the way to the promised land: faith

So I signed up for the Blogging for Books program about a week ago and my first book for review has arrived. I began reading it last night and it has turned out to be much more than I bargained for. Let me explain.

I didn't give the title much thought as I picked it. It was the authors teaser that caught my interest. Now that I have read the beginning and I see how the title fits with the teaser, God's providence has been displayed for me personally in the most marvelous way.

Here's how: lately I have written about my thoughts and struggles as I left the "Egypt" of the traditional church and entered into the "wilderness" of a time between that and entering into the "promised land" of a more organic assembly of believers. Right now I am in the wilderness. In the book Stephen Furtick inspires audacious faith by using Joshua as our example. You see, after Moses died, Joshua was determined to lead Israel into the promised land and one of the prayers He made to God to accomplish this monumental task was he asked God to make the sun stand still in the sky while he defeated his enemies. God answered his prayer, they entered into the promised land and the rest is history.

Do you see why I am so excited about the potential impact of this book? Acting on audacious faith to enter into the promised land, that is precisely what I needed to hear! What wonderful good news! I am very eager to finish the book and when I do I'll post my review. Same bat time, same bat channel.

who's preaching?

What comes to mind when you hear this question? If you are like most, immediately your mind sees a man on a stage behind a pulpit sermonizing to a listening audience. Why? Where do we get this practice from?

To the astonishment of many, this practice (along with nearly every other practice in organized church services) has unbiblical and pagan roots. Yet, many well meaning pastors and teachers participate in this performance week after week. For most preaching a sermon on Sunday is a necessary event. In fact, the sermon is the central portion of protestant worship services. This is due to the understanding that the gospel (good news) must be preached because news only comes through words. This is true, but if weekly prepared sermons were Gods intended vehicle for the proclamation of Jesus Christ, why is it absent from the New Testament record of early church gatherings?

I believe that preaching (speaking, telling) the good news of who Jesus is and what He has done is a necessary response to the life changing power of the gospel for every believing follower of Christ. Every believer should tell the good news to everyone they come into contact with, believer and unbeliever alike.
The gospel changes lives and only by preaching the gospel (good newsing) will lives be changed. I long to see church gatherings where the gospel is preached not by one paid professional, but by everyone who has experienced the transforming power of Christ for themselves.

Lets good news one another instead of having one who good newses all the others.

desperate persistence

Mr. Grumble has left the building.

Everyday I find myself tempted to grumble to God for calling me out of Egypt and into the wilderness. If you have been reading my blog you probably know by now that I use Egypt as a symbol of organized religion.

Having faith that God will bring me through to complete my journey is my only refuge and hope.  I miss having regular fellowship with my brothers and sisters that are still in the institutional church.  I love and miss them all very much. Knowing that the only real fellowship we can have is in Christ; that is my most comforting thought.  All is not lost, relationships built are not wasted.  I haven't left the people in my heart and spirit but I could no longer remain present with them in the services and programs.

Jesus may be known in the institution and in the wilderness but he is experienced in his fullness in the promised land. We are still united in Christ (at least in thought) but I want it to be more real.  No polite cordiality, no programs to hide behind, no paid professionals expected to do all the work, no systems to maintain and be devoted to to.  Just Christ in us, that is what I want to be a part of.  Christ is all and in all.  He is the beginning and the end.  The firstborn from the dead.  He learned obedience through what he suffered.  Oh! how I want to know him more!  To know more fully what it means to be IN him and have him IN me and to be a part of a gathering that is devoted to putting all our energies into building one another up IN Christ.

I want him in his fullness, I'm done with good enough.  God help me not to grumble or to turn back.

Blogging for Books

I read a lot and I always think about writing a review of the books I read but I never do it.  I don't know why, I guess I'm a slacker.  Alan has pointed me to a program called Blogging for Books where I can get free books if I write a review on my blog about them.  This is cool.  I get books for free and I also get pushed toward doing reviews of what I read.  It will be good practice and hopefully will become a habit of mine to share my thoughts on all the books I read.
The first book I chose is Sun Stand Still by Steven Furtick.  He wrote his own teaser for the book and it sounded edgy, like something my wifey would say.  We all know how much I love her and if you have ever read her blog you will see why this reminds me of her writing.

"This book is not a Snuggie. The words on these pages will not go down like Ambien. I’m not writing to calm or coddle you. With God’s help, I intend to incite a riot in your mind. Trip your breakers and turn out the lights in your favorite hiding places of insecurity and fear. Then flip the switch back on so that God’s truth can illuminate the divine destiny that may have been lying dormant inside you for years. 

   In short, I’m out to activate your audacious faith. To inspire you to ask God for the impossible. And in the process, to reconnect you with your God-sized purpose and potential."

    —STEVEN FURTICK, from Sun Stand Still

I am very much looking forward to reading this book and doing my first "official" review.  Thanks to Alan for the referral and to Multnomah Publishers for this awesome program and opportunity.

Grace + Christ = The Result

Result is a local gospel rap artist.  His music appeals to me because our testimonies are somewhat similar.  So to hear him rap resonates with me on many different levels; who I was, who I am, and who I hope to become.  One of my favorite songs of his is titled "Show Me".  In the song he expresses our need to see God for who he is and then He reveals who God is by pointing to Christ in every book of the Old Testament.The lyrics are written below. I recommend that you stream the tune while you read the lyrics. Enjoy!  (By the way by clicking on the song title above you will be taken to a Myspace page where you can stream the song.  By clicking on Result you can read his page to find out more about him, read his testimony, or buy his music)

{first hook}
Show me show me your grace
Show me show me your love
Show me show me your face
cuz you're the only one that knows me

Show me show me my filth
Show me show me my self
Show me show me my guilt
cuz you're the only one that knows me

Show me show me you care
Show me show me your mercy
Show me show me you're there
cuz you're the only one that knows me

Show me show me I'm dark
Show me show me my sin
Show me show me my heart
cuz you're the only one that knows me

{verse one}
Show me show me your grace
grace you provide me to build
build me a spiritual place
place me inside of your will
will you abandon me now?
now when I need you the most
most of my prayers hit ground
ground me to seek you in hope
hope you can use me to serve
serve me a plate of your bread
bred in my nature to swerve
swerve in the lane of the dead
dead in the sin that we fear
fear when you show me your weight
wait your servant is here
here and you show me your face
face me time on the watch
watch me and lead me to truth
truth in my innermost thoughts
thoughts of me being with you
you are infallibly wise
why is it so hard to know?
No! I know I can't hide
hiding my hardness I go
go before me and talk
talk is cheap and I'm broke
broke apart when you call
call me to speak and I choke
choke my sin with your hands
hand me Jesus' clothes
clothed to roam in this land
land your seed in my soul.

{repeat first hook}

(spoken) look I know we all feel that way sometimes. Just crying out to God begging for Him to show you. God show me who you are, show me what you want from me. You are just crying out to God praying for him to show you, show you who he is. I used to be that way myself man. But you know what?  He did show me.  I asked him and he did show me.  In Hebrews 1:1 it says that in many times and in many ways God has spoke to our forefathers in the prophets but in these last days he has spoken to us through his son, Jesus Christ...who is the Word.  So hopefully, as he has shown me, I can show you who he is.

{second hook}
I can see him in hope
I can see him in faith
I can see him in grace
the word of God is where he showed me


I can see him in mercy
I can see him in love
when I'm seeking his face
the word of God is where he showed me


{second verse}
Lord show me the images of you in Genesis
you are the seed that crushed the head of the nemesis
in Exodus with Moses, you are the staff in his hand
the blood on the doorpost, yeah the passover lamb.
high priest in Leviticus, the Nazarite in Numbers.
In Deuteronomy the righteous law I was under. 

IN Joshua you're the trumpets sound of judgement

and you are the angel of the Lord found in Judges

In Ruth you are Boaz, sent to redeem

In Samuel David prefigured you as the king

In Kings you are the prophet:  Elijah and Elisha

the temple builder in Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah.

Deliverance in Ester, suffering and glory of Job

The sympathy in Psalms and the wisdom that Proverbs showed.

The true satisfaction Ecclesiastes implied

The perfect love in the Song of Solomon, we the bride.

Restoration in Isaiah the warning in Jeremiah

Lamentations sorrow your people reject you as Messiah

Ezekiel exposes your future empire

In Daniel you are the fourth man in the fire.
The husband in Hosea
The  judgement of Joel, Amos, and Obidiah for the one who disobey you, Oh
and you're the gentile salvation in Jonah
the shepherd in Micah.  The fire in Nahum,
you're shown to be the righteous one in Habakkuk
The wrath of Zephaniah
Haggai's promise, the path of Zechariah, yeah
In Malachi you're the refining fire
All things point to you when I inquire.
You showed us who you are before you even came 
and let the world hear the sound of your coming before they seen the train.
You planted me in soil of truth to grow in.
You showed me, hopefully I just showed them.


{repeat second hook}

still wandering...

I have previously written about what God has been doing in our lives as we have gone out of organised religion and been moving toward an organic assembly of believers. Today I would like to share what we are continuing to go through as we wander in this wilderness.

In months past we were meeting with a few families in a home about twenty minutes from our own. It was a time of learning and refreshment as we gathered with them and saw first hand that our unity and fellowship is in Jesus Christ and not in confessions, creeds, denominations or our favorite preacher. Our meetings consisted of times of mutual edification and also a meal. All activities were centered on knowing, adoring, and becoming like Christ.  It has been great to see Christ work through the various members of his body without constraint and still with decent order.

In recent weeks my wifey and I have become burdened over the families in our own community that profess faith in Christ yet have nowhere in which they are comfortable to gather with other believers. We know that God is calling and using us to bring our neighbors to a fuller knowledge and a closer walk with himself. What we don't know is if it is his desire for us to continue trying to gather in our own home or if we should gather with other established assemblies across town.

We hope that you would join us in prayer for discernment and patience as we seek the Lords will in our decisions. It is tough walking in what seems to be a wilderness but it is building our faith in ways we never before considered. I thank God for the road we are on and I look forward to being a part of bringing about his eternal purpose and the advance of his kingdom through obedience to the gospel.  Still yet it is hard for me to fight against my own frustrations and impatience when I see in scripture how beautiful the church is as she gathers with Christ as her only head.  Oh, how I long to reach the promised land, but I want it now and God obviously wants to test my faith first.

freaking out on the Jesus freaks

With all the talk in the blogosphere lately about popular culture and its usefulness in formal worship services I thought I would throw my hat in the ring.

Let me begin by saying that I don't see where what are often referred to as worship services have any foundation from the New Testament. In light of this I don't see how different types of music that are popular today can add to or detract from an already unbiblical practice. I mean, really let's be consistent brothers. If you are gonna be against gospel rap, Jesus freak rock music or christian contemporary music on biblical grounds then lets look at everything in the worship service through that lens.

Personally I enjoy listening to gospel rap in my car. I love how poetic the lyrics are and how faithful these brothers are to sound doctrine and their biblical convictions. In fact, in the near future I plan to jot down some of those verses and create some pages so you see the depth and skill that these artists demonstrate in their music.

What do you think about the rise of christian artists using genre's from popular culture as a style suitable to preach the gospel?

free the pastors! pastor for free!

Building on my last post, here is a post from Alan Knox at the assembling of the church describing how being a pastor in a participatory gathering of the church contrasts with being a pastor in an institutionalized traditional church.  First He shares many of the things he has read and heard lately describing what he sees pastors worrying about.  Then he shares his own experience and how he is free from these kinds of worries to do what pastors are called to do.

Alan writes:

Because of many of the above, I don’t worry about how many people meet with us each Sunday. I don’t have to worry about filling the pews (or chairs). I don’t have to worry about recruiting people to fill ministry program slots. I don’t have to worry about how much money people give.
Instead, I can focus all of my time and energy on people… caring for people… serving people… discipling people… teaching people… sharing my life with people.

Click over and read the whole post, it paints a clear picture of how our structures and traditions of having paid professional pastors actually distract us from what we are called to be in Christ.

concerning budgets and buildings

Recently a friend of mine told me of a budget meeting that they held at her church. Lately the church has had scores of members leave and its numbers continue to dwindle fast. These facts provide a framework for a very uncomfortable meeting as the money coming into the church is in short supply.

I don't grieve over dwindling numbers in dying churches. In fact the meeting gave a perfect opportunity for the members of this church to show where their treasure is. I wish I could say it was good news but it wasn't. What I learned is that many of the people who had in the past greeted me with a smile and welcomed me (and especially my babies) into their fold (and more importantly their nursery) behaved in a very un-Christlike manner when faced with decisions about what to do in the economic crisis facing the church.

I want people to realize the trappings that come from having a "church" that belongs to them. Forming some THING that is named and claimed eventually leads us to think we have can control and authority over it. It just goes to show how counter productive it is to have a piece of real estate and a set of facilities can be to the life of the body of Christ. There are endless distractions associated with buildings such as maintenance, bills, and staff. So much money and so much effort put into preserving this THING leaving no money and no time left over to serve one another.

Serving, exhorting, admonishing, teaching, loving, etc. one another is what the church should be in the business of doing. Instead, what we do is build structures and systems and programs to help us do that and ignore the fact that the things we build take us away from what we should be doing. It is time to ask what we love. Do we love Christ and one another or do we love our building and its system of programs?

this means war

The more I look at the big picture given by scripture, the more I see that the ultimate intention of God in creation is an issue of government.  The question from the beginning was who is going to rule the creation?  Will man trust God, enjoy the paradise he has placed him in and govern according to the nature of his creator?  Will he take of the tree of life for his nourishment and have faith that God will give him all he needs to live out his purpose or will he take the knowledge of good and evil and thereby do things according to his own devices?  This is what was going on in the beginning and we are still fighting this same battle today. 

Satan's lie that we would be like God if we know good and evil brings us into the realm where we trust our own wisdom to live our lives rather than trusting in God to supply everything for us.  This issue of government, of who is going to rule, of who we will trust is what the purpose of all creation rests upon.  The cross was not ultimately about salvation, evangelism or sanctification.  These are part of the gospel but they are not the gospel.  These things are a part of what God is ultimately after and that is a kingdom.  The gospel is the kingdom of God having come through the man Jesus Christ and by faith in him all the trappings of the fall, the old man of sin is put to death and we can walk in the newness of life according to the spirit that now dwells within.  We come into this new corporate man, Christ Jesus, and we make up his body as he is our head.

We have now come into the new city, the kingdom of God and we are here to wage war against the powers of darkness.  All  authority has been given unto me THEREFORE GO...  In order to go and have impact we need to have the mind of Christ.  A mind that recognized that all authority has been given for a purpose.  We have been saved for something, we are being perfected for something and that something is to rule and reign with Christ.  To battle against evil.  Both the evil of our former selves (which is a lifelong battle made up of little deaths) and also the evil in the lives of others.  Notice I did not say that we are to battle against others.  What we battle against are spiritual forces in high places.  It is a fight between the kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God.  Christ is the Lord and He is victorious!  The creation was made by him, through him and to him and he is coming to claim it once and for all.  But let us not forget that he is here now, he is living within each and every believer and his kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.  We are part of a spiritual kingdom and are sent with a purpose of proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of Christ.

I really don't know where I am going with all this.  The only thing I know for sure is that I have been way too focused on the physical, material world and not at all concerned with the things that I have been called to do.  I have not been focused on the war.  I have not been in the battle.  I am like dead weight in the kingdom, a lazy soldier who hides while my brothers and sisters fight the good fight.  At least, I hope someone is fighting...I just want to encourage you and be encouraged to do what matters.  To serve, encourage and admonish one another.   Don't forget, this is war.