My grampa, Leo Belknap, passed away this morning just after 1 o'clock. He was 91 years old. I'm saddened by his death, obviously. But there is one thing about his passing that fills my heart with joy. Take a few minutes to listen to an interview I had with the guys at Last Words Radio, back in April 2009, to find out why.
One of the marks of a healthy and thriving church community is that vulnerability exists among its members. Vulnerability, need not mean gullibility or susceptibility to abuse, here. Rather, by vulnerability we mean a trusting transparency among members of the community that refuses to hide sins, struggles, idolatry, pain, fears, and needs from others. A posture of vulnerability in community also invites inquiry when there are evidences of attempted concealment of the aforementioned sins, struggles, idolatry, pain, fears, and needs. This creates a contractual space among members for redemptive gospel-centered correction, rebuke, teaching, and healing; understanding that it is God's purpose to gather his Church in community for the sake of their spiritual growth —both personal and corporate— and for the sake of their sanctification. But vulnerability requires accessibility and availability. And if members of the community spend little to no time with one another, outside of the Sunday gathering, then it is doubtful that they will know one another with any significant depth. And if the members of a community do not know one another then it is highly unlikely that vulnerability will exist among them. And if vulnerability does not exist then no one will really know anyone in their church. Sin will go unaddressed and deep wounds will go untreated. This is what you will see if you spend only 2 hours a week with those in your church family, listening to your pastor teach:
This is what you will know about your church family if you intentionally orient your life around the gospel community God has given you: What are some ways that you can foster and encourage vulnerability among your church family?
Have you ever heard the story of the gossip and the rabbi? It’s a Chasidic tale that vividly illustrates the danger of improper speech: A man went about the community telling malicious lies about the rabbi. Later, he realized the wrong he had done, and began to feel remorse. He went to the rabbi and begged his forgiveness, saying he would do anything he could to make amends. The rabbi told the man, "Take a feather pillow, cut it open, and scatter the feathers to the winds." The man thought this was a strange request, but it was a simple enough task, and he did it gladly. When he returned to tell the rabbi that he had done it, the rabbi said, "Now, go and gather the feathers. Because you can no more make amends for the damage your words have done than you can recollect the feathers." 1
Blogs give people like you and me a voice. Everybody thinks they have something important to say and blogs, like the one you are now reading, give folks like me an outlet to tell people like you all the important stuff we think you ought to know. The danger in that, of course, is the immediate and worldwide distribution of what is put out there on the web. So, when we publish something foolish or incorrect online it's not so easy to reel back in what we’ve just said. If you’ve written rubbish (like me) or written something good but delivered it carelessly (like me), it’s like cutting open a pillow in the wind. Feathers go everywhere.
I need to pick up as many feathers as I’m able.
In the past week I’ve written two articles, one on church buildings and the other on evangelistic campaigns. The articles were well argued, I think, but they were also composed with complete indifference toward those who hold a contrary opinion. I thought writing provocatively would grab attention and challenge the traditions of those whom I’m trying to persuade. That was a mistake. It was primarily a mistake because those who hold a different position than do I, are people who are also filled with the same Holy Spirit that dwells in me. They labored prayerfully to build big church buildings, some of them, and others were led, by their love for the lost and obedience to Christ, to reach the world through large evangelistic media campaigns. It’s okay to disagree with this or that on non-primary issues, but as a kind friend recently advised, “...when it is a disagreement about a debatable issue, the velvet gloves need to go on over your boxing mits.” He is right. On a secondary level, it was a mistake to think that I could be both inconsiderately provocative and persuasive at the same time. It’s very difficult to turn a person’s opinion when you are stepping on their toes. At some point we we need to examine our motivation for writing; and speaking for that matter.
So I’d like to publicly apologize for how what I’ve written was so poorly constructed and delivered.
While I can’t find all the feathers that the winds have taken, I’m so very thankful that my Rabbi made complete amends for each of the feathers that were spread; that, even before one of them was ever even placed into the pillow.
I’ve pulled the two articles and will later republish them once they’ve been properly reconsidered and rewritten.
I am a Chick-fil-a fan! Not as much as my wife, who is a sweet tea addict, or my daughter who'd rather go to Chick-fil-a than to Disneyland (see video), but I am a fan! Nothing beats a Chick-fil-a Club, and some waffle fries to dip into 3 or 4 containers of Chick-fil-a Sauce. Tasty food! It's not just the food, though. I also like to show my loyalty to Christian businesses. Galatians 6:10 says "...as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith," and giving my business to a Christian owned company, which is governed by biblical principles, is one way I can fulfill this command.
I will be buying myself some Chick-n-Minis tomorrow morning on my way to work, to show my support for Dan Cathy, but...
...the more I think about Mike Huckabee's Chick-fil-a Appreciation Day — scheduled tomorrow — the more I wonder if we, as followers of Jesus, are fighting
for our civil liberties at the expense of our Gospel witness.
Looking at all
the hype, especially on Facebook, it just feels like the motivation is
more about defending our constitutional freedom than it is about anything else; even
more so than it is about defending a biblical definition of marriage. Those
things are very, very, important. My fear, however, is that we are
damaging our lines of communicating the Gospel with homosexuals by
making this an "us against you" game. Thousands of Christians
will be flocking to Chick-fil-a tomorrow, for breakfast, lunch and
dinner, and most of them will be posting pictures of their sandwiches on
Twitter and Facebook. For what reason, and to what end? Many are certainly properly motivated, but many more, I suspect, are motivated by something far less than a proper defining of marriage, or the greater mission of the Gospel. Sadly, many tens of thousands will post their comments and pictures with great pleasure, as they rub my liberal and GLBT neighbors faces into their extra large sleeve of waffle fries. This grieves me.
This is
just the flip side of boycotting, no? How is either practice redemptive to the
purpose of the Gospel mission? They are not. We might be taking back
America, but we are also, I'm afraid, erecting unnecessary, non-gospel,
stumbling blocks before the feet of those whom we might try to engage in
the Gospel.
A friend wrote, when discussing this topic with me,
If someone were to ask me how I feel about the Chick-Fil-A issue, I
would probably not answer the question. I would instead ask, "why do you
care?" and then I would swing to the way the gospel intersects with the
reason they care. Whether they support Tom Menino or Dan Cathy, every
issue people bring up is a gospel opportunity. Let them be offended by
the gospel, not by how you feel about the treatment of the CEO of a
Fortune 500 company. Align yourself with Jesus so that they have to deal
with him, not Dan Cathy.
That is wisdom. Many have seen fit to use the controversy surrounding Dan Cathy's comments to show the inconsistency of the "tolerance buzz saw" and the christaphobes, but very few — I've seen none — are leveraging this occasion for the sake of the Gospel. When controversy arose surrounding the ministries of Jesus, or one of His disciples, we repeatedly see them seizing the opportunity for an occasion to preach the Gospel. Foolishly, we've consigned this, our greatest asset, to the bench.
Our fight for freedom of expression should never overshadow, or take
precedence over, our fight for the Gospel. This we know, Jesus never
promised us a country where freedom of speech
would always be available to us. They hated Him for what he said, and
they killed Him. How much more harshly, then, will they treat us who follow Him? My point is this, we should not hold so tightly to the graces
embedded in our Constitution, that we compromise the very purpose for
which those graces have been given. Namely, that we might enjoy the freedom
to announce Jesus and His Gospel of the Kingdom to the lost. Personally, I'd rather
have a pure gospel witness under the harsh fist of persecution than I
would to have absolute freedom to announce a gospel that has been compromised by overzealous political conservatism. If God should grace me by allowing me to suffer for the sake of the Gospel, His will
be done; I just want to make sure I will be persecuted for the right
thing. Make sense?
I will leave you with a quote and then ask you to consider what your motivations will be when you drive to Chick-fil-a tomorrow.
"Everyone is an evangelist. The question is not whether or not you are an evangelist, because everyone loves to talk about what is most important to them. Our world is filled with diet evangelists, those people who are always talking about the best new diet plan; and political evangelists, those who love to talk about "their" guy who will save us from the "other" guy. So, the question is not whether or not you are an evangelist, the question is what are you announcing as good news?" ~ Jeff Vanderstelt
What will you be announcing to the world tomorrow through your proclamation of Chick-fil-a Appreciation Day? What will be the good news that you announce to your unsaved Facebook friends and followers on Twitter? If it is something other than a "Christ crucified" motivated message, then you need to seriously consider whose mission you are really on.
The atheists over at the Freedom From Religion Foundation aren’t ashamed to let their anti-faith message be heard loud and clear.
The Blaze has spoken with the group and heard, first-hand, just how strong-worded and offensive (to people of faith, at least) its message can be. Last night, the Fox Business Network’s Eric Bolling invited a FFRF representative onto his show to discuss the group’s anti-Christian stance.
During a dialogue with FFRF spokesperson Dan Barker (who is married to FFRF co-president Annie Laurie Gaylor), “Follow the Money” host Eric Bolling was so dumbfounded by the group’s anti-Jesus views that he ended up booting the atheist-spokesperson off of the program. Mediaite’s Colby Hall called the moment a “‘War on Christmas’ miracle!”
At the center of the discussion was a Texas nativity scene that the Madison, Wisconsin-based FFRF has been demanding be torn down immediately. During the dialogue, Barker claimed that America is not a Christian nation and that the nativity should not be present on government property. He went on to say that the nativity represents “an insult to human nature that we are all doomed and damned.”
It was this comment that commenced the uncomfortable exchange between Bolling and Barker. “Sir, I have to take exception to the way you’ve described the nativity scene. It’s not an insult. It’s certainly not an insult to me. I’m a Christian,” Bolling explained. “It is an insult, sir,” Barker countered. At this point, the interview continued, as Bolling sought to move on to another question. But it didn’t take long for Barker to, once again, push Bolling’s buttons.
“Why was Jesus born? To save us from our sins. What an insult that we are degraded, depraved human beings — that Jesus created a hell — a place or torture,” Barker quipped. “And how would you feel if you didn’t believe that… superstition?”
Bolling interrupted the insults and abruptly ended the interview. (courtesy of the BLAZE.)
My thoughts:
"A dog barks when his master is attacked. I would be a coward if I saw that God's truth is attacked and yet would remain silent." ~ John Calvin
I am thankful for anyone who is willing to stand up for their faith and the name of their Savior. And to that end I am thankful for what Eric Bolling did on his show. Dan Barker is an enemy of the Cross and he is doing everything in his power to censure Christians and silence the Gospel in our country.
However, I think Mr. Bolling may have kicked Mr. Barker off of his show because he was unable to properly defend his faith. Dan Barker's theology was mostly right, wasn't it? He said, "“...we are all doomed and damned.” and “Why was Jesus born? To save us from our sins...we are degraded, depraved human beings...Jesus created a hell — a place or torture...” All true! Of course we know that God created Hell for the rebellious angels but does He not also now send law breaking humanity there? If that is the case then why did Mr. Bolling get so offended and why did say these things were not true?1
Mr. Barker was not entirely wrong about the nativity being a message of hate, either. From his perspective it most definitely is. God does not send sin to Hell, He sends sinners there. Remember, God hates evildoers and His Gospel smells repulsive to them. No wonder Dan Barker wants these Nativity scenes taken down. Every time he drives by one it is a reminder that he has fallen short of the glory of God!
God's disposition toward the sinner:
Psalm 5:4-6 For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil may not dwell with you. The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; you hate all evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
The Aroma of the Gospel:
2 Corinthians 2:14-16 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.
The Nativity, and by extension the Gospel, is life and hope to us who are called by Jesus' name, but for God-hating rebels like Dan Barker it is the message that damns. God have mercy upon him.
May we, by God's grace, be prepared to give a good and ready defense of the Gospel to everyone that asks!
[1] To be fair Mr. Bolling may have been trying to say that the Nativity does not communicate hate but love. And that is why he told Mr. Barker that what he was saying about the Nativity was not true.
According to modern physicists the future has already been written; it is just as real as the past once was and just as real as the present now is; it is immutable and set. If this is true, then Who might we think is responsible for writing the storyline that is captured in space-time?
Who knows the end from the beginning? Who knows the future and writes it as if it were history? Who has chosen a people unto Himself before the world was made?
