4 Things You Can't Do...

Recently, we invited a personal trainer to our EQUIP night to talk to our leaders around the theme of 'pursuing a passion for life.'  While speaking about health and nutrition he quoted the well known saying in the fitness industry:

"You can't out-train a bad diet"

This saying resonated strongly with me as I am currently readjusting some lifestyle habits that have allowed bad diet to sabotage my exercise routine.  As a keen cyclist I have lulled myself into a false sense of security to think that the number of kilometres I ride each week will balance out some unhealthy eating habits that have crept back into my lifestyle.  The problem is the kilojoules have exceeded the kilometres and you don't need to be a fitness expert to figure out the consequences.

Interestingly enough, while out riding my bike, I have been thinking a lot about the broader application of the principle contained within this saying to other areas of life...

"You can't out-perform a wrong attitude"

Leadership involves many actions, which are all in vain if accompanied by a wrong attitude.  Our activity reflects what we do, but our attitude reflects who we are.  Both our actions and attitude need to be in harmony to have maximum impact and influence.  The defining difference between two organisations, businesses, employees or volunteers who perform similar actions, more often than not, is attitude.  According to John Maxwell, leadership author and coach, "A leader's attitude is caught by his or her followers more quickly than his or her actions." 

"You can't out-love a divided heart"

Jesus once said, "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other."  While the context of this wisdom is our relationship with money, it's truth applies to any relationship that requires total devotion of the heart.  Scripture commands us to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind," and the marriage vows calls a couple to "forsake all others" and "be faithful...as long as you both shall live."  Whether it is the covenant between God and His people or husband and wife, no outward expression of love can compensate for a divided heart.

"You can't out-smart an undisciplined mind"

You have heard it said that "you are what you eat."  It is equally true that "you are what you think."  In an age of instant information and constant visual stimulation, our minds are daily bombarded by a smorgasbord of messages.  These messages are powerful and shape the way we see ourselves, each other and the world around us.  If we are not disciplined in what we choose to fill our minds, our thinking and behaviour will become captive to the dominant influences in our lives.  It is any wonder that the Apostle Paul wrote, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

Does Prayer Work?

Does prayer work?  What an interesting question.  You may find my response interesting also, but not for the reasons you might expect!  So when you read my answer, stay with me so I can explain.

As a Christian and Corps Officer (Minister) I BELIEVE IN PRAYER!  But do I believe that prayer "works"?  No!  No I don't, based on the implied meaning behind the question.

If you are still reading, then I think now is the time for an explanation...

The question implies that prayer is something to be used to get a certain outcome.  A bit like a tool to fix something or a charm to conjure something or a formula to solve something.  This understanding and use of prayer moves prayer from a means to engage in relationship with the divine to a ritual designed to manipulate the divine.

Does prayer work in this context?  This can only be answered in the affirmative if the person 'praying' gets what they want or in the negative for those who do not get what they want.  However, both answers miss the point of prayer as they treat prayer more as a transaction.  To ask whether or not prayer works is to misunderstand the purpose of prayer.

• Prayer is not a shopping list
• Prayer is not a magical formula
• Prayer is not a bargaining chip
• Prayer is not a form of cosmic manipulation

Prayer is an invitation to participate in an intimate relationship where the human communes with the divine where the divine is revealed and the human is transformed.  

Prayer is not so much a transactional relationship as it is a transformational relationship.

Author of This Chosen Fast, Matt Madigan, sums up this relational perspective of prayer - “It was so easy to forget that prayer and fasting is all about relationship, and not just about objectives.”

When I understand prayer as relationship the question, "Does prayer work?" doesn't make a lot of sense, because prayer is not about what I get from God but how I engage with God.  By engaging with God from a platform of relationship means that when I do "ask, seek and knock" (Matthew 7:7) through prayer, I am doing so with an alignment of purpose that sees God's "will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10).

“I understand prayer as partnership, a subtle interplay of human and divine that accomplishes God’s work on earth.” - Philip Yancey

Closing The Gap

Among the many words used to criticise the "church" is hypocrisy, which would probably appear more often than not at the top of the list.  While this may be an overstated generalisation of the church in many cases, it does highlight an unavoidable characteristic of human behaviour that inevitably presents itself by people who profess a certain set of values (religious or otherwise) and behave in a different manner.  

This gap between stated values and actual behaviour is costly for personal integrity and professional credibility, a point well captured by Dr. Brene Brown during her presentation at the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit:

"The space between how we behave and our aspirational values is where we lose people."

Regardless of the context, people tend to be attracted to people who spend the least amount of time in this gap, and tend to abandon people who loiter there too long.  The same is true for organisations...including churches!

To be people or organisations with integrity and credibility we must close the gap between stated values and actual behaviour so that who we say we are is consistent with what others see.  Closing this gap between values and behaviour builds trust and establishes the foundation for sustaining strong and lasting personal and professional relationships.

Friend Of Every Party

Tonight, as Australians ponder the result of this election and the future for our nation under new leadership, I feel the words of Salvation Army founder William Booth in his final speech are apt for such a moment: "I might have tried to improve society by devoting myself to politics. But I saw something better than belonging to any Party - that by being the friend of every Party I was more likely to secure the blessing of the multitude, and the end I had in view."

Christians right across Australia have voiced a variety of political views throughout this election campaign and have expressed deep concern about policies from both major parties that challenge our spiritual and social sensibilities.  Regardless of how we might individually feel about the result of Election 2013, I believe the Church has a prophetic responsibility to embrace the spirit of Booth's political statement in his final speech, and commit ourselves to working alongside every elected member of parliament, despite their political alliance, to advance God's mission for the body of Christ.

Our political preferences need to be subordinate to our spiritual values, social conscience and Scriptural mandate as we engage with the elected political leaders of our nation.  The challenge is ours, as those who are elected and called by God, to build relationships with those who have been elected by the people, so we may be a powerful witness through a godly influence and prophetic voice.

As the People of God, we need to pursue our passion for the LORD with every Party...

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”  (Luke 10:27)

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."  (Romans 12:1-2)

As the People of God, we need to pursue our passion for the LOST with every Party...

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  (Matthew 28:18-20)

"For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”  (Luke 19:10)

As the People of God, we need to pursue our passion for LIFE with every Party...

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked." (Psalm 82:3-4)                          

"Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow." (Isaiah 1:17)

As the People of God, we need to pursue our passion for LEADERSHIP with every Party...

"First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."  (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

I Am A Muslim

Recently, I was invited into a relationship with a Pakistani Muslim man who asked me to discuss Christianity with him.  After our initial conversation an invitation was extended to me to continue this journey of discovery with him in his home, where we were joined by one of his Muslim friends.  Together, Tahir, Mubashar and I discussed the commonalities between our faith perspectives and they inquired about what is attractive to me about my faith experience through The Salvation Army.  As I described to them what it means to belong to The Salvation Army, including a summary of our articles of faith and our covenant relationship with God, Mubashar enthusiastically grabbed my hand and exclaimed, "You are a Muslim!"

Before anybody thinks I have run off and converted, what transpired in this conversation between three men of faith was an acknowledgment of what we share in common, rather than an argument about what divides us.  Too often when we discuss Christianity with people with different faith perspectives, we use our differences as a platform for our proclamation and call it evangelism.  The irony of this approach is that our evangelism devalues relationship, contradicting the foundation of the message we are trying to share.

While there are indeed many differences in our faith perspectives and world views, when we choose a foundation of relationship that celebrates what we do share in common, we create an environment of trust that allows us to explore our differences, without giving false testimony to a relational God.

My conviction that Jesus Christ is "the way and the truth and the life" and that "no-one comes to the Father except through" Him is solid.  However, my commitment to genuine relationship is strong enough to allow me to explore a partial revelation of God with people on a faith journey so that I may have the opportunity to share a complete revelation of God through Jesus Christ! 

It is my earnest prayer and passion that all Christ followers will be mature enough in their faith to engage in a conversation that has already begun by Holy Spirit in the lives of those who are on a faith journey and seek common ground to develop a relationship where Jesus can be revealed.

God Says NO To Our NO To Reinforce His YES!

I am currently studying a Bachelor of Ministry at Tabor College and this semester has me on a theological journey of discovery about Jesus Christ.  While Jesus is clearly my Saviour, my Lord and my Friend who knows me intimately, this subject has allowed me to get to know Jesus a little more intimately.  And because Jesus tells us that we must know Him to know God, God's eternal plan for humankind through Jesus Christ has become clearer than ever before.

There are two significant theological terms that are prominent in any study of Jesus Christ:

• Incarnation
• Atonement

For some of you these words are very familiar, for others, you may have heard of them but are unsure what they really mean and their may be a few of you who will wonder what language I am speaking.

Simply put...

The INCARNATION is God taking on human flesh to become one of us in the person of Jesus Christ.

The ATONEMENT is God's gracious act to restore the broken relationship with humankind through the person of Jesus Christ.

The incarnation has been traditionally understood to be about who Jesus is, whereas the atonement has been traditionally understood to be about what Jesus did.  However, the two need to be understood together because Jesus person and His actions are inseparable.

While catching up on some lectures last week I was interested in a discussion about the motivation of the atonement.  Why did God do it?  What is the purpose of the atonement?  What problem for humankind did the atonement deal with?

Ever since the Reformation of the Church, the atonement has been spoken of in legal or forensic terms in the Evangelical movement!

Let me illustrate:  The commonly used "4 Spiritual Laws" evangelism tract says...

1. God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
2. Man is sinful and separated from God.
3. Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin.
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

The problem identified by the "4 Spiritual Laws" is...SIN

Therefore the motivation of the atonement is... SIN

Right?  No!!

Is SIN really the primary motivation of God?  Is SIN the main theme of the Bible?

Not according to Jesus!

"For God so loved the world..." (John 3:16)

Nor according to John!

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sends his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." (1 John 4:10)

The atonement certainly does deal with sin...read the book of Romans to see that!  The motivation, however, is not sin, but relationship - God loves us and sin is a barrier to relationship with God, so He deals with sin, not as an ends in itself, but as a means to restore broken relationship.

From the Creation story to the Cross...RELATIONSHIP has been God's only motivation for His interaction with humankind.  No matter what people have done to sever that relationship by saying NO to God, He has relentlessly said NO to our NO, reinforcing His YES for the salvation of all people!

God says NO to our NO to reinforce His YES!

The word "Atonement" broken down means at-one-ment:  that is, to be at one with God.

To be at one means to be in relationship.  God said YES to relationship at the beginning of time and reinforced His YES by sending Jesus (incarnation) to reconcile broken relationship with God (atonement).

God says NO to our NO to reinforce His YES!

No matter how hard you try to say NO to God, you cannot escape God's YES because it is His eternal plan to be in relationship with His creation.  It is the motivation of the atonement for you to be at one with God.

Therefore, the atonement fully satisfied God's love for humankind.

This motivation of the atonement challenges the way the gospel has been traditionally presented through modern evangelism and even sung about in worship.  Take Stuart Townend's song "In Christ Alone" for example, a powerful worship song that I love to sing.  In the second verse it presents the motivation of atonement to appease the wrath of God.  However, based on a relational motivation of the atonement, I think we need to correct the 2nd verse of the song...

In Christ alone! who took on flesh

Fulness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones he came to save:

Till on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied -

For every sin on Him was laid;

Here in the death of Christ I live.

This line infers that the motivation of the atonement was sin, but because we have established that the motivation is relationship expressed through God's love, the line would better read...

The love of God was satisfied!

Jesus satisfies God's love for His creation by providing a way for reconciliation between fallen humanity and Creator God.  God refused to accept our rejection of His love, because His YES for relationship was greater than our NO.

God says NO to our NO to reinforce His YES!

Superficial or Supernatural

One of the many blessings of being a Salvation Army Officer is that we get to meet and engage with a lot of people. After 16 years of service, 3 appointments in three states, 3 overseas mission trips and several territorial and international training opportunities, you can imagine that we have interacted with an awful lot of people! Then, add online social networking on top of that and the friends list gets a little daunting, even for a type A extroverted personality like me. Out of all the people we have met, how many do we REALLY know? How many relationships move beyond a superficial acquaintance into the realm of genuine friendship? Or in Facebook language, from the acceptance of a friend request to face to face interaction?
 

When you consider the breadth of your own social networks, both online and in real life, you will know that it is impossible to be really friends with everyone you meet. Yet, some people choose to live life entirely at a superficial level, content with not really knowing or interacting with anyone at any real depth. Relationships seem so much less complicated when they are kept at a superficial level. In a movie I enjoy called 'Good Will Hunting,' Sean, a psychologist played by Robin Williams, is working with a very troubled young man, Will, who is a genius, yet keeps everyone in his life at arms length, not letting anyone get close to him. In a scene where Sean is trying to help Will understand why he is pushing away the one girl he really likes, he challenges Will's superficial relationship, "Maybe "you're" perfect right now. Maybe you don't want to ruin that. I think that's a super philosophy, Will; that way you can go through your entire life without ever having to really know anybody."
 
What's interesting to me about this superficial philosophy is how much it relates to not only interpersonal relationships but the way many Christians choose to interact with God and the Church. My observation of these Christians is that they choose to "go through [their] entire life without ever having to really know anybody" and wonder why their faith remains at a superficial level and their experience of God seems so distant. Superficial religious observance becomes an inadequate substitute for a deep spiritual experience and never really satisfies the longings of a yearning soul, no matter how hard you try.

Religion may be a useful vehicle to understand and express faith, but it is no substitute for authentic relationship. Our experience of God must go beyond what we do and become an expression of who we are. Superficial religion without supernatural relationship is powerless and will leave us feeling empty and incomplete.

Don't settle for a superficial religious experience when a supernatural relationship with Jesus Christ and a divine encounter with Holy Spirit will radically transform your life! 

Explaining A Relational God In A Non-Relational Way

I have just completed a tutorial paper and class presentation for a subject about Christians in a Multicultural World at Tabor College.  The focus of the paper was "Christians and the World Religions" requiring me to identify three significant hurdles that Christians need to address in order to participate at the same table.  In other words, what issues prevent Christians from engaging in inter-faith dialogue?

In addition to some thought provoking readings on the subject, I decided to present the question to our Sunday night congregation, which produced the following responses:

• We all believe “our” God is “the” God
• Fear of conflict
• Language barriers – linguistic and cultural
• Personal agendas – convince the others we are right
• Power and control
• Conflict between head knowledge and heart knowledge
• Trying to explain a relational God in a non-relational way
• Moral and ethical conflicts – place of women, unjust punishments
• Lack of unity over beliefs and practices between the denominations

It was the response "Trying to explain a relational God in a non-relational way" that really captured my attention.  From my observation and involvement in an evangelically minded church, Christian interaction with other faith traditions is usually approached with a greater concern for theological correctness than a relational interest in a faith journey.  While I am a student of theology and understand the importance of sound biblical knowledge, I do not think correct belief is the most productive entry point for inter-faith dialogue.  This only serves to reinforce the barriers between us rather than building upon a common ground of faith.  

As human beings, who share the same Creator, regardless of culture and creed, we have been created to be in relationship with God and with each other.  It makes more sense to me to approach inter-faith dialogue from the foundation of relationship.  Dialogue based upon authentic relationship opens the pathway for a greater revelation of God through Jesus Christ.  Remember, when Paul spoke to the men of Athens he didn't correct their theology about foreign gods, but acknowledged their experience of faith which opened dialogue that led to the request, "we want to hear you again on this subject"  (Acts 17:22-32).