Monthly Archives: November 2019

Fiddling in the Fire

A few days ago we watched “Fiddler on the Roof” as a family. I have long loved the musical and was eager to expose my kids to it. My son’s response was to observe that it started out good and fun and then got rough and sad. We had a discussion about the treatment of the Jews in much of history.

Today we started watching the Civil War by Ken Burns and listened to the accounts of the disease, death, and indignity that was part of living as a slave in the USA. 4 out of 100 would live to be 60. It is not a fun show.

We don’t like this stuff. If we can avoid it, we try to. Human suffering is not something we like to see, dwell on, or think about any more than we feel we have to. We want happy endings, feel-good moments, and pleasant stories with good memories.

The sad truth is that the story of human civilization is the story of human suffering and most of it at the hands of other humans. Sometimes we cause the suffering directly, and other times through inaction or failure to appreciate the results of our actions and choices.

In Fiddler on the Roof, the local constable hates to do what he’s doing but he’s just following orders. He can’t risk his own position and even if he did, it wouldn’t change anything, so why try. That thought animates so much of human suffering. “There is nothing I can do about it, so why try.” When that phrase echos from thousands of voices, the reason for such agony in the world quickly becomes apparent.

God is deeply motivated by human suffering. He has allowed us to plot our own path, but He has told us what is good and what He wants.
1. To do Justice: This isn’t about enforcing laws, rather Biblical justice is about making sure the weak and powerless are not victimized and neglected by those who have resources and power.
2. Love Mercy: We want to ignore mercy because it, by definition, does not make people pay for all their mistakes. We want to withhold good from the guilty, forgetting that the heart of the Gospel is that Jesus died for the guilty.
3. Walk Humbly with God: Humbly first remembers that we have been recipients of mercy, that we have nothing within ourselves and are but poor sinners. Our lives don’t belong to us, neither do our resources. All belongs to Christ.
If this became central to our response to our fellow humans, human suffering would be mostly diminished. There would still be illness and natural disasters, but some of the causes and many of the impacts of even those would be ameliorated by the efforts of those who have the resources and power to help.

This is Jesus. He came down from heaven, laid aside His glory and privilege, and became not just human, but a poor and suffering human who took on the reality of human suffering. He lived with, loved, and healed many who were sick and suffering. He showed a different way. Then, in His greatest act, He laid down His life on the cross, choosing to take on the spiritual debt, the great need of our souls, and pay, out of His life and fullness, the price of our redemption. There has never been a greater provision of Biblical justice, mercy, and humility. He also mentioned that we should do likewise.

I, like most of us, do not like to dwell too long on the misfortunes and suffering of others. It is easy to pass it off as not my concern, or outside of my ability to do so. I am part of the problem. Are you?

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A Pizza Slice & Evil

My wife sat down next to me as we began family movie night holding an absolutely beautiful slice of warm, fresh, pepperoni pizza. It was about 5 pm and I was not planning on eating pizza because it would keep me up. I’ve reached that delightful age where I can’t eat just anything, at least not a few hours before bedtime.
But it looked really, really good. My mouth began to water. Knowing that I should stick to my guns, there was only one thing to do. I holstered those guns and went out and grabbed a slice. It was good.
An hour later, and into the night, it was not good.

Since I wasn’t sleeping, I had time to reflect on my decision and the nature of evil in the world. My decision was a small one, with very limited consequences. I chose what looked and felt good over what I knew was right, but it was such a minor thing, it wasn’t a big deal. Nothing some tums and a later bedtime couldn’t overcome.

We are all like this. There are moments every day when we know better, but the stakes are low and what is before us “looks right in our eyes.” We don’t need to worry or feel guilty because these are small meaningless decisions. These small meaningless decisions can add up. They do add up, and not just in their consequences, but the habit they represent in us. We decide what is right and what we will do based on the moment, and what looks good in our own eyes.

The evil in our world is an amalgamation of millions of these little moments. We tend to want to ascribe evil to the large evil deeds of villains and to be sure those exist too. However, the general atmosphere of evil that lurks around every corner comes directly from our human heart and our desire for one piece of pizza, one moment of indiscretion, one minor indulgence of what looks good to our eyes. Each of these little moments finds us recreating that moment in the Garden of Eden where Eve looked at a fruit that God had said it was not good to eat, and she decided that it was good, that she wanted it and by golly, she was going to have one. Her and then her husband’s small choice was a big one, and my one slice of pizza perfectly recreated that moment as I do my part in perpetuating evil in this world by doing what is right in my own eyes.

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Tribal Confusion

The word “Tribalism” has come to define our modern political situation here in the United States. We tend to define our identity, loyalty and now even our convictions, not by independent values, but by our tribal identity. If our party does it, it’s a principle. If the other party does it, its somewhere between hypocrisy and a crime. Our party is patriotic, their party is unAmerican. And on it goes.

I regularly witness Christians deeply embedded in this tribal warfare, expressing strong tribalism and shaping their values around their tribe. Truth itself is given a partisan filter and loyalty to our tribe becomes defining.

So the first question is, if we are Followers of Christ, have we confused who is in our tribe? Then the second question is, have we confused what our tribe represents. Finally, have we confused what it means to fight for our tribe? Let’s take these one at a time, and briefly overview how the Bible answers these questions.

Who is Our Tribe?

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

(1 Peter 2:9)

While I am registered to vote in one political party (and in the past have been a state delegate for that party), it is not my tribe. My tribe is the people of God, consisting of all those who have accepted the gift of God’s salvation through the sacrifice of Christ. That means that my tribe stretches across both major political parties in the USA as well as across the borders of the USA to include many who live in other countries around the world. When we prioritize our local political tribe over the members of our true tribe, we forget a warning from Scripture.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

(2 Corinthians 6:14-16)

My tribe is the temple of the living God. Neither political party in America, NEITHER, can claim that mantle. Both are full of unbelievers and represent narrow political interests that are not based on the Kingdom. I might find more in common with one party over the other, but neither party represents the Kingdom. That’s my tribe, and again, my tribe is not based in the USA but in the Kingdom to come.

What Does Our Tribe Represent?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

(2 Corinthians 5:17-20)

We could spend paragraphs and paragraphs quoting various passages from the Bible; the Great Commission, the commands to love our enemies and bless those who persecute us, the commands to appear as lights, to lead as servants, and on and on. We represent Christ, not a moral code. He came to save, not condemn, and Scripture says that He is holding back returning in judgement because the work of saving isn’t done yet (2 Peter 3:9). So our tribe is assigned the job of not passing judgement but declaring reconciliation, of being living representatives of Christ, not modern-day embodiments of the Pharisees.

How Does Our Tribe Fight?

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.

(1 Corinthians 10:31-33)

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

(1 Thessalonians 5:14-18)

Neither Nancy Pelosi, nor Donald Trump, nor George Soros, nor any other human figure is the target of our fight.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

(Ephesians 6:12)

In Conclusion, it is vital that if we want to help transform the culture of the USA or whatever land we live in, that we remember who is our tribe, what it means to be the People of God’s own possession, and what it means to live that reality out each day in our conversations, in our social media posts and memes, in the values that we show before the world. Without Christ, no one will be saved, no earthly country will ever be great, and no law will bring righteousness.

Let’s be careful out there.

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Trading Penneys for Apples

JC Penney was a successful chain of stores, but it was time for a new CEO and as times were changing, the company knew it needed to make sure it stayed current so as to reach customers and accomplish its retail mission. They decided to tap a successful CEO who had a track record of success with Apple. Ron Johnson was thought to be behind the Apple store design which had done well. He was a follower of Steve Jobs and had taken some of his greatest lessons to heart.

He came to JC Penney and began to quickly make the changes he thought would help update the store for future success. His changes emulated what had worked for the Apple stores. One not-so-minor problem; JC Penney wasn’t Apple, it wasn’t selling technology and its target clients were not the same as Apple. If you watch the video embedded below, you will see the catastrophic decline that immediately followed these changes.

There is a cautionary tale for today’s church. Culture is changing and the church must constantly adapt its methods so that it can continue to deliver the Message and accomplish the Mission that Jesus gave it; to Make Disciples. Some churches choose to go the way of Blockbuster Video (a separate idea and future blog post) and just quietly go out of business by not figuring out newer ways to do the same thing. There are many churches that do know that there needs to be change and often they look to what has been successful for others and try to copy that success.

Churches need to change, but each church needs to change according to their own culture, their own community, and the unique circumstances that God has placed them in. Even in the early church, things that worked in Jerusalem didn’t necessarily work in Galatia. As some churches became primarily filled with Gentiles instead of Jews, there were cultural differences that had to be taken into account.

When we try to blindly emulate the style and methods of someone else’s success, we will run a great risk of destroying the good parts of what we have. Change must be done carefully and thoughtfully with a careful study of your own culture, your own gifts and weaknesses, and the unique situation that God has placed you in. This is why I’m a big fan of churches bringing in an Assessment Team who can listen to the church, help the church take stock of itself, and then help guide the church through the correct changes. Otherwise, we risk thinking that one size and one method will fit all and we will only hasten the decline we were trying to avoid.

If you are a pastor or other leader who longs to see the church grow in its Mission to make disciples, make sure you don’t trade your Penneys for Apples.

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A Tractor, A Son, & God

Oh No! Not Again!

As the weather forecast started talking about snow in early November followed by a turn toward cold temperatures, I feared a repeat of last year where winter started early and the snow came and stayed before I was done with everything. So Wednesday turned into a sprint to the finish on outside projects. One of those projects is taking the mower deck of the tractor and putting on the snowblower.

When I inherited my Dad’s Kubota, I had to get a friend (thank you Nick) to teach me how to do work because I had never done it with my Dad, having moved out on my own long before he bought the tractor. Now that I know how to do it, I can take care of it pretty easily each spring and fall. This year, however, I decided it was time for my oldest son to learn it too, so I had him help me. I could do the work just fine without him, but I enjoyed teaching him and spending the time with him while we worked together. It made the job much better.

When it comes to “Serving the Lord” I have had the idea that I am working for God. I am serving Him, doing His work and accomplishing things for Him. This mindset means that I must be faithful, I must do a good job, I must live up to my responsibilities. If that concept doesn’t produce enough pressure and even stress on its own, then there is the problem of my weaknesses and mistakes. My humanity gets in my way and I don’t serve Him as well as I should. I don’t always do the job as well as it ought to be done.

This year God has been dealing with me on this and teaching me a better understanding of how He relates to me and what my relationship with Him means. He has shown me that the work of the ministry is truly His work and He is doing it. He has allowed me to help Him, not because He needs help or can’t do the job on His own, but because He likes to teach me and He likes to spend time with me. (He did, after all, die so that I could be with Him). He is fully capable in His wisdom and power, to build His kingdom, but He has chosen to bring me along and let me learn to do the work too. He wants to work alongside me and share the work in a way that bonds Him and me together.

This is such a different way of viewing my day to day life as a servant of God. Rather than thinking that it all rests on me, to my pride or my pain, I realize that I am called to faithfully work alongside the Master as He builds His kingdom and works in people’s lives. He takes joy in teaching me and allowing me to help Him. This makes me less lonely, less fearful of my inadequacy, and reminds me that God is not a distant taskmaster, but an ever-present Father.

I am thankful for my son, and for God allowing me to be a Dad so I can learn what it means to be His child.

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Far Beyond Sympathy

Most of us are comforted when someone connects with us at our point of suffering. They express concern, care, and in the best cases, they are able to connect with our suffering by accessing an experience they have had themselves. The greater the level of shared experience, the greater the comfort or connection. A person gets cancer and is going to receive treatment. Friends and family shave their heads in solidarity with the sufferer. A shared experience to demonstrate love and establish connection. The person then spends time in the cancer ward and becomes friends with others who are also fighting cancer. A much stronger shared experience and more encouragement and bond.

With this in mind, we then look at how God reveals Himself to us in the Bible. Here is God choosing to become human, live like a human, and die like a human. Rather than try to give us commands to make us god-like, He becomes human. In John 1 it tells us that God became flesh and lived in our midst. This Christmas we will celebrate the beginning of that process as God doesn’t just come down and try out being human for a few days, but instead He experiences every facet of human experience. The almighty Creator of the universe experiences life as an unborn baby, as a newborn, as a small child who isn’t potty trained, as a youth needing to obey his parents. He becomes an adult and experiences loss, hunger, sadness, and finally experiences fear, abandonment and betrayal, pain, rejection, and death by torture.

He didn’t have to. He chose to. To connect with us. Using the opening analogy, He didn’t shave His head to show sympathy, He gave Himself the worst terminal cancer He could, just so He could connect with us in our sorry state. He loved us that much. We often don’t think through that. We might understand that Jesus died for our sins, but we miss that part of the whole process was to share in our sufferings and take them on Himself. As a result, we don’t have someone representing us in heaven who can’t sympathize, but one who has gone through it all. The Bible says because of this, we can approach Him with confidence to receive grace and mercy in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:15-16)

He gets it. When you’ve blown it. When life has kicked you in the teeth. He gets it. You need more than sympathy, you need someone who has gone through it and will show you mercy and take care of you even if you don’t deserve it. Jesus suffering gives us the confidence that we can go get that from Him. Why so confident? Because He chose to go through all that to be your Savior; to be able to connect with you.

We call it Good News.

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