Church

I was wondering the other day, "When did church become an upper-middle class thing?" From mode of dress to politics to music to everything else, church in America has adopted an upper-middle class culture.

I wondered when this happened. It wasn't that way from the beginning. Christianity, from the beginning, was a movement among the poor, the outcast, the downtrodden, slaves, etc. As a matter of fact, Christianity was a radical movement that challenged the status quo at every turn and called its followers to radical commitment to Christ. I may be reaching, but I doubt that very many sociologists would consider an upper-middle class lifestyle to be radical. I think they would consider an upper-middle class lifestyle to be "comfortable."

I guess if Satan couldn't stamp out the church, he could tame it, pare its claws, castrate it, and turn it into something that would really not make much difference in communities in which they were. He was able to do this, not because he attacked the institution of the church, but by allowing the Christians to settle for less. Less surrender to Christ (because you are STILL going to heaven, right?), less concern for the poor (because you are STILL going to heaven, right?), less life change (because, you got it, you're STILL going to heaven, right?), less living by the power of the Spirit.

The true Christian isn't content with the prospect of simply going to heaven when he or she dies. That's great and all, but that's not the goal of the Christian life. The goal of the Christian life is absolute, 100% surrender to God. Heaven is just a nice perk.

Jesus Forgotten

I have been reading a book called "The Last Christian Generation" by Josh McDowell. What he said has broken my heart.

"The research on the current generation of young people reveals an alarming fact: they have redefined what it means to be Christian. The majority of our churched young people do not believe Christ is the Son of God, do not believe the Holy Spirit is a real entity, and think 'doing good' earns them a place in heaven. And just as disturbing is the fact that their attitudes and behavior are virtually no different than those of non-Christians."

How can you be a Christian and not believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Is it because of namby-pamby sermons and lessons that are spoken with the express purpose of attracting more people to church? In our desire to produce numbers and large crowds, we have forgotten Christ. Christ the Redeemer, Christ the Son of God, Christ the Savior, Christ the Lord- forgotten, ignored, belittled, and misrepresented. When a majority of young people who have grown up in church do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God- which, by the way, is THE central belief in Christianity- what is left? The answer: behavior modification. Be nice. Look good. Act cool. Get good grades. Wear your seat belt.

That is not Christianity, nor does it even resemble Christianity. Jesus came to turn this world- and our lives- upside down. Jesus is about transformation. Jesus is about radical love, radical discipleship, and radical life change. Unless the church starts teaching that- and the people start believing and living that- the church will fade into oblivion, like a flower cut off from its stem. It looks good for a while, but inside it is dead. The church without Jesus is dead. The church without Jesus may have a nice building, draw crowds, entertain, and be a nice place, but inside the people are dying, cut off from the Source of life. The church without Jesus will have a lot to answer for on the day of judgement, when we truly find out how real, how powerful, and how majestic Jesus truly is.

I would love to be part of a team that transforms this generation that has redefined what Christianity is into young people sold out to Jesus Christ. Sometimes it seems like too big a task. The only thing I can do is to magnify Christ- lift Him up, exalt Him as the highest Being, worthy of glory, honor, and praise. I can make it my life goal to make Christ and His glory known among the students of this world. I can make it my goal to, like Paul, preach Christ and Him crucified.

If I do that, at the end of my life, no one could say that I didn't love Jesus with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. If I do that, no one could say that they were around me and never knew that I was a Christian. And most importantly, no one could ever, ever say that I was one of the Christians that forgot Jesus.

I don’t believe in discipleship

Got your attention, huh? Actually, I believe very strongly in discipleship. What I don't believe in is discipleship quantified, programmed, and measured. I hear all the time about the church's need for 'discipleship,' and that usually means there is a small group program or something similar. A program. The theory goes that as people join and continue in a small group, they grow closer to God.

That's excellent in theory. Please believe me- I love small groups and have seen people grow from being in them. Some of my best experiences have been in small groups. However, I don't believe that that captures the true nature of discipleship.

Discipleship takes commitment. Plain and simple. Without commitment, attendance in a small group or anything else means nothing. When Jesus called His twelve disciples, He called them to leave their jobs, their families, their homes, their means of income- everything. He called for total commitment. These twelve men made that commitment, and therefore were called "disciples." I'm sure they sat around in small groups from time to time, but the majority of the time the disciples watched as Jesus led by example- from His dealings with the Pharisees to His care for the poor to His sermon on the mount.

They followed Him. Most of the time they didn't understand what the heck Jesus was doing or saying. I'm sure that half of the time they questioned why they were still following Him. Jesus constantly asked them, "Why are you so dull?" and called them "You of little faith," and yet still they followed. Jesus had a huge crowd following Him at one point. He then turned to the crowd and, in a reference to communion, told the crowd that they must "eat His flesh and drink His blood (John 6). At this point, most of the crowd stopped following Him, yet the disciples continued to follow. They were persecuted, scared, discouraged, and disowned. Still they followed. They turned the world upside down with their ministry after the death of Jesus, and the world hasn't been the same since.

Now you see why I don't believe in 'discipleship' as many churches define it. I have never been called to that kind of commitment- probably neither have you. Most of us are like the crowd and run away when we don't understand what Jesus is saying or He expects too much of us. Church members are plentiful- disciples are in short supply. I guess being a disciple is harder than it looks. I wonder if Jesus would have chosen me if I had lived in His time.

As a church leader, sometimes I'm afraid to ask people for that kind of commitment for two reasons: 1) I might not be willing to go there myself, and 2) I would be seen as a bad minister if 90% of my church walked out on me, like the crowd did to Jesus in John 6. Maybe that's why so many churches are shallow and their congregants lead well-meaning lives but make no impact on a world that is rapidly going to hell. Who is REALLY willing to be a disciple as Jesus defines it. Me. Sometimes.

Comfortable

"Lukewarm Christians don't live by faith- in fact, they structure their lives so they don't even need it."- Francis Chan, or something close to what he said.

I remember asking my students when I was in youth ministry a simple question, "If tomorrow morning, you woke up and were an atheist (just miraculously became one) what would be the first thing you would notice?" I remember getting a bunch of blank stares. One of the more honest ones said, "Honestly, not much. I'd hang with the same people, talk the same way, act the same way- I guess I just wouldn't go to church."

Someone said we leave comfortable houses, get in comfortable cars, walk into a comfortable church building, and hear a comfortable message about God. No wonder it is very rare to see someone who truly trusts God for everything, lives by faith, and would be in serious trouble if God didn't show up.

Would your life be any different if Jesus hadn't been resurrected on the third day?  Sadly, I'm afraid that most of us, in a moment of honesty, would say, "No."

I want my Christian faith to be more than avoiding porn, reading the Bible, and hanging around a great bunch of people at church. Don't get me wrong- those things are great. But I could do all those things without faith. What are the things in life that God is calling me towards that would require great faith to accomplish?

I used to think I had a great deal of faith. I was very impressed with myself. However, the more steps of faith I take, the more lukewarm I really see myself as being. Kind of like the high school student who knows it all, then goes to college. The more he learns, the more he realizes he DOESN'T know. That's what happens when you step out in faith. You find how little you actually trust God with your life. You find that God has huge things for you to do, but you simply won't because it would make you uncomfortable.

When you decide that being comfortable and being Christian are mutually exclusive- that the Christian life IS one of continual trust and discomfort- then you quit worrying about what MIGHT happen.  You stop living in fear- fear of loss of status, fear of loss of income, fear of loss of comfort, fear of loss of possessions or position- and begin LIVING.  Truly living.

Someone said that the richest man is not the one who has the most but who needs the least.

This rule applies to faith as well.  What would you be capable of if you didn't need anything this world had to offer?  What if you didn't need popularity, or wealth, or position, or comfort?  What if you didn't need the approval of people or a pat on the back?  What if you didn't need the life that Madison Avenue and Hollywood constantly place before us as ideal?

You would be a person very rich in faith- because you would need very little.

Everything in life that we "need" impoverishes us in our faith.  If we "need" wealth, we will never live sacrificially as Jesus teaches us to.  If we "need" comfort, we will never risk as Jesus calls us to do.  If we "need" position and status,  we will never associate with the "least of these" that Jesus says to love and care for.  If we "need" the life that our neighbors around us have, we will simply continue to exist, never having fully lived.

And never having fully followed Jesus.

The richest man is not the one who has the most, but who needs the least.  I say that we as Christians should start sloughing off all the things we "need" and start gaining true wealth in the form of faith.  The less you need, the richer in faith you will be.  The less you need, the more faithfully you will be able to follow Jesus.  The less you need, the more you will realize what true freedom is.

Another Step of Faith

In three weeks, Catalyst Christian Church will start a brand new chapter. We will no longer do just one service on Sunday mornings- there are too many people for us to grow much larger. We will begin doing two identical services, one at 9:30 and one at 11:00.

It's difficult to explain how I feel about this new chapter. I have been so consumed with the need to do this and the excitement of it that I really haven't taken the time to reflect on it. Catalyst is kind of like a child to me, and I feel like one of my children has just taken his first step or is going to kindergarten for her first day of school.

Every parent knows this feeling of excitement, but we also know that once these steps are taken, the old days are gone forever. My children will never be small enough for me to hold in the palm of my hand. Catalyst Christian Church won't just meet for one hour on Sunday mornings anymore. Our band will play twice, I will preach twice; children's ministry will move to two hours instead of just one; we will need two sets of volunteers for things.

Do I regret this move? No way. If my children didn't grow and progress, something would be unnatural and wrong. The same is true of the church. If we stayed the same, year after year, no growth, no reaching new people, no outgrowing buildings (kind of like a child outgrowing clothes), something would be wrong.

All I know is that it is going to take faith. We've never done anything like this before, and we are not experts. I'm sure there are a thousand things we haven't thought of that could go wrong. There are lots of whatifs. However, God has sustained us and encouraged us and led us through the first two difficult years of starting this church. I have no doubt that He will continue to do so as we get older and mature as a church. He can see the picture clearly; I can see only a glimpse. Therefore, I trust in Him to lead us and guide us. I am finding out that this "trusting God' thing is really pretty cool. It is definitely NOT boring.

The Ongoing Search For Wisdom

Ever since I entered my 30's, I've realized that the ongoing search for wisdom is probably one of the best uses of my time I can imagine. The book of Proverbs has been one of my favorites, because it so accurately describes everything I go through on a daily basis.

Today, I read Proverbs 18:17, which says, "The first to present his case seems right, until another comes forward and questions him."

I think about all the things I hear about people. I used to believe the things I heard. I used to believe that what people told me happened actually happened the way they describe it. If someone had a problem with another person, the incidents they would describe MUST have been how it actually happened.

That is what this Proverb is saying to avoid. How many times have I heard from one person, only to hear something totally different from someone else? In the office, in the home, in the church, I have learned the folly of believing the "first to present his case." And yet, how many relationships, how many friendships, how many homes and offices and churches have been torn apart because we simply believe what people tell us about others? What unspeakable damage, sometimes irreparable, has been done because we accept as gospel truth what one person says about another?

I have gotten to the point where I rarely believe anything I hear about someone else. This decision has served me well as a pastor, because, believe me, I hear so much about people it is unreal. So, whenever you hear something about someone else, or an incident that someone was a part of, remember this proverb: "The first to present his case seems right, till another comes forward and questions him" (Proverbs 18:17) and continue with your ongoing search for wisdom.

Halfway Through 40 Days of Change

Today is day 20 of the 40 Days of Change thing that we are doing at Catalyst. It has been a great thing for me and my family, and from what I am hearing from the people at our church, it has been a great thing for them as well.

At least, for some of them. As a pastor, I would love to say that 100% of the people in our church are committing to the daily study, small groups, and challenges laid on in the 40 Days. Sadly, it's not happening. Lots of people, many more than I expected, took on the challenge. Others simply did not.

For some, it's just the fact that it's something new, and they're not into anything new. For some, they are just too busy. For some, it's too "out there"- it's just taking the faith too seriously. For others, they just don't want to.

I think about the fantastic celebration we are going to have on the 29th. It will be a huge church-wide celebration of getting through the 40 Days, of completing the challenges and having grown deeper in faith. I wonder what the people that simply opted out will celebrate? Will they have reason for joy on that day? Will they feel left out? Will they look back and say, "I wish I would have participated?"

All of a sudden, I realize that will happen on a much larger scale when Jesus returns to earth (it's the only prophecy in the Bible He hasn't fulfilled yet, although the signs are growing stronger and stronger). The people who committed to Christ, who surrendered their lives to Him, will have the celebration of their lives when Jesus appears. It will be a celebration that will put our church-wide celebration on the 29th to shame. It will be a party like no one has ever seen.

And the people who simply didn't follow Jesus? The people who didn't want a new life, who were just "too busy," who thought following Jesus was too "out there," who just didn't want to? I realize with a sad heart that no matter what I do or say, there will simply be some people, or a great number of people, who will never follow Jesus. I realize with a sad heart that the reasons people give for not committing to participating in the 40 Days of Change are the same reasons people give for not committing to Christ.

As a pastor, I want this for my congregation- to see them all grow deeper in faith, to love God with all their hearts and souls and minds and strength, and to love their neighbors as themselves. I want them to have a living, breathing relationship with Christ. The frustrating thing is that all of that is right there in front of everyone's eyes, and yet some (or most) will never take it. I wonder if Jesus gets as frustrated as I do. Actually, let me rephrase that. I wonder if I get as frustrated as Jesus does.