What's missing in the gospel we spread?

North American churches have been sending missionaries to Africa for over 100 years. When I was in South Africa, there were churches everywhere, the effect of missionary effort visible every Sunday morning. Yet with all this apparently successful evangelism, why does the continent struggle so hard to enter the first world?

It begs the question: why hasn't Christianity made more societal impact? We witness extreme poverty, disease, crime and war in many areas of the African continent. Culturally speaking, the Gospel seems powerless there.

Then one day I heard a sermon preached by our dear missionary friend. He asked this rhetorical question to the group of church leaders he was preaching to: "If you had a choice to choose between being a pastor/missionary or the president of South Africa, what would you choose? Of course you should choose to be a pastor because it is much more important to represent God than a country!"

It seems self-evident that one way of rendering Christianity weak is by demeaning believers that fill functional roles in society--as if believers can't reflect God's lordship within those roles. Doesn't the good news of the kingdom of God have anything to do with the way believers live their lives within the kingdoms of men?

Is WikiLeaks evil or good?

My first reaction is that it feels very wrong to publicly disclose private communication. Morally speaking, stealing information and then disseminating it is sneaky and underhanded. Not to mention the potential danger to persons, regions and even countries. In some cases such leaks might actually jeopardize the work people are doing. And by saying we are entitled to know we second guess our leaders, arrogantly presuming that "we know better".

But then, the leaked communiques, while private, are not entirely personal correspondances; they pertain to the nations their authors represent. In a sense, the people writing these things were doing so on our behalf--or at least on behalf of the Americans (it was, after all, an American leak). We have the right to know how and why decisions are being made on our behalf, don't we? And if we don't like the way we're being represented we can then exert influence for change. Viewed this way, this becomes another way to keep elected leadership in check. The case can be made that this is consistent with democratic ideology.

Perhaps the question being asked is too black and white; everything doesn't just fall under two categories, good or evil. While information itself is neutral, individuals are seldom so. How we act upon what we know is the issue. And people do act on information...

Some say that the WikiLeaks sparked the Tunisian uprising, which has now rolled into an Egyptian uprising. Information is power. Given that humanity's track record for wisely using information isn't great, the role of Christians today to pray for divine influence on our decision-making cannot be underestimated.

WikiLeaks may result in good consequences, which wouldn't necessarily justify the release. Or it may result in awful consequences, which wouldn't necessarily condemn the release. In either case, we should see the need for God's help to steward the massive amount of information we face today.

What's wrong with this picture?

For the last few days, news media has been dominated by the unfolding story of the Egyptian uprising. Now on day 5 of their stand to end President Mubarak's 30 year reign, the movement was initially sparked by young people expressing their frustration through social media.

Ironically, I just now came across a different news item describing the apathetic attitude of Canadian youth has towards voting. Elections Canada is literally scratching its head over how to engage youth participation.

What's wrong with this picture? It seems that when things are good, people don't care very much. In contrast, oppression and injustice have a way of igniting passion in people--to right wrongs.

Yet we are encouraged to stay engaged and passionate with life and society even when things are rosy. Aim to go from good to great! Jesus said: "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded..." (Luke 12:48).

The opposite of faith is works

But faith without works is dead (James 2:20). How confusing!

That's why it's hard to tell whether someone has faith or not just by observing their outward performance. Some people (religious and irreligious) work very hard because they are self-reliant, striving to justify their worthiness by what they do. In contrast, others work very hard because their faith in God empowers them to dream big, then strive to see those dreams become reality.

On the outside, the faithful and the faithless can both look the same. Though I'd bet that the faithful sleep better at night than their self-reliant counterparts.

Who needs faith when there is Tony Robbins

We live in an age of heightened self-awareness. All sorts of self-help gurus and motivational coaches teach us how to live successfully; they advocate behaviours that are good for us--things like having honesty, integrity, being grateful and positive, etc. And what they say does empower us, at least for the short term. These people help us recognize that there are principles in life, almost like natural laws, that guide human existence toward effective living. Who needs religion or faith when there is all this abundant knowledge about ourselves?

But then I'd like to argue that it's one thing to know the methods of successful living but quite another to actually do them over the long haul. The problem with self-help approaches is that they all rely on our 'self', i.e. on our works and performance. For those of us with weak will power, merely knowing a great methodology is basically useless. For those elite strong-willed few, constantly having to self-help becomes a heavy heavy burden; in time they show cracks too.

Unlike self-help gurus who put the burden on us, Jesus motivates with these comforting words: "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

Think win/win

That's habit #4 in the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. This win/win mentality is not our natural default. Life experiences point us toward win/lose thinking.

For example, there's only one champion for every Olympic race, one team holding the Stanley Cup, one winner crowned in each beauty pageant, one realtor claiming the top sales award, one movie receiving the Oscar for best picture, etc... In any contest or competition, each winner is trailed by numerous other 'losers'.

No wonder it is hard for us to be truly happy for others when they win. In the back of our mind their win usually means our loss. And so our scarcity mentality kicks in; instead of win/win, we think win/lose. How can we overcome this limiting and ungracious habit?

Christian theology has the key to free us from the scarcity mentality. Christians are children of the God of abundance and generosity (Psalm 50:10, Matthew 7:9-12; 2 Corinthians 9:8-10). By looking to God for our every need and desire, God's offspring can afford to be generous--making it easy for us to become win/win practitioners.

The challenge always is: do we have faith to live out this truth and make win/win thinking and living our natural habit?

Will there be faith when we need it?

When everything is predictable and familiar, faith can be just a concept; something we don't need now. That doesn't mean we don't value it, but we are content to hold it loosely until 'the future'...say, on our death bed or times of turmoil when life's storms happen.

That's not how Jesus talked about faith though. In the parable of the wise and foolish builder, he taught us to build ourselves on solid foundation before the storms of life hit us (Matthew 7:24-49). If we live through life without trusting God for much, how will we know that He'll come through for us when we have dire need?

I like the idea that faith will magically appear when we need it. But that's not how it happens with the Bible heroes we read about--Abraham, Moses, and Joshua for example. Each of these were in relatively calm situations when God called them to action--what I call faith-building opportunities. Later, when life's storms inevitably hit them they triumphed. We would be wise to follow this pattern, building our foundations when things are calm.

Challengers of the unknown

Christians should be adventurous risk takers; they have the right stuff for it. Because we know the worst that can happen to us in life--death--has already been taken care of and because we have God's assurance that he will be with us no matter what happens, we don't need to fear the unknown.

But I have observed that many Christians are just as risk averse as the rest of the world. We commonly function like atheists, living by our own wits, as intimidated by unknowns as anyone else. What good is faith if it just stays in our heads--failing to lead us to concrete action?

In contrast, Abraham challenged the unknown. He left his familiar country, people and family because he believed God's promise (Genesis 12:1-3). Trusting God, he put everything at risk when he prepared to sacrifice Isaac (Hebrews 11:17). And although he died without seeing the fulfillment of God's promise (Hebrews 11:39), the actions of his faith were considered righteous by God and proven fruitful by time.

Not too many of us are like Abraham. Comfort keeps us in our seats; we prefer the status quo. And even those of us that manage to step out a little often give up when we don't see immediate results. How little we grasp that our attachment to the familiar robs us of what God values most: trusting Him in the unknown.

Eternity is...

An artist's palette

sound of music

scented air

sweet as fresh figs.

Sore cheeks from laughing

joy from feasting

friends abound

foes no more.

Faith fulfilled

death defeated

fear vanished

perfection's home.

How does fear of death enslave us?

Death presses upon us the idea of finite existence, enslaving us to problem of limited time. This perceived lack of time is the source of multiple stresses. The drive for efficiency, the temptation to take short cuts, the urgency to experience maximum pleasures with our few years--and all the foolish sacrifices we make to meet these pressures--are driven by the race against time.

But imagine that our lives go on forever...would we still have the same priorities we have now? Would we make the same choices that we've made? When Jesus conquered Death, he demolished the ticking pressure of the clock and all its associated complications.

Take for example the parable of the workers in the vineyard in Matthew 20:1-16. The landowner paid everyone the same wage no matter how late each worker began their day's work.

Many sermons focusing on the generosity of God have been preached on this story--which is fine--but note that the parable both follows (Matthew 19:28) and concludes (Matthew 20:16) with the this thought: 'So the last will be first and the first will the last.' Perhaps Jesus is simply saying God doesn't operate on the basis of our temporal values. In God's kingdom Death is not an issue therefore time is not an issue.

If we seriously take hold of Jesus' defeat of Death, we will shake off the old expectations that had been ingrained in us, shift our paradigm and develop a new 'normal' where time is not our slave master.

'Begin with the end in mind'

This is Habit #2 from Stephen Covey's National Bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey is right in that we don't think enough about how we want to end; if we want to win a game, we need to map out a strategy that will lead us to victory. For the game of life, Covey suggests that we imagine our own funeral--imagine how we want to be remembered by our family and friends, then chart our life accordingly.

Frankly his suggestion doesn't motivate me very much. So what if all my loved ones think well of me after I die? I will still be separated from them; what they think of me at that point will mean very little.

Death takes away the incentive to do right and to live right. If all ends with death, and if nothing else exists beyond the grave, I might as well focus on having a good time while alive! That to me would be the smartest thing if everything ultimately ends in death. But does everything end in death?

Most religions and our own intuition point to 'no; there is life beyond death'. Jesus came to prove it (Matthew 28: 16-20; Mark 16:15-18; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:1-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8). Some of us aren't afraid of dying, but even the brave still make choices in life under the shadow of its reality. What Jesus did on the cross undermined the effect impending death has on our psyche (Hebrews 2:15). His defeat of death is ours to hold; we are therefore called to live in liberty and think eternally.

Covey is right to have us look ahead. I just think we should think further than our funerals; and live in a way that such forward thinking merits.

Becoming one of us

Years ago, when I was still a fresh new Christian, one of my brothers challenged me with this question: "You mean to tell me that God, who is supposed to be all powerful and mighty, had to hang on a cross to save us? That is absolute absurdity and you buy into that?!?"

It had never occurred to me that a powerful being dying for humanity was absurd. As a teenager, I thought dying was the grandest love gesture that anyone could make: think Romeo and Juliet--what was wrong with that?!

But God didn't just die for romantics, He died for practical people too.

Much later, I found this answer to my brother's question, written clear as daylight in Hebrews 2:14-18: "¹⁴Because God's children are human beings--made of flesh and blood--the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. ¹⁵Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. ¹⁶We also know that the Son did not come to help angels; he came to help the descendants of Abraham. ¹⁷Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people. ¹⁸Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested."

God is not our Santa (2)

Santa looks at our wish list and gives us what we want; God doesn't always give us what we want.

It's not that God doesn't want to make us happy. The problem is: we don't know what really makes us happy--deep down, and for the long haul. We are generally too short-sighted to know what's most valuable for us. And we are fickle; our desires ebb back and forth according to the whims of our culture and the current trends pursued by our neighbours.

Santa doesn't care about the shelf life of his gifts. God cares very much about the longevity of His gifts; He has eternity in mind. (James 1:17)

God is not our Santa (1)

Santa asks whether we've been naughty or nice...God already knows the answer to that question yet He doesn't decide whether to give gifts or not based on our behaviour.

This is counter-intuitive. We are used to thinking we deserve love, gifts and good things in life because of what we've done--because of us. Isn't that how most parents motivate their children to behave well?

We like the idea of being good in order to get something; this gives us a sense of control. If we do well, we can be proud of ourselves. But if we fail? Then we don't feel good about ourselves...this can be punishing.

God is forgiving--Santa isn't. Yes, God wants us to be good too, but even as we constantly fall short, His love toward us doesn't change. (Romans 5:8; Romans 8:38-29; John 3:16)

Give like the original Santa

St. Nicolas of Myra was the first and original Santa Claus. He lived during the 3rd century under the Roman Empire in modern day Turkey. His habit of secretly giving to the poor was how he became the original model of Santa Claus. St. Nicolas lived out this command of Christ: "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret" (Matthew 6:1-4)

Things have changed since then; our Christmas gifting today is neither focused on the needy nor done in secret. That's not to say charity doesn't happen, it just hasn't been the main theme of our giving. Culturally, we exchange gifts with friends and family, it is a sign of mutual friendship and love rather than charity.

Giving can be loaded with pressure: Is this gift good enough? Is it too expensive? Too cheap? Showing too much eagerness to please? Or not pleasing enough? All this pressure comes from attaching ourselves too much with the gift we are giving. When we are thinking these thoughts, it's a sure sign that the gift is more about us than about the recipient of it. It is ironic, but giving can be a self-centered act.

In contrast, following St. Nicholas' model has this effect: giving anonymously to the needy breaks the power of self-centered thoughts and brings pleasure of being generous.

We, the chosen

The Bible tells us that Jesus' followers have been chosen by God before the beginning of time (Ephesians 1:4-14). We are no different than Mary and Joseph in that God chose all of us and has given each of us a role to play in His master plan. (1 Corinthians 12:12-26)

Like Mary we receive the news of Jesus and welcome his life into our own. We sense his presence and know there is change happening inside us that is not our own doing. He enlarges our hearts, he stretches our faith and he gives us peace that we never had before.

Like Joseph we hear his word and call to action. We are restless until we act upon his call. For every action or decision we make out of obedience, we find affirmation that his word is true. And so, the birth of Christ in us yields faith, and faith bears its fruit eventually.

We are not chosen because we are good, quite the contrary, we are chosen to be made good, so that we can bear light in the world that God loves.

Joseph, the other chosen

I have always wondered what the relationship between Jesus and Joseph was like. Whenever Jesus uses the word "Father" in the Bible, it was always referring to God. What about his earthly father? Did Joseph love him like a son? I can't imagine he considered Jesus a bastard child, but Jesus wasn't his; what was it like? Did Joseph even live long? He was rarely mentioned in Scriptures. What we do know is that he was a righteous man to whom God entrusted Mary and Jesus when they were most vulnerable.

Joseph's faith is no less amazing than Mary's. Mary knew her pregnancy was immaculate, but Joseph had plenty of reasons to doubt. God sent Mary an angel with news; but he spoke to Joseph only through dreams. Mary just had to receive the news and things were happening to her while Joseph had to believe the messages in his dreams and take actions accordingly.

Matthew 1:20-25--He took Mary to be his wife in spite of her mysterious pregnancy.

Matthew 2:13-14--He took Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod's sword.

Matthew 2:19-21--He returned to Israel after Herod died.

Matthew 2:22-23--He avoided returning to Judea and took the family to Nazareth instead.

Without Joseph's active response to God's call, our picture of the nativity might be a different one today. Joseph is a neglected hero in the Christmas story; he is an example of faith in action, an essential response to the Christian's call.

What kind of script are we writing with our faith?

Mary, the chosen

In the first chapter of Luke we read about the encounter between Mary and the angel Gabriel, who gave her the news that she will give birth to Jesus even though she was a virgin. Mary has been credited with extraordinary faith for two millennia because of her accepting response to this news (Luke 1:28).

We tend to forget that when angels appear, in the Bible at least, people are deeply frightened; they become weak with fear. Yielding, with a compliant response, can almost be expected; how else would a teenage girl react to the overwhelming presence of a mighty angel?

It is true that the "Magnificat" (Mary's song recorded in Luke 1:46-55) reveals Mary's faithful heart. The song, sung in response to Elizabeth's affirmation (Luke 1:42-45) and long after her meeting with Gabriel, is a hymn of thanksgiving and praise to the God who chose her. Her own words reveal that she was a passive recipient of God's favour and little action was required of her to accomplish His plan. God's choosing her preceded Mary's response of faith to Him, not the other way around ...

We often forget Jesus' other earthly parent--Joseph. He too was chosen, though his required response was rich with action. Joseph will be the focus of my next blog.

Angels and demons

Whenever angels appear in the Bible, the first thing they usually say is "Do not be afraid"; those they appear to often fall face-down in fear. It seems angels are terrifying beings. In contrast, demons aren't very intimidating in Scripture. They're more of a nuisance, manifesting themselves in familiar people--poor souls whom they love to frustrate. We seldom find the word demon in the Bible without also finding the word "possessed" in the same sentence.

This is directly opposite to how we think of angels and demons today. Our images of angels are soft friendly winged cherub babes while demons are scary brutes that wait in dark places to destroy us. Renaissance paintings of angels and demons have us fooled--as do our Halloween stories and horror films.

Why is this detail relevant? Because we need to know the real strategy of our enemy. The Devil does the greatest harm to us not through scare tactics, but through deception and disguise. He is the father of lies (John 8:44). For centuries he fools us into thinking that he looks scary while he actually does the most damage masquerading as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14).

Evil is a parasite

I've come to the conclusion that evil always works through people. That's why we need to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44); they are just tools.

Think about it: whenever the Bible talks about demons they are always spirits, lodging themselves in people or animals. These spirits seem to have no material form; they must possess someone else's life to manifest themselves. For example, in the account where Jesus casts a whole group of demons out of one man, the spirits begged to be sent to a herd of pigs (Mark 5:1-20).

There was even one occasion where Jesus rebuked Satan while talking to his disciple Peter (Matthew 16:23). In this instance, Peter was not possessed with the bad spirit, but he uttered thoughts and words that were from Satan and Jesus was none too pleased with him.

How does evil influence us? Thoughts. If we are not careful, these thoughts take root in our being and lead us to commit evil deeds. Jesus resisted the Devil when he was being tempted. Because of Christ's Spirit living inside us, Christians have great power to resist evil influences too.

Moreover, Jesus encourages us to exercise that power not just in our own lives but also on behalf of others who can't resist--this, I think, being the force of His command to pray for our enemies.