The third line in the call of Our Lord would be something like: “Bring in and send out.” But the very first line that you’ll always hear from Jesus would be just two words: “Follow Me!” This is the ABC and the XYZ of the call to discipleship. Just this. “Follow Me.” Not: “Build me a church.” Or: “Change the world.” Nope! “Follow Me!” That’s it. Only in line three of the call would you hear the words of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20) where Jesus said: “Go into All the World and Make Disciples…” By the way, He did not say “Raise up professional religious personnel to fulfil this call on behalf of all those part-time followers (as many people interpret it today).” Neither did he say: “Make good church members; create loyal cell group attendees; host large youth gatherings; hold numerous religious meetings; etc.” Nothing of the sort. Only that we must follow Him out there on the road intentionally and purposefully so that others would gladly join our little band or tribe of Jesus followers.
Hearing new music
In his great book Summoned to Lead, Len Sweet tells the story of Yousouf Karsh a well-known portrait photographer, who took pictures of some of the most famous people on the planet during the 20th century. Only once did he take a picture of someone’s back. It was that of Pablo Casals. While Casals was practicing Bach on his cello in a small French abbey in 1954 Karsh was so moved that he instantly took a picture of Casals bent over his cello right against the old chapel wall.
Years later some of Karsh’s portraits were on exhibition in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. There the curator noticed an elderly man who came to see the exhibition day after day. Every time he stopped in front of the photograph of Casals and stood there for what seemed to be ages. One day the curator walked up to this gentleman and kindly tapped him on the shoulder to find out why he came to see this picture every single day. Irritated the man frowned at the curator and said: “Hush, young man! Can’t you see I’m listening to the music?”
How not to get involved in every verbal street fight…
Sometimes we’re forced by others to say whether we’re for or against something, someone or a certain cause or belief. Atheists who are on a crusade to spread their beliefs (of not believing in God), or religious fundamentalists who believe only their ‘superior’ views on God are correct, will often try to force you to answer right or wrong, yay or nay, when they confront you with their ‘correct’ perspectives. Most individuals, including myself, fall for their tricks. Their threats and challenges (of you going go hell, or being the joke of the week because of what you believe) are often so convincing that you give in and try to answer their aggressive questions. Afterwards you always want to kick yourself for being so naive, because they always end up as the victors who have the last say.
Far too many times I got involved in debates or discussions that left me with toxic feelings and thoughts afterwards. Perhaps it’s because I have a permanent sticker on my forehead that reads: ‘Sucker for punishment.’ Or perhaps it’s because of my eagerness not to let a good debate slip through my fingers. In any case, it’s not wise to get involved in verbal discussions with bullies, especially those religious or non-religious bullies who see you as their next human target to beat up through verbal abuses and one-sided rational arguments.
Beware of those unwelcome visitors around this time in January
Recently I read an interesting study which found that if your were depressed before your annual holiday, these symptoms will return within ten days after you start working again. Even if you do not suffer depression during your well-earned rest, if you were privileged enough to go away during the December holidays, would be over and done with within three weeks. Burnout, tiredness, anxiety, lack of energy, etc., will soon make an unwelcome return around this time. Beware! They will reappear. They will jump out of November 2011’s closets and haunt you all over again.
Is there a solution? YES! It begins with the realization that rest is not just about going away on a holiday. Holidays are important too. But regular sabbaths are what we all need. God created us as human beings. That’s why we get tired. We aren’t robots or machines that can, should or must work around the clock 365 days a year. That’s why God built in a weekly sabbath; a tools-down and time-out day of rest. Unfortunately the Sabbath all too soon turned into a day of “don’t” and “not allowed” restrictions in Israel. It became a superficial religious day filled to the brim with strict laws and commandments. That’s why Hebrews 4 tells us that Israel never really kept the Sabbath and that the true Sabbath rest still awaits God’s people.
Is echurch part of the “Emerging church?” … and other myths
It is fashionable to classify/“brand” everyone that you disagree with as part of the “emerging church.” For some reason, this label is meant as a new scold word. If you have books by anyone from Rob Bell, Brian McLaren, Ron Martoia, to Doug Paggitt or Tony Jones on your bookshelf, or if you confess that you even know them, you’re automatically a leper. These “sins” qualify you for “guilt by association.” (Incidentally, those who think in this way need to immediately stop reading Paul who once or twice quotes non-religious Greek poets, or the book of Judas, which quotes works like the Testament of Moses and 1 Enoch, as these works do not form part of the canon.)
In books, websites and articles many church leaders, movements and churches are being branded with labels such as “emerging church” and presented to the public as twisters of the Truth. Or as proclaimers of a watered-down gospel. South Africa is no exception. Sadly, all this suspicion-raising activity has degenerated into mudslinging and sub-standard character-attacks filled with faulty quotes and unfounded claims. (I’m blushing on behalf of those stone throwers!)
Why is Jesus always the answer to the wrong crowd’s questions?
I grew up with the slogan: “Jesus is the answer.” I never knew what the question was, but, what the heck, he was the answer to it! But when I began to learn how important questions are, I really wanted to know why we say Jesus is the answer — at least I wanted to know to which question(s). The only way to find out was to ask believers and non-believers alike. The results stunned me. My small, non-scientific investigation lead me to realize that Jesus is only the answer to questions that church people ask. In turn this “answer” is actually the question and even the problem to “outsiders.” Put differently, nobody outside the church care too much for the “Jesus is the answer” slogan, because they don’t ask those “If you die tonight, where will you end up?” questions.
Now, a question of my own — shouldn’t it have been the other way round? Isn’t Jesus supposed to be the answer to questions that non-believers, unChristians, backsliders, marginalized people, the poor, sick and outcasts ask? If Jesus isn’t magnetic to people who (still) don’t follow him, why will they even bother to listen to our “answers” to our questions that they never ask?
Infectious Jesus
(From the book: Hijacked by Jesus)
“It’s is not so much that the church has a mission but that the mission has a church… we really are the result of God’s missionary activity in the world.”
— Alan Hirsch & Lance Ford
The church is the most important vehicle to further God’s kingdom in our world. But the church is never an end in itself. When his chosen vehicle doesn’t deliver what he expects of it, he will unceremoniously bypass it. When the church misunderstands its calling by turning into a stagnant institution instead of growing into a vibrant movement, God will find other ways. When the church opts for dead monuments, people with the right momentum will rise up and become his new instruments of hope to achieve his gracious plans for our world. God will always find a way around stagnant, passive institutions to further his aims. And he does, because for him:
- People matter more than sterile religious institutions.
- Momentum is more important than holy monuments.
- Transformation of human lives is the aim, not membership gains.
- Movement is what is what the kingdom of God is about, not maintenance.
- Community with Jesus and with the followers of Jesus is what it’s all about, not adherence to dead prescriptions.
Not waving but drowning
I love the poem Not waving but drowning by Stevie Smith. It tells the story of many people’s lives. Many people are drowning out at sea while others mistake their hand signals as waving gestures. Big mistake. It reminds me of the lady who once told me at a meeting that she is so busy she only has time to wave at Jesus every morning. “How does he respond,” I asked curiously. “He waves back,” she replied. “No, you’re wrong. He doesn’t wave back. He’s moving his hand up and down to show you to slow down, but you’re living so fast that you’ve got his hand signals all mixed up.” What a dangerous place to be when we can’t even decipher God’s signals any longer. Please read the following poem and give it some careful thought:
Not Waving But Drowning
Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.
How to drive over my legs
The well-known Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) tells the story of a poor man who once walked barefoot to a city to look for work. Fortunately he found a job there and earned enough money to buy himself a pair of shoes. With the money he had left afterwards he went to a pub to eat and drink. After a few beers too many he headed back home. Later he became tired and fell asleep in the middle of the road. A while later a wagon came along. When the driver spotted him lying in the road, he shouted at the drunk man to get out of the way, otherwise the wagon would ride over his legs. When the drunk opened his eyes and heard the remarks of the driver threatening to drive over his legs, he spotted the new shoes on his feet. In his drunken state he could only recall the fact that he walked barefoot until that day. Then he replied: “You can drive over them; they are not mine!”
True or False: No struggles, no testimony?
A while ago a friend of mine was invited to speak at a meeting in a certain church on the topic of marriage. A few days later a lady from that church phoned him back to inquire about his “testimony” regarding his own marriage.
“Did you ever have a bad patch in your marriage where you just wanted to get out of it all?” “Have you ever felt physically attracted to another person during the past years, but you resisted the temptation?” she asked bluntly.
“No and no,” he replied instantly. “But why do you want to know?”
“We want to know if you have a testimony of God’s special work in your marriage. However, it seems to me that you don’t because your can’t really tell of any miraculous interventions from God’s side in your marriage. Unfortunately, we’ll have to cancel the invitation then and ask somebody else who would be able to testify how God turned their marriage around,” the lady replied.
Echurch is an online community of followers of Jesus. But we have a large footprint offline as well. We take the charge to care for those who can't care for themselves very seriously.