The Cross of the Servant...

" As for the cross of the Servant, it is not strange to us. In that we stand with the mainstream of Christian faith from the beginning onward, and we do well to do so. We enthrone that crucified Saviour in stained glass, wood and stone - and in doctrine. To that cross we look for salvation. But we want not that cross at all.

Indeed, we would have it the chief business of religion to keep crosses far away. We want a Christ who suffers that we may not have to, a Christ who lays himself down that our comfort may be undisturbed. The call to lose life that it may be found again, to take up the cross and follow, remains mysterious and offensive to us.

To be sure, we labor to bring men to Christ, and we pray, "Thy kingdom come." But our labor we see as a labor of conquest and growth, successful programs and dollars. Can it be that we are seeking to build the Kingdom of the Servant - without following the Servant? If we do so, we will doubtless build a great church - but will it have anything to do with the Kingdom of God?"

~~John Bright, _The Kingdom of God_ p. 154

What are the top 6 questions students are asking?

One of my summer projects was to draft a curriculum to use as the base of a seminar that could be offered to new students (and old if they were interested) about some of the fundamental issuews facing students on campus. Well it is now on the thin side of summer break - and I haven't thought about it yet.

So what are these issues or questions?

What about science and faith?

What about evil & suffering?

Is the Bible authoritative today?

The question of syncretism... Are there many ways to God? Aren't all religions basically the same?

La Vida Cruciform

What if I really began to live my life everyday shaped by the cross of Jesus?

Would behaviors change?

What would I add to my life, and what would I take away?

Jesus spent every day of His 30plus years focused on one goal. That is, He was moving towards the cross. He knew it. He knew why.

When he ate with the tax collector - He did it shaped by the cross.

When he got down on the same level as the woman caught in adultery - He was shaped by the cross.

When he called the disciples - having pre-knowledge about them - He was shaped by the cross!

When He was teaching and loving those 12 men in John 17 - He was shaped by the cross.

When Jesus came along side those 2 disciples on the way to Emmaus in Luke 24 - He was shaped by the cross.

To determine what it means to be cruciform today think about what Jesus did in any given situation and then think about what you would do or how you would handle it. That will show you the difference.

When you can genuinely do things the same way as Jesus, and have motives that are not linked to what others may think about you - that is cruciform. When you stop asking Why or saying: "Not now Lord!" then you're beginning to life life cruciform...

** (thurs am:) As I reread this post I realized that last 2 paragraphs sounded a lot like "What Would Jesus Do" and with full apologies to Charles Shedd, that's not exactly what I meant. I think what I meant was - it's like an apprentice in the presence of the master craftsmen. It's not just changing behavior. It's allowing the craftsmen to guide and direct the apprentice to learn the skill with his guiding hands and words. It's not just doing religion "martyform" but it is thinking abt ALL I do cruciform - shaped by the Cross.

Cruciform

OK, so I've learned a new word. Cruciform. Dictionary.com says: Cru-ci-form(krs-fôrm)
adj. Shaped like a cross;

To put this adjective in front of anything makes it take on incredible meaning: cruciform church, cruciform evangelism, cruciform preaching...

I'm not sure about words not related to kingdom work, cruciform breakfast, cruciform car repair, but for eccleiastical words - WOW! it has incredible impact.

Do I approach my discipleship, shaped like the cross? Am I an evangelist, shaped by the cross? Is my church - shaped like the cross.

So what is the other side? Isn't the church still the church even if I don't say CRUCIFORM? I think what it does, at least for me, is it puts a renewed focus on what the subject is all about. Sometimes if I'm in discipleship mode - it can really be all about me. But if my discipleship is cruciform then it means that I've gotta get out of the way. It's all about Him.

and SO the Old Testament.... yea what was I thinkin'

In this summer when I am putting some work into spiritual formation and spiritual direction, I decided to take a class in Old Testament Theology. I'm in Charlottesville, taking a 1 week intensive at the C'ville Christian Study Center. I'm trusting in the midst of this that the Holy Spirit will somehow translate OT theology to Spiritual Formation stuff.

In class last night, we spent 3 hours in Genesis 1-3. And I learned that because of issues related to the Fall, "Life is Upside Down (inversion) and Inside Out (expulsion)." In other words things are incredibly messed up! God's design was for us (humans) to be vice-regents (with Him) over the earth. We were designed to worship Him and rule the world. Positionally, it was to be God, us, animals; but in the fall - humans took orders from the serpant (animals) and disobeyed God. We flipped the order from God -> Human -> Animals TO Animals -> Humans -> God. Then while we were supposed to be in the Garden - because of our disobedience we were kicked out (expelled) from the Garden.

Now hasn't it been that way ever since? I find myself so controlled by the earth and not really having dominion over it. I'm concerned about the weather everyday (maybe too much so). I fear the wind (hurricanes). I jump when a dog barks. When I'm working in the yard I'm looking for snakes. And really I'm not a fearful guy! ALSO: It's hard work for me to worship God - but easy for me to worship about everything else that crosses my mind or eye. I know how it's supposed to be. I know I want to worship God and rule the world, but the disobedience problem still gets in the way.

Well it's gotta be about Jesus, I am reminded (as I read Genesis) of Philippians 2:5-11. Jesus is the answer He is the ruler who shows us in his humanity how to rule and in His divinity how to be worshipped.

Philippians 2:5-11 --
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Now that is a perspective I can understand: Paul also says: "Copy me as I copy Christ."

Discipling Part 2

Am I approaching this all too simply?


In a conversation this AM, I said: "There is a great need for men to "disciple" men." In reply, a friend said, "Discipleship is really hard!".

As you can probably imagine, my quick reply was: "Oh, it is not. It is very easy if you can just take a little initiative, then you can disciple." The conversation got kindof intense at this point. As the talk ensued we really embarked on the 2 primary tracks of discipling, Curriculum and Process.

His reply to me was: "Discipling is more than just hanging out with another man. It is intentionally helping him grow in:
1) Assurance of salvation
2) Daily study of the Word
3) Articulating the whole Gospel to a seeker.
4) Learning to forgive and offer forgiveness.
5) Being in a church, a small group and regular fellowship.
6) Talking to God regularly. (prayer).
Most men do not have the knowledge or the resources to be able to train another man in these areas. They really just have the time to spend daily time in the Word themselves and try to raise their families in a Godly way."

OK, I was pretty upset at this point!

I cannot take exception with these points. I really believe them! I actually kindof use these "topics" in my discipling. It is the classic Curriculum model of discipling. But my struggle is the attitude of how we need to be prepared in order to disciple (or evangelize, or share a testimony or whatever). And we are so "busy" or whatever that we cannot take the initiative. I would contend - like riding a bike - once we start doing it we get better & better!

Am I totally naive here?

Of course discipling is more than getting together and talking about the World Cup (which we men tend to do). But I am convinced, as I meet with another guy, talk about sports, then family, then work, then 'How I(we) have seen God at work in my(our) life this week' then we are "discipling". Or maybe we can talk about how the sermon on temptation on Sunday really helped me in my personal struggles this week.

So for me Discipling is less about agenda and curriculum and more about taking initiative, getting to know another believer and sharing the big picture of what God is doing in us and around us. It's a process of helping another believer learn to grow closer to Christ.

Fish & Chips in Jack's seat

One of my favorite memories of the London trip was the day in Oxford. Eventhough it was the rainiest day, just being in the midst of the Oxford colleges and especially being able to learn about C.S. Lewis, see his house, hear the stories and walk the streets he walked was quite a joy. .

My good friend Doug Gresham helped me arrange a tour of the Kilns. We were accommodated by Tom Ward, a resident of the manse who provided an excellent synopsis of Jack's life before and after Joy came into his life. He showed us all the rooms and talked about the restoration and the conversion into a complete study center.

I was quite elated to be in the Kilns, to see the chair, the pipe and the typewriter of this man who has contributed so much to evangelical Christianity. Hmm! maybe my next job will be to be the Kilns Curator or at least a good sabbatical

The evening finished with a visit to The Eagle & The Child (aka: 'the bird & the baby') where we commandeered the seats where the Inklings sat and discussed so much theology, crafted their books & publications and even evangelized seekers. The picture is of Carolyn & Tripp sitting in Jack's seat in the corner by the fireplace.

Discipleship or Discipling?

A colleague asked me recently, "Tell me what you do when you train your students in discipleship."

Well I kinda laughed to myself, because I tend to think of everything I do as training in discipleship, so how could I succinctly tell her how I do 'everything that I do'. My whole focus of ministry is on helping people go one step closer to Christ, or becoming more like Jesus everyday - whatever it takes.

First of all let's get one thing out of the way. For so many years there has been this confusion between discipleship & discipling or disciple-making. So some quick definitions:

Disciple - noun, personal, a person who is a follower of Jesus Christ. Technically it is just a pupil of a teacher, but it has come to be specific of Jesus as the teacher.

Discipleship - a noun actually talking about taking on characteristics of being more like Jesus Christ. Being more of a servant, or more of a healer or showing love to those without love, etc.

Discipling - a verb describing more of learning to be a disciple often involving another older/more mature disciple. Also an adjective defining a relationship between 2 disciples.

Disciple-making - a noun describing the intentional practice of helping a new or young believer become more like Jesus.

All seems a bit confusing doesn't it? Or if you are used to the terms they can be 'christianese' to keep others out of the lingo-circle.

So it seems like there is a movement to find new words to say this same thing in a better more coherent way. The current terms are Spiritual Formation or Spiritual Direction. There are tons of new books and periodicals helping us on the journey of spiritual formation. I can also consult a spiritual director (peer, lay or professional) to help me in my spiritual formation.

But how did I answer my colleague:
"I mostly do it on the fly depending on what I'm reading, thinking about etc.
For instance last year I used about 5 chapters from Donald Miller's books (_Blue Like Jazz_ & _Searching for God Knows What_.
Two years ago I did some Marcus Buckingham stuff
All of this is seasoned with a lot of "Barnabas", etc

Some basics though:
_Master Plan of Evangelism_, Coleman
_Soul Talk_, Crabb
_In The Name of Jesus_, Nouwen
_Working the Angles_, Peterson

One key is to help the student leaders define "What is a disciple of Christ?" or "What does it mean to be a Christ-follower @ your campus today?" (from their perspective, hopefully you will have tons of different ones)
that concept then frames what becomes their curriculum.

So it is...

Kingdom principle in action

On a post I made on June 6, "Love & Anger Part 1" I wrote about how Christians deal with (or don't deal with) anger and conflict between them. And I guess I am in the midst of one of those right now, personally - and I don't want to deal with it. Rather even though I described how to Agape someone through a conflict, I'd rather just sweep it under the rug.

My justification is I didn't do anything wrong - as far as I can tell. The easiest scenario is that there were several misunderstandings between 2 brothers in Christ. And then a lot of passive aggressive behavior. There was no direct conflict, but whatever I did (the misunderstandings) really caused my friend to "tailspin". Eventhough we were in a group together - there was no more communication between us. When I'd come into a room he'd move to the other side. I know, It's kinda 4th grade isn't it?

So what were the "misunderstandings"? First, on a particular night, I went on the beach for a walk by myself (I guess I should have invited him). Second, we had talked about doing a special meal together, I priced and ordered the food - because I couldn't find him. Third, I invited a 3rd family to our meal, without telling him first. That was it, as far as I can tell.

It looks like we are going to leave this place unreconciled. He has not spoken to me in 3 days. I feel like I did nothing wrong. To go to him and do the steps I talked about would admit I was wrong.

Hmm! quite a dilemna? Thanks Lord for making me the illustration in my own story.

To be continued....

Seen and Testify...

I John 4:14 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world."
WOW what a vantage point John the Apostle has... And all of the other apostles. He is able to say that he has SEEN and TESTIFY to the life of Jesus Christ. It is not just some trumped up vision. The testimony to the presence of Christ can be verified by a number of men all within the same generation. And their writings were well broadcast so that the credibility of the message or the writer would have been denied before the 1st century Gnostics got at them.

Not only has he seen Jesus Christ, but he knows the spiritual ramifications that the presence of Christ began. He was sent by the father to the savior of the world. So it is both the physical presence of the living Christ and the spiritual salvation of his ultimate purpose.

Just for a thought: Wouldn't it have been incredible if we were able to be in the physical presence of Christ? To see Him walk with his disciples or heal the broken that came to Him, or do battle with the religious leaders would give us a completely different take on who He is.

Now, we can see, feel & experience the presence of Christ through the on-going presence of the Holy Spirit (and that is enough for me). I have no doubt as to the authencity of what He did & came to do and the fact that He did it. But just to dispel the scoffers- if there had just been a DVD of that day or some other physical record. I guess that is why there was such an emphasis by the early church fathers to find and preserve the relics. But a public identifiable record of his work! There would still be scoffers of course - but for many more of us His presence would be authenticated and His name would be glorified!!

Hmm! relationships...

There is perhaps too much talk anyway on this subject. Toby Keith says: "Too much talk, not enough action." OK, forget I wrote that. But in a conversation yesterday with a dad of 2 in college & one grad. He asked the question, "None of my kids are in significant relationships now, even the 23 year old, should I be worried?" I tried to not let my laugh be noticed.

That he should be worried about this situation is funny enough. I know parents are directly connected to the health and well-being of their offspring for the rest of their lives. I mean my mom was, up until her last day on earth. But worry is not going to help, either is a personal lecture (as parents are want to do). There are many reasons for his concern: his personal satisfaction of having a "full quiver" for several generations (grandkids), his concern that his kids are happy through marriage, perhaps, it seems normal to be married, and his concern that he wants his kids to get on with their life.

Well he asked for my advice, so I complied. I said: first, I believe the philosophy delivered by I Kissed Dating Goodbye has done more to hurt development of relationships than any thing else I know of. The reason is not that anything the book or philosophy talks about is harmful. It is actually Biblical. Maybe it some small communities the philosophy works. It's just that, IMHO, some of the stated expectations are unrealistic. In the current college situation it is too hard to think in terms of building family relationships when the guy's home might be in Florida and the girl's might be New Mexico. And the implied situation is that all parents and kids are from Godly backgrounds. I find that rare at a secular school. So within a reasonable time frame I believe it is completely legit to get to know someone and gradually move into their world as God continues to affirm the time together.

Second, I believe that non-Christian guys just know how to "date" better than we Christians do. Eventhough their motives might not be pure, you can at least say they know what they are doing. They, non-christian guys I'm talking about, know how to "court" better than we do. They flirt, tease, pursue. While so many times we stand back because we want to "guard their hearts" or maybe it is out of fear. I would propose that we begin to treat women like women and men like men. Understanding that knowing the differences between us (gender-wise)will help in oh s omany issues, not the least of which is marriage.

Third, I believe that Christians tend to be afraid of pursuing a relationship for fear that it "might not be the one". The proverbial Guidance of God issue. Now don't let me diminish the role of God's WIll. I definitely believe in it! And it has definitely worked for me - after all Carolyn is the one (all 28 years of it)! And I knew it was true at the right time, but not at the beginning of the relationship. Of course there is "The One" but we aren't going to know who that is until we invest in some healthy relationships.

2 days worth...

I can't even begin to complete the thoughts I've had in the last couple days. Let me just lay them out and maybe I can come back to them and write them out later. A great conversation last night about philosophy of ministry with a professor, who is a former student of mine and simplistic faith and how to bring true faith into the marketplace of ideas. Also, at the same gathering, a conversation with a retired businessman about how he has seen God lead him through success & failure to faith and dependence

Then today manning the Father's Day tables (book give away) at Chapel - all 3 services. I had a conversation from a new believer about divorce and how to agape/forgive/tolerate an unloving ex-spouse. Another conversation about a sexually abusive step-father and Godly healing. And another one on how to love an ungodly spouse. Several conversations about an "empty nest"

Largest Church in America

Last night on Nightline - a show that I do not watch very much, they were featuring Lakewood Church & Joel Osteen. Lakewood is reportedly the largest church in America. 40,000 people in Sunday attendance (is that at one service?) and Mr Osteen said they would probably outgrow their current facility, which is the former arena for the Houston Rockets.

I do not know very much about him or the church, except that his book is front & center in every Borders or Books-A-Million I go in. But last night he was saying that he wants to present a message of hope & encouragement. All is positive, He said that not everyone has to be rich, but all of us need to receive goodness from God.

When asked why there was not a cross visible in the church, although he dodged the question a bit, he seemed to imply that it is more important to think about the person of Christ and how the Holy Spirit works in the world (thus a globe is at the center of the staging area).

Evil & Suffering

Is this really the #1 question people have about faith in God? (Why would a just God allow so much Evil & Suffering in the world?) Well so I am told.

I believe the world does not see a distinction between evil & suffering. Evil, could it be simplified to mean an intent to harm another? And suffering, is pain and brokenness caused by something not being right (an illness, a natural disaster, a circumstance gone wrong, etc.). But today many would say suffering is what is evil. Is that right? We try to do everything possible to avoid suffering. We try to avoid risk. Don't you love the screwdrivers at Lowe's or Home Depot, that say "FAILURE TO USE GOGGLES WHILE USING THIS TOOL COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO LIFE AND LIMB." I mean perhaps, but it almost becomes a psychological disadvantage to read the warning. I end up thinking the whole time I'm using it to tighten the bolts in the Kitchen: 'Oh, I wish I had bought some goggles.'; then the screwdriver slips off, gouging a bit of skin off my knee - and I start to wonder if I'm gonna lose a limb.

One of my mentors, Dick Woodward, suffers more than I (we) can imagine. Pain comes to him - daily, hourly, moment by moment. Yet, he is stronger in Christ as a result of his disability than if he had not had it, because as he is weakened he has had to learn to be more dependent on God. He feels like the disease (a degenerative spine condition) has allowed him to concentrate and focus more on ministry and Bible Study and translation than if he had remained in the pulpit these last 15 years. For Dick the suffering is not evil, it is mobilizing. Instead of reaching a congregation of less than 1,000. He reaches nations, coming close to a billion listeners all from a paralyzed man in Williamsburg Virginia. And he still is able to meet and preach to many who come to his door.

Don't get me wrong, I am not looking forward to suffering of any kind. I get scared when I'm stung by a bee, or if my airplane hits some turbulence, or if my skin is gouged by an erratic screwdriver. But I think we better be careful equating Evil and Suffering as one and the same.

Evil can cause suffering. There are forces of evil in the world seeking to do harm. The evil one is prowling like a lion looking for someone to devour. Evil forces unchecked can bring all sorts of trouble.

Can evil come from natural causes? We know that terrorism is evil and we can even define some of the sources. We can name them.

But what about systemic evil - poverty, racism, injustice. We can argue that this evil has a name too. It causes suffering.

But what about natural events: decay of a mind & body due to Alzheimer's or a rare respitorary disease that takes a person's life in days of being healthy or earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, etc. What is the cause of this evil? Is the spiritual battle that rages inclusive of personal, nature & other humans?

Let's wrestle!