Church! Yes, the Incorrect Theological Use Church. That One!

Scared!

Last night I had the privilege to listen to my good friend, Matt Clark, deliver a heartfelt keynote at one of my favorite camps: LCU's Encounter. He ended his message appealing to the 1000 gathered students to put their "planks" (Matthew 7:1-4) out there, to hand them over to the "Plank Remover," Jesus Christ. He called the camp to transparency and confession. Ministers stood on the stage prepared to receive those desiring prayers. Students, counselors, teachers and sponors flooded the stage.

Having faced crippling shame in my own life, Matt invited students dealing with shame to come and pray with me...and there were many. As we huddled together, tears streamed down thier young faces, heads hung low and their heartbeats raced. I could see it in their faces, they wanted to share, and not just the generic,

"I've got some struggles right now!"

"I've made some bad choices!"

"I feel ashamed over things I have done!"

But I could sense they wanted to name "it" but were afraid. They were afraid of being known. Being known means being vulnerable, it means the possibility of rejection, it means undoing the perfect perception they'd worked so hard to establish! They wanted to know what all humans want to know..."Will you still love me?"

This is why ALL people need...

1. The Gospel. In Luke 7, Jesus dines with a Pharisee, the religious Lebron. During the meal, a prostitute enters the home and begins to wash Jesus' feet with her tears. Her very presence at the table defiled the meal. She was dirty, unclean...a sinner. The Pharisee mumbles to himself, "If Jesus KNEW what kind of woman she was..." implying he would cast her out, reject her, scold and rebuke her. The Pharisee failed to realize that Jesus DOES know what kind of woman she is. He knows she earns a living by selling her body. He knows she is a sinner. He knows she is unclean. But, he also knows her heart...her broken and repentant heart. Knowing what he knows Jesus affirms her,  "Your sins are forgiven! Go in peace!" In other words, "I still love you!" 

No doubt the woman came to Jesus trembling expecting rejection, hate, and humiliation. Fear! But she encountered the gospel, the good news, Jesus Christ and disovered that her worst was no match for the love of Christ! We need to hear the gospel and be reminded of it in our worst moments!

2. Deep Relationships. Facebook and Twitter give us the ability to be our own paparazzi, publicist, and promoter. We edit our own life to a highlight reel and in so doing create a community of superficial relationships. I'm not knocking social media...I will link this post on all venues. But, superficial relationships cannot provide the safety humans need to thrive. We need deep meaningful relationships, and it doesn't have to be many...one, two, three individuals with whom you can make yourself known, fully known and who, with their words and actions, say, "I love you still!"

More than investing in successful careers, stocks and bonds, or luxury homes, we would live healthier, fuller lives if we invested in deep meaningful relationships. It's worth more than the price of your home, a new title at the office, a salary upgrade, noteriety, and "success." 

3. A Faith Community. Our churches have an amazing opportunity to be safe zones, places known for "loving still!" Places where strangers walk in and feel at ease, places where confession is modeled and practiced by leadership, places where grace is not simply preached but lived out in tears and embraces, places where people can check their performance at the door, and places that exorcise fear! 

Yes, many churches fail, many foster fear...but many do not. Find one! Join it! Become a part of the "no fear" culture! A word to Church leaders: creating a No Fear Zone starts with you: your transparency, your teaching, your intentionality...

As the students huddled around, afraid yet wanting to be known...the Spirit moved me to step out of my own fear and start the conversation by sharing from my own sin and failure. Then the floodgates of confession opened...fear ceased and our hugs and tears said, "We love you still!" 

Road Party (Part II): Kingdom in Small Packages

Read Road Party part I HERE.

Jesus never said, "The kingdom of God is like Chuck Norris, a quick roundhouse to the temple of a broken world."

or

"The kingdom of God is like Wrestlemania with bulging neck-vein laden threats."

or

"The kingdom of God is like a Sly movie of fanfare explosions."

Jesus says:

God's kingdom is like yeast that a woman works into the dough for dozens of loaves of barley bread - and waits while the dough rises. (Matthew 13:33)

Most of God's reign breaks into the world without headlines: subtly, covertly, humbly.

North Point, Willow Creek, Saddleback, Life Church, New Spring...We all know these churches, churches for which I'm thankful and pastors who have greatly shaped my ministry. I call Andy Stanley my digital mentor. He speaks into my life without knowing I exist, and I'm not going to lie, sometimes I wish I could be the next Andy Stanley. Most pastors I know wish their church were next in the line of superstars (whether we admit it or not).

But for every North Point, 100 churches exist who will never hold a conference, whose pastors the White House will never invite to the National Prayer Breakfast, whose music ranges between fair and "eww," and believe it or not, who might not have a website (gasp). Yet here, in these kingdom harbors, heaven touches earth:

• The gospel is preached.
• The gospel is lived.
• The hungry are fed.
• The wounded are healed.
• The lost are found.
• Grace is extended.
• Communities are improved.
• People are loved.
• Teens are mentored.
• Elderly are nurtured.
• Disciples are made.
• The resurrection is practiced.
• Jesus is Lord.

Grants Church of Christ is one such community: a diverse church, a theologically rich church, a loving church, a progressive church. I first preached at Grants C of C. It raised me as a preacher: offered me grace, gave to me sacrificially, and most importantly loved me. I'm forever indebted to this wonderful community of Christians. 

After a 5-year absence, my family returned to visit our dear friends at the Grants C of C this Spring Break. One of my best friends Matt Clark serves alongside the Grants C of C Jesus-followers and is doing a phenomenal job. He is a legit pastor, in the truest sense of the word...not just to the church but to the community. 

I'm thankful for Grants C of C and the thousand other Churches leavening all the nooks and crannies of God's creation. The video below highlights a bit of our time in Grants, NM.