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Faith

5 Shifts Churches Must Make To Stay Alive

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

The ability to shift and change directions comes natural to certain people. Barry Sanders. Lebron James. Wes Welker. Me (when I play against the pre-school kids). I love watching shifty guys play. Now imagine this. Barry Sanders has no defenders between him and the goal line. A clear path. Then he starts juking, spinning, and shifting. What?! “Stop shifting around Barry. Run straight.”

Shiftiness is only valuable when not doing so results in problems. A defender in your path. A car in your lane. Otherwise, it is absurd to do anything but continue going straight. But when an obstacle stands in your path, failure to shift or change results in something less than ideal.

For years, this was the church. We had the breakaway and the only thing we needed to do was run straight. No reason to shift. We were the center of culture. People came to us. But today, the church has moved to the periphery. There are now obstacles in the way of our mission, and without shifting we will be tackled before we reach the goal line. We are now the vehicle that is dangerously close to striking an obstacle. We need to shift.

But today, the church has moved to the periphery. There are obstacles in the way of our mission, and without shifting we will be tackled shy of the goal line. Here are the facts:

The next generation is the largest in history (estimates of 80 million), and roughly 3 out of 10 claim no affiliation with Jesus.

The fastest growing religious group in our culture is…”none.” (there is a great article about that here).

Take a look at these words that were presented to non-Christians as potential descriptors of Christianity, along with the percentage of people that affirm them (you can find these stats in James Emery White’s book, The Rise of the Nones).

anti-homosexual (91%)

judgmental (87%) 

hypocritical (85%)

too involved in politics (75%)

insensitive to others (70%)

It is time to pump the breaks and turn the wheel. The church is in desperate need of a shift. So, I want to propose five shifts churches must make to remain relevant and alive in the years to come.

1.) From shouting on the mountaintop to immersing in the culture.

I wrote about this in previous posts, but some things need to be repeated. And repeated. You get the idea. The days of the church trash talking the culture from the mountaintop are done. The days of us standing in the distance while the hurting and broken come to us are over. The church no longer has this luxury (if luxury is even the right word).

It is time to stop yelling and start embracing. It is time to stop condemning and start loving. Too many disillusioned church leaders yell at the evil culture and wonder why their church isn’t attracting non-Christians.

Instead of telling homosexuals and drunkards they are going to hell, we need to get to know them. And here is the madness in all this…what I am proposing is not revolutionary. This was the ministry of Jesus. He went to people. Jesus didn’t huddle up and wait for people to come knocking. He went to them and instructed his disciples to do the same.

Churches that remain relevant and alive in the years to come will realize they must come down from the mountain. No one is listening. Once the trek down is complete, these churches must immerse in the culture and show the world the transforming love of God relationally.

It will be messy. It will be hard. It will be time-consuming. Better leave your three piece suit at home.

2.) From old to young.

The shift is taking place now. A new generation is seeking a role and a place at the table. And, sadly, many people are resistant to this shift. Yes, the next generation has problems. Those are well documented. But if a problem-free group of people is what the church is expecting, let’s all agree to shut this thing down now. Stop wasting one another’s time.

Here is the reality. No one will be here forever. If older generations don’t invest in younger ones, the church will be dead in this country by the time they are gone. The next generation can’t lead without the wisdom and guidance of those ahead of them. We need you older generations. Step up. Show the next generation how to lead. Prepare them to take the keys to the church after your departure.

We need you older generations. Step up. Show the next generation how to lead. Prepare us how to take the keys to the church after your departure.

Churches alive and relevant in the coming years will be celebrate passing the baton to the next generation. These churches must create space at the table for the next generation now. It is time for the church to stop saying “future of the church” as it relates to the next generation. The future is now.

3.) From cruise ship to tugboat.

[pullquote cite=”Dave Clayton” type=”left”]In a culture rapidly changing, to be anything but mobile is nothing short of a death sentence.[/pullquote]Cruise ships are immaculate. They are enormous. But cruise ships are almost impossible to turn. Flashback to the Titanic. Glacier…not able to maneuver around it…tragedy. Many churches today are similar to cruise ships. We have built immaculate buildings on large campuses. Meanwhile, we reside in a culture that is constantly shifting and changing. So many churches have so much invested in their building it is impossible to entertain conversations about changing or getting away from traditional church settings and programs. We must meet at the building because half of our weekly budget goes to fund it. This is a problem.

Meanwhile, we reside in a culture that is shifting and changing. Many churches have so much invested in their building it is impossible to entertain conversations about changing or getting away from traditional church settings and programs. We must meet at the building because half of our weekly budget goes to fund it. This is a problem.

Many churches today are similar to cruise ships. We have built immaculate buildings on large campuses. Meanwhile, we reside in a culture constantly shifting and changing. Many churches have so much invested in their building it is impossible to entertain conversations about changing or getting away from traditional church settings and programs. We must meet at the building because half of our weekly budget goes to fund it. This is a problem.

But what about a tugboat? Small. Powerful. Maneuverable. The churches that stay alive in the years to come are the ones who work to become smaller, not larger. They will work to get away from a single location. Why? The world is constantly shifting and the church needs to be able to shift too.

[tweet_box design=”default”]Churches alive in the years to come will work to become smaller, not larger.[/tweet_box]

Tugboats do this well. Cruise ships do not.

4.) From defending traditions to proclaiming Jesus.

[tweet_box design=”default”]If the mission isn’t at the top of the pyramid, the church won’t impact the culture.[/tweet_box]

[pullquote cite=”Mark Galli” type=”left”]The most needful and difficult task of the church today is to again preach the message of the Cross, and do so in a way that alarms, surprises, scandalizes, challenges, invigorates, and inspires a 21st-century world.[/pullquote]Hop in a plane to North Korea (that’s not possible) or parts of China and the middle east. While there, make a note of how many people are talking about which denomination has the Scriptural stranglehold over everyone else. You probably won’t here many of those conversations. The reason is lives are on the line, and meaningless conversations have no space in their day. It is about Jesus, and getting his name out to those around them.

The truth is nothing other than Jesus transforms lives. Nothing. So, conversations aside from the transformative power of the gospel are extra. Traditions are extra. Denominations are extra. Jesus is essential.

Churches relevant in the years to come will adopt this type of mentality. They will stop trying to defend their position and traditions at the expense of spreading the gospel. Their denominational preferences will fall if it means more people are transformed by the gospel. They will preach the cross because the cross changes lives.

Everything else is extra.

5.) From serving in the walls to missional outside the walls 

I am not the missional expert, but I know this…missional is NOT giving somebody a list of volunteer opportunities in the church. For years, when someone was baptized or a new family moved in, the first question was, “How can we get them involved in our church?” The focus has been involvement in the life of the body. This is good, and the church should not completely abandon volunteering in the church.

But let’s go back to the culture. Non-Christians are not coming to the building anymore. So, here is a legitimate question, “Are we creating sideways energy by trying to plug new members into the life of the church and not the life of the culture?” I contend we are.

[Tweet “It is sideways energy to plug new members into the church and not into the culture?”]

Churches relevant in the years to come will train members to be missional. These churches will align passions and gifts with the work of God in the world. They will expand involvement outside the church walls. Where gifts align with making God known to the world…sparks comes that will ignite the world for God’s glory. Find your gifts. Find your niche. Then light the world on fire.

Find your gifts. Find your niche. Then light the world on fire.

_____________________________

Are there shifts or changes you think the church needs to make moving forward? Leave a comment below.

I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!

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Faith

Evangelism Clouds The Great Commission…And How To Fix It

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

The Great Commission. A phrase we have adopted to describe the mission Jesus left for his followers. It sounds like an awesome mission (and it is), but I have struggled for years to understand the meaning of discipleship. Unfortunately, the church often serves to muddle the situation. Let’s be clear: we have a mission on this earth, and our mission is to make disciples. You and I will be held accountable for how we carried out our mission. This is not something to be taken lightly.

And I believe most Christians believe Jesus intends for us to take the mission seriously, but we have no clue what it means or what it looks like practically. It either seems too confusing or too daunting. Believe me, I am with you. For many, trying to get a firm grasp on discipleship is about as easy as trying to make your tongue touch your nose (if you want to waste a few minutes of your life, give it a try).

So, I want to make a few points about discipleship that might serve to clear the water a bit. Let’s do it.

1.) Understand discipleship is the ultimate mission…not evangelism.

We need to start here…as followers of Jesus, we must break down the stigma that says if the person we are mentoring or teaching does not get baptized, we have failed. Making disciples includes those who know Jesus and those who do not. It can take place in entirely Christians contexts (like Christian schools), and it can occur in entirely non-Christian contexts. Young Christians need more mature Christians to model and teach for them new and greater truths about God. Those who do not know Jesus need people to model for them the redeeming power of Jesus. Both are important. There is not one way to make disciples. It looks different for each person because each person is unique. Our ultimate goal is not to ensure we baptize people or even get them to a certain spiritual maturity, the goal is to show them Jesus. David Platt said it this way:

Our goal is not to manipulate decisions…our goal is to make disciples.

Let’s not forget this truth: WE do not straighten up lives. We do not transform people. God handles that. Our goal is to be present in whatever situation God places us. This means we don’t focus on the outcomes as much as we focus on being present. Your job might be to plant the seed. Your job might be to simply speak a kind word or begin the process of turning somebody towards God. Your role might be to evangelize (preach the gospel), but your role might also be to feed the homeless, rescue the orphan, or care for the widow. One is not more important than the other.

Primarily, we are ministers of reconciliation. We are redeemers. We have been called by God to step into brokenness and restore it by the power of the Spirit working through us.

When we begin to look at people only as souls that need to be saved from eternal damnation instead of broken people that need holistic redemption, we will start to objectify people and view them as projects.

This is the danger of seeing evangelism as the ultimate mission. It creates a dangerous mentality where we have no real concern with restoring lives. When people do not “get down” with the five steps, we kick them to the curb. When people do “get down” with the five steps, we add another mark on the tally board. Even before we get them out of the water, we have moved on to our next “project.” Either way, this is objectification.

Discipleship is walking with people. Being present in brokenness. Speaking life with our conversations. Constantly trying to model Jesus with our actions. Refusing to go away because our homosexual neighbor refuses to take the trajectory we have mapped out for him or her. Refusing to write off our co-worker because he or she turned down our invitation for a Bible study. This is discipleship. This is our mission.

Do we always baptize? No, but when we do, we party like it’s 1999 (for the glory of God, of course), and we continue to walk with our new brother or sister in Christ. We have a responsibility, but the responsibility is not to evangelize and baptize the world. Evangelism and baptism will flow from fulfilling the ultimate mission: making disciples. The responsibility we have is to be Jesus and show the character and nature of God to every person we encounter.

But this presents a problem for many people. I can feel the tension the previous few paragraphs have created as you read. Tension is good. Let’s keep going. The next point builds on the first.

2.) Be intentional.

Remember we now live in a culture where people are not walking into our doors every Sunday asking us if we will tell them about Jesus. Before the rise of the Millennials, discipleship predominantly played itself out inside the church building. People were coming to the church building because they were broken and looking for something. If you invited somebody to come to worship on Sunday, the response was favorable. Programs and activities were geared towards bringing people to the building because Christianity stood at the center of the culture.

In 2014, the game has changed. Christianity is on the periphery of culture now. Yes, there are exceptions, but generally speaking, people are not beating down the doors of our building and they are not overly receptive to attending a worship service with us. But there is something that has not changed…people are still broken and looking for something.

As long as we are living in this world, there will be people who are broken and looking for something to fill the void.

So, how do we step into the brokenness of people’s lives in 2014? One word: intentionality. From the moment we open our eyes in the morning, we put on the lenses of Jesus, and we move through our day with the lenses on. There is NEVER a moment where we put down our guard. Every conversation, every relationship, every encounter, every e-mail, every text message, and every social media post is an opportunity for us to show God to other people. Without intentionality, our jobs, marriages, relationships, etc. terminate on themselves. We view our job as a means to make money. We use our time at the ball field as an opportunity to watch our children or spouse. When we allow our days to terminate on themselves, making disciples is impossible.

Which brings us to point 3.

3.) Weave gospel threads.

This idea was first brought to my attention by David Platt when I went to Secret Church a few months ago. He made a statement that resonated with me and has forced me to re-think how discipleship works itself out in my daily life:

[tweet_box design=”default”]Many Christians say they believe in God but speak about their jobs, marriages, successes, failures etc. like an atheist.[/tweet_box]

Here is what he meant. If God is actually present and active in our lives everyday, why are we not talking about Him? Why are we not attributing our successes to Him? Why are we not mentioning God in our conversations? Is it not true that everything we are and every situation we find ourselves in is solely a result of God working in and through us? We need to make God’s name and character known to a world that is looking for something. Why would our co-workers, school mates, etc. be drawn to God if we never mention Him in our conversations?

This is what I believe making disciples looks like in 2014. We weave gospel threads into every situation and every conversation. We find opportunities to give God glory for what is happening in our lives. We talk about the sustaining presence and power of God during difficult times. We don’t leave other people to guess who is at the center of our lives.

When we go eat at restaurants, we pray for our waiters/waitresses. When we go to coffee shops, we look for opportunities to mention Jesus in conversation. At our place of work, we mention the name of Jesus as often as possible. Not because we are trying to give off some “holier than thou” persona, but because we acknowledge God is our source of strength, our reason for existence, our creator, our sustainer, our provider, our source of comfort during hard times, and the reason for our joy, peace, hope. We can’t help but speak about Him!

The more gospel threads we weave in our lives, the more opportunities we will have to share Jesus directly with other people. The more opportunities we will have to directly step into the brokenness of the world and be the restorers God has saved us to be.  People are still looking for something, and when they see that we have that “something,” they will eventually come asking.

________________________

I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!

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Faith

Stop Riding The Cultural Current…God Expects More

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

IF YOU ARE NOT INTENTIONAL ABOUT MOVING TOWARDS GOD, YOU WILL GRAVITATE TOWARDS YOURSELF.

So, what does it mean to be intentional with God? I remember when I used to go to the water park growing up. One of my favorite things to do was ride on the lazy river. You know what I am talking about. You just jump on top of a donut shaped “floatie-raft-thing,” and do nothing. Just ride the current. It is easy, relaxing, and requires me to expend zero energy. It is awesome.

Now, it is great to ride the current of the lazy river at a waterpark, but it is extremely alarming when we just sit back and ride the current of our surrounding culture. To be intentional with God means we get out of our “floatie-raft-thing” and start moving against the current with all of our might. You see, riding the current requires no change and requires me to expend zero energy. I just ride along. Pushing against the current requires I take certain measures. You can’t just ride against the current. This is what it means to be intentional.

ARE YOU RIDING THE CURRENT OR PUSHING BACK AGAINST IT? THE ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION GOES ALONG WAY IN DETERMINING WHETHER YOU ARE GRAVITATING TOWARDS GOD OR GRAVITATING TOWARDS YOUR OWN SELFISH DESIRES.

But how do we intentionally draw near to God and push back against the current? Well, the good thing is there are many ways to be intentional with God, but the bad news is we have to actually expend some energy and DO something. With that being said, I am going to highlight a few important ways followers of Jesus can get out of the “floatie-raft-thing” and swim against the cultural current. Here we go.

1.) Do radical things for God.

The mundanity of life is a two-sided coin. On the one side, God is certainly glorified in every detail of life, even the seemingly insignificant. We must never lose sight of this reality. But the flip side of the coin is this…the mundanity of life often draws us into its orbit and prevents us from ever stepping out in faith for God. Most of the world shuns stepping out of the comfort zone or giving away large amounts of money or sacrificing time for God. Just ride the current.

I have seen this so often in my own life. I get in the groove and start to lose focus on my purpose and mission. I get caught up in just doing another day’s work. Days turn into weeks and weeks turn into years. Nothing out of the ordinary ever happens. What is surprising to me, however, is this…every time I change environments, my focus shifts back to divine matters. I look for opportunities to share with people. I look for opportunities to use my day to the glory of God. This shift reminds me that the mundanity of life has a tendency to draw me into its orbit and take off the lenses of Jesus.

As followers of Jesus, we must be intentional everyday about looking for opportunities to show Jesus to the world. This is not to say mundane activities are bad or evil. It does mean, however, that we must never allow mundaneness to drown out our focus and vision on the lost and hurting. It is time for us to start putting on the lenses of Jesus. Each day is an opportunity to show Jesus to a world that desperately needs him. Step out in faith. Stop riding the current.

2.) Take your relationship with God seriously.

Relationships require time and effort to be meaningful and life-giving. No worthwhile relationship has come to fruition without these two things. We invest in relationships with our spouse. We invest in relationships with our children. We invest in relationships with our friends and co-workers. So, tell me, how much do you invest in your relationship with God? Why do we not have an insatiable desire to ferociously pursue a God that is ferociously pursuing us? I am honestly wanting to know. Why do my daily activities supersede my relationship with God? Why do I allow temporary, insignificant things to take up more of my day than significant, eternal things?

If God is who He says He is, investing towards our relationship with God should be more important than the investments we make in all the other relationships we have…combined. Most Christians, however, never take seriously their relationship with God. Reading the truth of God through His word is something that is good, but it is not necessarily something we need to do that often. Spending time in prayer is a good thing, but it is not necessarily something we have to do every day. Maybe once a day in the morning, but that’s it.

Moving against the current means we take our relationship with God infinitely more serious than any other relationship we have. We invest in our relationship with God. We devote time to our relationship with God. We value our relationship with God. Not because we want God to do something for us, but because he is the Almighty God of the universe whose love for you has no depth.

Stop being passive or neutral about your relationship with God. Your Creator desires a passionate, intimate relationship with YOU. Ferociously draw near to Him!

3.) Take the mission seriously.

The Great Commission is to make disciples, yet most Christians do not look at The Great Commission as a command. Most Christians view making disciples as optional. “Hey, that’s a great suggestion, Jesus. I tell you what…if I have some extra time throughout the course of the day, I will try to make some disciples. But if life gets busy, I know you will understand if I put it on the back burner.”

If we are going to push back against the cultural current, our mission must be CENTRAL to everything we do. It must be central to EVERY decision…EVERY action…EVERY thought.

4.) Cut activities and entertainment from your life that are not glorifying God.

This is where I will lose some of you. Up to this point, most of you have probably been saying, “Preach it, Frank.” But this one is going to hit close to home. Like maybe in the gut. I only know because it hits me there often. Listen, I am not advocating sitting at home on your couch and never leaving the house or never turning on the tv or owning a smartphone, but we are greatly deceived if we believe God is pleased with many of our entertainment choices. We often watch, listen to, or pay a premium price to go see movies that glorify all types of sin. Listen to what Kevin DeYoung said recently:

“Are we any different than our culture? Have we made a false peace with ourselves whereby we have said, we won’t do the things you do or be as sensual as you are, but we will gladly watch you do them for us?”

Again, I am not advocating abstaining from all forms of media, but are we really so deceived that we believe we are free to watch and listen to whatever we would like, as long as it is in the name of entertainment? My family has two filters that we use when making decisions about media. I will quickly give them to you.

FILTER #1: Flee entertainment that exalts, glamorizes, or makes light of sin.

“Sin by itself is not the problem. The Bible is full of rank immorality…but the Bible never dulls the conscience by making sin look normal and righteousness look strange.” -Kevin DeYoung

Think about the shows you watch, the movies you see, the music you listen to, etc.? What are those things glamorizing or exalting? Here is the thing: we cannot avoid sin. It is unbiblical to say you cannot watch or see a movie or show because the movie or show has sin in it. The Bible is saturated with heinous, despicable acts of sin against God. Sin is not the issue. Here is the issue. Glamorization and exaltation of sin. The Bible NEVER glorifies sin. The Bible NEVER makes light of sin. THE BIBLE NEVER PAINTS VICE WITH VIRTUOUS COLORS. The same can’t be said about much of the media we consume. You are deceived if you believe it does not have an impact on you.

FILTER #2: If you would not do it yourself, you should not watch it or listen to it.

Let me show you how desensitized we have become. Tell me this…would you allow a half naked guy or girl to walk into your house so you could stare at them for three hours? THAT WOULD BE ABSURD. Would you allow a couple to have sex in your house in front of you? Oh, wait a minute. Most of the movies we watch do not actually SHOW any nudity. Alright, would allow two people to come into your house and make sexual innuendoes, moving around under the sheets and making strange noises? STILL PROBABLY A NO. So how is it any different when somebody records it and we watch it? The answer is they are no different. We can try to justify it if we want, but the reality never stays the same…it is no different. We have become numb to the venom we are ingesting.

Let me challenge you to stop riding the current and start swimming upstream. Be counter-cultural. Be intentional. Be different. Intentionality is the catalyst for transformation. Intentionality is essential for an intimate, meaningful relationship with God. He deserves NOTHING less than everything we have. And most importantly…if we fail to be intentional about drawing near to God, we will only create a stronger force field around our own lives.

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Faith

10 Statements Christians Need To Stop Saying: Part 2

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

So, here we go with round 2 of statements Christians need to stop saying. Let’s not waste any time. Here are the top 5.

5.) Love the sinner/hate the sin

I think I understand the premise of this statement, but I also think we are fooling ourselves if we say we really believe this. “Love the sinner/hate the sin” is a more subtle form of judgement. We think you are wrong for your actions. Let’s take homosexuals for example (I most often hear this statement used in the context of homosexuals). Do you really love the sinner but hate the sin? How many homosexuals are you friends with? Would they be welcome at your church? If you really loved the sinner, but hated the sin, would you not reach out to some of them and befriend them?

Seriously, in how many contexts is this statement used? We only use it for the “serious” sins. Pornography, adultery, homosexuality, murder, rape. Ever heard it used to describe lying or greed or stealing? Me neither. Maybe this should tell us something about the intent of this statement.

4.) Unspoken prayer request

I need to make a confession…I have never prayed for an unspoken prayer request. People post these all the time on Facebook, and I always wonder why. Here is the deal…I want to know what you need me to petition to God on your behalf. An unspoken prayer request is as vague as it gets. In class, if a student wants us to pray for an unspoken request, I will make them clarify their request or keep it to themselves. There is no transformation without clarity. I have no way to follow up on you and walk with you through your struggle. I don’t get it.

During Jesus’s ministry, He would often ask people, “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus would even ask this question to those who were blind or crippled. Now, it sounds silly that Jesus would ask a crippled or blind man, “What do you want me to do for you?” Or does it?

Jesus knew that people often have no idea what they actually want, and he was going to make them clarify to him what they needed, even if the need was obvious.

Imagine a crippled man coming up to Jesus and saying, “Hey Jesus, I have an unspoken need. Could you please do this for me?” Sounds ridiculous. How are unspoken prayer requests any different?

If you do not want the world to know your problems, then find a few people you trust and get them to pray for you and walk with you. Clarity and specificity force us to expose our problem or need and provide an opportunity for others to pray intentionally for our individual need.

3.) Everything happens for a reason

Is that so? Tell me…how do you explain to the guy or girl who just tragically lost a parent or sibling that everything happens for a reason? What about me getting a ticket for parking the wrong way on the street this morning? Is God mad at me for watching too much tv? I mean, it was the Clippers/Thunder Game 5. I understand you mean well. You want to comfort the person who is hurting. But the reality is this is the last thing people need to hear when they are hurting.

Just some pastoral advice…stay away from the phrase “everything happens for a reason” when trying to help someone cope with tragedy. It does more harm than good.

I know when tragedy strikes, people are hurt and you want to say something to make it better. Believe me there are not words in those moments that can heal their wounds. What people need is not a wise statement from a sage but the comforting presence of a friend.

2.) The sermon was too long

There are few things that infuriate me more than this phrase. It comes in all sorts of packages. “Great sermon, but you just need to cut it down. I brought my stopwatch today. Just remember I am trying to make it to Red Lobster by noon.” Most of them are followed by a few chuckles and a back slap, but I know the comments are legitimate. Most of these comments are made by “Christians,” so I need to make two points:

First…if you are really struggling to make it through an hour or even two hours worshipping God, this is much less a reflection on the length or quality of the sermon and more of a reflection on your relationship with God.

Second…what kind of statement do you think this makes to those who are non-believers? They hear us talk about the sovereignty of God and how God alone is sufficient to sustain us and protect and comfort us, yet a sermon about God that is 45 minutes is just too long?! No wonder people outside of Jesus think of us as hypocrites. There are many days I am ashamed to be a Christian. Maybe instead of worrying about where you will eat or what time you are going to hit the golf course, you should listen to the sermon and allow the spirit of God to speak into your life. Please do me a favor and stop talking about the length of the sermon.

1.) I will be praying for you

Prayer is one of the greatest gifts we have as followers of Jesus Christ. Believe me, I get the premise of this statement, but we have taken this phrase and used it as a way to terminate our conversations with somebody else who is struggling. For many of us, “I will be praying for you” is a way for us to get out of actually having to walk alongside a person through difficult times. Honestly, how many times have you said, “I will be praying for you” fully knowing you had no intentions on praying for them?

We have taken the most powerful tool we have as followers of Jesus and used it as a tool to avoid taking action and being present through a difficult season in the life of another person.

Shame on us! How about instead of telling somebody you will pray for them (future tense), you actually stop right there (even if you are on the phone) and pray for them (present tense)? Or maybe you actually ask them what they would like for you to pray on their behalf? This specifies their issue for you, helping them to see you care and giving you an opportunity to pray specifically for their particular struggle. Or how about this…you decide to actually walk with this person through their struggle or difficulty? What a strange idea.

Whatever you decide, would you not agree that we must stop telling other people we are going to pray for them when our intentions are never to do so?

WHICH ONES DID I LEAVE OUT? LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW AND LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK.

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Faith

10 Statements Christians Need To Stop Saying: Part 1

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

Every tribe or culture has statements or phrases that sound ridiculous to everyone not associated with that particular culture. Christians are no different. We seem to utter phrases that are totally ridiculous, incredibly unthoughtful, and plain selfish way too often. Sure, we mean well when we say what we say, but is meaning well a noble goal?  I have grown up speaking “Christianese” fluently, but I am just tired of hearing a lot of the language…especially the dialect I have grown up around. I am going to give you 10 phrases over the course of two posts that Christians really need to stop saying. I am even going to rank them from 10 to 1, according to frequency and level of ridiculousness. You’re welcome.

10.) Are you a member of the church?

This irks me every time I hear it largely because of the stigma surrounding it. This is a loaded question, but here is the gist of what people mean when they ask you, “Are you a member of the church?”: Have you been baptized for the remission of your sins, do you believe in all the traditions and beliefs of the Church of Christ, and do you faithfully attend a church that has a name followed by Church of Christ?

Basically, this is a method people who believe only those in the Church of Christ are going to heaven use to identify their own. I am a member of the church, but so are my brothers and sisters that have other names on the outside of their door. This phrase only feeds the exclusivism and “I am right” mentality. It needs to stop.

9.) If there is anything I can do for you, let me know.

Christians are guilty of this all the time. My experience is people mean well when they ask this question, but the problem with asking this question is people who are in need and are hurting are not going to call you and tell you what they need. Think about it…how many times have you said, “If there is anything I can do for you, let me know” and the person says, “You know what, there is something you can do for me.” It might happen, but this is the exception and not the rule. So, uttering this phrase becomes a complete waste of 10 seconds. Here are some suggestions instead:

Just do something for them. If they need their house cleaned or they need food or whatever they need, just do it.

Stop and pray for them. Praying with people is powerful. Try it.

8.) Have you been baptized?

I think baptism is important for any follower of Jesus, but many in Churches of Christ have placed so much emphasis on baptism that is has become THE identifying mark of salvation. In others words, baptized = saved…not baptized = bound for hell.

Now, I am not going to argue the essentiality of baptism for salvation, but I do want to say that baptism has become so important to many in COCs that I am scared it has become our god.

The ultimate goal is to baptize somebody if they have not done so. Many people lose sleep at night simply because a person has not been baptized. What about faithfully following Jesus? What about understanding the nature and character of God? What about his plan for redemption that began in the garden? What about all the stuff Jesus said about making disciples?

I am more concerned with teaching somebody how to follow Jesus and modeling their lives after Him.

If we teach Jesus and his love and his commandments, baptism will come.

There are many people who are baptized that have no idea how to follow Jesus because baptism has become the be-all-end-all. This is tragic. We need to get this question out of our heads and focus on teaching people how to follow Jesus.

7.) Bless your heart

Never mind, this one does not need to stop.

Let’s try number 7 again.

7.) I must be living right

If I had a dollar for every time I heard this on the golf course, I would have a lot of dollars. Christians use this phrase all of the time, but have you ever thought about what you really mean by saying this? The reality is you are not living right…that’s why you need Jesus. What you are saying is that because you are so awesome, God has chosen you to get the best parking spot at Wal-Mart. You think your awesomeness has prevented your ball from going in the woods when everybody knows there are monkeys that actually throw those balls out of the woods. What you are also saying is other people really suck at life. I have played with guys that hit almost every ball in the woods, and every time I go to Wal-Mart I see cars parked in the back of the parking lot. They must be living terribly.

If you were really living right, you would pass by the parking spot at Wal-Mart so another person could park there.

6.) God never places on us more than we can handle

Do you live in a bubble or something? Life has taught me something different. God does place on us more than we can handle. That’s the reason we need God. This statement is a gross misunderstanding of I Corinthians 10:13 where Paul says God will not allow us to be TEMPTED beyond what we can bear. It is not true, however, that God will not place on us more than we can handle. If you believe this statement is true, you probably live in a land with the Tooth Fairy and Father Time. Without having on us more than we can handle, why would there be a need for God? C’mon man.

THE TOP 5 STATEMENTS CHRISTIANS NEED TO STOP MAKING COMING TOMORROW

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Faith

Life Help #2: What Has Changed My Approach To God’s Word

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

Ever struggle with consistency or intimacy in God’s word? Me too. The problem for me is I am a very structured person, and I never found a way to have structure in my personal time. But a year and a half ago, I was taking a class at Harding School of Theology called “Transformational Teaching,” and in this class I was introduced to a simple and powerful way to study God’s word. My teacher called it “Dwelling in the Word,” but you are free to attach whatever title you want to it. Here is the gist. You ask yourself three questions before you start reading and close with a prayer. Here is the layout:

1.) What do you find remarkable about the text?

What sticks out to you? What do you find amazing or remarkable about God’s nature, God’s character, how an individual responds to God, etc.?

2.) What is the text saying or doing?

In other words, what is the Spirit saying to you through this text? What do you see happening in this text?

3.) What would it look like to join God in God’s activity?

This is application. How do you apply the text you just read to your life? Answering this question is important. If we are not applying what we read to our lives, we are missing the transformative aspect of God’s word.

PRAYER

I always close my “Dwelling In The Word” with a prayer focused on what I just wrote down.

 

A few more practical steps for reading that have helped me:

  • Find a Bible reading plan. Reading random texts every day is not conducive for consistency.
  • Read the same time everyday. I read in the morning before life happens. Regardless of when you read, I have found it helpful to read at the same time everyday. “I will read when I have free time” is a bad mindset to have when you want to maintain consistency.
  • Remember why you are reading. God’s word is not a duty to be checked off everyday. It is an opportunity to commune with the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. God does not think you are more awesome because you read the Bible everyday, but I promise you will think God is more awesome if you set aside time to be intimate with Him everyday.

“Dwelling In The Word” is so simple, but it has revolutionized my time in God’s word. I am now able to have structure when reading the Bible, and I am able to look back and see how the Spirit has been working in my life as I read through God’s word. If you have questions about this approach to studying the Bible, leave a comment at the bottom of the page. I would also be interested in hearing other methods that have been helpful to some of you.

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Faith

The Most Un-Entertained, Entertained People Ever…And Why

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

PRESENT-DAY AMERICANS ARE THE MOST OBESE, LEAST ATTENTIVE, MOST DEPRESSED, MOST UNHAPPY, MOST BORED PEOPLE IN THE HISTORY OF THIS COUNTRY. 

Check out these statistics:

SOCIAL MEDIA:

  • One in every 9 people in the world is on Facebook. [1]
  • 700 billion minutes per month are spent on Facebook worldwide. [2]
  • 190 million tweets per day worldwide. [3]

MEDIA AS A WHOLE:

  • A study performed in 2010 by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that the average 8-18 year old spent a total of a 7:38 (7 hours and 38 minutes) on media (tv, video games, music, computers, print, and movies). Considering much of the time we interact with media we multitask (even though it is not possible to truly “multitask”) the total amount of time spent on media totals 10 hours and 45 minutes per day. [4]
  • That means we spend is over 53 hours per week, and roughly 113 days per year on some form of media.
  • Media usage is up 17% from the same study performed in 2004. [5] At this rate, in roughly 30 years, we will spend more time on media than we have hours in a day.

MONEY:

  • Americans spent 10.7 trillion dollars shopping last year [6]…that is enough money to buy 2000 air craft carriers and 300 private islands (with change to spare), purchase 1776 professional football teams, cure the world’s hunger…35 times over, or buy 225 billion #5 meals from Chick-fil-a (with Chick-fil-a sauce and extra Ketchup).

I believe we can conclude from these statistics that we are an entertained people. We have more at our fingerprints than ever before. But are we actually entertained? Here is the other side of the coin…

THE SAD FACTS OF OUR CULTURE TODAY:

  • Media usage and grades in school are inversely related. Basically, the more time you spend consuming media, the worse your grades will be. [7]
  • Most experts will agree depression, anxiety, unhappiness, and obesity rates are all increasing. [8]
  • 1 out of 4 have or will suffer with some form of depression in their lifetime. [9]
  • 70% of Americans are overweight, one-third of Americans are obese, and obesity as a whole has tripled since 1980. [10]
  • Our average attention span is 8 seconds, which is one second less than the attention span of a goldfish. [11]
  • 98% of high school students today experience boredom in school everyday. [12]
  • People have not always been bored. Did you know the word “bored” did not appear in English until the middle of the 1800s? In many cultures today, the word is not even recognized or understood. Strangely, this is about the same time entertainment started evolving in our culture. [13]

Do I have your attention yet? If not, hold on…Here is the premise of this post:

Our attachment to media and entertainment is driving us away from God. Media and entertainment WILL be the ultimate demise of Christianity in this country.

Think about it. As a minister, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard phrases like, “Worship went too long today. The preacher needs to cut down his sermon. The worship was boring.” People jokingly come up to preachers regularly and make comments about how long they are preaching. They do this jokingly, of course, which makes it ok (but we all know the comments we make in a joking manner are comments we actually believe to be true).

True story…after preaching one Sunday, a man told me if I ever wanted to be a successful preacher, I needed to keep my sermons to 15 minutes. He informed me that people cannot stay focused for longer than that. He said content was not as important as length. He then proceeded to compare my long sermon to Bill Clinton’s long speech at the Democratic National Convention this past year. Probably the only time my name and Bill Clinton will ever appear in the same sentence. I was honored.

But hold on a second? Do we really have an attention problem or do we have another problem? Let’s talk about it. We will arrive at our favorite football team’s game three hours before kickoff, watch the entire game, then drive three hours home. No attention problem there. We will sit in front of our television sets for hours upon hours and watch entire seasons of the Office or Lost or whatever else. No attention problem there. Many people can play video games for an entire day.

We struggle to spend time with our wife and kids, and we struggle to make it to work, and we struggle to stay awake during worship, but we do not struggle to play video games for an entire day. We will pay drive to the local movie theater, sit there for 2-3 hours and never move. We will leave talking about how entertaining and how amazing the movie was. No attention problem there. What about the time we spend on social media? Many of us can spend hours a day on scrolling through a Twitter or Facebook feed. No attention problem there. We seem to be focused and attentive in others arenas of life, but our worship is always too boring and we are too busy to spend time with God.

Here is what I contend: we do not have an attention problem, we have a priorities problem. Greater than that, we have a needs problem. We are so consumed with entertainment and media that we have turned into a people that have no real desire for God. Oh, we still fill church buildings and we try not to cuss or cheat on our spouse or have sex before marriage, but we have no desire to grow in intimacy with the Creator of the universe. There is a God who showed His desire for your reconciliation by sending His only son to the cross, yet we struggle through worship and complain about the length of sermons.

We spend little or no time in intimate settings with God. We praise people that spend time every day reading the Bible. We think people are really good Christians if they pray everyday. Bible plans today consist of reading one chapter per day because anything more is asking too much of God’s people. We are just too busy. REALLY? Is this where we are as a people? We are too busy to commune with the God of the Universe for more than 5 minutes? No wonder we feel so far away from God. We are not too busy to watch an entire season of our favorite show or spend hours on a gaming console or watch our favorite football team or spend hours on social media. I love what John Piper tweeted recently:

“One of the great uses of Twitter and Facebook will be to prove at the Last Day that prayerlessness was not from lack of time.”

I am not going to lie…that one stings because it is true. I have so much time throughout the day to spend with God and draw close to Him, but I choose to spend that time turning myself into a vegetable by watching hours of tv. I have time to learn more about the truths of God’s word and allowing the word of God to mold and shape my life, but I would rather check out what Billy or Joe has posted on Facebook or Twitter. We are bored when it comes to God, but we are entertained when it comes to everything else. We do not have an attention problem. We have a priorities problem. We have a needs problem.

In the mid nineteenth century, A. W. Tozer made the following statement in an essay entitled, “The Great God Entertainment,”

The present inordinate attachment to every form of entertainment is evidence that the inner life of modern man is in serious decline. [14]

Keep in mind, Tozer made this statement before the existence of cell phones, game consoles, social media, and televisions with hundreds of channels. I cannot imagine what he might say if he were with us today?!

Now, I understand there is nothing inherently evil about social media or television or movies or sports. But let’s stop playing games and ask ourselves the difficult questions.

Am I really too busy to spend intimate time with God?

If all forms of entertainment were taken away, would God be enough?

Does the time I spend with God reflect that I really do not value an intimate relationship with Him?

How much time do I spend with God as opposed to social media, tv, gaming, movies, etc.?

How might my life be different if I became more intentional about spending time with God?

Do I get more excited about watching the latest season of my favorite show, going to watch my favorite team, or going shopping than I do about spending time with God? Does this reveal a problem?

In Ecclesiastes 1:2, Solomon says, “Everything is meaningless.” If you read Ecclesiastes, you will find a man that is searching for something, anything, to provide joy and peace and a sense of worth. He is certain something “under the sun” will fill the void. He tries it all. Women. Laughter. Disciplines. Materialism. Ultimately he concludes everything is meaningless. It is all garbage. He concludes Ecclesiastes by saying the ONLY thing that matters is to fear God and obey His commandments (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

What if Solomon figured something out hundreds of years ago? What if Solomon was right? What if the only important thing in this life is that we fear God and obey Him? What if we believed our sense of worth and joy and peace could only be found in God who created us? Maybe our restlessness would decrease. Maybe our joy would increase. Maybe depression, anxiousness, stress, worry, and obesity would decrease. Who knows? Maybe we would be more entertained.

[1] Jeff Bullas, “20 Stunning Social Media Statistics Plus Infographics,” http://www.jeffbullas.com/2011/09/02/20-stunning-social-media-statistics/ (accessed April 25, 2014).

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Kaiser Family Foundation, Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8-18 Year Olds, http://kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/8010.pdf (accessed April 25, 2014.)

[5] Ibid.

[6] Lucas Reily. “By The Numbers: How Americans Spend Their Money,” http://mentalfloss.com/article/31222/numbers-how-americans-spend-their-money (accessed April 25, 2014).

[7] Kaiser Family Foundation.

[8] Christ Iliades, “Stats and Facts About Depression in America,” http://www.everydayhealth.com/health-report/major-depression/depression-statistics.aspx (Accessed April 28, 2014).

[9] http://www.adaa.org/about-adaa/press-room/facts-statistics (Accessed April 25, 2014).

[12] Jeanna Bryner, “Most Students Bored At School, http://www.livescience.com/1308-students-bored-school.html (Accessed April 25, 2014).

[13] Winifred Gallagher, New: Understanding Our Need for Novelty and Change (New York: Penguin, 2011), 126.

[14] Aiden Wilson Tozer, The Best of A. W. Tozer Book One (Camp Hill, PA: WingSpread, 2007), 128.

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Faith

God Doesn’t Believe In Fair…Neither Should You

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

[tweet_box design=”default”]All men are not created equal. They are created unique.[/tweet_box]

Youth league awards banquets are unbelievably humorous. Every person has to get an award. The coach usually starts with the best awards. “‘MVP’ award goes to…Jimmy. ‘Best Offensive Player’ award goes to…Tom. ‘Best Defensive Player’ award goes to…Billy.”

Eventually, the coach runs out of actual awards and starts making up awards.

“And the ‘Longest Time To Occupy The Same Seat On The Bench’ award goes to…Jim. The ‘Most Likely To Trip Over Your Own Two Feet’ award goes to…Tom.”

And here’s the crazy part: the “Most Likely To Trip Over Your Own Two Feet” and the “MVP” awards look exactly the same! What?! I remember getting a team player award (or some garbage like that) and being more humiliated than if I had not received an award at all. Why does everyone receive an award? John can’t even run to 1st base without tripping over himself.

“Well, Frank, every person deserves an award. It is only fair.”

REALLY? Did you borrow that principle from a far off land where unicorns live and rainbows fill the sky? Life taught me something different.

You see, lying underneath the approach to youth league awards ceremonies is a crippling principle called “fairness.”

Where did this idea of “fair” originate? 

“Fairness” permeates every area of our lives and culture, and it is instilled in us at a young age. But the world at large does not seem to adhere to this principle. Some people are selected to all star teams…some aren’t. Some get into med school…many do not. Some come down with cancer…some do not. Some are able to get pregnant…some aren’t. Some are born in America and get to enjoy the luxuries of this world…some are born in desolate countries where they die because they do not have clean drinking water. Some children are adopted into loving families and saved from a lifestyle of prostitution and drugs…millions of others around the world will never feel the warm embrace of a loving parent.

What happened to youth league awards ceremonies? I thought everyone received the same treatment? No, youth league awards ceremonies are a perfect example of what it looks like to buy a lie. The reality is life is not fair.

Neither was Jesus.

Jesus wasn’t fair.

Recently, I began looking back through the life and ministry of Jesus. You know what I discovered? Jesus was NOT fair. If anyone was going to set the example of fairness, it would be Jesus. But “au contraire mon frere.”  We have example after example of people being healed by Jesus, yet there are many, many more Jesus chose not to heal. Why do a few people have their sight restored while others remain blind?

That’s not fair.

Or what about Jesus spending much of his earthly ministry pouring into ONLY twelve men? I am sure there were hundreds and hundreds of other men and women who could have been changed forever by hearing some of the things these twelve men heard.

That’s not fair.

Or what about the three separate occasions when Jesus chose to ONLY take three men (Peter, James, and John)? The Transfiguration, the healing of Jairus’ daughter, and the Garden of Gethsemane. I mean, why would Jesus not allow all of the disciples to witness the Transfiguration?

That experience must have been incredible. Why only three? C’mon Jesus. Everybody is supposed to get an award.

“Fairness” doesn’t work as a parent.

Maybe we should face the reality…”fair” is not an appropriate filter for us to use in life. Jesus never used it. God never commanded it.

Yet every day we make decisions through the filter of “fair.” Our desire to see every person treated the same cripples us as followers of Jesus. This desire also cripples us as parents. As a parent, am I wrong if I do not treat my kids the same and love them the equally?

I have two boys, and they are vastly different in almost every way. They are uniquely created by God. Because of this, I do not love my kids equally…I love them uniquely. What if we thought good parenting meant treating our kids uniquely instead of fairly? When I try to be fair in every situation, I rob Noah and Micah of the uniqueness given to them by God.

[tweet_box design=”default”]Good parents treat each child uniquely, not equally.[/tweet_box]

“Fairness” doesn’t work in ministry.

What about ministry? As a minister, I feel pressure everyday to treat everyone the same, regardless of background or situation. But is this in line with the model of Jesus?

If I want to model the ministry of Jesus, I SHOULD spend more time with certain individuals because I see something in them or the Spirit has placed them on my heart to disciple and mentor. The church is no different. Every day leaders refuse to help people or refuse to change a policy that has been in place for years because this is how they handled it with the previous person.

“Frank, if we are going to be fair, we must handle this situation the same way we did previously.”

WHY?

Maybe it is time for the church to focus more on transforming people and allowing the Spirit to be their guide. Fair seems logical, but this principle breaks down in a hurry. It is rooted in a false sense of logic. Be careful following logic. It’s deceptive.

Andy Stanley uses a phrase in his book, Deep and Wide, that provides us an alternative to the fairness principle.

“Do for one person what you wish you could do for everyone.” 

I can’t be a parent to the more than 153 million orphans worldwide. Should that keep me from being a parent to one? Absolutely not. Is it fair? No. Is it right? Yes.

The church can’t fix all the brokenness in the world. The local church can’t even fix all the brokenness in the surrounding community. Should that prevent the church from trying to restore shalom to certain individuals? Of course not. Is it fair? No. Is it right? Yes.

As a minister I can not mentor every person I meet. I don’t have the physical or mental capability to pour into every person. But should that reality keep me from mentoring a few individuals? I do not think so. Is that fair? No.

I could continue this forever. But here is the big finish.

Here’s the point.

We created a culture where everyone operates under the principle of fairness. We transpose this principle onto God. But God doesn’t command us to be fair, and he doesn’t uses fairness as a filter Himself.

If “fair” is the filter we are going to use for God, then the only “fair” thing for Him to do is send us all to hell. Blunt? Yes. Wrong? No. We separated ourselves from Him by our sin. But thankfully God is not fair. He sent His only son to redeem and reconcile us. The only fair thing is death. Everything else in this life is a gift from God.

The fairness principle is something we created. We created it because we want to keep everybody happy. We created it because we want every person to live in peace. We believe if we are fair the world will come together and everyone will live happily ever after.

What if we tried something different?

What if we tried something different? What if we did for one person what we wish we could do for every person? What if we decided to love our children uniquely and not equally? Would things be different? I believe the world would be rocked to the core. This shift would result in people being transformed. It would result in more leaders and change makers. It would result in more children having parents. It would result in more people knowing that hope rests in God alone.

Maybe that is why God never commanded us to be fair…it hinders the world from seeing Him.

____________________

I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!

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Faith

Politics, Government, and…the Gospel?

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

I see this often in Christian circles…people take to social media, blog posts, pulpits, and other platforms to blast government decisions and rulings. Whether it’s the current Hobby Lobby case or some other case of governmental discrimination against Christians, we love to use these as opportunities to explain why the government (or the President) is evil and corrupt.

Politics and…Hobby Lobby?

I wonder if some Christians do not hope for cases like the one Hobby Lobby has with the federal government to rule against the Christian organization or belief. It gives them an opportunity to blast off and show their true colors. A barrage of angry men and women (under the umbrella of Christianity) will spit verbal poo poo bombs to the world if Hobby Lobby does not receive a favorable ruling. Just watch for it. They will explode and stink up our timelines and conversations.

And this is where I become really disheartened. I can’t understand what this accomplishes. Please, if you are a verbal poo poo bomb thrower, let me know what you think you are accomplishing by releasing your bomb to the world. Your actions only seek to further the divide between Christians and the surrounding culture.

Where my allegiance rests.

Your verbal attacks also reveal something about your understanding of the relationship between God and His world…you believe the government is largely responsible for the future direction of the country, not God. This is problematic and troubling. I am not anti-government, anti-President, or anti-America.

[tweet_box design=”default”]Our ultimate allegiance should belong to Jesus, not any country or party.[/tweet_box]

But let me be clear…my allegiance is to the King. My allegiance belongs to Jesus, not to this country. Period. I love this country, and I am thankful for the opportunities it has afforded me, but ultimately my allegiance is not to America. I do not believe America rises and falls because a certain party is in control of the House and the Senate or because a certain President is holding office. I believe countries rise and fall because there is an Almighty God that is sovereign over every inch of His creation.

Jesus and politics.

Think about Jesus. That’s always a good place to land. Jesus said, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and give to God what belongs to God” (Mark 12:17). Granted, the Roman government during the time of Jesus and our government today are two different beasts, but the principle remains the same…Jesus had no allegiance to the government. Jesus did not revolt against the government, but neither did Jesus place his hope in the government. Jesus also never bashed the government, even though they stole from the Jews and often mistreated them.

You see, many Christians fall into the trap of the disciples throughout Jesus’ earthly ministry. The disciples believed Jesus was going to do his best William Wallace impersonation (if you are unsure about William Wallace, please do two things before proceeding…1.) get somebody to open hand slap you 2.) do a Google search). Jesus was going to kill everybody, and then he would overthrow the government.

Likewise, many Christians today believe that if we can just get the right man in Washington and gain control of the Senate and the House, this country will stop its tragic drift away from God. We will have a revival. Strangely, Jesus thought differently. Maybe Jesus was on to something. Maybe we should step back and take notice. The government is not going to be the primary catalyst for Kingdom advancement.

The government will make decisions contrary to a Christian worldview. Governments always have and always will. When you place more trust in the government to make the right decisions than you do a God that has infinite power and wisdom, we have a huge problem.

How God feels about politics.

I will be honest…I do not believe God cares about any particular party more than another. I am not a Republican. I am not a Democrat. I think God loves people, not parties. I am not saying there is no place for healthy political discussions. But at the end of the day, our political discussions must not override the truth that God is sovereign over them. And please, please, please…stop making every discussion and every decision a political one. I know you think the President is going to bring about the demise of this country, but 1 Kings 2 is not talking about politics. Neither is 1 Kings 3, 1 Kings 4, or Matthew 1.

[tweet_box design=”default”]We must look at politics through a gospel worldview, not the other way around.[/tweet_box]

How have we become so misguided that we begin to look at the gospel through a political worldview and not politics through a gospel worldview?  For some of us in the South, Fox News is gospel. For many, a Democratic President automatically equals destruction for our country. Everything he does is the product of an agenda. Every decision he makes is the wrong one. Hey, let’s assume for a second that you are right and the President does have an evil agenda (which I do not believe to be true). Even still, as a follower of Jesus, why are you bashing him and not praying to the God who is sovereign over him? I am just curious. I am trying to figure out why we try to justify bashing our leaders and our government when our example (Jesus) had every right to bash the government…and never did.

Either God is sovereign over all things or He is a liar. If God is a liar, we are all in big trouble. If God is sovereign over all things, he is sovereign over the government and its decisions.

The response to politics.

So, what response do we have as followers of Jesus? We fall on our knees and pray. We pray without ceasing. We pray for God to look upon America with favor. We pray for God to work in the hearts of the ones making the decisions. And when somebody we dislike gets elected, we still pray.

We stop relying more on governments than we do a God that is sovereign over them. We stop using social media and other platforms as an opportunity for us to promote our agenda (in the name of Jesus, of course). We stop believing Jesus fights for a certain party. Whether or not the Supreme Court rules in favor of Hobby Lobby or any future case of this nature, the truth remains that God is present and active in His creation. And he rules over any decision made by an individual or group of individuals.

Let’s focus our time and attention on the power and majesty of God. Let’s use our platforms to promote Jesus and not some party or agenda. Let’s use the transforming power of the gospel to shape our understanding of politics and government, not the other way around.

I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!

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Faith

When God Thinks Being Responsible Is Irresponsible

by Frank Powell
written by Frank Powell

Confession time: I am scared of heights. There, I said it. I tense up and get ridiculously nervous when I have to get on a roller coaster or fly in an airplane. Some people like taking risks, but I like to think my mentality towards risks reveals that my brain is functioning properly. I mean, I have often wondered what the conversation with God is like for a Christ-follower that bungee jumps from a tall bridge and doesn’t make it. I am not saying their soul is in jeopardy, but don’t you picture God just staring at them with a look on His face like, “Are you serious? You tie a cord to your feet and jump off a bridge hundreds of feet in the air? Is that the most responsible decision?” (insert the guy with a wide-eyed befuddled stare while slowly shaking his head). Maybe it’s just me, but I think hanging out on the ground is much more responsible and logical.

Responsible and logical. Two words that permeate our culture. Two words that saturate our decisions and our planning, and two words often completely at odds with who God is and what He wants to do through us. It is one thing for me to think I am being responsible and logical when my friends jump out of a plane and I give them a high five IF they make it to the ground, but it is another thing altogether when I allow “responsible” and “logical” to be filters by which I make decisions about the direction God is taking me.

I often wonder what God would say to me if He had one day to spend with me. He would certainly point out all of the sin in my life, but one thing in particular I think he would say to me is this…”Frank, you have been deceived by your culture. Your culture teaches you that everything has to make sense. Your culture teaches you to make your decisions through the filters of ‘responsible’ and ‘logical.’ The problem is I can’t work through you as long as those filters are present.” Ouch!

Let’s be real…as soon as things begin to move beyond our own ability and our own understanding, we say no because God can’t be squeezed through our filters. That doesn’t fit in to our five year plan. “God would never ask me to give away that much money. I would not be able to retire. God would never ask me to go to that country. My life would be in danger. God would never ask me to take that job. It makes less money. God would never ask me to leave this city. My parents and my grandparents live here.”

American Christians, you know what scares me to death…I am worried there are thousands and thousands of people that claim to have faith in God, but their faith is actually in themselves. I am worried we have been deceived by the Evil One into thinking God would never call us to do something that appears illogical.

Here is a statement that might cause me to get some e-mails later (just make sure you keep it classy).

If you live your entire life and never make a decision that makes no sense…if you go through your life using “responsible” and “logical” as the filters through which you make decisions about God’s direction for your life…if you live your life without ever making a decision that moves beyond your own ability and understanding, your faith is not in God, IT IS IN YOURSELF.

“God wants me to be responsible and logical” is a mindset bringing about the demise of Christianity in this country. It creates unproductive, self-pleasing Christians and insider-focused churches that are really watered down country clubs.  The spread of Christianity is predicated upon moving beyond what you can see and what you can do. The catalyst for the spread of Christianity is men and women who put their body in harm’s way because somebody needs to hear the Gospel. Men and women who view their bank accounts as a method to advance the Kingdom and not to fill their own desires. Without men and women making illogical, irresponsible decisions for God, Christianity is going to die. It can’t spread. It won’t spread. And here’s why…

Without men and women making illogical and irresponsible decisions for the glory of God, we are serving the god of ourselves. That god won’t last. We must stop buying into the lie that God expects everything to make sense. Stop assuming God wants you to make the natural progression through the American life (high school, college, married, house, car, kids, bigger house, nicer car, grandkids, retire, die).

What if Noah refused to proceed unless everything made sense? He would have died. What if Moses refused to return to Egypt unless everything was logical? The Israelites would not have been delivered from the hands of Pharaoh. What about Abraham leaving his homeland? What about David fighting goliath? What about Rahab and the spies? What about the Israelites entering the Promised Land? Jesus and the cross? Saul and the encounter on the Damascus Road? Show me a situation in the Bible where human reasoning and God’s will line up. You will spend a long time digging.

I will leave you with this…I understand making illogical decisions for the glory of God is difficult. But why are these decisions difficult? Because we are scared the scales will not tilt in our favor. We are scared that by taking this “risk” we will lose everything. Believe in this truth…THERE ARE NO RISKS WITH GOD. There is no such thing as taking a “risk” for God because risk implies the opportunity for failure or loss. No chance for loss = no risk. You follow me? There is no risk with God because God can’t fail. If He calls you to do something illogical, and you are sure He has directed you to do it, you can’t fail. You can’t fail because God can’t fail. You might have to re-adjust your perception of a loss and a win, but rest in the reality that when you are on God’s team, you can’t lose. You can’t fail.

It’s time for a re-orientation of responsibility and irresponsibility. Logical and illogical. It’s time for us to stop buying into the culture. It’s time for us to stop using “responsible” and “logical” as filters for God. Sometimes God thinks being responsible is irresponsible, and sometimes God thinks logical is illogical. I am resolved to start being irresponsible and illogical for the glory of God. What about you?

I love you all. To God be the glory forever. Amen!

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