Oxymoron of the Week: Vision and Patience

As per usual... this blog somewhat pertains to the text and/or subject matter that will be discussed at The River this Sunday morning at 10am.

BTW, a big thank you to Paul Goebel for his excellent, hard-hitting message last week!

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Jesus: "But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

Moses: "For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Even now, while I am still alive and am here with you, you have rebelled against the LORD." 

I really feel for Moses. He discovered the Old Testament Theory of Relativity: Thirsty people = stubborn sheep (or the mathematical version, Tp=Sc2).

People are thirsty, aren't they? You know, thirsty for life... thirsty for justice... thirsty for truth. As Cain learns in the opening chapters of Genesis, life outside the Garden is dangerous, often lonely and very dry. Good water - that is, water for the soul is really hard to come by. Life in a broken world is truly a desert experience, and deep down we all know it. So we yearn for something cold and satisfying to drink... something that will quench our dry and parched existence. Something that will help put the pieces back together again.

As a devoted (yet flawed) follower of Jesus the Nazarene, I have tasted deep fellowship with God through His Spirit, and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the LORD is good - more than good, powerful... utterly awesome! - and following Him is worth pursuing in this lifetime no matter what it takes. In fact, if I could somehow arrange it, I would just stand over a fire-hose of living water and let it blast into my face for eternity.  :-)

As a pastor, I have endeavored (struggled) to lead lost and thirsty sheep to the eternal well of living water - that is, to the fountain of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - with seriously mixed results. Some lambs just seem to scamper toward the water and dive in as soon as they become aware of the healing properties therein. However, the majority are more careful than that. Most sheep step oh-so hesitantly closer and closer toward green pastures and still waters for a season...  But then, however, like cockroaches scatter when the lights come on...  Something takes their eyes off of Christ and they run back to the darkness... back to what they find more palatable... more comfortable... more safe. You know, more of what they're used to, even if "it" is dangerously polluted and devoid of life.

I try so hard to offer them a deeper knowledge of God... fellowship with the Holy Spirit... Living water that comes through letting go of our old life and embracing an all-out dependent relationship with the God of the universe...  But so many instead choose to go back to their old ways - back to the toilet water that marks their old, "safe" life of religiosity and/or godlessness. Keeping Jesus on the surface of who we are (or hidden in our pocket) is a much easier path than embracing the indwelling, radical Jesus who commands us to let Him reign supreme as Lord. (In my best southern preacher-voice): Can I get an amen?

Am I an expert in these matters? Hardly. Do I ever make mistakes with the sheep of my flock? Yes... often. Is God working on my life even as I labor to lead stubborn yet thirsty sheep to the well of refreshing springs? Absolutely. Occasionally, I even try to talk God out of my calling as a shepherd. But apparently, He just doesn't agree with my sentiments. He's more stubborn than I am!

Then I remember that the Bible is full of stories about less-than-ideal servants who were used to accomplish God's purposes. I know it seems crazy, perhaps even short-sighted on God's part... but He really doesn't seem too terribly interested in using perfect people to build His kingdom. In my case, He tapped me on the shoulder a few years ago and said:

"Jeff, I'm sending you back to the place you spent your childhood to plant a church. But not just another church where believers go through the motions. No, a new kind of church (but actually an old kind... an ancient kind). A thoroughly re-imagined church body... a Spirit-led community of Jesus followers that really loves Me, really worships Me, really listens' to Me, and really serves Me. This church will be marked by authentic love for one another, involvement in the surrounding community, a diverse, multi-faceted congregation, and by its willingness to serve those individuals and organizations that need a helping hand. This church will be a house of prayer, a beacon of worship... a place of divine love... and a clearing house of missional activity.

Okay... that's not really a quote from Yahweh... but I promise that it is a decent paraphrase! And since that day we arrived five years ago, I have endeavored to do my part to build a community of faith that was so clearly commissioned by God. But to say it hasn't been easy would be the understatement of the year.

This may come as a shock... but The River has not become an overnight success in this town. What some people may see as a fresh, godly vision for church... others see as arrogance, pure and simple. Lots of folks have come to the church over the years, and even jumped in to help make that vision become a reality... at least for a time. But for one reason or another, like sheep that go astray, many have left The River with disappointments... talking my heart with them. Whether disappointed over lack of support for their cause, or the perception that their efforts were not appreciated... or some sheep just came to believe that the pastor was not what or who he claimed to be. 

(Sigh)... whether I like it or not - calling people to read their Bibles, confess their sins, come together in prayer, serve the body of Christ with their unique spiritual gift, wrestle together to interpret what it means to be a disciple of Jesus in a complex world, spend time in fellowship with (and learning to love) people they may not even like, worship God consistently, give generously... and somehow carve out valuable time to serve others who need assistance - is not a popular idea in our time and place in history. Many people are way too busy to re-form their life in this radical kind of way. Some will give a little of what they have (time, money, energy, love, etc.)... and some others will give significantly more of themselves... but very few are willing to make wholesale changes to their value system to become sold-out, passionate, justice-seeking kingdom-of-God ambassadors. (In all honesty, I constantly have to ask myself whether I myself am willing... and sometimes the answer is no. In the words of Mater from the movie, Cars, "Dang!").
   
I ain't perfect... I'm just a Moses-like shepherd - (loving, frustrated... and yet deeply thankful to be a servant of God in this place) - armed with not much more than a strong vision to set His people free, and a lot of faith in my Lord, Jesus Christ to do the impossible. My life here is part of a comedy-drama story that is still being written (with an ending that God only knows!). Pray for me and my family... and The River church, won't you? We could always use it.

And by the way... I don't know what kind of sheep you are, but I do hope you are a thirsty one. And one that channels his or her stubbornness to seek out, find, and drink deeply at the well of living water... rather than running from the source of abundant life.  How could anything else ever satisfy once we've tasted eternity, and know that it is good?

Absence of Conflict

Okay... summer's over. Time to dust off the blog and start typing out some ideas and conversation starters in regard to this week's sermon at The River! 

Text we might look at this Sunday morning at 10:00 am:  Leviticus 26:1-13

And of course... the series we're about to conclude (next week) is based on Galatians 5:22-23...

 

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

Peace.

Hmmmm... What does it mean to bear the fruit of peace? God's peace?

Does it mean that when we love God we no longer have any enemies? No... that didn't work out so well in the case of Jesus, right? He definitely had the peace of God in him... and yet, his teachings and actions in the world incited angry (religious) people to hate him... even snuff out his life.

Does it mean we are no longer to fight for any cause - regardless of the circumstances? No... I don't think so. Regardless of what we come to learn about God and His plans to destroy all traces of evil once and for all... and even though we're called to pray for our enemies... and even though we're to turn the other cheek, etc...  Still, the NT describes disciples of Jesus Christ as peaceful warriors who are called to fight the powers of darkness... to stand in the gap and "fight the good fight" for the cause of Christ.

But how is engagement in battle a peaceful way of life? How does the Holy Spirit's gift of peace make any sense when we're called to forcefully (and violently) advance the kingdom of God, no matter the cost to us personally? How can a warrior be peaceful? It's an oxymoron, like jumbo shrimp, or abundant poverty, or perfect idiot, or rap artist... Simply put, it just don't compute!

“I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear. I will rid the land of wild animals and keep your enemies out of your land. In fact, you will chase down your enemies and slaughter them with your swords. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand! All your enemies will fall beneath your sword."  - Leviticus 26:6-8

So... apparently, the peace of God does not mean that you will no longer have enemies. Nor does it mean that you are to lie down and allow evil to overtake this world. In the passage above, God tells His chosen people that they will chase down their enemies and slaughter them with their swords! Wow, that's unexpected!

But who is our enemy? What dark force of evil are we called to fight against?

Well, let me ask it this way... which is the more powerful enemy that fights against a peaceful way of life for all people... the external ones that distract us from fellowship with God (the world)? Or the internal ones that rebel against God's will for humanity (the self)?

In the end... it doesn't really matter whether we struggle with the external or internal enemies more... they are both powerful foes. I believe the main point is that we as God's people are to "chase down our enemies and slaughter them with our swords." Perhaps not literally... but learning to say no to those things which lead us away from God and yes to the gospel of Jesus Christ is a mighty good start. That is not something we are equipped to do on our own... we need the weapons of spiritual warfare that Paul describes in the book of Ephesians:

¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸ Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

 Here's my question(s): In a busy, busy, busy world... a world where silence and solitude are nearly nonexistent... and a world where debts are high and jobs are stressful... and a world where no one ever sits still for very long... and a world that is defined by go, go, go... How in the world are we supposed to hear the soft, still voice of God who wants to breathe peace into our hearts?

In a culture in which we have everything we need... and an insatiable appetite for more of what we want (even demand)... how can we possibly know what it means to rely on God? How can such independent people understand dependence upon their creator?

How do we bear this mysterious, yet beautiful-sounding spiritual fruit called the peace of God? I really wanna know the answer to that question... don't you?