A series of questions...
Suppose for a minute you had no rights as a Christian. You could not speak the name of Jesus under penalty of imprisonment and death. What would come of your faith? Would it cease? Could someone take it from you?
So you have to have a right to be a Christian? You have to have a right to pray in school? The 10 Commandments need to be posted on a courthouse? If they are taken away, does that make the 10 Commandments any less valid? If taken away, are they then meaningless because they are not in the public eye? Were they intended to be a placard or a way of life?
What if we had no voice, but all we could do was to live out lives exemplifying Christ? What if the only way we could show Jesus was through service? What if our freedom for Sunday gatherings was taken away? Would our faith diminish because of no place to meet, or is Jesus something bigger than a place or a voice? Does Jesus become less real in you if He can't be talked about around you? Would there be a noticable difference in your actions if the only way you could express your faith was through action?
What did the writer of Ecclesiastes mean when he said "You are God in heaven, and here am I on earth...so I'll let my words be few?" Does reverence toward God mean fewer words and greater action? What would the world think if we willingly gave up talking about our faith and began demonstrating it instead? Would there be less hypocritical accusations toward the church?
My point: Faith is something within...lived out...sometimes without words...heavy in witness through actions...not for self justification but love for others...it doesn't need to have rights...it can survive without them...and it fact, at times, it grows without them too.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
How to Navigate this Kingdom
Conviction. I was in conversation today with a friend who was telling me about a hard time they were having. Something didn't turn out the way they wanted or anticipated and the main thing was they were unhappy. However, there were a series of choices that led to that point, all determined by what seemed good.
We live in a conviction-less society. I would pose the challenge is the same for the church. We are guided by culture instead of guiding culture. Culture dictates us rather than Scripture directing us. When we end up in a place where we don't want to be it's often our fault for getting there. We were guided by how we felt, and as you know that changes by the day...or the hour...or minute.
We as people are highly inconsistent and need something besides the head on our shoulders to guide us through a culture which tells us anything goes. But how does this happen? Scripture.
At least one reason for the lack of conviction is the secondary nature Scripture plays in guiding our lives and shaping our beliefs and convictions. Convictions guide you into what you do (helping the poor, being a good steward of what you have, loving enemies, etc) and what you don't do (drunkenness, pre-marital sex, taking advantage of others, etc). The problem is the latter half of what Scripture warns us against is now widely accepted in the church without a second thought. Convictions are not easy to live by because they necessitate sacrifice of what you may want to do, but what is not the best.
Listen to the great words of Paul (1 Cor. 10:23): "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive." Around me I see a society of people that don't think much of themselves. How do I see this? Because they try to numb their own sense of insecurity with materialism and parasitic relationships that somehow momentarily make them feel better. As a culture we've done plenty to deconstruct ourselves and to make us into nothing more than consumers...and that goes for more than just how we spend our money but also delves into how we view relationships.
Convictions are part of the construct of a person. One with few to no convictions are known for just that. One who holds to their convictions most of the time are seen with respect (that is, unless their forceful and prideful about them). With the dissolution of truth has went the foundation of Scripture, the very basis by which godly conviction is derived. People will hear how the Bible instructs them but then see it as irrelevant because it is so counter-cultural. But for those interested in a guide to help them develop convictions to live by, Scripture is the beginning and the end.
Last word...convictions cannot be held if one only thinks of themselves. Convictions are to guide who you are in relationship to God and others. It's wanting to serve God and serve others. Lack of convictions lead to the entropy of a person...soon it just destroys you from the inside.
We live in a conviction-less society. I would pose the challenge is the same for the church. We are guided by culture instead of guiding culture. Culture dictates us rather than Scripture directing us. When we end up in a place where we don't want to be it's often our fault for getting there. We were guided by how we felt, and as you know that changes by the day...or the hour...or minute.
We as people are highly inconsistent and need something besides the head on our shoulders to guide us through a culture which tells us anything goes. But how does this happen? Scripture.
At least one reason for the lack of conviction is the secondary nature Scripture plays in guiding our lives and shaping our beliefs and convictions. Convictions guide you into what you do (helping the poor, being a good steward of what you have, loving enemies, etc) and what you don't do (drunkenness, pre-marital sex, taking advantage of others, etc). The problem is the latter half of what Scripture warns us against is now widely accepted in the church without a second thought. Convictions are not easy to live by because they necessitate sacrifice of what you may want to do, but what is not the best.
Listen to the great words of Paul (1 Cor. 10:23): "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive." Around me I see a society of people that don't think much of themselves. How do I see this? Because they try to numb their own sense of insecurity with materialism and parasitic relationships that somehow momentarily make them feel better. As a culture we've done plenty to deconstruct ourselves and to make us into nothing more than consumers...and that goes for more than just how we spend our money but also delves into how we view relationships.
Convictions are part of the construct of a person. One with few to no convictions are known for just that. One who holds to their convictions most of the time are seen with respect (that is, unless their forceful and prideful about them). With the dissolution of truth has went the foundation of Scripture, the very basis by which godly conviction is derived. People will hear how the Bible instructs them but then see it as irrelevant because it is so counter-cultural. But for those interested in a guide to help them develop convictions to live by, Scripture is the beginning and the end.
Last word...convictions cannot be held if one only thinks of themselves. Convictions are to guide who you are in relationship to God and others. It's wanting to serve God and serve others. Lack of convictions lead to the entropy of a person...soon it just destroys you from the inside.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Retreat: Kingdom and Rest
The Divine Center: where we focus all our faculties around Christ. That's no one's definition but my own, and I don't like it that much, but it's a way to start this out.
I'm retreating tomorrow. Going up to our family cabin for a day of silence. I'm not boasting. I'm excited. Keeping up with the pace of life is absolutely exhausting, and every good effort to work for the Kingdom seems to be just that: work. There are times when everyone needs to get away, to refocus, and to quiet themselves in acts of submission and surrender to God. I don't know who said it, but someone made the observation it takes more than 24 hours of silence to stop thinking about other things...to somehow just be.
Quality numero uno of our suburbanite lives: Busyness. It's a killer. Run the kids here and there, fix meals, clean the house, mow the lawn, get the groceries, watch the favorite sports teams, maybe have a good conversation here or there, and then catch a few hours of rest in order to do the whole thing over again. Crap...I forgot work!!!
One of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves is find time away with God. For all you parents I know it's hard. I'm there. But my wife tells me a few moments of solitude goes a long way. I know it's time for me when I start getting wrapped up in the ideals of this kingdom and the convictions toward the Kingdom seem somewhat distant.
Jesus retreated. He went to lonely places. He went there to be with God. Many times he did it after a busy day. Here's a simple challenge for anyone reading: after you tuck the kids into bed, instead of turning on the tube to 'relax'... spend some time in silence or talk with your spouse or read some scripture or read a book that encourages your faith. As you rest for the night may you take upon yourself the words of the Psalmist in Ps. 3: I lie down and sleep in peace for You, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
Happy resting...
I'm retreating tomorrow. Going up to our family cabin for a day of silence. I'm not boasting. I'm excited. Keeping up with the pace of life is absolutely exhausting, and every good effort to work for the Kingdom seems to be just that: work. There are times when everyone needs to get away, to refocus, and to quiet themselves in acts of submission and surrender to God. I don't know who said it, but someone made the observation it takes more than 24 hours of silence to stop thinking about other things...to somehow just be.
Quality numero uno of our suburbanite lives: Busyness. It's a killer. Run the kids here and there, fix meals, clean the house, mow the lawn, get the groceries, watch the favorite sports teams, maybe have a good conversation here or there, and then catch a few hours of rest in order to do the whole thing over again. Crap...I forgot work!!!
One of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves is find time away with God. For all you parents I know it's hard. I'm there. But my wife tells me a few moments of solitude goes a long way. I know it's time for me when I start getting wrapped up in the ideals of this kingdom and the convictions toward the Kingdom seem somewhat distant.
Jesus retreated. He went to lonely places. He went there to be with God. Many times he did it after a busy day. Here's a simple challenge for anyone reading: after you tuck the kids into bed, instead of turning on the tube to 'relax'... spend some time in silence or talk with your spouse or read some scripture or read a book that encourages your faith. As you rest for the night may you take upon yourself the words of the Psalmist in Ps. 3: I lie down and sleep in peace for You, O Lord, make me dwell in safety."
Happy resting...
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