Apprentice2Jesus

Ramblings of a Confessing Pentecostal

Archive for the category “Church Life”

07 Oct 2011
1 Comment

Decisions or Disciples

What did Jesus call us to? Get people to a decision… or call on us to follow him?

Scot McKnight is highlighting this powerfully in his book, The King Jesus Gospel, but Dallas Willard was doing so before. And for some reason… we’re still not paying attention.

I was in a very uncomfortable conversation yesterday because it revolved around the issue of just getting people to a decision and then let whatever happen after that.

This post helps explain my thoughts much better. Then, this thought:

The soterian gospel is aimed at a decision; the missional approach at a radical change in life. One creates the saved, the other creates kingdom people. The crying need today is an evangelism strategy that focuses on the latter and says good-bye to the former.

Let HIS Kingdom come… and let’s quit our counting game.

 

Posted in Church Life, Discipleship/Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Formation and tagged
05 Oct 2011

The Great Shock of God Doing Something New

In preparation for our church’s prayer retreat this weekend I am reading through Acts. When I come to Acts 10, I pray through this scenario and ask challenging questions. I will never forget several years ago working my way through this passage and asking, “Lord, what segment of our society today would be like the Gentiles?”

In Peter’s day, the church is Jewish and it’s an impossibility to them that God would reach out to a Gentile (well, without that person becoming a Jew first). So, for Peter to go to Cornelius and see what God would do in that household is a jaw-dropping experience. For Peter to witness an entire household of Gentiles coming to salvation caused quite a stir. Peter even had to answer for this actions in Acts 11.

Thinking of that absolute shock, I asked the Lord, “What segment of our society would do that for the Church today? If that segment began to call out on the name of the Lord and the power of the Spirit was evident in them it would cause the American church’s jaw to drop to floor.”

What would absolutely shock is to the point of finally saying, “Oh, yeah! Salvation is possible for everyone!”

 

Posted in Church Life, Culture and tagged | Leave a Comment
02 Oct 2011

Preaching the Prophetic or Preaching the Politics?

Today seems to be a day where a bunch of preachers are going to “climb into their pulpits” and brazenly give their political views. First of all, not too many conservative evangelicals (and that is what they are talking about in this story) “climb into pulpits.” They kind of dance onto a stage, I think. Well, “dance” may not be the right word… but I digress.

As I read this article (and cringe), I am reminded of a saying:

The preaching of the gospel is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.

Whether it’s a “liberal” church allowing a Democrat office holder to take the pulpit, or a “conservative” church allowing some Tea Party politician to take control of the stage, it is dangerous territory.

The Church, on either side, will have lost its true prophetic voice when that happens.

I honestly don’t care one way or the other what the position of the IRS is on tax status. The Church does not serve the IRS. But the Church shouldn’t serve the Republicans or the Democrats, either.

Posted in Church Life, Culture, Politics and tagged , | Leave a Comment
28 Sep 2011
4 Comments

The Pope and Pentecostalism

Pope Benedict made the following comments about Pentecostalism:

The geography of Christianity has changed dramatically in recent times, and is in the process of changing further. Faced with a new form of Christianity, which is spreading with overpowering missionary dynamism, sometimes in frightening ways, the mainstream Christian denominations often seem at a loss. This is a form of Christianity with little institutional depth, little rationality and even less dogmatic content, and with little stability. This worldwide phenomenon – that bishops from all over the world are constantly telling me about – poses a question to us all: what is this new form of Christianity saying to us, for better and for worse? In any event, it raises afresh the question about what has enduring validity and what can or must be changed – the question of our fundamental faith choice.

While the Pope certainly nails our weaknesses, there is the disappointment in the lack of acknowledgement to what has happened in say, oh, the last 100 years.

We, as Pentecostals, need to do far better in our dogmatics and our stability. There are gifts we bring to the Body of Christ, and we need to partake of the gifts other parts of the Body bring to us!

Posted in Church, Church Life, Pentecost, Theology and tagged
26 Sep 2011

The Novelty of Being a Heretic

Marc Cortez offers some thoughts on why being a heretic is so doggone attractive. (HERE)

It’s true. Being orthodox is actually work… and who these days wants that?

Posted in Church Life, Culture, Theology and tagged | Leave a Comment
23 Sep 2011
2 Comments

Rob Bell, Pastoring, and Not Pastoring

Rob Bell is leaving his church to get out to a wider audience.

Rick Warren’s Twitter (or Tweet or whatever you’re supposed to call it) is interesting.

Posted in Church Life and tagged ,
16 Sep 2011
1 Comment

Whiplash Politics and Microwave Christianity

David Brooks of the New York Times hits the nail on the head today. (HERE.) We think so highly of ourselves, we just think we can whip this economy back into shape without realizing the depth of the problem and that TIME will really help in pulling ourselves out of the mess.

This is leading to what I call “whiplash” politics. We get tired of the Republicans, so we vote them out. We give the Democrats two or four years, then get tired of their lack of “response” and vote in Republicans again. We want instant solutions when the issues are far deeper than something that can be talked about in a two year election cycle.

I have found the same fallacy in American Christianity. We don’t want to talk about time as part of the healing process. We have a problem and we want it fixed NOW. We need a good worship service… NOW. And if we don’t get “moved” by the Spirit in that service on that day, we’ll go try the next place down the road. We want microwave solutions.

Many years ago there was a youth pastor who was in one of his first churches as youth pastor. He took the kids away on a weekend retreat. The next week a mother confronted him in the church lobby because her daughter went to that retreat and nothing had changed!

“Lady,” he said, “Don’t ask me to undo in one weekend what it took YOU 14 years to do!”

We may not get out of our whiplash political mode for quite some time. As the Church, we need to get out of our microwave mode soon. We need to learn walking with Christ is, as Eugene Peterson puts it, a long slow walk in the same direction.

 

Posted in Church, Church Life, Culture, Spiritual Formation and tagged , ,
07 Sep 2011

The Jesus Story vs. the Christian Country Club

Scot McKnight of Jesus Creed (on the web. By day he is a college prof) has some great thoughts on Christianity as a country club or Christianity as the place where the gospel story is told.

His new book, The King Jesus Gospel, is a book I will be reading with my staff. It is a challenge to truly understand what JESUS meant when he said, “Follow me.”

We need to understand the story given to us:

What is a gospel culture? The gospel of Jesus and of the apostles cannot be reduced to the plan of salvation or to its effect: a salvation culture. The gospel, instead, is more robust and it is to tell the Story of Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s Story, of God’s design to build an Eden shaped by shalom. Notice how the apostle Paul defined gospel because he told a story and did not simply tell the facts of salvation: in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul tells us that the gospel is four events in the life of Jesus (not four spiritual laws) — the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That Story, which only makes sense if we tie it to Israel’s Story, is the gospel that united the earliest Christians.

I am looking forward to this new book.

The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited

Posted in Church Life, Culture and tagged , | Leave a Comment
06 Sep 2011

Links to Thoughts on 9/11 and Translations

Some thoughts from key leaders HERE about how Christian and Muslim relations are doing ten years after 9/11.

Some thoughts HERE on the need for good translations, even ones we may not personally like. For me, personally, I am still working to become more comfortable with the Common English Bible. The NIV 2011 is by far more “comfortable” for me. Both have a place in my reading, my teaching, and my ministry.

No translation is perfect. Working through the texts certainly is a JOY in Bible reading! When I don’t look for the differences in translation for the purposes of criticism, but rather for the purposes of clarity, I find greater joy in reading.

Posted in Bibles, Church Life, Culture, Translations and tagged , , | Leave a Comment
26 Aug 2011
1 Comment

Ramadan, 9/11, and Prayer

One of the things I was thinking about for remembering 9/11 was actually visiting a mosque. Go to a Friday prayer. In the local mosques visitors are welcome. There is no expectation of following the prayers.

Since I begin teaching next week and my Fridays will be too busy, I went today. It is a mosque I usually visit, though it had been years since I last went.

As I sat and observed, I prayed. I so long for Jesus to be revealed to this group of people. There was nothing flashy about the visit. I didn’t even try to speak to the imam after the service. My presence was only to keep my heart open and pray for the Spirit of Jesus to truly be revealed in their lives.

Today is the last Friday of Ramadan so it is considered a very holy day. The emphasis on Ramadan and the work of God in their lives was taught. The end of Ramadan is a sacred time for them, much like the end of Lent would be for many Christians. There is anticipation.

In the past ten years I have had good Muslim friends, but today I realized those relationships need to be improved. In my busyness I just set aside the time normally used to visit my Muslim friends. I need to restore it in some way.

These are significant days in which we live. We must choose to walk in the Spirit of Messiah. The call of the Kingdom is to bless and to love. Ten years ago on 9/11 I called my Muslim friends to make sure they were okay. This year I will stop by and visit once again.

Lord, teach us to bless and not fear.

Posted in Church Life, Culture and tagged , ,

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