“Don’t go to church, be the church,” urged an influential Christian leader whom I respect.
I understand his call to action. If you must choose between attending a weekly service or demonstrating Christ through service, you might want to opt for the latter. It’s better to joyfully steward our God-given gifts rather than sliding in and out of the back row every Sunday. Caring for the orphan, widow, and the jobless outweighs downing an (admittedly delicious) New Life Bible Fellowship donut and coffee.
But God doesn’t ask us to choose between going or being! In fact, making a choice to be the church without going to church robs us of the power Christ has offered us as he calls us outward to serve.
“I’ll sleep when I die,” a type-A friend of ours joked. They laughed. I pondered.
The joke squirreled its way into my heart. I was 21 and already had tasted the first fruits of my labor. It was sweet. My hard work had earned me esteem from my college professors. Their glowing comments were my drug. Late nights in the library were my payment.
“Who wants to play?” was the refrain of my school-teacher dad when I was a kid. My sister and I leaped when my dad arrived home from work and joined us for a football game with our neighborhood friends.
The better way of Christian parenting: Casey McCall argues that appeasement benefits neither the parent nor the child, “Rather than grant your child’s every desire, your job as a parent is to use your God-given authority to redirect those desires toward righteousness (love of God and neighbor) and to train your child to righteously handle the common human experience of coping with the disappointment of unfulfilled desires. In other words, the wise parent prepares the child for adulthood by training the child to be content in all circumstances.”
Last week, on the eve of the anniversary of 9/11, Charlie Kirk was assassinated. The founder of Turning Point, USA, Kirk was an outspoken Christian conservative.
On Sunday, before our sermon, we prayed for our country in light of the assassination, the religiously motivated shooting in Minneapolis, the racially motivated murder in Charlotte, and the school shooting in Denver. We kept the rest of the service as planned. We preached on the planned text in 1 Corinthians 7 and shared the same announcements that had been planned.
On Sunday afternoon, I spent an hour and a half with a family member processing their upset that their church spent most of their Sunday service focused on Kirk’s murder.
Monosyllabic.
Inflammable.
Abbreviation.
Phonetically.
Every one of these words are ironic. Monosyllabic means one syllable but contains five syllables. Inflammable means “easy to catch fire,” but looks like it means the opposite (not flammable). Abbreviation is not an abbreviation. And don’t phonetically should be spelled funetically, don’t you think?
Perspicuity means clarity or “ease of understanding” and yet isn’t very easy to understand. We’ll return to that later.
Roman Catholic theologians during the Middle Ages argued that the scripture was not perspicuous. Scripture was too veiled and obscure for the average person to understand, they contended.
Summer is upon us. Our summers are going to look very different this year, but I hope yours includes reading. I’ve included a more serious non-fiction work (Larry Crabb's Shattered Dreams) and a fun fiction series (Andrew Peterson's The Wingfeather Saga) that all ages will enjoy below. If you’ve read either, I would love your feedback. And let me know what you’re reading this summer!
1. Why Social Media is Not Wise for Middle School Kids: Psychologist Victoria Dunckley begins, "Social media was not designed for them. A tween's underdeveloped frontal cortex can’t manage the distraction nor the temptations that come with social media use. While you start teaching responsible use of tech now, know that you will not be able to teach the maturity that social media requires."
2. Losing Freedoms and Finding Renewal: My friend John Starke with an important question in light of our restrained freedoms with COVID-19, “But if we cannot follow our desires, what will lead us? There will be lots of competing voices directing us and telling us how to live, for sure. For Christians, it’s an opportunity instead to follow the more subtle callings of Christ.”
3. Church Hopping and Shopping: Paul Tripp with a familiar story of our American church experience… and what is concerning about that. He closes with three areas of spiritual weakness that lead to this.
4. George Floyd and Me: Christian hip-hop artist Shai Linne reflects on George Floyd, “For me, “life as usual” means recognizing some people perceive me as a threat based solely on the color of my skin. For me, “life as usual” means preparing my sons for the coming time when they’re no longer perceived as cute little boys, but teenage “thugs.” Long after George Floyd disappears from the headlines, I will still be a black man in America.”
5. Why I’m Religious, Not Just Spiritual: Jim Witteveen explains why the common trope, “I’m spiritual, not religious,” ought to be flipped. He explains, “When it comes right down to it, he believes that he’ll be okay with God because he has, in his mind, created a god that he can feel comfortable with – a god that doesn’t demand too much, a god that doesn’t ask for things that will take him out of his comfort zone, a god who won’t judge him.”
My daughter, Camille (age 16) wrote the post below. It’s an imaginative recreation of the conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. There, Paul writes:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, 19 and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
I hope you’re encouraged as you consider what it means that we are clothed for spiritual battle. I was!
John
The Cloud
Picture this: you are the only one in a vast desert that stretches out for miles in all directions. Scorching sand blisters your feet. The lonely sun paints the rugged scenery a hazy orange.
Suddenly, a chill runs down your spine. You turn your head to the west and you see a dark cloud racing towards you from far off in the desert. As the cloud nears you are struck with a fear that drops your stomach. The fear moves upward: your heart begins to race and rivers of sweat form in your palms. The cloud rolls nearer. It is no cloud, it is a hoard of demons stirring the sand and rushing up against you. Fear stricken and hopeless, you crumble to the ground. The cloud rushes around you and pours in from all sides.
Biting cold braces you. Inky darkness clouds your sight. Despair grips your soul. There is no hope for you, you are alone, and you know your feeble strength is no match for your enemy.
Typically in this space, I point you to some of the best articles I've found that I hope will edify you. During this challenging week that has seen our country torn apart in the wake of a series of injustices against black men and women that received national attention, I offer reflections from men and women I am listening to and learning from. Some of those below are personal friends.
I recognize that the issues are complicated. There are no easy answers. As a Christian I believe that not only is every individual a sinner, but every system in this world is broken as well. There is no just person and there is no just system.
Furthermore, while every person is sinful and every system is broken, there are godly men and women who are protesting and there are godly men and women who are serving in law enforcement. I’m grateful for every fellow believer striving to live out Christ’s prayer, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Our only hope is in our God who can unite Jew and Gentile, change the heart of the murderous Paul, and who will bring about perfect justice on that final day.
Your co-laborer,
John
"Evangelicalism needs a more humble posture of receiving and learning. Allow the church that has been deemed the other, the marginalized church, to be the teacher at this moment, and to have the most dominant form of the church in America be the student who is learning to share power."
This upcoming Sunday is our homecoming at New Life. We can’t wait to see you face to face!
COVID-19 has brought so many things into perspective. It has reminded us that the church is the people of God, not the place, nor even the gathering of his people (as good as the place may be and as important as gathering might be). It has reminded us that the church’s mission doesn’t ever hit pause. It has reminded us that God’s Word changes lives even when we’re apart. It has reminded us that worship is a day-in-day-out calling, not just a Sunday morning activity. It has reminded us what a powerful tool technology can be when harnessed for good. It has reminded us what a joy it is to be together. It has reminded us what a gift it is to hear one another’s voices as we sing.
As we have the blessing of being together in person again, let’s do so lovingly and prayerfully.
Here are 6 encouragements for us as we enjoy our homecoming this Sunday. As we return together, let’s:
Sunday is going to be strange. We will have the opportunity to reconnect with friends we haven’t seen in months. And God will delight in us being able to see one another. There will be plenty of distractions: tickets and no procedures and separated chairs. But let’s not let those things divert our attention from God. Our first call is to glorify and enjoy God. Let’s not let the distractions of a very different type of gathering divert our attention away from this high calling.
When I was 20, my childhood church went through changes in leadership and its vision. I was across the country in the middle of my undergraduate studies in Bible and theology. In my infinite experience and knowledge of leadership (sarcasm alert!), I generously offered my wisdom free-of-charge and wrote a letter to the new lead pastor. I'm still embarrassed by that letter.
The pastor never responded to my letter, but my hunch is he never forgot it. I've never been able to create a relationship with him, and my guess is that he has intentionally kept me at arm's length after that letter. I don't blame him.
Twenty years later, I'm no stranger to being on the receiving end of those letters (and emails, Facebook messages, texts, etc.). During these past few strange months under the cloud of COVID-19, I've received more feedback than any other season of ministry. Every letter is an opportunity for me as a leader to grow in wisdom and humility. But every message takes an emotional and spiritual toll as well. These current events have caused me to reflect on that embarrassing letter and how I might do things differently if I could.
Here are five questions I wish I could have asked my 20-year-old self before he sent that critical letter:
1. How close is your relationship?
The truth is, I was merely an acquaintance with the pastor. Was it wise for my first real communication to be criticism? Recently I hosted one of our online services and one anonymous commenter left only one comment for the entire service: it was a criticism of the sound mix. I private messaged them, but never received a response. I passed on the comment to the tech team, but the hit-and-run comment left me no relational recourse as a pastor.
1. Americans Aren't Sure They Can Trust Pastors: Aaron Earls begins, "In a Pew Research study of Americans’ views on institutional leaders, religious leaders are often in the middle of the pack among groups like police officers, public school principals, journalists, and leaders of tech companies. Almost 7 in 10 U.S. adults (69%) say religious leaders act unethically at least some of the time, with 10% saying they do so most of the time."
2. When Self-Preservation Becomes Our God: My friend Benjamin Vrbicek reflects on Peter and an issue that is ever-present for us all.
3. The Day the Phone Rang Out: Seth Lewis with a simple but powerful story.
4. The Beauty and Abuse of Empathy: We don’t typically think about empathy as something that can be misused. Abigail Dodds offers valuable insight for those with the gift of empathy and warns us of its potential misuse through isolation, cowardice, and manipulation.
5. How the Chair You See Everywhere Came to Be: I had never thought about the ubiquity of this plastic chair and why that was.
Two weeks ago, we watched the poignant movie 1917. The film follows two soldiers' one day mission to try to save 1,600 of their comrades from a trap the German army had sprung on the British forces in WWI. Filmed intimately through a single camera that follows the harrowing trek of the two young men, 1917 immerses you in the brutality and despair of war.
During one scene, having escaped death narrowly by jumping into a river, Corporal Schofield looks up to see cherry blossoms gently falling overhead. They swirl in the river's current and surround him. Schofield's eyes widen as he takes in the moment. But the heavenly reprieve comes to an abrupt end as Schofield floats into a mass of corpses.
As Schofield stumbles out of the water, he hears a single voice singing in the distance,
I'm just a poor wayfaring stranger
Traveling through this world below
There is no sickness, no toil, nor danger
In that bright land to which I go
“Our Father in Heaven…”
If you know one prayer, this is the one. And for good reason: when asked how we should pray, this is how Jesus began his model prayer. God is fatherly. And what a mercy that is! Frederick Buechner says, “It is only the words "Our Father" that make the prayer bearable. If God is indeed something like a father, then as something like children maybe we can risk approaching him anyway.”
Throughout his ministry, Jesus calls the first person of the Trinity “Father.” It’s not without reason, then, that we refer to the three persons of the Trinity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Scripture teaches us that if we want to see what fatherhood was intended to be, we ought to look to God. But that doesn’t mean God is actually a father. Nor does it mean God is only fatherly.
What if the perfect model of fatherhood and of motherhood was God?
Scripture teaches us that if we want to see what motherhood was intended to be, we ought to look to God as well.
1. My Son Did Not Live One Day More or Less Than God Planned: Erik Reed shares the powerful story of grieving over his 15-year-old son's death and holding onto the truth of God's sovereignty. He shares, "Before Kaleb existed in the womb, he existed in the mind of God. From the foundation of the world, God determined that Kaleb Reed be born on March 8, 2004. Not only is this true, but He wrote the days of Kaleb’s life in His book, before one single day came to pass. God wrote the days of his life in His book and He didn’t write it in pencil."
2. Medical Ethics, Gender Identity, and Children: Robert George and Ryan Anderson weigh in on this complicated issue. They conclude, "Prudent legislation is needed to prevent adults from interfering with a child’s normal, natural bodily development. “Gender affirmation” procedures violate sound medical ethics. It is profoundly unethical to intervene in the normal physical development of a child as part of “affirming” a “gender identity” at odds with bodily sex."
3. Come to Me All Who Have COVID Weariness: My friend Benjamin Vrbicek with a timely and poignant post. He says, “The flowing current of COVID sadness can drown the strongest swimmer. You might already be gasping for air. If you feel this way, come to Jesus. Pray to him. Read his word. Belong to his church... Come and enjoy the freedom found in being loved by the Savior, not controlled by a harsh slave master.”
4. Navigating Different COVID-19 Recovery Convictions: I have felt the heat of different convictions and share Costi Hinn’s concern that “one of the ways the enemy will seek to divide our ranks within the church is tempting us to use our opinions against each other. IF the Devil has his way, we’ll be throwing stones of accusation from all sides, calling the cautious people ‘soft,’ labeling the optimists of being ‘reckless.’”
5. Do We Really Want to Go Back to Normal: Trevin Wax considers some of the ways he hopes that COVID-19 re-shapes us. He says, “What if this period of forced isolation can help us see the end result of radical individualism’s trajectory, so that in the end we come out of our enclaves and homes with a stronger commitment to our communities, our churches, and our country?”
6. Behind the Scenes of One of the World’s Top Nature Photographers: I love the combination of skill, creativity, and perseverance Yarrow demonstrates in his craft.
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