Conforming to Non-Conformity

I would sum up my impression of spending this past weekend with Dr. Scott Hamm in one word, "Transformation." Scott returned to this concept over and over. What's the purpose of the Sunday morning Bible class? To assist in the process of spiritual formation; or in other words, transformation. Who is best suited to teach an adult Bible class? One who is in the process of being spiritually transformed into the image of Christ. Who makes the most lasting spiritual impact on people? The one who has been, and is continuing to be, transformed.

"Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2a) Change your thinking and God will change you! How can we help each other to think more like Jesus and less like the world?

"Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2b) There is certainly a place for determining God's specific role for our individual lives. However, this verse is about the community. We all offer our bodies together as "living sacrifices" (Romans 12:1). As all of us surrender ourselves as an act of worship to the Lord Jesus our thinking changes. Things that once were of vital importance now take a back seat to the things that Jesus taught are are truly important.

The power the world has to shape the way we think is changed as together we seek to know and understand his Word, his Will and his Ways. The adult Sunday School is a great place for this kind of learning and sharing to begin.

Job Almighty

I wasn't sure what to think about Bruce Almighty when it was first produced in 2003. My reservations were largely due to the crude humor and one sexual scene. However, the underlying theme of the film has caused me to use it as an illustration in several sermons. As I thought about preaching today's final sermon in the Job series I returned once again to the film.

When the question of suffering arises how easy it is to think that a "good" human (like myself) could do a much better job running the universe than God is doing. One only need look at the evil that exists in the world and the horrific things that cause people pain to think this.

The book of Job opens another option. Perhaps we humans don't know all the facts. None of the human characters in the story do. Neither Job, his wife, or his friends have any idea why Job is suffering. Only the reader knows because we've been given a peak behind the curtain into Heaven. Don't make the mistake of thinking that the heavenly glimpse given to the reader thus solves the problem of pain. (Aha! The reason there is suffering is because Satan and God are duking it out again!) Rather, we are given what we need to make sense of the story. We thus know from the beginning that Job is righteous and is not suffering because of sin. That sets the stage for the real drama to begin. Therefore, the other option is NOT figuring out why there is suffering. The other option is realizing that God is God and I am not.

After God asks Job the 70 questions at the end, this is Job's conclusion. And it is in this fact that we must ultimately put our faith. I don't have all the answers because I don't even know the right questions to ask. Like Job, I don't have enough information to even begin to run the universe. I'm simply going to have to trust God. And when suffering comes, I can at least find some measure of comfort in knowing that God's one and only Son suffered on earth as well. I can trust a God like that, even if I don't understand everything.

Theology Matters

Were you surprised to learn that the arguments made by Job's friends are the same arguments Christians make today to explain why bad things happen? I found it relatively easy to pick out certain statements regarding AIDS, Hurricane Katrina, and the most recent devastation in Haiti to illustrate that point. After today's lesson, however, someone mentioned the sermon I preached after the 9-11 tragedy. As I remember I took that opportunity to point out our national sins and issued a call to repentance. In retrospect; not my finest hour.

What a beautiful story Job would have been if instead of trying to explain and offer solutions for Job's suffering, his friends could have gone to him--simply to be with him! They could have listened to Job as he voiced his fears and doubts without trying to "fix" his theology. They could have offered to bath his fevered body and perhaps fed him some broth to ease his hunger. They could have expressed care and concern in a number of very significant ways. Instead they did the one thing that made God angry; they tried to make sense of Job's suffering by explaining what God was doing. They didn't have enough information to even begin to guess. Thus, God's judgment, "I am angry with you . . . because you have not spoken of me what is right" (Job 42:7).

My we learn and not repeat the mistakes of the past. May we do our job of loving, caring, and serving without falling into the trap of explaining and blaming. God help us.

Recognizing Satan's Voice

In the 1980's Metropolitan Life adopted the motto, "Get Met. It Pays." Why else would someone buy an insurance policy? If it doesn't pay to own the policy why on earth would I want to fund it? The message of the contemporary church has sometimes been, "Get Christ. He Pays." It's obviously true that Jesus paid the ransom for sin, however, the message that Jesus makes everything in life work out the way it should is simply a lie. As we studied this morning it is the voice of Satan that finds expression in many unexpected avenues.

Questions related to why God allows pain and suffering are essentially intellectual queries. This is not to say that they are invalid; rather, it simply means they are questions that can be discussed and debated in the comfort of one's living room. The question asked by the book of Job is a heart probing question that involves one's whole being. The question raised by the author of Job strikes at the root of whether or not one is truly following the God of the Bible or has imagined God to be something other than who he is. The question is simply, "Will you follow God even if everything goes wrong?" Or, to reverse the question, "Do you only follow God because of the benefits you receive?"

C. S. Lewis struggled with both questions. In his book, The Problem of Pain, Lewis expertly analyzes the problem as an intellectual. He describes his former atheist position and then explains how, as a Christian, he now address the issues. After experiencing the gut wrenching agony of losing his beloved wife to cancer he wrote a different book, A Grief Observed. No longer was the issue of pain simply intellectual. He now had to decide if he would follow a God who gave no guarantees concerning earthly pleasure and happiness. This is a most difficult book to read because the depth of struggle to which the author sinks is so depressing that I found myself wrestling with the question. Thankfully, by the end of the book he decides to stay with God even without having his questions answered. May my faith sustain me to that same end.

The Heart of A Shepherd

After church several people expressed interest in purchasing The Way of the Shepherd. According to Amazon it is soon to be released in paperback but they still have hardback copies available. Click here for more details.

It appears my brother's "sheep dung" comments were as accurate as they were humorous. I noticed a number of the more senior members commented on that fact. Perhaps the older we get, and the more we are involved in relationships with people we love, the more we realize how truly messy life can be.

I'm so thankful that God, in his wisdom, saw fit to equip his church with men who can lovingly shepherd the flock. The part of Ezekiel I choose not to read this morning (for the sake of time) talks about the strong sheep taking advantage of the weak. The text mentions these insensitive, abusive sheep eating their fill and then trampling the pasture with their feet (making the grass uneatable) and muddying the water after having their fill of drink. Ezekiel continues, "Because you shove with flank and shoulder, butting all the weak sheep with your horns until you have driven them away, I will save my flock and they will no longer be plundered." (Ezekiel 34:21-22). Perhaps the most unenviable task of congregational shepherds is recognizing the bullies in a congregation and not allowing them to abuse people.

The goal of congregational shepherds is to see the flock grow strong in their faith and commitment to Jesus Christ their Lord. For that to happen the flock must have good solid Bible teaching, protection from abuse, and guidance in practical ways of living the life of a disciple. An awesome task, but God equips his people with everything they need to accomplish his will. This includes godly shepherds. May He bless us as we select these men.

The Selection of Overseers

I sat in a couple of meetings this afternoon that were quite encouraging. Our spiritual direction (SD) committee meeting met today. We listened to one of our church members describing the work of our newly formed adult education committee. This committee has done a lot of hard work and I know the whole church will benefit in the near future as a result. But what I noticed today was how engaged the five elders who sit on the SD committee were. They were asking questions, encouraging the one making the presentation, making suggestions, and basically keeping themselves informed about what is happening that has the potential to provide our church with spiritual formation. After that we discussed other matters of importance including some follow up visits the shepherds have been making with people who have not been seen at church in some time.

We talked some about the many visitors we have been having at church lately and how difficult it is to remember names and stories that people tell us. One overseer said that he was going to begin keeping a small notebook with him for the purpose of helping his memory. We also talked about how important it is that every visitor to our service be greeted and welcomed. Again, the shepherds discussed ways that we could ensure that would happen.

After that meeting I sat with the Spanish Ministry committee and again was able to observe one shepherd in particular as he listened well, asked good questions, offered suggestions, and demonstrated personal insight into people and how this ministry can be effective.

I'm in the middle of a three sermon series on selecting shepherds, however, I think the best sermon is being preached by the shepherds who are now serving. They are involved in people's lives because they truly care about them. They are engaged in discussions with the other leaders of the church because they want to see every ministry of the church succeed. We need to add to their number those who have like-minded hearts, servant spirits, and mature, spiritual lives. Continue to ask God to reveal to us whom he has prepared for this special role among his people. And keep your eyes open to see who is already serving in this way.

The Function of Elders

I really enjoyed sharing the stage this morning with two of our congregational shepherds. I think it worked out better to hear them speak from their experience of serving in that role rather than to hear me talk about the function of elders in theory.

A lot of people worked behind the scenes to help make our worship service successful this morning. Transitioning our assemblies into the gym is no small task. Since I was gone all last week to take a course in Spiritual Formation at ACU, I really don't know exactly who was involved in the transition. However, I know Alan Richards, Boyce Tate, Scott Shaffer, and David Layman spent many hours setting up. I appreciate their service (and others who I have failed to mention.)