Is Christianity a Participatory Sport?

 

 

 

How many of us went to "Club Church" today? Did we daydream through a "touchy-feely" sermon about grace without accountablility, sin without consequence, right without wrong? Did we then rush to a restaurant for lunch and then home for a lazy afternoon nap? Were we satisfied, even pleased, with this routine? Easy, routine, predictable.

I heard a very different sermon. Truth is, we are called out of the routine of this Sunday rut. Part of our birthright as Christians is a call to action. Our Christianity is meant to be lived out. We are called to take Christ into the world, not hide him Him under a bushel basket. Christianity is meant to be a verb, a plan for action.

Many of us are dissatisfied with the state of our nation, and even of our world. We blame politics, finances, and even global warming for what bothers us. Perhaps the problem lies with none of these. Perhaps our problem is a problem of the heart. I don't personally ascribe to the theory that the date of the Apocalypse can be calculated by counting blood moons and monitoring the actions of Gog and Magog. I do, however, feel an urgency to pray for open hearts, open minds, and open mouths concerning the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As Christians we are called to take action to improve the world's situation by changing minds, attitudes, and hearts. The solutions we offer don't come with a new election cycle, quantatative easing, or reducing our carbon footprint. God doesn't want to be anyone left behind. We need a plan of action. This is what was laid out for us this morning by Rick Pigott:

1. We are called to share God's word with the world, showing how our lives have changed and how this change can work in the lives of others. How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel. Romans 10:15. Always be ready to defend Jesus Christ and tell the truth. 1 Peter 3:15.

2. The persuader is not us, but the Holy Spirit. He will convict the world of sin. John 16:8. It is the Father who draws people, not us. John 6:44.

3. Our authority is the Holy Scripture. How we "feel" is of no value. We need to just share the Word of God, our commentary is unnecessary. God's word is like a fire, like a hammer. Jeremiah 23:29. We just need to pass God's word on. Isaiah 55:11. The Word of God is living and powerful. Hebrews 4:12.

4. Our message is Jesus - not church, religion, or Christianity. We usually find it easier to talk about church than Jesus. Philip proclaimed the good news of Jesus to the eunuch. Acts 8:35. We are to preach Christ, and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2.

We need to keep our eyes open always. We have an important message to share about being in a relationship with Jesus Christ, having our sins forgiving, and receiving the gift of eternal life.

Our mission is clear and the call has gone out. Who will answer?

Got glue? #broken4jesus

As I was listening to the radio, I heard someone talking about authentic Christianity.  He posited that only a person who had been "broken" could become an authentic Christian. His research revealed that only approximately 6% of professing Christians reported being "broken" in the past, resulting on a large number of inauthentic Christians.

What do you make of this theory? How many of us will acknowledge that sin, addiction, self-centerdness, greed, or any number of other issues have caused us to turn away from God? Was there a moment when we hit bottom, acknowledged our shortcomings, and fought our way back to God? Is this a necessary step in our Christian journey?

Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminds us that our journey is NOT about us. Our brokenness is not what is important. "To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us. Once more, all that self denial can say is: 'He leads the way, keep close to him.'"

Broken, shattered, or relatively whole, God calls us all. There are no prerequisites, no entry requirements. We must, however, die to self and put God first. No glue required!

Are You Limited?

Today in church we had the privilege of hearing from Jimmy and RoxAnne Cox, missionaries in South Korea.  RoxAnne spoke of how they work in South Korea to train missionaries, and Jimmy preached our sermon.  His text was Acts 16:1-10. 

As Paul was beginning his Second Missionary Jouney, he intended to travel to more of Asia Minor, taking seriously his call to be the Apostle to the Gentiles. A Man from Macedonia (probably God Himself) appeared to Paul in a vision, imploring him to come to Macedonia.  God hadn't placed a limit on Paul's mission field.

Like Paul, most of our limits are self-imposed. Oftentimes these limits are actually contrary to God's will for us.  Our call is always to follow Christ, which may require that we leave our comfort zone. As we feel God beginning to stretch us, we should not be afraid to follow through.  When we step out in faith God is already there!

Please remember in prayer the Cox family and all others in the missionary field.

#sinmatters

There is a spirit of lawlessness and evil settling over our society.  It is motivating people to do bad acts.  We need look only as far as the many recent poice shootings and the shootings of the news team in Virginia. How should we respond? What should we do? What is the source of this problem?

Politics, money, and passing new gun laws cannot solve our problems.  I believe that God calls us to identify the problem as sin.  Unless human hearts are changed, nothing in the world will change.

We are called into an evil world to preach Christ, and Him crucified.  We need to show others what God has done for us. In isolation, this is difficult to do. When we think it all depends on us it's easy to come up with a thousand reasons not to press on. We need to take Christ into the world from a strong community of believers.

Who needs to hear from us? Everyone! When Jesus healed the leper, He was showing that His message was for everyone, even those on the fringes of society.  Leprosy was symbolic of the sin permeating the world in the time of Jesus.

Our society is so ready to deny the existence of Satan and Hell.  Many worship opportunities include bands, movies, the prosperity gospel, and feel-good theology where everyone's a winner and there are no expectations. If we can't name the sin that is overtaking our land, we will never be able to work to extinguish it.

I believe that it is time to call our nation to prayer - to pray for a revival of our national spirit and our spiritual health. We need to pray to God to stir the heart of our country and that the fog of evil be lifted. Let's gather our faith community together and take that first step. If we believe that our God can physically raise the dead, He can also raise a nation dead to sin. Deliver us from evil!

The Emperor Has No Clothes!

This is one of my favorite fairy tales!  Two fast-talking "tailors" hodwink the Emperor and all his staff into believing that they are creating the finest clothes for him.  They are crafted from the most beautiful and expensive materials, and the clothes are quite the sight to see!  The tailors proclaimed that only the most stupid and ignorant could not recognize the beauty and quality of the clothing.The Emperor has surrounded himself with "yes" men, who corroborate the claims of the tailors. These are the most magnificent clothes ever created! The Emperor looks amazing!

The Emperor is persuaded to process throughout the town, giving the entire populace a sight of his glorious clothing.  Ohhs and aahhs fill the air. The Emperor is praised and feted at every turn.  Finally a small voice piped up, "But he has nothing on!"  As this was whispered and repeated throughout the crowd, the noise grew, and the people began shouting "The Emperor has no clothes!" Vain til the end, the Emperor hears their cries, but continues to parade back to his castle.

As a fairy tale, on the surface the story is funny - a fable to entertain children.  There is more to this story, however, a moral in fact.

How often do we ignore things happening right in front of us, pretending that they don't exist?  Are we carried along on the wave of public opinion, afraid to express our opinion that might run counter to "popular thought?"

Do we have leaders in our nation, our state, our city, and even our church whose nakedness cannot be exposed? Are we forced to toe the party line and deny evil being flaunted in our very face? Have we given up our right to dissent? Is political correctness now the arbiter of right and wrong?

Jesus spoke very clearly about liars and hypocrites.  His execution was most probably hastened by his very public opinions about the authorities of his time.  "How terrible for you legal experts and Pharisees! Hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs.  They look beautiful on the outside. But inside they are full of dead bones and all kinds of filth. In the same way you look righteous to people. But inside you are full of pretense and rebellion." Matthew 23: 27-28.

 

These are the very tombs on the Mount of Olives of which Jesus spoke: thousands of clean, whitewashed tombs, containing bones, dirt, and filth.

Look around you. What is being promoted as good, beautiful, or important? Is it really - or are you being sold a bill of goods? Are these things or people really good? Look closely. Ask questions. As Jesus said to the Pharisees: "You are the ones who justify yourselves before other people, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued by people is deeply offensive to God." Luke 16:15. Don't be caught naked!

"...and there was no one left to speak for me."

                                                               Martin Niemoller

Sometimes I just get so tired. Up is down and wrong is right. Our society demands transparency, but works in the shadows. We are afraid to speak our minds, but call ourselves the “land of the free.” Have we forgotten what freedom really looks like? As long as we allow ourselves to be threatened into silence, into inaction, freedom eludes us. The more rights we give away, the fewer we retain.

Is something going wrong in your world? Speak up! Is someone being unjustly persecuted? Give your support! There is no stronger feeling of loneliness than feeling that everyone is arrayed against you.

John Wesley, the father of the Methodist Church, died an Anglican. His criticisms of the Anglican Church were meant to bring reform, not split the church. This culture of dissent is no longer valued in our world. We can only embrace those with the same ideas, shunning any hint of criticism or disagreement. When did it become okay to drive away those with opposing views? When did it become acceptable to silence the opposition?

Adolph Hitler gained control over the legislative and executive branches of the German government and systematically began destroying his opposition. His resulting dictatorship attempted to eliminate the Jewish race from the face of the earth. Attempts to reign in Hitler’s power, such as Operation Valkyrie, resulted in Hitler’s savage reprisals, including the death of over 4,800 people, among them Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

As we become complacent and emasculated, the Devil is at work in our world. I know it is so “unenlightened” to believe in the Devil, but I believe he is alive and well, in our homes, in our schools, in our government, and even in our churches. All across the world people are rejoicing that we have lost our voice, that we have lost our fire.

Bad things are happening, and we have no response. Bad things happened to Joseph, back in the days of the Old Testament. He was thrown into a well by his jealous brothers and sold into slavery. Through his dependence on God he was able to make the best of his situation, ultimately becoming so powerful that he was able to save his family and his nation from famine. How easy would it have been for him to ignore their requests for food? How easy would it have been to act like he did not recognize his brothers? Genesis reveals that Joseph knew that God could take the bad actions of Joseph’s family and turn it around and turn it into something good. “You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good...” Genesis 50:20.

God is working through you, and God is working through me. We have to take a stand and fight back against the evil in our world. God will stand by us, but we can’t sit idly by. If we do, we stand to lose our chance. We stand to allow the evil to grow and fester. We stand to let evil perpetuate.

Martin Niemoller was a German theologian and a contemporary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The German church received much criticism for failing to speak out against Hitler, and by default, allowing the extermination of over six million Jewish people. Niemoller was one of the few who spoke out against Hitler and this landed him in a Nazi concentration camp for seven years. Upon his release he penned the following verses:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Jew.

And then they came for me -
and there was no one left to speak for me.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Our lives begin to end the day we are silent about the things that matter."  If we give up our voice, we risk losing it for all time. Stand up for injustice. Speak the truth. Let your light shine!

We Have This Treasure

"But we have this treasure in clay pots so that the awesome power belongs to God and doesn't come from us. We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren't crushed. We are confused, but we aren't depressed. We are harassed, but we aren't abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren't knocked out.

We always carry Jesus' death around in our bodies so that Jesus' life can also be seen in our bodies. We who are alive are always being handed over to death for Jesus' sake so that Jesus' life can also be seen in our bodies that are dying. So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

I've had a tough week. It's been back to work after the holidays, packing away the Christmas decorations, and returning to a routine. A beloved cousin of my husband's died, and I was viciously attacked by a vigilante group "in the name of the church." I've had better weeks!

Sometimes when you are at your most vulnerable you are open to a word from God. At the funeral of Garland's cousin, J. W. "Pete" Mangum, Dr. Sean Michael Lucas, of First Presbyterian Church in Hattiesburg, MS preached on this text from 2 Corinthians. Though a sinner and a weak vessel, Pete lived a life for Christ. He was a wonderful man who loved God and loved his family. I never heard a bad word spoken about him.

In my personal time of trouble, I needed to be reminded of the solid rock upon which I stand - Christ Jesus. Whatever tempts or rocks my fragile, weak vessel, I have a protector who is greater than any sin or evil which this world may throw at me.

Sometimes the "death" in our lives threatens to obscure the glimpses of Christ's life showing through our own. We need to lean on God, asking Him to put this death in subjection to His will, so that the light of Jesus might shine through us into the world.

At the family lunch today after Pete's funeral, my husband's guide dog, Maddie, was surrounded by Pete's great-grandchildren. The love of family is a powerful balm and healer. Thanks be to God for the gift of family, and of His son, Jesus!

New Year's Resolutions

Sometimes the stars align perfectly or, if you believe as I do, we get a glimpse of God in our earthly realm. Today was one of those days. Our Sunday School class was set to begin an 8-week series called The Wesleyan Way by Scott Jones. Prior to Sunday School, at the 8:30 worship service at Main Street United Methodist Church, Rev. Todd Watson's sermon, entitled "New Year's Resolutions" revolved around the theology of John Wesley. Coincidence? I think not!

Todd's sermon began with a reading from Malachi 3. Malachi was the last Old Testament prophet before Jesus appeared on the scene. Malachi lived during the time of Israel's captivity by the Babylonians. Small groups of Israelites were being allowed to return to Jerusalem, where they were rebuilding the Temple and the city walls. Despite these advances, things were different. The people were dying spiritually. Malachi tells the Israelites that if they will return to God, God will return to them. Things can improve.

We face a similar situation today. We are surrounded by beautiful facilities, we have relatively easy lives, but we are looking for momentum, something to carry us forward. We yearn for a return to God.

John Wesley encouraged believers to grow and move forward. Wesley composed a Covenant Prayer to help us return to God and renew our relationship with him. I was unfamiliar with this prayer, but find it so perfect for this time of year, this time of life:

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

As Todd read the prayer aloud, he encouraged us to use this prayer as a springboard for our return to a relationship with God. But - - do we really want to make this return? What are we willing to give up to get there?

As 2015 begins, what a perfect time to step back and examine our life. Where are we with God? Where do we want to be? Can we be open enough to stop blocking God's movement in our life? Can our life reflect our faith? Are we brave enough to claim God's possibilities?

Thanks be to God for a clean slate!