Blackbird Network

In the last two years I have probably been challenged more in different aspects of my faith than ever before.  Over the last few months I have been wondering why?

Obviously the Bible hasn’t changed in my life time, there hasn’t been any new found truth that has suddenly emerged.  Yet I feel that I am reading it in a new light, with new vigor, and thinking this may transform some of my fundemental thoughts on life.

Instead of the Bible and it’s words changing, maybe it is my filters that are changing.  Maybe the Americanism that is so ingrained in my life is beginning to break apart and allowing me to see things that have always been there but my filter covered them up.

How do my filters change what the application of scripture is in my life?  An example- for the first time in my life, I know many people who are unemployed. Corporately and personally I have spent much time in prayer. Is this wrong? I am sure it isn’t, but if I was in Africa or any other third world country would this consume my prayer life? I highly doubt it.  How does the American filter affect my trust and faith?  How does my financial status affect my reading of the scriptures? This I know affects it greatly.

Consumerism is an area that I hadn’t read much about or heard sermons about until late. I truly believe this has been a huge blind spot in the western church for the past 100 years. How has this filter affected me? How has my interpretation of scripture been distorted?

I was reading a book awhile ago about race and the church. In it was a photo copy of a flier that churches in the southern part of America used to promote slavery and racism with scripture as its backing.

Filters happen no matter what context we are in.  We need to recognize this, and not allow the culture bias’ of our context  to dictate our interpretation of scripture. It is very easy for a culture to be so comsumed with one aspect of scriptures to ignore other parts.

One of the beauty of the body of Christ is when we humbly come together and listen and learn from other followers of Jesus and listen to the gospel through their filters.

An anology would be when we are kids thinking everyone grew up like us, thought like us, and had the same experience.  We grow when we realize that others can have different experiences and that they aren’t wrong.

I believe in a God that is multi facet enough to create both the American, and every other person in every culture of the world. There are many things I can learn about God through seeing and listening to other people.

But I have to realize that some of my faith isn’t based on scripture and based on my cultural influence.

This may be the question that we as followers of Jesus don’t feel that we get a good answer to.  Why did this happen in my life? Why is there pain and suffering in the world? Why am I not getting healed from my physical or other kind of problem in my life? Why are some people healed and others aren’t?

I don’t have a good answer and am not going to even try to answer the question. My question is, is why the right question?

Is why the right question? If we get an answer is it going to change our faith and relationship with Jesus? Of course sometimes we find out the why and it turns out the way we thought it would, but many times we don’t know the why.  Are we ok with that?

I don’t believe it is random why some are healed and others aren’t. I don’t believe it is random why some go through extremely difficult situations and others don’t. But I don’t believe I know the answer why.

it is very easy and comforting for us as followers of Jesus to answer simple, universal answers to pain and suffering on both an individual level and a world level.

It is very easy to become the voice of God, we can quote a story where God’s vengence was seen or we can quote a verse about God’s compassion for the afflicted. Both sides are there in the Bible. We can see both sides and sometimes I wonder why God spared some lives and not others. I am sure there is someone out there who could give a very long answer to this question.

But is all of this the point- do we go around trying to help people answer the question of why? I don’t know if I see that in Jesus’ life or teaching. I don’t know how much time He spent answering the universal why question? Yes He did it in some settings, but I see His bigger concern was trust and belief.

I don’t believe questioning is bad, and I think it is very helpful. I don’t think what is so helpful when we as humans try and tie every why question up in a neat little 140 character twitter answer.

I don’t know if the point of trials, and tragedies in life is for us to have the why question answered. The bigger point is how are these situations alllowing us to be more like Christ? How are we becoming more patient, kind, loving, and trusting in the midst of the garbage that happens to us.

Is that the point? Is the point we can’t do this life on our own, and obviously some have it more difficult than others but do we trust God  in the midst of this ?

There are many things in life I don’t understand and to be honest I don’t expect an answer to why, but do I have a peace that God know’s what He is doing?

Last week we had the opportunity to interact with some material that is extremely useful and good. It was by Mike Breen and 3D Ministries. The information could be extremely helpful in making disciples.

During a debriefing time earlier this week with some of the conference goers a concept came up that made m shiver- paraphrasing what the person said “if we are being successful in making disciples should we start doing this model?” That question sums up a paradigm in churches that make us uneasy.

If the information we recieve at a conference is really good and it helps me create disciples shouldn’t it work for everyone? Questions are often heard (and I have said them myself) like how do we get everyone on the same page? How do we create uniformity?

I realize that we sometimes do a good job of creating good program managers rather than disciple makers. I have been through many conferences, and heard many good questions from skeptics about a new “discipleship” program/paradigm.  The presenter will give all the reasons why this “new” way of doing things will fix the problem that the old system didn’t do.

I am not saying that there are many programs and models out there that have been great tools to help people develop in their identity in Christ, relationship with Him, and the mission He has given them.

What I am saying is when I start defending a model and making the model into the cure all, there may be a problem.

How instead can we help people defend the fact that they listened to the Spirit and this is where they were led? Now of course there is tension in this and programs aren’t bad just as someone living by themselves only listening to the Spirit and denoucing any rebuke is good.

It is very easy to read our lives into Jesus’ and defend what we do by saying well look at what Jesus’ was doing. I just wonder how Jesus made His followers into disciples? There was intentionality to it, but I don’t see the program that we try and do. As we read in Acts we can see that the passion is what drove them, not a program.  Just as we can’t legislate morality, can we program discipleship?

Man do we try, and I try and have tried.  But in my life it has to be in my dna, it can’t be an outside force but a force that comes from the inside. It can’t be something that I try and just teach, but it has to be something I live out. It can’t just be a list but something that encompasses everything.

As pastors and leaders it is so easy for us to program managers, even when we want to change it is easy for us to exchange an old program for a new one. It is easy for us to change the nuts and bolts but not the culture.

I love Mike Breen’s stuff in making disciples, but my fear is that people will jump on this new band wagon and get the same results as they did with the last program.

Fact: Dogs love to be scratched on their bellies.  In order for this to happen they roll over they get themselves in a vulnerable position.  A level of trust has occurred for a dog to trust a human to do this. 

People in general want to be known, and have in my opinion a God given yearning to be in community both with God and other followers of Jesus.  They much like dogs have a scratch that needs itching but it puts us in a vulnerable position in order for this to take place.

There is constant talk of community and the desire for it, but as many have said community is messy, difficult, and sometimes can hurt.  But when we see people proverbially roll over onto their bellies that is when we have gotten some where, when people are vulnerable enough to allow us to bring them something they have been longing for.  We aren’t any different than any other person on this planet, yet the hope and true community of God is what fills that scratch.

Recently I have observed people that are beginning to be a community and have found some signs that may be universal.

1. Community can be seen when people invite you into their homes spontaniously- it is great for us (as followers of Jesus) to model hospitality but we know that community has begun to happen when people begin inviting us into their homes. Many feel inferior, shameful, and scared to allow us into their homes.  It is easy to plan for a party and guests, but what if we don’t get the chance to tidy everything up or have our junk lying around? As we are invited into people’s physical personal space they begin to allow us into their personal lives.

2. Community can be seen when people begin sharing secret passions/gifts. There are many of us who are ashamed or bashful about gifts/talents we have. We only share these with people we trust.  This has been one of the surest signs trust has happened when those that are more introverted start coming alive. Recently I was talking with a man and he loves to garden, and one of his neighbors was a little aprehensive but finally had the courage to ask “can you help me garden?” Undeveloped or talents that aren’t defined can make people feel insecure and fearful in sharing.

3. In a missional context they allow you in to their sinful lives- As a pastor there are certain places that people don’t allow me into. There are certain parts of lives that are off limits. Again fear, and shame come in. It is much like the women at the well or the women caught in adultry with Jesus.  The expectation is to be stoned, humiliated, and condemned. Jesus example in these situations was not this way, and many times we don’t follow His example because we are scared.

I have had it happen more times than I can count when someone knows I am a pastor “I am so sorry for the language I used.”  There is a front put on and just like the face many put on going into a church building.  It takes much trust and relationship to build trust in these situations.  But when we do what happens? I was recently asked if I would like the daily porn joke sent to my phone? Many would take offense or be scared to death of this thought. (I told them no) But there is a much deeper issue here, if we are going to be involved in people who aren’t following Jesus we are going to be asked questions like that. In the community of pre-Jesus followers I am with that is currently a habit that they do with each other. In some ways they are saying we want you in our lives. 

After telling them no, they said well I didn’t think so, but we wanted to ask. What is the sin culture like in the people you spend time with? It is a complement when they ask you. Don’t do it, but decline in a humble manner.

Jesus was invited into all sorts of uncomfortable situations that many “Christians” would be scared to death of. 

We have a chance to live and be part of communities- our prayer is that you will listen to Jesus as he leads and guides you. But it will be scary as people proverbially roll over and let you scratch their bellies.

What does God want me to do? A common question that we get asked many times a month. 

Personally I believe this a much simplier answer than we make it out to be.  Is there a mythical quality, or a gigantic answer that will save the world? I believe in most cases no. It will be simple and it will be within the the passion God has given each of us.

Yesterday, it happened. A mom who just had her third baby was busy doing “church” stuff and a grandmotherly lady swooped in collected the baby, and throughout the morning never parted with the baby. 

Did this grandmother understand her passion? Did she realize that she was fullifilling a need? Did she do what jst came naturally? Probably more of the third- she did what came naturally. If she had sat and thought about it, she would probably verbalize that it was her passion, and being a mom at one time she would remember the struggles.

Does our passions come naturally? In most cases I would think yes, they do come naturally. God has created with compassion, love, understanding, and a heart for certain things. I think of one of my friends who is a proscecutor.  He has a heart and a passion for justice. it spews out of every part of his life. 

One might say that is great but I don’t have know what my passion is? One question that could be asked is what do you do because you love it and you don’t care if you get paid for it or not?

I have been reading Drive by Daniel Pink and it is an interesting look at what motivates people. In our culture money we think is the primary motivating factor. Pink’s premise is money is not the factor. In our area of passion I would surmise this also holds true.

Of course we need to live and survive but after that, in Pink’s studies money is not a huge reason why people do things.

Do we observe people in American church settings using their passion for the Kingdom of God? Maybe that is part of the problem, we don’t have the opportunity to use those passions.

Recently I was talking with some of my neighbors and a couple of them have a passion for gardening and one has a passion for hosting parties. So they decided they are going to throw a hog roast with roasted corn from their gardens in July.  That is a perfect example of a community coming together and using gifts, abilities, and passions of its members.

How are we doing this in our communities? How are we encouraging, valuing, and creating space for others? How are we allowing people to be the people God created them to be?

This is a huge part of discipleship. I loved the imagery of God hand crafting us in His image. I image God sitting and sculpting each and everyone of us. How can we continue to help people become who God has created them? I fully believe that we can not mass produce disciples, but we can invest in the people God has put around us to help them become more like Christ.