Crossing the Line

When it comes to teaching and learning, whether matters of faith or other aveunues of learning, typically it happens in this way.  An older person teaches those who are younger.  The learning, knowledge, and hopefully wisdom of years and experience are utilized to guide those who are younger, who have not had the experiences, in the hope that they learn from what others have endured.  It's the picture of learning that has been in existence pretty much since the creation of this world.

We learn from those who are older than us, by and large.  Sure, there are exceptions where the younger has something to teach the older, but in the general scheme of the world, knowledge is passed from the older generation to the younger generation.  So it really shouldn't surprise us to learn that the same dynamic would be found when it comes to matters of the Christian faith.

Likely, you already know that God calls parents to teach the matters of the faith to their children.  A quick perusal of Deuteronomy 4 and 6 will highlight the importance of doing this.  And then, as we gather as God's people, there are also additional dynamics that can also aid in the faith formation of younger people.  The more that older, more mature (we hope!!!) Christians can interact with younger Christians, the more likely it is that faith and its related matters are passed down well.

In other words, as Christians, both young and old, we are called to cross the line.  Cross the generational lines to learn what those who are older than us have experienced and learned along the way.  The older are to cross the line (even when they aren't sure how they will be received) to show an interest in those who are younger, and as that relationship builds, they also have the opportunity to share their wisdom and experience as it relates to matters of the Christian faith.  In that respect, everyone then becomes a winner.

Here's the rub.  This usually doesn't just happen.  It requires intentional work to cross the lines.  Given our nature, we tend to stick with what we know and what is comfortable.  To cross the lines means we enter a world which is unfamiliar to us.  That requires patience as we learn the inner workings of this new world, and as we learn the people who inhabit that world.  It sometimes requires that we be quiet and learn, so that the things that we don't understand may become more clear, and then, suddenly, we have an opportunity to relate our faith to the life of the person across that line.

Crossing the line is not easy, but then again, the best things in life are rarely easy.  So with whom will you "cross the line" in the near future?  Who knows, you just may have your faith life changed for the better by doing it!

Complex Thoughts

Okay, there is a lot swimming around in my head today.  As usual, life and events bring many things to mind, and our Christian faith has connections to all of them.  I know that God does that because all of our life is to be the crucible in which we live out our faith, but we humans have a tendency to want to compartmentalize it, to keep God in certain parts, but not in other parts.  Or, we want what God says to apply to certain parts of our lives, but not to others.  So, with that being said, I'm simply going to ruminate for a few moments.

First thought: God has fully invested in us.  We have the full forgiveness of God in Jesus, who paid the ultimate price for us.  We have God going "all in" with us, as He ties His message and His reputation to His people.  With that level of investment in us, it really is sad that we so often fail to invest ourselves much in the matters of God in our lives.  While being "more invested" in how our faith doesn't change how God sees us as His child, it definetly impacts how others see God, see the Church, and see us as Christians.  In that regard, we do indeed reap what we sow.

Second thought: We hear people say things like, "Just trust that God will take care of things" or "Let go, let God."  I think these sayings are both right on and, at the same time, widely misused.  The reality is that God is always going to take care of things.  Our trouble is that we have a hard time believing that God is doing His thing when it goes differently than we expect.  We have an outcome in mind, while God's is likely to be far different than what we expect.  God's prefered end may not even be pleasant or enjoyable.  That's why we have a tough time with this.  But, on the other hand, sometimes we hear those phrases, and our tendency can be to use them as excuses not to take action.  If God is going to do something, then why should I?  And then, we fail to do what God may be putting before us to do.

Okay, I have many more, but that's probably more than enough to put out there for today. 

When Not To Tell The Truth

In the Gospels, Jesus says that He is the way, the truth, and the life.  We have a commandment from God that tells us that we are not to bear false witness (i.e. lie) about our neighbor.  God delights in truth in the inward parts, and even calls us to be such an honorable people that our word is good, so that our yes actually means yes, and our no actually means no.

So we are to tell the truth.  But I put a question before you.  Is it always appropriate to share the whole truth?  For most of us, the quick answer is to say, of course.  We should always share the truth, and not tell lies.  And I agree with that.  However, I want to have us think about this a little deeper.

Let's say that you are over at some friends' house.  In the midst of your time there, the husband and wife have a sharp disagreement, which leaves one stalking out of the room in anger.  With the uncomfortable situation, you decide that it's best if you give them some space to work things out.  As you leave, you call another friend, whom you had been planning to chat with a bit later.  This person is surprised that you are calling early.  After all, weren't you at so and so's house? 

How much of what you witnessed do you share?  Sure, you could tell the whole truth, that they got into a fight and one of them left angrily, but does that do any good for anyone?  Do you want to introduce that into their reputation, as though they are angry people at each other in the eyes of others?  Or, do you say something like, my time got done there early, so I wanted to see if you were available? 

I believe that this is where Martin Luther's explanation to the eighth commandment (You shall not bear false testimony) comes in helpful.  He says that are not to betray our neighbor (as in, spill the beans on everything we know of them), slander them (as in, tell outright lies about them), or hurt their reputation.  Instead, we are to speak well of them and explain everything in the kindest way.

Sometimes that charge is more difficult to do than at other times.  Sometimes, we have to make major decisions without being able to tell others the full extent of what we know.  That can be difficult, and yet, as we seek to build up each others' reputation, can we do less in the eyes of God?

Taking Care of the Present, or the Future?

A common thought present in many Christian congregations is that we need to "raise up the next generation".  In many congregations, you will hear of the need to reach the "younger generation".  Ministers and pastors are often called to help reach "young families", and given that task.  And yes, these are good and noble intentions.  We want to reach out with the saving message of forgiveness and renewal in Jesus to the next generation, to families with children and the like.

At the same time, this mindset or approach can carry some unintended consequences.  Imagine that you are a senior adult at a congregation who wants to reach "young families."  Where does that put you?  Are you not worth ministering to?  And at the same time, we also have to ask the question, are there older people in our communities who need that saving message of forgiveness and renewal in Jesus delivered to them as well?

Do we take care of the present, or of the future?  Actually, I would venture a different question.  Why can't we do both?  Why can't we show that God's grace is present for current believing and unbelieving seniors, and is also there for the younger people who both believe and do not yet believe?  Sure, the approach to such varied groups may be far different, but I would suggest that, to do one at the expense of the other is actually a harmful thing.

Think about the wisdom that a more mature Christian can pass along to someone of the younger generation.  Or, think of the smile that a young Christian can bring to even the most hardened of seniors, even if they simply tell that senior that Jesus loves them as they give them a hug.  Sometimes we need the seniors to pass along wisdom and teach maturity to the younger generation, and at times we need the younger generation to remind the seniors that Jesus spoke of receiving the kingdom of God as a child, with a child-like faith. 

Sure, nurturing those within a congregation who fit this whole span can be a balancing act at times, and working to reach out to those who do not yet know Jesus can be even more challenging.  Yet, isn't that a challenge worth taking up?  The kingdom of heaven will not be populated only by senior adults, or only by young people.  It will be made up of all people who express their faith in what Jesus accomplished for them.  A common message, even as it is one that is expressed and conveyed in a variety of ways to a variety of people.

The Three "C"s

Building off of yesterday's post, I started thinking about how those things I wrote yesterday apply to leadership, especially in a setting of God's people.  In case you missed yesterday's, here is the link to it.  http://pastorscott25.blogspot.com/2015/05/enduring-fire.html

When you look for people to lead God's people, you want to have people who have been through the fire, and who have shown themselves able to endure, and to lead others through the fire.  When you think about it, that makes sense.  You'd rather have someone who can lead the way through in a position of leadership, rather than someone who cannot endure through the fire.  We can only lead as far as we are able to go, after all. 

That leads to a phrase I heard a few years back about those who would lead in positions within the body of God's people.  The man who shared it said he would look for three things, each of which begin with C.  Character, chemistry, and competence.  Just a few words on each as to how they apply, especially in leadership of God's people.

I'll start with character, which I would suggest is the highest priority.  Especially in a situation where leaders of God's people are called to be standards to which others can look and imitate, character is of utmost importance.  Character calls for doing the right thing, even when it's not the popular thing to do.  Character calls for a life of integrity, where you are not one person in one situation, and then someone else in a different situation.  Character calls for humilty, in looking for the good of God's people, even if it calls for demands and sacrifices on your part.  Character means that you will abide within what God says, so much as you are able, regardless of the outcome.

You also need some level of competence.  If you are untrained, say, at working with children, you might not be the best one to work with the nursery class.  While formal training in the areas is nice, really, it amounts to you having experience in what you seek to do.  Yes, there is a time and place to learn if you have never been in that situation before, but at that point, you should not be expected to be a leader, then.  You're a student, learning the ropes, and not a leader, calling for others to follow you, if you have never been there before.

Chemistry is also vitally important.  You could have a great level of competence, but if your character has not permitted you to work well with others, you could end up doing more damage than good.  Character and chemistry have some level of interaction here.  However, you could be the most upstanding person, but yet have difficulty working with superiors or those who would report to you.  After all, the hand simply cannot say "I don't need you" to the rest of the body and still remain part of the body.

Character, competence, and chemistry.  Three necessary ingredients, especially as it applies to those who would be leaders in God's church.

Enduring the Fire

"More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit  who has been given to us."  Romans 5:3-5

As a young college student, I briefly worked at a grocery store.  I started out as the kid who would bag up your groceries and carry them out, but just a couple of weeks into the job, the manager had me trained to run the register.  I had two brief sessions of observing another clerk, and then, the next day, he told me it was time for me to undergo the trial by fire.  I was put in the register by myself to learn how it worked.  A frightening thought at first, but one that I learned to pick up quickly.

Thrown into the fire.  Sink or swim.  We have a lot of different phrases to describe this kind of thing.  Basically, we are tested to see if we will succeed, or if we will fail.  And that is the same kind of thing that Paul is describing in the verses above.  When you get tested, are you going to see good fruit borne from it, or not?

When it comes to our lives as Christians, we also find this same work going on.  The Spirit resides within us, to give us God's strength.  Yet, His presence doesn't mean that we will all come through with flying colors.  Because of our sinful human nature, we will have times where we look to blame others for our lack of success.  We will have times where we excuse our behavior because we want to think that someone else engaged in worse behavior.  And as we do that, instead of having character produced, which leads to hope, we instead sow discord, and feed the selfish ego.

God has us endure the fire to test us, to see how our character is being shaped by God's Spirit into the likeness of Jesus.  We could think of it along these lines.  As we are shaped by God's Spirit, we don't look to what is best for ourselves, but best for our neighbor.  We may look for justice, but not at the expense of compassion.  We look at our actions to see if they build up, or if they destroy.  We examine the words we use to see if they serve God and His people, or if they serve us.

Sadly, there are many who find themselves in the flames (or in the water, if you like the sink and swim one better), and who simply do not stand up to the test.  Those are the ones who need our care and compassion, even as we work with them to teach them how to endure, so that, next time they face the fire or the lake, they are better able to stand with the Spirit and endure.

Good News Communication

Just a little bit of thinking out loud on a Tuesday morning today.

I've been giving some thought to the different kinds of communication that we rely upon in our world these days.  As I've thought about this, I've created a kind of "chart" of different kinds that are commonly used within churches.  I'll put it together here for you, and then share a few thoughts on it underneath.

                           Infrequent                                                      Frequent
                    Newsletter

Impersonal
                                                 Bulletin                                          Facebook/Social Media
                                                                                                                      Blog
                                                                                                                Mass Email
Personal
                                           Announcements                                          Text Messaging
                                                                                                              Phone Calls
                                                                                                             Word of Mouth
                                                                                                              Personal Visits

Okay, so brief explanation. Upper right hand corner has the types of communication that are infrequent and impersonal.  As you move downward, the communication gets more personal.  As you move from left to right, the frequency of communication increases.  The items listed are supposed to demonstrate some level of that (Yes, chartmaking is not a strength of mine!).

A couple of observations: The ways we tend to rely upon to convey information are more effective as they get more frequent and more personal.  You shouldn't be surprised to see that the most effective types of communication are those that are frequent and personal.  That is the best way to communicate and connect with others.

In general, churches tend to have some level of reliance on more impersonal types of communication.  These are also the least effective.  The more personal and frequent you can communicate your information, the better.  (Think of the implications of that when you think about matters such as evangelism and the like.)  If you want to have something communicated, the most effective way is also the least "efficient" way (yes, let's face it, it is more efficient to run off a bunch of papers and hand them out, but they are also among the least effective.), that of personal connections.

As you think about life where you attend to hear God's Word, how personal or frequent is the communication?  What is communicated impersonally and what is communicated personally?  With what frequency do you communicate?  These will all have an impact on how much God's message gets conveyed, as well as the information you wish to share with others. 
 

Considering Purpose

"Why?"  It's a question that kids are known for asking.  They want to know why the sky is blue, why they have to eat their vegetables, why they have to do what mom and dad tell them to do, and a whole host of other things.  As we get older, we start asking the "why" question a little less frequently, as we learn that there are many times where we simply cannot know the answer to that question, and where we often just have to take action.

Yet, the "why" question never really goes away.  And as we get older, hopefully we start asking why about the deeper questions of life.  Sure, I could take some time to delve into those, and perhaps will in future posts.  But for today, I'm sort of taken with the why question as it pertains to our existence.

Why are we here?  Or, maybe in a slightly different way, why does God leave us here in this world once we believe in what Jesus accomplished for us?  Or, in a slightly different way, why does God have me interact with the people that He sends across my path on a daily basis?  Shoot, even Jesus asks that we not be taken out of the world, even though the world may hate us, but that we be protected from the evil one (read John 17 for the context of this).  Why?

Could it be that the message of Good News of what Jesus has accomplished far outweighs our desire to simply be with God forever?  Could it be that those countless "somebodies" that God puts in our path need us far more than God needs us to be in the eternal kingdom right now?  Could it be that we need a continuing lesson in having compassion and caring for others, just as God has cared for us in Jesus?

The "why" question is ultimately a purpose question.  What is my purpose?  What is the reason that I exist and live?  And our God so often has the answer.  We are here to share what He has done for us, especially in Jesus, and to demonstrate godly care and compassion toward every neighbor God sends across our path.  What higher, nobler purpose could any of us have than that?

Significant at Every Moment

Each of us can look back and recall times where others have been highly influential in our lives.  They are the kind of moments that stand out to us.  The pat on the back that a father gave to us, which boosted us on to bigger and better things in life.  That professor who used something of ours as an example to the class, which made us strive for more.  That person who spoke well of something we did, and we happened to overhear or hear secondhand the good that they praised in us.  These moments are highly influential.

As we think about our lives as Christians, we recognize that Jesus has touched us with many significant moments.  Though I was baptized as an infant a mere month old, I still look upon that great gift from God as a highly influential event.  A simple word from my mother, who, upon me saying that I was thinking of entering the ministry, told me that a lot of people that I had grown up with wouldn't be surprised at that.  A college student who mentioned that our time together in God's Word was really causing him to think about his life, right and wrong, and who he was as a child of God.  All of these have impacted me in such a way that I wanted to continue growing, so that others would benefit.

The thing is, as Christians, every interaction with others is an opportunity to bring something significant to that moment.  We carry God's eternal Word, His saving truth, and His light and forgiveness with us.  Just think what kind of influence that means that we can bring to every moment of our lives.  Sure, we could be a bit overbearing if we tried too hard to bring that significance in, but if we approached each encounter with another with the humility in recognizing that God could use us to influence that person right then, we might be surprised just how influential we really can be.

Sadly, like you, I have missed a great number of those opportunities in my life.  That is why I am also so thankful that I have forgiveness from a Savior who not only saves me from the bad/evil that I do, but also from the good that I leave undone.  And my prayer is that the Spirit opens my eyes to those opportunities, so that I can be influential for our Lord in those moments.

"Real Life" and Faith

There are times in life where "real life" gets in the way of what we hope to accomplish or achieve.  In recent months, the birth of a baby has truly impacted what I would like to accomplish in my professional and occupational life.  Transitions involving naps, tantrums, and adjustments to the regular routine cause that part of my life to be impacted as I deal with "real life" at home.

Believe, this isn't something I am complaining about.  The fact that I have an occupation and situation where I can spend that extra time with my family is something that is truly a blessing.  Even when my shoulder is wet with spitup (yet again), I find very little to complain about.  Okay, lack of sleep can be something to complain about, but thankfully, inroads are being made to resolve that issue!

Okay, rambling man, so what's the point?  "Real Life" often has an impact on our lives outside our home.  The thing is, it also has an impact on faith.  What do you do with the tempermental teen who doesn't want to go worship on Sunday morning?  How do you have a discussion with your child about God's commandment against stealing when their "real life" friends are involved in breaking the commandment?  What do you do when "real life" leaves you tired, depressed, and struggling, and your faith may seem to have relatively few immediate answers?

One thing I would suggest when "real life" happens and faith gets impacted.  Don't stop talking about it.  In fact, far too often, real life situations arise because we haven't talked about faith matters and what they have to do with real life.  Why is God so adamant about stealing?  That discussion could lead to a greater appreciation for how God distributes His gifts, and what that means in terms of ownership.  Talking about what coveting is may actually lead to discussion about contentment, and may actually have an impact on spending habits and envy toward friends and their possessions.

Basically, the more we can talk about faith (not just church, but faith, a distinction I intend to make in a coming post), the more we open up to talking about the role our faith plays in our real life.  That's when we start to see how faith can impact "real life" rather than having "real life" impact our faith.

Building Up The Body

"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ..."  Ephesians 4:11-13

In recent months, I have taken a new challenge upon myself.  I have a coach who helps me walk through my thinking when it comes to the work that I do of building up the body, of preparing God's people to continue the spread of God's kingdom into this world, and in the building up of the Body that already is part of God's kingdom.

I have a coach for a few reasons.  I recognize that, while I may have some level of education, I also do not have all the answers when it comes to leading, to teaching, and to preparing God's people.  God gives us others to help us clarify our thoughts, to refine our thinking, and to come up with ideas and plans that are sharpened upon the iron whetstones of others.  None of us is so wise on our own that our thoughts and ideas have no room for improvement, and so I have a coach to help me sharpen my thinking.

I also have a coach to assist in holding me accountable for what I plan to do.  One thing that has been proven time and time again is that, when we humans have someone to whom we have to report, we have a much greater tendency to do what we planned to do.  When we are left to our own devices, we are much more likely to let things slide and leave them undone.  But when we have someone who will ask us about them, or with whom we partner, then we are much more likely to follow through.  So I have a coach to also serve as a means of motivating me to do that which I plan.

But ultimately, I have a coach because God's ministry is not done by one person.  As you read through the verses above, it should become clear that the one who is placed as leader of God's people has the responsibility to build up the members so that they take up the ministry in greater and more direct ways.  In some respects, the one who finds himself in the place I happen to hold has a great responsibility to teach others how to do what God would have the Body of Christ be doing.  It's not merely setting them free to do what they want, but to teach them how to do it, and work with them as they figure it out.

So I have a coach because I cannot do it all on my own.  Even as I prepare others, I also need to be prepared.  Even as I teach others to be disciplined, I also need to be disciplined.  Even as I build up others, I need to be built up.  And those are some of the reasons that I have a coach.