Control or Influence 02/09/2012
 “If we fail to bear God’s life-altering, world changing, fear-shattering good news (which, after all, is the reason the church exists in the first place)—if desire for God and devotion to our fellow human beings is replaced by a loveless shell of religiosity—then young people unable to find consequential Christianity in the church absolutely should default to something safer. In fact, that is exactly what they are doing.” p.24 Almost Christian. We finished up our Wednesday Night Live parenting class this week. The curriculum we used is called Parental Guidance Required by Andy Stanley. A key point in the study is for parents to be aware that our relationship with our child will change. When they are young, parents can control their children because of the parent’s size and position in the relationship. We are bigger than they are. We can pick them up and put them in the carseat and make them go where we want them to go. Stanley stresses the importance of transitioning from "controlling" by position and size to "influencing" our children because of the nature of our relationship with them. We were encouraged to think about how parents can continue to be a positive influence in our child’s life when they are making really big decisions that will affect the rest of their life. We were reminded that there is going to come a day when our child will be bigger and stronger than we are, but we can continue to be a powerful influence in their life if we have invested in the relationship. Stanley says the mistake that many parents make is that they fail to make the transition. Some parents try to control their child by taking away the car keys or threatening not to pay for college. When we do that it begins to erode the relationship, which is the very thing that allows us to have influence. If we continue to try to control our child, don’t be surprised if one day they walk away from the relationship. Our parenting class had me thinking about the book Almost Christian. It seems with each new generation of young people (and older) are walking away from the church. Could it be that at one time in history, a church’s primary influence on people resulted from its size and position in the community? Towns and cities would organize their community around the life of the church. Even today we still see some evidence of this with communities arranging their calendars around Christmas and Easter. But even these special holidays can be celebrated outside the church. How can the church be a positive influence on our world when no one seems to be taking seriously our claim of having “life altering, world changing, fear shattering good news”? Maybe we could take some insight from the parenting class. We no longer have control but we can still have a powerful influence if we are willing to invest in relationships. Once upon a time Sundays and even Wednesdays were considered “church” days. Communities knew not to schedule activities on those days because of the size and position that church had in the community. It still is cause for concern for a few people but rather than trying to control a day what if the church began to ask “how can we invest in relationships that will allow us to influence people with God’s love. We are told in Philippians 2 that Jesus did this very thing: In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant He left his position of power to restore our broken relationship with God. We are also told that we are to have the same attitude as Jesus as we relate to one another and seek to be a positive influence in our world. That is the kind of relationship that people both young and old can be highly devoted to. In Christ, Jeff Add Comment Becoming Christian-ish 02/03/2012
 The National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) was a driving force for Kenda Creasy Dean writing her book Almost Christian; What the Faith of Our Teenagers is Telling the American Chruch. The message I got from this book is that our teenagers are receiving the faith that we are passing on to the next generation. The fact that we are able to communicate our faith to our children would seem to be a good thing. What we are being encouraged to do, in this book, is to examine the faith that we are instilling in others? The Bible teaches us that the faith life that Christ calls us to is a life of loving God will all our heart, mind, soul and strength and loving & serving others. Christ invitation to discipleship sounds like this, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me." We are called to represent Christ in the world through a life of sacrifical love.This is the faith that has been passed on to us. The NSYR indicates that the faith our teenagers looks more like this: -the importance of being nice -feeling good about yourself -God will be there in an emergency That is the faith indicated from the NSYR survey results. The questions from the survey can be found here. One response I have had to this book is that I am beginning to take my own survey. I have begun asking myself, "what kind of faith am I living?" "what kind of faith would Christ like to see in me?" and "what kind of faith would I like to see in young people?" As I think about these questions I am reminded of the privilege and responsibility that our church has to help others grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. In Christ, Jeff ON-LINE BOOK STUDY begins Feb. 3 01/27/2012
 Next Friday (Feb 3rd), I will begin sharing a few thoughts about the book, Almost Christian. I hope you have a chance to read the book. The first paragraph of the first chapter compelled me to read it. Here is what I found there: "Let me save you some trouble. Here is the gist of what you are about to read: American young people are, theoretically, fine with religious faith--but it does not concern them very much, and it is not durable enough to survive long after they graduate from high school. One more thing: we're responsible." One thing that I have taken away from the book is the need for us to begin to think less of God as a Cosmic Lifeguard and more as a Divine Swimming Teacher who is powerful enough to save us but also down in the water with us(p.71). More on this later.... In Christ, Jeff  Kenda Dean By clicking the audio player above, you can listen to a fascinating interview with Kenda Dean where she discusses her book Almost Christian. The interview is hosted by the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church. They have invited Dean to speak this year at their 2012 Annual Conference. Dean will also be speaking this year at our Missouri Annual Conference in June in Springfield. The full title of Dean’s book is, Almost Christian: What The Faith Of Our Teenagers Is Telling The American Church. It may seem that this book would be of interest only to those who are directly involved with youth ministry. But I assure you, the message we find here is important to the whole church. In the interview Dean tells where she got the name for the title of her book Almost Christian. It comes from a sermon that John Wesley preached many years ago. A link to this sermon is provided here. Also, in the interview they mention "Call To Action" you can learn more about that here. We will begin our online book study in February. Check my previous blog post on how you can get a book. In Christ, Jeff Almost Christian by Kendra Creasy Dean 12/31/2011
 WHY CHRISTMAS MATTERS 12/23/2011
 Each Christmas, many of us revisit the first two chapters of the Gospel of Matthew and Luke. Because that is where we find the birth narrative of Jesus the Messiah. But many of us skip over the genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 1:1-17). Reading the genealogy is like reading a phone book. But it is important. Scot McKnight offers some insight to help us appreciate what we find there. "Matthew's gospel famously begins with, of all things, a genealogy that ties Jesus to Abraham and to David, with a cryptic but clever use of "fourteen" generations (Matt. 1:1-17). The number fourteen comes from a Jewish method called gematria, which is to find significance in numbers. The name David is made up of three Hebrew consonants:d-v-d. Hebrew didn't have numbers as we do, but instead used letters both for letters and numbers. So if you add up d + v + d, or 4 + 6 + 4, you get 14. So, when Matthew organizes Israel's history into three groups of fourteen, he is showing that all of Israel's Story has Davidic shape, and that Davidic Story comes to completion in the complete Davidic King, Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph, Messiah of Israel." --p.75 King Jesus Gospel  The final chapter of The King Jesus Gospel begins with a story. Scot McKnight tells of a visit he made to Newgrange on the eastern side of Ireland. McKnight says, "About five thousand years ago . . . a group of people built a passageway into a man-made hill . . ."p.129 Today no one knows the why people built the structure. There is no one alive who can interpret the original importance of the hill or the passageway. The story reminds us of our responsibility to be clear about the meaning of the gospel of Jesus. We must revisit the original gospel that is according to the Scriptures and to trust the power of the gospel to achieve what God intended. In Acts 2 when people first heard the gospel it says they were "cut to the heart" and wanted to know how to respond. The disciple told them to "repent, be baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Christmas is important to people for a variety of reasons. I read recently in the Wall Street Journal that "this is the most important time of year for retailers. They can make between 25 and 40 percent of their annual sales in the last two months of the year." For many it is important for families and friends to get together and express their love. For many it is important to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Savior. What ever you may find most important this Christmas, I hope we will remember that the good news of Jesus is that we are important to God. We matter to God, according to the scriptures. CHRISTMAS GOSPEL 12/14/2011
 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way . . . . you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet . . . Luke 1:18a,21b-22NRSV The King Jesus Gospel is a book that defines the Gospel of Jesus as the declaration that Jesus is the Messiah who saves and that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Story of Israel. The author, Scot McKnight, would be disappointed if he knew we read his book and did not come away with this understanding. He is even more troubled that people reading the Bible do not have a clear understanding of what the gospel is. The Bible stories we revisit each Christmas remind us of the good news of Jesus. We see through out the birth narrative that Jesus' arrival is fulfilling what the prophets foretold. We see in Jesus the Messiah the answer to what God has promised. He was born according to the scriptures. He was born the Messiah/King, the One all of Israel was waiting for to come to save. His parents were directed by an angel to give him them name Jesus. Jesus means savior. What Adam was to do in the Garden--that is, to govern this world redemptively on God's behalf--is the mission God gives to Israel. Like Adam, Israel failed, and so did its kings. So God sent his Son to do what Adam and Israel and the kings did not (and evidently could not) do and to rescue everyone from their sins . . .Hence, the Son is the one who rules as Messiah and Lord.--p.31 The King Jesus Gospel DECISIONS OR DISCIPLES? 12/09/2011
 "Most of evangelism today is obsessed with getting someone to make a decision; the apostles, however, were obsessed with making disciples. Those two words -- decisions and disciples -- are behind this entire book."(p.15 The King Jesus Gospel) The Book of Discipline seems to suggest that the United Methodist Church is obsessed with making disciples: "The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs." --p.87 The United Methodist Book Of Discipline 2008 For this reason, many would describe the United Methodist Church as an evangelical church. Scot McKnight believes evangelicals must examine their approach (and their gospel) of making disciples. He believes most evangelical churches are only inviting people to make a decision for Jesus. We invite people to pray the sinners prayer or invite Jesus into their heart and leave it at that. But when Jesus first sent his apostles to "go and make disciples" he included in his great commission "teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." A person who makes a "decision" is a person who decides to believe and allow Jesus to have some influence on their life. A person who becomes a disciples is one who is denying self, taking up their cross and is following Jesus daily. Jesus not only becomes the center of their life but also their reason for living. After all Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. ARE YOU AN EVANGELIST? 12/02/2011
 If you’ve read Scot McKnight’s book The King Jesus Gospel, you get the feeling that he is writing the book for evangelicals. McKnight considers himself to be an evangelical. He refers to evangelicalism as "a gift to the church and the world."p.24 So what is an evangelical? And are you an evangelist? It is a term that is used a lot and in many different ways because it means different things to different people. It seems like every election cycle evangelicals are referred to as a voting bloc. Some apparently think evangelicals have similar voting patterns. But is this accurate? Another way the term is used is to classify churches as people try to distinguish between Mainline Prostestant and Evangelical Protestant. And then for some of us, when someone says "evangelist" we immediately think of a fiery preacher proclaiming the Word of God. Again, what is an evangelical and are you an evangelist? I find it most helpful to return to the orginal meaning of the word (which I believe is what McKnight is encouraging us to do) to help us answer the question. I found this definition at Wikipedia: The term evangelical has its etymological roots in the Greek word for "gospel" or "good news": ευαγγελιον (evangelion), from eu- "good" and angelion "message". With this definition in mind, I believe you can honestly say you are an evangelical if you have discovered the message about Jesus Christ to be good news. You are an evangelist if you are sharing this good news with others. This may or may not be through preaching. As St. Francis of Assisi once said, "Preach the Gospel at all times,when necessary use words." We are called to live the gospel as we proclaim it. This message we live by is found in the Gospel of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John and perhaps most clearly or concisely in Paul's letter to the Corinthians: Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. --1 Corinthians 15: 3-4 McKnight would tell us to pay attention to the phrase "according to the Scriptures." It is a key phrase in helping us revisit the original good news. During Advent we often revisit the events surrounding the birth of Christ. Let us take notice of the number of ways the Gospel writers (Matthew & Luke) share with us the fact that this birth took place in accordance with the Hebrew scriptures. We read how Old Testament prophecy is being fulfilled. As an evangelist, why is it important for you to see the good news of Jesus Christ as being according to the scriptures? WHAT IS THE GOSPEL? 11/25/2011
 I've read The Gospel According to Dr. Seuss. It is a fun book written by a United Methodist pastor who is a big fan of Dr. Seuss. The book relates the stories of Dr. Seuss to the Bible. Wait . . . this is not an Online Book Study about Dr. Seuss. But it is about the Gospel. Earlier this year I read The King Jesus Gospel:The Original Gospel Revisted,by Scot McKnight. I thought it would be a great book to reflect on during Advent. This is a season marked by preparation and expectation culminating with the celebration of the birth of the Savior. An angel announced his birth saying, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people." The King Jesus Gospel was written to help us appreciate the significance of the gospel (good news) of Jesus Christ. Before we can appreciate the Gospel we need to agree upon what the Gospel is. Scot McKnight believes many Christians have a misunderstanding about what the Gospel is. We confuse it with the plan of salvation, or other teachings of the church. He insist that we need a clear understanding of what the Bible says the Gospel is if we are going to be faithful to the good news of Jesus Christ. So what is the Gospel? Does it matter that we have a clear understanding of what the Gospel is? What would you say if someone where to ask you to share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It is not until the fourth chapter of his book that McKnight begins to give his answer. To answer the questions he recommends that we begin with a specific chapter in the Bible: " When it comes to mapping our understanding of the gospel. Where to begin? The best place is the one place in the entire New Testament where someone actually comes close to defining the word gospel. First Corinthians 15 is that place." p.39 What is The Gospel According to . . . You? Let's spend time this week reading 1 Corinthians 15. Let's allow God's Word to shape our understanding of what is good about the news of Jesus Christ. | AuthorPastor Jeff ArchivesFebruary 2012 Categories |
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