Gospel - Jesus Died for my Sins or Something else entirely?

Only we could confuse something so simple. Only we could read the story of Genesis and the Exodus and not understand the part that Jesus plays in that story. Only we could make it about us, rather than about God. Only we could downplay it, twist it, distort it, forget it, and otherwise negate it altogether - The Gospel.


Here goes: Jesus died as payment for our sins. Placing our faith and trust in Jesus and His act of substitutionary atonement alone makes us right with God. What actions may follow are exactly that: actions that follow. What additions we may choose to make to that simple equation are simply that: additions.


Any other way you'd like to confuse something that is so simple a child is supposed to understand it?


I'm sure there is. Too bad. The Gospel really isn't that hard to grasp. Or accept for that matter.



This will be the last of my posts on the topic of Beliefs and Practices. If you missed any, simply click on the link to the left that reads: Beliefs and Practices.

Discipleship - 'Feed me, Feed me' or Feed Someone Else?

How tired I get of hearing people say, "I'm not being fed, spiritually." I do believe that this absence of discipleship is an epidemic in today's church. And I do not blame the church. And I do not blame the lead pastors of those churches.


What happened to one person teaching 12 other people everything they know about everything?


What happened to one person seeking out someone who might be willing to teach them everything they know about everything?


We got lazy. We became an army of infants, crying for our milk. "Feed me, feed me." Whine. Cry. Complain. Grumble. Gossip. Leave. Only to find another nursery with big fat bottles from which we might suck.

Missions - Across the Sea or Across the Street?

I believe that both are equally important. Neither should be pursued to the neglect of the other.



Those that believe that the "ends of the earth" have been reached are just plain ignorant.



And those that believe that we live in a nation full of Bible-believing, Jesus-following authentic Christians are just as ignorant.

Authenticity - Keepin it Real or Pretending to be Transparent?

Religion breeds fakery. Church breeds conformity. There are any number of elephants in the pew, take your pick. Some churches tout authenticity, whether real or imagined, and some churches don't even bother. Real authenticity is something that must be continually strived for in the "church environment." There is no magic solution, except that of perseverance and determination. One message that consistently comes through in the Bible is : You have nothing to hide. Let it out. To God, and to others.

Church - Institutional / Denominational or A group of people who follow Jesus?

I am not against the institutions/denominations of church, but neither am I in favor of fighting for them. Rather than attempting to tear down the institutions of church, I believe they should be left to stand on their own. But at the same time, that does not necessarily mean that I, personally, want to be a part of those institutions.

Too often, traditions are built and then defended with bared teeth. I want no part of that fight. I believe that the church is indeed the Bride of Jesus, but I prefer to see that bride as a group of followers rather that a building with a sign out front.

"My team is better than your team" may work well in the sporting world, but it is pretty unbecoming for churches. Too bad I run into it more often than not.

Hospitality - Consumer lifestyle or Servant lifestyle?

The idea of opening up your home and your life to a stranger can be a foreign and even frightening prospect. Our culture is highly driven by a consumer mentality. Fast food, television, air conditioning, Internet, etc. We want it our way, now, and in the privacy of our own home.

I can't say it better than Mark Driscoll in Radical Reformission: "Isn't it odd that we are apparently becoming a nation of attractive people who sit at home alone at night with our pets, watching our television shows about relationships and taking medication for the depression brought on by our loneliness? Meanwhile, our neighbors, whom we do not know, are spending their evenings in much the same way?"

Hospitality isn't just about "opening up your home", but about serving others. Too many people are guilty of consistantly asking themselves, "What am I getting out of this?"

"Me, me, me." Doesn't it just feel good to say it?

Social Involvement - Taking care of our own or Taking care of others?

Discovering the needs of the culture often requires one to first step into the culture, get to know it, learn to love it, and finally be able to respond to its needs. Listen, the culture is a not a collection of t.v. shows, music, and movies. The culture is made up of the people that are surrounding you on a daily basis, particularly your neighbors and coworkers.

And let's not forget the marginalized. The Bible constantly harps on the plight of the "poor, the widows, and the orphans". We cannot ignore this and we cannot simply use the excuse, "Well, I just don't know anyone who is poor, widowed, or orphaned." This is obviously missing the point. Or at least, you'd think it was obvious.

If you find that your finances and your time are consumed with self-preservation, it is a common problem, but a problem that must be dealt with nonetheless. This principle applies both to individual Christians and corporate churches as well.

Evangelism - Missional, Attractional, or Confrontational?

I believe that all three are viable means of disseminating faith, though each has its own pitfalls.

• Confrontational - yeah, the "bullhorn guy". As long as he speaks a message of love with an attitude of love, which can coexist with words like "sin" and "hell", I'm a fan. Hey, it's a job that no one really wants, but Jesus, John the Baptizer, Peter, Paul, and a host of Prophets were known to get up on the "soapbox" and rant to a crowd. Unfortunately, nowadays, most soapbox types wouldn't know love if it was standing right in front of them.
  
• Attractional - Of course, you actually have to be able to attract people in the first place. Unless you can pull off the miracles that Jesus was known for, I guess you'll just have to rely on technology and geniune creativity. That is, if you can afford it. Then again, Jesus was never a big fan of those who came just to see his parlor tricks, was he?
  
• Missional - This can be described as "Get out of your christian culture bubble, you lazy/scared Christian!" Unless you find yourself surrounded at dinner by "sinners" and "drunkards", you are not missional. I heard Darrin Patrick say recently, "Church happens at the dinner table and in the living room."

I guess it shouldn't be a surprise that Jesus was the master of all three of these methods of evangelism. Might we want to follow in His footsteps?

Truth - Absolute or Relative?

It's not that absolute truth isn't to be had, it's that no one would believe you if you had it, so why bother beating them over the head with it? The "certainty" of my faith is meant for my own "assurance", not for clobbering other people into submission. I do believe in absolute truth, but it does little good in our culture to wave it around as a banner of self-righteousness. Rather than pursue a "You're wrong, I'm right" attitude, I find it more appropriate to adopt a "watch how I am living my life for Christ" attitude.


I'm always amused at how some "intelligent/educated" circles will discuss, ad nauseum, the distinctives of post-modernism. But what I find in my daily life is that most postmodern people don't know that they are exactly that. Their own ignorance of such a philosophy almost makes our constant discussion moot. Almost. I also find that most people who are agnostic also do not know that their belief system actually bears such a name. That is, until I give it a name. So why are we spending so much time discussing philosophical and religious ideas that the general public is totally ignorant about? To goad our own egos? Can we really say that we are trying to "reach people" by discussing concepts they know nothing about?


So is truth absolute or relative? I know that my neighbor could really care less. So whenever I go over to hang out with him, I might as well leave that one at home.

The Bible - Narrative or Formulaic?

I believe it is a little of both. I do not believe that the Bible is a Big Book of Answers, a code-book, a text-book, a Book of Rules/Laws, etc. Certainly, there are parts of the Bible which are codified and legalistic, but I do not believe that the Bible, as a whole, is meant to take on this purpose for which it is so often used. (Like those who pull verses out as proof-text for any given means necessary.)

I believe that the Bible, on the whole, is a God-given collection of historical stories about God interacting with people - though these stories do take on a number of literary styles. The principle and primary character of the Bible is Jesus. Every story in the Bible points to Jesus either directly or indirectly.

If people saw the Bible for what it really was, I think that they would spend more time reading it, and more importantly, enjoying it.

Beliefs and Practices

Over the course of the past several months, I've slowly formulated some basic thoughts on my beliefs and practices with the intent to publish them on this site. Each of the following posts will concisely explain what I believe and what I am passionate about. Each post will be labeled Beliefs and Practices.

Tentatively, there are 10 posts in all. I will try to post one each day for the next several days. Try to keep up.

As usual, I've tried to keep my thoughts down to a minimal amount. In this particular area, I could unleash upon you a thoughtful and wordy "mission statement" that would make Jerry Maguire proud. But, true to the format of this site, I will restrain myself and leave it where I've left it. For now. Feel free to weigh in on each of the following posts. You won't hurt my feelings.