Red means Go

There is a big gap between Easter and Christmas – 8 months. But in the liturgical calendar, today is Pentecost. You may know little or nothing about this celebration.

There are no Pentecost sales at the mall. There isn’t a marketing figure like a Santa or a big rabbit. No companies provide a paid holiday for Pentecost. Families don’t travel for miles around to gather and eat on this day.

The Church fathers established Pentecost as an annual time of reflection (along with Advent, Christmastide, Lent, Easter, etc.) in order that disciples would never forget the core tenets of the Faith. Their plan has had limited impact.

The biblical theme of Pentecost is generally Acts 2. The Spirit is poured out on the followers of Jesus and international visitors in Jerusalem that day – in keeping with His promise in Acts 1:8 and elsewhere. Many church leaders will use this Sunday to celebrate the third Person of the Trinity (the Holy Spirit). Others will celebrate the diversity in their own congregations or in the global Body of Christ. Both of these are vital and important… but inadequate.

The liturgical color of Pentecost is RED, and in this case, red means GO.

I pray that today – and every day – we will remember that the Holy Spirit has entered our lives not for our own sakes but for the glory of God and the good of the world.

After Acts 2 the disciples were clearly more empowered and intimately connected by the Spirit. Great things began to happen in Jerusalem. But they did not initially move out to other areas (Judea, Samaria and the uttermost). Great worship, great teaching, great fellowship, great sharing of resources with each other, BUT no outward, cross cultural outreach.

Finally God used persecution to scatter the disciples and their witness. And eventually the wonderful people of God in Antioch caught the vision and began to strategically participate in God’s mission in keeping with Acts 1:8.

Outreach is a core tenet of our faith. It is not an extra-curricular option. Until and unless we dynamically engage in outreach to those beyond our own cultures, we will be short of biblical discipleship.

Not much of this emphasis in your church today? Write a kind note to the leaders. Volunteer to help create a celebration for 2012 that honors Christ and moves people out.  

Red means GO. Let’s elevate this core-discipleship challenge appropriately. Who knows what might happen.

After the Worship Service, What?

Where do we go after the worship service is over...?

Reformation Day commemorates Martin Luther’s posting of his Ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517. This act triggered a movement in world history that became known as the Reformation. While it had profound and lasting impacts on the political, economic, social, literary, and artistic aspects of society, the Reformation was at its heart a religious movement.

Over the centuries, much of the Roman Catholic Church had slipped into a form of religion that was significantly disconnected from the teachings of Christ and Scripture. By the 16th century it was plagued with false doctrines, superstition and corruption – all tragically supported by monks, priests, bishops, and even popes. Earnest people tried to justify themselves by charitable works, offerings, and other religious performances required by the church. But they were left wondering if they had done enough to appease God’s anger and escape His punishment. This widespread condition kept the coffers of the church filled with tithes and the institution’s leaders in control. The core biblical doctrine of justification was missing – In His love and mercy, God offers every person forgiveness and salvation not because of what we do, but because of what Christ has done.

The Holy Spirit used an Augustinian friar named Martin Luther to help restore grace and faith to the central place Christian doctrine. All Christians (not just Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, etc.) should take this opportunity to thank God for the assurance of our salvation and the certainty of our eternal reward due to the grace of God demonstrated by the sacrifice of His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Please know that this post is not a “slam” on the Roman Catholic Church. The forces that caused sections of the RC to fall away from biblical discipleship have impacted (and continue to impact) every other section of the Church. All of us are tempted to preach and live forms of discipleship that are works- not grace-oriented.

Here is my question. Reformation Day is about the omission of the biblical doctrine of justification. What about the disconnection between doctrine and duty, beliefs and service, knowledge and experience, the vertical worship of God and horizontal participation with God in His mission?

When you leave a worship service, “where” do you go? Is there any real, tangible, explicit connection between your worship and your involvement in God’s mission? Or after worship do you just go back to focus on your family, friends, job, football team, etc.?

Where is the “Martin Luther” that will call this doctrinal and discipleship omission to the attention of the Church?

When will there be a “Mobilization Day” in addition to Reformation Day?

For the greater glory of God and the good of the world.

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.