Faith

Unwritten Rules of the Donut Shop

Posted on June 19, 2012 by Josh

For about two years one of the most intimidating places in my town was the donut shop.  I love donuts, particularly the bakery kind and not the mass-produced stuff from certain chains.  My kids love donuts, and one of our best father-children activities is a Saturday morning trip to the donut store.  Even though we love them, going to the donut store has often been uncomfortable.

You see, at our donut store there are a number of unwritten rules.  For example, you are not supposed to even move towards the counter until you know your exact order and can spit it out fast.  Breaking this rule gets a number of sighs and frowns from the workers.  There is also the rule that you can only pay cash unless your order is about $10.  In fact, for a while they wouldn’t even sell you a few donuts if you only had a card.  That gets awkward, by the way.  There are other unwritten rules such as what to with your baskets when done and which tables you can sit at if you are under 60 years old.  It can actually be a pretty intimidating place for the newcomer.

I’m sure it did not start out that way, but over time I would guess that the business got set in its ways and was not nearly as concerned about the new customers as they were when they first opened.  Now that they have a solid customer base, they don’t try very hard to be accommodating.  It’s not that they don’t want new customers; they just don’t think that they need to focus on them.

You can probably see how easily our churches can be like this donut shop.  Maybe a church starts out fired up and driven to find new people.  As more people come, that energy towards outreach shifts into energy towards maintenance.  When this happens, we forget how hard it can be for someone to just jump right in and get plugged in when the culture is already established.  One of the last things that Jesus would want for his church is for it to be unwelcoming.

What do you think people see when they get to your church?  Do they know where to go or when to go there?  Do they know how to get into a class or group and then do the regulars act like they are excited about their being there?  Are there any unwritten rules at your church that would intimidate the newcomer?

In my opinion, the best solution to this problem is to have people who will serve as interpreters of the experience.  It would have been great if a regular or an employee would have said, “Hey, you must be new here.  Let me show you the ropes, and never, ever get to the counter without a clear decision on what to order or they you will get sighed at.”  Imagine the church version of that.  Imagine what it would look like if you and the other church members felt a clear responsibility to show new folks the ropes and teach them the unwritten rules.

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Don’t Believe in Magic

Posted on May 23, 2012 by Josh

I want to believe in magic.  I want to believe that if I can do something just the right way, I will make something else happen.  I want to believe that I have some magic words that will bring about the results I desire.  The  bad news is that I have yet to find those magic words, not in life and not in ministry.

We live in a culture where marketing tells us that if we just have this one thing, all of our wildest dreams will come true.  In our sane moments we see through this faulty reasoning.  Typically, however, it seeps into the way we see just about everything.  If we just had this new phone our lives would never experience sorrow again.  If I just buy that devotion book, my faith will never again waver.  If I just buy that curriculum for my students, each student will immediately head out and evangelize an unreached people group.  If I just take my kid to church three times a week, they will never go down the wrong path.

Here’s the bad news: there are no silver bullets.  Not in life.  Not in ministry.  You are not magic, and we can’t buy any magic either.  If you want to get closer to God or more focused on your faith, it will take discipline and consistency as you partner with God to draw near to Him.  If you want to have a meaningful ministry, it will take hard work, and it will take being intentional about creating a culture that creates true discipleship.

If we choose to make our spiritual lives dependent upon a certain spiritual discipline such as a quiet time or Sunday School attendance, we have begun to treat that time as magic.  When we think that if we can just devote those 10 minutes a day then we will grow and achieve that elusive closeness with God, we are mistaken.  What we fail to understand is that a life of faith is just that–a life.  A life of faith is made up of all of the little decisions we make to honor God.  It is a life focused on making God a part of each piece of our day.  It’s a journey, not a set of practices or studies, that changes us over time.

In the same way, if we choose to make our ministry dependent upon a certain program or event, we will inevitably be disappointed in how that one study or one talk fails to do everything that magic would be expected to do.  An effective ministry exists outside of programs and events.  An effective ministry is one where discipleship is happening all of the time.  It’s a movement, not a program, that changes lives over time.

Stop trying to do magic and start partnering with God to bring about change.

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A Concert of Discipleship

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Josh

courtesy of sxc

As a student minister I know that there is great value in attending various student events.  One of the events that I love attending is the band concert.  Here in town our middle school and high school students put on a  few concerts during the spring.  It is great to attend these concerts and support our students who are participating.

Things get interesting right off the bat with the 6th grade band kicking things off.  These kids are just learning how to use the instruments, and they are still getting the hang of it.  Playing an instrument is a difficult thing to do, and these kids don’t have much practice.  These kids tend to stick to the easy, short songs.

The second group is the 7th and 8th grade band.  The upgrade in terms of musical proficiency is noticeable immediately. These kids are also still learning, but they have the ability to play more complex songs that really sound like songs (no offense 6th grade).  They still have a way to go to become something you would regularly listen to, but the sounds are coming together.

The next group is the high school concert band.  These kids are playing some stuff that you have heard before.  You are amazed that 9th graders are managing to play songs that you have heard in Broadway musicals.  Every now and then the students miss a note or something is not quite at the right tempo, but overall it is amazing to think that these students just a few years ago were trying to make a sound in the instrument that they are now playing fluently.

As I sat there in the concert, I could not help but see how our lives as followers of Christ is so similar to kids learning music.  We start off just trying to figure everything out.  As baby Christians we struggle to apply our new faith to the world that we have been living in.  Just like the 6th graders, we stick to the simple things.  We try to learn the basics because we are just starting out in our journey with Christ.

While we start out small, we are not called to remain there.  As followers of Christ, we grow in our faith and in our understanding of what it means to be a Christ follower.  Just as the kids grow as musicians, we grow as disciples.  We don’t stay stuck in our spiritual beginnings.  We feed on God’s word.  Just like the students learning music, we practice so that we might grow in our proficiency.  We grow in our relationship with God by spending more time with him.  We grow through serving others and putting God’s word into practice.  Sure, we will make mistakes from time to time.  Our song may not be perfect, but we are learning and growing.

When we are truly living as Christ’s disciples, we are becoming more and more like Jesus every single day.  We press on towards a goal.  While we rest in the righteousness imparted to us through Christ, we never become satisfied with where we are in our relationship with God.  Each day we strive to know him more and to glorify him more through our obedience.

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The Elephant in the Church

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Josh

There’s something that we don’t talk about much in the Church.  It’s there, but we pretend that it is not.  In fact, many of us hold it in our hands each week, but we carefully avoid addressing it.  One reason that we don’t talk about it is that we don’t really understand it all that much.  Another reason we don’t talk about it is that even the peek that we have had of it has made us scared of it.  If we truly encountered it, it would change everything, and we like things as they are.

Because we have some idea of what it is, we water it down and make it easier.  We try to reinterpret it and make it more comfortable for ourselves using the claims of contextualization and modern sensibility.  We talk around it, but it remains there, waiting for someone to discover it and announce it.

What is this thing that we choose to ignore?

It is this truth: Following Christ changes everything.  It is involves everything we are and everything we do.  It demands everything we have.

Following Christ is not a hobby that we can put down.  Following Christ is not a uniform that we can take off.  Following Christ is not a diet that we can discontinue.  It is not something that we do, but it is something that we have become.

Every possession we have, every relationship we have, every encounter with another human being, every minute we have in the day should be colored with the hues of our faith.  Our faith should speak into how we spend even the smallest amount of money or time.  Our faith should speak into how we talk with the annoying telemarketer.  Our faith should speak into how we spend time at home, at work, or at the movies.

We know this to be true because we see Jesus, Peter, Paul, James, David, John, Isaiah, and a number of others telling us this in the Bible.  Our relationship with God is meant to change everything about our lives.  We are to live with a new purpose because, ultimately, we see the world in a different way as a result of our faith.

We don’t live this way to gain favor with God or even to keep him happy.  We do it because we have already received favor from God through his grace.  We do it to glorify God and make him known because we know him to be worthy of such glory.  We do it because we know God to be trustworthy and he has asked us to live in the light of his truth.  Living this way is not a denial of grace or a denial of the salvation that we have obtained through Christ.  If giving God everything we have and every minute we live was a requirement for salvation then we would all be in trouble.  It is not a requirement, but as you read the Bible, it does seem to be a goal.  It is something that we strive for.  It is something that we prioritize around even when it costs us.  It is a lifestyle that we ask God to help us develop.

It is not an easy road.  There is a reason that Jesus talked about the narrow path.  There is a reason that Jesus did not seem so optimistic about the number of true believers.

In an era of the church where we want to appeal to people by making these things easier, the call to surrender everything has weakened to a call to surrender something.  We celebrate people who are willing to give a whole five minutes a day to Bible reading and prayer.  We ask people to just spend an hour a week serving God somewhere.  We treat worship as something that lasts for about 60 minutes on Sundays.  We redefine evangelism as being a good friend or as an invitation to church where the real ministry can happen.  We redefine Bible study as a time where people talk about their lives rather than the Bible.  We have created a culture where people only really need to be Christians for about four hours a week.  Anything else would be a bonus.

Can you imagine telling Jesus that four hours is all that an American Christian can be expected to give him with all of our busy schedules?

So why don’t we talk more about all of this?  Well, our churches would be smaller.  Perhaps our ministers would be much less popular.  Our lives would be less convenient.  We would definitely be more reliant upon God to save people and bring them to a church because our message would not be all that user-friendly, unless you count the message of hope of eternal life and a relationship with the Creator of universe as something that is user-friendly.

But, what if we did live this way?  What if there was a constant call to live for God?  What if people had a longing to be in God’s word?  What if our expectations for believers were higher?  Would people struggle less with sin because they don’t have to be reminded about God each weekend?  Would our churches in fact grow because people would take the responsibility to share their faith and their hope with everyone they encountered?  What if we could stop teaching simple moralism or general self-help because obedience and healing are being addressed in a bigger calling to become like Christ in everything we do?  What if our lives really reflected something bigger than ourselves?

What if?

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Real Relational Evangelism

Posted on April 26, 2012 by Josh

In Matthew 28:18:-20, Jesus was pretty specific about what we are supposed to do with the gospel.  We are to make disciples, baptize them, and teach them to obey what he commanded.  What was not specific was exactly how this was to be accomplished.  The church over the years has come up with many ways to spread the gospel from street preaching to servant evangelism.  Many methods have worked, and many have not.

One popular approach to evangelism is through what we might call relational evangelism.  I would define this approach as evangelism done through the context of friendships.  On the surface this makes a ton of sense.  If we befriend people and earn their trust, they will be much more likely to hear what we have to say about our faith.  The idea is to influence those we want to share the gospel with by spending time with them and doing life with them.

This approach to evangelism is an effective and reasonable approach to sharing our faith, however, only when we keep these things in mind:

  1. Sharing your faith will involve telling not just demonstrating.  If all that you do is live a good life in front of people, you will have shown them a good example, but you will not have shared with them the Gospel.  Too many people think that we will be able to show people Jesus by the way that we act, but in reality, the best that we can show them is an enhanced moralism.  We must explain the reason for our hope and why we live the way that we live.
  2. Sometimes people will learn more from our failures rather than our successes.  Showing people Jesus in the way we live is a pretty big task given our propensity to sin.  It is shortsighted to think that we will be perfect examples of Jesus for other people.  Instead, one of the best ways that we can share our faith is to respond well when we make mistakes or when we fall short.  A conversation about how grateful we are for God’s grace when we sin may be a more effective way to share the gospel than if we were to act as if God only honors a perfect life.
  3. Sometimes we don’t have the time to become friends with someone before sharing the gospel with them.  We cannot act as if the opportunity did not avail itself when someone moves away or when we only spend a brief time with them.  We must see sharing the gospel as our priority.  If we feel called to share, then we cannot think that these opportunities only come in one shape or circumstance.
  4. We must love people for their sake not for the sake of a sharing opportunity.  In a world full of fake, we do a great deal of damage when we only befriend someone with the motive of sharing our faith.  Instead, what we should do is to love the people that we encounter without any motivating factor and share with them out of that love.  Or love must be genuine, never programmed.

We have been given a great gift in the gospel.  We have the answer for so many people who are looking to find meaning in this life.  We have a message of hope and of peace.  Being a good steward of this gift means sharing it with as many people as we can.

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Bigger than Our Backstory

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Josh

I would guess that we all have several things we would like to erase from our life story.  Maybe it would be all of your awkward teen years.  Maybe it would be a terrible choice that you made that has had serious repercussions.  Maybe it would be simply a time when you were naive or immature.

I have hit that age where I actually have grown a sizeable enough past that I can look reflectively upon it.  As I think about who I was even five years ago I am blown away by the differences in my life now.  When I think back on my times in high school and college I wonder what it would have been like to know what I know now.  I of course have several times where I would go back in time and shake myself for some bad choice or for some style that I thought was cool at the time (you should have seen me in my hippie phase with my super baggy jeans with enough fabric to clothe a few families).

If I am honest, sometimes my past self depresses me.  I begin to think about opportunities I missed because of bad decisions.  I feel guilty all over again for bad choices.  I become embarrassed at the thought of people still seeing my the way that I used to be.

When I begin to feel this way, I thank God that we are bigger than our backstories.  We are so much more than our past.  As Christians, our story has been completely rewritten.  Rather than or stories being about a people who were lost and got more lost, our stories are about a people who were lost and then found.  We once lived in darkness, but now we live in the light of truth of the gospel.  This light propels us forward and takes our eyes off of our past selves.  Instead, we look forward to the hope that each day brings as we are constantly being transformed into the likeness of Christ.  As Colossians  3:19-10 reads:

9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 

Knowing that the Holy Spirit is at work in my life allows me to go to sleep each night knowing that the next day holds new activities and opportunities that will draw me closer to God.

We are so much bigger than our backstories because God has made it that way.  Again, we read in Titus 3:-7:

3 For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. 4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Our past may still affect us, but it does not define us.  I am a much better person than I used to be.  I am a much better minister than I used to be.  I am a better father, friend, teacher, and student.  I am better because God chose to do a work in my life.  Through his grace I am becoming what I was created to become.  Through his grace you can become what you were created to become.

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Why Belonging To A Church Is Not Enough

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Josh

One of the things that surprises me as a minister is the number of people who belong to a particular church but never actually attend that church.  I meet so many people who claim membership at a church here in town, but the last time they went was two to three years ago.  The issue I have with this is not that I equate attendance with faith, but I do believe that a fruit of faith is participation in a Gospel community.  I also believe that failure to invest in a local church severely diminishes opportunities for discipleship and growth.

This poses a challenge for me on several levels.  First, it reminds me that we have a responsibility to keep track of our fringe kids.  There are several students who pop in a few times a year or who I only see in the back of the worship center on Sunday mornings.  I want to do my part in helping them know that they are always welcome to jump into our ministry or just hang out sometime.  It can be so easy to forget about the student who only comes to one event a year or who has simply stopped coming for several months.  A very practical thing that I have started doing is to develop a database with every student remotely related to our program.  This database allows me to track participation and keeps me accountable for contacting students who have not been around lately.

Another challenge that I experience is speaking the truth in love to people who claim membership but lack participation.  As a minister I find that it is my role to challenge the assumption that having a name on a roll is all that is asked of a Christian.  While it is difficult, I know that it is important to push people to really evaluate if they are satisfied, or if they should be satisfied, with simply belonging to a church.

One other challenge that I face is that I need to make it clear in my teaching that participation in the local church is part of their calling as a Christian.  I want my students to know that this is an expectation.  It’s not that I think their attendance is some sort of legalistic requirement for salvation, but I do believe that if they want to see growth in their faith, they must be actively involved in a congregation of faith.  As a college student I failed to understand this.  When I went to college I did not see church participation as a priority.  I went to church most Sundays, but I was simply an attender at those churches.  I was not being discipled beyond the sermon and worship.  I had no accountability or a community of faith that could encourage me to go deeper.  I lost a few years there where I would have definitely experienced growth.  I don’t want anyone’s discipleship process to plateau or flat line.  That’s why I believe that belonging to a church is not enough.

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Setting the Example

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Josh

Sometimes you read a passage in the Bible and you realize that it says something you have never noticed before.  This week I was reading in 1 Timothy and came across the classic young minister’s verse at 1 Timothy 4:21, which reads:

12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. (ESV)

As a relatively young pastor, I have often considered the first part of the verse to be an encouraging piece of advice that allowed me to see my youth as irrelevant to my ministry effectiveness.  As a student, this passage was often given to mean that even teenagers can serve God in powerful ways.  Perhaps the verse has even offered some swagger for young ministers who are out there doing ministry among people who are two to three times older as if it is some kind of get out of immature ministry free card, but I am not sure that it is saying any of these things, at least without clarification.

It was not until I began contemplating the second part of the verse that I started to recognize how the first part was supposed to work.  Paul calls on Timothy to set a tremendous example for the other believers so that his youth would not even be an issue.  If taken as 4:12a (which I really hate because that little “a” can make a verse say a whole lot of things it is not supposed to say), then the verse could read as a sort of “shake it off” platitude.  Instead, the “b” part decides to make things just a tad more difficult as it challenges Timothy to set an example in the five hardest areas that exist when it comes to setting an example.

Speech: Use words that glorify God and His work.  Use words that demonstrate the character of Jesus.  Speak in a way that is both true and compassionate.  Speak words that always build up and never tear down.  Speak words that are consistently gracious to all people all the time.

Conduct: Even if your words are good, your actions must also be setting the correct example.  Do good works.  Treat people fairly.  Act justly.  Use time wisely.  Pray all the while that your actions demonstrate the character of Jesus.

Love: At all times desire the good for the other person, regardless of their speech or actions.  Have compassion.  Experience anguish over sin and rebellion while offering grace and mercy.  Sacrifice your own personal comfort.

Faith: Believe and be strong in your belief.  Allow your faith to keep you from worry, pride, or judgment.  Trust God in everything, and allow people to know where your strength comes from.  Let your faith permeate every part of your being.

Purity: Don’t sin.  Focus on what is good.  Reject what is bad or might have the appearance of evil.  Keep your thoughts and actions pure and reflective of a holy God.

The emphasis of this verse seems to have more do with setting a good example than age.  This good example will allow us to use the influence we have as leaders to build our people up.  As a leader you have influence.  With influence comes responsibility.  A large part of that responsibility is to set an example that others might follow and find themselves becoming more like Jesus.  As a student minister, you have become an important part of a student’s spiritual development.  However, we must be good stewards of this role if we are to see the transformation in our students or parishioners.  Your presence creates an impact, but your effort and example determines what kind of impact you will make in a person’s life.

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The Power of Encouragement

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Josh

It is no surprise that words have power.  Even my two-year old knows that his words affect other people.  Some of the most powerful words I have experienced have been words of encouragement.  So much in life and ministry can be discouraging, but it is often the words of encouragement that remind us that the hard work is worth it and that we should stay the course.  I am blessed to have some great encouragers in my life and in my ministry.  My parents and my wife are a great source of blessing for me as I can always look to them to pick me up when I hit a slump.  I am also blessed to have some great parents, volunteers, and staff members who are constant sources of encouragement for the work that we are doing in the student ministry.

Recently I have encountered several fellow ministers who are struggling with discouraging circumstances in their ministries.  I totally get this as I have had times where my confidence was shaken or I felt the frustrations overtaking my perspectives.  When these times begin to creep in I turn to my encouragers.  I find encouragement from talking with people who have experienced transformation in our ministry.  I find encouragement in reading the letters or notes from students that have taken the time to write a note of thanks or blessing.  I find encouragement from simply talking about my discouragement with my encouragers.  My hope for people who are struggling with discouragement is that God will put some people in their lives who can cheer them on and help them celebrate the positives while seeking to work out the negatives.

Knowing how much of a blessing it is to have encouragement also challenges me to be a better cheerleader for my students, ministry parents, and volunteers.  Letting a student know that you are proud of them or that they did a great job is so simple and yet so powerful.  Students can receive so many negative words that the positive words from an adult leader or parent can make a huge difference.  Adolescence is also a time when students are defining their self-image, and we have a responsibility to help them see themselves as God sees them.  There is nothing like seeing a student light up because you let them know that you think they are awesome.  May God provide encouragement for you today as you seek to be an encouragement to others.

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Recent Reads: August

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Josh

I am a book guy.  I may like books more than I like reading, but that is a different post.  Recently, I have come across some great reads that have been very helpful.  I thought I would share some as suggestions for you on your journey.

Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.  This is not a new read for me, but this is perhaps my favorite book ever, and I completed in once again a few weeks ago.  It is essentially an in-depth exposition of the Sermon on the Mount.  It is deeply theological and deeply practical.  I try to read this book at least once a year.  I recommend the more expensive but more helpful Bonhoeffer Works edition which has helpful footnotes and a great introduction.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy, by Eric Metaxas.  Sticking with the Bonhoeffer theme, this newer biography is an incredible read that approaches Bonohoeffer’s life from a bit more of a historical perspective than Eberhard Bethge’s biography.  Whereas Bethge wrote as a student and friend of Bonhoeffer, Metaxas writes as a historian and theologian.  This was a great read that really allowed me to see the struggle present in Bonhoeffer’s life over how church intersects life.

With Open Hands, by Henri Nouwen.  This is a fantastic little book on prayer.  It is simple and profound.  I found it incredibly helpful in expanding my understanding of prayer.

Faith Without Illusions, by Andrew Byers.  As a 30-year-old Christian who has grown up in the church, this book might be one of the most important books that I have read in terms of understanding how I perceive the church and Christianity in general.  This is a must read for anyone who works with young adults.  It is deep, but it is incredibly helpful in the way that it answers some of the questions of why we think the way that we think.  Written by a Beeson Divinity School graduate, I often found myself in Andrew’s story.

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