Uncomfortable Dilemma

Let me make some assumptions about you the reader, and then pose a situation for you to consider – a moral dilemma.

Most readers of this blog have chosen to follow Jesus. You are eternally thankful for the grace of God demonstrated in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You have confessed your sins and asked for God’s forgiveness, according to the sacrificial act of Jesus on Calvary. The Spirit of God abides in your life and gives you power and direction as often as you listen and yield. You love God, and on some level want the world to know the transforming love of God.

Most readers also love their parents, siblings, spouse, children and grandchildren… or whatever “family” they hold to right now.

What if…
Imagine that you and two other people are in a confined space with no hope of release, rescue or escape. The threesome includes a family member that you greatly love, a stranger and yourself. You and the family member have a clear and growing relationship with Jesus Christ. The stranger has adamantly declared that he/she is not a Christian.

The powerful person responsible for your confinement suddenly makes you aware of pending doom. All three of you have been exposed to a deadly toxin. There is one dose of antidote. You alone are responsible for administering the antidote. It cannot be divided or shared. It must be administered in the next ten minutes or all will die.

Who will live and who will die? And why? What does your choice and rationale suggest about your values?

On this Memorial Day, I am thankful for those who gave their lives in military service for the USA. I give thanks and pray for those families that are remembering mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, sons and daughters.

Faithful Lovers

Weddings are full of emotion. As I stood by Jonathan (my son) last Saturday, tears came flooding in at several points. I could feel the eyes of Ashley and Meme (my daughters), but I knew better than to look in their direction. With Herculean effort, I stayed somewhat composed.

There were many intense moments in the service for this “best man.” When beautiful Mary Ashton stepped out from the rear lobby and made her way down the aisle to stand with her groom. The tender exchange of vows. The music. And there was an unexpected exhilaration as Pastor David read the Scripture.

I have attended and performed about two hundred weddings, and many of them included a reading of I Corinthians 13, “The Love Chapter.” But this time was different.

Yes, the chapter pertains to the love of husband and wife. And, yes, it is a challenge for all our relationships. But I had missed a broader and perhaps more profound application.

We all know that love is not primarily an emotion. It is an unconditional commitment characterized by tangible actions on behalf of others. But when we connect I Corinthians 13 with the parable of the Great Commandment (Mt. 22:37-40) and the Great Commission (Mt. 28:19-20), the Love Chapter becomes far more than a wedding text.

If I am not finding ways to use the resources God has entrusted to me (energy, time, finances, prayer, influence, etc.) to communicate and demonstrate God’s love to those who are not aware of God’s grace, then all my religious activities are in vain. They may be well intended, but if my prayers, worship, stewardship, and Bible study are not accompanied and flavored by a participation in God’s mission in the world, I am not faithfully loving Jesus.

Pray that we will all be “faithful lovers” for the glory of God and the good of the world.

Listen to this song, People of God by Michael Gungor; I think its lyrics relate well to these thoughts.

Living in Friday without Sunday

Here is what I woke up thinking about this morning.

The news spread quickly, “Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah, has been crucified.” Despair. Crashed hopes. Frustration. Self-doubt. It seemed that the dream had died.

We know the rest of the story. Hallelujah!

But the Spirit will not let me sing “Christ is risen” without remembering those who continue to live in despair. Those who don’t yet know God came to earth. For them, this is just another day.

Cruciform Music

I love music, but I have come to realize that its power is being under-utilized. I invite you to think carefully about the words of the songs you hear in worship this week.

Church history and personal experiences illustrate the universal tendency of Christians to cycle downward into a style of living and a type of Church that might be called “self-serving Christianity.” Any form of discipleship that relegates service and witness to a department of the church or a group of zealots is unbiblical. This is a “Jesus-and-me” distortion of Christ’s call.

Diet and Doctrine
This deterioration of vital Christianity might be related to the type messages that fill the minds of many believers. A great percentage of what we hear about following Jesus has to do with our “personal” lives – my forgiveness, my home in heaven, my family, my peace, etc. Although these are wonderful aspects of the Christian life, a diet – what we read and hear – that only includes these type blessings inadvertently encourages our selfish tendencies.

All Christ followers need a balanced diet, a consistent flow of teaching and encouragement that connects our personal relationship with Jesus and our participation in His ministry in the world. This balanced approach to life and ministry might be called “cruciform”. The vertical line in the Cross reminds us of the necessary interaction between holy and loving God and His children. God reaches down to us in grace, and we respond in faith, confession, praise and allegiance. The horizontal line in the Cross reminds us that joining God in mission to lost and hurting people is vitally connected to authentic faith in God. Without the horizontal axis of the Cross, the form becomes a big “I.”

The doctrine and teaching of Scripture come to us in two primary ways – proclamation (oral or written) and music. Even if sermons, books and teachings match the cruciform description, there is still the issue of music.

Types of Music
The Bible has many texts, psalms and prayers that are vertical in nature. But it also has countless passages that are horizontal. Sometimes the two are linked in the same passage (Ps. 46:10; 67:1-2). Using this as a pattern, we can think of Christian music fitting into one of three categories:

1. Vertical. This music exclusively deals with topics related to the character of God and our relationship to Him – praise, confession, thanksgiving, God’s attributes, heaven, etc. This type of music dominates worship services as well as the airways. The vast majority of songs used in worship are vertical.
2. Horizontal. This music exclusively deals with topics related to the mission of God and/or our role in His mission – go, preach to the nations, serve the poor, etc. These songs are generally treated as “novelty” songs and are used almost exclusively in settings such as a “Missions Sunday.” Worship leaders rarely include a horizontal song in the order of worship since these songs do not seem to keep the “flow” of praise and worship. Horizontal songs, however, play an important role in mobilizing the Church as Christians hear them in concerts, by radio or on iPods.
3. Cruciform. This music addresses vertical as well as horizontal aspects of the faith – praise and service, thanksgiving and witness. Relatively few of the songs used in contemporary worship fit this description although worship leaders are open to using this music since it can continue the flow of worship. Samples: Missions Flame (Matt Redman), You Said (Hillsong), Give Me Your Eyes (Brandon Heath), Follow You (Leeland), and Until the Whole World Hears (Casting Crowns).

The Cruciform Music Project
A rising wave of pastors, mission leaders, musicians, song writers and publishers are exploring ways for music to become a greater tool in the renewal of the Church and the mobilization of Christ’s body in His mission.

For more information on the Cruciform Music Project, see a list of songs, submit songs, ask questions, or make suggestions, visit www.followone.org/cruciform-music.

Maximum Impact Investments

It has been my joy for the past twenty years to help Christ followers and church leaders make Kingdom investment decisions. To help your yearend charitable giving have maximum impact on the world with Jesus’ love, consider these suggestions:

1. Give to organizations that non-Christians are not likely to support. Explicitly Christian ministries (including churches) have a smaller pool from which to draw. People from many faiths or no faith may give to a homeless shelter, but they will probably not support an evangelistic work with international students, a church planting project or a pastor training effort.
2. Think globally not just locally. We must take part in God’s work in our own neighborhoods, but it is not biblical to limit ourselves. As bad as things may be here, there is tremendous suffering around the world. Faithful stewardship is global – “in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost” (Acts 1:8).
3. Think strategically. There is joy in knowing that a gift might help someone. There is greater fulfillment in seeing your investment help produce “grace ripples” across an entire community, nation or the world. Some gifts and ministries keep on “giving” – like teaching a man to fish in addition to giving him a fish.
4. Think holistically. Of course, we need to show mercy to the poor. But some poverty is well-disguised. No one is “more poor” than the person that does not know the love of Jesus… even if they live in a nice home.
5. Support ministries that are trustworthy. Not everything that smells like a rose is a rose. Be careful. Support ministries in which you have a trusting relationship with the leaders.
6. Focus on the purpose of the gift. Your donation is an attempt to honor Christ as you help meet the needs of His children and His Church. A true gift is selected according to the desires of the “recipient” and not according to how the gift will make the donor feel.
7. Guilt is an inadequate reason to give. Some people feel guilty about how much they “have.” Guilt is not a good motivation for giving. If you’re feeling guilty, talk to Jesus. He alone can remove guilt and help you begin a new life.
8. You can’t give what you don’t have. If this has been a tough financial year, don’t get uptight about not being able to give the type gift you have traditionally given.

Last Minute Gift Idea – Help a key Chinese, Hispanic or Anglo ministry leader participate in the Connection2010 conference in Orlando February 5-7. Scholarship assistance is also needed for some high school and college students. Fifty scholarships are needed. I want to provide a Scholarship