Merry Christmas

Why is Christmas so controversial? I understand that everyone isn't a Christian. I understand that some people don't like religion. But, Christmas is such a wonderful time of the year. Consumerism aside, it is a time when people think of family and home. What is wrong with that? Of course, some would say that a lot of people are depressed at this time, and I would agree. But, that doesn't make it wrong to celebrate the holidays. At this stage, I probably need to make it clear that I am a believer in Jesus Christ, so Christmas is not just a holiday season, it is a holy day to me.

One of my great memories about Christmas was the evening (about 15 years ago) when I attended a San Diego Pops concert at Christmas time. The music was great; mostly generic holiday songs. Then the orchestra began to play some of the old carols. I suppose that no more than half of the people were believers, yet the people began to sing. I was seated next to a very refined looking older lady in a fur stole (looked like money to me), and she was singing with gusto. I don't know whether she was a Christian or not. It didn't matter. Something deep was happening as we all felt as one. No one was putting another belief down. No one was proselytizing. It was just good to be together and remember the spirit of the holidays. I love Christmas.

Lately, I have received a lot of Christmas pictures in my email; here are a few Christmas Trees as my gift to you.

Born in Humility

There it is the miniature manger scene. We bought ours in 1966. There is the baby Jesus with Mary and Joseph. Of course there are several animals, an angel, some shepherds and, to complete the picture, the three wise men. I love it! It helps make Christmas real. There is only one problem; it probably isn’t exactly the way it looked at the time. Last week, we discussed that the wise men (the Magi) probably came a couple of years later and there weren’t necessarily three of them. Today we will look at some other things that may appear different than expected. But, don’t fear, the essence of the story is true and it is all there.

The story is so familiar. I have heard it from childhood. When I was young, it was even read in the public school (shows how old I am). The story is found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 2, and verses 1-7:

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

I think that the first important thing to remember about the Christmas story is that it is all accomplished and arranged by God. We have already seen that it was God, who so loved the world that He sent His son. Mary is pregnant through the activity of the Holy Spirit. Joseph is free to continue his relationship with Mary because of God speaking through a dream. Now, God uses human history to ground the birth of Jesus in history, at a particular time; and it is the right time.

It happened during the reign of Augustus Caesar. He was worshipped, not just as Caesar, but as the bringer of peace. In actuality, Jesus is to be worshipped as the king and He is the Prince of Peace. But, this gives a historic time frame for Jesus’ birth. We also know that Jesus was born during the reign of Herod the Great. And, this scripture, states that the census occurred while Quirinius was governor of Syria. To most of us, these are just names – sounds ok to me. But, to those who are academically minded, there is a problem, the dates don’t really match up. Let me give some thoughts that may clarify the problem and the solution:

· Herod the Great died around 4 BC

· Therefore Jesus was born before 4 BC – obviously when they set up the calendar, they figured wrong

· Quirinius became governor several years AD

· Solution: Probably the census was issued by Augustus Caesar during the reign of Herod and (it took a long time for this to take place) didn’t finish until Quirinius became governor.

· Is this right? It is a theory and it isn’t my imagination – but it may help.

Joseph is really one of my heroes. He was a righteous man in all aspects. He listened to God and he was obedient to the laws of the land. He and Mary lived in Nazareth, but the child was to be born in Bethlehem. How could this be? Well, God arranged a census and Joseph headed to the ancestral home. Why Bethlehem? Jesus was to be of the Davidic Kingly line. Bethlehem was the town of David.

I think that the charm of the story of course is the fact that the child was born in a manger. It was a humble birth. There wasn’t room in an inn. That probably wasn’t too bad – inns were not that comfortable – or private in that day. The stable was probably connected to the house. I remember entering small villages in Viet Nam where the animals slept under and around the houses. I actually like the answer that we receive when we visit Israel. The Church of the Nativity is built over a cave. It is said that, in that day, the animals were kept in a system of caves. This created shelter for them – and for the birth of Jesus.

We may not know exactly how everything looked, but we do know that Jesus was born. His birth is a historical event. The nature of that birth shows that he was born to relate to all people, not just to the rich and famous. He is one of us. Finally, this story shows that God really is in charge. He not only created the Heavens and the Earth, He is continually creating. We can trust Him. We can trust Jesus. Thank you Lord.

Merry Christmas to All!

My Treasure

For the last couple of weeks I have been studying a real treasure trove for me. I was loaned an almost complete set of Our Life Together. This was the newsletter (mini-magazine) of the First Baptist Church of Chula Vista from 1973-1982. It was also the voice of the American Baptist Charismatic Fellowship. At its peak it had a circulation of over 3500 in the US, England, Sweden, Denmark, Zaire, New Zealand and Australia. For two years, it was weekly, for several more years, it was every two weeks and for the rest of the time it was monthly. The writing was of much higher quality than might have been expected. It is also of some historical significance; Oral Roberts University has a complete set and Bethel Theological Seminary (San Diego) has a partial set.

Why is this a treasure to me? First, it brings back a lot of memories. I lived the life described in its pages. I wrote many of the articles – and was mentioned in many others. Second, I am in the process of writing a book about First Baptist Church of Chula Vista from 1964-1987. The book is actually centered on the years 1970-1982 which almost exactly coincides with the dates OLT was published.

Why would I want to write such a book? The church has historical significance for three basic reasons:

The Charismatic Renewal – First Baptist was one of the earliest Baptist churches involved in the renewal. Ken Pagaard, the pastor was one of the earliest Baptist Pastors to become involved. He was one of the founders and leaders of the denominational movement. Because of this, he became an internationally know speaker and teacher.

The Jesus People Movement – The church was one of the first churches in Southern California to be really involved with this movement along with Calvary Chapel. There were 750 baptisms in a relatively small church from January 1970-June 1971.

Communal Living – The church had 13 homes with about 180 people living communally at its peak. The ministry of the church was widespread. Of course, so was its notoriety.

Are you going to publish this book? I hope so, but even if not published, I think it is important to document this period. I was in a unique place to observe and participate in this life. I was a member of the community; I actually lived with the Pagaards for 7 years. I served as Choir Director, Minister of Music, Pastoral Assistant, Guest Master of the Community, Elder, Counselor, Acting Pastor, Co-Pastor and Senior Pastor (not all concurrently). I love the church and am proud of being a part of this historic period. Pray for me that the book is well done; it deserves it.

The Marriage Controversy

A few weeks ago I posted a blog about the case for marriage between one man and one woman. I freely admit that I supported and voted for Proposition 8. Yet, I am troubled by this issue that just won’t go away. That may sound crass, but I don’t think that I am alone in that sentiment. Of course, I realize that the issue isn’t going to go away. As long as there are people, both homosexual and heterosexual, who disagree, the issue will be there.

I got to thinking about his because I just read a lengthy article in Christianity Today about this issue. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/september/11.36.html Of course, Christianity Today is fairly close to where I am theologically. The article presents a lot of Biblical teaching supporting Marriage only between one man and one woman. The article won’t change anyone’s mind that disagrees with Scripture or traditional interpretation of Scripture. But, for those of us who have a high regard for Scriptural Authority (as traditionally interpreted) will be encouraged. It can help us to understand our why we believe as we do. I don’t think any of us should just “go” with knee jerk reactions.

While I basically agree with CT, I am still troubled. I don’t want us to get into a frame of mind where we forget that our enemy is not flesh and blood, our enemy is Satan. We are to love people. When I say people, I include the gay, the lesbian and those who disagree with us. We truly are God’s children. I know that some don’t believe that homosexuals can be Christians. That isn’t true. I don’t agree with homosexuality, but no where is it listed s the unforgivable sin. There are Christian drug addicts, adulterers, thieves, liars and gossips. Of course, we are called upon to repent and live a holy life, but that doesn’t mean that all Christians have completed the process (has anyone other than Jesus himself)?

I guess that I just want us to remember that our love for people, yes, even the sinner must never be compromised. The issues are also important – we can’t compromise here either. But we don’t have to hate people in order to adhere to our principles.

King of Kings

My second sermon in Advent dealt with the coming of the Magi recorded in Matthew 2:1-11:

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."

When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. "In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

Most of have (or at least have seen) miniature nativity scenes; a manger, some animals, baby Jesus, Joseph, Mary, an angel, some shepherds and the wise men. This is fine for decoration and providing a focus for this holy event, but it isn't really how it happened. The Wise Men went to a house rather than a manger, and it may have been around two years after that wondrous birth.

Let's look a little closer at this passage of scripture. First of all, we don't really know the number (there were three gifts), they weren't kings (nor are they described as Wise Men -- although they were probably wise; they were Magi. What on earth were Magi? Well, they were a combination of primitive astronomer, astrologer, philosopher and (possibly) a priest. They were certainly not Christian -- since Christ had not died on the cross, and they probably weren't Jews. They were pagan, but God spoke to them. Why? Because they were open to what God was saying and they were looking to see the fulfillment of prophecy. God took the initiative. We don't really know what the Magi saw, even though there are several astronomical possibilities; we just know that God revealed something to the Magi that they believed was the fulfillment of prophecy that a new king was born. The were open, they saw, they believed and they went.

Where did they go? Well, it seems reasonable that they would go to Jerusalem; the capitol of Judea. Who would know more about the birth of a new king than the current king? This king was Herod called the Great. He was allowed by the Romans to be called a king, but he was not independent of Rome. He was a great builder. He was the one who finished the Second Temple in Jerusalem; the first destroyed in 586 BC. He seems to have been cruel and somewhat paranoid. There had been attempts to dethrone him, so he is reported to be proactive and get rid of anyone who might challenge him. For this reason, he was very interested in the report that there might be a "new king" out there. He supplied the Magi with the information that Bethlehem was to be the birth place and asked for a report after the visit of the Magi to the child.

God did his part and led the men to the place where Jesus was. When they saw Jesus, they did the appropriate action; they fell on their faces and worshipped. We must never forget that this child Jesus who would become our savior, our redeemer and friend is the King of Kings and deserves our worship. They gave him gifts. Tradition gives us some significance; gold -- the value of a king; frankincense -- for the anointing of a king; and myrrh -- for embalming his body. The men then disregarded Herod's request and went home another way; they listened to God.

I suppose there are many lessons we could learn from this, but here are a couple:

• Jesus is to be worshipped as King of Kings. Of course he is our friend, our brother, our savior, but we must never forget that he is the King of Kings.
• He deserves our best. He deserves all that is of value; our money, our devotion, our time. Our service to him should be the best, not the left overs.

Advent

We are well into the Christmas Season. The stores are cheerfully decorated and filled with shoppers. Of course the economic news is not very encouraging, but there are still a lot of shoppers. I love this season. I love just about everything about it. I love the decorations, the smells – the goodies. I love the music. Of course I love the wonderful story about Christ’s birth. What really makes the season though, is family. It is just good to be together.

A week ago I informed the church that this really wasn’t the Christmas Season. In the church calendar we are in the season of Advent. Advent is a wonderful time of the year. Advent comes from the Latin language. It refers to the coming of the Lord. We expect the celebration of his first coming at that Christmas some 2,000 years ago. It also looks forward to his coming again. We normally call this time the Christmas season, but in the church calendar, the Christmas season runs from December 25^th to January 6^th (Epiphany) – thus the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Usually, four themes are chosen for the four Sundays. This year the themes are: Hope, Peace, Light and Joy. We Baptists are not very good at liturgical things, but I usually lead a meditation upon the theme for the week and then light the appropriate candle.

Saturday as I prepared for the first Sunday in Advent, I discovered that we didn’t have an advent candle holder. I quickly journeyed to San Diego and went to the Catholic Book Store. After choosing the appropriate holder, the clerk said, “I just love this season, are you buying this for personal use?” “No,” I replied, “I am buying this for my church.” “Oh, are you a priest?” “Actually, I am a Baptist pastor.” She looked at me, smiled and said, “Oh my father is a Baptist Pastor.” I laughed and replied that my son had converted to Catholicism.

This was just a short exchange of pleasantries, but I think it was more than that. Two people, one a Catholic, one a Protestant, but both love the Lord meet and share a common heritage. Isn’t God good? I felt encouraged and warmed by a “chance” encounter.

The King Comes in Humility

Advent is a wonderful season. It looks forward to Christmas, a joyous holiday time as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. Of course, Advent also looks forward to His coming again; what a joyous time that will be. As we await the coming of our King, I have titled the series of sermons for Advent, “The King is Coming.” I preached the first sermon for Advent last Sunday, November 30^th. The text was Matthew 1:18-25:

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” —which means, “God with us.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (NIV)

This is a familiar, simple story; or is it? As the story begins, we find Joseph and Mary in an awkward situation. They were betrothed to be married. This meant a little more than it does today. They were all but married. She could have lived under his roof. The betrothal could only be terminated by a divorce. She was probably in her early teens; a virgin – but a pregnant virgin. She knows, as do we, that she was bearing a child that was created in her by the Holy Spirit. But what was Joseph supposed to think. He wanted to take care of Mary, but she had betrayed him; she was an adulteress; she could be stoned. How could he put her away with no scandal? This was his problem.

The other actor in this story is God. He has his own purpose. He was sending his son into the world to save mankind from their sin. Jesus was the Son of God, the King of Kings, but God sent him to a rather ordinary family. God knew what Joseph was going through, so He sent an Angel to appear to Joseph in a dream. Joseph was told not to worry. He was to go ahead and marry Mary. The child was from the Holy Spirit. Then he was told to name the child Jesus (Yehoshua in Hebrew); God saves. Jesus was coming to save the world. Finally, the Angel gave the prophecy from Isaiah 7:14, and stated that this child would be the fulfillment of that prophecy. Isaiah states that the child would be called Emmanuel; God with us. This is not just another name for Jesus, but it is a statement that God was coming to his people through this birth.

Joseph was a good man. He obeyed the dream. He married Mary. He didn’t assert his marriage rights; the marriage was consummated before Jesus was born. Finally we see that Joseph named Him Jesus; this claiming Him as his son. This family might be ordinary in status, but spiritually this family was far from ordinary.

This is the old familiar story, but what does it have to do with us? There are several important things to learn:

• Jesus was more than just another man
• Jesus came with a purpose
• Because of Jesus we can be forgiven
• Because of Jesus, we aren’t on our own – truly God is with us.

Thanksgiving

I was preparing to write up last Sunday's sermon when I realized that the week was almost over. More than that, it is thanksgiving day. I preached on thanksgiving on Sunday; not the holiday, but the importance of having an attitude of gratitude. I hope to write the sermon up tomorrow.

Today, I would just like to share about the things that I am thankful for:

1. Health -- I am 71 years old. I still have most of my teeth, most of my hair and I can still walk without assistance. I seem to be mentally sound, see well and hear most things. I have survived a heart attack and stroke. I am very thankful for basically sound health.
2. A good wife -- Linda has meant so much to me. I was a self centered, egotistical, wild young man. Why Linda married me, I'll never know. But, my marriage with Linda was the real start of my life. She brought me back to God. She has stood by me -- when I was a Naval Officer -- when I went into the ministry -- when we went through some really tough times -- and she is still with me. Oh, how thankful I am for her.
3. A good family -- Both of my children (how can I call two 40ish adults children -- they will always be my kids) are good people. They both know God. More importantly, they are kind and caring. They both love family -- and that includes Linda and me. In my thinking, this also includes my three grandchildren. What neat kids they are! They also love to be with the family.
4. The church -- I have been privileged to serve as a pastor for 28 years, (I have actually been on church staffs for 33 years). I have also been a pastor to the pastors of the San Diego/Imperial Valley (American Baptists). This has not been a burden; it has been a wonderful experience. I am thankful that these pastoral relationships continue.
5. God -- He has been so gracious and patient with me. I have been a slow learner in this thing called life. He continues to work with me to make me something more than I was naturally. I may not be what I should be, but thank God, I am better than I once was.
6. Friends -- I have great friends. I don't know how much to say about this. I will just say that I would not be where I am today without my friends.
7. America -- This country is so great. Does it have problems? Of course and they are both numerous and serious. America's greatness far surpasses the problems. Even in these hard economic times, I live well. I don't have much in the way of luxuries (in fact I could use some more necessities), but I have a roof over my head, food in my stomach and a family by my side. I was privileged to serve in the US Navy for 15 years. I love my country.

I'm sure that there is more, but this is a sampling. I have lived a blessed life. Thank you Lord.

Incognito

I like being incognito. I like to lurk. I like to read other's blogs -- but I don't want to comment. Actually, I really do want to comment -- but I don't want anyone to see my comment. It is safer to remain incognito.

Today, I broke my mold. I was on another blog and I posted a comment. It wasn't really profound. I think I should have (could have?) done better. But, I did it and I feel pretty good about it. Now she knows that she has another reader (she already has plenty). I am no longer lurking, I have become a part of the conversation. I'm going to try (forcing myself) to do this more often.

What does this have to do with this blog? Well, I know that there are a few who read this periodically. I know that a comment takes time, but I would like to hear from you from time to time. Of course, what I really want is the encouragement when you are really touched or encouraged by what I wrote. But, I would also like the truth when I blow it. I need to hear that also.

You are also invited to press the button at the end of the post; interesting, good idea, bad idea. Basically these just mean what they say: Interesting -- no comment, but it is kind of interesting; good idea -- wow!; bad idea -- you have got to be kidding!

God bless you and I hope to hear from you.

A Drink of Cool Water

I belong to a mentor group of San Diego Pastors affiliated with Transformation Ministries.Actually, all of us aren't even from the San Diego Area. We have two that come from El Centro and one from Tucson. Our leader, Tom Mercer, comes from Victorville. And, actually all of us aren't pastors, at least currently. We have one business man who is a lay leader, Clay Ford who is the chairman of Holy Spirit Renewal Ministries, a youth director and a minister of evangelism. Yesterday, there were twelve of us who met.

We meet to learn, to share, support one another, and to grow. We started by sharing our experiences about our reading of John Maxwell's "Leadership Gold". Then we begin to share what is happening in our lives. It is awesome to hear what God is doing in each one's life. Most of us had some joys, and some real trials. After sharing, we pray for one another.

I am always amazed at how we bond with one another. We only meet once a month, but that meeting is like a drink of cool water to when you are real thirsty. I have been a minister for many years and I know from experience that you can't do it on your own. I know I need to have people that I can honestly talk with -- people that I trust -- people who understand what I am going through. Too many pastors think that they can make it alone. Find a group where you can be yourself. If you don't need help, they do; but you will find that you will become stronger because of them. I am renewed today because of seeing my brothers yesterday.

Nr 8 Indicator that you might be in a Dysfunctional Church

You might be in a dysfunctional church if everyone feels that they have arrived. This is the last of this series of sermons. In looking back over the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians, we see that there are problems in this church, yet they seem to feel pretty good about things. The Apostle Paul has to tell them that they certainly haven't arrived, they are merely parts of what God is doing. He uses three metaphors to describe their relationship with God, they are God's farm, God's building and God's temple. This is described in Chapter 3, verses 5-23:

What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building.

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

Do not deceive yourselves. If any one of you thinks he is wise by the standards of this age, he should become a "fool" so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: "He catches the wise in their craftiness"; and again, "The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile." So then, no more boasting about men! All things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.

In the farm image, Paul states that he has planted the seed, Apollos has watered, but it is God who causes the growth. Paul and Apollos are merely co-workers with God to carry out His plan for His garden. The garden does nothing except to grow.

In the building metaphor, Paul is the architect; he lays the foundation. He clarifies that he is not the foundation, nor are his teachings. Jesus Christ is the foundation. Luther had it right, The Church's one Foundation is Jesus Christ the Lord. Paul emphasizes that there is no other foundation. Any attempt to lay another foundation is off base. Others, such as Apollos or Cephas build on that foundation. They build with imperishable materials such as gold, precious stones or silver, or with perishable material such as wood or straw. Of course, he is talking about new teachers and what they are teaching. Is it the "pure gold" which builds on the foundation of Jesus Christ, or is it the "straw" of half-baked ideas coming from the mind of the teacher. Paul goes on further to tell them that it is God who will judge this teaching -- and the teacher himself.

Then, Paul states that the church is God's temple. He isn't talking here of the individual Christian, he is talking about the church; the collective body of those who believe. The church is the temple of God. This means that God dwells there. When people see the church, they see God. Since God is holy, the church is holy. This statement is given as a present fact which should make us feel pretty good, but it also points up how far we need to grow to actually demonstrate the presence of God. Finally, Paul says that anyone who would destroy the temple should himself/herself be destroyed. This is the only sin that Paul actually talks this strongly about. "Don't destroy the church!" How can we destroy the church? Obviously one way is through false teaching; leading the people astray. But I think that Paul has something else in mind here. He is concerned with the division that exists in the church. Certainly there is room for disagreement in the church, but is disagreement in the family. Divorce shouldn't normally happen in the family, nor should it happen in the church. My wife and I don't always agree on issues, but we always agree that we love one another, we are family and we are going to stay together. The church is not meant to be a place of individual agendas and power struggles. It is God's temple. He owns it and all that is in it.

Paul finishes this section with another look at wisdom, which is very important to the Corinthians. He reiterates that human wisdom is not the issue. The issue is the wisdom of the cross. It is in this context that he tells the people not to boast about their leaders, "I am of Paul" or "I am of Apollos." We don't belong to the leader; the leaders belong to us. In fact everything belongs to us because we belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. We have only arrived when we realize that it all about Him and not about us.

I think the basic lesson is this:

• Recognize who you are; God planted you and he brings about your growth
• God really is a part of the church; in fact the church belongs to Him
• Thus, when the church gathers, it is a holy gathering
• Pastors and church leaders are merely co-workers with God.
  

Nr 7 Indicator that you might be in a Dysfunctional Church

You might be in a dysfunctional church if everyone feels that they are spiritual. There is nothing wrong with being spiritual or feeling spiritual for that matter, if you are genuinely spiritual. This was the problem in the church of Corinth; they thought they were spiritual, but they weren’t. The Apostle Paul discusses this in 1 Corinthians 3:1-4:

Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men? For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not mere men? (NIV)

In the passage which precedes this one, Paul talks about those who are spiritual have the mind of Christ. The Corinthians don’t. They are worldly (unspiritual). How can this be? These are Christians. They believe the right things. We can see from the rest of the letter that they saw supernatural “signs” such as healing, prophetic speech and tongues; these were spiritual gifts. They also saw themselves as wise. This was one of their beefs against Paul. He didn’t speak with rhetorical skills as one who is wise. He just told the simple story of Jesus, the cross and the resurrection.

Why did Paul say that they were unspiritual? He felt that they missed Class 101. They didn’t have the basics down. Loving our brothers and sisters is not advanced Christianity, it is basic. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35-36) Love is meant to be tangible, “Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. (1 John 3:18) Paul continues in 1 Corinthians 3 to tell them that the unity of the church is basic. Of course we can disagree; we can disagree as a loving family disagrees – but doesn’t stop loving one another. The church at Corinth was engaged in a civil war. The envied one another. Envy doesn’t want anyone to get ahead of us. We will work to see that our brother or sister doesn’t succeed. This was why there was strife between them and they were divided, particularly on the issue of leadership. Paul says that when they are behaving like this, they were unspiritual.

Well, what does it mean to be spiritual? I won’t summarize the many books that have been written on this subject, I will just present some basic ideas. First, we must give the Corinthians their due. Believing the right things is important. Seeing the manifestations of the Holy Spirit is important. Spiritual wisdom is important. The issue about wisdom is certainly not some strange desire of Paul that people were to be ignorant. He just wants them to understand wisdom from a spiritual perspective. So, what is the issue? For Paul, to be spiritual, you must be transformed, from the inside out; he says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2) When we are transformed, the questions become like these:

1. Do you love your brother and sister?
2. Do you encourage one another?
3. Do you seek to build up the church without regard to your own position?

I suppose none of us becomes completely transformed this side of heaven; I know I haven’t. I do know that I am not the same person I was when I first started this journey called the Christian life. What should be happening in the church to make us grow in spirituality? We must:

1.Teach and learn right doctrine – study of God’s word, not just for academic learning, but personalizing the word and applying it to our lives

2. Have define our common vision – when we have a common vision, we don’t strive against one another

3. Find ways to serve one another – Learning to love in tangible ways in the church

4. Find ways to serve our community – Learning to love the world as God loves the world

There is certainly much more to say about true spirituality, but this will suffice for this time. Let us not just feel spiritual, let us be spiritual.

Veteran's Day

I like Veteran’s Day. It isn’t just that I am a veteran; but I do like the special features on the radio and TV that honor those who gave themselves for the country. Obviously I’m not one who made that supreme sacrifice; I’m here to write this blog. But, I am a part of what those veterans stood for. It is alright to be patriotic on this day. That is neat. It seems that for much of the year veterans and the military in general are on the back burner. I am not minimizing the great support that the country is giving to those currently in the military, especially those serving in Afghanistan or Iraq. I probably feel this way because I served in Viet Nam when things were far different. It is a beautiful day. I came to Starbucks to write this and I got a free coffee. I like Veteran’s Day.

The Nr. 6 Indicator that you Might be in a Dysfunctional Church

You might be in a dysfunctional church if everyone is genius in their own eyes. What am I talking about? Sometimes people pick up a "new" understanding from scripture; a new interpretation of the end times; a new understanding of how healing works; or a new understanding of what it means to be spiritual. Because of this understanding, someone who preaches the basic gospel appears ignorant. "We are too far along for this!" They have become geniuses in their own eyes. This was part of the problem in the Corinthian church. They were "so mature" that they didn't respect Paul anymore. He was just this basic itinerant preacher. That was OK in the beginning, but "we are past that now." Let's look at the scripture passage:

When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written:

"No eye has seen,
no ear has heard,
no mind has conceived
what God has prepared for those who love him"
— but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment:

"For who has known the mind of the Lord
that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:1-15 -- NIV)

Paul starts by telling them that he purposely stayed away from illusions of human wisdom. In fact he presented the message in weakness and in fear and trembling. His simple message was that of the cross. Jesus was crucified for them! He might be weak, but the message is powerful. It has the power to transform lives. He accompanied this message with signs of God's power, not just the power of that message, but with healing and other miraculous signs. There was a reason for this. Paul didn't want the Corinthians putting their faith in him. He wanted them to put their faith in God.

He proceeds to tell the church that there is wisdom in God's message for those who are mature. Actually Paul is showing the Corinthians that they weren't as mature as they thought of themselves. When Paul discusses those who are mature, he isn't designating an elite class of people; the intellectual giants. He is talking about regular Christian people who have allowed the Holy Spirit to come into their lives and transform them. He goes on to emphasize the glory of God in the crucified Christ. Many times in the Bible, God's glory is personified as God himself. God was on the cross in the person of Jesus; the glory in a crucified Christ. Their is wisdom in this understanding, but it is not human wisdom.

Then Paul discusses the limits of human wisdom. Philosophy is great. God created human beings with an intellect. There is nothing wrong with human wisdom, but it does have limits. Human wisdom missed what was happening in the life and death of Jesus Christ. It was not only ordinary people, but elite people also missed this. In fact, the powers of darkness missed it. Satan thought that he would be victorious in the cross. But the cross defeated him. If the powers of this earth had really understood the wisdom of God, they wouldn't have crucified Jesus.

This lack of understanding is not some kind of defect in human beings. It is just a fact, that spiritual things are only understood by spiritual people; those enlightened by the Holy Spirit. Paul gives an example. No one really understands what another is thinking. Only the person himself understands. Likewise, no one can really understand God except God himself. But, God has placed his Spirit in us and because of this, we actually have the mind of Christ. He is talking about ordinary Christians. This should encourage us, but, he was also pointing out to the Corinthians that they weren't as spiritual as they thought they were.

Well, what does this say to us? First, we must rely on the Spirit to instruct us. This doesn't mean that we shouldn't study. It merely points out the limitations of only study; there must also be prayer, meditation and discussion to discern what the Spirit is saying. Secondly, the Christian should understand things in a human way. For this we really do need to study. When we talk with people who don't have a Christian background, it is not enough to say, "The Bible says it, I believe it and that settles it." We have to be able to talk with people as people. We don't have to be geniuses in the church or out of it. Relax. Learn all you can and trust God to help you know what you need to know.

A Real Family

Last night Linda and I went to the 25th anniversary party for Dale and Penni Neely. It was mainly for family, but I was invited because I performed the ceremony 25 years age (for those who knew me then, the ceremony was actually jointly performed by me and my co-pastor Dan Stolebarger). I went for two reasons, 1) Linda and I wanted to have a good time and 2) we like and respect the Neelys. I did enjoy the party. The kids really did a great job. But, I also found a new and deeper respect for Dale and Penni. In fact, not to be too political, I found the best reason to vote for Proposition 8 that I can think of.

Families like the Neelys is what marriage is all about. It is about children. Penni had two, Dale had three and they had one together; this makes six. Five of the six are married; that makes eleven. The five that are married had 13 children. Now we really have a family. Then you add in uncles, aunts, in-laws and you really have a party -- and a family. It is impossible to develop this kind of family without a man and a woman!

We had an open-mike time and I listened to each one of the kids strike a similar theme (actually some of the young in-laws added to the same theme). Penni's children were happy for the marriage because they desperately wanted a father. Dale's children were happy for the marriage because they desperately wanted a mother. This is what a family is about.

Am I saying that two gays can't be in love? Of course not. Whether I agree with with homosexuality of not is not the issue. People are gay and I believe that they can love one another just as non-gays do. I also believe that gays should be happy. Even though I am opposed to gay marriage doesn't mean that I can't celebrate their happiness. One of my favorite TV shows is Ellen. Ellen DeGeneres is so happy over her marriage. I wish her the best and celebrate her happiness. But, I am very sorry that it came at the expense of what I strongly believe that marriage is about. What about gays and children? I also believe that gays can and do love children. I believe that they can be good parents. But, I also believe that singles can be good parents and love their children. But, I also believe that the best option is a man and a woman; Dad and Mom.

Isn't it discrimination to allow heterosexuals to marry and homosexuals not to marry? Yes it is. Anything requiring a license is not an absolute right and those without the proper qualifications can't obtain a license. I would love to fly a plane, but they wont give me a license. Brain surgery really looks interesting, but I can't seem to qualify for the license. I think that I am being discriminated against. But, I can get these licenses if I acquire the proper knowledge and ability. Marriage licenses do discriminate; they are only for one man marrying one woman. This is discrimination, but it is not a Civil Rights issue.

I firmly believe in the rights of gays for non-discrimination in all areas of life. I believe in equal employment. I believe that they should be able to adopt children. I believe that there should be some sort of civil union that gives them all the rights of marriage; but not marriage itself. Of course, I am writing as a pastor of a Baptist Church. It is my further belief that the marriage license is how the state regulates marriage. Ultimately, marriage is a religious "sacrament" (the quotes are because Protestants generally don't really have sacraments -- but it is basically the same thing). If the state really decides to change the traditional definition of marriage, the church should come up with something to designate a traditional marriage; like Bride and Groom Union (not very good, but you get the idea). The state can do what it wishes to do. The church must stick to what is interpreted as God's will.

Anyway, enough ranting! God bless the Neelys. I wish them well throughout their lives and through succeeding generations.

Nr 5 Indicator that you MIght be in a Dysfunctional Church

You might be in a dysfunctional church if everyone thinks it’s all about them. Let me explain. Rick Warren in “The Purpose Driven Life” makes the point that worship is about God, not people. He tells of people who complain that they don’t get anything out of the worship service. He tells them that he has news for them, the worship service wasn’t for them, it was for God. The Corinthian church seemed to think that everything revolved around them. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 1:26-31:

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” (NIV)

The Apostle Paul starts off this passage by essentially say, “Look at yourselves.” Not many of you are college professors or rocket scientists. Not many are Olympic Champions or Medal of Honor winners. And certainly most of you aren’t seen on the lives of the rich and famous. You are ordinary people. And of course, most of us are ordinary people whether we are in the church or not in the church. But, traditionally most Christians, through all the centuries, have been ordinary folk. What makes us different is that God has chosen us! Why? To paraphrase Paul, he chose ordinary people to discredit society’s values. God chose those who are seen as non-intellectuals to discredit human wisdom, he chose the weak to discredit humanities ideas about heroism, and he chose the down and out to discredit society’s idea of the best and brightest. At this point, I must say that God gave us brains, strength and prosperity – none of these things is bad. Paul is just saying that God has turned everything upside down. This is similar to places where Jesus said things like, “The first shall be last.” The Sermon on the Mount says similar things in the beatitudes.

The next thought that Paul expresses is that now that we have been chosen and transformed, “Look at yourselves!” We are wise; we understand the power of the cross and have accepted the fact that Jesus died for our sins. We are forgiven. We are righteous; right with God and with other people; not because we are perfect, but because God has forgiven us and cleansed the slate. We have been sanctified, or made holy. We are saints! Again, we aren’t perfect, but God sees us as we can and will be, not just as we are. And all of this is because of Jesus! It isn’t anything special about us. It is that there is something special about Jesus. He came to us, lived for us, died for us and now lives for us. He saved and transformed us. Of course, you are right. All of these changes may not be obvious to your eyes, but God is working to bring this about.

Many books have been written about our ultimate purpose, but for the Christian, one thing that we can agree on is the God is at the center of our purpose. We were created by him and live for him. We have nothing that we haven’t received from God. There is nothing for us to brag about. Therefore if we must brag, brag about God and what he has done. Glory belongs to the Lord. You see, it is never all about us. It really is all about God.

The Election

I really don't want to talk about this subject. I'm really not qualified to give any "expert" opinions. In fact, on much of the election I either don't have a real opinion, or I'm not sure that I want to go with my opinion. The real reason that I am writing about the election is that it is so pervasive. All that one sees in the news is either the election or the economic crisis -- and usually they intersect with one another. I realize that we are in an economic crisis -- I am one of those having a hard time, but I really don't understand economics very well. No that I have presented my credentials, let me give a few thoughts and observations about the elections.

I am a McCain supporter. Why? I would like to present a lot of reasonable arguments, but that is not why I will vote for him. I do have some reasonable arguments; his economic and foreign policy statements resonate with me. But, the reason I like McCain is my background in the Navy. I respect him for who he is and what he endured. I am a Viet Nam vet. He is one of the heroes of "my" war. I had the opportunity to meet his dad. I worked for him -- although I'm sure his dad didn't know me; I was way down on the chain of command. The fact that John McCain refused to take the "deal" offered by the North Vietnamese, means a lot to me. There's a lot that I like about Obama, but he doesn't speak my language.

I don't know whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be president or not, but I don't know whether Obama is qualified to be president. Joe Biden's inability to stay away from his gaffes makes me wonder whether his is qualified to be president. I am not even convinced that John McCain is qualified, but McCain shows the character to be president. He has a track record that I respect. Sarah Palin may not have the long track record of McCain, but she shows a lot of character also. I really respect her beliefs, but I suspect that she is every NOW members worst nightmare. The real issue is that we can't be absolutely sure that anyone is qualified to be president before they become president. The character and background of the person will help them meet the challenges of the presidency as these challenges come to them. This also is why I will vote for McCain -- he has a track record of meeting lifes challenges; he has met the worst that life could throw at him, and he came through with his character intact.

As to the rest of the slate, I am tempted to vote against any incumbent in any office regardless of party. Now I may not really do that, but that is the way I am feeling at this time. Throw them all out! They created this mess. Of course the problem is that we don't know whether the new person will do any better.

Don't hold me to this, but I may tackle some of the propositions, especially Prop. 8 tomorrow. If anyone is reading this, let me know what you think.

Sorryabout that!

My last post is formatted all wrong! I'm sure it is my fault, but I have been unsuccessful so far. The info is alright. I'll try to correct the format later.

The Nr 4 Indicator that you might be in a Dysfunctional Church

You might be in a dysfunctional church if everyone is "full of themselves." What do I mean by "full of themselves?" Let's look at the scripture, and then I will explain.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of
the wise;
the intelligence of the intelligent I
will frustrate.”


 Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its
wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than
man’s strength. (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)
New International Version. 1996, c1984 . Zondervan: Grand Rapids

Paul is writing this letter to a church where the people were believers. He even declares that they have been given all spiritual gifts. These people knew the gospel of the cross that Paul was emphasizing. Why did he need to say it again? The people were "full of themselves." They thought
that Paul was right, but this was just basic information. They were already initiated; there must be something more. They were sophisticated and they desired words of "wisdom". Gnosticism (there is no real indication that Gnosticism was present in the Corinthian church) was the belief that salvation comes through knowing and believing the secret, esoteric knowledge. Corinth may not have had gnosticism but they had that kind of attitude. That is also the reason that there was so much division there. By the way, some of the more bizarre, Gnostic beliefs are found in "The DaVinci Codes.

"Paul goes to the heart of the matter. The message of the cross was not just basic, it is central. It may sound foolish to those who are unbelievers, but it is the power that delivers believers from death to life. The message of the cross is about the death of Jesus for us. It is the story that God sent His Son to be a part of us, to die for us and, after the resurrection, to live for us. This is probably not the way that most of us would have redeemed the world. I am quite certain that I would have come up with a different idea. But the cross defies and destroys human concepts on
how to save humanity.

Human wisdom has limitations. God is not found by human wisdom, it is found by God's revelation of Himself. One really can't understand God by human wisdom. The problem is that although God gave us brains and the ability to reason, God doesn't always act in ways that seem reasonable to
us. The message of the cross to many is an embarrassment. The two major groups in the early church were Jews and Greeks (since the Greek culture was dominant, most ethnic groups were labeled as Greeks). Jews couldn't accept Jesus, because they wanted some kind of miraculous sign
that would prove that He was who He said He was. Greeks love wisdom, andthey thought that this was the way to God. The cross was a scandal to Jews. God wouldn't die on a cross. Their scriptures even said that anyone hung on a tree was accursed. To the Greek, the idea of a god
dying on a cross was just nonsense. Of course, God's paradox is that His foolishness is wiser than
human wisdom and His weakness is stronger than human strength.

Well, what is the message in all of this. What is dysfunctional about wanting more. It isn't wrong to seek wisdom, see next weeks sermon, but we must never lose the centrality of the cross. We must preach the cross of Christ without shame. We must not make things too complicated. As the
bumper sticker says, KISS -- keep it simple stupid! When we get so "full of ourselves" the we
think we are too good for the simple gospel, we are well on our way to dysfunction.

The Nr. 3 Indicator that You Might be in a Dysfunctional Church

You might be in a dysfunctional church if everyone follows a different leader. The Apostle Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 1:11-17 (NIV):

My brothers, some from Chloe's household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, "I follow Paul"; another, "I follow Apollos"; another, "I follow Cephas"; still another, "I follow Christ."

Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul? I am thankful that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized into my name. (Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I don't remember if I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not with words of human wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Everyone was claiming a different leader. They actually seemed to have slogans that they would use in their discussions (arguments?) with one another. We do need to understand that the church had not split. It was just filled with different factions depending on who the "followed." Actually they weren't really following anyone because the leaders weren't divided, the followers were. They weren't going anywhere.

Since Paul wasn't in Corinth at this time, how did he know that this was going on? He received a report from "Chloe's" people. Who was Chloe? We don't really know, but we can infer some things about her:

• She was a woman of independent needs in a "man's" world,
• She evidently traveled,
• She had servants, slaves or extended family.

It is interesting that none of the leaders were present (except Christ -- but we will discuss this below). Paul was the founder of the church. He had impressive credentials, but he wasn't a great speaker. The Corinthians liked speakers who were great expositors of "wisdom". Some felt that they should be loyal to Paul, the founder, but others liked Apollos better; he was an orator. Actually Apollos wasn't there any longer because he didn't like being pitted against Paul. Cephas (Aramaic for Peter) probably had never been to Corinth. People had come in the name of Peter claiming that the only way to become a Christian was to first become a Jew. This appealed to those who wanted to be right according to the letter of the Law. The last group mentioned sounds like they have it right. Jesus Christ may not be there in the flesh, but He is the Lord of the Church. The problem was that this group said that they were followers of Christ as a "put down" of the others. They were all at odds with one another.

Paul goes on to talk of Baptism. Was Paul against it. Of course not! But, he wants to make a point. First, Jesus can't be divided -- so neither can His body, the church. According to Matthew 28:18-20, we are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, so who does the baptizing is irrelevant. Paul didn't come to baptize of gain a following. He came to preach the gospel. Oratory isn't the issue. The issue is the power of the cross. This should bring unity, not division.

What is the role of church leadership? First and foremost, it is not to create a personal following! I am the pastor of Bayview Baptist Church, but it is not "my" church. It is the church of Jesus Christ. I am there fulfilling my function which is to pastor the church. All are called to minister in the church using their gifts to do so. My gifting and anointing and call is to pastor the church. We should all be following Jesus. The purpose of Pastors is to help people see the vision for that church as he is able to discern Christ's purposes for that church. Woe, to the pastor that thinks it is all about his great skill. We are to present Christ. To that extent, we must follow church leadership. Division within the church is not an option.

No News is Good News

This is a great time for lovers of news. Some of us just can't get enough. I check the cable news early in the morning. I want to find out what has happened while I slept. I confess that I usually watch Fox News -- but I do watch others. At noon and in the evening, I watch CBS News, both local and National. I think my compulsion to watch the news dates to my youth. Twice I was caught completely unaware when "big" things were happening. The first was the start of the Korean War. I was only 13 years old, but it still bothered me that the first I saw of this war was in a movie News Reel. Why didn't I know that this was happening? When I was an older teenager -- in college, I was shocked to hear about the Marines landing in Lebanon. I had no idea what led up to this. Where was my head? I resolved inside never to be caught unaware again.

As much as I try, as much as I tune into news, I still seem to be surprised. There is always something that I don't know. I wonder if I really am upset because things are happening that I can't control! (I am really not going to explore that at this time.) The current financial crisis has caught me off guard. I have been following the news and know that things are bad. My finances are bad. My home was foreclosed. I do know that gasoline is expensive. I also know that so is everything else. But, it seemed like out of the blue, the Secretary of the Treasury and the President were asking for a bail-out to keep the whole economy from failing, banks started to declare bankruptcy, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had to be rescued etc. On and on it went. Why didn't someone tell me? How can you watch so much news and still be caught surprised?

I would be just as informed if I just took it easy, read the paper, checked the Internet and watched one news show in the evening. Being a news junky really just leaves me frustrated. When I grew up I learned the saying that No News is Good News. That isn't true in this day. Not having news doesn't mean anything good is happening. But I'm going to take it easy and not be so compulsive about the news. Take it easy Dick . . .

Oops, got to sign off, Bill O'Reilly is about to start! By all!

The Number 2 Indicator that You Might Be in a Dysfunctional Church

You might be in a dysfunctional church if everyone has a different vision. Paul tells the Corinthian church:

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. (1 Corinthians 1:10, NIV)

As discussed in yesterday's post, Paul has a concern. That concern is koinonia, fellowship. The community which was to be in fellowship with one another was to be in unity with God and with one another. This unity is not uniformity. It is not based upon some forced sense of saying and doing the same thing. Unity within the church allows all of us to be truly unique, yet to be one in heart and mind. Paul shows that this is the area of his concern in the next few verses where he says that they have different slogans to support the different factions within the church. When this is the case, there is no unity. Paul also mentions the word "thought" which in some translations is called "judgment". This word can also be translated as what we in this era call "vision". The church had no sense of common vision.

What should be done? Paul presents the remedy. Later in the letter he discusses the fact that the church is the body of Christ. We are not on our own. Jesus Christ who is no longer with us in the flesh, is present in the world through the presence of his body; the Church. Just as a body is held together through the joints and ligaments, Paul essentially says that we should let Christ join us together in mind and thought. We should have a common vision and that vision is not ours but it is Christ's.

How does vision in the church come about. First, since Jesus is the head of the body, he is the source of the vision. Vision comes through Him. Pastors and other leaders really are those who seek to discern that vision and help the rest of the congregation to understand how to carry out that vision. It must be mentioned here, that the rest of the congregation can also be given discernment of Christ's vision. It doesn't matter how we arrive at it; it matters that we do see the vision of Jesus Christ for our church.

Vision is also related to purpose. All churches have a purpose. They were started and placed in order to carry out God's purpose. Yet, many churches never grapple with why they are where they are; they just keep doing what they have been doing. One of the most challenging places I have been is Rick Warren's Saddleback Church. The are "the Purpose Driven Church". The amazing thing is that all 20,000 or so really understand their purpose. We don't have to be Saddleback to understand our purpose, but we must understand why God brought us into being and placed us where we are.

To the extent that we have no sense of purpose and no common vision, we are dysfunctional. We must pray for discernment. We must study the scriptures and our communities. We must discuss among ourselves. We must ask the community around us. We must discern and understand our purpose. Then we must be faithful to that heavenly vision. Then we will indeed function as God's church in this place.

The Number One Indicator that You Might Be in a Dysfunctional Church

You might be in a dysfunctional church if everyone is complacent. Actually, the Apostle Paul starts off his letter to the church at Corinth on a high note:

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—in all your speaking and in all your knowledge— because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful. (I Corinthians 1:1-9, NIV)

He starts off by expressing how thankful he is of them. He praises them because God has given them gifts of utterance and of knowledge; in fact they have all of the gifts. They not only have the gifts, they are strong in these gifts. Paul sees this as a confirmation that the message has taken. In other words, this relatively new church, started by Paul has continued to live the gospel. This confirms the message that Paul preached!

Paul also states that God will keep them strong up until the end. In fact, they will be found blameless when the Great Day arrives. This is because of the faithfulness of God who has called them into fellowship. The Greek word for fellowship is interesting; koinonia. It is a deeper word than our word fellowship is understood to be. Fellowship is a deep relationship. It denotes unity and communion. When we become Christians, we enter into this koinonia with God and with one another. We experience this relationship with one another in the church.

Well, why do I say that the church at Corinth was complacent? It sounds like Paul was just telling it like it is. They ought to feel good about themselves. The problem is that I read the rest of the letter. Paul's praise actually borders on sarcasm. Of course, Paul wasn't lying about the church receiving all the blessings. But, the problem was that the church wasn't in fellowship with one another. They were divided. They didn't show love to one another. They tolerated, even gloried in their immorality. The gifts were used to show one-up-manship to one another. They were smug. I can picture them reading this paragraph and saying, "Yes!" They were clearly dysfunctional, yet they were complacent.

We ought to have good self images -- as individuals, and as churches. There is a fine line between self satisfaction and complacency. Paul says elsewhere that he has learned to always be content. Contentment is great, but with Godly complacency there is always an "itch" for something more. Like Paul who although he was content, he was always pressing for more. Complacency is a contentment that doesn't "itch" for more. We have it all. Let's eat drink and be merry. There is no room for complacency in the church. May God always give us this "itch" for something more.

The 8 Indicators that you might be in a Dysfunctional Church

Last Sunday I started a new series with the title, "The 8 Indicators that You Might Be in a Dysfunctional Church. Of course, the title is a play on David Letterman. It is actually a set of sermons on the early chapters of First Corinthians. I have been wanting to preach on that letter for some time now. It is a wonderful exposition of everything that the church shouldn't be as well as a lot that the church should be.

The early chapters that I am teaching currently show a church that actually is pretty smug about who they are. The problem is that Paul has to tell them that, not only shouldn't they be smug, they ought to be ashamed of themselves. They are divided, celebrating immorality, taking one another to court, flaunting spiritual gifts and generally in a state of disarray. Later in the letter, you find the "magna carta" of Charismatic Worship. The gifts and how they are used are set forth in an orderly manner. And, of course, in the middle of all of this is the wonderful chapter on love.

I was asked if I am preaching this series because I think that my current church is dysfunctional. First, I really believe that the Church of Jesus Christ can never be dysfunctional. Jesus is the head of the church and where he is actually in charge, things are in order. The problem is that the church (little c) in its local settings is made up of people. People are known for getting things wrong. They follow the wrong priorities. They actually begin to think that they are in charge. This leads to dysfunction. This all begs the question, "Is Bayview dysfunctional?" I answer that it is no more dysfunctional than most. We all have the seeds of dysfunction and Christ likeness in our midst. I am teaching this series as a check-list on how we are doing. We can see how we measure up to the Corinthians and take Paul's teaching and set ourselves right. I'll be going through the list of eight, sermon by sermon.

It Really is All About Relationships

Yesterday, I reconnected with an old friend. It was so good to hear a familiar voice. There is that sense of goodness that familiarity brings; an old friend is like that old sweater, a favorite chair, only better. My friend and I weren't at odds with one another. We were just going on with our lives, and didn't happen to cross paths for a while. But, this encounter got me to thinking about how friendships affect our lives. I do realize that books have been written on this. This is just a few reflections on the subject.

Scott Peck says, "Life is Difficult." It is, but life is not only difficult, it is busy. Some people are seen everyday; relationships with them are pretty easy. The problem is maintaining relationships with people that are close friends when we no longer see them day by day. They, or we, might have moved or gone to another job. We still have the friendship, and that friendship is important. The problem is that to act on that friendship, we now have to make a special effort to make anything happen. What do we do? In many cases, we just let it all go; the friendship is just something in our past. I is just a pleasant memory. Others go crazy trying to keep the friendship as it was. This is a real problem because now we have added an extra burden to an all ready cluttered life. The friendship becomes an extra burden; guilt and/or resentment follows.

I would suggest -- I suggest it to myself because I am really not good at this -- that there is another alternative. We need to relax. We still have a friend. We need to check in with each other once in a while. A quick email, card or phone call is plenty. Perhaps we are even able to get together for a face to face sometime. We need to relax; the relationship has changed, but it is still there. We can continue to think of one another, to pray for one another and connect when it is right.

I am glad that I have many friends. I am even more happy that I have managed to keep up with many -- I wish it was more. I have done a lot of good things. I still do a lot. But, when I think of the things that mean most to me, it really is all about relationships.

Where Did It Go?

Last night I had an appointment with a friend of mine. We were going to meet at my office away from my office -- Starbuck's. Now there are a lot of Starbuck's around, but when my friend and I got to our place -- it was closed. It wasn't that I was so attached that I didn't know what to do. It wasn't even the best place around. But, I had gotten used to meeting with people there.

This was a funny little shop. It was oddly shaped. There was a little nook only big enough for one chair to fit in. This became my counseling office. Over the last three years, I have counseled a number of people in "my office". It was comfortable. There may be better shops around, but there are none that I have found that have a small office suitable for counseling. I'll miss the place.

At Loose Ends

I am quite disappointed in myself. As I was getting ready to start this post today, I looked at my last one. It was last week's sermon! Nothing wrong with that except it was from a week ago. I didn't post anything last week after Tuesday. I want to be much more active on this blog. I was intending to put this week's sermon on today, but I don't want two sermons in a row. Now I have to get creative.

Last week was really disjointed for me. It seems that almost nothing went the way that I had intended. Tuesday, the day of my last post, went pretty much as I had intended. I went to Starbuck's in the morning, wrote until noon and went home for lunch. The afternoon was spent in routine work around the house; a great day.

My normal routine on Wednesday starts with my cluster meeting. This is a meeting of five of my closest friends in the pastorate. We have been meeting weekly for around ten years (or maybe more). I really look forward to this meeting. It is the one opportunity in the week when I can truly be myself. I trust these men. Our purpose of meeting is to listen to God (and one another) and do what He says. Jimmy, our host, had to go to the doctor, so there was no meeting. Somehow the whole day was shot for me. I didn't get anything done that I should be doing.

Thursday was a good day -- BUT, it was really not normal. Thursday, should have been the day that I go back to my "office" at Starbuck's. My mentor group, a pastor's group from the San Diego area that meets with Tom Mercer, pastor of High Desert Church in Victorville, got together. This is a monthly meeting. We hadn't met all Summer, so this was an important meeting. I also look forward to this time with the rest of the guys, but it doesn't allow time for the ordinary. Then, in the afternoon, my wife, son and I had an important meeting with our family counselor (more about this at another time). This also was good, but it took my day out of the ordinary.

Finally, Friday came and nothing happened out of the ordinary. I was just upset because I hadn't done what I wanted on Wed. and Thurs., so I didn't do anything on Friday either! I'll show me!

I had time on Saturday, but that time was spent preparing for Sunday (except for a depressing session listening to the UCLA football team losing to Arizona).

Why am I going on about this? Part of it is that I just feel like complaining. I am not happy with myself for not keeping up with things. There is another reason though; I need to realize that life happens and it doesn't always happen on schedule. I have to be more flexible. In my daily devotional time this morning, God reminded me that I am semi-retired. I am not on a rigid schedule. Planning is good. Discipline is good. But, I need to lighten up. The schedule that I want to follow is just that -- it is the schedule that I want to follow! No one else is expecting this. It is something that I am putting on myself. I need to "go with the flow". I am trying. I am also trying to find a way to be disciplined and on schedule, yet to still be flexible. Pray for me -- I'm an old dog and this is a new trick.

The Great Commission

(From my sermon on 9/14/8)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
(The Holy Bible : New International Version. 1996, c1984. Zondervan: Grand Rapids)

Last words are important. These are the last recorded words of Jesus Christ to his disciples. They set the stage for what comes next. What was to happen after Jesus left his physical, earthly presence? Was the incarnation merely an experience for the people who encountered him? Or was the incarnation the beginning of something entirely new? Of course, we believe the latter and the Great Commission is the start of that next step.

When Jesus starts these last words, he gives the basis for all that follows. He has authority. In fact, he has all authority. He has authority in the heavens. He has authority where God dwells! But this authority is not only other worldly; he has all authority on earth. This is why he can tell the disciples to go! He has the authority!

Jesus gives an order. This is no suggestion for academic study. It is a direct order. This is important, because we often take it as a suggestion. If I have time and the circumstances warrant, I will go. Others go, but I support them. Jesus says to his disciples go. This is not only an order, it is a commission. I spent time as a commissioned officer in the US Navy. What is special about being commissioned? Commissioned officers actually have a commission, a piece of paper signed by the President of the United States. This commission gives that officer the authority that he/she needs to carry out the orders of the Commander in Chief. Jesus shares his authority with us through the promise that he will be with us – forever. This is not only for these first disciples, but it is for us, because it contains the order to teach everything that was taught. Of course, that includes the Great Commission. By extension, this is our commission; our orders.

Well, what is the basic order? The major part of the order is one basic word; Go! Where are we to go? We are to go to all nations although the Greek word is the root of our ethnic. So we are not only to go to all of the nations that carry the name nation, but to all people groups, language groups, religious groups all around the world. Our job is to make disciples of these people. Notice, we are not to make converts. Of course, the start of being a disciple is to be converted – but it must never stop there. We are directed to make disciples of all nations.

Well, how do we make disciples? As mentioned above, we start with conversion. Since the first step of obedience after conversion is baptism, we are to baptize people. It says that they are to be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is the first step. Secondly, disciples must be taught. What are they to be taught? Jesus says to teach each of them what I taught you. We need to teach the Gospel; the good news of Jesus. I suppose that to really describe what must be taught, I should list the Bible, all spiritual writings since New Testament times, all theology etc. If this was the case, discipleship would never end – and it never does. But, we can give a short list of things that are basic teachings that we must provide young disciples as they begin their walk with God.

1. The Love of God – God loves us unconditionally
2. Our love for others – We are called to love one another just like God loves us
3. Self sacrifice instead of self promotion – Jesus came to serve not be served and to give his life as a ransom . . . (Mark 10:45 – free translation)
4. The principles of the Sermon on the Mount – The New Covenant says that the law will be written on our hearts – we need a heart change to be faithful to God’s law
5. Healing – we are called to be healers, lovers and those who bless – we stand for life and wholeness, death and despair
6. Deliverance – Jesus came to free us of the power of sin and death – we must work to help people to be free of all of the things that keep them in bondage.

How do we carry out this Great Commission in 21st Century America? We must recognize that all of us are directed to go? The question is where? God will provide the direction. We must be prepared with no preconditions as to when and where we will follow the Lord. Certainly, not all of us are called to go to foreign lands. But some are. These people must be supported by us; spiritually, monetarily and with our resources. The main thing that we must understand today is that the church must become missional. What on earth is missional? In my youth, the church was there. People could see it. New people would come because they already understood the church. They would come when it seemed to suit them. We were “all” the same culture. The world is far different today. Our cities are made up of many cultures, ethnic groups, races, religions, languages; not us “our culture”. People probably aren’t going to just come. Therefore it is imperative that we see the need to go. We are missionaries to our world. This is true right here in Chula Vista, California – or wherever you live.

When we go, it is not with an armload of tracts to pass out. I suppose tracts may be ok, but that is not what is required. We must understand that we work with a certain group of people, go to school with a group, shop at a certain store, and live in a neighborhood. This is our mission field. We make disciples by being authentic people. We develop real relationships. We love and affirm people whether they become converts or not. Our purpose is to be Jesus in the world today. He went to the people – not to condemn them, but to love them. In return they loved him. This is our task.