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On The Front Lines

June 8, 2010 / / 1 Comment

“Never pity missionaries. Envy them. They are where the real action is; where life and death, sin and grace, heaven and hell converge.” ~R. Shannon

I heard Terry Rush  say one time that every single American Christian ought to be required to spend at least one year in a foreign mission field. If everyone spent twelve months of sacrifice and service in a place where the Church is not strong and every soul is regarded as precious and every Christian brother and sister is valued as important, there would be no more arguing or complaining or bickering in our American congregations. We wouldn’t fight about anything. We would understand acutely that the Kingdom of God is so much more important and so much bigger than our small version and definition of it, whatever our small version and definition may be. We would be shaped in such a way as to finally believe that being together in a Body of believers, a family of Christians, is the most wonderful thing in the world. And we would do everything in our power to preserve it.

In a foreign mission field, the battles are against the powers and principalities, the dark rulers of this world, not one another. The smallest physical blessings are giant miracles. That one new soul added to the Kingdom is monumental. The problems of mankind are seen as what they really are: sin and death, not whether a brother isn’t happy with the song selection or a sister has a complaint about the room temperature.

Kingdom community means something in a foreign mission field. Utter dependence on God is real in a foreign mission field. Humility and gratitude and faith and brotherly love are not just empty church words in a foreign mission field. In a foreign mission field — in the middle of all the teaching and preaching and praying and giving and crying and building and compromising and learning — men and women are shaped by God’s Holy Spirit to see everything differently.

Everything.

I’ve been praying that God will use our trip to Ukraine to give me some of that “front lines” perspective. I want him to show me a bigger picture of his Kingdom. I want God to reveal to me exactly what he wants me to see. I want to know. I want to grow.

We’ve been here with David and Olivia for about 18 hours. And just in our brief reconnecting with each other, I’ve seen it. I see all of this big-picture, front-line perspective in them. You know, the things they wrestle with, the things they deal with, the things they have to endure for the mission of Christ in this place put all of our petty problems to shame.

All of them.

Our God is working right now to redeem all of his creation. He’s working in every corner of this huge world. He’s changing people, saving people; he’s healing and forgiving,  loving and comforting; he’s giving mankind hope through his Son. And he’s robbing hell. Every day. In every part of this world. Every people, every nation, every tribe, every tongue.

I spend a lot of my time at Legacy worrying about whether so-and-so is happy.

Some of that time, I’m the so-and-so I’m worried about.

And I’m ashamed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I want to keep you updated with everything we’re doing, but I’ve already run out of time. It’s been a busy Tuesday (remember, we’re a full eight hours ahead of Texas time) and we’re just minutes away from an English-speaking Bible study here at David and Olivia’s. I’ve got to make up the bed and straighten up in this guest room before Carrie-Anne and Olivia get back from the market. I’ll update one more time before the day is over, hopefully with a few pictures.

Peace,

Allan

Ukraine Is Game To You?

June 3, 2010 / / 1 Comment

David & OliviaCarrie-Anne and I are leaving Sunday afternoon for ten days in Kharkov, Ukraine to visit our good friends David and Olivia Nelson. David and Olivia are almost to the midpoint of a five year missionary commitment in Kharkov. And we’re going there to see the work God is doing in Ukraine, to join in that work, and mostly to encourage the workers.

I admit my only knowledge of Ukraine comes from the Label Baby episode of Seinfeld in which Kramer and Newman encounter a patriotic Ukrainian while playing Risk on the subway. (“The Ukraine is weak. It’s feeble. I think it’s time to put the hurt on the Ukraine.”) You can see the clip I’m talking about by clicking here.

I know the Nelsons are excited about us coming to see them. And it’s not just because we’re bringing new sheets and Tabasco sauce for Davidcurtains and maternity clothes for Olivia and Tabasco sauce for David. I think they’re genuinely experiencing God at work in their lives and in the lives of the people they’re meeting and they want so desperately for somebody from their home congregation to see it first-hand. They want to share what they’re doing and what God is doing through them with the brothers and sisters here who are supporting them.

No, things have not been completely smooth for David & Olivia in Kharkov. I’ll never forget that Sunday morning in March last year when they told us over the skype on the big screens in our worship center how hard and difficult it is. David looked right into the camera, right into our eyes, and told us that missionary work in Kharkov is not glamorous. Nobody speaks English. It’s a different language, different culture, different everything. They’re dealing constantly with rejection and lonliness six-thousand miles away from family and friends who love them so dearly.

Since that time, David and Olivia have suffered through a miscarriage. There have been other setbacks, too. At the same time, they’ve seen the Russian speaking church there grow from nothing to almost a dozen disciples of Jesus. They’ve baptized Andrei. They’re studying the Bible every day with Christ-seeking Ukrainians. Their resolve is inspirational. Their commitment is beyond measure. And the God they serve is great.

Olivia has written before that they do feel “hugged” every time they receive a letter or a card or an email from Legacy. Carrie-Anne and I can’t wait to give them real hugs next week. We can’t wait to eat with them. To pray with them. To laugh with them and, maybe, even cry. We can’t wait to meet Andrei and Vitali and Galina and Valeria. I can’t wait to sit in on their Russian classes with Yelena and Vladimir. We can’t wait to read God’s Word with Nikita and Ura and Victoria. I can’t wait to share the communion meal with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, united by Christ, blessed together by his love and grace. To put faces and personalities with all these names we’ve been lifting to God in prayer for two years is going to be such a blessing.

The Nelsons’ wedding anniversary is June 10th. I told them we wanted to take them to the nicest, fanciest restaurant in Kharkov. David laughed and said, “McDonald’s it is!” I told him we’d supersize everything.Airport workers are on strike at Heathrow in London which could possibly affect our travel. We’ll be twelve days without Dr Pepper. David tells us the nicest restaurant in Kharkov is a McDonald’s. The only hot water in their apartment is provided by a portable heater in the bathroom.

But we can’t wait.

Peace,

Allan

You Must Speak My Words

May 28, 2010 / / 4 Comments

“You must speak my words to them, whether they listen or fail to listen.” ~Ezekiel 2:7

You must speak my words… My preaching just got a whole lot better. Members of the Legacy church will be especially pleased to know that I’m a much better preacher today than when I last posted on this blog. The annual Sermon Seminar at Austin Graduate School of Theology will do that to a guy.

Sitting at the feet of Rubel Shelly as he graced us with his knowledge and insights into our Savior’s Sermon on the Mount and encouraged us to empty ourselves and truly live into what God intends for us as his children. Listening to Paul Watson as he walked us through the words of judgment and grace in Ezekiel and challenged us to preach both. Soaking up my great friend Jim Martin’s wisdom and experience as he taught from 2 Corinthians and inspired us to rely solely on our God as we minister in our churches. Feverishly taking notes as Jim Reynolds carried us from Genesis to Malachi, painting a portrait of our God and his people, a breathtaking picture of love and mercy and grace, and begged us to preach the story. It was, as somebody observed halfway through the first day, like getting a drink from a fire hose. It was so much. Almost too much.

I heard a few jokes. I picked up several preaching pointers. I gathered lots of sermon ideas and outlines and illustrations. All those things are going to make me a better preacher. But here’s the thing that matters; this is what’s important:

For three days in Austin I was reminded by some of the best preachers and teachers of preachers in our fellowship that our sermons do not belong to us. Our sermons are the holy words of our mighty God. My ideas, my stories, my words, my thoughts are inadequate and empty. The world is too messed up, it’s in too much trouble. I bring nothing to the table. I’ve got nothing to offer. It’s God. God’s holy words and God’s holy will. His grace and his mercy and his love. His presence and guidance and encouragement. It’s God. I’m speaking for God.

This preaching thing is not a career. It’s not a profession. It’s a calling. It’s a sacred calling. Preachers are not hired and fired; they are not applicants or candidates. We don’t update resumes or climb any corporate ladders. We work for our Father. Everything we do, we do for him.

If the whole church applauds in approval after my sermon this Sunday but God is not pleased, I have not fulfilled my calling. If the whole church scowls in disapproval but God is delighted, I have done what he is calling me to do.

The Austin Grad Sermon Seminar always re-centers me. It re-focuses me. It pulls me back to the proper understandings and views that get so easily distorted or sometimes even lost in the swirling mess that is church life and church meetings and church politics and church business. It reminds me of who I am as a powerful proclaimer of the great news of salvation from God in Christ. And it reminds me that I work for the God who created me and equips me and empowers me to speak his words — whether anybody’s listening or not — and he guarantees those words will not return to him empty.

Thank you to Stan Reid and the whole Austin Grad staff. Thank you to Rubel, Paul, and First & Second Jim. Thank you to Eddie Sharp who planned all our worship times. Thank you to my great friend Jason Reeves for his company and his encouragement and for not bringing his smelly Corn Nuts into my truck. Thank you to Jim Gardner and Jimmy Mitchell for the prayers in our hotel rooms and the gut-laughs during our meals. And thank you to our mighty God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, for calling me to preach the Word.

Peace,

Allan

Sincere Love

May 21, 2010 / / 0 Comments

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.” ~Romans 12:9-10

Sincere LoveSincere love is difficult. Devotion based on brotherly love isn’t easy. It demands that we detest what is evil in our friend’s lifestyle or attitudes. We “love the sinner but hate the sin.” Our love for the person committing the wrong is real, not pretended in any way; but in sincere love we must abhor the evil that can only cause him or her harm.

God’s love is like that.

God loves us so much that he accepts us just as we are; but he loves us too much to let us stay that way.

God certainly loves us without any phoniness and with total acceptance, but he cannot stand anything in us that is contrary to his will. Our Father is continuously working to purge the evil from us and transform us by the renewing of our minds into the image of his great Son.

And we see and relate to our Christian brothers and sisters the same way. We would never watch our brother drink a cup of deadly poison while we sit in the shade and sip iced tea. We would leap across the table and knock the cup out of his hands to save him. Because we love him. We would not allow a friend to step into the path of an on-coming bus while we skipped safely along the sidewalk. We would push or drag her out of harm’s way. Because we really care about her. Even though our brother might not understand at the time or our friend might think we were meddling. Sincere love — loving devotion — means sincerely caring and acting for their eternal interests.

It means making the phone call. It means doing the lunch. It means having the talk you’ve been meaning to have for months. Or years. It won’t be easy. But it’s a vital part of living together in Christ’s community.

Peace,

Allan

The Real Thing

May 18, 2010 / / 1 Comment

“I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” ~2 Corinthians 11:28-29

The Real ThingScripture puts before us, unashamedly and unapologetically, the great challenge of living together in community. The Gospel message of salvation from Christ Jesus is a message that breaks down all the barriers between God and man and between man and man. It’s a holy reconciliation that draws all people to God and to one another. It’s a common experience in a common Savior around a common table that unites us to God and to one another.

And we live it together in relationships. We live into it together in community.

Paul claims to identify so closely with his brothers and sisters in Christ that he hurts with them when they hurt. It really bothers him. When a brother is led away into sin, it tears him up inside. He can’t stand it. And he’s compelled to do something about it, not because he cares about himself or the reflection it may have on him as a teacher, but because he loves these people so very much. He lives and dies daily with and for his church family. He rejoices with those who rejoice and mourns with those who mourn. He’s truly invested in these people. Paul’s committed to them so much that their individual ups and downs impact him physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually.

It’s real.

How bothered are you to hear that a sister in Christ has been taken to the emergency room? Bothered enough to call? Bothered enough to visit? How upset are you to learn that a brother in Christ has lost his job? Upset enough to send a card? Upset enough to send a check? How concerned are you to find out a member of your church has left the Lord and is living in rejection of God’s grace? Concerned enough to take him to lunch? Concerned enough to talk to him all night on his back porch?

These kinds of relationships with and feelings for one another are not built during the Sunday morning worship hour. Those kinds of things — the “for real” things between us — occur on Sunday nights at IHOP and in our living rooms and kitchens. It happens in the Legacy quilting room on Monday mornings and in hospital rooms on Thursday nights. Relationships are built during Tuesday Bible studies and at the movies on Friday. Christian community happens at the Senior banquet in May and the campouts and retreats in July and the football games in the fall.

It takes time. It takes energy. It takes a dedication to something bigger and more important than self. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes it’s not necessarily fun. But all the time, living in deep Christian relationship with one another is the divine will of our God.

Peace,

Allan

Badge Of Discipleship

May 17, 2010 / / 0 Comments

Badge of Discipleship“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” ~Jesus, John 13:34-35

How do you know if a Christian is for real? How do you know if somebody’s a legitimate Christian? Who are the real disciples? How do we know?

In radio, they gave us huge badges with our pictures on them to identify us as legitimate members of the press. I belonged on the court before a Mavericks game or in the clubhouse after a Rangers game. I had the badge. I was authentic. I had Genuinethe proof that I was who I said I was.

Teachers in our schools wear ID badges. Police officers and delivery truck drivers, doctors and jurors and the kid operating the roller coaster at Six Flags. You may be wearing one at work today. The badges identify us as the people we claim to be. It clears up any doubts. It answers all the questions.

How do you know if a Christian is for real?

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

CertifiedBaptism is not the badge of true discipleship. A certain worship style is not the mark of a Christian. Neither is the name of your church or its leadership structure or your opinion on the hot church issue of the day. The authenticity of a follower of Jesus is proven by his love for others. Genuine love. Sincere love. Self-giving, sacrificial love. The kind of love Paul describes in Romans 12:9. Unhypocritical love. That’s how people know.

It’s not baptism. We all know people who’ve been baptized who aren’t living for Christ, right? It’s not church. You and I both know people who are at church all the time who are filled with anger and bitterness and hate.

The world looks at our love to determine whether we’re for real. And so does Jesus.

You can be baptized, you can claim Christ as Lord, you can sit in the pews four times a week. Without love for others, though, you’re a liar. And everybody knows it. It’s like walking into the Cowboys lockerroom without a badge. You stick out as an imposter.

You might say, “love is not the only badge of discipleship, Allan.” And you’d be right. It’s not. But it is the most important Badge of Discipleshipone. It’s the primary one. Without it, the others don’t mean a thing. John couldn’t be more clear: If you don’t love your brother, you’re not a child of God (1 John 3:10). If you don’t love your brother in need with actions instead of words, the love of God is not in you (1 John 3:17-18).

Authentic love — agape without hypocrisy — is the thing that characterizes children of God. And it’s the thing that characterizes the Christian community. It marks us as disciples.

“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply from the heart.” ~1 Peter 1:22

Peace,

Allan

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