"I am 26 years old and I have lost my faith in humanity. Hope in the human race has gone, skepticism remains. I am 26 years old and I have lost my faith in humanity...I have lost my belief in better times ahead. Is this wrong? Should I keep quite? Should I embrace a political correctness that says better times await us? I cannot do it. I cannot pretend that all is ok. I can no longer pretend that we are not a perverted and misguided bunch mostly because of our lack of insight into our own perversion.
I am 26 years old and I have lost my faith in humanity. Sometimes I see glimpses of reality, in those moments history unfolds and speaks. She slowly gets up from a dusty chair and talks about the way things were. She states that nothing is new, nothing has changed. The young always embrace ideals, from communism to social gospels; if only the world would listen to their fresh ideas. But soon they get older, they read more, they experience more. They realize that nothing is original; nothing escapes the hands of darkness. As they age they quickly embrace the system of trade-offs. Ideals are thrown out because what good are ideals if they lead mankind no where? They trade and barter within the human condition, then they die and leave room for new idealists who keep the pendulum swinging back and forth, from liberal to conservative, from communist to capitalist, from atheist to theist.
I am 26 years old and I have lost my faith in humanity. I can no longer watch the young attribute quick fixes to ancient problems; I can no longer watch the old give in to hedonism because their generational quick fixes did not provide answers to the ancient problems. But, however, in contention, in reality, in conclusion: I am 26 years old and I have lost my faith in humanity because I am human and I am the problem. I am sick...dying you could say. I am dying from the weight of my own conscience; a conscience that knows I cannot do the good I preach; a conscience that knows I live a lie like the rest. I am the personification of a misrepresentation. I constantly pretend to be that which I'm not in order to grasp the world and make it mine. I live in an ethnocentric spiral that leads not into understanding and clarity but to dream like states where reality eludes me. My problem is no different than the rest; I want the power, I want the control; I! I! I! I want to be God. I want the world to revolve around me. But what a sad reality that is. What a cosmic joke. What perpetual nonsense. But is there an answer to our despair? Is their a revelation waiting in our midst? Saint Paul also asked the same question, "Who will save us from this body of death?" And his answer came to him, as it may to us; but not in the form of beauty or in the shape of a philosophy, but through a bloody and vile cross where God answered Paul...where God met Paul...where God answers us...where God meets us. "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 7:25)" because I am 26 years old and I have lost my faith in humanity."
This was taken from my brother's website...
4.29.2006
4.27.2006
The American Church
The Church is the hope of the world, the Church in China is the hope of the world, the Church in Africa is the hope of the world, the Church in Brazil is the hope of the world. I have a hard time saying that the Church in America is the hope of the world. Or I guess you can say believing that we can fulfill our duty as the hope of the world. One time I was at my discipleship group and a lady described her place in her walk as, "Fat, Dumb, and Happy". That is a great way to describe the American Church. But here's the thing, I want to love the American Church. Jesus loves the American Church. I don't think that he looks condescendingly at us and thinks that there is no hope for the American Church. He loves us! He knows that there are American Christians out there that have exposed the dysfunction of the American Church, he knows it because he revealed it to us! He revealed it to us that we might be his messengers and do something about it, not so we could judge our brothers and sisters! I confess that I have done my fair share of judging. (Don't even ask me about how I feel about some of the Christians that come into our coffee shop.) I want to love the American Church! Me, Mary Perkins, through the grace and blood of Jesus, can be the hope of the American Church! (Since I belong to the Church I am also the hope of the world!) God can use me and the people around me to live this life in such a way that the American Church would actually thirst for Jesus instead of look at us as though we have taken this "God-thing" too far. Or maybe God would use us to help them see that he can use ordinary people to do extraordinary things for his name! I pray that I could love the American Church, because the world will know that we are Christians by our love.
4.23.2006
Dominion?
I had someone throw the "earth is our God" idea my way the other day, admittedly they had been encouraged in this train of thought by the effects of inebriation...
This concept was one that I had encountered in my college days, and it reminded me of a paper I had written exploring the philosophical axioms required for one to take the stands that the “deep ecology” wing of the environmentalist camp posits.
In order for one to believe that we have a duty to earth itself to protect it and to value it, irrespective of our use for it* one has to assume a few basic axiomatic principles.
Those principles are:
A belief that there is a distinction between humanity and the rest of the universe
A belief in the inherent value of the non-human universe
Without these two truths, the belief in humanity’s responsibility to the rest of creation simply makes no sense. Admittedly, not all people who believe that we bear a duty to creation would cite these two claims as a basis for their belief, but they do so implicitly.
The interesting observations come when we begin to look at the cosmology of those who hold this position; a belief that the entire universe is a result of random processes, which demands that:
There is no distinction between humanity and the rest of the universe as both are results of evolutionary forces, and continue to act according to the pressures those forces apply.
There is no value, in anything!
When we look to the cosmology found in the Bible we find that the assertion that God created the universe without humankind and pronounced it “good,” and then we find that the Creator of this valuable universe then created mankind and mandated humanity to care for the earth and to be responsible for it. The Bible teaches that man was created from the earth, and yet filled with the breathe of God, a part of the created order, and yet a representative of God to that created order. (Check out the title link)
The unfortunate thing is that the non-Christian individual who is caring for the earth lacks the philosophical basis to do so, while the Christian individual who possesses this basis, often simply fails to care for the earth.
*The “wise use” camp, which is where most environmental sentiments come from, states that we have a duty to protect the environment for the sake of human enjoyment of it, and betterment by it.
This concept was one that I had encountered in my college days, and it reminded me of a paper I had written exploring the philosophical axioms required for one to take the stands that the “deep ecology” wing of the environmentalist camp posits.
In order for one to believe that we have a duty to earth itself to protect it and to value it, irrespective of our use for it* one has to assume a few basic axiomatic principles.
Those principles are:
A belief that there is a distinction between humanity and the rest of the universe
A belief in the inherent value of the non-human universe
Without these two truths, the belief in humanity’s responsibility to the rest of creation simply makes no sense. Admittedly, not all people who believe that we bear a duty to creation would cite these two claims as a basis for their belief, but they do so implicitly.
The interesting observations come when we begin to look at the cosmology of those who hold this position; a belief that the entire universe is a result of random processes, which demands that:
There is no distinction between humanity and the rest of the universe as both are results of evolutionary forces, and continue to act according to the pressures those forces apply.
There is no value, in anything!
When we look to the cosmology found in the Bible we find that the assertion that God created the universe without humankind and pronounced it “good,” and then we find that the Creator of this valuable universe then created mankind and mandated humanity to care for the earth and to be responsible for it. The Bible teaches that man was created from the earth, and yet filled with the breathe of God, a part of the created order, and yet a representative of God to that created order. (Check out the title link)
The unfortunate thing is that the non-Christian individual who is caring for the earth lacks the philosophical basis to do so, while the Christian individual who possesses this basis, often simply fails to care for the earth.
*The “wise use” camp, which is where most environmental sentiments come from, states that we have a duty to protect the environment for the sake of human enjoyment of it, and betterment by it.
4.21.2006
Tim
His name is Tim. He's always laughing, always smiling, always ready to encourage. Tim committed suicide Sunday april 2nd. How is this possible? didn't i just say he didn't have a problem in the world? How was this not forseen? were there any leads to this tragedy. Maybe i should ask, who began the neglect, or the abuse, or who refused to, "consider others before themselves". I have very strong convictions when it comes to listening to people. When somone begins to speak, open your ears and heart, and close your lips and point of view for a season. LISTEN! Allow your Jesus eyes to pierce through the humanity of insecurities and pride of opinion. Even you'll be blessed. The point i am trying to make is that people (priceless and at the same time bought at the highest price) are more important than our own lives. I saw Tim the day he gave up on people. He approached me in the church parking lot, rather disturbed. He said, " hey man I've been trying to get a hold of you why haven't you called me back?" I said," oh Tim i'm sorry i haven't called. I've been really busy lately. How are you?" He said he was OK but something wasn't OK. I didn't consider Tim as more important than myself or my agenda. Rather, i judged him. Asking myself, "why wasn't he in church today, and what is he doing wandering around in the church parking lot, and no I don't have any gas money for your beer breath." All irrational thoughts and opinions based on performance or lets even say, "THE LAW"! My heart is not abiding in and resembling the son of God. God changes hearts and molds people into his image. Not my tactical and so called concern for the itegrity and faithfullness to my selfish people pleasing motives. TO BE CONTINUED.....
4.18.2006
4.16.2006
Community
Steve asked me to talk about community. What spurred this on is the fact that I live in a house with 4 other women, it used to be 5 other women. Let me tell you a little bit about this house. It started last year officially in August my commitment began. The house I live in is called The Girl's House and all 6 of us just desired more of God in our lives. It was the weirdest thing because I felt like I was supposed to live with Jessica, and we prayed about living in this apartment together and we both felt like it was God and the door totally shut. We didn't get it. It was a total yes. At the same time Juniper and I thought it would be fun to start another Girl's House. (We had one at the church a few years back for a summer and all the girls that lived there quit their jobs for the summer and just served Jesus in community) I kinda felt like I was supposed to with Juniper and also with this girl named Rachel. Rachel live in San Luis Obispo at the time as was currently getting ready to move to Redding to be with Sean and Linda for their Santa Cruz church plant. Well long story short: Juniper, Jessica, Rachel, along with 2 other girls Jenn and Lisa, and myself got blessed with this amazing house and great location by the Church and the Coffee Shop, and it was all from God. We had a vision set in place, to be women who changed the world through the love of Christ and the disciplines of the soul. The house was on it's way! It has been an amazing journey so far, we are just three and a half months shy of our commitment being up. We have had our good times for sure and we've had our bad times, but it has been amazing, and our bad times haven't even been all that bad. They are actually quite humorous.
Let me tell you though it is hard being in community all the time, between Yaks and the Girl's House, your home is a community and there is no escape. There is no where to go, where you don't always have to do the God thing. You can choose to do the wrong thing but you better have your repentance quick on your heals. It's been good to see the quality of my character in all of this. It has been good to see that there are things that I want and desire in my life and in my walk with God, then seeing that really I can't achieve those things apart from him. When you are going to move into community you think that certain things are going to take place in you, like the minute you move in you will start to exercise, or you will be able to start waking up at 5 to spend time with God every day. Those things that I thought would immediately happen didn't, and it has taken almost the entire year of living there to get those things in place. It has been good to live there because as weird as it sounds, you get to die to yourself every day. You get to think about others, but it is one of those things that has not been easy, I can say that most of the time I think of myself only, but God has worked something out.
It's wonderful living in a house full of Christians, because you don't have to worry about them bringing in something weird or demonic. You have 5 sisters available to pray you through things, you have 5 sisters to cry on and to share your problems with and they are faithful to listen to you. You have 5 sisters to kick you in the butt when you have a crappy attitude. You have 5 sisters that you get to pray with. You have 5 sisters that share your passion and your fire for God and that is the most exciting thing ever!
If I could do things different in the Girl's House than I have done, I would have been more submissive to the house leader instead of bucking the system, when the things that I was bucking were the things that I had desired. It's weird how sinners work. I would have served my sisters more. I think that I also would have been more transparent with them, I don't know what that really looks like. But the goodnews is I have 3 and a half more months to do the things that I could have done better. This Girl's House and Yaks have been the most amazing things in my life thus far and I can't wait to see what else God has for me when I get to do community in a different setting: Buffalo, New York!
Who is Jesus?
who is Jesus?
I am thinking about Jesus and who is he to me... is he my personal savior to whom I take my shopping list of prayers to be answered? ...after he has answered all of my prayers the way that I would like then I will have a painfree, void of suffering lifetime of happiness. Is he my friend to whom I turn to only when life brings about a desperation in which nothing else seems appropriate to turn to? When the desperate circumstances are gone, so is the need to be with him and consult him? Is he the Lord of my life on Sundays, but monday thru saturday belong to me?
In pondering who Jesus is, I have come to the conclusion that Jesus has been all of the above many times in my life since deciding to follow him and that disgusts me. I know all the right things to say about who Jesus is, but I find myself seeking an answer (in my heart of hearts) who is Jesus to me? Do I really know him at all? Whoah, maybe I just lost my salvation but at least I am honest, I can not claim to know him as intimately as I know others in my life yet I don't claim to serve others, I claim to serve him. Do I serve a God I don't know and if so why? Is it the lucrative promise of heaven or the fear of hell?
These are just the thoughts that are circling around in my melon these days, I long to serve Jesus in a manner worthy of the God that he is and only in intimately seeking his heart will I be able to thrust myself forward into his passions, and someday hope that his passions that have taken up battle with mine will win the war.
I know in my heart of hearts that I do know Jesus and each day I come to know him better however, I know I desire more. I know that many of his passions have won over mine but there are still more to go. I want to make sure that as I follow Christ I am truly following him and not a religion or a set of rules but instead the passionate heart of God. I want to know him and follow him in such a way as to transform the world I live in with his LOVE, that people could not deny Christ because they see him flowing out of me, instead of seeing so much of me flowing out of myself that people are hardpressed to find even a glimmer of God.
I am thinking about Jesus and who is he to me... is he my personal savior to whom I take my shopping list of prayers to be answered? ...after he has answered all of my prayers the way that I would like then I will have a painfree, void of suffering lifetime of happiness. Is he my friend to whom I turn to only when life brings about a desperation in which nothing else seems appropriate to turn to? When the desperate circumstances are gone, so is the need to be with him and consult him? Is he the Lord of my life on Sundays, but monday thru saturday belong to me?
In pondering who Jesus is, I have come to the conclusion that Jesus has been all of the above many times in my life since deciding to follow him and that disgusts me. I know all the right things to say about who Jesus is, but I find myself seeking an answer (in my heart of hearts) who is Jesus to me? Do I really know him at all? Whoah, maybe I just lost my salvation but at least I am honest, I can not claim to know him as intimately as I know others in my life yet I don't claim to serve others, I claim to serve him. Do I serve a God I don't know and if so why? Is it the lucrative promise of heaven or the fear of hell?
These are just the thoughts that are circling around in my melon these days, I long to serve Jesus in a manner worthy of the God that he is and only in intimately seeking his heart will I be able to thrust myself forward into his passions, and someday hope that his passions that have taken up battle with mine will win the war.
I know in my heart of hearts that I do know Jesus and each day I come to know him better however, I know I desire more. I know that many of his passions have won over mine but there are still more to go. I want to make sure that as I follow Christ I am truly following him and not a religion or a set of rules but instead the passionate heart of God. I want to know him and follow him in such a way as to transform the world I live in with his LOVE, that people could not deny Christ because they see him flowing out of me, instead of seeing so much of me flowing out of myself that people are hardpressed to find even a glimmer of God.
4.15.2006
The Church Catholic
I have had the conversation with several of you, and have read several authors who point to this truth:
The Church is not me, nor is it my local community, nor is it all of the communities of faith in my city or country; it is all of those who have chosen to participate in Christ in every culture since Jesus walked among us. This means that I do not speak for the Church (in one sense, it is vital that I do speak for the Church*), nor does my local community, etc, etc. We who desire to keep in step with the Spirit, must hear his voice as it echoes forth from all our brothers and sisters throughout the earth and throughout the centuries. We must hear from the African slaves of the 1700’s, the Chinese underground church of today, the early Greek fathers, the Sudanese in conflict with muslims, the American addicts and the European scholars. The whole church must speak to the issues that face it, in both its global and local expressions.
This is most evident for me in the affluent and decadent slumber of the American Christian, who quite ignorantly believes himself or herself to be “middle class.” The young men and women of our churches who honestly believe God desires them to be “comfortable.” Our young prophets and apostles languish away in schools, saddling themselves with decades of debt, selling themselves for the American Dream that keeps them from even knowing that God has dreamt dreams for them. We would give a young woman all of the material wealth and comfort that her mother never had, and in the end she will find herself empty. We will tell our young men to go to a university to get “educated” and to “better themselves,” and yet they will be slaves to a church culture that tells them to pursue comfort at any cost, pursue a 401K, God wants to “bless” you.
All of this falls away the moment an honest heart steps foot in a second world country (we won’t even mention the third world). As women and men indwelt with the Spirit of the Compassion of God, we won’t be able to return to our cars, and jobs, and houses, and schools.
It is this aspect of the whole church speaking to the whole church that I believe holds the way forward for the Church in America, and perhaps in other parts of the world. I am less familiar with the perils of Chinese Church culture, however, familiar enough to know that they need our biblical understanding, our educated people; and yet this again is another indictment of our own lack. I truly believe myself “unqualified” when Chinese Christians plant churches (plural) in the first months and even weeks of their salvation. …and this with none of the Judeo-Christian heritage that is our childhood tutor.
*I would never want to take away from the reality that we are members of Christ and all participate in His mission which is the Church. We are all representatives of Christ, but we must be representatives of the global, historical church, not the 21st century Western Church.
The Church is not me, nor is it my local community, nor is it all of the communities of faith in my city or country; it is all of those who have chosen to participate in Christ in every culture since Jesus walked among us. This means that I do not speak for the Church (in one sense, it is vital that I do speak for the Church*), nor does my local community, etc, etc. We who desire to keep in step with the Spirit, must hear his voice as it echoes forth from all our brothers and sisters throughout the earth and throughout the centuries. We must hear from the African slaves of the 1700’s, the Chinese underground church of today, the early Greek fathers, the Sudanese in conflict with muslims, the American addicts and the European scholars. The whole church must speak to the issues that face it, in both its global and local expressions.
This is most evident for me in the affluent and decadent slumber of the American Christian, who quite ignorantly believes himself or herself to be “middle class.” The young men and women of our churches who honestly believe God desires them to be “comfortable.” Our young prophets and apostles languish away in schools, saddling themselves with decades of debt, selling themselves for the American Dream that keeps them from even knowing that God has dreamt dreams for them. We would give a young woman all of the material wealth and comfort that her mother never had, and in the end she will find herself empty. We will tell our young men to go to a university to get “educated” and to “better themselves,” and yet they will be slaves to a church culture that tells them to pursue comfort at any cost, pursue a 401K, God wants to “bless” you.
All of this falls away the moment an honest heart steps foot in a second world country (we won’t even mention the third world). As women and men indwelt with the Spirit of the Compassion of God, we won’t be able to return to our cars, and jobs, and houses, and schools.
It is this aspect of the whole church speaking to the whole church that I believe holds the way forward for the Church in America, and perhaps in other parts of the world. I am less familiar with the perils of Chinese Church culture, however, familiar enough to know that they need our biblical understanding, our educated people; and yet this again is another indictment of our own lack. I truly believe myself “unqualified” when Chinese Christians plant churches (plural) in the first months and even weeks of their salvation. …and this with none of the Judeo-Christian heritage that is our childhood tutor.
*I would never want to take away from the reality that we are members of Christ and all participate in His mission which is the Church. We are all representatives of Christ, but we must be representatives of the global, historical church, not the 21st century Western Church.
4.05.2006
Think Before you Speak...
I have had a number of people express a level of concern over my last post...
I am sorry, I can get fired up over some of my pet concepts, this being one of them, and I probably did not communicate what I wanted to with the appropriate tone. I do understand that not everyone is at a place yet where they have moved beyond the "American (Nightmare) Dream;" they still believe that the Gospel is primarily for their benefit; and that we must lovingly encourage them beyond this. Others have legitimate needs and concerns, and are in sincere need of ministry; we must lovingly care for them. My concern was with what I see to be a general misconception, however, it appears that I communicated that in such a way as to provoke personal responses. I apologize for any harsh or inflammatory language. I, too, am a work in progress, Jesus help me...
I am sorry, I can get fired up over some of my pet concepts, this being one of them, and I probably did not communicate what I wanted to with the appropriate tone. I do understand that not everyone is at a place yet where they have moved beyond the "American (Nightmare) Dream;" they still believe that the Gospel is primarily for their benefit; and that we must lovingly encourage them beyond this. Others have legitimate needs and concerns, and are in sincere need of ministry; we must lovingly care for them. My concern was with what I see to be a general misconception, however, it appears that I communicated that in such a way as to provoke personal responses. I apologize for any harsh or inflammatory language. I, too, am a work in progress, Jesus help me...
4.02.2006
The Purpose of Church Leadership
I just about lost it... twice!
1) I had someone tell me a story about an individual essentially telling their Pastor that the Church simply wasn't taking care of people well enough.
Whenever we ask, "Why doesn't the church... ?" We are in HERESY! I am the Church, therefore if I think the Church should do something, I should do it! (So it's either heresy or just plain apathy, either way it is sin!)
In light of previous conversations (online and offline) I have to conclude that this results directly from the (faulty) gospel that we preach. Jesus died on a cross so that you could be comfortable?!?!
2) I actually had an individual tell me that they had no concern for Jesus, or his desires for their life; they had prayed the prayer and their "salvation" is assured (the individual actually said, "I'm going to heaven.").
Anyone interested in a deeper and scriptural understanding of the place and function of leadership in the church cannot ignore Greg Ogden's Unfinished business, it is a radical rethinking of church leadership in light of the Bible.
Ogden shows the current American model of Church:
The professional "ministers" are responsible for meeting the needs of the Christians who show up to the respective buildings on a given Sunday.
and the Biblical understanding of Church:
The leaders (where they get their food and shelter from is immaterial to their function as leaders) are responsible for equipping Christians* to minister to those in the world who don't know Jesus.
If we would take this understanding and truly work it out, we would see radical reshaping of our churches take place. The root of this issue is, simply, that as Americans we believe Jesus died on a cross so that we could have an air-conditioned ride to our 40 hour a week job with 401k, health insurance, and vacation fund.
*This is, of course, above and beyond their place as disciples of Jesus, called to love God and minister to the world; their role as leaders is above and beyond their role as disciples and does not negate the character of Christ being formed into them in such areas as compassion, service, evangelism, etc.
1) I had someone tell me a story about an individual essentially telling their Pastor that the Church simply wasn't taking care of people well enough.
Whenever we ask, "Why doesn't the church... ?" We are in HERESY! I am the Church, therefore if I think the Church should do something, I should do it! (So it's either heresy or just plain apathy, either way it is sin!)
In light of previous conversations (online and offline) I have to conclude that this results directly from the (faulty) gospel that we preach. Jesus died on a cross so that you could be comfortable?!?!
2) I actually had an individual tell me that they had no concern for Jesus, or his desires for their life; they had prayed the prayer and their "salvation" is assured (the individual actually said, "I'm going to heaven.").
Anyone interested in a deeper and scriptural understanding of the place and function of leadership in the church cannot ignore Greg Ogden's Unfinished business, it is a radical rethinking of church leadership in light of the Bible.
Ogden shows the current American model of Church:
The professional "ministers" are responsible for meeting the needs of the Christians who show up to the respective buildings on a given Sunday.
and the Biblical understanding of Church:
The leaders (where they get their food and shelter from is immaterial to their function as leaders) are responsible for equipping Christians* to minister to those in the world who don't know Jesus.
If we would take this understanding and truly work it out, we would see radical reshaping of our churches take place. The root of this issue is, simply, that as Americans we believe Jesus died on a cross so that we could have an air-conditioned ride to our 40 hour a week job with 401k, health insurance, and vacation fund.
*This is, of course, above and beyond their place as disciples of Jesus, called to love God and minister to the world; their role as leaders is above and beyond their role as disciples and does not negate the character of Christ being formed into them in such areas as compassion, service, evangelism, etc.
3.31.2006
Da Mish...
Here are some pics from this past wednesday at the Good News Rescue Mission. Some of the Discipleship Groups came and served, led worship, preached, etc.
Check the title link for some words about the evening...
El Jeffe! Bringing the Word!
Cheryl from the college group grabbing a tray to serve one of the guests behind her.
The Smiths, thats Todd with the spaghetti, Allison says, "Don't forget your veggies!"
The crazy Englishman who ran the kitchen... I know him so I can call him names, besides he is crazy!
Check the title link for some words about the evening...
El Jeffe! Bringing the Word!
Cheryl from the college group grabbing a tray to serve one of the guests behind her.
The Smiths, thats Todd with the spaghetti, Allison says, "Don't forget your veggies!"
The crazy Englishman who ran the kitchen... I know him so I can call him names, besides he is crazy!
3.29.2006
The Good News
I have tried to point to a problem within the evangelical understanding of salvation; this problem stems from an inadequate understanding of how to read the Bible. We have inherited the lenses of our age* (reducing all knowledge to its smallest parts; dividing disciplines into an ever greater diversity of study; assuming that the whole is the sum of its parts) and we wear these lenses when we read our Bibles. It is, quite simply, inappropriate to think that we can pick and choose which words of Paul to use to define our understanding of certain ideas, or to do the same thing to the words of Jesus, or to do the same thing to the Bible as a whole.
This fragmented approach to the Bible, as well as the person and teaching of Jesus, is what has led us to understand the gospel in such a way as to actually exclude the teaching of Jesus from the message. Our hermeneutic forces us to ignore the many passages that refer to Jesus “preaching the gospel” because we do not believe Jesus preached the gospel. We believe the gospel is that “Jesus died on a cross to get evil people into heaven;” how then could Jesus preach such a message if He had yet to die on the cross? This forces us to ignore many passages of the four Gospels, and to do great violence to other passages as we continue our hermeneutical and exegetical gyrations.
Here comes the fun part…
We have spent a post and a half talking about what isn’t the gospel, now let us begin to describe what is the Gospel of Jesus!
Jesus message was one of the present availability of God’s presence; from his inaugural address (Luke 4) to his description of salvation as “living water welling up from within,” from his life of compassion and power to his death and resurrection, everything about Jesus words and deeds screams out “God is here and present, available in a way that He never was before!” Jesus very words, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand,” could be seen as the summation of the gospel message; “God is available to you here and now, your black heart is no barrier to his love, turn from yourself and your ways, give yourself to Him and His ways, step into His Presence, His Authority, His Rule, His Realm of Influence!”
The Gospel
God exists!
God is a being so pure and real that He is a unity, and yet so loving and alive that He is a plurality. God is a community of divine love and selfless submission; the Father who is, the Son who reflects His glory, and the Spirit who proceeds forth; and all seeking the glory of the other, a glorious dance.
God is Beautiful! He is unlike anything else in holiness and righteousness, beauty and power, justice and mercy, energy and creativity! His very being screams out life! His words drip with unimagined realities, his breath is the sweetness of life itself, his activity is the world made – unmade – and remade in an instant…
He is the source and fountain of all goodness, He is the source of all existence, He simply IS!
God made man in the very image of Himself. Man was created to be with God, to be loved and known by Him, and to love and know Him. Man was created to be like God and to take care of the creation that God spoke into being. Man was the regent who ruled in the king’s stead; given charge to rule and bear responsibility as God’s representative.
God is heartbroken over man’s desertion of his place in creation. God is sick with grief over the decision to forsake Him. We have chosen to abandon our responsibility to creation, but even more, we have cast aside the imago dei, the very imprint of our creator, His DNA, and have thrust ourselves into the maelstrom of abyss. We exist apart from He who provides existence and so share in the part of that which does not exist; we are the “once-men” who were and no longer are. And God weeps…
…into this world steps Jesus. He lived a life that revealed who God is, He healed the sick, chastised the self-righteous, protected the helpless, raised the dead, proclaimed freedom to those in bondage, declared love and compassion upon those who suffered, brought justice and mercy to all who would receive it; and for this we destroyed Him.
God was willing to risk everything, and pay any cost, to redeem all things. By way of the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus (who was the Christ, the Son of God) all things have been reconciled to God, things spiritual and physical, heavenly and earthly. In the person of Jesus is restoration of God’s image to mankind, and the created order put right as man steps into his rightful role as regent over the earth. In Jesus can be found the restoration of friendship with God, as He once walked in fellowship with mankind, so does He desire to do today.
Jesus offers us this restoration, a renewed fellowship with the God of All Things, a restoration of His image, a re-commissioned responsibility over the created order. By rejecting ourselves and the death we had become, and by accepting His life and choosing to live it, we can regain what had been lost. By simply trusting Jesus enough to receive what He desires to give us, we can once again experience life on God’s terms, free from the chains we have shackled ourselves with. By way of simply accepting what Jesus said as true to the point where we are willing to act upon it, we can share in the very nature of God (which was destined to us); namely hope, righteousness, peace, love, power, faith, eternity, truth, justice, abundance, beauty, infinity, purpose, and mercy.
This fragmented approach to the Bible, as well as the person and teaching of Jesus, is what has led us to understand the gospel in such a way as to actually exclude the teaching of Jesus from the message. Our hermeneutic forces us to ignore the many passages that refer to Jesus “preaching the gospel” because we do not believe Jesus preached the gospel. We believe the gospel is that “Jesus died on a cross to get evil people into heaven;” how then could Jesus preach such a message if He had yet to die on the cross? This forces us to ignore many passages of the four Gospels, and to do great violence to other passages as we continue our hermeneutical and exegetical gyrations.
Here comes the fun part…
We have spent a post and a half talking about what isn’t the gospel, now let us begin to describe what is the Gospel of Jesus!
Jesus message was one of the present availability of God’s presence; from his inaugural address (Luke 4) to his description of salvation as “living water welling up from within,” from his life of compassion and power to his death and resurrection, everything about Jesus words and deeds screams out “God is here and present, available in a way that He never was before!” Jesus very words, “Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand,” could be seen as the summation of the gospel message; “God is available to you here and now, your black heart is no barrier to his love, turn from yourself and your ways, give yourself to Him and His ways, step into His Presence, His Authority, His Rule, His Realm of Influence!”
The Gospel
God exists!
God is a being so pure and real that He is a unity, and yet so loving and alive that He is a plurality. God is a community of divine love and selfless submission; the Father who is, the Son who reflects His glory, and the Spirit who proceeds forth; and all seeking the glory of the other, a glorious dance.
God is Beautiful! He is unlike anything else in holiness and righteousness, beauty and power, justice and mercy, energy and creativity! His very being screams out life! His words drip with unimagined realities, his breath is the sweetness of life itself, his activity is the world made – unmade – and remade in an instant…
He is the source and fountain of all goodness, He is the source of all existence, He simply IS!
God made man in the very image of Himself. Man was created to be with God, to be loved and known by Him, and to love and know Him. Man was created to be like God and to take care of the creation that God spoke into being. Man was the regent who ruled in the king’s stead; given charge to rule and bear responsibility as God’s representative.
God is heartbroken over man’s desertion of his place in creation. God is sick with grief over the decision to forsake Him. We have chosen to abandon our responsibility to creation, but even more, we have cast aside the imago dei, the very imprint of our creator, His DNA, and have thrust ourselves into the maelstrom of abyss. We exist apart from He who provides existence and so share in the part of that which does not exist; we are the “once-men” who were and no longer are. And God weeps…
…into this world steps Jesus. He lived a life that revealed who God is, He healed the sick, chastised the self-righteous, protected the helpless, raised the dead, proclaimed freedom to those in bondage, declared love and compassion upon those who suffered, brought justice and mercy to all who would receive it; and for this we destroyed Him.
God was willing to risk everything, and pay any cost, to redeem all things. By way of the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus (who was the Christ, the Son of God) all things have been reconciled to God, things spiritual and physical, heavenly and earthly. In the person of Jesus is restoration of God’s image to mankind, and the created order put right as man steps into his rightful role as regent over the earth. In Jesus can be found the restoration of friendship with God, as He once walked in fellowship with mankind, so does He desire to do today.
Jesus offers us this restoration, a renewed fellowship with the God of All Things, a restoration of His image, a re-commissioned responsibility over the created order. By rejecting ourselves and the death we had become, and by accepting His life and choosing to live it, we can regain what had been lost. By simply trusting Jesus enough to receive what He desires to give us, we can once again experience life on God’s terms, free from the chains we have shackled ourselves with. By way of simply accepting what Jesus said as true to the point where we are willing to act upon it, we can share in the very nature of God (which was destined to us); namely hope, righteousness, peace, love, power, faith, eternity, truth, justice, abundance, beauty, infinity, purpose, and mercy.
3.24.2006
Daves place
This is a picture of my brother's studio in the San Diego area. He has openned up shop as a personal trainer. If you know my brother you would find it quite fitting that he lives in an apartment that has a full weight set and all of the workout equipment needed, right there in the "living room." The door in the back of the picture leads to his small room with a bed and shower.
Acts 1-4
I read Acts 1-4 out of the message the other day. It was really amazing to me because I hadn't read it out of the message before. It was amazing it made things more real for me. Peter was nuts for the Lord. It was really neat to read about him in the first few chapters of Acts. He wasn't the guy you read about in the book of Matthew. This was Peter, the Rock that Jesus was going to build his church on. And he was doing a great Job. I think he preached like 4-5 times since the book started. He took EVERY opportunity no joke. The book starts and right off the bat the 11 disciples are in a prayer meeting and they are trying to determine who will replace Judas. Then they decide on a guy named Mathias. Then Pentecost happens and people are wonder what is happening because all this crazy stuff is going on and people are speaking in tongues, and some people understand them and they are like what's going on, then Peter steps up and he's like, "Hey this is what's happening, this is what Jesus said would happen, and the prophets of old!" Then he tells them about Jesus, and 3,000 people come to know the Lord that day and Acts 2:42-47 happens.
41That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. 42They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. 43Everyone around was in awe--all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! 44And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. 45They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.
46They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, 47as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
Hello! This book is dang amazing! Then Peter and the disciples were in their way to the temple and they heal this guy and he gives his life to the Lord! They all go into the temple and the Bible says, " Peter saw that he had a congregation and so he started to preach." 12When Peter saw he had a congregation, he addressed the people:
Then he started to tell people about Jesus, and eventually he and the disciples get arrested. The priests were trying to stop them but the word says that during that night the news of Jesus had spread to about 5,000 people, and they gave their lives to the Lord! Then they go to the trial and Peter tells the lead dudes there about Jesus too and they say, "Well maybe this is a fad that will die off, and if it really is God then who are we to stop him?"
Peter rocked the house he didn't think twice he just took every opportunity to tell people about Jesus! It was amazing! I was praying while I read this and I was like God forgive me for all the opportunities that I didn't take! Forgive me for not being willing to get uncomfortable for the sake of these peoples souls! I want to take every opportunity! People everyday die without knowing Jesus! I can do something about it though! I can take every opportunity and tell people the good news that was told to me! Somebody had to get outside of their comfort zone to tell me about Jesus! I want to get super uncomfortable so people can know Jesus! And I know that the more I do it the less uncomfortable I will be! Maybe telling people about Jesus would become like second nature to me! That would be a glorious day!
41That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. 42They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers. 43Everyone around was in awe--all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! 44And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. 45They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.
46They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, 47as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
Hello! This book is dang amazing! Then Peter and the disciples were in their way to the temple and they heal this guy and he gives his life to the Lord! They all go into the temple and the Bible says, " Peter saw that he had a congregation and so he started to preach." 12When Peter saw he had a congregation, he addressed the people:
Then he started to tell people about Jesus, and eventually he and the disciples get arrested. The priests were trying to stop them but the word says that during that night the news of Jesus had spread to about 5,000 people, and they gave their lives to the Lord! Then they go to the trial and Peter tells the lead dudes there about Jesus too and they say, "Well maybe this is a fad that will die off, and if it really is God then who are we to stop him?"
Peter rocked the house he didn't think twice he just took every opportunity to tell people about Jesus! It was amazing! I was praying while I read this and I was like God forgive me for all the opportunities that I didn't take! Forgive me for not being willing to get uncomfortable for the sake of these peoples souls! I want to take every opportunity! People everyday die without knowing Jesus! I can do something about it though! I can take every opportunity and tell people the good news that was told to me! Somebody had to get outside of their comfort zone to tell me about Jesus! I want to get super uncomfortable so people can know Jesus! And I know that the more I do it the less uncomfortable I will be! Maybe telling people about Jesus would become like second nature to me! That would be a glorious day!
3.22.2006
"I Never Knew You..."
Many today have taken the following passage (Romans 10:9-10) to mean, “acknowledge Jesus death on a cross, acknowledge that you are a sinner, ask Jesus to make His home in your heart, and you will be forgiven of your sins so that you can enter heaven after your physical death.”
If the gospel is to be understood as such, what are we to make of the following words of Jesus:
“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”
…what else could possibly be meant by these words than what is the plain and stated meaning of the words!
I guess as evangelicals committed to both the gospel of Jesus, and the authority of Scripture we must come to a new and deeper understanding of just what the gospel is. This passage and others simply do not allow for the atomized, formulaic, and self-focused gospel that has been the mainstay of the Church during my lifetime.
Let us begin by saying that I do not want to denigrate anyone who came to faith in Jesus by way of the “American Gospel” (as this is how I came to faith), nor anyone who has led others to faith in this way (I have also led others to faith in this way); simply to clarify the gospel. Sincere men and women have been describing the gospel in terms of “heaven when you die,” with nothing but heartfelt passion for Jesus and a firm commitment to serve him here on earth. I applaud their devotion to Jesus, and point to their very devotion as yet more reason to rethink the common language of the American Gospel. The compulsion that they feel to live for Jesus this side of heaven, is reason to doubt the message they preach that Jesus only concern is what happens after they die.
If the gospel is to be understood as such, what are we to make of the following words of Jesus:
“Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'”
…what else could possibly be meant by these words than what is the plain and stated meaning of the words!
I guess as evangelicals committed to both the gospel of Jesus, and the authority of Scripture we must come to a new and deeper understanding of just what the gospel is. This passage and others simply do not allow for the atomized, formulaic, and self-focused gospel that has been the mainstay of the Church during my lifetime.
Let us begin by saying that I do not want to denigrate anyone who came to faith in Jesus by way of the “American Gospel” (as this is how I came to faith), nor anyone who has led others to faith in this way (I have also led others to faith in this way); simply to clarify the gospel. Sincere men and women have been describing the gospel in terms of “heaven when you die,” with nothing but heartfelt passion for Jesus and a firm commitment to serve him here on earth. I applaud their devotion to Jesus, and point to their very devotion as yet more reason to rethink the common language of the American Gospel. The compulsion that they feel to live for Jesus this side of heaven, is reason to doubt the message they preach that Jesus only concern is what happens after they die.
3.18.2006
Circles
I had a great conversation with Nancy the other morning...
(at least I had fun, which is another way of saying I got all fired up and started preaching at her, sorry Nan!)
...so we live in what, one could argue, is the most fragmented society in the history of man. This is certainly a legacy of "me" thinking that has its historical precedent in the Protestant Reformation ("I" can interpret the Bible for "my"self) and bolstered by subsequent events of consequence in Western history; the American Revolution, the push for exploration, the development of consumer capitalism, even the modern charismatic movement with its emphasis on "my" experience of God; this is not to paint any of these factors with a negative brush, simply to emphasize the nature of the society we live in.
Our level of technology and the individualist mindset that we Westerners (and especially Americans) swim* in has led us to a place of social bankruptcy. We now have the material wealth, technical know-how, and inculcated tendency, to manifest a society that alienates and fragments social units and individuals, and ultimately destroys the social cohesion inherent in any community or group.
All of this to set the stage for the observation that individuals do not congregate in the small number of intimate circles that we all desire to belong to, rather we are scattered and diffused throughout a great number of social circles in distinctly different settings. Our spiritual-social DNA (as it were) causes us to hunger for intimacy and identity that can only come out of relationship, yet our society is structured to prevent that very thing.
Our culture is such that we very likely did not go to school with the same individuals for our entire education, and most certainly did not enter into the job force in the same place as the individuals we went to school with. The people we live next to very rarely work in the same arena that we do, our Church is likely to be some distance from the places that we shop, etc., etc..
The result is that we live our lives in compartmentalized circles, one circle only rarely overlapping with another. We have a circle of relationships at work, a circle of relationships at Church, a circle of relationships in the businesses and shops we frequent, a circle for hobbies, a circle for parents of our kids friends; it is the exception for any of the relationships from one circle to carry over to another.
This (major) facet of our way of life has the result of feeding the individualism that spawned it, both a manifestation of and a catalyst for a society of individuals; it has crept into many corners of our life. We no longer find it odd that children would spend forty hours a week watching television, or that we would never actually see our neighbors at a close enough distance to enter into a conversation. Even our architecture has been impacted by this reality; our homes have front yards designed for sterile eye-appeal, fenced back-yards for private retreats, enclosed and attached garages to allow direct access from our living room to the highway; all to insulate us from the people we live next to.
We go to great lengths (perhaps unwittingly) to prevent any meaningful relationship from taking place, even choosing to enter different circles precisely because of the anonymity provided there (how many people attend the mega-church to hide from relationships). All of this has the result of fragmenting our society and even our very selves as we maintain different faces in each of the circles we swim in.
*I love the analogy of fish=man and water=culture; it takes a very self-aware fish to recognize just what water is like...
(at least I had fun, which is another way of saying I got all fired up and started preaching at her, sorry Nan!)
...so we live in what, one could argue, is the most fragmented society in the history of man. This is certainly a legacy of "me" thinking that has its historical precedent in the Protestant Reformation ("I" can interpret the Bible for "my"self) and bolstered by subsequent events of consequence in Western history; the American Revolution, the push for exploration, the development of consumer capitalism, even the modern charismatic movement with its emphasis on "my" experience of God; this is not to paint any of these factors with a negative brush, simply to emphasize the nature of the society we live in.
Our level of technology and the individualist mindset that we Westerners (and especially Americans) swim* in has led us to a place of social bankruptcy. We now have the material wealth, technical know-how, and inculcated tendency, to manifest a society that alienates and fragments social units and individuals, and ultimately destroys the social cohesion inherent in any community or group.
All of this to set the stage for the observation that individuals do not congregate in the small number of intimate circles that we all desire to belong to, rather we are scattered and diffused throughout a great number of social circles in distinctly different settings. Our spiritual-social DNA (as it were) causes us to hunger for intimacy and identity that can only come out of relationship, yet our society is structured to prevent that very thing.
Our culture is such that we very likely did not go to school with the same individuals for our entire education, and most certainly did not enter into the job force in the same place as the individuals we went to school with. The people we live next to very rarely work in the same arena that we do, our Church is likely to be some distance from the places that we shop, etc., etc..
The result is that we live our lives in compartmentalized circles, one circle only rarely overlapping with another. We have a circle of relationships at work, a circle of relationships at Church, a circle of relationships in the businesses and shops we frequent, a circle for hobbies, a circle for parents of our kids friends; it is the exception for any of the relationships from one circle to carry over to another.
This (major) facet of our way of life has the result of feeding the individualism that spawned it, both a manifestation of and a catalyst for a society of individuals; it has crept into many corners of our life. We no longer find it odd that children would spend forty hours a week watching television, or that we would never actually see our neighbors at a close enough distance to enter into a conversation. Even our architecture has been impacted by this reality; our homes have front yards designed for sterile eye-appeal, fenced back-yards for private retreats, enclosed and attached garages to allow direct access from our living room to the highway; all to insulate us from the people we live next to.
We go to great lengths (perhaps unwittingly) to prevent any meaningful relationship from taking place, even choosing to enter different circles precisely because of the anonymity provided there (how many people attend the mega-church to hide from relationships). All of this has the result of fragmenting our society and even our very selves as we maintain different faces in each of the circles we swim in.
*I love the analogy of fish=man and water=culture; it takes a very self-aware fish to recognize just what water is like...
3.14.2006
dre
Yo yo this is dredawg in da hay-ouse!! Buffalo!! It's good to be a disciple of Christ. Following Jesus is what its all about. He is the way the life and the truth. Enough preaching... I'm excited to go to Buffalo soon & I love chicken, beef, biscuits & ofcourse cheddar. I love being married to my crazy husband sam with the emotions of a teenage girl. I'm going to start doing ballroom dancing soon so look out! Salsa salsa cha cha cha! A goal I have is to travel the world before i die. Doesn't that sound fun? Okay, bye bye now.
3.13.2006
I get to be apart of the hope of the world
Hey my name is Mary and I am also going on the Buffalo churchplant. I am so excited for what God is doing in this world. I agree with what Steve said in his profile that , "The church is the hope of the world." Since I am part of the Church then I guess that I get to play part in what God is doing all over the world! That is the most exciting thing ever. I have been thinking about it lately that I, me Mary, get to change the world for Christ! I get to do this! What an incredible honor it is for me to get to be a part of this! (And by the way, when I get really fired up I repeat myself sometimes.) (And by the way, when I get fired up I repeat myself sometimes.) Ha, ha how'd you like that. So this is my thing, I went to a conference called World Mandate and it totally rocked me. This conference is all about having God's heart for the world. So that is what God has been doing in me! Did you know that there are 2.1 Billion people on this earth that haven't heard about Jesus! There are 10,000 people groups that have not yet been reached! Even less than that now! This was 3-4 weeks ago so how many people have given their lives to Jesus since then! I get to be apart of this in some way and it's not small either, if you think about it! When one person comes to know Jesus ALL of Heaven throws a party! If I were to lead only one person to the Lord not only would ALL of Heaven party but it would be totally worth it, cause Jesus would have died and did it all for that one person. What a huge roll I have to play in this! I get to spend the rest of my life in earth loving the people that God created. Now I'm not perfect I have those days when I just don't want to love the person on the other side of the counter, but what an oppurtunity to let God change my heart, even if I don't see it as an oppurtunity at the time! Anyway like I said 2.1 Billion people, 10,000 people groups, thats what 1/3 of the world left to go! Let's get a move on people, Jesus is coming soon at the amount of people we have left. There are 2.1 billion people left let's make sure that they ALL have a relationship with Jesus! Dream big! This is an exciting time. I am so lucky to be apart of this! God chose me. I better stop right now and post more later because I am so excited the page might just explode! Let me say one more thing though. None of this can happen if we aren't spending time getting to know Jesus and let me also tell you that you will never stop getting to know him! He is unfathomable! It is all out of being intimate with our savior. It is all out of relationship with Jesus, and that is what I am excited about is bringing people into relationship with Jesus! I want them to know him! It's more than just a prayer, it's more than just a title, it's a relationship, a new life, a chance to start over because you don't have to do the things that you once did! Hello? Why do you think that they call it the good news? So this is me and this is what has been rolling around in my brains for the last month or so and I don't want it to stop, I want to have ten times this passion for Jesus weeks, months, and years from now. Amen!
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