THE CROSSING BLOG
The End of Endings
Last Sunday, Gary announced to the church body that he and his family will be moving to Denver to join with Park Church. Although their absence will be significantly felt, we want to rejoice in what God is doing with and through the McQuinns. For those who don’t know, the McQuinn family originally moved to Colorado with the heart to plant a church in the Denver area. As often happens, God’s plans were quite different from what Gary and Jamie imagined. Through their partnership with Aaron and Rita Santini, the McQuinns helped to plant The Crossing. The way in which this team of elders, now including Joey and Rich, has created a community which is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ is nothing short of God’s divine providence in all our lives. Speaking for myself, I don’t believe that I would have the same level of understanding and love for the gospel if God had not put Gary into my life.
As the McQuinns prepare to make the transition to Denver, many of us are feeling a profound sense of loss. For what it’s worth, I am convinced that this transition is the will of God. The way in which He has orchestrated the McQuinns’ situation shows me His sovereignty in all things, and I desire that we as a church respond in faith to God, and with encouragement and excitement for the McQuinn family.
Additionally, I am convinced that God has many things to teach us through this transition. I would like to pose the question to you: Why is it, during times like these, that we experience sorrow and hurt? It’s been stated many times by the leadership that we believe this is the will of God, and that Gary leaving to partner with Park Church is a good thing. Why then do we have these mixed emotions – this bittersweetness? Why are we not happy that God is moving, and excited that He is using people whom we love to spread the gospel?
I propose to you that the reason behind, and the remedy for our pain is found in the story of the gospel. In the first chapters of Genesis we see that God created everything, and all that He created was good. In Adam and Eve’s original state they were with God in the garden, worshiping their Creator for His glory and their joy. In this state, mankind could have remained forever, in intimate relationship with our Creator God. Of course, we know the story all too well. Because of disbelief, sin entered the world, and man’s communion with God was severed. The perfect relationship of love and obedience with our Heavenly Father was broken. Additionally, not only was our relationship with God forever marred (until we see Him again), but the relationships we share with each other have also been irreparably damaged.
I want to submit to you the idea that the loss of intimate relationship, either with God or with fellow man, is something that we were not originally meant to experience. The reason that we experience pain and sorrow when something ends is because in God’s original good creation, we were not meant to experience endings.
As we continue to grow and mature as a church body, we will continue to experience the closing of more chapters. Life groups will change and multiply, friends will move away, and we will all eventually taste the pain of death within our own congregation. So, as these endings continue to torment us, will we shake our fists in anger and rebellion at God, or will we recognize that the reason we feel this ache in our hearts is because we were made for something more; something future; something permanent? Is this what is meant in Ecclesiastes 3:11, which says that God has “set eternity in [our] heart”?
How shall we respond? My prayer is that we respond with the gospel – the word of God which tells us that He is redeeming a people for Himself for all eternity. While we are yet on this Earth we will continue to feel the sharp sting of endings. But one day, Christ will return. The earth will be made new, and sin, death and pain will be no more. In that new creation, I believe we will cease to experience the grief of endings. Rather, we will experience perfect, unending communion with God and with man.
There is only one caveat to experiencing this unending joy. If you’d like to know what it is to live in eternal glory with God, you must receive Christ as your supreme treasure in life. If you will put your faith in Him who came and paid the penalty for your sin, you will be joined with Him for eternity in Heaven.
As the McQuinns’ chapter at The Crossing is coming to an end, we celebrate what God has done through them for His glory, and for our joy. Now we look forward to a time when we will know no more endings.
Influencers
We all look at ourselves, others, the world, God, Scripture, etc. from a perspective that has been shaped by various factors throughout our lives. The way we view everything is affected by this lens through which we’re always looking and from which we can never fully escape. Fortunately, that lens can and should be adjusted (and focused and corrected) as we renew our minds according to God’s Word. Often, even the way that we read the Bible and think about the Christian life needs to be challenged. In the course of my journey, God has used three men in particular to challenge my perspective and to strengthen my desire to be used by God in His mission for His glory:
John Piper – God used this man to give me a hunger for the supremacy of Christ and to teach me that a pursuit of God’s glory is simultaneously a pursuit of all satisfying joy! (Desiring God)
C.J. Mahaney – God drastically changed my life through C.J’s book, The Cross-Centered Life. Here I learned that the cross is not merely something to be believed on for salvation, but the cross stands at the center of my daily battle against sin and my fight for joy in God.
Greg Beale – God used Dr. Beale to help me learn how to read the whole Bible as a majestic, inspired story about the Sovereign God who is on a mission to redeem the world for His glory and the eternal joy of His people. (See The Temple and the Church’s Mission)
None of these men would want any attention drawn to themselves, but God has given each of them gifts that He has used to awaken my love for Christ and for His Glory, and for this, I am thankful.
soli Deo gloria!
Everyday Missionaries
Are you a missionary? I am. I’m not always a faithful missionary. I’m not always an effective missionary. But I am a missionary… and so are you. All who follow Christ are given the mission to make disciples as we go along the road of life. Some are sent overseas. Some are sent to unreached places. Some are freed up to do this vocationally. But we’re all sent into the world together as communities of missionaries (John 20:21).
We talk about this often with our church. We try to help everyone embrace their identity as a missionary and a vital member of a missionary community (Life Group). For some, this can seem overwhelming, so I want to offer a few practical ideas that can help us approach everyday life as everyday missionaries.
Be regulars
We’ve seen people become a part of our community through relationships built at stores, gyms, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, parks, hospitals and grocery stores. These relationships rarely develop through a single encounter. They grow over time and with regular interactions. Go to the same places for your regular routines. Go to the same coffee shop regularly and build a relationship with the baristas. Go to the same gym at the same time each week and build relationships. Go to the same library at the same story-time session weekly with your kids, and become a part of that community. Shop at the same grocery store at a regular time and go to the same check out each time. Be intentional about visiting the same places for your weekly activities. Get to know the people, remember their names, ask about their kids and their weeks and follow up next time you see them. Before long, you’ll find out that you’re becoming friends.
Build friendships
New friendships require time together — whether it is with your neighbors, coworkers or other people you have met along the road. Eat meals together, go to parks together, watch sporting games together, do hobbies together — just do something together that allows you to share your life, listen, learn and love. In our culture, people will recognize an agenda-driven, salesman approach to friendship. We must actually love people — whether or not they ever come to believe. When you are genuinely friends with someone, they will trust you and listen to your perspective more readily, and they will more readily share their true reasons for not yet believing.
“Show & Tell” the grace of God
As friendships grow, we must model honesty about our own brokenness. Most people imagine Christians to be either clean and put together or hypocrites, so they feel the need to pretend like they have it together. This proclivity to maintain a façade of righteousness hinders us from proclaiming and celebrating the grace of God. Because of God’s grace in Christ, we can be real about who we are — our struggles, our trials, our failures and our joys. We don’t want to boast in our sin, but we do want to be honest about it so that we can boast in the Cross where we have received grace. As friends begin to let us into their lives, we must show God’s grace to them as we accept them, and we must be bold to share with them the good news of God’s grace in Christ.
Invite friends into your community
Introducing unbelievers to your community of believing friends is one of the most neglected, yet important aspects of introducing people to Jesus. Practically, this is the same as building friendships, but it requires finding ways to build friendships with unbelieving friends and believing friends simultaneously. When people see your individual life and your love, they see one good person. When they meet your believing friends, they will (hopefully) meet a community of grace, a community of honest and broken people, a community of servants and a community that loves God’s truth. They will meet the Body of Christ. Your community displays God to the world because God is in you (i.e. y’all). When broken people are accepted by God’s people, they begin to understand that God will accept them too, because of Jesus. Often people come into a real relationship with God after first coming into a meaningful relationship with His people.
Pray like missionaries
If we are God’s missionaries, then we must pray like missionaries. We must pray for opportunities for ourselves and for one another. We must pray for readiness. We must pray for Spirit-filled love. We must pray for patience. We must pray for wisdom. We must pray for awakening. Unless God graciously acts, we will never see people come to new life in Christ. So, above all, we must pray for God to awaken our friends to the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
To Christ The Ransomed Sinners Run - Video
At our gathering on Sunday, we sang ‘To Christ The Ransomed Sinners Run’ written by Wesley Randolph Eader. Here are the lyrics:
To Christ the ransomed sinners run
Their burdens cast aside
In grief, the crowned and only Son
With glory shed would dieWhat blessed death unique and pure
To drain the powers of hell
The Spotless Lamb, the perfect cure
For Satan’s flickerin’ spellGreat sins I had and shackled pride
Unmovable by man
Fought by works and sacrifice
The law’s imperfect planThough dark the stain upon the soul
And countless are it’s crimes
To Christ the challenge is so small
He gives His blood DivineTemptation may it have a way
Upon this narrow path
Old Adam’s hand may still have swayed
And haunt the sinner’s pastBut Christ our Brother had no sin
Though tempted more than we
the guilty freed forever by
His guiltless MajestyHeaven is our sinless sphere
Eternal source of light
Judgement sits upon the throne
Where none escape his sightThough impossible to enter in
The hands of labor try
The grace of Christ must pull them through
The needle’s narrow eyeHis righteousness is not removed
by earth or hell or law
Its fixed upon his cross he proved
to stand without one flawIn life the cross will be our guide
In death our victory
Where else can sinners come to dieto live eternally
Law & Gospel
If you’ve ever experienced feelings of accusation/guilt/shame/condemnation, then you’ve felt the power of the law. It reveals our brokenness, our sin, our bondage… and ultimately, our need. Need for what? It reveals our need for the liberation that we find in the Gospel of God’s Grace in Christ. When it comes to our growth as followers of Jesus, I can think of nothing more significant than coming to a practical understanding of the role of the law and the power of the Gospel.
Here’s a fantastic video with Tullian Tchividjian (Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church) and Jonathan Linebaugh (Professor of New Testament at Knox Theological Seminary) discussing the Law and the Gospel—what they are, what they do, and why it matters.
HT: Tullian Tchividjian
Why Bother with Lent?
Jesus is not a commitment among other commitments, but rather the commitment of our lives.
Over the past couple of years I’ve come to question the purpose of the Lent season. Why do some Christians get ashed up on Wednesday following Mardi Gras? Since Jesus gave up everything for us, why do we continue to give things up during Lent season? Among other questions I believe there is much goodness that can come from a Christian observing Lent.
The Gospel Coalition has a recent blog post from Chuck Colson that highlights 5 benefits to observing Lent. I hope it encourages you, causes you to reflect on Jesus and want to share with a neighbor what this whole Lent thing is about.
Typically, evangelicals are shy about Lent. The 40 days prior to Easter—Sundays excepted—are known popularly as a season for giving up chocolate or other extras in order to show God how much we love him. With such impoverished notions, it is no wonder that Lent has fallen on hard times.
So should evangelicals bother with Lent?
Whatever the popular conceptions, the season can encourage gospel-centered piety. But, before considering Lent’s value, let’s briefly discuss the benefits of the church calendar, in general.
Some evangelical traditions reject the notion of the church calendar wholesale, believing that the Lord’s Day is the only God-given measure of time for the church. Some Puritans discarded all special holidays on this principle. But, no matter our efforts, we organize our lives according to some seasonal calendar that’s not prescribed by God (semesters, financial quarters, and months, for example).
Recognizing this, the church’s liturgical calendar seeks to order time around the major events of our redemption in Christ. During these seasons, we encourage certain theological emphases, spiritual practices, and corresponding emotions to instruct and train the church in godliness. Of course, the calendar does not limit the celebration of a truth or the experience of a particular emotion to one season or day. For instance, observing Easter Sunday as a joyous and festive holy day does not deny that every Lord’s Day celebrates Jesus’ resurrection. Rather, a joyous Easter Sunday anchors and gives shape to all other Sundays throughout the year. So it is with the liturgical calendar.
Five BenefitsThat said, let’s explore five benefits to observing Lent.
1. Lent affords us the opportunity to search the depths of our sin and experience the heights of God’s love.
With Good Friday approaching, visions of Jesus’ gruesome death remind us of the dreadful reality of sin. Here, our individual and corporate brokenness is on display as the Lord of glory dies under the weight of our just judgment, inspiring personal introspection. Though self-examination can turn into narcissistic navel gazing, such abuses should not foreclose on a godly form of self-examination that encourages humility, repentance, and dependence on Christ.
But for such introspection to remain healthy, we must hold together two realities that converge at the cross—our corruption and God’s grace. If we divorce the two, then our hearts will either swell with pride and self-righteousness, losing touch with our sinfulness, or sink into anxious despair and uncertainty, failing to grapple with mercy.
Confident of God’s grace in Jesus Christ, we are free to probe the inner recesses of our hearts, unearthing sin’s pollution. God’s grace liberates us to explore our soul, facing its filth, rather than suppressing or succumbing to its contents. With David, we are free to pray,
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Ps. 139:23-24)
Searching us, God discovers nothing unknown to him (Ps 139:1-3), but discloses the secrets of our hearts, allowing us to know ourselves. Under his tender scrutiny, God exposes, not to shame, but to heal. Thus, turning inward, we are led upward to find consolation, hope, and transformation through Jesus Christ. Certainly, such piety isn’t the exclusive property of any church season, but Lent provides a unique setting for this self-examination.
2. Lent affords us an opportunity to probe the sincerity of our discipleship.
Jesus bore the cross for us, accomplishing our salvation, yet he also bestows a cross on us (Mt. 10:38-39; Lk. 9:23). Following him, Jesus guarantees unspeakable comforts and uncertainties (Jn. 16:32-33). Frequently, these uncertainties test the genuineness of our discipleship. Consider the following examples from Jesus’ ministry.
In Matthew 8:18-22, two people approach Jesus, proclaiming their desire to follow him. One, a scribe, offers his undying devotion saying, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus responds by instructing the scribe about the rigors of following him, explaining that foxes and birds enjoy more comfort than he does. Perceiving selfish ambition, Jesus reminds the scribe that following him is not a means for advancing in the world, but rather involves forsaking it. We don’t know how this scribe responded to the challenge, but Jesus leaves us with the question, “Will we follow him when it is inconvenient or only when comfortable and to our advantage?”
The second, a disciple, requests to attend his father’s funeral before going on with Jesus. Jesus takes the opportunity to reveal the disciple’s heart, unveiling his ultimate affections. He says, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” Remember, Jesus warns us that we cannot love father and mother, or anything else, above him (Mt. 10:37). Obviously, Jesus does not forbid loving our parents or attending their funerals, but he does insist on being first in our hearts. Jesus is not a commitment among other commitments, but rather the commitment of our lives. Therefore, as Augustine points out, we must take care to order our loves properly, ensuring that our affections are set on Christ and not another.
In this way, Lent provides opportunity to question and examine ourselves, exploring the integrity of our discipleship.
3. Lent provides us an opportunity to reflect on our mortality.
Pursuing eternal youth, our culture seems to live in the denial of death. But ignoring death does not erase its impartiality—everyone who draws a first breath will take a last one. It is a certainty we can’t escape (Heb. 9:27). Fortunately, death is not the last word. For all who belong to Christ, there is a promise stronger than death—we will die, but Jesus will return to raise our bodies, wiping the tears from our eyes and making all things new (1 Cor. 15:12-28; Rev. 21:1-8).
The most difficult moment I face each year, as an Anglican pastor, is to apply the ashes, in the sign of a cross, to the foreheads of my wife and children on Ash Wednesday. It is an intimate and haunting moment. Echoing the words of Genesis 3:19, I say, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” It is jarring. Every year, I cry.
Yet the ashes are applied in the shape of Jesus’ cross—the only means for escaping the dust of death. When God raised Jesus, he raided death, destroying its power. Jesus’ resurrection marks the death of death and welcomes us into a living hope (1 Pt. 1:3). This is our consolation and joy in the midst of our mortality.
Lent provides an unmistakable opportunity for disciplined reflection on this neglected certainty and God’s radical solution.
4. Lent gives us the opportunity to move towards our neighbor in charity.
Long misunderstood as a form of works-righteousness, Lenten fasting is not about scoring points with God, but rather emphasizes simplicity for the sake of others. By temporarily carving away some comforts or conveniences, good gifts from God himself, we hope to de-clutter our hectic lives, allowing us to focus. Simple living allows us to reserve time for others while also serving to curb our expenses. It is fitting to allocate these savings, along with other gifts, for charitable purposes, especially directing those funds to the poor and marginalized.
So search your heart and go simple. Consider fasting from types of food, technology, and/or sources of entertainment. Live frugally, and do so for the sake of charity. Find a cause, or better yet a person, and give sacrificially. And, in so doing, may you know the joy of Jesus who gave himself fully to us.
5. Lent prepares us to celebrate the wonder and promise of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Here, Jesus trampled down sin and death, defeating the Devil (Heb. 2:14-15). After a season of depravation, highlighting the grim reality of our broken creation, Jesus’ resurrection floods our grief with life and light. In other words, Lent prepares us to join the disciples in their joy and bewilderment on that strange morning long ago (Mt. 28:8; Mk. 16:8; Lk. 24:12). Our Easter worship is a dress rehearsal for our Lord Jesus’ return when he comes to unite heaven and earth, making all things new (Eph. 1:10; Rev. 21:1-8).
And so, I invite you to a holy Lent. Take up the opportunity to dwell upon the grief of our broken world, the sin within your heart, and the deep love of God that exceeds these realities. Reflecting on the hospitality of God, consider the needs of your neighbor, especially those without life’s basic needs. And, most importantly, in the gritty details of Lent, don’t forget—Easter is coming!
Discipleship Resources
In the sermon today, we saw that disciples make disciples. This is supposed to be a given for Christians, it is part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus. For many of us, one of the biggest obstacles is knowing where to begin or how to do it. As Tim Chester and Steve Timmis say in Total Church, “most gospel ministry involves ordinary people doing ordinary things with gospel intentionality.” Discipleship happens when we are living life together in community and helping each other to apply the gospel to every area of our lives. This is what we are trying to accomplish with our Life Groups. Our hope is that your Life Group is not merely a weekly meeting but a springboard for deeper relationships and more effective mission. To disciple one another effectively, it can be very helpful to structure in regular times to get together with a smaller group to talk about life, to speak God’s Word into each other’s lives with love and care, and to pray for one another and encourage one another toward christlikeness. Below I have listed some resources that I have found helpful in various contexts. Let your Life Group leader know if you need more guidance.
- Connect, Talk, Read the Word, Pray – This is not exactly a resource, but it is powerful and transforming to regularly be with a couple of other believers in the Word together and praying together.
- Gospel DNA – A free resource from Soma Communities that is meant for a group of 3-4 to go through for several weeks and then to multiply your group and take others through it. Focuses on applying the gospel to all areas of our lives so that we can become more like Jesus.
- Multiply – Another free resource from Francis Chan that is designed to go through with a small group. Requires participants to read a short chapter each week and to get together to talk through the various application questions. Focuses on understanding Discipleship, The Church, How to Read the Word, and the Biblical Storyline. Also pushes groups toward multiplication.
- Book Studies – Our recommended reading page has books about the centrality of the gospel, christian living books, books on marriage and parenting and evangelism and apologetics as well as some Christian classics. Talk with someone about reading through a book and getting together to talk about how God is using it in your life.
O Come, Thou Dayspring!
There is a tension between the merriment of the Christmas season, and the darkness that is so prevalent in our world, in our communities, in our homes, and in our own hearts. The reality of this tension is not something that should be hidden in the closet for a month, only to re-emerge when its reality can no longer be suppressed by distractions and festivities. The tension between joy and sorrow, peace and pain, light and darkness should fuel our worship of the God who entered into the darkness like the dawn breaks into the night!
“O Come, Thou Dayspring! Come and cheer our spirits by Thine advent here! Disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadows put to flight!”
The profound meaning of this classic Christmas Carol can get lost in its familiarity and its poetic language. The verse seems to allude to Isaiah 9:2-7, where Israel, in the face of coming judgment and tribulation, is encouraged to look forward to the birth of a special Child, a Son. This Son would be a light shining into the darkness—like the dayspring [i.e. dawn] puts an end to the clouds of night. His advent [i.e. His coming] would bring an end to the suffering. He would cause wars to cease. He would bring peace. He would do this by removing the root cause: our sin and the consequent curse of separation from God. He would be Emmanuel, God-with-us.
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”
We can rejoice because Immanuel came to remove the curse by becoming the curse. We can rejoice because He is at work to “make His blessings known far as the curse is found.” And we can rejoice because Emmanuel will come again!
Long lay the world in sin and error, pining ‘til he appeared, and the soul felt its worth. A thrill of hope! The weary world rejoices! For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Kingdom Living - Becoming Family
By God’s grace, The Crossing family has been growing, and our Life Groups have been multiplying. Our Life Groups are more than Bible Studies or weekly meetings. They are growing families, committed to living for Jesus and His mission together. The following video shares a story of what God has been doing in one of our newer Life Groups in Loveland, and how this burgeoning family is being used to shine God’s glory to our community. Praise God for His faithful love.
Apologetics for Everyone
1 Peter 3:14-16 – But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason (Greek: apologian) for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
a•pol•o•get•ics | əˌpäləˈjetiks |
When people think of apologetics, they typically think of some sort of intellectual debate or argument defending the Christian faith against some form of intellectual opposition. Though there are contexts where this type of debating can be helpful, this is not what apologetics was meant to be.
1 Peter 3:15 is the classic text from which the term apologetics comes from. People often take the verse to mean something like, “always be prepared to defend Christianity.” This leads people to spend time learning intellectual rebuttals to intellectual attacks on the faith. The reality is though, that’s not what Peter was talking about. In the context of the letter, Peter is encouraging suffering Christians to live as God’s distinct and holy people. Specifically in chapter 3, he is encouraging these persecuted Christians to have unity, sympathy, love, and humility toward all people; to refrain from retaliation, to love their enemies, to seek peace with all people, all the while looking to Jesus as the supreme example of this type of faithful witness. Peter knows that when the Christian community lives this unique type of life, it will inevitably provoke questions about the source of this unusual and attractive hope.
“How is it that you all can love like you do?” “How can you remain faithful in the face of suffering?” “Why do you serve people who mistreat you?” “Where does your hope come from?” Peter says, when these questions come, be prepared to give a reason (apologia) for the hope that is in you?
Apologetics then, is answering the questions raised by the distinctive lifestyle of our Christian community.
If this is the case, the main question for us as the Christian community is: Are we actually living in a way that would provoke these types of questions? Is our lifestyle distinct from the world’s? Do we love people that are unlovable? Do we serve people who are thankless and unappreciative? Do we have hope in the midst of suffering? Do we give to those in need even when it hurts? And do we do these things in context where this love can be seen and experienced by those who do not know Christ?
In other words, is our Christian community an attractive light in the midst of a broken city? And are we living in a way to make that light visible to the people around us who still live in darkness?
Like a Liver or a Big Toe
From Porterbrook:
Remember that the church is neither an end in itself, nor is it merely a means to an end…Church is a place where Jesus reigns and where people will catch a glimpse of people loving and serving one another. Church is God’s Kingdom with flesh on it. It is a glorious phenomenon.
The Crossing is a church plant, and one of the greatest personal benefits that I have received from being part of this church plant has been a greater understanding of what church actually is. That’s not to say that my previous church experience was devoid of this, but this reality has come into sharper focus as I’ve matured alongside this growing body.
In so doing, though, it has become rather easy to think of building the church as an end in itself. And when I notice myself thinking in this way, the pendulum swings (as pendulums often do) to the other side, which is isolation.
I regularly find myself way too focused on how to gather more people by meeting with them, inviting them to my Life Group, or to a Sunday gathering, or to any other church community related activity. This happens until I notice my ability to simply sit and adore Jesus has become severely diminished. The response to that is often frustration at my busy schedule (and the people who fill it) and a tendency to seclude myself from others so that I can have those personal quiet times in devotion. This usually continues until I notice that I’ve been so isolated from community that I get frustrated with myself yet again, and the cycle starts over.
Neither of these extremes is healthy, and I propose trying to strike a balance is not the answer.
Rather, what I think is right is for us to put Christian community in its proper context. Simply, church is the expression of God’s people as they come together to live in a community that models what reconciliation with God looks like by living with each other in a reconciled way. This means we can forgive each other (Ephesians 4:32), serve one another (Philippians 2:3-4), pray with one another (1 Thessalonians 5:17), speak the word to each other (Colossians 3:16), eat with one another (Acts 2:42), etc.
The church is a spiritual community. Therefore in order to have our spiritual satisfaction, it’s helpful to understand that our spiritual life is not confined to personal devotion time, though not to the utter neglect of that time. But is it possible that Christian community can be utilized for our growth in godliness in a more healthy and significant way than we typically conceive?
So what does this mean for our church context?
Firstly, we need to fight against the idea that church is something that you attend. Instead, church is something that you participate in. Like the liver participates in digestion and detoxification, or a big toe participates in balance. I have no body parts that merely attend my body.
Secondly, I want us to become a community that worships and enjoys Jesus through and with one another. The emphasis of the New Testament is that the church is the context in which worship, personal growth, community growth, and mission take place. This is in stark contrast to the popular view that spirituality takes place in one’s own quiet room or in the isolation of the mountains.
Let us consider whether or not there is something we could learn here that not only benefits our own personal walks, but also influences and builds the community of God that is The Crossing in Fort Collins.
A Case for Fiction: East of Eden
As the sun’s light reflects differently upon our mountains, so the great story of life is cast in shadow and light across our many tales.
“In reading great literature I become a thousand men and yet remain myself…I see with a myriad of eyes, but it is still I who see.”
― C.S. Lewis
Truth is a constant, powerful light. It shines down to us from our Father and illuminates all that it touches. From beyond the dark and hazy present, bright rays break through to remind us of our Heavenly City, and our unveiled encounter that awaits with Truth himself.
This is why I love to read great fiction. As the sun’s light reflects differently upon our mountains, so the great story of life is cast in shadow and light across our many tales. Though they can’t be counted upon to portray truth entirely, great stories remind us that God’s grand narrative is ever unfolding. They awaken and inspire our imaginations. In an age of skepticism, stories help us believe that invisible things are real.
Many of the minds that remind of these things are themselves blind to the person and work of Christ. Yet, humans made in the image of God are unable to escape the age-old rhythms that point to our creator. It is the universal insights into these rhythms that may stir our hearts and minds into worship. As a fictional child becomes aware of its breath, we then become aware of the God who gives life. While an imaginary father despairs that his son is following his fallen example, we may think of Jesus who was perfect in his Father’s business. Melody is added to rhythm, and with our God-given creativity, we may sing along in time.
One example of such insight comes from the mind of John Steinbeck. In his classic novel, “East of Eden”, Steinbeck tells the story of two families that, try as they might, could not outrun the fallen patterns of our ancient ancestors. Many asides are woven into the story to give shape and meaning, but the following seems one of the best.
“...Samuel could remember hearing of a cousin of his mother’s in Ireland, a knight and rich and handsome, and anyway shot himself on a silken couch, sitting beside the most beautiful woman in the world who loved him. ‘There’s a capacity for appetite,’ Samuel said, ‘that a whole heaven and earth of cake can’t satisfy.‘”
In a way this tells the story of a broken world; an eternally thirsty people lapping at the bottom of their empty cisterns. There is an insatiable desire at the core of humanity, and many spend their entire lives searching for satisfaction. We could let this brief story rest at that lowly point, or we could imagine joy everlasting. There are rivers and bread that satisfy always; there is a God who does not leave us wanting. It’s the greatest story ever told.
Simplified Missional Living
At The Crossing, we talk a lot about living on mission. What we mean by missional living is that we are to be approaching life as a community of missionaries called to make disciples of Jesus in our city, our workplaces, our neighborhoods, etc. The task of reaching our city with the gospel is not meant to be some program oriented task for those who like that sort of thing. It’s a part of our identity as disciples of Jesus, and this missional identity should dictate the way that we approach life in every context (See the post on Everyday Evangelism). For some, thinking and living missionally is a major paradigm shift, so I wanted to repost this list of some simple ways to live on mission in your everyday life from Jonathan Dodson (pastor and author of Gospel-Centered Discipleship):
EAT WITH NON-CHRISTIANS
We all eat three meals a day. Why not make a habit of sharing one of those meals with a non-Christian or with a family of non-Christians? Go to lunch with a co-worker, not by yourself. Invite the neighbors over for family dinner. If it’s too much work to cook a big dinner, just order pizza and put the focus on conversation. When you go out for a meal, invite a non-Christian friend. Or take your family to family-style restaurants where you can sit at the table with strangers and strike up conversations. Have cookouts and invite Christians and non-Christians. Flee the Christian subculture.
WALK, DON’T DRIVE
If you live in a walkable area, make a practice of getting out and walking around your neighborhood, apartment complex, or campus. Instead of driving to the mailbox or convenience store, walk to get mail or groceries. Be deliberate in your walk. Say hello to people you don’t know. Strike up conversations. Attract attention by walking the dog, carrying along a 6-pack to share, bringing the kids. Make friends. Get out of your house! Last night I spent an hour outside gardening with my family. We had good conversations with about four of our neighbors. Take interest in your neighbors. Ask questions. Engage. Pray as you go. Save some gas, the planet, and some people.
BE A REGULAR
Instead of hopping all over the city for gas, groceries, haircuts, eating out, and coffee, go to the same places at the same times. Get to know the staff. Smile. Ask questions. Be a regular. I have friends at coffee shops all over the city. My friends at Starbucks donate a ton of leftover pastries to our church 2-3 times a week. We use them for church gatherings and occasionally give them to the homeless. Build relationships. Be a regular.
HOBBY WITH NON-CHRISTIANS
Pick a hobby that you can share. Get out and do something you enjoy with others. Try city league sports or local rowing and cycling teams. Share your hobby by teaching lessons, such as sewing, piano, knitting, or tennis lessons. Be prayerful. Be intentional. Be winsome. Have fun. Be yourself.
TALK TO YOUR CO-WORKERS
How hard is that? Take your breaks with intentionality. Go out with your team or task force after work. Show interest in your co-workers. Pick four and pray for them. Form moms’ groups in your neighborhood and don’t make them exclusively non-Christian. Schedule play dates with the neighbors’ kids. Work on mission.
VOLUNTEER WITH NON-PROFITS
Find a non-profit in your part of the city and take a Saturday a month to serve your city. Bring your neighbors, your friends, or your small group. Spend time with your church serving your city. Once a month. You can do it!
PARTICIPATE IN CITY EVENTS
Instead of playing XBox, watching TV, or surfing the net, participate in city events. Go to fundraisers, festivals, cleanups, summer shows, and concerts. Participate missionally. Strike up conversation. Study the culture. Reflect on what you see and hear. Pray for the city. Love the city. Participate with the city.
SERVE YOUR NEIGHBORS
Help a neighbor by weeding, mowing, building a cabinet, or fixing a car. Stop by the neighborhood association or apartment office and ask if there is anything you can do to help improve things. Ask your local Police and Fire Stations if there is anything you can do to help them. Get creative. Just serve!
http://www.theresurgence.com/Dodson_Simplified_Missional_Living
Everyday Evangelism
Fellow intern Daniel Smith sent this blog to me. I’ve found it very helpful and is certainly the sort of thing that is within the vision for the Crossing. It’s written by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, who have written a couple of helpful books on what church is, and this is an excerpt from a new one (Everyday Church) that I will likely recommend. Enjoy it and discuss it below! Check out the blog here.
Book Report - What Is the Gospel? Part Two
Last week, I began a
book report on Greg Gilbert’s What Is the Gospel? (Crossway, 2010), so I would advise you to read that before beginning here, but I hope that this second post will be helpful for seeing how many of the key aspects of the gospel are all tied together.
Chapter Six: The Kingdom
Though God’s rule, in a sense, extends over everything, there is a deeper and fuller reality to the kingdom of God. His kingdom is a kingdom that is thoroughly extended to those who have been redeemed by the King himself. In his sacrifice upon the cross, Jesus made a way for people into his kingdom by his blood.
Poorly conceived, the notion of the kingdom of God was just the thought that the people of God would be restored in their own earthly kingdoms, namely the Israelites in Palestine. The prophetic scheme, however, pointed to three very different savior types long before Jesus was on the scene. There was the prophesied Messiah (king) found throughout the Psalms and prophets, but there was also this divine being called “the Son of Man” from Daniel, and additionally an atonement providing suffering servant in Isaiah. It wasn’t until Jesus arrived that it could be clearly seen that these three were actually the same One. So, what we have then, is a King of divine origin who rules over his people, but his people are only those who were purchased by his atoning blood. They do not have a geographically defined border. As the Peter says, “I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh,” (1 Peter 2:11).
So back to the question, what is this kingdom? In order to answer that, we must first realize that the kingdom is not some sort of earthly realm. Jesus came on the scene proclaiming that the kingdom of God had arrived (Matthew 12:28). As I mentioned above, a critical key to the kingdom of God is that it is a kingdom of redemption, where Christ’s redemptive work for his people is the basis for inclusion in the kingdom. Our King loves us.
So if you think about it, the kingdom of God is found in the church, though the church itself is not the kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is still being built and it will be fully culminated when everything under heaven and earth has been restored to the King. However, though the problems of death, sin, evil, and suffering still remain, in their essence they were dealt with at the cross. As death itself was robbed of its power at the resurrection, there will be a day when death will die, a day when sin and evil will be annihilated, and when suffering will be crushed under the weight of glory. This will fully occur in the new heavens and the new earth. But if you want an appetizer of the things that are to come, then come to the church to experience lives redeemed by a very good, and very powerful King as they are helped and guided by his Spirit.
Chapter Seven: Keeping the Cross at the Center
There is a danger in capitulating to the thought that there needs to be more than the cross to the solution that the gospel gives us for all of life’s problems. This is simply untrue. When it comes to our standing before God, the cross is all that we have. How else would this holy and righteous Creator be able to allow those of us who had rejected him into his presence? It is tempting to present the nuances of the gospel (themes of lordship, re-creation, cultural transformation, etc.) as the gospel itself, but apart from the message of the cross, that gospel is gospel-less. It may be tempting to try and not mention it because it incurs the ridicule of the world, but it is infinitely better to be seen as a fool by the world, than as a fool by the Lord of the world.
Chapter Eight: The Power of the Gospel
It is incredibly easy to lose sight of the gospel. Incredible because it is such a vastly huge and important feature of what our lives ought to be all about, and yet we miss it so often. This is because we still wage war with our lazy, tired, sinful flesh. However, if we are to live in the light of the gospel, it will do several things. Understanding and meditating on it will cause us to rest our tired hearts in the Lord himself, he is our promised rest (Matthew 11:28). We will also begin to love God’s people more, since we know that they have come to know, love, and rest in that very same savior. The deep reality of God’s grace to us will also give us mouths that are prepared to speak the gospel into a world that is just as lost as we once were (and still would be if it weren’t for him). And lastly, it will give us a deep longing for the Lord’s return, when his kingdom will be consummated. But more importantly, it will be when his people will be able to behold him free from sin once and for all.
Concluding Remarks
As I mentioned in my introduction in the last post, this was a great book. Even going over it again reminded me of so many things that I wish I would have posted in here, but didn’t for lack of space. Honestly, find it and buy it. It is a worthwhile investment for your own understanding of God’s rescue plan as well as a great resource to get in the hands of others. It’s incredibly accessible and easy to read. Most of us would be able to finish it in a day or two. I just hope that some of the remarks made in these posts will be worthwhile, and I hope it give you greater desire to go adore and serve our King.
Book Report – What Is the Gospel?
In this two-part post, I’m going to review the excellent book “What Is the Gospel?” by Greg Gilbert.
Though we are submerged in a culture that is hesitant to communicate convictions with clarity, we as the church are commissioned to call people to repent and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, how many of us Christians are able to clearly articulate what this gospel is?
I had the great privilege of recently reading Greg Gilbert’s What Is the Gospel? (2010 Crossway). If you’ve ever struggled with what the connection is between the gospel of the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus himself (Matthew 4:23) and the gospel of Jesus that is typically explained by his life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension (1 Corinthians 15:3-5), this book wonderfully articulates the links between the two and gives the reader a deeper understanding and appreciation of what the gospel is all about.
Here, I have provided a chapter by chapter summary of Gilbert’s book, but might I recommend that you buy a copy, and then when you’re finished buy more to give to believer and unbeliever alike. We’ll go over the first five chapters today and the last three later this week.
Introduction:
“My sense is that far too many Christians would answer with something far short of what the Bible hold out as ‘the gospel of Jesus Christ.’” p.15
Simply put, Gilbert wonders aloud what contemporary evangelicalism’s grasp on the gospel actually is. He argues (successfully) that the ability to understand and articulate the gospel have severely diminished even within the evangelicalism.
Chapter One: Finding the Gospel in the Bible
“God. Man. Christ. Response.” p.32
Authority for defining what the gospel is can only be found in God’s word, though we can’t just rely on a simple word study of “gospel” to find a thorough explanation of it. New Testament writers may not even mention the word “gospel” in their articulation of it, but it is a prominent thread woven into thoughts and arguments of nearly all of the New Testament’s writings.
Chapter Two: God the Righteous Creator
“No, the Bible tells us that God is good. He knew what was best for his people, and he gave them laws that would preserve and increase their happiness and well-being.” p.42
“A common view of God is that he’s much like an unscrupulous janitor. Instead of really dealing with the world’s dirt—its sin, evil, and wickedness—he simply sweeps it under the rug, ignores it, and hopes no one will notice. In fact, many people cannot conceive of a God who would do anything else. ‘God judge sin?’ they say. ‘Punish me for wickedness? Of course he wouldn’t do that. It wouldn’t be loving.’” p.43
There are many modern day misconceptions about who God is. He is a Creator, but more importantly, He is our Creator. He made humanity and, therefore, has the authority to dictate how our existence ought to be. Since He is good, He does not just give us arbitrary rules. Regardless, we rebel. God has revealed himself as one who forgives, but He will deal with evil.
Chapter Three: Man the Sinner
“Most people have no problem at all admitting that they’ve committed sins (plural), at least so long as they can think about those sins as isolated little mistakes in an otherwise pretty good life—a parking ticket here or there on an otherwise clean record.” p.54
Sin is the rejection of God’s rightful rule over humanity. It is something we are guilty of corporately, but also individually, and we will be held accountable. This is scary, because the end result of this is eternal separation from God in a place of conscious torment called Hell. We not only have a tendency to diminish this reality, but also sin itself. The examples of how we mischaracterize sin in this chapter are very helpful.
Chapter Four: Jesus Christ the Savior
Left to ourselves, we would all be a bunch of hell-bound sinners on account of our rejection of God’s rule, BUT God did not leave us there. Instead he sent his Son, Jesus Christ the righteous Davidic King to roll back the effects of the Fall (think miracles) in the inauguration of his Kingdom. However, this alone does not deal with the problem of sin, therefore, on top of being a righteous King, Jesus was also the suffering servant who was slain for our sin (shadowed by the Passover lamb). Because he suffered in the body as a man, we now have access to God because we have a perfect representative. Not only that, but we have the hope of eternal life because of his vindicating resurrection.
Chapter Five: Response—Faith and Repentance
“Faith is not believing in something you can’t prove, as so many people define it. It is, biblically speaking, reliance. A rock-solid, truth-grounded, promise-founded trust in the risen Jesus to save you from sin.” p.74
“But because we will continue to struggle with sin until we are glorified, we have to remember that genuine repentance is more fundamentally a matter of the heart’s attitude toward sin than it is mere change in behavior. Do we hate sin and war against it, or do we cherish it and defend it?” p.81
Rather than a belief in something totally devoid of any reality, faith is the ability to trust in the resurrected Jesus to save you from your sin. This is why one is “justified” by faith. In that exchange, belief in the complete work of Jesus and his perfect righteousness is attributed to you if you believe in him. It is righteousness that we couldn’t earn, so it had to be given to us. The other side of the coin is repentance. Repentance involves turning away from sin and turning to God, but in no way means that someone is now without sin. Rather, it is a reassignment of masters. So though we still struggle with sin, there is now a hatred of it and a fight against it. This will result in a life that bears fruit. True salvation cannot be devoid of either of these two things.
Be sure to check back later this week, when we’ll review the chapters that tie it all together. We’ll be looking at the Kingdom, the centrality of the cross, and the gospel’s power.