Thursday, September 25, 2014

Do We Offer a Jesus Who Is Too Gentle?

Sometimes I wonder if we who are followers of Jesus offer the unreached world a Jesus who is too gentle.  Not that the soft side of Jesus isn't of supreme value.  People need a Jesus who will comfort them when they are in sorrow, love and forgive them when they fail, encourage them when they are discouraged, and walk with them when they experience pain or confusion.  All of that is important and true.  It's just that, with notable exceptions, mainline Christianity seems to default to this care-giver kind of Jesus alone.

In the testimony of the Holy Spirit at work in the first century, the book of Acts, the author (the physician known a Luke) breaks the narrative periodically to describe what it was like in those first gatherings of Jesus-followers.  Covering a variety of dimensions of life in Christ, two elements are present without little variance in each of these descriptions:  The Lord adding daily to the number of people being saved, and signs and wonders.  (See Acts 2:42-47.)   People unable to walk leaped up and danced.   Sick people were healed.  Prison walls came tumbling down.  Dead people were alive again.  Pagans met Jesus.  Oppressive religious authorities were challenged.  Politcal and economic systems shook.  This is not a gentle Jesus alone.  This is a Jesus of power.  

During this summer I became gripped by a worship song that simply says, "There is POWER in the name of Jesus, to break EVERY chain."  A hurting, damaged, confused, frightening, aimless world certainly needs comfort.  But it also needs power; power to break all the chains that bind us, both now and eternally.  We see evidence all around us of chains that must be broken:  inner chains (Robin Williams), relational chains (Ray Rice, etc.), emotional chains, economic chains, political chains (ISIS, etc.), and on and on.  By all evidence the first century Church was marked by evidences of raise-Jesus-from-the-dead power.

Let's admit that many of us in the so-called "west" are uncomfortable with this.   False, manipulative, and showy "faith healing" efforts have made us gun shy.  Or we are so steeped in an Enlightenment, rationalistic, imperical view of reality that we refuse to acknowledge the presence of signs and wonders; holy acts of power.   Many so-called "third world" Jesus-followers do not function with this restriction.  The number of people added to those being saved in these settings is astounding, while mainline churches in North American continue to decline. Is there a connection?

And, if there is a connection, how do we unleash signs and wonders power in our midst?   The truth is that we don't unleash it.  We don't create it with another seminar, book study, or small group.  We can only humbly, continuously, and centrally invite it.  We have to pray and wait faithfully.  I'm sure not expert, but here are some things to try.

1.  As individuals and churches, we can practice yielding prayer.   We can come before God with the following:  What chains need to be broken in my heart and life?  What are the chains in the world around me that need to be broken?   What does my church need to do to break those chains?  

2.  Designate spoecific times for those who want to be involved in corporate chain-breaking prayer.  Our fellowship has designated 5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays.

3.  Speaking for me, fasting needs to be a greater part of my prayer life.  I think that does need to involve foregoing meals or other things,  But I think it must also be an Isaiah 58 fast - doing chain-breaking acts of both mercy and justice.

My thoughts are still formulating on all this.  I just know it burns in my heart.

What do you think?  I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Monday, September 1, 2014

This Is What Friendship Looks Like

On August 18 one of my greatest friends died suddenly of complications that resulted from surgery.  Chris Ricks of Jefferson City, Missouri was and is an uncommon human being.  He was a man of deep faith, seeing and practicing Christianity not as a religion, but as a relationship with a living Savior.  Chris was a passionate and energetic husband, father, and grandfather.  The pastors, leaders, and servants who have been a part of Wesley United Methodist Church in Jefferson can attest to Chris being a churchperson at a sacrificial and impacting level.  United Methodism throughout our state and our region have been impacted by this joy-filled follower of Jesus.  And generations of church camp campers' lives have been blessed by his leadership.  A Missouri State Highway Patrolman for most of his adult life, Chris served the Patrol in many capacities, whether on the road, providing security for Missouri's governors and families, or leading and teaching at MSHP's headquarters and academy.  As a citizen Chris gave selflessly to service clubs, the Jefferson City public schools, and Jeff City Jays' athletics.   Those of us who know and love Chris are struggling now to figure out what the world is like without Chris Ricks in it.

There's no way I could summarize adequately what it means to me to have enjoyed Chris' friendship for the 31 years we've known each other.  Chris and I were both a part of a Christian growth movement that came out of the Spanish "Cursillo" experience.  Chris and his wife were part of what is known as "The Walk to Emmaus", while Elaine and I participated in "Camino in Christianity" and then "United Methodist Cursillo."  One thing these expressions share in common is a simple slogan:  "Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ."  Chris could have been the originator of this marching order.

Make a friend.   Chris went beyond simply befriending those who happened to be people within the natural spheres of his existence, people who mirrored his personality, or people who shared his likes or dislikes.   He intentionally pushed beyond his comfort zones to make friends.  I am an example of this.  Chris had a very gregarious, out-going personality.  I am a much quieter, more introspective person.  Yet Chris went out of his way to build a relationship with me, without requiring me to be anyone other than who I am.  Beyond this, Chris did not keep his friendships within the circles of church persons.  He knew that we cannot share Christ with those who do not know him unless we befriend those persons.

Be a friend.   Way too many friendships wane over the years.  They diminish and dissolve as time, distances, changing circumstances, differences and other elements vary.  I've certainly been guilty of allowing this to happen.   Chris did not allow it.  His friendship was solid in and out of season.  Chris is one of those people who has stood by me and so many others both when we were at our best and when we were at our worst.  And, again, those for whom Jesus was just a name or a word found in Chris what the relentless, sacrificial love of God looks like.

Bring a friend to Christ.  This is that which fueled Chris' heart; to aim someone toward the welcoming, nail-scarred hands of the Savior.  Never did Chris do this by coercion, argumentation, judgmental Bible-thumping, or callous disregard for the present state of the individual.  He just did it with unconditional, affirming love.

This is what friendship looks like.  If I accomplish a small fraction of what Chris did in my lifetime, it will be a life well lived.

Go rest high upon that mountain, Chris Ricks.  I'll see you around the next bend in the river.