Think Christianly by Jonathan Morrow is an a concise and insightful look at how to think and act like Christ in a culture that is constantly changing around us. In the first few chapters of the book, Morrow gives the context to why he wrote this book. We are at a crossroads with Christianity on one side and culture on the other, and as Christians, we have a choice to engage that culture or not. Morrow stresses that it is time to engage our culture because if we do not, then we will be serving ourselves into obscurity.
One interesting point he makes about engaging the culture focuses on the next generation and how to engage them. He identifies that the problems with the next generation are boredom and apathy, relational disconnection, and intellectual disengagement. The interesting point he makes to correct this is mentoring. Young people need mentoring. They need to have not just one person, but several people around them to help them grow in Christ. This is what engaging is all about. We have spent far too long focusing on the right programs and curriculum to drastically change America's youth for Christ. What we need to do is engage this culture. They are tired of curriculum and programs. They want person, one-on-one time with someone who has experienced life a little longer than they have.
The next part of the book focuses on preparing ourselves to engage the culture. He stresses that we need to be the Jesus the world needs us to be. This is a powerful message to the Church in America today because as a whole, we are not being the Jesus the world needs. We are being a Jesus that we want to be rather than what the world needs. Morrow stresses that we need to get ourselves right before God and make sure that we are walking consistently with Jesus. We need to be practicing spiritual disciplines not for the sake of being holier than thou, but for the sake of not compromising our witness for Christ and His kingdom. We need to be communicating a message to a lost world that the kingdom of God is here and now.
The next section of the book focuses on apologetics which is something that Christians in our country are desperately lacking skills in. Apologetics is simply giving an answer. It is a way to think logically and critically about the Christian faith in order that we may have an answer for the hope that we have (I Peter 3:15). He covers topics from the accuracy and validity of Scripture to homosexuality and even modern day research in genetics. Morrow does a great job with concisely presenting the issues and helping us think Christianly about them. He steers away from being religious by stressing that we need to stop getting made whenever we hear something negative about Jesus in the media. We need to take a deep breath and understand where the culture is coming from. We have to think differently about how we present the Gospel in a 21st century world. We are living in a time where truth is relative rather than absolute. We are living in a time where people are very bitter towards the church and have some very strong opinions towards it. We are living in a time where people are desperately searching for the truth, but all they are getting are more questions. Morrow says it's going to take time to evangelize in a 21st century world because we live in a world of skeptics. We need to take the time to be Jesus by being relational. We think that we can stay in our Christian bubble, do a few big events, sing our old hymns with our organ (not saying the organ is bad), preach the Gospel every Sunday, and people will flock to our buildings. This is how it may have worked 50 years ago, but this is not the way it will work today. Morrow stresses that we have to think deeply and apologetically about our faith so that we can better engage our skeptical, but truth-seeking culture.
Jonathan Morrow does an excellent job in this book. He keeps his topics short and concise to the point that anyone from a pastor to a lay person can pick this book up and glean from it. His writing style is very to the point and easy to read and understand. His work is scholarly without being over anyone's head. He gives great insight on being a Christian in all walks of life that you may encounter. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to Think Christianly.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Monday, April 23, 2012
Mission Accepted
In my Scripture reading time, I have been reading through the Gospels. I started with Matthew and read section by section until I finished it. While I was reading, I started keeping a journal again for the first time in years. I wrote my thoughts down on the passages that I read to glean more from God's Word and be challenged by it. Now I am reading through Mark and tonight I read the story of the demon possessed man that Jesus came across in the land of the Gerasenes. This man was possessed by many demons who called themselves Legion. If you have gone to church for a while, you are probably familiar with this story. The part that hit me tonight was not the casting out of the demons (which is pretty amazing and powerful), but rather the interaction of Jesus and the newly freed man. The man wanted to come with Jesus, but Jesus refused the man. This seems uncharacteristic of the Rabbi who went and called his disciples to follow him. But, if you pay attention, Jesus had a mission for this man. Jesus said to him in verse 19, "Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." Jesus gave him the mission of evangelizing that area for the kingdom of God.
This challenged me tonight because this is the mission is still giving us today. We are set free by the Son of God from sin and death and the power of Satan in order to be his witnesses in a world that is in desperate need of him. Jesus died for us so that we could live for him. This is something that I keep coming back to lately. I talk about it at church and I talk about it online. We are Christ's ambassadors on this earth. This man who was set free from these demons accepted the mission and went to proclaim what God had done for him. This is the power and evidence of a changed life. The way this challenged me is that I had to ask myself, "Am I showing the power and evidence of a changed life in Christ? Am I witnessing like I should or am I acting and speaking as though I am ashamed of the Gospel?"
One time I was at a church planting conference and I was listening to a church planter tell a story of an encounter with a businessman. He was trying to relay a point that in order to be an effective church planter you have to make a lot of contacts. In order to make contacts as a pastor (according to him), you had to do so in creative ways. So, he introduced himself to this businessman as an entrepreneur. At the time, I thought this was genius and creative. However, as I have grown older, I began to realize what this actually was. This was a bait and switch tactic. The pastor was baiting the man in by saying he was entrepreneur like him, but then switching eventually by revealing he was a pastor. It was not technically a lie, but it was little deceitful. I have thought about this story lately and wondered when did I find "creative" ways to say I was a pastor when I should have been very upfront about my calling in life because I was not ashamed of the mission my Father had given me.
So, let us not be ashamed of the Gospel. Let us know that Jesus is giving us a mission to evangelize a lost and fallen world. The man who was freed by Jesus accepted the mission wholeheartedly. Are you willing to accept it? Am I? Well, with nervousness and doubt in my own abilities, tonight I honestly said to Him, "Mission accepted, my King."
This challenged me tonight because this is the mission is still giving us today. We are set free by the Son of God from sin and death and the power of Satan in order to be his witnesses in a world that is in desperate need of him. Jesus died for us so that we could live for him. This is something that I keep coming back to lately. I talk about it at church and I talk about it online. We are Christ's ambassadors on this earth. This man who was set free from these demons accepted the mission and went to proclaim what God had done for him. This is the power and evidence of a changed life. The way this challenged me is that I had to ask myself, "Am I showing the power and evidence of a changed life in Christ? Am I witnessing like I should or am I acting and speaking as though I am ashamed of the Gospel?"
One time I was at a church planting conference and I was listening to a church planter tell a story of an encounter with a businessman. He was trying to relay a point that in order to be an effective church planter you have to make a lot of contacts. In order to make contacts as a pastor (according to him), you had to do so in creative ways. So, he introduced himself to this businessman as an entrepreneur. At the time, I thought this was genius and creative. However, as I have grown older, I began to realize what this actually was. This was a bait and switch tactic. The pastor was baiting the man in by saying he was entrepreneur like him, but then switching eventually by revealing he was a pastor. It was not technically a lie, but it was little deceitful. I have thought about this story lately and wondered when did I find "creative" ways to say I was a pastor when I should have been very upfront about my calling in life because I was not ashamed of the mission my Father had given me.
So, let us not be ashamed of the Gospel. Let us know that Jesus is giving us a mission to evangelize a lost and fallen world. The man who was freed by Jesus accepted the mission wholeheartedly. Are you willing to accept it? Am I? Well, with nervousness and doubt in my own abilities, tonight I honestly said to Him, "Mission accepted, my King."
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Taking the time
Time is a precious commodity these days. It is something that we cannot get back. When we waste it, it's gone. When we use it to get as much done as possible, it's still gone. There is nothing we can do to get time back. Time is constantly ticking down to the end of all things and sometimes that makes me stop and think about the time I have spent on this earth. Have I wasted my time or have I taken advantage of the time God has given me. I would say a little of both. But, one thing that God challenged me with last night during our Bible study was taking the time to interact with humanity. You might be reading this and think, "Well, that's a silly statement. You must interact with humanity on a daily basis." I do, but do I really interact with humanity?
Jesus spent 33 years of his life interacting with humanity. This is the God of the universe in human flesh coming down to be like us and to be with us. He experienced what we experience. He tasted the food we taste. He laughed at things we laugh at (well maybe not everything we laugh at). He was hungry and thirsty like we are hungry and thirsty. He experienced humanity and he also interacted with humanity on a very intimate level. Take for instance the 12 apostles. He chose these men to follow him. These were the Rabbi school rejects. They probably went to their rabbis and asked them if they could be their disciples. The rabbis rejected them because they weren't good enough. But, Jesus, the greatest Rabbi of all, told them to follow him. This was unheard of for a Rabbi to do in first century Israel. But, Jesus wanted to interact with humanity. He spent countless hours with these men, training them to carry on his work. Along the way, he interacted with the outcasts of society like prostitutes and tax collectors. He went to Zacchaeus' house to eat with him and he was a tax collector. He touched lepers to heal them. He touched the lame and sick so that they would be free from their diseases and their handicaps. Those who follow Jesus want to be like him. I want to be like him, and, yet, I can't find the time to talk to someone that I see at the grocery store or any where else I may go. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough time, but is that the way of the Master?
This is what we talked about in Bible study last night. We talked about building relationships with people. It takes effort. It takes courage at times. But, most of all, it takes time. I was really challenged by God to take the time to meet people and to remember their names so that next time, I can get to know them a little bit better. This is what our society wants from the Church. They want the followers of Jesus to rise up and be like him. They want the followers of Jesus to interact with humanity and not just stay behind our stained glass windows and be the moral police of society. They don't want us to tell them how to vote. They don't want to know what we are against. They need to see who we are for. They need to see the Gospel before they listen to the Gospel. They need to see that we follow the Master. The way we are going to do this is to do it like the Master did, take the time.
Jesus spent 33 years of his life interacting with humanity. This is the God of the universe in human flesh coming down to be like us and to be with us. He experienced what we experience. He tasted the food we taste. He laughed at things we laugh at (well maybe not everything we laugh at). He was hungry and thirsty like we are hungry and thirsty. He experienced humanity and he also interacted with humanity on a very intimate level. Take for instance the 12 apostles. He chose these men to follow him. These were the Rabbi school rejects. They probably went to their rabbis and asked them if they could be their disciples. The rabbis rejected them because they weren't good enough. But, Jesus, the greatest Rabbi of all, told them to follow him. This was unheard of for a Rabbi to do in first century Israel. But, Jesus wanted to interact with humanity. He spent countless hours with these men, training them to carry on his work. Along the way, he interacted with the outcasts of society like prostitutes and tax collectors. He went to Zacchaeus' house to eat with him and he was a tax collector. He touched lepers to heal them. He touched the lame and sick so that they would be free from their diseases and their handicaps. Those who follow Jesus want to be like him. I want to be like him, and, yet, I can't find the time to talk to someone that I see at the grocery store or any where else I may go. Sometimes I feel like I don't have enough time, but is that the way of the Master?
This is what we talked about in Bible study last night. We talked about building relationships with people. It takes effort. It takes courage at times. But, most of all, it takes time. I was really challenged by God to take the time to meet people and to remember their names so that next time, I can get to know them a little bit better. This is what our society wants from the Church. They want the followers of Jesus to rise up and be like him. They want the followers of Jesus to interact with humanity and not just stay behind our stained glass windows and be the moral police of society. They don't want us to tell them how to vote. They don't want to know what we are against. They need to see who we are for. They need to see the Gospel before they listen to the Gospel. They need to see that we follow the Master. The way we are going to do this is to do it like the Master did, take the time.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Pointless Persistence
This week is Holy Week. Churches all over the world are gearing up for services throughout the week. Some start on Wednesday and some start on Thursday. People will come especially on Easter Sunday as the family tradition or because someone invited them, they were curious, or they genuinely want to be there. I have started working on my messages for this week's services. One of the hardest things to do is work on Easter messages as a stay-at-home dad of two boys who are four and 18 months. It is especially hard when the youngest one is not feeling well. As I was reflecting on the day, I realized that Satan is being pointlessly persistent in his attempts to distract me and I'm sure other church leaders around the world from the meaning of this week. Something else that happened today is that our church received news that our burner for our heat is done. That is a cost that we did not expect and it is a rather large cost I might add. It's a cost that we don't really need right now considering we have to tie into the town sewerage system this year which is going to cost a lot of money as well.
A few years ago this would have left me stressed to the max. I still get a little stressed, but this is what I have learned as I have grown older and maybe a little wiser: Satan is defeated! Holy Week should remind us of this fact more than any other time. Satan pulled out all the stops to thwart God's plan to save His people from our sins. He tempted one of his closest followers to betray him. He incited his own people to shout crucify him. He used the Romans to nail him to a tree and die a horrible death. But, the story doesn't end there. Three days later Jesus walked out of that tomb, ALIVE!!! We should never grow tired of that story. That is the Gospel and it is beautiful! Jesus is alive! Satan constantly tries to throw a wrench in the plans of God, but that does not mean that Jesus did not rise from that grave.
One of my favorite praise songs is called "Sing to the King." The reason I love it is because of the line that reads, "Satan is vanquished and now Jesus is King!" Let this truth sink in. Do not let Satan and the world defeat you because your King has already defeated them. Jesus sits at the right hand of God because the work is finished. Satan is done. His persistence is pointless. So, let's sing to the king who is victorious and reigns over Satan no matter what he tries.
A few years ago this would have left me stressed to the max. I still get a little stressed, but this is what I have learned as I have grown older and maybe a little wiser: Satan is defeated! Holy Week should remind us of this fact more than any other time. Satan pulled out all the stops to thwart God's plan to save His people from our sins. He tempted one of his closest followers to betray him. He incited his own people to shout crucify him. He used the Romans to nail him to a tree and die a horrible death. But, the story doesn't end there. Three days later Jesus walked out of that tomb, ALIVE!!! We should never grow tired of that story. That is the Gospel and it is beautiful! Jesus is alive! Satan constantly tries to throw a wrench in the plans of God, but that does not mean that Jesus did not rise from that grave.
One of my favorite praise songs is called "Sing to the King." The reason I love it is because of the line that reads, "Satan is vanquished and now Jesus is King!" Let this truth sink in. Do not let Satan and the world defeat you because your King has already defeated them. Jesus sits at the right hand of God because the work is finished. Satan is done. His persistence is pointless. So, let's sing to the king who is victorious and reigns over Satan no matter what he tries.
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