Someone Worth Dying For
by Mikeschair
You might be the wife, waiting up at night
You might be the man, struggling to provide
feeling like it's hopeless
Maybe you’re the son who chose a broken road
Maybe you’re the girl thinking you'll end up alone
Praying God can you hear me?
Oh, God are you listening?
Am I more than flesh and bone?
Am I really something beautiful?
Yeah, I want to believe, I want to believe that
I'm not just some wandering soul
That you don't see and you don't know
Yeah, I want to believe, Jesus help me believe
That I am someone worth dying for
I know you've heard the truth that God has set you free
But you think you're the one that grace could never reach
So you just keep asking, Oh, what everybody's asking
Your worth it, you can't earn it
Yeah, the cross has proven,
That you're sacred and blameless.
Your life has purpose!
I heard this song for the first time several months ago. On the initial run, it sounded good and had a positive feel to it. But as I listened closer to the words, I was struck by two powerful thoughts. Primarily, this is a very accurate, concise statement of the theology of 21st century evangelical Christianity—very self-focused and “me-centered”. Note that in just the verses and chorus that I have quoted above, the personal pronouns “I”, “me” and “you” speaking of the singer and listener are used 27 times as opposed to “God” or “Jesus” who are spoken of only 4 times. Are we a bit out of balance here or what? Like I said, this song is a synopsis of our theological viewpoint today. Jesus came to die to restore our self-esteem and make us feel better about ourselves and to give us happier lives. It’s all about us, right?
Secondly, what a contrast this song is from one of the most popular hymns in Christian history. You’ll know it as soon as you see the title. But don’t just let the tune reverberate in your mind. Read the words again anew and let their meaning sink deep in your soul to see the difference between what has been believed for centuries and what is being believed today.
Rock of Ages
by Augustus Toplady
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee;
let the water and the blood,
from thy wounded side which flowed,
be of sin the double cure;
save from wrath and make me pure.
Not the labors of my hands
can fulfill thy law's commands;
could my zeal no respite know,
could my tears forever flow,
all for sin could not atone;
thou must save, and thou alone.
Nothing in my hand I bring,
simply to the cross I cling;
naked, come to thee for dress;
helpless, look to thee for grace;
foul, I to the fountain fly;
wash me, Savior, or I die.
While I draw this fleeting breath,
when mine eyes shall close in death,
when I soar to worlds unknown,
see thee on thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
let me hide myself in thee.
Rev. Toplady had it correct. We are sinners, having no worth and hope in ourselves, to ever gain anything beneficial from the Lord. But He by His grace reaches down to “save us from wrath and make (us) pure.” The third verse is the one that speaks most powerfully to the issue at hand. We are the ones who are “naked...helpless...(and) foul”. We are far from “beautiful... sacred and blameless...worth dying for” as the previous song proclaims. To believe the latter removes the very essence and meaning of God’s grace. It also undermines the Biblical truth of our salvation. Jesus came to save sinners (rf. I Timothy 1:15), rotten in their hearts, rebellious toward God (rf. Romans 3:9-18), a people destined to eternity in Hell, not a group of individuals who needed a boost to their self-esteem. If restoration to the human emotional condition is what salvation is to some, then they haven’t yet experienced the wondrous gift that Christ died to impart. If the message of present-day Christian music is that Jesus’ work on the cross was for our self-edification rather than atoning for our sins and delivering us from our inherent wicked natures, it is grossly misleading as to what salvation is truly about according to the Bible. Christian music, like our theology, will need a complete overhaul if that is the case.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Authenticity and Intimacy: Are We Willing to Pursue These?
A decade is a long time and, yet, a period of years that appears to have passed in the blink of an eye. It just seems like yesterday my family and I arrived on the scene here in Evergreen to begin a new chapter in our lives as well as to open a new era of ministry at EBC. Now ten years later, it is quite apparent that a lot of water has, indeed, “flowed under the bridge”, so to speak.
I have always understood that the life of a church is much like the ways of the ocean tides at the beach. It has its ebb and flow, high and low points, as the church moves throughout its lifespan. However, it is not enough just to accept that fact. I have also sought the Lord as to the “why” behind it. Are there “triggers”, if you will, at the peaks of the high points that, when tripped, set off in the hearts and minds of the people an inevitable movement toward the low points? Could it be possible to not only identify the “triggers” but also replace them with “gates” that would usher in continued movement upward rather than being consigned toward a potential downward trend? I believe that the answer to both of the previous questions is a resounding “yes”.
For most churches that existed in the 20th century and were less than 500 in membership, the greatest overall barrier to church growth (Note: I hate using the term “church growth” because it has been so overused and the connotations now have been overtaken by business models.) is one of mindset. The older the member, the more ingrained the 20th century mindset. By the use of the term “20th century mindset”, I am referring to the belief in the ways and means that “worked” to grow churches in the 20th century (e.g. door-to-door evangelism, weekly visitation, programs held at the church most nights of the week, church as the social center of the community, etc.). Please do not misread me nor misunderstand what I am stating. This is not a slam against the older members of the church for their way of thinking per se. This mindset is not limited to those on up in age. It has no age limit, in fact. It is affirmed by entire church bodies as well as denominational leaders. And we wonder why we are having such a hard time actually connecting with those in our present day!
The reality is this: for many of us we are mentally living, practicing and desiring to engage others with a 20th century Christianity, yet we live in the second decade of the 21st century which has changed radically and fundamentally from the earlier time period. The Church overall no longer enjoys the place of respect and endearment that it did in the 20th century. In fact, our culture has successfully moved her from the center of American life to off-center, at present, in the hopes of actually pushing her completely off the map into irrelevancy. We have not helped this process any by holding on to methods and means of the past while the world has changed without a corresponding change in our own methodology to reach it.
How then does all this apply to “triggers” and “gates”? Our “trigger” at EBC in 2005 was the realization that with the amount of growth we were experiencing would come fundamental change in who we were as a church and what the future might be as a result. New people were coming in and becoming part of the church who were not “homegrown Evergreen” bringing new ideas and potential variance to the dynamic of the body. What resulted was a passive-aggressive response to any further growth for fear of such change to what has always been a community-based church. Implicitly, the message was clear that Evergreen desired to be the small rural church it has always been.
But the question remains: Is that what God wants Evergreen to be? Our desires are often not His desires for us. The fact that He provided the growth initially signaled His intentions for the church to be more than we may have ever dreamed possible. To that end, He wants us to replace our “triggers” (based on fears) with “gates” (based on faith). These “gates” are the ways and means to build the existing body of believers while ministering effectively to those outside the body with the Gospel of Christ. The churches who are doing that by the power of His Holy Spirit are operating by two principle concepts: authenticity and intimacy.
The 21st century folks are longing for both of these truths in their own lives. More importantly to us, they are wanting to see these truths operational in the lives of those who claim to follow Jesus Christ. It is not enough for them to just visit a worship service and listen to a sermon, being welcomed warmly by a few folks as they enter and exit the building. It is still not enough to receive a visit after filling out a visitor’s card (if they even do that—most don’t nowadays). What does mean a great deal to them is to be invited into a home for a small group Bible study. This communicates volumes because it shares with them the concept of intimacy, just as it did in Jesus’ time when being invited for a meal was the means of showing someone you really viewed them as part of the family. If the small group is rightly handled, the individuals within the group are able to be open about their faith, their struggles, their doubts and their need for each other as well as for the Lord and His Word. This shows authenticity as we are not only vulnerable but transparent, showing that this faith process is one that is growing within us. In this atmosphere, a person who has been invited to participate and with whom we are sharing the Gospel through word and example will experience the love of Christ over time, being nurtured unto that place of putting their faith and trust in Him unto salvation. This is the way that speaks to the hearts of the 21st century culture. It takes more vulnerability, time and energy on our part, but it actually is more reminiscent of the early Church methodology than what we were used to in the 20th century.
The question for us is a matter of willingness. Are we willing to exchange “triggers” for “gates”? Are we willing to do as the Apostle Paul states in Philippians 3:13, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead”, leaving the 20th century and its methods behind and embracing the 21st century with new and different ways of reaching out to touch lives for Christ? It is simply a matter of surrendering ourselves to the use and direction of His Holy Spirit? When we do, we will see Him move and accomplish great and mighty works in our midst?
I have always understood that the life of a church is much like the ways of the ocean tides at the beach. It has its ebb and flow, high and low points, as the church moves throughout its lifespan. However, it is not enough just to accept that fact. I have also sought the Lord as to the “why” behind it. Are there “triggers”, if you will, at the peaks of the high points that, when tripped, set off in the hearts and minds of the people an inevitable movement toward the low points? Could it be possible to not only identify the “triggers” but also replace them with “gates” that would usher in continued movement upward rather than being consigned toward a potential downward trend? I believe that the answer to both of the previous questions is a resounding “yes”.
For most churches that existed in the 20th century and were less than 500 in membership, the greatest overall barrier to church growth (Note: I hate using the term “church growth” because it has been so overused and the connotations now have been overtaken by business models.) is one of mindset. The older the member, the more ingrained the 20th century mindset. By the use of the term “20th century mindset”, I am referring to the belief in the ways and means that “worked” to grow churches in the 20th century (e.g. door-to-door evangelism, weekly visitation, programs held at the church most nights of the week, church as the social center of the community, etc.). Please do not misread me nor misunderstand what I am stating. This is not a slam against the older members of the church for their way of thinking per se. This mindset is not limited to those on up in age. It has no age limit, in fact. It is affirmed by entire church bodies as well as denominational leaders. And we wonder why we are having such a hard time actually connecting with those in our present day!
The reality is this: for many of us we are mentally living, practicing and desiring to engage others with a 20th century Christianity, yet we live in the second decade of the 21st century which has changed radically and fundamentally from the earlier time period. The Church overall no longer enjoys the place of respect and endearment that it did in the 20th century. In fact, our culture has successfully moved her from the center of American life to off-center, at present, in the hopes of actually pushing her completely off the map into irrelevancy. We have not helped this process any by holding on to methods and means of the past while the world has changed without a corresponding change in our own methodology to reach it.
How then does all this apply to “triggers” and “gates”? Our “trigger” at EBC in 2005 was the realization that with the amount of growth we were experiencing would come fundamental change in who we were as a church and what the future might be as a result. New people were coming in and becoming part of the church who were not “homegrown Evergreen” bringing new ideas and potential variance to the dynamic of the body. What resulted was a passive-aggressive response to any further growth for fear of such change to what has always been a community-based church. Implicitly, the message was clear that Evergreen desired to be the small rural church it has always been.
But the question remains: Is that what God wants Evergreen to be? Our desires are often not His desires for us. The fact that He provided the growth initially signaled His intentions for the church to be more than we may have ever dreamed possible. To that end, He wants us to replace our “triggers” (based on fears) with “gates” (based on faith). These “gates” are the ways and means to build the existing body of believers while ministering effectively to those outside the body with the Gospel of Christ. The churches who are doing that by the power of His Holy Spirit are operating by two principle concepts: authenticity and intimacy.
The 21st century folks are longing for both of these truths in their own lives. More importantly to us, they are wanting to see these truths operational in the lives of those who claim to follow Jesus Christ. It is not enough for them to just visit a worship service and listen to a sermon, being welcomed warmly by a few folks as they enter and exit the building. It is still not enough to receive a visit after filling out a visitor’s card (if they even do that—most don’t nowadays). What does mean a great deal to them is to be invited into a home for a small group Bible study. This communicates volumes because it shares with them the concept of intimacy, just as it did in Jesus’ time when being invited for a meal was the means of showing someone you really viewed them as part of the family. If the small group is rightly handled, the individuals within the group are able to be open about their faith, their struggles, their doubts and their need for each other as well as for the Lord and His Word. This shows authenticity as we are not only vulnerable but transparent, showing that this faith process is one that is growing within us. In this atmosphere, a person who has been invited to participate and with whom we are sharing the Gospel through word and example will experience the love of Christ over time, being nurtured unto that place of putting their faith and trust in Him unto salvation. This is the way that speaks to the hearts of the 21st century culture. It takes more vulnerability, time and energy on our part, but it actually is more reminiscent of the early Church methodology than what we were used to in the 20th century.
The question for us is a matter of willingness. Are we willing to exchange “triggers” for “gates”? Are we willing to do as the Apostle Paul states in Philippians 3:13, “forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead”, leaving the 20th century and its methods behind and embracing the 21st century with new and different ways of reaching out to touch lives for Christ? It is simply a matter of surrendering ourselves to the use and direction of His Holy Spirit? When we do, we will see Him move and accomplish great and mighty works in our midst?
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