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God's Providence (Part 2)

In an email to a friend yesterday I had the privilege of sharing some insight that I have gained from reading Dr. John Piper's newest book, What Jesus Demands from the World. The chapters are actually a list of 50 different demands Jesus spoke, found in an exploration of the four Gospels. In doing so, Dr. Piper assumes first that the Gospels are true and they are unified. It also assumes that Jesus is not just someone who sets an example for us or does something for us, but he is God and has authority to make demands of us.

In this post I will be taking some words from one of the chapters, Demand #18: "Do not be angry—trust God’s Providence." It is based on Matthew 5:21-22 and Matthew 10:28-31. Because his outlook in that chapter was so encouraging to me as I read, I would like to share some of it here in light of yesterday's post on God's Providence and also in light of anything you may be going through at the moment which causes you to be angry, frustrated, confused, anxious, or concerned. When we say the words, "God is in control," do we really believe what we are saying? Or perhaps we believe it but only to a certain extent. The question I want you to ponder is: How much control does He really have over His creation and over the circumstances His creation encounters?

Below is a portion of the email, with the quotes from Dr. Piper's book.

One of the greatest truths that Jesus taught to help us be free from sinful anger is the truth of God’s all-encompassing providence—His wise and sovereign control over all things for the good of His children. The rise and strength of our anger should be governed by our trust in God’s providence—that He is ruling over the evil that makes us angry and will not let anything occur with us that is not ultimately good for us (even though it often does not seem as such).

The rage that could rise in our hearts when we are treated unjustly and when we watch loved ones treated cruelly is natural and strong. Interestingly, Piper points out, that when dealing with these kinds of threats, Jesus spoke directly to our fear, not our anger. But the implications for anger are plain. He said in Matthew 10:28-31, And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

The point here is, first, the smallest details of life on earth are governed by God—not a bird falls to the ground apart from Him. And the second point is that God is near, and His acquaintance with our situation is total—even the hairs on your head are all numbered. The conclusion is: Nothing will come to pass apart from His wise and loving providence over your circumstances. Don’t fear. And don’t be angry in a way that contradicts your confidence in God’s care over your life. God’s providence should change the way we experience circumstances that would otherwise be totally infuriating.

We have the assurance that God’s providence will govern all the evil that comes against us so that His good purposes are fulfilled. Yes, evil is being done. But it does not have the last say, and in the end even serves God’s hidden designs.

Rejoicing In Persecution

One of the clearest illustrations of how God's Providence overcomes the controlling effect of anger is Jesus' command that we rejoice when we are persecuted unjustly. He says, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12). Few things would ordinarily make us angrier than unjust treatment. Not only are we being hurt by this reviling and persecution, but Jesus emphasizes that it is "evil" and it is "false." These are the factors that tend to infuriate us.

But Jesus transforms that ordinary, understandable emotional experience of anger. Although he recognizes that the normal response of any human being would naturally be anger; meaning that we all have the "right" to be angry about this, Jesus demonstrates what happens with our "rights" when he is Lord of our life (my added thought). Instead of saying, "Be legitimately angry" or "Try to control your anger," he says the most incredible thing imaginable: "Rejoice and be glad."

Rejoicing does not mean that we approve of the treatment. It does not mean that we stop thinking it is unjust. It probably does not mean there is no anger whatsoever. Some kind of holy anger--strong emotional disapproval--may be emotionally compatible with joy. The human soul in the image of God is that complex. And we know, from all that Jesus taught us about God, that God experiences anger and joy simultaneously because he sees and responds perfectly to all evil and all good at the same time.

Our joy in the presence of persecution is possible because of God's Providence. Not a hair of your head will perish (when they kill you). Not a bird (or a hateful blow to your head; or a hateful word of slander to your name) falls without the will of the Father. Providence governs your suffering. And in the end, "Your reward is great in heaven." That is Jesus' argument why joy and not anger can dominate our experience of persecution: "Rejoice and be glad, for great is your reward in heaven" (Matthew 5:12).

Last night these things came to mind as I was singing with Brock and Kaylee before their bedtime. The song we were singing was "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman. Whenever we sing songs together I usually like to take time to explain the words to them, where it is found in the Bible, and why we sing them (side note: this practice has certainly helped me to discover songs that are more biblically grounded and speak truth as well as move our spirits to worship).

Anyway, when we were singing the line, "You give and take away, you give and take away. My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name," we stopped and talked about what that means. I explained to my kids that Matt Redman borrowed that line from the book of Job in the Bible. I told them the story of Job, how he was wealthy and felt very blessed by God. But God allowed Job to be used, perhaps as a reminder to Satan for how strong the relationship of faith in God is and how man's loyalty to God does not reside in the number of earthly blessings we are given. I told them about how in an instant all of Job's earthly blessings began to be removed from him one by one.

His sons and daughters, and property, and animals, and servants, and nearly everything he cared about on earth was taken away in the most amazingly treacherous set of circumstances one could ever imagine. And Job's response was why we sing the song. He cried out, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (Job 1:21). And the author of the book then gives us this incredible reminder. I wonder if we truly understand the significance of this added line at the end of chapter one? He says, "In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong."

He did not charge God with wrong? But he recognized that God was still in control of the situation. That God can give (which we usually always attribute as a blessing to us), and that God can take away (which we usually always attribute as evil toward us). And we can recognize that both of those things come from God without being in danger of accusing God of wrongdoing.

How can that be? It must be because when we are seeing things as "wrong" and "terrible", God is using those very things for good, and He is accomplishing His good purpose in us, even when our circumstances are awful.

When Job became physically sick, with sores all over his body, he responded by saying, "Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" Then the author of the book again tells us that in saying this "Job did not sin or curse God with his lips."

So I reminded my kids that even in their most awful times of trial and pain, God is still involved and he is working in it for good. Do we always know how exactly that is happening? Nope. Can we always see clearly what He is doing in our times of pain? Nope. Job couldn't see it either. He did not know what was going on behind the scenes. He did not know that countless millions would still be reading and being edified by his story to this day.

The bottom line is this. I believe in God's Providence. My trust is not in a God who has no control over his creation. Nor is it in a God who may have control over his creation, but chooses not to exercise it because he would rather we do everything down here on our own. My trust is in a God who can and does have control over the most minuscule details as well as the most significant ones. And because of that I sleep well.

God's Providence

In Book One, Part IV, Chapter 16 of John Calvin's Institutes of Christian Religion (abridged version), a book I have been working through lately, he says some very insightful and magnifying things about the Providence of God. Below I have quoted a few snippets. The language may be a little dated, but see if you can work through it and notice the riches of what he is saying:

It would be cold and unfeeling to picture a God as a temporary Creator, who completed his work and then left it. Here we differ from the unbeliever in asserting that God's power is obvious in the ongoing world situation as well as in creation.

Without reference to God's Providence we cannot understand the full force of what is meant by his being the Creator, however much we may seem to understand it with our minds and confess it with our mouths. The carnal mind, when it has glimpsed the power of God in creation, stops there. At most it considers only the wisdom, power and goodness evidenced by the Author of such work, or some general factor on which the power of motion depends and which keeps the world going. To sum it up: it imagines that everything is maintained by the divine energy infused into them at the beginning (emphasis mine). But faith must go far deeper.

After realizing there is a Creator, it must then infer that he is also Governer and Preserver, not just because he can produce a kind of general motion in the machine of the universe, as well as in each of its parts, but because by his special Providence he sustains and cares for everything he has made down to the smallest sparrow!

God claims omnipotence for himself, and wants us to acknowledge it. God's omnipotence is not futile, idle, and inactive as some theologians pretend, but caring, effective, energetic, and always active. It is not an omnipotence which can only serve as a general influence in uncertainty (like ordering a stream to stay inside a prescribed channel), but one which focuses on specific and definite events. God is accepted as omnipotent, not because he has power whether he acts or not, nor because by some general instinct he maintains the order of creation, but because, in controlling heaven and earth by his Providence, he so overrules everything that nothing happens without his approval.

The believer's comfort in trouble is that everything they endure is ordained and commanded by God and that they are in his hands. If God's rule is over all his works, we would be foolish to restrict it to the natural order of things. Those who keep God's Providence within narrow limits, as if he let everything be carried along by some constant law of nature, not only deny him his glory but deprive themselves of a valuable doctrine. Nothing could be more pathetic than the thought of man at the mercy of unpredictable elements.

Knowing that God is in control of his creation, and knowing he is always GOOD in all that he does and allows; this causes me to sleep well and to trust him in all circumstances, that everything he decides to do or allows is ultimately going to work toward his good purpose.

What Jesus Demands from the World

I got this new John Piper book in the mail yesterday and began reading it last night. So far it has grabbed me like no other Piper book since Desiring God (which I first read in 1996). The title of this one, What Jesus Demands from the World, is certainly provocative. Is it okay to say that Jesus makes demands of the whole world? Are his commands for all people everywhere? Yes. The premise is the fact that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Jesus, therefore he DOES have the right to demand things of all people in the world. Yes, his commands are for everyone. In the introduction there is a section I really enjoyed, in which Piper blatantly describes how he has carefully looked at, yet still passed over all other quests to find the "historical Jesus". This means that he assumes that the four Gospels are true, unified, and sufficient for describing what Jesus aims to accomplish in the world. "It also assumes that Jesus not only does things for us but also makes demands of us. And it assumes that Jesus has authority over everyone in the entire world regardless of their religion, gender, race, income, sexuality, nationality, or culture." (Mark Driscoll)

Piper says in the introduction, p. 26: "There are no exceptions. Jesus is not a tribal diety. All authority in the universe is His, and all creation owes its allegiance to Him." Yes, He does have the right to make demands of His creation. And His commands are not just for His disciples, but for all creatures because "He does demand that all people everywhere to be His disciples. That is the point of His final command: 'Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you' (Matthew 28:19-20)."

With the season of Advent upon us, and the meaning behind this season--the coming of the KING--this looks to be a good holiday read and an opportunity to develop even greater appreciation and admiration for King Jesus.

Library Sharing

Last Sunday morning I had an idea, and I was delighted to see that several people took me up on my offer. In the spirit of the first century Christians ...and all the believers were together and had everything in common... (Acts 2:44) I had this idea to share my library with my church family. I have many books that I have already read, and most of them just sit on my shelf. I do have several that I return to often for reference, but many of them I do not. So, in an effort to share what God has so graciously given me, I brought a bag full of books and sermons on CD for people to check out on a sharing basis.

There were still a few of the books and sermons left after last Sunday, so I thought I would post a couple of them here and tell you a little bit about them. From time to time I will add more books. I hope this is helpful to you. For anyone checking out my books and CDs I only ask that you respect others by not keeping them for an inordinate amount of time. One week should be plenty of time for a CD, and three weeks should be plenty for a book. Thank you! Enjoy my library!

Radical Reformission by Mark Driscoll is a fun read that makes very good sense for any church who has a high regard for the Gospel and a desire to allow it's power to transform a culture rather than catchy "relevant" ideas.

Driscoll defines his book as "a radical call for Christians and Christian churches to recommit to living and speaking the gospel, and to doing so regardless of the pressures to compromise the truth of the gospel or to conceal its power within the safety of the church" (page 20).

Driscoll describes how three powerful forces: gospel, church and culture, form a triangular relationship. Reformission begins with a return to Jesus who saves us by His grace and sends us to be missionaries to our world. Jesus has called us to "(1) the gospel (loving our Lord), (2) the culture (loving our neighbor), and (3) the church (loving our brother)". He claims that one of the main causes of the failure to fulfill our mission has come by being faithful to only one or two of these aspects while neglecting the others.

Consequently, Driscoll provides three formulas to show what happens when one of these areas is neglected:

• Gospel + Culture - Church = Parachurch
• Culture + Church - Gospel = Liberalism
• Church + Gospel - Culture = Fundamentalism

Driscoll claims that Reformission gathers the best aspects of each of these types of Christianity: "living in the tension of being Christian and churches who are culturally liberal yet theologically conservative and who are driven by the gospel of grace to love their Lord, brothers, and neighbors. This book focuses on issues related to the scriptural content of the gospel and the cultural context of its ministry, and I write out of my sincere love as a pastor for Christians, churches, lost people, and culture" (page 22).

Chosen By God by R.C. Sproul is one of the most insightful and influential books I have read in recent days, and it is only 213 pages! Because of the widespread confusion, fear, and ignorance of the doctrines of grace and God's election, "many people have recognized Chosen By God as the main resource that profoundly shifted their attention to an understanding of the predestining grace of God. Sproul shows how election is entirely compatible with human freedom, dignity, and responsibilty. Chosen by God shows why all serious Christians cannot afford to ignore this important biblical doctrine, but instead should embrace God's initiative in Salvation." (www.monergism.com)

If you are still thinking through and giving some of your personal study time to understanding election and God's Sovereignty, then this book would provide you with some practical help. It is very easy to read, and I suspect would be a rather quick read for most people.

~~~~~~~~~~

I will stop for now with those two. Be sure to check out the "Chris' Library" table on Sunday.

Book Recommendation

Confessions of a Reformission Rev.
by Mark Driscoll

In this book Mark Driscoll recounts many of the stories from the first years of his church planting experience and summarizes the stages of growth along the way, from having 0 people to having over 4,000 people. Driscoll is the lead planter of Mars Hill Church in Seattle and founder of Acts 29 Network of church planters, which has assisted in over 60 church plants in the United States and abroad in the last six years. This book is gut-wrenchingly hilarious, raw, and honest. The insight Mark brings to young churches who are still in their early years of life (like ours) is very rich and valuable. We will be ordering a few copies of this book for the Oasis Bookstore, and you can purchase one at our Sunday gathering.

I began reading the book on our flight back from Orlando last week, and I couldn’t put it down. A couple of times April was falling asleep next to me and I would begin laughing out loud and wake her up and say, "Here, read from this line down to this line." Over and over again she got to read pieces of the funniest stories. Here is a sample excerpt of one of the stories that made us laugh. It comes from the chapter when they were between 75–150 people.

During the summer, we continued our midweek outdoor Bible study but moved it to a new park just off a waterway that was heavily trafficked by boaters. People sat on a grassy area under a large totem pole, while the band and I stood on a dock. It was a beautiful setting with boats passing by and the sun setting over Lake Washington. We baptized new converts in the water while everyone cheered.

The only problem ended up being the boaters. I could not see what was going on behind me because my back was to the water while I was teaching. During our first meeting, our people kept waving at boaters who passed by, which was annoying but kind of cute. One evening a few weeks into the study, no one was looking at me while I taught, and everyone had troubled looks on their faces. I turned around to see a bunch of frat guys with their shorts around their ankles, mooning my church as what was apparently one of their dad’s boats passed by. It was tough to preach with a backdrop of hairy heinies.

A few weeks later, I again noticed that no one was looking at me while I preached and turned around to see a few well-endowed young women passing by on a boat, lifting up their shirts like Mardi Gras princesses as they flashed our Bible study. I used the moment to say something about choosing the location because of its natural beauty but not anticipating that much natural beauty and went on to say something about total depravity and how only in our city could we be flashed at a Bible study.

Here are the chapter headings for the book:

1. Jesus, Our Offering Was $137 and I Want to Use It to Buy Bullets
   0-45 People
2. Jesus, If Anyone Else Calls My House, I May Be Seeing You Real Soon
   45-75 People
3. Jesus, Satan Showed Up and I Can’t Find My Cup
   75-150 People
4. Jesus, Could You Please Rapture the Charismaniac Lady Who Brings Her Tambourine to Church?
   150-350 People
5. Jesus, Why Am I Getting Fatter and Meaner?
   350-1,000 People
6. Jesus, Today We Voted to Take a Jackhammer to Your Big Church
   1,000-4,000 People
7. Jesus, We’re Loading Our Squirt Guns to Charge Hell Again
   4,000-10,000 People

Revisiting Revolution

Back in October I posted this article in response to George Barna's new book, Revolution. I had read the first few chapters and was excited to see that one of the leading church trend analysts of our time had discovered what so many people had been trying to say, and trying to explain about how they feel regarding their church experiences. Within the first few pages I was captured by his recognition of some of the thoughts of what he calls "revolutionaries" of the faith. For instance, I posted these paragraphs from chapter 2, stating my agreement of Barna's presuppositions:

As we journey together, I want to show you what our research has uncovered regarding a growing sub-nation of people, already well over 20 million strong, who are what we call Revolutionaries.

What "established systems" are they seeking to "overthrow or repudiate" and "thoroughly replace," in Webster's words (defining the word "revolutionary")?

They have no use for churches that play religious games, whether those games are worship services that drone on without the presence of God or ministry programs that bear no spiritual fruit. Revolutionaries eschew ministries that compromise or soft sell our sinful nature to expand organizational turf. They refuse to follow people in ministry leadership positions who cast a personal vision rather than God's, who seek popularity rather than the proclamation of truth in their public statements, or who are more concerned about their own legacy than that of Jesus Christ. They refuse to donate one more dollar to man-made monuments that mark their own achievements and guarantee their place in history. They are unimpressed by accredited degrees and endowed chairs in Christian colleges and seminaries that produce young people incapable of defending the Bible or unwilling to devote their lives to serving others. And Revolutionaries are embarrassed by language that promises Christian love and holiness but turns out to be all sizzle and no substance.

I still agree with the heart of what Barna is saying. But since I posted such elation at the premise for the book in October, I wanted to follow up (now that I have read it cover to cover) on some of the definitive statements he made later in the book, with which I am not on board. For instance, in chapter 7 he is speaking about why there is a shift away from the "congregational" church, but to what "kind" of church are these new generations of Christians shifting? Here's what he says on page 62 about why the shift is taking place:

Perhaps the major reasons are people's insistence on choices and their desire to have customized experiences. The issue of choice is remaking many facets of modern experience.

And on page 64:

Now its virtually impossible to craft a "typical" spiritual pattern, especially among people under the age of 40. Growing numbers of young adults, teenagers, and even adolescents are piecing together spiritual elements they deem worthwhile, constituting millions of personalized "church" models.

And Barna's "solution" on page 66:

Ultimately, we expect to see believers choosing from a proliferation of options, weaving together a set of favored alternatives into a unique tapestry that constitutes the personal "church" of the individual.

Hmmm... Now here is where I have to disagree. The last thing this culture needs is the encouragement to create your own unique tapestry of church based on personal experience. The last thing we need is to promote more individualism. Barna offers the personalized, individualistic church as an alternative to the "congregational" church.

Maybe he misunderstood something in his analysis and study of the "don't go to church, be the church" language we speak. When we say those words we DON'T mean stop congregating with people and instead create your own personal Jesus experience without any oversight, leadership, or accountability.

I do believe that Barna was not prescribing what we should do, but his primary focus was to describe certain passions that are cultivated by a "revolutionary". However, his apparent indifference toward whether or not you are in a congregational or a personalized church as long as the passions are cultivated is not something I can endorse as a "be the church" mindset. The underlying view of individualism as the book continues on unfortunately distorts the passions he describes in the opening chapters.

Now, having said that, I want to conclude by saying that I think critics of Barna's book have missed an important point by throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Yes, there is some bathwater in the book, which should be thrown out. But there is also a baby.

I listened to a broadcast the other day on Moody Bible Institute's Open Line radio where Bryan Liftin and David Wells discussed Revolution and took phone calls for 55 minutes. It was that broadcast that actually prompted this post. I felt that these guys had some good things to say, but they missed some of the major points of Barna's book because they were too upset about his prognosis about people leaving congregational church to create a personal church. They spent most of their time defending the institution of the church, but then took callers who agreed with their defense, yet were not connected with a congregational church at the time because of one of the burnouts Barna describes in his book. Irony.

So I still think his book is worth reading. The fact is, many people are feeling the way he describes. But there are better alternatives we can offer than what Barna prescribes. The fact is, the gospel of Jesus Christ creates community, not individualism. The question "revolutionaries" need to ask themselves is this, "Am I created for community, or is community created for me?"

I don't think it is possible to truly understand the Christian life until we remove the first-person singular pronouns from our dominant ways of thinking and living. It is not about "me", "I", and "my" way of thinking and doing church. It is about God. Period. And God is about living and loving others in Christian community. We often use the term "family" to describe our Christian community--the church. If this is true, and the church really is a family, then one of the most fundamental elements we must recognize in being a family is that you don't get to pick your relatives. But you DO have them.

Now, to go back to Barna's thesis. It's when the church loses it's identity as a family, and becomes more of a corporation that causes the revolutionary spirit to rise up.

So am I backtracking on my original post regarding the book? Not really. Just clarifying some things. Perhaps this is just a second reaction to the book that is balancing out my first. It's always good to revisit.

Wayne Jacobsen also has some balanced thoughts on the book here.

Talking About a Revolution

For nearly five years now I have been speaking a certain language, using certain phrases and metaphors. And I found that to a great number of people I sounded like I was speaking a foreign language, and uttering non-sensible phrases, and using unrealistic metaphors. While it has been an exhilarating journey, it has sometimes been a frustrating one, and sometimes a lonely one.

Yet still, a few of you have understood. In fact, you speak the language also. You live the metaphors. I am thankful to have found a fellowship of believers in Jesus who understand. You GET it! When I say "you GET IT", it's not that we are better, or more enlightened than others. That's one of the most difficult things to try to convey. We're not separatists. We're not anti-institution. We're not a lot of things that people assume we are. One of our greatest characteristics over the last few years has probably been "misunderstood". We are a "misunderstood" bunch.

What am I talking about? I am talking about anyone who has embraced the notion that it's time to STOP GOING TO CHURCH, and to START BEING THE CHURCH. If all of our opportunities to GO to church were removed from us, we would not cease to BE the Church. In 2002 when God began to strip away everything I understood about Church, and Church life, I began emphatically saying things like, "Church is not a building. Church is not a program. Church is not a place you go. Church is not a meeting. Church is YOU. And wherever you, the people who are called 'children of God' and lovers of Jesus, happen to be at any given moment... THERE you are the Church!"

In fact, I said these things so much that some people got sick of me. Some of my very dear friends walked away from me. They thought I was going nutty. And perhaps thought I was going to plant a church that would never have a Sunday meeting, or a building, or any kind of normal organizational structure like we're used to having in the church. How could such a thing even exist?! Function?!

Well, four years later I am still at it. Yes, we have some recognizable organizational structures. Yes, we have meetings. But I submit that who we are is STILL not about any of those things. And I would be willing and ready to have any of them taken away in an instant. Yes, I am serious.

I am dead serious. Because to me, church still is not about any of those things. It's about LIFE. LIVING as Jesus LIVED, and LOVING as Jesus LOVED. And to be quite honest, we can all do that without any of the luxuries we enjoy that make up our church structures. If we can't, then we are not real disciples. Yep, I said it. Should I "nice" it up a little? Okay, we may be disciples. But we are weak and immature if our Christian life is defined by things such as a church attendance, programs, buildings, or meetings. How's that?

This past week a friend of mine sent me a link to the book you see above, "Revolution" by George Barna. Besides the link, his email had only one short paragraph. It said something like this: DING! DING! DING! DING! Finally folks, we have a winner!!! Someone who is recognized and even well-known by the mainstream organized Church is saying what you've been trying to proclaim for over four years now.

And he's going to make all the money off of it. : ) Just kidding.

The fact is, I am not the only one who has been saying it. That's the reason for Barna's book. Barna is a research analyst. He watches trends for months, even years, then reports what he predicts is happening (and will happen) in the world and the church. If you've ever read any of his other books, he is quite accurate in his assessments.

This new book is describing my faith. My Church. My hunger. To LIVE, and to BE. And to leave behind all the tired structures that hinder BEING the Church. Here's a brief excerpt from chapter two:

As we journey together, I want to show you what our research has uncovered regarding a growing sub-nation of people, already well over 20 million strong, who are what we call Revolutionaries.

What "established systems" are they seeking to "overthrow or repudiate" and "thoroughly replace," in Webster's words (defining the word "revolutionary")?

They have no use for churches that play religious games, whether those games are worship services that drone on without the presence of God or ministry programs that bear no spiritual fruit. Revolutionaries eschew ministries that compromise or soft sell our sinful nature to expand organizational turf. They refuse to follow people in ministry leadership positions who cast a personal vision rather than God's, who seek popularity rather than the proclamation of truth in their public statements, or who are more concerned about their own legacy than that of Jesus Christ. They refuse to donate one more dollar to man-made monuments that mark their own achievements and guarantee their place in history. They are unimpressed by accredited degrees and endowed chairs in Christian colleges and seminaries that produce young people incapable of defending the Bible or unwilling to devote their lives to serving others. And Revolutionaries are embarrassed by language that promises Christian love and holiness but turns out to be all sizzle and no substance.

Barna explains in chapter five about how the spiritual landscape of our country is drastically changing as we speak. Even as we entered the twenty-first century, the "local church" was the focus of most people's spiritual lives. But even in five years that number is radically changing, and Barna predicts that by year 2025 we will see a much, much different spiritual landscape. Our spiritual landscape refers to the way people are most likely to experience and express their faith. Just five years later, in 2005, we have already seen a significant transformation taking place.

I suppose the reason I write this article is to relate my elation at the coming of this book. I believe it will do wonders to help explain what so many people are doing these days. It will help people better understand Oasis Christian Fellowship of southeastern Ohio. We are different. You have a very different kind of pastor than most churches have. This book will help them to see why. You have a much different mindset when it comes to "church attendance" and living your life structured around the church and it's many programs, versus living your life structured around Jesus and out in the community. This book will help them see why.

This book will help. Where traditional church leaders think I am off my rocker, George Barna might be able to get them to scratch their head and consider otherwise. You see what I mean? They respect Barna. They trust Barna. They might even BELIEVE Barna.

Because what Barna is saying is, "Watch out!" These Revolutionaries are everywhere. And they are leaving your churches. And sadly, so many church leaders are chalking them all up to "backsliding" or "sheep stealing" or simply walking out on Jesus. But nothing could be further from the truth. They have simply chosen to BE THE CHURCH because they are sick and tired of merely GOING to church.

This book is quite possibly the best description of this web site to date. I wish I could say that I had written it. But congrats to Barna. He beat me to the punch. Thanks George, for helping me explain who I am.

Why Men Hate Going to Church

Yesterday I ordered this book and I am looking forward to reading it in preparation for our Oasis Men's Basic Training that will begin on October 2. The lack of men involved in fellowship across the United States has become sort of an epidemic that is easily seen in a variety of Christian circles. Campus Ministries have noticed it. Churches have noticed it. Small groups have noticed it. Youth groups have noticed it. Where are the men???

I have some suspicions. I'm looking forward to seeing if they are similar to what Mr. Murrow writes.

Facedown Worship With My Son

Yesterday at our worship gathering my son asked me if he could buy this book from the Oasis Bookstore. I said, "Sure. Would you like me to read it to you at night before bedtime?" He then responded, "You can if you want, but I'm going to read it first."

He thinks he's big stuff right now because he's the top reader in his Kindergarten class. He does read well for a six-year-old. And last night, as I understand, he read the first two pages of Matt Redman's book by himself. Tonight he'll read some and then I'll read some. I've heard it is a very good read. I know it's been inspiring to several Oasis people.

followers, not admirers

This morning I was reading more thoughts from Soren Kierkegaard. I liked these:

It is well known that Christ consistently used the expression "follower." He never asks for admirers, worshipers, or adherents. No, he calls disciples. It is not adherents of a teaching but followers of a life Christ is looking for.

Christ understood that being a "disciple" was in innermost and deepest harmony with what he said about himself. Christ claimed to be the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). For this reason, he could never be satisfied with adherents who accepted his teaching - especially with those who in their lives ignored it or let things take their usual course. His whole life on earth, from beginning to end, was destined solely to have followers and to make admirers impossible.

Christ came into the world with the purpose of saving, not instructing it. At the same time - as implied in his saving work - he came to be the pattern, to leave footprints for the person who would join him, who would become a follower. This is why Christ was born and lived and died in lowliness. It is absolutely impossible for anyone to sneak away from the Pattern with excuse and evasion on the basis that it, after all, possessed earthly and worldly advantages that he did not have. In that sense, to admire Christ is the false invention of a later age, aided by the presumption of "loftiness." No, there is absolutely nothing to admire in Jesus, unless you want to admire poverty, misery, and contempt.

What then, is the difference between an admirer and a follower? A follower is or strives to be what he admires. An admirer, however, keeps himself personally detached. He fails to see that what is admired involves a claim upon him, and thus he fails to be or strive to be what he admires.