CHARIS SHALOM

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:19-27.

I love to read and study God’s word. It is amazing. It is alive. It is active. It penetrates me. Hebrews 4:12. Everytime I read it, no matter how many times I’ve read it before, God reveals more of Himself to me. It is never a book that I put on my shelf and say “I’ve read that one.” It begs to be read, and when I don’t read it I feel like life is taken from me. I can’t imagine any other book that I would want to read over and over again. It’s not like anyone picks up War and Peace and reads from it weekly, let alone daily.

Many today want to reduce the bible to a set of beliefs, what they might call “doctrine.” They teach that their doctrine is right and biblical. Focusing on a set of “proof texts,” they will say, for example, that a right knowledge of God’s word demonstrates certain things about man, about God, about how God redeems, etc. I’m not just talking about the fact that God is God, man sinned, God redeems through the cross of Jesus Christ, and that man needs faith to be reconciled to God. I’m talking about big theological words you will never hear out of a newly saved 7-year old child like “particular redemption,” “total depravity,” “prevenient grace,” “transubstantiation,” “ecclesiology,” “alien immersion,” and the like.

What’s interesting about all of that is that the God revealed in the bible appears to be quite an active God. Yes, there are positional or static facts that we can know. Like we can know that we are in Christ. We can know that we are saved. But at the same time we see that God tells us to keep on clothing ourselves in Christ. We see that we aren’t only to listen to the Word, we are to do it.

This makes the point of this post. How do we “do” theological concepts? How do we “do” static ideas? Could it be that the “doctrine” God wants us to believe is the doctrine of grace, good news, giving, and dying to oneself, just as Christ demonstrated through His life and death, and we should be much more about living for others than increasing our vocabularly? We should be much more about helping those in need, like widows and orphans, in the name of Jesus Christ. He wants us to be and act like Him.

It strikes me that religion today has become like what is described in Isaiah 58, where we have become religious for religion’s sake, learning and learning, but never doing what God desires. Think about what God tells us in this wonderful chapter:

“Shout it aloud, do not hold back.
Raise your voice like a trumpet.
Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins.

For day after day they seek me out;
they seem eager to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that does what is right
and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions
and seem eager for God to come near them.

‘Why have we fasted,’ they say,
‘and you have not seen it?
Why have we humbled ourselves,
and you have not noticed?’
“Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please
and exploit all your workers.

Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife,
and in striking each other with wicked fists.
You cannot fast as you do today
and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Is this the kind of fast I have chosen,
only a day for a man to humble himself?
Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed
and for lying on sackcloth and ashes?
Is that what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD ?

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—
when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness [a] will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.

Then you will call, and the LORD will answer;
you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.
“If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,

and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.

The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
like a spring whose waters never fail.

Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins
and will raise up the age-old foundations;
you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls,
Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.

“If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight
and the LORD’s holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,

then you will find your joy in the LORD,
and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.”
The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

What is the “knowledge of good and evil?” You know, when God created the Garden of Eden, there were two trees in the middle of the Garden, one of Life and one of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It wasn’t just the tree of the knowledge of evil; it was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

In looking at definitions of judgment, one can find this: “a statement of how good or bad you think an idea or action is.” It strikes me that a common sense definition of the knowledge (or the understanding) of good and evil is “judgment.” Does that cause anyone to pause and think?

Are they just names of some tree or do those words have meaning for you and me today?

Rob McAlpine’s new book, Post Charismatic?, his first publication, is a fantastic read for the entire Body of Christ. I highly recommend it. It has only been released in published format in the United Kingdom, which is where I happen to be, but I would not be surprised to see it published more broadly soon.

For people who have never been members of a charismatic church, Post Charismatic? will help them process some of the fears they have with regard to charismatic expressions of the Christian faith. Many non-charismatic Christians have avoided anything close to “charismatic” because of what they think charismatic is. Rob demonstrates that many of the common fears about “charismatics” are not representative of all Christians who believe in the operation of all spiritual gifts today. It also provides an excellent history of many of the more troubling movements and theologies that have developed in some charismatic circles. Where possible, Rob notes that many of those movements began well, with men and women who were sincere followers of Jesus.

For people who have been or are in a charismatic church, Rob graciously demonstrates a biblical view of some of the excesses of charismatic expressions, such as Latter Rain Theology, Word of Faith (”name it, claim it”/prosperity gospel), and a strong bent toward authoritarianism. He notes that the book is not anti-charismatic and is more post-hype than post-charismatic. He also is calling upon those who have left all things “charismatic” behind because of their exposure to such excesses not to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

One of my favorite quotes in the book is on page 123, where he is addressing the prosperity gospel:

When believers recognize the sovereignty of God and properly become concerned with the will of God, they will not talk in terms of compelling God or using God’s power. They will speak of becoming obedient servants.

I’ve also heard this said another way - we need to stop talking about walking in power and victory and talk about walking in obedience.

Whereas much of the first 2/3rds of the book examines the history and theology of Charismatic practice and belief, the last 1/3rd really puts practical application to Rob’s work. He reminds us to look to the Bible and the context of scriptures, combined with a dynamic Holy Spirit, to breathe new life into our walk with the Lord. Rather than being “Word of Faith,” he calls us to be “People of Faith.” He calls us to major in spiritual formation and discipleship. And, rather than focusing on unhealthy world-based systems of authority and community, he calls us to be a “Community of the Spirit.”

It is an easy read, bible-focused, straight forward and practical. It may be hard for some to wade through the history, but I enjoyed it immensely because I was completely unaware of any of the history of the Charismatic movement. Robby also maintains an excellent blog at www.robbymac.org. Check out the book and the blog.

I think this book can help lead toward a greater unity in the Body of Christ, and because of that I hope it gets wide readership.

I have an ear infection. I haven’t had one since I really can remember what the pain was like, apparently. About 8:00 this morning the pain started. Sometime this afternoon the eardrum ruptured. I can’t explain the amount of pain I am currently experiencing, and nothing helps it subside, even though I am lying on a hot water bottle and filled with ibuprofen. If you could see me now you would see that I have a tissue between my ear and the water bottle to catch the oozing and I have a tissue in my nose for the same reason. (Sorry to be so vivid, but it helps illustrate what God is teaching me.)

Why am I typing while lying here in bed? I don’t know; I could say that it beats just sitting here thinking about how much pain I’m in. Actually, it is because God spoke to me once I got over being pitiful for myself. Through that I realized how often I’ve “cared” for my children while they were sick, but I really wasn’t that compassionate toward their pain. I know their Mamaw would say so of me. Probably their Grandma and Mom as well.

As I prayed in self-pity, asking God to help me, I felt like He said “why don’t you ask me why you are sick so that I can actually teach you something.” So, I did. He then said, “Think of all the times you have glossed over the hurts and pains of your children and remember how you feel now.”

Oh, God, forgive me for believing the lie that it is always important to play the tough guy role. Please give me the grace to be, humbly, the man you’ve created me to be - a loving husband, a loving father, and a loving friend to all - a man after Your heart. May I be so much more than a man who is like the castle below – a secure, but also a cold and hard place for my family. Thank you, Father, for loving me enough to teach me through this difficult time.

We thought we might be going to a place in Asia that is closed to evangelism and then on to the Philippines this summer, but those plans have not worked out at this point; instead, we have just begun making plans to spend the summer in South Africa, near the City of Worcester, a city of about 75,000 people in the Western Cape. Summer makes it sound nice, but it will actually be winter given the fact it is in the Southern Hemisphere! We won’t be in Cape Town or near the coast, but something about there being penguins in South Africa makes it seem remote!

We will be a part of the leadership of a team of missionaries from the U.S., England, Scotland, Holland, South Africa, and perhaps others. We look forward to visiting people in their homes in impoverished areas and sharing the love of Christ through our testimonies, and provision of food, clothing, and bibles. We also will have opportunities to minister in areas of first aid, a prison, farms that are somewhat like sharecropping farms of yesteryear in the U.S., and in some wealthier communities.

The most exciting possibility to me is that there is an area we will be going to where there are a great number of unaffiliated churches, all of which operate very independently and don’t work together. There is the potential for bringing these churches together in one large meeting to teach on unity in Christ and reconciliation toward God and one another. This is especially exciting to me in a country like South Africa where the message of reconciliation is still greatly needed. This map shows the principal South African languages by municipality. There are nine different major languages and eleven official languages! Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu. I think we will be in areas that primarily speak Afrikaans and Xhosa.

Please pray for us as we make the preparations (flights, accommodations, visas, ministry budgets, vaccinations, schedules, and the like)!

If you’ve never heard of this guy (pronounced Kays Krahyenord), take a moment to enjoy this song. Listen to the lyrics and pray.

Pray for us, too. I’ve not been able to blog much as things are extremely busy - almost to the point of overwhelming. Tara and I have both been sick and it makes all the things we need to do that much more difficult to accomplish.

Marty Duren is a pastor in Georgia. He had a highly visited, well read denominational blog last year (and over a few years) that he walked away from to start something new that was missional in its mindset and purpose. Right now he is writing about Saving Money in a Sour Economy. His most recent post on this subject is excellent. Check it out! Saving Money Through Lifestyle Changes.

But I’m curious about what people think of this.

TOP TEN REASONS MEN SHOULD NOT BE CHURCH LEADERS

10. A man’s place is in the army.
9. The pastoral duties of men who have children might distract them from the responsibility of being a parent.
8. The physique of men indicates that they are more suited to such tasks as chopping down trees and wrestling mountain lions. It would be “unnatural” for them to do ministerial tasks.
7. Man was created before woman, obviously as a prototype. Thus, they represent an experiment rather than the crowning achievement of creation.
6. Men are too emotional to be priests or pastors. Their conduct at football and basketball games demonstrates this.
5. Some men are handsome, and this will distract women worshipers.
4. Pastors need to nurture their congregations. But this is not a traditional male role. Throughout history, women have been recognized as not only more skilled than men at nurturing, but also more fervently attracted to it. This makes them the obvious choice for ordination.
3. Men are prone to violence. No really masculine man wants to settle disputes except by fighting about them. Thus they would be poor role models as well as dangerously unstable in positions of leadership.
2. The New Testament tells us that Jesus was betrayed by a man. His lack of faith and ensuing punishment remind us of the subordinated position that all men should take.
1. Men can still be involved in church activities, even without being ordained. They can sweep sidewalks, repair the church roof, and perhaps even lead the song service on Father’s Day. By confining themselves to such traditional male roles, they can still be vitally important in the life of the church.

I found this on one of the blogsites I love to go when I want to think about something in a new way - Adventures in Mercy, by Molly Aley. She found it at another blog I’ve never visited: Serving Bread.

Image HT: Don the Idea Guy

So, my curiosity is great. What do you think? How does it make you feel? Feel free to talk feelings, thoughts, and scripture please.

[Editorial note: I wrote this a week ago, but had too many intervening things of interest to post it. It could be that this will be of most interest to my family, and perhaps those who are interested in what rural England is like, but if you’re bored, charge ahead. :)]

This morning [meaning last Saturday morning] I got up around 6:45, checking my email and eating a bowl of cereal. I realize now, as I begin this post, that I never stopped to spend any time in God’s written revelation, so I will pause a moment from this post to check things out where I left off in 2 Corinthians.

Wow, I was just now reading 2 Corinthians 8. God give me the grace to be as gracious and giving as the Macedonians were!

Okay, so I ate my cereal and got prepared to face the day. The boys began waking up and Keaton had to get ready to go to football (soccer) practice, with the St. Nicholas Football Club. We go with another dad and 6-year old son (Alistair and Nathan, who are Scottish) who live here at The King’s Lodge. They have a “people carrier,” somewhat like a mini-van, and we were able to ride along. Keaton was picked as trainer of the week and received a trophy that he gets to keep all week until the next practice! He really competes well in soccer, even here in England where everyone plays the game from a very young age.

After football practice, we came back to the base. I then decided to go into Nuneaton to pick up a few things at the market and some “trainers” (tennis shoes or sneakers) for Tanner. Now, since we do not have a car, what this means is a 2-mile walk into town. It was about 40 degrees today, gray and windy, so I bundled up and loaded up with a backpack.

I walked into town stopping at my favorite little cafe where I have made a friendship with the owner. He always greets me with a free cup of hot tea, already prepared with milk and 1 sugar (meaning 1 teaspoon of sugar). We chatted for about 30 minutes, as his business was slow today because of the weather, and I told him I’d be interested in bringing some people from The King’s Lodge to clean up “rubbish” (litter) around his cafe and down in the creek that runs alongside it - which is why he calls it the Riverside Cafe. He then said that he would love for us to do that and that he would give up to ten people a free breakfast if we could!

After warming up with my tea and conversation I headed the rest of the way into the market. Every Saturday in Nuneaton there is a large farmers’ market. I like to get fresh raspberries for the kids. I also bought a few tomatoes. I then went into a Sports Direct store, where they often have clearance sales and found a pair of trainers for Tanner for 8 pounds and two pairs of training pants (sports wear, long slick pants) for the boys for 6 pounds each. Those are incredible deals for here in England, even though 8 pounds means 16 dollars.

In Nuneaton, the stores are generally not filled with variety and have more of a single purpose. So, if you need many different things you often find yourself going to many different stores. I did shop around a bit for a few more deals and picked up a great book on China along the way. I had an unusual experience for me, now that I’ve been here several months, where a girl asked me if I wanted “anything else.” Unfortunately, her accent was so strong that I had no clue what she said so I asked her “what?” She said it again. I heard something that sounded like another ale? I was embarassed but I had to ask her to repeat it again. She said it again and I was still clueless. After the fourth time, and a lot of hard thinking and feeling terribly, I finally figured it out. Just when I thought I could understand the English and even all their quirky words, I was stumped.

About 3 hours and 5 miles of walking and shopping later I arrived back at the base. It was after 3 p.m. and I hadn’t had lunch so I scarfed down some leftovers, including a Cornish pasty. The funny thing about pasties in England is that you will hear people call them “pahsteez,” “pasteez,” (like snappy) and “paysteez.” What are they you might ask? A Cornish pasty is some cheap meat, typically what they might call mince (hamburger), and some small diced potatoes cooked and spiced and wrapped in a pastry so that all the meat is enclosed. It is then baked. My undestanding is that they were created in Cornwell for the miners to carry into the mine. The pastries kept the meat from getting dirt in it.

Now, I hope you can picture what it is like to live with over 100 people in one big house. I suppose if you’ve ever lived in a dormitory or fraternity or sorority house you can. We are blessed to have a “flat” (apartment), with a kitchen and private “loo” (toilet). Many of the students share all of these things and we all share one big kitchen and dining room and we eat in the common dining area about 1/2 of the time. It can be a blessing and a hardship, but generally it is fun having so many people around to discuss what God is doing in your life, play ping pong, play football, sing songs, eat with, etc. Anyway, I say that to say that often a big part of any day will involve discussions with a great many people about life, God, sports, the bible, being a dad, children, marriage, whatever. It is a discipleship community and being on staff here means that one often is in a position to disciple people almost around the clock.

Tonight has been very quiet. Regan and Tara are both sick after their long weekend at Spring Harvest. Tara helped teach the children with special needs at the youth conference and each of the kids participated as students. We have just “stayed in” this evening. It’s now 9:30, which is early for bedtime these days, but I am about to head that way. Tara is exhausted from her cold and Regan often calls for us in the night. Her fever has been high for a couple of days.

It may not seem like much, but I hope you see that it is different - because it is very different than the life I used to lead. Things we take for granted in the U.S., like having a car, can make a trip to get groceries a major task. But, on a weekend, I have time. I have time to stop and have a cup of tea with an Englishman I hope will get to know God. I have time to shop a bit for a few bits of clothes for my kids. I can have a few conversations with the 18-30 year olds around the base who are interested in knowing what it is like being married or how we can do what we do as a family. I can take some time to write and think about a book that I hope to publish one day to encourage people in their call as Christians. Being American in England creates conversation and opens doors to share why I am here, and the sole reason is because of Jesus.

God is good. All the time.

I just have to wonder if all the time we spend trying to understand the whys of God,His work in this world, the free will of man, and the “problem” of evil, is much ado about nothing and more akin to us being the philosophizing friends of Job. At the end of the day I think we can - and must - rest in the cross of Christ rather than trying to proclaim to the world that we have a perfect understanding of the work of God.

One man says, “God is sovereign and controls all,” and can find great scriptural support for his claims. Another says, “God is sovereign but in His sovereignty He gives man sovereignty over his own will, having created man in His own image, and allows man to choose his own way.” And, she can find scriptural support for her ideas. Another person says, “God is sovereign but He can only know what is knowable and, as such, God doesn’t know the future or what choices we will make. God dynamically interacts with the choices we make in an infinitely incredible way.” And, we can find scriptural support for such ideas.

At the end of the day, the cross puts all this to rest, does it not? At the cross you have both judgment and mercy, two seemingly irreconcilable attributes, displayed in one act. At the cross you have death and life in one act. At the cross you have a consuming fire and living water in one act. At the cross you have God choosing to lay down His life and raising it again. At the cross one could even say you have the Father’s will, but not Jesus’ will, and yet the cross represents Jesus’ willingness and obedience simultaneously, even though willingness and obedience seem contrary.

Why do we continue to argue and divide over such matters? Don’t we remember how often God tells us that His ways are higher than our own? That His mind is different than our own? That we weren’t there when He created everything? That He made us? That we are the clay and that He is the potter? That He is? That all consists in Him, including us? Isn’t “such knowledge too wonderful for” us?

Since when can we fight and divide self-righteously over something like how God works in this world and interacts with us when He tells us absolutely to unite in the cross of Christ??? Who are we to disobey God because our minds don’t understand something about Him? Why aren’t we laying these things down and saying with Job: ” I know that You can do everything, and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” Job 42:2-3. I pray that we don’t need Job’s circumstances to come to this conclusion.

People read the papers, see the pictures, and watch the endless parade of cartoonish characters, gobbling up their fill of Shock-Tarts over the latest news about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints near San Angelo, Texas. We look on with horror, thankful that we aren’t like them, amazed that such things could happen anywhere, let alone in 21st Century America!

In the midst of our judgment and comparison what we often don’t realize is just how close we stand to such attitudes and behaviors. Many who would call themselves “liberals” separate themselves from people they see as simple and show hostility to their simple minds. It may be overdone - I don’t know I haven’t seen it - but the just released documentary “Expelled” demonstrates how the most “open-minded” can become quite close-minded and disdainful toward others who don’t see things as clearly as they do.

Many who would call themselves “conservatives” quickly build barriers between themselves and the outside “evil” world, trying to protect themselves from the onslaught of R- and X-rated media influences, choosing instead to create an artificial world of morally tasteful music, media, and the like. They don’t hang out with “those people” who make or like such things.

On both “sides” of this schism if you look closely enough you will find people. People just like you and me. They’ve been deceived to believe that others who believe differently are enemies and that we must separate from them. They’ve been deceived to believe that others who believe differently are enemies who must be looked down upon, or pitied, or worse, attacked. They quickly forget that Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, called us to love as He loved.

So, I’d remind us all that these people are just like us, facing a world that is difficult to understand and live in, trying to make sense of their place in it and how they should then live. May people filled with the love of the Father reach out to these hundreds of children now freed from one form of deception so that they don’t quickly fall into a different one.

But there’s more to learn through such revelations, and it is particularly troublesome for those of us who hope to be the salt and light of Jesus Christ in this world. The quote that really caught my eye about the FLDS sect was one by a “religious scholar” in a CNN article.

Walsh said he also studies the mainstream Mormon church, which renounced polygamy a century ago and has no ties to the FLDS. He said without the polygamy aspect, the FLDS would resemble the Baptist or Catholic religions.

The only differentiation, in this “scholar’s” mind, between Baptists, Catholics, and the FLDS is the practice of polygamy. Wow. From the perspective of a scholarly pursuit of religion and religious practices, this man, whose life is devoted to such studies, sees no difference between Baptists, Catholics, and the pictures we’ve been horrified by in recent days.

That’s really scary. From the perspective of yet another “sect” of culture, what some might call the liberal academic elite, all “conservative religious” groups really are the same. Now, it would be exciting if all the Body of Christ were seen as one because of their commitment to Jesus and their love for one another, but the similarities that this religious scholar sees are more about religious practices of separation, ignorance, and a negative attitude toward those who aren’t a part of their group.

It would be easy to discount what Walsh has said, but the fact remains that there clearly are people who view religious belief as meaningless or little more than a system of moral choices or control, and I have to admit that when one looks at the “ministry” of many churches today one can see why. In my last post I posted a video of Keith Green singing “Asleep in the Light.” If you haven’t watched it or heard that song, check it out. May God ignite passion in your heart for those who haven’t yet met the God of the universe and may it make a difference in how you live! If we continue to be more about telling people how they are wrong and how they must believe certain things and look a certain way, then we don’t look at all like Jesus and will simply be another group trying to maintain power over people in worldly ways.

We seem to doubt that God can really transform people to love Him and live for Him through the power of the resurrected Jesus…. And it shows.

When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.” And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised. Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.

Oh, there is so much packed up in the above paragraph from Hebrews 6:13-18, and I hope to unpack it a little. First, what was God’s promise to Abraham??? We can see bits and pieces of it in Genesis 12, 15, 18, and 22, but I want to put Genesis 22 here.

The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

We see God confirming His promise to Abraham with an oath. The promise is that He will bless Abraham and His descendents, so that through Abraham’s descendants ALL NATIONS ON EARTH WILL BE BLESSED. The promise to Abraham - the Abrahamic Covenant - is that God blesses so that those who are blessed will bless all the nations on the earth.

It seems odd, God taking an oath, but we see what He meant in the coming of Jesus. Notice that in the Hebrews 6 passage the scripture tells us that “an oath puts an end to all argument.” In short, it is as though God said “It is finished,” when He made this oath to Abraham. And, He did it on Himself. Fast forward a few years from Abraham to Jesus and you will see the outworking of God’s oath - Himself, Jesus, arms outstretched, bloody and pierced, dying on a cross proclaiming “It is finished!”

So, how does this answer what we are supposed to do? Well, in Hebrews 6 it tells us that this was done “to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised.” We are the heirs, and thus His promise and conduct on the cross reveal to us the unchanging nature of His purpose.” Moreover, in another passage of scripture people love to quote it says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined “to be conformed to the likeness of his Son….” All the good that we love to see in Romans 8:28 is given so that we can be conformed into the likeness of Jesus, the man who gave up everything to bless all the world. He didn’t worry with having a home, a job, a place to lay his head. His focus was self-denial to the benefit of all to God’s glory.

You see, God’s purpose never changes. It is unchanging. He announced that purpose several thousand years ago to Abraham - I will bless you so that you will be a blessing, not just to your own people but to all the peoples of the earth. Christ fulfilled that promise and it continues on to Abraham’s heirs, which are those who “belong to Christ.” Galatians 3:29. We have the same covenant in our pocket that Abraham carried around. And, throughout all of history you see God blessing His people and causing that blessing to flow over unto peoples all over the earth. It’s written about throughout the OT and NT and is still God’s purpose today (see, e.g., Acts 3, Galatians 3, Romans 15).

So, what are you doing about it? Are you willing to deny yourself and take up your cross to see all nations blessed? Does your life reflect that you truly are a representative of Jesus, one whom He commanded to make disciples of all nations as you go to the nations, teach the nations about Jesus and His commands, and baptize or immerse them in the name and glory and reputation of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Matthew 28:18-20. Does it?? If not, why not? Are there things in your life too precious to you and you need to cast them down? Hebrews 12:1-3. Can you ask God to help you make that possible?

Thanks to Steve Sullivan of YWAM Harpenden for his teaching on the Abrahamic Covenant!

There are those who see the Christian Mission as learning the right theology and planting churches that will teach others the right theology. They might say, “Social activism is a nice bonus if it happens, but it isn’t nearly as important as the right theology.”

Others see the Christian Mission as social activism. It might be said, “Jesus is a nice guy and lived a socially active and just life, but it’s not as important that you get all the details about Jesus and the bible right as it is to do good works.”

Nevertheless, GOD continues to reveal Himself to a number of people and they are awakening to the fact that it isn’t about our mission or even Christian mission - it is about the Great Co-Mission and joining up with God to be a part of His purposes and plans prevailing. Many call this “missional living.” It is never about us or what we can do so much as it is about God and His authority and character. And His Mission has been the same from the beginning - a people, living in relationship with Him, receiving His blessing and pouring it out on others. When we live in right relationship with God (that is, love God) we cannot do anything but pour out blessings (that is, love) on others.

This is part of a synchroblog, where a great number of bloggers are putting down thoughts on the same topic. At the end of this longwinded post you will find several other great authors thoughts on social activism and Christian mission.

Since Christian Mission is all about God and His mission, it seems we must see what He is up to, and a great place to start discovering that is in His written revelation, the Bible. As you will see in my conclusion, (sorry it is so far below) the next place to go is directly to Him in prayer. But first, His word…

In Genesis 12:1-3 we see God establishing His covenant with Abram - and it was radical:

The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Early “religions” all were created by humans to get blessings from gods, but never for the purpose of blessing others and especially not to bless the entire world. It was about getting blessings of rain and fertility for one’s own survival. It was beyond understanding that God wanted to bless the whole world, especially that He would want to do that through a relationship with humans.

For me social activism is just a means to social justice. That is the biblical concept. The first time we are introduced to “justice” (tsedaqah) in the bible is in Genesis 15:6, there translated as “righteousness,” which really is as simple as making something that is wrong right. We see Abram, by faith believing in God in spite of his own understanding, and it was that faith that God credited to Him as righteousness (Justice). Abraham, who was wrong or broken through sin, was made right before God and enjoyed relationship with Him again. Then, in Genesis 18:19, we see two biblical concepts that are tied together and are inseparable - tsedeqah (justice/righteousness) and mishpat (judgment/justice) - and God says that Abraham and his people must do these things so that all the peoples of the earth will be blessed through them as promised in the Abrahamic covenant. In other words, man acting in accordance with God’s justice and righteousness are the means through which God will work to bless the peoples of the earth.

In Deuteronomy 6, where we are first introduced to the greatest of commands - to love God with all that we are - we see God teaching that careful obedience to the law is tsedeqah - righteousness and justice. Interestingly, when one begins to study the law carefully, it doesn’t take long to realize that the Hebraic law put in place a great number of protections for the poor and needy - it was extremely “liberal” and, if followed, would provide for everyone. It was codified social justice! God told the Israelites to leave crops along the edges of their fields unharvested so that the poor could pick them for food; God told the Israelites to apply their laws to the aliens living among them in the same way as they would an Israelite; money lent was lent without interest; anyone who became poor was to be taken care of; there was no permanent land ownership and all land was to be returned to the original owner every Year of Jubilee; all debts were released, including slaves, every Year of Jubilee; and the list goes on.

God’s perfect law demanded social justice. But it is never just for the sake of social justice - it is for His name’s sake - it is for His glory because it is through His blessing that we can then bless others. Social activism done with God is social activism that points to God. All of God’s purpose continues to be revealed through Genesis 12 - blessed to bless others.

In fact, in Zechariah 7 we see that the Israelites’ disobedience with regard to justice led to their captivity:

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.’ “But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry.

If this weren’t all enough to demonstrate to us God’s desire that we be socially active and just to His glory and praise, we should consider that part of Jesus’ purpose was justice. Consider Isaiah 9:6-7, 58:1-14, and 61:1-3 (also found in Matthew 4 and Luke 4). There we see that Jesus comes to establish His Kingdom, ordering it with righteousness and justice, and that He comes to free the oppressed, comfort the mourning, lift up the poor, and enable them to be called trees of righteousness! We see a God who is much more interested in us pouring out our God-given blessings into others than He is in us doing religious tasks. Jesus also demonstrated this, and we know that it is in Jesus that we see the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12 - all the peoples of the world are blessed through Him.

Moreover, because God revealed in the Old Testament that following His commands effects justice, we can know that following Christ and His Way will do the same. What is His Way? His Way is the way of the cross, the way of love - to die to oneself, loving God with all we are, loving others as we love ourselves, and living to bless others - living to give everything we have been given away, knowing that we serve a God of endless provision.

So, God’s Mission is seen not by theology alone nor by good works alone. God’s Mission is one that is about His Kingdom - His rule and authority - a Kingdom in which He blesses His subjects so that they can bless others and point others to the Kingdom. It is all about bringing the peoples of the world back into right relationship with Him. We cannot live in right relationship with Him without loving Him and loving others; nor can we truly love others without loving Him. He is love and He is justice. To know Him is to love Him and to love Him is to love others. To love others is to do all that we can to return them to a place of righteousness - not just spiritually but physically as well. That means that an integral part of being a follower of Jesus and a son or daughter of the King is giving all that we have been given to ensure that the poor and needy are taken care of.

There are a great many “causes” in the world. One need not look far. And it can be overwhelming. I’d challenge you not to just go out in your own strength and try to right some wrong; instead, seek God’s direction in prayer. Ask Him what He wants you to do. He will speak to you. Wrestle with Him like Jacob did, grabbing hold of Him and begging Him to bless you, not letting go until He does. Then, when you have heard from Him, you can know that He will provide every means you will need to accomplish what He has laid out before you and go with all your might!

Phil Wyman at Square No More
Mike Bursell at Mike’s Musings
Bryan Riley at Charis Shalom
Steve Hayes writes about Christianity and social justice
Reba Baskett at In Reba’s World
Prof Carlos Z. with Ramblings from a Sociologist
Cobus van Wyngaard at My Contemplations
Cindy Harvey at Tracking the Edge
Alan Knox at The Assembling of the Church
Matthew Stone at Matt Stone Journeys in Between
John Smulo at JohnSmulo.com
Sonja Andrews at Calacirian
Lainie Petersen at Headspace
KW Leslie: Shine: not let it shine
Stephanie Moulton at Faith and the Environment Collide
Julie Clawson at One Hand Clapping
Steve Hollinghurst at On Earth as in Heaven
Sam Norton at Elizaphanian: Tesco is a Big Red Herring
Kieran Conroy at Wrestling With Angels

ht: Andrew Jones - Tall Skinny Kiwi keeping it light…

“Missional” is a term that can be defined simply as “related to or connected to God’s mission or purpose.” Given that “[m]any are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails,” Proverbs 19:21, I want my heart’s plans and desires to line up with God’s purpose and heart. It truly is all about God, even from the Beginning. Thus, when I think of missional living I see it as my frail attempt at grasping for the mind and purpose of God, through the grace He bestows on me because of my faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and communicating what I have learned by walking by faith in the promises of His Word.

It is more action than concept.

It is an lifestyle, unfortunately, that many struggle to identify with because we tend to live by “faith in our culture” more than we do by faith in the Word of God.

In the gospels we see several commands that have been coined as the Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-20 is generally the most quoted:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The “Great Commission” is such a perfect name for these verses as it demonstrates that this is something we join with God in doing. We are commissioned to God’s purpose for the nations. It is something we do with Him. How exciting is that???! He doesn’t need us at all, but He loves us and desires that we join together with Him. He even gives us all the authority we need to accomplish it. Just as Jesus was one with the Father, we are called to be one with Them and go and make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the Kingdom, teaching them about Jesus and His commands, going with His authority and call!

So, having defined “missional” (”connected to God’s purpose”), I must now try to explain what missional living looks like to me. Conceptually, I think it is living by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. I think it is living each moment in constant expectation that God will speak to you to guide you as a representative (an ambassador) of Christ during your time on earth, praying for God’s Kingdom to come and for His will to be done wherever you live and serve, just as it is in Heaven. You are Jesus’ sheep and you can hear His voice (John 10) – listen to Him and ask Him daily “What is your purpose for me? How can I serve You today?” And, as He speaks, answer with your prayers and with your life, “Here am I, Lord, a living sacrifice, worshiping you with all I have, use me.”

Practically, I see it as hearing God’s voice when you pray and obeying. If God tells you to be a mobile phone salesperson and to make disciples of those with whom you work, then do it, asking Him to show you how you can accomplish that all the while (but at the same time don’t be surprised if He tells you to go somewhere else). If God tells you to go to Nepal and preach the gospel, then do it, asking Him to show you how you can accomplish that all the while. If God asks you to sell everything and give it all to the poor, then do it with joy and ask Him to show you more!

It is a constant submission to Him, seeking direction from Him in prayer 24/7. We are to pray without ceasing - doing so is missional living. Missional living is worship and worship is giving your body, your heart, your soul, yes, even your wallet to God for whatever purpose He sees fit.

When I was a young boy missionaries were funny looking guys in bad polyester suits who never talked to me. They showed slide shows of grainy pictures on an overhead projector and I thought that missions meant living in a hut and spending years trying to learn some clicking sounds that people in the jungle called language. These odd-looking missionary chaps claimed to have a wife but you never saw them. It didn’t seem like anything I could ever do.

Jesus, however, told us, His disciples, all of us, to go and make disciples in all the earth. It is what His followers do. Given my picture of what a missionary (or missional living) was, I struggled greatly with this. And given what I saw everyone else in the church doing - talking about the bible but not living it - I just began to doubt that those “go and make disciples” words were for today.

I didn’t realize until just a couple of years ago that every Christian can invest of his or her gifts and talents into the Great Commission. It doesn’t just mean on one hand writing a check or on the other hand going and living in a hut. It also doesn’t just mean people who preach or who can use a hammer can serve internationally. Instead, God can use all giftings to support missions all over the world, and He made all of us fearfully and wonderfully to do just that in an infinite number of creative ways.

My family is now in full-time, support-based missions as a result of seeking God’s will for our lives and endeavoring to missional living. It may not be God’s call for you, but it clearly was for us, and although we have left our careers and families and gone to another side of the world, we are living more abundantly than ever before because we are walking in God’s ways and plan. John 10:10.

God gives all of us incredible gifts so that we can give them away. It seems if we want to keep something in God’s Kingdom we have to give it away. As we learn to do that, giving up everything, we find ourselves living missionally without even knowing it.

Other bloggers are writing today about this same topic - check out what they have to say:

Ben Wheatley - Are Things You Are Living For Worth It

Blake Huggins - What does Missional Living Look Like

Alan Knox - Living in the Love of God

Dave DeVries - The Missional Challenge

Jonathan Brink - Meeting God Where He’s Already Working

Tim Jones - Living Like the Word Says

David Wierzbicki - We Are Missioning

Nathan Gann - Inevitability?

[photo from Jonathan Brink]

This is indescribably wonderful to behold. I think this guy found what he was designed to do.

Paul’s letter to the Church of the Ephesians is a favorite. It’s very straightforward, presenting a lot of truth in the first 3 chapters and then providing excellent practical applications for the Christians at Ephesus in chapters 4-6.

Here are some solid truths to stand upon against the lies of the enemy from chapters 1-3:

1. You have every spiritual blessing in Christ.
2. You are adopted as God’s sons and daughters in Christ.
3. You are accepted by the Father in Christ.
4. You are forgiven by grace through Christ’s blood.
5. God’s grace abounds toward us in wisdom and it pleases Him to give it to us.
6. You have the Holy Spirit and He is the guarantee of our inheritance in Christ.
7. You can grow in intimate relationship with the Father.
8. Christ is supreme in authority and power; all are subject to Him.
9. Christ died for you and God demonstrated His love for you even though you were in sin.
10. You are in heavenly places NOW in Christ.
11. You are God’s masterpiece, created for good works, and He has prepared those works for you to do.
12. In Christ you are near the Father and reconciled to Him.
13. Christ is our peace and through Him we have access to the Father.
14. All who are saved are fellow citizens of God’s Kingdom - God’s home
15. Through faith Christ may dwell in your hearts and you can know the love of Christ and be filled with all the perfection and fullness of Christ.
16. He makes His home in you and is able to do beyond our own ability to imagine.

In that context, Paul goes on to apply those truths - the truth that God is our Father and that we are all one family and of one household in Christ Jesus. Chapter 4 paints this unbelievable picture of what living in those truths should look like. In the picture I see no room for argument over the jots and tittles of man-made doctrines; instead, God paints a picture of unity in Christ - humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another, and making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit.

There is one body, one Spirit, one calling, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

He wants us to be no longer tossed about the uncertain ocean of every wind of doctrine; instead, we must grow up in Christ, the Truth, the Way, the Life, the very Living Word of God. As we follow Him to the cross, dying to ourselves and living for the Father, we will experience the life of Ephesians 4-6. If we instead choose to give place to the devil and live as though we don’t belong to one another, fighting and tearing one another down, then we will be unable to have a walk worthy of our calling and live the life of love Jesus lived.

This is just one book, but as I read the scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, I see that God’s heart is a heart to relationship, love, reconciliation, rest, unity, and submission to the authority of Jesus Christ. And, it really makes me go “Hmmmmm,” that we continue to strive against one another in disunity, doctrinal distinctives, denominational divides, and dogma. Truth is Truth - yes and amen. He lives. He lives in you and He lives in me. Praise God that Jesus is Lord of all.

I’m liking Jason more and more. What a performance he gave. I liked everything about it, from the ukelele to the falsetto riff at the end.

I’m also thinking it’s past time for Kristy Lee to go. My next one to vote off after Kristy Lee - it’s a bit of a surprise…

Michael Johns.

I’d like to see a top 6 of Brooke, Carly, David, David, Jason and Syesha.

Questions for discussion:

1. Do you believe in a specific calling for individuals? For example, do you believe that God calls people to a specific occupation or to certain jobs or groups of jobs?

2. Do you believe that God designed you for a specific purpose? In other words, did God have a specific plan, an original design, for your life when He created you?

If you can, please include some scripture for your thoughts.