This is such rich stuff from Paul’s second letter to Timothy:
I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day. As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
What business is the church in? Bill Hybels said yesterday that the church is in the life transformation business. I’m glad to say that the Bible doesn’t support that view though it does seem to be a fairly common misconception today. We all want Jesus to come alongside us and improve us, our marriages, our children. We want to go to sleep at night confident that we have taken several steps forward, getting a little better every day. We want to reach the end of our lives and see that we have accomplished something of lasting significance and worth, to know that we were worth something. In all of these scenarios, however, Jesus is a means to an end (a very personal, therapeutic end: feeling better about ourselves). As one new acquaintance said at dinner last night, the problem isn’t that we need to align our hopes and dreams with Jesus; it’s that Jesus upends our hopes and dreams, intruding into our lives with such force that what we thought was important actually dies and new life is born in its place. As the great Episcopal preacher Robert Farrar Capon puts it, “Jesus came to raise the dead. He did not come to teach the teachable; He did not come to improve the improvable; He did not come to reform the reformable. None of those things work.” As long as the church thinks it is in the life business instead of the death business, it will constantly clamor after every tool to improve life and it will judge its success in the way that bookkeepers and accountants judge success.
In general, to ‘do justice’ means to live in a way that generates a strong community where human beings can flourish. Specifically, however, to ‘do justice’ means to go to places where the fabric of shalom has broken down, where the weaker members of societies are falling through the fabric, and to repair it. This happens when we concentrate on and meet the needs of the poor.
How can we do that? The only way to reweave and strengthen the fabric is by weaving yourself into it.
Lemonade International is an excellent, life-changing ministry with a very positive impact in La Limonada, the largest slum in Central America. I have personally witnessed their work and cannot speak highly enough about it.
I just committed $10/month to help them feed the children in the slum, as part of their overall holistic approach to saving and changing lives.
Our doctrine was, that the soul looked not to its own compunction or its own tears, but fixed both eyes on the mercy of God alone. Only we observed, that those who labour and are heavy laden are called by Christ, seeing he was sent “to preach good tidings to the meek;” “to bind up the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;” “to comfort all that mourn.” Hence the Pharisees were excluded, because, full of their own righteousness, they acknowledged not their own poverty; and despisers, because, regardless of the divine anger, they sought no remedy for their wickedness. Such persons neither labour nor are heavy laden, are not broken-hearted, bound, nor in prison. But there is a great difference between teaching that forgiveness of sins is merited by a full and complete contrition (which the sinner never can give), and instructing him to hunger and thirst after the mercy of God, that recognizing his wretchedness, his turmoil, weariness, and captivity, you may show him where he should seek refreshment, rest, and liberty; in fine, teach him in his humility to give glory to God.
I recently went to a Christian conference in Atlanta. It was my first exposure to Megachurch Culture. Coming from the Northeast, where I serve as a pastor of a 450 member church, I made some observations of what Meagachurch Culture loves.
JESUS.
Happily, after the skits, videos, more videos, and flashing lights, the message being preached was about Jesus: his gospel, his saving work, his redemptive grace. I might have expected legalism or do-good-ism, but I heard the good news. Sweet!
NUMBERS.
Saddleback. Northpoint. Willow Creek. These are the examples of successful churches. Whenever a speaker was being introduced, the emcee would be sure to include the astonishing details of the speaker’s church explosion. “So-and-so is going to speak to us now. He’s the founding pastor of Ridgepoint Crossings Church in Fort Lodge, Texas. He started Ridgepoint Crossings 9 years ago with four families; but now ladiesandgentlemen, it has 12,000 people and four campuses!!!” Applause applause. During one of the final keynote speeches, the speaker stated that “bigger is not better; better is better.” You could have heard a pin drop.
MORE STUFF.
Everywhere I looked, everywhere I walked, people were shilling merchandise. There was swag. iPad giveaways. “Thousands of dollars of free curriculum.” More. There seemed to be a total surrender to the idea that what we all really want and need is more stuff.
ENTERTAINMENT-BASED WORSHIP.
In one of the early worship sets, the emcee introduced two singers who had recently been contestants on a television show called The Voice, which, I’m told, is much like American Idol. The crowd seemed to really like that announcement. The music was deafeningly loud, the lights blindingly bright, the pace fast and driving. The production was amazing and flawless, easily as good as American Idol. There were multiple cameras constantly feeding images to the large hi-def screens. The entire arena was dark except for the ambient light from the stage lighting and jumbotrons. It was ZooTV* but without any irony.
AFRICA.
There seemed to be universal agreement that people in Africa need our help, and that it is the American church’s responsibility to send money, food, medicine, and hope there.
NOT PROGRAMS.
I heard several times throughout the conference that the Church’s goal is to “lead people into a growing relationship with Christ.” That goal is best reached by connecting interpersonally to others. I found a great deal of irony in this message because it was delivered, via jumbotron, to an arena full of people sitting in rows in the dark.
NOT FEMALE PASTORS.
Except for backup singers and one keynote speaker, it was an all male cast on the main stage. And in the senior pastor’s lounge, where I hung out most of the conference, the only women seemed to be the wives of male pastors. Apparently Megachurch Culture has not yet heard (or been convinced of) the strong Biblical case for women in the pastorate.
*Speaking of U2, I recommend this related article, in which the writer ponders the idea that people used to say things like “that U2 concert was like going to church,” but now say things like “that church service was like being at a U2 concert.” I wonder who has influenced whom–church or popular culture?
You’ll notice that I omitted the second concluding point. I’m grateful for the mistake, because it forces me to return to that aspect of the teaching in a later lesson.
God is a mountain spring and not a watering trough. He delights to overflow–to give and give and give! and therefore the gospel is the good news that God does not need a bucket brigade; he wants people who will drink! The qualification for receiving his kingdom is not strength but thirst. It is our Father’s pleasure to give us the kingdom, freely.
