By your patience possess your souls

Before he died Rabbi Edwin Friedman described the American social system as in regression and in need of mature leadership. He described societal regression as “gridlock” and “anxiety,” evidenced by reactivity, herding, blame displacement, and looking for a quick-fix. In A Failure of Nerve: A Society in Regression Friedman explained that the only way a leader can survive and lead is to remain self-regulated and calm despite the pressures. Non-anxious, self-differentiated presence is essential for making it through the chaos.

Self-differentiated, non-anxious leadership is not new to Rabbi Friedman. Two thousand years ago another rabbi told his followers about the same thing, after warning them of seriously traumatic times to come. Speaking to folks marveling over the grandeur of Herod’s temple, Jesus foretold its utter destruction, accurately described the events, and then said, “By your patience possess your souls” (Luke 21:19).

Prophesying of catastrophic turmoil Jesus instructed his disciples to keep the presence of mind to not be deceived when troubling reports come, and to not be afraid when chronic anxiety of changing times involved them. We may not be able to control events, but we can control how we respond to them.

In no uncertain terms Jesus told horrified disciples . . .

• You will be arrested and persecuted,
• You will be brought before tribunals, both religious and civil,
• You will be betrayed by loved ones,
• You will be hated because of me.

Jesus vividly described days of great tribulation as the Roman armies advanced to utterly destroy Jerusalem and end the Jewish nation as they knew it.

Historians tell us the prophecies came to pass just as Jesus described them. Beginning in AD 63 a prophet named Jesus, son of Ananias, prophesied impending doom to a Jerusalem enjoying peace and prosperity. The next year conflict began in both religious and civil circles. For seven years the people experienced conflict, infighting, rapid changes in leadership, abuse from government authorities, civil war, insurrections, and lawless plunderers. A great tribulation. Caesar Nero sent armies to beseige the city. After his death emperor Vespasian finished the war, and totally destroyed the city and the temple in AD 70.

Keeping a cool head in anxious situations, Jesus reminded, would allow him to give his followers words to say to refute and diffuse baseless charges leveled by adversaries. “By your patience possess your souls” Unlocking the essence of meaning in these words will help us understand what non-anxious, self-differentiation means.

Patience means perseverance and endurance. In Hebrew thought it means “wait upon the Lord” and helps us to understand that God gives us grace and strength to exercise great faith and remain focused on God’s promised deliverance. It is a vision beyond the present circumstance and a hope of a better day. It is faith in the promises of God.

Possess means obtain, buy, or control. Self-regulation. Here Jesus uses it in the aorist imperative, indicating “from this time forward control.” Control what? Your soul, your inner being, your spirit. Your self.

Our disciple-making enterprise will be conducted in anxious times and situations. Those who need Jesus many times will not be open to him until they reach crisis points in their lives. That is when we need to be able to act decisively with great leadership.

The perplexities of our times have us stagnated and afraid, and non-anxious thoughtful leadership is necessary in helping us move decisively into bold new solutions.

That is all a part of our mission. Our conference challenges us to grow more disciples by “taking risks and changing lives.” So get a grip. It is by your determined, expectant hope and unwavering faith that you exercise the self-control to rise above the confusion and lead.

Jesus, Patriot

Today we observe the Fourth of July and the birth of our nation. Sometimes we remember the historical significance and we might read the Declaration of Independence. We speak of patriotism and sing patriotic songs. Playing Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” on the stereo is an annual Fourth of July ritual at my house.

Webster defined patriotism as love of one’s country, and the passion with which one aims to serve his country, either in defending it from enemies, protecting its rights, or maintaining its laws and institutions.

Someone forgot to tell that to Jesus. I looked for a passage in the Gospels speaking of Jesus’ patriotism and I drew a blank. In fact, Jesus said very little about nationalism and civil government and our role in it.

The closest thing I could come to was a passage in Mark chapter 12. The Pharisees tried to trap Jesus with a trick question about taxation. “Do we pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus’ response was brilliant. After looking at Caesar’s likeness on the coin they would use for paying taxes, he replied, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar.”

Jesus was not the kind of patriot the Pharisees were looking for. They wanted someone who would organize an insurrection and rid territorial Israel of its hated Roman oppressors so they could establish their idea of God’s country. They were most displeased that Jesus did not even so much as criticize the Caesar, much less organize a rebellion. Jesus was not very passionate about restoring Israel’s fortunes.

Jesus had bigger things on his mind. The vast Roman empire, most powerful civil government ever known, was small potatoes to Jesus. He wanted to establish a new nation without political borders or tribal boundaries or ethnic distinctions. He wanted to establish a government that went far beyond powerful empires. He wanted to bring his kinsmen the Israelites into it, but they were distracted by the little institution they wanted to build. He wants to bring us into that wonderful kingdom, too.

To that end Jesus is a true patriot. He was so passionate about his kingdom that he promoted its laws and ideals. He defended it from the adversary, the devil. He gave his very life that it might advance forcefully in the hearts of men.

Today I hope you we remember our Christian heritage and the significant sacrifices our forbears made to establish a God-fearing nation. But more importantly, I hope we will see beyond the red, white, and blue to the eternal kingdom Jesus seeks to found in our hearts. I pray we will be most passionate about loving, advancing, and establishing Jesus’ kingdom. That is the patriotism of Jesus.

Put your money where your mouth is

In Mark chapter 10 a man approached Jesus inquiring about “eternal life.” He wanted to know what to do to attain it.

Jesus responded with a recitation of five of the ten commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not bear false witness, do not defraud, honor father and mother. I have often wondered why Jesus named only five, and why he chose these particular ones. Anyway, the man was able to reply rather confidently that he qualified because he had observed all these from his youth. This is not such a noble achievement when you consider that there are “good people” out there who may not necessarily be followers of Jesus who follow these commands. These are just decent things to do, very attainable to decent folks, believing or not.

Apparently Jesus wasn’t all that impressed. “One thing you lack,” he replied. “Go and sell everything you have, and give the money to the poor. Then take up the cross and follow me.” In other words, Jesus said, “Put your money where your mouth is!” It was more than the man was willing to do. He sadly went away.

This was no ordinary young man, which is probably why Jesus was hard on him and why Jesus offered him a place with his disciples. Matthew lets us know he is young, and Luke identifies him as “a certain ruler.” Apparently he is a synagogue ruler. All three gospel writers describe him as rich, which Jesus saw not as a plus but as a stumbling block. He lamented to the disciples (to their utter amazement) that it is extremely hard, almost impossible, for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom.

In light of our day of cheap grace and “sloppy agape,” Jesus’ initiation requirement into discipleship seems harsh and severe. Sell everything you own, give it to the poor. Everything. The deceitfulness of riches is such a distraction for so many of us that the only way to relate properly to the kingdom is to cut loose from the allurements of the world.

The other part is downright intimidating. “Take up the cross and follow me.” No one had to tell this young man what this meant. Crosses and crucifixion were the constant reminder that the brutal occupying Roman government meant business against those who dared rise up against the state. A messiah-movement would certainly be considered insurrectionist and would be put down with the most heinous form of humiliation and torture imaginable. Victims were forced to carry the cross through crowded streets where an assembled mob would hurl both stones and curses. Then they would be executed on it to a slow, painful death by eventual suffocation.

To buy into Jesus’ discipleship meant to withdraw from participation in the world around and risk personal harm and humiliation for the choice to follow Jesus. While the young man was willing to follow a few commandments, he was unwilling to commit to discipleship to the level Jesus required. He walked away.

I’m wondering how much harm we do people when we offer grace so cheap that all you have to do is show up on Sunday morning, when you feel like it and when the weather suits you, of course. Denominations like mine tell me to make disciples, and then really put a lot of stock on the nickels and noses of apportionment-paying and Sunday attendance. For too many discipleship is coming to a glorified rock concert to hear pep talks about coping with the mean, cruel world around us, perhaps even living successfully in it. It occurs to me that while we might be able to measure success (from the world’s perspective) that way, we cannot measure obedience that way.

The first element of worship is sacrifice. Jesus demanded personal sacrifice and commitment that required seekers to abandon wealth and prestige and personal security to enter a lifestyle of continual risk. Something tells me he has not relaxed that requirement. It is like the baptismal covenant we inherited from our Jewish forebears which calls us to abandon a past life to be reborn in a new life in the kingdom. This is what Jesus was asking of the young man we call the rich young ruler.

Disciplemaking is not getting people to attend a service in which they are entertained, or even “blessed.” Disciplemaking involves getting people to make an informed commitment to follow Jesus even if it means losing both wealth and reputation. Baptized into the church and into the kingdom means going through the portal of death to self so that they emerge on the other side in a new way of life. Disciplemaking is encouraging spiritual formation, maturity and Christlikeness.

We let people get away with tough but insincere talk about following Jesus. Like Jesus we need to say, “Put your money where your mouth is!”

Getting their attention

Simon bar Jonah was not easily impressed. After all, he was a fisherman. He lived a hard, coarse life not known for social graces. As the saying goes, he would “just as soon cuss you as look at you.”

Every night Simon and his fellow fishers risked their lives trawling the lake for fish. Frequently, and without warning, a violent storm would erupt out of the darkness. Many a fishing boat and crew had been lost that way.

One morning Simon and his brother Andrew came in after a hard night on the lake. Their efforts had been in vain. No fish. Nothing to sell at market, no money to take home to the family. They just wanted to clean the nets, stow everything away, and go home for some sleep. The last thing they wanted that morning was to meet the new rabbi. Like most hard living men they weren’t too impressed with rabbis.

But the new rabbi knew just how to get Simon’s attention. He attracted a large, noisy crowd and headed straight for the lakeside, right were Simon and Andrew were finishing their chores.

“Excuse me, is this your boat?” the rabbi asked. “I need to borrow it. Could you do me a favor and push out a little?”

“What?” Simon protested. “I’m getting ready to go home. I’m whipped. Can’t you . . .”

“It won’t take long,” the rabbi insisted. “Come on, push me out a little.”

The rabbi taught. It seemed the rabbi would never finish. Simon was miserable. He didn’t hear a word. All he could think about was how tired he was. Finally the rabbi finished. “Good! Now we can go home,” Simon thought.

“Now,” the rabbi said to Simon, “put your nets in over here.”

“What?” an exasperated Simon demanded. “We’ve been out all night. Didn’t catch a thing. We’re exhausted. We just want to put everything up and go home. What do you know about fishing, anyway? You stick to the rabbi business, we’ll stick to the fishing business.”

“Put your nets in over here,” the rabbi insisted.

“Alright, alright! We won’t catch anything but we’ll humor you.” Simon threw the heavy nets into the water, where the rabbi pointed. “There. Satisfied?”

Suddenly the boat began to list to one side as the nets filled with fish. Now Simon had a new problem. The nets were breaking, and he and Andrew couldn’t pull them in. Simon called partners James and John to come help. Together they pulled in the largest catch they had ever made.

“Now I’ll teach you to fish for men,” the rabbi said. All four fishers left nets, boats, record catch, everything, to follow the rabbi.

He got their attention.

If not a democracy, then what?

My last entry opined that the church is not a democracy. That is, it is not to be governed by a majority vote of the people. A hard concept for people who believe themselves to live in a “democratic society” and think they just have to have a say.

So it is a fair question to ask, “If the church is not a democracy, then what is it? And how do you govern it?” Let me stab at answering these queries.

Obviously the church is Jesus’ church and should be considered a “Christocracy,” governed by Christ. He told the disciples he would build his church. Paul tells us Jesus is head of all things, including the church. Everything we do, everything, must be done not for our own benefit but because Jesus wants us to do it.

Luke chapter 4 gives us the what. Jesus said he was anointed and appointed to preach good news, to set captives free, to heal the brokenhearted and bring recovery of sight to the blind. This was the language of a conquering king who was setting up a new administration and setting right the corruption of the previous dictator. This is the stuff of kingdom business, bringing these qualities of resurrection life into the present, working by faith to materialize the kingdom.

Matthew chapter 28 gives us the how. Jesus told us that as we go we are to make disciples. We are to gather around ourselves people who will commit themselves to learning the ways of the kingdom and doing its work. Growing them in faith and maturity and Christ-like character so that they can join in the kingdom work described in Luke chapter 4. I have a feeling doing the stuff of Luke chapter 4 helps us attract folks so we can do Matthew chapter 28.

Let me emphasize to you that if we are not doing the what according to the how, we are not obedient to Christ. Period. It does not matter what we have always done, or what others are doing, or how well intentioned we are.

As for governing the church, for taking it in the direction Jesus wants it to go, I hearken back to a previous entry for the mechanics. What if we were to adopt the mindset that allows the pastor to lead, a board to govern, a staff to manage, and a congregation to minister? What if decision-making was streamlined and permission-giving so that more emphasis and resource could be placed on ministry? Perhaps I will deal with this in the next entry.

The Lectionary texts for the coming Sunday allude to this. In Mark chapter 9 Jesus’ disciples became alarmed when they noticed someone they didn’t know casting out demons in Jesus’ name. He said, “Let them alone! If they are not against us they are for us. If they do miracles they can’t soon criticize us.”

In Numbers chapter 11 Moses cried out to God for help. At God’s instruction he set aside 70 elders to be recognized before the people. The Holy Spirit fell, and they began to prophesy, always a sign that God is present. However, Joshua became alarmed that two men in the congregation were also prophesying, and warned Moses to make them stop. Moses said, “Are you worried about me? I wish everyone had God’s spirit and could prophesy!”

Democracy in the church is not in the deciding but in the doing. The Holy Spirit falls on some to give them direction for making decisions, and we call them elders. We owe them our respect and our cooperation. But the Holy Spirit falls on all of us to make us ministers, to anoint us to join into the kingdom work Jesus described in Luke chapter 4.

What’s that in your hand?

When God commissioned Moses to return to Egypt to bring the Israelites out from bondage, Moses naturally wondered how he would be able to pull off such a monumental task. He was intimidated by potential credibility issues. He feared his own people would not take him seriously.

“What’s that in your hand,” God asked.

“A rod,” Moses responded, referring to the crude implement he used for tending sheep.

“Throw it down,” God said. “I will use it to convince them you mean business.” Essentially God told Moses to use what he had at hand.

I believe that is good advice for us also as we go about the mission of making new disciples for the kingdom. While it is human to make excuses and moan about what we don’t have and what we can’t do, God is interested in how resourceful we are with what we have. Jesus underscores the idea with his parable of the talents. The moral is, “faithful in little, ruler over much.”

So what do we have in our hand? The story of Pentecost teaches us that we hae the presence of the Holy Spirit, manifested in specific God-breathed abilities, to provide the horsepower to accomplish the mission. Jesus promised the disciples at his ascension they would receive power to be witnesses. That promise was fulfilled on Pentecost Sunday.

Natural Church Development (NCD) has discovered that churches are most effective in making disciples when members discover and use their spiritual gifts in ministry. Not only are they more productive, but NCD says gift-oriented people are more fulfilled in their relationship with God.

NCD also notes that when we think institutionally, we create a list of job titles and then try to recruit people to fill them. This is what I call the “names-beside-titles” approach. We force a bureaucratic organizational structure, and then pressure people into taking organizational positions.

In my experience this has never been effective in making disciples. It has been great for filling out forms to send to the Conference and making every slot has a name written by it, but it has never helped us become more fruitful in kingdom building.

As a pastor, my job in ministry is to help people discover what is in their hand, and then coach them on how to use that. God has given us far more than is needed to get the job done. I’d rather have a slim organizational structure with lots of permission-giving, and emphasize an anything-goes ministry that encourages people to do what they are called and gifted to do.

Uneducated, lower-middle class Galileans turned Jerusalem upside down in just one day. A fugitive shepherd with low self-esteem, rough-hewn stick in hand, pulled off the greatest single management task ever accomplished. All this was done by the power of the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit who now fills us and equips us to do good work in Jesus’ name.

So, what’s that in your hand?

How to train disciples

How do you teach a group of know-it-all 19-year-old fishermen, a farmer or two, a political fanatic, a tax collector, and an embezzler about God's kingdom? How do you inspire them? Challenge them? Motivate them? Get them to listen to what you are trying to say?

In our times we like to organize classes. We gather material, prepare syllabi, and develop lesson plans. We assign a text and type reading lists. We lecture and do small-group discussion. We may even assign a paper or some other kind of project.

But how did Jesus do it? That should inform the way we make and train disciples. Jesus taught his by intentionally leading them into situations that scared the living daylights out of them, and showed them the glory and power of the kingdom of God. This week I preached from John 6:1-21, where Jesus did two things that pushed the disciples to their limits so they could see the kingdom at work.

It occurs to me that Jesus adopted the time-honored method of what we in home schooling call “lifestyle learning.” Everything he did in his Galilean ministry was for the learning benefit of the disciples. So when Jesus deliberately lured a large crowd of 5,000 men (not to mention women and children) to a desert place without food, or knowingly sent the disciples into a fierce storm on the lake, he was presenting them with opportunities to respect the kingdom.

A crowd followed Jesus to the wilderness, where he was watching for them. “Philip,” he said, “where are we going to get enough food to feed all those people?” Philip was so dumbfounded he checked the treasury and reported that 200 day’s wages (let’s say about $12,000) would not be enough to buy bread for them. Of course Jesus knew what he was going to do, but he was giving Philip a hard time. Andrew talked a little boy out of his lunch and Jesus let the disciples see first-hand how the kingdom opens to those who are determined to do God’s work. Jesus showed them the glory and the power of the kingdom.

Later, Jesus sent the disciples on back to Capernaum without him. The seasoned fishermen, well-accustomed to severe and unpredictable storms had trouble making it back. They hadn’t rowed four miles when they saw Jesus coming in the distance, walking on the water. They let him into the boat and immediately it was across the lake, in port at Capernaum. Jesus let them see how the kingdom calms the boisterous waves of wind and water. He showed them the glory and the power of the kingdom.

I think that somehow we have made church too academic and too institutionalized. We say we want to transform lives, but then we pour cold water on it all by offering classes. We make it too safe, too passive. We want to be nice, to avoid embarrassing or challenging people. We also make it too easy with what Bonhoffer called “cheap grace.”

If we use the method Jesus used we will deliberately put people into situations where they are challenged, intimidated, and afraid so they can be absolutely amazed at the glory and power of the kingdom of God. We will ask hard questions and do hard things.

How do you teach a rag-tag group of upstarts who think they know it all? First you gather the upstarts. Then you scare the living daylights out of them so that they are sufficiently impressed with the glory and the power of God’s amazing kingdom.

Do You See Process or Product?

As we think about vision, I note that it is easy to confuse process with product. By that I mean that too many times we think in terms of the how instead of thinking about desired results. I wonder if it should be the other way around.

Jeremiah gives us some guidance through a prophecy to the captive Israelites: “I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11). When Jeremiah cast this vision he spoke of results. He spoke of the end product.

When we think in terms of product we envision wonderful things that will have already happened as a result of our ministry. Problems will have been solved, lives will have been restored. These should be tangible things.

Jesus spoke in similar terms. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,” he said, “because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18, 19). These are very specific results. In fact, the Lord’s stated outcomes should inform our own objectives since we are building his kingdom.

Too often I think we start with process before asking the Lord what result he wants to accomplish through us. “We need a revival!” and “Let’s start a class of some kind” are examples of this thinking. Is our desire just to have a good meeting before the end of the year? Do we just want another class going? Are these really our objectives?

Thinking product first is important because it helps us design the process more clearly so that we don’t waste resources on projects that don’t work. After we identify the desired product we may discover that the meeting or class we thought about is not the best way to go about it. There may be an entirely different approach that better reaches those we seek to bring into the kingdom.

So, which do you see first – process or product?

Planning for a Preferred Future

The church development people refer to vision as seeing God’s preferred future for the church. That means, as we have faithfully worked at our mission to make disciples, certain preferred outcomes will take place as God leads and blesses. With that in mind, here are a few thoughts about vision for the future:

Vision interprets our mission. Unquestionably our mission is to make new disciples for the kingdom of God. That means we work together in love and cooperation to seek undiscipled people in our community and include them somehow in meaningful learning relationships. That is our sole purpose for existence. Vision asks the question, “Who does not know Jesus in our community?”

Vision determines our work. Once we identify our mission field, then we can determine how best to reach the people in it. Vision asks, “What are the main problems the unchurched in our community face? What are their most pressing needs? What will communicate with them?” Only after we have a clear vision for our community can we begin to plan and implement strategies to make disciples in it.

Vision identifies our capabilities. Jesus teaches us the importance of understanding our capabilities before starting a project. Vision honestly and soberly identifies the resources at hand and helps us to use them wisely. We have at our disposal a unique array of spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities – all to be used in disciple-making. Vision asks, “How can we match what we have to the problems and needs we have discovered?”

Vision foresees outcomes. Vision focuses on the people who do not yet know Jesus and devises a customized process of moving them from non-discipleship to mature Christianity. It looks deeply and lovingly into the lives of hurting people without Jesus and seeks to gather them into the community of the believing, showing them how God has helped us and how God can help them. It does not emphasize building an organization and getting people to participate in programs.

I have discovered that vision is much more than hoping more people will show up at church next Sunday. Vision means getting actively involved with what the Lord wants us to accomplish in making disciples. It is cooperating with God to bring about his preferred future in our community.