Getaway Car

Mark 3:7-10  "Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the sea, and a great crowd followed, from Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem and Idumea and from beyond the Jordan and from around Tyre and Sidon. When the great crowd heard all that he was doing, they came to him. And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him."

I need a getaway car! Thanks basically what Jesus tells His disciples in the middle of His ministry. Jesus has been teaching, healing, and traveling throughout the land and the crowds continue to grow. They come from all over and were a mix of people. Why are they coming though? It's not for His teaching or preaching and it's not even because He has been challenging the religious elite. They come for healing, to simply touch Him. They are not actually interested in the person of Jesus, they are only interested in what He can do for them. Imagine how draining this can be? So, He tells His disciples to get a boat ready and like some scene from an action movie "the boys" get Jesus to the boat, jump in, and begin rowing as hard and fast as they can to get away. Jesus needed to get away.

What does this say about ministry?   

1. Ministry is hard
When ministry is done right in service and love it is incredibly hard. Whether you serve in lay leadership of a church or as a paid staff person, the work and amount of energy and life poured into your ministry wears you out. Stay in the mix long enough without a "getaway car" and you might find yourself burnout. Perhaps you might think, pastors just preach, visit with people, and plan ministry stuff. That is true, but think through this: Scripture holds pastors/teachers to a higher standard when they preach/teach from the Word. Mishandling the Word means leading others under the same misdirection. That is pressure to study and prepare a sermon/lesson in a way that is true to the text and speaks to the people. Those people pastor's visit are many times dealing with hard life issues. Perhaps it's a couple who is on the verge of divorce and he is now counseling them through all the baggage that goes with that. Maybe it's a family who child is sick and they are unsure of a cure. Maybe it is a widow who hasn't have family visit her in months and she is lonely and desperately wants to talk, to know she is loved. Finally, he is now planning ministry. He is working on putting Scripture into practice and equipping the people to do so. He is providing leadership and vision to people who may or may not agree with it. "Getaway cars" are necessary in the life of people working deep in ministry.

2. Not Everyone Cares About True Meaning Behind Ministry
The people came to Jesus not to accept Him, but to get something from Him. Many times that is the reality behind ministry. People will try to take advantage of, use and abuse the person who is ministering. Imagine a person pouring their heart and life into something and rarely hearing a thank you, a well done, or even spiritual fruit from their work (right away). This doesn't mean we stop ministering to people, but we must recognize that people will take without a second thought of the person. Why? It's human nature, it's sin. We are naturally bent toward selfishness and many times we don't even realize what we are doing. As ministers, this can be so hard to face day in and day out. Even more, we can offer so much to help people in order to share the true reason- salvation in Christ- and still find rejection on the other end. This doesn't mean we stop trying, but it does mean that we need a "getaway car."

3. Get a "Getaway Car"
A getaway car will be different for each person. But I think there should be 3 ways we approach our need for the "getaway". One, have an everyday "getaway". Ideally this should happen in our "quiet times" with Jesus in Scripture and prayer. If you are not doing this, then start the habit now! However, there are other ways too. Perhaps listening to music, reading a book, finding a quiet room, or getting a cup of coffee is your getaway. For me, I try to set time everyday near the end of my day in the office to read. It is my way to decompress from the day and I have found it so helpful to my soul. Two, have a couple of "getaway" spots you like to go. This needs to be locally to you and further out. For me, there are a couple of places in the church I can go and not worry about someone finding me for a period of time that allow me to be alone. I also try to find at least 1-2 conferences that are away from my ministry location to attend to learn and to rejuvenate. I recommend the same.  Third, take a vacation!! But, when you go on vacation leave your work/ministry behind. Enjoy the time with family or with by yourself. Many times ministers feel guilty stepping away briefly from their work, but even Jesus stepped away and rested. I think it's okay to follow the steps of the Savior to rest from time to time.
 

The Untouchables

Mark 1:40-42 "And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, “If you will, you can make me clean.” Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, “I will; be clean.” And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean."

Jesus has been preaching, teaching, and healing throughout the land He is in and here He is approached by a leper. Leprosy was a term used to cover a multitude of diseases, primarily those that affected the skin. To be labeled a leper in the community was devastating. You had to wear certain clothing, could not be within a certain distance of people, and had to yell out what you were. Imagine living that life. You are deemed untouchable. Not only do you lose interaction with people, but you lose even the slightest human touch. You are worthless, despicable, a nobody.

Many walk through life this very way. They may not have a disease that makes them untouchable, but they have had life situations, sin, or people's perceptions placed upon them to make them "untouchable". So, imagine the boldness it took, the courage, the faith, the humility to come to Jesus and make this request to be healed. Jesus could have had this man killed for approaching Him unclean. Instead, Jesus is moved by compassion or pity and He touches the man. Immediately the curse has left him!

In my quiet time I found myself asking, "What do I consider in my life untouchable?" You see, we have sin, hurts, pains, thoughts, life situations that all seem untouchable. No one can know about it, no one can should see it, no one would even come close to helping even if they did see it. The beauty of this historical account with the Savior is that Jesus is willing and able to touch the untouchable. Much of our "untouchable" issues are the deepest, hardest, worst issues we have and with pride we cover them up even to God the Savior. Yet this man, with humility, courage, and faith stepped forward to Christ and asked for healing. His statement of "If you will..." is not about whether Jesus was capable. It was whether Jesus even wanted to. Compassionately, He steps forward and touches the man! The touch of the Savior spoke more to this man than even Jesus' words. Why? Because there is power in His touch. Daniel Akin states, "As the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53:4, He takes on Himself the infirmities of this man, cleanses him, and make him whole!" (Christ Centered Exposition Commentary: Mark, 37)

The gospel was never made clearer to me in this encounter before this morning. We all have a leprosy of the heart: sin. It permeates our very being, our existence. And for many, sin is deemed too much for God. It is untouchable to be taken away. Yet, Jesus shows that is the very reason He has come. To take away the sin of the world and man by His saving grace. We only have to trust in who He is, what He has done and can do, and allow Him to heal us by His saving grace. Like this man, some will be immediate healing and some will take time. But, are you willing to give your "untouchables" to Him?  

My "Brand" of Discipleship

Mark 1:16-17  "Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.  And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

We all search for something in this life to bring purpose and meaning. The idea of being called to something is used more now than I remember hearing. That may not be the case, but I feel like I hear it used more regularly about even every day jobs. It is likely that the men mentioned in the above verse knew their calling was to be fishermen. It was a family business that would provide. Instead, this man comes along and gives them a new calling, a calling of discipleship.

Interestingly, Jesus' call to these men was different than other teachers of the time. Why? He chose them, they didn't choose Him. Daniel Akin in the Christ Centered Exposition Commentary on Mark explains, "In rabbinic schools of the day, the aspiring student sought out the respected rabbi."(20) So, discipleship was something the disciple wanted, but there was more to it than just choosing your teacher. Akin states further, "Further, the student's allegiance was to the Law, not to the teacher. Jesus' form of discipleship is fundamentally different! Jesus seeks them out, and their allegiance will be to Him." (20)

Did you catch that? Disciples sought out a person, but really aligned themselves to the person's teaching. So, they in some ways looked to a teacher's "brand" of discipleship. Jesus however, wanted the allegiance of His disciples to Him, not simply to His teachings. Why? To follow just the teachings of Jesus really leads to moralism and not salvation. Salvation alone rests in the Person of Christ. His teachings lead us to Him. Jesus didn't want followers to be simply "good people". He wanted followers who believe and trust in Him and that He carries the power to make His teachings alive in the follower.

This made me think more about American Christianity today. Do we sometimes find ourselves becoming a disciple of a particular Christian leader's writings, sermons, or YouTube videos? In a world of celebrity Christians do we have more disciples of Matt Chandler, David Platt, Lysa Terkeurst, JD Geear, Lecrae, etc? I would assume the people I listed are pointing people to Jesus and not themselves, but perhaps we adhere ourselves to their particular "brand" of Christianity.

So what am I saying? I am not saying stop listening to podcasts or reading books by important leaders of our time. We still need their leadership and guidance as well as those local to us. What I am saying is check yourself. Do you find yourself more influenced by the people or their particular "brand" of discipleship or by Jesus and His Word? Do you find yourself seeking answers to life or "doing church" more from the next person's book or from the Creator of life and the church? Remember we become what we worship/give our attention to. We are called to be disciples of Jesus, not the people He calls to do His work.

Meeting God in the Wilderness

Mark 1:9-13  "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him."

 Jesus' ministry begins with an identifying with man through the act of baptism and then it immediately goes to the wilderness. While in the wilderness Jesus is tempted by Satan as Jesus is fasting and enduring the natural environment of the wilderness. What strikes me is that truly Jesus' wilderness experience doesn't really end after this particular event. We see in these verses that Jesus is declared the Son of God and later will be recognized as the King of all. He is a foreigner in this land, a King living as a peasant. He walks the wilderness of life in order to pull humanity out of it's sinful nature and leads a "2nd Exodus". The question is how is Jesus' life a continued wilderness experience?

Outside of the fact He is a foreigner, remember and imagine all He faced. He experienced being hated, people wanting to take His life, family turning their back on Him, disciples slowly figuring out who He is and even walking away from Him (some permanently, some return). Jesus experiences the loss of a close friend and mourns the death. Jesus is misunderstood, sometimes people try to use Him for just His supernatural ability, and He is ultimately led to His own death/murder.

Did Jesus experience some good things too? Absolutely! However, we forget so many times that Jesus' entire life relates to our own.

What is your current wilderness experience? Perhaps all of life seems to be one right now?

Remember this: the Father never leaves Jesus through all of His wilderness experience. In fact, it is through the wilderness that God meets with Jesus and ultimately meets with man.

So, you may be asking, "Why this wilderness experience?" "Why would God allow me to walk this?" Because it is often in the wilderness where God truly meets with His people. The wilderness can reveal who we truly are and opens us up to the ministering of God to our hearts and to prepare us for what lies ahead.

Embrace the wilderness because you may find you will be embracing the One who has walked it already and will carry you through.

The Soil of the Home

"20 times a youth pastor says, “You need a time of prayer/Bible every AM.” Yawn. One time a parent says, “I love my AM time with Jesus.” Done." -Richard Ross tweet

As a youth pastor of 10 years I find this statement to be true. The students who pass through student ministry with parents that do not show any love/time with Jesus in the home typically do not follow through a life of following Jesus once they are done with student ministry. This is not always the case, as many in the church also "adopt" students like spiritual orphans. Grandparents, adult volunteers, aunts and uncles, all have played a huge part in guiding students through harsh spiritual terrain.

For this post, I wanted to focus on how the home does in fact have spiritual impact on students. In particular, I want to focus on the Parable of the Sower found in Luke 8:4-15 as scriptural context. The basic idea of the parable is that a Sower is throwing seed out to be planted, but the seed falls to various types of ground. In each type of ground the seed is impacted. Let's examine it like this:

Seed= Word of God/Gospel/Jesus

Road soil and Thorny Soil
Road and thorny soil share a similarity. Both soil is a heart that hears the Word, but due to spiritual warfare taking place, the hardships of the world, or a hard heart it is taken away. Perhaps in the home a student faces great hardship of spiritual warfare (divorce, abuse, neglect, etc) or their is no acceptance of Jesus at all. Imagine this student coming to church or a student ministry with all his/her baggage and the Word of God penetrating through this heart. We have many of these and the biggest thing they need to allow them to even receive the gospel are people who will help make their "soil" good. This can happen by Jesus followers attempting to reach the family unit and bring the to Christ. It can be that the student is a spiritual orphan and in need of a significant Jesus following adult to reach his/her life and cultivate.

I am reminded of a young man I once worked with who was hearing the Word and finally in distress looked at me and said, "How am I supposed to believe God has a plan for my life when that plan involved sexual abuse, being taken away from my momma, and going from foster home to foster home still experiencing abuse?!" It took significant adults to invest in his life, to "adopt" him to cultivate his heart. This is a lifetime process for this student.

Rocky soil
 Rock soil is a heart with no foundation or cultivation. Joyfully hears the Word, but with ease it slips away to the world as there is nothing for it to take root of. I believe many of our Christian homes actually are rocky soil. We joyfully read some Bible to our kids when they are young, say a prayer around the table, and attend church, but true cultivation of the Word is not there. The challenge to live differently in front of our children, to pray about all situations, to study the Word together and bring others into the home to share in this life are not rocky soil homes. Why? Because these are the components to cultivate the "soil" to make it ready to receive the seed of the Word.

Good soil
A heart that has been cultivated to hear the Word and is open for planting and growth to happen. Just like a plant must be given good soil that offers nutrients, be watered, and receive sun to grow properly; so does the heart that will accept the Word planted. As mentioned above the components to help create good soil are more than mere Christian rituals. They are life changing attitudes and actions. Consider cultivating the home as good soil where more than just mere reading of Scripture happens, but study and discussion. Where prayer is more than a dinner time ritual and in hard times and good times prayer toward the King of Kings is lifted in adoration of Him! Where other hearts from Road, Thorny, or Rocky soil can come to see what "Good Soil" can be and help cultivate the soil of their hearts to be good and receive the Word of God. This will require sacrifice and time. Both seeming missing in both quantity and quality in our homes today.

Be A Cultivator
I write this because as a youth minister we are only given so much time with students a week. Much less than they get in school and much less than they get at home. In addition, we are faced with the task of reaching all these various hearts in our ministries and maintain the soil of our own hearts and home. Parents we need you to be a cultivator of good soil in your home. Not for the sake of your children alone, but for the sake of others who will not find it in their own. I call on parents to step up to a challenge of discovering what life could be like with a rich soil of the heart to allow the Word to take root and grow deep in our homes. Even more, seek those who need spiritual adoption to be cultivated too! Reach students, but reach their families as well.

Create A New Culture

"The only way to truly transform culture is to create culture." -Andy Couch

I have had two significant impacts this past week that led me to think about culture, the gospel, and our impact as believers in Jesus. The first is reading the memoir of hip-hop artist Lecrae. His book was gritty, challenging, transparent, and thought provoking. The second was a Vision Tour of the city of Denver through the North American Mission Board in search of a place to begin a new mission opportunity. While on this tour we met several church planters and heard their stories of mission for the gospel. Both the book and the trip impacted me separately, but also worked in tandem to reveal a fresh look at cultural engagement as believers.

The Book
Lecrae has been a culture changer since his career as a hip-hop artist began. He revolutionized the Christian hip-hop world and made incredible impact by packing theology driven lyrics to music that started to sound more like hip-hop heard on the radio. Eventually, Lecrae found himself in a place caught between two world, two cultures-  the "Christian" and the "secular". The result was a gospel-centered artist who began to take the message to the world. As he has put it before, he started making music for the church, now he is making music from the church. His sound and lyrics have changed, but the message is still clear. He explains that the change happened when he started engaging the world differently. He states in his book, "...being a Christian is not just about being saved from something but also being saved to something. Following Jesus doesn't just save us from a less fulfilling life or eternal separation from God. It also saves us to a life that can radically transform the world around us through the power of God." This quote was the key to opening my mind a little more. I've known what he says for a long time, but something rang even more true now.

The Trip
While on the Vision Tour we met pastors who were trying desperately to engage a culture that cared very little for ideas of church, gospel, salvation, etc. Over all, the people they were engaging were in the city for fun, escape, and fulfillment most which could be found in the activities the city offers. However, the one thing that was looked for and could not be fully found was community. Each pastor stated the majority of people they come across would leave Denver after a few years because they were lonely. They may know people, but rarely on a deeper level. So, these pastors began to create community, true biblical community, built on love, care, sacrifice, and connection. One particular story stuck with me. The pastor made a connection with a person in the community and this person and his wife were expecting their first child. After a relationship was built and the couple was nearing their delivery date the pastor asked if he could get some people to bring them meals to help out. The man was astounded that someone would even do that. He even said I've never experienced something like that before! Even more incredible was the church (just a handful of people) committed to providing three meals a week for three months!! In many churches I've been a part of, we are lucky to get a full week filled.

What does all this mean?
For some of you this may mean little. You may be looking for the next controversial blog about something that can cause a stir. Or you may already know what I am describing and perhaps are living it out. For most, I bet we haven't thought much about our culture and how the gospel engages it. Well, we have likely thought about telling the most people we can about Jesus (which is right and good) or we complain about how the world is going to hell in a hand basket(weird analogy thinking about hell as a place of fire; that hand basket would get burned up...). That's just it though! We do a great job complaining about culture, being absorbed into the culture, or copying it. What happens if we actually create it! Christians were some of the first to care for orphans, widows, and the ill. We were once a people at the forefront of building orphanages, hospitals, places of care for the outcast. Christians were once at the forefront of art; depicting the gospel through music, paintings, sculptures, literature, etc. Some are still doing this, but I fear we have stopped being culture makers and are culture complainers, copiers, or wrapped up in the culture. We are not to be separated from culture, we are not to create just a sub-culture, we are to be culture makers! We should be creating a culture that is dynamic in love, justice, grace, service, fellowship, meekness, and ultimately Christ. Practically, I think this dynamic culture making happens when families adopt or foster children (even the hard ones) as they show the value of life is more than just a baby in the womb. We see it when we live financially at a particular means and give away the rest to those who need it. Dynamic culture making happens when we are willing to tell our children they can go to the farthest places of the world, even dangerous places, to reach others for Christ.

The biggest issue of creating a new culture is starting. For most of us, it will involve getting out of our comfort zones, it will involve sacrifice, it will involve the unknown. However, it is our calls as believers to be culture makers as we are called into the mission of Christ to reconcile all things to Him. (2 Cor. 5:17-21) We have to start somewhere, the question is where are you going to start?

Love the Assembly, Hate the Sinner?

So, I'm not the best at blogging regularly, but when God wakes me up in the morning with ideas and thoughts I tend to listen and write.

Perhaps part of my thoughts come from various books I have been reading and my consistent time in Scripture as God speaks. In the Christ Centered Exposition Commentary on 1 Timothy, the author reveals that "Out of the seven billion people in the world, only one-third claim to be Christian. That leaves us with 4.7 billion people in the world today who are on a road that leads to an eternal hell. And two billion of those 4.7 billion unbelievers have no access to the gospel." (111) I suppose this reality stuck with me because I was left to ask why. The commentary was focused on how affluence can negatively affect our view of sharing Christ. I, however, wonder if we actually love our church community (The Assembly) more than we do the unbeliever(The Sinner)?

Thom Rainer, who has authored many books and created a program to help churches revitalize states that once a church becomes inwardly focused it loses it's mission. His blog post states the following,

"But churches can lose their outward focus and become preoccupied with the perceived needs and desires of the members. The dollars spent and the time expended can quickly become focused on the demands of those inside the congregation. When that takes place the church has become inwardly obsessed. It is no longer a Great Commission congregation."

Of course and inward focus is vital to the flourishing of the church too, but how does too much inward focus happen and what are the results?

Program trumps Spirit
Evangelistic efforts of a church must be programed in many ways. Churches must focus their efforts in a particular mission field- community, state, nation, and world- that would require planning and effort of program. In addition, learning ways to share the gospel with people that follow a particular program carries great benefit as well. However, I fear in our culture that loves to compartmentalize we miss the fact that we are called to be on mission at all times. Our Great Commission found in Matthew 28:18-20 reveals that Jesus tells His disciples to "go". The idea is better understood, "as you go" meaning continuously practicing. Have we in the church programmed so well, that we have taught our people that you can only "go" when you go on a particular mission trip or "outreach" event of the church? In addition to program we must teach that we develop a spirit, a mindset, of "as you go." Each and every opportunity in the workplace, at school, in our neighborhoods, in the store, etc. should be embraced with a spirit of reaching others for Christ.

We've Been Hurt By People
All of us experience hurt by other people both believer's and non-believers in Jesus, but I wonder if that leads to a hardened heart against those who don't know Jesus. I once knew a teenager who experienced hurt from a person at his school. He knew that the other student was not a believer and was destined for a place separated from God eternally. Because of the hurt received he decided in his mind not to share the gospel with the student because the other student, "deserved to go to hell."Whoa!! Thankfully, by God's grace, the Spirit convicted this young man and I was able to walk him through that. But, can we indirectly do the same as we either get hurt from others or when we attempt to share the gospel and are ridiculed we step back? We may step back in fear, but maybe secretly we simply write someone off and just accept they will go to hell. Even in rejection we should still pray for those who hurt us, we are called to love those who persecute us for the means of that person possibly coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

We've Grown Spiritually Fat
Inward focused churches and people love discipleship and fellowship. I know, cause I can get that way. Discipleship and fellowship in many ways are for the church to encourage and lift up one another in Christ, but in their full purpose is to actually bring people to a saving knowledge of Jesus. Acts 2:42-47 reveals church life of the inward focus. Prior to these verse Peter has preached and reached out to people through his message. At the end of the chapter, the apostles and disciples have devoted themselves to one another in discipleship, fellowship, and service. It was sacrificial, counter-cultural, and full of life. The result, "And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." Discipleship was intended to train believers for the purpose of reaching out. Fellowship and service in the church should be something so different from the rest of the culture it is reaching out. In fact, we should be finding ways to invite "outsiders" into our fellowship to experience the life and Spirit of Christ in our relationships with one another. The acts/processes of discipleship, fellowship, and service were never an end in of themselves. They are a means to reach in and out. Instead, many in the American church simply consume in these acts/processes and continue to grow spiritually fat never exercising their faith in Jesus to reach others.

We've Starved Ourselves Spiritually
As a believer we are in a continual state of growth (2 Pet. 3:18; Eph. 3:17-19; 1 Pet. 2:2; 1 Tim. 4:15; Eph. 2:10) or at least we should be. However, when we fail to grow in Christ (which is an oxymoron) it effects how we view others, our world, the mission of the church, and our ability to share Christ. Study in the Word, theology, perhaps sociology, our culture, and from Christian leaders all aid in our growth. The Word is first and foremost in the growth of the believer and the others simply help. If we are not learning what Jesus has called us to, how to put it into practice, and take the next steps in growth we starve spiritually. The result is a shallow believer (maybe even not a believer at all) who has no understanding of how to share Christ. Even more, we can starve ourselves by not practicing our faith too. No matter where we are in our growth-infantile or mature- we are called to practice it because it brings more growth too. When we are challenged by someone, we should study and search for answers to give. When we are challenged we should love the other person no matter how their challenged was presented and how much we disagree. Thus, we grow instead of staying starved, plus we fulfill the commission we were given.

You may be asking, how does all this really equal hating someone? Several years ago a video surfaced of the comedian and atheist Penn Gillette who was touched by someone giving him a Bible. His words resonate still today as he equates a lack of sharing to hatred toward another. The fact remains that we show the greatest act of love by introducing them to the One who can save them, bring them new life, and change their heart. Even more, to believe that someone is destined to a place that separates them from God eternally, a place that is for punishment of sin, then our hearts must be inclined to share. Please note I said share, not save. Salvation belongs to Jesus as He works in the person's heart, but our call is to share the good news.