99 problems but a sheep ain't one of them.

A Pastor friend of mine asked a good question. It is always a fine idea to reflect on the leadership and see where they are directing the flock. This is a huge warning in the Bible. Make sure they are good shepherds! But at what point do we stop and ask "Why do all the sheep want to wander?"

Now the easy answer is well...sin. But in order to more fully address this issue I think we need a more comprehensive look at the Bible and our culture. Even Jesus said there would be times to leave the 99 and go and search for that pesky stubborn lamb. If only we were able to simply just offer in sacrifice those that wander would make this a whole lot easier, but no, Jesus encourages the chase.

Prone to wander Lord I feel it...

We all feel the need to quit sometimes to want to stop, to give in, to not go the next step, in short, to take the road less traveled. When the walk is too hard or the truth too much of a hassle. Jesus even spoke about the two roads. One is wide and the way leads to destruction and quite frankly many choose it. But the lesser traveled road is much narrower and their are few who find it.

It may be that those who actually grow are few and far between.

Again I wish we could just leave it there and say well those who fail in the day of adversity are weak. But we must always remember the next proverb about our responsibility to save those that are falling  away.

But we are not so much talking about apostasy but failure to launch. Why won't people grow? Why won't people learn? Why all the apathy? But I do think there are similarities. 

So let's first look at the wandering. Jesus also had a following problem. He even reminded that not all who say Lord, Lord will inherit the kingdom. I think the first obvious  reason is that both wheat and chaff are growing together in the church. It would be nice if we had a chaff detector so we could weed them out but   God didn't allow the angels to do that lest the rest be uprooted with them. So we need to realize not everyone out there in the seats is fully on board, this is the nature of an audience. It is not really the point for us to be overly concerned about those who just seem to never get it. Jesus spoke to the masses but focused on twelve. 

Jesus focused on those who he chose and those who responded. Jesus gave the appeal but they had their reasons for not following after him. "I need to go to a funeral", "I just got married", "I need to go see about some land". Tomorrow would be better and easier quite frankly. 

In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul says there is meat for the eating but we are satisfied with milk. He would love to take his people to the next level but well that would require teeth and some chewing.
1But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3for you are still of the flesh. 

He says they are of the flesh as in acting as if they are still in the old nature. Acting as if we are still in the old nature has a way of preventing growth.  It would be nice to move deeper in our walks but some simply can't. The writer of Hebrews takes up this same theme in chapters 5 and 6 and it is even said that it is not been given for some to do so. But Paul says he wants to feed the sheep heartier meals but they are just not ready. The writer of Hebrews reminds that part of the problem is dullness of hearing. Specifically this means with regards to the word of righteousness in the practice of distinguishing between good and evil. If God's people do not practice distinguishing between good and evil as his word teaches then they will remain infants. This is how we get the transfer to itching ears desiring it easier? Remaining in the flesh means people want to hear safer, less demanding messages, and thus finding someone else who will acquiesce and teach such.

But well babies need to eventually be weaned. Sheep in the flock do as well. There is something to be said for knowing the people and when it is appropriate to switch to solids. Some will always be spoiled and like what they are used to but a good parent makes the change all the same. Jesus pursued the sheep but he let the goats go their own ways.

At the same time these are adults we are talking about. There is a time for people to grow up as Paul himself says when he was a child he spoke like one but a time came for him to put off such childish things.  Do babies have itching ears? Do babies only seek out what fits there fancy? Well yes they do. Part of this is to acknowledge that growth can be difficult, if it wasn't people would do it. If it was easy I wouldn't bother with this topic.

But it has been said if a whole classroom fails then fire the teacher but if a few struggle then they may need extra attention, or detention. So how do we interact with the few that need help?

Well we broach the topic. How are things going? How is God working in that situation? How are you handling that problem? What scripture has helped you in this struggle? Who are you leaning on? How is that distinguishing good and evil thing going?

The sad truth is some people will just not go into the deep end.

So I think the question for us is how do the few that struggle respond? If they say I can't do it, we need to help them see how. If they say I won't do it, well let them be. Pray and perhaps God will help them with their answer or he perhaps he will move them onto another pasture. Or as we fear they may remain and continue to just eat milk-grass.

I think all we can do as leaders is intervene when they start to take up more than their fair share.

But this is hard for leadership. We want all of our people to prosper.  But even Jesus had a son of perdition to deal with. All we can do is sow and water but God Brings the increase. This may mean patience on our end and a rod to other end, on some behinds perhaps. 

I wish there was an easy answer to this one. Some continue onto discipleship and some do not leave the playpen. Some are sitting playing the part and some are wolves in sheep's clothing. Some take the call seriously and some just play with sin. Hopefully leaders know the difference before they hand out some responsibility.  

Much of the New Testament is about growth. It really seems to be answering the questions of what Jesus so succinctly summed up: How do I love God and my fellow man? 

We all get to walk this path together and for some of us we are at different spots on the journey. You may see Jim in a valley while Sally is on a peak. In a few weeks their positions may be different but are they on the journey? I think a good tell is, you guessed it, humility. 

The humble do not make excuses for the journey, they acknowledge it, whether on the peak or in the valley. Those that learn to practice and distinguish between good and evil as the writer of Hebrews says. They continue on and those are the ones we run after if they start to drift.  So why do some learn and others don't? Well it could be many reasons but as leaders we give chase. Grace for all but sometimes we have to let the goats leave if they wish.

thanks

Apocalypse Please?

No this not about Muse's great song but about a never ceasing stab at predicting the apocalypse. I had to comment on this trend of some "christian" groups who keep trying to predict the end of the world.

I remember seeing the book 88 Reasons The World Will End In 1988, in 1991. Even I got excited about the predicted end by the terminator machines in 1997, but it  never came. Harold Camping predicted the end would come in 1999 by some Jewish calendars and interesting mathematical calculations, but even math failed us. The millennium bug that was Y2K, the year to usher in the computer apocalypse also failed to boot.  The Mayans and some Christians thought 2012 was the end, we even got a mediocre movie out of it. And recently the rare Blood moon of 2015 align with some Jewish festivals thus the apocalypse. These are only a small handful of the times this has been done, rest assured this will not be the end literally, nor of this problem.

Christians please wise up. This has been done so many times. I have watched people I love make life decisions over our tendency to fall for panic inducing predictions that do little more than make both book profits and false prophets alike.

Christians we are called to be wise as serpents. Wisdom calls to us but we keep deciding we would rather be simple. Proverbs warns of the importance of wisdom and the foolishness of ignoring it. Christians are not stupid. We have a logical informed life changing Gospel and an intelligent and all loving wise God.

Why do we fall for this? 

Jesus himself told us that no one would know the hour or day. So why, why do we keep thinking he is wrong and these false prophets are right? 

This also doesn't mean "But we can know the year or season!" It is meant to communicate don't ask, you will not know. God does say we can read the signs but that means looks high for your redemption draws near not that it is meant for some kind of specific interpretation and it is definitely happening on this date so buy guns and sell your stock.

The guy on street corner holding the sign has at least the sense to not tack a date onto the warning. 

Might part of it be that we are so heavenly minded we are no earthy good? What I mean we have so little to contribute and less to hope for in the here and now that only the hope of heaven moves us? 

Are we maybe in danger of loving God but not so much our neighbors? If we knew the apocalypse was tomorrow shouldn't we be preaching the gospel, rather than trying to get our ducks in a row? Anticipation of his returns is every Christian's hope but it should change us for the here and now, for the better.

We should be that much better at love and ministry to the world. We should be that much better because there really is an urgency in the message. Today is the day of salvation!

There is an atheist website about pet care for after the rapture. It is mocking the whole concept for sure but it is clever in that we have not been. If we predict, freak-out and are duped by this only to do it all over again next time then where is our hope and our security really planted? It certainly isn't in Jesus' own words.

Furthermore what does this say of Christians? Well unfortunately it says we both fail to possess understanding of our own theology nor do we engage our minds beyond a fight or flight response. 

So after every mistake are we learning or is our guitar still weeping? John Lennon is spinning in his grave.

Our redemption does draw near, with every passing day it is closer than when we began, but God will come in his time and we will not know when. That is why we are told it will happen like a thief in the night. The picture is for us to prepare in such away that we are ready no matter when it is. Why? Because we do not know and will not know. The signs are a reminder of the times for the purpose of moving us to timely ministry not an indication of an expiration date.

The idea is that his return is imminent. This means we can't know the time but we are always supposed to be prepared. We are to be ready. This is the point of the parable of the 10 virgins. Be ready because we do not know when the bridegroom will come. There are things to be done for preparation. There is a way to wait. When we chase after dates we are like the foolish virgins who are not prepared and only do what is necessary after the time has run out. We sit around with our wicks not trimmed and our oil running out. We wait for the calling of the city guard to announce his return before we move into action. This is why people chase dates because they themselves are not prepared and they need something to make them move.

Part of the reason we are not told the date is to prompt a response in us now. We have to develop a life style of discipline in order to be prepared. Or else we become the wicked servant who supposes the master is still far off and beats the fellow servants and is completely caught off guard when the master arrives.

So please dear Christian stop looking to the next prophet or world event to inform you of something that God has said he will not share. Instead understand that everyday your redemption draws near and that that means live accordingly.

Many more nice looking round numbers on the calendar will come but that should not bother us . But If not, how about February 1, 2121? It has a nice calendar looking date and It is far enough in advance for me to keep some credibility. If the Lord should tarry until the date comes to pass I will be already dead and safe in his hands.

But really, why not just listen to God?

Thanks

On arguing with your Doctor

The man walks through the revolving doors and looks around. The smell of rubbing alcohol immediately reaches his nose and he is reminded that he did not want to come here. He looks around at the half empty room and decides on a good seat as he walks to the counter.

"Do you have an appointment, sir?"

The man looks at the young woman and again is reminded of the hassle of the ensuing paper work. "Yes I should have been scheduled for 2pm."

He half smiles, so does she. The woman checks her computer "Mm-hmph" and reaches down and hands out the large stack of papers that he was dreading to have to fill out. "Please fill these out and we will call you shortly."

The man looks around and grabs a pen off the counter and looks back to see his seat has now been encroached upon by a lady and her son. The seat he wanted was not yet taken but the buffer zone he was counting on was now gone. He lets out a short sign and eyes another seat off in another corner by some fake plants and quickly approaches. He turns gives another glance over the room and sits down. He was looking around to make sure no one was also racing for the place. No one was. But he checked all the same.

He glaces at his phone 1:50pm. "Well, now for mindless paper filling out, it's like I am still at work."

He beings writing his name and birth date and social security number. "They should know all this". He let's the tedious work annoy him. He continues down through the document where it starts to ask pertinent and seemingly non-pertinent medical history. "Hufff, I don't know why they need all this, what does my sexual history have to do with this?!" He continues on annoyed in the paperwork and at about 2:09 he concludes he has done enough.

He slams the pen down on the clipboard louder than he meant to, he quickly looks up to check if, but nobody notices. He gets up to look around as if someone was lusting after his seat, but nobody was doing that either and so he quickly dropped off the paperwork and returned to sit down.

"John?" The woman calls out.

He looks over his shoulder to the left and watches as a man looking equally as annoyed as him walks through the silver double doors to the back.  The man glances around and sees the typical magazines that people don't actually want to read. He lowers his head and pulls out his phone to continue reading an article he had found interesting earlier at work. Of course CNN was on but he would rather read about it. After a few minutes into it.

"Martha?" A woman not to far from him on his left stands up and heads to the doors but her face is more one of fear than annoyance.

He continues with his article. The government has made a decision, saved the day by simply pushing their laws through without the voice of the people. Of course the man doesn't read it that way. "It is time to move forward with culture." He said quietly. "It was the voice of the people, there didn't need to be a vote." He continues reading and thinking 'You can't legislate morality, everyone knows that.'  He gets lost in the article again. A few more minutes pass...

"Samantha?" The man looks up and to his surprise the lady that had moved in on his last seat position was moving up with her son. The man wanted to speak up. 'I was definitely here before her" he thought. Instead of causing a scene he sat back in his chair and decided that as usual the nurses just messed up the order. "Alight Peter, no big deal." Peter continued to read another few minutes, and then like music to his ears.

"Peter?" He gleefully stood and up and walked through those silver double doors. "Follow me." The nurse said. They walked down a white hallway and rounded a corner and she led him into room 307. "The doctor will be with you in a few minutes." She half smiled and closed the door.

Peter sat back down and was slightly annoyed that he had to wait more but such is life he said. Many more minuter passed and he decided to start reading once again. Eventually the door opened and the Doctor came in. "Hello Peter, how are you today?" The doctor was an older man with the looks of about 50 with his grey hair parted to the side and small but thick glasses. He looked like the kind of doctor you would imagine and would want to be your physician.

"Just fine today Doctor, I really feel great." Peter smiled truly this time.

"That's good Peter, good to hear, well...I know they sent you over here for the results, so if I may?" He asked.

"Please Doctor, I am all ears." He smiled genuine again. The Doctor open his folder and took out three X-rays. The Doctor scanned over his notes one last time and looked up.

"As you know we were very concerned with some of these spots." He said holding up the the x-rays so that Peter could see. Peter was truly not worried.

"Well Peter, I think we have been preparing for this." Peter's smile did not change.  "I still hate to have to tell you this but it looks terminal." The doctor said in the most gentile voice he could muster. With a bit of his own surprize from the lack of a reaction from Peter he continued.  "But not to worry it is still fairly early on, so we can probably make good progress with chemo."

Peter just blinked again, "But I feel fine doctor, In fact I went for a run this morning and I still feel as good as I always have. In fact since the fall, I haven't had an episode at all. I feel even better than before because I have been doing everything that was suggested. I can't have caner, I can't!"

"I am sorry to have to give you this news Peter, but again don't worry there is so much we can do for you, especially sine it is early on." The Doctor put his hand on Peter and tried to console him.

"No Doctor, I don't believe you, I won't!" Peter was physically shaking throwing off the Doctor's hand.

The Doctor backed away and put his clip board up in front up him as if to make a bit of a barrier. "Now Peter, this is not the end by any means, we can work through this together, I have had quite a bit of success in this operation."

"Noo! Doctor!! I won't accept that, I won't!" Peter stood up fuming. He looked at the Doctor and wanted to say something but instead he pushed right passed him and headed for the entrance. Peter stormed out of the reception and got into his car. "That Doctor doesn't know what he is talking about, I feel fine. I am fine. I will show them."

Peter continued his routine for months and convinced himself that he was fine and would not listen to anyone especially the Doctor. In two years, he passed away.

Now we understand the five stages of acceptance. We know that anger and denial are the first two steps, but we also understand that it is a tragedy if people stay there. 

So sad. But is this really that unbelievable?

The church is a hospital. God is calling all to the house. We are all sick and in need of him. In fact it is so bad that we might as well be delivered straight to the morgue when we arrive. But all is not lost. Jesus Christ is the great the physician. He says that he calls not the healthy but the sick. He came not for the righteousness but for the unholy, in fact he came for our this very problem.

This is where Jesus says that we are, also that he is who we need, what we need, and he is available.

Furthermore the truth is that Jesus's staff are also sick. This is a sick person run hospital, some may have earned their positions as nurses but they still need the great physician's care as well, and he allows them to help. The job of the sick are supposed to bring their friends and loved ones because they themselves have experienced healing at the hands of the great physician.

See the great physician has already given the diagnosis. The call has gone out, it has been told on the mountains and in the streets. Some recognize their need and come to his hospital but some scoff at the notion that they are even sick. Both are sick but only one comes and gets treatment. When someone is convinced they do not have cancer no amount of discussion will change their mind. And certainly no amount of screaming will either.

If a man wants to walk the earth as a sick man rejecting the healing services of God there is not much I can do. This is why Jesus spent more time with those who heard his message rather than those who rejected it. He told them all of their need of the Great Physician but only the humble responded and received care.  This is the sad truth. It is not about types of sin or types of religiosity, it is always about humility at the diagnosis.

However compounding the issue sometimes the help tends to focus so much on the other people's x-rays that they start to sound like they themselves are not also going through their own treatment as well. If I sound like I am not also in treatment for my own prognosis than others will start to resent that they need treatment and I don't. I fear that sometimes we get into the business of instead of applying the healing balm of the Gospel we have instead tried to be evangelist's for people's sickness.

The church can never convince someone they are sick when don't believe that they are. We can only point people to the great physician. Only the sick that realize they are sick will go, only they can recognize their pain and identify with it or reject.

I fear where we are culturally is that the church is trying to convince the world of something they will not see and they hate us for it. Maybe instead of trying to convince people they are sick we can only remind them that Hospital is open 24/7 and the Great Physician is always on duty.

thanks

A Dying Breed

The previous commentary on Jude was all about false teachers already in operation in the first church. But false teachers were not only around in the first century. The apostle Paul vehemently charges young Timothy to a proclaim and respect the Word of God in 2 Timothy 1.

1I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.   

Why does Paul say this, what is he so concerned about? 

3For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

Paul continues on to warn that people will not put up with sound doctrine. He seems to think that eventually people will no longer be interested in what the Bible teaches. People will want teachers that simply tell them what they are eager to hear. Hmm....

Peter also writes to the church about this. In 2 Peter 1-3

2 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

John also writes about this in first John 2 and 4. He says already many false teachers have gone out into the world and that this is why we need to test the spirits to see whether or not they are from God. We are charged to watch.  Because many Antichrists have come and will continue to do so. 

This is why I do this. There is something to be said for holding the line. I believe that. I don't make the mistake of thinking I am the only one, but I want to be one of the ones who do.  I think we are already seeing this all around us. People who want to deny Hell, people who want to deny that sin is sin. People who want to call darkness light and good evil. It is very easy to follow a culture when a culture is collectively moving in one direction. Our country did it when it was walking after God in it's infancy and they are still doing it as it walks away from him in its so called maturity. This is why mass appeal for the Christian church should always raise an eyebrow. If we are attracting the world to our services we should be prudent enough to ask ourselves why?

Have we created doctrine to scratch their itching ears or are they falling on their knees and repenting before a Holy God? One message fills churches and makes people happy, the other is the heart of Jesus getting people to a place where he pronounces that their sins have been forgiven.   

I have even seen this a bit in this blog. My most read blog are the ones that encourage and remind that God will come through in hard times. My least read ones are the ones that remind that God has some hard things to say to his people as well. But God brings both messages as his followers we must as well.

I thank God that we live in a country where we can stand up for the truth. But the other side of the coin is that the acceptable truth is being more and more regulated.  I see a future where in order for America to preserve its current and evolving way of life it will become necessary to curb the freedoms that granted it. It will be more important than preserving the truth that allowed for that way of life to come about. It may still be years off but we are already seeing some trying to compare all religion to the radicals that want to tear down our world. If they can make that link in enough people's minds than our Christianity will be truly relegated to a personal religion not free on the streets. 

The answer so far has been to get in line, acquiesce, and thus we get the people that Paul and Peter and Jude were talking about. The other option is to take their encouragement to heart and to continue on. But this may and probably will result with us getting to experience the persecution that Jesus talked about. The kind that only those other countries get to live with. 

I want to hold the line and be faithful to the end. This may sound like I am being presumptuous, but I don't think that the apostles were just given to drama. 

Are we a dying breed? I hope not, let's continue on. 

thanks