Wise Words for Today

The Good Samaritan by Rembrandt (1630) shows the Good Samaritan making arrangements with the innkeeper. A later (1633) print by Rembrandt has a reversed and somewhat expanded version of the scene. Roland E. Fleischer and Susan C. Scott, Rembrandt, Rubens, and the Art of their Time: Recent perspectives, Pennsylvania State University Press, 1997, ISBN 0915773104, pp. 68-69. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“I am convinced that as Christians we are not about programs. We’re not about bigger or better blessings. We’re about responding to people who call for help because their world is falling apart. These individuals aren’t looking to be converted – they’re looking for help! Being their help – by being the presence of Christ in their lives – is the only thing we’re about. Everything else we do is secondary and can even detour us from carrying out the true purpose of the church…You are filled with the Spirit of God. You are living in this window in time called the last days. You are where you are because God has strategically placed you there. The question is, are you open for business?”

Jerry Cooke

(from The Monday Morning Church)

Wise Words for Today

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It’s time to commit. What are you going to do about it? In the end God works in our world one person at a time. The hungry are fed, the thirsty are refreshed, the naked are clothed, the sick are treated, the illiterate are educated, and the grieving are comforted, just one person at a time. You have the opportunity to be that one person to someone who needs what you have to offer. And what you have to offer is never small and insignificant. Again, the great picture of what God is doing in our world is incomplete without your unique puzzle piece – the one that only you possess. But you must choose to place your piece in the puzzle.

Richard Stearns

(from The Hole in Our Gospel)

The Church Exists to Equip and Send

 

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Mick Turner

Sunday Adelaja makes the cogent point that the church loses its potency and its direction when it fails to focus on its primary task of equipping disciples. He makes other good points as well when he says:

It upholds the kingdom by being the school, the equipping place, and the place of support for world changers. But our focus must remain outside, not inside. We are to go from the “school” into the world and bring the powerful kingdom principles to bear on its problems.

When Christians change the goal of the church and make it a place of conservation and escape rather than equipping and sending, we are working against the Great Commission. We are conserving crowds, not sending them out. We are hoarding kingdom resources, namely, people and their gifts. In many churches, God’s workers are in captivity. They are like prisoners and the pastors are the wardens.

We are not called to huddle inside the church sanctuary but to restore the kingdom of God to the world. But some Christians and preachers misinterpret the word ecclesia, the Greek word for “church,” which means literally “called out ones.” They mistakenly believe it means we are to be “called away from the world.” This is a grave error. Jesus said in John 17:15, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.”

Jesus knew clearly that the world, where true disciples are called to operate, was held under the sway of the evil one. That is why his prayer dealt not with withdrawal from the world, but with protection from the wiles of the enemy. We are not called out from the world but instead, are called out from its values, ethics, and worldview. Adelaja continues:

Our calling is to operate from a different and superior set of principles than the world we live in. The church is to train us to be Christlike, to embody Jesus and His principles, so that in everyday life we may operate from a godly perspective. That’s what the church is for. That’s why we come together on Sunday. That’s why we preach, teach, and worship together.

I find it especially disturbing that over time we seem to have created a “Christian subculture,” one into which far too many gifted followers of Jesus retreat and remain. This has been especially true in the Evangelical and Conservative wings of the church. Even the most cursory, superficial reading of scripture will make readily apparent the poignant truth that Jesus did not call us to wholesale withdrawal from the world. Instead, he called us to go into the world and get our hands dirty, just as he did when he took up the towel and basin and knelt before his disciples.

What has been significantly underappreciated is how Jesus changed the way his followers actually engaged life. He launched a movement that unleashed previously untapped potential in those who believed in him. He created an environment where his disciples began to believe the impossible and soon found out they were turning dreams into reality. His became a movement of dreamers and visionaries called and compelled to dream of a better world. He called them to touch the whole of humanity with his message of life and love. Theirs was a life of faith and a call to accomplish great things by serving humanity.

Think about it.

© L.D. Turner 2011/ All Rights Reserved

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A Franciscan Benediction (With Addendum)

 

Cover of Prayer: does It make any difference?

Mick Turner

*** This post was originally published on LifeBrook several years ago and has had many views over the time it has been available. I am posting it again, with a new addendum included that presents a more detailed version of the originally published benediction.

I felt led by the Spirit this morning to share with you this “Franciscan Benediction,” quoted by Phillip Yancey in his book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? When I find that I drift for days or sometimes weeks without paying attention to Christ’s call for us to be compassionate citizens of his Kingdom, I often go back to this prayer, just as a reminder. We are called to be the hands, feet, and especially the embrace of Jesus in our hurting world. This benediction speaks to this reality.

May God bless you with discomfort

At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships

So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger

At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,

So that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace.

May God bless you with tears

To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,

So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and

To turn their pain into joy.

And may God bless you with enough foolishness

To believe that you can make a difference in the world,

So that you can do what others claim cannot be done

To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

Amen

I don’t know about you, but I rarely think to pray for things like discomfort, anger, tears, and foolishness. Yet this sublime prayer truly captures the compassionate heart of Jesus, feeling the pain and suffering of the world and responding to it with healing love. The words of this benediction remind me so much of the scripture read by Jesus in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth and recorded in Luke 4:18-19:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see,

That the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.

I think there is no need to wax eloquent here, nor is there a reason to belabor the point. Jesus’ message was crystal clear and so are the words of the Franciscan benediction. Permit me, however, to share one more highly relevant passage of scripture from Isaiah. These verses, Isaiah 58:6-12 speak to the same theme and to the same calling; a calling that goes forth to each of us who claim the title “Christian.”

…this is the kind of fasting that I want:

Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you.

Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. Share your food with the hungry and give shelter to the homeless.

Give clothes to those who need them and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Then your salvation will come like the dawn and your wounds will quickly heal. Your godliness will lead you forward and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.

Then when you call, the Lord will answer. “Yes, I am here,” he will quickly reply.

Remove the heavy yoke of oppression. Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!

Feed the hungry and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness, and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

The Lord will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength.

You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever flowing spring.

Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities. You will be known as a rebuilder of walls and a restorer of homes.

The words of this passage hold a special significance for me. Space in this article does not give me room to tell the whole story. Suffice to say that, in 1996, I had major cardiac surgery and an extended period of recovery. While still in the hospital after the operation, these words seemed to leap off the page at me. Over the next few months I prayed for God to reveal to me what he wanted me to do. I vowed that, since I had been given extended life, I would dedicate it to his service. Although I would have never predicted it, I ended up on the mission field in China, where I remained for over five years. These years were, without reservation, the most rewarding years of my life.

I have been home now for five years and God has continued to guide me into areas of service where I can be of use. Further, he has surprised me in some very significant ways, including, in 2004, the birth of my wonderful daughter, Salina. She was both a gift and a miracle. I suppose I should also mention that, at the time of her birth, I was 55-years-old. As I said, the Lord is full of surprises.

I didn’t mean to digress, but my point here is that, as Christians, we are to serve God through selfless service to others. Just as Jesus set us an example by washing his disciples’ feet, we have to get our hands dirty as well. But there is a wonderful promise in this. Our wounds, and we all have them, will quickly heal. Further, our light will shine out from us and God will continually guide us.

I know from my own life experience, my testimony if you will, these words ring loudly with truth. If possible, and it probably is, spend some time this week reflecting on the words from this Franciscan benediction, as well as the passage from Luke and the one from Isaiah. Pray about these words and these principles, and wait for God to make his move. A word of caution: Don’t be surprised if you are ambushed by the Spirit. I have found that he is a sublime master of the unexpected.

© L.D. Turner 2008/All Rights Reserved

Addendum

The “Franciscan Benediction” quoted in the above article was taken from Phillip Yancey’s excellent book, Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference. A few months back, I discovered a more detailed version of the benediction in Richard Stearns, The Hole in Our Gospel. I would like to share that with you as well:

 

May God bless you with a restless discomfort

About easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships,

So that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.

 

May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression,

And exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for

Justice, freedom, and peace among people.

 

May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer

From pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you

May reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.

 

May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that

You really can make a difference in this world, so that you are able,

with God’s grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.

 

And the blessings of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator,

Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word Who is our Brother and Savior,

And the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you

And remain with you, this day and forevermore.

Amen.

© L.D. Turner 2011/All Rights Reserved

Wise Words for Today

Image by DanieVDM via Flickr

Why is it so much more difficult in the West? Why can’t we imagine being a community of Christ’s followers without a building or formally trained and accredited clergy? Whenever I raise this issue in seminars, people regularly remind me that house-based groups of fifteen or so without proper accreditation and training can lead to heresy and cultish practices. But the fact remains that nearly every major heresy that has beset the Christian church has come from recognized church bodies whose leaders were properly accredited by their sponsoring hierarchies. Conversely, virtually every new movement among people hungering for a deeper knowledge of God has been rejected, quashed, or destroyed by the “church” of its day, and its leaders have famously been excommunicated or martyred for following the missional impulse of God. Being part of a recognized denomination or organization by no means guarantees biblical purity. The fledgling churches living out their faith in those Sudanese refugee camps are every bit as legitimate as the congregation of Canterbury Cathedral.

Michael Frost

(from Exiles: Living Missionally in a Post-Christian Culture)

Wise Words for Today

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Ever heard that voice? It calls you like a temptress to abandon the monotony of life and to begin an adventure. It threatens to leave you in the mundane if you refuse to risk all you have for all that could be. If ignored, the voice dims to silence. Yet every now and again, like a siren, she sings and begins to woo you back. She awakens within you dreams and longings you put to bed long ago. It is rarely a conscious action to choose to exist rather than to live. For most of us we are simply lulled to sleep. But there is no rest in this condition. To sleep through your dreams is to choose a life of restless nights and unfulfilled days. To avoid the pain of fear, doubt, and disappointment we have numbed ourselves from the exhilaration of a life fully lived.

Erwin Raphael McManus

(from Chasing Daylight)

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Wise Words for Today

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It’s time to commit. What are you going to do about it? In the end God works in our world one person at a time. The hungry are fed, the thirsty are refreshed, the naked are clothed, the sick are treated, the illiterate are educated, and the grieving are comforted, just one person at a time. You have the opportunity to be that one person to someone who needs what you have to offer. And what you have to offer is never small and insignificant. Again, the great picture of what God is doing in our world is incomplete without your unique puzzle piece – the one that only you possess. But you must choose to place your piece in the puzzle.

Richard Stearns

(from The Hole in Our Gospel)

Wise Words for Today

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The greatest sign of hope…..is the emergence of a new generation of Christians eager and ready to take their faith into the world. The Christianity of private piety, affluent conformity and “God Bless (only) America” has compromised the witness of the church while putting a new generation of Christians to sleep. Defining faith by the things you won’t do doesn’t create a compelling style of life. And young people are hungry for an agenda worthy of their commitment, their energy, and their gifts. . . . . . . . . . . .This new generation of believers are waking up and catching fire with the gospel again. Theirs in an emerging Christianity that could change the face of American religion and politics. Their vision cannot easily be put into categories of liberal and conservative, left and right, but rather has the capacity to challenge the categories themselves. I’ve met these new Christians across the country and have worked with an extraordinary group of them at Sojourners. Their faith is intended to change this world, not just prepare them for the next.

Jim Wallis

(from The Great Awakening)

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Living as a New Creation (Part One)

Mick Turner

Over the past few weeks I have experienced several new revelations that, although they might seem minor, are far more profound in a somewhat subtle way.

Put simply, it deals with our continued sinning, even though we have become “new creations in Christ.” Scripture tells us that the old has gone and the new has come. Further, scripture confirms that our old self died with Christ. The problem then becomes:

“Why do we continue to struggle with sin? Does this mean that our old self is still alive? What’s going on here?”

During my prayer walk today, as well as during a time of reflection, the Spirit gradually revealed to me the following truths:

    I am, indeed, a new creation in Christ. My old self did die with Christ and I have been reborn, resurrected with him in newness of life.

    My continued struggle with sin is not a struggle with myself. It is not a struggle between my new being and my old being. Nor is it a struggle between my new being and my negative habits, thoughts, and strongholds, although these can be used against me. Christ tells us that “a house divided against itself cannot stand.” It stands to reason that he would not give us newness of life and, at the same time, leave us saddled with our “old self” as a part of ourselves that we will have to war with from now on. No, there must be something else at play here, and there is.

    My ongoing struggle with sin has nothing to do with my person, my old self, or my identity. My ongoing struggle is with “a principle of sin” or more accurately, a “sin force” that exists within the world and thus within me. The enemy uses this force as his primary weapon and, in turn, this force uses our habits, strongholds, etc. That is why it seems we are at war with ourselves when in truth we are not. It is as scripture tells us: we struggle against powers and principalities – spiritual forces and this sin force is one of the primary powers.

    One might say, more accurately, that the battle is actually between the Holy Spirit and the sin force. I am just the battle ground.

    Some will claim this is “just semantics,” but that isn’t the case at all. This is a real and subtle spiritual principle that, once understood, helps us to better understand exactly what we are fighting with when we do battle with our continued sin.

What we have to do in order to make this understanding a practical reality in our lives is, first of all, to take this revelation in context of the fact that we have been liberated from the power of sin. We are at war with the sin force, yes, be we are no longer yoked to it, as we were before our spiritual regeneration “in Christ.” If you doubt you were freed from the power of sin, consider the following scripture from the pen of Paul:

We know that our old self was crucified with him [ Christ] so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. (Romans 6:6-7 NRSV)

 As stated before, what we are dealing with here is far more than semantic subtleties. Instead, we are dealing with an existential transformation that frees us from bondage and removes the yoke of sin from around our necks. We are, indeed, new beings in Christ, no longer carrying around what some call our “sin nature.” This is a misunderstanding. Our sin nature died with our old self. We are truly freed from our former status as automatons and slaves to sin. We are now free agents from a spiritual standpoint.

Paul describes this transformational process as continues his letter to the Roman Christians:

But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:7-11 NRSV).

  Although this particular insight is still fresh with me, at the same time, my previous understanding of related themes at least provides some degree of “seasoning.” What I find most significant here is the fact that I am not dealing with some flawed, inadequate, and unrepentant part of myself when, like Paul, I continue to behave in ways contrary to my sincere will. Also, I am aware now that my ongoing tendencies to fall far short of the mark Christ has set for me has little to do with my “weak character”

The reality that I am dealing with a “sin force” is no great comfort by any means. Still, by now being able to accurately identify the nature of what causes me to behave in ways contrary to my conscious wishes helps in ways both subtle and obvious.

To be continued…

(c) L.D. Turner 2011/All Rights Reserved

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The Reintroduction of Jesus Christ (Part Two)

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Mick Turner

Sweet and Viola paint a dynamic, comprehensive, and inspirational portrait of the nature and being of Christ. Speaking of Paul’s reasons for writing to the Colossians about these themes, the authors state:

The Christ that the Colossians knew was simply too small. That was why they became susceptible to chasing after other things – including religious ones – in the first place.

Sound familiar?

You bet it does! On a personal note, if ever something hit the nail right on the head in terms of my lack of consistent faithfulness, this sums things up pretty well. By not comprehending the truly awesome and magnificent stature of the pre-existent Christ, I chased after all sorts of lesser entities and stumbled down more than a few dark alleys. Believe me when I say that Alice pales in comparison to me when it comes to jumping down rabbit holes in hot pursuit of magical characters with funny hats and big watches. Sweet and Viola continue:

Paul’s goal was to strip away every distraction that was being held before their eyes and have them with nothing but Christ. He dared to displace all rules, regulations, laws, and everything else that religion offers, with a person – the Lord Jesus Himself. As far as Paul was concerned, God hadn’t sent a Ruler of rules, a Regulator of regulations, a Pontiff of pontifications, or a Principal of the principles. He had sent the very embodiment of divine fullness. So, he reasoned, if the Colossians could just get a glimpse of the glories of Christ, He would be enough. The Spirit would electrify their hearts and restore them to a living relationship with the head of the body. So Paul threw down his trump card – The Lord Jesus Christ. He presented a panoramic vision of Jesus that exhausts the minds of mortal men.

I believe one of the most critical tasks facing the contemporary church is reintroducing people to Jesus Christ. With the steady exodus from the organized Christian denominations over the past forty or so years, we now have a situation where at least one generation, and maybe two, have been raised in a culture that is, for the most part, non-Christian. In large measure, many of these folks have either an incomplete or utterly confused image of Jesus.

Before the church can even begin to tackle this crucial goal, however, it must accomplish one critical preliminary task. The church has to reintroduce Jesus to itself. The sad truth is the church is every bit as confused about Jesus’ nature and being as those outside the institution. The silver lining in this tragic situation is as follows: once the church really gets a clear, biblical picture of just what manner of being this Jesus Christ truly is, it will set off a spiritual conflagration that will make previous revivals look like brush fires.

Sweet and Viola state that in the first chapter of Colossians Paul was in “full flight.” The Apostle told his readers that if they truly laid hold of Christ’s real identity they would be able to muster a walk of faith worthy of the Master.

In describing the stature of Christ Paul pulls out all the stops:

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together. Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. (Colossians 1:15-20 NLT)

This portrait of Christ painted by Paul in the opening chapter of his letter to the Colossians is but one passage of scripture where we encounter the grand nature and being of Jesus Christ. Space does not permit an examination of other passages but at least here we catch a glimpse of the true nature of Christ in his eternal, pre-existent, and cosmic dimensions.

To be continued…….

(c) L.D. Turner 2011/All Rights Reserved

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