Author: Allan (Page 474 of 493)

The For-Profit Prophet

November 2, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

Naaman, the great Aramean warrior, accepts the free gift of salvation. He submits to God. He vows to worship and serve only God. He is healed. He is cleansed of his leprosy. He is whole. And it came as a free gift from the God of Israel!

Naaman’s theology, though, is still a little mixed up. He takes a bunch of Samarian dirt home with him because he believes Yahweh can only be worshiped and served on his own regional soil. He still plans to attend the civic/religious ceremonies at the pagan temple of Hadad-Rimmon in Damascus, which is certainly not what Elisha is used to and certainly not what’s prescribed in Scripture. But instead of beating him over the head with it, instead of stealing his joy by telling him he’s not clean, he’s not saved, until he conforms perfectly to the way we worship and the way we believe; he’s not whole, he’s not right, unless he sees things the way I see them and does things the way we do them; instead of correcting or rebuking this new child of God, Elisha simply says, “Go in peace.”

Elisha leaves Naaman completely to his new faith, or better yet, completely in the hands of his God who sought him and found him and saved him.

Gehazi is the one who ruins it. Elisha’s servant, the for-profit prophet, destroys the message. He distorts the gospel and insults God when he runs after Naaman and asks for the gifts and payment that Elisha refused. Gehazi’s attitude is revealed by his words. “This Aramean!” he says. “This outsider, this foreigner! Elisha let him off the hook. Elisha made it way too easy on him. This man is an enemy! He owes us!”

Shame on Gehazi, who was stricken with Naaman’s leprosy the minute he got back to Elisha’s house.

I think the church family here at Legacy is about to really start reaching out to our community. I see signs of it everywhere. And I’m beside myself with anticipation. I hope Small Groups plays a big part. I hope our new buildings here will be a major draw. And the people we’re going to bring into the Kingdom by the grace of God will be outsiders, foreigners, on several different levels. They may very well be enemies — enemies of our comfort zone, enemies of our decency and order, enemies of our property values, enemies of our traditions.

Shame on us if we tell them they have to act just like us or that they have to think and talk and believe just like us. Shame on us if we force them to dress like us, pray like us, or worship like us. Shame on us if we in any way obligate anybody to anything or anyone other than our Heavenly Father, his Resurrected Son, and his Holy Spirit.

Our God didn’t reach out to Naaman because he was worried about his leprosy. He was concerned about Naaman’s salvation and an eternal relationship with Naaman. May our focus always be on God’s vision and God’s plans for his Kingdom, not our own. And may he work through us to save the outsiders and foreigners in our community.

Peace,

Allan

Behold, I Thought!

November 1, 2007 / Allan / 0 Comments

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways

and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ~Isaiah 55:8-9

In preparing for this Sunday’s sermon on God’s absolutely free gift of salvation as demonstrated in the miraculous cleansing of Naaman in 2 Kings 5, I came across this thought from Chuck Swindoll on the above passage from Isaiah 55.

“As long as you have breath in your lungs, the Lord will surprise you with his ways. He is infintely creative and inexhaustibly resourceful. His ways don’t conform to our way of thinking, and we make him less when we expect that they should. Furthermore, his plan is much higher than ours. His goal is not to bring us down, but to lift us up. Contrary to popular opinion, he has no desire to bury us, but to raise us for his use and his glory.”

It’s at the very moment I have finally figured it out that God lets me know clearly I haven’t. Everytime. He gives me so much more than I could possibly ask or imagine. And that blows me away. He works mightily in and through the smallest and most insignificant of things to touch hearts and change lives. And that knocks my socks off.

I don’t have anything figured out.

My trust is in my God. My faith is in him to deliver. He’s rescued me. And he’s working in me and through me (speaking of small and insignificant things). I believe in him. He has a plan to reconcile all things back to him. He has it all figured out. Every bit of it. Perfectly.

I’m not driving any of it.

As a new preacher friend of mine told me this week, “I’m just hanging on to the back of the boat, trying not to wipe out in front of everybody.”

Peace,

Allan

A Clear Religious Identity

October 31, 2007 / Allan / 1 Comment

William Willimon, the bishop of the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church, and an outstanding author and theologian, posted on his blog yesterday a call for churches to establish “a clear religious identity.” And I thought it fit in very well with my meager thoughts yesterday on “religious consumers.”

In discussing why churches grow or shrink in size, Willimon quotes from C. Kirk Hadaway and David A. Roozen’s book Rerouting the Protestant Mainstream: Sources of growth and Opportunities for Change. “The key issue for churches seems to be a compelling religious character, not whether the content of that character is liberal or conservative.”

First and foremost, a Christian church must be about God in Christ. Before it’s about anything else, it must be about Jesus. The salvation acts of the Father through the Son are the foundation for everything else a church does, not a tagline at the end or an add-on to the side.

Willimon says, “When churches become distracted, seeing themselves as just another volunteer service organization, or one more friendly social club, they decline. The business of church is God.”

He calls for churches to develop a “clear religious identity and a compelling vision” with God in Christ at the center.

To me, that’s always meant slogans that are God-based, not people based. Mission statements that focus on Jesus, not our programs. More Bible reading in the assemblies and times for confession and prayer, not less. High expectations of church members to live Christ-centered lives in a community of faith. Not content with members meeting bare minimum expectations in virtual isolation from the community. The image of the cross ever before us, not the American flag or the local football teams’ logos.

Give Willimon’s post a read. And let me know what you think. You can get to it by clicking here.

Peace,

Allan

Religious Consumers

October 30, 2007 / Allan / 4 Comments

Jeffrey MacDonald wrote an article in USA Today a couple of weeks ago regarding church websites and their use in attracting people to different faith communities. He pointed out all the numbers that show more and more churches are using websites — 20-percent of one California-based provider’s clients today are churches as compared to just five percent five years ago — and relayed mostly anecdotal evidence to say more people use websites to go “church shopping.”

The article quotes a webmaster at an Arizona church who says their website helps people feel a connection to the church. “Just like people do a lot of car shopping and major purchase shopping online, they see what they can find out about the church online before their decision to come.”

He also quotes a religious sociologist, Scott Thumma, who says websites are the number one tool today for churches. “Having a website allows the religious consumer to be a much more informed consumer. If people can find a congregation that fits their needs and their interests, they’re more likely to make a commitment.”

When did we begin referring to church and religion and Christianity in the same ways we refer to buying a TV or making a decision to join a health club? Why isn’t that notion challenged? And isn’t it that notion that’s killing us?

John West has done a tremendous job of remodeling and updating our church website at Legacy. If you haven’t been there in a while, please, take a couple of minutes and tool around http://www.legacychurchofchrist.org/. If you’re a ministry leader or teacher at Legacy, or if you just have some great pictures, I encourage you to please contact John or Suzanne here at the office and let them tell you how to be involved in updating your specific area of the website. Our church website is, indeed, a valuable tool. It keeps us informed as a local body of believers. It aids us in connecting to each other as a church family. It provides that basic information visitors need. And it sends a powerful message about the Christ and his church to a desperate and dying world. I love our website, especially now. I urge you to visit it. Get involved with it. They’re updating it every day. Use it.

We’re hoping to, very soon, put audio sermons on the site. Maybe even someday stream live video of our Sunday assemblies. The sky’s the limit.

But may we never view the website or our programs — even Small Groups Church — or our ministries or our assemblies or our fellowship dinners as something to be bargained or negotiated when choosing a church. Or when choosing Jesus. Finding a congregation that meets my needs and serves my interests is not Christianity. It’s something else. It’s how we choose a restaurant or a movie theater, not a church. God’s church, the one he purchased with the blood of his Son, is a community. It’s a group of people united by the blood of the King helping and encouraging each other in our walks with Jesus. Christianity, discipleship to our Savior, is about submission — submission to God and to each other. Religion is an act of courage. It’s surrendering and being vulnerable to others and to Christ. It’s difficult. And it’s messy. And it’s uncomfortable.

If it’s entirely pleasing and simple and satisfying and comfortable, I’m afraid it’s not real.

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You have to read Mike Lupica’s column today to get a real feel for what the people in New York really think about A-Fraud. You can read it by clicking here. And if you click on that chart to the left, you can read more numbers and quotes that further illustrate the ideas in the column. He points out Pay-Rod’s postseason numbers — 4-15 with one RBI this season, 1-14 last year, 2-15 in ’05. But he also speaks to Rodriguez’ demeanor and personality in the clubhouse that alienate him from his teammates, his coaches, the media, and pretty much all of baseball. Kinda like Barry Bonds, but in a different, maybe more subtle, way. I’m convinced there’s absolutely no way Hicks brings this clown back to Arlington. No way. He couldn’t give this guy even more money and then sell it to Rangers fans. The A-Fraud experience here was that horrible. We don’t have to worry about it happening again. But Lupica’s column is pretty good.

Peace,

Allan

Jesus v. Legion: No Contest.

October 29, 2007 / Allan / 5 Comments

What a wonderful, hectic, crazy, busy weekend with family and friends in the Kingdom of God!

The Graceton Family Retreat at the Heart’s Bluff Game Ranch in Mt. Pleasant was so encouraging and so much fun. Our brothers and sisters at the Graceton Church were so very warm and welcoming to my family and me. We ate wonderful food. We sang and prayed together. And we spent a lot of time talking about discipleship and what it means to be a follower of our rabbi, Jesus the Christ. It’s so uplifting to realize how large God’s Kingdom is. We focus on doing the Lord’s work in our little corners of the Kingdom. And it’s so easy to get so wrapped up in that and lose the bigger picture of God’s work of reconciliation and salvation being done all over this globe. Out in East Texas, the Graceton Church is doing God’s work. And God is working through them and with them.

The best part of the retreat, for the kids probably, was the fishing tournament. None of my three girls have ever even been fishing before. (I know. Blame me. I’m a horrible dad.) And fishing off a pier into a stock tank absolutely loaded with all kinds of fish was the best way for them to start. It was so easy. I think we could have dropped our hooks in there without any bait and caught our limit. Whitney caught four or five. Valerie caught two. And Carley caught six fish in a little over 30 minutes! She actually won the trophy for the age group 12 and under. She was so proud and excited. She actually slept with the trophy wrapped in her arms on the way home. And she took it to school this morning to show all her friends.

Thanks to Jason and Tiersa and all the Graceton Church family for the wonderful weekend. May we all be covered by the dust from our Savior’s feet.

We got home at just before 7:00 Saturday night. And my parents arrived at our house about three minutes after we did. It was good to have mom and dad with us overnight and then all day Sunday. We didn’t get to visit as much as I would have liked. Sunday is a real work day for me now. But we shared parts of three meals together and Grandpa got to beat Whitney in air hockey.

And then, last night’s Trunk or Treat here at Legacy. What a huge production! I think there were more people from our North Richland Hills and surrounding communities than there were of us. All the cars were elaborately decorated. The Swafford’s set-up was hilarious. John & Suzanne’s spider car was incredible. The costumes were imaginative. Everybody had a great time with all the kids. And I think we put on a good face for our Lord in our community.

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We had a wonderful time in the Worship Center last night considering the Mark 4-5 story of Jesus and his disciples in the Gerasene Graveyard. I split the congregation up into five sections and assigned each section a different sound effect — scary organ music, thunder and wind, pigs, and the theme from “Jaws” — and then told the story like we were directing a horror movie. Everybody really got into it. Tom Hunn absolutely stole the show with his pained, agonizing howls from the cliffs. And I think telling the story this way, with everybody involved and engaged, really opened up the deeper theological truths behind this very familiar passage.

Jesus embark on a daring invasion to claim alien turf under enemy occupation to prove there’s no place in the world, there’s no corner of this earth, that he does not intend to extend God’s reign. And that speaks to us. Whatever demons in your life are working to isolate you from the community of faith — no matter how low you go or how far away you get — Jesus is bent on rescuing you. He’ll fight through the devil’s storm to rescue you. God is looking for you. Even if you’re across the lake, in an unholy land filled with demons and swine.

It’s amazing to me how the evil spirits tremble in the presence of Jesus. They immediately recognize the divinity of Jesus as the Son of God and they know they’re up against vastly superior firepower. No contest. They beg for mercy before the fight even starts. Please don’t punish us! Please don’t destroy us! It’s over before it begins. There’s no suspense. No tension in the plot. No wonder in the outcome. And while that makes for a lousy movie ending, it’s a wonderful reality for us. And whatever demons are torturing you — doubt, guilt, habits, pain — they’re powerless in a fact-to-face meeting with our God. Our Lord has the desire and the will and the power to obliterate those demons and cast them into the deepest bottom of the Abyss.

And it’s amazing to me that, in his encounter with the Christ, the tortured man is made whole. He’s given peace. Scripture tells us the man is clothed, he’s in his right mind, he regains his family and his home, and he’s given a mission. He has a purpose in his life: to tell everyone what the Lord has done for him.

Jesus has rescued me. He’s saved me from demons that would destroy me. And I can’t shut up about it. And he’s looking to save you. He’ll stop at nothing to redeem you. He’ll go through the storm. He’ll cross all the barriers of time and space. He wants nothing more than for your movie to have a happy ending. He wants your movie to have that guaranteed outcome with no suspense and no tension.

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It was so Scott Boras and so A-Fraud of them to make the announcement that he’s opting out of his Yankees deal during the 7th inning of Game Four of the World Series. He can’t show up at the World Series to receive an award from Hank Aaron. But he can upstage Major League Baseball’s Fall Classic. A lesson learned from Jerry Wayne, I suppose. Duane came into the offices this morning talking about how the Angels and the Rangers were the front-runners for A-Fraud’s services. No way. If Tom Hicks will just see this for the blessing it is and spend the $21 million over the next three years on a pitcher, we’d all be much better off. You’re finally, for the first time in seven years completely clear and free of this clown, just let it go. Spend the money on something other than a clubhouse nuisance.

Peace,

Allan

The Cup of Suffering

October 25, 2007 / Allan / 3 Comments

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…”

The Hebrew word is salmawet, a combination of the two words for shadow (sel) and death (mawet). Most scholars believe this is a literary hyperbole, a superlative, to communicate the most extreme. The shadowiest of shadows. The deepest depths of death. Darkness. Fear. Failure. Loss. Suffering.

The kind of suffering that involves every part of a person — body, soul, and mind. The kind of suffering that impacts and dominates everything a person thinks and does. It’s constant. It’s overwhelming. It’s real.

And none of us is immune.

But the sufferer is assured of God’s comfort through these shadows. The psalmist encourages the reader to fear nothing while in the midst of the valley. The writer promises God’s goodness and love. And he anticipates living in the house of the Lord forever.

May the Lord work in and through our sufferings to reveal his power and love to those around us. And may we experience the gracious presence of our God and receive the abundance of life he offers, even in the midst of life on this earth as it presently is.

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Allright, here’s the latest on Whitney. The news from the MRI is all good. No tumor. No aneurysm. No abnormal blood vessels in the brain. All good news. However…

her optic nerves are still swollen and she’s still having the headaches in the back of her head. The doctors told us yesterday they’re convinced she has fluid behind her eyes, causing the pressure on her optic nerves resulting in the swelling and probably responsible for the headaches. So one week from today they’re going to do a ultrasound to measure the amount of fluid and hopefully get an indication of what it is. They’re hoping medication at that point will alleviate the problem. Maybe it’s being caused by an infection. But if after a couple of weeks nothing’s changed, the next step will be a spinal tap. Yuk. Nobody wants that.

So, while the worst case scenario has been eliminated, there is still a scenario out there we’re working toward. Praise God for the relief we feel now and the way he’s blessing Whitney and us. And may he continue to bless us with good news and healing for our oldest daughter’s well being.

Peace,

Allan

Author: Allan (Page 474 of 493)

The For-Profit Prophet

Behold, I Thought!

A Clear Religious Identity

Religious Consumers

Jesus v. Legion: No Contest.

The Cup of Suffering

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