Anthem Church: San Rafael, CA

As Brothers And Sisters: A Guide On Speaking To Young Adults

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:50:00 -0800

Special thanks to the Anthem College Group for help with this post!

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On Saturday, we will be blessed by the presence of over 70 college students at Anthem, a group the Lord has granted us the great opportunity to serve and love as members of our community. Although incredibly exciting, the idea of having this many young adults together in one place may seem daunting to some. As college students ourselves, we are aware that we can be an intimidating bunch, and with this fear and uncertainty in mind, we thought we might offer some words of encouragement as we seek to express Christ’s love through the hospitality of his church.

In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, the apostle Paul wrote the following to his disciple and spiritual son, Timothy, who was a pastor at the church in Ephesus:

“Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

Paul is emphasizing the fact that young men and women are not children anymore, and in treating them as an equal in age and status, you will encourage them in your presence and conversation. Instead of treating them like sons and daughters, think of them as brothers and sisters; a thirty-year-old married couple would most certainly treat their ten-year-old child much differently than they would treat other thirty-year-old adults.

To give you an idea of what this might look like practically, here are a few things to think about in conversation that we hope will be helpful.

1. Don’t be afraid of us.

In truth, we are likely more intimidated by you than you are by us. What are we doing here in a church? Who are these people? Are they judging me? We encourage you to be bold in loving these students. Be proactive. Ask questions. Show you care about us as people, and not as a means to fill some moral obligation to God. Don’t worry about saying something stupid; it is better to be assertive and not know what to say than to not engage us at all. If nothing else, any blunders will show us you are real and genuine and will ease our nerves.

2. Trust the Holy Spirit.

Pray before coming in the morning that the Holy Spirit would fill you with words of love and grace. Be obedient to the Spirit’s promptings: if a door opens that leads to a conversation about Christ, then please follow as far as it goes, but don’t force the issue. Don’t talk about God just because you think you have to. We will likely be more blessed by your genuine love and interest than your religious talk. Don’t talk to us in a language we don’t understand. Words like justification and atonement may sound big and impressive, but it is likely that we don’t fully understand what they mean in our lives. Explain, explain, explain, but more importantly, love, love, love.

3. Just be who you are.

You will be of most service to these students and to the Lord by being the person God has created you to be. Don’t put up a front; you were twenty once, so please be reminded that young adults can see right through a façade. Let the conversation flow freely! Get to know us as people, not just as students. Our college experience at Dominican will inevitably be a part of our conversation, but there is much more to us than sports and school. Ask questions that will keep a conversation going.

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As college students at Anthem, we have been most blessed by all of you through the way you currently love us. Don’t be different to these new students, as they are not much different than us. Showing them that Christians can be normal people would be a great gift to our community.

We are excited to see what the Lord will do through this incredible opportunity. May he fill you with courage, compassion, and joy in order to demonstrate Christ in your words and deeds, and may they be drawn to the freedom, life, and love that he so graciously offers.

Why So Serious?

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:35:00 -0800

In a recent sermon series, I talked a lot about sectarianism versus syncretism. The two are best contrasted in the persons of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Pharisees had a low regard for culture, thus seperated as sectarians who today would dismiss the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) to go into all the world. In contrast, and hated even more in their day, were the Sadducees who had a low regard for holiness. Thus, they became indistinguishable from the culture as syncretists who today would dismiss the Great Commandment (Matthew 22:37) to love God before all else. The implication for both was irrelevance and unfaithfulness.

Today, these are still very real traps that Christians can fall into when we either let go of culture (sectarianism) or let go of the Gospel (syncretism). Instead, we are to both contend for the Gospel truths (Jude 3) and contextualize for the Gospel mission (1 Cor. 9:19-23). This is a much harder line to walk, which is why Jesus sends a Helper (John 15:26) who empowers us (Romans 15:19) and promises to be with us always (Matthew 28:20).

In concluding our Missio Dei sermon series, our emphasis was on the dangers and pitfalls of syncretism. Syncretism occurs when we take ourselves too seriously and God too lightly. One of the places we see this reality play out is in our corporate gatherings. For example, when we feel a pastor pushes too hard on our sin and idols calling for self-evaluation of our sick hearts (Jeremiah 17:9) . . . this is when we tend to bristle the most. Yet, when he takes an obvious sexual innuendo and titles his sermon series on the book of Mark "That's what He said," we find it funny and creative. This is indicative of reversing what Paul pointed out so clearly in Romans:

"Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." (Romans 1:22-23)

On Sundays, I attempt to regularly use humor to poke fun of others and myself, but always try to take God very seriously. For some, they may have a hard time when I do this because it highlights the role reversal in which they take themselves much too serious, but fail to extend the same to the God that created them. Syncretism occurs when we take ourselves and others more seriously than Jesus. What tends to happen is we then compromise what Scripture forbids, aggrandize what Scripture allows, doing so in the name of love and respect.

But what about loving God? What about respecting Jesus? Yes, Jesus said "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations," but the rest of Matthew 28 is often ignored or left out. We fail to highlight the means by which we are to this:

". . . teaching them to oberserve all that I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:20)

Further, that same command begins by pointing out our limitations:

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." (Matthew 28:18)

This is a stark reminder of exactly who our Senior Pastor is (1 Peter 5:4) and who decides the means of our mission to the culture. When we place all the emphasis on "go . . . make disciples" with very little emphasis on ". . . observe all that I have commanded," we become very ineffective missionaries with very ineffective churches. The same is true of sectarians who fail similarly, vice versa. We will talk more about that in my next posting.

How To Make 2012 Substantial

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 10:15:00 -0800

Well, it's about that time of the year. You know...the one where we resolve to be a better person, lose a little weight and live a little more. New beginnings and do-overs are hard-wired deep into the human DNA. However, we all know that a New Year's resolution is nothing more than temporary therapy, at best. It's how we console ourselves having fallen short the year before. So are we destined to repeat this cycle year after year? And why does it matter so much to us? It matters because the Father wrote it on our hearts:

Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. -Colossians 2:16-17

What Paul is saying is that during this festival we call New Year, we experience a mere shadow of reality. These shadows will never fully satisfy our soul because they lack the substance to do so. The ol' adage "chasing your shadow" should make more sense now. Paul is telling us that what we are actually looking for, is substance. And that, belongs to Jesus:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. -2 Corinthians 5:17

Let me explain what's happening. On New Year's Eve we countdown until the ball drops in Times Square. When the clock strikes midnight, we celebrate the old has gone and the new has come. And with it, we hope it holds promise for new life:

New body
New relationship
New lifestyle
New job
New decisions

Not that any of these things are intrinsically wrong, believe me, I could join a gym or two. However, we must discern what is at that center of our motivation. If it is worship, then each of these things can glorify the God who gives them. But often, we are trying to find peace, joy and justifcation in created things, rather than the creator God (Romans 1:25). And so to make this effectual, we set goals and make resolutions to the god of self-improvement. We fail to see that this ritual is a shadow and it will do what shadows do...fade. We will never get to the end of a year content with who we are and what we've done.

Only the substance, which is Christ, can bear the weight of what God has written on our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). Until we acknowledge what Christ has done, and what we are hopelessley incapable of doing (Romans 7:15), we will continue to chase shadows that fall short of the substance we desperately need.

When Sports Becomes God

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

“… and then we have a tournament Thanksgiving weekend. We expect everyone to be there.”

I turned to my wife. “Did he really just say ‘Thanksgiving Weekend’?”

My daughter Ashley played ‘select soccer’ for a few years. We had heard the commitment was a little crazy at times… but had no idea the extent. Every girl on the team had accepted soccer as Lord and Savior at 5 years old… except Ashley. So when it came to the first few tournaments where we were expected to miss a Sunday, we were met with a little resistance when we said, “We’ll bring Ashley after church.”

I’m glad that Ashley loves her church and was a huge advocate of not missing (she loves her youth group and doesn’t want to ever miss), because she received a little flak from her teammates at times. Once she showed up late on a Sunday, having come straight from church, and one of the girls jested, “How was churrrrrrrch?” (as sarcastic as one could possibly say it).

Ashley quickly retorted. “It was great. How was… (she made a sarcastic “yippee” gesture) …warming up for the game?

I tried to not laugh audibly.

The commitment only grew as the team won more games and became more successful. The following year the coach added tournaments, numerous Sundays, including a few holiday weekends. This forced us to stop and think. My extended family has come together on Thanksgiving weekend for the last 20 years. Was this weekend history now? Not to mention our church’s Labor Day weekend campout, a time our kids always loved hanging out with other Christian kids from the church. (and isn’t that what we want our kids doing?) Labor Day weekend was on the cutting blocks as well with the new soccer schedule.

Our family had to come to a decision. Was this really the direction Ashley was heading? Does she really have a shot at becoming Christiano freaking Ronaldo, and even if she does, at what expense?

This year both of my girls are in sports. Ashley runs cross country (does that give you a clue what we did with soccer?), and Alyssa plays water polo. This week alone Alyssa has two games and a water polo tournament this weekend. Both the girls’ sports have had games and practices that interfere with church regularly.

Forget church for a moment and let’s just talk about our kids overall well-being. Pretty much every report we read says that teenagers need about 9 hours and 15 minutes of sleep per night. And most of you have heard me share research about the importance of eating 3 to 5 family dinners together per week—hard to do when water polo practice brings you home at 7:20 and games bring you home after that.

What are we to tell our kids? I know we need to teach them to keep their commitments. Perhaps we need to read the fine print before agreeing in the first place.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying sports are from the devil and you need to “choose this day who you will follow,” as if there is only one or the other. But maybe parents need to think ahead when it comes to signing up for sports and decide exactly how committed to a team or activity they are really ready to be.

Here are three lessons I learned that have helped me navigate sports and activities as a parent. These have helped me; you might find some benefit from these as well:

Keeping Sports in Balance:

1. Lay out clear boundaries… and then keep your commitment.

What happened to the good ol’ days when soccer practice was just 60 to 90 minutes, right after school?

Alyssa’s water polo is anywhere from 2 to 5 hours on any given day. Last year (this is her second year), I remember her coming home at 8 at night, showering, grabbing a quick dinner, then starting her homework. On these nights, not only were we all robbed of our family dinner with Alyssa, but she often was doing homework until 11, and then getting less than 7 hours of sleep (over 2 hours short of what’s recommended).

Is this all okay in the name of sports?

Tonight, as I type this, Alyssa had decided on her own that she was going to leave practice early for church. Her coach told her, “No,” flat out. I sense a confrontation coming between the two of them… and frankly, I’m struggling with exactly what to advise Alyssa.

Here’s what I do know. As believers and followers of Christ, we need to keep our commitments. If we commit to a team, we need to truly commit to a team. This means finding out exactly what the commitment entails before making the commitment.

We did this Ashley’s last year of select soccer. We met with the coach beforehand and asked, “How many Sundays do the girls play?” “How many holiday weekends?” “When are practices—and will they interfere with youth group on Wednesday night?”

The coach laid out exactly what the commitment would entail and we agreed.

Interestingly enough, the coach tried to spring a few more tournaments on us during the year, one on a holiday weekend where we were going to be gone visiting family. We simply told the coach, “Sorry, we’re not available that weekend.”

Decide how far is too far, make your commitment, and keep your commitment. (Which is basically what I need to advise, with grace, to Alyssa.)

2. It’s okay to say “Enough.”

Parents might consider asking themselves, “In 10 years, what’s really more important: that Michael was a really good baseball player, or that he grew closer to his family, his church and Jesus during his teenage years?”

If Michael can balance all of that… then more power to him.

If Michael can’t… then… well? Do I need to spell it out?

That’s too convicting. Let’s move on.

3. As you are running, swimming, tackling and scoring… make disciples.

Our kids have an opportunity to let the hope of Christ shine through their lives.

Today Ashley had a cross-country meet. She and the other freshman girls had a little huddle before their race where they pumped each other up. Then I heard Ashley ask, “Do you guys mind if I pray for our race?”

One of the other girls said, “Yeah, cool! We need it!” Another girl said, “Okay…what do we do?”

It was a really fun moment to be a fly on the wall.

Ashley said, “I’ll just pray.” Then she prayed for their race. I was so proud of her. (I clicked a little pic.)

I’m not saying that praying is always the magical thing to do. It really depends on the moment. Sometimes representing Christ is much more about having a good attitude and being an encourager. It’s a shame when the kid who misses practice for church is the same kid who is also gossiping, making fun of others and telling raunchy jokes. That’s what the media always portrays. Our kids have an opportunity to show what the love of Christ really looks like.

Times have really changed in the last few decades, especially in the United States. Sunday morning used to be reserved for church, now it’s for either sports or sleeping off Saturday night. America used to sing “How Great Thou Art,” now they sing, “How Great Thou Throws that Football!” (We really could make a whole modern sports worship CD, couldn’t we? I Could Sing of Your Dunk Forever, Shout to the Ref, Here I am to Handoff, Better is One Game…)

We need more Christian role models. We need more Tim Tebows.

When our kids participate in sports they have an awesome chance to represent Christ. As parents, let’s bring our kids up making Christ first… and sports somewhere down the list.

In 1981, the world flocked to movie theatres to see the true story of Eric Liddell, an amazing runner who refused to run on Sundays (he did a “Chick Fil-A”). Chariots of Fire won Best Picture that year. I leave you with Eric Liddell’s words:

“You came to see a race today. To see someone win. It happened to be me. But I want you to do more than just watch a race. I want you to take part in it. I want to compare faith to running in a race. It’s hard. It requires concentration of will, energy of soul. You experience elation when the winner breaks the tape – especially if you’ve got a bet on it. But how long does that last? You go home. Maybe you’re dinner’s burnt. Maybe you haven’t got a job. So who am I to say, “Believe, have faith,” in the face of life’s realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way… If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.”

(Original posting at Johnathan's Blog)

India Reflections & Video

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Introductory note: This is a reflection of my recent trip to India with ten other members of my home church, Epic Faith, in San Rafael, CA. As many people have been asking me how my trip was, I thought the best way to share with many people would be for me to sit down and actually write out my thoughts for others to read. We spent ten days traveling, about two in New Delhi and the rest in Andhra Pradesh, in a small village called Puritigadda. During our time we helped in medical clinics that we aided in funding, visited children in schools, and helped with some basic construction of a church in this village, which we helped to fund as well. We were blessed to visit some of the churches in the region as well; the two pastors on our trip got to teach through a translator, our good friend Raj Nadella, who is a native of Puritigadda. As a group we were able to serve the churches through prayer and other means.

I feel led to start this reflection with a bit of honest confession. I have seen many friends and acquaintances leave on trips, either to serve Christ or for other reasons, and come back home beaming, gushing over how incredible their time was.

Let me be straight: I believe them. I really do. What bothers me most, however, is how easily I get bored of their stories. I rejoice in their joy and what God is doing in the region they just left, but in general I just don’t want to hear about what happened. There are a few exceptions, but generally I don’t have the patience to hear about the trip. I generally find the comments of these travelers clichéd and oversimplified. This is not something I’m proud of, and as I’ve been home from India for about a month, I’ve found myself convicted in two main ways.

First of all, it is so easy to forget completely the ways you were impacted by what you saw and experienced. I went from being incredibly moved by the poverty and disease I saw to being home, worrying over and striving for the most trivial of things; I was sucked instantly back into feeding my ever-hungry flesh. Second, as people asked me how my trip was, I began to understand why words like “amazing” “incredible” “unbelievable” are all we tend to hear when we ask how such a trip went. These word shot out of my mouth with such ease. Sadly, we use these same adjectives to describe things like sports plays and movies, and when they are used to describe some of the deepest realities I have ever witnessed, it is no wonder that my words sound sickeningly trite to me as they leave my lips.

And yet, we resort to them, because in passing or at a social event, it is really all we have time for. The only way to best share how this trip went would be for me to sit someone down for an hour or two and take them through the whole ten days, to share how the things I saw and the people I met changed my thinking over the week and half we were there, to share the ways the Holy Spirit wrenched at my heart and convicted me in ways I didn’t even think possible. A few short days after returning, I was overwhelmed as I reflected on my past and the ways in which, while asking others to share their stories, I had forced them to use only a few syllables to describe what might have been one of the most convicting and eye-opening experiences of their life. They don’t use simple words and phrases because the trip didn’t impact them. They choose these means of communication because I changed the subject after a few sentences, or they sensed in some other way, through body language or inference, that I didn’t want more than a manageable sound bite, as I wouldn’t have the patience to hear anything more. And so, all I get is what I hint that I can handle: “Oh, it was unbelieveable. How was your summer?” Conviction. Painful, yet sweet. I write this not to judge others if this is their tendency is well, but as a simple confession of a personal conviction.

As I sit to write a readable reflection of what this trip has meant and what I took from it, I’ve found that my experience, in its most concise manner, comes down to three main lessons. I have been constantly coming back to these for the past month, and I hope and pray that as you read them, they may be edifying to you as well.

1. We think far too highly of ourselves.

The last thing I want to do here is go on an anti-America rampage, writing repetitive paragraphs about our consumerism, blah-blah, etc. Part of that is absolutely true, but it is not the point. The point, instead, is this: we are very narcissistic. I find it amazing that, in an age where I have constant, easy access to information on anything happening in the world today, my mind drifts so much to myself and to the details of my life. We traveled halfway across the world, into a land that looks and even feels completely different than ours, full of people. I was blown away by the obvious but very real fact that, while I’m busying myself with whatever my day holds, they are doing the exact same elsewhere. It is one thing to have the knowledge that a place exists and that there are real people there, but to see these people in their everyday life provides flesh, bone, and spirit to these mental images of individuals. These are real people. Not people in a book or on TV. I’m standing next to them. They are real. Again, I knew this, but now I know it.

With this framework, the suffering we saw became very real. At one point we were walking through a crowded marketplace, absolutely full of people selling, buying, and loitering. In the middle of the street was a young boy, lying completely still. One of his feet was gone, and there was a bandage over the stump where his foot should have been; at his head was a small pile of money, the only acknowledgement by anyone that he was even there. People bustled by him, carts drove around him, but nobody stopped to help. For all I know, he could have been dead. He was one of many like him that I saw, unknown to the world as he laid suffering.

As I saw these people, I was deeply convicted by the fact that Jesus Christ died for that boy. He died for the people who ignored that boy. He died for the men next to him on the street trying to sell children’s toys to other adults. He died for the mother and her child sleeping on the side of the road, only a few feet from motor vehicles going around 40mph, simply because there is nowhere else to go. I think so much about myself, thanking God that He sent his son to die for me, and considering the implications it has for my life and how my life is going to fit into some bigger plan. What am I going to do? How am I going to do great things with my life? This is not inherently bad, and it certainly has its place, but it is not meant to dominate my thinking. I am just one man among billions. I am dust among dust. I am of no more worth to God than the men sleeping in filth on the side of the road. My life, however, speaks a different message, and this is something I am seeking the Lord on.

2. There are deeper joys.

Ever since I spent a month backpacking through Alaska in the summer of 2009, I have wrestled with this. What I had on that trip was community with thirteen other peers, three leaders, and a common goal: finish the journey with everyone safe and sound and with a better knowledge of how to live in the wilderness. Simple, right? And yet, outside of Christ (I was saved shortly thereafter), I have yet to replicate that joy. We are experts at submersing ourselves in entertainment, yet we are bored out of our minds. I can count on two hands the people I truly know for whom this is not applicable, and I am not one of them. I too get bored far too easily.

I was reminded of this joy in spending time with my team. Here we were: united for a common goal, to help this village in any way we could, to humbly serve alongside them, and to make much of Christ through our words and actions. Distractions were limited, and the time we spent in fellowship was sweet and real. Practically no television (used only to look for a news report of a clinic we were a part of the previous day), little internet (used primarily for keeping in touch with people back home and for ministry), and lots of time doing life together. And there was contentment in my soul. There was purpose. There was community. There was joy.

Simplicity does not equate contentment, nor is it the means to sanctification. I would, however, press you to seek the deeper joys in life. The internet is not bad, television is not bad, Facebook is not bad. But too often we seek these things for joy or comfort, although you might never say that out loud or share it with someone. I share this with you because this is a struggle of mine, and I say it also to free you to consider your tendencies. When life is hard, where do you turn? To be filled, where do you turn? To find happiness, where do you turn? Alcohol? Men or women? Relationships? Money? Status? There are deeper joys, I promise you. I promise. The deepest of them are found in Christ. There is also great joy in authentic community with his people who are actually living out what the bible calls us to as his people.

3. The gospel is enough.

I don’t know about you, but at times my heart uses the gospel as a platform for my other desires. Although these are generally good desires, like that for a family and a life of great ministry, I take these things and desire them more than Christ Himself. This is idolatry. This is using good things to bring myself joy, all the while ignoring the only One who made it possible (I had a great talk with my brother and our two pastors about the frustration that comes from taking a good thing, like humility, and making it a sinful thing when we place our identity in it. I’d love to talk with you about it as well!).

Jesus saw my sin before I even existed. Knowing I would turn from Him and follow the desires of my flesh, He went to the cross anyway, died in my place, and absorbed the wrath of God on my behalf. Now that I believe in Him and acknowledge Him as Lord of my life, I have right standing with the Father. Not only can I look forward to glory in heaven, but God has sent the Holy Spirit to live inside of me and empower a life that is glorifying to God until He calls me home. This alone should be my reason for rejoicing. All other joy is a shadow of this ultimate joy. I long to be a great husband, a great father, and a man obedient to wherever God would have me, but if I am not rooted in the deepest reality and who I am in Christ, all of my efforts will be in vain and there is a good chance I will ruin it all.

I was convicted of this idolatry and deeply humbled as I saw the immediate implications for the gospel in the lives of the Christians who live in India. For many of them, it is impossible to aspire to the same things we do here in America. They are trapped in poverty and abuse, likely to know little else than the world they were born into, and it is in this that Christ is made so very beautiful. They can’t be distracted by many of the things we are, simply because they don’t have access to them. There is hopelessness to the lives of many, and the gospel has such deep implications here. They are saved to a better kingdom, one without a caste system, one without social stratification, one without poverty, disease, or abuse. They have their eyes, hearts, and souls inclined sharply to this end, with the Holy Spirit helping along the way.

One church we visited met at around eight or nine at night. After one of our pastors preached, we left a while later, and were home by ten-thirty or eleven. The service went until around five in the morning the next day. No great worship band, no coffee, no padded seats, and no hip graphics - just genuine worship through prayer, singing, and preaching, all while sitting on a hard tile floor. These are not bad things, in fact I enjoy them quite a lot, and I know many of you do too. However, the question must be asked: what role do they play in your selection and attendance of a church? Why do you even go to church? Would you go if you had to sit on tile for hours? Would I go?

The gospel is enough.

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As we return from wherever our summers took us, whether to other countries, mountaintops of knowing and loving God, or darker seasons where he felt incredibly distant, I challenge all of you to practice the ministry of listening. When you see people, try to really listen to them. Invite them to share, and then share your own stories and struggles. Pray together. If the social event you are at doesn’t lend itself to any of this, set aside some time to grab coffee or something if at all possible. You might find a story edifying in a way you never imagined. Even if you don’t say much, just having someone to listen and process verbally with can be a huge blessing. There are deep joys in sharing life with one another in this way, and I hope you try to explore them in the coming months.

Thank you all for your prayers, support, and friendship. Each one of you played a role in shaping and preparing me for this trip, and I experienced so much because of it. God is doing a great thing in this village, and I invite you to pray for the strength of the believers, that they would persist in what they believe in the face of a culture that so oppresses Christ. Pray that the church would rise up in unprecedented ways, pray for the leadership, and pray for the people. God is saving people halfway across the world, and it is truly a blessing that we can all play a part in that, however small.

I’d love to share more about the trip in general, so please, let’s meet. I can’t wait to see many of you in the coming weeks and months. Thanks, love, and blessings to all of you!

Is God An Alien?

Sat, 16 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

"For the LORD will rise up as on Mount Perazim; as in the Valley of Gibeon he will be roused; to do his deed—strange is his deed! and to work his work—alien is his work!" (Isaiah 28:21)

I fail . . . a lot. This bodes poorly for someone so performance minded as myself. I am so often frustrated with myself, and if honest, with God for the pace at which He sanctifies me. That is, after more than a decade, shouldn't I be able to stop doing the things I hate! Why do I keep returning to the same patterns, to the same postures, to the same responses? Why do I keep returning to the same sins? Martin Luther commented on verse 21 of Isaiah 28 and flagged an important difference between God's "proper" work and God's "alien" work:

". . . when our flesh is so evil that it cannot be saved by God's proper work, it is necessary for it to be saved by His alien work"—that is, God must destroy our ungodliness in order that we might be saved" (Luther's Works, vol. 16, pp. 233-234).

Carl Trueman defines alien work as: ". . . God's dealing with us in a way we do not expect and which apparently leads to the result we do not desire." At first glance, what happens at Calvary is defeat: tortured, mocked, crucified . . . dead. This is why the disciples were despondant, grieving and hiding following Jesus' burial. They had assumed defeat. Exactly what I assume when sin continues to rear its ugly head in my own life: defeat. The result, for many of us, is an onslaught of questions that add to our doubt and disbelief:

● Did I not accept Christ as my hope and salvation?

● Did he not promise victory over sin and death?

● Why is the Holy Spirit not empowering me to do his will?

● Why then, do I continue to fail and sin?

● Am I not believing enough?

● Maybe I wasn't really saved?

I think we can all agree this is of no benefit. Luther was adamant that the proper work of God is that He turns sinners into saints. That He creates righteous, peaceful, patient, merciful, truthful, kind, joyful, wise, healthy people; we are His new creation. Therefore, what He really intends (proper work) is achieved through His alien work.

So when sin is revealed, we are to return to the Gospel that strengthens us (1 Corinthians 15:1-2). We are to return to the proper work of God. Calvary, we know, was not defeat. Instead, Trueman describes: ". . . the cross is actually a vehicle for achieving life, blessedness, mercy and salvation." This pattern is crucial in reminding us that what God wants to achieve in our lives (proper work) is often done through weakness, suffering, and yes, sin (alien work). That is, not to say, that God grants us a pass for sin, but rather perfects us through our repenting of it (Romans 6:1-14).

In fact, I should be glad that God continues to reveal my sin and weakness (alien work). In doing so, empowered by His Spirit, I am being continually conformed to the new-self in the image of Christ (proper work). Real reason for concern comes when sin is not revealed and regular repentance ceases in the life of believer (Luke 15:7). Only then should we continually grieve. Yes, sin should grieve us, do not mistake me. However, His revealing of our sin is an opportunity for repentance and this is a reason for joy (Luke 15:10).

● This shift in thinking is alien to a moralistic approach, which simply says try harder and do better.

● This shift in thinking is alien to a therepeutic approach, which simply says ignore it, medicate it, fake it or mask it.

● This shift in thinking is alien to a deist approach, which simply says I'm in control, not God, as He is uninvolved.

This right-mindedness is alien, indeed. But as Luther reminds us: ". . . his work is called a sweet, friendly gospel, and the one who hears it finds it impossible not to rejoice. This happens whenever the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to our grieving consciences."

As I tucked my kids in the other night, I read to them the story of Jonah. A story of a stubborn prophet who wouldn't repent. My youngest daughter asked: "Why? Is repenting bad?" So often, we echo this sentiment and think of repentance as cause for shame or discouragement. I told my daughter: "No, lovey. Repentance is a reason for joy. Jonah just didn't understand that." And, usually, neither do we.

So I will conclude the way I concluded with my kids that night. I explained to them that the Bible tells us when we repent, there is so much joy in Heaven, that the angels are rendered speechless. My daughter responded, "Like a joy explosion!?" Yes, just like a joy explosion. Instead of defeat, let us claim victory and give thanks. In fact, let us pray as aliens (Psalm 69:8) thankful for the sin He has revealed in us. Let us be igniters of countless joy explosions through our turning back to Him.

". . . there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents." —Jesus

Let's Make Jesus Sexy?

Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Most of my experience has been with churches that were very clear on their need for relevance. This, admittedly, includes my own church. Even the many movements of the last two decades, seemed to voice this imperative. Their message was clear, from seeker sensitive to postmodern to emergent, we have heard the culture and are responding accordingly. This, however, makes an interesting assumption: that the culture wants Jesus.

We know the culture needs Jesus, but that is a different thing altogether. In fact, this is an essential doctrine in understanding human nature. Paul reminds us that God gives his followers ". . . a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him having the eyes of your hearts enlightened . . ." (Ephesians 1:17-18). This is necessary because the ". . . heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick . . ." (Jeremiah 17:9). Ergo, to begin with the assumption that people want Jesus is a false one.

This false assumption has led to creating methods, marketing and programs based on a flawed understanding of culture. Please don't hear me wrong, I am not against any of the aforementioned. I am simply proposing that we may be feeding into a very real problem, often unintentionally. Paul notes the problem:

"Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." (Romans 1:22-23).

In other words, apart from Jesus, the heart doesn't want Jesus. Rather, people are pouring themselves out for created things, rather than the Creator God. This right understanding changes how we listen completely. We make the mistake of listening for ways to capitulate the Gospel according to people's insufficient idols. Instead, we should be listening for ways to speak the Gospel as an altogether and sufficient replacement for them. The reformer, John Calvin, reminds us:

". . . From this we may gather that man's nature, so to speak, is a perpetual factory of idols (fabricum idolarum) . . . the mind begets an idol; the hand gives its birth . . . "

In other words, people will have a sufficient supply of idols without us accessorizing them. Again, do not misunderstand me, I am very much for posing questions from the culture's perspective, insofar as to be able to speak the Gospel in a familiar language. Our goal is not, as some purport, to make the Gospel relevant. Instead, we must be faithful to showing the culture just how relevant the Gospel already is. The difference in these two views is the difference between syncretism [idolatry] and contextualization [worship]. When the church starts with the culture, instead of the Gospel, we very often craft sermons, songs and events that affirm the very idols people are clinging to. It sounds proposterous, I know! Carl R. Trueman, in his brilliant little book on Reformation, writes:

"Having said all this, however, what Generation X [or postmodernity] and the New Age movement are actually telling the church is that the human heart is ineradicably idolatrous . . ."

It's what they're saying when asking for more topical sermons. It's what they're saying when asking for more guitar driven worship. It's what they're saying when only attending church during the Easter iPod Giveaway (this actually happened at one notable church). It's what they're saying when only seen at your comedy event. It's what they're saying when seldom seen all year except for the Christmas program so heavily resourced.

The culture is screaming for an idol and we're hand carving them one under the pretense of relevance. Meanwhile, the Gospel suffers neglect from a lack of similar diligence. Precious doctrines are rarely defended, but instead held open handedly because we're afraid of taking away their idol. Why is this? When an idol is taken, much of the time people respond like an infant who has lost their pacificer. The tantrums that follow may come in the form of an angry email, withholding tithe, or leaving altogether. Trueman continues:

". . . let us listen to the world to see what questions it asks, what thoughts it has and what language it uses; but let us set all this within the context of human sinfulness and idolatry and beware of those who conceive . . . to put it technically, abolish the distinctions between special and common grace or, in more popular parlance, fail to address the depth of human idolatry."

The Bible tells us that the Gospel alone has the power to transform hearts and smash idols (Mark 16:14-16). Therefore, to consider the culture as Paul did, is to speak the Gospel as the glorious reversal of their misaligned worship. We are to understand their idols, so that we may communicate with a fluency that speaks to all issues of life that purport to be bigger than Jesus.

I propose that we start with the Gopsel first, not the culture. I propose we start with the assumption that people will exchange the glory of God for the idolatry of creation. I propose we assume what Paul did. That idolaters claim to be wise when, ironically, they are actually foolish and, therefore, make poor consistent guages for us to follow. Finally, we should not fear that starting with Gospel will turn us inward, by nature it cannot (1 Corinthians 9:16). A right understanding of the Gospel always leads to the culture (Matthew 16:15), but the Scriptures are clear, the culture does not lead to the Gospel (Ephesians 2:1-3).

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. " (1 Corinthians 15:1-2)

John Piper Interviews Rick Warren on Doctrine

Sat, 04 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Here are the topics tackled and when they begin on the video:

3:29 The glory of God.

7:16 David Wells and the weight of God’s reality.

9:00 Would you write the book the same today?

12:00 The sovereignty of God.

18:47 How do you speak of God’s sovereignty in the presence of tragedy?

22:01 How do all things work for bad for those who reject Christ?

24:14 Do you hedge on Larry King?

27:00 Unconditional election.

30:18 The importance of eternity.

34:42 How do you conceive of eternity: in heaven, on earth?

38:53 What is the Gospel?

42:00 What did Jesus achieve on the cross?

43:40 Repentance.

50:50 Why don’t you call yourself a Calvinist?

53:09 Propitiation.

54:39 Prevenient grace.

1:00:01 Total depravity.

1:03:00 Hell.

1:09:10 Eternal destiny of those who never heard.

1:12:40 The extent of the atonement.

1:17:00 Do unbelievers always do the devil’s bidding?

1:18:40 Your view of the Bible.

1:22:40 Expository preaching and doctrinal depth.

1:28:10 Rick Warren’s sacred trust.

The Vanity Confession

Sun, 29 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Starting in January of 2011, we started a series entitled "Vanity". This was an expositional preaching series through the book of Ecclesiastes. Warren Wiersbe titled his commentary on the book "Be Satisfied". To aid us with that goal in mind, we concluded our series in confessional form. To do so, I highlighted the major themes in Ecclesiastes and our appropriate response to each one. This confession serves to affirm our satisfaction in Christ alone and that all else is vanity.

"THE VANITY CONFESSION" By: Allen Coleman

PROGRESS IS VANITY. What has been, will be again. There is nothing new under the sun. I will be satisfied in the perpetual progress made possible by Christ.

PLEASURE IS VANITY. Nothing in this world, pleasure or possession, can give me lasting contentment. I will be satisfied in the pleasure of knowing Christ alone.

KNOWLEDGE IS VANITY. All that I learn and understand is of little eternal benefit. It is only through a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ that my mind is renewed. I will be satisfied in the knowledge of His Gospel.

LABOR IS VANITY. My own strength delivers me nothing of value. No accomplishment of mine is great enough. However, Christ accomplished the work of my salvation. No position I’ve pursued is high enough. Even so, Christ has positioned me among the saints. I will be satisfied in the labor Christ has done on the cross.

CONTROL IS VANITY. Each season, whether success or sorrow, comes through the hands of a sovereign God. All that I know of tomorrow is that His love will remain the same. A love that seeks to save and sanctify me for His glory and my joy. I will be satisfied in Christ’s will for my life.

LIFE IS VANITY. It is my duty, by the power of the Spirit, to fear God and keep His commands. My time in this life is to prepare me for the next. I pray that I do not waste that preparation with selfish indulgences or vain pursuits. I will be satisfied in the eternal life Christ has given me.

I am grateful for all His creation, His pursuit of me in the flesh, His sinless life, His work on the cross—His forgiveness of my failures and His restoration of my soul—His triumphant resurrection, His glorious ascension, and His promised return.

I am satisfied. Amen.

Are You Slowing Your Church Down?

Fri, 13 May 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I want to talk specifically about pace. However, not in the traditional context. I understand that many of you will have varying opinions due to differing stages of your organization or ministry. That's exactly my point. Different stages require a different, strategic pace. For example, in my context, planting/re-planting is unique in its resources, size, programs, emphasis, and pace. And as I said, pace is where our focus will be.

"This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away." (1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

Paul is clear. "...time has grown very short". His point is that we are to attend to the kinds of daily affairs that would be unimportant if Christ were returning within weeks or months. Paul is the same man that reminds us what we want comes second to our mission (1 Corinthians 9:19-23). He exhorts those of us who are married, to live with an urgency, that by comparisson, make us look like we aren't. Paul is not advocating abuse, inattention, or absence with our families. There is far too much of that in the Church already. Rather, he's simply trying to show the contrast between our love for Jesus and His mission compared to that of everything else.

No one feels the weight of this urgency in our church's context more than I. While I understand that there are far greater priorities in my life, namely husband and father, I still carry the burden of moving our church through this delicate season. I must regularly remind myself that it is Jesus who is responsbile for all of this, not I (Matthew 16:18). Nevertheless, my faithfulness to His mission includes making decisions for the bride. These decisions are supported or impeded by varying adoption patterns within every church. Let's look at these varying adoption patterns:

INNOVATORS: The people pushing change. Innovators are extremely important to ensuring an organization doesn't not die.
EARLY ADOPTERS: Respectable people, opinion leaders, who try out new ideas despite heavy risk. Usually criticized by the majority.
MID-ADOPTERS: Thoughtful people, careful, willing to accept change once they've watched the early adopters for awhile. Receive very little criticism. Mid adopters are ok with a moderate amount of risk.
LATE ADOPTERS: The skeptics within an organization. They will embrace change once all objections have been overcome and very little risk is present. They will use new ideas or products only once the majority is using it.
LAGGARDS: They will try new things, but only so they can offer criticism. They seldom get on board with new policies, programs & changes. They can slow, cripple, and in some cases, kill an organization because of their unwillingness to change.

Let me offer up an appropriate example of how this plays out. Earlier this year our church launched an online communication network called The City. The early and mid adopters were willing to learn and stick with it and use The City to its potential. As a result, many of them find it to be an incredibly valuable tool to our ministry. Late adopters and laggards were quick to point out what it "doesn't do" instead of focusing on the many benefits we just inherited. They were quick to explain "it's too hard" before really committing the time to learn it. This is not to say early and mid adopters didn't have their share of hiccups, but they handled it completely different. One group gave time...the other gave up.

Laggards, in particular, sit on the outside of this new initiative and have found themselves "out of the loop". Their first reaction is always to attack the change, instead of coming to grips with the reality that they are the problem. As a result, we regularly have to keep bringing them back into the loop through other means, which in turn slows the mission down. Rather than working with the majority, they have become what they didn't intend to...an obstacle. Please understand, I'm not referring to legitimate reasons for late adoption or lagging, such as training or access (e.g. those without an internet connection).

This is just one example in the life of a church. Facility changes, leadership changes, budget adjustments, and overall directional shifts are all subject to these adoption patterns. The reasons vary just as much. Relationships with particular leaders, proximity, uncertainty, misunderstanding, and preferences can all affect how we adopt change. We need to be aware of this because our adoption patterns must change depending on the season. The more critical the season, the more early and mid adopters are needed. The stronger and healthier an organization becomes, late adopters become more valuable in ensuring we don't jump the gun. Laggards will always threaten the health of an organization and must be put out of leadership regardless of seasonal stage.

For us, our pace must be quick because our time is short. A quick pace is not indicative of carelessness or impatience, but rather an unwilllingness to be an obstacle. So let us conclude with some questions that I would encourage each of you to ask yourselves:

What are your priorities? Where does the church and mission fit into that list?
In the recent changes your organization has gone through, which adoption pattern have you followed?
How critical is this season for your organization?
Does your adoption pattern make you an obstacle considering the critical nature of the season and your list of priorities?
If so, who do you need to repent and apologize to?
How can you make a stronger effort concerning change within your organization?

My prayer is that in your organization, specifically the church, you move at the pace necessary to help it reach its goals. That you find yourself a contributor, not an obstacle. Should you slow change down, may it be because the Holy Spirit has given to you specific discernment intended for the good of the whole body (Ephesians 5:15-17). Finally, that you would be a loving example of unity and edification. For we must all feel the weight of our mission, not just a select few.

Thanks be to Jesus for my community at Epic Faith. May our mishaps and course corrections be publicly displayed for the good of the whole Church and the glory of God. We are an imperfect people who are sanctified by a perfect Shepherd.

"...we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." (Ephesians 4:15-16)