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Great Commission

Home away from home

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Principle 4: God has sovereignly placed you in this world at this time with the abilities and gifts you have to bring glory to him and show the joy of the gospel to others.

This past Easter weekend, I helped two different churches conduct Easter egg hunts for their children. One church was my hometown church that I grew up in. The other church was the church I currently work at. The good news is that at both children events, the gospel was presented!

However, the approach to sharing the gospel differed at both respective churches. The Pastor of my hometown church started with Jesus and ended with Jesus. He asked the children and families in attendance what the real reason is that we celebrate Easter. One boy raised his hand and stumbled through describing the rescue part of the gospel. The Pastor said, “that’s right” and proceeded to describe the death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I couldn’t help but listen and observe. I thought to myself about the number of the unchurched or never churched that were in attendance thinking to themselves, “who is Jesus?” and “what does he have to do with me?” In other words, listening to the Pastor describe Jesus for the first time would have felt like listening to a foreigner speaking in a different language.

The approach my hometown Pastor used would have been perfect for an American living in America in the 1950’s. When Peter spoke to the Jews in Jerusalem in Acts 2, he could start and end with Jesus because everyone knew of the Messiah and the Scriptures that spoke of Jesus. But in Acts 17 (same book), we find Paul at Mars Hill in Athens speaking to Gentiles. However, Paul didn’t start with Jesus, but rather with creation.

Dr. Reid says, “Today, we live in Athens, in a land without a biblical mind or a biblical grounding in who God is or how we can know him. Many if not most Americans, and people globally, start from a different place that a biblical vantage point as they live their lives . . . We can’t make the assumptions about people that we once did, like that they have some idea of the Bible in general or the gospel specifically.”

This is true. Oral storytelling of the gospel is used by missionaries to various cultures around the globe and most missionaries start with creation when they share the gospel story. But now, America needs to hear the gospel story told aloud, beginning at creation so that Americans can understand how the gospel story makes their “messed-up world” make sense. Remember, we as Christians have lost home-field advantage in America.

I like what Dr. Reid says next in his book Share Jesus Without Freaking Out: “We can more likely assume people think being Christian means doing more good things than bad, which is moralism, not the gospel. That’s why we have to engage people in conversations and show them how the whole gospel story relates to their stories, and how God’s work in Christ to rescue us is the key, not our works.”

So at my church’s Easter egg hunt, I gathered the children together in one place and presented the gospel. I said, “when you’re outside on this beautiful day collecting eggs, for one second, think of the God who made the grass, trees, etc (Creation). But as you look for the eggs, you will become frustrated, because our hider made finding the eggs very difficult (Fall). But my teenage friend will come to your side, your aid, and provide you with hints so that you can find the eggs. Likewise, Jesus came to your aid and rescued you and the world from the results of sin (Rescue)! As you find the lost eggs, the eggs will be restored to you in the same way that Jesus restores sinful man and a fallen world (Restoration).”

Read the two approaches again, place yourself in the shoes of a person who has never heard of Jesus, and tell me which message makes more sense. I literally live in Athens – Athens, GA that is. When I visit downtown, I see people of all different religions, ethnicities, and nationalities. For many of my downtown friends, starting a conversation with Jesus will lose them at first sound. It is important for you to work in the Rescue part of the gospel, but understand that at many times, it is best to present the gospel in bits and pieces.

Also, if you’re a next generation leader, think about your next church event and how you can work in the gospel. This Summer, my church plans to use a party trailer filled with games, a bouncy house, etc. for another children’s event. Just thinking to myself, what if I used the heat of the day to remind students of the fall or to at least think a second about hell and what if I used water to remind students of restoration or the bouncy house as a symbolic glimpse of heaven? The ideas are limitless . . . for your event!

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Great Commission

Organic Evangelism; A Lifestyle

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Principle 3: Shifting from giving an evangelistic presentation to having an evangelistic conversation takes pressure off the witness and relates the gospel more clearly to an unbeliever.

Recently, a friend proposed to me that all of the churches in our local area should get together and discuss ways to reach the lost. My friend is not a missionary, a preacher, or an evangelist but was making a clear point that reaching the lost ought to be first priority and ought to reach past denominational lines.

Boy, did I have a lot to say to my friend. We had a conversation! My friend has a passion for sharing Jesus with others like I do, but unfortunately, I had to throw some water on his fire. I let my friend know that our association just had one such meeting and that of the 70+ churches in the association, only five people attended. Let’s face the facts. This pains me to say, but I think the average church member’s attitude toward evangelism is “I’ve got mine (salvation) so I’m good to go. Someone else can tell others about Jesus.”

I didn’t want my friend’s fire to burn out completely so I told him some good news too. I told him that the idea he had of all of the churches getting together could work in theory and that everyone attending from different denominations could still leave the building as friends. In the associational meeting I attended with four other like-minded individuals, we learned about an idea called “affinity evangelism groups.” Affinity evangelism groups represent a way to share your faith with others using the gifts, abilities, and personality that God has given you.

So using a different term, the association and state levels are promoting the same idea that Dr. Reid is in his book Share Jesus Without Freaking Out. Dr. White, Executive Director of the Georgia Baptist Convention shared with us how he met people at a place where they felt comfortable in doing something they loved and then led these individuals to the Lord. Hunting, Biking, Fishing, Sports, Crocheting, Technology, Shopping, etc. represent a multitude of affinity groups whereby a Christian can join up with unbelievers and have gospel impact.

We don’t just have to invite lost people to church. We can go to their culture and on their terms speak their heart language. We can share our passions and pains together and relate these to Creation, Fall, Rescue, and Restoration. And we can even do this on our daily commute as we converse with people in a plane, train, or bus.

There is no one-size fits all, cookie-cutter approach to evangelism. We are wired differently and we come with different interests, hobbies, and backgrounds. Think about it this way: A 300 lb. person is going to have a different workout plan for preparing to run a mile than a 120 lb. individual will have. There is a direct connection between physical fitness and spiritual witness. Reid says, “Just like with diet and exercise, a life of evangelism is lifestyle change, not a quick fix.”

Sharing Jesus without freaking out takes practice! The more evangelistic conversations you have, the less pressure you will feel. Talking to others about Jesus ought to come naturally. You shouldn’t feel awkward and nervous when you talk about who or what you love. And over time, you will notice that sharing Jesus with others has become so organic in your life, that it has become a lifestyle.

You can do this! If you’re a church member stuck in presentation mode, you can do this! Look at every conversation as a ministry opportunity. Look at evangelism as the natural outflow during conversation of an inner joy you can’t keep within. Before you notice, you will be sharing Jesus with others without even thinking about it!

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Great Commission

The Ultimate Movie

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Principle 2: In order to share Jesus confidently and consistently with others, first share him confidently and consistently with yourself.

The next generation loves movies. Netflix, Redbox, and theatres across the country testify to this fact. Just look at the gross net for weekend ticket sales at the box office. A lot can be learned about the next generation by just observing the movies they choose to watch.

Christopher Brooker identified seven basic plotlines in movies: (1) Overcoming the monster, (2) Rags to Riches, (3) The quest, (4) Voyage and return, (5) Comedy, (6) Tragedy, and (7) Rebirth. Who doesn’t like telling a story or listening to a story? But what makes a movie great is that we get to watch a story unfold.

The Bible or God’s story is the ultimate story that traces history (His Story) from beginning to end! The gospel forms the framework of God’s story, but the gospel is so much bigger than just the burial, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. The gospel includes the puzzle pieces of Creation, Fall, Rescue, and Restoration (The Story) and the gospel informs every detail of our lives (work, marriage, family, finances, etc.), not just our salvation. But how do we share this all-encompassing glorious gospel with the world today? I’ve heard many suggestions but the one I like best is “start in their world” (or start with their worldview).

As I said, the next generation loves movies but they love movies because movies represent both fantasy and reality. Remember, a good story doesn’t always have to be true. That’s why nonfiction books are still a money maker.  A fish story may not be true, but it sure is entertaining to listen to.

Alvin Reid has identified three genres of movies whereby we can insert the gospel into our natural conversations with movie lovers: (1) Man falls into a hole (think kill the dragon, get the girl), (2) Boy meets girl, and (3) Rags to riches. Examples for each movie genre include (1) Die Hard, Marvel Films like The Avengers, and Taken (2) Hitch, The Proposal, Along came Polly, The Vow, and Love Happens, and (3) Cinderella, The Princess Diaries, and What a girl wants.

So how do you use a movie to present the gospel? The same way you use the gospel pieces of Creation, Fall, Rescue, and Restoration to inform someone’s life. For example, many people who say they don’t believe in God will say Creation is beautiful. Ask them why they go to the beach, mountains, or forest to vacation? Because it’s beautiful. Point out there was a Creator. If someone is struggling with pain such as a recent death, disease, or disorder, start your conversation with the Fall, but remind them Creation wasn’t always this way (Genesis 1-3).

Last night, the UNC Tar Heels won the National Championship in NCAA basketball. Having lost the Championship game last year on a buzzer-beater, the team’s theme this season was Redemption (or Rescue). We love second chances and that’s exactly what Jesus came to give us! Listen to how Dr. Reid describes how to weave in the gospel pieces of Rescue and Restoration into your movie conversations:

“We love it when a hero in a movie rescues those in danger, we love the thought of being delivered from sin. All those storylines I mentioned above are reflected in the work of Christ. We are in a hole; only Jesus can get us out. We seek a relationship that lasts with one who loves us perfectly, and Jesus is the One. We are all in rags, paupers wrecked by sin, but Jesus will give us the riches of glory by faith. Remember “kill the dragon, get the girl”? Jesus defeated the works of the devil, that old dragon, on the cross. One day, He will present the bride of Christ, his church, at the wedding feast of the lamb. Kill the dragon; get the girl. The reason we love stories with a happily ever after, and the reason Hollywood makes movie after movie with this ending, is because we all yearn for this (when young people think about eternity, they want it to be happy ever after).”

I challenge you: Next time you hear the next generation (or any age for that matter) talking about a movie or even their own life, work into your conversation the subjects of Creation, Fall, Rescue, and Restoration!

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Great Commission

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s . . .

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What freaks you out? Who or What comes to your rescue?

Being spring, snakes are just beginning to come out. Did you know an average of 7 spiders crawl across you every night as you sleep? I for one cannot stand heights and would love it if someone faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound came swooping down to carry me away off of a high perch.

I will never forget the time I was a young youth pastor (before next generation ministry existed) when one of my students convinced me to ride Superman at Six Flags over Georgia. Sure, compared to other roller coasters, Superman might have been labeled a baby ride, but for me, the world was about to end. As they lowered the safety bar on me, I knew there was no going back. While others shouted, screamed, smiled, and raised their hands during the twists and turns, I just held onto the bar hoping I wasn’t going to fall out at the top of the loop.

The good news: I didn’t throw up when I got off the ride. I was a little dizzy but it wasn’t anything I wouldn’t get over. I still hate roller coasters and heights but the experience wasn’t as bad as I had made it out to be in my mind. I still don’t have a desire to ride the rides at a theme park, but I did survive. I lived to see another day.

I will soon begin teaching an 8-week course at my church called Share Jesus without Freaking Out. This is a ride I’ve been highly anticipating going on for a long time! I understand sharing Jesus with others freaks many Christians out. However, like the student who convinced me to man up, I want to persuade others that sharing Jesus isn’t as scary as we often make it out to be.

I want to take you, my reader, on this joy ride as well. As I teach this 8-week course, I will begin posting weekly insights and principles from Dr. Alvin Reid’s book. At my church, The Heights Church, we prefaced the study with a 6-week study of Christianity in America and a 3-week study related to worldviews and apologetics. You are free to employ a number of options in how you can introduce the study at your church and may choose to have no introduction at all. However, I have found that laying a solid foundation provides a tremendous advantage in gaining traction and sustaining momentum. And if you teach anything for 8-weeks, you will need momentum to carry you through to the finish line.

As the book teaches, building anything takes times and this includes trees, skyscrapers, and people. In this study, you will not only grow up in your faith but you will grow in sharing your faith. These two ideas actually work hand in hand. Here’s the first principle: God created you for his glory to advance his gospel with the gifts, talents, and opportunities he gave you.

For example, I enjoy fishing. I don’t fish a lot, but I enjoy it when I do, especially when the fish are biting. I plan to put on a next generation family fishing event this summer at a nearby lake. I am using a simple event and a simple sport that I and many others enjoy to bring not only families, but lost people to (affinity evangelism group) in order to advance the gospel. Funny thing is Jesus, himself said to follow him and he would make us into fishers of men. While I am catching fish, I am at the same time trying to catch men, women, boys, and girls for Christ. If you enjoy fishing as much as you enjoy catching fish, you are bound to catch a fish at some point. Likewise, if you enjoy fishing for lost people as much as you enjoy catching lost people for Christ, you are bound at some point to see someone land in Christ’s boat!

Where will this 8-week faith journey take you? Hear the words of the author, “I want to help you have real conversations with real people about a real Savior they genuinely need. It’s also going to help you have normal conversations with normal people about our remarkable Lord to give them a new-normal way to live. I want you to see Jesus and your relationship to Him in a new, fresh light, moving to you a place where one day, instead of thinking of sharing Jesus as something between awkward and terrifying, it would be weird not to talk openly and consistently about Jesus.”

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Art

Classical Music, Karate, and NGM?

What do classical music, karate, and next generation ministry (NGM) have in common? At first glance, nothing other than the fact that the next generation might participate in all three. I mean, how does breaking one’s neck compare to listening to a peaceful composition in a ministry setting?

However, if you look beyond the surface, it becomes evident that these subjects share many commonalities. Music, karate, and NGM are all both a science and an art. In fact, almost any craft has an exact science to it as well as an art form. Cooking, teaching, engineering, nursing, learning, etc.

There comes a point in time for all us to practice what we preach, to apply theory into technical skill. And some do a masterful job at it! Think Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Think Beethoven and Mozart. Think Rembrandt and Picasso. These characters are more than just scientists who know the ins and outs of their area of expertise. They are artists who display something for the world to see that has never been seen before.

How about you? What field are you involved in? Are you all head and no heart or are you all heart and no head? The masterful represent the scientist and artist, the head and the heart combined, that proceed to use their hands to create a masterpiece!

Look at the picture above. We all remember the original Karate Kid movie. The film combines the art of karate to the science of music creating a scene we will never forget. “Balance is the key.” And how did Danielson come out? Simply put, he was the best around.

Working with the next generation is not easy work. It takes much time and book study to understand the trends, nuances, and inclinations of the next generation. It takes just as much time to invest relationally into the next generation at third places, schools, and church so one can stay in-tune with what is happening in the real world. For this last point, Josh Reid wrote a great book entitled Get Out, encouraging student pastors to leave their church office and to engage their community.

But when a next generation leader combines the science and the art, when the recipe takes on a flavor of its own, great things are on the horizon! A ministry of parents, students, and leaders are not just then doing church. They are being the church! A ministry goes from average to exceptional and the community and the church take notice! The artwork or image leaves a lasting impression.

Categories
Leadership

NGM Leadership 101

Leadership is vital in any enterprise, team, or ministry. Much ink has been spilled as many books have been written about leadership. The maxim, “everything rises or falls on leadership” is true. I want to share with you some invaluable lessons on leadership that I have learned and personally experienced in the course of teaching, coaching, and ministering in the 21st century.

Leaders set the tone: I learned this lesson as a first year varsity boys soccer coach. I gathered my new team in a classroom, laid down realistic expectations for the season, and received buy-in from everyone. In my case, the soccer team was the school’s first. Setting the tone on any new venture becomes that much more of a necessity.

Leaders eat last: This saying is a title of a book written by business guru Simon Sinek. Sinek’s book chronicles how senior Marine leaders are served their food last because the “true price of leadership is the willingness to place the needs of others above your own.” Christ put our need for forgiveness above his very own life.

Leaders take the high road: WorldCom, Enron, and other business scandals have taught us the importance of learning this lesson. Morals, ethics, and virtue still matter. There are no substitutes for integrity of character.

Leaders are often misunderstood: This has forever been the case but is even more so in the information age. Even the best form of communication, face to face, has through the ages brought about misreads and misunderstandings. However, today’s form of communication via email, texting, social media, etc. has only complicated the way individuals understand the intention of others. Leaders, being human, also have the capacity to misunderstand. Leaders understand this principle and forgive those who are misguided.

Leaders are not always liked: Due to misunderstandings, jealousy, greed, and a host of other misgivings, leaders are minutely scrutinized and take the brunt of the criticism. Making decisions that are unpopular and that unsettle the status quo can lead to a populace who dislike more than just the resolutions made or the change created.

Leaders possess knowledge that others don’t have access to and make critical decisions based off of that knowledge: Leaders are always first to know and sometimes the only contingent that ever knows. Leaders take the knowledge they are handed and make the best determinations they can. There is no better example than the President, who often has to make quick decisions which carry monumental weight with longstanding implications.

Leaders don’t take criticism personally: My favorite leadership lesson comes from the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 4:3-4. Paul wasn’t terribly disturbed by criticism. “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me.” New England Patriot QB Tom Brady modeled this principle as he maintained focus and won the Super Bowl this season by not seeking revenge against the NFL or President Roger Godell. The air may have been let out of the ball in Deflategate but Tom kept his cool and won the day.

Leaders live a life of love: Finally, leaders love everyone, including their haters. “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mat 5:44). Ultimately, Jesus died for us, his enemy at the cross and reconciled us to him. There has never been a greater act of love.

Leadership lessons abound and I am only scratching the surface. These just happen to be tidbits I have learned along the way. I hope they will help you to be a better next generation leader.

Categories
Revitalization

Exposing Postmodernism

Is the Christian to fear the culture he or she lives in? Abortion, LGBTQ, Atheism, and a host of other worldviews flood today’s marketplace as a substitute to replace the nation’s Judeo-Christian heritage worldview. In the case that you have been asleep for the past thirty years, the transition from religious to secular has already taken place.

As modernity has shifted to postmodernity and the nation has shifted from Christian to post-Christian, I encounter many believers who stand between the times and are confused as to what to do. Really, these believers should not have been caught off-guard, but that’s another article I do not have time to write. What is important is that we do help the Christians who have repented of their ignorance and are genuinely seeking guidance in how they are to live for Christ now. To the believer who desires to keep his ostrich head stuck in the sand, I cannot help you out at this time.

Has secularism won the day? Has postmodernism painted a picture as a point of no return – as a worldview that has finally defeated Christianity? Has religious pluralism gone as far in tolerance to now eclipse intolerant Christianity? NO, NO, NO!

From a worldly perspective and a judgment based off of the numbers, the secularist would say YES. But as Christ-followers, we know and understand a kingdom perspective that reveals time from beginning to end. At the end of the day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). But that fact still doesn’t answer how we confront postmodernism today.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we must not only confront postmodernism, we must expose it. It seems almost impossible from the start. I mean, how do you share meaning with someone who doesn’t believe that meaning exists. How can you help someone who does not believe in absolute truth and defines their own right and wrong? How do you take the self-absorbed and self-centered individual to a place where he or she admits there is a God and they are accountable to Him? Obviously, postmodernism does not make sense and is not rational (why modernity has passed), but this of course, is exactly why the postmodern embraces his worldview. We all remember tv shows in the 90’s like Seinfield which were popular because they were shows about nothing. Exposing the emptiness in postmodernism is not enough. The emptiness is what attracts the postmodern to his or her view and to watch his or her show (its ok to watch Seinfield, but to the ignorant, that show is now 25 years old). Postmodernism did not occur overnight. It was a process and it is not going away anytime soon.

But, ahhhhhh, maybe we are on to something (Read my last sentence carefully). Postmodernism will not last forever. It will eventually run its course and there will be a new worldview to overtake it as much as it has overtaken modernity. For the postmodern, culture becomes his enemy. Why? Because he or she can never escape it. Even if you dwindle all future cultures to a culture of the self, you still have a culture. Culture reveals a Creator. Though the naturalist would deny this Creator, the naturalist cannot escape the creation or the culture that he is in. Though he has placed himself above God, his sin (he will not use this word, perhaps “crime” or “disease” in this therapeutic culture) keeps creeping up. With moral standards all but gone, he cannot but think a lot about himself and a lot of himself. Though he denies moral reality, the image of God within him keeps telling him he was created as a moral agent. It is at this point that creation becomes the gospel’s ally. Fallen postmodern man in denial of moral reality has not found a way to live comfortably and still yearns spiritually for something more. In short, he cannot save himself or find the means to salvation within himself.

Here are some helpful quotes from David Wells in Losing Our Virtue:

“We are, as a result, caught. We are condemned forever to the jarring uncertainties that come from being morally and spiritually out of step with who we are by creation. The more we sin, the greater the contradiction with what we are in the image of God; . . . It is this frustration, I believe, that gives Christian faith its best access to a postmodern culture that has given up on serious thought, rational argument, and historical defenses.” – p. 192

“In understanding God, we understand something of ourselves, and in understanding ourselves, we understand something of God.” – p. 193

“Our postmodern spiritual disjunctions, our inward contradictions, on which we place such a morally neutered assessment, can be the very hand that leads us to God, because they lead us back into moral reality.” – p. 193

“We cannot elude our own moral nature or its corruption. We know ourselves to be moral agents, but there is always a residue of moral unease when the day is done. Our experience is thus shot through with ambiguity. Spates of pleasure-seeking are followed by seasons of regret; well-meaning actions, by those that are malicious, vindictive, or craven; hope in our ability to take hold of life in good ways, by despair that we have not succeeded in doing so. We party on Saturday and repent on Sunday. This tangle of contradictions we are unable to untangle because of both the power of sin and the intent of God. It is this inability that points us back, even in our advanced postmodernity, to the Cross, because there simply is no other place of resolution.

If, then, we, in this generation have lost our ability to name sin – and we have – we have nevertheless not lost our sin. We may call it by other names, we may not recognize it at all, and we always misinterpret it. Our moral radar is defunct. And yet, moral reality keeps intruding into our experience; the threads of moral existence are ever present. It is thus that creation is the great ally of the Gospel, while culture and fallen self are its great enemies. This is the awful contradiction that cuts through all of life, and it offers the most telling entrée for the Gospel into the postmodern soul.” – p. 196

Forgive me if I sound harsh to the ostrich, but David wrote this in 1998, a century ago (you know what I mean, “last century”). Wake up ostrich, one-hundred years is no different than nineteen if your head is in the sand.

Categories
Family

NGM: “the sheep follow the lambs”

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” -John 21:15

When I read of Jesus commanding Peter to feed his sheep, I think about how Jesus reinstates Peter after an epoch fail. Remember, Peter had denied the Lord three times after telling the Lord he would never deny him. In this passage, Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves him, and after three times of Peter saying yes, Jesus tells Peter to feed his sheep. Or does he?

Read John 21:15 closely. Does Jesus tell Peter to feed his sheep or to feed his lambs? Jesus tells Peter to feed his lambs. However, Jesus does tell Peter to tend to or feed his sheep in the second and third answer to his question (John 21:16-17).

In next generation ministry (NGM), Dr. Jeff Lovingood is famously quoted for saying “the cow follows the calf.” In other words, a good next generation ministry will attract students which in-turn will attract families. There have also been many occasions where students have led their parents and or guardians to the Lord!

I wonder in reading John 21:15-19 if Jesus isn’t telling Peter, “the sheep follow the lambs.” I know Jesus doesn’t say those words and may not even mean them. But the statement does make sense and I do wonder why Jesus told Peter to feed his lambs before he told him to feed his sheep. Yes, lambs are sheep and sheep are lambs, but I think Jesus may be saying something more than we often give him credit for.

Or maybe Jesus just wanted to build Peter back up slowly. After all, Peter allowed two servant-girls to intimidate him as he denied Christ, so perhaps he needed to start with the next generation as he patch-worked his faith (Mat 26:69-72).

There are questions we will never know the answer to on earth until we meet Jesus in heaven. But for now, I am going to speculate that Jesus looked at Peter as a next generation leader. I know Peter was called the rock, wrote epistles, preached, and founded churches as an apostle. However, if Peter followed through on loving Jesus by feeding Jesus’s lambs, then Peter ministered to the next generation!

Technically, adult sheep are labeled as tup (male) or ewe (female). Sheep, like adults, require shepherding and care. But lambs, like children, require more supervision, nurture, and protection than sheep. All sheep need fed, but lamb food will look somewhat different than sheep food in both portion size and in substance (think milk). And the differences multiply when you compare sheep to cows. Sheep101.info says, “compared to cattle, sheep eat a greater variety of plants.” Perhaps it would be better for us to say “the sheep follow the lambs” instead of “the cow follows the calf.” No, it doesn’t sound as good, but it makes sense when we consider ourselves as sheep and Jesus as our Chief Shepherd.

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Prophecy

Man or Beast?

I want to warn you up front that this post will be longer than usual, but I am convinced this post will be worth your read.

I am not a prophet and do not claim to be. However, I do believe I see what the future beholds and I do not like what I see for the generations to come. It is tough enough being a family, a parent, a student, or a leader living for Christ in today’s world. Although God always leaves a remnant, the world itself is not getting any better. When I say the future, let me for the sake of time cap it at 100 years from now. On a natural level, I don’t think you will find a man wearing a tie in the future. I would compare it to the way in which today we view wigs worn by men in colonial times.

But the future spiritual landscape is my main concern in this post. I would encourage you to read some background passages such as 2 Peter 2 which speaks of false teachers and their destruction and Jude 1 which speaks to the sin and doom of godless men. Below are the two key verses found in each passage.

But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish. – 2 Peter 2:12

But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. –Jude 1:10

Notice the descriptive words that various translations of Scripture use to describe such men: unreasoning, unthinking or irrational animals, creatures of instinct, brute beasts. I think in the future, we will witness a land full of inhumane mutants or beasts (as you will read below, these men are humans stripped of all virtue). What events lead up to these occasions? How do we get there? Sure, these type of men have always existed, but I think in the end days, we will witness a multitude of brute beasts. Also, let’s not forget about the beast mentioned in Revelation. Perhaps he is the beast of beasts and forces others to receive the mark of the beast.

I want to share a long excerpt with your from Chuck Colson’s book, How Now Shall We Live? I am going to italicize some key words that I want you to center your attention on.

“The great Christian apologist C. S. Lewis warned that the rise of scientific naturalism would lead to the ‘the abolition of man,’ for it denies the reality of those things central to our humanity: our sense of right and wrong, of purpose, of beauty, of God. And if we deny the things that truly make us human, then we will create a culture that is, by definition, inhuman. If we treat morality as subjective feeling, then moral ideals will be relegated to the private realm, and the public realm will be stripped of all morality. If we deny the reality of the virtues that make us superior to beasts, then those virtues wither away, reducing to the level of beasts. Thus while science has created technological advances that make life easier and healthier, when science is confused with the philosophy of scientific naturalism, it destroys the very things that make life worth living. We gain control over the natural world at the cost of our own souls. Lewis foresaw this predicament clearly. ‘For the wise men of old,’ he wrote, ‘the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue.” The purpose of life was defined in terms of the growth of the soul, and there was an abiding moral standard to which to conform. But for the contemporary technical mind-set, ‘the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men: the solution is a technique.’ This mind-set acknowledges no abiding standards, so there is nothing to check the human desire for control and domination.”

Let me start with the abolition of man. In recent times past, there was a worthwhile push to abolish slavery. The battle that lies ahead is one in which we will need to push that man himself not be abolished.

In his article, “Transgender Identity-Wishing Away God’s Design,” Owen Strachan brilliantly explains the “brave new order” or “how our culture now views the body.” Bear with me as I provide you with another long excerpt with more italicized words that I wish to highlight.

“Over the last 50 years, American Christians have watched as our society has fashioned a brave new order for itself. Feminism and the sexual revolution have transformed the American home. Many men have lost any sense of responsibility for their family. They’re tuned out, passive, and self-focused. Many women feel great tension between their career and home. They are told by secular lifestyle magazines to pursue perfect “work-life” balance, but it’s hard to find. Increasingly, the sexes are in competition. These troubling developments represent phase one of the transformation of men and women.

Phase two is the spread of the homosexual movement. Led by celebrities in the 1980s, the homosexual movement built off of the momentum of the feminist push and the sexual revolution. It sought to mainstream homosexual behavior. Men and women, it assumed, were not different in any meaningful way. The moral constraints of the biblical worldview had already been cast off. Romantic love was not subject to any shape or design. It was just a feeling. As such, it had no duties, no covenantal dimensions, and no enduring commitment. If it persisted, great. If the feeling of love died out, then the relationship died with it.

In phase one, gender roles were recast. In phase two, romantic love was recast. In phase three, the body itself is recast. “Transgender” ideology is grounded in the idea that the body isn’t an essential part of our being (a viewpoint known as essentialism). Our “gender identity” is fluid, a social construct that can change. We may well be a man trapped in a woman’s body, for example; our identity does not necessarily match our body. In such instances, many “transgender” people opt for reconstructive surgery so their identity fits with their body (an essentialist view, ironically).”

Have you made the connection yet? In a land where man is stripped of virtue and objective truth, man doesn’t have to be man. Man can be a woman, an animal, or anything else he desires to be. The Bible tells the truth. Man became beast.

We already live in a somewhat inhuman world. A world where you can ride the subway for two hours and not witness one human being speaking to another. A world where people are so self-inundated and self-absorbed with their phones, their beats, and themselves to the point that others are not considered because they are not seen. A world where people are politically correct robots that lack personality. We are staring ourselves into oblivion and paying the social price. When communication goes out the door, relationships are impossible. And ultimately, it is a relationship that God desires us to have with him.

For man, the only constant is change. The great thing about God is he is immutable or unchanging. A.W. Tozer writes in The Knowledge of the Holy, “there can be no mutation in the moral character of God, so there can be none within the divine essence.” Whereas man is both mutable and mortal, God is neither. Tozer states, “each man appears for a little while to laugh and weep, to work and play, and then go to make room for those who shall follow him in the never-ending cycle,” but that “God differs from His creatures in being self-existent, self-sufficient, and eternal.” God does not grow or develop. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8).

Man can change himself into a beast, but God will remain the same. God is holy and there is no such thing as God becoming better or worse. All of God’s promises are yes and amen so His word cannot change either (2 Cor 1:20). We really have two choices: (1) Change ourselves into what we want to be, or (2) Allow God to conform us into the beautiful image of his Son. Become a beast or become the man or woman God desires you to be.

Categories
Family Great Commission

NGM or the American Dream?

At the heart of NGM lies the Great Commandment (Mat 22:35-40) and the Great Commission (Mat 28:19-20). Does the American Dream concept line up with either of the GC’s?

Allow me to tackle the idea of the American Dream first.

One version of the American Dream illustrates a solid family structure with mom in the kitchen, dad grilling out, and kids playing in the yard behind a white picket fence. Granted, there are some homes that still paint that picture today, but I would submit that those pictures are becoming harder to find. Remember when you visited a family in their home and spotted family pictures on the wall or on the shelf? Whereas the traditional nuclear family used to be the social norm, it now appears as abnormal. Brokenness and dysfunction are the themes that rule our day.

A second version of the American Dream states that if you work hard enough, you can be whatever you want to be. Elements of this version are still at work today. It is good to dream. Many inventions would have never been created without the ingenuity or ideas of the dreamer. And Americans often do dedicate themselves to becoming what they have always dreamed about and then later find themselves living their dream out. These are all good things. But what about those dreamers who will never have the ability, talent, or opportunity to do what they were told they always could do. I dreamed of playing in the NBA as a child and dedicated my early life to accomplishing that goal. But my height coupled with my vertical leap (I can jump, but not as high as an NBA player) would never allow me live that dream. At some point, reality sets in and some dreams do die. You can’t always be whatever you want to be.

I am sure there are other versions of the American Dream but I am not going to tackle all of these today. Suffice to say, some of us need to tear the picket fence down, take the pictures off the wall, and or let reality set in. In other words, we need to admit that there are aspects of the American Dream that could shatter before our teary eyes. Yes, in some ways, we were given a lie and we need to call it out for what it is. The American Dream is not all fantasy as some do achieve it. However, the American Dream pales in comparison to the great call of Jesus to love God, love others, and to make disciples of all nations. The American Dream is for Americans and limited in scope. The Great Commission is for all nations. The American Dream is for the here and now. The Great Commission encompasses all time and its efforts will echo for an eternity. The American Dream pleases the self. Obeying the GC’s bring glory to God. Let’s choose to do next generation ministry and fulfill the GC’s over and beyond any call to live the American Dream.