Best Bonhoeffer Chapter Yet! Quote-mania!

Below is a repost from earlier this year. The more the past year has passed, the more this burns in my soul to wake up the church, especially in light of the Innovate Church conference that is going on at TRBC. When was the gospel ever easy? Wake up America. We are in a post-Christian society.

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WOW I read the chapter Discipleship and the Cross. BAM! Great stuff. Below are some of the best quotes from this chapter. The modern church needs to heed to the words this man as they are speaking to us from his grave. Powerful thoughts here:

"Jesus must therefore make it clear beyond all doubt that the must of suffering applies to his disciples no less than to himself...discipleship means adherence to the person of Jesus, and therefore submission to the law of Christ which is the law of the Cross."

"To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us."

"If in the end we know only him, if we have ceased to notice the pain of our own cross, we are indeed looking only to him."

"If our Christianity has ceased to be serious about discipleship, if we have watered down the gospel into emotional uplift which makes no costly demands and which fails to distinguish between natural and Christian existence, then we cannot help regarding the cross as an ordinary calamity, as one of the trials and tribulations of life. We have then forgotten that the cross means rejection and shame as well as suffering."

"When Christ calls a man, he bids him to come and die."

"The call of Christ, his baptism, sets the Christian in the middle of the daily arena against sin and the devil. Every day he encounters new temptations, and every day he must suffer anew for Jesus Christ's sake."

"Suffering, then, is the badge of true discipleship."

Essay for Church Planting Class

This is my initial essay on my reading. The author has hitting some key factors that I think aren't being taken seriously in the modern church:

In his book Planting Churches Cross Culturally: North America and Beyond, David Hesselgrave presents what he calls the Pauline Cycle of church planting. This cycle is as follows: Missionaries Commissioned, Audience Contacted, Gospel Communicated, Hearers Converted, Believers Congregated, Faith Confirmed, Leadership Consecrated, Believers Commended, Relationships Continued, and Sending Churches Convened. According to the author, this cycle is repeated numerous times in the book of Acts when Paul would go to a town and establish a church. His purpose in writing the book is not only to present these steps, but also to develop them in our modern context and build on them. It presents a method to church planting and growth.

The author describes the broader debate on Pauline church planting being between the view that Paul had no plan and relied entirely on the Lord doing the work wherever he went, and the position that Paul had a method and strategy with his church planting. The reality is that as you view Scripture, it appears Paul kept these in balance. Paul did have a set plan whenever he would go to a new town. Repeatedly you see him go through most or all of the steps previously mentioned. However, this was all under the understanding that God was the one who makes the seed grow (1 Corinthians 3:7). We all would be foolish to aim at nothing. At the same time, many modern churches (business model churches) have made the method just as important as the Spirit. As Hesselgrave states, they have “organized Christ out of the picture.” As with everything, there must be a balance.

This tendency to simplify everything to a method or science is something Hesselgrave focuses on a good bit in the section of reading. He says, “If our dependence is on the overall strategy and method of its implementation rather than on the wisdom and power of the Holy Spirit, we cannot claim to be true to the New Testament church.” There are many who have simplified church to a plan that has become more holy than the Word of God itself. A plan is important, but if we hold more tightly to that method and leave no room for adjustment, it has become more important than the Spirit’s working in our church. Some plans, such as the Purpose Driven Model, were developed to give a Biblically based structure to doing church. Unfortunately, some can take this model and turn it into an “evangelical production line (that) will inevitably produce results.”

Other important observations by Hesselgrave were pointed out later in the chapter. One key thought is that the Pauline method should be done both synchronically and diachronically. In other words, while the cycle is in the process of the latter steps (Believers commended and sending churches convened), it should at the same time be introducing the first steps of audience contact and missionary commissioning. The cycle must not stop because the cycle never truly ends. The beginning is more visible through mission work and church plants, yet once that cycle begins, there is never a time when in our era when we can stop reaching out (until the Lord comes that is!). In a sense, the book promises a level of sustaining a healthy, vibrant and contagious church body if we abide and adjust to the Pauline cycle.

Three Cultural Giants Facing Our Church

I’ve been thinking…not predicting about the current state of the church, the culture, the times and where and how this may impact the church. I’m speaking out loud and in no way am being a Nostradamus. A few of my thoughts:

-The Economy’s Impact on the church:
I think the biggest issue I’ve been wondering and watching is the how the depleting economy is going to impact the church. For the past 10 years, a lot of modern churches have been seeking a surge in growth and attendance. This led them to more cash in offerings. Many churches went on building campaigns and went into debt with these massive church structures that sucked the power down due to lighting systems, video conferencing, etc.
As we are seeing, people are beginning to watch their money carefully. Tithing has dropped in several churches in the area and I know that it is most likely a national issue. If churches have gone in debt based on substantial giving, and at the same time tithing is dropping, how will churches respond if they can’t pay the bills? The church will have a dilemma between paying staff, missionaries, ministries in their own church, and potentially those financially hurting in their congregation. Will churches have to let staff go to create income to pay bills? Will they have to go back to volunteers running ministries? Will they finally get a hold of the lavish spending on video venues, lighting systems, laptops, and other professional expenses? Will they have the boldness to keep staff on and let missionaries or ministries suffer? Will they have the nerve to save themselves and let the fatherless and the widow take a second seat in assistance because as pastoral staff, they see themselves as irreplaceable? If staff and entertainment in the church take a hit, will people begin to leave since they have been made consumers? The next few years are going to be revealing.

-The Elephant in the Room: Gay Marriage
This has been building more and more in the past decade. The church will have to face this challenge soon due to the possible actions of states and the new president. The church has begun to divide on the issue. When the issue was slavery, the church failed to speak out loudly to condemn it as sinful treatment of other humans. This issue is also condemned clearly by Scripture, yet there are those in certain denominations who have rolled with it in the “spirit of love” and political correctness. Soon, all of the church is going to have to speak out in a loud voice and clearly state their position. Since some of our young people have been brought up in the sex-obsessed public school system, they are given a liberal interpretation of marriage.
The church needs to homosexuality for what it is- sin…not a person. It is CRUCIAL that we separate the person from the action. This is difficult due to how tightly the world encourages the gay community to cling to their identity of being gay. We must love the homosexual community and embrace the people of it, not the action. We must continue to firmly stand against the action as we would marital infidelity and premarital sex. This view must not taint our dealings with them nor should we treat them as second-class citizens (especially when we are so quick to forgive a man who cheats on his wife). This community receives hate. We must show them unprecedented love for the person!
As for the church, we must not compromise the sacred act of marriage. The church has allowed it to be hijacked by secular authority. Sacredness to the marital bond must be made more prevalent than the “business as usual” treatment it gets. If the church is told that it must accept gay marriage, I for one as an ordained pastor, will cease to do marriages. They can’t force me to do something against my beliefs. If they do, then throw the cuffs on me. Prison is luxury living these days.

-The Business Church and the Consumer
This ties in closely with the first point. Frankly, as I’ve been blogging on recently, the day of the seeker service and the song and dance service seem to be losing steam weekly. They turned “seekers” into consumers. Every Sunday they get a great show at church and a funny inspirational talk. Some even prayed a prayer to become Christian. Some knew what it meant, others acted on an emotional whim. They church has had to hire staffs the size of the Tonight Show to keep entertainment up and people attending/tithing. This is not church. This is entertainment.
In talks about this subject with many fellow Christians, I have heard a unified yearning for discipleship. Many of them are seeing the same things I’ve been seeing and are starting to speak out about it. If as many people acted as I’ve heard speaking about it, get ready for a modern reformation. There is a move coming. If it goes through, it will take us to smaller congregations, deeper teaching and a spirit of God, not Jay Leno. The buildings may not be as flashy, but believers will actually know where books of the Bible are, what views are on communion, and that Martin Luther wasn’t a civil rights leader. They may stop asking the pastor for verses and start finding them for themselves. We may actually start to love the Lord with our minds, not just our emotions.

Calvin vs Modern Worship/Emergent Church...or so it seems

My bro gave me this quote as I was on my tirade against the direction of the modern theater and motivational centers known as a lot of modern churches. Gone is discipleship. Gone is God as a just and angry Father. What's important is fluff and feeling good. Calvin said this:

Mingled vanity and pride appear in this, that when miserable men do seek after God, instead of ascending higher than themselves as they ought to do, they measure him by their own carnal stupidity, and neglecting solid inquiry, fly off to indulge their curiosity in vain speculation. Hence, they do not conceive of him in the character in which he is manifested, but imagine him to be whatever their own rashness has devised. This abyss standing open, they cannot move one footstep without rushing headlong to destruction. With such an idea of God, nothing which they may attempt to offer in the way of worship or obedience can have any value in his sight, because it is not him they worship, but, instead of him, the dream and figment of their own heart.

-John Calvin, Institutes, Book I. Ch. 4. Section 1.

Perry Noble Comment

"The church that doesn’t want to grow is saying to the world, “You go to hell…we’re doctrinally correct…you go to hell.” - Perry Noble

My response? I agree and disagree. Define growth? Are you talking numbers? Are you talking about making sure you have to build a bigger building because you had 1000 sign the dotted line? I agree that I want people come to Christ and his church to grow. However, if growth = large attendance to you, then you can tell the world (and those in your church) "You can think you're not going to hell (but you may not be saved at all)...we're concerned about your prayer and baptism number...you may go to heaven." Perry...growth is more than conversions...its actual spiritual growth, which I realize isn't as easy to monitor like numbers.

How do you respond to Jesus' multiple statements on "let the dead bury their own dead," "love me more than your father or mother," "deny yourself, take up your cross," etc. It seemed Jesus wasn't as concerned about a huge group following him as much as he was reducing the size of people following him by sifting the wheat and the chaff. The genuine followers remained. He constantly pruned his numbers by saying difficult and popularity killing statements. Those who were serious remained...he did nothing to coddle people to heaven.

Men and the Kingdoms of Men - Part 2

Let me preface by saying the first blog on this was somewhat incomplete. I am not naming pastors nor followers I think are guilty of placing anyone on a pedastool. I mentioned who i did for the purpose of setting names up as examples.

What has prompted me on this issue is watching believers fighting over the issue of Calvinism and Arminianism. Though I am comfortably in the middle of these two groups, it is stunning how heated the debates get on these issues. These men both gave us a way to understand the basics of salvation in two distinctly different views. Both of them are found in the Bible. What I fear is when I see men beginning to take Calvin's words and making them equal to or higher than God's word. Calvin did us a great service to bring clarity to some important issues. I however don't believe he would agree with some of the followers of his beliefs who almost worship him as a saint. He has been elevated higher than the disciples sometimes. It scares me to see men adhere to a belief so strongly that they are closed to the other side. Often I see people on both sides arguing and debating and not listening and trying to understand the other sides perspective. Is this what Calvin would have desired? Splitting the church?

As humans, we love heroes. From the time we are kids, we imitate our favorite superhero or a police officer. We look up to them. They can do no wrong. As we get older, we replace them with others. We look to sports figures, movie stars, politicians, and church leaders. There is nothing wrong with having people we have high respect for and want to model our lives after. Again, the problem is, when they are elevated to a position that is equal to Christ, we have a serious problem. Most of the time, followers often worship a leader to the point that everything they say is gospel. In ministry, I've seen this in who we align ourselves with in a ministry style. I have fallen into this. There is nothing wrong with examples until they trump the Bible. I was a firm believer in Purpose Driven Youth Ministry and Church. It is a great model to follow. However, some churches and leaders can take this to an extreme by almost trusting the words of Warren and Fields more than what is Biblical. In no way do I single out PDC. I've seen this with the Andy Stanley model (my fav), Willow Creek, and many other models out there.

Let me say this- the models are not bad. Most are based Biblically and humble God-fearing leaders came up with them. What is so dangerous is when the church emphasizes the model more than the Biblical model in Acts 2. As humans, its so easy to fall in love with a human leader that we often can forget...they're men. They fail. They sin. They struggle. Just like me. They are also prone to mistakes. This again is why Christ must continue to be what the church is about, not a model or a leader. In 1 Corinthians, the church was beginning to fall for this. They were dividing over Paul and Apollos. Followers were lining up on both sides. It's then when Paul says..."they're just men who willingly showed up...God did the real work (my paraphrase)." We have to remember to keep the main person, the main person. Church is about Jesus Christ. Christianity is about Jesus Christ alone. Models come and go. Leaders die and fall. One constant remains- Christ.

The sad part is most of the leaders would never want the praise that their followers often give them. They realize that they are just a leader. I always remember Andy Stanley's sermon on leadership when he said, "Leadership is temporary and each will give an account." He used the illustration of Nebuchadnezzar being turned into an animal after thinking his kingdom was of HIS hand. In all reality, it was not. A humble leader realizes that he is along for the ride. God is the engine and the steerings wheel. We are the passenger.

Again, I say all of this as a recovering pastor worshipper. Doug Fields was on my list of people I wanted to meet before I die because I thought he was the only one getting it. Often I would elevate PDYM over God's own word. Doug I could see and hear. I couldn't see God. I was convicted of elevating God's leader as my source and defense for my faith and ministry. Doug wouldn't have approved, this I know. As followers, we must never replace the invisible God with the visible idol. Billy Graham is not God. He is his servant. Falwell is not God. He was his servant. Hybels is not God, Rod Bell is not God, Andy Stanley is not God and Doug Fields is not God. He has given these men temporary leadership that they will give an account for. We can look to them as models, but never as idols.