Tag Archives: Jesus

Apr 28 2009

Christ followers…what do they look like?


I wrote the following as a comment on a young church planter’s blog today. I think you might be interested to know what I think a disciple might look like.

Christ followers?

A young business man who is convinced that Jesus’ claims are true and is trying to follow, but is still lustful and addicted to porn.

A young unmarried mother of two with a history of a broken family, broken dreams, and bad choices who thinks she has met some people who really care, they act like they love her. She is silently asking “Why would God love me?” She has a glimmer of hope that her life might actually change for the better. “Me, a Jesus freak?”

A homeless guy who lost hope many years ago when he lost his family, his business, and most all of his friends because of a crack addiction. He just can’t understand why every few days this older couple comes with a nice meal that they share with him, and warm NEW clothing, and they don’t want anything from me? “What makes them tick?”

A very successful retired couple from New Jersey who moved to Austin to escape the cold winters, high home prices, and high taxes. Two souls tired of boring church where Sunday and Wednesday are two check marks on the list of Christian stuff. They are inquiring because they heard about a small group of people who are loving the community in tangible ways. They are doing yard work for a Catholic widow, an atheist man who is grouchy and in ill health, and a Methodist preacher’s mom. And they don’t expect anything in return? “We have to check this out closer. These people seem to be real Christians”.

There are these in every city, some who are not yet convinced, waiting to be loved, to be told the good news by someone who is not just wanting to add to a number. Some will follow more closely and some at a distance for a long time. And, there are those who will disappoint over and over again.

Love never fails. Love NEVER fails.

Jesus died for the wicked, unrighteous, broken folks. They are waiting by the thousands to experience that love.

How will you and I join God in what He is up to?

Royce

Apr 20 2009

Conditional Love?


A reoccurring thought keeps coming to my consciousness, do we love people the way Christ taught? Do we love people like God does? I fear we don’t.

If we look objectively at our local church out reach and our global mission out reach I believe we will find the following to be true.

We tend to love only those we think we can add to our particular brand of Christianity, and get credit for doing so.

Quite an indictment huh? Is it fair? I believe so. Please notice I said “we”, I must include myself to my shame.

What do we do as a Christian community to feed the hungry, with no strings attached? In the context of the churches of Christ, why is it true that our benevolence is mostly received by other church of Christ people? (The same is true of other church groups)

Even some of our evangelistic efforts are done under the guise of wanting to “help” the people. The truth is we wouldn’t give them a second look if we knew we had no chance of eventually baptising them.

I think what Jesus had in mind, even the radical idea of loving our enemies, was to put our love in shoe leather with no hidden agenda. 

I recently got an object lesson in how to love from a group of Catholic high school boys from Manhattan, NY. The Xavier school, of Jesuit Catholics, were on their third trip to Bayou La Batre to help a small group of church of Christ people reach out to their community. There were about twenty boys with three teachers and an administrator. Each had raised his own support for the trip and they each paid $30 per day to the Hemley Rd church for food and lodging, such as it is. (No heat or air conditioning). And, they provided the money for building materials and brought a contractor with them on loan from Habitat for Humanity. They worked very hard for a week repairing homes.

Some of these boys have been back on their own, at their own expense three or four times. Their only motive is to help the hurting, to love people like Jesus taught.

While I don’t agree with their theology, I fully agree with the way they love in Jesus stead as they understand his teachings.

There have been several other groups who are not church of Christ people, who have come and given themselves to the people of the Bayou in remarkable ways whose only apparent motive was to serve others.

Let’s see….when was the last time I volunteered my time to help a Catholic relief effort or even less threatening, when did I volunteer at a local soup kitchen or work on a house with Habitat for Humanity?

Perhaps I still have some “Crazy Love” paragraphs bouncing around in my brain after reading Francis Chan’s challenging book. Whatever the reason I am not too happy with the way I love others or the way my people do.

Conditional love? I don’t think so…

Royce

Apr 14 2009

On Grace Conversation


When Todd Deaver announced that he, Jay Guin, Phil Sanders, and Greg Tidwell would have an online conversation addressing the inconsistencies of the traditional brothers in churches of Christ I was really hopeful and excited. Now GraceConversation.com has been up for a few weeks, each of the four men has made statements, and those statements have received hundreds of comments from readers like me. What I fail to see at this stage of the discussion is any progress toward a common understanding of what should be grounds for “fellowship”, or “dis-fellowship” of other Christians. 

Any conversation about Christianity and the Bible is pointless unless it is founded upon truth. The whole idea I would think is to find truth and to dispel error. What I am seeing in GraceConversation is the hyper-traditionalists restating many of the same old tired propositions, handed down from legalists who espoused the same views fifty or so years ago. 

Hyper-traditionalists hold these views that I completely disagree with. 

1. The total membership of churches of Christ (living and dead and future members) is the exact same body as the body of Christ universal (catholic). They believe when the word “church” is used in the Bible it is the “Lord’s church” that every coC member understands to be only churches of Christ and perhaps other Restoration Movement branches.

Not one of the founders of the Restoration Movement believed this. In fact, the whole idea of the “Unity of all Christians” made it plain that the Campbell’s, Stone, and others believed there were Christians in other churches. There would be no Restoration Movement but for the ministries of Baptists and Presbyterians.

2. No one is saved who has not been baptized by a church of Christ man with the understanding of both parties that the immersion is “for the remission of sins”. I know of no Hyper-traditionalist who believes Baptists or anyone in other denominations are saved. In a post several months ago on Grace Digest I gave quotes from five Restoration Movement preachers, including Alexander Campbell, who completely disagreed with their modern day followers. I am certain Campbell would be distressed to see that sectarianism has become orthodoxy in most churches of Christ. That sort of cultism was precisely what he was trying to correct.

3. The Bible, (therefore Jesus), does not “authorize” singing in worship other than a cappella. This view stands alone as the weakest, most pitiful excuse for Bible scholarship I can think of. Every man to the last one who adamantly defends a cappella only singing in worship uses extra-biblical material to make his defense. The reason is obvious, the Bible doesn’t support a cappella only singing.

4. Worshiping God is only acceptable when a “pattern” is followed to the “T”. Proclaiming, prayer, communing, singing, and giving are the five biggies that must be included for worship to be valid. Of course people for centuries had been worshiping God before church of Christ men decided on these five acts. They are not bad at all, I am glad to do them all, but worship is far broader and cannot be confined to a man made template. Some of the most narrow thinkers (or unthinking) will add several other rules that must be followed, too many to try to list here. 

As I see it, one of the most troubling obstacles to overcome when dialoging with Ultra-traditionalists is that the markers are always moving. There are not many clear cut lines of demarcation. Bro’ A will say that in addition to following the “pattern” if you don’t have a service on Sunday night you are wrong and in danger of hell. Bro’ B disagrees but adds that more than one song leader is sinful and will damn folks who allow it. And the list is as endless as the nutty, unscriptural ideas of carnal men who believe they will somehow be justified by what they do, rather by what Christ has already done. 

When any of us stray far from the pages of the Holy Bible, and especially the good news about Jesus and His work for sinners, we are prone to trouble. The very reason we have page after page of denominations (including the church of Christ) listed in the Yellow Pages of every large city in America is because people see things differently. Almost all of those denominations can rally around one central truth, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life and no man comes to the Father but by Him. They disagree on last things, on modes of baptism, and dozens of other doctrines but find unity because of their common trust in Jesus as the only way to God and salvation. 

Before you ask, No, I don’t think every person in every denomination is saved. Some are trusting in themselves, their heritage, their way of worship, or some other distinctive. I also don’t believe everyone in our beloved churches of Christ is saved either. Only those who are trusting Christ is saved and those who are depending on anything else are lost. Jesus made it plain that there would be more lost than saved. He let us know to expect tares in with the wheat, wolves imitating sheep, make believers among believers, and even those who will deceive the very elect. 

I have adopted the plan of Jesus and Paul as I understand it. If they are not against us they are with us and if Christ is being preached I will rejoice. I will do what my elder Phil Roberson says and “let God sort’em out”. I will keep insisting in my writing and preaching that men should repent and turn to Jesus, trusting Him alone, and then try earnestly to do all they know He wants them to do. 

I learned long ago that I can be a pretty good husband, and a great grandpa, and a fair crappie fisherman, but I’m a very poor Holy Spirit. My role is to tell people the truth and leave the rest to God. It works out well. 

I would like to see a unified group of believers, namely the churches of Christ, but I also want to see world peace. Neither is likely. I do admire and appreciate men like Jay Guin and Todd Deaver who continue the fight for Jesus and the grace and truth He is. 

Royce

Apr 13 2009

Not everyone can give,…but everyone can pray!


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In the stark darkness of poverty, addictions, broken homes and broken lives, a glimmer of light shines with help and hope. It is a small light, only a flicker at times, but it keeps shining and hope keeps rising. The unloved are being loved, the hopeless are finding hope, and the sinful are being made righteous. 

In a community with little to offer hurting people,, the light of love and the good news about Jesus is shining from the little flock at the Hemley Road church of Christ. Out of their poverty they are feeding the hungry, repairing homes, and building broken lives. Few of those old enough to work have jobs and finances are very thin. Only their faith in God keeps the light shining. 

Each Sunday morning two large vans comb the communities rounding up dozens of excited children who look forward to something to eat, smiles and hugs, and learning about the love of God. Just the expense of keeping the two church vans going and the electric bill is more than the church’s meager offerings. Very few of the adults have jobs and are barely able to survive. Yet, in the face of incredible odds that they can’t make it, they do, and somehow these faith filled people keep the light shining in the darkness.

On Easter Sunday morning dozens of happy children took the stage and sang some songs in “big church” then went to their worship time. After the services there was a frantic but happy Easter egg hunt and every little one was as happy as could be. Before I preached on the resurrection of Jesus and the hope it gives Billy Spaulding and I presented several baptismal certificates to young people who have trusted Christ in recent months and have been baptized

 The church operates a food panty, a Grief Share ministry, an adult Bible study on Sunday night, dinner and a movie on Saturday night, and picnics at the beach frequently. Every event, every stop of the church vans, every Bible lesson, is an expression of love and an opportunity for those with no hope to find the hope of the good news about Jesus.

The immediate needs are $4,000 for the annual insurance premium for the buildings, air conditioners for the church building ($8,000 to $10,000). Then there is the weekly fuel bill to operate the vans, food for the hungry children, supplying the food pantry, teaching materials and crafts, the electric bill ($1200 per month when volunteer workers are there in the summer), the water bill, etc., etc.

Everyone can’t give, but everyone can pray. Will you consider sharing these needs with your Sunday school class, or small group? Will you ask God to keep the light shining in Bayou La Batre, AL? And, will you ask God if you should help? The El Campo church of Christ in Elcampo, Texas provides some support and others do what they can, but the survival of this great work for God desperately needs friends who will open their check books to assure that the people of the Bayou continue to have the Light shining in their dark world. Thank you for reading and for your prayerful consideration.

(Donations can be sent to the El  Campo church of Christ, 410 E. Calhoun St. El  Campo Tx 77437, or directly to the Hemley Road church of Christ, 8270 Hemley Rd, Bayou La Batre, Al.  All donations are tax deductable.)

Royce,