Waiting on the World to Change
No matter how much we focus and prepare to fight, suffering will always be here and now. It will always be with you. The is no escaping suffering. While my words were designed to help you, give you hope to carry on, there will be valleys and dark nights that lay ahead.
No sermon, no three step solution, no practical advice will help you through untold pain, through the suffering that life can bring. We all understand what it feels like being human. We, as a church, must not try to stop our suffering, but to recognize it in others, bear it together, and overcome it in the end. We must stop seeing our differences and see our common link. That we are all suffering little children, no different than those in India or around the world. We are all waiting on the world to change, saint and sinner alike. But we are not without a promise.
Romans 8:17-19
17.And if children, then heirs; heirs of God , and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together .
18.For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
19.For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
If we are children than we are heirs with Christ, our suffering is NOT in vain. It will be worth it all! In the end the glory will overcome every trial! Every sacrifice! Every one of suffering, will be revealed in our promised hope of Jesus Christ. It cannot, will not even compare. The world is waiting for the revelation of the children who went through the fire and came out a son. The suffering little children that became the glorified sons and daughters of God! You may be going through it. But you have a promise that you are going through! Having done all you can stand! It shall not compare in the end!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
Suffering Little Children Part Four
Three Step Solution
When Paul is advising Timothy about suffering, notice that he calls him a child. He begins by saying "be strengthened by grace." Draw your power, your strength, not from yourself or your accomplishments or abilities, but by the weakness in need of God's grace! Be strong in weakness that you will not place yourself in a class of suffering or spirituality.
Timothy was the pastor of the church of Ephesus. Paul doesn’t call him a general, a spiritual father, a leader of the oppressed and suffering. He calls him a good soldier and advices him to share in the suffering of all the others soldiers of Christ. (You spirituality is not measured by how little or how much you suffer, it is measured in spite of it.)
The Paul gives three examples that I offer you today who are suffering...
A.WAKE- UP! (change your mind)
A soldier leads a life of suffering for the common good of his nation. As Christians we should stop trying to avoid suffering and embrace it as the life that we were called to. Paul says soldiers do not get wrapped up in the comparisons of civilian life. (Keeping up with the Jones') The goal is to please Jesus! Be unified in the army not divided in the civilian life.
B.WORK OUT! (prepare your body)
An athletic is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. Paul is telling Timothy to work out and train his body to suffer and not to avoid it. This means going the extra mile. Embrace suffering for its ultimate goal… a crown. If we cheat one second on our work out it may mean the finish line and our final reward. You won't win unless you suffer. Then all the tears, struggles, and pain were in vain, for nothing. If our only goal is the elimination of suffering and NOT the training of one another to endure… we will not make it past the first mile!
C.WEAR OUT! (fight in spite)
The hardworking farmer gets the first share of the crops. When we wake up to our real responsibility, when we prepare ourselves, training ourselves to go thrpugh anything, we are instructed to labor in spite of whatever suffering may come our way. Every aspect of our energy should not be focused on suffering both physically and emotionally, but on our responsibilities to God. This is not dwelling on suffering when it comes, not letting your circumstance keep you from working… and you will receive your reward of the labor and suffering you endured.
When Paul is advising Timothy about suffering, notice that he calls him a child. He begins by saying "be strengthened by grace." Draw your power, your strength, not from yourself or your accomplishments or abilities, but by the weakness in need of God's grace! Be strong in weakness that you will not place yourself in a class of suffering or spirituality.
Timothy was the pastor of the church of Ephesus. Paul doesn’t call him a general, a spiritual father, a leader of the oppressed and suffering. He calls him a good soldier and advices him to share in the suffering of all the others soldiers of Christ. (You spirituality is not measured by how little or how much you suffer, it is measured in spite of it.)
The Paul gives three examples that I offer you today who are suffering...
A.WAKE- UP! (change your mind)
A soldier leads a life of suffering for the common good of his nation. As Christians we should stop trying to avoid suffering and embrace it as the life that we were called to. Paul says soldiers do not get wrapped up in the comparisons of civilian life. (Keeping up with the Jones') The goal is to please Jesus! Be unified in the army not divided in the civilian life.
B.WORK OUT! (prepare your body)
An athletic is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. Paul is telling Timothy to work out and train his body to suffer and not to avoid it. This means going the extra mile. Embrace suffering for its ultimate goal… a crown. If we cheat one second on our work out it may mean the finish line and our final reward. You won't win unless you suffer. Then all the tears, struggles, and pain were in vain, for nothing. If our only goal is the elimination of suffering and NOT the training of one another to endure… we will not make it past the first mile!
C.WEAR OUT! (fight in spite)
The hardworking farmer gets the first share of the crops. When we wake up to our real responsibility, when we prepare ourselves, training ourselves to go thrpugh anything, we are instructed to labor in spite of whatever suffering may come our way. Every aspect of our energy should not be focused on suffering both physically and emotionally, but on our responsibilities to God. This is not dwelling on suffering when it comes, not letting your circumstance keep you from working… and you will receive your reward of the labor and suffering you endured.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Suffering Little Children Part Three
Part Three: Reality Check
Christianity is declining throughout all the affluent countries in the world, particularly in America. It's not because of the Devil and his army of demons, although they surely play a role. Nor is it simply because of our materialistic wants and desires, even while they continue to grow. The biggest problem is that we don’t live in reality. We, especially our church, are increasingly fragmented, only interested in the things that affect our immediate life, the things that alleviate our suffering. We have built walls around the our individual suffering, and we hide behind those walls pretending nothing goes on underneath the skin. We become business men, professional women, moms and dads, coaches, Christians, outreach directors, and pastors. All our titles and hats are nice make excellent Halloween costumes… but God doesn’t see our titles- He sees suffering little children.
We are ashamed of our suffering… We hide it from each other.
1 Peter 4: 15-16
15.Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
16.For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
We would stop hiding if we weren't so ashamed. It is a travesty that our churches have become halls of shame and guilt, places that mock God's grace!
God brings conviction by three things:
1)The preached and revealed Word. 2) The moving of the Spirit. 3) The life example of the saints. (Not the stares, whispers, traditions, or ideas of the saints.)
Where did we get this idea to pretend that we are somehow beyond suffering? When we act in this fictitious manner we alienate 100% of the truthful population. We cannot be real if we as a church are not transparent about our struggles, trials, and suffering.
We must wake up and realize that suffering is a part of life and no matter what I am going to I am going to be faithful to God! Faithful to church! Faithful to work and my family and my wife! Stop thinking that any thorn disqualifies you from God's favor and grace. It may have been God who gave you that thorn. We have to determine that we are coming through this suffering and while it my bring me down, affect my body, it cannot make me ashamed. We have hope and hope makes us not ashamed.
We are all suffering little children.
An Unspoken Agreement:
We think its respectful to ignore the suffering of others… We ignore their suffering, they ignore ours
Galatians 6:2-3
2.Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3.For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
How dare we sit in church, thinking it prudent to not draw attention to other people's suffering and pain. We are in danger of becoming a group of doctors standings around in an emergency room talking and ignoring the sick while they stagger in injured and dying. This would be an appalling scene indeed. Yet, we don’t give encouraging words to our brethren. We have no problem discussing their suffering when they are not present (gossip), but when they are crying in their pew when they are fighting off depression at home we lose all the bars on our cell phones. We must completely reject the 'walking on egg shells' mentality.
When you dwell with suffering you can become immune to its effects. The suffering children of India made me want to stay in my house and never walk the streets. But as the months wore on the pain in their eyes became less painful to me and more of an inconvenience, before it finally became downright annoying.
What if God felt that way about us?
The Devil wants to destroy our unity and we are united in suffering. Reality dictates that suffering is not his tool and but God's tool. Therefore Satan is forced to manipulate our suffering and our minds. He has created classes, systems of suffering, different types so we can divide ourselves for his purpose and not fulfill the law of Christ which is our grace!
1 Corinthians 12:25-27
25. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it .
27. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Christianity is declining throughout all the affluent countries in the world, particularly in America. It's not because of the Devil and his army of demons, although they surely play a role. Nor is it simply because of our materialistic wants and desires, even while they continue to grow. The biggest problem is that we don’t live in reality. We, especially our church, are increasingly fragmented, only interested in the things that affect our immediate life, the things that alleviate our suffering. We have built walls around the our individual suffering, and we hide behind those walls pretending nothing goes on underneath the skin. We become business men, professional women, moms and dads, coaches, Christians, outreach directors, and pastors. All our titles and hats are nice make excellent Halloween costumes… but God doesn’t see our titles- He sees suffering little children.
We are ashamed of our suffering… We hide it from each other.
1 Peter 4: 15-16
15.Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
16.For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
We would stop hiding if we weren't so ashamed. It is a travesty that our churches have become halls of shame and guilt, places that mock God's grace!
God brings conviction by three things:
1)The preached and revealed Word. 2) The moving of the Spirit. 3) The life example of the saints. (Not the stares, whispers, traditions, or ideas of the saints.)
Where did we get this idea to pretend that we are somehow beyond suffering? When we act in this fictitious manner we alienate 100% of the truthful population. We cannot be real if we as a church are not transparent about our struggles, trials, and suffering.
We must wake up and realize that suffering is a part of life and no matter what I am going to I am going to be faithful to God! Faithful to church! Faithful to work and my family and my wife! Stop thinking that any thorn disqualifies you from God's favor and grace. It may have been God who gave you that thorn. We have to determine that we are coming through this suffering and while it my bring me down, affect my body, it cannot make me ashamed. We have hope and hope makes us not ashamed.
We are all suffering little children.
An Unspoken Agreement:
We think its respectful to ignore the suffering of others… We ignore their suffering, they ignore ours
Galatians 6:2-3
2.Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
3.For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
How dare we sit in church, thinking it prudent to not draw attention to other people's suffering and pain. We are in danger of becoming a group of doctors standings around in an emergency room talking and ignoring the sick while they stagger in injured and dying. This would be an appalling scene indeed. Yet, we don’t give encouraging words to our brethren. We have no problem discussing their suffering when they are not present (gossip), but when they are crying in their pew when they are fighting off depression at home we lose all the bars on our cell phones. We must completely reject the 'walking on egg shells' mentality.
When you dwell with suffering you can become immune to its effects. The suffering children of India made me want to stay in my house and never walk the streets. But as the months wore on the pain in their eyes became less painful to me and more of an inconvenience, before it finally became downright annoying.
What if God felt that way about us?
The Devil wants to destroy our unity and we are united in suffering. Reality dictates that suffering is not his tool and but God's tool. Therefore Satan is forced to manipulate our suffering and our minds. He has created classes, systems of suffering, different types so we can divide ourselves for his purpose and not fulfill the law of Christ which is our grace!
1 Corinthians 12:25-27
25. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
26. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it .
27. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Suffering Little Children Part Two
Part Two: The End of Your Faith.
They say that the universal language of humanity is suffering. That the only shared emotion is NOT in fact love but loneliness. How fitting that we are born into a harsh world that does not love or appreciate our existence. A world that contains the possibility of death around every corner. The Bible says that we are all appointed once to die but many times before death we will reach the limit or the very end of our faith. We are all suffering as we are all dying. The problem is that, like the people of the Indian Caste system, we categorize our people according to our perception of their suffering, thereby creating support groups for different types of sin. One group for alcoholics, one for narcotics. We create places of habitation for others, bars and clubs for the pleasure seekers, churches for religious, and prisons for the criminals.
The reason that suffering persists no matter how much man tries to address and overcome it is because we are trying to overcome it through a broken system.
This is why so many people are depressed, suicidal. This is why so many Christians smile from a Sunday pew but secretly shake their fist at the sky on Monday morning.
We are guilty of living at the end of our faith! Holding on to the last few drops not because we believe it to work, because it is all that we have left. We separate suffering so that when the storm hits we can all retreat back into our individual sub-cultures and ideas that promote our worldview.
The church has been incorporated as a part of culture instead of creating culture itself. Our Christian culture has become isolated and shallow. The downright scary part is that our faith is born out of this culture, therefore it is subject to the same shallowness. It doesn’t take long to reach the end of our faith, a short trip before suffering overtakes us.
Because of sin, we are born to ask the question why. Some of us are only religious or spiritual because we want to find out that answer.
Why has God abandoned me? Why am I suffering? Why did I lose my job? Why is my family falling apart?
God hears the cries of the oppressed, all of them. He looks on us in the same way I looked the poor Indian beggars. He sees us as suffering little children. I cannot answer the question why but I can find what the Bible has to say about the question.
Why? Possible Answer 1 - It's the Devil's Fault that we live in a fallen world.
Romans 8:22-23
22.For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23.And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Churches are guilty of blaming all our problems and situations on the devil. This is partly true but not complete. The Devil was instrumental in the whole sin riddled falling away process in the garden and he has surely been hard at work since, yet he can only work through the actions of men. It is men who have allowed him to lead and guide them. The result is that we live in a fallen world. We live in competition with the very people that we are called to reach and love. It is the devil's fault, the world's fault, and our fault. We make a destructive team.
If you wonder why there is so much suffering in life start in Genesis where it all began. Everything gets cursed… man, woman, the devil, the ground, yes even the ground. The whole of creation groans in pain because we are fallen and we can’t get back up.
We travail in pain of continuing existence… and the idea that we can live in a new world free of pain and joblessness and divorce just because we are Christians is asinine or ludicrous. Paul says, even we who are filled with the spirit and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit are stuck waiting on Christ's return and His changing of the way the world works. He later calls his flesh a body of death.
We are suffering because that is the waiting room between birth and redemption.
Why? Possible Answer 2- It's Jesus' Fault for the perfecting of the saints.
1 Peter 4: 12-14
12.Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13.But rejoice , inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy .
14.If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.
Here's where a lot of people get squeamish. The problem is: the other person to blame for the suffering in the world is Jesus. Not that He has ever one time caused it, but He often allows it to come upon his children for their perfecting. How else could you explain the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac in Genesis 22? Why else would the writer of Hebrews say that God is a consuming fire (12:29), Malachi prophesing that God will come nigh to his people in judgment like a fire, David singing that he was like silver purified 7 times in the furnace of fire?
The problem is we are so focused on our right now problems and God's ability to answer them all right now that we have lost sight of the end goal, the process of perfecting the saints!
Christ did not die so that you would never have problems or trials… He died so that you could overcome them!
We have become drunk on the religious idea that God will answer our prayers, we forget that it was possibly Him that allowed the storm. His goal is not for you to cake-walk frolic through this life. His purpose is that you emerge to glory by whatever means necessary.
I pray God blesses your business, but I hope He doesn’t if it starts to effect your eternal destination. When you realize that you are suffering… and you have examined your life and your spiritual condition and you still cant figure it out… it may be Jesus' fault.
They say that the universal language of humanity is suffering. That the only shared emotion is NOT in fact love but loneliness. How fitting that we are born into a harsh world that does not love or appreciate our existence. A world that contains the possibility of death around every corner. The Bible says that we are all appointed once to die but many times before death we will reach the limit or the very end of our faith. We are all suffering as we are all dying. The problem is that, like the people of the Indian Caste system, we categorize our people according to our perception of their suffering, thereby creating support groups for different types of sin. One group for alcoholics, one for narcotics. We create places of habitation for others, bars and clubs for the pleasure seekers, churches for religious, and prisons for the criminals.
The reason that suffering persists no matter how much man tries to address and overcome it is because we are trying to overcome it through a broken system.
This is why so many people are depressed, suicidal. This is why so many Christians smile from a Sunday pew but secretly shake their fist at the sky on Monday morning.
We are guilty of living at the end of our faith! Holding on to the last few drops not because we believe it to work, because it is all that we have left. We separate suffering so that when the storm hits we can all retreat back into our individual sub-cultures and ideas that promote our worldview.
The church has been incorporated as a part of culture instead of creating culture itself. Our Christian culture has become isolated and shallow. The downright scary part is that our faith is born out of this culture, therefore it is subject to the same shallowness. It doesn’t take long to reach the end of our faith, a short trip before suffering overtakes us.
Because of sin, we are born to ask the question why. Some of us are only religious or spiritual because we want to find out that answer.
Why has God abandoned me? Why am I suffering? Why did I lose my job? Why is my family falling apart?
God hears the cries of the oppressed, all of them. He looks on us in the same way I looked the poor Indian beggars. He sees us as suffering little children. I cannot answer the question why but I can find what the Bible has to say about the question.
Why? Possible Answer 1 - It's the Devil's Fault that we live in a fallen world.
Romans 8:22-23
22.For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
23.And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.
Churches are guilty of blaming all our problems and situations on the devil. This is partly true but not complete. The Devil was instrumental in the whole sin riddled falling away process in the garden and he has surely been hard at work since, yet he can only work through the actions of men. It is men who have allowed him to lead and guide them. The result is that we live in a fallen world. We live in competition with the very people that we are called to reach and love. It is the devil's fault, the world's fault, and our fault. We make a destructive team.
If you wonder why there is so much suffering in life start in Genesis where it all began. Everything gets cursed… man, woman, the devil, the ground, yes even the ground. The whole of creation groans in pain because we are fallen and we can’t get back up.
We travail in pain of continuing existence… and the idea that we can live in a new world free of pain and joblessness and divorce just because we are Christians is asinine or ludicrous. Paul says, even we who are filled with the spirit and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit are stuck waiting on Christ's return and His changing of the way the world works. He later calls his flesh a body of death.
We are suffering because that is the waiting room between birth and redemption.
Why? Possible Answer 2- It's Jesus' Fault for the perfecting of the saints.
1 Peter 4: 12-14
12.Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13.But rejoice , inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy .
14.If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you.
Here's where a lot of people get squeamish. The problem is: the other person to blame for the suffering in the world is Jesus. Not that He has ever one time caused it, but He often allows it to come upon his children for their perfecting. How else could you explain the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac in Genesis 22? Why else would the writer of Hebrews say that God is a consuming fire (12:29), Malachi prophesing that God will come nigh to his people in judgment like a fire, David singing that he was like silver purified 7 times in the furnace of fire?
The problem is we are so focused on our right now problems and God's ability to answer them all right now that we have lost sight of the end goal, the process of perfecting the saints!
Christ did not die so that you would never have problems or trials… He died so that you could overcome them!
We have become drunk on the religious idea that God will answer our prayers, we forget that it was possibly Him that allowed the storm. His goal is not for you to cake-walk frolic through this life. His purpose is that you emerge to glory by whatever means necessary.
I pray God blesses your business, but I hope He doesn’t if it starts to effect your eternal destination. When you realize that you are suffering… and you have examined your life and your spiritual condition and you still cant figure it out… it may be Jesus' fault.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Suffering Little Children Part One
2 Timothy 2:1-10 esv
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
5 An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.
6 It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
7 Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!
10 Therefore I endure everything ...
I am very blessed. I have been so favored by God to see the world at such a young age.
Often I meet young men and women who desire to travel, to experience different cultures and countries but the necessities of life hinder them. I have seen things that will forever change the way I look at my life.
I had a instructor in college (Jim Sleeva) that would repeat the saying "exposure breeds a burden" at the end of all of his lectures and I firmly believe all that he said to be true.
The world is really a beautiful place, full of wonders that my mind cannot imagine or even grasp. Some of my experiences include: standing atop a hill in the African jungle and watching the sun set, bringing with it a mist that settled like a gray floor beneath the elevation where I stood. I have removed my shoes and walked into the splendor of the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world. I have laughed (in horror) with friends as we removed leeches from our legs after crossing a river to get to church. These are some of the wonderful memories that we take with us on our continuing journey of life. These are mine and I am sure that each of you have been blessed with different yet similarly defining moments that have shaped your life and journey.
Yet not all passions and burdens are born of joy and happiness. Many are seared into our mind's eye out of need and devastation. Try as I might, there is one image that I cannot remove, so haunting an image that I carry with me as I write today.
In the republic of India there is a system in place known to us as the Caste system. What this means is that people are defined before they are born, their life path is planned out for them. If they are more to an impoverished group or caste, they will likely remain in poverty for the rest of their lives. They cannot escape their destiny which all to often becomes a cruel fate worse than death. To those children born of the lowest class, those deemed untouchables or now known as slumdogs, life consists of stealing and starvation, pain and untold suffering. They are cursed to roam the streets and byways of the nation begging for substance while there cries and pleas are willfully and dutifully ignored.
I cannot forget the feeling of being surrounds by scores of these young boys and girls, no bigger than my young niece Hayley, covered from in grime and stained with dirt. The clothes on their backs being their only worldly possession, they stare intently through their big white eyes under matted filthy hair. They have no problem looking you in the eyes. They accept who they are and their role in society, and no they are not too proud to beg. The speak quickly in multiple tones from languages even fluent Hindi speaker cannot understand, pausing only to cup their outstretched hands to their mouth as the universal symbol, "I need to eat."
India was a beautiful place filled with wonder and majesty, yet for many people, it is tainted by the lasting image of poverty that dilutes all its splendor. I remember the words of Jesus to his disciples, "Suffer the little children." and I wonder if these were the children that Jesus was talking about. These suffering little children were allowed to come to Jesus? They were allowed to talk to Jesus? Allowed to sit on His lap and play with His beard? They could come just as they were and Jesus would find time for them?
And then it hit me. We are no one different from one another, we are all suffering little children.
Depressing way to end... the story should continue...
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Mark Driscoll is Not My Hero
*This is not written to be mean-spirited or controversial in anyway...(Joe Friday's "Just the Facts Ma'am")
For those who may not know: Mark Driscoll is a Pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in America, Mars Hilll Seattle.
There has been a growing discussion among the leadership of the UPCI about the influence of the "Emerging or Emergent" church on the younger generations of ministerial leadership... my home church pastor, Paul Mooney was asked to give a presentation on the Emerging church and its impact to the general board.
*WITH ALL HONOR AND RESPECT- I believe the focus is misguided, while "Emergent" theology may have influence with fringe members of younger leadership, it is limited and fractious. The real influencing force that I have seen as a young leader is "the New Reformed Movement" whose brightest current voice is Mark Driscoll.
I like Mark Driscoll. Admittedly his blogs, twitter, podcast, and books have greatly influenced my ministry. It may seem strange that I would like his style, recommend his media, and admit his influence on me while decrying him in a blog.
Let me explain...
First, I believe that Christianity needs more Mark Driscoll characters and far fewer Rob Bell and Peter Rollins characters. I think what Driscoll is doing is cutting edge, innovative, and somewhat transformational. I admire his stand for the Bible and divine authority and his ability to grow a mega church in Seattle of all places. Above all, his greatest asset to the Christian community is his clear, resounding voice. He does not compromise or waffle in any of his beliefs... a true example in this post modern day.
That being said, I regret the majority of his influence on me, my ministry, and my brothers in the faith.
I have three key reasons to say this...
1) Doctrine DOES MATTER. I believe that Driscoll and Reformed Theology is appealing to pentecostal because of their conservative tone, and his implementation of that message through preaching in authoritative traditional pentecostal ways. (long way of saying he gets after people, hold strong to his message, and isn't afraid to scream) Moving past this shallow similarity we find an implication much darker:
Mark Driscoll believes that oneness Pentecostals are heretics and are all going to hell.
(please reread this as many times as it takes to sink in)
Reformed Theology follows Calvinistic predestination as opposed to our Arminian Pentecostal foundation. Driscoll himself uses the Holy Trinity as a fountain point out of which every last aspect of his doctrine and ministry flows. *The short end of the stick- If God has not chosen to reveal Himself to a person as the Holy Trinity they ARE NOT part of the elect for salvation. WE ARE GOING TO HELL. THERE IS NO COMPROMISE.
Some circle of Reformed Theology deny speaking in tongues, ALL deny that it is essential for salvation. To be fair Driscoll himself seems to allow for it, but not as essential.
On page 75, of his new book -Religion Saves (a mocking title), Driscoll diminishes modes of baptism as a nonessential doctrine and "holds it loosely in an open hand."
Finally, throughout his all his media, Driscoll makes it a point to "mock" and "make fun" of people with holiness standards, usually lumping them all into some sort of home-school mom jab.
2) While Driscoll and the Reformed are light years away from Emergent Theology, he seems to share the theology of the "destructive damning nature of religion." This is a trend that permeates throughout my generation in every aspect of their faith. One will hear, "I'm a Christian first and an Apostolic second" or "I am not religious I am spiritual." Finally, picking up the moniker from the new atheists (I doubt few people realize where they received it) "Religion kills" or "Religion poisons everything." This is a concerted effort to downplay foundations of our faith and replace them with individual spirituality.
I agree that we are saved by our faith alone. We are saved by Christ alone. We are saved by grace alone. But it is consistent religion that holds me accountable, renews me day by day, and leads me under authority to experience God. With out my pastor, my church, my friends I am left to my own devices... when left to my own devices i tend to ignore the voice of God. Faith in Christ's sacrifice and subsequent obedience to Scripture (Acts 2:38) saved me... Religion has kept me many times from falling.
I believe this is our generation's way of saying to the older generation, "We don't like your method, so we wont have a method." But not having a method is a method. As if we can really divorce religion from faith! Religion from Christianity! Religion from spirituality! It is saying no by saying yes.
3) I regret Mark Driscoll's influence because it SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PENTECOSTAL LEADER OF MY FAITH THAT FILLED THE VOID. This is what I like about Driscoll:
A) he is conservative and believes ALL of the Bible is the inspired word of God.
To which I say DUH! I was taught 2 Timothy 3:16 in Sunday School... it just somehow wasn't as cool.
B) His teaching and preaching is Bible based- instructional and entertaining. He teaches expository verse by verse. He lets the Bible speak for itself and every time I listen or read him I feel like I have learned something.
Here is the problem... Again WITH ALL RESPECT (THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERY PREACHER)- I along with other young minister's feel like a host of our teaching and preaching in the UPCI has become overly topical. It is filled with inspiring stories of faith and entertaining personal illustrations. As a young evangelist I remember feeling the pressure to conform to this model. This was not our foundation by the way... we were built on the foundation of solid expository preaching, which somehow has now been interpreted by our audiences as less entertaining than the topical variety.
The problem with Driscoll is that while "he lets the Bible speak for itself," he is filtering it through his Calvinistic interpretation.
C) He is a proponent of new types of methods in evangelism. especially urban ministry. He is a living example of conservative Christianity growing and spreading.
He is growing on a lack of doctrinal truth. His church seems to include mainly young, hip, urban, white people. Everything about his ministry is not reflective upon UPCI churches. We are comparing apples to oranges, with the apple telling the orange it needs to be red.
In conclusion, I, like many of my young brothers in the faith, am drawn to Driscoll because I do not have a good mentor in the UPCI. (the most harsh thing I will say in this note) I want a Hero that marries the new missional ministries, with the old foundational truths and proven methods. I want to follow someone that is less political and more Biblical in authority. I believe my generation wants authority... but the voices on the left are louder and more attracting than the voices on the right which seem to harbor only suspicion. I AM NOT EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO "TALK" TO UPCI LEADERS IN A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION! I don't want to talk. I want to follow. I want a clear resounding message of authoritative leadership on doctrine and method.
Even so Lord, come qucikly...
For those who may not know: Mark Driscoll is a Pastor of one of the fastest growing churches in America, Mars Hilll Seattle.
There has been a growing discussion among the leadership of the UPCI about the influence of the "Emerging or Emergent" church on the younger generations of ministerial leadership... my home church pastor, Paul Mooney was asked to give a presentation on the Emerging church and its impact to the general board.
*WITH ALL HONOR AND RESPECT- I believe the focus is misguided, while "Emergent" theology may have influence with fringe members of younger leadership, it is limited and fractious. The real influencing force that I have seen as a young leader is "the New Reformed Movement" whose brightest current voice is Mark Driscoll.
I like Mark Driscoll. Admittedly his blogs, twitter, podcast, and books have greatly influenced my ministry. It may seem strange that I would like his style, recommend his media, and admit his influence on me while decrying him in a blog.
Let me explain...
First, I believe that Christianity needs more Mark Driscoll characters and far fewer Rob Bell and Peter Rollins characters. I think what Driscoll is doing is cutting edge, innovative, and somewhat transformational. I admire his stand for the Bible and divine authority and his ability to grow a mega church in Seattle of all places. Above all, his greatest asset to the Christian community is his clear, resounding voice. He does not compromise or waffle in any of his beliefs... a true example in this post modern day.
That being said, I regret the majority of his influence on me, my ministry, and my brothers in the faith.
I have three key reasons to say this...
1) Doctrine DOES MATTER. I believe that Driscoll and Reformed Theology is appealing to pentecostal because of their conservative tone, and his implementation of that message through preaching in authoritative traditional pentecostal ways. (long way of saying he gets after people, hold strong to his message, and isn't afraid to scream) Moving past this shallow similarity we find an implication much darker:
Mark Driscoll believes that oneness Pentecostals are heretics and are all going to hell.
(please reread this as many times as it takes to sink in)
Reformed Theology follows Calvinistic predestination as opposed to our Arminian Pentecostal foundation. Driscoll himself uses the Holy Trinity as a fountain point out of which every last aspect of his doctrine and ministry flows. *The short end of the stick- If God has not chosen to reveal Himself to a person as the Holy Trinity they ARE NOT part of the elect for salvation. WE ARE GOING TO HELL. THERE IS NO COMPROMISE.
Some circle of Reformed Theology deny speaking in tongues, ALL deny that it is essential for salvation. To be fair Driscoll himself seems to allow for it, but not as essential.
On page 75, of his new book -Religion Saves (a mocking title), Driscoll diminishes modes of baptism as a nonessential doctrine and "holds it loosely in an open hand."
Finally, throughout his all his media, Driscoll makes it a point to "mock" and "make fun" of people with holiness standards, usually lumping them all into some sort of home-school mom jab.
2) While Driscoll and the Reformed are light years away from Emergent Theology, he seems to share the theology of the "destructive damning nature of religion." This is a trend that permeates throughout my generation in every aspect of their faith. One will hear, "I'm a Christian first and an Apostolic second" or "I am not religious I am spiritual." Finally, picking up the moniker from the new atheists (I doubt few people realize where they received it) "Religion kills" or "Religion poisons everything." This is a concerted effort to downplay foundations of our faith and replace them with individual spirituality.
I agree that we are saved by our faith alone. We are saved by Christ alone. We are saved by grace alone. But it is consistent religion that holds me accountable, renews me day by day, and leads me under authority to experience God. With out my pastor, my church, my friends I am left to my own devices... when left to my own devices i tend to ignore the voice of God. Faith in Christ's sacrifice and subsequent obedience to Scripture (Acts 2:38) saved me... Religion has kept me many times from falling.
I believe this is our generation's way of saying to the older generation, "We don't like your method, so we wont have a method." But not having a method is a method. As if we can really divorce religion from faith! Religion from Christianity! Religion from spirituality! It is saying no by saying yes.
3) I regret Mark Driscoll's influence because it SHOULD HAVE BEEN A PENTECOSTAL LEADER OF MY FAITH THAT FILLED THE VOID. This is what I like about Driscoll:
A) he is conservative and believes ALL of the Bible is the inspired word of God.
To which I say DUH! I was taught 2 Timothy 3:16 in Sunday School... it just somehow wasn't as cool.
B) His teaching and preaching is Bible based- instructional and entertaining. He teaches expository verse by verse. He lets the Bible speak for itself and every time I listen or read him I feel like I have learned something.
Here is the problem... Again WITH ALL RESPECT (THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE EVERY PREACHER)- I along with other young minister's feel like a host of our teaching and preaching in the UPCI has become overly topical. It is filled with inspiring stories of faith and entertaining personal illustrations. As a young evangelist I remember feeling the pressure to conform to this model. This was not our foundation by the way... we were built on the foundation of solid expository preaching, which somehow has now been interpreted by our audiences as less entertaining than the topical variety.
The problem with Driscoll is that while "he lets the Bible speak for itself," he is filtering it through his Calvinistic interpretation.
C) He is a proponent of new types of methods in evangelism. especially urban ministry. He is a living example of conservative Christianity growing and spreading.
He is growing on a lack of doctrinal truth. His church seems to include mainly young, hip, urban, white people. Everything about his ministry is not reflective upon UPCI churches. We are comparing apples to oranges, with the apple telling the orange it needs to be red.
In conclusion, I, like many of my young brothers in the faith, am drawn to Driscoll because I do not have a good mentor in the UPCI. (the most harsh thing I will say in this note) I want a Hero that marries the new missional ministries, with the old foundational truths and proven methods. I want to follow someone that is less political and more Biblical in authority. I believe my generation wants authority... but the voices on the left are louder and more attracting than the voices on the right which seem to harbor only suspicion. I AM NOT EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO "TALK" TO UPCI LEADERS IN A ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION! I don't want to talk. I want to follow. I want a clear resounding message of authoritative leadership on doctrine and method.
Even so Lord, come qucikly...
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