Pastor Ed’s Blog

Culturally Relevant or Culturally Assimilated?

Sunday, I taught from Romans 12:1-2. In this pivotal passage, Paul urges us, in the light of all that Christ has accomplished for us (as described in Romans 1-11), to live a life of full devotion and consecration to God. As an expression of our consecration to God, Paul exhorts us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, renew our minds, and surrender our wills in joyful obedience to God.

However, another important factor mentioned by Paul in our devotion to God is this: Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world (literally, “age”). Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its mold; don’t let the spirit of the age shape your values, your priorities and your thinking.

Historically, that is exactly what the world has done to the church–squeezed it into its mold. The Greeks turned Christianity into a philosophy. The Romans turned Christianity into a political system. Europe turned Christianity into a culture. And America has turned Christianity into an enterprise.

One of the church’s greatest challenges is to be culturally relevant (able to “fit in”), without becoming culturally assimilated (”squeezed in” its mold). Sometimes, I have to wonder if many churches and Christians haven’t been assimilated by our society in their attempts to be relevant. One of the speakers at the Leadership Summit pointed out that many evangelical pastors and churches have chosen “charisma over character, style over substance, and image over integrity.”

In American society (and all too often in the church), image is everything!  Outward appearances are more important than inward reality, and how things look are more important than how things really are. The absence of substance and character is carefully concealed behind slick marketing, clever packaging and airbrushed images.

When we get squeezed into the mold of society around us, we stop being real and honest and vulnerable. We start projecting this image of who others want us to be. We feel the need to project an image of something other than what we really are. Appearances are everything.

But, when appearances become more important than reality, there are three inevitable results:

1. I live in denial. When how things look is what really matters, then how things really are never get dealt with. It becomes more important that you think I have a good marriage than really having a good marriage. It becomes more important that you think I’m successful than really being successful. And on and on. So, I never admit my flaws and weakness. I never address the issues that need to be addressed, for fear that you may not accept me.
2. I live in fear. I live in the constant fear of being exposed because I’m playing a part and hiding behind a mask. I’m projecting an image of something I am not, and my fear is that one of these days, the mask is going to slip, and you’ll see me for who I really am.
3. I live in deception. The most dangerous result of all is when I start to believe that the image I’m projecting is really who I am! I start to believe my own press clippings.

Don’t get “squeezed in” in order to “fit in.”

God seeks “inside out” followers–followers who will be authentic and honest enough to allow God to transform them from the inside out.

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Yet More Sayings

Several people have asked me if I could share more of my favorite sayings. So here’s some more of my favorites. Some are original to me;  some I’ve read or heard somewhere in a galaxy far, far away, but I’ve long since forgotten the source; and for some I’ve included the source.

• Grace comes with blisters!
• We’re not travel agents handing out brochures to places we’ve never been; we’re faith explorers on a journey of faith (B. Manning).
• it takes God to be a man.
• Many Christians spend their whole lives in the penalty box of condemnaton.
• Only real people can become true friends.
• You can do more than pray after you’ve prayed, but you can do no more than pray until you’ve prayed (John Bunyan).
• The greatest danger of a pioneer is to forget he’s on a journey and to find a comfortable place to settle down.
• Greatness in the Kingdom of God is too precious a commodity to be entrusted to the rich and powerful; it can only safely be entrusted to the lowly and the humble.
• Authentic relationship only happens when the real me connects with the real you.
• Peace is not the absence of trouble; peace is the presence of God.

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Upside Down, Inside Out & Rightside Up

The above title is shorthand for Paul’s statement is Romans 12:2. The longhand version reads as:

“Don’t be squeezed into conformity with the world’s upside down values and prioritiies, but instead be transformed from the inside out. How? By renewing your mind with the rightside up thinking of the Word of God.”

 This Sunday, I’ll be continuing the series of messages entitled Great Verses To Live By. Our text will be Romans 12:1-2 (I know, I’m cheating a little bit by using two verses as my text, instead of the usual single verse). The title of  my message Sunday will be “Letting God Change You From the Inside Out.”

The key word in the text is “transformed,” which comes from the Greek word metamorphoo (our English word metamorphosis comes from this Greek word). It speaks of a radical change that comes from the inside out. God isn’t interested in changing or adding a few external behaviors; He wants to change us from the inside out.

God changes you from the inside out as you:

• Offer your body as a holy and living sacrifice;
• Renew your mind according to the true knowledge of God; and
• Surrender your will in joyful obedience to God.

We’ll explore this Sunday what it means to offer your body, renew your mind, and surrender your will on a daily basis–and how to experience God’s radical transformation from the inside out.

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Confidence to Face Any Situation

This Sunday, I continue my summer series of messages Great Verses to Live By.

I’ll be teaching on a very familiar verse–Philippians 4:13. Most of you know the verse as “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” But I think that the Revised English Bible captures the meaning more accurately. It reads, “I am able to face anything through him who gives me strength.”

The idea here is not that we can do anything through Christ’s strength (as true as that may be). The idea here is that in the strength of Christ we can have confidence to face any and every situation that comes our way.

The context of Philippians 4:13 opens up some valuable insights into how we can have confidence to face any situation–good, bad or ugly. Some of the topics we’re going to look at include: the key to releasing our anxieties to God and leaving them with Him; the importance of shaping our lives by renewing our minds; and the secret of living independent of your circumstances. 

Learn how to be “self-sufficient in the sufficiency of Christ.”

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Leadership Proverbs

I found it interesting to see Bill Hybels latest book Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs, because I too am a collector of proverbs, axioms, and pithy sayings that communicate a volume of truth in a short saying–not only about leadership but about life.

Along the way, I’ve picked up a number of leadership proverbs that have helped me in my own leadership. So here’s a dozen of my favorites:

• A position only gives you subordinates, not followers.
• A leader is the first person through the minefield.
• Leadership is cultivating in people the willingness to follow you into something new for the sake of accomplishing something great.
• Beware the seduction of the secondary.
• Leaders comfort the aflicted and afflict the comfortable.
• You teach what you know but you impart who you are.
• A person who is one step ahead of others is called a leader; a person who is ten steps ahead of others is called a martyr.
• Even if you’re drowning, act like you  planned it that way.
• Never trust someone who doesn’t walk with a limp.
• Leave nothing to chance, then leave everything to God.
• There are no great people, just ordinary people who serve a great cause.
• Someone who is putting on his armor shouldn’t boast like someone who’s taking it off (1 Kgs. 20:11).

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Leadership Summit

The Leadership Summit this year was once again an inspiring and informative event. But I was particularly glad that they included a number of pastors of innovative churches as Summit speakers. While I often enjoy hearing secular business leaders, I don’t always find them very helpful in my own leadership. I find that translating business principles into usable practices in the context of church life is often challenging and requires considerable discernment.

I have a hard enough time trying to translate what megachurches are doing into the context of our own church. I usually find that when I “try on” the latest innovative, cutting edge megachurch “must have” program or “must do” ministry initiative, I feel like David trying to wear Saul’s armor. I’m always willing to learn from others and try new things, but I think I’ll stick with my humble slingshot.

So it was encouraing to hear more pastors at this year’s Summit. It was especially helpful because the pastors were not national celebrities and the churches they pastored were not in the top 10 largest churches in America. Some of them weren’t even megachurches. That’s refreshing in our society which worships celebrities and measures success by size.

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A Reason To Hope

After two weeks vacation, it was good to get back in the office again.

But it’s been kind of a whirlwind week (so much for easing back into the job). Besides catching up with two weeks worth of back paperwork, meetings, phone calls, e-mails, and preparing Sunday’s message–I spent Thursday and Friday at the Leadership Summit (which was great as usual). And, in addition to that, my son Steven left early Friday morning for a two-week missions trip to Thailand and China!

Nevertheless, I’m excited about continuing my summer message series Great Verses To Live By. This Sunday, I’ll be teaching on what is a favorite verse for many people–Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Those words were written during one of the darkest periods in the history of God’s people, yet this verse is one of the most hope-filled and encouraging verses in all of scripture.

The title of my message is “A Reason to Hope.” In this message, we’ll be looking at: 

1. God’s Plans (”I know the plans I have for you“),
2. God’s Posture (”plans to prosper you not to harm you“), and
3. God’s Promise (”plans to give you a hope and a future“).

Come this Sunday expecting God to do some great things in your life! Come and have your faith inspired and your hope re-ignited as you discover something of the character and nature of God that gives us “a reason to hope.”

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Halfway Mark

It’s hard to believe that it’s August already. The summer is half over! I hope that you’ve had a chance to get away and recharge your batteries (or plan to soon). Very often, you don’t realize how much you need a rest until you finally take one.

I’m coming to the end of a two-week vacation which has rejuvenated me, and I’m ready to jump back into ministry. I plan to be at church this Sunday, and I’m looking forward to hearing Mark McGrath speaking. Mark always has an encouraging word to share (delivered as only Mark can do it).

On the following Sunday, I’ll be continuing my summer series of messages Great Verses to Live By. There are so many great verses that it’s a challenge to narrow down the list. Next week, I’ll give you a heads up on what I’ll be teaching on in August.

Hope to see you this Sunday!

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Open Eyes…Seeking Heart

I got back yesterday from spending a week at Seaside Park.

It was just the kind if vacation I needed–a lazy, leisurely, lounge around kind of vacation. Lazy mornings, long talks with friends, afternoon naps, lots of italian food, and chocolate milkshakes from the Sundae Times. And of course several good books to read.

This week, I’ve been meditating on a quote from Frederick Buechner:

“There is no event so commonplace but that God is present within it, always hiddenly, always leaving you room to recognize him or not…because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.”

 God often hides himself and travels incognito. But to those who have eyes to see and a heart to seek Him, He reveals himself. I think of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus joins them and walks with them but “their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him” (Luke 24:16). Then, as they approached the village, Jesus “acted as though He would go farther” (24:28).

Jesus always leaves room for us to recognize Him or not. He acts as though  He will go farther, to see if we value Him enough to seek Him. The disciples could have let Him go on his way, and they would have never recognized Him. But they invited Him to stay and during the commonplace event of breaking bread, their eyes were opened to recognize Him (24:31, 35).

I wonder how many times God was present, hidden, leaving me room to recognize Him or not–and I failed to recognize Him. Maybe I was too busy to notice Him, or I failed to recognize Him in the commonplace moments of life. Or, He acted as if He was going on farther…and I let Him go!

God says to us, “You shall find Me when you seek for me with all your heart.” He’s often with us in the most commonplace of moments if we have the discerment to recognize Him. But only those who are looking for Him will find Him.

I’m going to make it my daily prayer that despite the distractions of life, I would recognize Him when He intersects my life, knowing that ALL moments are key moments because ANY moment may be the moment God shows up.

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The Unforced Rhythms of Grace

I love how Matthew 11:28-29 reads in the Message:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out? Get away with Me and you’ll recover your life…Walk with Me and work with Me–watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.”

Have you ever noticed that Jesus never seemed flustered, flurried, worried or hurried. He always had time for what was important and for who was important. He had margins to His life that allowed Him to handle interruptions graciously. He lived in pace with the “unforced rhythms of grace.”

I have to confess that I all too easily get swept up in the pace of our society where it “takes all the running you can do just to stay in place.” This summer, I’m asking God to help me recapture the “unforced rhythms of grace” for my life.

Summer is a good time to regain control of your life. It’s a good time to prune some of the activity branches from your life, restore margins to your schedule, and take time for personal reflection and renewal.

God is a God of renewal. The Bible tells us that God renews our life, our days, our strength, our youth, our spirit, our mind, and our inner self. Our spirit, mind and heart become depleted of strength and energy if not continually renewed by the life and power of God.

This summer, I plan to spend time in prayer and reflection to renew my spirit. I plan to spend time reading God’s Word (and a few good books) to renew my mind. And I plan to spend time with friends and family to renew my heart. Of course there’s always plenty of ministry challenges to keep me busy (even during the summer), but I’m learning to establish the rhythms of grace in my life.

I hope that your summer is also a time of reflection, renewal and refreshing, as you walk in the rhythms of grace. 

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