[Doin’ it] Again…

Many nights after I leave work I turn on Pandora and listen to some Neo-Soul on my way home. It is relaxing to me but sometimes the themes of the song catch my ear. Most songs pertain to relationships and one of my favortie artist John Legend has a history of talking about the side that isn’t as popular, cheating. The video below is one of those songs that caught my ear.

In the song Legend implies that their affair is going to end cause it’s wrong, but they eventually ended up in a relationship and now that they are together they can’t trust each other. The problem is they are addicted to each other so it’s hard, if not impossible, for them to walk away from each other. No matter how much they try to end the relationship.

Now, I want you to listen to the song carefully and replace “it” with whatever sin you struggle with. The reason I want you to do this is that this song seems to refer to all types of addictions:

mainly love
relationships
cheating
drama
sex
drugs
basically anything attractive and intoxicating that is potentially toxic.

Keep this in mind: The opposite of [the] worship [of God] is idolatry. Every human being—at every moment of their life, today and into eternity is unceasingly doing either the former or the latter.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtC0rcHkTxE]

Lyrics (if needed)

What are your thoughts after listing to this song?

Does this describe your relationship with [your] sin?

Thinking Theologically About Memorial Day

If you have ever spoken to me about the issue of patriotism & worship you know that I have struggled to find the balance between the two. So many times I feel we as Christ followers mix these and it in turn becomes damaging to our focus in worship. After reading this post I was both affirmed and challegned and pray that you are also. Pastor Kevin DeYoung tackels this subject in exceptional fashion. Please read:

This is post probably has something to make everyone unhappy. But here goes.

With Memorial Day on Monday (in the U.S.) and, no doubt, a number of patriotic services scheduled for this Sunday, I want to offer a few theses on patriotism and the church. Each of these points could be substantially expanded and beg more detailed defense and explanation, but since this is a blog and not a term paper, I’ll try to keep this under 1500 words.

1. Being a Christian does not remove ethnic and national identities.

In Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, slave nor free (Gal. 3:28), but this does not mean men cease to be male or Jews ceases to be Jewish. The worshiping throng gathered around the throne is not a bland mess of Esperanto Christians in matching khaki pants and white polos. God makes us one in Christ, but that oneness does not mean we can no longer recognize tribes, tongues, nations, and peoples in heaven. If you don’t have to renounce being an American in heaven, you shouldn’t have to pretend you aren’t one now.

2. Patriotism, like other earthly “prides,” can be a virtue or vice.

Most people love their families. Many people love their schools, their home, and their sports teams. All of these loves can be appropriate. In making us for himself, God did mean to eradicate all other loves. Instead he wants those loves to be purer and in right proportion to our ultimate Love. Adam and Eve should have loved the Garden. God didn’t intend for them to be so “spiritual” that they were blind to the goodness around them. In the same way, where there is good in our country or family it is right to have affection and display affection for those good things.

Of course, we can turn patriotism into an idol, just like family can be an idol. But being proud of your country (or proud to be an American or a Canadian or a Russian or whatever) is not inherently worse than being proud of your kids or proud to be a Smith or a Jones or a Dostoevsky. I find it strange that while it is fashionable to love your city, be proud of your city, and talk about transforming your city, it is, for some of the same people, quite gauche to love your country, be proud of your country, and talk about transforming your country.

3. Allegiance to God and allegiance to your country are not inherently incompatible.

Sometimes Christians talk like you should have no loyalty for your country, as if love for your country was always a bad thing. To be sure, this must never be ultimate loyalty. We must always obey God rather than men. But most Christians have understood the fifth commandment to be about honoring not only your parents but all those in authority over you.

Moreover, Jesus shows its possible to honor God and honor Caesar. This is especially clear if you know some of the Jewish history. The tax in question in Mark 12 is about the poll tax or census tax. It was first instituted in AD 6, not too many years before Jesus’ ministry. When it was established a man by the name of Judas of Galilee led a revolt. According to Josephus, “He called his fellow countrymen cowards for being willing to pay tribute to the Romans and for putting up with mortal masters in place of God.” Like the Zealots, he believed allegiance to God and allegiance to any earthly government were fundamentally incompatible. As far as they were concerned if God was your king, you couldn’t have an earthly king.

But Jesus completely disagreed. By telling the people to “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” he was saying there are duties to government that do not infringe on your ultimate duty to God. It’s possible to honor lesser authorities in good conscience because they have been instituted by a greater authority.

If you read all that the New Testament says about governing authorities in places like Romans 13 and 1 Peter 2, you see that the normal situation is one of compatible loyalties. The church is not the state and the state is not God, but this does not mean the church must always be against the state. In general, then, it’s possible to be a good Christian and a good American, or a good Ghanaian or a good Korean. Patriotism is not bad. Singing your national anthem and getting choked up is not bad. Allegiance to God and allegiance to your country do not have to be at odds.

4. God’s people are not tied to any one nation.

When Jesus says “go ahead and give to Caesar what belongs to him” he is effectively saying, “you can support nations that do not formally worship the one true God.” Or to put it a different way: true religion is not bound with only one country. This means–as we see in Revelation 7 and Isaiah 49 and Psalm 87 and Matthew 28 and Acts 1and a hundred other places–the Church will be transcultural and transnational.

While American churches are in America, they must never be only American churches. We must keep in mind (and when applicable, explicitly state) that our congregations are filled with brothers and sisters from all over the world. Likewise, we must work hard to help people see that Christianity is not just a Western religion or American religion. Christianity started in the Middle East and quickly spread to North Africa, and parts of Asia and Europe. The Church was always meant to be international. Today there are more Anglicans in church in Nigeria than in England, more Presbyterians in South Korea than in the United States. The promise to Abraham way back in Genesis is that through his family God would bless the whole world. Christianity is not tied to just one certain nation. Following Christ is not an ethnic thing. You can be from any country and worship Jesus.

5. All this leads to one final point: while patriotism can be good, the church is not a good place for patriotism.

We should pray for service men and women in our congregations. We should pray for the President. We should pray for the just cause to triumph over the evil one. We are not moral relativists. We do not believe just because all people are sinners and all nations are sinful that no person or no nation can be more righteous or more wicked than another. God may be on America’s side in some (not all) her endeavors.

But please think twice before putting on a Star Spangled gala in church this Sunday. I love to hear the national anthem and “God Bless America” and “My Country, Tis of Thee,” but not in church where the nations gather to worship the King of all peoples. I love to see the presentation of colors and salute our veterans, but these would be better at the Memorial Day parade or during a time of remembrance at the cemetery. Earthly worship should reflect the on-going worship in heaven. And while there are many Americans singing glorious songs to Jesus there, they are not singing songs about the glories of America. We must hold to the traditions of the Apostles in our worship, not the traditions of American history. The church should not ask of her people what is not required in Scripture. So how can we ask the Koreans and Chinese and Mexicans and South Africans in our churches to pledge allegiance to a flag that is not theirs? Are we gathered under the banner of Christ or another banner? Is the church of Jesus Christ–our Jewish Lord and Savior–for those draped in the red, white, and blue or for those washed in the blood of the Lamb?

In some parts of the church, every hint of patriotism makes you a jingoistic idolater. You are allowed to love every country except your own. But in other parts of the church, true religion blends too comfortably into civil religion. You are allowed to worship in our services as long as you love America as much as we do. I don’t claim to have arrived at the golden mean, but I imagine many churches could stand to think more carefully about their theology of God and country. Churches should be glad to have their members celebrate Memorial Day with gusto this Monday. We should be less sanguine about celebrating it with pomp and circumstance on Sunday.

I would love to hear your thoughts below!

HT: Kevin Deyoung

Preach the Gospel always, when necessary use words?

This quote, or some variation of it, is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, is one of the many threats to evangelism today. Now to be fair to St. Francis, there’s no evidence that he himself ever said this quote. It’s not in any of his writings and is a little pithy for someone of the Franciscan order. Although it does bear some resemblance to a line in his 1221 Rule:

“Let all the brothers, however, preach by their deeds” – Chapter XVII.

Even if St. Francis didn’t exactly speak the above saying, it certainly is Franciscan in style and a wonderful sentiment. Actions often do speak louder than words. Quite often, the only Gospel any non-Christian is going to “read” is the life of a Christian they encounter on their way through life. A life lived in stark contrast to the standards of the world speaks much more loudly than any moralizing sermon.

On the other hand it plays to our fear of speaking about Jesus, and to our sense of weakness and insufficiency to the task. I can’t help but wonder how often we use this pithy saying as an excuse for our lack of efforts in evangelism. It’s all very well saying that we prefer to preach the Gospel with our actions, but what exactly are these actions of ours which are preaching the Gospel? Do we regularly make a conscious effort in our actions to preach the Gospel? How exactly does preaching the Gospel with our actions make us different than the Mormon, Jew, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, etc? Are they not more consistently “better people”?
As you can see I believe this line of thinking and action is fundamentally flawed at so many levels. Let me deal with few ways I see this. Let me say whether St. Francis said it, or whether it contains useful teaching isn’t my point. My concern is the way it is applied.

First, why do you need to tell me not to use words?
It is endemic of assumed evangelicalism that we forget that each of us how know about Jesus did once hear about him. People insist on preaching that we need no preaching, this is very like the postmodern wordsmiths who proclaim the meaningless of words – and yet expect their own words to be clearly understood! People complain about indoctrination, but indoctrinating just means teaching – and everyone gets taught, and everyone has doctrines.

Second, the Bible makes it clear that Words are always necessary.
The very existence of the Bible indicates God’s express intent to communicate with words. But more than that that it is by the speaking of the good news about Jesus that people will come to believe. In a society that still carries a little Christian-Culture we might forget our need to hear – but the fact remains that what we know is only known because we have been told. It is by God’s spoken word that we know anything definitive about people. The first thing God did was speak, and his people are told to speak too. Paul’s final word to Timothy (2 Tim 4:2) wasn’t do the washing up, it was ‘preach the word’.

Third, using Words is not an alternative to living the life
Those who prohibit use of words do so in favour of living distinctively. This is a false distinction. It is not an option as to either preach or live, both are required! A related issue is, what does a life look like that is changed by Jesus. My suspicion is that its more than just moral respectability – we are probably more compromised with our western culture than we dare to admit. Without words people will not guess that we are Christian- since they will not know what Christian is. With only words our faith will not carry half the impact – Christians should be at the forefront of making the most of life, living it the way it should be, in the arts, creativity, justice and joy… for the glory of the gospel of Christ. How that works in practice is something we need to wrestle with! If we follow the ‘great comission’ in Matthew 28 the result will be both preachers and teachers but also those who live in accordance with Jesus’ teaching. Live and speak.

Fourth, Jesus told us to preach, disciple and teach.
All of these things require speaking and using words. The word revealed message of Jesus has to be verbally explained. The apostles in Acts prove, persuade and convince people about Jesus, and while it takes God to open eyes we are still to present the case. We should use words with care and seriousness that reflects what we’re speaking about. Preaching is not an excuse for excessive confrontation or any rudeness in our explaining about Jesus. We should be clear and respectful, though we will inevitably cause some offense. (c.f. 2 Timothy 4:2, or Matthew 28:19-20)

Fifth, yes, the message is offensive and foolish.
Often we appeal to St. Francis’ words because we look at the messages of the world and think they are superior to ours… ultimately God gives us wisdom to confound the world’s wisdom, and wisdom which Jesus himself says will not be understood by lots of people. People are blind to Jesus message, blinded by sin and by satan. But when the gospel is spoken God re-creates and heals this blindness. 1 Corinthians 1:18 shows the folly of the gospel that generations have rejected because it didn’t suit their itching ears (c.f. 2 Timothy 4:4).

Sixth, even if preaching is illegal we must do it.
The first apostles were banned from speaking about Jesus, they could not comply with this kind of request. Preaching the gospel might mean we end up in prison – that is just part of the deal. (c.f. Acts 4:19-20).

The purpose of good deeds is not to enhance a verbal proclamation, the purpose of good deeds is to glorify God and love others. That’s it. However, a potential benefit of good deeds is that people will ask questions and become receptive to a verbal explanation of the gospel. Words are still necessary and this is an often missed, yet powerful point to the St. Francis of Assisi quote. “When necessary, use words” means that words are often necessary.

Imagine someone asking you a question, then you stare at them in silence. Who knows what they would interpret from your silence. For better or worse, words are required to explain concepts and provide answers.

Therefore, an appropriate distinction is between verbal proclamation (word) and social service (deed). Yet there is no inherent superiority or inferiority to either. They seamlessly integrate together to equal effective ministry. Good deeds prompt questions. This is why Peter instructed his readers to do good and then followed by saying, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15).” If we do good deeds then we need to be ready to say why we do them. The questions will come and if not, we have to ask ourselves what is wrong when no one asks questions to which the gospel is the answer.

Usama bin Laden and the Christian response

** Dear reader, this post is meant to engender thought within the Christ follower. You may find this offensive but if you do please ask yourself why. I am not writing this to anger anyone and if I have please accept my deepest apology.**

A little over a week ago I was at work trying to finish up the night and avoid further talk about the now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Catherine) when I received some text from my wife.

“President to address nation shortly odd”

“Fox [News] is saying [Usama] bin Laden is dead”

I quickly began to internally celebrate, that then spilled over to my coworkers. We discussed whether or not the text could be true. I jumped on my phone to find Twitter ablaze with speculations and “proof” one way or another, so I quickly finished my work and jumped into my car and listened to the radio on the way home ( I already listen to talk radio so no need to switch channels). That night I had not eaten so I dropped by a Burger King drive-through. Ironically, the young lady who served me told me that she, and some of her relatives had served in the military. She was really excited to hear our presidents remarks. I gave her a high five and drove away expectantly.

As I drove I listened intently to the evidence, when I reached home we stayed up for our Presidents speech and then sat and discussed the repercussions with my wife. At the same time I was reading Twitter feeds and even making some statements myself (wise or not) about the current situation. Very quickly, between Facebook, Twitter, and the images on the TV, things were becoming disturbing. My wife and I started to have a conversation that trickled over the next few days on whether our response was right. It started with relief espoused by the broadcasters, and quickly diminished into wild celebrations, and I quickly started to ask, “Is this celebration more about ‘Justice’ or ‘Vengeance'”?

Justice is the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics.

Vengeance is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called “payback”. Although revenge resembles some conceptions of justice, vengeance is usually depicted as more injurious and punitive as opposed to being harmonious and restorative.

Usama bin Laden was the one human being most responsible for a series of terrorist attacks, including the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States — attacks that left more than 3,000 American civilians dead. He claimed such responsibility and pledged future attacks. The death of bin Laden was fully justified as an act of war, but not as an act of justice. The removal of a credible threat to human life — a clear and present danger to human safety — is fully justified, especially after such an individual has demonstrated not only the will, but the means to effect murder on a massive scale.

There are two troubling aspects that linger from that night. The first is the open patriotic celebration in the streets. While we should all be glad that this significant threat is now removed, death in itself is never to be celebrated. Such celebration points to the danger of revenge as a powerful human emotion and revenge has no place among those who honor justice. Retributive justice is sober justice (please read that again) Retributive justice is sober justice. The reason for this is simple — God is capable of vengeance, which is perfectly true to his own righteousness and perfection and as HE has stated multiple times in scripture — but we human beings are not. Furthermore, this type of celebration looks far more like revenge in the eyes of a watching world, and it looks far more like we are simply taking satisfaction in the death of an enemy. In my opinion and historically that type of revenge just produces a greater numbers of enemies.

We tend toward the mismeasure of justice when it comes to settling our own claims. All people of good will should be pleased that bin Laden is no longer a personal threat, and that his death may further weaken terrorist plans but revenge is not a worthy motivation for justice, and celebration in the streets is not a worthy response.

The second, and most troubling aspect, is just part of what it means to live in a world in which true justice is always elusive. Usama bin Laden is dead, but we never had the satisfaction of seeing him arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced. We were robbed of the satisfaction of seeing the evidence against him laid out, and seeing him have to answer the world about his murderous actions and plans. The victims families were robbed. We were robbed of the moral satisfaction that comes by means of a fair and clear verdict, followed by a just and appropriate sentence.

Once again, Christians are reminded of the inherent limitations of justice in a fallen and sinful world. At our very best, we can achieve only a small proportion of adequate justice in our time here on earth. We can convict the murderer and put them to death, but we cannot bring the dead back to life. We can put an end to Usama bin Laden, but we are robbed of the satisfaction of seeing him answer for his crimes.

I have had the chance to discuss this extensively with some people I work with, my wife, and some friends and I [personally] have come to this conclusion. As a Christ – follower we are left with a sense that a higher court is still needed. Everyone knows that Usama bin Laden escaped the [full] reach of full human justice and a trial for his crimes, but we Christ-followers understand he will not escape the judgment that is to come. Bin Laden will not escape his trial before the court of God and judgement therein, but until that time, sober satisfaction must be enough for those still in the land of the living.

** I would love to know your thoughts in the comments below**

Why religion is silly…

“Religion is the default mode of the human heart”

– Martin Luther

You have heard me for years say that religion is silly and here is why. Religion seeks to answer a very important question, “How can we who are unholy and unrighteous be declared holy and acceptable in the sight of a holy and righteous God?” Religion asks the right question and provides the wrong answer. They say, “What should we do to make ourselves holy? What should we do to make ourselves righteous?” While asking these questions they miss Jesus, who makes them holy and makes them righteous. While they build traditions and rules and regulations in an effort to perform their way to pleasing God. I just wanted to show you the extreme version of religion in our world and how it just becomes silly. We’re all prone to go toward religion. And in varying ways, at varying times, to varying degrees, we’re all religious. So when we read about religious people, we can’t simply criticize them. We also need to examine ourselves.

“Religious paper apologizes for erasing Clinton from iconic photo” By Jessica Ravitz, CNN

(CNN) – Faith has outweighed fact at Di Tzeitung, a Hasidic newspaper based in Brooklyn, New York. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish publication ran a doctored copy of the iconic “Situation Room Photo” last Friday – you know, the one taken of President Barack Obama and his national security team during the raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound. Scrubbed from the picture: the two women in the room. It’s as if Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with her hand clasped over her mouth, and Audrey Tomason, director of counterterrorism, weren’t there and weren’t part of history.

Here they are for comparison:

[I]n a written statement issued Monday afternoon by Di Tzeitung, the newspaper said that its decision to leave women out of photos is religiously mandated and that the right to do so is protected by the U.S. Constitution. “The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of religion. That has precedence even to our cherished freedom of the press,” the statement said. “Publishing a newspaper is a big responsibility, and our policies are guided by a Rabbinical Board. “Because of laws of modesty, we are not allowed to publish pictures of women, and we regret if this gives an impression of disparaging women, which is certainly never our intention,” it continued. “We apologize if this was seen as offensive.”

The Truth Without Photoshop

The first time I listened to this poem I tearfully thanked God for using this ministry of spoken word and His child (Janette) that delivered such a moving, powerful and healing word, that could only come from Him. For years I’ve performed and listened to spoke word but there is hardly nothing like this out there. I pray that this helps you who are broken, and unwilling to seek restoration because of the enemies lies. God bless you P4CM, I will continue pray that those who need this testimony will see it and give God the Glory.

Please Enjoy!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KQ9xG3yWfw]