THREE PRAYER WISHES

I was first introduced to John Baillie’s classic prayerbook through another author who quoted the following prayer-wish that has been special to me down through the years:

“O God, grant me a clearer vision of your truth, a greater faith in your power, and a more confident assurance of your love.”

For me, these three specific petitions to God define a Christian’s heart who sincerely wants to live a powerful and passionate life for God. It also defines the person who wants to make a difference in the lives of others by providing the foundation and motivation for such a lifetime commitment.

A clearer vision of your truth. We know what it is like to drive with snow on our windshield or try to see through condensation while driving. Clear windshields make for better driving! This reminds me of Paul’s observation: “now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13). Our view of the truth is only partial, and we need God’s help to see better.

A greater faith in your power. Power is important this time of year: Christmas lights, tech toys, and media products. When unplugged, constant use drains the batteries. When we become unplugged from God, our soul-strength is drained, and our effectiveness and faithfulness is no more helpful than a drawer full of dead batteries. Asking for greater faith in God’s power helps create a constant awareness of my dependence upon God for everything.

A more confident assurance of your love. We all need reassurance of God’s love. We say it over and over, but often we do not down deep really believe it. That is mainly because we know our own faults only too well and, it is unthinkable that God could love us if he really knew us. But God made us, and the Psalmist reminds us that he remembers we are dust. God knows how frail and feeble and filled with foibles we are. Praying for a more confident assurance gives us pathways to peace and joy.

My prayer for all of you this year is that God will indeed grant you a clearer vision of his truth, a greater faith in his power, and a more confident assurance of his love!
In Christian love, Curtis

LIGHT AND DARKNESS

“O God, You have proven your love for humanity by sending us Jesus Christ our Lord, and You have illuminated our human life by the radiance of His presence…”

The above prayer begins the dawning of the day. Myriad are the ways that God has proven His love toward us. That proof comes in the form of blessings. That proof comes in the form of gifts. That proof comes in the form of His very presence.

The metaphors of light and darkness are used by biblical writers to point to deeper truths. The darkness of the human heart and human condition in the world is illuminated by God’s activity and presence in the world. As Christians we tend to make two mistakes relative to this: we either deny God’s activity and presence, or we dogmatically assert that we always know God’s presence and activity. The problem with both of these approaches is that it is ultimately an expression of human pride.

The thing we can assert with certainty is the darkness of our own hearts. Sin and pride become the fertile soil for a rebellious, dark heart. Even though this is true, we dare not despair. God has given us hope!

This hope comes to us in the gift of Jesus Christ. Jesus brought light into a dark world. In his gospel portrait of Jesus, the apostle John records Jesus as saying:

“And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God” (John 3:19-21)

“Light” for John is the illuminating power of God’s presence that brings everything out in the open. Hiding sin and harboring evil in our hearts is devilish and destructive. Christian counselors tell us that closed family systems, churches, and other relationships create darkness that is destructive.

May each of us claim the liberating freedom of the illuminating presence of Jesus as the ultimate gift from God during this holiday season! The illumination of Christmas lights and decorations cannot hold a candle to what we see because of Jesus’ presence in our hearts!

In Christian love, Curtis

ACCOMPANIED AND FORTIFIED

We begin another week with tasks and responsibilities staring us in the face. Some we get to choose, others we do not. Too often we slip into automatic pilot and perform those tasks and responsibilities without thinking about our relationship with God and the divine involvement in our carrying them out. Listen to following prayer to start the day out:

“O Lord my God, I kneel before You in lowly adoration, before I set out to face the tasks of another day. I thank You for the blessed assurance that I will not be called upon to face them alone or in my own strength. Rather, every moment of the day I will be accompanied by Your presence and fortified by Your grace.”

Accompanied by Your presence. This is a unique blessing that we as Christians carry into the dawn of the day with us. We are never alone. God’s presence is near. In the traditional hymn, Abide With Me, the composer of that hymn asks for a “sense of Your abiding presence.”

When we are aware of the divine presence, daily tasks are transformed. Even those tasks that seem impossible. Because we are “conscious of God”(1 Peter 2:19), our attitude and response to responsibilities are much different than they would be if we only trying to please ourselves. This moment by moment awareness and consciousness of God’s presence has traditionally been referred to in Christian literature as “practicing the presence of God.” Not only do we practice, but we participate in that presence!

Fortified by Your grace. We do not often think about the fortifying nature of grace. We perhaps are tempted to think of it only in terms of merit. We do not deserve the free gift of salvation in Jesus Christ. The gift is fortifying. Think of this illustration…I am anemic and sick and lack essential vitamins in my body. You give me for Christmas a huge box as a gift filled with Vitamin D and other fortifying vitamins and minerals. I do not deserve your gift, but when I take the vitamins and minerals they fortify my body. I take the gift in, and it transforms my body’s system.

Accompanied by God’s presence and fortified by His grace. If we live everyday to the glory of God with this awareness, our Christian witness and our daily example will be radically transformed. This gives us the power to live out of the heart of a loving servant. May God be that for each of us!

In Christian love, Curtis

ETERNITY UNTO ETERNITY

“O God, who art from eternity unto eternity, and art not at one time in one place because all times and places are in Thee…” (Baillie, A Diary of Private Prayer, page 65).

In my own prayer and in the prayers that have been written down through the ages, I am deeply and profoundly touched by a Christian’s recognition of the person and being of God. This is almost too simple to say: our view of God profoundly shapes our prayer-life.

Putting this spiritual dictum to the test, it makes me ask this: in what way does a recognition of the timelessness of God’s nature effect my prayer life? You may think of different ways yourself, but here is what I came up with:

1) God’s time is not our own. It is difficult to think of time as God does. For God time is immaterial. He was before time and is after time. For God, time is a parenthesis, and a very small one at that. Past, present and future is the same for God.

2) Patience on our part. Because such is the case, we have to be patient for God to answer our prayers. God’s timing in timelessness does not fit our timetable. We get impatient because intuitively we know we are not going to live forever, and we want to see some result while it is still relevant and before it is too late.

3) Ongoing work of salvation-history. God’s ultimate purpose in human history is the salvation of his creation. What went on in our past God knows how it is going to effect the present and the future. It may be a new thought for us to pray in view of the past.

4) God already knows what we need. Since this is true, prayer may be more for us than for God. The transformative power of prayer itself is seldom explored in discussions regarding prayer. God knows that the very utterance of the words that form our prayers can be transformative when we actually hear what we are saying.

5) Timelessness in our prayers? Is it possible then for our very prayers to take on a characteristic of timelessness? What if we viewed our Christian life as one continuous prayer in conversation with God? What if we were able to visualize the past, present and future coming together in our petitions?

God is from eternity unto eternity. The infinite hears the finite. The Uncreated One hears from the created. The timeless hears the time-bound. Our view of God profoundly shapes our prayer-life!

In Christian love, Curtis

THE ILLUMINIATION OF OUR DARKNESS

As a minister of Jesus Christ I find myself constantly in the role of encouraging others to go forward in their spiritual life. There are so many dimensions to growth in our spiritual life that it almost seems impossible to even think about all aspects at once. However, one helpful thing I find in my own life that I recommend to others is this simple advice: make sure that with your Bible you have a daily devotional guide, along with a collection of prayers.

I have a classic prayer/devotional resource that I have used daily for years. It is A Diary of Private Prayer by John Baillie. This author was a minister in Scotland (1886-1960) who was a serious Bible student, thinker and writer. He believed in bringing together rigorous, religious thinking and deeply spiritual living. His book on prayer is considered a spiritual classic.

I have two copies of his classic devotional on prayer, which was published in 1949. The younger generation is not familiar with this resource because it contains prayer in the old “King James Version” language. But the depth of spiritual insight, the passionate call for God’s presence, and the specific reference to everyday living has made this an abiding reference for the heart’s language in seeking God in prayer.

Just this morning I read the following prayer petition:

“O God, who of thy love and pity didst send us Jesus Christ for the illumination of our darkness, give me wisdom to profit by the words He spoke and grace to follow in the steps he trod” (page 37).

I am profoundly struck by the phrase “the illumination of our darkness.” In John’s gospel we find the cataclysmic battle between light and darkness. The scary thing is that there is some darkness in all of us. Only by the light of God’s spirit, giving us eyes of faith to see His truth, can the inner darkness be replaced by inner light.

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12)

In Christian love, Curtis

COVENANTING AS THE CORE

Over thirty years ago, Walter Brueggemann who was the Academic Dean of Eden Theological Seminary made the following statement:

“Covenant is the dominant metaphor for biblical faith by which human personality can be understood” (Interpretation 33.2: 115).

This profound insight into the essential nature of personhood radically shapes the life of the local congregation. This means that the Old Testament concept of covenant provides the background for the New Testament concept of covenant. What this provides is a framework for understanding the essence of biblical faith.

Biblical faith is covenantal, relational in nature. This may sound simple and trite, but it is transforming when properly understood. Faith is never presented in Scripture as a personal possession which is privately protected from others. Rather, faith is trust and core values lived out in the context of a believing community.

I am struck constantly by how many proofs I see in our culture that many Christians in their relationship with God, their spouse and their children are operating out of “contractual” model rather than a “covenantal” model. In a contract, one or both parties are looking for loopholes. A covenant is the opposite. It looks for commitment and permanence.

I am also struck by what I see in 21st Century Christians having a “contractual” mentality with their local church. Loopholes abound in the congregational commitment category:

A bad sermon, a cold preacher, less than stellar nursery, assembly worship styles, cliques, etc. The list becomes endless for individuals to use as loopholes in their contractual relationship with the family of God.

I wonder how the local church would look and operate differently if every child of God extended his/her covenantal relationship with God to other Christians, spouses and their children? Probably one of the most profound aspects of biblical theology and faith that our culture desperately needs is men and women of faith who are covenantal to the core!

In Christian love, Curtis

WHEN NOT TO BE BOLD

In his letter to Philemon, Paul says, “…Though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you…” (vv. 8,9).

This admission by the apostle Paul is amazing! It gives us an insight into Christian leadership that separates it from marketplace leadership. Usually bosses and managers will use any method necessary to get people to do what is required. The church is different. Ministers, teachers, pastors, elders, deacons, ministry leaders, etc.: we all can take a lesson from Paul.

Think of the power of love as an appeal. Brothers and sisters in Christ respond to appeals coming from a heart of love. Several times in Paul’s letters, and other New Testament writers, the notion of “boldness” is held forth as a Christian virtue. We are to be bold when we approach the throne of grace, etc. However, in this case it is different.

Boldness gets interpreted as brashness, crassness, manipulation, coercion, etc. Christian leadership understands the human heart. That heart is sensitive, sinful, broken, wounded, and hurting. No human heart is exempt. Only the blood of Jesus can heal the human heart, but that healing is often incarnational through the human touch of Christian leaders.

We all who claim to be in leadership/serving roles in the life of the church have our work cut out for us! We could command people to do what is required. But the power of love is stronger than any authoritative command!

Whether we like it or not, the health of the body of Christ is dependent upon our appeals based on the power of love. When people do not feel loved, no amount of appeals or commands will work. On the other hand, when brothers and sisters in Christ feel that they “are our very heart,” a loving response is usually forthcoming.

In Christian love, Curtis

A CLEAR CONSCIENCE

How much is a clear conscience worth? All of us have done things in the past that bother our conscience. Even when we have made horrible mistakes we desire a clear conscience. For the apostle Paul, a clear conscience was important.

“I thank my God whom I serve with a clear conscience…” (2 Timothy 1:3).

I believe it is significant that Paul begins this part of his thanksgiving in his letter to the young man Timothy with a reference to his clear conscience. I suppose that Timothy had heard many of Paul’s stories about his former way of life. Timothy no doubt heard the stories of Paul’s persecution of Christians and how he thought he was doing God’s will.

But Paul is thankful that he serves God with a clear conscience. I cannot imagine the inner angst for someone who would be serving God with a guilty conscience!

Why is it important to serve God with a clear conscience? I can think of the following reasons:
1. A clear conscience is evidence of God’s grace and forgiveness. No more worrying about guilt and shame.
2. A clear conscience does not have to worry about trying to earn forgiveness. No more trying to convince self by work that something can be done to curry God’s favor.
3. A clear conscience does not have to look over its shoulder. No more paranoia that God or others are out to get you.
4. A clear conscience is the basis of light and free heart to serve. No more burdens and angst of soul. This light-heartedness is the expression of spiritual freedom in Christ!

I wonder if we have not emphasized enough the power of a clear conscience in the sight of God? Because of the power of forgiveness extended to us through the work of Christ at the cross, we can rest in peace at night when we lay our heads down to sleep.

Every aspect of my Christian walk and witness is empowered with God’s presence and His Spirit when I serve God with a clear conscience!

In Christian love, Curtis

RECONCILIATION AND RELATIONSHIPS

Relationships are difficult. This is because we as individuals are difficult. The are various ways to describe the reasons for this difficulty. Each one has merit and contributes to the overall picture.

We are all difficult because of our sinful nature.
We are all difficult because of our emotional and psychological baggage.
We are all difficult because we are self-centered.
We are all difficult because we have not surrendered our will.
We are all difficult because of our different personalities.
We are all difficult because of our immaturity.
We are all difficult because we are in process.

Relationships seem hopeless, don’t they? What is the answer? The biblical solution is reconciliation. It is only in Christ that two can come together in fellowship and not let the “difficult” destroy them.

Only the blood of Christ can transform our sinful nature.
Only the blood of Christ can help us turn loose of our emotional and psychological baggage.
Only the blood of Christ helps us surrender our self and our will.
Only the blood of Christ can reconcile differences.
Only the blood of Christ can bring us to maturity.
Only the blood of Christ provides the life-giving sustenance to keep us in the process of becoming.

Yes, relationships are difficult, but they are full of potential, vitality, excitement and promise through the reconciling blood of Jesus Christ!
In Christian love, Curtis

THE COVENANT IS LIFE!

As we anticipate our new study in small groups on Genesis, I could not in my own initial reading get past the title of our study booklet. It has the subtitle: The Covenant Comes to Life. As I got to reflecting and thinking about this I realized we needed to go even more basic than that.

Instead of the covenant coming to life, the covenant IS life! In his commentary on Genesis, the Old Testament scholar Walter Brueggemann boils this first Bible book down to the following sentence:

“Creator creates creation.”

After this initial action, then the next simple sentence in my mind would be:

“Creator creates covenant.”

We find that God establishes a covenant relationship with the material creation. This covenant is the source of life. Life as we know it flows from the being of God. Without God there could be no life. Without God there could be no covenant.

The covenant is life. This is precisely why our covenant relationship with God through Jesus Christ is so vital and important.
God initiated this covenant relationship, and made it all possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This is why our life in Christ makes a difference.

Living the covenant-centered life in Jesus every day transforms how we view everything. It stands in awe of the Creator who has the power to initiate all of this to start with. May we all realize how much we owe our very lives to the Creator of creation and covenant!

In Christian love, Curtis

FOLLOWING JESUS BACKWARDS

While reading John’s gospel one comes across this sad comment:

“From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him”(John 6:66).

“Turned back” is literally the phrase, “they went away to the things that were behind,” or as we would say, “they went back.”

This is the opposite of following Jesus forward—this is following Jesus backwards. What would cause Jesus’ followers to leave him and go back where they came from?

Jesus had been giving his disciples some “hard sayings.” They could not fathom the depth of their meaning, and what they did understand seemed to run counter to their expectations of Jesus claiming to be Messiah.

He confronted some of his followers by going straight for the jugular vein: “But there are some of you that do not believe”(John 6:64). It is hard for us to fathom that people actually followed Jesus day by day but still did not believe!

But this narrative in John raises for us a stark question:

Am I following Jesus forwards or backwards?

This had to be a hard day for Jesus. But this is the risk that love and freedom takes. He mentored for them day after day what the kingdom of God was all about. They had their ideas. When those disciples walked away, Jesus turned to the twelve and asked them, “Do you wish to go?”

It is hard to pour your life into someone—praying, caring, supporting and guiding them in the ways of Jesus—and then watch them just walk away. For me, as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, my heart is heavy for those I know who have chosen to walk away.

May God give us the grace and gentleness toward those who choose to follow Jesus backwards!

In Christian love, Curtis

John, the Apostle of Love

Are there any indications in his gospel about Jesus or his letters that bear his name, in which John the apostle learned sacrificial love as a servant?

I am reminded of a tender scene in which Jesus, with his dying breath, said to John…

John 19:27—And to me he said, “She is your mother!” And from then on I took her into my home.”

From then on, I took her into my home. Oh…how I wish that John’s gospel ended with a chapter on how John cared for this adopted mother. I suspect that at least the next three days before Jesus arose from the dead that he wiped many a tear from her cheek. He provided a place for her to grieve the loss of her son. He provided a safe place for her to express the depth of her despondent heart. He provided a safe haven for her heart broken with despair.

John models love for us and then tells us about it later in his first letter toward the end of the New Testament. John is very old by this time. He has seen a lot of Christians make sacrifices for others because of their love. He says…

1 John 3:18—stop saying we love people, and show it by our actions!

Show it by our actions. This is sacrificial love of a servant. Parents know this well. Staying up all night with a feverish child. Staying up all night with a child who has croup. Taking off work and driving your child to the doctor because they have broken an arm. The list is as endless as the love is deep! The love of parents just naturally includes sacrifices.

Wouldn’t it be a wonderful and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if we could sit at John’s feet and ask him about sacrificial love. I wonder what he would share?

Would he talk about Jesus’ becoming human? What a sacrifice!

Would he talk about the 12 disciples leaving jobs, family and livehood just to follow in the steps of Jesus? What a sacrifice!

Would he talk about Jesus’ spending time with the Samaritan woman at the well? What a sacrifice!

Would he talk about that embarrassing and silent experience of Jesus washing his feet in the upper room? What a sacrifice!

Would he talk about Jesus’ lonely and anguished walk to Golgatha carrying his own cross? What a sacrifice!

What actions of sacrificial love will define our day today? Are all our attempts at service motivated by this selfless love? A few years ago I experienced a silent retreat at Colombiere Retreat Center in Oakland County, Michigan. One afternoon I was in the hallway of the retreat center and saw this spiritual dictum in mosaic form on the wall:

"In the spiritual life...progress will be in proportion to...

surrender of self-love

and of self-will

and of self-interests."

No wonder my attempts at loving service fall so short! God, have mercy on me!

In Christian love, Curtis

WHAT IS CHRISTIAN SPIRITUALITY?

There are times when a book is published that it so grounding and foundational in its area of focus that one must purchase a copy and read it. The book by Evan Howard, The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality, it just such a volume. In the past I have used it for my own reference and deeper understanding of the Christian life.

Howard says that there are actually three levels of meaning to be attached to the meaning of the term “Christian spirituality.”

1. The practice or actual lived relationship with God, individually and communally. [experiential]
2. Formulation of teaching about that lived reality. [theological]
3. Academic field of study regarding the history of Christian thought and experience[academic] [pages 16-17].

Since our congregational motto is “Spiritual growth through loving and serving” it behooves us to understand what we are talking about. For our church and its immediate application, we are referring to the very first level of meaning regarding Christian spirituality. At the level of actual practice this means…

“…Life in the Spirit as brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ and daughters and sons of the Father.”

This life is described as “fellowship,” “one another,” “the body,” etc. This common life in Christ is the context in which our spirits are nourished, our burdens are lifted, and our journey is shared. God would have it no other way. We really do need each other in our quest to grow spiritually. In fact, we grow with one another toward God and away from self. There is no other way!

One final thought today: thinking of Christian spirituality in terms of a lived relationship with the divine is comprehensively included in the word “covenant.” God is in covenant relationship with us, we with God, and we with one another. Covenant commitments are to be taken seriously and never adulterated. Faithfulness, fidelity and staying true to covenant is the backbone of a healthy Christian spirituality!

In Christian love, Curtis

THE CHRISTIAN MIND-SET & PERSPECTIVE (2)

Thinking like Jesus is not easy. Having his attitude and mindset is hard day after day. Especially if people around you don’t care. Caring when others don’t is a real challenge. But it is in contexts like this that we shine the brightest for God. But we really do need each other in the church to help us learn how to think and be like Jesus at all times.

Probably the best portion of Paul’s writings to help us with this is Philippians 2:1-11. In the first paragraph he addresses interpersonal problems plaguing their fellowship: selfish ambition, vain conceit and self-centeredness. All of these are rooted in personal pride. How does the body of Christ overcome these?

By being like-minded (focusing on the same thing)

By being one in spirit and purpose (thinking the same thing about Jesus)

By having the same love

By having the mindset of Jesus Christ

If we are to focus on thinking the same thing about Jesus, and having the same love for each other because of that, what then did Jesus think? Again, Paul provides the model.

Jesus took on the attitude of humility and emptied himself.

Jesus did not grasp onto his position of being equal with God.

Jesus took on the form of humanity with all of its challenges and suffering.

Jesus humbled himself and became obedient even to the point of death.


Once we realize the power of the mindset of Jesus, we are then willing to give up self, relinquish personal pride, dethrone personal ambition, emptying ourselves so that we can be filled with the Spirit and the mind of Christ. This is a total transformation of the mind and heart that defines the Christian perspective on life. I know it is hard, but living otherwise is harder!

In Christian love, Curtis

THE CHRISTIAN MIND-SET & PERSPECTIVE

Being a Christian means that my view of the world is seen through a unique set of lens. Instead of a mechanistic, fatalistic or humanistic perspective, this world takes on a different hue because my mind has been transformed by the power of God’s Spirit and the power of my risen Lord.

Interestingly, in his letter to the church at Philippi, the apostle Paul uses a distinct word which can be translated as “mindset” or “focus” or “how one thinks about something.” Ten (10) times Paul uses it in this short letter to his Christian brothers and sisters.

Perhaps this is not by accident, since Paul himself is in prison. We have seen this before in Paul’s life. Remember in the book of Acts where he and Silas were in prison and they sang songs? Instead of playing the “poor-pitiful-me” card, Paul and Silas praised God that they had been counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus. This unique mindset let to the conversion of the Philippian jailor.

Perhaps no one in the early church is more qualified to tell us how to see the world through Christian lens, or approach things from a Christian mindset than Paul. His own resume of suffering for the cause of Christ is lengthy. It certainly lends credibility to his comments on how Christians are to think in circumstances less than ideal.

Listen to Paul’s first reference in Philippians:

“It is right for me to feel (think about, have this mindset) about all of you, since I have you in my heart”(l:7).

What frames Paul’s view of his readers? What contributes to the wonderful way in which he sees them?

1. He is confident that God who began a good work in them will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
2. He has them in his heart; he loves them deeply and continues to lay his life on the line for them.
3. All of them shared in God’s grace with him.

Think of how powerful these aspects of the Christian mindset can be in our life! Confident of God’s work in others! Loving others from our heart deeply! Sharing in the outpouring of God’s in each other’s lives! I cannot think of a better way to view life. I cannot think of a better mindset to have! Can you?
In Christian love, Curtis

RE-DEFINING SUCCESS FOR THE CHURCH

The last big point that I want to reflect on made by Randy Harris at ElderLink is this: we must redefine success in order to reach our world with the good news of Jesus. The church has been enamored with business models of success and measuring that success. But it is strange that things we count as important rarely, if ever, surface in the New Testament with regards to the life and vitality of the church.

If a core value of the kingdom is (as Randy suggested) reconciliation, then perhaps we need to re-think the success and progress of the church. Let me be candid here and provide an example.

Every church I have worked with over the last 36 years of pastoral ministry usually gives a financial and success report in January that is based on yearly contribution, attendance figures, etc. What if we changed that and let “reconciliation” be what we reported on? Here is what the report for the year would be like…

This past year 25 people were reconciled to God, and put on their Lord Jesus in baptism.
This past year 8 couples were reconciled to each other.
This past year 4 individuals in the church who had issues with one another were reconciled with each other.
This past year 12 people came down front during the worship assembly and asked for forgiveness and to be reconciled to God.

What if this is how we viewed the church and her mission? What if reconciliation defined our mission, not dollars and attendance? What if relationships with one another, with outsiders, and with God were our main concern?

Not only do we need to re-define success, we need to remove the word “success” from our Christian vocabulary! It needs to be replaced with words such as “faithfulness,” “fruitfulness,” “reconciliation,” etc. Whether we like to admit it or not, our culture has defined church for us. We have allowed the marketplace to dictate to us how think Christian-ly.

Is the heart of the Christian experience about reconciliation? If it is, we need to clean up our vocabulary, our act, our pride and humble ourselves beneath the mighty hand of God. “Be reconciled to God…and to one another!”

In Christian love, Curtis

WORTHLESS WORDS OR A MEANINGFUL MESSAGE?

As much as we hate to admit it, the meaning of words change. It is the ongoing change that challenges the message of the gospel. I am torn between two things here: the traditional language of the Christian faith, and the non-communicability of that language to the current generation.

On the one hand, some of the vocabulary of the Christian faith cannot be erased. On the other hand, perhaps some of it needs replaced, or at the bare minimum explained and defined every time such words are used. I am thinking of the following words as the “non-negotiables” of the Christian faith:

Cross, resurrection, heaven, hell, gospel, church, sin, love, servant, friend, etc.

I think our difficulty is realizing that today’s American culture is by and large non-literate in the biblical narrative. The vast majority of our church activities and worship assemblies assume that everyone is biblically literate. It is this very truth and reality that Randy Harris challenged us at ElderLink in Atlanta.

I remember hearing Dr. James Thompson speak at Abilene Christian University during the Restoration Quarterly Journal breakfast. He made a strong case for Christians not giving up their distinctive vocabulary of faith. Our life of faith is often couched in language directly from the biblical text. I believe that is a good thing. We must remember, however, that when we are trying to communicate the Christian faith to others, they have neither the benefit of knowing the words we use nor the powerful narratives out of which that language arises.

Perhaps a good place to start is by asking others what meanings they attach to the words we use. What does the average person think of when we use the word “sin?” What do most people think of when we talk about “church?” Easy-to-read translations and taking time to explain our words with others may be the best place to start. The good news of Jesus Christ (“gospel”) cannot afford to be communicated with worthless words. Rather, we are challenged to present it with meaningful words that convey the power of God at work in the human heart!

In Christian love, Curtis

THE GRAYING OF THE CHURCH

One of the most difficult things for the average, traditional church today is to face the fact that there is an increasing age and social gap. Many congregations have had to close their doors because members have died and no one was their to take their place.

Additionally, because there have been more women than men who attended the assembly and was more involved in church functions, there are less and less men who are growing up to take leadership roles. What this means practically is that young men often do not have older men in their lives who can and are willing to be a spiritual father or mentor to them. It is my sincere conviction that all of us who are over fifty need to seriously step forward and make a commitment to reach out and mentor young people in the faith.

1 Thessalonians 2:8 is Paul’s crowning message on this topic. Listen closely:

“We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us.”

Paul’s word for this dynamic is “imitation,” and he uses it several times in his correspondence. Providing direction, mentoring and being a spiritual guide was crucial in the spiritual growth of his readers.

Paul uses two critical metaphors to convey this awesome and exciting responsibility of spiritual mentoring: a nurse with a baby, and a father with his children. Care, commitment, well-being, sacrifice, training, responding, etc.—these are all words that come to mind with these metaphors.

It may be that the graying of the church is providing right now one of the most exciting opportunities for mentoring we have ever seen! All it takes is men and women of faith willing to step forward and listen, be gentle, pray with and guide those who are desperately seeking.

Think of combining these two metaphors together! After all, think of the young men over the last decade who have entered the nursing profession. God is not asking for the impossible from those of us who are older. God is just asking that we open our hearts and allow Him to work through us to transform others by the power of His Spirit. Are we ready for the challenge?

In Christian love, Curtis

A POST-CHURCH WORLD

We are living in a post-church world. This was Randy Harris’ second observation about our culture at ElderLink. We have to qualify this statement because most every community you visit there will be several church buildings visible. What do we mean by a “post-church” world?

First, the church no longer is at the center of society’s conscience. Two or three generations ago many towns and villages were defined by the church’s steeple arising from the town square. Its image and presence meant something to the people living and working there. It was a symbolic reminder of a moral center. In many of today’s controversial moral questions, every specialized interest and trained expert is allowed to weigh in except the church.

Second, the rituals of religion seem empty to people trying to find their way out of chaos. Fragmentation, mahem, chaos, fear, confusion: these define the post-modern journey for many individuals. Tired rituals and empty religious clichés are not the answer.

Third, the language and vocabulary of the church seems disconnected from people’s lives. Or, even on the flip side, people of the church from different generations mean different things even though they use the same words. Unfortunately, good biblical words such as “propitiation,” “justification,” “reconciliation,” etc., no longer are common words. And even Christians often misuse or misunderstand them.

Fourth, the church is not the only place where community is formed and nurtured. This is only too painfully clear to Christians. The local bar, the local clubs, local associations, etc., all take the place of the community of faith. Individuals are looking for a place to belong, where they can be validated as a person, and affirmed as to their worth. Because we have been a miserable failure at this, other groups have stepped forward and filled the gap.

We do live in a post-church world. What is the answer? Focus on bringing people to Jesus with authentic servanthood. Only then will the church make sense!

In Christian love, Curtis

I Think Everything is about “i”

Last week we mentioned that Randy Harris at ElderLink proposed 5 ways of getting a grasp on and understanding our current culture. Having such awareness will help us be more sensitive to where people are coming from. Additionally, as responsible and accountable stewards of Jesus with our time, gifts and commitments we can be more faithful to the opportunities afforded us when we share the good news of Jesus.

The first thing to consider is that technology has reshaped us. There is the i-phone, the i-pod, the i-pad, etc. It seems that everything technological serves the “i” in mine. It is all about me, mine and my world. Because such reshaping has taken place, this challenges many of us who have resisted technology in its various forms. There are three things that I want to mention briefly here: technolatry, Sabbath and connectivity.

There is a real danger of the tool/s becoming the master. Time, energy and resources are constantly being sunk into technology. But the problem is that it controls us and reshapes us, instead of being controlled by us. The tool has become the master. Depending on what the technological gadget is we are talking about, many have taken over time in learning how to use and maintain them. We almost worship our tools, and thereby are guilty of technolatry. They are not the answer to all of life!

There is the real possibility of connecting with others as never before. Discrete use and wise management of these resources can help us connect with people in meaningful ways. Often we can say and interact with people on a deeper level when technology is used. This is one of the greatest paradoxes of the post-modern world. Privacy has become public. Discretion has been replaced with disclosure. Because of this, people are revealing needs and sending out calls for help in ways unheard of in the past. Such level of connectivity presents incredible moments for ministering in the name of Jesus!

There is the real need for a weekly Sabbath. Because the foregoing is true, we need to declare a once a week Sabbath from using technology. I have found in my own life that one day away from the tools of communication enables me to stay grounded, centered and more alert when I am using such technology the other six days. This keeps everything from being about the “i” in mine!

In Christian love, Curtis