Ekklesia

Okay it’s been a long time since I’ve written anything on this blog so here is my excuse. My family has been in the middle of a big decision regarding relocating to a very different part of the country (this is not the only excuse, but it is probably the main one). The purpose of this relocation is to help with a small church that is being formed in Wyoming. I will most likely be involved in the formation and leadership of this church, therefore my mind has been on church a lot lately, and it’s been difficult to focus on the theme of this blog. It occurred to me recently, however, that church really has a lot to do with healing and should not be left out of or separated from the aspect of Christianity that deals with people who are hurting and broken. The unfortunate side of this is that not only has church been largely left out, but it has become a place where the hurting takes place. Many seem to have given up on church because they have been devastated by the activities of fellow believers who do not seem to understand some very key principles of church and Christianity.

Let me explain by giving my perspective on what church was designed to be. The local church was and is a God-given gift to His people. It is for the express purpose of glorifying Christ by modeling true brotherhood, friendship, and unity among people – people who have put their faith in Christ, people who have the common goal and vision of making His name famous. It is a place where these believers can come together and put to use their various giftings for the growth and strengthening of the body (Ephesians 4:12). It is a place for corporate worship, Biblical teaching, accountability, encouragement, and edification. Although it must be zealously guarded against impurity, it should also always be a place of safety, protection, and help for those who are struggling. In short it is a place where the gospel is proclaimed, people are led to Christ, and discipleship is administered. This discipleship should include making a place where the most battered, broken, and torn individuals who are seeking Christ can come, be loved unconditionally, counseled, encouraged, and given the time to heal. This part of church seems to have largely been forfeited. We seem to have basically given up on this aspect of ministry because it is too hard, too scary, or maybe we simply don’t know how.

Unfortunately many seem to have given up on the church in whole or at least in part because they have sensed this almost complete avoidance of what should be a vital part of church. They go to a parachurch counseling center and find a beautiful place of hope and encouragement, a place where they are not judged, pressured or criticized, a place where they have a listening ear and kind encouragement. It feels so good they are often willing to give large sums of money to get these benefits, never giving thought to the fact that if they stop giving money they may stop getting the listening ear and kind encouragement.*

Let me just say something about parachurch counseling organizations before I go on. I am not against them. I have been greatly helped by counselors myself and have seen the fruit that has come forth in others. I do have concerns about many counseling practices that are not Biblical and ultimately not helpful to the counselee. Often these places are swallowed hook, line, and sinker by those who are starving for the kind of love and acceptance that is given them, but they then are fed a steady diet of unsound teaching. (To read more about this see my article “Theology & Christian Counseling”)

I believe that parachurch organizations should always exist to strengthen the church by discipling believers to Biblical maturity. If this is not happening then they need to reevaluate their goals and practices. I believe we need more of a connection between counseling ministries and churches. I would like to see churches start Biblical counseling ministries that are directly tied to, supported by, held accountable to, trained, and directed by that local church.

This all comes back to our belief in the power and sufficiency of Scripture – a doctrine that has been largely undermined by late 20th century Christianity. Do we believe that the beautiful message of forgiveness, redemption, & restoration contained in the ancient words of this incredible book is really adequate for man’s greatest needs and dilemmas, or do we feel that this message needs to be buoyed by extra-biblical methodology and practice? Do we believe that the local church is the primary “base camp” from which this message should be proclaimed? Or do we view the church and the Bible as somewhat inferior to modern counseling and therapy?

Most of us would probably never say that the Bible and the church are less important than parachurch ministries, but often we give this impression by the way we respond to these two organizations. All of the vision, the fire, the passion, seems to be in the parachurch organizations. We go there to get refueled when we get tired of church. We come back to church with a renewed, but sometimes skewed vision of what church should be. This vision usually cools when we just can’t seem to get others to share it. We don’t see any hope so we begin the process of giving up. Often this giving up either takes the form of leaving and committing ourselves to a lifetime of parachurch ministry or by just accepting this as the way church is and nothing can be done about it.

Too many American Christians have forgotten that the church is the primary organization by which the Kingdom of God is advanced. God did not give clear biblical instructions for counseling centers, Bible schools, or support groups. He did give us clear instructions about church. This is not to say that these other institutions do not have there place, but their place always needs to be secondary to the organized church and they should always exist for the betterment of the church.

Some would say that this is just not reality. Yes the church should be primary, but we are just not there. If this is the case I would argue that this person has lost their vision for the Biblical church and are guilty of supporting an unhealthy separation between the church and its ministry. For far too many of us church and ministry have become two different functions. To many Christians, ministry is what church leaders, missionaries, and parachurch organizations do, or it is organized activities within the church that we may or may not choose to participate in (i.e. VBS, tract distribution, relief work, etc.). Somehow ministry has been divorced from the everyday life and activity of the body of Christ. We forget that ministry is something we all can and should do regardless of our role or position.

For far too many the church is nothing more than a social club that hopefully upholds our preferences regarding dress and behavior. It is a place where we can get together with people with whom we agree about a lot of things, a place where we can at least feel like we are worshipping God, a place of exclusivity and comfort, a place where those who do not fit our ecumenical mold are held at arms length until they hopefully leave.

I am not arguing for watering down or compromising the clear instructions of what God has given regarding a pure church. What I am arguing for is a renewed vision of what God has really called the church to be. We are in a war and we need a warfare mentality. War can get ugly, hard and uncomfortable, but we are fighting for a cause that transcends the discomfort. We are, or should be, striving to fulfill the call of Christ. We have been entrusted with the beautiful message of the gospel. It is a message of love, hope, redemption, and healing. This love, hope, redemption, and healing was made possible, by the person Jesus Christ through His unfathomable act of selflessness– His death on a cross and subsequent resurrection. He deserves all the glory and praise that we as humans can possibly muster, and the more we take His name to the hurting and the broken the more these battered lives will be redeemed and renewed, and the more the name of Christ will be magnified.

This is the call of the church and should be her mission. May we have our eyes opened to the beauty of the bride of Christ and the importance of her work here on earth. She is not perfect so let us not get distracted or discouraged by a desire for idealism. She is made up of fallible human beings, but she is being purified by her husband. So let us not give up on the church. If we do we will be the ones who are the worse for it.



*not all parachurch counseling centers function this way

Forever: Why You Can't Live Without It [Live Conference on DVD] by Paul ...

Buy the entire DVD from Westminster Books if you are interested. They have a deal where you can get $5 off by watching this clip.

Two Thieves, the Gospel, & the Heart

Have you ever imagined what it would have been like to have been an eyewitness to the miraculous works of our Savior while He was on this earth. What would your response have been to watch the local blind man who had been begging for years, walking around with 20/20 vision? What would you have said when Legion the naked wild man was now “clothed and in his right mind”? Or what would you have done if you were one of the disciples in the boat and watched the storm immediately dissipate when He uttered 3 words? Besides the amazement and wonder that I think I would have felt at witnessing these incredible acts, I think another thought would have entered my mind. I think I would maybe have wondered something like, “Why not more Jesus? There are thousands of sick people all over this country; there are so many that are hungry, hurting, tired, and abused; hundreds have died as the result of storms; there are blind, maimed, and crippled beggars everywhere- why not more miracles Jesus?”

This just demonstrates our tendency as humans to focus on the physical. Jesus’ main purpose for coming to this earth was not to deal with physical problems and infirmities, it was to deal with the problem of men’s hearts.

Way too often we focus solely on the surface. We like formulas, ten step programs, behavior modification, and quick fixes of all sorts. We admire people who are good at looking at the surface, assessing the situation, and giving quick matter-of-fact instructions as to how to take care of the problem. We love the practical and down to earth solutions to life’s dilemmas.

Why then did Jesus not spend more time dealing with the practical? He could have been the most successful physician, clinical psychologist, counselor, or life coach ever known to man. Not only could He have given exact and precise answers to all of life’s dilemmas, He could have miraculously healed every ailment on the spot. He could easily have gained such an incredible following with His amazing acts that the then known world could have been greatly impacted. The question is, why didn’t He? Again, although I do not wish to presume upon the ways of God, I believe at least part of the answer lies in the fact that His purpose for coming was not primarily to change the outward impact of sin, but the inward. The human condition without Him was and is hopelessly bleak. People are full of self-centeredness, pride, anger, lust, etc. In short, our hearts are saturated with an incurable disease-sin. This is a disease that we brought on ourselves and deserve to die from. This sin impacts the human race in a powerfully negative way. The fallen state of mankind is responsible for all of the problems of humankind whether inward or outward. That is why when Jesus saw the masses He had compassion on them. It wasn’t just about seeing and changing their physical needs, it was, I believe, His desire to give them new hearts.

The Gospel focuses on the heart. It is the desire of the Gentle Healer to redeem us from the inside out. When our hearts are transformed our lives will begin to change. This will become evident in some very practical ways, but the change must begin inside.

It is my prayer that our churches would catch a vision for the life-transforming power of the Gospel. There is way too much outwardly focused change being attempted in our churches today. Whether through modern therapeutic methods or legalistic pressures, we are too often guilty of using man’s ways of attempting to change people rather than the ways of God. Quick fixes are in, patiently waiting on God, searching the Scriptures and seeking His answers to our dilemmas are out.

The difference between these two ways of dealing with life is illustrated in the two thieves that were crucified with Jesus. One of them railed on Him, calling Him to save them from execution. The other one, however, realized that his needs were more than physical. He knew that he was a degenerate sinner and he knew that he deserved to die. He also knew that this man, Jesus, did not deserve to die. He was not so concerned about being rescued from the extremely negative physical circumstances he was in, as he was concerned about the condition of his heart. Albeit in probably a limited way, he understood that he needed a Savior, and he called on Jesus to remember him.

This Good Friday as we remember the death and suffering of our Lord, may we be reminded to respond to His incredible sacrifice the way this thief did. May we go deeper than the outward and the physical. May we be honest and courageous enough to look at our human condition and realize that without Christ we are ugly, filthy, rotten, and most importantly - lost. We deserve everything that the thief got and more. May we turn to the only One Who can do anything about this condition we find ourselves in – the “One Who knew no sin” but “became sin” and took our penalty, so we could have our awful condition remedied. May we allow Him to renovate our hearts. We need His healing grace. We need it urgently. We have needed it ever since the fall of man. We need it today, and we need it every day of our lives.

Don't Waste Your Youth

As a pastor, former teacher, and not so far removed young person myself, I have a burden for the youth of our generation. Youth is a time of great passion and vigor. It is a time of enthusiasm, fun, and exhilaration. Young people thrive on excitement. In our time more than maybe any other there is opportunity for young people to experience thrills and adventures of almost anything you can imagine. They ski, snowboard, mountain bike, motorcycle, hunt cougars, travel the world, scuba dive, jump out of airplanes… you name it they do it.

I have to admit I am somewhat of a thrill seeker myself and still at times involve myself in some of these activities, and, to be perfectly honest, would rather see young people do these things than some of the other activities that youth of our day involve themselves in i.e. illicit drugs, sex, movies, parties, and other questionable and outright evil practices that are rampant today.

My burden, however, is that many young people are using these activities as ways to escape the realities of life. It may be pain, bitterness, and rebellion that at times drive them to commit their lives to things that are time-consuming, expensive, and sometimes downright dangerous. I think that sometimes young people feel they need to push the envelope to see just how far they can go in order to somehow experience life to the fullest and create an identity that sets them apart from the status quo. This may be fleshed out by doing things that are life-risking, or by breaking the normal societal rules. The kid who dares to defy the teacher by being bad in class or who gets kicked out of the local MacDonald’s for being obnoxious or who drives at incredible rates of speed is the hero. Young people who push the envelope are admired and followed.

If you are a young person I am not calling you to abstain from all exciting and adrenaline pounding activities in life, but I am challenging you to channel the brunt of that desire for adventure and excitement into something else. Something far more worthwhile than any earthly adventure can ever give. Commit your life to passionately serving the Lord Christ. You want adventure, you got it. Take the Gospel to primitive tribes of heathens in the 10-40 window. Travel to remote parts of the world with relief supplies for people who desperately need them. How about danger? Smuggle Bibles into China or Vietnam, or go to the cities in North America and reach out to the outcasts and the downtrodden. You want to set yourself apart? Stand up for truth and righteousness in the midst of a world that hates righteousness; be a living example to your peers of someone who has a passion to do right. There are many opportunities for you to be used for the Kingdom.

I know you as young people are faced with many issues in our day. Pressure to be attractive and cool, rejection, temptations, strained relations with parents, and/or friends are just a few. My heart goes out to you. I have been there. Many adults see and remember youth as a time of great fun and excitement, but forget that it can also be a time of incredible challenges, confusion, and discouragement. My challenge to you if you are a youth who is in the midst of a struggle – whatever it is – do not allow yourself to be consumed with bitterness, anger, guilt, lust, self-centeredness, hurt, or uncertainty. Turn to God and the Gospel. Let Him purify and sanctify your life. Commit yourself to holiness - not hypocrisy, perfection, or legalism - but a real genuine holiness born out of a desire to magnify Christ because of what He has done for you and because you are in desperate need of His grace every day. Let Him work in your heart, healing and purging the bitterness, rebellion, pride or whatever sin or hurt that is obstructing you.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR YOUTH! If you think that you will wait till you are married and settled down to serve God and live a productive life, then you will waste a time of tremendous potential in your life – a time of financial and societal freedom that allows you to do much more than you can when you have a family. Although I do feel it is important for you to have accountability, be attached to a local church, and have older people speaking into your life, I also think it is a time of tremendous opportunity for you to be proactive in spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom – you are not too young.

Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. I Timothy 4:12 (NIV)

A wonderful resource to challenge young people to not waste their youth is the book Do Hard Things by Alex & Brett Harris. I highly recommend it!