So – back to Restoration Thinking.  I have repeatedly been thinking about the structure of the heritage that I grew up in.  I adored many men and women of faith, mostly in my small environment of North Alabama growing up.  But as I continue to grow, read, and pray, I understand that I was exposed to a fairly small fish tank.  Not that there was inherently anything wrong with that, but in fact, it was almost an inbred spiritual family; in which the challenged thought or genuine question of interpretation of scripture was often refused and/or quickly dismissed as immature.

As I read Barton Stone and David Lipscomb particularly, I find in these men a type of thinking that refused to be boxed in by man-made barriers.  They stood on scripture, as the only truly authoritative standard by which they would state their convictions, and quite literally would stake their complete faith in God’s word, and not on the reputation they would have in others’ eyes. 

When Christians read and study the word of God (and we MUST read and truly study, in context), we must try to read the way the readers would have read it.  There is no way we can know what their questions would have been, to which Paul or the other writers would be replying, nor the lenses of cultural environment through which they perceived the letters.  But one thing we can do, is pray, read, study, and make a stand.  Knowing in our hearts that God will judge us, and that he wants our complete devotion and obedience; including self-sacrifice, holiness, and contrition because of our sins.  However, the joy of His grace overwhelms us!  To the point that the weight of our sinful past becomes light.

There’s a great, great scene in Toy Story, the first great digital animation by Disney’s Pixar Studios.  Tom Hanks and Tim Allen were superb, and there’s a “fight scene” where Woody (the cowboy doll) is so angry at Buzz Lightyear (the Space Ranger toy), that Buzz simply cannot or will not realize that he is really a toy.  There is a point in which Woody “loses it”, and totally frustrated with Buzz for Buzz’s saying, “I must go, I’ll be late to report to Star Command.”  Woody has had it!  He screams, “YOU ARE A TOOOO-EEEEEY!!!  You’re not the real Buzz Lightyear, doh… well you’re an action figure!!!”  Buzz calmly looks at Woody and with straight face, says, “You are a sad, strange little man, and you have my pity.”  That is unfortunately the way many of our brothers react when some nearly want to scream for their lack of open-heartedness; as if they are so blinded by their concrete “knowledge” of good standing, that they can’t see the “Mattel” printed on their arms.  Yet they are so perfectly sure that they are standing firmly in the foundation of the Apostles of 2000 years ago.  The strange thing is, you can’t draw a straight line ANYWHERE in the descendence of the early Christian church.  Specifically I’m referring to those who judge and withdraw themselves from others, based on things that they do with the silence of scripture.  I remember seeing numerous diagrams when I was a kid, the “tree” of Christendom and denominations.  The off-shoots and curvy branches began with the Apostate followers in the 3rd century.  The straight line at the bottom?  The never-bending, unrelenting, never-changed church?  Yep, that’s where I grew up.  Just ask me, I can prove it.

I am not intending to be antagonistic with this post.  I truly do cherish my heritage for many great lessons, spiritual backbone, and memory work.  I just want to be real!  I need HELP being real!  I don’t want to construct my own straw man of Christian faith and then bow down do it in reverence.  Father, may you bless us all with humble hearts and the willingness to grow with an openness to the word.  May your Spirit dwell within us, and daily lead us back to you.

I have not always listened to contemporary Christian music.  But ever-how-long it took me to get here – PRAISE GOD that I finally got on board.  There are several groups or soloists that are particularly great to me; Chris Tomlin, MercyMe, Steven Curtis Chapman, Jars of Clay… those are just a few.  BY QUITE A SIZEABLE MARGIN though, is Casting Crowns.  All of these artists have a lot of great stuff to say, but for some particular reason, Mark Hall (lead vocals and main songwriter) and the rest of the gang put out a story that is far more penetrating than many of the others.  Mark’s not the only one talented in Casting Crowns… all of the vocalists are phenomenal, especially the violin-ripping, lady with the gorgeous voice who sings a lot of lead on verses too – Melodee DeVivo.  Intrigued by the title of this post?  Do a google search for “Happy plastic people” and see what the lyrics are… see if they don’t stir you!

With song titles like, “Love Them Like Jesus,” “What If His People Prayed,” “Stained Glass Masquerade,” “Lifesong,” and “Voice of Truth” – even the titles have a spiritual Christian’s interest peaked.  I don’t know – nor care – about where these folks are doctrinally in Jesus.  It is very clear that they are centered on the preeminence of Christ and servant-ship.  I have pasted their lyrics below to “Voice of Truth.”

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes
To climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves

To step out of my comfort zone
Into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out His hand

But the waves are calling out my name
And they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again. “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”

Chorus:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
The voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
The voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Oh what I would do to have
The kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant
With just a sling and a stone
Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors
Shaking in their armor
Wishing they’d have had the strength to stand

But the giant’s calling out my name
And he laughs at me
Reminding me of all the times
I’ve tried before and failed
The giant keeps on telling me
Time and time again. “Boy you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win!”

But the stone was just the right size
To put the giant on the ground
And the waves they don’t seem so high
From on top of them lookin’ down
I will soar with the wings of eagles
When I stop and listen to the sound of Jesus
Singing over me

I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth

Interesting gracEmail from Edward Fudge today.  I’m not totally sure what I think about it… except that he is definitely on-track with a providential spirit.   Very thought provoking!

LONG RANGE PLANNING

An acquaintance of mine was recently asked to lead a committee charged with producing a five-year plan for his Lutheran church. He searched the New Testament but found nothing about long-range planning. My own investigation yielded the same results. Throughout the Gospels, for example, Jesus simply goes about doing the Father’s will. Jesus’ miracles and parables, his encounters and teachings, occur almost incidentally. “As he was going along,” the Gospel writers will say, “a certain woman came to Jesus” — and the next thing we know something happens about which we still read and talk 2,000 years later.

The same is true in Acts. Luke does not record one single planning session regarding evangelism. The early disciples are praying and waiting when Pentecost happens. Peter and John are walking to the Temple for regular prayer when they meet — and heal — a lame man. They are called into account, so they tell their questioners about Jesus. Persecution scatters the believers, and some go to Samaria. Phillip preaches there until the Spirit sends him into the desert where he meets the Ethiopian. Peter is praying when the Holy Spirit sends him to Cornelius’ house. The Antioch leadership team are in prayer when the Holy Spirit tells them to “separate Barnabas and Saul” for a special assignment which we now call the First Missionary Journey. And so the story goes.

Perhaps there is a place in church for human wisdom and long-range planning, for budgets and business meetings and strategy sessions. But God’s work certainly doesn’t depend on them. Too often, our own ideas become confused with God’s agenda, and our own plans and proposals simply blind us to the higher purposes of heaven. Perhaps we ought instead to spend our time seeking God’s will, waiting on his guidance, praying for his enabling, surrendering to his leading, following his direction, and walking in the Spirit. We pray, “Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory.” This is God’s thing. He has to make it happen. And he gets all the credit.

I read one of the most practically challenging passages of scripture I can remember reading tonight.  Oh I’ve been over it many times… but I’m not sure if I can remember hearing it like tonight.

I John 2
1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

 3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.

There’s not much more that needs to be said in this post.  All I’ll try to say is this; we try to teach our children to “be like Jesus” and “make God happy.”  Lord, I need your help.  I want your love made complete in me, and to know you.  May I become more familiar with the steps the Master took, and the character and love he demonstrated daily. 

Wow, it’s been a week.  This is likely the longest I’ve gone without making a post for quite a while.  It’s been a busy week, and it’s contest season for Barbershoppers…

I’m studying to teach a class that’s coming up next Sunday (Holy Week) on the relevance of the Cross.   The significance of the cross of Jesus is a topic that we can only scratch the surface of… no matter what our level of expertise or academia.  In a “casual” reading tonight of John’s account, I kept thinking about the 2 on either side of Jesus.  The 2 thieves.  Something was there that seemed interesting to me.

In John 19:18, John mentions them like this; “Here they crucified him, and with him two others – one on each side and Jesus in the middle.”  The only other mention of these men at all is in v. 32, when the text speaks of their legs being broken because the officials didn’t want to leave the bodies on the cross for the “special Sabbath” (of Passover) that was looming the following day.  The interesting thing about THIS account to me is that these men seem expendable.  They’re almost not even mentioned, as if John says, “by the way, there were 2 other men there crucified as well.”  John’s emphasis is clearly on the cross of Jesus.

But it’s this “insignificance” of the 2 men that John paints into the fabric that is interesting to me.  Jesus is crucified in the center.  The “main event” as it were.  The leading criminal.  His sentence is the event that has brought on the untimely death of these 2 criminals, and His grace is what will save one of them.  I’m not saying John intended to minimize the salvation of the thief on the cross.  I’m simply saying – Jesus SAW and HEARD the expendable in the society.  Seriously, even in the more detailed accounts of the other gospels, these 2 men play a “periferial” role.  The Thief who had undoubtedly spiraled downhill farther and farther, crime after crime, until he committed his final crime and satisfied the debt that he could never get out of.  Somehow, he sees the transformation on the cross.  But the transformation he sees is not in Jesus himself, but in the Thief’s own perception of Jesus!  He comes to KNOW that Jesus must be “The King of the Jews” as Pilate identified him.

What does this mean for us?  Well, I’m just going to continue to think of myself in the shape of one of those thieves.  Which one?  I pray to God that I am the one who converted to Jesus.  Jesus obviously saw in his heart a new, convicted, “nothing to lose because everything is lost” confession out of this man.  What did he expect to gain by asking Jesus to “remember me when You come into Your kingdom?”  Nothing… but everything!!  We are insignificant, we are dirty, convicted, evil, vain, vile practicioners of Satan’s fallen system.  Jesus took the insignificant and elevated him to a position of equality with himself – in the cross.  We don’t stay that way in Jesus.  We are washed, purified, cleansed, and made fresh and new again.

Praise God for His great love, and may He have mercy on our lack of understanding.  We are so ignorant, and so foolish.  If we knew what the cross meant, we might see ourselves on that cross; right there with our legs broken as well.

I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching.  The Lord has been kinder to us in the last year than ever before, and our blessings have been so numerous!  We’ve had some problems too, but such is a fallen world.  The land of the living – which is always where God is – is the place I want to stay.  I have several cards taped on my desk that have me thinking more each day than ever before about who I am, what I’m doing for Him (everything… but specifically as a Husband, a Dad, a Leader, a teacher, a student, etc.) 

One of the cards says:
– Unused talents give you no advantage over someone who has no talents at all.  The statement is identified as Anonymous, but we all know how actually said that.  It was the Master, Rabboni, the Lord, Jesus.  In his parable of the talents (the pun is accidental and ironic, but altogether appropriate.  Talents in scripture were measurements of $$$, not just ability) in Matthew 25, there are 3 levels of talents (a measurement of money).  One man is given 5, another 2, and another 1.  The 5 and 2 talent men took their talents and invested them, turning another 5 and 2 talents each… thus gaining the blessing and reward of their master.  The 1 talent man buried his talent in the field (undoubtedly viewed it as treasure, and something to hoard), and “wasted” his talent.

The point I get from the Anonymous quip on my desk is that I’m a fool if I sit still and don’t MAKE the opportunities arise.  The “talents” and abilities the Lord God has blessed me with must not sit idle.  His blessings will mushroom, and the joy of those blessings will grow exponentially if I apply myself to hone those skills, grow deeper in knowledge, grow closer in my walk, and more humble in my steps. 

Along with that quote, there’s another one. 
– Go the extra mile.  It’s never crowded.  That one was written by Anonymous too, that’s funny…  I thought Jesus mentioned this also.  I’ve always “known” these things.  But I’ve never truly listened.  Father, forgive my foolish lack of faith, and help me stave off the attacks of the relentless adversary.  He will stop at nothing to quench my zeal, my excitement, my enthusiasm, and joy at the wonderful things you have most certainly provided.  You are God, and you are the greatness of every thing; I am just a man, and but dust.  Help me to be meek, humble, and have a fire lit under my butt to do what I need to do.  Help me send Satan back to where he belongs, in eternal misery in Hell.  Help me be like your servant, the Son of Man.

Thanks so much to the notes some of you leave, both privately and publicly on the blog.  I appreciate Mark’s comments on Luther and Reformation for several reasons… whether or not he meant for them to be taken this way!  When I think of the major differences in the approaches of the different era’s, I must try and view through the eyes of Catholic tradition, political religion, and a world of confusion. 

The effort of Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, and countless others was vital in a re-approach to the Christian faith.  While I believe the ages have been scattered with God’s faithful disciples, there no doubt must have been deep, dark ages for the Church for close to 1000 years.  So what would the Father have us do?  Re-create the Church?  How can we possibly sort out the abundance of years and countless perversions of truth?  Can scripture alone provide us all of the answers?  Does the canon of the N.T. provide every detail for our necessity?  I believe it does.  What I don’t believe is that it is anywhere near as specific as some would make it out to be.

The truth shall set us free.  I can’t help but continue to think – as I read the Gospels, and my brother Doug’s blog – that Christ’s life must surely be as powerful a hermeneutical explanation as anything we have figured out in recent hundreds of years.  I love the idea of restoring, but does it imply that we believe we can restore it?  And, as LaGard Smith pointed out years ago in the Cultural Church (and more recently in Radical Religion) is it necessary for us to “restore” N.T. Christianity?  Thanks for reading my ramblings… just thinking out loud.  I would never presume to have all of the answers.  I just hope I’m asking some of the right questions.  Meanwhile, I have a life to live, and improve on.  Satan attacks every day, and if you’re reading this, I ask you to pray for my continued faith and solidarity – to become more convicted daily to live like the Master.

I have been thinking a lot lately about the idea of Restoration Theology.  What do you think?  I’m curious, how many folks out there who read this blog are from a Restoration Heritage – Churches of Christ, Christian Churches, Disciples of Christ – or other non-denominational fellowships springing from that heritage.  AND, most especially, if you are a believer and are NOT from that heritage, I would love to know what you think about the idea of “restoration.”  I’d love your thoughts on that question, or the following:  B)  What do you think of Thomas Campbell’s statement, “Where the Scriptures speak, we speak; where the Bible is silent, we are silent.”  C)  How would the true disciple minister the poor of this world?  Is this only for the church?  for the individual believer?  both?  This is the first of my attempts to open discussion on my blog, rather than one-way monologuing… yes, boring after a while.

For the sake of argument, I will define Restoration Theology in this way:  The effort to “restore” the ideals of early Christianity.  The desire to practice – in the modern day – the same selfless, evangelistic, Spirit-led, dynamic worship and daily walk as the early Christians demonstrated in kind.  The desire to leave all sectarianism, all denominational thinking, and yet through the lenses of our warped history, to put into practice the same type obedience to Jesus, and discipleship as the early disciples demonstrated.  Although not perfect, the early saints were closest in chronology to the ministry of Christ; in addition, restoration theology may be defined as a desire to “go back to the Bible” for all one says and does in the Christian faith. 

What do you think the church of Jesus Christ would look like today?  Buildings?  Cathedrals?  Foot-washing?  Alms-giving to poor?  Televangelism?  An industry?  An attitude?  Feel free to leave comments below; please be nice to all, but be candid.  I am not an anti-traditionalist.  I believe in every sect of the Christian faith there are remnants of what was… but what should it be?  (you’ll make this more fun if you play along, and speak your heart!)  Based on the history recorded in the Old OR New Testaments, (Acts, Jeremiah, the Epistles of Paul, Ezekiel, etc.) what would the ideal church look like today?

I’ve been re-reading a book by Lynn Anderson, called The Shepherd’s Song.  In this book, Anderson approaches the difficult situations David was in that are recorded in scripture.  He is not soft on David’s failures, nor is he too fluffy with compliments during his good times.  Anderson deeply admires David, and as such he holds him to a high standard of behavior.

The chapter on David’s slaying of Goliath is particularly inspiring, primarily because he addresses the deep devotion to God that David MUST have already in his life at the time of his calling to the valley of Elah (valley of blood).  A young man who is a shepherd, whom the scripture describes as “full of health and handsome”, is focused on God in the days of his youth.  When the bear attacks, or the lion, both of which David slays with his skills as a sling shooter, and a shepherd who takes his job very seriously.   Of course he takes a bag lunch to his brothers at the battle-front, and while there he rises to glory by slaying a man who was close to twice his height.  Over 9 feet tall.

But the chapter that has most caught my attention so far has been the 4th chapter of the book.  A man who has risen to the top of the world, and literally has slain his giants, has gotten to a point where his security blankets are being ripped away one after the next.  What happened to the glory of his years just a few years ago?  After all, the man who slew the Philistine champion would be given the daughter of the King, Mychal.  He becomes a deep brother to Jonathan, the son of Saul.  He was anointed by Samuel and Samuel remains a deep mentor.  Then it begins to unravel.  Doubt, depression, and distance from God consume him.

Saul is obsessed with killing his son-in-law.  David evades his assault on several occasions.  Later, he would cut a piece of cloth from Saul’s garment to prove he could have killed him, but in stead, he could not possibly harm “the Lord’s anointed.”  But Saul removes all solid ground for David.  David runs for his life.  After going to the Philistines – the very people who were arch enemies of Israel – he runs again and finally lands in the Cave of Adullam, where the caves open up for hundreds of acres inside.  Anderson describes the place as a snake-ridden, den for rodents, hermits, and runaways… just like David.  He continues and goes back TO the Philistines – why would he do that?  Loses his dignity, and says to himself, “if I let my saliva dribble down my beard they will think I’m insane.”  Flee for comfort to the camp of the enemy?  He must be crazy… but he has allowed it to happen.  Let’s recap what has occurred in the life of this young man who WAS on top of the world.  He slays a giant.  He is anointed as the future king.  He married the King’s daughter, she betrays him, and her father (the King) tries repeatedly to kill him out of feverish jealousy.  Jonathan stays as long as he can in his deep brotherhood with David, until he has to stay with family.  David loses his best friend, and never sees him again.  Samuel soon dies, and another mentor is taken from him.  He loses his first love, loses his best friend, loses his mentor – not Samuel yet, but his father-in-law, and still never takes vengeance on “the Lord’s Anointed.”  Soon he loses Samuel, the deepest, strongest oaken pillar in his life.  He runs amuck and runs to the place he knows he can find a weapon… the sword of Goliath and the priests of Nob.  Saul chases him and kills the priests; now the blood of innocent men is all over David’s hands because David knew Saul would chase him, and still went to the men at Nob.  How is he going to deal with that?   

David lost trust in God.  Where was the champion of deep courage and holiness that slew the giant!?!?  His failure was not trusting God, and it consumed his character, destroyed his dignity, and ate a pit inside of him.  With his doubt and security being jerked away repeatedly, no doubt it continued to send him deeper in to confusion, and farther from God because he didn’t remain in communion with him.  I love the statement by Anderson in the closing paragraphs of the chapter; “When a man has truly faces his mistakes and knows the forgiveness of God, he is secure in God – but only in God.  Then something about him often attracts the loyalty, admiration, and love of courageous and distressed and penitent people.  There is no need to wallow in our mire of all of our days nor to rob the world of our gifts because of past failures.”  (p. 38)  We know through Jesus, that our trust is in one who never will leave us nor forsake us.  David knew this too when he was younger.  And look… these adversities are only PART of the crap he went through later on in life…  I can’t wait to read more about this great man of faith, and how his failures gave way to great success, and though he may have died a man full of pain, he would be forever recorded as a “man after God’s own heart.”  He did come back to center… always.  For the text of these situations in the life of David, see 1 Samuel 17-22.