. of view

If I had a MILLION dollars . . .

Last week I tweeted the following question, "if someone gave you $10,000 for the purpose of giving it away to a not for profit, would you give it to your church?"  The responses were . . . honest!  Someone said straight out "no".  Another person asked "what do you mean by church?"  Most people suggested that they would give some but not all to their church after a period of prayer.  A few mentioned other places they would give the money other than their church.

I have been thinking much about this question during the month of August because I do think the answer to the question is a sort of litmus test as to the degree to which people who are part of a church believe it is compelling.

I am not suggesting in anyway that the local church is where someone must give their money.  I do believe that there are many not for profits that have a compelling purpose and mission.  What I am wondering is whether people see your, and my, church as one of them.

Pastors, ask yourself the question, if someone gave you $10,000 to give to a not for profit would you give it to your church?  Would you even think of that as a good option?

Some people don't think about giving to the church in this way because they don't view the church like other para-church organizations.  The church is more of a place where a transaction of goods and services takes place for most people.  They give to the church because they are receiving something in return.  Their kids are cared for, they receive good spiritual teaching, they love the coffee that is served on Sunday morning . . . etc.  So when they come into an unaccounted for sum of money they don't think of giving it to the church because they are already up to date in their giving account.  Essentially their membership dues are already paid for.

I am not sure how many people fit into the above but I am absolutely convinced that many fall into the category of not being convinced that the mission and vision of their church is compelling enough for them to give generously, cheerfully and liberally.  Sure many Christians can be compelled to give out of duty or guilt or even wishful/hopeful thinking but I wonder how many when they think of their church they see it as a critical difference maker in their community, a "blessing machine", a "we would be missed if we weren't here" kind of community.  

This is a leadership issue.  I believe it really comes down to, how compelling is your mission and vision?  

What if someone came up to you and said, "Someone gave me $10,000 dollars and I want to give it to the church because I believe that what we are engaged in here is compelling.  We are engaged in our community, lives are being transformed.  We are strategically involved around the world dealing with issues of justice, poverty, introducing families to Jesus Christ.  I can't think of anything more compelling." 

 

On Mosques and other things religious

I tweeted a question last week asking people to submit how they felt about the potential of a mosque being built close to Ground Zero.  The responses I received were across the board from, "how dare they" to "why not?"  With such an emotionally charged issue it is not surprising that extreme responses will follow.  But there is a whole category of people who aren't really sure how to respond.  My guess is that most people, even followers of Christ, feel conflicted about the whole thing.  I am not always certain as to why that is the case but I am going to take a wild guess and say it has something to do with the tension we feel between prejudice and love, safety and calling, and other paradoxes in our lives. 

When you see the following picture how do you feel?

I find the extreme responses to this request to build a mosque overly simplistic.  While I see in this picture absolute illogical and foolish responses I am too aware of the motivations behind them.  Hatred, prejudice, the need to feel secure, and the longing for safety linger in all of us.  We should not always be proud of these feelings nor should we be surprised. 

God help us to not make the same mistakes our ancestors did.  It's complicated.

Gospel in Life

Just finished reviewing "Gospel in Life: Grace Changes Everything" an eight session DVD small group based study by Tim Keller and the Redeemer City to City team. This is an excellent worldviewish study that will help the follower of Christ see how the gospel impacts all of life.

The study guide is excellent. There is work to be done ahead of the small group meeting as well as great discussion questions for when the group is together. It was refreshing to see how biblically based and into the Word the study guide is. The videos sessions of Keller teaching are good. They pack in great teaching in 10 minutes per session.

This is an excellent group study for those who are a little more mature in the faith and looking for something that will give more traction to their everyday life and calling in this world.

Gospel in Life

A Pastors Calling?

I have been reading "Creation, Evolution, and Christian Laypeople" by Tim Keller. I am grappling with this quote on pages 2-3.

"In short, if I as a pastor want to help both believers and inquirers to relate science and faith coherently, I must read the works of scientists, exegetes, philosophers, and theologians and then interpret them for my people. Someone might counter that this is too great a burden to put on pastors, that instead they should simply refer their laypeople to the works of scholars. But if pastors are not 'up to the job' of distilling and understanding the writings of scholars in various disciplines, how will our laypeople do it? This is one of the things that parishioners want from their pastors. We are to be a bridge between the world of scholarship and the world of the street and the pew. I'm aware of what a burden this is. I don't know that there has ever been a culture in which the job of the pastor has been more challenging. Nevertheless I believe this is our calling."

The contemporary pastoral JD continues to grow.  Sometimes I wish I had the brain of a Tim Keller.  I am hoping this quote is not a call to be an expert in all disciplines but more of a learned generalist.

We used this on Sunday morning to illustrate the richness of how God takes away our sins through the sacrifice of Jesus.

On Spiritual Gifts

We are in week four of our  EQUIP series and we are focusing our attention on "spiritual gifts" for the next three weeks.  This week we took some time to address some of the questions associated with this topic.

 

EQUIP:  Why are you so energized about seeing all followers of Jesus using their spiritual gifts to serve one another and their communities?

Marshall: Because our spiritual growth is at stake.  Most North Americans think of spiritual growth from an individualistic perspective, that is a “me and God” thing.  The biblical reality, however, is that it is much more than that.  The Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4 reminds us that spiritual maturity is an “us and God” thing.  This is the mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:5-6) that we are members of the same body.  As members of that same body we serve one another in a way that builds up the body.  The only way we can do that is by using the gifts that God has given to each of us while we are in relationship with one another.

 

EQUIP: What is a spiritual gift?

Marshall: The description of a spiritual gift in the Bible is fairly broad.  The idea behind the greek word charismata is that it is a grace gift.  1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4 indicate that it is God (Spirit and Jesus) that give these grace gifts.  Beyond that the word can be used for almost anything.

 

EQUIP:  Seriously?

Marshall:  Look at it this way.  Salvation is called a spiritual gift (Romans 5:15-16), and marriage and celibacy are identified as a spiritual gift (1 Corinthians 7:7).  Even the biblical lists of spiritual gifts (Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4) are descriptive and illustrative not prescriptive and exhaustive.  There are extraordinary things like miracles and fairly ordinary things like helps and administration included in the lists.  Paul uses the conceptual idea of spiritual gifts in parallel with workings and service in 1 Corinthains 12:4-6.  The New Testament leaves an immense amount of room for what is included in the idea of a spiritual gift.

 

EQUIP:  Do you see all of the spiritual gifts listed in the passages you mentioned as all for today?

Marshall:  The not so easy answer and I think the right one is “maybe”.  If you are a follower of Jesus the Holy Spirit has equipped you with a spiritual gift(s) that is necessary for the building up of the body of Christ.  There is nothing stopping the Holy Spirit from doing this.  Some appeal to 1 Corinthians 13:10 and suggest that the “perfect” is the completion of the New Testament and therefore some of the more spectacular gifts like prophecy and tongues are not in existence today.  Don Carson (Showing the Spirit” Theological Exposition of 1 Corinthians 12-14, pages 66-76) and Gordon Fee (First Corinthians in The New International Commentary of the New Testament, pages  ) summarize the potential interpretations of this verse and both conclude that there is no biblical support for that conclusion.  The “perfect” is best understood as a time of completion or maturation.  The parousia or the second coming of Jesus best fits the time of the “perfect”.  The fundamental principle is established in 1 Corinthians 12:11 when the Apostle Paul says that the Holy Spirit gives gifts to each one as he determines.  We can’t know the mind of God and which gifts he gives to whom, where and for what time.  All we know is that he does and according to his plan and will.

 

EQUIP: Are you implying that some of the gifts may not be permanent?

Marshall:  Only God knows.  When you examine the lists of spiritual gifts in the New Testament it may be implied that some of the gifts each of us is given are more permanent and some may come and go from us given specific situations.  Perhaps gifts like healing or miracles come and go while others like helps or administration may be more permanent.  This has led some to conclude that we have primary (a tendency) and secondary gifts (situational).  In my case the primary gifts, the ones I carry around with me all the time, are teaching and leadership.  These two gifts don’t surprise me any more.  I bring these gifts to all situations in my life.  But there are things that happen in my life from time to time that do surprise me.  A couple of Sundays ago I really sensed that God wanted me to speak a word of exhortation into a young man’s life.  It was sort of a prophetic moment where I really sensed God wanted me to speak specific words of encouragement into this person’s life.  So I did.  This isn’t with me all the time but it was in that moment and I think it was a Spirit given gift.

 

EQUIP: Is there a difference between a “natural ability” and a “spiritual gift”?

Marshall:  In some cases it is easy to see the difference.  If I were able to wake up tomorrow and share the gospel in any foreign language that would be a supernatural thing because I am unilingual.  It is the other non-extraordinary gifts like teaching that cause us to wonder if there is a difference.  If I was able to teach before I became a follower of Jesus and I am still able to teach after I am a follower of Jesus does this mean I now have the spiritual gift of teaching or just a natural ability to teach?  I answer that question with another question, “does it really matter?”

 

EQUIP:  Why do you feel that is the wrong question to ask?

Marshall:  I believe that the problem that many have in the whole area of “spiritual gifts” is that they are too immersed in “discovery”.  Some people seem obsessed to get it right instead of learning how to celebrate who God has made them to be.  I call this the difference between approaching the whole issue from the perspective of a scientist versus an artist.  The scientific approach is linear and step by step and has clear category lines.  Abilities, personality, experience, and gifts are all distinct categories.  The artistic approach is more abstract and is like throwing different colours of paint on a canvas and taking a step back and seeing the whole picture.  There is a lot of blurring between the colours.  It can be messy at times but the whole picture is celebrated.

 

EQUIP:  What does that mean for the process of discovering my spiritual gifts?

Marshall:  First of all we need to recognize that the Bible is silent on the issue of discovery.  The Apostle Paul’s emphasis is on celebrating the diversity of gifts within the body of Christ and using our gifts in ministry with one another.  Second, the process of discovery falls within the realm of “wisdom” and the witness of Scripture would seem to suggest that it is the community of faith that can help us in that process.  It is best to discover by interacting with others, examining Scripture together, serving one another, and discerning together.  We help one another examine the canvases of our lives.  I have often wondered how someone in the first century would know what their Spirit given gifts were.  I am assuming that they would have asked God for wisdom and sought wisdom from the community of faith.  It is through our honest relationships with each other that we can discover.  Third, perhaps it would be better for us to not get as bogged down in answering the question, “what is my spiritual gift?” as with answering the question, “how can I serve others with who God has made me to be?”

 

The Power of Child Sponsorship

If you are sponsoring children in another country be encouraged by the potential of life change.  I am thinking of the hundreds of children that we sponsor as a church in Uganda.  This is a great moment.

Internships and Theological Education

We have recently interviewed for "internship" positions at OBC only to be turned down twice by prospective candidates.  I admit that this bugs me.  I like most people do not handle rejection well.  Especially when I see the obvious benefits of coming and serving in a church like OBC while preparing for vocational ministry.  We are willing to pay, spend time mentoring and coaching, and provide leadership experience.  The years of experience and maturity on our staff ministry team and their willingness to invest in the "next generation" are an amazing bonus.

So, I don't get it. 

Why are we finding it so difficult?  Is it because we are too far away?  Is it too cold?  Perhaps it is because of a lesser value on praxis in the scope of theological education.  Frankly, I don't know any process of theology that is not practical.  I don't mean that in a utilitarian way.  I mean all theology is informed by praxis and vice-versa.  It seems to me that it is imperative to learn how to "do theology" within the context of the local church along with the practice of critiquing the church environment and the conclusions arrived at in that environment.  It is a necessary theological art form.

So, when one of our candidates says they don't think they can handle studies and working in a church at the same time, I think they are missing the point.  Spread your education out a couple of more years.  Make the sacrifices that you need to to get the experience that is necessary for your life and future.  Drive the extra distance.  Do whatever it takes but get the input of the local church in your life.

Looking for a new church?

This time of year it seems like there are a number of people checking out various church options.  Some are thrust into this because of changing circumstances like relocation into a new community or starting university/college.  Many of us face the awkward challenge of doing this at least a few times during our life time.  Unfortunately some engage in this ritual frequently.

What to look for?  Relevant Magazine's article, "Church Shopping" is a good read and will be helpful to many. 

I would suggest that if you are considering making OBC your church that you consider the biblical truth that church is not about a place that you go to but a family you belong to, a family on mission whether we are together or dispersed.  If church for you is just about coming to the gathering on Sunday and filling a seat then we aren't the people for you.