Jude Notes 4 - The Spirit

Jude warns the church that "certain individuals" ultimately are causing some major problems within the body of Christ's followers.  In my mind, this was always tied to the idea of some people being "false teachers".  A lot of preachers use this idea to justify never letting anyone else speak from "their pulpit" - lest they inadvertently allow false teaching to take place.  In the book of 2 Peter, which is closely tied with Jude, that phrase is used - but it is absent in Jude's writing.  Certainly, leadership in the church is responsible for teaching the truth, but there is more that makes these individuals who've "secretly slipped in among" us so dangerous than what they may say or not say in a relationship of authority.

The dangers that Jude points out are more behavioral dangers than didactic ones.  These people weren't necessarily in positions of leadership (though some were).  Their deteriorating effects began even with their initial presence, as they:

- pervert grace into immorality (God will forgive me, so...)

- deny the sole Lordship of Jesus (Who really makes the choices of your life?)

- reject authority (Can you follow another's lead?  Are you teachable?)

- speak abusively against spiritual forces they don't understand

- think of their own desires above what others need

- grumble and find fault ("I don't like this video/song/way of worshipping...")

- boast of themselves and use others for personal gain

- chase after only what they want (What do you spend yourself for?)

The result of all this following after their own personal agendas and desires is the division of the church.  When each chases after his own wants, we all go different directions, tearing the church apart.  Jude uses some pretty strong language in describing these people - identifying them with some major errors in Jewish history and asserting their utter condemnation.  He goes so far as to say that these people "do not have the Spirit."

And here is where things get really personal for us today.  Leadership in the church is not simply about running a well ordered machine.  It is not merely about being an 'upstanding member of the community' or having nice hair and straight teeth.  It's not the same thing as being a business leader or a great CEO.  Those skills may be useful - but they may also be utterly useless and sometimes detrimental to leadership if they get in the way of the Spirit.  

Leadership in the church has always been about the Spirit.  It is He who empowers us to do ministry.  Paul reminded the Corinthians of this when he said "Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence come from God.  He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."  He also reminds us that the treasure of Christ is held in us as "jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

Our churches need to rely less on "conventional wisdom" and take to heart the fact that competence to lead comes only from God - and God often accomplishes His purpose in unconventional ways.  We need the Spirit - without Him we're spinning plates on sticks at best.  It may be entertaining for a while, but it's not really accomplishing anything meaningful.

My Father's Son

Just listened to my dad's sermon from Sunday at WhiteWater - sort of 'guest-speaking' I guess about things that get in the way of moving closer to God.  He labeled those things 'rocks'.  I think one of the most pervasive 'rocks' that we carry around is a lack of prayer (which indicates a lack of an attitude of dependence on God).  Prayer was the focus of the service here that our students and I led.  We included a lot of stuff that was 'out of the ordinary' for a typical Sunday morning.

I found it funny that, while I had people wandering around the auditorium drawing with chalk and crayons, and sticking post-it notes to the walls, my dad made everyone hold on to rocks through their service.

I guess I really am my father's son.  We're odd like that...

Great Song and the story behind it...

I've been enjoying this song lately (and the rest of the album from Bluetree) - and it's awesome to hear the story behind it. Every song has a story, a genesis... I love the reminder in this song that God's not finished here. There's still hope for those with no other hope. May we share the hope we've been given.

Jude Notes 3 - Flexibility

"... although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that the Lord has once for all entrusted to us..."  - Jude

It seems that Jude had an agenda.  He wanted to write to the church about "the salvation we share".  A good idea.  It's encouraging to think and talk about what we have in common in the gift of Christ.  But I'm not sure Jude got to write the letter he intended (at least not as the letter that we have preserved in the NT).  It seems there was an issue that Jude felt needed to be dealt with first.  Something so disconcerting that Jude set aside what he was "eager to write" about in order to bring attention to the problem.

The problem was that the church was allowing "certain individuals" to lead the church in directions that would end in destruction.  (I'll discuss those individuals in another post.)  Jude shows a flexibility in instructing the church that I think we'd do well to follow.

I have some certain principles and ideas that I definitely want my students to take hold of before they graduate.  I often set out a theme and line out a series of lessons months before I'll actually be teaching those lessons.  But sometimes situations dictate a need for something else.  

I first saw this need for flexibility very early in ministry.  I had our youth night all planned out - about the second week I was there, so I still hadn't even met everyone.  It was a good time for introductions and some basic stuff.  That was the plan on Monday.  On Tuesday, two young men followed through on their plans to shoot up fellow students at Columbine.  Even separated by hundreds of miles, my new students were shaken (as each of us probably were) and questioning a lot of things.

Whatever my plan was, it needed to be scrapped because it was far outweighed by the circumstances.  I pray that we always see what is going on in the world around us and hold to our agendas loosely enough to let them go if need be.

 

Jude Notes 2 - Called, Loved, and Kept

Jude was writing his letter to "those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ".

People today have many different descriptions of what the church is:

- a place for worship

- a place where Christians get to hang out together and talk about God

- a bunch of narrow minded judgmental gay-haters who are out of touch with the real world

- a religious organization that wants to force everyone to conform

- a group of people that are trying to be like Jesus

- somewhere to go on Sunday mornings

- somewhere to go when you need help

The list could go on, because there are an insane number of perspectives on just what the church is (from both within and without).  Jude's description of the church is people who have been called, loved, and kept.  In the interest of full disclosure, note that Jude's purpose here wasn't to define the church, he was simply describing the group to which he wrote.

It's interesting that the church, to Jude, was distinguished by actions God was taking.  It was God doing the calling, God who loved, and God who was keeping His people.  He didn't write to those who were current on paying dues, those who had good enough Sunday morning attendance, or those who had received the proper teaching and been properly baptized according to the proper formula.  Not that those concepts/actions are worthless, but... ok, they basically are - if we're doing them so God will approve of us and love us.

In a great moment of prayer, Isaiah (64:4,5) wrote (of Israel) that, 

"Since ancient times no one has heard,

no ear has perceived,

no eye has seen any God besides you,

who acts on behalf of those who wait for Him.

You come to the help of those who gladly do right,

who remember your ways.

But when we continued to sin against them, You were angry.

How then can we be saved?

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;"

Every "righteous act" we do in order to make ourselves presentable to the Father, to wipe away our own uncleanness is like a leper trying to wipe away their sores with a "filthy rag".  A recent word study of the word Isaiah used that's translated "filthy" just about makes me puke so I'll spare you the details.  Let's just say, our righteous acts don't make things any better and they don't earn us membership in some Jesus club.  (We live and choose in response to God's love, not as a precondition for earning it - but that's another post.)

The church is still called, loved by the Father, and kept in His Son.  I hope we always will hear His call, share His love, and rest in Him...

Jude Notes 1 - Humility

Reading through Jude, the first thing that strikes me is the humility with which he wrote. He didn't introduce himself as some high and mighty authority that the readers of his letter were supposed to listen to - but as a "servant of Jesus and a brother of James".

Often, we can tend to think in terms of credentials and qualifications. If we're looking for a job, we'll polish up our resume - listing out the experiences we've had that we think qualify us for the job. If we have a message we want the church to heed, we may feel tempted to preface it with a list of our accomplishments or successes in ministry. In short, we may be tempted to puff up ourselves before we deliver the message.

The problem with that is, it ignores the fact that we're only messengers - or at least that's what we should be. If the message is only mine, it's going to come up short of what the Body really needs. One of our seniors will be preaching in a couple weeks and I want him to be aware of that fact. He needs (and I need) to simply say what God wants him to say. His job is not to craft the greatest sermon ever heard (by the half of the congregation that will still be in town). It's to search the heart and mind of God for His message to His people - and deliver it as His servant.

Jesus had a brother named Jude. And another named James. It's not too much of a stretch to say that it was probably this same Jude, Jesus' own brother, who wrote this letter. We know His brothers didn't believe in Him until after His death and resurrection, but that they did come to belief. But Jude doesn't write on the authority that "Jesus is my brother, so you better listen up." He had something on his mind that he wanted to share with the people. And he did it as a servant.

Whatever ministry you and I may be sent into, may we go there as humble servants.

Under the Bus

What do you see when you see the next generation?  I think many of us miss the hurt and the hiding.  We see the athletes and scholars and partiers as simply that - athletes, scholars, partiers.  But what lies below the surface?  What is the truth about who these people are?  Will we get to know them well enough to find out?  

A Big Dig in a Little Corner

I've been really digging into the book of Jude for the past several days.  That may seem a little wierd since Jude takes about two minutes to read, but I'm finding a lot there to think about.  Basically, Jude (who likely was Jesus' brother) writes a note of warning to the church, urging them to "contend for the faith" and be wary of ungodly influences that were sneaking in.  He warns the church that those who have previously been considered "God's People" had not escaped punishment when the turned from God's ways.  The implication is that if the church allows anyone to slip in and lure her away from Jesus, the church ceases to be God's and places herself in great danger.

Jude writes to remind the church that this shouldn't surprise them, but they should be alert to people who would "divide you, who follow mere natural insticts and do not have the Spirit."  He calls them "grumblers, and faultfinders" who boast about themselves and flatter others for their own gain.  I wonder how many churches today have failed to heed this warning and are led only by what comes naturally instead of by the Spirit of Christ?  How many of us rely on our own talents and knowledge base and bank accounts to decide what ministry we will do?  

"But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life."  (I think there's an interesting use of words between here and verse 1 that you should look into...)  In relying on Him, we are enabled to skillfully offer what is needed to those who doubt, to go near enough to the fire to rescue those who are falling in - without burning up in the process.

What are we chasing?

I read a great quote on Mark Batterson's blog this morning (the specific post was from last week): "The impact God has planned for us doesn't occur when we're pursuing impact. It occurs when we're pursuing God."

I don't think any church sets out to NOT have an impact on the world. No leadership team I know of sits around and says, "Ok, guys, how can we make sure that we're not making a difference in the community around us?" But I do think that it's easy to get sidetracked by good strategy and wise thinking - tricked into pursuing impact instead of pursuing God Himself. Just because we can devise a means to an end doesn't mean it's the right end. "Seek first the kingdom of God..." Everything else flows out of that.

Our team of leaders have been talking about issues of membership and what it means to belong to the body of Christ here at WestWay. I appreciate the thoughts Batterson shares at the beginning of his post about inviting people into the dreams God has for their congregation, and being a "shareholder in everything we're called to do" - being part of the church is about God impacting the world.

We are called to pursue Him.

May we do so with abandon.

Deeper Than Teacups

It was really good this morning to hear Kyron (my youth minister in Jr. High) speak. Partially, it was just good to see him and his wife again, but also, what he talked about is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. It's one thing to pray on behalf of someone who's filled out a request card - it's another thing to pray with someone who's just poured out their need to us (or had them exposed despite their efforts to appear to be well). Kyron talked about the thought of us carrying the light of God to dark places by praying with people who are hurting.

A couple days ago, I finished reading Red Moon Rising, the story of the beginnings of the current 24-7 prayer movement (which is an echo of Celtic and Moravian prayer movements in their own days). The book shares the story of a bunch of people around the world coming into a desire to pray light into dark places. They've started prayer rooms that are covering the globe in prayer 24 hours a day, and going out into the world to love people like Jesus does.

I wonder, if the church really is as shallow as pop culture seems to perceive her, is that largely due to being out of rhythm with the heartbeat of God? Can we learn to pray in ways that lead us to rediscover the depth of His love for humanity? What will be the cost - and will we be willing to sacrifice?

I have a ton of questions churning within me about praying. I'm convinced that a lot of what currently passes as prayer is only scratching the surface of what God desires. I'm convicted that I personally have often relegated prayer to something other than my expression of total dependence on God. But I don't have a lot of answers.

I talked with my small group and with my students and a few other people about the idea of a 24-7 prayer room. What would it look like to do something like that in our valley? I even went and looked at a building that is for rent downtown that would work out pretty well. Is it in the budget? I don't know... What will the other leaders of the church think about this idea? We'll see... Will people actually sign on to this idea and come to pray for an hour to 'staff' the prayer room? I don't know that either... But I do know that in the past few weeks God has been fanning a flame within me that has a lot to do with praying creatively and missionally and leading others to deeper streams of prayer than the teacups we've settled for.

I'd really appreciate your prayers as I continue to process through all of this and find the way forward.

Worship Resource

I found a cool site called Movie Tools that can be a great resource for people who lead worship. Just thought I'd pass along the link. I used a few of the loops in worship Wed. night. Here's a sample of what's on the site to dowload FREE.

Curious Sidenote: The site appears to be run by a guy in Halle, Germany (on the Saale river). This is the same Halle I went to in a 1 month foreign exchange program during high school. I lived with a family (the Kuehne-Laehne family) out in Petersberg, a little community north of the city. I'm not sure what kind of guest I was, but they were great hosts - I'll never forget Ingolf, Claudia, Georg and their parents. We were a short distance from Wittenberg and I got to visit the place where Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Roman Catholic church. Thinking about it now, I really miss Germany. I should go back there sometime.

Why Drive So Far?

I've been in the middle of a pretty busy stretch lately. The ski trip two weekends past was supposed to be followed by an annual vision casting banquet, which has now been postponed until later this month (the day after a girls trip I'm driving for). This past weekend I took a small group of guys out to the IA-NE Christian Convention in Omaha - and I have two group trips to Denver in the next month. We're hosting a concert by VOTA here tonight and planning a student led Sunday service sometime in the not too distant future. In April we're hosting a couple hundred students for an annual youth event that rotates between a few churches in the region. I'm also trying to get some groundwork done for a pretty intense prayer initiative.

The travel seems to be one of the most often questioned aspects of the youth ministry lately. "Why would you go (with a bunch of kids) to Casper one weekend, turn around the very next weekend and go to Omaha, and throw in two trips to Denver in a span of 7 weeks? You'll be spending a lot of time driving..."

Actually, for the Omaha trip last weekend there were about 14 hours driving on Friday and Saturday and only about 10 hours of actual programming/event taking place. Why spend so much time in a car to get to a youth event that's only 1 night and one morning? Here's an actual comment from Friday night that illustrates why.

"Man this is awesome. I love GORF." (the name of the Jr. High event we were attending).

Not that big of a deal except one thing: the student making the comment had never been to the event before, and the comment was made before any of the programming had taken place. We showed up at the convention center, got checked in, went to check in at the hotel, then went to Fuddrucker's for dinner (best greasy burgers in Omaha). The event hadn't even started yet and he was already loving it!

But the 500 miles covered together on the road were part of the event for my students. This small group of guys spent 500 miles beating on each other, laughing at Cheetos faces and fingers, getting truck drivers to honk, and just hanging out all day. The time spent traveling is sometimes the most sustained contact any of these students have with another human being. It's a chance for relationship to develop. I want to take advantage of that anytime I can.

The last three youth trips have been the best three trips in my time in ministry here. It's been exciting to see the students responding to what God's been impressing on them in these trips - I look forward to seeing how they continue to implement their convictions in their homes and schools and jobs... and to logging a few more miles in a couple weeks.

Igniting What Could Be...

This past weekend, I got to take some students on a winter retreat.  The theme of the weekend was "Ignite" with the idea of not being lukewarm.  There was a lot of focus on real practical implementation of our faith.  It was awesome to hear (and see my students hear) so many echoes of what I've been feeling and teaching lately.

A college friend who is now preaching at Calvary Christian Church after being the youth minister there for a number of years was the speaker for the weekend.  My kids really got a lot out of the stories he shared of real, concrete ways that other students had put feet on their faith when they stopped living for themselves.

Saturday was skiing for the morning and afternoon.  Up until Thursday or Friday, there was very little snow, so I'm not sure many of us were very optimistic about the skiing.  But Friday night it snowed enough to provide a little cover for the ice-packed hills.  About the time the slopes were freezing up again (after about an hour of a few hundred people skiing on them) it started to snow again and didn't stop most of the day.  There was plenty of snow.

One of the greatest parts of the weekend for me was the music.  Not so much the music itself, but Tommy, the worship leader.  This event is located at the church where I went when I was in high school, and Tommy was one of the Jr. High kids there at that time.  Back then, no one that I knew of would have imagined that he'd one day be a worship leader - but God did, and now he's the worship and youth minister at that church.  It was awesome to worship with Tommy and his brothers leading and think about the transformation that only God can bring about.

It was humbling to be reminded of a small thing I did while Tommy was in high school that was a part of his "ignition".  A spark that stayed around in his life long enough to find fuel and combine with a lot of other flickers until a life is now engulfed in passionate love for God.  How many times do I miss those little things I could be saying now that will spark something later on?  How often do I let my frustration blind me to a future fully in His hands?

May God let us see what could be...

Mission Critical

--I'm posting next month's newsletter article here before the actual newsletter goes out. So, that kind of makes this an advanced/pre-release copy you're reading. Feel special.--
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Sunday morning worship, Sunday school, small groups, Wee Ones, ladies groups, seasonal choirs, men’s retreats, women’s retreats, ski retreats, Noah’s Park, Jr. high trips, high school trips, camps, VBS, mission trips, girls trip, vision meeting, WOW, youth group, children’s ministry, nursery… Sounds like quite a club – there’s a lot going on around here!

But Jesus didn’t die to form a club. He has called us to be a people of action, not merely activity. Being like Jesus means meeting needs, not just attending meetings. The world cannot afford for the church to be like the priest who was so caught up in his own religious duties or personal life that he “passed by on the other side” when a man needed his help so badly.

The flurry of activities involved in being a part of the church can become a distraction if we let it. If I don’t pay attention to God’s vision for my life and remain constantly aware of His mission to redeem His Creation, I can be lulled into the deep sleep of routine.

Satan tricks us with a lie that says, “Just be faithful in attendance and you’ll grow spiritually – and that’s what matters.” But simply showing up doesn’t mean I’m doing anything useful for the Kingdom – I may just be growing spiritually fat. What matters is Jesus – am I living my life like Him? Do people see Him when they see me? When they bump into Mike, do they notice that they’re loved by the Maker?

If you haven’t lately, take some time out from everything else and ask God to remind you of His mission in your life. Ask Him for His vision of who you are…

Then be still.

Listen.

Know that He is God.

Then (and only then)… pick up the tools He’s given you and go to work for His mission.

Strike One for Random Selection

Around this time last year, I decided to take some time and only read the Bible. I missed reading other books, but felt like it was important to focus a little more attention on Scripture for a couple months. Lately, I've been wanting to read a little more of a variety of books. I read a lot of books geared for youth ministry and leadership, but wanted to do some reading outside of those realms.

I don't really have the funds to just be buying books that I may never even look at again, so I decided I'd go to the library. I went to the section that has somewhat new additions to the library for this foray into randomness and noticed a book there about the First Emperor of China and his Terracotta Warriors.

Let me just say that I would love to be able to go to the site of the Terracotta Warriors. The history of it all is fascinating and the fact that these thousands of oversized warriors lay hidden in the ground until only about 35 years ago only adds to the aura that makes a curious person like me want to know more.

I was excited to dig into the book and quench that thirst. Sadly, this particular book has not done justice (at least in my opinion) to its title. The book is supposed to be an introduction to the ruler, but hasn't been as informative as I'd have liked.

Strike one for random selection at the library...

I Saw Jesus at Wal-Mart

I want my students to go beyond a mild-mannered exploration of their parents' religious bent, so I'm talking for a few weeks about the question, "What does it mean to be a Christian?"  Just wanting the students to know they need to dig deeper than they can go with a few spoonfulls of Sunday sugar.  They need to aim a little higher than "faithful attender".

Last week, we talked about how being a Christian means we care about people.  Matthew 25 even shows Jesus equating how we treat the poor, hungry, imprisoned... with how we treat him.

Today as I was at Wal-Mart picking up some stuff for the office, I saw a perfect example of someone with a faith that means something.  A faith that has translated itself into caring about someone else.  It was a college student I know.  She saw a lady in a wheelchair trying to push a cart.  This was an older lady, not very physically proficient...  She had one foot which seemed to be pretty much under control that she used to push herself - one step at a time, while she pushed a cart and tried to steer her wheelchair with her hands.  

When I first saw them, my assumption was that my college friend had found some part time employment helping this elderly lady with her errands.  The truth is that she just happened to see her struggling and wanted to do something to help.  I was really encouraged by seeing her in action.  It was Jesus I was watching care for this lady.  I can't imagine how she would have done on her own - though she emphasized to both of us that she could manage if she had too (she seemed as grateful for the company as for the help).

How many times do we wander through our day, not noticing those who struggle all around us?  How many times do we turn a blind eye and walk by on the other side of the road - away from somone who needs us?  It's not a chore to help someone else - it is an act of worship to the one who created us.  It's an act of emulation of the one who left heaven to beat down the gates of hell.  It's time to wake up and live the faith we claim to hold.