The thing about the church

The church these days draws a lot of crriticism.

Many say they follow Jesus, but don't want to be called a Christian and don't attend Church.

Really, the Church has been under attack for some time now in America - and let's be honest, the church has been under attack since it started.

i was reading Doctrine yesterday and they cited these statistics from They like Jesus but not the church (or also "UnChristian").

  "... they view the church as antihomosexual (91%) judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%), old-fashioned (78%), too involved in politics (75%), out of touch with reality (72%), insensitive to others (70%) and boring (68%)."

I’m not sure who they’re polling here however. I would imagine that some people would have a higher view. If it is ony people who don’t attend church, then this should be expected.

You may or may not think this data is accurate, but it is something to consider…

However,  we may go overboard.

If you’d ask many people how they’d want to be described, they’d probably say the following

·       Loving (as in accepting of people)

·       Relevant

·       Fun

·       Helpful (as in helping poor, and giving money away to charities)

And they’d probably say something about the early church and how great it was.

How would the early church be described?

·       Radical & Crazy

·       Passionate - about God

·       Loving – as in generous & helpful (not what the Romans said about how they helped people)

·       Devoted to prayer & God’s Word

·       Full of Faith

·       Diverse

·       Strange

Is this really how people want their church to be described as?

Would the people who give such negative criticism of the modern church said much different of the church back then?

While we want to be able to reach out to people and we want to reflect Christ well, we can’t be slaves to outsiders opinions of us.

We need to honor Christ.

So what would Christ want to say of the church?

Well, we could look to Revelation 2 & 3 and John 17…

1.     Love God 1st

2.     Worship & Fear God

3.     Love others – as in giving & caring for others

4.     Unified

5.     Holy

6.     Know & Follow God’s Word & commands

7.     In the world, but not of the world

8.     Passionate & Zealous for God

9.     Diverse & going to the world

10.  Faithful & full of Faith

11.  Face opposition & persecution

Here are some thoughts

1.     People want the church to be more generous and giving to the poor and needy and helping… but they themselves don’t want to give

2.     A lot of churches are so keen on being relevant and fun and welcoming, they miss the main point

3.     Jesus tells His disciples to expect persecution. Yet, most Christians and most churches run away from persecution. They don’t talk about suffering for Christ so much. Maybe as in self-afflicted suffering of sacrifice, but not suffering that comes because we follow Christ.

… should we be surprised that people mock and criticize the church and try to stop it from fulfilling their core priniciples?

4.     Most churches are inward focused. In the book Radical, David Platt points out a church bulletin that is lauding that it sent $250,000 for foreign relief- which is good, but then in comparison, it also includes a praise for raising $12 million for the building fund (actually I don’t remember the exact numbers, but it is comprable).
I found an interesting stat that only 10% of all Christian giving goes to missions in the least churched places.
More interesting: In America, each year, more money is spent on dog food than on missions.

5.     Jesus does want us to reach out. He does want us to accept all people. He does want us to love well. But the goal of the church isn’t the mission, it is worship & honor of God.

What should you look for in a church?

Here’s what I’d say

1.     Good, sound Biblical Doctrine at the core
everything else has to come from a foundation on the Bible
Should result in good teaching also

2.     A good community
We need each other. You can listen to a sermon online or read a book for teaching. You can sing in your car. You need to find a church where you can feel connected and encouraged – as well as where you can serve.
This may mean small groups, may not. Programs does not mean community. Find a place where you experience love & the body of Christ.
It probably also needs to be close by, so you can see people throughout the week, not just on Sundays

3.     A place to worship
Church is primarily a place for Christians to gather and worship God. There are many ways, find a place you can worship

4.     A church that reaches out
Missions, service activities, outreaches, etc

5.     Diversity & Unity
Jesus calls all people to Himself. Not just Jews. Not just whites. Not just young people. Not just old people. Not just cool people.

6.     Sacraments, etc
We need places to be baptized and take communion. We need opportunities to give and to serve.

7.     Look at Leadership
In the end, you need to trust the Leadership. I believe there should be a group of leaders, not just one. Elders. Male Leadership at the top. And above all, they must be led by the Spirit. You don’t want a place that puts on a good program. You want a church that has Christ as head and is led by the Holy Spirit. That doesn’t mean unorganized and/or spontaneous, but that the leadership depends on God in prayer and faith and is committed to God’s word and God’s glory.

Church is a good thing.

It may not always be fun, but it can be. I like church. I have fun at church.

The reality is church is the people there… including you. The problem may not be the church, it may be you.

In my previous post I wrote how we hear what we want to hear.

If we are looking for something bad or weird or boring, we’ll find it. If we don’t talk with people, we won’t connect. If we don’t prepare our hearts before church, we won’t get much out of it. IF we don’t sleep well the night before, we may fall asleep. If our minds are fixed on something else, we won’t treasure Christ, won’t enjoy church.

Give church a chance. See what you can do to make it resemble what Christ is looking for.

Honor God.

The thing about hearing

The other day we were driving using the GPS. Soo told me- you're supposed to turn here. i was like i know, i heard it.
The problem was, i was in the right lane- and i was told to turn left. i thought it said right.
Does left sound like right? No. Then why did i think that?
i had already assumed which direction i was supposed to turn.

i hear what i want to hear.

We do this often. We miss-hear because we assume, because we're not really listening or listening to what we want to hear.
We do this particulary with the Bible.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God

For one thing, we miss things. We think we know what it says. We have heard the stories over and over again, that we begin to overlook things. We assume we know what it says, so we don't read that carefully. We begin to scan and skim the Scripture, instead of carefully observing.

There's so much to the Word. In the book Living by the Book, Howard Hendricks tells of his class he teaches where he asks his students to make 25 verses on one verse... then the next day 25 more... then 25 more.. and 25 more. The more you look at a passage, the more you can see... and i'm not talking interpretation - but observation


The 2nd problem is in interpretation. We often interpret the passage the way we want to. Sometimes because of something we heard before. Sometimes because we don't want to see what it really says.
We interpret based on our presuppositions.


Despite what the Bible says, we don't hear what God wants to say, because we're only listening to what we want to hear. And even when He is clear, we hear our own assumptions & own desires instead of what God says.

Let's be careful as we approach God's Word. Let's put aside our assumption & presuppositions and prejudices. Let's open our ears & open our eyes so we can see what God's Word says and hear what God speaks.


Lastly,  when we hear what it says, we need to do it- or it is worthless. When GPS tells us a direction to go, if we don't listen, don't follow - we don't get where we need to go. Same with the Bible, we need to not just hear, but listen & do. James 1:21 says do not be hearers merely, but doers.
Hear, Listen, Obey.

Mook on roots of sin

i sin.
a lot.

i annoy my wife. i upset friends. i'm a jerk.
Really, i'm an idiot. Most of the time, i don't even realize what i do. And often i think i am justified- ok, most times i think i am. Even after i know it is wrong, i feel a bit justified in my sin... that's how sinful i am.

My wife and i have conflict. And i find most of my good friends and i have conflict too.

Mark Driscol tweeted today: “Friendship is like money, easier made than kept.” - Samuel Butler

Maybe we don't expect anything from acquaintances, but we expect a lot from our friends.
i think that is a big reason for conflicts, expectations aren't met  and/or not clear and/or are unreal.

But i'm discovering recently more.


i let my insecurity fuel my feelings and my actions.

i allow my selfish desires become so important, that i justify my sin. i am so self-centered, i expect the other person to go out of their way to meet my needs and when they don't i get upset.

i guess i shouldn't be too surprised by this- isn't this what James 4:1-2 say
      What causes quarrels & fights among you? Is it not that your passions are at war within you. You desire and do not have, so you murduer. You covet and cannot attain so you fight & quarrel.

True.

Most of the time i am upset with someone, it is not because of them, but because of something else i am feeling or wanting.
i am so insecure and prideful, that if something they say/do or don't do strikes at that, i get upset.

i need to recognize my insecurities. And i need to recognize self-centeredness. i need to take focus off of me and what i want and look at the other person. i need to embrace humility and believe truth and believe the best in others. And give grace, when i feel like dealing out punishment.
i have no right to demand anyway.

Mook on Confessing sin (or how God is not like a puppy)

You may have heard it said there is nothing God uses more in your sanctification than marriage, and I agree.

It’s not that marriage brings out the worst in you – it just reveals it!

I see all my sin and self-centeredness and selfishness and pride…  and filth and yuck!

And last week? Well, I saw a lot of it!

Soo forgave me and she accepts me, but it was still hard.

I could still see the grief and pain on her face. I still felt distant. I still felt bad, I still felt awful.

Then I was talking to Halle… and I thought, maybe this is why we like babies and puppies so much.

See, a baby may cry for a few minutes in the middle of the night, or may not particulary like how you hold them, but… they don’t really reject you.

And a dog, well they may whine for some food while you’re eating or may dislike a spanking, but they always like you.

Even if you upset a baby or a puppy- they seem to have short memories.

They like cuddling with you. They give little smiles.

And they don’t talk back.

They don’t say “but…” or give you looks to let you know how disappointed they are.

And I began thinking, maybe this is why I like God so much.

I tell Him all my sin, and He forgives me. He embraces me. He doesn’t hold my sin over me. I don’t feel guilt or shame at all.

And while some of those things are true, I think I discovered I may need to take a new look at confessing sin…

1.     God hates sin. He abhors it.

It’s not a mistake, that He just looks over. It’s not something He can just say “What? Don’t worry about it”

I think that is how I usually picture the whole process in my head.

Like the sin doesn’t bother him that much.

2.     Sin grieves God

This goes with the above. Just because I can’t see the grief & disappoinment and sadness, doesn’t mean God isn’t grieved. Eph 4:30 exhorts us: Do not grieve the Holy Spirit.

Our sin causes God pain.

3.     God really is gentle with us, gracious with us. He forgives us & accepts us.

And this is not something to take lightly. He knows all our faults and all our sins (Psal 139). And He loves us anyway. He accepts us. He holds no record of wrongs (I Cor 13) and all fear is cast out (I John 4). He doesn’t deal harshly with us.

In the book Prodigal God, Tim Keller makes some observations on the story of the prodigal son. When the Father comes toward the son, he doesn’t say “Ew, you stink. Go wash up and I will give you a big hug.” Nor does he give him a big hug and then say wash up now and take my coat it stinks now too. He embraces him. He wants him to clean up, but not because he is disgusted by him

4.     He really does want repentance

Throughout the Old Testament, God rebukes His people. They offer sacrifices- but they are vain. Jesus rebukes the religious leaders likewise. They worship, but the hearts are far away. Words, even words of confession, are in vain if our hearts and actions aren’t impacted.

We are called to repent
When the women caught adultery is not stoned, Jesus says "Neither do i condemn you" but He also adds "Go, and sin no more."
Jesus lived among the sinners, but He never condoned what they did and certainly did not enable them to sin

5.     God longs to show mercy

Even in all His anger in the Old Testament in Jeremiah and elsewhere, He is looking for opportunities to show mercy and grace and love

6.     All of this is possible because of Jesus.

Though God hates sin, He punishes our sin on Jesus. Though sin grieves Him, He looks at the righteousness of Jesus. And Jesus stands us an advocate for us.
Thru the death of Christ, we are free from all condemnation- all guilt, all shame. Jesus took all our shame, all our guilt upon Him on the Cross! We are accepted, loved.

Jesus is now living in us and sent His Spirit so we can repent and turn to God. Jesus provides the example for us how to live and the Holy spirit is making us more like Christ

And we are shown just how much God longs to show mercy, when the Father sent His Son, and the Son freely gave His life for us

So, while God is gracious, kind- and all I need to do is confess, I am already forgiven. I shouldn’t take my sin so lightly.

I am not just talking to a wall. I am not talking to the air. I am certainly not talking to a puppy. And while Ricky Bobby may pray to baby Jesus- He is not a little baby, He is King of Kings, God Almighty. He is meek & mild, ferocious & wild. He is a gentle thunder. He is the lion & the lamb – a lion-like lamb and a lamb-like lion (as John Piper would say).

We don’t just confess to get things off our chest, and not to feel better about ourselves.

We confess to renew our relationship with God and allow the holy spirit to work in our lives and make us more like Christ and to relish in the mercy & grace & kindness & goodness & love of our Lord.

Lord, be glorified!

Mook on Recongizing our wretchedness and embracing our awfulness

7, 8 years ago i came to realization: the more people get to know me, the less they like me.

i probably felt it before, but i knew it then. The more people got to know me, the less they liked me.

They began to see the opinions and not just the easy-to-get-along with guy. They saw the serious side, not just the fun side - or vice versa. They had to deal with me and my depression, not just my laughter.
Yes, the more time people spent with me, the less they wanted to. The more they got to know me, the less they liked me.

And for years i have been battling that.
i conferred it with friends. Some verified it, other tried not to give in, just to prove me wrong.
i tried to "escape" the lie. - No, it can't be true! People like me!

But i've realized, this is a losing battle.

And really, i should not be surprised by it.

Why should i be surprised by this?
See, as people get to know me more, the more they see of my filth. That is, my sin.
i can hide my sin a lil bit, but not for long.

Every part of me has been stained by the fall.
i am not utterly completely bad, but i am totally depraved.

Not only that, but i am the product of living in a fallen world.
And people who respond are also fallen.


So... the more people get to know me, the less they tend to like me.

Now, Soo and some other friends perhaps will fight against this. She will affirm and tell me all the things that are good about me.
And it is true, some people like me - even after they get to know me.

But this is just like putting white snow on top of a big pile of poop.
The sin is still there. My fallenness is there.


i know, i know, i've shared this before.

but i'll say it again.

Instead of ignoring all that yuckiness and looking for good. i need to recognize my wretchedness and embrace my awfulness and see how difficult it is to love me. i am not lovely or lovable. i am disgusting and a mess.


The wonder isn't how easy it is for people to stop liking me or get upset with me. The wonder is that i am loved at all!

This is The Gospel.
i need the Gospel.

i am wretched, but God saved me.
i am awful, but i am liked.
i am disgusting, but God delights in me.
i am difficult, but the body of Christ deals with me and helps me.

We need the Gospel in our community. We need to extend the Gospel to others. And we need to embrace the Gospel.
Stop making much of ourselves and start making much of God and His Gospel.

The thing about sin & mistakes

We treat mistakes as if it were sin and sin as if it were a mistake

i drop a plate. i drop a catch. i don't know how to answer a question. i fail a test.
These are mistakes. They are not sin.
i forget to do something important. i pay too much for something. i lose a check. i lose track of time.
These are mistakes. It is not sin.

But, these mistakes or other simple things can destroy me.
i begin to think how can anyone like me?
i am worthless.
What God want to do with me?


Sin on the other hand... we tend to rationalize, ignore, make excuses. We compare to others and think we're not that bad. Or we say, oh well, we all sin.

Everyone makes mistakes.

True, everyone sins. And everyone makes mistakes. But our sin is not a mere mistake.

Sin is rebellion against God. Sin is apathy towards the lover of our soul.
God hates sin.
And sin greives the heart of God.

We should be greived by our sin too!

This is not to say we should wallow in guilt & shame.
But it is to say we shouldn't be so nonchalant about our sin.
We should tremble before God and come before Him in humility.
And we need to repent!

i notice sin and i confess. And i think i'm not that bad. Of course God will forgive me.
And we forget the basis of His forgiveness is in the death of His Son.
And we live just as we had.


Do i see sin as against The Holy, Almighty, Only God, Creator of the Universe? Or as an innocent mistake?
Do i see sin as something that needs forgiveness? Or something that needs understanding?
Do i think of sin needs to be repented? Or just part of life?



We need to see sin as sin, as evil, as deserving punishment, as awful.
And then we need to embrace the Gospel. Embrace the good news of God's grace & love & forgiveness.
And recognize our relationship with God is in good standing not because i am somewhat good, but simply the goodness of God and Good News of the Gospel.

the one with quotes on missions

I've been working on a couple talks i'm doing and been looking up some quotes... here are a few goods ones i found:

 

George Verwer:

I believe the reason many Christians are so dull

and lifeless in their faith is because they are not

in the battle,

not using their weapons, not advancing

against the enemy.

---

Without Holy Spirit boldness,

the world will remain unevangelised...

there can never be a substitute for the

power of the Spirit

working through willing men and women,

and that power will bring boldness.

---

It’s so easy to lose the vision for souls...

if you have no time to drop your important job

and tell someone about Christ, then you are

too busy.

I believe

that encouraging workers

to go overseas will actually

strengthen the Christian

ministry in the west.

Most Christians want all of the privileges and none of the responsibilities.

We seem to have a strange idea of Christian service. We will buy books, travel miles to hear a speaker on blessings, pay large sums to hear a group singing the latest Christian songs- but we forget that we are soldiers.

---

My life is full of unanswered prayer.

Not even 50 percent of my prayers have been

answered over the years, not yet at least.

I refuse to be

discouraged by this.

---

God is seeking men and women of reckless faith today...to be reckless in your faith does not mean to be unthinking, but the reverse - concentrated, single-minded in your concern that God should be glorified and souls won.

The Great Commission is more than a call for you or me to leave where we are and go somewhere else. There is of course a great need for people to go, but there is a greater need for each of us to take up our own responsibility as part of the church's response to the Great Commission; to be personally involved in it whatever our particular role may be.

There are four warnings that I often give to people who are considering missionary work. Firstly your heart will be broken many times and you will face many disappointments. Secondly you will face financial pressures, battles and problems and also a wide range of differences of opinion on life-style and how money should be spent. Thirdly you will discover that it is sometimes relatively easy to get started on a project but unbelievably hard to keep it going and at the same time keep the loyalty of the people with whom you are working. Fourthly you will discover that roots of bitterness can come in very easily in Christian work, which sometimes, due to satanic opposition, can be more difficult and complex than in secular work, especially when money and other motivating forces are absent. This is not intended to be discouraging. There will also be, of course, blessings and joy over breakthroughs in answer to prayer. Missions work can mean a lot of fun. Many of the missionaries I know are grace-awakened people who know how to get the most out of their lives. Keeping a balance though between faith goals and unrealistic expectations is part of the process of counting the cost.

"God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply" — Hudson Taylor 

"God isn't looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him" — Hudson Taylor

"The great commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed" — Hudson Taylor

"God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him." — Hudson Taylor, missionary to China 

"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" — William Carey, who is called the father of modern missions 

"He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose" — Jim Elliot, missionary martyr who lost his life in the late 1950's trying to reach the Auca Indians of Ecuador

"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" — David Livingstone

"Sympathy is no substitute for action." — David Livingstone, missionary to Africa

"Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible." — C.T. Studd

"If ten men are carrying a log — nine of them on the little end and one at the heavy end — and you want to help, which end will you lift on?" — William Borden, as he reflected on the numbers of Christian workers in the U.S. as compared to those among unreached peoples in China

"Missions is the overflow of our delight in God because missions is the overflow of God's delight in being God." — John Piper

"God is pursuing with omnipotent passion a worldwide purpose of gathering joyful worshipers for Himself from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. He has an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the supremacy of His name among the nations. Therefore, let us bring our affections into line with His, and, for the sake of His name, let us renounce the quest for worldly comforts and join His global purpose." — John Piper

"You can give without loving. But you cannot love without giving." — Amy Carmichael, missionary to India

"People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives ... and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted." — Nate Saint, missionary martyr

"We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God." — John Stott

"The mark of a great church is not its seating capacity, but its sending capacity." — Mike Stachura

"The true greatness of any church in not how many it seats but how many it sends!" — Unknown

"Never pity missionaries; envy them. They are where the real action is — where life and death, sin and grace, Heaven and Hell converge." — Robert C. Shannon

"I believe that in each generation God has called enough men and women to evangelize all the yet unreached tribes of the earth. It is not God who does not call. It is man who will not respond!" — Isobel Kuhn, missionary to China and Thailand

"God is a God of missions. He wills missions. He commands missions. He demands missions. He made missions possible through His Son. He made missions actual in sending the Holy Spirit." — George W. Peters

"The saddest thing one meets is a nominal Christian. I had not seen it in Japan where missions is younger. The church here is  a "field full of wheat and tares."
Amy Carmichael

"Brother, if you would enter that Province, you must go forward on your knees."
           - J. Hudson Taylor

"Jehovah Witnesses don't believe in hell and neither do most Christians"
           - Leonard Ravenhill

The more obstacles you have, the more opportunities there are for God to do something."
           - Clarence W. Jones

"Expect great things from God. Attempt great thing for God."
           - William Carey

"Christians don't tell lies they just go to church and sing them"
           - A.W. Tozer

"Today Christians spend more money on dog food then missions"
           - Leonard Ravenhill

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn't."
           - John Piper

"His authority on earth allows us to dare to go to all the nations. His authority in heaven gives us our only hope of success. And His presence with us  leaves us no other choice."
           - John Stott

"Today five out of six non-Christians in our world have no hope unless missionaries come to them and plant the church among them."
           - David Bryant

"We who have Christ's eternal life need to throw away our own lives."
           - George Verwer

"If God wills the evangelization of the world, and you refuse to support missions, then you are opposed to the will of God."  --  Oswald J. Smith, Missionary Statesman

"Not, how much of my money will I give to God, but how much of God's money will I keep for myself."  --  John Wesley

"The concern for world evangelization is not something tacked on to a man's personal Christianity, which he may take or leave as he chooses. It is rooted in the character of the God who has come to us in Christ Jesus. Thus, it can never be the province of a few enthusiasts, a sideline or a specialty of those who happen to have a bent that way. It is the distinctive mark of being a Christian." -- James S. Stewart

“Would that God would make hell so real to us that we cannot rest; Heaven so real that we must have men there.” – Hudson Taylor