Category — Radical Christianity

I’m the first to admit that I’m not good at a lot of things.

I can barely hang a picture. Well, really I can’t hang a picture and stay in fellowship with the Lord Jesus.

I’m lousy at small talk. No, it’s worse than that. I suck at small talk. I marvel at people like our assimilation pastor, David Anderson, work a room and make everyone smile.

I have no idea how I made it through the general education science classes at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Maybe it had something to do with the braniac dude I chose as my lab partner. We fully admitted our codependence. He couldn’t tell a verb from an adjective, and I couldn’t find the spleen on that frog to save my life. “You do the experiments, Buddy. I’ll write ‘em up”

But when it comes to leadership, I just get it. Always have. From the fireline to the tank platoon to the local church, I’ve always been a leader.

So when I was preparing my sermon from 1 Peter 5:1-4, one of the classic leadership passages in the New Testament, the guys on staff asked me to “give my speech.”

“I don’t know. That’s a pretty in-your-face speech. May overload people a little.”

“Come on, Ed. This is an in-your-face paragraph. And so many church leaders don’t have a clue about leadership. They’re reading books and article written by people who have never led. It’s all theory.”

I had to admit that 1 Peter 5:1-4 is counter-culture to most church leaders’ expectations to leadership. So many church “leaders” view themselves as entrepreneurs, administrators, Bible teachers, or visionaries. What they never seem to get is that none of those terms describe a New Testament leader. Really, in my opinion, they don’t describe a leader in any arena. The problem with these words is that they all drip with an expectation that leadership is about getting other people to do what you want them to do, to follow your plan, to build your empire or church.

True leadership is about giving your life away to those you lead to release their giftedness and to guide them toward a common goal. It’s all about personal sacrifice and hardship to encourage, guide and release others.

This is why Peter chooses the verb “shepherd” to exhort the leaders of the church. “Shepherd the flock,” Peter says, “willingly, enthusiastically, and by example—because Jesus will reward faithful undershepherds when He comes” (1 Peter 5:1-4).

The more I studied the paragraph, the more comfortable I felt sharing the speech I give to every prospective leader at Church of the Open Door. So, if you’re a leader, buckle your seat belt, and hear me out:

• Don’t thwart the ministry of the Holy Spirit in these people’s lives.
• Have you counted the cost of discipleship—everything— in Luke 14:25-35?
• Do you trust grace enough to risk letting go of your dreams and plans for these people so that you can embrace God’s dreams and plans for these people?
• It’s never about you; it’s always about Jesus.
• It’s never about you; it’s always about team.
• It’s never about you; it’s always about the sheep.
• It’s never about your giftedness; it’s about releasing the giftedness of others.
• Finally, when it comes to the hard things—you go first. But when it comes to the good things—you come last.

Still want to be a leader?

From Mark to Peter

As I wrapped up our eighteen-month study of Mark earlier this year I thought, “This is the perfect opportunity to teach First Peter!”Mark drips with the thinking and words of the Apostle Peter. With all of these “Petrine” thoughts in our minds, moving toward the actual letter that he wrote seemed logical. I had never studied First Peter in depth, so it just seemed like a good decision.

I have to admit I had no idea what the study of First Peter would mean to our church.This is the most difficult year financially we’ve faced since I’ve been pastor. We’ve cut our budget severely and our staff and missionaries have been living on reduced pay since January.

I can’t remember a time in the decades I’ve been leading churches that so many Christians have been persevering through tough times. Foreclosures, loss of jobs, cutbacks, business failings. It’s a tough economy and God’s people are right in the middle of the mess.

Add to that the weekly reports of struggling marriages, diagnoses of dread diseases, prodigal children, and the usual array of relational hurts and scars in a local church.

These are tough times. God’s people are suffering.

Then I hear from Christians in churches all over America that they’re studying First Peter too. And I’m noticing an inordinate number of Bible study resources concentrating on First Peter.

From God’s Heart to Ours

I think God is preparing His church for troubled times. Sure, we’re suffering economically right now. But this is nothing compared to what could happen in this world out of control and so antagonistic toward Christ and His people.

These truths hit our hearts pretty hard, don’t they? I believe God is shifting the focus of His people from understanding the Christian life as a sure-fire way to live the “happy life”—have a perfect marriage, perfect family, perfect community, and perfect nation. I believe He’s turning us toward the more biblical priority of living a life that really counts—counting the cost for following Christ as His devoted disciple and paying it!

When this reality hits our hearts—that if you want to live for Christ in this alien and hurtful world, you’re going to suffer—it scares us…it brings fear to our hearts because it should. 1 Peter 4:12-19 is the paragraph you need to read and meditate on. It’s written to Christians who, like you, were realizing that serving Christ and suffering for Christ go together.

The fiery trial speaks of the purifying or refining power of suffering in the life of a believer. For Peter and his readers, it was also a reality. Nero blamed Christians for burning Rome. The evil emperor retaliated by rounding up Christian leaders, covering them with pitch, and using them as living torches to light the imperial gardens at night.

1 Peter 4:12-19 is God’s Word to Christians who admit that the prospect of suffering for Christ scares them. Peter makes three points: In verses 12-14 he connects our suffering for Christ to the glory of God. Verse 15 warns us against using our suffering as an excuse to sin. And verses 16-19 encourage us to entrust our lives to our Faithful Creator.

The entire paragraph insists on viewing suffering for Christ as initiated by God Himself to bring glory to His name and guided by the One who is our Faithful Creator.

From a Fellow-Sufferer

This is the only place in all of Scripture that God uses that title to describe Himself. Faithful Creator—the same One who brought the world into being is caring for you during your darkest days.

As a cancer survivor, this touches me deeply. My God has one name that He uses only when relating to His suffering children—Faithful Creator.

I don’t know the suffering of your life, but I know Someone who does. His name? Faithful Creator!

Let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19).

Could You Pray for Me?

I was standing on the lawn talking with people after our Sunday services. A young lady I’d never met stood off to the side with one of those, “I have to tell you something” looks every pastor knows.
When the crowd cleared, I walked over to her. “Thank you for being so patient. My name is Ed, how can I help you?”
Tears streamed down her face. “Could you pray for me, please?”
I would love to.
Words poured from her heart. Story after story punctuated by sidebar explanations I could not connect. “And then my mother told me that she heard…” “Well, I really didn’t say that, but my husband thought I did….” “I just don’t know if I can go on with all of these people saying….” “And then I lost my job….” “So you can see why I….”

Telling or Asking?

We’ve all been there, haven’t we?
• The leader of your small group asks, “Does anyone have a prayer request?” and you spend about thirty minutes talking about the problem and maybe two or three minutes actually praying.
• Standing at the bedside of a close friend, you decide to pray. The Christians in the room immediately start talking. “You know, my aunt had something like this. It was her liver. Have the doctors tested your liver?” “Oh, I was sick like this once. Is your neck stiff? That’s really bad! When my neck got stiff….”
• Someone from the church calls you to report a terrible accident. “I don’t know where they are taking her. I hope it’s not to this hospital. I went there once and the emergency care isn’t very good. I almost died when the nurse gave me….”
The prayer request sounds more like a novel strung together by a series of “and then’s.” You think to yourself, surely this is the last twist of this plot, but the end never comes.
That’s the way it was with this brokenhearted woman on the church lawn. As she poured out her heart, some verses came to mind:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplications, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
“Let your requests be made known unto God.” Not your stories, insights, and follow-up questions and explanations.
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
“Call to Me,” rather than “explain to Me” or “enlighten Me.”

Just Ask!

I put both hands on the young lady’s shoulders and broke in, “What do you want God to do?”
She seemed confused. “Huh?”
I repeated, “What do you want God to do?”
Startled back to the real issue of prayer, she said plainly, “I want God to put my marriage back together again.”
And so, finally, we asked God to do something, “Father, we ask you now, in Jesus’ name, please heal this marriage.”
It’s a revolutionary idea-to actually ask God for something-but it shouldn’t be.
“What do you want God to do?”
Your answer to that question is the only one that really matters at the throne of grace.

Every Sunday I stand before some courageous Christians who get what the Bible says about our desperate need for one another. They understand our inability to live the Christian life alone. Struggling forward locking arms, they grasp the universal teaching of Christ and the Apostles that we must learn not only to trust God with the truth about our lives, but we must also trust one another with the truth about our lives. These are friends who are living as if what the Bible says about community is true.

Sadly, tragically, there are believers choosing not to worship with us who are proving that they do not believe what the Bible says about community is true. Maybe someone hurt their feelings. Maybe they didn’t get their way. Maybe they’re waiting until they “get their Christian life together.” Maybe they have a secret.

I would be the last pastor to tell them they need to come to church to keep our numbers up.

But I do beg them to come to church because they need us and we need them.

Especially during times of suffering.

The Apostle Peter connects the suffering of our lives to our need for community in 1 Peter 4:7-11 by exposing the mistaken assumption those who decide to “go it alone” are making when they run from church: Time is short!

“The end of all things is at hand—gather in groups, pray hard, and love well!”

Christians who say they don’t need one another are acting as if they have forever to sort out their little feelings or hide their big secrets.

We don’t!

Even if you don’t agree with me that Jesus could show up any day for His church to take them to heaven, you have to admit that your days are numbered. And speaking for all of us who have heard the doctor say, “It’s cancer,” I promise you that you don’t have as many days as you think.

Stop wasting your time hiding and pouting. Find a healthy church and throw in, for better or worse. Give and receive love by praying hard for one another and loving well.

You’re going to suffer. There’s no way around it.

You can either suffer alone or with friends in the messy glory of community.

RETALIATE: to make an attack or assault in return for a similar attack

Retaliation is all about getting even, being right, feeling exonerated, making sure everyone knows my side, my view, my account of events, my opinion and my reasoning.

It never heals, always escalates, and in spite of both sides’ desire to win the retaliation battle, everyone loses.

Especially when it involves Christians.

When we divide a Christian marriage, a Christian family, a Christian staff, team, or church into winners and losers, it hurts the reputation of the Lord Jesus in this world.

Histories and Timelines

This is how you know you’re in the middle of a sanctified retaliation war. Opposing parties come to meetings with their version of the issues and conflicts.

“And then, on Wednesday, you said this. That’s why I did this.”

“No I didn’t. It didn’t happen that way at all. I can prove that it wasn’t until the next Tuesday that I said that, but that’s not what I said. I said this, and it was only because you did this on the Friday before.”

Both sides marshal a lot of “character” or “eye” witnesses to prove that they’ve been wronged, hurt, or misunderstood.

Tragically, if it’s a retaliation war between husband and wife, they usually try to recruit the children to their side. If it’s Christian leaders, they usually recruit devoted followers to their side.

It’s so important to win that they totally disregard the emotional and spiritual impact all of this will have on those who look up to them.

But Jesus said…

That “they,” all those watching, would know we are Christians by our love, not by our exoneration, by our willingness to give up our rights, not by our determination to be right, by our behaviors that remind people of Him rather than the two-year-olds in our world.

Judy and I have an almost two-year-old in our life right now. Our Celia’s Zachary lives just a few miles away. He’s our first grandchild to permanently reside in California and we just can’t get enough of him.

But when he doesn’t get his way and stomps his feet and his face turns purple and his eyes bug out and he screams at his parents (he never screams at me because I try not to tell my grandchildren anything they don’t want to hear), it’s not a pretty picture. He’s a sweetie until he doesn’t get his way. Then he becomes a retaliator!

Reminds me a lot of church fights I’ve been a part of, or marriages Judy and I have tried to “adjudicate.” Grownup Christians prove that their chronological age has nothing to do with the spiritual maturity when they revert to the behaviors of a two-year-old.

So how would the Lord Jesus classify you when you don’t get your way in your marriage, your family, your workplace, or your church?

Would He say you’re a selfless, other-centered and mature follower who trusts Him enough to give up your rights?

Or would He tell you you’re more like a two-year old retaliator when it comes to getting your own way?

If all of this makes you uncomfortable, it should.

It makes me uncomfortable.

But it also pulls my heart. Because as much as I want my own way in my flesh, my redeemed heart wants to be more like Jesus than the two-year-olds I know.

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another. (Jesus Christ, John 13:35)