Painful Reminders

We arrived home today from a two-stop (ministry-related) trip to Pennsylvania. As we came back into our building, we were hit with a horrible odor. A man (we will call him 'Pete') in the neighborhood well-known for being horribly mentally ill had spent the night between the inner & outer doors to our building lobby. As people passed through the outer door, they would make a feverish rush to pull out their keys to open the inner door, shirt collars raised up over their nose, holding their breath, complaining, and on into the building. The stench of urine, body odor, and miscellaneous other smells that could barely be called human mingled and remained as a reminder of our overnight guest. At first I was repulsed as well. I must be honest. I continue to be quite repulsed, but I am also thankful.

Thank you, Pete, for humbling me. You walk the streets of our neighborhood everyday to remind me of the fragility of human life. I am one car accident, one stray bullet, one accidental fall from being in similar circumstances. Should I pity you, or should I pity me?

Thank you, Pete, for reminding me. Your broken mind and wretched life reminds me of the brokenness of rebellious humanity. It calls me to see the sin in our life. The sin when I pass you by ignorant of what I could possibly do for you and ashamed of my desire to do nothing. The sin that we harbor within us that looks so much uglier than your stringy hair or repugnant smell.

Thank you, Pete, for calling me to see the lostness, desperation, and injustice that exists in this fallen creation. Thanks for helping my heart stay broken for human beings in need of redemption.

Thank you, Pete, for helping me see.

Many Westerners don't have a 'Pete.' They're missing out. The smell, the guilt, the repulsion. They are truly experiences of horrific redemption. In the moment that our conscience rises in the midst of horror at another human, this man becomes a momentary savior. He reminds us of our own disease of sin, calls us to compassion, reaches into our heart & holds up the mirror.

Many people don't have this tug on their sleeve, this tap on their shoulder, telling them that there is more to life and the purpose of our existence than selfish gain and comfort. Many don't have this conscience with a name not their own calling them to be the people of compassion. At times I must feel sorry for some who remain living in safety.

God, save "Pete." Redeem his life from the pit. And thank you..... Oh.... just thank you.

Following Jesus

A couple of weeks ago I was coaching/mentoring one of the saints working here in the Bronx. As we were talking, we began speaking about Jesus. And then this question came up....

Do we FOLLOW Jesus or do we just ADMIRE Jesus?

I haven't been able to shake it. This question is both disturbing and somehow liberating at the same time. I think the truth is that we often spend a great deal of time admiring Jesus. He's easy to admire. Herod knew of his reputation. Nicodemus secretly appreciated him. The crowds cheered him on until it was time to judge him. Jesus said wonderful things and had courage many of us only dream of. And as a result, we, the church, too often limit our conversations to guys like Peter or Paul. We can relate to them, and we don't mind following them. Yet, they only represent courage and conviction because of their encounter with Jesus.

Jesus said, "Follow me." A disciple is an apprentice. In other words, we are learning from and imitating Jesus. He is our model in everyway. Many of us don't think that way. We think of Jesus as our savior, but not as a model for how to live. He's too radical! Too extreme!

He moved (moves) contrary to religious structures that wrap us in false security. He calls us to abundant life, and we must die to ourselves to experience it. He gives us authority, and calls us to obey. He offers true freedom, and shows us the road less traveled to possess it. It seems easier to just admire Jesus. We feel more in control; we take less risks. Yet, in doing so, we are shrinking away from the Resurrection and the Life. We are sidelining true Reality and settling for so much less.

Do I follow Jesus or just admire him? I can't stop thinking about it.

Pray for us.
JESUS is really the only hope for the city. Nothing else.

End Times

This is an article printed in the April Bronx Fellowship Community Connecton newsletter....

Discussions, books, and movies about end times or last days have been very popular lately. Among Biblical scholars, the study of end times is called eschatology. There have always been periods throughout history when studies of end times get extra attention, and it does appear that we are currently living during one of those times.

The first thing that most folks do when they study end times is to immediately read the most provocative parts of the text into their current time & place in history. However, the first step actually should be to apply the passage to its immediate context first. Then we can learn what the passage is saying to us now. For example, when we read Revelation, we need to see what was being communicated to the seven churches in Asia before we’ll understand what parts are actually for us. Or in Matthew it is important to distinguish when Jesus is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the signs that go with it or when he is speaking about the second coming of Christ that will be a surprise — like a thief in the night.
To really understand end times in the Bible, one first needs to understand the relationship of end times with the Reign (Kingdom) of God. When Jesus began his public ministry, he began teaching about the Kingdom of God. There are two aspects of God’s Reign in the New Testament.

First, the Kingdom is already here. Jesus says in Luke 17 that the Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation but rather the Kingdom is among you. When Jesus began His ministry, He healed, proclaimed Good News, called people to live in a radically different way, and demonstrated His power even over death. Those who emphasize the already here aspect of the Kingdom typically emphasize the need to work for justice, peace, and transformation here & now. They don’t emphasize enduring the world until the end but instead, as God’s people, changing the world. Jesus words: Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven has significance and reflects this point of view. For many years, this view was the more popular way of understanding end times up until half a century ago.

Also, there is the not yet view of the Kingdom. We know that though God’s Reign has had its beginning with Christ, it is not yet fulfilled. As long as there is suffering, violence, depression, poverty, and death in the world, we know that His Reign is not yet complete. Therefore, we wait patiently for the Day when Christ breaks through the clouds and says one more time: It is finished! Those who emphasize the not yet aspect of the Kingdom often see the world as getting worse and worse with little for them to do expect to wait it out. Only in the last half a century has this view become very popular as a way to understand end times.

Here’s the thing. Both points of view are mostly right and only partly wrong. God’s Reign has begun. It is already here. We are the ones who pray: Your Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. As long as there is still suffering and death, God’s people are workers of justice, peace, forgiveness, love, and transformation. We never write-off tragedy as “God’s will.” His will is that His people would be agents of grace and peace. We are subversive and counter-cultural. We are members of an anti-religious movement called Christianity. Yet, it’s only a foretaste.
At the same time God’s Reign is certainly not complete. 2 Peter tells us that God is patient. He basically keeps putting off Judgment Day because He wants as many as possible to repent and to turn to Him for eternal life. As a result, we continue to live in a fallen world. There is pain, disease, injustice, and death until He returns. Although we serve His purposes, we wait for His return and for His ultimate victory over poverty, sickness, and violence. We are the ones that pray: Lord, come quickly.

To understand end times, we need to see both aspects of the Reign of God. We need to grasp the nature of God’s Kingdom as it restores justice, peace, family, & righteousness. Ultimately, we are called to have a balanced view as we embrace a thoroughly New Testament vision.

Pressing on

Let me tell you about some of my irreverant sarcasm lately. I told some friends this last week that 'I think that I'm starting to believe in God.' Please don't think any less of me or pass judgment without letting me explain.

I see God working. But it's easy to miss it in the city. There are seasons where watching people falling away from their faith commitments is like watching the rain fall. Countless youth are fully equipped to be dysfunctional in nearly every aspect of their life. Spiritual warfare in the world's cultural capital is thick like smoke. Christians forgetting who they are & slipping into apathy or a purely defensive posture is too common. People are hurting, broken. Sometimes I'm one of those people.

HOWEVER, I see God moving through His people in power that I could not produce, manipulate, program, or organize if I tried. Yea, I've always believed in God, and I even believe in His power unleashed into the world today. But sometimes my rationale mind pumped full of skepticism gets the best of me. Still, I see Him moving, and I "can't believe" that I'm a part of it. Participating in God's redemptive work, I am filled with awe. God is calling is 'at such a time as this.'

I know a nominal hindu man that some of you have been praying about for months who has said recently that he believes there is one God and he believes in Jesus. He said this because Jesus answered prayers (in the context of a new Christian faith community that he frequents) that idols had never answered. He doesn't know the implications of all he is saying yet, but I recently gave him a Punjabi Bible and hope to continue and dialogue with him as a friend. Pray for him. There is a recovering addict that is asking if he can attend house church when he gets his weekend pass one day a week. Pray for him.

There is a woman that has experienced a week of inner peace following a Bible study; according to her, it is a peace unlike anything she has ever experienced. Pray that she thirsts for more, recieves, glorifies God for it, and turns her life over to Christ. I could go on. God seems to really move in power when people get desperate! As I keep participating in stories of God at work in the midst of a world in conflict, my faith grows ever stronger. It might even be almost as big as a mustard seed now. Despite the dynamic spiritual conflict, God is indeed on the move. At times I feel fear because I am willing to take risks and step out in faith in bolder and bolder ways for the sake of God's Reign in the city and the advance of His church. Someone reminded me some time ago that courage is actually courage because it accompanies fear. Without fear, why would we need courage. And I hope that you too will be courageous as we advance against the gates of hell. I'd like to think that you're in good company; I'm nervous too. I also recognize that the fighting is the fiercest where the church is advancing and taking ground. I often covet prayers. As we seek to initiate new strategic initiatives in the city, the enemy searches out whom he may devour, and it is well known in missions circles that he attacks key leaders who would prefer to remain on the offensive against evil. Pray for protection for me, my family, and those who are working with us. God, the King of kings, is victorious, and He seems to prefer to make His moves when His people pray. Prayer is the battle.

Living Out Grace

This past weekend was our Healthy Relationships Seminar. Dr. Jeff & Linda Hood presented sessions on parenting, overcoming anger, and marital issues. Couples and singles attended, and while some couples were married believers, others were nonbelievers or 'unchurched,' and some are in unmarried relationships that also reflect their lost state.

I remember last year a woman who spent the following few months wrestling with her faith among us said that she brought her checkbook to the seminar because, in her experience, churches are always after your money one way or another. She was literally shocked that we never asked for anything.

This year a woman wrote in her evaluation: "I came to see what they were selling, but then I found out that they were just giving." What this woman experienced was a taste of grace. Grace is giving. It is counter-cultural. It doesn't command allegiance, but by its sheer power it demands it. Grace is one of the key factors that seperates Christianity from all other world religions. In reality if we put religions on a shelf in their various sections, Christianity really doesn't belong there. Not really. Until... we remove grace from the equation. We replace it with control, with legalism, with certainty not in what Christ has done but in what we've done through our religion. Then, we put Christianity back on the shelf as just another religion. We rob it of its power. Then, when I have conversations with people in our city, they say Christianity is the same as all the other religions, and as far as the graceless religion they have often encountered, its true. But when we open up the Scriptures and let the Word speak and take down our idols of religiosity, control, and self-justification, then we are free to live in community, participate fully in mission, and give -- give as we have been given to. Nothing kills fervor like religion, and nothing wakes up our hearts & makes us alive like Jesus.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind....

Last Thursday I sat with a woman coaching & teaching her concerning her personal contribution in the body of Christ. She is our newest Christian in the Bronx, and a group of people meet in her home. They are friends, family, and neighbors that she herself began reaching out to even previous to her own faith commitment, and she continues to tell everyone she meets about how God has changed her life. As we were talking, she suddenly began to cry. I was confused for a moment because we weren't discussing a theme at that time that I would think would evoke this response. After asking her what was on her mind, she explained that as we were talking she envisioned in her mind all the people out on the street working & going about their business just like any given day in the Bronx, but she said that she could see their emptiness just like she had been empty before Christ came into her life. With that thought, more tears. There was a deep & personal compassion for the people of her community.

I know what some of you might be thinking. It's only because she's a new believer, right? We were all once that way, weren't we? One day so long ago. I mean, eventually she'll become just as complacent as the rest of us, right?... I sure hope not.

I still remember a church elder nearly 70 years old in Houston tearing up and choking on the "lump" in his throat as he told me a story of redemption. The story he told occured some 40 years before, and this man had not given in to the MYTH of complacency as some sort of right of passage for spiritual maturity.

How did Jesus manage to maintain his campassion throughout an exhausting ministry that kept him up at night praying and ultimately led him to the cross where he would say: Father forgive them? I suppose it was because he was true to his nature. God is love. I also suppose that a stirring compassion for people who are empty and without hope would be true to our nature as the people of God. Mission is our truest self.

When this woman's tears become an experience to us that is distant and foreign -- a sentimental memory at best -- we are in desperate need of a redemptive memory. We are all in desperate need of a spiritual before & after picture: Before = object of wrath, After = raised to life and seated with Christ in the Heavenly realms (Eph 2). We need a redemptive memory, not one that resurrects guilt or shame that was already buried in a liquid grave, but a memory that stirs gratitude and a desire to share our priceless treasure. It is a memory that stimulates praise and thanksgiving that leads ultimately to becoming a witness of what God has done for us.

Evangelism

A few months ago I sat in a South Bronx living room discussing the salvation found in Christ alone. We experienced much of what life together can be. We prayed and talked and laughed. At one point a woman who was attending this meeting for the second time described the change that she had seen in her friend, our host, since we began meeting together in her home a couple of months ago. She said to me: "I see her changing, and I want that too. I want what she's experiencing for me too."

A few weeks earlier our host raised a question as we studied from John 4. She read how Jesus described the 'Living Water.' She said, "What is He talking about? That sounds like something that I would want too." She put her hand to her chest, over her heart, and described how deeply this story and Jesus' description of living water made her feel. I treasure moments like these.

Evangelism is a viral activity. In other words it only needs to begin with one infecting one other with the Good News. Then another catches it and then another. But do you know how it most often happens? It's life-on-life. All the stadium crusades, conferences, and revivals don't really compare to the mustard seed, do they? Yet, we spend enormous resources on these things. As we embrace our identity as a missionary community, we step out into the lives of others. We enter their world with respect for their ways, and we embody the Gospel there in that place. Strategic, missional prayer is the same way. We don't pray for the lost with any real passion unless we actually care about the lost. It's a heart issue. All the evangelism campaigns and programs and currculum that make their way into church calendars every year don't work for a reason (or when they do work they leave many crippled). It's a heart issue, and good information is no substitute for heart surgery. If we were losing oxygen, we would do whatever it took to breathe. When we understand that, we understand the kind of missional prayer that is needed for mission in the city.

back to the blog....

It's been a few months since I've blogged. I have written though. I've mostly sent out e-mails as part of a prayer list. So as a way of catching up on this site, I thought I would post some of those e-mails.