Leaning Forward

Would I be welcome in your church?

A number of years ago my friend Winn Freeman asked me to lead morning devotions at the Greenville Rescue Mission each Monday morning at 6:00 a.m. As you would imagine, he always had a hard time filling that particular slot. The prospect of rising so early every Monday and ministering in that environment was discussed around the dinner table several nights, and Harriet, Elizabeth, Brian, and I agreed it would, in fact, be a blessing to minister beyond the church. It may have actually been an answer to prayer. You see, our church had settled into one of those comfortable plateau periods. We had employed a consultant to help us work through some issues. One day, he looked me in the eye and said, "Your church is plateaued because you are plateaued." So, we prayed for God to provide something new to challenge and grow me personally. Getting up at 5:00 a.m. on Mondays was just the ticket. Honestly, it changed my life!

The Monday morning crowd at the Greenville Rescue Mission weren't your usual church attenders. They were all men, a good number of them down-on-your-luck street types who came to the mission nightly for a clean, free place to stay and good hot meals. Another forty or so of them participated in the Overcomers Program, a six-month faith-oriented resident drug and alcohol ministry. They were from all walks of life, every creed, race, and nationality, varied socio-economic backgrounds, just as diverse educationally, but were alike in many ways as well. Most of them were ex-cons, most had sacrificed everything to addictions and other lifestyle issues, and most of them lived without hope. At the outset my goal was to bring them the hope of the Kingdom every Monday morning, to offer a word of encouragement from Scripture, tell a good joke or two every week, and let them know of God's love and redemption. Each Monday turned out to be a challenge. As the weeks progressed, they, however, began to respond.

God broke my heart during these Monday morning visits. It was not the neat and clean atmosphere of our up-and-out suburban congregation. On the very first day I noted their eagerness and spiritual hunger. Without pride they were totally responsive to the leading of our Gracious Father, willing to cry out to Him when He spoke to them, throwing themselves on His mercy at every invitation. There were no church games at the Mission, no one to impress, no pretenses. It was authentic. Real.

After a month or so I attended the first graduation ceremony of the Overcomers. They had completed the six months of study and work education, and were ready to re-enter society. The Mission had arranged for most of them to take jobs in the community, to continue residence at the mission until they could afford a home of their own. It was a day of celebration as these drug addicts and alcoholics gave their testimonies and received their certificates. Everybody wept, me included. Jesus does make a difference in people's lives.

Then one of the graduates stopped me in my tracks with a question that I had not anticipated: would I be welcome in your church? Of course, I answered in the affirmative.What else could I say? The thought lingered however: would this big, rough, black ex-con really be welcome in my white, suburban congregation? Would a Sunday School class throw open their arms to embrace him? Would our yuppies invite him to join them at the Wednesday evening supper table? At another level, the question was much more personal: had I taught them to be The Church that Jesus is Building, where sinners and tax collectors would be the honored guests?

That man did join our church, and I had the joy of baptizing him. Later, our church became the home congregation to the Overcomers ministry, more than forty of these wonderful men in worship and Bible study with us three times each week. It was a thrilling learning experience for all of us, especially me. It taught me more than anything a truth about The Church that Jesus is Building. Simply stated: whosoever will may come! It must be the welcome mat that we keep out all the time.

Years ago a mentor told me to never pastor a church I would not join! That is good advice. It was one of the factors that helped us make each of the church ministry decisions our family has made, and one of the important aspects of our decision to serve Northwood Baptist Church. It is a church I would join because it has a heart for people not in the mainstream of church life. Yes, we have a lot to learn about teaching and discipling, and our own set of prejudices and biases to work through. But, the heart is there, and I am thankful to God for it.

If someone asks me tomorrow, "would I be welcome in your church?", I could say "yes", without one moments hesitation. What a lesson! What a God! What a plan!    

Us and Them Numero Uno

Early in our ministry experience Harriet and I struggled with a decision that would, in may ways, define our Christian life and the congregations we would eventually serve. Looking back on it with the twenty-twenty hindsight, I realize it wasn't a decision at all. From this vantage point, twenty-nine years down the road, I don't know what the big deal is and why we let such an elementary life choice affect us the way it did. Young and impressionable, sincerely trying to do the right thing, we listened to a lot of advice, spent some time in prayer, and then made a final decision that reflected our understanding of faith and the role we would play in ministry.

It's not rocket science or systematic theology. The question? Would Harriet and I continue to attend my class reunions at The Citadel since our commitment to vocational service? Seems simple now. And, it's about the same decision that many new Christians face every day: do we still hang with our old friends and attend the activities and events that used to be our gathering points. At the time, however, it was a big deal, fresh as we were in our life commitment to Christ. You see, these reunions, every five years, are no prayer meetings. You know the deal. Classmates gather for these rituals on five-year anniversaries to hand out business cards, compare vehicles, show pictures of the kids, and brag about the good fortunes of life. Each couple pays a weekend attendance fee, which is substantial, and is therefore granted entrance to the reunion headquarters room in a nice hotel, the free bag of commemorative goodies, open bar all the weekend, a big banquet with great food, music, dancing till the wee hours, and a barbecue before the homecoming game. Pretty routine.

As relatively new believers, and as new seminary students, though, our dilemma was sincere enough. Should we commit that kind of money, in our reduced financial condition, with two little babies in our household, to such a frivolous weekend. More than than, should we help fund the drinking and partying of our classmates and their spouses in the headquarters room twenty-four hours each day of the reunion. More to the point, did we want to associate with them any longer. You know them, the unbelievers that used to be our set, the people that used to be on our bus.

So, we prayed, sought advice, searched through the Word of God, talked about it together, and wavered about our Christian responsibility in this situation. Of course, we ended up with the two polarities: stay away from that kind of stuff as a witness to our newly committed faith; or, go to the reunion with these friends, participate in the fellowship with them, and be a witness to them of our newly committed faith. In short, separate from them, or, engage them.

Well, we went to that reunion and had a great time. We didn't participate in all of the activities, didn't have one single drink, though we could have and no one would have been the wiser, and enjoyed being with our good friends. And, we've been to each reunion since. We've accumulated a great collection of ridiculous looking hats, etched glassware, and other mementos celebrating The Citadel Class of 1971. What is more, we're looking forward to 2011, our fortieth. It will no doubt be tamer for most of us, and we'll substitute grand kids pictures for those of our children, and talk retirement rather than jobs. Some of those guys, however, are just like they were forty years ago. It will be party city for many of them. How sad!

Was our decision way back then a good one? It depends on your vision of The Church that Jesus is Building. Truth is, I think it was the only decision. I cannot envision Jesus intending that his followers would not include such a witness in their circle of influence.Here's the kicker. Since that first reunion, I've had the joy of baptizing several of those good friends, have ordained a couple of them to the diaconate, officiated at a number of weddings, and been the first phone call in moments of tragedy. I value their friendship and look forward to our times together. Each day I pray that God will use these relationships and my witness to them to honor His name and provide a witness to those who do not know him, especially those classmates.

You guessed it! Every bone in my body wants Northwood Baptist Church to maintain a vital connection to the world around us. A majority of us don't even know many unbelievers. To me, that violates Jesus' love for the world and deviates from the dream of the one who is building his church. Yes, of course, we need to be careful about the people we let on our bus---the people that we include in our closest circle of friends and confidants. But, to live in a us and them world seems to defy the heart of our Lord and The Church that Jesus is Building.

Did we do the right thing? I would say, "you tell me!" That's not it, though. He already told me. Hurry up 2011. I want to let my light shine again to my old buddies.

Fireproof

Fireproof, the movie, debuted Friday night in theaters around America. Produced by the church group that gave us Facing the Giants, Fireproof is the story of a young firefighter who would enter a burning building to save a total stranger, but at the same time risk nothing for his marriage. Starring Kirk Cameron and a cast of relative unknowns, this is a film with an urgent message, one that believer's should enthusiastically support and recommend to others. The subtitle depicts the powerful image that this excellent production seeks to portray: never leave your partner behind. 

Support for such a venture should be a no-brainer for Christians. Immediately we applaud studios and Hollywood types willing to make such a powerfully themed film. Of course, the truth of the matter blows that kind of thinking out of the water since this production is not a product of Tinseltown. Amazingly, this film was directed and produced by a church in Albany, Georgia---Sherwood Baptist Church. Their two previous productions, Facing the Giants and Flywheel were moderate successes and got pretty good reviews, especially among Christian viewers, no doubt hungry for something with moral fiber and values at the box office.

The quality of the film or the performances are beside the matter, however. What is notable is that they were accomplished by a church, that a local Baptist congregation would have the, uh, uh, uh, you know, the guts, to tackle a redemptive project of this magnitude, and bring it off. The small thinking and shrink-wrapped vision of most Christian congregations would not even dream of an outreach event or project on this scale. Through their vision, perseverance, and resourcefulness, millions of people will be exposed to Kingdom truth right there in the local theater, an evangelism explosion in the marketplaces of America. What vision!

At the same time, they address a very serious issue without the soft-peddle answers that you typically find in the vast entertainment wasteland. Be honest! Marriage is the headliner of the relativist agenda, the front page news story of secular success, the jewel of the liberal media crown. Show biz usually mocks and marginalizes marriage, supports the denigration of nuclear families, and publicizes the often bizarre partnering rituals of the rich and famous. Yes, divorce rates are down, but the number of people taking a nuptial test drive is up. The standard is that there are no standards. Anything goes!To know that a local Baptist congregation is willing to take such risks for the sake of truth not only blesses my heart, it inspires me. Local congregations gripped by a powerful Kingdom vision can actually change this world. What a concept!

OK, enough. Christians, go see this movie. Support and affirm their message by making this a box office success. More than that, check out their web site here www.FireproofTheMovie.com for more information.

And, dream big. You serve a glorious, majestic God!

Eukaryotic Microorganisms Fungi

OK, so I made a mistake and googled "yeast". Basically I just wanted to know how yeast provides leavening in bread, since I will be talking about yeast Sunday morning in the message Fear Factor, third in the series The Church that Jesus is Building. Instantly, TMI. I really didn't need to know that yeast is the common name for saccharomyces cerevisiae, or that it converts fermentable sugars present in the dough into carbon dioxide. Since Jesus warned his disciples, on more than one occasion, of the "yeast of the Pharisees", I just wanted some idea of what makes this stuff work and what is actually behind Christ's warning.

First, I didn't need to travel the information superhighway to break the Biblical yeast code. One thing, however, is so obvious that I almost missed it, the elephant in the room. Duh, the Pharisees wouldn't have used yeast. Based on the exodus tradition the Jews eat unleavened bread, a symbolic reminder of the speed with which God extracted them from Egypt. When Jesus talked about the "yeast of the Pharisees", he would have been using highly offensive language and concepts to startle them into hearing the truth. They would have howled at the moon over such an inference, hissed at him using such a metaphor.

They would have, nonetheless, understood the meaning. The yeast makes the dough rise and expand as pockets of carbon dioxide are created by the mixing of yeast, flour, milk, eggs, and sugar. These pockets make the resulting bread spongy and soft and delicious. The real key for understanding, though, it that some bread recipes call for keeping a sample of the leavened dough, a starter, for the next batch. A little yeast works through the whole batch. It multiples.

It is a good illustration of how religious ideas grow. Take the Jewish cult for example. God gave them laws to govern their lives and their relationship with Him. This Old Covenant was not bad. It was good in that it gave them a standard of Godliness. The problem is, they expanded the laws, multiplied them so that they could appear more righteous. I mean, God said not to touch His Holy mountain and they erected a symbolic one mile fence around it so that they would not touch it. How generous and alert of them. They were, in Jesus' own words, hypocrites! They pretended to be more righteous than God. They maintained lists and lists of rules and regulations, but had hearts that were distant from Him. Their rules just grew and grew, expanded and expanded, multiplied and multiplied, as their hearts grew further and further from Him. Their hypocrisy was like yeast.  

Jesus warned his disciples about this yeast, this hypocrisy that knows no end. He wanted them to be aware of it, to know its dangerous tendencies, to understand its destructive potential. Interestingly, he never warned them about creeping worldliness, the dangers of being around unbelievers, the threat that tax collectors and sinners would be to them. You see, The Church that Jesus is Building is the church that Jesus is building. The gates of hell itself cannot prevail against it.

But beware of that saccharomyces cerebisiae of the religious people. It's some penetrating stuff.

Warning Signs

Warning signs are designed to grab our attention, maybe even to stop us in our tracks. You can imagine my response, being a little phobic about snakes, when I came across this ominous sign on the golf course one day. My errant shot had landed in a wasteland of pampas grass, scrub brush, ground cover,  dense weeds, and what golf course architects call "gorse", alongside a pretty green pond.  As I poked around the mess a sign similar to this one popped up out of the undergrowth. My first reaction was to dump my golf clubs and head for the hills. Then it hit me. The sign wasn't there to frighten me off. The greens keeper had strategically placed it to raise my awareness, to give me a heads up about the creatures lurking under the pond scum or slithering along the ground. For months one of my golfing buddies had been advising me to take a few weeks off and then quit the game. Still, I resisted the temptation to call it quits then and there, eventually found my ball, or one that resembled mine, being round and white, with dimples all over it, and continued the game, somewhat wiser about golf course wildlife.

That's really a pretty basic discovery, but one that church people just can't seem to get. Warnings are usually not there to drive us away. They are there to uh, duh---warn us, you know, prepare us for some obstacle or a unavoidable reality ahead! Imagine canceling a road trip every time you encounter a highway sign---curve ahead, danger:rocks falling, animal crossing, or my all time favorite, slow children playing. No way. Like the rough road paving on the shoulders of most interstate highways, warnings wake us up, muster alertness, yell at us to pay attention. They don't send us home in a panic.

Jesus warned his disciples before he sent them out in his name. Now, there were some real issues in his day, and a long list of people and things that would stand in the way of his Kingdom message, and perhaps cause them harm. You can check it out, though, he warned them most about dealing with religious people. Let's not be too monolithic with this, he certainly did advise them about government officials, greedy tycoons, and all of the other dangerous elements of their multicultural world. Most often, however, he warned them about the religious people, the traditionalists he called "hypocrites", the mask-wearers who talked the talk but hardly walked the walk. It is so interesting to me that he didn't warn them about the sinners and tax collectors. And, he didn't tell them to run away from the religious fanatics. He just warned them! Be alert, be aware, know who they are, and move on.

OK, here's two things. Obviously they didn't need to tiptoe around unbelievers or side step them in any way. Jesus didn't point out the dangers of eating with sinners and tax collectors, of including them at the table, of inviting them to the party. He prayed that his followers would be protected from the evil one and therefore didn't require segregation from the world as a means of protection. He also didn't ask them to exclude the religious people. He wanted to share the words of the Kingdom with them too. But, he did warn them of the dangers, the infectious yeast of the Pharisees.

Here's the deal. The Church that Jesus is Building isn't afraid, but is aware. We see the warning signs that our Lord placed in front of us and understand they were not given so we could sound retreat, but rather so we could move forward with caution.

Drop a bombshell on me! These are precarious times, frightening in some respects. There are some fearsome things and people out there. He warned us about many of them. But, he doesn't send us home. He wants us to go out there where things are not always so neat and clean, where things don't always make common sense, where we have to trust him all the way, and heed the warning signs he so graciously places in front of us.

By the way, I didn't see a  snake that day, except for the three vipers I was playing golf with. I didn't know the sign was talking about them. Dumb me.

Protective Custody

Simon Peter certainly knew the rough edges of life! A fisherman by trade, his hands were no doubt stained by fish guts, marked by rope burns, and yes, perfumed by the pungent smells of his trade. Without a photo we can only imagine him from the Biblical depictions---rough, perhaps crude, quick on the draw, temperamental, impulsive. Yet, when Jesus called he didn't ask a question, pose a response, or seek to frame his commitment by slippery words. He left his nets at once and followed Jesus.

Once again, we can only imagine the transition of such a radical move! From the solitude of Galilee he went with Jesus to the commercial hub, the mean streets, the seat of government, the religious center. Certainly, he became the leader of the ragged, untrained group of disciples, protos, first among them. His was not a fast education either, proving him to be that special kind of person who does not learn instantly from mistakes. On more than one occasion Jesus reprimanded Peter, I mean, really scolded him, for his hardheadedness and rash mouth. Sometimes he was a stumbling block to the Lord, someone who just kept getting in the way. You could say he was a "screw up", often just dull and uncomprehending, failing to catch the drift of this Kingdom stuff.

Better than the others Peter most likely knew the threats of serving Christ in such a troubled culture. He drew a sword on the soldiers who came for Jesus, most likely placing himself on some kind of military watch list, you know, potential terrorists. By the campfire, he was singled-out and accused, taunted by the crowd watching the unfolding drama of Christ's passion. In a moment of profound conviction, he saw the knowing disappointment in Jesus' eyes. Then, with the rest he just disappeared in the night, running to save his own skin. Now, perhaps, he was afraid. This loud and impetuous  blow hard hid.

You know the rest of the story, how he ran to the tomb to make things right, how he jumped into the water to swim ashore, how he experienced those precious moments with Jesus, how he preached fearlessly on the day of Pentecost, how he emerged as the most important personage in the Apostolic age, and then wrote two epistles before his own horrible death. It was a total make-over, this change that propelled him to become the leader of the church.

He had finally learned something, that is, something very significant. After his encounter with the Risen Lord he was no longer hiding, fearful of what people could do to him, afraid of mingling with the worst elements of that multi-cultural, pluralistic society. He was bold. What did he learn?

OK, scholars, we can debate this all day long, but here it is for me. He wrote this learning in his first epistle. He penned, "---who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:5). Ready for this? You can do the word study yourself. The word translated "shielded" (in other versions protected or kept), depicts the idea of being imprisoned. Catch this: it means that God holds his children in protective custody until that day.

So, we don't have to be fearful of this world or the things of this world. We are shielded till then, in the protective custody of God.

The Church that Jesus is Building is not avoiding contact with this lost world, immobilized by fear, hiding out to save our skin, protect our reputation, or maintain the purity of the Gospel. No sir, The Church that Jesus is Building is confident and sure, out there in the middle of it, because we are held in protective custody and therefore, safe.

When my mother was dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS), we would all sit by her bedside and listen to old gospel favorites. One day, toward the end, we heard one of the old groups sing Sheltered in the Arms of God. Mother squeezed my hand. She knew what being held in protective custody means, just as did Simon Peter.

The Church that Jesus is Building knows that too. So, what does it mean? See me Sunday morning to find out!

The Value of Being Prepared

Jesus was not naive! He understood the world and the things in and of it, possessing a knowledge of life that is hidden from mere mortals. He knew people, the nuances that made them tick, the inner workings of the human heart, all of those things filed away in the lobes of the brain, the urges and passions that define individual personality. Having faced temptation up close, he knew the reality and dangers of evil. As fully man, he comprehended the physical, emotional, and spiritual limits that encompass life. Fully God, he knew the curse of fallen humanity and the price of redemption. He could look at a multitude of people and know their condition, their deepest needs. So connected was he to the human race he could anticipate their responses, the tendencies of their nature. Yet, he was not naive.

Believers are, by definition, naive. If the Scriptural depictions are correct, we are like little children, spiritual infants, when we enter this new life of faith. There is supposed to be a child-like quality to our perceptions, a wonder and awe that derive from walking by faith and not by sight. Believers, especially new ones, are so often idealistic, having their expectations shaped by a new perspective, a new life in the Kingdom.

His first followers were somewhat naive to the ways of the world, having lived for the most away from big city life in the fishing villages of Galilee. Human to the core, they were still men and women who answered a revolutionary call to do something unheard of, to change the world without troops or armaments or empirical strategies. Tt would take a measure of naivete to sign on for such a project, and our Lord's first followers seemed to fit the bill.

So, Jesus warned them. He told them what to expect, confronted them with the ugly realities of life in the big city, and the threatening people and circumstances they would meet there. Yes, he told them he was sending them out like sheep among wolves, a particularly gruesome picture, not a very good recruiting poster. He made sure they understood the rigors of being his disciples, denying themselves, taking up their cross daily, and following. Then, he spoke to them about being naive. He added, "Therefore, be as innocent as doves, and as wise as snakes" (my translation). A certain dependent, trusting naivete fits the profile of a disciple. But, he didn't want them to fall for every gag, to follow every pretender, to jump on every bandwagon, or to swing at every pitch. Trusting, yes. Gullible,no.

With Indiana Jones I say, "Snakes, it had to be snakes." Of all the exemplars of wisdom in the Bible I've always been a little miffed that Jesus chose snakes as a model for his disciples. Nevertheless, the comparison is very apt, depicting wiliness, shrewdness, an earthly wisdom, street smarts, you know, being in the world but not of it.

You see, Jesus wanted them to be prepared, not afraid. His warnings about the nastiness of the world and the reality of the human condition were provided to get them ready, to open their eyes, to see the world as it really is, to understand their culture, not frighten them. They didn't run and hide because their world was uninviting or resistant. They went with their eyes wide open. Let's not forget, these guys changed the world.

Sadly, the condition of the twenty-first century world turns many believer's and congregations inward. They are frightened, certainly out-numbered, most often poorly equipped, and just as often, naive about what is really happening here. Gripped by fear, these people cannot engage the culture. They distance themselves from it, fearing that it will contaminate them, their children, or worse, their church. As a result, our evangelism model looks something like this: BEHAVE LIKE US, BELIEVE LIKE US, AND YOU CAN BELONG TO US (borrowed from material developed by Leonard Sweet).

Jesus told his disciples not to be afraid, and equipped them to influence their world. Their model was, once again using Sweet's material, BELONG TO US, BELIEVE LIKE US, AND LEARN TO BEHAVE LIKE US. The difference: they were prepared, not afraid.

Jesus knew the value of preparing them for their assignment in the ugly world. And, he told them over and over again, don't be afraid. That is the value of being prepared.

That is how the world is changed. And, that is The Church that Jesus is Building.

Afraid of Nothing

Early one Sunday morning, in my previous church, I ducked into the rest room backstage right before the early service to check my hair, etc. before worship began. This rest room is actually part of the baptismal changing area and you have to pass all of changing cubicles to enter. As I entered this isolated part of the large church building, I noticed a pair of feet sticking out of from under the door of one of the changing areas.

It frightened me to the point that I quickly slammed the bathroom door and locked it. My heart was pounding like a drum. The hair stood out on the back of my neck and I broke out in a cold sweat. My mind raced a thousand miles an hour as I imagined a serial killer lurking behind that door to hack me to pieces or torture me to death. How could I defend myself? What would I do? The worship service would start in just a few minutes and here I was barricaded in the darkest grottoes of the sanctuary building against quasi-modo, the psycho-pathic church mangler.

Seriously, there were only two possible weapons. In a flash I ruled out the roll of toilet paper. Go ahead and laugh sado-masochist! I can assure you it was't funny at the time. In a sweat I really tried to figure out how I could smother the killer with that cheap industrial toilet paper that churches use, or maybe the card-board roll in the middle. In a matter of seconds, I knew that wouldn't work either, not against the arsenal of guns, knives, and hatchets the killer would be holding.

All I had on me was a Cross fountain pen. Not a ball-point, but a real life fountain pen, gold nib and all. That was it. In no more than a minute I knew this would be my only defense, to throw open the door and charge this maniac with my fountain pen, going out under the Cross, no offense intended. I said a prayer for courage, took another breath, and threw open the door. The feet were still there, under the changing room door. With the bravado of Rambo, and a loud grunt of determination, I yanked open  the door of the changing room cubicle, holding my Cross pen out in front, my sword.

Waves of relief and stupidity washed over me at the same instant, when I realized I was charging my baptismal boots. All of that sweat and fear, my whole life passing before my very eyes, weighing my defense strategies in a matter of moments, my life hanging in the balance, all over a pair of fishing waders. I had honestly been paralyzed and held hostage by fear---fear of nothing.

What a picture, a grown man skulking in a bathroom afraid of a pair of boots. Is there a lesson here somewhere? Yes, of course. The lesson is: we are often afraid of nothing. Now, don't misunderstand. This is a bad world and there are plenty of mean people out there who will knock you in the head for a nickel. Jesus told his disciples the world would hate them and then gave them a gory glimpse of the world he was sending them to influence. He said, "I am sending you out like sheep among wolves." That's a nice image. The world would eat them alive. Yet, he also told them not to be afraid. He would be with them. More than that, He was sending a counselor to guide and empower them. That would be enough. No, He would be enough. They would not fear.

Still, fear grips the church and many believers today! Whether real or imagined these fears frighten us and keep us locked in the back room of the sanctuary, our fortress against all the meanness and badness out there, our refuge against the infectious ways of a deceptive world. It's safe back there in the dark recesses, as long as we keep ourselves in and others out. That's what I see in my mind's eye when I remember hiding in the bathroom that day---a church cringing in fear at the imagined dangers of nothing. A fortress against the tides of relativism and unbelief, a bastion of protection. Yes, you got it---a Citadel. Get over it!

A timid, fearful church is not The Church that Jesus is Building. When Jesus sent His disciples out for the first time, He told them not to be afraid of the world, or anything the world could do to them, even the threat of losing their lives. He reminded them to fear God and wanted them to go out into the world understanding the majesty and sovereignty of the God who called them, empowered them, equipped them to serve Him, and promised to be with them forever. 

Sometimes we forget the majesty and glory of God, the sufficiency of His promise, the cover of His protection. When that happens we can be easily frightened, sometimes frightened by nothing. Hunkered down, wagons circled, timid and fearful, this is not The Church that Jesus is Building. 

Right before he was taken up, Jesus said, "you will receive power" (Acts 1:8). Earthly power? Political influence? Clout? Financial success? Not hardly. Spiritual power. That's it. Now, that is The Church that Jesus is Building! Yes, afraid of nothing!

The Boogie Man

From the earliest years our parents sought to instill courage in us, to give us assurances about bumps in the night and creatures lurking in dark corners. I remember my mother telling me not to be afraid of shadows because shadows are an indication that light is near-by. Most of us can recall learning nursery rhymes and fables to give us that extra amount of confidence in the face of the unknown terrors of childhood. "Who's afraid of the big-bad wolf? Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? " were words that we sang often to remind us that nothing was going to get us in the night, that most of our fears were imaginary, that we could sleep and live in the relative safety of our family and the protection of our home. Mom would read me the Three Little Pigs and emphasize the futility of that big bad wolf huffing and puffing against our little house, giving me courage because our family was solidly constructed and he could not blow us down. They would come into our rooms to wrap us in the security of their sheltering love and presence.

Of course, all of that stuff was for the nursery, verses and ditty's geared for the vivid imaginations of little ones, things we could remember through the dark and fearsome nights of childhood. Today, we live in a real, grown-up world. Some of the fears we face are still the product of our overactive imaginations. Many, however, are the real deal, the fear factor that often leaves us trembling and timid, that even paralyzes us at times. This is a world of monumental terrors, and the often horrible consequences that we could not imagine when we lived in the nursery. These are frightening realities that nursery rhymes won't ease, that memorized tunes and verses won't calm.

This is the world Jesus sends us to! What is more, He told His disciples not to be afraid of that world, or the evil force that is so evident in that world. He told them not to fear anything. Well, not quite. He did offer warnings about the vicious prospect of living in that world---you know, being sheep out there among wolves, and all. Still, and you can search this out through the Gospels, he warned them most often about the dangers of the religious people, the yeast of the Pharisees, the legalism that would pollute Kingdom principles. When Jesus sent His followers out into this world, He told them not to fear what the world could do to them. He advised them to fear God and love Him.

Today, sadly, many believers are afraid of the world and the things of the world. The way to deal with a fearsome reality such as this world and its prince, is to avoid it. As a result, many Christian communities separate themselves to the extent they are totally disconnected from the world Jesus came to save. We hear it all time---you can't let the world get into the church, we must not permit worldly people or ideas to infiltrate and minimize the truth. So, many of us are always in protection mode. We must operate the church on op-con one all the time, fearful of the water getting in the boat and sinking it.

A couple of reminders here. The Church that Jesus is Building is not afraid to engage the culture or encounter the world. Jesus said, "I will build my church...and the gates of hell will not overcome it"  (Matthew 16:18). Now, we are not to become friends with this world, that is, so closely allied with the world that we've lost our identity as the church. Then, according to the Epistle of James, we become enemies of God (James 4:4) . At the same time, the weapons we fight with are not the same arsenal the world uses (2 Corinthians 10:4). We are equipped by spiritual provision that should give us courage in this assignment from God, and not fear.

So, many powerful Scriptures, not nursery rhymes, but Spiritual truth, prepare us to be fearless. I mean, "---if God is for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31). More compelling than that, however, we have the promise of His presence that compels us into this world without fear (Matthew 28:18-20). He is always with us! What a promise.

Yes, the boogie man is real. He's not an imaginary monster that lives in the dark shadows of the bedroom. He kills, steals, and destroys, all bad stuff. He tempts us and tries to steer us in the wrong direction, the master of smoke and mirrors, the ace of deception. But, we're not supposed to be afraid of him.

Somewhere I read, "greater is He that is in me that he that is in the world". Sound familiar? Come on fellow believer, put on the whole armor of God an stand toe to toe with him. And don't be afraid of the boogie man any longer.

Being afraid is nursery stuff. Let's grow up in our faith and deal with the world as The Church that Jesus is Building.

Elusive, evasive, and equivocal

World class communicators, especially politicians, know how to side-step a question. So, today our language is loaded down with elusiveness, evasiveness, and equivocation. Vacillation is an art form, rope-a-dope maneuvering a gift, Double Talk 101 a MBA level seminar and lab. Precision is out, exclamation points are forbidden, the object of dialog now being the question mark. "Say what?" is far too often the final comment in contemporary conversation. Today, if you're looking for answers from the scions of industry or any of the political wonks, you're chasing the wind. These guys are schooled in sleight of hand, disappearing acts that disguise their words and leave you dangling.

These eels usually ooze through on the grease of their slippery words. You can say almost anything in this world---strong, decisive, direct, and firm---and then defang it with words like "but", "or", "still", "yet", "though", and a whole long list of verbal qualifiers. The Biblical admonition toward "yes" and "no" is really old-school. Why pin yourself down? Mid-air is the place to stand these days. As a result, most of us don't know what anyone is saying. I love what George Herbert Walker Bush, the forty-first President of the United States, said to a group of newspaper hacks. He said, "I have opinions of my own, strong opinions, but I don't always agree with them." Now, there's some straight talk if there's ever been any! Say what?

Here it is. Church people have become wordsmiths too, pounding out our mission and expectations on the anvil of meaningless rhetoric. Over the last four or five years most congregations have penned exquisite statements defining who we are---vision, mission, core values, and you know the rest. In most cases, these documents affirm the churches mission to reach unbelievers, to speak the glories of this wonderful news to people who have not heard it, or responded to it. To visualize the church apart from this missional heart is to see something other than what Jesus envisioned. A congregation that exists for any other reason than the announcement of the Kingdom is founded on sand. Watch out!

So, our official documents place us on the frontiers of mission. Yes, we want to share this wonderful message, to influence our culture, to change our times, to throw open our doors to the outcasts and undesirables, to be like the Apostle Paul and become all things to all people in order that some may be saved. Isn't that what our by-laws boldly declare? I mean, we voted on that purpose statement, didn't we?

But! You know there is a "but". There always is! That's what places us among the equivocators and vacillators. We'll do what ever we can to reach these unchurched, unbelieving elements of our society, to welcome the tax collectors and sinners...as long as...except when...provided that...if the...as soon as...when they...and you know all the other provisional talk we use to take the edge off of our commitments, to give us an escape valve, to explain away our resolve. What ever happened to "yes" or "no", you know, being forthright and direct.

My prayer is that Northwood Baptist Church will become a magnet for unbelievers, a family of faith that keeps the welcome mat visibly displayed, people who genuinely understand that sick people need a physician, believers who make room at the table for the people Jesus died to reach. I am praying more than ever before that our hearts are more than some words on a piece of paper, something more meaningful that a well-phrased statement, a reality that spills out of our hearts onto the many people who live without the hope of Christ.

The church that Jesus is building doesn't waver on this! There are no exceptions, no conditional provisos, no qualifiers. It's really very simple. Either we want to be a Kingdom outpost or we don't. On this point we cannot be elusive, evasive, or equivocal.

Any exceptions means that we don't. Then, we are not the church Jesus is building. How tragic!