Hard choices …
Make strong disciples.
Category: Simple Faith
The day is coming when God may call you to bear open witness against darkness.
The day is coming when few will have the courage to heed His call, and those who do will pay a heavy price.
But through that sacrifice, the day is also coming when His truth eventually will prevail.
It always does.
I’d rather gather together with a few in my living room and be the church, one with another …
Then sit in rowed seats with a thousand in some building called the “church” to watch a staged event.
God redeems His creation …
Despite its fallenness.
And reconciles us to Himself …
Despite our brokenness.
The biggest idol these days is a “Jesus” created in their own image …
By “Christians” who dismiss His plenary authority of Scripture.
Over the years, I have found that without the humility of repentance, there is no freedom …
And without the transparency of confession and forgiveness, there is no wholeness.
Unfortunately, many ignore these essential elements of discipleship …
And wonder why their simple participatory churches never advance beyond everyone’s accumulated quirks, hurts and insecurities.
In traditional spectator church, such unresolved issues are easy to ignore.
But with real church as commanded in the New Testament, we have no such luxury.
Ignore them and your attempts to be the church one with another will stay stuck in a rut …
No matter how well you started.
Media preachers and big stage pulpit showmen are like crack.
They offer a feel-good escape from reality to those who feel otherwise detached …
Often causing a downward spiral of more isolation with ever more dependence on their feel-good “fix.”
It rarely ends well, except for the “spiritual” huckster.
In contrast, real life, real faith and real church are played out between real people in real community – where we have real opportunity to work through real issues and find real spiritual health and maturity …
Together, one with another.
It’s not always easy …
But it’s always our choice.
Don’t settle for counterfeits.
If you don’t like being knocked down …
Stand for nothing.
If it’s cool, hip or seeker friendly …
It ain’t worship.
Because true worship …
Is not about us.
Biblical Christians who submit their sensibilities to Scripture …
End up trusting God and doubting doubt.
Existential “Christians” who submit Scripture to their sensibilities …
End up doubting God and trusting doubt.
Why are those who dismiss the need for sound doctrine …
So doctrinaire about it?
God blesses those …
Who are good stewards of His blessings.
I love a well staged performance as much as the next guy, but please …
Just don’t call it “church”.
In the New Testament, “worship” occurs when we respond to God’s ongoing sovereign presence by living ongoing lives of reverence and obedience …
Which might, at times, properly invoke emotions.
Pagan worship, however, starts by manipulating emotions to “usher in” a false sense of God’s presence through special effects and special “leaders” at special gatherings.
It is a concept foreign to how the New Testament says God’s people are to function together as His church.
Unfortunately, there’s way too much pagan worship, and too little New Testament worship, in our “churches” these days.
Blessed are those who give without remembering …
And receive without forgetting.
False “deeper life” spiritually has become a substitute these days for “real life” …
Among insular Christians too wrapped up in themselves to engage a messy, waiting world with authentic faith in action.
God’s forgiveness is like a unilateral pardon.
Even though we are guilty, He does not hold it against us.
Being reconciled to God, however, is an entirely different matter.
It only happens when we respond with repentance.
If it’s not real …
I’m not interested.
When people are used to build up a ministry, rather than the ministry being used to build up people …
It’s no longer ministry.
Wolves twist the saying “all Scripture points to Christ” …
To subjugate all Scripture to their concept of Christ,
Rather than subjugating their concept of Christ to all Scripture.
I have yet to see Christ entrust authentic spiritual power …
To those who dismiss His plenary authority of Scripture.
You can’t know the power of His Name …
If you reject the power of His Word.
There is a place where gratitude and sorrow merge …
And we touch the heart of God.
Making Jesus all about that one thing,
Which happens to be your thing,
Denies His Lordship over all things,
Including the many other things,
He does through others.
The older I get …
The more I realize how much the Kingdom of God depends on hospitality.
The Great Commission isn’t about coming in for prepared messages …
But going forth as prepared people.
