The Right Tools for the Job

I recently had to do a brake job on my truck. It was long overdue. The rotors were trashed and the pads were almost non-existent (another blog topic I'm sure). In my defense it was a used truck and I had been extremely busy since I bought it and hadn't really noticed any major problems with the brakes. After all they stopped me when I needed them to.

As I prepared to change the brakes and rotors I discovered that I did not have the necessary tools to do the job right. I did some investigating and discovered that I needed a "T45" socket to loosen the caliper pins, so off to Autozone I went. Imagine my dismay when I got back put the socket in the pin only to find out that it was too small! The set it came with didn't work either as the next size up was too big. I thought I was Goldilocks for a moment. I returned to Autozone and picked up the next smallest "assortment" set of sockets I could find and fortunately this time it worked. After about 4 hours of work all was back together, running and stopping smoothly.

The next day I reflect on this and realized there were some implications for spreading the Gospel message here. Too often we attempt to witness with the wrong tools. We bring a knife to a gunfight so to speak. The apostle Paul points out that ALL Scripture is God-Breathed and useful, likewise the book of Hebrews tells us the word of God is alive and active, yet despite these affirmations, frequently we fail to see the truth of these words. I believe this is because of two reasons, one the hardened heard of sinful man (something only the Spirit of God can change), and two the ineffective use of God's word.

The Bible is our toolbox for witnessing to the World, yet we have not trained ourselves with the content. Others don't hear the Gospel message clearly because we have presented it incorrectly, out of context, or without a proper understanding of the culture/background of those to whom we present it. (A missionary friend of mind highlighted this issue by telling of a culture where Judas was actually celebrated as the hero of the Gospel story because in that culture guile and trickery were a respected talent to have.)

I once heard an joke about how not to use the Bible and it went something like this: A preacher was teaching his congregation on how to use the Word and he told them they should open it up and do whatever it said. One member read from the scriptures, "and Judas went and hung himself." This was quickly followed by another voice reading from a different passage, "now go and do likewise!"

So the question becomes what should we do? My answer, go back to Autozone (or the toolbox) and get the right part. We need to become familiar enough with God's word that we can use it effectively and be able to pull out the right "tool" for the right job.

Spare Tires and the Gospel

I was recently reviewing my Internet activity and realized that I hadn't updated my blog in quite some time. "What good's a blog if you're not going to use it?" I said to myself. I discovered that it, like a few other things, had been marked with the distinct signs of inactivity, my waistline for example. My blog had become an old spare tire, hanging around with no useable purpose. This also got me wondering about how I share the Gospel message. Was I letting the Good News turn into an old spare tire? Was I keeping it all to myself like a spare tire tucked away in a trunk or underneath a car? Was my gospel message undersized like those emergency spares you hope you never have to used? Or perhaps was my gospel message too flamboyant and over-the-top like those huge super-swamper spare tires you see hanging from 4x4s that will never see the mud? I don't know the full answer to these questions, but I'll bet that each of them are true to some extent. What should I do? Perhaps the best solution would be to change tires altogether. I need to quit relying on Gospel "spares" and settle in for the long haul with a fresh set of "Godyears," tires that will take me to the people and places I need to share the Gospel with most effectively. Happy Traveling Photo by Agnardan Danielsson found on Flickr

A Little More Time with Daddy

I had the chance to visit Colorado recently and was awe struck once again by the majesty of all of God's creation. During my visit though something even more significant happened. It went something like this.

I was playing with my son and daughters after a day of hiking, still mesmerized by the natural beauty. I was missing something even more significant. The next day when asking my son what he enjoyed most about the day, his response was not the hike or the playground, but rather he said it was his "time with Daddy".

What an awesome thought. So often we experience time with our heavenly Father and miss out of the true significance of the moment. We fail to practice what Brother Lawrence referred to as the Presence of God. Our time with "Daddy" is not the most significant time, and it should be.

Our missionary friends around the world seem to have a better understanding of this. For them sometimes "time with Daddy" is the only thing they have to sustain them. They have bought into the promises of God as our Abba - Father. Isn't it time we did the same?

Gifts

I've been studying the book of Romans with my Sunday morning caregroup/Sunday School class. We've be dissecting Romans 12:1-10 for about three weeks now. Good times! Seriously though the book of Romans is truly an amazing work. So much meat and potatoes on the one hand, and yet filled with the basic milk of salvation on the other. I have enjoyed our study and look forward each week to its continuance.

Our study this week focused on the "manifestation of the Spirit" and spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit working in me and through me to accomplish God's purposes in ways that I could not on my own.

What a great picture of mission work. Our partners in the field recognize the fact that the call to reach every tribe, tonuge, and nation is impossible on their own, but "with God all things are possible." Note that little work all. Not some, not most, but all! What an encouragement!

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift[s].

Grace and Peace

chris

Heroes

It has been a while since last I wrote. The end of the school year always seems to be a hectic time. But hopefully I can be a little more consistent for all of you who follow these meandering thoughts of mine.

Today I would like to simply think about heroes. As we approach Memorial Day in the United States, I would like to say thank you to America's heroes. Those who give of their time and efforts in order to promote the safety, security, and peace we enjoy in this great land. Thank you to all those serving in the Armed Forces. Thank you especially to those who made the supreme sacrifice. Thank you to our veterans as well.

Thank you to our civil servants as well. Our police, fire, emt, and other medical persons who work tirelessly to keep our cities, towns, villages, blocks, and streets safe and our family, friends, and neighbors healthy.

Thank you to those government officials, teachers, and public attorneys who still strive to do what is best for us as a people not just for themselves.

Finally thank you to all who have served under the banner of Christ, for the sake of the advancement of the Gospel. Many of you have made the ultimate sacrifice and given your own lives for HIS glory's sake. May I rejoice in heaven with you soon.

All of you are heroes, and this blogger thanks you greatly.

Responsibilities

As an educator, many of the things I am asked to do in my job are mandated from sources outside the classroom. The state and federal government place requirements on educators that do not always provide for effective classroom instruction, however because they are mandated, I must comply. Sometimes I am even asked to participate in programs that aren't fully developed or explained. (Race to the Top for example.)

In the field of missions, there lies some comparison. Like education, missionaries (and all Christians for that matter) are called to do something that may not make any sense. They are given a mandate that they are compelled to follow. The missions mandate of making the Gospel know to every tribe, tongue, and nation (ethnos) seems impossible at worst, and impractical at best. Also like the education field, the missionary going to the field also must "go to work" and participate in programs yet unseen or understood. To the casual (or non-believing) observer this seems like a recipe for failure, not success. But this "reality" of the missions mandate could not be further from the Truth.

You see, unlike the human-directed field of public education, the mission field as mandated in the Bible is God-directed. God cannot lie and he does not do anything to discredit HIMSELF. If HE has directed it then it must be good. Likewise the difference between education and missions is also apparent in moving forward into the unknown. With education uncertainty and doubt may abound because we know the plans are human created and quite possibly, are still being formulated. With God's plan for missions, the plan has been set from the beginning, with faith in Christ being the key to understading and completing the plan. The uncertainty and doubt, give way to confidence and purpose through Faith built in a relationship with CHRIST.

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

I recently attended a baseball game at Great American Ball Park - home of my beloved Cincinnati Reds, or was that "deads"? Whatever the case, on this particular night it seemed that the team went from being dead to being alive all with one swing of the bat. Drew Stubbs hit a grandslam homerun to put the team up for good. It was a great night to celebrate, especially after it seemed that the Cubs might be able to come back in the 9th. Things got tense, a narrow putout at first, a homerun, a long flyball out, a walk, two errors and the bases were loaded, but a ground out ended it. The Reds fans were happy!

This game got me to thinking about celebrations and the resurrection of Christ. Easter was this past week and it was a great time to celebrate something really important. Christ was crucified and was dead, but he was raised to life through the power of God to reign as Lord Over All for good. The ultimate comeback story was played out in the Gospel of Jesus Christ! We can all celebrate.

The fact that we know the outcome of eternity's "game" should be a blessing to us. No matter how much pressure life throws our way in the later innings of life, we can still celebrate because the final victory is assured. Even when we make errors or when our lives are loaded with suffering there is an undying hope that never fails -- our faith in Jesus Christ.

"Now faith is the promise of things hoped for, the assurance of things unseen."

Now get out there and play some ball!

The Church: Social Benefit or Missions Mandate

I read a well-intended article in the newspaper today (Cincy Enquirer: "Church gives kids secondary support. B8) that really started to make my mission-minded blood boil so to speak. The author began to explain the value of sending her children to church. I was interested in the article but became alarmed when I ran across the statement that said the author, as a parent, he/she "absolutely would not have stayed at a church where teenagers were pressured to believe, witness or preach." The author went on to state how he/she had benefited from the church and his/her children would as well because of the way the church had treated him/her when young and would do the same for his/her children. I'm not fully sure how the author defines "pressured to" but it almost sounded as if he/she would encourage her children to attend church for its social benefits only. There was no investigation into the reason(s) why these benefits existed in the first place, and no mention of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

It was at this point in the reading that I realized what was really happening here. This author seemed to be expressing a common trend amongst church-goers today. Too many individuals are attending church for what they can get for themselves. It is the same self-centeredness that lies dormant within many of our own hearts. Church becomes something done for selfish reasons.

This of course would not be a problem if it were not for the fact that the Church exists to promote the Good News of Jesus Christ. It exists (to borrow a phrase) for the benefit of its non-members. If a church does not proclaim the message that Jesus Christ, became man, dwelt with men, was crucified, buried, raised from the dead, and now sits at the right hand of God -- reigning over all as Lord so that we might received forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life -- then I would have to argue that it isn't the Church at all. Furthermore, I would also have to question why anyone could expect to be in the Church and not be asked to witness, after all isn't this what Jesus commanded his body, the Church, to do, fulfill HIS missions mandate? Recall the apostle Paul once wrote that he was "compelled" to share the gospel. It was an irresistible force he could not say no to. If an individual is not able to accept this then perhaps the Church is not the place they are looking for.

On a final note, it is possible that the author was simply stating that a person's expression of their faith should be genuinely their own not something forced upon them by persons in the church. If this is the case then I kindly ask the author's forgiveness in misreading the matter.

Keep the Faith
chris

A Dusting

Two weeks since the big snow and subsequent dig-out. Its beginning to snow again. What a sweet reminder of the cleansing power of Jesus Christ. Just when we feel we have been soiled and dirtied by our engagements in the world, HE comes along with a gentle reminder -- a kind word from a believer, a meaningful devotion, a powerful verse of scripture, or a gentle snowfall. We are compelled to fall at the feet of Jesus in confession and repentance, and once again the Spirit begins dusting us again with the sanctifying power of HIS sacrifice, and HIS presence.

White As Snow but Hard as Ice

Recently I had the "opportunity" to go out and shovel/plow my driveway and sidewalks. I don't really mind doing this, except for on those unusually cold windy days, so the time spent outside can be refreshing.

This time however I finished my work and realized that even though the snow had been removed there were still patches of ugly gray ice that did not want to be removed. It seemed to have a mind of its own and only relented after a lot of hacking, scraping, and salting.

That reminded me a lot of what it can be like to follow Christ. His blood covers us and makes us "white as snow" but often we don't allow this covering to replace the ugliness underneath. We like to cling to our hold habits, customs, cultural norms, and sins. To the world we may look clean, but to Christ we are works in progress.

This is the beauty of following Christ though. He doesn't quit. And although it can be quite painful for us, He continues to gently scrape away layer after layer of sin and debris. Finally to make sure the ice/sin doesn't return, the salt of his word is administered regularly through the work of the Holy Spirit.

I guess this puts shoveling into a whole new perspective for me now.

God-sized Moment

I had the opportunity to experience God this evening. It wasn't through some pious action of my own doing, nor was it in a great praise and worship event, rather it was in the fellowship of God's people seeking to participate in something much greater than anyone of them could accomplish on their own. Something none of us could accomplish on our own, even if we were working together. A God-sized task had revealed itself to some members of the church and I was privy to the revelation. We believe that we have been called to help with the disaster relief in Haiti.

At this point many of you may sound skeptical. You might be saying to yourself, why all kinds of people are doing this. To which I reply you are correct. But just because a number of folks are already doing it doesn't mean that God hasn't asked us to join in too. As our group discussed, and planned, a sense of purpose and clarity emerged. But also a sense of how large the task at hand truly was. If this activity is going to work, then God will have to be in it. It was as if God laid the challenge out there and said, take up the challenge and then watch me go to work. The vast sway of ideas progressing forward only served to build my confidence in the One who I had just experienced.

Now comes the hard part. The transition. God has been seen at work in Haiti and has invited us to join Him there. We have taken the step in faith to begin the process, I like others in my team must continue stepping toward where God is in order to be successful in accomplishing HIS purpose for Haiti and for us.

Prayers for Haiti

Recently I had a friend ask me what she could do to help with the crisis currently going on in Haiti. Of the responses that I offered one was incredibly underrated. I told her to pray. Too often in the course of missions and ministry we simply let these words roll off our lips as if they were another thing to be checked off our "to do" list for the day. We fail the grasp the significance of this tremendous access to God's unlimited power. You see in prayer, real prayer - where we listen to what God has to say, we come into direct contact with the Divine Will. These encounters cannot help but leave us changed for the better. Prayer encourages us, it empowers us to do what we thought we coudn't, and finally it helps us to understand the Father better. When we are able to understand the Father, we are able to respond in obedience to his commands because we know fully what they are and we hear them directly given. We listen and obey, much is accomplished because God is glorified. So please don't discount the value of prayer, especially in this time of international crisis. Remember, its not when all else fails, but rather before all else, pray, pray, and pray some more.

Grace and Peace

Just Like Dad

Recently, as I was recovering from the Christmas blitz and trying to put our house back in order, it was brought to my attention that I needed to hang some pictures on the wall. This is not a particularly exciting event, but an incredibly poignant event sparked my attention. As I had my hammer out ready to hit the nail, I turned around and noticed that my 4-year old son had found his toy hammer and was mimicking my every move. He wanted to be just like his daddy.

What a perfect picture, pardon the play on words, of what it means to be a follower of God. We should strive to be more like our heavenly DADDY each and every day. A part of that effort must come in the form of missions. You see God left his place of comfort. The scriptures tell us He became both God and man in the form of Jesus Christ here on this earth. HIS purpose, simple, to seek and save the lost.

Let us ponder this and try to be just like DAD.

Resolutions

As 2009 comes to a close I thought it only fitting to make some "want-tos" for the upcoming year. Notice I did not say "resolutions". This is because normally whenever I make a resolution if fail to follow through with -- especially the New Year's type. So for what its worth, here are a few of my New Year's want-tos.

1)love God more
2)love my wife more
3)love my children more
4)love my friends more
5)love God's family more
6) love my students more
7) love those in my minstry team more
8) love my missionary partners more
9 love those who don't know God more

Notice the trend here? Finally my want to #10 for 2010:

10) love my enemies more.

"Beloved, let us love one another, for Love is of God. Anyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He that loves not, knows not God, for God is Love, so Beloved, let us love one another." 1 John 4:7-8

Contextualization of Christmas

Recently I had the opportunity to engage in a discussion over the merits of celebrating the birth of Jesus as a special day. The opponents of celebrating Christmas had some valid points, most dealing with the tendencies of Christians to turn Christmas into a day of rampant commercialism or tradition, devoid of any significant meaning. Furthermore the argument of the early NT church not celebrating the day does hold some merit. As the discussion wound its way around our group, it became apparent that no clear cut persuasive arguments would end the discussion in favor of one side or the other. It was at this point that I took the time to interject a simple missionary thought. Christmas, or the celebration of it has become a part of our culture, good or bad. The key I believe is to accept its presence and use it as an opportunity to contextualize the gospel message. Too many Christians fall into the trap of syncretization when it comes to this "holy"day, leaving nothing of worth or value to its real meaning. We need to see Christmas for what it is a day on the calendar where we remember that God became flesh and dwelt among us. Immanuel became a physical reality. But more than just celebrating Christmas on one day a year or in one season, I think it would be better to live out the significance of Christmas daily throughout the year. Doing this while recognizing the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, makes a proper celebration.

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

There are many Christmas hymns which celebrate the advent of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Many contain awe-inspiring lyrics requiring dynamic vocals to capture the full essence of the song. (Oh Holy Night, for example) Others such as Away in a Manger for example, describe the various events surrounding the event with child-like clarity. But for me the essential message of the birth of Christ is contained within a couple of powerful lines found in the hymn Hark the Herald Angels Sing.

Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail, the incarnate deity
Pleased as Man with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel.

You see Christmas is exactly that. The exact moment in time when the WORD became flesh and dwelt among us, HIS creation. This is the message being heralded by the Angels in the song.

This is the message we must herald to those around the globe who have yet to hear!

Merry CHRISTmas and keep singing!

Thank Goodness for Grace!

As I sat down at McDonald's with my three children tonight, I saw someone who reminded me of an event in my past. An event that I am not too particularly proud of. It felt weird to be dwelling on this event, because I knew that I had been forgiven and had been set free from the sin and guilt of it. Still the memory was there. Then, just when I needed it, Jesus showed up. He arrived in the presence of my wonderful wife. Her arrival reminded me of the life I have in Christ and the victory of sin he provides! He saved me from a past of bad decisions for a life of purpose and fulfilment. He longs to do that with many of you reading this blog as well.

Some of you may be wondering what this has to do with missions. Well, nothing and everything. You see my personal experience is not really related to missions, but the message it brings is the reason why missions exists. Our missionary friends share the love of Christ to those who have yet to receive it. For this they need our prayers.

Grace and Peace

Thoughts from Yoda

Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.-- Yoda

Recently while speaking with a missionary friend of mine, the preceding quote came to mind. Often while trying to be sensitive, the western church uses words and phrases which do more harm than good -- especially when it comes to making commitments to missionary partners. When we say things like, "we'll see what we can do," or "maybe there's a chance we can help," our missionary partners are filled with hope. All too often as I was reminded, these words turn out to be mere lip service and provide only false hope. The missionary and his plea are forgotten as soon as he/she leaves the meeting it would seem.

When I asked my friend if this was an example of cultural/linguistic misunderstanding, I was firmly admonished with the acknowledgement that many of our partners in the field have a better grasp/understanding of our language and its usage than we do. Hard to swallow for sure, but I believe this idea has its merit. We forget that our partners in the field are pastors, leaders and experienced teachers that hold great sway and esteemed reputations in their respective fields. We treat them like inferiors sometimes when they arrive and solicit our partnership and/or support. This should not be!

As I rant, I must confess that a lot of this comes from a Spirit-driven conviction in my own personal experience and is only posted for your consideration, not necessarily any condemnation. So lest I overstep my bounds, let me finish with one final convicting point. Sometimes we think we are doing great things with our support, only to find out that we really should be doing more. I have been led to believe that maybe we short change God and limit what he wants to do, because too often we rely on our own plans and calculations. A three-year church plant for example seems great, but when you look at the numbers per capita our "generous" plan worked out to be only a small amount per person per month over a three year period. Don't get me wrong, I praise God for the fact that we are planting a church, but hope that we will learn to allow God to work through His people more in the future.

So remember the words of Yoda -- Try not. Do or do not, there is no try.

Grace and Peace

Miscellaneous Updates

This is a simple blurb to give everyone an update regarding the missions Mt. Carmel Christian Church is currently supporting.

1)Mid-India Christian Mission/Bethlehem -India -- Church Planting and Discipleship

2)Southwest India Christian Mission -- Orphanage and Discipleship

3)Christ Reaching Asia Mission -- Discipleship, Evangelism, and Social Welfare

4)Lecce Christian Mission -- Discipleship, Evangelism, and Restoration

5)Pakistan Christian Evangelical Services -- Church Planting, Discipleship, and Christian Action

6)Pioneer Bible Translators - Vanuatu -- Bible Translations, Evangelism, and Discipleship

7)Mulberry International - Ukraine -- Foster Services, Street Evangelism, and Social Relief

8)Living Water Christian Mission - Haiti -- Education, Church Planting, and Discipleship

If you have specific questions about any of these, please don't hesitate to drop me an e-mail.

Grace and Peace
chris

Sweet Submission

The term "submission" is a cause of great concern to many who hear it and for many rightly so. Those who have submitted to someone only to have themselves abused, abandoned, or taken advantage of definitely would seem to have a legitimate argument against submission in any form.

But recently borrowing an idea from Richard Foster regarding the discipline of submission, I realized that God deals with this all the time. The perfect act of submission, demonstrated through the act of Christ on the cross, has been abused, abandoned, and, yes taken advantage of (in the negative sense) by all of us at some point in our lives. This realization caused me to understand submission in a whole new light.

Submission as many of my missionary friends would tell you, is essential to experience all the sweetness of life that God has to offer. Submission you see takes us to the place where we no longer have to be burdened by our own selfish interests and desires, but where we can tap into the Beloved and derive our satisfaction and worth from the knowledge that we have been found pleasing in HIS sight. Truly sweet indeed!