Can Authentic Christianity Be Private?

You've heard it. I've heard it. May have even said it at some point. "My faith is a private matter." 

Sometimes the intent is healthy. We aren't here to coerce and back people into corners regarding matters of faith. Jesus' method wasn't like that. He was winsome, invitational, welcoming yet passionate. The only people He truly backed into a corner were the religious folk who were convinced they knew it all. 

So I get it. I don't want to be coercive, manipulative or zealous with a bad dose of social ineptitude.

On the other hand, authentic, Biblical Christianity isn't a private matter. It may begin privately. But after you say "Yes" to Jesus, it's anything but private! True love always go public at some point and love for God and each other are no different. I'll paraphrase Timothy Keller here, "You know someone has really experienced God’s love when they stop saying, Christianity is a private matter."

That’s why water baptism is a public exercise. Baptisms were never meant to be private. When Jesus loves you on the inside, it’s the most natural thing to show it. Baptism doesn’t save you, but I would question whether someone has experienced Jesus if they continue to say, “My faith is a private matter.” 

Have you gone public with your faith? No? Maybe you haven't met the real, powerful, winsome, mighty, unique, glorious Jesus who gives life to dead things. 

Are we wasting our lives?

How long have you lived? I don't mean days or years. I'm talking about being alive while you live.

Consider this,

•     Harris Interactive survey revealed the average eight- to twelve-year-old gamer plays fourteen hours of video games per week [source]
•     American seniors (65+) watch an average of 47.5 hours TV per week. American adults average 34 hrs per week. [source]  
•     Number of minutes per week that parents spend in meaningful conversation with their children: 3.5 minutes. [source]

I watch TV too. But my question is: How much of that time is spent really "living?"

“There are those of us who are always about to live. We are waiting until things change, until there is more time, until we are less tired, until we get a promotion, until we settle down / until, until, until. It always seems as if there is some major event that must occur in our lives before we begin living.”   (George Sheehan)

Spend 30 minutes sometime in a quiet place. You fill in the blank:
"I know I'm living when ________________________________."
"I feel alive when _________________________.

Problems

Sometimes I just wish I could remove people's problems. I hear them and immediately I put on my "fix it" hat, my counselor hat, 'how can I take away their pain' hat? If life just wasn't difficult for them...

•  a single woman? My solution? She needs a good husband. "Come on, God. She's faithful. Give her a good husband, now!"
• a feeble woman with Alzheimer's? My solution: She needs to “go home” to Jesus
• A marriage that is hanging on by a thread? I need to get them in counseling.

The sanctifying work of the Spirit is a mystery. What is God doing? Does He still love them?

And as a pastor, I make it my goal to fix it. But is that the 'Jesus method'?  James and John wanted the glory without the gory (Matt 20:21-22). They wanted the fame without the shame. They wanted the testimony without the test. Not possible.

The best part of who I am was forged in the fire. I don’t like the fire. I don’t want the fire. I don’t ask for the fire. But there is no testimony without a test. There is no diamond without pressure. There is no leader without…problems. Let’s face it: if leadership was easy, everybody would be doing it.  The best leaders are the ones who have had to go against the current of naysayers, personal doubts, insecurity...problems. Sometimes, lots of them. They’ve overcome some of them, they are still facing a few. A leader who hasn’t been tested by some fiery problems will melt when the heat is turned up.

You can’t rush the testing of a leader, nor can you rush the sanctifying work of...problems. Notice Jesus words to Peter, “What is that to you? Follow me.” Your path will be unique.

Parents make the mistake of protecting their child from hurts, from peer pressure, from persecution, from disappointment. The end result is a 30-yr old adolescent who doesn’t want to grow up. Their life is virtually without problems. But it's usually also without joy, personal victory and maturity.  

Is our purpose to eliminate the problems in people's lives or to help them see Jesus in their problems?

No, not every problem is a test. We bring some problems on ourselves because of dumb decisions. But God can still use those dumb decisions, thankfully! 

So bottom line, which guy would you rather follow:

·         Jacob before he faced his past at Mt Penuel? Jacob the deceiver/supplanter? Or Israel, the man who walked with a limp?

·         Daniel without the jealous peers and lions den, or Daniel, the man who faced the lions?

·         Samson the brave, strong man before he failed, or Samson, the man after he was blinded and realized his mistake?

·         Paul before he was shipwrecked at Malta or after?

·         Peter the brave, brash character before the denial? Or Peter, after his comeback?

·         A Jesus born in Jerusalem or a Jesus born in Nazareth?

Those problems actually provided the fire needed to forge the character that makes a person worth following.

So do we deliver people from all their problems? Or do we point them to Jesus in their problems?

Do we alleviate the burdens of life or help them get stronger so they can bear them?

Do we ask for a level road with no mountains or do we pray for His strength?

What are you possibly learning from your problems? How about that friend you're so worried about? Might God be using those problems you so desperately want to free them from? Maybe so.

Maybe It's No Accident

Ever long for a different job in a different place with different people?

• I feel so different than the folks around me.
• Why can't I be around people who see the world like I do?
• This city, this church is so...(liberal, conservative, simple, backwards, leftist, etc)
• Oh to have friends that could talk about the deeper things of life

 If we were advising Saul who became Paul on his ministry career, it might look like this:

"Let's see. You have a quite a heritage as a Jew! Tribe of Benjamin, schooled by the noted teacher Gamaliel. So well-studied in the Torah. It's quite obvious to me. You should teach in Jerusalem. With such a resume as yours, I'm sure you'll be a great fit in the city where it all began. You have what it takes to reason with the great minds of the Saducees and the Pharisees. Saddle up, Paul. I see big things for you in your future right in the heart of Israel!"

But then God rarely looks at our pedigree like we do. "Then the Lord said to me, 'Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles.'" Acts 22:21.

It's ironic. The man with one of the more brilliant minds in Israel. Where is he sent? To pagans who have little or no knowledge of what he's best at: reasoning and teaching from a Jewish perspective. To people who can't appreciate his expertise. I wonder if he ever had similar thoughts as those above:

• "Oh, to be free from pagans who have no clue!"
• "They are so...pagan!"
• "I miss the conversations and long nights discussing things like "Why were angels ascending Jacob's ladder?" and "Who was Melchizedek?"

But this is God. His ways are not ours. His career counseling sounds different. His motives are less to do with us and more to do with His big plan, His kingdom. 

So maybe your assignment today is no accident. Maybe you're where you are on purpose. 

WHY THEY QUIT

One of the big differences between church and the corporate world is that the majority of church MVP’s don’t get paid for their contribution to the wins we make for Jesus—at least on Earth that is. While we are compensated financially for what we do, for these others the tangible rewards will come from God Himself.

So the big question: how do we continue to motivate the troops if we can’t threaten them with getting fired? Who wants to fire volunteers? We can suggest another place of serving, give them a break, or possibly even better…fire them up. It’s a daunting task.

I remember as a Music Pastor it was one of the more exhausting responsibilities. I wanted musicians and singers who play every week to feel valued. And I also wanted them to show up on time…and preferable with joy! I tried all kinds of things and I still try them although my role is different. The truth is there’s no magic bullet.

But there are some common reasons why volunteers (or partners as we call them at Crosspoint) lose the fire or quit. And it’s why we, or even I, lose the fire. Here's one big reason: We forget the WHY. Call it vision, or purpose, or mission, or dream. But when we lose it, it’s really hard to keep fighting, keep running, keep praying, keep giving, or keep serving. Lose the WHY and you’ll lose the FIGHT. You just can’t fight under the pressure for very long when you can’t remember why you ever started. 

Here are some other good reasons from Dan Reiland1 (based on actual comments from church volunteers):

• "I never knew exactly what they wanted me to do."
• "No one provided leadership, so my questions never got answered."
• "There was no training."
• "There was no ongoing supervision or evaluation."
• "They forgot about me after they gave me the job."
• "No one ever said thanks."
• "They seem like they are continually disorganized."
• "There was a serious breakdown of communication."
• "They expected too much."
• "It seemed like it was all about achieving the pastor's personal goals."
• "I told them I didn't want the job, but they begged me."
• "I never received the tools and resources I needed."
• "It wasn't any fun." 

 Why do you think volunteers quit?

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea." - Antoine de Saint Exupery

1."Why Volunteers Quit" by Dan Reiland from The Pastor's Coach e-newsletter]

I Know it's Weird but Trust Me

When my wife and I travel, I like to have a plan. I'll either map it or iphone the route to/from the hotel, some cool restaurant or sight to see. Not always perfect in my planning but I try. As we're sometimes walking in some new city, my wife will sometimes wander, not watching where she's going. So I'm grabbing her hand or her shoulders, "This way, Babe!" She's really not addicted to wanderlust. She just says, "I know you know where I am so I don't worry! I trust you." I'm not sure she should trust me that much!

But when I'm in her hometown, it's the other way around. She grew up on those streets. I'll say, "I think we're supposed to turn left here?"
She'll say, "No, turn right."
"But if feels like we're supposed to turn left."
"No. Turn right. Trust me, I know!"

So I do the only smart thing: I trust her. Even though my feelings say something different.

God's ways don't always FEEL right. In fact, sometimes they are downright weird compared to cultural norms:
Giving generously doesn't seem normal. God says, "Trust Me." Leading my family in prayer feels weird. "Trust Me."
Using vacation to go on a mission trip isn't normal. "Trust Me."
Reading an ancient book like the Bible for direction is weird. "Trust Me."  

If we're going to walk with God, the directions will sometimes feel weird. But the question is, "Will you trust Him?"

Try Being Yourself

Playing to our strengths isn't just a good idea in sports. It's important to life. One of the keys to being a solid, healthy leader, parent, athlete, pastor, job-seeker is to be honest about our God-given capacity--both our strengths and our weaknesses.

In ministry in my 30's, the church had a couple hundred people. At one time, I was the worship leader, the youth director, the custodian and the groundskeeper all at the same time. But as the church has grown, I've had to give up many things that I wasn't great at to focus on a few that I was better at. It wasn't always easy to let go. It still isn't.

I have to repent sometimes of trying to be someone else who has talents and abilities I don't have. Some well-meaning people have given me teaching DVD's with the unspoken request, "Maybe if you watch these you could teach more like _________." Even when I do watch and perhaps learn something, I have to choose to be me when I turn it off. Otherwise, I won't be authentic and true to my unique talents.

It's unfair to ourselves and others to say that if we try hard enough we can be great at anything. It's simply not true.  We've all...

• heard people struggling to sing high that should sing low
• heard people speaking that should stick to singing
• watched people agonize over teaching who would make a great counselor
• read articles from accountants who should stick to numbers, not journalism

There are some things that God has wired you to do that only you can do. Consider Matthew 25:14-15. And also Dr. Suess' wisdom: "Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You!"