Oops! I Wish I Wouldn't Have Said THAT From the Pulpit

Someone asked me yesterday, "What is the biggest mistake you've ever made in a sermon?"

We had just planted Catalyst Christian Church and were in our third month when we decided to do a series on Love, Sex, and Marriage from the Song of Solomon.  I was talking about the difference between marital sex and pre-marital sex, and I said the following:

"Sex is like fire.  Now, you can spray lighter fluid on a bunch of logs and light it, and it looks like the real thing.  But soon, it fizzles out.  That's what pre-marital sex is like.  However, marital sex is the real thing.  To get a good campfire going, you need the red-hot coals going underneath.  That kind of fire will keep burning hotter and hotter as long as you've got wood."

As soon as I said the word "wood," I heard a lady laugh.  Then, another laughed, and pretty soon, everybody was laughing.  I realized in that moment that it was probably time to just say a prayer and walk off stage.

Alas, we pastors are human too.  Have a good laugh on me today. 

And remember God loves you and has a great sense of humor.  That's why He put me in charge of a church.

Human nature never changes

I hear from my unchurched friends all the time:  "How does a 2000-year-old book have any relevance today?"

Instead of correcting them on the fact that the Bible isn't 2000 years old (parts of it are actually older as it was written over a period of thousands of years), I simply say, "Because people were people then, and people are people now."

I usually follow that statement up with my favorite proverb, Proverbs 10:19- "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise."

Yep- human nature never changes.  Even stone-age tribesmen who thought the earth was flat had trouble keeping their traps shut when it wasn't called for.  People who had never seen a computer, driven a car, built a skyscraper, or even fired a gun realized that someone who spoke too much and too often would run the risk of stretching the truth, letting loose a secret, or outright lying.

Yep- human nature never changes.

Proverbs 23:4-5  says, "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust in your own cleverness.  Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle."

Sounds like they needed Dave Ramsey 3000 years ago. 

One of the unspoken benefits of studying the Bible is that you realize that with all the advances in technology and understanding we have made in modern times, what makes up a human really hasn't changed all that much.  We all need wisdom in knowing when to speak and when to stay quiet.  We all need financial discipline or we will see our hard-earned wealth disappear. 

And we all need a Savior to cleanse us of our sins.  They needed Jesus back then, and we need Jesus now. 

Yep- human nature never changes. 

However, with Jesus, human nature can be redeemed and restored.  This Monday, I am very thankful to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for taking my human nature and doing what no one and nothing else could do- restoring me to wholeness.  My human nature may never change, but it definitely has been made new.  For that I am thankful.  Overwhelmed and thankful.  Amen.

When the Christian life isn't fun

I remember coming out of high school and working a summer job at Little Caesar's pizza.  I was a delivery driver, cruising around town in my 6000-lb 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer (with wood paneling, I might add, and a comfortable seating capacity of 14 teenagers.  No wonder it was called the War Wagon).

It was a job that I didn't particularly like.  Most of us who are adults at some point have had entry-level jobs that either bored us to tears or drove us crazy.  We couldn't wait to get out of those jobs and move on to more exciting jobs with more responsibility and more pay.

I was reading Jesus' teaching in Luke 19:12-26 about the king who gave a minas (roughly equivalent to a few dollars) to each servant and went away on a journey.  Now, a few bucks isn't going to do much for anyone, and no doubt some of the servants felt slighted.  Some probably didn't think much of it.  They were probably like me working for Little Caesars- giving a half-hearted effort until the REAL job opened up.

Others, however, took the few bucks and put it to work, earning more.  When the king returns, one servant brought the minas back, along with ten more.  The king told him, "Well done!  You get a promotion.  I'm making you the leader over ten cities."

At that point, I imagine that the rest of the servants' jaws dropped.  It would be like one of the delivery drivers at Little Caesar's being promoted to owner of ten stores simply for getting the pizza to the customers on time.

As I reflected on this passage of Scripture, I realized that we serve a God who tests us in the small things before He blesses us with more.  Your attitude towards what seems to be stupid, pointless tasks could be the test of whether or not God blesses you with abundance.

One of my favorite preachers is Louie Giglio.  He told a story about when he was in college.  His non-glamorous job was copy boy at the CDC in Atlanta.  Not an exciting job by a long stretch.  However, he determined that he was going to be the best copy boy in the history of the CDC, and when he left, they had to hire two people to do the job that he did.  That became a lifelong goal of mine- to work so hard that when I left, the organization would need to hire two people to do what I had done.

God could be testing you right now.  Are you being faithful with what seems like nothing?  Or are you looking past what is right in front of you hoping for bigger things?  Your handling of the insignificant, mundane tasks is going to determine your handling of much bigger things.  Your treatment of insignificant, mundane people will determine your handling of people who are truly important.

Sometimes the Christian life isn't fun.  Just remember that we serve a God who says that he or she who can be trusted with little can also be trusted with much.  Unfortunately, we serve a God who also says that he or she who cannot be trusted with little cannot be trusted with much either.  Maybe the next step in your life is to start being faithful with the little you DO have.  When that happens, you can be assured that God will give you plenty more.

What can I get away with and still consider myself a Christian?

In his book, "What's So Amazing About Grace?" author Phillip Yancey writes the following:

"Imagine a groom on his wedding night holding the following conversation with his bride:  'Honey, I love you so much, and I'm eager to spend my life with you.  But I need to work out a few details.

Now that we're married, how far can I go with other women?  Can I sleep with them?  Kiss them?  You don't mind a few affairs now and then, do you?  I know it might hurt you, but just think of all the opportunities you'll have to forgive me after I betray you!'  (p 190)

We all know that a marriage like this wouldn't last very long at all.  Neither will a relationship with God.  Oh sure, we'll go through the motions of worship.  Heck, we might even give a few dollars to a church now and then.  But we will never move into the deep relationship God desires with each of us.  We'll never experience the joy of the fellowship with the Holy Spirit that is waiting for each of us.

We all need to replace the question, "What can I get away with and still consider myself a Christian?" with the deeper question, "What can I do to ensure that God is glorified in everything I do?"  In practical terms, the Christian should never ask the question, "What's wrong with it?"; rather, he or she should ask the question, "Will this bring absolute glory to God?"  "Will this action shout from the rooftops that God is the greatest treasure of my life?"

The husband in the passage above would have done better to tell his wife, "From now on, my actions and my words will shout to you and to the world that I prize you above all other women.  I don't need rules or limits or anything of that nature, because my love for you has turned my heart towards you and away from anything that would destroy that love.  You are better than the rest, and I choose you over them all."

The same would be good words for any Christian towards God.

The question I want to ask every Christian

When are you going to start being a force for His kingdom?

Christianity is not about going to heaven when you die, as much as we'd like it to be.  Oh sure, it's a part of it, a pretty nice part of it, but I would say that in the grand scheme of faith, it occupies less than 1% of what Jesus cares about.

Somehow in American Christianity, we've gotten it into our heads that the key definition of a Christian is someone who is going to heaven when they die.  Someone who has been forgiven of their sins and by the grace of God will be welcomed into the pearly gates five minutes after they kick the bucket.

Where in the Bible does it say THAT?

In fact, Jesus spent most of His time on earth talking about something called the "Kingdom of Heaven" or the "Kingdom of God" depending on what gospel you read.  Most of what Jesus talked about, in His parables and in His teachings, dealt with treasuring this kingdom (the parable of the treasure in a field and the parable of the pearl of great price), valuing this kingdom over the things of this world (Luke 14 and the parable of the Great Banquet), seeking the kingdom, serving the kingdom, and building the kingdom.

I always thought that the kingdom was a reference to heaven.  I always thought that when Jesus talked about the kingdom, He was talking about things that would happen after we die.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

I would define the kingdom of God as a place where things are as God intends them to be.  Whenever you love your enemies, there the kingdom is.  Whenever you forgive someone who has hurt you, there the kingdom is.  If your home is a place where God is honored and worshiped, and His rules for the family are followed, there the kingdom is.  If your church engages in Biblical worship and adores God in praise, there the kingdom is.

When you are going to start being a force for His kingdom?

I sat down with a Christian who was upset with his church because he thought there needed to be more classes and Bible studies for the people.  Now, I have no problem with classes and Bible studies. I love them.  However, most churches don't need more of those.

I asked him, "You're 58 years old- why do you need another Bible study?  You've been going to Bible studies all your life.  You've been listening to sermons all your life.  You don't need more teaching.  When are you going to start being a force for His kingdom?"

He looked at me with a funny expression.  "What do you mean?" he asked.

I said, "When will you become a force that brings non-Christians to faith in Christ?  When will you start taking younger men and discipling them for a deeper walk with God?  When will you start doubling your tithe to support missions in persecuted countries where they need it the most?  When will you start being a force for His kingdom?"

He looked at me like I had two heads.  Then he shrugged and said, "I think I'm going to find a church that has more classes."

"So you're like the forty year old who has been in college for the last 22 years because he needs to "get more information,"  I said. "A forty year old who has been in college for 22 years doesn't need more information.  He's afraid of life.  He's afraid of what he's learned, and he's afraid to move outside the safety of the academic classroom and actually do something meaningful.  Same is true with a 58-year-old Christian whose been in church all his life but still wants more "classes" instead of being a force for the kingdom."

See why I get in so much trouble?

I could have been nicer, I guess.  However, I'm not here to make comfortable people comfortable.  I am passionate about people moving out of the classroom and into the real world where Jesus has called us to go (Matthew 28:18-20).  It may be that it is time for you to stop "training" and get in the game.

When are you going to start being a force for His kingdom?

5 Things I've Learned from Watching the Olympics

1.  The Olympics brings out some amazing things in people- the hard work, the dedication, the singularity of focus that these athletes show is truly inspiring.  These are qualities that Christians must have in their walk with the Lord.  In 1 Corinthians 9:25, Paul states, "Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever."

These athletes go through so much training, discipline, eating the right foods, backbreaking workouts, etc- for a prize that doesn't last.  How much more should Christians labor and endeavor for a crown that lasts forever?


2.  Sprinters have it much easier than distance runners.

Sprinters have to be focused for a few seconds.  Quick burst of energy and they are done.  Distance runners have to stay in the game mentally much longer.  Minutes, even hours, of pushing themselves mentally and physically.

Which is the Christian life more like?  A sprint or a marathon?  All too often, people view faith in Jesus as a sprint.  They start off strong, but fade after the first initial burst.  Around 80% of people who come forward in evangelical rallies leave the church and their faith within a few years of their conversion experience.

What the church needs is distance runners- endurance athletes who stay in the game mentally and physically to the end.  A sprinter is exciting to watch, but a Christian whose faith is a sprint will do nothing to further the kingdom of God.


3.  Pride and arrogance is ugly.

It never fails- someone who has accomplished an amazing feat of athleticism faces the camera and struts, posturing like a peacock before the cameras, proclaiming his or her greatness to the world.  Not all athletes do this, not by a long shot.  However, I've seen my fair share of arrogance strutting around the track or the field or the pool or whatever venue the athlete succeeds in.  And it is ugly.  Very ugly.

I am actually fearful for these athletes, because pride goes before a fall.  These athletes are one pulled hamstring away from disqualification, one knee injury away from never running again, one ankle sprain away from going home.  Their illusion of world domination is just that- an illusion.  When the fall comes, it will not be pretty.

It is much better for an athlete to perform a world-record winning performance and be just as excited as if someone else had done it.  I love watching the interviews with the athletes that are so grateful and excited just to be there that it doesn't matter who wins.  They can't believe the opportunity that is before them, and they are as giddy as a child on Christmas morning just to be on the field of competition.  Those are true athletes.


4.  People are people, no matter what country they are from.

Thousands of miles and cultural difference don't change the basic humanity God has given us all.  All of the athletes have sacrificed, gone the extra mile, and worked for where they are.  All of them have families and friends in the stands cheering them on.  All of them want the same thing- to do their best in representing their countries to bring home the gold.

I love it.  In my travels to other countries, I have found that people are people.  In every country I've been in, people love to laugh.  They all have the same basic needs.  They all need respect.  The Olympics shows the very best that is in humanity, and for that I am very grateful.


5.  Humans are intrinsically drawn to greatness.

Why do we like to watch the best?  Why do people flock to the stands to watch the fastest men and women in the world?  Why do people crowd into stadiums to watch the best tennis players, the best soccer players, the best swimmers, the best gymnasts, etc?

It's because we love to watch the best.  It is human nature to enjoy greatness.  We enjoy great works of art, great feats of athleticism, great stories, and great works of creation.  And that is no accident.

God made us in His image.  We were created in the image of greatness.  However, in the fall in Genesis 3, we tarnished that image by allowing sin to enter the world.  In every one of us, there is a sense of loss and a desire to see that greatness once again.  God uses that desire to see greatness to draw us to Him.  More people have become believers in God after seeing the beauty of the Grand Canyon and the thundering might of Niagara Falls than they have because of carefully crafted theological arguments.

We were created to desire and enjoy greatness.  As great as the Olympic games are, they are nothing compared to the greatness of God.  The same pleasure and satisfaction and enjoyment we get from watching the best athletes in the world compete is what allows us to enjoy God.  Realize today that the reason you enjoy watching the best in the world is that God placed that desire within you so that you might search out His greatness and enjoy Him forever.

The #1 sin destroying the family and the church . . .

As a pastor, I see a lot of different things.  I have seen good families, bad families, terrible accidents, wonderful acts of love, friendship, addictions, addictions that destroy friendships and family relationships, sacrifice, and just about everything else under the sun.

I've also seen the consequences of sin.  A lot.

However, truly terrible sin is rarely evident on the surface.  To be sure, we have terrible outbreaks of sin such as in the Colorado shooting and more recently, the Sikh temple shooting, and those are very evident. 

But for sin to truly do it's best work, it has to go undetected for long periods of time, sort of like cancer that eats away at a human body until the point it causes death.  That's why the #1 sin that is destroying the church and the family is subtle and unseen, and even celebrated by some.

It is the sin of idolatry.  The #1 sin destroying us.

John Piper wrote about this in his book, "A Hunger For God":

"The greatest enemy of hunger for God is not poison but apple pie.  It is not the banquet of the wicked that dulls our appetite for heaven, but endless nibbling at the table of the world.  It is not the X-rated video, but the prime-time dribble of triviality we drink in every night.  For all the ill that Satan can do, when God describes what keeps us from the banquet table of His love, it is a piece of land, a yoke of oxen, and a wife (Luke 14:18-20).  

The greatest adversary of love to God is not His enemies but His gifts.  And the most deadly appetites are not for the poison of evil, but for the simple pleasures of earth.  For when these replace an appetite for God Himself, the idolatry is scarcely recognizable, and almost incurable." p 14

The sin that is destroying the church is simply a hunger for something other than God.  It is destroying the family as well.  The sin of idolatry- it doesn't matter what the idol is, be it a car, a job, money, music, significant other, comfort, a large house, the American Dream- leaves the church full of zombie-like people trying to worship a different God on Sunday than they are used to.  We cannot give our worship to God on Sunday if we've given our worship to an idol the previous six days. Many times I find myself in love more with the gifts that God gives me than God Himself. 

  -Sometimes I find that I am in love with my wife and children than the One who gave them to me.   

  -Sometimes I find myself more in love with His church more than the One who died to save it. 

  -Sometimes I find myself more in love with my health than I am in love with the One who sustains it.

  -Sometimes I find myself more in love with the gift of sex than I am in love with the One who created it and the sanctity of marriage in which to enjoy it.

  -Sometimes I find myself more in love with sitting on the couch drinking in the mediocre drivel called entertainment than I am in love with His word.

Then, almost immediately, my mind goes to the "default defense of the terminally lukewarm" statement, "What's wrong with that?"  Good question.  What IS wrong with loving my wife and children?  What IS wrong with loving His church?  What IS wrong with loving those other good things?

Nothing.  However, just like in Luke 14:18-20, those good things have the potential to keep me away from the banquet feast of the Kingdom of God. 

Here's the bottom line:  the sin of idolatry will make sure that it is good things, not evil things, that will keep me from the love of God.  That is why idolatry is the #1 sin destroying our churches and our families.  We won't spot it until it is too late.  We will even commend the man who has made an idol out of his family, loving them to the detriment of his relationship with God.  We will even commend the servant who has made an idol out of his or her church, serving it relentlessly to the detriment of his or her own love for God.  We will refer to that person as "so dedicated, so servant-hearted, so sold out for the kingdom" when what they truly have is a problem with idolatry.

Meditate today on Luke 14:18-20 and ask yourself, "What would keep me away from the party God has invited me to?"

Then ask yourself, "Is it worth it?"