The King and Cash- Pain and Suffering

I have been pondering something a lot lately. What I have been thinking about is what has been called the "prosperity gospel". This is especially relevant for now, because of the apparent recession that we are in, or downturn of the economy.

The crux of the prosperity gospel says that Jesus died so that we can be "triumphant" meaning- healthy, wealthy, and prosperous. I am appalled that because of the greed of many hearts that this false gospel has taken root so deeply in our culture. Interesting enough, if worse came to worse and our economy was to crash- what would happen to this so-called gospel?

Furthermore, those who propagate and believe in the prosperity seriously need to take "Hermeneutics" with Mark Hawkes, or get their eyes checked when reading the Scriptures. Is it not clear from the Bible that Jesus suffered intensely for our sin, to the point of death, in fact dying the death that we should have died for our sin? When we look at the suffering of Christ, it seems tame to call the prosperity gospel a complete and utter travesty. Jesus did not die to make us comfortable, rich, healthy, or wealthy. He died to set us free from sin and death. (Romans 6:23)

There are many examples all throughout Scripture of people who suffered greatly for the proclamation of the truth. I have to think, that the "cloud of witnesses" mentioned in the book of Hebrews (Hebrews 12) would shudder at those who believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ is so that their Escalade can have bigger rims. Also notable, is that suffering has always, always, furthered the progress of the true gospel. I cannot remember where I heard it, but I heard somewhere the other day that someone China was telling people from North America to stop praying that suffering would end in China. Because the suffering of the saints has furthered the cause of Christ in that nation. They are praying that we in North America will have to undergo suffering, so that there can be a true revival based upon our depravity, and Jesus' glory- the true gospel. Do I want to suffer? In all honesty, of course I do not. Is the progress of the truth of Jesus Christ more important than my comfort? Absolutely. "Lord Jesus, please help me never, ever to be comfortable to the point where I am apt to be complacent"

Two very notable people have come across my mind as I have thought about this subject. One, is "The King" Elvis Presley, and the other is Johnny Cash. No, I didnt not pick Johnny Cash in this discussion because I am trying to be punny like Roger Stronstad. Also, let me say off the top that I am not here to argue which team Elvis going to be on when the King of Kings and Lord of Lords returns for his church. But, I think that their two men both have powerful stories. Both were on the top of the world. Both had almost everything that money could buy them. Both of them experienced tremendous pain and suffering in their lives. Both, I believe recognized their depravity and turned to Jesus Christ.

It is said that in one of his concerts there was a sign that a bunch of girls have that said "Elvis is King". But Elvis, stopped the music, and said to them "Jesus Christ is King". It is also very well documented how Elvis was most at peace when playing gospel tunes that he grew up with. He even forced other celebrities that were in his home, to listen to his play gospel music. Johnny Cash perhaps did not see the light, until his hour was darkest. He was the man in black- for the poor and the downtrodden- and because he realized how dark he was without Jesus. My point with them, is that they had it all, yet suffered a lot and had a real concept of their own depravity. If we have a real, startling, view of our own depravity as humans, and that we are nothing without the true gospel of Jesus Christ, it is almost impossible for shams like the prosperity gospel to take root.

What started all of this for me? In short, this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTc_FoELt8s

What is the point of this ramble? I am glad you asked. The point is that I want to live a radical life for Jesus Christ. As John Piper says, "God is most glorified in you when you are most satisfied in him, in the midst of suffering, not prosperity". Again, I am not in love with the idea of pain and suffering in my own life. What I want to be absolutely crazy about, is the glory of Jesus, and his true gospel- which has the power to set us free from sin and death.

The true gospel of Christ has the power to make us, who are called according to his purpose, VICTORIOUS. So that we can have mutual funds? So that we can be assured that we will never ever catch a cold again? So that we won't have to endure loss? So that we will not get cancer? No. Rather, so that Jesus Christ, the Risen One would be glorified in all that we do, and everything that we are, even or especially in the midst of suffering.

My prayer is for myself, and the church of Jesus Christ in North America would be most satisfied in Jesus Christ, that he would be glorified like he ought to be. In the midst of ALL life brings. I want to be most concerned with WHAT MAKES GOD LOOK GLORIOUS- because he is.

The Church Building: Community- Let's Talk

I was walking home from my bus stop the other day, and I took a shortcut, through a church parking lot. It was about 4:00, not a car, or soul to be seen, and the gate was firmly locked. And this started me thinking about how we talk about community a lot, how we are already present in our particular communities for the most part, and how the church building fits into that.

We know that the church is not a building. The church of Jesus Christ is not a building, it is not an organization or social club. The church is what God promised he would build, and IS building, made up of all true followers of Jesus. However, since Constantine, the church has become largely institutionalized. And, a practical part of this means that we possess and meet in buildings.

My thoughts came to rest on the stewardship of the buildings that God has entrusted to us. When we think of stewardship we typically think of tithing our money TO the church, and there is nothing expressly wrong in this, outside of completely compartmentalizing our stewardship, and limiting it to money alone. My question is this: Are we being good stewards of what God has entrusted to us? Particularly with regards to our church buildings.

It has been my experience in the North American church thus far, that it is often that our buildings sit completely empty for large portions of the week; almost void of interaction within the community it seems. The church office may be open for a few hours, till perhaps around lunch time, and then not a soul darkens the door until Sunday morning. Now, I realize that I am exaggerating (to make a point), and that this is not the case in all churches. However, I believe that it is commonplace with regards to the North American church, of which we are a part.

Furthermore, if there is one thing that hopefully defines the church, from the book of Acts until now, it must be the word community. This is definitely a "buzz word" in Christian circles, and it is completely understandable why. We read the book of Acts, and it is impossible not to see the raw power of community- sharing possessions, giving to anyone who has a need,breading of bread together (eating), praying, reading the Word. We see this, and we are inspired to "recapture", if you will, this community that we see so vividly in Acts (particularly chapter 2). And we should. The community that Jesus vividly exemplifies with his disciples, and that we see in Acts, should inspire us to "do life" with others. Authentic, raw, genuine community should follow us wherever we go. We should create it, define it, exemplify it, and live in it every single day. Let's face it- whether Christian or not- our greatest joys and our most monumental struggles will be within the context of relationship with one another. But- it is worth it. People are worth it.

Bringing this all back to the church building itself, my closing thought is this: should not the church be more like a community centre, or centre of community than it is today? Should we not be the most happening place on the block? Let me preface that thought with this: I know that we are called to go where people are, where community already happens, and we should. But should not the church itself be the best, most truest expression of community the world has ever seen? This by the grace of Jesus alone, and a few good, spirit-led, inspired, fired-up men and women. Thoughts? I say- let's do it.

I Heart Revolution

Mother Theresa Poem

People are unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Be good anyway.

Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People need help but will attack you if you help them.
Help them anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

*Kent Keith originated this poem in 1968, and Mother Teresa placed it on her children's home in Calcutta in a slightly different version. As a result, many have attributed it to Mother Teresa.

Just Add Water- A very cool project

How we honor what we value

Each and every culture has had its own way of expressing value with regards to concepts, ideas, literature, art etc. One of the ways we can measure what we value is how we spend our time, and what we are doing with it. So, this got me thinking. How do many people in our day and age spend their time? I quickly came to the conclusion that in an unprecedented manner our culture days spends a lot of time entertaining ourselves with media. Most people, it seems, commonly rent movies, go to theaters, and spend time online. Today, media is a clear expression of what we value, and how we honor what we value.

For example, in ages past works of literature were held in high regard if they were widely read, and published, studied, and discussed. The reality is today, for better or worse, people in our culture seem to be reading less, and would more readily go to a movie. Interesting. Perhaps it is possible that this expresses what we value, and those who we honor. I say this because many of the movies that we watch were inspired or written by people who are long since gone, but their influence remains because someone thought their work valuable enough to recapture with media. Some prevalent examples of this are The Lord of the Rings trilogy, written by J.R.R Tolkien in the first half on the 20th century. Another might be The Chronicles of Narnia, written by the late C.S. Lewis. (Sidenote: C.S. Lewis' death was overshadowed by the assassination of JFK). These works are obviously valued in our culture as millions of moviegoers pour into the theater to view them. There are many other such examples, some of which have been valued and recreated throughout history, such as Troy, based upon the Illiad by the ancient poet Homer.

My point is this, are we simply entertained and that is it? Or is this a way in which our culture expresses something that it values? Are we honoring those that we value?