Tag: jesus

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While I’m on the Santa topic…

I’ve heard some people say that they are worried about their kids, when they are told about the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and Jesus, that they might learn two of the three are a lie and assume the third is also.

That’s pretty silly, unless during family devotions you are praying to the Easter Bunny. Kids can tell the difference between something you devote your life to and something you talk about once a year.

If they believe Jesus is on the same level of relevance in your life as Santa Claus, it’s because you’ve lived like it.

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The Terrifying thought of Christ-centered Laborers.

Thanks to the power of Twitter, and my ever-running search for “campus crusade” I saw this tweet yesterday:

A terrifying description of the Campus Crusade for Christ Club: “We are here to help turn lost students into Christ-centered laborers.” —@gogocosmonaut

To which I responded:

you and I must have a different view of Christ. It’s terrifying that anyone would not want to be a Christ-centered laborer.

To which he responded:

If your life is centered on labor for someone you’ve never met and that has a chance of not being real… That’s terrifying.

At which point, I felt the 140 character-at-a-time limit on our perspectives needed lifting.  Hence, this post. (to which I welcome a response either in the comments or on some other platform—even email)

I don’t know anything more about Nick Wood (@gogocosmonaut) than is revealed online, but from what I can tell about him through a brief perusal of his tweets, He and I share a lot of the same interests.  This isn’t a blog post where I slam the guy.  From his perspective, I’ve never met Jesus, and Jesus has a “chance of not being real.”

I could write a long defense of why I believe in God, but he’s heard it before, and probably has convincing arguments against even my best philosophical positions.  Ontological proofs are not what he wants or needs.  What he needs is to meet a Christian who actually finds their ultimate purpose, identity, and joy in Christ.

Because Nick is absolutely right.  If I’ve never met someone, and don’t know anything about that person, and then proceed to devote my life to them, and call that devotion “labor,” I’ve either lost my mind, or worse.  But, if I were to devote my life to someone like President Obama, or Billy Graham, or my pastor, or even my wife or child, and call that devotion “labor” it would lead to disastrous results as well.

Why? Because, at the end of the day, and at their most basic level, those men and women are flawed, as well. Ever met a parent who hinges all their hopes in life on the success/fame/competence of their child?  More often than not those are crushing expectations for flawed people to live up to.

That’s what’s different about Jesus.  The Jesus I meet in the Bible is perfect. Not swayed by human opinion, not selfish, not greedy, full of integrity, perfect. The type of guy that finds 100 bucks on the subway and gives it to lost and found.  Whether or not the Bible is true (different topic for a different day), the picture you get from the Bible is of a Jesus who never stopped giving himself away.  Devoting my life to a completely (and perfectly) selfless person would lead to me becoming the type of person who increasingly gives myself away.

There are countless examples in the history of Christianity of this principle coming true, from Mother Teresa to Jim Elliot to Dietrich Bonhoeffer to Martin Luther (King and otherwise).  People who saw it as a small thing to stand up against the Nazis, the bigotry of early 20th century America or 15th century Europe, and the horrors of poverty and disease.

If we have this view of Christ—selfless, sacrificial giver—there is nothing terrifying about an army of people walking behind Him and modeling their lives after him.  This world could stand to have a few more Martin Luther Kings who stand up against tyranny, even when there’s nothing but death in it for them.  Even if Jesus weren’t real, as Nick posits, to have a big group of people live like that imaginary man would actually benefit the world.

My fear is that many Christians in general and Campus Crusade staff and students in particular are not living in light of this Jesus, giving guys like Nick every reason to dismiss Christ without a second look.

I would beg folks like Nick to consider Christ.  You’ll always find more than enough Christians to ridicule, and find fault with.  After all, being a Christian means surrendering in the fight to be perfect, and admitting we can’t save ourselves.  But look at Christ long enough, and you’ll find an amazing truth worth devoting your life to.  In light of Christ’s perfect, selfless love, grace, and ultimate control over all the earth, it would be far more terrifying to center your life on fleeting counterfeits like self-actualization, money, sex, fame, power, or control.

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The Skeptics are Watching. Show them Redemption.

Campus Crusade 4 Christ president is in 1 of my classes. He talks about being faithful, yet he lies about his homework and is late to class?

That’s what a tweet from a self-described atheist declared last night.  See, you might think you can compartmentalize your life, and keep “school” separate from “Cru.”  But you can’t.  The world is watching, desperately hoping you’ll show them that you really mean what you say.

And to the skeptics watching, I’d implore you to look at Christ.  Like going to a hospital and only looking at the patients, scrutinizing the lives of Christians will only show you all the ways we are not yet fully healed.  Talk to the physician.  Look at the Jesus of the Bible.  Try to find a fault in Him.  When you don’t, bow down and worship.

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“Give God Some Praise!” And Other Dangerous Statements.

As always, the views expressed here are mine alone.  And I’m not even sure about them, in this case.  So don’t take this as a Campus Crusade stance.  Because it’s not.

I’ve been thinking recently (having had the opportunity to visit various churches) about what makes for a biblical worship service.  There are, as best I can tell, two ends of the spectrum in schools of thought here.

On the one end, we have churches who make it their goal to be excited.  The worship leader says things like “Give God some praise!” and “Let’s clap for God!” and other encouragements for the congregation to be excited.  These services end up looking like an Elvis concert, with arms waving and ladies crying.  We’ll call these folks the feelers.

On the other end of the spectrum are the churches that avoid encouraging anything emotionally.  The worship leader stands, starts singing, doesn’t address the congregation at all, and then sits after the songs are over.  Their services end up more like an art gallery opening.  People clap when they have to, and look forward to the snack bar afterward.  We’ll call these folks the Presbyterians. 🙂

Both sides are reactionary.  The feelers are reacting to the cold, emotionless worship services they see on the other end of the spectrum.  They recognize that when people have been redeemed, they should sing like it.  How much clapping and emotion is too much, in light of who God is?  None, they say.

The Presbyterians (I can call them by name because I consider myself among their ranks) on the other hand look at the rampant theology of the feelers and say “we’ll worship when we feel like it.  And right now, we don’t feel like it.” They concern themselves with theological truth and careful biblical scholarship, and they end up sterilizing the raw emotion out of their worship.

In the middle ground, I’d like to propose a truce.  What do you say we look carefully and soberly at what Jesus has done (theology) and let our real, raw worship (doxology) flow naturally out of that?  After all, nobody has to encourage you to clap after an amazing concert.  But you do clap.

The problem on the feeler end is that they are trying to manufacture praise without actually diving into the depths of what Jesus has done.  Theology, doctrine, and intellectualism have been demonized, when they ought to have been celebrated.  The cross is the most deeply profound theological event in the history of the world.

The problem on the Presbyterian end is that we avoid all semblance of manufacturing praise, ignoring the fact that so many Psalms are written in the indicative (Praise Him! Bless the Lord, O my soul!).  Emotion, feeling, and genuine praise have been demonized, when they ought to have been celebrated.  The cross is the most gut-wrenching, emotional event in the history of the world.

It’s great to spend time in churches on the other end of the spectrum.  It has helped me to see my own idolatry.

Do you agree?  Which side of the fence do you find yourself on?

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Jacob the Pervert is Changed By God’s Grace.

Genesis 49:31 Rocked my world today.  Mouse over the verse to read it.  It’s not all that spectacular.  It’s a description of a graveyard, and who is buried there.

What rocked my world is what it didn’t say.  The guy speaking is Israel (formerly known as Jacob).  Stick with me, and I’ll give you the back story in 3 bullet points (with a hat-tip to Tim Keller’s insight from his latest book).

  • Jacob was a total perve who had the hots for Rachel, Leah’s younger sister.
  • Laban, the girls’ dad, was a con-man who tricked Jacob into working for him for 14 years in order to get Rachel as a wife.  7 years in he got tricked into marrying Leah, who according to the story is ugly (commentators believe she had a lazy eye or was cross-eyed). Lines from the 14 year period include “OK, time for me to have sex with that hot daughter of yours.” (did I mention Jacob was a perve?)
  • Leah spends the rest of her life in the shadow of her younger, hotter sister–trying to make Jacob love her.  She names her first three kids “Look! A son,” “God heard my prayer,” and “Now I’ll be connected to him,” (Genesis 29:31-35) all in an effort to win the love of Jacob, or at least in an expression of that effort.  Finally, we see her surrender to God’s grace, and name her last son “Praise the Lord.”

But what we never hear from the story is whether or not God’s grace ever changes Jacob.  Until Genesis 49:31.  When giving instructions as to where he wanted to be buried.  He in effect says “Bury me where Grandpa Abraham, Grandma Sarah, Dad, Mom, and Leah are buried.  The significance of that is huge.  God had so changed Jacob (now Israel)’s heart that his last wish was to be buried not with Rachel, who had her own tomb (Genesis 35:19-20), but with Leah.

God changes hearts.  Leah’s last son’s name, Judah, might sound familiar.  The “Lion of Judah,” Jesus himself, is a descendant of Leah.  Praise God for grace that changes us.

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