Kingdom Come

One of our members was at an ATM machine this week, as he walked away he spoke to the stranger waiting his turn at the machine.  They exchanged pleasantries then the man asked the Northsider, "I'm new in town, can you recommend a church for me to try?"

The Northsider happens to be one of our folks who has committed to the 4XFour Challenge to invite people to church in 2014.  He had been in prayer for those efforts.  Here a complete stranger basically does everything but sign his 4XFour commitment card for him.

Was this ATM encounter a coincidence?  Our member did not think so.  We read at the beginning of our 40 Days to Easter devotional Draw the Circle that, "If you pray to God regularly, irregular things will happen on a regular basis."  Jesus told us to be praying that his kingdom would come, should we be surprised if the opportunities for the Kingdom come and knock on our door?

But what does it mean for the kingdom to come?  How can we see it?  We will delve into that a little more thoroughly Sunday, but the signs of the kingdom coming are not always in the easy, instant opportunities. The signs are sometimes in the places of obedience where it is tough or in the places of gradual transformation over the long haul of a lifetime.

I have seen the kingdom coming recently in a group of couples working on their marriages together and being transformed by a single verse of scripture that seemed to speak to every one of us in a unique but profound way.

I have seen signs of the kingdom in the new homeless ministry that is at work through our church - planting a garden and sharing the gospel in one of the toughest neighborhoods in our city.

I have seen more evidence of the kingdom coming as our Search Team works to bring a new Worship and Music Pastor to our church. 

When Jesus taught us to pray, the first request he taught us to ask was that God's kingdom would come and his will would be done.  We should not be surprised when we see it.  We should be surprised if we don't see it.  Are you seeing it?  Come join us Sunday and we will pray and search it out together.

for the journey...

Tim

Noah - Need to Know

It will not be long until another Biblical movie will be out - "Noah."  In what I have been reading though about the movie there are some things you need to know before you go, at least after I read them I felt like I should share this in some way.

So below is a link to what someone who has seen the movie wants us to know about it.  The post was written by Dr. Jerry Johnson, president of the National Religious Broadcasters.  You will also see within this post,links to other places that give 5 pro and con points about the movie.

This is a big spoiler alert so don't read this if you want to go and be surprised.  If you have read the Bible, seen the previews, expect the biblical story and then go to see it, from what I understand here, you will really be surprised.  The movie is set to come out March 18.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2014/march/noah-application-for-christians-and-hollywood.html


for the journey....

Tim

The Word Worth a Thousand Pictures

The movie "Son of God" has far surpassed it box office predictions.  It has brought in $26.5 on its opening weekend when projections figured it would bring in $17.5 million.  On March 4, it was Fandango's number 1 rated movie.  It's popularity is not with out controversy and certainly not without discussion.  No movie about Jesus will ever be a non-controversy.

I was not able to make it to the opening weekend because of commitments so Judith and I went to see it on Monday night.  I was moved, I was impressed and I struggled at parts of it.  I sat there at times getting into the story then at other times thinking, "Ok, that event is not in the right place chronologically" or "That is not how that happened in the John's gospel."  I finally made my mind up to watch it as I would a church Easter Pageant; there is simply no way to portray every detail of every event in the gospels in a movie format.  If it were up to me I would have done it differently. 

In the end, I am glad Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett made the effort.  I don't believe they were trying to mess things up; they were trying to bring a message out of the life of Christ.  It had flaws, it had it's high points.  I commend their effort and I pray that they may not go the way of Mel Gibson after he made the movie, "The Passion of the Christ."  They will receive criticism and pressure and I pray that their faith and their lives will remain strong.  I commend their courage though I don't always agree with how things were presented.  I would have done it differently but then I am not a movie maker.  I am glad and thankful they are.

One of the realizations I had watching it and critiquing it was that there is no way to put the life of Christ into a movie and make it as dynamic, as realistic, as detailed and as accurate as the written word.  God knew what he was doing when he inspired the scriptures to be written.  He did not wait until there could be a movie about his son, he inspired people to write.  Hopefully, the movie will inspire people to read.

I left with a greater appreciation of the Bible and the people who did write accounts of the life of Jesus as they were inspired by God.  No one will ever top that.  Even our best efforts to portray it or represent it will fall short but the Word of God will not fail or pass away (Matthew 5:18).  And that is how it should be. And that is how it will be.

There were a group of ladies from our church there at the theater the night we saw "Son of God."  One of them asked me, "You have already seen this haven't you?"  I answered, "No, but I have read the book."  Now, for a while, I will read it and think back on the movie.  I will see details they caught and I had missed.  I will see details they did not portray.  Hopefully, I will see the Son of God more clearly.

for the journey...

Tim

Atheist Deconversion

This week I read about something that fascinated me - a website that gives atheists 15 steps to converting, or "deconverting" as they sometimes call it, a Christian to atheism.  Here are direct quotes on these fifteen steps:

Think about your friendship. Are the two of you close? If not, try to increase your friendship before attempting to change their religious beliefs.

Educate yourself. The key to converting someone is to understand their position as well as your own.

Learn common arguments levelled by theists and the best rebuttals. Although it is not possible to prepare for every argument you should know some of the more common talking points in Christian apologetics.

Examine myths, urban legends, and superstitions and learn why people believe stories backed by little evidence. Understanding something about the psychology of belief will better prepare you for the challenges ahead.

Read and understand their holy book cover to cover.

Study basic physics and biology, as believers may form arguments using a flawed interpretation of physics or biology.

Get them in the habit of questioning their own faith. Sometimes pointing out a single fallacy every now and then is sufficient.

Let them try to convert you. Many Christians will automatically try to convert you.

Give your friend practical advice for their problems from respected books from respected experts in various fields.

Avoid logical fallacies and point out those used by your friend.

Socialize them. Help them mix outside their own narrow circle of believers to see other viewpoints.

Don't try to change them too drastically. Deconversion is a highly personal activity that inherently takes a long time.

Know when to back away. Don't let differences and debate cause the end of a friendship, know when to leave them be.

Be open-minded. Listen and understand their point of view. Learn what makes them believe what they do. Remember, we can't prove, in any absolute sense, that no gods exist.

 

As you read that did you see how Christians could take the same track to use with atheists?  If we just reverse a few terms, it is the same thing we should try to do if we wanted to share the gospel with and atheist or any unbeliever.  I am a little puzzled though, why would atheists want to convert or "deconvert" Christians.  They are not trying to keep us from going to heaven or going to hell since they believe in neither.  Could it be that for people you care about, you want to them to know what you have found, you want to share what is really important to you? 

I don't know the motivation but I do know that there is one huge difference in their list of steps and our list of steps.  When atheists seek to convert Christians they must do it all alone with no outside help.  When we share the good news with unbelievers, we recognize that we can do nothing apart from the power of the One who resides in us and changes lives.  We are not alone.  We are loved and we do this out of love.

As we gather Sunday to consider being a part of the 4XFour Challenge, let's let that be on our mind.

for the journey...

Tim

You can find these 15 steps at:
http://www.wikihow.com/Persuade-a-Christian-to-Become-Atheist

The 4XFour Challenge

4XFour Challenge?  Is that an off road race?  A new weight loss program?  Is it introducing a new person to the Trinity?  No, nothing that bizarre.  If you were in church last Sunday you heard about it but last week a whole lot of people were out for a long holiday weekend so I need a place, like this blog post, where people can find out more.

The 4XFour Challenge is a simple way we can join together as a church and reach out to people around us.  As more and more studies reveal, unchurched people are less likely to respond to an institution but more likely to respond to an individual.  Let me say that another way, the unchurched tell us they are not looking to the church or "organized religion" for the answers.  They are looking more and more to other individuals whom they perceive as spiritual for guidance and direction on life issues.  The statistics from organizations who study these kinds of things (LifeWay and the Barna Group) tell us the unchurched are less likely to respond to a media advertisement for a church (they are not completely closed) but much more likely to respond to a person they trust inviting them to church or a religious gathering of some kind.  For example, 87% of the unchurched surveyed responded they would be open to an invitation to a baptism.  That's pretty amazing.

So what can you do?  The 4XFour Challenge calls us to these actions in response to people's openness and our opportunities:
1.  Identify four unchurched people or families around you.  Even in a Bible-belt place like Texas, 7 out of 10 households do not attend church.  So look around you and do this next thing along with it.
2.  Intercede for those people at least 4 times a week.  Prayer is a vital part of this challenge, we cannot do this on our own, nor can we make a difference in people of our own ability.  Get others to pray along with you, connect with people in your Bible study, family or friends in praying for your four.
3.  Invest your time into your 4.  Remember the unchurched tell us that they are turning to people they trust, people they perceive as spiritual.  You have to befriend and walk with them long enough for them to trust you, to see the love of God and the life of Christ at work in you.  That means you and I have to be more than interested in them as a way to get someone to come to church.  We  have to truly care even if they do not come to church.
4.  Invite your 4 at least 4 times in 2014.  Easter is not far around the corner.  Easter and Christmas are times when the unchurched have said they are more open to attending.  You may find that inviting people to a Sunday School fellowship, Upward soccer game, mission project or some other gathering is something to which your people would be more open.

To help in this challenge, starting on Sunday, March 2, you will be able to sign up and receive a simple card reminder of the 4XFour Challenge.  By signing, you will also get some email encouragement from me.  I hope you will be praying about this challenge and your willingness to take it on as joining something God is already doing around you.

Last week, after my message on this, a lady from our church came up to me and said, "There are four single women who live on my street.  I have been sensing for a while that God wanted me to do something with them, now I know what it is."  I will be praying that God will show you what He has in store for you and for us and that you will join me in this challenge.

for the journey...

Tim

Redistribution

I had a feeling that Dr. John Perkins would use that word when he preached last Sunday at Northside.  When I preached the early service that day I tried to prepare people for it.  Sure enough he said that word and some other things that got a lot of comments this week.  Most of which did not come directly to me, they were just passed around until somebody thought I 'ought to know" what was being said, not by the person bringing it to me of course.  So I want to address what is being said and what Dr. Perkins was actually saying when he used that word.  What many people heard is not what he was saying.

Let me explain, Dr. Perkins and some other like minded Christians who worked with people in poverty felt it was time for the church to do something to lift people out of poverty.  They saw that government programs had not had the desired results.  So they began to work on what the church could do in poor neighborhoods through new types of ministry.  In the 1980's they came up with Christian Community Development which is now a nationwide association of over 6,000 members and over 600 ministries. 

There are three ways we can go about helping people:
1. Relief - giving emergency help that is immediate and temporary.  Food and shelter after a storm or natural disaster, for example.  It is help for the moment, temporary in its scope and it is what is needed when people cannot help themselves.
2. Rehabilitation - restoring people and communities to their pre-crisis conditions.  This is the longer term work of helping people and communities to function again.  It is the clean up, mud out, fix up process.  What is being done to restore things in West, Texas now after a devastating explosion is rehabilitation.  Rehabilitation works best when the people in the crisis work with people helping them.
3. Development - Working with people through a long-term process of on-going change in which both they and those helping, grow closer to being in right relationship with God and with each other.
Habitat for Humanity and Perpetual Help Home are two local examples.

Dr. Perkins and others saw the damage that continual relief work was doing in poor communities; dependence on relief was a real problem so they began to find ways to do development work with the poor.  As they saw what worked in the long run they called them the three R's of Christian Community Development:
- Relocation - If you are going to change a community you must live in the community  no differently than a missionary must live in the culture of people they are trying to reach.  Relocation also means to bring back into the community some of those who have made a way out of poverty.  They have powerful testimonies that people will hear.
- Reconciliation - Getting people right with God and teaching them how to get right with each other.  That should go without much explanation for Christians.  It is a vital work in any community but especially among the poor where violence and crime run rampant.  There is much reconciliation to be done.
- Redistribution - (you thought I would never get back to it didn't you).  In development work that does not mean taking from those who have and redistributing it to those who don't.  It does mean to go into the community and into people's individual lives and see what resources they already have and help them to see how to redistribute those things for betterment.  Development work, as Dr. Perkins teaches it, starts a discovery of assets not an inventory of needs.  (Read that statement again).

The example of this "redistribution" that I gave in my sermon Sunday was the story of Stella, a woman at Perpetual Help Home who one year ago was caught in the drug culture of her community.  After she came to Perpetual and came to Christ she found she could use the same skills she had used to buy, sell and deal with drugs to prepare and sell salsa.  She now runs her own micro-enterprise "Stella's Sassy Salsa" and markets her product to individuals and restaurants.  She learned how to redistribute her skills and her assets and run her own business.  That is the beauty of development, she started with what she had and found a way to make it work.

You can go to our website www.nbcvictoria.org and under the "Worship Tab" find the February 9th sermon that I preached on this and the sermon that Dr. Perkins preached at 10:45 am that day.  But hopefully you have a clearer picture of what was meant and not just what was "heard."  I know that the most common meaning of "redistribution" today is not what it means in development work.  Remember the three "R's" of development were coined in the 1980's long before the word redistribution became a political hot topic. 

I doubt that at 84, Dr. Perkins is going to change his usage of the word nor change the popular understanding of it.  Perhaps we can all just understand each other a little better.  Hopefully now you understand Christian community development work a little better.  I hope to write soon on another amazing example of it going on in our own city but this has been a long blog so I had better go for now.  Thank you for reading and do let me know if you have more questions.

for the journey...

Tim

 

Marks of a Hero

What are the marks of a hero?  Super Bowl champion?  Being strong and classy even in a Super Bowl loss?  Or perhaps someone who acted bravely in saving others lives?  A person who sacrificed much through bravery in war? 

How does the Bible mark a hero?  Someone who was very far away from God but came to a saving faith in Him through an encounter with Jesus Christ?  Someone who followed Christ even though it was a very costly thing for him to do?  Someone who grew strong spiritually very quickly and wrote to Christians words that moved and shaped a movement of God's people?  Someone who was arrested on trumped up charges but used his time in jail to share messages that strengthened others resolve to follow Christ?  Someone who was brutally beaten while in custody and nearly died? Someone who despite that and other injustices continued to preach that the love of God is the only answer to the hatred that men have in their hearts?

Yes, that would be a hero, even though the Bible never uses that term.  All those things describe the Apostle Paul.  If you are going to have a hero in the Bible, he would have to be at the top of list of choices.  All those things also describe Dr. John Perkins.  He is definitely a hero to me.

He overcame extreme poverty and the deepest most painful forms of discrimination.  Despite having just a third grade education he has written numerous books and served on the boards of major evangelical ministries and organizations.  He and some others founded the Christian Community Development Association as a way that the church could minister to the least of these.  This movement is nation wide and now is going world wide with a new work developing in China.

Dr. Perkins, though now in his eighties, still keeps a rigorous speaking schedule that takes him across the nation and all over the world.  Oh, and by the way, he will be preaching our 10:45 am service this Sunday.  Want to hear a hero?  Here's your chance.

for the journey...

Tim