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We used to sing a stupid little song in Sunday School. The song went like this…

 

Count your blessings,

Count them one by one.

Count your many blessings,

See what God has done.

 

There is actually a lot of wisdom in that stupid little song. We keep far better score of our problems than our blessings. Today I am counting my blessings with thanksgiving.

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4 NIV

I pray you will have a blessed Thanksgiving.

I am taking a break from the daily blog until after Thanksgiving. But come back daily for an excerpt from my book “Bring’em Back Alive”. This section is from a chapter called Feud for Thought.

 

In December 1979, a tragedy occurred in my home state of Ohio. The Who rock group came to Cincinnati to perform at Riverfront Coliseum. The tickets were sold in a then-popular format called festival seating.

 

Ticket prices were fixed, and the best seats went to the concertgoers who could get inside most quickly. Needless to say, festival seating caused some chaos in the best of circumstances. But in Cincinnati that night, the self-centered desires for good seats led to

disaster. When the doors finally opened, the impatient crowd surged forward, resulting in a crush of humanity. Eleven people were killed that night and scores injured.

 

I would venture that not a single person went to Riverfront Coliseum that night with idea of hurting (and especially killing) another person. But hundreds of people were primarily concerned with their own interests: getting through the door first and getting a seat close to the stage. That seemingly harmless desire met with tragic results.

 

The same thing can easily happen in the body of Christ. We can get so focused on an agenda or goal that we don’t realize we are spiritually wounding other sheep in the process. I would suggest that more often than not no one starts out with any intention of hurting another lamb. But while we are rounding up support to remove the pastor…some lambs are trampled and maybe even spiritually killed. They won’t be back. When we divide the church over an issue that is eternally inconsequential some sheep will get crushed in the process. Such injuries are often faith-threatening.

 

As followers of Jesus, we have to understand that actions have consequences throughout the body of Christ and throughout eternity. For the sake of the entire flock, can we commit to pray before we speak, seek counsel before we act, and even allow situations other than “our will” to be done?

In His final hours, our Lord prayed primarily for our unity. I know that if someone I dearly loved made a dying request of me I would do everything in my power to make that desire happen. The Jesus who loved me enough to suffer the cross made a dying request that I (and the rest of us in the church) demonstrate unity “to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” It certainly seems like the least we can do in gratitude for the unmerited gift of grace and salvation He has given to us. Let’s make a commitment to fulfill His prayer and wish for us, because unity can make a difference in our quest to restore at least some of our wounded lambs. That would be an excellent start.

I am taking a break from the daily blog until after Thanksgiving. But come back daily for an excerpt from my book “Bring’em Back Alive”. This section is from a chapter called Feud for Thought. We covered numbers 3 & 4 yesterday.

5. Don’t leave your sense of humor at the altar.

 

One of the reviews of Bad Christians described me as “flippant.” To be honest I would have preferred “witty” or “erudite.” Flippant! But the fact is that I believe a sense of humor is one of God’s gifts to help get us to the finish line of life. “Humor is a rubber sword,” observed Mary Hirsch. “It allows you to make a point without drawing blood.”

 

An examination of the life of Jesus would indicate that He possessed a sense of humor. God’s writers did not set out to author a joke book, so you won’t find the phrase “a Sadducee, a Pharisee and a Roman walk into a bar” anywhere in the Bible. Still, you find glimpses of humor in the words of Jesus. For example, consider this exchange when the disciples came running up and asked Jesus the following question.

 

“Did you know how upset the Pharisees were when they heard what you said?” Matthew (15:12)

 

I can see them looking at Jesus and waiting to hear Him say something like, “Really? I had better go get that straightened out. Those Pharisees are some important guys.” I expect the Lord’s answer first stunned and then amused them.

 

“Forget them. They are blind men leading blind men. When a blind man leads a blind man, they both end up in the ditch.” (Matthew 15:14)

 

You will also note that Jesus was an oft-invited guest at weddings and banquets. His appearances, in fact, drew the ire of the Pharisees. Think about it. If Jesus was a holier-than-thou, uptight, religious, suck-the-air-out-of-the-room sourpuss, would you want Him at your wedding party? Jesus must have been able to laugh and enjoy the common fellowship of others, and he was obviously welcome and desired at the festivities. Let’s join Jesus at Levi’s dinner party, which included some unsavory people, and see what happened:

 

Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. “What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and ‘sinners’?” Jesus heard about it and spoke up, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I’m here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out.” They asked him, “John’s disciples are well-known for keeping fasts and saying prayers. Also the Pharisees. But you seem to spend most of your time at parties. Why?” Jesus said, “When you’re celebrating a wedding, you don’t skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but this isn’t the time. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. (Luke 5:29-34)

 

At the risk of being flippant again, clearly Jesus knew how to party (in the good sense of the word). He knew how to interact warmly with others and connect with those around Him, no matter how unlike Him they might be.

 

The disciples that Jesus assembled were a fascinating blend of common laborers and professional types. Imagine today if Christ went to the local pier to recruit some fishermen, dropped by the IRS to pick up a follower, then went over to the medical clinic, and so on. I would imagine this would be (at least initially) a fairly coarse group. I don’t suspect that the men dropped the earthy sense of humor they likely possessed when they dropped their nets to follow Jesus. Part of any healthy and dynamic group relationship is having fun together. I believe that there were times when Jesus and the twelve told jokes and fish stories.

 

A lack of humor in the church apparently this has been a problem for a while now. Teresa of Avila prayed this simple prayer in 1582, “From somber, serious, sullen saints, save us, O Lord.” Amen, and amen.

There you have my little battle plan for unity: Remember that Christ died for everyone and not just your little Holy Huddle. If it is not heresy it may not matter much. Use your mouth for blessing. Love your neighbor as yourself, and have a sense of humor.

I am taking a break from the daily blog until after Thanksgiving. But come back daily for an excerpt from my book “Bring’em Back Alive”. This section is from a chapter called Feud for Thought. We covered numbers 1 & 2 yesterday.

 

3. Use your mouth for blessing.

 

There is a book that details a multitude of uses for duct tape. I might suggest one more: If you have a critical spirit, tape your mouth shut. (I confess, that would reduce a fair amount of my own communication.) A bit of more scriptural but less colorful advice is contained in the book of James.

It only takes a spark, remember, to set off a forest fire. A careless or wrongly placed word out of your mouth can do that. By our speech we can ruin the world, turn harmony to chaos, throw mud on a reputation, send the whole world up in smoke and go up in smoke with it, smoke right from the pit of hell. (James 3:6)

James doesn’t pull any punches, does he? One good way to cling to unity is by not believing the gossip that is spread about our fellow Christians. And we certainly shouldn’t spread it any further. Gossip is a parasite that requires a host organism to survive; don’t give gossip a place to live. Think of how many times you have believed something to be true only to find out the information was mostly or even totally wrong. The threat of a libel or slander lawsuit causes some us to be cautious in our written remarks about others. But we’re not so careful about our discussing our brothers and sisters in Christ. Are we really more concerned about the People’s Court than the Kingdom’s Court?

God is serious about how we communicate about others in the flock. Peter writes:

Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing. (1 Peter 3:8-9)

So there is an added bonus for your godly communication: a blessing at no extra charge.

On a personal note, thanks to all of you who have prayed for me concerning my sharp-tongued sarcasm. I certainly need the prayer and you probably need the practice!

4. Remember the greatest commandment.

 

Love your neighbor as yourself. There are some tough to love people out there, aren’t there? I think God knew how difficult the task would be when He made that commandment a benchmark of walking with Him. Nothing I have encountered that is truly worthwhile is easy.

Marriage? Not easy but definitely worth it. Parenting? Not easy but certainly rewarding. Being a great athlete or student or musician? Not easy but immensely satisfying. Why do we hope that the most incredible journey of our lives should be easy? Loving our neighbors across the board is humanly impossible; only by the grace of God and the daily intervention of the Holy Spirit do we even muster a chance. The difficulties of loving the unlovable, forgiving their offenses, and embracing our responsibilities to them as followers of Christ will be discussed in detail in Chapter 10.

 

To be continued…

I am taking a break from the daily blog until after Thanksgiving. But come back daily for an excerpt from my book “Bring’em Back Alive”. This section is from a chapter called Feud for Thought.

 

I am not naive enough to think that we can solve everything with a New Year’s resolution. We are flawed and we are sinners, and we bring to the party everything that implies. But I do believe in the power of the Holy Spirit and the always-present possibility of revival in the body of Christ. So I will remain a prayerful optimist until the Lord takes me home.

Here is my modest step-by-step plan to begin to shift the momentum in the battle for unity.

1. Remember that Christ died for everyone.

The reality of that truth can make a person uncomfortable. That guy who hits his wife: Christ died for him. The homeless guy in the refrigerator box under the bridge, the rebellious kid with the pierced nose and eyebrow: He died for them. The obnoxious boss and the gossiping co-worker: Yep, Jesus died for them. The killer and the rapist and the drug-dealer: He died for them. It upsets our spiritual applecart to think about unlovable others in that context. But I can find no spiritual loopholes that exclude certain people from His magnificent act of grace.

The apostle Paul explained the supernatural magnitude of God’s actions on our behalf:

We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him. (Romans 5:7-8)

Jesus granting of salvation to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:40-43) bothers most of us. We desire justice—most of the time. When we are desperate for grace because we are facing justice, however, we might have a change in attitude.

God promises that justice is certain. God promises that. Not congress or the local city council. God promises. My problem is that His time frame and mine tend to vary dramatically. I want justice now, but He metes out judgment when the time is right.

God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change. (2 Peter 3:9)

I must learn to accept that God may grant room for repentance to those whom I wish would receive immediate judgment instead. And why not? He did exactly the same thing for me.

 

2. Make sure it matters.

 

Churches have split over the most stupid things imaginable. Stupid is a harsh and ugly word. But it fits. I would suggest that unless you are dividing over the core doctrinal truths of Christianity, then you are dividing in sin. To paraphrase comedian Jeff Foxwothy, if it ain’t heresy you just might be a Pharisee.

A recent case might give a concrete example of something worth fighting over. At considerable risk of offending some, I would suggest that the Episcopal Church’s dispute over the ordination of V. Gene Robinson was a conflict of doctrinal integrity. Frankly, the intensity of the debate surprised me. Forgive me for being blunt, but Robinson did not meet the biblical mandate spelled out in 1 Timothy 3 to qualify for the position of elder, let alone bishop. We must defend the core doctrinal tenets or the church will be tossed on every cultural wave that comes along. Robinson made a very troubling statement: “Just to say that it goes against tradition and the teaching of the church and Scripture does not necessarily make it wrong.” Oh really? If the teaching of Scripture is irrelevant, then what is to be our basis for distinguishing between right and wrong? What a dangerous argument to accept into the church.

Even if I were to concede to Robinson’s argument, I would have to say his actions did not demonstrate the sacrificial example of Jesus. Robinson chose to sow division to advance his own personal agenda. That sounds harsh, but it underscores a key issue in how the unchurched view us. If this relationship we claim to have with Jesus cannot generate peace inside the church, then what hope does it hold for those observing from afar? And what is our answer? I am a little tired of trotting out the lame bromide, “I’m not perfect, I’m just forgiven.” As I have said many times, we have a responsibility to represent Christ, not self, when we take the title of Christian.

 

To be continued…

I am going to be taking a break from the daily blog until after Thanksgiving. But come back daily for an excerpt from my book “Bring’em Back Alive”.

 

In the book of Jude, we read words that could have been written in last month’s Christianity Today:

In the last days there will be people who don’t take these things seriously anymore. They’ll treat them like a joke, and make a religion of their own whims and lusts. These are the ones who split churches, thinking only of themselves. There’s nothing to them, no sign of the Spirit! (Jude 1:18-19)

As I noted in Bad Christians, we believers love to talk about multiplication (church growth) but we really only seem to understand division. The Bible offers no excuses for being part of any division within the church. Paul makes a succinct point (he tended to do that) about division in the church at Crete:

But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned. (Titus 3:9-11, niv)

That warning about self-condemnation humbles and quite frankly frightens me. Paul does not mince words. To paraphrase a popular T-shirt slogan: “What Part of NO [Division] Do You Not Understand?”

About ten years before his letter to Titus, the apostle wrote a difficult letter of rebuke to the church of Corinth. The Corinthian church, as we say, had “issues.” Among the problems: gross sexual misconduct, intellectual arrogance, division among the body, and false teachings of basic doctrines. Giving the same list of concerns, I would suspect a typical congregation’s ranking of the offenses today might look something like this:

Prioritization of Behavior Requiring Correction and Total Condemnation

Sexual Misconduct 75%

False Teachings 20%

Intellectual Arrogance 3%

Division 2%

Can’t you just imagine the board meeting in Corinth before Paul’s letter arrived? Just like in the movies, these Corinthians conveniently speak contemporary English:

Corinthian 1: “I am worried about the unity of our body.”

Corinthian 2: “How can you possibly be worried about that with all this sexual sin going on? You are just as big a sinner as them if you don’t agree!”

Corinthian 3: “Well I agree. We have an obligation to split the church to purify it and get rid of these wicked sinners!”

Corinthian 1: “But can’t we be united in the love of—”

Corinthians 2 and 3: “NO!”

The manner in which Paul addressed these same issues is instructive. Remember, he was fearless in confronting any issue, anytime, anywhere. Yet his first appeal was not to stop the sexual immorality or false teaching. He first addressed division.

I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.” Is Christ divided? (1 Corinthians 1:10-12)

I like the way the last phrase is rendered in the New Living Translation, which asks, “Can Christ be divided into pieces?” That is literally what we do when we divide a church. Pride and the desire to be right tears to pieces the unity that our Lord commanded. His Word is clear. Division within the body of Christ is sin. Jesus’s teaching about unity is indisputable.

 

The night before He was to be betrayed and turned over to His accusers, Jesus prayed. His prayer is recorded in John 17. First the Lord prayed for Himself, then the disciples, and then for all believers. Below is a portion of Jesus’s final prayer for you and me just hours before He was arrested to be tried and crucified. Take a moment to absorb the context of this prayer. When you know your time is short, you will say only what is most important and allow the superfluous to fade away. Christ knows exactly what is coming, and it stands to reason that this final prayer would reflect what weighed most heavily on His heart. It was a prayer for unity.

I pray also for those who will believe in me through [the disciples’] message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23, niv)

I am not a big proponent of shoveling guilt on the brethren. There are others far more skilled at that task (And I have met many of them). But I must say we have really dropped the ball on this one. I am sobered when I reflect on the agony that Christ endured after praying that prayer for us to be unified in Him. I realize the critical importance that He placed on Christians modeling unity to reflect His presence to an unbelieving world. In my half-full optimism, I must admit we can’t be flawless. But even if I were a half-empty pessimist, I am quite sure that we can do better.

It is becoming increasingly apparent to me why Jesus placed unity at the top of His prayer list for the church. Our heart-wrenching lack of unity is a deterrent to faith for those inside and outside of the church. I received a letter lamenting how faith is perceived by family members outside the church.

My husband is the only Christian in his family—we’ve been told on several occasions that we’re crazy to pursue our “religion” when this is the kind of thing (wounding each other) our “brothers and sisters” do to one another. They want absolutely nothing to do with the body of Christ. Quite frankly, sometimes neither do we.

We have allowed Satan to gain the beachhead in the spiritual war for church unity. I suspect that the war- room strategists from Hades agree with the statement of General Napoleon Bonaparte: “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” I am pretty sure the demonic leadership is well pleased with their progress on this battlefield.

Earl Wilson once said that “one way to get high blood pressure is to go mountain climbing over molehills”. If the following story were Jeopardy categories it would go something like this…

“Let’s go with ridiculous church and state objections for $50, Alex.” 

And then you would follow up with this category.

“I’ll take spectacular over reactions for $100, Alex.”

Ding – ding – ding. It’s the DAILY DOUBLE!

In preparation for a guest appearance at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta this year, a marching band at C.D. Hylton High School in Prince William County decided to prepare a Georgia themed show.  One of the fun songs they chose was ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia,’ by the Charlie Daniels Band. Alert readers are probably already rolling their eyes in anticipation of where this is going.

You got it. A local newspaper published a letter by a Woodbridge resident who wondered how a song about the devil could be played at school events because of the separation of church and state. You probably know the song. Satan challenges a young man named Johnny to a high stakes duel. If he loses the devil gets his soul and if Johnny wins he gets a fiddle made of gold. Robert McLean argued that the song’s depiction might constitute an endorsement of Christianity. May we review the lyrics?

The devil opened up his case and he said, ‘I’ll start this show.’ And fire flew from his fingertips as he rosined up his bow. And he pulled the bow across the strings and it made an evil hiss. Then a band of demons joined in and it sounded somethin’ like this:

When the devil finished, Johnny said, ‘Well, you’re pretty good, old son, but sit down in that chair right there and let me show you how it’s done.’

Fire on the mountain. Run, boys, run. The devil’s in the House of the Rising Sun. Chicken in the bread pan pickin’ out dough. Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no.

The devil bowed his head because he knew that he’d been beat. And he laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny’s feet. Johnny said, ‘Devil, just come on back if you ever want to try again. ‘Cause I told you once, you son of a gun, I’m the best that’s ever been.’

Now I see the clear connection to Christianity. Boy am I embarrassed!  All of these years we could have been playing ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ instead of ‘Just as I Am’ at the end of sermons. Picture the choir singing in beautiful harmony…

Chicken in the bread pan pickin’ out dough. Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, no.

Dozens of sinners stream to the altar because they are moved by the theological implications of the lyric. Perhaps the metaphor of the chicken in the bread pan relates to how man does not live by bread alone. But more likely it is a meaningless lyric about a chicken in the bread pan.

Fearing bad public reaction the school’s band director, Dennis Brown, pulled the song from the playlist because of this one letter to the local paper.

‘I was just being protective of my students. I didn’t want any negative publicity for C.D. Hylton High School,’ Brown said. The band has been practicing the song for months and one student even purchased an electric violin for the routine. According to Brown the band played the song during the pre-game show of the state football championship in 2003 and no one complained. Perhaps only people with normal thought processes were in attendance at that game but that is just one man’s theory.

And the piece de resistance? The children of the man who started the furor are home schooled. In his words his letter was meant to start a “philosophical debate”, not to wreck any student’s marching band experience. He further defends his position by added that he loves the song. ‘It was one of the first 45s I had as a kid,’ he said.” I’m surprised he is not a missionary after hearing that clear endorsement of Christianity over and over and over.

My kingdom for some common sense. But I am afraid this will only get worse. I guess the question is how do we respond to such ridiculous logic? Certainly we should stand up for our rights as citizens of this country. But we must be prepared to communicate the hope we have with clarity, grace, and caring. I am so tired of strident Christians who don’t have well thought out or graceful reasoning. Paul faced a very hostile culture in Athens. The city was full of idols and that distressed him. But notice his response was not to lash out at them for their pagan worship of idols.

And every day he went out on the streets and talked with anyone who happened along. He got to know some of the Epicurean and Stoic intellectuals pretty well through these conversations. Some of them dismissed him with sarcasm: “What an airhead!” But others, listening to him go on about Jesus and the resurrection, were intrigued: “That’s a new slant on the gods. Tell us more.”     These people got together and asked him to make a public presentation over at the Areopagus, where things were a little quieter. They said, “This is a new one on us. We’ve never heard anything quite like it. Where did you come up with this anyway? Explain it so we can understand.” Downtown Athens was a great place for gossip. There were always people hanging around, natives and tourists alike, waiting for the latest tidbit on most anything.

So Paul took his stand in the open space at the Areopagus and laid it out for them. “It is plain to see that you Athenians take your religion seriously. When I arrived here the other day, I was fascinated with all the shrines I came across. And then I found one inscribed, TO THE GOD NOBODY KNOWS. I’m here to introduce you to this God so you can worship intelligently, know who you’re dealing with. Acts 17 The Message

And the results of Paul’s level headed and patient approach?

Some laughed at him and walked off making jokes; others said, “Let’s do this again. We want to hear more.” But that was it for the day, and Paul left. There were still others, it turned out, who were convinced then and there, and stuck with Paul.

There it is folks. Some will laugh at me and walk away making jokes. Some will want to hear more. Some will accept the message of the gospel. Pray for the grace to communicate the hope of Jesus patiently.

And while you are at it…could you pray for an outpouring of common sense on this land?