Fruit vs Flash

In about 11 hours I will be speaking on the missional life. A life devoted to being rather than consumed with doing. As I sit here and prepare my thoughts for tomorrow I am increasingly grateful for the examples of missional living around us. The friends that God has given us are committed to simply being the people of God where they are, not needing to sale themselves to anyone or explain what they're doing to those who ask.

I am humbled by such men and women and long to become such a man. A man who is accountable to his friends and to God. Not controlled by the latest trends in the church or the hierarchy thereof. The impact of the church as a people rather than an institution is sometimes unseen by the physical eye that is trained to look for flashy results and shows that would put broadway to shame. While I know that we could produce a helluva show and attract large crowds easily, it is equally as obvious that that in no way would transform a city, much less an individual's relationship with an almighty God. It is only through lifestyles committed to the simplicity of the gospel and love of Christ that true fruit is produced.

I have never seen a tree produce an apple by screaming, hey look at me, I'm the best tree around, I sway to the breeze just right and I rock out only to the best tweeting birds in town. No, the tree quietly lives its life as a tree and produces fruit. So may the follower simply produce fruit and not long for the recognition of the orchard.

The Father's Business - Partial Transcript FCSBC March 4, 2007

Luke 2:41-49

As we come together this morning we realize that we are here for a purpose. I think we would all agree that each of us has a divine call to follow God and to serve God. Our hearts desire God, I trust that is why you are here this morning. Some of you may be here because this is where you think good Christians go on Sunday mornings, so you’re here out of obligation. Some of you may be here because it would shame your family’s name if you weren’t in church every time the doors are open.

Whatever your reason for coming this morning, I am personally glad that you chose to come today. Not because I think you should be here every time the doors are open, nor because I think you should be here at all. In fact, you all know me well enough to know that I do not hold the four walls of the church any more sacred than the dinner you will have with your family and friends later tonight or more sacred than the job you will do tomorrow.

I’m glad you’re here this morning because we’re going to dive into something that I think we miss all to often, and honestly this topic is a topic of life changing proportion. Not because I’m preaching it, but because this is the basics of faith and calling, and if we don’t get this we might as well pack it up and call it a day.

When Jesus was just 12 years old he did what most 12 year old boys do, he separated himself from what was expected and went off exploring. Three days into his adventure his parents found him in the temple, listening, participating, and teaching the chief teachers.

I can only imagine the distress and even anger that Mary and Joseph had toward Jesus when they found him. Jesus should be glad that he didn’t have my parents because, I got lost for a half hour in Kmart one time and I got the spanking of a lifetime, I can only imagine what they would have done after 3 days.

The words that came from the mouth of Jesus as a 12 year old boy are profound and prophetic, yet overlooked by scholars, theologians, pastors, and teachers. And because they are overlooked by those whom we trust to teach us, they are often overlooked, by businessmen, accountants, lawyers, doctors, construction workers, and wood refinishers.

When Mary and Joseph found young Jesus in the temple the conversation probably sounded a little like this; young man where have you been, don’t you know that your mother and I were very worried, and now we’re very angry, you shouldn’t run off like that. “But mom, dad, don’t you know why I was sent here? Remember those angels? I was sent here to do my Father’s business. It must be done, and you are a big part of that business. I’m sorry I didn’t get your permission, but I have to do my Father’s business.”

The next line in scripture is pretty intense, they did not understand what he was saying, but Mary kept the things in her heart and treasured them. Why would Mary treasure what had worried her? I think it is because she was suddenly reminded of that night when she was told that she was going to be the mother of the Savior of the world. She realized that her part in the Father’s business was big, and to her no other treasure could come close.

This morning, I want us to talk about this thing Jesus was devoted to, doing the Father’s Business. Did you know that the same word used here for business is the same word used interchangeably for business and ministry. There is no difference between the two. Whenever Scripture speaks of business or church ministry it uses the same word, the really cool thing is that this is consistent in the Greek of the NT and the Hebrew of the old. I think there is a significant message for us to grasp.

This past week I had a customer tell me that I didn’t need a platform or a pulpit, she said that my Nhance team had shown more Christ in one day than all the preachers she had ever listened to. That statement, quite honestly, has caused a great amount of grief in my spirit. Why? Because I personally like having a platform or standing behind the pulpit. But her words pierced deep, deep enough to cause me to realize that what I am doing right here and now is of no greater importance than what I do when I scrub floors.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I submit to you today, once again, that if what we do in here doesn’t spill into the streets out there, then we have no business doing it. If what you do in here doesn’t effect every aspect of your life, your business, out there then stay at home and get the extra 2 hours of sleep, because that is more useful to you than listening to me.

Too often we hold the pulpit to an elevated position. People react one way when I say that I am a pastor, and another when I say that I refinish wood. My customer this week opened my eyes to see that the those of us who lift up the pulpit forget those who have been hurt by the church, we abandon those who are too ashamed to come near a steeple, we judge those who live a different lifestyle. Instead of lifting up the pulpit I suggest that we live as Jesus lived, we together, live our lives working on the Father’s Business.

What is the Father’s Business you ask?

I think we see that answer in Jesus. To be an example for imitation. Jesus never made a command that he had not already lived out in front of his disciples. To be about the Father’s Business is to be an imitator of Jesus Christ and then to be an example for imitation among the world.

Why is it that Jesus said follow me, rather than come to my church on Sunday? It is because he knew the value of apprenticeship and encouraged those who wanted to be about the Father’s business to literally take up their cross and become like Him.

That is what the very word Christian means, Like Christ, or little Christ. I doubt that in my own life I deserve that title most of the time and yet that is what we proudly proclaim that we are.

If we are truly about the Father’s business then we have no need to bestow titles upon ourselves, like pastor, or bishop, or elder, much less Christian. The world would recognize who we are imitating and be compelled to either scoff or become imitators themselves.

The modern era that we have lived in since the 15th century is ending, and with the ending of modernity society inevitably will change with it. What is the Father’s business in this new age of communication or postmodernity? I suggest that it is the same as it was when Jesus first said it, the Father’s business is to be the ultimate example of the Father’s kingdom.

So how do we go about the Father’s business? How do we become imitators of Christ?

I think that we must first recognize the very Spirit of Christ. What was the impelling power that made Christ say, I must be about my Father’s business?

In the first place it was the spirit of obedience. An obedience to do that which he was made to do. For Jesus it was to be the ultimate example of abundant life, to teach us how to live, to teach us how to forgive. For Jesus, his obedience took him to the cross, to the pits of hell, and to the resurrection of life. Jesus was obedient not only in death but in life. His salvation was accomplished not in his death, but in his coming. The forgiveness of the Father happened long before the cross, forgiveness is why he sent Jesus? Jesus came because of the one who sent him. He came out of obedience. Our salvation, quite honestly is secondary to the obedience of the Son to the Father.

We are about the Father’s business when we are obedient to his call. His call to follow his Son, his call to live in abundance, to reject shame, and to live a life of fulfillment. In the book, Pursuit of Holiness, the author suggest that we are about the business of the Father when we reject our self. When we reject sin because it hurts the Father, not because it hurts us. When our actions are based on the call that the Father has given, rather than what we would have for ourselves or for others. Obedience is the fruit of submission to the Father’s call.

What is the Father’s call on your life? Are you walking in it? Or are you pursuing the things that you want, or your family wants?

Going deeper, realize that wherever you are, the Father’s business is primary. If you are at your desk, you are to be an example of the living Christ, if you are not, you are not about you Father’s business. When you go to the market, you are to be an imitator of the Son, if you are not, you are not about the Father’s business. Regardless of your occupation, your ultimate calling is the same, to imitate the Son, to be his disciple, and through your example lead others to the Father.

Christ was compelled to the Father’s business through His obedience and through His call. So should we, through our submission to Christ, be compelled to do the Business of the Father. There should be no better marketer than the submitted servant. There should be no better sales person than the man who cares more for the soul than for the sale. There should be no better student than the one submitted to the greatest teacher.

We are to be about the Father’s business. What I do today is of no more importance than what you do today. There is no higher calling to ministry, all business, all ministry are equal callings. In fact you will reach more people through your personal network in one day than I can reach from a pulpit in a year.

You are all key stock holders in the greatest business ever started. The beautiful thing is that you are not to be silent partners. GO and BE about the Father’s Business.

Platforms

"You don't need a platform, you did more today than all the preachers I've heard in my life"

I had never heard that before this week. But somehow God placed a customer in our path that overheard an entire day of the Kingdom. Steve and I spent the day as we usually do scrubbing floors and talking theology. Not your father's theology of 'ism's and 'ation's, but life values, biblical principles, and contextualized thought. Monday, Steve and I happened to talk about our "platforms" regardless of it's ministerial context.

We spent the day discussing the gospel matter of factly, thinking that our customer was watching tv or playing with her dogs. We voiced our frustrations with those who cheapen the gospel to a mere western context and those who teach without living out the very values they speak of. Overall, our conversation was another day of deconstructing and rebuilding of our understanding of the church and the kingdom.

Without our realizing it, our customer listened to our entire conversation. At the end of the day as I was closing out with her we talked for quite a while, long enough for my team to call my cell phone to see if everything was ok. The conversation was rich in compliments for our team and our work, which she called art, but more than that she let me know that everything that had been said she had been listening to. She informed me that she wasn't religious, but she said, if more Christians presented themselves as our team did then she might think about it. She went on to make the statement I posted at the beginning. Then she handed me the check, hugged me and walked me to the door.

As I shared the story with the team they rejoiced with me in the fact that God had used something as small as refinishing a floor to touch the heart of 60 something woman. The rejoicing has turned to inward thought and contemplation as I try to process the events of the day. Generally I take about 24 hours to process an event and begin to have an understanding. After some 48 hours I am still perplexed by the events that unfolded Monday evening. God had Steve and I in her house for a reason, and I believe a prophetic word.

We are to be about the Father's business (Thanks Ken) no matter the context of our work or calling. Do we even stop to realize that as a child Jesus said, do you not realize that I am about my Father's business? The greek word used throughout scripture for business is the same exact word used for ministry. There is no seperation between the two. There is no "Higher Calling" Every waking moment we are to be about the Father's business.

There really is no need for a platform or a soap box to live out the gospel in front of people every day. If we have to resort to always using words to share the gospel then we are failingto truly be followers of Christ. Words are used for teaching and instruction, our lives are to be living examples of Jesus Christ. When we do the Father's business the world knows it. When we do the Father's business, people are drawn to it.

Why is it that we seperate ministry and work? Why do people react one way when I say I refinish wood, and react another when I say that I am a pastor? The two are the same, in fact I would argue that what I do when I am in someone elses house is more important to the kingdom than what I say from the pulpit on Sunday morning.

I am increasingly aware of the piety and superficiallity of those who claim the pulpit is of higher calling than those who see ministry as life. The pill that is hard to swallow is that I love to teach, preach, and be behind the pulpit. But just because I can doesn't mean I should. Current sociological patterns would suggest that traditional institutional church is passing away, and the role of the pastor is shifting to a more biblically based version that states the pastor is to care for souls. Scripture never suggests that the role of pastor is behind the pulpit.

Sure there is a context in which we teach and preach, but that context is devoid of the former platform. Discipleship is apprenticing Christ, or becoming His protege. But we have to ask the question, what would happen if pastors released control to the businessman to disciple and train followers within the context of the real world, not the fantasy land we go to on Sunday mornings.

The platform that transform society is one that isn't removed from it, but is an intricate part of it. Why is it that we expect the world to come to the church? Missional life dictates that the church go to the world. What better platform could we ask for than the one already provided, Business?

The church is not bound to four walls, a pastor, deacons, and pot luck dinners. The world will be reached by the example lived out in front of it. The world is our platform and abundant life through Christ is our message. We don't need pulpits, or street preaching. We don't need committees or sessions. You can reach more people today through your network than I ever will from a pulpit or classroom.

Change your platform, Change the world!!!

Reactive Church

This past weekend Katie and I enjoyed a relaxing trip out of the city, unfortunately to get out of the city we had to endure a trip through the suburbs. One observation remains at the forefront of my thoughts, the further we got outside the city limits the larger the church buildings got. Initially the thought of a mighty God movement comes to mind, God is alive in the suburbs, or so we think.

Unfortunately the realization soon sets in that the Mega Church movement, which is thankfully beginning to die out in the emerging world, was never an explosion of God's moving, but rather it began solely out of reaction to a cultural shift that clearly was an abandonment of God's plan and purposes for the cities.

Looking back on the history of Mega Churches we would be hard pressed to find a suburban church that was "mega" before the influx of housing developments and strip malls. The churches that we look at and the leaders we idolize are merely a reflection of the churches historic inability to be on the leading edge of cultural shifts.

Please note that I am well aware of the many things God has done through this movement and the lives that have been changed by it. I am only stating the obvious that the church seemingly failed society by falling into a consumerist mindset that allowed the suburban sprawl without a single thought for the negative spiritual impact upon the cities.

The church of the modern American era has been a people of reactive or even passive action to cultural problems. It failed to condemn the theft of land and massacre of native Americans, it failed to call for an end to slavery, it never called for equal rights, nor did it call for Christians to stand in the gap for the cities. The church always seems to react to cultural movements instead of being on the front lines fighting for the very least of these.

I was saddened by the site of these large churches, not because of what God has done, but because of the lack of understanding of what was left behind. The church today stands on the threshold of a new age, we call it Postmodernism, the corporate world calls it the Communication age. Regardless of what we call it, the church has a chance to be proactive rather than reactive. I don't entirely know what that means, but I desire to seek the answer.

24th and Bryant - Flip Flops and Ripped Jeans

This morning I discovered the wonderful world of Sugarlump Coffee Lounge. I came here because I'm taking a part in a discussion
here Thursday night. What I found when I got here was the epitamy of what I thought SF life would be. As I write this I am looking out on the intersection of 24th and Bryant.

This section of the Mission is wonderfully eclectic. Every class and color can and will walk by within any 15 minute time frame. This gives way to an internal prayer that I have not known before. It is a prayer for the city that I don't yet understand. I see emptiness and loss of hope in the faces that walk by, but yet I see a longing for something just out of reach.

Across from me sits a gay couple that are very chatty. I've enjoyed listening to them plan their day and being included in their lives with simple smiles and hello's. My heart goes out to them, not because they're gay, but because I want them to know My Jesus. My dad has always said that the only Jesus most people will ever meet walks around everyday in leather souled shoes. Today I hope they see Jesus through a guy wearing flip flops and ripped up jeans.

There is a little girl running around, her father says she's 13 months. She just hugged my leg and played with the umbrella by the door getting me slightly wet. My prayer is for her. That she know Jesus during her life and that she see him even today at 13 months old. My prayer is for her parents who obviously love her very very much. She seems to bring so much joy to their lives, maybe they see Jesus in her.

I have placed myself far away from the fire because I wanted to be in the corner to work on my book, I wrote a few pages but I am consumed with these people. Hipsters, Bohemians, disfunctional families, beautiful families, color, and differing family roles all seem to make up this little world within a world.

All around me there is talk, talk of real estate, bio medicine, very little politics, except the occasional Bush bashing which I heartedly partake in.

This place is apparently larger than I thought, I've been here for an hour and a half and people are leaving I never saw come in, or was I too consumed with myself to notice.

This place intrigues me, I'll come back, I wish it was everyday, but at least once a week. Hopefully this prayer within me can be birthed. Maybe this place can be a haven of peace for the city, I don't know, but I can dream.

And maybe just maybe someone saw Jesus today, I just hope someone saw him through a guy in flip flops and ripped up jeans.

I see Him

Today I saw God, I saw Him in my teamates. I experienced life together, and I saw the fullness of God. I just wanted to share that. Take a look at who God has placed in your path right now, that's where you'll see Him. It's in the lives of those around you that you learn what He is teaching and you hear what He is saying.

Today I saw God, tomorrow, maybe you will too....

peace~

Shhhh

Lessons are learned everyday. Life taught me today that being still and knowing must happen in the midst of chaos. I can't run off to my cave, the country, the coffee shop everytime I need to connect with God. Today I learned that "silent retreats" must happen in the course of the day, in the midst of the mess.

When we learn to be still and know in the chaos we can see evidence of God being exalted right in front of us. After all isn't that what it's all about? Or did we forget and make it about us again?

haircut

So I got my haircut today, I don't like it. I feel like a televangelist who let Tammy Faye Baker style his hair. I was going to put up a picture, but I'm too embarrassed.

praying that it grows out quickly....

Question

Today I was asked, If I could paint the perfect picture of the next 6 months what would it be? After beating around the bush and half answering the question I gave up. For the first time in my life I don't know what the perfect picture looks like, all I know is who the central characters are. And maybe that's the answer, Who and Why is more important than What and How. Maybe.

Soul Graffiti - April 13 - BUY IT!!!

Mark Scandrette
If you don't read it, you'll regret it.

Today

Today I watched the Super Bowl with dear friends and realized that this is what Church is suppose to be. When we gather, we are supposed to celebrate together around our lives lived well within a Kingdom perspective. I smoked a cigar, I laughed, I listened, and most importantly, we loved. We were together, sure the super bowl was our excuse to have the party, but the Kingdom was the binding force. How beautiful the worship of God in the context of simple togetherness. I wish that I could articulate the fruit that was shown and the abundance and joy of our lives, but mere words simply can't contain this life together.

Today I worshipped, with my brothers.

Welcome Home Berniece

On January 15 Berniece Holley, a friend of Katie said her final goodbyes and went home. I never met Berniece but she left behind a legacy that can't be ignored. She introduced everyone she met to the Jesus that she loved.

The following words are her own words, her testimony so to speak. Berniece was a member of the Church of God in Christ and served her community until her death.

"The Lord had to bring me a mighty long way to get me out of the clutches of the devil for he had me wrapped, tied and bound. But one day the Lord came all the way from heaven down to save an undone wretch like me. I was lost one day but thank God for his goodness and mercy.

My family said there was no hope for me. I was into the things the world had to offer which was nothing but death, hell and desctruction. The devil thought he had me but Jesus rewrote my life. He gave me the ming to seek Him right after my birthday of 1958. I began to pray for the Holy Ghost. I didn't grow up in the church so I didn't know exactly what I was asking for. I had a neighbor who belonged to the church but was doing everything I was doing in my sin. I knew I didn't want that, I wanted the "real thing". I knew God was real. I put everything out of my mind but Jesus and I started to pray. I continued to pray day and night.

I made up my mind to attend church. At church I received my blessings from God and I felt good, but I knew something was missing. One night at home on my knees, I felt another presence; someone touched me. I heard a noice as if a big ball was rolling across the floor. The devil didn't want me to give my life totally to God, but praise God, mercy was in action. As I continued to pray I heard a sound coming down from above. I began to speak in another tongue as the spirit gave me utterance. I thought I knew love because I loved my children, but that night-Praise the Lord-I had a different kind of love. I knew Agape love. God's love. Glory be to God. Jesus rewrote my life."



Regardless of theological context, agree or disagree this beautiful lady is now in the presence of God. The beautiful thing about her life is that from 1958 until the day she left this earth she was always in the presence of God. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could all learn the presence of Christ here and now, rather than waiting for a divine appointment in the sky.

Run the streets Berniece, Jesus rewrote your life. May he rewrite mine today!!

The Kingdom is Now

I'm tired, my body is sore, it's been a long week to say the least. But is has also been a week of discipline and growth. The Spirit of God is truly moving within me and I am excited as He teaches.

So often I am consumed by future things, but I am learning that God is as much in the now as He is in my dreams and visions, even more so. The last 7 months have been about learning to be still and allow the Kingdom of God to expand within me, and yet I have learned to live life on purpose and with intent. The dreams of tomorrow are just that, for tomorrow. The Kingdom is here now, and it is to be lived now and tomorrow, not just tomorrow.

Call it what you want, Present Kingdom Theology, Heresy, Whatever, I am convinced that the example of Jesus was also the purpose of Jesus, and that was to usher in His Kingdom to the here and now. I am also convinced that true salvation is not simply eternal life, rather, that is the least of definitions in comparison to the salvation of present life and creation. Jesus came to redeem every aspect of life, not just to provide a ticket out of hell. To accept only eternal life is missing the point of Jesus' life. He was not merely born to die, His example of life is also part of His redeeming plan.

To follow Christ is simply that, to follow the way of Jesus.

The Kingdom of God is here, I suggest that we place our allegiance where it belongs and that is to our king and live our lives in abundance because we are His children and this kingdom is our inheritance.

The pain of discipline is always better than the pain of regret.

Ode to a dictator

Over the last few days a lot has been said about the death of Saddam Hussein. My friend Beanie posted a great note on his Facebook that really made me step back and think. Why are we celebrating the death and certain eternity of torture for this man? Sure he was responsible for the death of thousands of innocent people, and by all standards he deserved to die. But for all rights and purposes you and I are equally as capable of carrying out the same atrocities. Why would we celebrate the certain judgment he felt the moment life passed from this realm to the next?

I know that the neo conservative, good American, Republican thing to do is to lift a glass toward Mecca, I mean Washington DC and hail our king, I mean president for being such a mighty leader, and Christian to boot. But I personally don't have time for that garbage. As Beanie stated so eloquently and I have stated many times before not so eloquently, my allegiance is to a king and a kingdom who can love an evil man til his death, not to a man impersonating a Christian who takes his country into an unconstitutional war and uses his "faith" to justify it. Nor is my allegiance to a republic that elects in its great uninformed intelligence the worst acting congress in the history of our nation, nor is it toward the religious leaders who deify said leaders all because they agree on issues like abortion and gay marriage.

When did the church become an issues based institution? When did abortion supersede the gospel? When did the spread of democracy become the goal of the church? When did marriage become an issue of the state? I have very strong personal opinions about any issue you want to throw at me, but it will not, nor should it ever, become a topic in the pulpit. Jesus loves the gay married abortion doctor imperialistic murdering dictator just as much as he loves you, deal with it.

What if we don't celebrate, rather we mourn? What would that tell the world? Would we show that Jesus is real in us if we are truly compassionate towards the eternal fate of even the most evil of men?

Celebrate if you must, I suggest we pull out the sackcloth and ashes.

My name is Joseph...

My name is Joseph, you're my baby, you're my son. Well kind of. You know I always dreamed of having a son, a son with my eyes, with my hands. A little one that I could teach and mold. My son!

I always wanted to teach you how to build your first chair, how to treat your mom…wow your beautiful mom. I simply wanted to be your dad.

But tonight as you place your small hand in mine I feel so weak. I feel as if I am not holding you, but you are holding me. Tonight in my arms lays the hope of everything I have built my life upon. Tonight in my arms lays the hope of the world.

My name is Joseph, and I have been chosen to give my name and share my home with the Son of God who has become the Son of Man. Who am I that a King should entrust me to raise him? Why couldn’t God have chosen another man?

I always dreamed that I would build your first crib. And yet you lay there in a feeding trough because I can’t afford a room. I envisioned our families celebrating your birth, but we are surrounded by dirty shepherds and even dirtier animals. It is as if you have come to redeem all creation, not just the righteous.

You see, my name is Joseph, and this is all I have to give. This is not how a king should live. The Son of God, has become the Son of Man, but this is all I have to give. What can offer you my son? I cannot teach you of the reckless love of God, because you are the reckless love of God. So, I am Joseph, and well, that’s all I have to give.

The Glory of God has taken the form of man. Tomorrow my little one, you can save the world, but tonight, tonight you are My Jesus.

Compassion - Sermon Transcript FCSBC

Compassion

As we enter in to this holiday season, a season of Thanksgiving, of rejoicing, of celebration, we have a tendency to become self centered. I know that I begin to look forward to the gifts that Christmas will bring, or to the amounts of food I can stuff into my face. I begin to think of all the things that I am blessed with, which I have, we all have, so many. I give thanks with my words, I speak thanksgiving, I even pray and tell God how great I think he is because of all he has given, that he has provided. I speak to God as if He if this giant Toy’s R Us for adults. I speak of contentment to my friends for all that I have.

This year I want to take a look at the coming season through a different lens. I’m talking about one word. A word that we speak so often and yet I don’t think we can fully comprehend the depth of what we are saying when we use this word. Jesus used this word, he experienced this word, and yet we fail to teach this word with the passion and force that drives it.

The word is compassion or Splagchnizomai in the Greek. For the sake of all of we’ll stick with compassion.

Throughout the Gospels we are told multiple times that Jesus saw the crowds and was moved with compassion. The very thought that Jesus would be moved to compassion upon simply seeing a crowd of people is humbling even before we discuss the definition of what this word means.

Compassion as we have learned it or have made it out to be is merely the feeling of pity or sorrow. We say we feel compassion for the man in the street or the child with no family or the hungry girl who hasn’t eaten. We say that we feel compassion when we see the video of Operation Christmas Child or we think of those who are suffering in Darfor or the child soldiers of Uganda. And yet as we look at scripture and to the true definition of compassion my prayer is that we would all realize the depths of our confusion and be moved in a way that we cannot explain.

The Webster’s definition of compassion is:

a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Yet the Greek definition of Splagchnizomai is:

To be feel the pain and suffering of another to the point of anguish, only then being moved to alleviate the suffering

We see that the English translation here, while it is useful doesn’t expound on the fact that compassion isn’t an emotional feeling of tears and pity, rather it is a physical pain that as the Greeks would put it, is birthed in the bowels.

Mark 6:34

This passage is very familiar to many of us; we read it as children when we learned of how great Jesus is, to perform a miracle that could feed the multitude. It wasn’t until recently that I realized that the beautiful part of this passage isn’t the miracle that Jesus performed; it is the lesson of compassion that we are taught. The miracle simply shows the power of God and it is there to get our attention, but here is what we miss all too often.

As Jesus left the boat and saw the multitude He literally felt the weight of their burden upon his back. As he looked into the faces of each one, His heart, according to the word used here, broke for each individual situation, and his body could literally experience their pain.

There are three simple concepts that we should take away from this passage. Three things that are self evident in this passage.

1. When moved by compassion you Go to it, rather than run from it.

It would have been very easy for Jesus to say to His disciples, let’s get back on the boat and deal with this tomorrow. It would have been justified, after all the reason they went to an isolated place was for rest, the previous verses say that they were going so hard that the disciples hadn’t even had time to eat. And yet because he felt their need for Him he left the peacefulness of the boat and went into the crowd.

2. He taught them the way of the Father

The Bible says he taught them many things, I have no idea what He said that night, it could have been how to live a Godly life or it could have been how to knit a sweater. The subject of his lesson is irrelevant, what is important is that he began to teach on their level, right where they were. He began to equip them for life.

3. He provided for their physical needs

It would have been justified had Jesus gone into His boat and not gone into the crowd, it would have also been justified had he taught them and then called it a night. But we are taught here that when true compassion moves upon us that we must do everything in our power to alleviate the suffering of the afflicted. Jesus had met their need for Him to be in their midst, he had even comforted them with words of truth, and yet that wasn’t enough. Those who had sat under the teaching of Jesus were hungry and in need of food.

Jesus realized that His teaching would be for naught if he didn’t meet their immediate need for food. And so it is here we learn of feeding of the multitude. Which isn’t the whole story, rather the essence of need fulfilled.

You and I are daily faced with pain and suffering, whether it be the man on the street corner or the suit in the office next door. And everyday we turn our back and walk away. Then we give money to missions or build a shoebox, both of which are good things, but can be used as mere conscience relievers. We say that is compassion when we are simply seeking to relieve our own pain and ease our guilt rather than face the pain of someone else.

This season of Thanksgiving give thanks with your actions rather than your words. Go into the crowd and feel their pain, teach them the way of the Father, provide for their needs in a real, effective, physical way.

If you are truly thankful for what God has done, show someone else how to live in abundance rather than hogging it all to yourself.

Go, Teach, Provide. Be thankful, and show it.

The vision of man cannot be fulfilled until the character of man is built and tried in the fire.

Revolution of Restoration - Partial Transcript - Nov 5. 2006, FCSBC

This morning I am at a loss for words as to what we should talk about. I have spent this week hurting for my brothers and sisters, longing for a revolution of restoration to sweep through the American church body. I have been taught so many things that I am finding to be irrelevant to Godly living, and yet I am learning that I am ill-equipped to lead as Jesus lead. I am learning that those with the most letters behind their names are the ones that we trust the most without any concern for their private conversations with God. And yet we turn our back on the man who has a true calling to the care of souls and pastoring because he lacks the pedigree of others.

I wanted to come here today and preach a sermon that would cause us to smile and laugh, I was even going to take Barry’s keys and wallet until I heard that had already been done. But this week my spirit was broken, so this morning I want to talk to you as your brother and friend, rather than the preacher or pastor.

I was taught in college that the study of scripture was purely systematic. That the same process works every time without fail. I have found however that to study scripture systematically by the book increases our knowledge to the point of arrogance and yet our spirit falters through lack of Spirit filled understanding.

The emphasis on daily devotion to scripture is thus that we fail to order our lives in such a way that our quiet time lacks the ability to provide joy throughout our day, instead choosing to live in chaos. We see our commitment as a systematic approach. 30 minutes in the morning of prayer and reading is sufficient fuel for the day. I beg to differ. When we place our devotion as obligation rather than spirit induced meditation we fail to see the beauty of the scripture laid before us. We invest in study tools written by men with their own human faults and sins, rather than allowing the very Spirit of God to lead and teach His word. We rely on the preacher to speak with eloquent words to properly articulate the message that God has breathed so poetically through the hands of biblical writers.

I stand here today as a broken man. This past week men of God that I trusted, loved, played golf with, ate dinner with fell. My heart aches not only for those men but for the children of God who had placed their trust in them rather than the Shepherd. Not only Pastor Haggard but a dear friend of mine who has fallen.

I wept this week for my hometown, 20 men and women who I grew up admiring, the sheriff who has served for 20 years, some were my classmates, one was a deacons wife, were arrested and charged with 48 felony charges. I literally cried painful tears as I thought about a pastor’s son that I played basketball with in junior high who was arrested for sex trafficking.

And the thing that broke me the most is that I knew that if any church in America spoke regarding any of these issues it would be in condemnation rather than a spirit of responsibility and restoration.

I don’t come here today with all the answers, but I stand here today to tell you that the church as we know it is failing, not only those in the streets that don’t know God, but it is failing our brothers and sisters who are in pain and can’t find a way out.

I wasn’t angered at the deacon’s wife who was selling drugs, I was angered at her pastor and her husband for not knowing her spiritual needs. I am saddened that while women across this country are having emotional affairs with the men behind the pulpit, those very men are failing to equip and empower husbands to love and lead with true Christ-like authority in the home. I am saddened that a man who is trusted to be a deacon of a congregation does not care enough for his wife to see the sin that is controlling her life.

I was given the argument this week that some people hide their sins and it isn’t possible to help everyone. I felt the need to laugh at such an absurd thought. If a man or woman is truly submitted to and controlled by the spirit of God, sin in the lives of those we love and are biblically responsible for is as evident as the sun rising in the east and setting in the west. The problem we face today is that we aren’t submitted and controlled, rather we are addicted and patrolled.

The Billy Graham Association says that 75% of people sitting on church pews this morning are on their way to hell. I find this interesting when we compare it to George Barna’s finding that 80% of American Pastors do not believe in effectual calling, rather they see ministry as a career choice. Do you see the correlation here? Maybe the reason these leaders are falling is, because they themselves have been led by someone who isn’t submitted to biblical authority.

I am convinced that the spiritual health of someone that is under the discipleship of a leader is discernable if that leader is submitted to God in prayer and meditation. This past week God began to show me things within my Spirit that scared me, things about friends, my family, my own life.

I realized this week that spiritual accountability is not an individual responsibility, the spiritual well being of the person sitting next to you belongs to you and to everyone in this building. Your spiritual life is the covenant responsibility of each and every person here today, and of your future pastor. I speak with assurance of one thing this morning, no man should ever stand behind this pulpit that is not willing to stand accountable for what you do outside of these walls.

Ephesians talks about the body of Christ, the arm, the leg, the head, the eye. The body does not operate properly without all of these parts being healthy. If we were to look biologically at our bodies we would realize that our body really works together when something goes wrong. Is we are cut, red blood cells race to the surface and form clotting to prevent us from dying. When germs enter our body, there is an all out war to rid itself of the disease. If we trip, our arms instinctively reach out to protect the rest of the body and to break the fall. When a leg is broken, the arms become stronger to support our weight on crutches. Do you see where I’m going with this? The body works together to prevent disease or harm, and then if harm does come, it works together to heal itself.

Cain failed God, Cain failed his brother, and yet through Cain I see myself. I see that I am quick to judge based on my offering compared to that of someone else. I see that I immediately scorn the fallen, yet fail to take responsibility for their sin. And yet restoration is what God taught as he restored life to Cain. Yes he punished him by cursing the ground from which his livelihood came from. But he restored him to the place where he married and fathered children. Yes he had to suffer for what he had done, but God did not fail to restore a new life to him.

God himself is our example this morning, if God was willing to restore life to a murderer, then should we then not help in restoring the life of an adulterer or a thief. Should we not speak words of peace and truth, words that encourage rather than destroy, and leave the judging and the punishment to God?

What I am saying this morning, is yes, these men who have fallen should pay the price for their actions, but you and I should not be their judge. Our prayers and encouragement should be at their disposal.

And yet this should cause a deep evaluation of what you are doing for the spiritual life of those around you. Men you are accountable for your wife’s and your children’s relationship with God, women you are responsible for constant prayer on your husbands behalf that he leads in the way of Jesus. And you are all responsible for the spiritual life of the person that God calls to be your future pastor. And even more important than that, we are all accountable for each other. Isn’t it nice to know that we are not alone, in our struggles, in our joy, in good times, and in bad. The journey is ours to share. We are our brothers keeper, Jesus said to go and make disciples, to make a disciple we must invest our lives into someone else. True discipleship is learning to do life together in the pursuit of life as Jesus lived. You are my brothers and sisters, and I’m counting on you as you should count on me.

It seems like the only alpha male I’ve ever read about that doesn’t have a messiah complex is the actual Messiah. - Matt Chandler