Nostalgia and Self-Justification

Today I read a great blog post entitled “Myth of the Good Ole Days.”  The author makes many cogent arguments.

There is no such thing as the good ole’ days. It is a myth constructed by people with amnesia who have forgotten or have chosen not to remember the problems and perils of earlier days.

This is a subject that I have thought about frequently.

The other day a sweet sister in Christ sincerely asked me how I could work with young adults.  “They’re just so much worst than when I was young,” she said.  Now I have no doubt that she was sincere in this observation, but I had to remind her that sin is not limited by generation.  Technology and style has changed, manifesting sin in new and creative ways, but the human condition remains the same.  In the twenty-first century Americans struggle with internet pornography and materialism, in the 19th century it was legalized segregation, in the 18th century slavery and oppression of Africans and Native Americans, and the list goes on and on.  Materialism and greed is cross-generational and we still struggle with the early heresy of America as a Savior-nation.

As sinners we like to set ourselves up as the standard of “what is right.”  We demonize the sins of others (e.g. homosexuality, abortion, etc.) and minimize our own (e.g., materialism, greed, etc.).

The gospel is for every generation.  The human heart has always struggled with idolatry and self-justification.

Crucifying My Wife

It is disconcerting to be vulnerable on the “interweb.”  I am about to share my marital woes with millions of my closest friends.  Here goes anyway…

I’ve been thinking a lot about idolatry and my own life.  I have a lot of idols (e.g., sports, dreams, job, popularity, friends, etc.).  The most dangerous idol I have recently discovered is the one God has called me to love more than myself — my wife.

In my haste to love and adore my wife (which I most certainly do), I have put a lot of expectations on her.  I noticed recently that I started to get very terse with my wife when she let me down in even the smallest ways.  Their are a myriad of reasons why this is the wrong way to act (e.g., she is the most talented and loving person I know, I act like a jerk way more than she does, she demonstrates sacrifice toward me every day, etc.).

Here is one way that Donald Miller explained it recently:

I realized that for years I’d thought of love as something that would complete me, make all my troubles go away.  I worshiped at the alter of romantic completion.  And it had cost me, plenty of times.  And it had cost most of the girls I’d dated, too, because I wanted them to be something they couldn’t be.  it’s too much pressure to put on a person.

That is so true.  Only God can handle the “pressure” of demonstrating perfect love.  The application of this sentiment is what hit me the hardest.  Here is how Miller finished his thought:

I think that’s why so many couples fight, because they want their partners to validate them and affirm them, and if they don’t get that, they feel as though they’re going to die.  And so they lash out.  But it’s a terrible thing to wake up and realize the person you just finished crucifying didn’t turn out to be Jesus.

Ouch.

Talk is Cheap

It is abundantly clear that God has put my wife into my life for the purpose of sanctification (among other things).  During a recent six hour car ride from Pennsylvania, Whitney was sharing what she was learning from the Bible (sidenote: long car rides are some of our favorite time to talk and laugh together).  She read a passage from Isaiah 58:

The kind of fasting you do won’t get your prayers off the ground.  Do you think this is the kind of fast day I’m after: a day to show off humility?  To put on a pious long face and parade around solemnly in black?  Do you call that fasting, a fast that I, YHWH, would like?

This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts.  What I’m interest in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families (Isaiah 58:3-7)

This sounds very similar to Jesus’ description of humility in Luke 18:9-14 and genuine discipleship in Matthew 25:31-46.  Jesus describes this sort of hypocrisy when he quotes Isaiah 29:

You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.  But in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men’ (Matthew 15:7-9).

John Sailhamer summarizes Isaiah 58:1-14 as follows:

The kind of repentance God required of his people is a contrite heart and a life of good works.  There was little value in fasting if one’s life did not reflect compassion and obedience to the will of God.

What good is singing a song (hymn? chorus? psalm?), attending church, praying, fasting, or (even) reading my Bible if my actions and attitudes do not legitimate these practices.  Thank God for grace to try again, for a holy dissatisfaction regarding my unholy life, and disdain at my hypocrisy.

Reflections on “God Exposed.” (Part 2)

How do I describe the impact of C. J. Mahaney’s message this weekend?  I have yet to hear a teacher of the Bible who so accurately understands his own shortcomings yet so clearly magnifies God.  Mahaney taught from 2 Timothy 4:1-5 and encouraged faithfulness to the gospel through the content and character of the preacher.

Mahaney made clear that the Word of God is essential to the church.  Before being overwhelmed by the obvious he traced out the implications of such a thought.  For example, the primacy of the Word of God should be reflected in the schedule of the preacher (i.e., I should set aside adequate time to unhurriedly exegete, applicate, and illustrate the text of Scripture).  I cannot let lesser duties overwhelm this primary concern nor can I allow sinful procrastination to cripple my Bible Study.

I was also reminded during this time that a pastor/elder is most adequately equipped to teach the Bible at a particular church because preaching requires pastoral skill and discernment to teach and apply the Bible.  A pastor should know the struggles and victories of his congregation and, therefore, know the appropriate use of admonition and exhortation.  I would not want to admonish the weak and encourage the unruly!  This requires an atmosphere of community that is conducive to openly sharing life.

Mahaney pierced my heart with his encouragement to preach “with all patience” (2 Tim. 4:2).  It is sometimes easier to give a weekly monologue than be patient with people.  I must always keep in the front of my mind God’s patience with me.  Further, I cannot expect my listeners to immediately understand and apply everything I preach.  God has been slowly working on my heart and I have been “living in the text” for weeks.  How foolish of me to think that what took me weeks and years to understand will immediately be fully grasped by my audience.  Further, it is the height of arrogance to think that I am such a good communicator as to condense years worth of Biblical study and personal sanctification into a single hour-long sermon.

All-in-all I must persevere in the careful and consistent teaching of the Word of God and “be grateful and surprised” that anyone shows up to hear me speak at all!

Reflections on “God Exposed.” (Part 1)

This past weekend (September 25-26) I attended the 9 Marks “God Exposed” conference held at SEBTS.  My heart and head are both full from the information and exhortations I received.

Audio from the event can be found at the SEBTS website.  On the IX Marks website some blog reflections can be found.

Mark Dever opened the conference with a message from Mark 4 that was encouraging and convicting.  He challenged us to depend totally on the power of the Word of God and not on our own personality, creativity, or intelligence.  Being dependent on God and His word leads to humility and confidence (two traits that I normally view as opposed).  We have humility because we realize that God is accomplishing the growth of the Kingdom of God.  We have confidence in the fact that God will accomplish what he promised.  I was reminded through this exhortation not to confuse size with significance in my own ministry.  Further, I am thankful that God chooses weak vessels.  One memorable quote from Dr. Dever:

If you think you can be filled with the Spirit without being filled with the Word, you need to check what Spirit you are being filled with.

Dr. Akin underscored this point during the Sermon Review (an idea I wholeheartedly recommend for teachers of the Bible) by showing the connection between being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18) through the word of Christ (Col. 3:16).

The Word of God is powerful because God is powerful.  The Word of God will be victorious because God is the victor.

You have been born again: not originating from the mortal but from the immortal, that is through the living and permanent word of God.  ‘For all flesh is like grass and all its glory is like the flower of grass.  The grass withers and the flower falls off but the word of the Lord endures into eternity.’  Now this is the word which was preached to you (1 Peter 1:23-25).

Thoughts on Technology and Ministry

In Tuesday’s chapel at Southeastern Seminary, Alvin Reid showed this video:

I’ve been thinking about it like crazy ever since. As we prepare to church plant and think through the best ways to utilize social media outlets and technology, the issue is more complicated than it may seem. How do we best utilize these means of communication? How do we prevent them from replacing face-to-face contact? As my friend and fellow church-planter, Alex, noted, “how do we even know what will be ‘in’ a year from now?

Here are three observations I made on the matter:

1. High quality technology does not equate excellence

Just because you have incredible bulletins and a sweet intro video to the sermon doesn’t mean that you’re demonstrating excellence in ministry. This means that you’re demonstrating excellence in your use of technology. The two are not synonymous.

If a cool logo and website replace excellence in the gospel, then it is only a matter of time before you will fail. Even a church name, logo, and website must be reflections of a robust understanding of the gospel.

2. Lack of/low quality technology does not equate holiness

Our hearts are “idol factories,” and this manifests itself in many subtle ways. One way that I’ve observed is that some who abstain from the recent technological trends (facebook, twitter, blogging, etc.) can present this as though it’s the most spiritual decision – apparently the “super-Christian” would never Twitter.

I have no problem with people who think it’s the wisest decision not to own a TV, use Facebook, Twitter, or whatever else, but don’t make it seem like God is a little more proud of you because you have done so. I believe the model example for this is John Piper, who doesn’t own a TV, yet is incredibly gracious whenever he is asked about this during interviews. Let’s not try to further justify ourselves by our lack of technological use.

The same goes for your church if it has a website that’s done poorly. This can be another way for churches to justify themselves, as a poor use of technology is somehow equated with having a greater spirituality.

An acceptance of mediocrity in any area, even in the technological realm, reveals a larger philosophy of ministry where it’s okay to be selective in what we do well for Jesus.

3. Context needs to drive quality to some extent

The question remains, “how do we balance between these two principles then?” I point to J.D. Greear’s “just enough principle” that he applies at The Summit Church. The question applied to matters of facilities, technology, etc. is “what is enough to get the job done?”

This means that technology will look different in various contexts. The quality of the website needs to be better in an urban environment full of young professionals than it does in a context where half the congregation doesn’t have e-mail. For example, do you really need to use flash on a website when most of your people’s browsers won’t even support it? Cautiously allow your context to determine (but not drive) how you use technology.

However, the thing that should transcend our culture should be our desire to do everything with excellence, including our use of technology in the church. This means problems like broken links on the website, regularly misspelled words on the Powerpoint, and old information in the bulletin are inexcusable if they characterize your church. No matter what the context, mediocrity must be rejected and everything must be done well for Jesus.

Why I Attended a Public University.

Parents and high school students are often asking my advice in regard to their undergraduate education.  To those students who are well-grounded in their relationship with Jesus I almost invariably recommend attending a public university.

In my own life I decided to attend a public university for very specific reasons (in no particular order):

1.  Quality of education.  I have found in my state (Virginia) that public universities have the highest quality of professors and students.  My undergraduate institution (The College of William and Mary) carefully selects students who are serious about academics and extra-curricular activities.

2.  Campus Culture. Every university and college is different.  You have to know what type of campus community is important to you.  I wanted to go to a school that offered plenty of educational and extra-curricular activities but maintained a genuine feeling of community.  I also wanted regular access to my professors outside of the classroom.

3.  Cost.  An in-state education is a significantly better value than most private or out-of-state colleges and universities.

4.  Exposure.  A public university offers diversity in so many ways.  Many parents use the teenage years to shelter there kids.  I believe it is essential to give young people opportunities to interact with persons who look, think, and act differently.  Diversity of thought is essential to understand one’s own beliefs and learning how to articulate those beliefs.  A “big view” of the world will combat narcissism, expand access to information, and give a more accurate portrayal of the world.  Pew Research Center has found that 57% of United States Citizens have never lived outside of their hometown and 37% have never left their hometown!

A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village:  the scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and microphone of his own age (C. S. Lewis).

A public education will ideally provide access to a wide range of scholarship and a diverse student body to deal with this common error.

5.  Mission.  I had been told that sharing the gospel to all people a la the Great Commission was important, but outside of a few short term mission trips in high school I had no real gospel opportunities.  All of my friends went to my Christian high school or my church (read: Christian bubble).  My undergraduate education was the first time in my life were the majority of my regular contacts and friendships were with non-believers.  Sure my Mom was scared of the “sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll” but she trusted me as a mature Christian young man (though she almost peed her pants when I mentioned that I was living in a co-ed dorm).  Further, the context of a university lends itself to the free exchange of ideas.  I have found few contexts more hospitable to the gospel (the dog park is coming in second right now).  Further, bringing the “gospel to the nations” is particularly simple at college because the nations come to you in the form of international students.  In addition, the university will help fund your own international excursions via study abroad programs!

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At this point you might ask why I am really writing this post.  I minister to parents and teenagers every week and I have noticed a particular brand of “bunker mentality.”  It is essential to develop meaningful relationships with non-believers in which to model and articulate the gospel.  These relationships cannot happen unless young adults are given opportunities to interact in the “real world.”  Many Christians claim to be missionaries but have given up on going to hard places.  Most college students in America go to public universities.  How will we reach them with the gospel unless we go to public universities?  Most of the world’s population lives in large, urban cities.  How will we reach them with the gospel unless we go to these cities?

On Community: A Mixed up Mid-Westerner “Yankee” in the South (Part 4)

In the spring of ‘95, when I was 10 years old, my family moved from St. Louis, Missouri to East Tennessee for my father’s career.  Besides hearing funny accents, deciphering a twisted language, and being introduced to the wildly amusing world of NASCAR, my eyes were also opened to an additional peculiarity that I found quite foreign: the cultural church.

Despite growing up in the church, moving from an urban environment in the mid-west to the “bible religious belt” of the south was as new to me as skeet shootin’ and 4-wheel muddin’. My previous experience in the church, as far as I can remember, was limited to the Sunday morning gathering—much like the South—and, outside of that time, I had no interaction with other Christians, even those whom I attended church with.

When I moved to Tennessee and found several of my school teachers and classmates at the same church I attended, however, I was completely and utterly flabbergasted. In fact, I can even recall a certain conversation I had in school only two weeks after my arrival. Upon announcing aloud to my 4^th grade teacher, “Hey, you go to MY church!” she responded with a stern correction, “Honey, I’ve been going to that church longer than you’ve been alive. You go to MY church!”

Either way, my peers thought I was a dumb “Yankee” for two reasons: a) my accent and b) being so surprised that I actually recognized fellow church members outside the church. To me, though, it was brand new.

I bring up this story to comment on a few important observations:

1. First, the church belongs to no one except Jesus (Colossians 1:18; Ephesians 5:23,24).

We don’t own the church, despite…well…anything. Here’s a list of attitudes that are prevalent among people who think they do own the church:

• I give a lot of money, therefore…
• I dedicate a lot of time to this, therefore…
• I’ve been here for  x amount of years, therefore…
• I’ve had  x number of generations pass through here, therefore…
• I’ve accumulated this degree, therefore…
• I’m a much better teacher/student of the Bible, therefore…
• I’m the leader of this church, therefore…
• I planted this church, therefore…

(It was real easy to come up with that list, primarily because I’ve maintained many—if not all—of those attitudes at some point or another).

When we think of the community of believers as something we own, or something that is owed us, we have missed the purpose and mission of the church. In fact, any form of encouragement from unity with Christ, comfort from his love, fellowship with the Spirit, tenderness, compassion, selfless giving, or oneness with the body will hardly be realized when members adopt such reasoning (Philippians 2:1-4).

2. Likewise, the Gospel both levels and elevates all believers equally (Romans 3:22-26; Romans 8:17).

Any sense of special privilege or exceptional treatment does not harmonize with what we know the Gospel says. I love how Paul prefaces his statement to the Romans in 3:23 with “There is no difference.” And, of course, he’s absolutely right! There is no difference, because we all have sinned, and we are all worthy of one thing: God’s righteous wrath (Eph 2:3)! What a thought. We were all…equally…dead. But Christ, in his mercy and grace, decided to save us. Honestly, where is there room to boast?

But the good news is that we have all been elevated to heirs. Another interesting thought. The Father loved us so much that he has rescued us out of the dominion of darkness and delivered us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves (Colossians 1:13). Again, where is there room to boast in what we’ve done?! We have all been elevated, each to the same position! (And I really can’t think of what could be so much better than “co-heir with Christ”!) But what is it that so often provokes such a sense of pride, as if we have earned certain obligatory or deserved rights.

3. The community of believers—and the love they demonstrate—has always been the strongest apologetic for the faith (John 13:35).

One of my favorite verses right now concerning the local church is penned in Hebrews 10:24. The author says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” I’d like to imagine the early church members communicating to their neighbors, “Not only will we come and love on you, but it’s our objective to spur you on toward something bigger. Something that causes you to go love others. Something that propels you into accomplishing good deeds. All for the glory of our Father!”

I’m convinced that our love will ultimately trump any argument. And as followers of Jesus, this is how we are to be known. It’s not by how many articles we’ve published. Nor how many degrees we’ve earned. Nor where we’ve attended school. Nor how many members join our church. Nor how many multi-site campuses we’ve started. We can do innumerable activities “for the Lord”, but if they are done without love, they are all for nothing (1 Cor 13:1-3). We must continually analyze our lives and our participation within the community and ask, “How am I demonstrating this love?”

In conclusion, I’d like to close with a portion of Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica that Mark (from Unlikely Christians, not the disciple) first added in his contribution to the “community” series.

“Regarding life together and getting along with each other, you don’t need me to tell you what to do. You’re God-taught in these matters. Just love one another! You’re already good at it; your friends all over the province of Macedonia are the evidence. Keep it up; get better and better at it.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:9-10.

–Andy Metzger

On Community – Why I miss Mexico (part 3)

For the past two years I have spent a week in Acuna, Mexico on a mission trip where we train local pastors, serve the church, and put on a baseball camp for the children in the town. I don’t know if you’ve ever been on a mission trip before, but there’s an interesting phenomenon that takes place that I call “hyper-bonding” – you begin the trip not knowing anyone, but a week later you’re saying goodbyes to new friends in the airport, many of whom you now know more intimately than your own family.

We then return home from these trips to a life where we don’t know our neighbor’s names, have little time to make new friends, and sharing a meal with our own family is often an inconvenience. How is it that after one week in Mexico I can come to know twenty former-strangers so well, yet after years at the same church I know hardly anyone with the same level of intimacy?

I suggest the dichotomy rises because we fail to live a gospel-centered, missionary lifestyle at home, while it makes perfect sense to live this way on a mission trip. There’s no biblical warrant for this inconsistency, and it should seem obvious that life is one big mission trip no matter our geographic location. But, everyday I struggle to do life in America the way we did it in Mexico. On mission trips we understand that the gospel is our primary mission, and we consequently spend time talking about it, working together for its progress, and strive to do everything in light of it. When we return from a mission trip, the gospel tends to be lost in the return to “real life.” The gospel returns to the periphery—one more duty that orbits around the center of my universe (I’m at the center, of course) along with my job, school, and hobbies.

I’m still working through how to fix this problem. I plan on offering more practical thoughts later, but one conclusion I’ve made is that mission trips tend to offer brief liberation from our enslavement to prosperity. We are reduced to our bare essentials—no Blackberries, DVR, college football, or internet. We just eat, sleep, and live out the gospel. In the U.S. we have our days ruined because our second car has the “check engine” light come on or our cell phone isn’t working. These non-essential problems don’t arise in Mexico because they don’t exist.

The scenery of Mexico can be somewhat stunning as you enter the country for the first time. Just a few miles from the U.S. border, where streets are crowded by countless retail chains, the roads become unpaved and unfinished houses covered by tin scraps dot the landscape. People’s reaction generally grows solemn as the transition from prosperity to poverty happens so quickly, but I wonder if we realize our own poverty in typical American church life when it comes to things like community and relationships. This disparity should drive us away from conversations centered around how much they lack materially, being replaced by a teachable spirit that recognizes that the churches in this culture excel in the crucial area of community where we often fail.

- Bryan

On Community – Shared Lives (Part 2)

“Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our lives, because you had become very dear to us” (1 Thessalonians 2:8).

What a beautiful picture of the gospel!  Paul, Silas, and Timothy came to the Thessalonians promising not to compromise on the gospel message that was entrusted to them (v. 4).  They refused to fall into any doctrinal error (v. 3).  Their speech was not obsequious or motivated by personal gain.  However, in the midst of sharing their message the apostles made sure to share themselves.

In reflecting on this passage I have come to understand a few things about genuine Christian community:

1. Christian community is gospel-centered. Christian community involves more than just gospel information but it does not involve less.  There are plenty of groups to join if you want friends. You can find people that have similar interests (e.g., scrapbooking, MOPS, fantasy football).  Shared interests, however, do not reinforce gospel community.  The gospel breaks down external barriers.  A gospel community is not concerned with external uniformity, but internal unity (Phil. 2:12-13) centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ.  Most people are concerned with finding persons that look, think, feel, and act like them.  People with similar interests and values will tend to confirm what you already believe.  A gospel community is not bound by age, race, or political preference.  A gospel community will challenge you to become like Christ rather than validate your own preferences.

“We often surround ourselves with the people we most want to live with, thus forming a club or clique, not a community. Anyone can form a club; it takes grace, shared vision, and hard work to form a community” (Philip Yancey)

2. Christian community is participatory. The information of the gospel was not enough; the apostles humbly participated in the lives of the Thessalonians.  It was not enough to teach a few truths about Christ, their genuine affection motivated participation.  Getting involved in someone’s life is messy.  It is easier to show up on Sunday morning, sing a few songs, smile and shake hands.  It is much more difficult to sit on someone’s couch and listen to their struggles.  It is uncomfortable to go to the hospital when someone is sick.  It is terribly inconvenient to give your money to someone who is in need.

And that brings us back to the gospel.  Think about how messy it was for Christ to become flesh, to endure temptation, and to experience pain.  Sharing your life with others provides the only context to genuinely articulate and, more importantly, demonstrate the gospel.

- Mark