The Minimally Decent Samaritan

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works… ~ Eph. 2:10

I am a huge Seinfeld fan.  In the final two episodes ever created Jerry and the gang find themselves in pretty hot water.  While taking a trip to Paris their private jet makes an emergency landing in Lathan, Massachusetts for some much needed repairs.  As they are waiting for their jet to get repaired they decide to tour the little town.

Walking down the sidewalk they notice a gentleman getting robbed across the street.  Being from New York they find this quite humorous and Kramer even starts video taping the whole event.  They all get a pretty good laugh at this poor victim’s expense.

As the cop is interviewing the victim Jerry notices the victim is pointing at them and the cop does not look happy.  Next thing you know the gang is being approached by the cop.  He pulls out his handcuffs and starts arresting all four of them.

Elaine says, “No. No. No.  We didn’t do anything.” To which the officer says, “That is exactly right!” Apparently they had broken the Good Samaritan Law; a law that requires helping or assisting a victim if it poses no threat to the bystander.

I have become real good at not doing anything wrong, and the trap that I have fallen into is the belief that not doing anything wrong is the same as doing good.  Truthfully, there is a huge difference.  Not doing anything wrong is just that – not doing anything wrong.  It does not mean that I am, therefore, doing something good.

I have heard this described as the difference between the minimally decent Samaritan and the good Samaritan.  The former sees a guy on the shoulder of the interstate working on a flat tire, so he swerves to the outside lane to avoid hitting the stranded traveler.  The latter pulls over to lend a hand.  Neither of them did anything wrong, but only one of them actually did something good.

Many of us have become good at not doing anything wrong.  But God does not call us to be people who do nothing wrong.  He calls us to be people who do good works.

Being Saved

For Paul salvation is not just a one time event. It is not just something that happened in the past. Paul has no problem speaking of salvation as an ongoing event. There are times when he speaks of salvation as something we continually experience in our lives. We are not just saved, but we are being saved.

In 1 Corinthians 1:18 he writes, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” In 2 Corinthians 2:15 he uses the same language of those who are being saved and those who are perishing. Paul sees no problem with dividing the world into two categories: those who are in the process of perishing and those who are in the process of salvation. Those who have accepted Christ’s invitation to follow him are those who are being saved.

This does not imply at all that we are doing anything to be saved. The language is very passive. We are being saved, and someone else is doing the saving. Paul uses this same type of language another time in 2 Corinthians 3:18 when he writes, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” Again, a passive verb. We are being transformed into his image, not on our own power but by the Spirit’s power.

Maybe this is how Paul would define the ongoing process of salvation – being transformed into his image. Yes, Paul talks about salvation in the past tense. He has no problems suggesting that we were saved, and are saved. But for Paul I don’t believe that is the whole story. While we experienced salvation when we called upon the name of Lord and participated in his death, burial and resurrection through baptism, we are continually experiencing salvation through the Spirit’s transforming work. The end result of that work is that we are transformed into Christ’s image – ultimate salvation.

This should be exciting news for those of us who are being saved!

Can’t Hide Anymore

I’ve discovered that as a youth, campus, associate, or worship minister you can have many nontraditional beliefs, and yet be able to keep them to yourself.  Once you become the preacher there is no more hiding.  It is a little more difficult to keep some of your more “radical” views and beliefs to yourself.  Since I have become a preacher I have dreaded the day that certain topics get discussed – yesterday was one of those days.  Please note that I realize I may be in the minority with what follows, and that some of you may vehemently disagree with my stance.
One of our members gave me a DVD about 6 months ago that he wanted me to show during worship one Sunday.  The DVD is of a song called Before You Go.  It is a tribute to our war veterans from WW2 and it is extremely patriotic.  I am very very uncomfortable mixing patriotism with worship.  So I hoped that if I just put it to the side and didn’t say anything about it maybe he would forget that he gave it to me.  Well, he brought it up last month and I told him we would talk about it.   A month later (last night) I finally get the nerve up to talk to him about my views and why I was delaying a response to him.  He did not agree with my stance and had a hard time wrapping his mind around my beliefs, but he did not argue.

Again, I realize I may be in the minority on this one but I feel very strongly about it.  Let me share a short rationale.  When we come together to worship we are gathering as people whose citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20).  We gather as exiles or strangers (1 Peter 1:1).  Our citizenship knows no borders, and our brothers and sisters are made up of all nations, because our God is the God of all nations.  His house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations (Mark 11:17).  I believe that when we raise our country’s flag in our services of worship and pay tribute to those who have shed blood for our land we are placing our loyalty and allegiance to our national citizenship above our loyalty and allegiance to our Kingdom citizenship.

I believe this is especially problematic in a place such as the city I live in, Lafayette, IN.  We are a college town – Purdue University.  Purdue pulls people in from all races and all nations to study.  There are people from India, China, Japan, Germany, Russia, Africa, Scotland, etc…  On any given Sunday there is the possibility of having a brother or sister from one of those nations worshiping with us.  They come (like me) to worship and pledge their allegiance to the God of all nations, not to America’s flag – land – or soldiers.

Now, let me be very clear.  Many take my stance to be one that dishonors (or shows a lack of respect) to America’s war veterans.  That is not the case at all.  Our congregation is made up of many veterans and I have sat with them and heard their stories and honored their accomplishments.  I’m grateful for the freedom that I enjoy today because of them.  I just do not believe that our corporate worship gathering (our time of enthroning Jesus as Lord) is the appropriate place for patriotic sentiments.

That is where I am in my faith journey.  Now, let the stoning begin.

Messed Up By The Gospel

At Pepperdine I attended a class taught by Thomas Fitzpatrick.  He is the campus minister on Pepperdine’s campus.  His class title intrigued me  – Illegal Aliens, Bottled Water, Nike Shoes, and Everything Else I Now Question (How Being Like Jesus Messes You Up).  A fairly long title, but intriguing!

The class was basically about a holistic gospel.  A holistic gospel is one that affects more than just the church we choose to attend, how we worship, or whether or not we pray before a meal.  A holistic gospel is one that impacts all of our lives – our workplace, our home, our decisions, our purchases, etc…

He never really came to a conclusion on anything.  He basically just posed a bunch of questions and we spent the rest of the time discussing different issues.

The biggest issue we discussed was the gospel’s impact on our purchases.

• It has been well documented that Nike provides terrible working conditions and pay for their workers in other countries.  You could almost call it inhumane practices.  Many of their workers are making no more than the equivalent of $1.50 per day (not hour, but day!), yet we pay $100 for the shoes.  There have been documented reports of physical abuse, hiring underaged children, and hazardous working conditions.  Should these facts and our knowledge of the gospel play any role in our decision to purchase or not purchase Nike products?
• Today’s experts proclaim that bottled water is no better than water from our tap (in fact, scientist say we have a better idea of what is coming out of the tap, as opposed to some bottled waters).  Yet, Americans spent nearly $16 billion last year on bottled water.  There are over 1 billion people worldwide that lack access to any sort of safe drinkable water.  In 2004 there was an estimated 2.2 million deaths related to unsafe drinking water, 90% of that number was children under the age of 5.  I would think that $16 billion would go a long way in helping change those horrible statistics.  Should this knowledge and our knowledge of the gospel play a role in whether we choose water from the tap or bottled water?

These are tough and convicting questions, especially when you read passages like:

• Those who shut their ears to the cry of the poor will also cry out and not be answered. ~ Proverbs 21:13
• The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. ~ Luke 4:18-19
• As the apostles were struggling with what to do with the Gentiles and whether or not Paul should take the gospel to them, they eventually gave him the OK and only gave him one requirement.  Paul says, “All they asked was the we should continue to remember the poor, the very thing I had been eager to do all along. ~ Galatians 2:10

I could list many many more passages regarding God’s love and concern for the poor and oppressed.  The question we discussed was whether or not this knowledge should have any impact on the purchases we make in life.  Wow, following Jesus really will mess you up!

Pepperdine

I had a wonderful time at the Pepperdine Lectureship this year.  It truly is an amazing experience.  There was beautiful scenery, Christ-filled people, uplifting praise, and Spirit-gifted preachers and teachers sharing God’s word.  The theme was based in the letter to the Colossians.  Let me give you a snippet of the messages I heard.

Monte Cox and Rick Atchley shared very powerful messages that can be summed up in two very similar looking phrases: 1) Jesus is the only way, and 2) Jesus only is the way.  They look similar but are very different.

Monte Cox warned that in a culture as pluralistic as Colossae’s (and our own culture today) the message of the gospel is, “Jesus is the only way!” We need to preach it simply, yet powerfully.  There are not many ways, but only one way – Jesus!  He also shared with us the encouraging message that “you can never be more saved than you are right now.” I wish more of our churches could grasp this message.  This encouragement fit nicely with Rick Atchley’s sermon.

Rick Atchley dove headfirst into the legalism that seemed prevalent in Colossae.  Christians in Colossae were starting to judge each other according to what they ate or drank and what holidays they observed.  There were a lot of rules being thrown around – “Do not handle!  Do not taste!  Do not touch!” Legalism conveys the message that Jesus alone is not enough, but we need “Jesus and…”  While Monte’s message was about Jesus being the only way, Rick’s message was, “Jesus only is the way.” Christ is enough!  He closed by asking, “Are you a ‘Christ only’ follower, or a ‘Christ and’ follower?”

Another powerful reminder came from Rich Little, a preacher not too far from here.  His message was about Christ being in us.  This is a message that Paul emphatically teaches.  Rich’s reminder was that because Christ is in us we are the 67th book of the Bible, which is probably the most read book of the Bible.

There was so much more that I took away from Pepperdine.  It was a great experience, and I highly recommend you make at least one trip to their lectureship.  You will not regret it.

Pepperdine Lectures

I’m heading to Malibu on Tuesday for the Pepperdine Lectureship.  I’ve been saying Malibu a lot lately.  I’m super pumped because I have never been to California and my first ever trip will be to Malibu, California for some great teaching at Pepperdine.  The theme this year is The Lord of Creation:
The Preeminence of Christ in Colossians.

I’m looking forward to hearing some of my favorites: Rick Atchley, Mike Cope, Randy Harris, Don McLaughlin, Chris Seidman, Rubel Shelly, and Buddy Bell.

I’m also really looking forward to hearing some new (to me) voices: Rich Little, Monte Cox, Mitch Willburn, Brian Simmons, Curt Sparks, Josh Ross, and more.

I’m excited about seeing some old friends, meeting new friends, and just feasting on the Word of God.  It is going to be awesome!

ReThinking Church

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am currently reading Mike Erre’s book, Death by Church.  As I was reading a chapter this morning I came across a paragraph that I wanted to share with you.  He writes,

“Getting people to church can no longer be the end game of ministry.  Within a kingdom perspective, the church witnesses to the work of God in the world, pointing it out, celebrating it, nurturing faith, and reminding each other of God’s grace and truth.  The goal isn’t to get people to church and think that once that is done, everything else will take care of itself.  Church gatherings are instead the inevitable (and joyful) result of people joining with others who are living under God’s reign, pursuing Him and His purposes for them in the world.  Instead of getting people more inolved in the church and her programs, we should instead teach and equip disciples to prayerfully discern where God is moving in the rest of their lives and empower them to cooperate in that work.”

Like most of my fellow ministers reading this blog, I am ministering to a church that has multiple programs and ministries.  We enjoy it when large numbers of our people are involved in those programs.  Erre’s words are tough to swallow, but I like where he is going.

What are your thoughts?

Reading List

I’m such a slow reader.  That does not mean I actually read slow, while others read fast.  It means that I will read a chapter of a book and then I won’t get around to reading another chapter until a week later.  I have a bad habit of doing that.  I don’t just sit down and read through a book in a day, or a few days.  I read a little here and then I read a little there until a month or two later (sometime 3 or 4 months later) I finish the book.  I want to do a better job of being a disciplined reader.  OK, enough about that.  What am I reading right now?

I’m currently in three different books.  I have been reading through Philip Yancey’s book entitled Prayer for quite a while now.  I’m really really enjoying it.  He writes with such honesty, and this book on prayer is an honest portrayal of wrestling with prayer.  I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in prayer (which should be all christians!).

I am also making my way through Mike Erre’s book, Death by Church.  It is a powerfully written book about the Kingdom of God, and the churches mission to live Kingdom lives.  The back cover of the book reads:
“The early church was a vibrant counterculture – an ‘outpost of heaven.’ These fledgling communities lived in contradiction to the world around them and saw themselves as an entirely new expression of humanity. But today, much of the Western church is merely an increasingly irrelevant and powerless reflection of society’s values and priorities.  The church has ceased bearing witness to the dynamic and all-encompassing kingdom of God and has instead become an end to itself.”
This book does a wonderful job (my opinion) of explaining the “already/but not yet” aspect of the Kingdom.  And Erre tackles the question, “Is the church the Kingdom?”

The third book I am reading through is by Larry Osborne.  It is called 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe.  It is a simple read and very practical.  Osborne deals with what he calls “spiritual urban legends.”  He hits myths like: faith fixes everything, God brings good luck, God has a blueprint for my life, and forgiving means forgetting.  I’m thinking about using it as resource for a future sermon series.

Is anyone else reading anything good right now?

Boxing up Baptism

John Mark Hicks’ discussions on baptism and children (Part 1 and Part 2) have made me think about the different imagery used in the NT for baptism.  I was taught to believe that baptism was for the purpose of washing away sins (and quietly we would add that we also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit).  I was also taught that if you did not come to baptism with this understanding then your baptism was invalid.

I still believe that baptism washes away sins, but is that the only way to approach baptism?  Have we put baptism in this little box, and then claimed that we have the final word on baptism?  Have we taken something mysterious and multi-faceted, and domesticated it to a single facet?

As I read through the scriptures I get a much larger view of baptism and its many different facets.  Jesus’ baptism had nothing to do with forgiveness (for he was sinless).  It was a moment of obedience and identity.  Cornelius and his family were known as devout, God-fearing people.  Their baptism seemed to be more for the purpose of belonging and acceptance, not for sin washing.  In Acts we find some people already being labeled “disciples” and they were baptized solely for the purpose of receiving the Holy Spirit.  In Peter’s first letter he indicates that baptism is about our consciences because baptism is “the pledge of a clear conscience toward God” (1 Peter 3:21).

Please note that I am thinking outloud more than anything.  I have not come to any strong conclusions on this issue.  I have a high view of baptism, so this is not about the neccessity/importance of baptism.  This is about the purpose(s) of baptism.  What are your thoughts?

Man looks at the outward appearance…

Go to Jim Martin’s blog to see an amazing video and to be reminded that the outward appearance is not the best measuring stick for true beauty.