The Gospel Saves From Morality

It sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it?  The Gospel saves you from morality.  Can this be true?

It is true. And it is an important truth.  And understanding what John Piper is saying in this video can free people from the crushing weight of trying to be good. For others it will free them from self-righteousness, which is a cancer that eats away at the spiritual sensitivity system.

When I Look at the Cross

“When I look at the cross, I learn to say: ‘The Son of God loved me, and gave Himself for me’ (Galatians 2:20). I begin to believe with Paul that if God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up to the cross for me, then He loves me so much He will always give me only what will bring me blessing (Romans 8:32).”

-Sinclair Ferguson

Why I Hate Sanctity of Life Sunday

 

In a post yeaterday I offered my musing about Sanctity of Life Sunday.  In my reading I also stumbled upon something by Russell Moore, Dean and Vice President at Southern Seminary in Lousville, on his blog, Moore to the Point.  I found his post: Why I Hate Sanctity of Life Sunday to be simple, insightful, and sensitive. 

How can I commend a guy who “hates” Sanctity of Life Sunday, when I just finished writing about it with a positive perspective? Well, you’ll have to check out Dr. Moore’s post to find out.

Choose LIFE

Like many conservative Evangelical congregations around the country, our church recognized yesterday as Sanctity of Life Sunday.  It seems only appropriate. We live in a culture that no longer values human life, except, perhaps, as a disposable comodity.  This is evident by not only the continued tragedy of abortion but also the growing, or at least high, percentage of Americans who are OK with euthenasia.  But we value life, because God values life.

Like other Evangelicals, we believe that life – human life – is a reflection of the glory of God. Humanity, and humanity alone, was created by God to bear His image.  Though  vandalized in the Fall, and tarnished by our own sin, all people contine to posess an inherent value because we are still bearers of the image of God, even under all the rubbage. 

One of the things I mentioned to our congregation is that there are several ways to obsereve Sanctity of Life Sunday. The most common, I suspect, is to show support for being Pro Life and opposed to abortion.  Like many others, we partner with the local crisis pregnancey center (which, in our case here in Bristol, is led by a man who preceded me as pastor of Walnut Hill Church).  I also mentioned that adoption is a very important practice. More than that, adoption is a beautiful illustration of the Gospel. (I’ll compose another post to explain that, perhaps tomorrow.)  Another related practice is Foster Care, which is in critical condition here in Sullivan County, Tennessee.  (Perhaps I’ll draft yet another post about this issue, either this week or next.)

But back to the most traditional emphasis connected to the observation of Sanctity of Life Sunday. It strikes me that there are two ways we can go with our observation of this day:

1. We can celebrate LIFE
2. We can protest abortion

These are related. And both can be accomplished. But it seems to me the emphasis always leans toward one of these options or the other.

For me personally, I am glad to be part of a church that focuses on the celebration of Life.  The recent tradtion at our church is to launch a competition between the men and women to see which group/gender can fill the most baby bottles with coins during the time between Sanctity of Life Sunday and Mother’s Day.  All the money collected goes to the AACPC here in Bristol.  It is a fun and postitive tradition that focuses on serving those in need more than decrying what we hate. (Though, I do hate the practice of abortion.)

What you will not see at a church that I pastor is a yard full of crosses on Sanctity of Life Sunday – nor during any other time of year.  I am not levying accusations at those who do this each year. There is a place for protest, and I suspect that there are people who are reminded about how monstrously large the abortion industry is in this country.  But my preference, and my position, is that it is better to celebrate and serve LIFE.

There is a practical, and compassionate, reason for my position. 

I often wonder about the message being sent to the women who have chosen to have an abortion – and to a lesser degree, the men who were complicit in that decision.  I wonder what they perceive of the love of Christ for people like them, people labeled “murderers” by the most vociferous anti-abortion activists.  In our churches, and in our pregnancy centers, we caution women considering an abortion that someday down the road they are very likely to feel a high degree of guilt should they decide to terminate their pre-born child’s life.  Reasearch and experiece has proven that to be the truth.  And it is women (and men) like that I wonder about. When they see the crosses covering a church yard, representing the millions of children whose lives are taken each year, including the life their decision ended, what message do they infer the church is sending them?  I am afraid that the message hurting women receive – whether or not it is the message intended to be implied – is: “We told you so.”  Or worse: “We hate people like you (people who kill innocent children).” 

I wonder how inclined a woman, feeling the weight of a decision she cannot retract, would be to seek counselling for her grief from a church that has marked her sin with a Scarlet Letter “A” – for Abortion – in the form of a garden of crosses out on the lawn.  I wonder if these women drive by and sense the love of Jesus flowing from such an expression of the Body of Christ.  I am sure many have received help, forgiveness, and hope through these congregations. But I ask myself, “How many more women drive-by fearing they will never be forgiven or accepted in such a place?”

Again, I am not indicting those churches, nor those Christians, who choose to observe Sanctity of Life in this way.  There is a place for advocacy on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves (in this case, the unborn).  What I write here in this post are only my thoughts and concerns.  But they are real thoughts and real concerns, deeply held. And for those reasons, whatever others do on this day each year, I will CHOOSE to CELEBRATE LIFE!

9 Church Diseases

According to Peter Wagner:

Healthy churches build an immune system to resist disease. It is much more advisable to prevent an illness than to contract one and then have to cure it.

The following are the most common diseases that infect churches.  By recognizing some of the symptoms my hope is that we will turn to the Great Physician, the Gentle Healer, and seek necessary medical attention.

I am using Wagner’s terms here, and have added my own commentary:

Ethnikitis

Ethnikitis is fear or disregard for others of different ethnicities and/or races.  This disease is caused by contextual factors, usually revolving around a static church (in-grown and non-growing) in an ethnically transitioning neighborhood.

Ghost-Town Disease

Another contextual illness, this illness is found in communities where old residents are moving out, and no one is moving in.

People-Blindness

This malady is directly related to a lack of understanding of the significant differences between diverse people groups within the community.  It occurs when churches fail to consider how those differences may impede evangelism efforts.

Hyper-Cooperativism

Wagner says: “When everyone is responsible for evangelism, no one is responsible for evangelism.  Local-church evangelism is much more effective than city-wide cooperative efforts.”

This malady occurs when local congregations loose their distinct identity because the church is too committed to being part of something else.  There is nothing wrong with partnering and cooperative ministries. But if the only ministry a church does is under the umbrella of others, and the church does not bring any distinct character to the joint-effort, it may be a sign that the church is not healthy.

The healthy alternative is not to forgo all partnerships and joint efforts, through isolationism or competition. Instead each church should develop its own distinct personality which it can then contribute to the community and cooperative efforts.

Koinonitis

Koinonia is the Greek word for fellowship.  Koinonitis occurs when interpersonal relationships within the church become so deep and mutually absorbing that we ignore the needs of the community and world around us. When Koinonitis is present church programs tend to become centripetal rather than centrifugal; entirely attractional rather than missional and incarnational.

Sociological Strangulation

Wagner says: “This is a slowdown in the rate of church growth caused when the flow of people into a church begins to exceed the capacity of the facilities to accommodate it.”

In other words, this occurs when the building and sanctuary are too small to accomodate more people.  The general rule here, in suburban communities is 80% capacity = FULL.  In more rural communities, where people are used to having more elbow room, the rule may be as low as 50% = FULL. 

Another aspect that George Barna deals with, more than Wagner,  is when growth occurs at a rate too fast to effectively assimilate new people into an existing church community.  Barna suggests that healthy churches grow at a rate of no more than 10% – 15% anually.  Thus, if Barna is correct, a church with a 6% or 7% growth rate may be healthier than a church that is growing at 20% rate over an extended period of time.

Arrested Spiritual Development

Wagner: “When people in the church are not growing in the things of God or in their relationships with one another, the total health of the church deteriorates, and the church cannot grow.”  To this I will add, if the church did grow, it really has nothing to offer those who come, nor to the community where God placed them.

St. John’s Syndrome

When Christians become Christians in name only; feel that their faith is only routine; when church involvement is largely going through the motions, and belonging to church is nothing more than a family tradition or social nicety, St. John’s Syndrome is likely at work.

Why is this called St John’s Syndrome?  I have no idea. At least I do not recall off the top of my head. But I agree that the symptoms described are unhealthy, no matter what you want to call it.

Hypo-pneumia

Hypo-pneumia is a condition caused by a subnormal level of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of the church.  This is a church that depends upon talent of the members and the resources on hand.  It is a church that may pray, but is not depending upon prayer.

It is this type of church Francis Schaeffer had in mind when he asked his wife what she thought would happen if the Holy Spirit departed from the local church.  Their joint conclusion was that in the vast majority of churches nothing would change, and few people would notice.

Missing the Missional Mark

To read something I disagree with on the Internet is not an unusual thing.  When what I disagree with comes from a source that I respect – highly respect – it makes me somewhat uncomfortable.   When the source I respect seems to oppose what I hold, well that is just down-right disappointing.

But that is the experience I have had these past few days while reading 9 Marks January/February 2010 e-Journal.

Haitian Hope

The eyes of America are turned toward Haiti, and hearts are going out to that poorest country in the Western Hemishpere, too.  Like many, it is with great interest I am watching the news and hearing of all the tangible aid that is going to the people who were tragically impacted by that 7.0 eathquake. 

I am glad to see people moved in this way - both people of faith and faithless people.  I am glad because every resident of Haiti is a creature made after the image of God – as am I, as are we all.  As those made in the image of God the people of Haiti have an inherent value.  Thus all attempts to alleviate their suffering is a proper response to their present plight. Their inherent value as bearers of the image of God demands it.

But one question remains in my mind: What is the objective of this relief?   Are we simply trying to help these people to put thier lives back together the way they were before the earhtquake? 

That hardly seems much better than their current circumstances. 

If you know anything about Haiti you know it is a vivid illustration of contrasts: The natural beuaty of creation inhabited by the ugliness of  humanity.  Not only is it the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, but it is also perhaps the most corrupt, unstable, and ungodly.  By no reasonable measure was life good even before the earthquake that has rocked their world. 

Here is a little background on Haiti:

Explored by Columbus on Dec. 6, 1492, Haiti’s native Arawaks fell victim to Spanish rule. In 1697, Haiti became the French colony of Saint-Dominique, which became a leading sugarcane producer dependent on slaves. In 1791, an insurrection erupted among the slave population of 480,000, resulting in a declaration of independence by Pierre-Dominique Toussaint l’Ouverture in 1801. Napoléon Bonaparte suppressed the independence movement, but it eventually triumphed in 1804 under Jean-Jacques Dessalines, who gave the new nation the Arawak name Haiti . It was the world’s first independent black republic.  (Source: Countries of the World)

What is less known and less reported is that during the 1791 revolution the slaves in revolt dedicated the island to Satan.  In their eyes, Satan was seen to be the opposition of the (pretense of) Christianity their oppressors instituted.  Subsequently and consequently, despite a long history of being a Roman Catholic Church-State, (which ended in 1987,) Voodooism is the real religion of the island.  Even 75% of the professing Catholics in Haiti practice voodoo. 

With voodoo as the prevailing religon, is it any wonder that instability, injustice, and treachery are marks of this civilization? 

As aid pours into Haiti, my hope is that it would be accompanied by even more prayer.  Haiti needs a change at its very core.  The people who live there, made after the image of God, need a major work of God.  My hope is that this earthquake has prepared the people to recieve it. 

Let me encourage you, each time you see Haiti on the news, in these coming days and week, in addition to any tangible assitance God may lead you to offer, take a moment to offer prayer for the transformation of that island.  To aid you in aiding the people of Haiti through informed prayer check out Operation World: Haiti. 

May God make beauty from the ashes of Haiti. (Isaiah 61.3)

Minutemen for Haiti

While hearts were breaking in Tennessee on Tuesday, because a football coach bailed and jumped onto a Trojan ship, lives were being shattered in Haiti.  It is amazing how such news puts things in proper perspective.

During this week friends and church members have asked if there is anything they can do to provide relief to the effected islanders, if there is any avenue through which they can contribute.  There are many good organizations working through this tragedy, but I want to take a moment to highlight one: Minutemen for Missions.

Minutemen for Missions is an arm of Mission to the World.  Those who sign up to be Minutemen (and women) are kept posted about disasters around the world, prayer needs, and opportunities to send support.  There is no specific expectation every time there is a natural disaster, but you will be notified and kept informed about the situations. It is up to each individual to determine what, or if, they will do in response.

Minutemen is a hand of compassion as an extension of MTW’s regular, church plating, ministries.

Happy Birthday, ‘Ho’!

OK. I know. A lot of people don’t like Tony Campolo. A lot of my friends don’t like Tony Campolo. I know he’s  “too liberal”.  I know John MacArthur flatly states that Campolo “misses the central teaching of the Bible“.  I know he was once tried in ecclesaistical court for heresy. 

But still, you must admit, he can tell a great story!  And sometimes he makes a great point.

Watch the video above. Then tell me:

1. Is there anything overtly theologically wrong in what he says?
2. How does his example move you?
3. Is this something you see would meet with Jesus’ approval?  How about the approval of the Aposte Paul, who, in Galatians 5.6, wrote: “…the only thing counts is Faith expressing itself through love.”?
4. Would you want to be part of a chuch that does things like this?
5. Ask yourself: How would the community around you respond to a church that does things like this?

 ”When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices.”

…We’re From Tennessee!

When I had the privelege of playing football for the University of Tennessee in the early-mid ’80’s we had a tradition, in the locker room after every win, Coach Johnny Majors would lead the entire team in a resounding song, to the tune of The Old Grey Mare:

“We DON’T give a D-MN about the whole state of [Fill in the Blank], the whole state of [blank]; We DON’T give a D-MN about the whole state of [Blank]. WE’RE from TENNESSEE!!”

One of the awesome things about playing football for the Volunteers was taking part in the wealth of this tradition-rich institution.  Many of the traditions had been observed since General Robert Neyland instituted them in the 1920’s and 1930’s.  Some of these traditions, such as the reciting of General Neylands maxims, are so integrated with the sport of football that they have been adopted by other colleges and high schools across the country.

But evidently the Tennessee traditions were not much to the liking of our now dearly departed coach, Lane Kiffin.  Author and blogger Clay Travis writes in Fanhouse that Kiffin apparently had his own rendition:

“I don’t give d-mn about the whole state of Tennessee, the whole state of Tennessee, the whole state of Tennessee; I don’t give d-mn about the whole state of Tennessee, My love’s for USC.”

OK, maybe that’s not exactly what Travis reported. But in a column titled: Kiffin Never Embraced Tennessee, we can see how close the Vol Nation came to being victim of a covert hostile takeover. 

Not that I needed one, but here is yet another reason I am glad Tennessee will get a fresh start under a new coach.