Most of all, unity

  Photo credit: Joits / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA 

Consider the Apostle Paul's words in Philippians 2.  As he starts this passage, he says,

"Therefore if you have any encouragement with being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind."

As I studied this passage last night, I thought to myself, "Do we, do I value unity as much as Paul did?"  Too often, we let our own preferences get in the way of what God speaks to so clearly in this passage - unity.   Here's a quote that might also summarize a Christian perspective on unity: in essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity.

I once heard Dr. Ravi Zacharias say that in our discussions we need to work on creating more light than heat.  If the Body of Christ were to truly value one another and this notion of growing, learning, and (as noted above) 'the creation of light', I sense that we might look at fellow believers and realize that we are all wounded, all broken, and all seeking out truth by God's grace alone.  When we disagreed, we would offer grace and patience with an attitude that says, "Only God sees perfectly".  We would be slow to think that all the conclusions we have come to are without flaws.  And all this would drive us to the Savior without whom there is no hope for humanity, both in the life to come and in this life.

How have we as the Church today caused division over non-essential issues?  And better yet - how do we define essential issues?  I would state it this way: if the doctrine over which we disagree will not condemn one to Hell or mislead one from Heaven, let us be slow to stand our ground and find out we are standing on another brother or sister.
Above all, be like minded.

 - tC

Avoiding Pain, Maximizing Pleasure

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While it's not something most of us will admit, when we reflect on it we have to affirm that much of what we do in life is to avoid pain and to maximize pleasure.  We might not use such polarizing terms, terms that describe the opposite ends of the spectrum - but it's generally true. 

I was speaking with a pastor the other day who shared with me that the reason people become apathetic or bored in their walk with God is usually connected to the spiritual disciplines.  As I probed a bit, he said, "The disciplines force us into a place that is not easy.  Sure, we 'like' talking with God in prayer or reading the Bible, but if I had to choose between eating ice cream or reading my Bible as to which one brought the easiest pleasure with the least amount of energy, the ice cream wins." 

But the irony is that while the immediate pleasure has to be denied in order that we grow in our walk with God (i.e. I want to sleep in  but I get up to read my Bible), the outcome of the discipline is the greatest pleasure we can find - knowing and being known by God. 

Consider your life as I consider mine.  Do I seek temporary pleasure, immediate  pleasure at the cost of greater, lasting pleasure.  C.S. Lewis described it like this:


“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

- tC

Doing What Matters

We will all breathe our last breath someday.  Will we be able, at that point, to say that we redeemed the time we were given for a greater cause than just fun and safety?

- tC

The Words We Speak

If you have ever been in a verbal confrontation with someone, you know that truths can easily be over-stated.  We often say things like, "You always..." or "How come you never...".  The truth is (and most of us know this) that comments that essentialize or over-state a reality are neither true nor helpful.         

But there are times when those kinds of (if you will) extreme and dramatic words are needed.  One of those situations is when Paul writes to the Church at Ephesus and in the 4th chapter says this:

"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your moths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.  And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."

Paul uses a very strong word when he says 'any'.  Here's my modern-day translation of Paul's writing: Do not let any unwholesome talk come from you, but instead your words should be all about building others up.  And in case you were wondering how God feels about unwholesome talk - it grieves Him.

Are my words defined by encouragement and edification?  Do I give myself leeway to say 'just a few' unwholesome or unhelpful things a day?  Paul doesn't give us that option.  And yet what he does tell us is that we have been given the opportunity  to bless and encourage others with our words.

Is my life characterized by words that build others up?  God, please help it to be so.

- tC  

My First Love

In preparation for the end of our church's "Read The Bible For Life" year-long reading experience, I was looking into the Book of Revelation today.  I am always intrigued by the seven letters John pens on behalf of Jesus as He speaks to seven real churches from that day.  Many argue about whether these churches are symbols of our churches today, and while it's worth discussing, the greater image and call of these letters is clear: be like the churches that do it well, don't be like the ones that fail.  
The one church I was most struck by today was the Church at Ephesus.  Interesting (to me at least) that I am leading a Bible study on the  Book of Ephesians right now with a great group of young adults, and that before I even made the connection, I was struck by this church's failures more than those of any of the other churches.  The charge from Jesus is this: you have lost your first love.

It's such a simple phrase but such a profound one as well.  The One you loved, the One who was your burning desire, the One who was constantly in your thoughts and heart - this One - He is no longer what He once was to you.  The passage doesn't read like they have completely forgotten their roots, but perhaps that is the scariest part.  It may be easier to hear something like, "You have totally forgotten Me, so come back" than it is to hear, "You are so busy doing for Me that you forgot Me."

In the hectic world in which we live, love is a hard thing to find.  We see all too often that other things either crowd out or kill love.  But the hard reality is this: love is not as often killed as much as we allow it die.  It is hard work to love, but there is nothing like it.  Jesus says in John 13 that we are blessed when we serve, when we humble ourselves, when we give ourselves for the sake of others.  This is love.  But it is also a deep sense within us that says, "You are my passion - I desire You."

May we forsake all other things - even those that are 'good' - and burn with loving passion for the One who made us for Himself.

- tC

Living A Life of Faith

Take 5 minutes and watch this.
Take heart - our God is able.




- tC

The Church is...

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As a young church worker, it can be easy to approach church with an attitude something akin to John Lennon's "All You Need Is Love".  We can think, "If I just love people and preach the Word and pray, it'll all work out."

Don't get me wrong, the centrality of love (1 Cor. 13, Galatians 5), the Word (Deuteronomy 6, John 4), and prayer (Ephesians 5:18-20) is vital.  But we live in a fallen world, a world where people don't pray sometimes, where people aren't interested in knowing, loving, and living according to God's Word.  And in light of this, we need to realize that the church is both (as one of my pastor's says) an organism and and organization.  We need to live with a view that we are the Body of Christ (a living entity) and also realize that when the widows were not being fed in Acts 6, the apostles made a strategic and organized AND Spirit-led decision to put Stephen (a man "full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom") in charge of reconciling the issue.

I think in the last 50 years, we have swung the pendulum toward organizing too much, toward planning and toward the strategic.  But even so, we can't toss out all organization in favor of just hoping for the best and shooting blindly.

The church has to be Spirit-led, and the Spirit will often lead us to organize and be strategic.  It doesn't have to be an either-or, it can be both-and.

- tC