Be The Fruit

I just came across a post from Andrew Nordine that can be read here.  In his post, he challenges us to rethink both our personal budgets and growing church budgets.  Here is an excerpt:

What if these headlines were reversed?

Headline 1: Church Completes $23 Million Building Project

Headline 2: Churches in the State Send $5K to Aid in Darfur Relief

… think our church budgets speak volumes for what we really believe. James says that “faith without works is dead.” I think for all our expressed beliefs, as orthodox as they might be, our budgets show our lack of works. Our works are bigger, nicer sanctuaries, with fancier sound systems and flat screen TVs. Meanwhile, 70.2% of Nigerians live on less than $1 a day. Most of us have dogs that live on more than that.

Go read the rest of the post to get the full effect.

Andrew raises some interesting issues that Christians in America should stop to consider.  Is it right that we spend so much on amenities while others starve?  I don’t think the answer is that we should sell everything we have because there is something to be said for living in a culture to reach it.  Meaning if you want to reach the suburban wasteland in America, then you will probably have to live in one which costs money.

I have said it once and I’ll say it again:  “It is not easy being a Christian in America.”  On the one hand it should be easy because we have freedom and resources, but that is really what makes it hard.  How do we balance our financial priorities and keep them in perspective?  How much is enough?  What do we really need?

No answers this morning, just questions.  Thanks for making me think Andrew.

If you have been to a pediatrician’s office lately, you have probably seen that most have two waiting rooms.  One waiting room is for “well kids” and the other is for “sick kids.”  The obvious reason for separate waiting rooms is to keep the sick kids from making the well kids sick.

Did you see I am Legend with Will Smith?  In that movie there was a drastic outbreak of a virus (or whatever it was) that caused people to be transformed into vampire-like creatures.  In the story, the epidemic spreads so fast that people attempt to isolate it to New York City.

Both of these are examples of a quarantine.  The idea of a quarantine is to simply shut an illness off to the outside world so it cannot spread.  If the sickness can be isolated it will not affect others.  If the sickness is isolated it might just die.

In Christianity, it seems as if we have bought into the idea of the church as a building that sits on a specific property somewhere.  In that building events are held every week that some people attend regularly.  The building is where things happen, the building is where we “do church.”  As many good things that happen in that building, there is a whole other world out there that will never even think about coming inside.  But we are proud of all the things that go on at the location.  Some are proud of their casual clothes, catchy sermons, cool music, and coffee bars while others are proud of their old time religion, but both stay focused on the central location.  The people inside the building think that is where the action is too.  You can tell this because if you ask them about their lost sibling, cousin, or neighbor they will ultimately respond with something like, “They need to go to church.” 

Could it be that the reason we think lost people need to “go to church” is because that is where we have isolated the message?  Let’s go back to the opening example.  At the doctor’s office, the only way for the well kids to be infected by the sick kids is for the well kids to leave the “well waiting room” and enter the “sick waiting room.”  It is only there that the infection can spread and affect well kids.  In the church that focuses everything on the building and central location we have the opposite problem.  Inside  the church are the well kids, while the sick kids are outside.  Inside the church, the well kids have a cure for the sick kids, but the sick ones don’t know it and don’t even think they need it.  Inside the church, the well kids hope and hope that more sick kids will come inside and be affected by the cure.  They work and work to add better toys, bells, and whistles in hopes that more sick kids will come inside, but few come.  Why don’t they come?  Because they don’t even know they are sick.

By confining church to a central location we have effectively quarantined the message of God that can heal the sick kids outside.  Do you remember what happens when something is quarantined?  Whatever is quarantined will not affect others.   Whatever is quarantined might just die.  If we really want to affect others and we don’t want the church to die, we must turn outward and let the message of salvation spread where we live, where we work, and wherever we might be.  The church was never meant to be isolated to one location, but was meant to be communities of believers that take up God’s mission in this world.

Jesus said the Kingdom of God was like a mustard seed in that something very small could grow into something very big (Mark 4:31-32).  But how will the tree begin to grow if we don’t get out and find fertile ground to plant the seeds?

Inspired by a young man with a heart for the mission Jesus has put before us.

If not, and you happen to be somewhere south of Nashville towards Spring Hill, then you should come join us at 8:30 a.m. with The Church at Spring Hill.  Here is a link to the details of the location and time.

If you don’t have plans, come worship with us and join us for lunch afterwards.  The Church at Spring Hill is having three neighborhood gatherings around noon with food, fun, fellowship, and some egg hunts for the kids that will be fantastic.

Hit me up on email tonight if you want some more info: billATbethefruit.com (change the AT to an @)

I am afraid that most do not quite grasp the significance of resurrection in our day.  I think if you asked, most people see Heaven as the believer’s immediate destination after death, but that is NOT what our hope is based on.  As believes, we don’t look forward to a disembodied existence in the spiritual realm but a day when we shall walk as real people, in a real world, and worship our King Jesus in his flesh forever.  Our hope is not found in a long walk down a dark tunnel to a bright light, but to rise from the grave with renewed bodies in a renewed world.

Because Jesus died on the cross, our sins are forgiven.  Because Jesus got up and walked out of the tomb we have a hope in a renewed existence in that renewed world.

You want to know something else cool?  God has begun this process of renewal right now.  Scripture says that for those who love God all things life are working for good with the purpose of transforming you into the likeness of Christ (Rom 8:28-29).  Into the likeness of Christ is what you will become at the resurrection, but the process has begun today.

What will this renewed state be like?

In a word, freedom.  Freedom from the oppression of sin in our lives.  Freedom from anxiety, depression, addiction, fear, hurt, and pain.  Freedom from sickness, despair, and above all freedom from death.  To pick up on a theme from Martin Luther King, it will be at that point when all believers will truly join hands and say “Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

If you are a believer, freedom begins now.  Our growth begins now.  Our renewal begins now.  Maybe you feel enslaved to some sin, maybe you struggle with fear, or maybe you struggle with the depression.  Because of the resurrection, you know that one day all of those things will pass when Jesus wipes away all of our tears.  But I say to you, because of the resurrection you can begin that renewal today.

Because our hope is in a real world with real bodies we know that we can be transformed today.  Because of this, we have become free today.  Consider the words of Paul:

“For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 6:20-23)

This hope is real, but such hope only comes to those who believe and have trusted in the the truth that Jesus really died for forgiveness of sin and really rose from the grave defeating sin and death.

Do you believe?

For more information on the resurrection I give you a couple sources I read just before writing this:

1 — Mark Driscoll writes of the reality of the resurrection based on the work N. T. Wright has done on the subject here.

2 — Russel Moore writes “The Empty Tomb and the Emptied Urn” in Christianity Today here.  (Both HT: Trevin Wax)

If you happened to flip through the channels on TV this past week you might have noticed that TBN was running a “Spring Prais-a-Thon” to raise money.  You may be more disciplined than I, but when I see train wrecks happening I always seem to have to stop and watch.  I really need to repent of that, but here are some things I saw.

Now I could not watch for long so I don’t have specifics, but you might guess that the speakers often spoke of receiving increased financial blessings by giving money to their efforts.  I recall hearing it said and seeing something scroll across the screen that seemed to indicate that people recieve 1000 times the blessing.  One guy (not sure who he is, but he sort of looks like the Red Barron) claimed to analyze the original Hebrew as saying that we have gold poured into our hands (or something like that) if we first send what we have to the “lord.”

I am not going to get into the theology of this, but I did have an interesting thought:  What would happen if Obama took all the TARP money and all the stimulus money and sent it to TBN?  Would that not solve all of America’s economic problems?  If I can send $100 in and get back $1000 (or whatever it is) then what would 1 trillion dollars do?

If what these people say is true, then such an act would have to be the ultimate stimulus package.  How much would 1 trillion dollars reap anyway?

Just thinking…

The other night I was sitting on the porch of coffee shop just after my daughter and several other kids finished a student Bible study inside. I think all of the kids were in the middle school range (6 -8th grade +/-). When the study was finished, the kids went out to the parking lot and surrounding area to wait for their ride home. What ensued from there was a good old fashioned game of tag, and the kids had a blast!

Something struck me at that moment. I began to think about all the time and energy that is poured into creating the perfect student ministry to bring kids in to churches, and here these young people were thrilled with tag. Some say we need cool music and to create innovative worship experiences to impact youth. Some even think we need specific buildings designed so kids can hang out and play games and be impacted by the church. But so much of these things just look like entertainment to me. Is that what kids really need to be impacted by God?

As I watched the kids run and play, I was reminded of the “cool gifts” we buy little kids and end up finding out that our children enjoy playing with the box more that the $100 walking talking robot doll that can do about anything except take out the trash. So much of what I see in the church today is focused on trying to deliver that $100 super toy, when what kids really want and need is just the box.

As I watched these young people running, laughing, and having fun, I could see what they truly long for and need, and that is relationships. They don’t need cool buildings, a cool show, cool music, or some kind of cool “experience.” This need for relationship is core to our being because God created us to not be alone (Gen 2:18). Young people are no different and  have this need as well.

Perhaps churches should worry less about entertainment, and concentrate on creating space where young people can interact with one another.  A little less action and a lot more conversation you might say.  Or maybe churches should abandon the cool music and lights and just play a game of tag.

Just thinking. 

What say you? In other words, “Tag, you’re it!”

Well, the couple singing below says no, and they praise God with it.  I say yes because we will be resurrected into physical bodies, but really this post is not about a theological discussion because this video is just funny.  Enjoy: (You may need to click through some feeds to see it)

 
HT:  The Capranica

C. J. Mahaney has been doing a series of interviews on his blog and right now he is interviewing David Powlison.  Powlison is probably the leading mind in biblical counseling today.  Yesterday, Mahaney asked Powlison to give a piece of advice that has helped him to effectively use his time.  His response is very interesting and liberating on many levels.  The post can be read here, but an excerpt can be read below:

David, what single bit of counsel has made the most significant difference in your effective use of time?

Effective is not the same as efficient. Productive is not the same as mass-production.

I’ll give a bit fuller answer here, as I think my response is likely a bit unusual. I’ve had to learn how I work best, and it’s not the cultural ideal of tightly scheduled efficiency. For me, effective and productive often operate in ways that seem quite “inefficient.” I’m more “third-world” in my use of time: event-oriented and person-oriented, rather than time-conscious and to-do-list-conscious. I operate with an inner gyroscope tuned to whether or not any particular experience or interaction is complete – not to how long it takes or whether it fits the schedule. I’m attuned to whether or not any particular thought is actually finished thinking, rather than whether the product is done on time. So I tend to take the time it takes to get something right—whether that “something” is the close attentiveness of getting fully engaged in this conversation of consequence, or how to craft this sentence and paragraph, or whether I’m stopping and actually noticing the hawk flying overhead right now.

Powlison’s method of time management certainly goes against everything you will read in a leadership book, but I think there is something to be said for his approach.  In the world today, productivity rules, but sometimes life and love takes time and creativity.  Read the rest of the interview here because Powlison gives examples of how his approach might be effective even though it might not be “efficient.”

John Piper wrote an interesting article about the concept of “all truth is God’s truth.”  The post is titled, “All Truth is God’s Truth,’ Admits the Devil,” and it can be read here.  Piper suggests that it is not enough to know something factual or as being true, but such “truth” should be utilized to know God more and glorify him.  As the title suggests, Piper says even the Devil understands that truth is derived from God, but the key is not what we know but how we use it.  Below are some excerpts that I will interact with:

Alongside “All truth is God’s truth,” we need to say, “All truth exists to display more of God and awaken more love for God.” This means that knowing truth and knowing it as God’s truth is not a virtue until it awakens desire and delight in us for the God of truth. And that desire and delight are not complete until they give rise to words or actions that display the worth of God. That is, we exist to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:31), and merely knowing a truth to be God’s truth does not glorify him any more than the devil does.

Should we really call something “truth” if we do not see how it points to God or works for God’s purposes?  Some things are observable and repeatable, but is it really truth with a capital “T” if we miss this key element?  It would seem that something is missing from puzzle which makes whatever we know a little less than truth.

I give thanks that unbelievers see God’s truths in the natural world in a limited way. They know many scientific and cultural facts. But they do not feel desire for God or delight in God because of them. So these facts are misused. This is not a virtue.

I also give thanks that that believers may learn many of God’s truths from unbelievers and see them rightly and thus desire God more and delight in God more because of those truths, so that unbelievers become, unwittingly, the means of our worship.

 Piper is correct when he states how unbelievers see “truths” in a limited way.  I put “truths” in quotes because I don’t really think we should properly consider them to be truth when it is limited.  Maybe factual is a better term, but the key point to understand is not all “truth” is the same.  What the unbeliever observes in the world and considers to be true is always limited because he fails to see how such “truth” can be used to glorify God.  The unbeliever simply cannot glorify God; therefore, whatever he has discovered should not be considered to be full truth.  The real criteria for truth is that which has been revealed to us by God in Scripture.

The key is this, what the world has discovered as “truth” must be radically reinterpreted so that it is understood within a biblical framework so it can be used to glorify God.  In order to do this, we must view the world through a biblical lens by attempting to see how all things fit within God’s redemptive purposes.  I think this is what Piper alludes to when he says believers can see rightly what the world “knows” in a limited way.  In order to see things through a biblical lens we must think about many things like the nature of man, the cause of man’s problems in this world, God’s purposes and plan, and how what we know relates to the redemption of this world through Jesus.

The idea that ”all truth is God’s truth” is one that is conceptually true, but it is a dangerous one because it often leads believers to accept all the world believes without ever seeing whether such “truth” fits within the biblical framework.  Piper has some good thoughts in his post, and it sparked some of these thoughts this morning so take a look at the rest of his article when you get a chance.

Below is a short video of John Piper talking about how the church is supposed to take care of one another.  He is spot-on in this snippet.  I would add that taking care of people should not be relegated to simply having a benevolence fund for people in need.  Benevolence funds are good, but we need to realize that we are all called to the task of taking care of one another within the church.

I am afraid there are lots of clubs out there claiming to be churches.  Take a look and the video below and give it some thought.

(HT: Jared Wilson)