cystic Fibrosis, which kills most with the condition by age 30, and affects many aspects of my physiology. I guess that makes me a mutant (a fact that friends and close associates have known for years!)
It seems in the biological realm that all mutation is derived from the Fall – death entered the world, and organic life, broken by that alteration of our universal reality, in essence continues to replicate that brokenness by reproducing after its kind. All health care is focused on combating and rectifying the ongoing mutation in the human form. These mutations by and large are negative – not the kind we find in fantasy tales that enhance superheros like the X-Men with unique powers and special attributes. Quite the contrary – mutation is disempowering.
You can see where I am going with this, I’m sure. When applied to the Church in the Western world, the spiritual DNA within what we call “church” has been so radically altered – through both addition to and subtraction from – and mixed with other substances – like incompatible worldviews – that the “church” looks little like Jesus. Certainly, we would have to admit that we function in the West with a fraction of the effectiveness and fruit of the Church that Jesus founded. We’re mutants, plane and simple, a mutant incarnation that has the form of faith, but not the power of the living Christ. Our genes have been altered to such an extent that we are losing the power to give life – that life of Jesus Christ. We bear His name, but look little like Him. How can I say this? The ugly mutant statistics prove it – we spend more than $280 Billion on ministry in the USA every year, and our witness continues to rapidly decline as a percentage of the current population.
So, is all hope lost? Is the Church in the West locked into a death spiral, a flat spin from which there is no recovery? Not at all. The Church in the Western world is in serious trouble, but the Church of Jesus Christ is not. The Church in the West can become once again the Church of Jesus Christ through one simple process – spiritual gene therapy. We must have a fresh infusion of the Irreducible Core of the Christian faith, aligning our lives and organizations with this original DNA from the Maker. Church life and ministry practice must be once again driven by loving God, loving others and making disciples everywhere we go, all the time. Gene therapy is a difficult process in the natural, our technology for it is immature. However, spiritual gene therapy by the Maker and Builder of the Church is not as difficult, with the Holy Spirit of God reshaping and realign us with His original spiritual genetic code.
All we must do is admit our defects and embrace His spiritual realignment of who we are – individually and organizationally – and let Him make us whole. We must look in the mirror, admit we are mutant Christians, a mutant incarnation and embrace the re-implantation of His DNA with meekness. Being remade in His image, we can then truly reproduce disciples that look like the Master.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Sharing the Jesus You Know
SHARING THE JESUS YOU KNOW
by Mike Chong Perkinson
So much emphasis has been placed in our evangelical culture on witnessing. On one hand, we wholeheartedly endorse it. While on the other hand, we are not sure that trying to get people saved is the same as living out the incarnation. More simply, living out how Jesus has impacted our lives – living and sharing the Jesus we know. What seems to happen is that we find it necessary to share about a Jesus we don’t know, memorizing facts, details, all in the pursuit of leading someone to Christ. As a result, we may share about a good and right Jesus, but it is a Jesus we do not know. For example, as a pastor I might be tempted to share the Jesus that Rick Warren or a Bill Hybels know. It is a correct Jesus but one that I have not experienced. As a result, I try to copy their systems and models that are predicated on the Jesus they know. The focus of such a practice leads us away from incarnating Jesus in our everyday lives. Instead, we share from knowledge rather than from a heart that has been transformed.
The man born blind (John 9) illustrates this rather dramatically for us. Jesus heals him of his blindness. The man is brought to the religious leaders after he has been healed and questioned about this Jesus that has healed him. The Pharisees ask him what he thinks of Jesus. They are of the opinion that Jesus is a sinner and not from God and should not be able to do these kinds of things. They were demanding that the blind man give glory to God and not to this sinner, Jesus. The blind man responds with all that he knows about Jesus, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” (John 9:25, ESV) The blind man later discovers Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God (John 9:35-38).
The blind man answers just as we should. He only tells of what he knows to be true, sharing what Jesus had done for him. Too many people try to answer all the questions of life: Why did God allow Katrina? Why pain and suffering? Why this? Why that? It might behoove us to answer more truthfully, “We don’t know. However, what we do know is that God is good and kind and I trust Him because of what He has done in my life. After all, I was blind and now I see.”
If we are going to be effective witnesses for our Lord then it would help us to understand just what a witness is. A witness is someone who testifies to that which he/she knows through direct knowledge or experience (I John 1:1-3; John 9:24-27). We can only testify to that what we know, have seen, heard, and experienced. Any other presentation is a second hand account. As Don Smith says, “I know God is doing well because I just had breakfast with Him.”
No one can tell your story better than you. You are the expert to the activity of God in your life. As witnesses, we are to live our lives in such a way that our way of life, speech, conduct, gives testimony to the hope within (I Peter 3:15). Our lives are lived so loudly that people ask us about the hope that is within (I Peter 3:15, ESV, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”). Think about it! When was the last time someone asked you about the hope that was in your life? Nothing wrong with sharing offensively, Peter is encouraging us to do precisely that, sharing offensively by our lives, then with our words.
What the enemy of our souls would love is to have the people of God no longer share their stories of how Jesus has saved and healed them. The book of Revelation makes it quite clear that the early saints overcame the evil one by these things:
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:11, ESV)
One of the reasons we have lost our way or our impact in our culture today is that we have moved away from incarnating the Gospel to peddling the gospel. Instead of coming from our lives it tends to come from without, creating a religious system more than a spiritual life that continues to be transformed into the Image of His Son as it communes with the Father daily.
All of this to say, share the Jesus that you know. Tell people about the Jesus that saved you and continues to save you. You may not know the answers of life but you know Him who is THE ANSWER to life. Share the answer you know.
We can only give away that which we have received. Maybe this is precisely the problem – the joy of our salvation has been replaced by a system of propositional realities that systematize and organize our Jesus and domesticate our all powerful God. Systems and propositional realities do not bring the kind of comfort that comes by way of the presence and love of God. The apostle Paul writes, “who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4, ESV)
And so, we invite you to live out the Jesus you know. Give away the comfort that you have received. Tell your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers what God has saved you from. Be a witness to what and Who you know. Tell your story!!!
Tell me what you think. Let’s talk about it.
by Mike Chong Perkinson
So much emphasis has been placed in our evangelical culture on witnessing. On one hand, we wholeheartedly endorse it. While on the other hand, we are not sure that trying to get people saved is the same as living out the incarnation. More simply, living out how Jesus has impacted our lives – living and sharing the Jesus we know. What seems to happen is that we find it necessary to share about a Jesus we don’t know, memorizing facts, details, all in the pursuit of leading someone to Christ. As a result, we may share about a good and right Jesus, but it is a Jesus we do not know. For example, as a pastor I might be tempted to share the Jesus that Rick Warren or a Bill Hybels know. It is a correct Jesus but one that I have not experienced. As a result, I try to copy their systems and models that are predicated on the Jesus they know. The focus of such a practice leads us away from incarnating Jesus in our everyday lives. Instead, we share from knowledge rather than from a heart that has been transformed.
The man born blind (John 9) illustrates this rather dramatically for us. Jesus heals him of his blindness. The man is brought to the religious leaders after he has been healed and questioned about this Jesus that has healed him. The Pharisees ask him what he thinks of Jesus. They are of the opinion that Jesus is a sinner and not from God and should not be able to do these kinds of things. They were demanding that the blind man give glory to God and not to this sinner, Jesus. The blind man responds with all that he knows about Jesus, “Whether he is a sinner I do not know. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” (John 9:25, ESV) The blind man later discovers Jesus’ true identity as the Son of God (John 9:35-38).
The blind man answers just as we should. He only tells of what he knows to be true, sharing what Jesus had done for him. Too many people try to answer all the questions of life: Why did God allow Katrina? Why pain and suffering? Why this? Why that? It might behoove us to answer more truthfully, “We don’t know. However, what we do know is that God is good and kind and I trust Him because of what He has done in my life. After all, I was blind and now I see.”
If we are going to be effective witnesses for our Lord then it would help us to understand just what a witness is. A witness is someone who testifies to that which he/she knows through direct knowledge or experience (I John 1:1-3; John 9:24-27). We can only testify to that what we know, have seen, heard, and experienced. Any other presentation is a second hand account. As Don Smith says, “I know God is doing well because I just had breakfast with Him.”
No one can tell your story better than you. You are the expert to the activity of God in your life. As witnesses, we are to live our lives in such a way that our way of life, speech, conduct, gives testimony to the hope within (I Peter 3:15). Our lives are lived so loudly that people ask us about the hope that is within (I Peter 3:15, ESV, “always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you”). Think about it! When was the last time someone asked you about the hope that was in your life? Nothing wrong with sharing offensively, Peter is encouraging us to do precisely that, sharing offensively by our lives, then with our words.
What the enemy of our souls would love is to have the people of God no longer share their stories of how Jesus has saved and healed them. The book of Revelation makes it quite clear that the early saints overcame the evil one by these things:
And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. (Revelation 12:11, ESV)
One of the reasons we have lost our way or our impact in our culture today is that we have moved away from incarnating the Gospel to peddling the gospel. Instead of coming from our lives it tends to come from without, creating a religious system more than a spiritual life that continues to be transformed into the Image of His Son as it communes with the Father daily.
All of this to say, share the Jesus that you know. Tell people about the Jesus that saved you and continues to save you. You may not know the answers of life but you know Him who is THE ANSWER to life. Share the answer you know.
We can only give away that which we have received. Maybe this is precisely the problem – the joy of our salvation has been replaced by a system of propositional realities that systematize and organize our Jesus and domesticate our all powerful God. Systems and propositional realities do not bring the kind of comfort that comes by way of the presence and love of God. The apostle Paul writes, “who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” (2 Corinthians 1:4, ESV)
And so, we invite you to live out the Jesus you know. Give away the comfort that you have received. Tell your family, friends, neighbors, co-workers what God has saved you from. Be a witness to what and Who you know. Tell your story!!!
Tell me what you think. Let’s talk about it.
Another Kind of Pastor
Another Kind of Pastor
by Tom Johnston
So, what is a pastor, anyway? There are a number of different definitions, most of which are cultural, some of which are biblical. The term pastor is found only once in the English text, In Ephesians 4:11 –
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ
The Greek here, poimen (poy-mane’), means shepherd, one who watches out for (oversees) and cares for the flock. Paul seems to link it here with teacher. Now, much has been written on the subject lately, so I don’t really want to try to create a whole theology or philosophy of pastoral ministry here. But I do wonder how what we have as a pastoral role in the Western Church might be going through some serious changes.
For the past century or more in our country, being a member of the “clergy” has meant that you were, in most cases, the primary, singular spiritual leader of a local community church. For the vast majority, it has also been seen as a vocation, and in the past 75 years or so, has been viewed as a profession, a desirable career track for one to pursue. In the past 30 years with the rise of the “Mega” church, pastors have been challenged to become a whole lot more than just shepherds. Leader, manager, financial wizard, vision-caster, promoter, communicator, and program manager are now part of the expectations of being a pastor.
With the American “bigger is better” mindset still prevalent in the Western Church, success or effectiveness is equated with the size of the church. And yet research continues to find that real church growth in America – via conversion growth – is still between 5-7 percent, with 93-95 percent of growth coming through transfer. So, maybe bigger isn’t really better. Maybe better is better. Hey, we all want to see the harvest come it – and it’s not – and we want to see churches grow – but through conversion, not transfer.
But I digress. The point is those Megas, (will we have Gigas soon?) and we are glad to have them, representing a tiny fraction of the total churches in America. But do they really represent “success”? Yes, and no.
Success in the Kingdom is obedience. Jesus tells a great story about obedience in Matthew 25:14-30, where He is talking about the talents. Three different people, three different levels of investment, two different responses. Two were obedient, one was not. Two traded with what they had been given, one buried what he had out of fear. So, if a Mega church pastor is someone with grace empowerment from Jesus at “5 Plus” talent level – then yes, their obedience would potentially produce something massive. For them that is success. But not for the rest of us. The fruit of our obedience will look different from one person to the next. What matters is that we are obedient to be who we are called to be, do what we are called to do, and that we bear much fruit, bringing glory to the Father, and proving to be Jesus’ disciples (John 15:8).
Is this an excuse for us to be lazy in pursuit of our mission? No way. If we did, then we would get the response from Jesus the one who buried the talent got – rebuked and kicked out of town. No, we have to press in to mission, being obedient to our calling, investing what has been invested in us by the Holy Spirit into the Kingdom economy.
But here’s the rub: The current paradigm of pastoring in the West, and the accompanying church system, limit who can be released into the pastoral role. We’ve built, or perhaps inherited, an expert-driven, professionalized system that spends $286 Billion per year on ministry – and we aren’t reaching our own kids (less than 5% of teens indicate faith in Christ). How can the one, two, three, or in my case, a zero-point-five talent pastor find expression of their giving and calling? Do we all have to be CEO’s? Is that what Paul was thinking when he wrote Ephesians 4:11? Are there more people with the ability to pastor 20, 30 or 50 people than there are who can pastor 500, 800 or 1000? I think maybe there are, and if we want to see a spiritual revolution, a Third Great Awakening, then we might need to figure out how to mobilize them, from the local church for the local church. And do it fast. We may need to let go of our preconceptions about what pastoral ministry is, and allow our structures to become more flexible, adapting to new pastoral roles, and consequently, new incarnations of church.
So here is my question for discussion: Is there room for another kind of pastor in the Western Church? Let’s talk.
by Tom Johnston
So, what is a pastor, anyway? There are a number of different definitions, most of which are cultural, some of which are biblical. The term pastor is found only once in the English text, In Ephesians 4:11 –
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ
The Greek here, poimen (poy-mane’), means shepherd, one who watches out for (oversees) and cares for the flock. Paul seems to link it here with teacher. Now, much has been written on the subject lately, so I don’t really want to try to create a whole theology or philosophy of pastoral ministry here. But I do wonder how what we have as a pastoral role in the Western Church might be going through some serious changes.
For the past century or more in our country, being a member of the “clergy” has meant that you were, in most cases, the primary, singular spiritual leader of a local community church. For the vast majority, it has also been seen as a vocation, and in the past 75 years or so, has been viewed as a profession, a desirable career track for one to pursue. In the past 30 years with the rise of the “Mega” church, pastors have been challenged to become a whole lot more than just shepherds. Leader, manager, financial wizard, vision-caster, promoter, communicator, and program manager are now part of the expectations of being a pastor.
With the American “bigger is better” mindset still prevalent in the Western Church, success or effectiveness is equated with the size of the church. And yet research continues to find that real church growth in America – via conversion growth – is still between 5-7 percent, with 93-95 percent of growth coming through transfer. So, maybe bigger isn’t really better. Maybe better is better. Hey, we all want to see the harvest come it – and it’s not – and we want to see churches grow – but through conversion, not transfer.
But I digress. The point is those Megas, (will we have Gigas soon?) and we are glad to have them, representing a tiny fraction of the total churches in America. But do they really represent “success”? Yes, and no.
Success in the Kingdom is obedience. Jesus tells a great story about obedience in Matthew 25:14-30, where He is talking about the talents. Three different people, three different levels of investment, two different responses. Two were obedient, one was not. Two traded with what they had been given, one buried what he had out of fear. So, if a Mega church pastor is someone with grace empowerment from Jesus at “5 Plus” talent level – then yes, their obedience would potentially produce something massive. For them that is success. But not for the rest of us. The fruit of our obedience will look different from one person to the next. What matters is that we are obedient to be who we are called to be, do what we are called to do, and that we bear much fruit, bringing glory to the Father, and proving to be Jesus’ disciples (John 15:8).
Is this an excuse for us to be lazy in pursuit of our mission? No way. If we did, then we would get the response from Jesus the one who buried the talent got – rebuked and kicked out of town. No, we have to press in to mission, being obedient to our calling, investing what has been invested in us by the Holy Spirit into the Kingdom economy.
But here’s the rub: The current paradigm of pastoring in the West, and the accompanying church system, limit who can be released into the pastoral role. We’ve built, or perhaps inherited, an expert-driven, professionalized system that spends $286 Billion per year on ministry – and we aren’t reaching our own kids (less than 5% of teens indicate faith in Christ). How can the one, two, three, or in my case, a zero-point-five talent pastor find expression of their giving and calling? Do we all have to be CEO’s? Is that what Paul was thinking when he wrote Ephesians 4:11? Are there more people with the ability to pastor 20, 30 or 50 people than there are who can pastor 500, 800 or 1000? I think maybe there are, and if we want to see a spiritual revolution, a Third Great Awakening, then we might need to figure out how to mobilize them, from the local church for the local church. And do it fast. We may need to let go of our preconceptions about what pastoral ministry is, and allow our structures to become more flexible, adapting to new pastoral roles, and consequently, new incarnations of church.
So here is my question for discussion: Is there room for another kind of pastor in the Western Church? Let’s talk.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
So, what does "spiritual revolution" mean to you?
So, the church is failing in the West. It is the only part of the world where Christianity is NOT growing. Something is SERIOUSLY wrong here. We need a radical rediscovery of the truth of the New Testament scriptures and what they have to say about church. Not in form, or models, or "wineskins" - but in the content. If we do that, things can change. To do that, we need a revolution.
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