A Cry for Relevance

I think I have figured out why I have become so distant from the Acts 2 church/Christian. I am going to use personal drawings to illustrate (grace please, my artistic pallet is a guitar and singing, not a pen and paper).

I am just living my life here with my friends (I’m the good looking bald guy with a goat-te).
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I, Keith, hear the offer of eternal life through Christ (john 3:16) and except his free gift (that is the way dumbed down version of salvation, I know).
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I then learn to follow and hear his voice and commands.
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I then realize that persecution will come because of it, hardships will come… but he encourages me to keep strong (pick up cross daily, yoke is easy)… He also gives me a passion for the lost.
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I look around; the lost are back there where I used to be. So I call out “hey, come and follow Christ, it is good.” (this is usually where the fundamentals get fairly waco and don’t relate as they are separate from the people they are trying to “convert” – horrible word choice I know).
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Nothing, nada, zilch.
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So I decide to follow my Lords commands and live among them with the hope of saving a few (Matthew ch10, ch28). “Hey, come and follow Christ, it is good.”
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A few respond….. hmmmmm….
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Oh yea, “to a jew become a jew, to a gentile become a gentile”. I know, I’ll be RELEVANT, that will help them connect with the gospel through me (I know, me having hair is pushing it, but I don't know how else to depict relevance).
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Here is where the issue comes in. Know that I am all for “relevance”. I think it is key that we continue to understand our culture and be shrew with what we have to win some for the gospel (1cor 9:20-23). But,… the problem is that I start to personally like "relevance". I somewhat like living back here in the comforts of their world instead of in the radical calling of my Lord (Heb 11:25). It is comfortable.
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And then my witness becomes so watered down it doesn’t look anything like the gospel.

So…. I stay. I cloak my lifestyle choices in “I’m being relevant to save these people” when in fact I just really like this lifestyle and Christ has become an insurance policy for me (example, I live in a really nice home; not because I want to be close to the folks God has called me to minister too, but becasue I really like this nice home).

Want an example? I had a Christian friend recently tell me “Well, God wants you to enjoy your stuff.” God wants me to enjoy my stuff? That sounds very American, very democratic, very capitalistic,…. But where is it biblically?

I am too comfortable here. If I am persecuted, I’ll just medicate it with TV. If sick, I’ll just go to the hospital instead of praying first (yes I believe modern medicine is great and it is fine for christinas to see doctors, but why do I not pray first). If I have a conflict with someone, I’ll just ignore them and ban them from leaving a comment on my blog. If I have a financial need, credit card baby.

Now I am not saying that everyone should live like John the Baptist ("John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey."). But I do think I (and many Christians) have become too comfortable to the lifestyle of this world, and we rationalize it in the cloak of relevancy. That might be the reason that the divorce rate is the same in as it is outside of the church. That might be why christinas "give away/tithe" the same % as non-christinas. that might be why Christinas consumption/spending patterns mirror non-christians. I believe “relevant” vehicles/approaches/wine skins have a strong place in the Church,…. but personally I am starting to think we have gone overboard and turned our back on our true love and the calling he has on our lives and how I/we should live due to “cultural relevancy”.

so the journey continues (or begins.... or whatever).

it's ebay time, and a moral question

well, who knew adopting 2 kids from a 3rd world country would cost so much. Anywho, the walatka's are up to Ebay and grant writing the next few weeks. So if you visit, that favorite DVD might be gone (except "A River Runs Through it", no way that baby is leaving), my music gear might be slimed down (selling a guitar is like selling a kid,.... but harder), and I am even considering selling the SUV (according to ebay and Kelly bluebook, I should get $4500-$5K for that puppy (plus biking to work would do me some good, I would save a ton on gas, and is two cars really a necessity?.... the only issue I see is how Shelley and the 3 kids (soon to be 5) would get to church on Sundays since I get there at 5:45am, not riding a bike that early). Or I might just liquidate the IRA and take the penalitys.

So, here is the moral question/dilemma. I can get a credit card with no interest for 12-18 months; float the remaining adoption costs on the credit card by paying the minimum and just make sure it is all paid off before the interest kicks in. We have never missed a card payment, and have always paid in full; so I am confident that we would have no problem getting the 0% interest credit card cleaned up in time if we choose to float the cost.

Is that wrong? Is that being shrewd with money in a good way, or just stupid?

Luke 16:8-9 says: "The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings." Adopting 2 kids out of a hell hole orphanage seems like an appropriate shrew use of worldly wealth to gain friends to me.

Or,... is it a stupid move (Proverbs 22:7 - "and the borrower is servant to the lender.")

Thoughts? Click on the "comment" link below and let me know what you would do. Make it short ("no card" or "go for it") or feel free to give your long theological/human reason either way. Love your perspective.... and you don’t have to leave your name, there is an anonymous option (of course it is always nice to put a name with a comment :-)

Keith

to laugh or cry, that is the question

Ok, the following link has me torn. It is very funny in the way it portrays how the world looks at the American Christian missionary movement. It is so sad because (other than the millions of folks starving to death, which I can not even comprehend sitting in my nice home in Indiana) I tend to agree with it's view, the Church is missing the point. I literally laughed and cried as I read this article (it is satire).

To Laugh, Cry, or Both?

It reminds me of an article in an old Wittenburg door issue:

"Misgivings on Matthew 25:31-46

I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger. Thank you.

I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release.

I was naked and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance.

I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health.

I was homeless and you preached to me about the spiritual shelter of the love of God.

I was lonely and you left me alone to pray for me.

You are so holy and close to God. I am hungry and cold.

You prayed but your prayers were unanswered. Where did your prayers go? What have your prayers done? What profit a man if he page the prayer book when the rest of the world is crying for help?"

Roller Coasters, death, and oil changes

This will be short, I think, maybe.... I love blogging, but I usually still feel I cannot post what I want to say to the world. Maybe it's because of my impression management tendencies; or fear that showing the world who I am will cost me my job, or the fact that this Blog is a mere front for an introvert man who really doesn't want people inside, but wants folks to think they are inside. I guess some things/feelings are only meant for private journals, punching bags, and 1-on-1 coffee shop conversations.

Ben (short for our soon to be adopted son Ebenezer) is fine. The Ethiopian Hospital that did the CT scan said he is fine; he just has a very big head (please, no "like father like son" jokes). What a great blessing. I am amazed, and filled with tears of Joy!

The sad part is I really feel like I have no one other than my wife to share that with here in south bend. Yea, I have "told" people,... but I haven't "shared" it with them (the former being an exchange of info and the latter being an opening of one self up). I think I am going through a death process. You know, where God takes you to a place of deeper knowing him and his will. But that is usually not a "30min in/out oil-change" experience. It is usually a long hard process that I would consider a death experience/process, death to this world and death to yourself. And I know that I can fight it (and simply prolong the agony and still go through it anyway), numb it (and miss out on the wonderful things God has for me and planned through me as a result of it), or embrace it. I know I should embrace it, and I do trust God and his faithfulness. I do trust that he has the best for me (even if in the world's eyes His best is counter-intuitive).

There is a lot more, maybe 10-12 counseling sessions worth. It reminds me of the way Paul describes Worship in Romans 12:1. He says "In view of who God is and what He's done, offer your bodies as LIVING SACRIFICES, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of WORSHIP". That is spine tingling. LIVING SACRIFICE. Think about it; in the Old Testament the sacrifice was dead. It didn't really have a say in anything. We on the other hand are to be LIVING SACRIFICES (kind of an oxy-morn). As a LIVING SACRIFICE, we know what is coming: sacrifice, death of self, burnt offering; so we tend to want to get off the alter. That is why we are constantly reminded to die to self and "pick up your cross daily".

I do trust God. I trust his faithfulness. I trust his goodness. I know that He is holy (which means "set apart"). And I love him. Bottom line is, His will be done in my life (I just try to get off the alter a lot instead of being the living sacrifice).

Ps. I just proofread this and wanted to add something... you might be wondering/speculating/brainstorming in your head for more details on the 10-12 counseling sessions. I can tell you it has 0% to do with the adoption.

DISCLAMER: This is not a political post

I have recently had church folks tell me they are against the income tax and would rather go to a national sales tax as it would 1) be easier on the entire tax system to calculate & 2) it would empower the Church to get back to taking care of the poor (I personally think a national sales tax would cripple the poor even more and have the rich pay even less).

Here is the sad part in my opinion (I swear this is not a political posting, keep reading)...I have been told (on more than one occasion) by Christians that the income tax (which was established as we know it today in 1913 by the 16th amendment) crippled the Church's ability to take care of the poor because it robbed giving to the church and gave the Government those resources to take care of the poor. That is, in some Christians minds, the reason the church is not as effective in reaching the poor as we have been called to be (Matthew 25).

But here is what I just realized. I live in a home way bigger than I need. In fact, according to this site (I know, it is probably not scientific but it sure is convincing), we would need 5.1 earths if everyone in the world lived at MY standard of living.

So,.... we as a church have been "crippled" in taking care of the poor because of our high taxes? I think not. We have gotten way lazy and too comfortable (example, we spend $600+/year on cable when that poor person down the street/around the globe has no food). I was thinking, if my church (which I love dearly) were to get an extra $100K above our budget; I wonder what part we would give to the poor. Would we give a chuck of it away to our community, or simply get new video projectors, a cool something or other, and do a building project with the rest? My gut says most Churchs in America would invest in their building more than poor.

Now I know it's nice for a church (Talking about the American church now, not just my local congregation) to have a house of prayer; I just feel we sometimes rob the poor to get it (Matthew 11:17). And I am one of the prime doers of this. It is something that is driving me crazy about myself; Jesus please help take my blinders off!