Have Christians Caused More Harm or Done More Good? (part 1)

Recently I had an on-line dialogue with a few secular humanist friends of mine on Facebook.  It started when one of them saw a billboard that said something like, “God does exist so deal with it!”  My friend thought it was rather silly and didn’t really help either side.  I had to agree.  How does that further dialogue.  How would that sign possibly convince someone who doesn’t believe that there is an actual God? 

But then his brother jumped into the conversation and again I don’t have his exact quote but he said something like, “See, look at the evil that religions can perpetuate by trying to force their views.  It ultimately leads to violence like the Crusades, etc.”

Of course, I took offense to that statement because TRUE FOLLOWERS of Jesus who have submitted to God’s ways would not perpetuate violence in ways that the institutional church has advocated or turned its eye to.  But as much as I didn’t like his statement, he’s right.  So-called Christians and the institutional church are responsible for untold violence, bigotry, racism, hatred, etc. 

At the same time, that has been true of pretty much every culture and religion.  It’s not just certain Christians that have been responsible but we see this in other world religions and even in secular states.  In fact, between Hitler’s pure race ideology and Stalin’s pursuit of secular power, more lives were destroyed by those 2 men than any other 2 men to my knowledge.  Don’t think that “the absence of a belief in God” is not a belief that can be just as dangerous.

See, religion is a dangerous thing.  But true faith in Jesus Christ is not.  Because following Jesus is not about how “I’m better than you.”  It’s about realizing that “I’m not better.  In fact, I have a propensity to screw up and sin.  I need forgiveness.  I need grace.  I need love.  And only God can really provide that through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.”  And then here’s the difficult part…after I confess that I have to start living like Jesus wants me to live.  I don’t see Jesus advocating anything remotely close to the horrors that Christians have perpetuated.  And even when we’re not “violent” but arrogant or self-righteous we injure the Body of Christ, the True Church.  Why would arrogance or self-righteousness help someone far from God, see God’s love?  It can’t.  How can we be arrogant about our beliefs or self-righteous about our behavior when we must recognize how SINFUL we were and are?! 

So…Have Christians caused more harm or done more good in history?  I’ll answer that tomorrow.

Thoughts from 2 Corinthians 9

Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!  If I preach voluntarily, I have a reward; if not voluntarily, I am simply discharging the trust committed to me.  What then is my reward? Just this: that in preaching the gospel I may offer it free of charge, and so not make use of my rights in preaching it.  Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.  To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.  To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.  1 Corinthians 9:16-23

What this is saying is that we need to preach and “be church” in different contexts and that might look different from one place to another.  Why?  “To win as many as possible.”  How did I get to that conclusion?  “I have become all things to all people.”  Paul wasn’t a “pleaser.”  He just wanted to reach people with the unchangeable gospel.  Read through Acts and see the different and varying methods that he (and the rest of the early church) tried to do that.  How can our (your) church change (without compromising the message) in order to reach people for Christ in your community?

Song Inspiration: “Asleep in the Light” Keith Green

I was trying to remember what was the first song that made a real impact on me.  And it didn’t take long to remember this classic Keith Green.  I can even remember hearing it for the first time as a 12 year old and just crying, asking God for this not to be true about me.  Boy, do I need to hear this message everyday because it’s so easy to fall asleep in the light.

And for Kim, who commented about Mark Schult’s He Is…here’s the story behind that song…and even though he doesn’t have the actual song on youtube there are some other covering it for him.

Alice Cooper Speaks Out about His Faith

3 Questions That Become My Answers (part 1)

Finished reading Dave Gibbons’ “The Monkey and the Fish” this weekend.  Overall it was a good book that helped me understand what it means to help a church become a “third culture church.”  I heard him speak at the Leadership Summit and thought he was great, but his book didn’t add THAT much more to the discussion.  However, I was fascinated with one chapter, which is the title of this post.  He thinks, and I agree, that questions often guide us because the answer finds residence in the question.  In his case, 3 questions in particular have guided him.

Question #1: Where is Nazareth?

“Can anything good come from Nazareth?”  This question was asked about Jesus.  Can anyone worthwhile come from that place on the other side of the railroad tracks?

Where is the other side of tracks in your city or region?  In other words, who are the marginalized or the outsiders near you, people whom you feel pain for?

Focusing on them as a church may mean you won’t grow as fast.  And you may lose some people.  But your church will be fulfilling the most beautiful expression of who God is.

Paul said it perfectly  in his letter to the church in Corinth–God uses the weak of the world to confound the mighty and accomplish God’s biggest dreams.  1 Corinthians 1:26-29.  

While we at FCC have a long way to go, I am so proud of what we have accomplished in this area over the past few years, particularly because of the leadership of the Beverlys and Michele Menshouse.  Besides our mission trips, now we are helping kids “from the other side of the tracks” with homework on Tuesdays and feeding the hungry on Mondays.

How to Share Your Faith (Part IV)

In order to share our faith effectively we need to know/do 3 things.  Here are the 3 things that need to happen from our viewpoint.  Of course, the Holy Spirit is the ultimate “worker” but we need to do our part of spreading the seed.  This may need to take place over several meetings, days, months, years, as necessary.  For our purposes let’s say we have a friend named “Nathan.” 

1.  Listen to Nathan’s story.  Get to know who Nathan is and his understanding of life and faith.  Do not go past this step until this has been accomplished!
2. Share your story.  That is, help Nathan understand who you are and your understanding of life and faith.  How has God changed your life?  What significant things have happened for you to realize your need for Jesus Christ?
3. Tell God’s story.  This can happen concurrently with sharing your story but I think it’s best to be transparent first about yourself before going into “how much God loves Nathan.”  Best to start with how you know God loves you, then move it to Nathan.

Of course, at some point you may have to explain how they can accept that gift of God’s grace in their life and lead them in that. 

What’s the best way to share God’s story succinctly?  Good question.  For years I’ve used the “Bridge illustration.”  I’m finding that almost ineffective to post-modern minds so I’m working on other ways.  What have you used to explain God’s story?

How To Share Your Faith (part III)

Availability means more than being where the action is.  Being available is also a state of mind.  Christians rub shoulders with non-Christians in their work world all the time but keep their faith a secret.  They are mentally isolated.  Perhaps you’ve heard it said, “I witness by my actions.”  That is crucial, but to never speak about our hope in Christ makes people think that it’s we who are great, not Jesus.  Being available involves a mental decision to be open about our faith as opportunities arise.  Start by asking yourself, “Do I have a friendship with one person who does not know Christ for whom I can pray?”

Being equipped means using our minds.  It means understanding the secular mindset.  Study friends.  Our ignorance of the secular world around us weakens our credibility to non-Christians.  Being equipped means learning by doing.  Being equipped involves prayer.  Study the Gospels and apologetics.  Become a student of our culture too.  Learn by doing.  Finally, ask God to work in the hearts of those around you.

Availability is moving our feet.  Equipping is training our minds.  Motivation is changing our hearts.  Telling someone to “be motivated” is like telling someone to “be happy.”  It usually just makes things worse.  Right motivation for evangelism springs from love, truth, and hope–and those are things we can work at building into our lives.  When we truly come to know and grasp the love of God, we want to share our faith.

How to Share Your Faith (Part II)

Unlike the Holy Spirit’s job description, ours is relatively simple.  First we follow Christ as Lord (see part I); then we proclaim the truth of Christ.  It’s our hope that hearers will turn to God in faith, but their response is not our responsibility.

And we certainly don’t need techniques to manipulate others with crafty questions.  But what can we do?

1. Available- God wants us available to people, not shouting instructions at them.  He wants us to get into others’ lives.
2. Equipped- God wants us equipped to share the good news.  You don’t need to be a trained professional in the business of sharing your faith.  But if you share what you know about your relationship with Christ, when the opportunity comes, God will use you.  Seminary degree not required.
3. Motivated- God wants us motivated in the right way: not by guilt trips or with emotional frenzy, but by love.

Our job description for real-life evangelism is to be equipped, available and motivated.  So evaluate yourself.  Are you motivated (I have a heartfelt desire to share the good news of Christ)?  Are you available (I have social contacts with non-Christians)?  Are you equipped (I can effectively explain the message and/or tell my story of faith)?  If you dare to do this, give yourself a thumbs up or down on each of these.  And then post your results on the blog or email me (revmlynn@yahoo.com) and I will gladly diagnose, give you a prognosis, and prescribe treatments for you.  Think I’m joking?  Try me!

How To Share Your Faith (part I)

I firmly believe that God uses people, with all their faults, to reveal the good news.

Having said that, the most effective action in evangelism is having a deep and vibrant faith.  So rather than looking for gimmicks or angles we need to start with “How is Lord of my life?”  Our first step of evangelism is to yield to Christ’s lordship. 

Here are 4 steps to take as you follow Jesus:

1. Practice spiritual disciplines.  You need to be having a Daily Quiet Time of prayer and Bible reading.  I journal too, which is why I can even manage this blog.  Fasting and confession are important to learn in time too.  (Though I admit I have to keep working on fasting!).
2. Give yourself to a community of believers.  I don’t mean just join a church.  But fully engage and join a small group within it.  Our greatest witness to the world is Christian community.
3. Share your faith.  As Paul Little says, “Evangelism is one of the keys to spiritual health.”
4. Dare to take a risk.  Never stop risking for God.  Jesus is risky.  When we take him as Lord, he calls us to lay down our lives.  So risk your time, your place, your pride, your money.  Risk sharing the good news with others. 

What is the greatest barrier for you to share your faith more?  In future posts I want to continue to address this issue.  How could I help you?

Dear Married Couples…

Dear Couple,

We all know what’s required to fall in love.   A pulse.  Falling in love is easy.   But staying there?   That’s something else entirely.  So…is it possible for 2 people to fall in love and actually stay there?

Absolutely.   Find out how in our 4 part series, “MAKE LOVE…a verb” beginning Sunday, September 13!

Join us at FCC for 4 weeks of relevant messages on marriage at either our 9am Awakening service (Praise Band, laid-back environment) or our 11:05 Heritage service (Choir, traditional hymns).   Then in the evenings, take advantage of the activities we have planned for you to grow closer as spouses.  And if you have children you can get some much needed one-on-one time without spending half your money on a babysitter.   The schedule is below.

Sunday, September 13   9am/11:05am   ”Staying in Love”

EVENING ACTIVITY*:      5-7:30pm          Join us for pizza, popcorn and a chance to watch a great movie (Fireproof) about marriage.  Childcare provided on site with dinner included.  Sign-up for childcare in advance at 873-3901.

Sunday, September 20    9am/11:05am   ”Re-modeling”

EVENING ACTIVITY*:       6-7:30pm          Join us for a free dance lesson (Swing) from Aaron Jones of Arthur Murray.  Childcare provided on site.  Sign-up for childcare in advance at 873-3901.

Sunday, September 27    9am/11:05am   ”Feelin’ It”

Sunday, October 4         9am/11:05am   ”Multiple Choice Marriage”

EVENING ACTIVITY*:       4-7:30pm         Parents Night Out.  We’ll watch and feed the kids while you go out on the town.  Sign-up for childcare in advance at 873-3901.

If this is something that you think is important for the church to address, then I need your help spreading the word.  Pass this on to your friends who are married.  You can also find this information at our special site: makeloveaverb.  Also I have yard signs promoting this campaign and I need people to display them in their yards or businesses where our community can see it.  If you can do put up a sign for me, then let me know and I’ll get it to you.

*all evening activities are in the Life Center.  Childcare is free but donations will be accepted for different fund-raisers going on.