restored to grace

This chart was too good to leave alone. I want to thank Prodigal John and Stuff Christians Like for the awesome concept.

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(Continued from my previous post. Read that first.)

. . . Paul wrote that regardless of motive, as long as Christ is being preached, he rejoices. So why is it that anytime we see people proclaiming Christ through a method we don’t fully understand or use ourselves, we get our panties all bunched up and cry, “Heresy!” or shout, “Stuffy!” or, “Cold and unfeeling!” Is it really our place to do that?

If Christ is truly at the center of our lives, we would recognize that his word is in fact being proclaimed and preached through methods we may consider “unusual” or “out of the ordinary.” But he’s not at the center, and so we argue and bicker about what the other church is doing.

And therein lies the problem. Our lives and churches are no longer Christ-centric. He’s been replaced by whatever gift he’s given us. X Church is a teaching- and doctrine-centered church. Y Church is a service- and outreach-centered church. Z Church is a connection- and community-centered church.

And guess what? All three churches are practicing idolatry. I don’t think I’m stretching things either.

The [C]hurch is the Bride of Christ. As such, her sole responsibility is to love him and do what he says. Like a bride’s devotion to her groom, the [C]hurch is supposed to be obsessed with Christ’s whole being. How long can a woman repeatedly say to her husband, “I love that you’re a musician,” without saying, “I love you”? How long can that continue before he gets pissed that she’s not in love with him, but rather in love with his job or abilities?

If a church constantly says that their gifts are more important than the gifts of another church, they’ve abandoned Christ and replaced him with an idol. They’re worshiping teaching/service/community and not Christ.

And don’t get me wrong. I’m not against “specialized congregations.” If a church is made up of people who are good in just one of those three functions, awesome! Expand on that and sharpen your skillset, but know that it was given to you by God; it isn’t God, so it’s not worth arguing with the church down the street over. Because the moment you’ve done that is the moment you’ve turned the gift into the god.

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(Continued from my previous post. Read that first.)

. . . But why is it that so many churches focus on one of those gifts, at the expense of the other two? I understand there are churches that are made up completely of one kind of people. But the sad trend that’s built up among many of these congregations is that they argue with other churches that their gift is the “right” gift.

Let me use an example. X Church on South St. is made up of people who are great students of the Scriptures. They know the Word of God inside and out, and they are well versed in proclaiming the truths embedded in the Bible. “Christ was the greatest Teacher that ever lived, and we are his students, charged with becoming teachers ourselves. So we must give ourselves over to the study of the Word,” is the motto of X Church.

But along comes Y Church on Bank St. Y Church is made up of people who have been given the gift of a humble servant attitude. They pour God’s grace into the community around them, serving food to the homeless of the town, rebuilding dilapidated or devastated homes of the needy, and handing out free newspapers to the commuters at the train station. Y Church’s motto is this: “Christ served the least of these. He stooped down and became a Servant to the people of earth. As Christ’s servants, we too must share that spirit of servanthood.”

And then Z Church opens up on Morris St. full of people who know what it means to love and connect with others. Everyone at Z Church devotes their time to listening to each other, learning about each other’s hurts and desires, and filling each other with love and grace. “Christ knew how to connect with people lovingly and without judgment. As the children of God and brothers and sisters with Christ, we must learn to love sacrificially.”

But X Church thinks Y Church is lenient with their doctrine. And Y Church thinks Z Church is too busy having conversations instead of working. And Z Church thinks X Church is cold and unfeeling. And X Church thinks Z Church relies too heavily on emotions rather than rational thought. And Z Church thinks Y Church has no concept of the true heart and longing of the people they claim to be serving. And Y Church thinks X Church believes themselves to be smarter than anyone else, which is why they won’t serve the community.

So a church war breaks out. X Church takes out an ad in the local paper calling Y Church heretical. And Z Church puts a PSA on the local radio station calling X Church stuffy and boring.

And all three churches have forgotten why they’re doing what they’re doing. They’ve forgotten whom they belong to. They’ve forgotten that Christ longs to reveal himself through them. . .

(Post continued here. . .)

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I’m currently reading through the book of the Acts of the Apostles for my quiet time. It’s been such an enlightening experience looking through the eyes of the early followers of the Way and peeking into their experiences as the Church first entered the world. It must have been an exciting time.

But as the church scattered abroad, I can’t help but wonder if the Apostles ever thought, “I wish things were the way they used to be.” I mean, the church was pretty successful for a while remaining in Jerusalem. But Christ had told them to go around the world. And around the world they went.

Churches sprang up everywhere. Starting in Jerusalem, then Antioch, then Corinth, Rome, Philippi, Ephesus. . . the new movement spread like wildfire. How many times do you see phrases like, “and about three thousand were added to their number that day,” or “and a great number of people were brought to the Lord”? Over and over again we see the church surging in the number of people reached.

“Remember when we were all in Jerusalem? Man, those were the good ol’ days! When we were healing people in the big city, sharing all we had, giving speeches in all sorts of languages. I never even studied Italian, and there I was, speaking it!”

As I read through passages where major changes were taking place in the early Church, I began to feel nostalgic. I began to miss the days just a few short chapters ago when all the believers assembled in Solomon’s Colonnade.

Just a few months ago, Liquid Church was a group of believers meeting in one place. Early on a Sunday morning, I could walk up the Hyatt stairs and brush past Mike. We’d walk together up to the top of the stairs and chat with Lauren and Tom. The stage would be shared by both David’s moving vocals and Jens’ intense shreds. Bobby and I would lead the same group of kids in learning and worship.

But so much has changed since then. David and Jens no longer share the stage. Mike and Tom no longer greet people on the same set of stairs. Bobby and I no longer share the lesson for children.

Watching Mike introduce the service in Morristown brought me back to those days. The days when “all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade.”

And I found myself thinking, Remember when we were all in Morristown? Remember when we gave away gasoline and car washes? Remember when we raised money to build wells in Africa? Man, those were the good ol’ days!

But I’m wrong. No, these are the “good ol’ days.” The moments we’re in right now are the ones to treasure and make the most of. It’s nice to remember, but without those difficult changes, Liquid would have half the impact that it has now. And the Kingdom of God is moving through New Jersey twice as fast as it would if we were all still meeting in Morristown.

After the church spread out beyond the borders of Jerusalem, these words were written: “The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.”

See how far we’ve come?

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My friend and I were having coffee yesterday with a girl from Rutgers when I started thinking about how important church is.

But it’s heartbreaking when I look around at so many churches and see arguing, bickering, gossip, and bitterness pervading the congregation, and all too often, the staff.

Jewel (the girl from Rutgers) had some very insightful views on the Church that weren’t too positive. And frankly, I’d have to say that I agreed with her. Churches are hurtful groups of people that are more concerned with being right than they are with living right.

Jewel is an agnostic. And her view of churches represents the prevailing view. Arrogant, bitter, judgmental, nonsensical. And the Church has done nothing to change that view.

Christians are known for condemning people who are different, and then telling them that we love them.

Love them? Yeah, right.

We just want to beat them over the head with our opinions.

So, if I have such a low opinion of church, why is it so important to me?

Well, for starters, it has hurt me in some very profound ways. It has instilled in me an unhealthy fear of God and a desire to please God through rule-following. I figured that since the way to please the elders in the church was through following rules, that’s how I would make God happy.

I know the church can change. It has to change.

Jesus said that he came to earth so that we “may have life, and have it to the full.” (Jn 10.10)

Correct me if I’m wrong, but trying to please God by following a bunch of rules isn’t exactly a full life. And living under the constant judgment of Christians is a painful way to live. It’s this pain that drives so many people out of the Church.

People like me.

But the Church was given great power to do good in the world. While many Christians have forgotten its purpose, there are a handful in the world who realize that the Church should be more than a Christian Country Club.

When Jesus established his church, he did so with these words: “On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

This new church was described like this:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.

They were world-changers characterized by love. . . because Jesus said to them, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

That’s what church is supposed to look like. That’s the church’s power and calling. It’s not about proving to the world that we have all the answers, because we really don’t. And it’s not about telling everyone that they’re sinful and broken, because everyone already knows that humanity is flawed.

It’s about love. And I believe I’m supposed to be a part of that. I believe I’m supposed to change the world through love.

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I thought I’d make you aware of a little raffle going on at Anne Jackson’s blog. If you’re into Bible study software, this raffle is for you. Just head over to flowerdust for instructions on how to enter.

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It wasn’t until recently that I got to experience a God-sized spiritual tsunami. I can’t help but feel completely humbled by those few experiences. And they’re all directly related to my church. I’ve written about witnessing God touch the lives of villagers in sub-Saharan Africa through the love and sacrifice of His people here in New Jersey. I’ve also told you about the smiles I saw on the hundreds of people seeking relief from last summer’s soaring gas prices as they received an unprecedented discount from the pockets of His followers in Morristown.

But this past weekend, I was part of something so overwhelming, it can only be described as a God thing. No amount of man’s effort could have moved so powerfully or stirred the Church in such an incredible way. History was made. Not just in the life of Liquid Church, but in the life of the Church as a whole.

On January 11, over 2000 people experienced the gospel of Christ in a whole new way. And not just in Morristown, NJ, but also in New Brunswick and across the world via Liquid’s brand new iCampus.

Church can be a frightening thing for someone who’s never been to one or hasn’t set foot in one for many years. Why? What reason do people have to be afraid?

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that question? Have you ever wondered why your friends, family, and co-workers are so apprehensive about visiting church?

May I submit that they’re afraid because they’ve seen how church-goers act? They’ve seen the bigotry, the hatred, the infighting, and the backbiting. They know that Christians are more judgmental and condemning than almost any other group of people.

Who, in his/her right mind, would willingly go to a place filled with people like that? Besides, “I can’t go to church dressed like this. And I have to get my life cleaned up before I go anyway.”

One Sunday several years ago, a girl was getting ready to go to church. As she was stressing about what to wear, her younger brother, who was not a believer at the time, asked her, “Does God care about what you wear to church?”

She replied, “No, but they do.”

I’ve seen the faces, and I’ve heard the stories. And it makes me sick to think that churches are so self-absorbed that they miss out on the people who really need them to show love.

But in New Brunswick, NJ, over 450 people experienced church for the first time, and they walked away with smiles on their faces. They experienced God’s love because almost 200 people who knew about church decided that it was time to show them what true love is like. The love was so overwhelming that 10 of the 2100 people who experienced Liquid this week decided it was time to take the first big step in their journeys of faith: believing Jesus’ words, death, and new life.

So, thanks to a family of Christ followers in Morristown, New Brunswick, and Melbourne, the love of Jesus is entering places it might never have reached were it not for the BHAG of Liquid Church—”Take Church to the People.”

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Sometimes you feel God’s presence move in the most inconvenient place. He begins to flash visions across your eyes, and you’re left shaken, overwhelmed, and completely moved.

That just happened to me today.

I was sitting at my computer, processing faxes from physicians’ offices when Brooke Fraser’s famous words shot through my ears (have you figured out who my favorite modern hymn writer is yet?). . .

Break my heart for what breaks Yours
Everything I am for Your Kingdom’s cause
As I walk from earth into eternity

Faces started to flash across my mind’s eye. The children freezing without coats, standing on a street corner in New Brunswick. They asked me for something to keep themselves warm. The homeless woman pushing a stroller, barely covering her shoulders with a towel that looks like it was used to wipe oil from a mechanic’s forehead. She asked me for something hot to drink. The lonely man next to me at the bar in Morristown. He asked me if anyone cared that he lost his job and that his wife is leaving him. The drunk girl who tripped on her own heels who bumped shoulders with me. She asked me if she would ever find relief from her abusive boyfriend.

My heart is breaking, Lord. I see the problem. Where is the solution?

* * *

I looked in the mirror. I was the freezing children. I was the homeless woman. I was the lonely man. I was the drunk girl.

I drove down a busy street. On the side of the road was a church with a big steeple. I pulled in, hoping to find answers to my questions. But I found none. Only the judgmental stares as I tripped on my own heels. Only the disappointed head-shaking as I searched for a way to save my family. They looked askance at me as I sought some warmth.

And then they told me to repent. If I repent, all my questions will be answered.

What does that even mean?

* * *

Back in my cubicle, I heard a voice in the back of my mind. I am the solution. You are my hands and feet. I want to go to them, but you’re not taking me. I do not exist among them unless you walk with them. I cannot touch them unless you reach out to them. They cannot find the solution unless you take it to them.

So why are we building bigger buildings? Why are we going on more extravagant retreats? Why are we holding more fattening potlucks?

God’s heart is breaking because His Church refuses to go. There is a broken and dying generation right at our doorstep and we think that by opening our front doors to them, we’re doing our duty.

Newsflash! They don’t give a rat’s ass! To them, it’s a trap. To them, all we care about is adding them to our numbers. They’re intimidated by our massive auditoriums. They’re frightened by our gigantic steeples. And they’re annoyed by our constant instistence that if they just walked through these doors, all their problems will go away. Have you ever wondered why so few people are willing to set foot in a church?

We’ve got it all backwards. Paul wrote in his first letter to the church in the city of Corinth that he would “become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some.” We’ve been trying for generations to get people into the Church. What if we instead brought the Church to them?

I think God’s heart is broken because His Bride has decided to do things her way. He’s prescribed a method of reaching people with the Gospel, and He knows that it will work. But the Church has decided that it won’t work and that she needs to find another way.

All of the people I’ve described desperately need to meet their Savior. Let’s stop screwing around and introduce them to Him.

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I was thinking about the idea of “being all things to all men,” when I realized something. Never in Scripture is it found that Saul changed his name to Paul when he was converted. In fact, in Acts 13 (when he’s first referred to as Paul), the passage says, “Saul, who was also called Paul. . .”

As I did more research (said research was done a couple years ago, but it was only recently that I saw the application), I discovered that Saul most likely carried both names throughout his life. Saul was a Jew. The name “Saul” is a strong Jewish name. It was kind of like “Alistair” or “William” in English. I think Saul carried that name because of where he was in his life. He was a student of Hebrew law and on the verge of becoming a member of the Sanhedrin. He was a “Pharisee of the Pharisees” and blameless in the eyes of the law.

Interestingly enough, he continues to use the name “Saul” even after his conversion. I’m betting this is because his ministry was to the Jews for a while. In Acts 11, Saul and Barnabas taught the Jewish Christian church in Antioch. He carried that name because of who he was among and who his ministry was directed to.

But in Acts 13, when the Jews rejected his message, Saul began to close his ministry to the Jews and focus nearly entirely on his ministry to the Gentiles. “Paul” was a common Roman name. He used this name to connect with the people he was ministering to.

So what am I trying to get at? Well, I suppose the application is that God is trying to tell us to be and do whatever it takes to spread the gospel. When among differing groups of people, are we “changing our names”? After all, we were born humans. We have that much in common with people. Paul maintained his identity as a Christ-follower, but his identity as a Roman or Jew was ever-shifting back and forth.

So, in my life? Among the poets, I’m a writer. Among the athletes, I’m a sports fan. Among the broken and fallen, I am broken and fallen. To share the gospel, I need to be able to say the two most powerful words in our language: “me too.”

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At the beginning of the First Century, a group of ragamuffins were given a crazy mission: take the Word of God to the whole frickin’ world.

In 1996, a couple guys coined the term BHAG, or Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal. That’s what Jesus gave his first followers. It was crazy, and I’m betting those eleven guys were thinking stuff like, “What the heck did I get myself into? Why couldn’t I have said ‘no’ three years ago?”

But it was totally worth it; 3000 people became Christ-followers in a day. This new Jesus movement was spreading like wildfire, and nothing anyone could do would be able to slow it down, let alone stop it.

But don’t think that no one tried. Plenty of people gave it a shot. But everyone was powerless to shut these radicals up. A wise teacher of religious law said these words during the beginning of the Jesus movement:

“Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”

To this very day, the Jesus movement continues to spread like wildfire. Check out the Chinese underground church. Look at the Russian believers. For 2000 years, the Jesus movement has continued to spread.

I firmly believe we’re in the midst of a massive surge in Christianity. Every few centuries, something big happens that sets the Faith on fire. In the Sixteenth Century it was the Protestant Reformation. In the Eighteenth Century it was the Great Awakening.

The songwriter Brooke Fraser put it this way:

I see a generation
Rising up to take their place
With selfless faith
Selfless faith

I see a near revival
Stirring as we pray and seek
We’re on our knees
On our knees

There is a revolution coming, and I believe it is already among us. Millions of people are already stirring the metaphorical fires of revival within their own hearts, and when God begins to move in people whose hearts are broken for what breaks His, the movement is unstoppable.

Let’s bring it home and make it tangible. New Jersey is America’s #1 most densely populated state. Yet it ranks near the bottom in church attendance. “A spiritually dry region,” Tim would say.

But like the First-Century Church, which surged like a tsunami through regions that were dying of spiritual thirst, the Twenty-First-Century Church is on the brink of doing the same thing. With the vision of taking church to the people (instead of taking people to the church), Liquid is about to surge through New Jersey.

For months, I’ve been itching to post about this, and FINALLY we’ve officially announced our vision for UNSTOPPABLE 2010. God is doing something amazing through His church in New Jersey.

Can you “see the King of Glory” at work here?

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQGJdTpMUcU]

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