Evil in the church, the zombie within and spiritual battles.

Love is like a paper shredder, literally.  I will explain later.

Some weeks are great, some are not so great, and some are just plain awful.  We like it best when those in the last category are less frequent.  I am getting over one of those weeks.  I blame the enemy within and the enemy without.  The enemy of our soul has an ally within us that will lay dormant and then at an opportune time rouse itself like a zombie and the two join forces in an attack. 

For me there was a combination of circumstances, each by itself was not that difficult, but together they provided a seedbed for a powerful alliance.  First, and I expected this; I miss my son who is at boot camp.  For the last 20 years he has always been around and for the last 4 years has been my best male friend.  We are very close and his absence makes life feel a little weird.  Second, was a series of minor frustrations that make up life.  These are not a real crisis, but things related to work, potential clients, and circumstances beyond my control-the basic reality of life. An example, the post office losing books and being bureaucratic about helping find them and being painfully late about mail delivery. Dealing with these frustrations of life should not have been that difficult.  Even added to the emotional low this should not have been such a powerful combination for ill.  Late one night I realized the subtle and secret ingredient that the enemy used so effectively.

With our son gone we are in the process of down sizing, two people in a 2500 sq. ft. 4/2 home makes no sense.  That downsizing goes all the way to my files.   As I pulled out the files some were easy to toss.  The file containing my sophomore hermeneutics project went away pretty easy.  Some files are still with me such as the outline for a future book-a mystery about money laundering using a church.  (When I get this one published please buy several copies).  But one file I came across was the catalyst of the emotional train wreck of this week.

This file was my ongoing record of dealing with the most ungodly people I ever met in church.  It told the story of watching church leaders make unwise, misguided and even evil and sinful decisions.  It contained a letter from a new believer telling how church leaders came to him and tried to bully him into a course of action.  It contained copies of emails that reported criminal behavior on the part of church members and even someone on staff.  It contained attendance records showing a growth rate of 40% per quarter over the previous year, with the notation that I warned leaders, “If we don’t deal with this issue it will adversely affect our ministry.”  Within two quarters the additions had ended and attendance was in decline at about 10% below the year prior.   Looking over that file was like looking at crash scene photos where a loved one was killed. 

Originally, I started the file to have a record so we could document how we addressed the issues involved.   I kept the file so that if legal action were brought I could say, “This is what I knew, this is when I learned about it and this is what I did.”  When I finally admitted the situation was hopeless I left the church packing all my files in boxes and stored them at my house.

Part of the healing process was to acknowledge that what the leaders did was evil.  Forgiveness is not possible till we admit the reality of the evil.  We can’t forgive someone until we can say, “What you did was categorically evil.”  We don’t repent until we say to God or the person we wronged, “What I did was categorically evil.”  I left the pulpit ministry and worked on forgiveness.  I got help from a godly councilor and from a faith community that specializes in inner healing.  I willfully chose to forgive, but the pain is still a real possibility.

When I read over that file I felt the pain again.  My stomach tightened, my mouth got dry, my heart rate accelerated, and my hands began to shake.  All the visceral reactions that are hard wired into us from our adrenal glands were restarted.  If you return to the crash site don’t be surprised if it hurts. 

As I reviewed the file I struggled with what to do with it.  Part of me wanted to toss it out with some sort of ritual to mark the occasion.  Part of me wanted to finally reveal the dirt to set the public record straight.  Part of me wanted to use it as a case study to warn other ministers about the priority of quick, decisive action when dealing with misguided and/or evil people.  Part of me wanted to write it into a book, just change the names, location, and add in money laundering.  Not knowing what to do with this file, this detailed record of the wrongs done, I put it aside where it sits till this moment.

But the enemy knew what to do with this hurt to accomplish his purpose.  Mix it with sorrow and frustration and brew it into a concoction that Paul described in Galatians 5 as the works of the flesh.  Now, not every manifestation of the flesh was at work on me this week.  The enemy may not have wanted to over play his hand, but this was his beginning.  Like Velcro on my heart the enemy knew where to hang hurt.

In morning devotions, Paul pole-axed me.  He wrote to me by way of the Corinthians “Love…keeps no record of wrong….” There was a time that I needed and should have had this file. But the statute of limitations has expired, I have no contact with that church and my imagination will suffice for a novel about money laundering.  So once this essay is proofed and posted this file will be shredded.  Like shaking dust off my feet I will let God use each shred of paper as a witness against evil.  It will be His to judge not mine.  I will also re-forgive something I have learned through this process.  I will close and lock the door on this part of my life and there will be one less key to reopen it.

There are so many lessons to be downloaded from this experience that time fails me.   But there is one lesson I needed to pay close attention to and you may as well.  When we are unaware of the power and state of our emotions, this is a time that the enemy will delight to attack us.  We are never more spiritually whole than when we are emotionally healthy.

The Church and Harley Davidson

Harley black and orange is turning gray

Yesterday, I went to a motorcycle event at the local Harley dealer.  Today, I went to church and there was an interesting similarity between the two events.

I love motorcycles and I love the church.  But as I looked at the two crowds I realized the struggles of Harley-Davidson and the church were not that different. Perhaps we can look at Harley-Davidson and the motorcycle industry as a whole and find answer for what we need to do in the church. 

Harley-Davidson sales have been in steady decline for several years now and Harley finds itself fighting for market share in a declining market.  Harley has a long and storied history and is the most popular brand in the U.S.  It was only recently that it fell below 50% market share.  Since before the First World War it has been producing some incredible bikes.  Not that long ago production could not keep up with demand; if you wanted a Harley you paid your deposit, put your name on a waiting list and sat by the phone for the call that your bike had been delivered.

That is not the case any more.  Most Harley shops have crowded showroom floors, with both new and used bikes.  The waiting lists have disappeared and the sales projections provided by the company have not been met recently.  There are a number of factors, but the motorcycle market is in general decline and Harley is particularly vulnerable.  Harley now has to try to escape from the corner into which they have painted themselves.  That will be difficult, in part, because the allure of past success can be powerful, but also deadly.

Harley has a brand loyalty that is unlike any other brand.  You would be very surprised to find someone with the logo for Crest, Clorox or Chick-fil-A tattooed on his body, but the HD symbol is not that uncommon.  That brand loyalty is strongly associated with a subculture that is rooted in a nostalgic vision of the 50’s and 60’s.  Harley has attached its brand so closely with that subculture that they are synonymous.  And therein lies Harley’s challenge.  Harley’s segment of the market is aging; guys who were in their twenties in the 1950’s are in their 70’s or 80’s.  With the price of a new Harley as high at $40,000 and weighing just over 900 lbs. retirees may not want one. 

Having boxed itself in, Harley has to find a way to attract new customers without alienating its most loyal base.  Millennials, that coveted generation that everyone wants and no one is sure how to get, are not interested in Harley at least not the big engine bikes that are the hallmark of the brand.  A big expensive bike just doesn’t fit in their transportation plan.  What is a bike manufacturer to do?

You don’t have to be a mechanical engineer to see the similarities between Harley and the church.   As I was standing at the Harley event this weekend, surrounded by 100’s of bikers and bikes, I realized I was distinctly in the younger half of the gathering.  This morning I was sitting in a wonderful church service and as I looked around I realized I was again distinctly in the younger half of the crowd.   According to the Pew Research Center the median age in the U.S. is 46 and only two religious groups in the U.S. have a median age below the U.S. median.  http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/11/which-u-s-religious-groups-are-oldest-and-youngest/

This is an article that is most disturbing for those of us who love the Christian faith. The church has a sort of brand loyalty that is deeply associated with a certain subculture here in the U.S.  The Christian subculture almost exists in a Christian ghetto. 

I can almost hear someone say, “We have to be more innovative and creative and radical.”  That is the message of the church growth movement for the last 30 years.    The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing and hoping for different results.  The track record of the church growth movement and seeker driven ministry is not that great; what the church has been doing hasn’t been working.  Our attempts to reach the next generation with our youth-orientated ministry are apparently not working.

As I read numerous articles about the bike industry in general and Harley in particular one comment stood out.   One industry insider said in effect, “If we want the next generation to ride, we need to take them riding.”  It sounds not unlike what Paul wrote in his second letter to Timothy. 

You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. 

The youth movement for the church has less to do with music, forms, building style or cool factor of the minister.  The way for us to have the next generation at the cross is to meet them and lead them there.

The Forgotten Beatitude

Most of us are familiar with the beatitudes that Jesus used to introduce the Sermon on the Mount.  “Blessed are the pure in Heart….”  These are the most famous of Jesus’ beatitudes but they are not an exhaustive list.  Other beatitudes appear in Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, which in many ways parallel those in Matthew 5.  But there is a forgotten beatitude, one that is rarely noticed and as far as I know never preached on.  Jesus inserts it as a bridge between two teachings.  This beatitude is enigmatic and, at the surface level, seems to apply only to those who are clearly outsiders.  But this forgotten beatitude needs to be taken as a warning to all of us who would follow Jesus.

The forgotten beatitude is found in Matthew 11:6, “And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me.” NASB.  To comprehend what Jesus is saying here we have to set the context.  In Matthew 5-7, Jesus teaches with unique authority and sets Himself apart from everyone who came before Him.  In the next two chapters Jesus proves that authority with a series of healings and miracles overcoming disease, nature and the supernatural powers of the demonic.  In the next chapter He begins to pass that authority on to his disciples commissioning them to go and expand the preaching that the Kingdom has come.  On the cusp of this commission to tell people the Kingdom has come, Jesus receives a delegation from John the Baptist.

Don’t miss the convergence of these events.  A new authority has been claimed, demonstrated and is about to be proclaimed.  The Expected One has come, or has He?  John has questions that are unanswered.  The ministry of the Expected One is proving in some ways disappointing.  Remember the preaching of John?  He was expecting the judgment of God.  A baptism of Spirit and fire, an ax at the root of non-productive trees, a winnowing fork to cleaning the threshing floor with a fire that could not be quenched.  So far, while impressive in its own way, Jesus’ ministry has not met expectations.  The difference between expectation and experience is disappointment.  John was disappointed.  Healing a mother-in-law of a fever is wonderful, curing a woman of a menstrual disorder is impressive, but where is the shock and awe John expected?

The reform and purification of Israel had not happened; apparently, it had not even begun.  Even Jesus’ answer to John’s enquiry was a little vague.  Jesus instructs the delegation to tell John what is happening; He does not give a “yes” or a “no” answer.  He simply tells them to report what is happening and He quotes scripture.  This is important and we will come back to it.  Because when we get disconnected from scripture we end up not understanding Jesus.

Why didn’t Jesus give a simple “yes” or “no” answer?  There were in Palestine, at that time, a number of nationalistic factions that were eager for a reform and purification of Israel that started as a political movement and would work its way into a rebellion against Rome.  They wanted an Elijah that would call fire down from Heaven and slaughter the wicked.  Very likely there were among John’s disciples members who held this view.  John was now in prison his life in danger.  What better time for the Messiah to issue a call to arms.  He has the authority, and the power of miracles, and he has a network of disciples spreading the news of the Kingdom. What more would be needed; the battle is at hand.  “Give us the word, Jesus, we will tell John and he will call for the uprising.”

In verse 12, Jesus says, “And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and violent men take it by force.”  In other words, rebels and zealots want to use the Kingdom of Heaven for their own ends and they do not care about the harm they do to it or with it.  They would gladly use the Kingdom, Jesus, even God Himself as a means to their ends.    A national powder keg is set and ready to be ignited and almost everyone, except Jesus, is fumbling for a match. 

Jesus for his part says, “Look at what is happening in my ministry.”  It is not enough to just look at the marvel of the miracles, but the gracious nature of the miracles.  In Matthew 8, Jesus’ first three miracles were for outsiders, an unclean person-the leper, a Roman centurion-an enemy of Israel, and a woman-a second class Jew   Jesus could not have given a more wet blanket answer to those wanting to crank up the rhetoric of nationalism. 

John wanted the purification of God’s holy wrath to clean up the moral rot of the day.  He wanted “Jesus the Reformer” to get rid of sin in society, destroying those who were evil and calling the repentant to a moral perfect society.  The campaign theme of “Make Israel Moral Again” might have fit well.  In Israel were those who said that the Messiah would rescue the nation from its bondage.  These feelings were likely present among John’s own disciples.  “Make Israel Mighty Again” would not be foreign to their lips.  For a nation that was going to war a King who could heal the sick and raise the dead would be very useful. 

Into this context Jesus offers His forgotten beatutide, “And blessed is he who keeps from stumbling over Me.” When we set up a Jesus of our liking and then meet the real Jesus something has to give and generally we stumble.  The word stumble that is used here is σκανδαλίζω. It means to cause to trip or to fall.  The verb is derived from the noun word for trap.  It is the root of our English word scandal.  When we set up a fake Jesus to suit ourselves, and then meet the real Jesus it takes us quickly and feels like we are caught in a trap. 

Let’s be honest for a moment.  A Jesus we can construct, according to our wants and wishes, can be a pretty attractive Messiah.  We can exploit His power and authority to accomplish our desires.  We can access His mercy and grace to soothe our conscience.  A properly constructed Jesus can be very useful for our political, business or social agenda.  This kind of Jesus can even help us break up with someone and do so with a divine mandate.  “I feel like the Lord wants me to focus on my relationship with Him so we shouldn’t date right now.”  (Pardon me while I go wretch.)   You name the need and with a little creativity we can craft a Jesus to fill that need.  Let’s consider a few examples:

DNC Jesus.  If you happen to be a democrat there is a Jesus for you.  I once heard a preacher say that wealth redistribution was God’s will.  In Jesus’ quoting that he was appointed to preach good news to the poor that would inevitably mean bad news for the rich.  DNC Jesus is pretty useful on matters of women’s rights, environmental issues, or issues related to homelessness or immigration.

RNC Jesus.  Republicans need not worry a Jesus can be crafted to serve your cause as well.  One preacher stated that Jesus endorsed capitalism and the free market economy based on the parable of the “Talents and Servants”.  The servant that invested and doubled money was blessed.  Jesus works Wall St!  RNC Jesus has a lot to say about abortion, family values, and faith in the public sector.

Genie Jesus.  While not a newcomer, Genie Jesus has been trending up of late.  This construct of Jesus has access to everything you want and is just waiting for you to ask for it.  You see He was rich but for our sake He became poor, but now that He is back in Heaven He is rich for our sake.  All we have to do is lay claim to the riches

He has for us.  He loves us so much that he will deny us nothing, if we only have the faith to ask for it and name it as ours.  The proof of His love for you is all the blessing He gives you, so the more you ask for and the more He gives you the greater His glory.  This Jesus lets you glorify Him by living a life of opulent wealth.  This is a pretty popular model.

Wingman Jesus.  The value of being non-judgmental has never been higher.  Wingman Jesus will never judge you; all He does is forgive.  You want to cheat on your spouse?  No problem.  Wingman Jesus understands and will forgive you.  Want to drink too much? Wingman Jesus will help you get home safe without a DUI.  Wingman Jesus is very popular with people who only want the tiniest bit of religion; just enough to make sure everything is cool.  Even if you get caught doing something reprehensible you can talk about being sorry, offer an apology and appeal to Jesus; Wingman Jesus to your rescue.  Jesus is apparently a wingman to a lot of politicians.

These are just a few examples of any one of a number of constructs we have of Jesus.  There are as many possible constructs as there are people.   The problem is that when we meet the real Jesus these constructs we have set up for ourselves cause us to fall.  The real Jesus is offensive to us.  The real Jesus is not a toy to be played with or a child to be teased.  The real Jesus demands that we die to our agendas and ourselves including our agenda for Him to follow.  We all have to some degree a Jesus construct that we have crafted.  But by God’s grace we can carve away this pseudo Jesus and find the real one.  The real one may not be what we wanted, but He is so wonderful that we will learn to love and want who He is. 

Our Son is Gone so we Celebrate

Celebration of a long won victory

The outpouring of kindness and the promises of prayer we have received this week have been overwhelming.  Yesterday we had the privilege of seeing our son take his oath as he begins becoming a sailor in the US Navy.

Lorie and I are doing well through it all.  Writing to one friend I said, happiness and sorrow make strange bedfellows.  My friend wrote back that these two emotions are very close at times like this.  I should have known that since I read Hind’s Feet In High Places. 

Honestly, we are experiencing a great deal of joy and happiness.  When our oldest was born I cut the umbilical cord.  For us this was a symbolic act; it was the beginning of a long process in which our child would go from being totally dependent on her mother to grow to be independent.  This long journey began when we severed the umbilical cord and ended when our youngest took that final step of independence. 

For us yesterday was the finish line we have been working toward for three decades.  Yes, we are sad, we love our son (all our kids) and having them around is wonderful.  But he needs to be able to make his own way in the world.  Seeing him go is a great thing with a twinge of sadness.  It could be worse. 

Several months ago my son and I went to help a friend of a friend move some stuff.    When we arrived we found the son of the man we came to help sitting on the couch playing video games.  He was in his late 30’s; he had to live with his dad because he just couldn’t make it.  The world was unfair and no one would give him a break.  He was a victim of a cruel life.  So, while my son and I moved the stuff he sat on the couch played video games, ate chips and drank Mt. Dew.  When we were done we got in the truck and I told my son, “I will hate it when you leave, but it would be really awful if you were to stay.”

So now our oldest is married to a peace officer, who is in law school.  She is a home school mom of three, active on the church praise team and running a little farm (garden, goats, hogs, chickens, etc.)  They are sort of busy.

Our second child just graduated from Grand Canyon University, a 4.0 honor student, with a degree in Emergency Management.  She served 6 years in the Navy and left as an E5.  She is married to a sailor who does cyber security. 

 Our youngest daughter is fulfilling her dream being a mom.  With a toddler and an infant she is often a sleep-deprived mom, but that goes with the territory.  She texted this morning to tell us she has unlocked the next level in the game “Mommy”.  Her husband is studying in the field of radiation therapy.  I don’t understand it, but as long as my grand kids don’t glow in the dark I am cool with it. 

And now our son is in boot camp.  Four kids, four successful launches.  I can’t take the credit I can only thank God for His grace in their lives.  Yes, I am sad our son has moved on, but his moving on is cause for celebration.