I’m an intercessory missionary, and it’s the end of the age
This article that I wrote a while ago was posted on the Onething site yesterday. It articulates the cry of my heart well - it’s from the “Sermon on the Mount” series that I began a while back, focusing on the Beatitudes.
Blessings to you today as you pursue His heart,
David
Add comment April 29th, 2008
I’ve been working on “The Gospel of Mark, the Weakness of Discipleship, Pt. 3″ since this past Friday. This is the section in which I had planned on telling Mark’s story, which is as much fun for me as the “heart stuff” in the first two parts that introduce the series. It’s been fun researching and refreshing myself on Mark’s story - I love searching for details and nuggets through the haze of history that I can add to my own picture of the events. It’s like finding unexpected pieces of tile to add to an ever expanding mosaic - one that adds color and sharpens the image a little more than before.
One of the fun little treasures I dug up was a quote examining the fairly famous (in these kinds of theology-dork circles) quote from Papias about Mark and Simon Peter (which you’ll have to wait for part 3 to read - oh! the suspense):
“The earliest piece of external, direct evidence comes to us from Papias, bishop of Hierapolis, (c. 60-130) who quotes someone he identifies as “the elder” (ho presbuteros), probably John the elder, an authoritative figure among the churches in the province of Asia (H.E. 3.39.4, 15).”
That line, for whatever reason, electrified my imagination. I’m familiar enough with the stories and traditions about John the beloved apostle late in his life. Yet, for some reason, this sentence opened a new “door” in my mind’s eye. I pictured this mysterious figure looming in the background of the late-first century church. I pictured young Christians hearing stories of the original “desert father” who wiser, older believers only referred to as “the elder.” I imagined younger believers trying to find out the identity of this mysterious elder - and why some in their midst would only tear up in deep tenderness and fondness when that designation came up.
I love a good mystery. I love imagining the journey of a young man trying to catch up with this mysterious figure as he moves mysteriously through the lives of those who populated the church of Asia Minor. Who was “the elder”? Was he a prophet, a second-generation believer who had an intimate relationship with the famous beloved disciple? Imagine the conversations and questions - and the dogged search to find out the truth about the identity of this mystical, almost mythical figure. Then imagine the day when the “elder” walks into your congregation. He seems to barely whisper the phrase, “Beloved, love one another…” before shuffling off to another place.
I love this stuff!
David
1 comment April 22nd, 2008
The easiest way to summarize the first part of this series, and the great problem of true discipleship, is found in Job 36:
“Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him;Nor can the number of His years be discovered.”
Again, two key points from part one: when I speak about the “weakness of discipleship”, I am speaking about the difficulty of a noble pursuit, not of the practice of discipleship itself. Secondly, I define “true discipleship” as the earnest and sincere desire to become like our Master in values, lifestyle, mindset, and desire - amongst many other categories that could be listed here. It is the very definition of discipleship that exposes the grand impossibility of our common goal, that we want to be, in essence, “perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect”, as Jesus mandated in Matthew 5:48. As such, of course, I believe that we will be perfected by the perfect work of the grace of God - and that this inward transformation is one that is God-initiated and God-directed. Righteousness, in other words, is first and foremost imputed before it is imparted.
Yet, it is imparted. The manner in which I express in humble obedience the righteousness of God imparted into my thinking, my understanding, and my responses in tenderness to His value system is the manner in which I “work out my salvation with fear and trembling” related to that which God is doing within me by grace to will and to do according to His good pleasure (Phil. 2:12-13). In other words, the work of grace through the ministry of the Holy Spirit first gives me power on the inside to want (or “will”) to do other than that which I had been doing. This is called “repentance“. Then, there is power from the Spirit of God yet again to do those things that please God rather than please my carnal flesh. Then, as I continue to walk in agreement with God related to His value system, the Holy Spirit operates within me to transform my desires - over time the things I loved I now either despise (sin) or, in process, simply feel ambivalent towards (weights that entangle). Things I used to dread, like prayer and the bible, I now love. Fasting, serving, sharing the gospel - all of these things are examples of desires that were imparted and cultivated in the place of prayer and fellowship with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14).
The weakness of process
The problem lies in the time that it takes between our immaturity, brokenness, and weakness that marks the beginning of our journey and the power of God made perfect in our weakness as we persevere. Many believers long for (depending on their spiritual culture) that one “altar call” to be the moment in which God breaks into their lives dramatically and delivers them from all of their weakness. For others, it could be that one great counseling session, or that one great book that suddenly transforms their lives. This moment will never come. Christianity is not, and has never been, a glorified self-help program. Though the appeal for some is the invitation to go from weakness to strength, or messy to capable, gifted, awesome, and confident, Christianity is a far different invitation to the lost and broken.
In other words, the invitation of the gospel is a foolish one (1 Cor. 1:18): to gain everything later, one must lose everything now. We have the opportunity to go from broken, sinful weakness to voluntary weakness through the cross. We journey from insecurity and frustration with our faults and flaws to joy, peace, stability, and confidence not because we are healed of our flaws and made into an “uber-human” who no longer fails or stumbles in thought, word, and deed. We grow in confidence and joy when the reality of God’s great love and enjoyment of us in our weakness strikes our heart. We become emotionally stable, tender in heart, alive on the inside and filled with peace when we learn that we are loved and a lover of God from the first moment we said “yes” to His invitation to follow Him. If we do nothing else in life but rest in that knowledge, we have won.
Yet the invitation to become a true disciple involves taking that biblical insight and allowing it to empower confidence to follow Him all the days of our lives. The revelation of the tender love of Christ, the “love of God and the patience of Christ” (2 Thess. 3:5), gives us courage to pray always and not lose heart (Lk. 18:1) when we stumble in the journey. We can sign up for the weakness of the process of transformation on the inside that works its way to our outward man if we believe that He is tender and patient with us as we grope towards Him as young, new, weak disciples. In our weakness, we don’t draw strength from being a little more capable than the brother next to us. We draw strength from His fiery, committed, covenantal love that is willing to see the process through to the end, faithful to complete the good work that was begun within the very moment we said “yes” to Him.
Broken weakness to voluntary weakness
Once we embark on the journey of true discipleship, we give ourselves to a journey from initial immaturity, weakness, brokenness, foolishness, carnal thinking, darkened understanding, areas of habitual compromise, and unrestrained emotion (and emoting) to later maturity and temperance, or restraint in all things. In other words, we go from an ungoverned and unrestrained lifestyle (tempered by laws and social norms) to a self-governed and voluntarily restrained lifestyle (tempered by authentic love).
It is, of course, a very long process of training, learning, failing, and repenting. It is a process that takes our whole life (and more) to fully grasp and walk out. Jesus expressed this perfectly. True discipleship is the desire to do the same. Weak discipleship is the reality of our inability to do the same, or even grasp why we should at times. After all, who really signs up for “Christianity” under the banner of leaving, denying, forsaking, restraining, and fighting a war against the sinful passions of the heart every moment of every day of our lives until we see Him face to face? Who desires to say no to the things of this world that feed our brokenness, weakness, and carnality to walk out a lifestyle of voluntary weakness that includes praying (saying things to God that He tells us to tell Him), fasting (not eating, getting physically weak, tired, and grumpy), serving (doing things for others that you would rather they do for you), giving (possibly making a ton of money that you never spend on your pleasures, but rather give away like mad), and forgiving (laying down your personal rights when mistreated and actually hoping, at times, justice isn’t done to right a wrong done to you).
It takes great strength to choose weakness. It is one of the most difficult journeys anyone could choose to begin. It is one of the costliest decisions one could make. It is the way of the Master, the brilliance of His leadership - He made the bar high and the cost great to sift and sort through the many reasons and hidden ambitions of those who would say “yes” to an invitation to authentic, weak discipleship. Saying “yes” was meant to be hard to do. Staying in that continual “yes” was meant to be harder still. Yet, what options do we have? Saying “no” is ultimately much more difficult a journey to take, and the cost of refusal even greater. For in the grace of God, His commandments are not burdensome, but they are life to the soul and blessing to the faithful.
This is what twelve young adults found out for themselves, nearly 2000 years ago.
Next: We actually talk about the Gospel of Mark.
David
5 comments April 15th, 2008
In beginning this latest series, I want to make clear that the “weakness” of discipleship does not refer to the practice itself as a weak endeavor. Rather, I am referring to Mark’s examination of the messiness of true discipleship through the lens of the weakest men to ever say “yes” to Jesus. The subject of weakness as a whole has captivated me over the past month, for reasons that will hopefully unfold with clarity as I return to a regular writing, study, and prayer schedule. So, when I speak here of the weakness of discipleship I am speaking of personal weakness and the pursuit of Christlike righteousness, holiness, and perspective.
Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown…
To say “yes” to follow and become like someone else is an intensely frustrating undertaking. An elite athlete is still subject to the system of the coach, and must submit his personal preferences to the will of his leader. He or she must subdue and restrain their incredible gifts and talents in a manner that allows for the rest of the “symphony” to function in tight harmony. These realities of team life separate championship teams from merely successful ones. Thus a once in a generation athlete like Michael Vick was forced to labor in vain while another once in a generation star such as Michael Jordan won multiple championships. The former had incredible gifts but ended the careers of multiple coaches, all of whom failed to convince Vick that the team’s success meant personal restraint. For the “running quarterback” to win, he simply had to choose not to run.
Such a weekly act of discipline proved to great a task - in the end, for Vick, the ego proved too great an obstacle. In Jordan’s case, the ego was a far greater force - rarely has any sport seen arrogance, anger, and inflated ego, despite what the sneaker commercials presented. Yet, in the end, he was confronted with the weakness of subduing his ego and restraining his abilities to allow his teammates to flow and participate with one plan that flowed from head coach rather than his ability to get past the man defending him. What Jordan found was that, when his teammates were uninvolved and outside of the natural “flow” of movement that constitutes a healthy offensive strategy, there was always another defender to have to beat. One on five is always impossible, as Jordan found out dramatically in 1986 when he scored 63 points against the Boston Celtics, one of the greatest teams of that era, and still lost the playoff series.
This would be Jordan’s lot for the next five years - singular greatness overshadowed by devastating playoff losses. The accusations began to multiply and the pressure began to increase - all of which were great blows to his ego. He finally came to understand that true greatness was not knit to individual brilliance but team success. Thus, he bought into a larger plan, or system of play, which was predicated more on passing and movement. This system required that someone else initiate the plan; at times, it moved the ball through the center (who, on those teams, was often the most unskilled player on the team), and it reacted to the defense rather than barreling into the teeth of five opposing elite athletes.
This, of course, was hard for Jordan to buy into. Why? His greatest issue, other than trusting his head coach, was trusting his teammates to make sound decisions. Early on in his career, they had not. Yet, his own efforts were proving fruitless and thus he was left with little choice in the matter. To win, he had to restrain himself and allow his teammates to assert themselves. The key to Jordan’s success was not that he learned to do this 100% of the time, rather, for him success was found in adhering to this principle 75% of the time. As a once-in-a-lifetime superstar, he felt he had earned the ability to deviate from the plan and assert himself in certain key moments. Still, for Jordan, restraining himself for to allow for authentic team dynamics at that level proved enough to win six championships over the next ten years.
As Paul said, in 1 Corinthians 9:25-28: “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate (restrained) in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.”
Infinite Power Tempered Every Day For 33 Years
The ultimate display of restraint, however, was found in the earthly ministry of Jesus 2000 years ago. What Jesus is asking of us, He modeled to perfection: He demonstrated the wisdom of power restrained, or “meekness”. While the ego and arrogance of man makes true meekness seemingly impossible, the desire of Jesus to make Himself “of no reputation” made meekness attractive. It is stunning to imagine that Jesus can make something that men find weak, foolish, and contemptible attractive as we begin to walk according to the Spirit rather than our own understanding and sensibilities.
For even what Michael Jordan did in restraining his own power was for his own sake - as is the case with every athlete who competes for a prize apart from God. Yet Jesus did it for no glory or reward of His own, but for the glory of His Father. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death - even the death of the cross. He humbled Himself, in other words, to the point of personal humiliation for the sake of the exaltation of His Father and the interests of the saints. Who would willingly and wholeheartedly suffer great anguish and humiliation for the sake of others, with no thought of personal gain? I want to pour out my life while maintaining as much personal dignity as possible. Jesus, on the other hand, made Himself of no reputation 33 years before the cross!
In other words, how humiliating could the cross have been in comparison to “taking on the form of a bondservant” and “coming in the likeness of men”? After all, He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. What did this mean? It meant, for 33 years, Jesus joyfully stuck with the plan of His “coach” rather than baptizing the earth with fire according to His “distress” (Lk. 12:50). It meant, for 33 years, the greatest revivalist in history stayed mostly hidden, and, during His 3 1/2 public ministry years, mostly in the outskirts of His own nation. Imagine a modern revivalist operating in signs and wonders conducting their ministry primarily in North Dakota and Montana rather than the cities and the population centers?
It meant, for 33 years, always having the right answer in every conversation but mostly letting everyone else speak. It meant allowing His earthly father to teach Him carpentry, when His resume included “stretching out the heavens like a curtain” and “laying the beams of His upper chambers in the waters” (Ps. 104:2-3). It meant that most of the things He preached and taught were misunderstood and misinterpreted (Isa. 6:9-10) - even by those most loyal to Him (Mk. 6:52). Can you imagine knowing that almost every sermon you would ever preach would not be heard? As a preacher, I naturally gauge my success by the response of the congregation - Jesus was faced with a people that were continually astonished and amazed by His teaching, yet astonishingly unresponsive and dull. John the Baptist had the same problem (Matt. 11:17).
The dilemma of discipleship
How can I be like One who was so given with understanding that is so alien to my own? Why did Jesus do the things that He did - what was He thinking? How can my thinking be formed in a similar manner?
Thus, the great problem of my life can be summed up like this: true discipleship means that I have to follow in the footsteps of the One I love and desire to obey. It means that I have to buy into His mindset, and a never-ending series of “whys” behind His “what”. I have to love what He loves, and hate what He hates. The weakness of my pursuit, of course, is this:
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,Nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,So are My ways higher than your ways,And My thoughts than your thoughts.”
- Isaiah 55:8-9
It is, on the surface, an impossible proposition - a preposterous invitation. We have been invited to embark on a journey that begins with our sincere “yes” and ends with a complete transformation that helps us reason and choose in like manner to the One who is discipling us. The Master has invited us to follow Him, and thus we are to deny ourselves and take up a cross in the great exchange. The question has been asked - what would a man give in exchange for his soul? The answer is found in the life of the Man who gave up everything to gain everything. To follow, I also must be crucified in Christ. While this sounds noble, I must confess that the outworking of this in my own life is so unglamourously awkward and foolish that it’s a wonder I am still saved.
Thankfully, nowhere is this dilemma more pronounced and precisely expressed than in the Gospel of Mark. The weakness of trying to emulate transcendent perfection, an other-worldly mindset and value system that my own sensibilities disagree with a good percentage of the time, is best examined through the lens of a group of young guys who were just like me. They were sincere, zealous, and passionate. They were also weak, foolish, ambitious, selfish, and often filled with unbelief. This is the portrait that Mark paints for us. The impossibility of what we are trying to do is often humorously described by Mark, who desired to give simple men like me hope that with God, all things are possible.
David
5 comments April 14th, 2008
The short answer is: losing and then getting “oil” in my inner man. Not that I have apprehended what I’m after to my satisfaction, but I’ve spent the last week attempting to rest in the place of prayer and fasting and reorient myself again to pursue “one thing” above all else. I’ve missed you all, though!
I’ll be back next week with new material.
For those who are curious, I’m still grinding away at my latest book. I hope to be finished with the initial writing stage in the next few weeks. It’s been far more frustrating and exacting than I thought - but in the process of working through the new book, I reformatted and expanded the course book from my Biblical Foundations of Eschatology class - it now clocks in at a whopping 280 pages. Not that a page count is anything in and of itself, but it represents an end result that is a bit more comprehensive and helpful (and thus more personally satisfying) in my opinion.
Have a great weekend!
David
10 comments April 11th, 2008
I’m in the mood this morning to continue last week’s Danny Hibberd love-fest. The reason will be obvious in a moment. For those of you who don’t know Danny, he’s one of our stalwart nightwatchers and media guys who also happens to be a rock-solid theologian. If Danny and Matt Hartke aren’t careful, they might end up becoming two of the premiere apologists around. Matt, because of his scholarly examinations of scripture that fry the brain and warm the heart; and Danny for his incredibly quick and insightful mind for the arguments and their strengths and weaknesses. I so enjoy the way these guys think.
Well, Danny and I moderate a Bible Forum elsewhere on the web - I’m “the rookie” and he’s “Bing”. It’s a fairly large forum where we can test our theological mettle against different tender-hearted but sharp thinkers who love to debate the bible. I jumped in a few years back to sharpen my language and learn to say what I believe without a ton of IHOP terminology that can sometimes be difficult for new folks to follow. I recruited a bunch of fellow end-times junkies to jump in as well - and a few of them (including Danny) hung around for a while. I’m glad he did. Here’s a small sampling as to why:
“Friend, I will truncate your post here, because from this point it embarks on a misguided tangent, in which you believe you have successfully diagnosed my problem. You seem to believe me to be a comic book Christian, with photos of world leaders upon my wall, each a candidate in my conspiracy-driven mind to be the Antichrist. I have a vegetable garden and a shotgun prepared for the end times. I am scared of Europe. I have a bag of dust from the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and I invest in programmes to breed red heifers, so I can sacrifice them when the temple is rebuilt. I have a shofar.
“The eschatalogical filter through which I view the Bible does not lead me to any of these things - though I wish the best of luck to those who do. I do not look for obscure passages in order to take them out of context and apply them to the latest from FOX News. I look instead at unfulfilled promises that God has made - promises that the entire world should be filled with His glory. Promises that the Jewish people will one day turn to Him in the person of Christ Jesus, and adore Him. Promises that He will come to vindicate His saints. Promises of the new creation. I find these liberally slathered through both Testaments, and they form - as Paul says they ought - my blessed hope - that is, the glorious appearing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.”
If you didn’t appreciate those two paragraphs, maybe you’ll like this one, shared earlier in his conversation with a guy who was (if you hadn’t caught it) exasperated that anyone would ever study the end-times:
“While I am a little hazy on what precisely ‘thinking…like this‘ actually is, it is evidently my own good fortune not to be a member of your particular denomination.”
I thought that was great, if you hadn’t guessed. I am the unashamed president of the Danny Hibberd Fan Club.
David
14 comments March 25th, 2008
I want to pose a critical question that really should challenge me to the core of who I am and what it even means to be a Christian at the end of the age. My point is not that I want to give this challenge, but that Jesus Himself did, two thousand years ago. He raised the bar towards the end of the Beatitudes, when He invited us to become “peacemakers”. Jesus had something in mind when He spoke those words that goes well beyond how traditional theological streams define the blessing that comes to a peacemaker. It was His stated intention and awesome promise that those who lay hold of this heart reality would be called sons of God.
Five hundred years of Protestant theology has taught us to think of this phrase in the “positional” sense, as an aspect of our identity that is “automatic” or bestowed to us in the moment of our new birth. The moment we said “yes” to Jesus as Lord and Savior is the moment we became “born again” into the family of God. “Behold,” John spoke in his first letter as he meditated on this stunning truth, “what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God” (1 John 3:1)! John continues to develop this awesome sentence in a manner that was meant to provide insight into the manner in which God views us as he emphasizes, “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2).
It’s a breathtaking statement that gives the believer a concrete definition of their present position before God as well as a future glimpse into the implications of that position. John’s words were meant to give us both confidence and hope. So I agree that to primarily view our identity as a son of God in a positional manner is correct and beneficial to our growth in God. Yet the scriptures consistently speak of the “already, but not yet” manner in which Jesus establishes His kingdom promises. Thus Peter could be called a “rock” of steadiness long before it was actually true of him. The kingdom of God was at hand in the days of the first advent, but the fullness of what Jesus proclaimed was yet to come. This is why John concludes his statement about our identity as chldren of God with this: “And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies Himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3).
In other words, John understood that there is more to being a “child of God” than simply a positional reality at the new birth or theological statement of identity regardless of our lifestyle. John identifies our coming transformation as a future hope that must stir us into present holiness and purity. In other words, one can be in the family, yet not be a true spiritual son. A true son is not satisfied with the designation of sonship, but longs to be found in truth as one in whom God is “well-pleased” as we live before Him. A true son longs to be like his father—just as Jesus wanted to reflect His Father in heaven. Jesus did not simply call Himself a Son of the Living God, nor did He appeal to His identity as the Second Person of the Trinity. He actually embodied and exemplified the meekness and humility of His Father as a true and authentic Son—and thus the Father was well-pleased with Him.
This same princple holds true with the modern concept of “spiritual fathers” and “spiritual sons” that at times oversimplifies and waters down the high and rigorous call on those who endeavor to be one of those two things. Many want to be a father or a son—but it takes more than simply having an older man spend time talking about life with a younger man. It takes more than a younger man “carrying the bags” of an older man and making his life and ministry work better, while learning a few tips along the way.
To be a true spiritual father, one must have a rich inheritance in God to give to a true son. There are few true spiritual fathers around the nation today. Few give themselves to a life and pursuit of the things of God that ignite a fire in the inner man. Few are willing to endure the demands of such a life in God, to go somewhere in paving the way that others could emulate and follow. Even fewer are willing to do so in a manner that is exceedingly generous in spirit, in order that true sons could be (and would be) actually given the inheritance by a father who is not concerned with personal gain or honor, but longs to honor his sons.
Again, so much of what passes for “spiritual fathering” today involves older men and women in ministry that are happy for gifted young adults to make their lives and ministries better. While I appreciate training and leadership development, this is not really “spiritual fathering”. Other times, this false reality is expressed in a relationship based mostly on entertainment without God’s purpose at the center. What is the issue? It is common and assumed as a right that is automatic by young and old alike without first exhibiting faithfulness. The spirit of entitlement often sets the culture of a ministry in a wrong place, hindering the process of fathering.
A spiritual father, first of all, must be faithful to God in order to be ministries with substance in God that young people are provoked to imitate. Spiritually boring older people will not be able to function as spiritual fathers; rather, they must have something to give. The test of a leader is to look behind to see if anyone is following you. If no one is following you, then another cannot make you a spiritual leader.
As Paul said, “It is required in stewards [fathers & children] that one be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:2). This works both ways in the concept of “spiritual fathering”—the reason for its rarity is also found in the corresponding need for faithfulness in the “children” as well. For sons or daughters to have a spiritual father requires that they be faithful, teachable and “able”, or gifted, who are committed to reproduce in others. Paul talked about this in regards to Timothy - who was one of the only men Paul called a “son” (Titus being the other) in all the years he ministered:
The things that you have heard from me…commit…to faithful men who will be able [gifted] to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2)
For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state. For all seek their own…You know [Timothy’s] proven character, that as a son with his father he served with me in the gospel. (Philippians 2:20-22)
Paul lamented the lack of young men who were “like-minded”, which speaks of a faithfulness related to the scriptures and kingdom values that Paul embraced and embodied in life. There had to be follow-through on the part of his potential sons by which they gave themselves faithfully to the labors of Paul. As Paul prayed, fasted, taught, and lived, so those who endeavored to be a son to him had to do the same. This rarely happens! The result is that spiritual fathering is not very common because of the low numbers of faithful older people linked up to faithful younger people.
I have shared a little bit about what true spiritual fathering is, but not much about what a true father does. That is beyond the scope of this discussion - and beyond the scope of Matthew 5:8. The core issue is this - many want to rest in their identity as a child of God, yet few want to labor in faithfulness to be found blameless at His coming (1 Cor. 1:8), or confident and unashamed at His coming (1 John 2:28), having been perfected in love (1 John 4:17). Because my hope lies in the completion of His work in me, I purify myself - just as He is pure.
Why? I want to be like Him. I yearn to be a true son to my Father in heaven. There is much that He will give me as a member of His family, but I believe that He will give more, both today and tomorrow, to those who are found faithful. The parable of the talents in Matt. 25:14-30 bears this out as true. I am not satisfied with a positional reality—I want to labor for internal and external reality as one who is called a “son of God”. I want to be authentic, and authentically like Jesus. I want my lilfe to be a reflection of what matters to Him and what He values. I want all of my heart attitudes to exude godliness and holiness. This is what I believe is knit to the heart attitude of the “peacemaker”; the one who is able to bring reconciliation will be known as an authentic son of God, through and through.
David
4 comments March 24th, 2008
Now to the part of the original question that was most assuredly the actual “meat” of the issue that was raised. If you haven’t read the first parts of the series, you may want to do so before proceeding. This subject, however, diverges in many ways from the crux of the issue as extravagant devotion translates into extravagant lifestyles, as I said in my last post on the subject. Mary of Bethany’s act of devotion was not the fruit of a random burst of emotion or wave of appreciation for Jesus. It was the fruit of years of attentiveness and connection to where the story of His life was headed. Her extravagant devotion in the moment, in other words, was the fruit of years of devotion and extravagance that culminated in the “memorial” that would forever honor her choices and her love.
Thus the issue of the day - how does one navigate extravagant expressions of devotion in the worship service?
Man looks at the outward appearance
It is noteworthy related to my paradigm of extravagance that I consider extravagant devotion to Jesus “showing up” and “not quitting”. Opening up one’s mouth to sing or pray most of the time counts, too, I would think. In other words, one cannot measure extravagance by outward appearance. This is how man judges, and God made clear to Samuel the prophet that the inward reality, or the heart of a man, is the far better measuring rod in the manner that we define extravagance.
Thus I am rarely moved by the outward, momentary burst of devotion unless it comes in context to the life of one who has a long history of perseverance and consistency in devotion to Jesus. The one who shouts and dances in the front for a few prayer meetings is neat, but I tend to watch for consistency. In other words, if “that guy” is still dancing ten years later with a heart filled with true joy, (meaning, “that guy” is truly joyful in other contexts of ministry and relationship) then I will be impressed.
This is a critical paradigm for me because of the manner in which some in the modern Charismatic stream today consider boisterous demonstrations of worship and praise the mark of a healthy meeting. If the congregation is subdued, some are troubled. Where is the noise, the activity, and the shouting? While I appreciate those things, and by no means have a heart to shut any of those expressions out of the worship mix (in fact, dancing, shouting, and clapping were accepted and encouraged parts of the Old Testament worship service), I can’t use those measures to gauge the “success” or effectiveness of a meeting. I have a heart to produce something different in someone’s life than outward exuberance.
Pray and do not lose heart
Luke 18:1, in my thinking, establishes the context for a life of faith: “men ought to pray always and not lose heart”. I define “always” in the same manner as Paul the Apostle: “without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17). As E.M. Bounds once said, the man who prays stops sinning while the man who sins stops praying. Thus my goal is to walk in continual fellowship and communion with Christ by walking in the Spirit - if I do so Paul assures me that I will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. So many of the apostolic prayers of the New Testament are prayers for perseverance, endurance, and strength or grace from God for the journey we are on. The pursuit of righteousness fully expressed in my life demands an extravagant pursuit of God in the place of prayer and worship.
Thus extravagance in worship can be defined in a manner that transcends personality. The introvert and the extrovert, the right-brained and the left-brained, the creative and the logical can all enter in with equal footing into a pursuit of holiness and wholeheartedness that flows from the grace and power of God and not our will or personal exuberance. The definition shifts from hand-clapping, flag waving, shouting and tears to consistency, faith, hope, and love flowing from the deepest parts in a manner that translates into long-term obedience to the commands of God. Obedience is extravagant.
I don’t mind flag waving, by the way
I recognize flag-waving, shofar-blowing, shouting and clapping worship services for what they are: a place for like-minded personalities to gather and express their excitement for Jesus in a manner that fits their internal makeup. This truth, even more than doctrinal differences, tends to define how, why, and where people gather to worship together in different spiritual cultures. So much of our Christianity is cultural - more than we realize. Knit to our cultural expressions of love and devotion to Jesus is our natural propensity to believe that the way we do it, who we do it with, and where we do it is the best and most superior place for anyone to be.
Problems often arise in the collision of two or more spiritual cultures. Spiritual pride, religious opinions, or the error of “self-preference” can emerge by which we elevate in an unbiblical way cultural elements of worship. It is not helpful to magnify our expression of worship as the superior expression. Often there are no biblical restrictions to these expressions - yet neither is there a biblical mandate that all must worship in the manner they imagine is best. What is the answer? This is where humility, love, service, and 1 Corinthians 12-14 must come into the picture. Sometimes people who are excessively exuberant in a worship service express themselves in this manner because of the above factors working within their understanding.
Sometimes people don’t really think about what they are doing, and default to what they have always done. Rarely does someone from an exuberant worship culture lay aside their personal preference to consider the people around them. Yet it is equally as rare that someone responds negatively when asked to do so. I find that people do what they have always done until someone invites them into a better option, or as Paul put it, “a more excellent way”. This more excellent way (1 Cor. 13), in context, was about love for the corporate body in a worship gathering - and not just love in the general sense. Paul was using the biblical definition of love to establish a worship culture that majored on considering the big picture and the heart of God rather than exalting individual rights and personal preference.
A paradigm of serving rather than being served
This is why one would be hard-pressed to find flag-waving, shofar-blowing, distracting behavior in our prayer room on a day-to-day basis. In the collision of spiritual cultures, we must labor to find the expression of worship that is most conducive to long-term perseverance in prayer. The prayer meetings, in their primary function, exist to minister to the Lord. The worship aspect of the prayer meeting exists to enable the people to persevere longer in the place of prayer together. It’s not really mystical - it’s very practical in nature. It is important to keep in mind that components of the prayer meeting and the worship service are built to serve the people by facilitating “enjoyable prayer”. They are not a platform for anyone to come in and become the center of the meeting. God must be the central figure that dominates the meetings, not the individual.
In one sense, the Corinthian church was formed as much by their Greek culture as it was by biblical principles. Paul really didn’t have this kind of problem in the more Hebraic (and thus holistic and communal by nature) churches he planted. It wasn’t until he came to Greece via Macedonia (after being driven out of Berea) that he encountered the individualistic mindset that characterized the Corinthian church. It was every man (and woman) for himself, at times under the guise of the “unction of the Spirit”. Thus Paul had to introduce or reinforce biblical concepts that transcended their cultural understanding and proclivities; particularly in the manner in which they were disrupting corporate life.
In other words, the Corinthians had to learn to serve one another in love rather than looking to be served in the corporate meeting. Those that hammer the Charismatic church on the 1 Cor. 14:40 verse (”Let all things be done decently and in order.”) would do well to keep in mind that it took Paul three chapters and 84 verses to make his point related to sowing values patiently before stating his conclusion. Secondly, they would do well to keep in mind just how “out of order” these Corinthians were in the manner in which they disrupted the meetings self-centeredly without love. With that in mind, Paul was brought correction where needed (”the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets”, or, you really can govern the prophetic “unction” in a loving way that serves the big picture). He also brought vision where needed.
Where did it land? In my opinion, Paul was not against exuberant expressions of devotion in a worship gathering; he was looking to curtail unhelpful or uneccesarily distracting expressions of devotion. This is what we do at IHOP-KC, particularly related to our prayer meetings. If someone is behaving or worshiping in a manner that is making it difficult for the people around them to engage or participate in the prayer meeting, we will ask them (kindly) to move to the back of the room if they wish to continue. We invite them to consider the people around them in love related to the manner in which they are worshiping Jesus. Often, this is enough to help someone walk in a more excellent manner related to the people that populate our prayer meetings from all over the world - not just their corner of it.
I find that most are very sincere and very devoted to serving - and they truly had no idea that they were acting in a manner that was unhelpful to others. A few, who were looking for attention, often stop altogether when asked to go to the back (where no one is looking at them). Even fewer choose to buck against the system and press their rights - due to the manner in which they were looking to make a statement or a point in the first place. We kindly ask these folks to leave.
All are called to the place of extravagant pursuit of Jesus, in prayer, worship, and lifestyle. For this season of church history, there is no mandate that we do so in the same room.
David
8 comments March 21st, 2008
I unashamedly stole all of this from my friend Danny Hibberd:
These are the reasons why I am absolutely fanatical about all things eschatalogical:
The focus of the gospel becomes infinitely clearer through an end times filter. We are not saved so that God can make our lives sail by just that little bit more smoother or to stop us from yelling at our boss on Monday mornings. We are saved because there is a King coming to set up His Kingdom here on earth. The setting up of that Kingdom is the end times.
Similar to #1, the entire Bible is saturated with the end times. You cannot seriously study Genesis, Exodus, the Psalms, the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, the gospels, Paul’s epistles, the Minor Prophets or the Major Prophets without ending up neck-deep in the happenings of the end of the age. Biblical prophecy has a lot more to say about the end of things than about the beginning, or even than the interim. The Word of God has a potent bias towards the end of the age, and very nearly the entire Bible looks forward to the end of the age
Possibly my favourite reason to study the end times, they are all about Jesus. The end of the age and the study of this period is all about Jesus - the Revelation of Jesus Christ - remember? - and studying how and why He acts and what He will do at the end of the age allows us to delve deep into who He is. You will never find a more accessible or vibrant portal into the heart of God than in eschatology.
Vying for first place on my favouritometer, we are constantly exhorted to look forward to the coming age. The writer of Hebrews tells us of the ‘full assurance’ that we have as our anchor, the hope of those things that belong to salvation, the age to come, the resurrection, the eternal city. In his letter to Titus, Paul calls this our blessed hope, and what a hope it is!
Again tied to the previous point, this hope is not an intangible and immovable thing in the distance. Peter tells us that we can actually hasten the Day of the Lord. We are not spectators, but active participants in this, and there will come a day when the entire church cries out in unity with the Holy Spirit: “Come!” - - and even so, come, Lord Jesus! Come quickly!
Linked in a way to point number five is the fact that - we are not spectators, but active participants in this - and we cannot afford to be caught off guard. We are constantly told through the scripture to remain awake and alert, lest we fall into offence and bitterness, or even fall away from the faith, accepting false doctrines of more immediate comfort that salves our itching ears. If (as I believe) the church is to be here during the Great Tribulation that will come on the earth, we must take care to be prepared now.
I like linking my points together, don’t I? This one is a little similar to the last, in that the church is to be here during the Great Tribulation - and it will be our greatest hour. The praying church will walk in obedience with the Spirit of God, united and in agreement with the purposes of Jesus. This is something that we must pray and contend for now, not put off. Thus it is crucially important to know the time in which we live.
Study of the end times is classic New Testament ecclesiology. Paul taught his wards about the end of the age as a core part of the gospel (which brings us full circle to points 1 and 2). We find in Acts 17:2 that he was in Thessalonica for only three weeks, and yet his letters to the Thessalonians are packed full of eschatology. Not new eschatology; redressings of points already fed them. Paul considered eschatology absolutely foundational even to new Christians, a fact borne out by his continued dwelling on the subject in all of his letters.
Probably hands down the best argument: Jesus told us to. Matthew 25:13. Enough said.
I’m doing that linking thing again. What else did Jesus tell us? He told us that nobody knows the day or the hour of His return. So, moot point then? We can’t know, so just keep going and hope for the best? No! We do not know the day or the hour…but we will! Jesus cannot have meant that nobody would ever know, because one day, everyone will know. Maybe we shan’t know until He splits the sky. Maybe we shan’t know until a few years before. Despite this, not only can we know the season, we are commanded to know the season. In Matt 24 Jesus tells us that it is precisely because we do not know the exact hour that we must be especially prepared. We must be ready. Jesus came to the fig tree at a season when figs were not even to be expected (Mar 11:13), and because it did not yield fruit it perished. It should have known that the Son of Man was coming down the road. It did not, and so it perished. Jesus’ coming will be like in the days of Noah. What happened then? God works the same way all through history. He tells His friends, the prophets, what He is doing (Amos 3:7). He told Noah over a century before calamity struck to prepare, and then gave him an exact date seven days before the rain came. Likewise, God will share what He is planning with His friends. I plan to be one of His friends in that day, and I pray that He will confide in me.
That is why I study the end times.
…and that’s why I teach and preach about the subject as well. Thanks Danny!
David
6 comments March 19th, 2008
I’ll try to hit the last and final segment of the “Navigating Extravagance” series later this week. Today, of course, is St. Patrick’s Day, and for the IHOP-KC family it means “hit the streets” en masse to share the gospel. We have many regularly (and spontaneously) scheduled outreaches during the calendar year here at our missions base, but the St. Patrick’s Day outreach to Kansas City is my favorite. With hundreds of thousands of people from around the Midwest descending on Main Street to watch the annual parade, the atmosphere is usually easy to jump into and engage non-Christians in friendly conversations about Jesus. With the numbers that come out every year, people come out ridiculously early in the morning to find parking for a parade that starts at 11 AM. Thus they are bored, still sober, and have a ton of time on their hands that they are more than happy to give away to the bright, cheery young adults that populate our spiritual family.
My wife and I went this year with a cameraman, a photographer, and 2nd year FMA student Amy Lingamfelter. Why in the world would we want to subject ourselves to the cameraman, the microphone, and the photographer? Well, because some people are hard to engage in random conversation. Throw a camera and a microphone in their face, and they suddenly transform into kind, thoughtful, fun, and easy folks to talk to. Start with a survey about St. Patrick and the facts about his life, and you have all of the tools needed for an easy conversation about eternity, the penalty of sin, and the only way to heaven.
With the ridiculous amount of rain that plagued this year’s parade, my brilliant wife came up with a stellar solution that may need to be employed on a regular basis in the years to come (as the morning of the parade is traditionally a bit chilly in mid-March). We went to the connecting tunnel between Union Station and Crown Center, a long walkway of glass that allows you to walk warm and dry above the parade itself - and would therefore be a popular place for many to watch the parade pass underneath. Thus, after a bit of patience, we found the walkway to be a fruitful place to talk to willing participants in our survey and conversations about eternity. My awesome wife would find volunteers, explain what we were doing upfront, and bring them to the camera. Amy would lead the participants cheerily through the survey. She would then get to the critical question: “Do you think that St. Patrick is in heaven?” All would answer affirmatively. “Why?” She would ask, with the same cheery, warm smile.
Of course, this is where the conversation would always get good. It’s also where I would happily and eagerly jump in.
I have to confess, I love evangelism. Before coming to Kansas City, I did weekly outreaches to young adults in my community that involved pizza and prayer. I would hit the streets and subways of New York city and minister to the homeless and the tourists in Times Square every Memorial Day weekend. I would prophecy to McDonald’s workers that were going through a tough time. I have to confess, in my business related to my roles at IHOP-KC, I don’t share the gospel as much as I want to be these days. So when I get to, it’s such a blast for me. I like people, and I appreciate the chance to minister and pray for their salvation and their needs when their hearts are pierced with the tenderness of the Lord.
My favorite encounter of the morning could have been viewed as the most unfruitful of all the conversations we had. A precious young couple, 17 and 18, spent a ton of time with us. More than they wanted to spend, I am sure of it. I even gave them a few opportunities to walk away graciously when it was clear that they did not agree with anything I was saying. The 18 year-old girl was a year out of high school, and a product of a Catholic family questioning her faith in God. The 17 year-old was a high school senior, skipping school and keen on defending a lifestyle that was free to live however he pleased, as long as his mistakes “weren’t that bad”. I answered and asked questions carefully, happily, and casually. Their agitation with my gospel presentation woven into my questions was growing, until he asked me a sudden, surprising question. He asked me if I believed that he would go to hell if he died that night.
I answered kindly, but affirmatively. Yes, I believed that he would surely go to hell if he died that night. As much as he would like to, he did not get to vote on God’s ways or God’s standards of righteousness. He could have an opinion, he could choose to believe otherwise, but neither his choices nor his opinions had any bearing on God. Try as he might, God’s opinion mattered more than his. The young girl, who, up to this point had actually agreed with much of what I said, suddenly changed gears with frustration. She could not believe that her boyfriend would be sent to hell if he died. I appreciated her stance, but gently and firmly repeated my take on the gospel and the Bible…which, deep down, she knew was more true than her objections.
The conversation ended not too long after that, with the young girl changing her mind about prayer and stating her desire to figure things out on her own related to God. As Amy passed them by on her way back to her car later, she noted that they weren’t really paying attention to the parade, but instead were sitting against the wall with great sobriety as they considered the things we spoke about. I want to invite you to pray for them both, that the Lord would in His mercy invade their lives and disrupt them even more in the days to come. He loves them and I believe will be relentless in His pursuit of their hearts and lives in the days to come.
This is my great joy. To sit before the Lord continually in quietness, yet with the secondary dimension of sharing a disruptive message that disturbs the lost from a place of comfort and safe ideas of little lasting consequence. Oh, that those we spoke to today (and in the days to come) would be truly disrupted in their soul by the reality of eternity and the consequences of their sin and disobedience. Oh, that those we spoke to today (and in the days to come) would have a vibrant, living encounter the kindness and the severity of the Lord that stirs them to salvation with trembling, followed by a life of intimacy that fuels holiness and an ache for righteousness. What greater thing could we ask for related to the lost of our city?
David
3 comments March 17th, 2008
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