ken castor

Romans 4:16-22 ~ Old Faithful

  Let's just rest in these few verses near the end of Chapter 4 for a moment... In fact, please read it twice through and look for key themes:

NLT Romans 4:16-22   So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe. That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”  This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.  Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!"  And Abraham’s faith did not weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age, he figured his body was as good as dead—and so was Sarah’s womb.

 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God.  He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises.  And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 

God gave a promise.  Abraham believed God.  So God considered Abraham to be "righteous".

So stop trying to earn God's favor.  You can't.  You won't. 

Just trust God.  Trust God at His Word.  God Is Who He Is.  So trust God for Who God Is. 

If you don't know God... then pursue after God.  Start with those things about God that you do already know... and go forward in faithful steps from there. 

Abraham didn't really know too much about God when all this began.  He didn't know what the outcomes would really be.  He didn't understand how God was going to work in his life.  Abraham was quite uncertain about the specifics.  We're not even entirely sure what Abraham called God... but we know they interacted with one another... and that God had taken special interest in old Abe.  And the more that Abe and God interacted, the more Abraham trusted God... and the more Abraham relied upon God... and the more God shaped Abraham's life.  (Read the 2nd half of Genesis again if you need to remember the full story!)

God promised Abraham he would be the father of all nations.  Abraham believed this.  Paul tells us that God's promise wasn't merely a physical reality, but a spiritual one too.  Abraham's royalty wouldn't be passed on merely through DNA, but it would be passed on for generations by those who believed in God.  So Abraham is the father of all those ever since who have called out to God and found Him to be trustworthy. 

The Kingdom God promised was greater and more numerous than any temporal, geographic kingdom Abraham could have conceived.  Even just one child was beyond Abraham's imagination.  So it is remarkable that Abraham was actually open to whatever God's promise held for him--- And yet this is the precisely the proper stance of faith: Confident hope within the uncertainty that God presents (Hebrews 11:1).

Nothing Abraham could do about it really.  Just believe God at His Word.

Abraham's faith is noteworthy... because Abraham was OLD... and so was his wife.  Added to this fact was this little complication: Sarah, Abe's wife, had been barren her whole life.  Now she was wrinkly old, well past any child-bearning years.  The idea that nations would be birthed through her was laughable (Genesis 17:17).  And still Abraham believed God at his word.

And so God kept his promise.  Out of death, came life.  Out of a dead womb, came a promised one who would lead countless many to faith. 

 Note: I reflect a lot on this website about how God uses young people throughout Scripture... but it's just as apparent that God uses older people too.  In fact, it seems that God will use anyone at any age of any gender of any ethnicity and even of any religion to accomplish what He wants to do.  (People!  He spoke through a donkey!!  God can utilize anyone He wants!)  So again I am struck about how much poorer our churches are today than they should be.  We tend to segregate our congregations, separating young from old, compartmentalizing people according to age categories.  Look, God worked through an old faithful couple, and God worked through a newborn laughable baby... and God even worked through a dolt of a middle aged nephew...  Perhaps we should consider that God might want to work holistically throughout our generations today.

 

 

Commencement Address @ Crown College

On Saturday I had the privilege of delivering the faculty address to the graduating class of 2011 at Crown College.  Below is the unedited manuscript of the address:

"Friends and family of Crown College, faculty, staff, Trustees, and the graduating class of 2011: Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you today.

But I have one question for you: Why are you leaving me?  I just got here!  God has given you incredible talent and passion and vision.  You inspire me to be creative in worship and to pray deeply and to search for ways to love people better… and now you are just going to leave me here?  With Dr. Moats?   I mean, have you seen us sitting next to each other?  I asked Professor Grainger to switch spots with me and he said, “Sorry, you’re on your own Castor.”  But seriously, why do you want to go?  You paid all this money to be here.  You invested all this time and effort in this experience.  Why leave?  What do you see out there that is worth going towards?  Aren’t you nervous?  Aren’t you scared?  Are you excited to go?  Are you compelled to step out there?  What do you see that causes you joy or maybe a sense of relief that this day is here?  Why do you celebrate today?

Do you see Jesus out there?

A.W. Tozer wrote that “Faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God (Pursuit of God, 83)…  Believing, then, is directing the heart’s attention to Jesus (84)… Faith is not in itself a meritorious act; the merit is in the One toward Whom it is directed (84-85).”  In other words, Hebrews 12:2: “Fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.”

I want to encourage you today and for the rest of your lives to see Jesus.  Today, decide to take your walk with your focus on Jesus because if you do, not only will you walk through life with unsinkable strength, but your feet will bring Good News to places where others will not, or think they cannot, go.  If you walk with your focus on Jesus, you will capably stroll through any adversity and step through any chaos and you will, with every footstep, carry with you a dynamic relationship with Jesus Christ.   I pray today, as your name is called, and as you are invited to walk across this platform, that you will continue to walk through this life with your eyes on Jesus. 

Your experience at Crown has been meant to encourage you to reach this day.  Crown has intended for you to integrate your knowledge of faith and learning with your practice of faith and learning.  You are supposed to put your foot where your mouth has been.  If you speak words of faith, then walk fully in faith.  If you say you are a Christian, than walk with Jesus, like Jesus, where Jesus walks, even in places beyond what you could ask or imagine, even in places where the rest of the world would not dream possible.

In Matthew 14, darkness and chaos were swirling around the Sea of Galilee.  Jesus had told his disciples after feeding thousands of people, “Look, you’ve spent enough time here, it’s time to go somewhere else.”  When the disciples left they were caught in the middle of a storm during the middle of the night in the middle of a wee boat. Their boat was being tossed about.  They were fighting heavy waves and trying to stay afloat.  Even with some experienced fisherman on board, they were scared.  Exhausted at three in the morning, not knowing how they were going to keep going… much like many of you during this last Exam week… tired and weary and anxious and cranky and not knowing how you were going to survive another Dr. Ratledge exam… these followers of Jesus looked up and saw with their very own eyes that someone was strolling through the turbulence of the wind and ambling on top of the waves of the water. 

There in the middle of the Sea, in the middle of the storm, in the midst of the breakers and rains and trouble, was Jesus.  Psalm 93 says, “Mightier than the breakers of the sea, the Lord on High is mighty!”  It’s interesting that the disciples were more scared of Him than they were of staying in the confines of the boat.  They didn’t really expect to see Him there.  It was beyond their comprehension that Jesus would be out there already.  And they were nervously frightened. 

So Jesus called out to them, “It’s alright.  I am here.  Do not be afraid.”

If all that wasn’t crazy enough, what happened next is.  One of the disciples, Peter, was inspired.  And he got passionate.  And he yelled out, “Lord, if it’s really you, tell me to come to you on the water.  Look, I know I’ve invested so much money and time in this boat and with my buddies, but if that’s you out there that’s where I want to be.” Peter realized that he would be better off out there in the middle of the chaos than to remain in the seeming comfort of the boat.  So when Jesus said, “alright, Peter, come.  No problem at all,” Peter stepped over the edge and got down out of the boat.  When Jesus invites a person forward, it’s time for that person to come forward.  So that’s what Peter did.  When he was called, Peter took a step and started to walk on the water (the water!!) and he walked towards Jesus.

Now I have a problem with that.  You can’t just do that.  You can’t just put your foot down on water and start going.  Peter should have stayed back with his friends and had late night chats in Miller or something.  It’s crazy to step out there.

But after a couple steps, the Bible tells us something very interesting.  Matthew, who was in the boat watching this with his eyes, says that all of the sudden Peter was out there and SAW the wind and he grew afraid and started to sink.  He saw the wind… He had been looking at Jesus… but then he looked at the storm around him… He focused on the turmoil and the trouble he was in… He eyed the situation (water + wind + storm + feet on waves = woops)… and he took his eyes off of Jesus and he began to sink.  The pressure, the urgency, the distraction of everything around him caused him to be overwhelmed and to panic.  He lost his focus.  He took his eyes off of Jesus and put his eyes on other things.  He became scared.  In desperation and fear he screamed out, “Lord, save me!  I can’t make it!”  Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.  And Jesus said to Peter, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”  In other words, Jesus said, “Peter, I am out here.  I am walking with you.  And as long as you are with me, you can walk anywhere.”

Graduates of Crown College, I believe that the years ahead for each of you will be much like a water walk…  You are stepping out of a wee boat where there has been relative safety and predictability.  You knew that Jon Enns was going to break sticks every time he played drums.  You knew that you could talk Professor Grainger into doing a cartwheel and that you could talk Professor Allen into making a Justin Beiber video out of it.  You knew that Dr. Hustad and Dr. Gianolous at some point were going to renew their arm-wrestling rivalry, and you knew that is was totally real.  You knew that the environment would provide you with inspiration and challenge, and you knew that your roommates or friends would be there for you.  You knew that Bill Kuhn would break out with some amazing guitar rift and some dramatic challenge from Scripture, and you knew that you were being encouraged to integrate your faith and learning with your heart and practice. 

But now either you are being forced to go from here because five or six years is too long for any one of you to stay, or there is some crazy strong inner compulsion that has been urging you to finish your program and to leave the seeming-safety and comfortable predictability of this college and exchange it for the unpredictability of water-walking.  There is some crazy strong inner yearning that makes you desire what’s out there on the surface of the sea more than to keep your trust in a self-controlled environment.  You have decided (by passing your classes!) that staying in that boat after today wouldn’t give you the passion, the life, the rewarding risk, the great exhilaration of experiencing a true water walk.

So today you step out to walk on a whole new surface.  But, as you know, that surface at times will be bumpy and uneven, rising and falling, and difficult to stay balanced upon.  As you know, pressures of life and relationships and other stresses will swirl all around you and try to toss you about.  In those times a lot of people are tempted to take their eyes off of what is right and true… they forget the passion that urged them to jump into this in the first place.  Look, the winds of life will blow no matter what.  The question is: will your focus remain firmly on Jesus? 

I believe that this graduating class can be one that walks through anything anywhere with joy, humility and strength; wonderment, miraculous ability and life-giving hope.  And when the people around you see you looking at Jesus, I believe they will be encouraged to take that step to join you on the water walk.  This world desperately needs people who are willing to step out there.

And, Graduates, in the weeks, months and years ahead, if you ever find that you are starting to sink, if you ever become overwhelmed by what’s around you, if you ever lose sight of what is good and true, just cry out to Jesus.  He is with you.  He will catch you. 

So, dear partners in ministry, fellow water walkers, may you turn your eyes upon Jesus, and look full in His wonderful face.  May the things of earth, that blow and storm around you, grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.  Amen.  And congratulations on your walk.

Generational Transference in the Bible: Convergence of Biblical and Theological Themes

(Continued from previous posts.  This is the final summary of the Biblical Foundations portion of my study into Generational Transference of Ministry Leadership in the Local Church...)

            A survey of Scripture suggests a plethora of methods and strategies for transferring ministry across successive generations.  Leaders, the Bible teaches, are entrusted with the role of equipping successive generations to serve the Lord.   As has been noted, the keeping of commands, the patterns of family teaching, the reminders of community celebrations and sacrifices dominate the generational structures of the Pentateuch.  Alternatively, the exemplar and equipping-provisional role of the kings, priests and prophets are evident in the historical books, even if not always practiced.  In the Psalms, the passions of praise, of pure hearted devotion, and of authentic transparency of the soul serve the spiritual formation of Israel.  The impetus of making disciples characterizes the Gospels.  The Great Commission distinguishes the Acts of the Apostles.  And the planting and equipping of multiple generations, with young leaders, elders, and various approaches to ministry leadership via the context of local churches illustrates the rest of the letters of New Testament.[1] 

            Biblical study does not indicate that there is some kind of cookie cutter church formula into which every new generation needs to be shaped.  It does, however, teach that every generation is responsible to enable the next generation to enable the generation after them to enable the next, and so on.  And it does teach that leaders who equip the generations should personally stand first and foremost on a solidly formed spiritual character.  Equipping successive generations involves a relational teaching that begins with character founded in Jesus and committed to his mission for the church. So in North America today, the directive for generational transference of ministry is the same as it was for Old Testament and New Testament churches.  Churches have an inherent mission of equipping the next generations to embrace and spread the Gospel founded upon godly character.  Throughout history, from generation to generation, the story of God will resound.

---

[1] E.g. 1 John 2:13-14; Hebrews 13:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:12

STOP GOING TO CHURCH!

Stop going to church.  Yes, I said that. 

I can think of a thousand reasons to stop going.  Hebrews 10:25 gives us a hint that already in the first century there were people who gave up meeting together.  In fact, it says that people were "in the habit" of not meeting together.  It seems that once you stop meeting together, it can become habitual to not meet together.

Hebrews 10:25 suggests that people stop going to church because they are not encouraged.  Perhaps this is the ultimate reason.  I'm a pastor... and yet there are days when I have considered bagging this whole meeting together thing.  Honestly, I've had that thought more than once over the years.  Looking back, the desire to stop going to church has come when I was feeling like I was wasting my time or when I was absolutely frustrated, exhausted, drained--- in other words, discouraged--- about "church". 

There is a two-step process for dealing with this:

run

Yesterday, one of my children did something... mmmm... lets say "inappropriate".  When I called out, I could hear the little footsteps running upstairs and then thudding under the bed.  By the time I made my way there, my child had pulled down the blankets from the bed and had hidden behind them... buried under the bed.  Out of sight.  Except for the mess, the thudding footsteps, and the whimpering, I wouldn't have known where to find my guilty child.

Adam and Eve hid.  When they defied God... and when God spoke... they covered themselves up and took off.

Peter hid.  When he denied Jesus... and when Jesus spoke... he put his tail between his legs and scampered off.

When our conscious is guilty we struggle to listen to the one we've offended.  When we have done wrong we struggle to remain in the open... we struggle to sit there and take what's coming to us.  We feel angry, we feel sad, we feel disgusted, we feel embarrased, we feel afraid, we feel distant, we feel alone, we feel like running away and hiding.  We don't feel like listening to the one we have wronged.

This is why the boy Samuel intrigues me so much.  He runs to God.  He runs to God so that he can listen to what God has to say.  He runs right up to where God is and eagerly opens his ears to listen to God speak.  There is no shame.  There is no guilt.  There is only freedom to run to God.  Samuel ran to God.

Samuel's heart, his actions, his desires were pure.  In 1 Samuel 3, Samuel replied, "Here I am, what do you need?"  He replied, "Yes, Lord, your servant is listening."  We learn that as Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said was wise and helpful.  God continued to speak to Samuel as he grew in stature.

Psalm 24:3-5 asks and answers: Who may climb the mountain of the Lord?  Who may stand in his holy place?  Only those whose hands and hearts are pure, who do not worship idols and never tell lies.  They will receive the Lord's blessing and have right standing with God their savior.  They alone may enter God's presence and worship the God of Israel. (NLT)

Hebrews 12:25 urges: See to it that you obey God, the one who is speaking to you.

And we're reminded that with God, we cannot run and hide: Nothing in all creation can hide from him.  Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes." (Hebrews 4:13)  So why not be pure?  Why do we avoid having a pure heart?  Why do we chose to run and hide?  We have Jesus, who understands our weaknesses... he lived among our wrongs... and he can see through our fascades.  So let us run, not away, but to him... let us listen to his word.  Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God.  There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.  (Hebrews 4:14-16 NLT)

what is faith?

Photo from http://www.seblester.co.uk/?CategoryId=10

Barak.  Gideon.  Samson.  Jephthah.  These four men from the book of Judges are mentioned by name in Hebrews chapter 11 as having faith.  Hebrews 11 is the faith epitome chapter in the Bible.  It's the who's who list of God's faithful people.  Make it into Hebrews 11, and your eternal security is sealed.  But Barak?  Gideon?  Samson?  Jephthah?  Really?  Were they faithful?

Barak.  He doubted.  When Deborah the prophet told him to go attack Naphtali and that God would give him victory, he said, "I'll go only if you go, Deborah."

Gideon.  He doubted.  When we first find him, he's in hiding.  When God tells him to go, he questions, he tries to wiggle out, he even claims that the Lord has abandoned Israel.  When God tells him to go again, Gideon asks for God to fulfill a test.  When God tells him to go again, Gideon asks God to fulfill another test- this time a 2 day fleece experiment.  His life ends after having polluted the spirituality of Israel by building a golden image for everyone to worship.

Samson.  He was a dufus.  He fornicated like crazy.  Ate out of a lion's carcas.  Blasphemed his vow.  He was a drunkard.  The only prayer we see Samson accomplish is at the end of his life right before he suicide bombs the Philistines.

Jephthah.  He was a dufus.  To honor God, he declares that he'll sacrifice the first person that comes out of his house.  Who did he expect... a strange wanderer that nobody would miss?  What was he thinking?!!  His precious daughter happens to be the first person to walk out.  Jephthah laments his declaration... but a man's word is a man's word, so he keeps his word.  What an idiot.

How is it, then, that these four are counted as the great faithful in Hebrews 11?  I have complete faith in Scripture...  so I have faith that there is an understanding here that is a bit beyond me right now.

What is faith, if these four can have it?

Anybody else struggle with this?

Throw Off

I love inspiring my boys to run.  I’ll say to them, “OK, try this.” And I’ll take off for some quick steps through the grass.  Zachary, who is lean and fast, says, “Watch me, Dad.”  And he takes off and zooms around the yard in blurring circles.  Benjamin says, “Watch me, Dad.” And he kicks his big legs into gear and pretty soon he’s flying on his toes.  I love inspiring my boys to run.  And even more than that, I want to inspire them to run fast and free for God.

I want to be a hero of faith.  Don’t you?  By that I mean I want to be a person who can run for God every day of my life- the type of faith that inspires others to keep pace.  I want to inspire a marathon of speed and agility for the Almighty God.  I want to witness to others that it is possible to live a life of faith even through circumstances that make it difficult. 

Now I know it’s possible because in Hebrews chapter 11 there is a crowd of people who endured the pressures of this world and still they were able to run the race with courage and freedom.  Their faith in God was proven victorious.  There’s Noah, there’s Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, David, Samuel, and so many others.  Then there’s the apostle Paul once said, “I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ and become one with him.”   And still there are more.  Throughout history and down to this very day countless believers have run for God through fire and trial, stress, suffering and persecution, unhindered and free.  Therefore let us be like them.  Let us run the race with endurance.  I want to do that.

But I have a problem.  Like many of you I carry around things that hinder my speed and my strength… that weigh down my ability to run.  I’ve attached myself to some baggage, some really heavy, full baggage, that I am rather stubborn to let go.  I now am weighed down and slowed down by the things I hold onto that God didn’t put in my hands.  And so when God asks me to do something, to go somewhere, to help someone or to spend faithful time alone with him, I want to respond well, but I often can’t.  I am entangled.  I am caught.

Some of these bags are filled with stress that comes from the noise of busy, hurried days.  Some are filled with hurts, most with sin.  And for some reason I grab onto these things with a strong grip, even if they hurt me or others.  It’s ironic, isn’t it, that the world tells us to be successful in life we need to have a grip on things.  But the Bible says to be successful we need to lose our grip on the things in life. 

The race that we run isn’t a rat race.  It’s not where we just try to keep up and get the kids where their supposed to go and still make it to work and mail the birthday cards on time.  The race is our struggle to run daily through this life without being distracted in our faith.  So, the writer of Hebrews says, get rid of the stuff that will distract you.

Now there are no specific items mentioned here.  There is no “what to bring, what not to bring” list.  That would have been helpful perhaps.  Obviously, some items, like love and hope and forgiveness and hospitality, are good for us to carry.  The Bible tells us to pick up our cross daily, or to carry the armor of God, which includes items like truth, righteousness, peace, salvation, readiness. 

But there are many items that we are not supposed to pack.  There are things we should NOT carry.  Simply put, anything that gets in the way of our faith should be discarded.  We are to COME WITHOUT the things that weigh down our ability to run through this life for God. 

"Don't load yourselves up with equipment," Jesus says (Luke 9).  He sends his twelve disciples out on a missions trip to heal the sick and to preach about the Kingdom of God.  He tells them, “Don’t even take along a walking stick, nor a travelor’s bag, nor food, nor money.  Not even an extra coat.”  Jesus didn’t want them to be attached to belongings which would hinder their journey or cause anyone to stumble. 

You see, if we are weighed down, we can’t pick up the things that God wants us to do.  Our arms aren’t free.  They’re entangled.  Entanglement means, getting stuck, getting trapped.  It’s like a path which suddenly becomes full of branches and thorns.  If you have any extra garments or bags on you, you’ll get snagged, caught up.  Because of sin, we get easily distracted.  Our eyes and our hearts get entangled in something that takes our focus off of Jesus.  Sin distracts us from the focus of our faith.  Sin catches the corner of our eye and we turn our attention away from Jesus.  And we trip.  And we fall.  And we probably take some other people down with us.  And the bags feel heavy.

  But on this marathon journey, Jesus understands where we are beginning from.  Jesus has been there.  He has run the race to perfection.  He knows the condition of our faith.  He knows what we’re carrying around in your soul.  He knows if we’re holding on to jealousy, or weighed down by bitterness or un-forgiveness.  He knows if we’re holding on to somebody else too tightly.  He knows if we’re slowed down by lies or a hidden sin, by a temptation that we can’t seem to ignore.

The cool thing is that Jesus also knows what steps we should take to break free in a sprint and to get to the finish line.  He knows the layout of the path.  He is the author and perfecter of our faith.  He wants to inspire us to run, free and alive- all because we no longer are carrying around all that extra weight. 
He is.  It’s a remarkable thing that God should carry all of our baggage.  When he endured the cross, scorning its shame, he carried our iniquities.  Jesus lifted up our burdens, our sins, and our infirmities and carried them to the cross for us.  How dare we go back to the cross and pick up that baggage again.  No, we are not to grow weary and fall into old patterns.  We are to find our stride and run free for God.  Watch this, Dad.

Now is an opportunity to throw off everything that is hindering us in our faith.  You probably don’t need me to mention the things that you might be holding on to.  The Holy Spirit I imagine is already at work drawing to your attention things that are distracting you, weighing upon you. 

We can be heroes of faith.  We can go on a baggage diet.  We can cast away all of those things that would hinder us from following Jesus.  And we can run the race with endurance.

**Hebrews 12:1-3  (NIV)  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

*** This post is excerpted from a sermon I did back in 2005.

The Naked and Broken Leader 6.0

Embracing Our Nakedness and Brokenness 6.0

“I leave you with the image of the leader with outstretched hands,
who chooses a life of downward mobility.
It is the image of the praying leader, the vulnerable leader, and the trusting leader.
May that image fill your hearts with hope, courage, and confidence
as you anticipate the new century.”
- Henri Nouwen {1}

         

The pursuit of true spiritual leadership forces a full embrace of follower-ship.  Until one is willing to be led by Jesus, they cannot fully embrace spiritual leadership.  Jesus will involve a very painful process.  Jesus walks a very difficult road... and asks us to follow him. Definitively, salvation is secure... but an immediate remedy for suffering is not.  Our Savior was a Suffering Servant.  Our Lord wept.  Our Lord bled. 
          The foundational spiritual leadership principles of nakedness and brokenness are difficult to comprehend, especially in the process of being exposed and restored.  To promote these principles as pursuits seems unreasonable.  To say that the benefit package of spiritual leadership includes such options as anguish, persecution, meekness, selflessness, uncertainty and even execution seems a terrible way to market a leadership theory.
          When Henri Nouwen went to work with the L’Arche community, he claimed it was then that his identity was truly exposed.  Reflecting on his experience working with mentally handicapped, he wrote:

These broken, wounded and completely unpretentious people forced me to let go of my relevant self- the self that can do things, show things, prove things, build things- and forced me to reclaim that unadorned self in which I am completely vulnerable, open to receive and give love regardless of any accomplishments.  I am telling you this because I am deeply convinced that the Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self.  That is the way Jesus came to reveal God’s love.  The great message that we have to carry, as minister’s of God’s Word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human life. {2}

          The contrite heart is the key to spiritual leadership.  For it is in the broken heart that God has room to walk around and restore according to his will.  The Christian community that allows God to bring exposure and healing will become a real community where real people will find restoration.  For it is in our weakness that God’s light and strength and power are made evident.  God’s power works best in our weakness.  For when we are weak, then we are made strong in God’s unlimited power. {3}   But it is a high calling - to follow Jesus and to love the way he loved, to treasure and shine the light of Jesus in these perishable bodies. {4}
          Being a follower of Jesus implies that we step in his steps, listen to his voice, and respond to his call.  We are to pattern ourselves after him, learning to do what he does, speaking into life the way he speaks, healing and reconciling and reconnecting people to God.  Dallas Willard teaches that for the Apostle Peter as for each of us, that we are to truly follow someone and be their disciple, then there is one absolutely essential condition.  We “must be with that person.”  By walking with Jesus we will learn how to walk after him.  Willard simplifies it further: “To follow him meant, in the first place, to be with him.  If I am Jesus' disciple, that means I am with him to learn from him how to be like him." {5}
          A follower of Jesus is bound to get turned and bent and directed in uncomfortable ways.  The path won’t always make sense and many of the turns will, bluntly, hurt.  But the soul of the leader who is being led by Jesus is more able than any to still resound with the praises of heaven!  Even though we may walk through the valley of the shadow of death and stroll in the presence of enemies, Jesus will guide us along right paths and bring honor to his name.  And as we pursue Jesus, goodness and mercy pursue us. 
          So, whether we are to become a Stephen or a Philip or whether we are included in a Hebrews 11:1-35 list or a Hebrews 11:36-38 list, we are to pursue Jesus by stripping off every weight that slows us down and by dealing with any brokenness that hinders our progress.  We are to follow Jesus. {6}   Spiritual leadership, as said before, and as Henri Nouwen has so eloquently stated, “is not a leadership of power and control, but a leadership of powerlessness and humility in which the suffering servant of God, Jesus Christ, is  made manifest.” {7}
          Because Jesus followed after you, you are to follow after him.  Because he came for you, sought after you, walked around looking and calling for you, found you, loved you and fought for you to his death, you should follow him. 
          Jesus loves you.  And you love him.  Don’t you?

{1} Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus, 92-93
{2} Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus, 30
{3} 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
{4} 2 Corinthians 4:7
{5} Willard, Dallas.  The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God
{6} Hebrews 11:1-40; 12:1-4
{7} Nouwen, In the Name of Jesus, 81-82. (San Francisco: Harper, 1997), 276.

"Pastor" defined and refined: Part 7

Guy Saffold, an executive ministries director for Campus Crusade for Christ, is leading one of our courses this week on leadership.  He's just one of those "leaders" who is "leading" me into a "leadership" quagmire right now.  He challenges George Barna, who once wrote that "Leadership is the most important thing for the church."  Dr. Saffold responds by offering a re-reading of Hebrews chapter 11, replacing the word "faith" with the word "leadership."  It's funny.  This is from the "New Leadership Translation:"

"What is leadership?  It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen.  It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.  God gave his approval to people in the days of old because of their leadership.  By leadership we understand that the entire universe was formed at God's command, that what we now see did come from anything that can be seen.  It was by leadership that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did... And although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us because of his leadership.  It was by leadership that Enoch was taken up to heaven without dying...  It was by leadership that Noah built an ark to save his family from the flood... It was by leadership that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land... It was by leadership that Sarah together with Abraham was able to have a child... All of these leaders died without receiving what God had promised them, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed the promises of God.  It was by leadership that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him... It was by leadership that Isaac blessed his two sons, Jacob and Esau... It was by leadership that Jacob, when he was old and dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons and bowed in worship as he leaned on his staff.  And it was by leadership that Joseph, when he was about to die, confidently spoke of God's bringing the people of Israel out of Egypt... It was by leadership that Moses' parents hid him for months... It was by leadership that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be treated as the son of Pharoah's daughter... It was by leadership that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground... It was by leadership that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God... Well, how much more do I need to say?  It would take too long to recount the stories of the leadership of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets.  By leadership these people over threw kingdoms... All these people we have mentioned received God's approval because of their leadership... Since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of leadership, let us strip off every weight that slows us down..."

AND IT GOES ON.  It is funny.  But then why are we so tempted to replace faith with leadership?  It's clear biblically, that faith may just perhaps possibly play kind of an important role in pursuing God's plans for ministry.

following around corners

I should have known it was coming.  It seems that each time I preach, the message hits me hard before I ever get to the "pulpit" (which I don't really use, by the way- I use a music stand or, preferrable, a stool). 

Tomorrow morning I'm preaching about "Following God's Lead" (see the last few sets of posts).  I think in my mind I've always been tempted to idealize what happens when somebody follows God's lead.  I'm tempted to think that life should go smoothly if you follow God's lead.  After all, a quick look at Acts 8 makes it appear as if following Jesus always produces abundant results.  As I've been studying about Philip I've been so impressed how God opened up door after door after door to meet people and do incredible, effective ministry.  Philip would get hired in any church setting today because of the results produced through his dynamic skills and evangelistic gifts and his heart for God.

But in the seeming ease of Philip's following after God, it can be easy to overlook the hardship.  Acts 7 reminds us of the possible fate of someone who follows Jesus.  Jesus told his first followers that they must pick up their cross daily to follow him.  Paul usually starts his letters out by saying: "Paul, a prisoner for the Lord."  Hebrews 11 talks about followers of faith that thrived in life and others who got sawed in half. 

Philip experiences both the good and the bad of following Christ.  Philip had begun a pretty vibrant ministry, full of perks and power and attention, in Jerusalem.  Then the persecution began.  Did the persecution mean that Philip was not following God's lead?  Was he not following God's will for his life?  Is that why he was forced to leave his home and the excellent ministry there?  And what about Stephen, his friend, who was brutally killed because of his faith? 

God sometimes leads us around bends in the road.  If we follow Jesus, we are bound to get turned and bent and directed in ways that we hadn't anticipated.  The path doesn't always make sense to us.  We can't always see where this new turn is going to take us. Sometimes the turn is sharp.  Sometimes it leads to a frightening new location.  Sometimes the turn forces us into oncoming traffic (that's how I feel this week). 

But still my soul resounds with the praises of heaven!  I will follow Jesus today... and tomorrow... and the day after that... forever.  Whether I am to become a Stephen or a Philip, I long to run the course set out for me with the face of an angel.  I want to chase after my Lord, hot on the heels of my Savior.  Jesus, I will follow.