What Does God Want to Do in Your Community?

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” (James, the brother of Jesus)  Acts 15:19

Several weeks ago Mark Thomas, our district’s Associate Superintendent for Church Revitalization, challenged me to ask God what he wants to do in Clarkfield. I readily agreed to do so, but this is a different kind of prayer for me. I’m not accustomed to praying open ended questions. My first several attempts at this prayer were hesitant and awkward. As a result, I’ve experienced a few uncertain moments in prayer. As time has passed, this prayer has become a bit more familiar. Almost from the beginning, I lengthened the pre­­scribed prayer about what God wants to do in Clarkfield by adding, “What is my role in it?”

I have no idea how God might answer such a prayer. He’s not obligated to answer at all, much less with definitive statements. By nature and by training, I don’t traffic much in the murky, mystical world of direct revelation. I’m not about to assert, “I’ve heard from God!” I don’t trust my motive or my maturity nearly enough for that. If I were to announce, “God has told me we are to do such and such in Clarkfield,” it would place the congregation in a difficult position. They would have no way to prove God spoke to me. And they would have no way to prove God didn’t speak to me unless I came out with something plainly out of order. A divine whisper is impervious to both falsification or verification by those who didn’t hear it. The Apostle John warned his readers not to believe everything they hear, but instead to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1).

A couple weeks ago, I asked the C&MA prayer area pastors how God might answer such a prayer. Micah Siebert, the pastor at Redwood Alliance Church in Redwood Falls, Minnesota, responded, “I would expect that you would hear things that are universally true.” He quickly added that the answer must be hinged to Scripture.

That interests me because an answer to my question has begun to form in my mind, based on a single Bible verse which is cemented in my mind. “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.“ (Acts 15:19)

I believe God wants to make it as easy as possible for lost people in Clarkfield to turn to Jesus. Again, I certainly don’t claim God has been speaking to me with those words. But there is universal truth in this powerful verse (and its context) which keeps returning to my thoughts. To be fair, this verse has been on my mind much longer than I’ve been praying the prayer Mark Thomas asked me to pray. It’s a judgment from the lips of the Apostle James. It articulated the conclusion of the first council of the church, which was called to address false teaching which had circulated in the early church. This definitive statement reduced the complexities confronting the early church in Acts 15 to their lowest common denominator. This verse has been forefront in my mind ever since I read Andy Stanley’s account of how Acts 15:19 has impacted his life and ministry. Here’s what he wrote:

I love that [Acts 15:19].

Imagine where the church would be today if we had kept that simple idea front and center. Years ago, I printed that verse and hung it in my office. Before long it started showing up on walls and plaques in all our churches. I look at it every day. Perhaps James’ statement should be the benchmark by which all decisions are made in the local church. The brother of Jesus said we shouldn’t do anything that makes it unnecessarily difficult for people who are turning to God….” (Andy Stanley, Irresistible, p. 124)

In recent years I’ve become more aware of how the American evangelical church often makes it unnecessarily difficult for those far from God to come to Christ. Some of these observations have become recurring themes in my leadership: politicizing the gospel, verbal abuse of out­siders, legalism, judgmentalism…. We can add to that list a failure in the church to discern truth from lies in the age of social media and disunity within the body of Christ. Ugly church fights make it difficult for outsiders who are turning to God, especially when true believers embrace false conspiracy theories (cf. Acts 15:1-6). When the gospel is garbled inside the church, it’s very difficult for those outside the church to turn to God.

So I have to ask myself:

What am I doing that is making it unnecessarily difficult for lost people who could be turning to God?”

“What can I do that will make it easier for them?

We need programs, but programs alone won’t remove the unnecessary obstacles outsiders face. The challenge facing our local church (and many other churches) is deeper than a need for more programming. For example, beyond the culture gap, there is a pronounced generation gap between our church and the community of Clarkfield.

I often think of Clarkfield as an old community of senior citizens. But the data says there are many others, too. A high number of children live in Clarkfield, well above the national average. I often think of Clarkfield as a poor area of high unemployment or low wages. But the data says otherwise.

We could add another twist to this exercise. Even if I’m running properly with Acts 15:19, that may be just a slice of the complete picture. What if God wants to do some­thing in Clarkfield that has escaped my radar? What if I have a blind spot? For example, how might our brothers and sisters in the Hispanic church across town answer the same question about what God wants to do in Clarkfield? What they hear from God might be very different from what I hear from God, even if it’s universally true and based on Scripture. I believe more voices, including diverse voices, are helpful, even necessary, for the church to discern what God wants to do in Clarkfield.

I invite you to participate in the prayer challenge from Mark Thomas.

What does God want to do in your community?

How can you be a part of it?

Words of Encouragement

A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. (Proverbs 25:11)

This afternoon I received an email from a man I don’t know and have never met. I almost missed it. The missive landed in my junk folder and I happened to retrieve it from the genuine junk mail. Colin Green is a Canadian who serves with Grace for Life Ministries. His ministry strategy is fourfold: 1) Counseling to Pursue God’s Grace, 2) Teaching to Present God’s Word, 3) Speaking to Persuade God’s People, and 4) Writing to Promote God’s Truth. All four of those strategies are worthy and can be effective, but it was the last one which connect Colin Green to me – his writing.

Colin Green’s email noted that God is sovereign, calm, and in control. He offered prayer and encouragement to stay the course of ministry. Beyond that, he attached an electronic postcard that is like apples of god in settings of silver. Here is what he penned:

Like you, I am watching our world with a sense of horror as the events of each day compound into a loss of anything that feels normal, let alone right and good. Political divisions are fueled as constitutional laws clash with ideological and social justice movements which are then set ablaze by politicians and the media. Major cities are experiencing heightened numbers of homeless people, poverty, and crime. Resources to deal with these problems and the will to consider commonsense solutions are shrinking rapidly. I am aching for Afghanistan and fear especially for the Christians there. I am listening to reports from Haiti as yet another wave of painful devastation washes over it. There are fires, droughts, floods, and the list goes on.

Q: What are we to do? A: Stay the course.

While the things of this world have become less predictable and more unstable everyday, the mission of the Church and our calling as her ministers is clearer than ever. Now is not the time for us to wonder or wander. People need the Lord! They need to meet God, learn his Word, trust in His Son, and walk by grace through faith…. Do not lose heart….. Trust God, build the church, win the world, and press on!

The week following the back-to-back Haitian earthquake on Saturday and the collapse of Afghanistan on Sunday has been surreal. Our northern neighbor is much further geographically from stricken Haiti than the United States. I don’t know about Canada’s political or military connection to Afghanistan. But the words of a Canadian Christian resonated with me today. I hope they will encourage you as well.

Our nation is in shock, but not merely as much as the devastated populaces of Haiti and Afghanistan. These are all people whom God loves. Our prayers are with them and for them. We also pray for those who are in the front lines of relief and rescue efforts in both nations. As near as I can tell, our greater church family (The C&MA) is not operating in Haiti. But other relief organizations are working there. If you want to help, you can provide financial support or volunteer to join a work team.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29)

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:26-27)

OPM, Mom, Storm Clouds

OPM

Last month I walked downtown to pay a bill for renovations we had done at the house. I was a bit tense, partly because I didn’t know the amount due. The shopkeeper surprised me by forgiving the entire debt. It was an extraordinarily gracious gift, which I related in a previous post.

A few days ago I walked downtown again to pay another bill. This time I wasn’t the least bit tense, even though I didn’t know the amount. I walked easily into the store, pulled out the checkbook, and wrote a check. I didn’t feel the slightest hesitation or tension. There was zero pain.

What was the difference? No, it wasn’t that I had suddenly grown much more mature since last month. It’s more basic than that. This time I was carrying a different checkbook. I was paying a bill for the local clergy association. It wasn’t my money. I was merely a steward of their account.

There’s no pain when you spend other people’s money. Some financial advisors advise people to use other people’s money (OPM) when investing. I don’t recommend that, but it’s definitely less stressful to spend other people’s money. That’s why it’s important to remember God owns everything. We are merely stewards of his property. I remember Ron Blue teaching me that decades ago. It’s the first principle of biblical money management: “1. God Owns It all.” (Master Your Money, p. 20).

Everything we own really belongs to God. We are merely managers. If I adopt that attitude, there will be no pain in paying bills, or watching the stock market dive, or enduring a drought in the fields.

Every time I pay a bill, I’m using OPM. God owns my checkbook. The tension I feel when I pay bills reveals that I haven’t yet mastered stewardship.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them. Matthew 25:14

 

MOM

Last night I was reconnecting online with an old high school friend, a PK (pastor’s kid) from another church. As we reminisced about our childhood, he asked if his memory was correct that my mother had been a church secretary. This was my answer:

Yes, my mother was the church secretary for 25 years. She was the classic “take charge” attack secretary. Actually, I think she ran the church more than the pastor in some cases. I know she clashed with some of the pastors. And she probably nearly got fired a few times for it, I’d wager, though I don’t know any details. She never spoke poorly of anyone. She was very good at what she did in the office. She was proud that her mimeographed bulletins looked like they had been printed. Sometimes we folded them at home on Friday night. She was very fussy that we folded them precisely and didn’t have greasy hands from popcorn. The president of Muskingum College once tried to recruit her for his office, but she wouldn’t change jobs because she still had kids at home. The church let her set her own schedule – and sometimes we would go to the church with her and play. I often played the organ while she worked. I know she counseled some people who had come in to see the pastor. She taught me things that have stuck, such as never misspelling people’s names and proofreading my writing until it’s right. It was much harder to make corrections in the old days, but she did it every time. She thought dictionaries were to be used. I still look things up if I’m unsure. She made me take typing in summer school after eighth grade. She said typing would be useful in high school. She was right, of course. She typed my master’s thesis – all 90 pages of it – in 1984, just before personal computers would have made it much easier. If she made a single mistake on a page, she started over. No white-out. She was the same at home. There were lists everywhere – cleaning lists, shopping lists, vacation plan lists, kids’ jobs lists. But it seemed like the house was always a mess. Go figure.

My friend said it would honor my mother to post this on my blog. Here it is, Mom. I love you!

My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. Proverbs 6:20

 

STORM CLOUDS

The Clarkfield area is enduring a serious drought this summer. Recently there have been some good rains all around us. But most of the moisture has missed us. It the drought continues, the harvest will be seriously reduced, which would impact the entire town. To make it even more difficult, a couple times the sky grew very dark and threatening with the promise of rain, but it didn’t produce. Lord, please send rain!

Like clouds and wind without rain is one who boasts of gifts never given. Proverbs 25:14