Cary The Load...

I remember a time when I was moving a heavy piece of furniture with a few other men. It was a difficult task since we had to navigate through some tight corners. Also, the piece of furniture we were moving was awkward in size and extremely heavy. We groaned, grunted, and struggled, only as men do, as we attempted to move it. When we came to the doorway we had to shift places in order for everyone to fit through while we continued to carry the heavy load. I decided to go through the door first. I let go and quickly went through the doorway and I waited to once again help lift the furniture when it came through.

I had a bit of an epiphany when I let go. Even though I was lifting with all my might, as soon as I let go it didn’t seem to significantly affect the other guys who were still carrying the load. The other men didn’t seem to struggle more, and the item didn’t drop or even dip a little when I let go! I know I’m opening up myself to some fun comments here by sharing this story. I can just hear it now, “Pastor Pat you need to work out more!” While true, this is beside the point. I know I’m not the strongest man in the world, but I still thought I was helping carry the load. I was groaning, grunting, and struggling just like the other men. However, was I truly making a difference? Did the other men really need my help?

 I wonder how often we try to “help” God out by “carrying” something that God already stated in His Word that he would carry. For instance, consider Ephesians 1:13- 14 which states, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” The emphasis to our salvation is that of belief not works. We can do no work that adds anything to our salvation. Yet at times, in our flesh, we try to “carry the load” through good works instead of trusting in the Gospel itself. We need to remember that God has already carried the load of our salvation. Good works are a product of our trust in the security of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives, and biblical truth coming alive in our hearts. We don’t try to do good things to earn our salvation, for God already secured that in us through our belief in the Gospel. Rather, good works are a product of a life transformed by the Gospel. May our security in the Gospel compel us to a life “worthy of our calling” (Eph. 4:1)!

More Than Simply a Spiritual Transaction

A central message of the Bible is that of restoration. No doubt, the world is marred by sin, and if God had not intervened then mankind would be left in a predicament of utter depravity. In other words, we’re messed up. And not just a little bit. At the very center of every human being is a depravity that is incredibly dark; in fact, there is no spiritual life for those apart from God. This does not mean that those who are not Christian are unable to do good things. What it does mean is that unless God works in the life of someone spiritually dead he will remain spiritually dead and separated from God.

When we think about what it means to awaken from spiritual death to spiritual life it should cause us to greatly rejoice! This is not merely a transaction. This spiritual metamorphosis is precisely centered on our relationship with God. We do not simply receive some type of notice that our sin has been cancelled and consequently we now have access to eternity in heaven after we physically die. We receive God Himself, and it is privilege to enjoy Him now! Our relationship with God, which once was broken, is now made available to us through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. And all our deepest desires and longings can be met in Him, like Adam and Eve enjoyed before the fall!

I mention all of this because Christianity is not to just about having our sins forgiven by God so that we gain access to heaven someday. The message of Christianity is to have our broken relationship with God restored. He is our prize. He is our goal. He is our treasure in the field worth far more than anything in this world has to offer. God is not just part of the transaction for which we receive His grace. He becomes everything to us!

You may be thinking to yourself, “OK, Severson, I get this. I know what you are talking about.” Good! But my question is, do our lives reflect this reality? Do we treasure our relationship with God far more than anything? You see, if we don’t we’ve missed the whole point, and our spiritual lives are based on something contrary to Scripture. To reduce the Gospel message to merely be a transaction is to miss the main point of the Gospel – that of restoring our broken relationship with God.

A Conversation Starter

Tim Tebow’s story is receiving national attention. The star quarterback for the Denver Broncos has even become a huge fascination to people with little interest in sports. His story has become one of the leading headlines this season. As you may know, Tebow is a bit of a polarizing figure. Lauded as one with great leadership skills, deep character, extraordinary athletic capabilities and the intangibles needed to be a successful quarterback in the NFL, still Tebow has many doubters. His critics question his dynamic and distinctive playing style and doubt that he will be successful long-term. Even so, the second year quarterback is 6-2 this season, which is an impressive feat for such a young quarterback.

It is not, however, solely his unique playing style that has sparked a firestorm of debates and intense dialogue. It is the collision of sports and religion that has been the impetus for intriguing conversations that have immerged in unlikely places. People in bars, cafes, online, workplaces, etc. are discussing the Tebow phenomena. You see, Tebow has expressed in many situations his love for Jesus as his personal Savior. Admirably, Tebow leverages the platform he has been given in order to exemplify his love and devotion to Christ. Some have even attributed Tebow’s late game heroics to God’s divine intervention, and they see it as a sign of God’s favor on Tebow, though Tebow has denied such claims.

Naturally this brings to the forefront numerous thought-provoking questions. Does God even care about the outcome of sports games? And does God intervene and uniquely favor His children in the sports world? If so, then what happens if there are strong believers on opposing sides? What does God do then? You see, the whole Tebow story brings up a difficult theological concept to comprehend: the idea of God’s sovereignty and man’s responsibility. But that question perhaps is best addressed another time. For now I’ll leave you with just a few Scripture passages highlighting God’s sovereignty to help you process this concept (Matt. 10:9; 10:13, Prov. 16:33; 21:1).

My main purpose in writing about Tim Tebow is to raise awareness of the opportunity we have to naturally use his story as a conversation piece. This Christmas season, as you gather together with friends and family, perhaps Tebow’s story will open up opportunities for you to discuss matters of faith and what it means to have a relationship with God. Regardless if we discuss Tim Tebow this weekend (which seems unlikely, at least with my family!), may we seek opportunities over Christmas to bridge conversations towards spiritual matters, in order that God might use us to help share His story of redemption to our friends and family members who might be far from Jesus.

The Ugly Christian

Over the years I’ve enjoyed the privilege of participating in numerous overseas missions trips. God has brought me to places literally all over the world. Every trip has been used by God to significantly shape my world-view. I have witnessed both the need for the Gospel in other nations, and I have also witnessed the transcendent nature of the Gospel to different cultures. It can be said that preparing for these trips is no small task. If you have been on a mission trip I’m sure you can relate. Training is a key part to any overseas trip. Interestingly, just about every team that I have been on discussed an idea called “The Ugly American.” Basically “The Ugly American” is a catchphrase that denotes the perceptions that many around the world have concerning Americans. Unfortunately, Americans have many negative stereotypes. Some of these stereotypes are legitimate and some are simply untrue. In fact, I have often heard from nationals how much they dislike Americans, yet how their dislike of Americans excluded the members from our team.

My primary desire in this article is not to draw attention to “The Ugly American” nor is it entirely about overseas missions. Rather, I would like for us to consider for a moment how many in our culture view Christians. As we do, we may discover some parallels to “The Ugly American” stereotype. I would like to propose that we have an ever-growing stereotype in our culture. I call it “The Ugly Christian.” Granted, some of these stereotypes are simply untrue and they are based on flawed information. Much of this is a result of the numerous negative messages about Christianity in the media. However, some of these stereotypes are self-inflicted. Even so, I understand that the message of the Gospel will always be difficult for the world to hear. In fact, Christ even warned us about being rejected by the world because of Him (John 15:18). And let us not forget that the message of the Gospel is often repulsive to those who don’t know Christ (2 Cor. 2:15-16).

Essentially this is a call for Christ-followers living in a post-Christian society to consider how we might be personally contributing to the “Ugly Christian” stereotype. Are there attitudes, decisions, passions and priorities in our lives that are contrary to the Gospel? May we find comfort if our faith repulses people in our society because the Gospel is permeating our lives. However, may the Holy Spirit challenge us if our attitudes, decisions, priorities and passions are contrary to the Gospel and thus negatively contributing to the “Ugly Christian” stereotype in our culture. And when we do fail, and we all will at some point, may God’s grace restore us to humbly walk with Him and demonstrate to the world around us God’s great and compelling compassion.

A Fitting Response

It is hard for me to imagine what it would be like to have everything taken away, to essentially be banished from everything I cherish in this life. This is what happened to someone who was declared a leper in Biblical times. People with this devastating disease were quarantined and forced to live in leper colonies. Leprosy was a demoralizing, humiliating disease. This is the backdrop of the story we find in Luke 17:11-19. While Jesus was traveling there were ten lepers who saw Jesus and from a distance they cried out to him and asked for mercy. Having compassion, Jesus commanded all ten of them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they went on their way their bodies were miraculously healed, and they were released from the prison of decaying flesh and physical disfigurement. In that moment they knew that their lives had been returned. They had been given a second chance. Shockingly only one leper stops and returns to Christ. As this leper approaches Christ he is overwhelmed, and Luke describes how the leper threw himself at the feet of Christ giving thanks and praising God in a loud voice. No doubt this was a fitting response. Seeing only one healed leper Jesus responds with this poignant question, “Were not all 10 cleansed?”

Similarly, in a spiritual sense, I too have been given a second chance at life. Where I once was banished from fellowship with God and eternal life with him on account of my sin, Christ redeemed me. He paid my dept, took my sin, forgave me, and gave me new life. How can I not return thanks to Him? A fitting response is for me to throw myself at the feet of Christ, praise Him in a loud voice, and weep and rejoice over the new life God has granted me.

My prayer for the church is that we would always remember the significance of our salvation and new life in Christ, and that our response would be fitting to that reality. May we be like the one leper and not the nine! Imagine for a moment what our congregational worship gatherings would look like if we all came together with a deeper sense of our salvation in Christ!

Christmas Reflections...

Christmas is a season of joy, celebration, thanksgiving, and fond memories. Now that Christmas is over and all of the wonderful decorations are starting to come down, I have intentionally spent some time reflecting on the last few weeks. As I have done so I’ve become more aware of just how much Christmas has become a holiday associated with celebrating God’s blessings, and rightly so. It is indeed a season of great joy and celebration. As I process it more, though, I have realized that if we solely focus on joy and blessing during the holidays that it can subtly skew and almost overshadow the fullness of the Christmas message. You see, Christmas is not just a time for people who have been blessed and enjoyed a good year. It isn’t a time for only the perfect family to enjoy. It isn’t solely for the person who has everything. The message of Christmas is for those who are downcast, depressed, abandoned and lonely. It’s for people who are barely making it through each day. It’s for those who have been kicked while already down. The message of Christmas is for the dirty, poor, hurting, rejected, and for those who are grieving. In other words, Christmas is for all of us.

Perhaps over Christmas you did not have the luxury of celebrating with such joy. Instead you entered into the holiday season with real hurt and pain. The beauty of all the Christmas lights was overshadowed by the darkness of your pain. May I gently offer a reminder that Christ, who became God among us, did not come simply to offer you nostalgic Christmas memories of joyous times with family and friends. Rather He came with a far greater purpose in mind. He came that you might receive healing for your wounded heart. He came to fulfill your deepest longings. He came to offer you hope. He came to save you from the darkness of sin. He came to ultimately bring restoration between you and God. He came to be your Savior. Let us remember Christ’s words when He said, “I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness” (John 12:46).

Tension

Sometimes I have wrestled with the tension of how to approach the spiritual disciplines (praying, studying Scripture, memorizing passages, fasting, etc.). If our primary motivation comes from within, the sort of just-pull-our-boot-straps-up-and-get-to-it type of attitude, where is the Spirit’s leading and inner working? The danger with this approach is the capacity it can create for pride and self-righteousness because the primary motivation is based more on one’s own will power and less on the Spirit’s work. This posture towards the disciplines can also create an attitude of enlightenment; that God somehow owes us His blessing because we have positioned ourselves through sheer determination. It often is a masquerade for true spirituality, and it can ultimately lead to a spirit of legalism.

On the far other end of spectrum is a sort of laissez-faire approach to the disciplines. This mindset rests in a wait-and-see approach to pursuing God through spiritual practices. Not wanting to be legalistic, nor take the credit of spiritual growth, the believer wrapped up in this frame of mind often puts the disciplines on the shelf and simply waits for God to awaken his or her inner desire for them. The danger is that the disciplines may rarely be practiced because the believer is not proactively doing much for his or her spiritual growth. The end result is often a stale and stagnant faith.

In his book, “Celebration of Discipline” Richard Foster gives a simple yet wonderful analogy. He encourages believers to pursue the disciplines similarly to how a farmer approaches his work. A wise farmer works extremely hard to cultivate a bountiful crop. However, at the end of the day a farmer knows that the results of the crop are outside of his control. He can provide the best opportunity for a healthy crop, but he is unable to make it grow. Similarly, we must pursue the spiritual disciplines with diligence while full knowing that the end results are beyond our control – only God can truly change our inner passions and desires that can produce spiritual fruit. Even so, we must position ourselves for the best possible chance of God’s working, while trusting that He alone can ultimately work through us.