I’ve mentioned this story before, but for the purpose of this subject, I’ll repeat it. As I sat listening to my sister in Christ, who was almost in tears, lament that she was asked to leave her church ‘small group’ and find one that fit her age, I honestly was at a loss for words but didn’t find it unbelievable. My mind became numb because I found it so shocking that a phenomenon that should die in elementary school with the ‘cool kids’ had survived and been used to exclude some members of Christ’s church for other because someone else though they didn’t fit. My people.
James 2:1
“ESV My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. “
We should be able to put a bow on this subject with scripture, but that would logically pre suppose that people in church follow, know or care what God’s Word says. That’s a leap based on current research.
Christians discriminate? And yet we do. We find people who look like us, talk like us, and we hang out with those people. After all, isn’t that Christian unity? Is it? If it excludes some less desirable Christian folk for the inclusion of others based on some arbitrary wish list to be a part of ‘my people,’ then no. It’s favoritism. It’s a clique.
We should be able to stop there, but we are a selfish people. We like security, and yet cliques in Christ’s church do not offer it. Instead, ‘cliques’ are an echo chamber, it’s a like minded, like talking, and like walking type of people who may exclude others because cliques are comfortable with spiritual apathy. It’s like the group of ‘cool’ kids in the 3rd grade who exclude those that don’t fit, the weird kids.
Romans 2:11-16 English Standard Version
11 For God shows no partiality.
God’s Judgment and the Law
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
So why do we group up in to cliques? We are all sinners under the law and receive the same Grace from God? We are equal.
Should we look to a pastor to address church cliques? Yes and no.
Does that pastor practice cliques as a way of pastoring the local congregation? What would that look like? Does the pastor have a specific group with in the church that they spend the most time with to the detriment of the congregation as a whole? If the church is so large that the pastor doesn’t even know the families that make up the whole, then that’s another issue all together. Then the answer is ‘life groups’ formerly identifying as ‘small groups.’ Then that brings us back to my sister in Christ who was asked to leave a group for another one that would fit her better according to their arbitrary opinion.
“You don’t want dads going to a group discussion for moms do you!? Do you!?” That’s not arbitrary, that is a group that is tied to God’s creation. So, no, I am not talking about that. There is Biblical support for men teaching me, and women teaching women.
So, yes, if the pastor sees or practices clique behavior in the local congregation, that pastor should repent and walk in a way where he doesn’t show favoritism amongst the flock.
So, no, because cliques also live outside the weekly meeting. Which unchecked, cliques can grow into discord and even church splits. It is up to each one of us to avoid the appearance of favoritism as we move throughout the body of Christ. It is a counter ‘My People’ mindset, and behaving in a way that is more global, a Christ’s church mindset.
So how does this look in life?
Well we know what it looks like in the third grade. It’s dodgeball day and the coach chooses two captains, and so it goes that each captain gets a turn to choose ‘their team.’ Their people. Thus comes the judgement by the nine year old captains, the best first and then the least desirable. And while it could be argued that this is just the way kids are, they see what they see without valuing each kid beyond what they can use them for, (winning). What we can say is that type of thinking doesn’t belong in Christ’s church, especially with us who are adulting. (20pts for using cool modern lingo)
We have to figure out who are truly “my people.” In Matthew 12:48-50, Jesus is very clear that who ever does the will of his father are his brothers and sisters, his family. His people if you will. We to expand our biases past who we think are Christians. And without going through the historic church, even the past fifty years in America, the sin of preference or prejudice has crept into Christ’s church. With the atrocities of racism to something much more innocent like picking ‘my people’ because of age, fluctuating cultural likeness, socio economic status and so on. We still do it today.
So what is a good test? Do we find ourselves unwilling to see other Christians as important as people we have identified as ‘my people?’
1 Corinthians 12 gives us insight into unity within Christ’s church.
“… 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.”
And finally
Galatians 3:28 – English Standard Version
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave[a] nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
So then we see from scripture how we all are one in Christ and should have concern for each other, not just those we have chosen as ‘my people.’ All followers of Christ have become ‘my people.’ So let us consider how we invest in the lives of those in Christ’s church. Our lives are to be spent here in service to our brothers and sisters in Christ’s church, all of the church. We have a huge family in Christ, let’s open our arms for all the people of Christ, not just the ones we choose.
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Steven Davis is a toasted preacher’s kid, media producer, practicing apologist, and musician.
What’s Our Brand? – What Do We Want People to Know First?
Growing up without the money to buy the latest ‘trending’ this or that was a blessing. Although, growing up without the internet understanding ‘trending’ was also a blessing. Many of us have a brand whether we want one or not. But some in our culture push a brand on us. Think about Amazon, that’s a brand we are all familiar with. But what about our own brand? How do we promote our brand? What is our brand from? I know people who constantly promote this sports team to the point that’s all they talk about. One way to find someone’s brand is to look at their social media, if they have one. We know that employers look at our social media to see what we promote. That’s our brand.
In the 80’s or so we called this -brand- a reputation. But today Western Christianity culture has incorporated so much corporate/social media lingo into local churches, it makes more sense to call it your ‘brand.’
When children grow up, what brand do we give them? Do we push Starwars, Marvel, Barbie as their brand? As a side note, one side effect of pushing a brand on a child as they grow is, it might limit their own imagination, or affect their personality in a way that mimics the brand, and not something they learn on their own. But that’s a squirrel topic and not the thrust of this post.
And you don’t even have to claim ‘Christianity’ to have a brand. Atheists have a brand, Agnostics have a brand, Buddhists have a brand, we all have a brand.
What is our brand? Is it drinking alcohol, partying, YOLO, or is our brand something else? Good question. We can change brands as we grow as well. Maybe in our teen years our brand is ‘x’ and now it’s ‘z’. Then we look back at our early year brand and shake our heads. We grow up, our brand changes. Do fans of the University of Alabama have a brand… nope, I’d say they are a cult. Just kidding you lovely rabid Roll Tide people. Jesus loves you.
As Christ followers, what should our brand be?
Well, an easy answer our brand should be Christ. But is it really? What is a good test? Here is one to think about. – Having been in conversations about Christian topics, I’m often intrigued as to the hero of the Christian conversations. Or when someone asks us if we are a Christian, is our response true to our brand or do we go off brand in our response.
Question: Are you a Christian.
Answer: Yes, I go to ‘X’ church.
Or is our answer, ‘yes’, I’m a Christian and I’d love to tell you why. I often see shirts, sunglasses, bumper stickers promoting a local church. That is their brand. That’s what they promote. That church is promoting itself. But is that what the church should be primarily first? Of course not.
So what about t-shirts with scripture? Well, that is also a brand. That promotes God’s word. What about our speech, that’s a brand as well. Does our speech promote Christ as followers of Christ, or is our speech ‘off-brand’ of Christ?
So what does it mean to be ‘on brand’? Well, it means that the message we are trying to convey is consistent with our outward efforts. Being on-brand means we are true to what we believe. You wouldn’t find a hamburger joint putting, time, money and effort into a commercial about lawn care. They would put money, time and effort into a message about hamburgers and why they have the best.
In the same way as Christ followers, what brand do we put time, money and effort into? Is our brand clear to folks as Christ followers? Or is our brand hidden as Christ followers. Again, one way to test what our brand is, is to look at someone’s social media. But we can also look at their lifestyle. Jesus calls this fruit. He also called this light and salt. As Christ followers, our brand is to be akin to Christ. The Christ found in God’s Word, not the Christ of our making, or even the Christ that our preacher talks about. We are to understand who Christ is from his Word.
What will we not do without?
A good self test is to examine our lives and see what we are willing to do without and what we are willing to give up. What’s left in that ultimate decision is our brand. Jesus requires us to forsake the world for him. That is the brand he wants us to walk out. I have seen people become quite vitriol in defending Disney, Halloween, even Starbucks, they’ve even included the ‘!’ mark. Is that their brand? Or are they just ‘off-brand’ for the moment.
What is our first foot forward?
“I. You are the Salt of the Earth. Matt. 5:13 Jesus in these verse sums up the collected truth of the eight principles of the B-attitudes.
A. What are the properties of salt? The Lord compares true believers with the properties of salt.
1. Salt is used to add favor to food. It has a taste all its own, utterly unlike anything else.
a. When mingled with foods it makes them taste good.
b. It brings out the natural favor of food.
2. It is also a preservative. When added to other substances it preserves them from corruption.”
When asked if we are Christian, what is our first foot forward. Do we respond with what church we go to? Do we change the subject? Does our brand even represent Christ in a way that someone would ask the question? What is our brand? Are we honest with ourselves about our brand? Are we on or off brand? How close is our brand to Christ? That takes prayer and examination, and understanding who Christ is in his Word. Because their are so many brands of Christianity, some on Brand with Christ and some not. Our brand in Christ has to be founded in his unchanging Word. So again, what is our brand?
If we are asking that question, we might have a problem already. The Bible teaches that our lives are not our own as Christ followers. It should never be our brand. We don’t develop or own our own brand, just as we don’t own our own lives as Christ followers. That’s for those who hate Christ, they ‘control’ their lives. A better question to ask is, “how do I get closer and closer to what Christ teaches?” How can his brand become mine?
For it was Jesus who gives us hope, who died on a cross for our sins, saved us from an eternal Hell. Making his brand our brand should be easy. However we struggle with our greed, our selfishness, life gets busy and we forget about Christ, having a sinful nature warring against our desire. We should pray to God that he will help us put to death our desire for ourselves and in that we make his brand our brand. We become salt, we become light because he shines, he seasons our life and encounters with other. I pray that we all stay on His brand.
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Steven Davis is a well done preacher’s kid, musician, media producer, learning apologetic writer.
Wally visits Carl’s church and has lots of questions about the experience at his mega-multi-site church. Wally has a lot of questions of what is going on. These are some of those conversations.
Carl and Wally are fictional characters visiting a fictional church, maybe yours.
About the Author: Steven Davis is a musician, practicing apologist, media producer and burned out preachers kid.
Too many progressive and seeker friendly churches put the emphasis on the wrong things. All the while running over people who Christ called us to love. As you will see below, if you don’t fit the mission, look out! The church bus is coming for you.
Caveat First
To my reader who may not know Christ as your personal savior. My hope is that in reading the following post, you’ll know what to look for in a church fellowship. As Christ followers, we are called to love you. You won’t find perfect people, but you can find a Christ fellowship that shows Christ’s love to each other. And that love starts with a true understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So look for the Gospel being presented, open your Bible and trust Christ to be your savior. But beware, there are places that call themselves churches that do not show the love of Christ. They may have a good show, but don’t preach the forgiveness of sins which is the starting point for understanding the Love of Christ. Instead, they concentrate on dopamine experiences entertaining and pleasing the flesh. This blog post will hopefully provide you with tips on finding a good church family and staying away from the destructive ones.
In the end when our lives are done, we will know that humans will always fail us. But with our faith in Jesus, the real Jesus, you have hope for now and eternity. Trust Christ.
And to my reader who knows Christ, the Bible is clear. We are to love God and love others. We are to make disciples. That is it. However, the challenge today is many churches mega or small are not fulfilling the law of God. Nor are they making disciples instead they are making minions or cult followers maybe; but not Christian Disciples.
Romans16:17 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
The Catalyst – Ready? Ok, here we goooooooooo……
“There is a pile of dead bodies behind the Mars Hill Bus and by God’s Grace it’ll be a mountain by the time we’re done. You either get on the bus or you get run over by the bus. Those are the options. But the bus ain’t gonna stop.” – Pastor Mark Driscoll” A statement he made to a conference room full of pastors.
Being raised a preacher’s kid, I have witnessed all kinds of disgusting behavior in the name of God. The above statement is one of those most vile I have heard. Mark Driscoll pastored over 14,000 people in 5 states, and this was his approach to representing Christ? A former megachurch star, Mark Driscoll left the church he co-founded after allegations he plagiarized his books and bullied people who worked for him. You can learn more from the podcast, The Rise and Fall of Mars Hill. If only this was an isolated incident. But it is not. Many mega church pastors like Mark take on a cult like image; church vision and culture is god because it increase numbers. And anything goes to get people in the seats, make them happy, and have them give money. Cynical? Yes. True? Absolutely.
At the root of Driscoll’s and other mega, and mega wannabe pastors’ methodology is something called Vision Casting. Vision Casting churches have what some consider a cult like structure. I would call it corporate methodologies. As you hear from Driscoll in the video above, people were to do as he said or get thrown off the bus and run over. It is eerily similar to a corporation. You have someone at the top, the CEO for example, he or she casts the vision for the corporation. It is expected that everyone will sign on with that vision, and those who do not serve the vision will find themselves moved out of their positions or fired right out. Either way, it is the corporation’s way or the highway. People are what they are, subjective employees.
With the rise of seeker-friendly and progressive churches, one thing many have in common is a move away from teaching Biblical doctrine. Instead, they are centered around an experience at church, and the cult like vision casting leader who is responsible for growing the church. And how is that done? By providing what people want to experience. Consider Mega Church Pastor Joel Osteen, he would make a good motivational speaker, but his sermons lack significant contextual Biblical foundation. Sin is called mistakes, and God’s power is replaced with a narcissistic doctrine such as the ‘little god’s’ doctrine. Many churches have found out that if you feed people’s narcissism and call it Christianity, that will fill the seats for sure. This method produces many mega churches that are often centered around the vision caster. I recently read an article about Ron Carpenter leaving his church. The article described many of his congregants as ‘spiritual orphans.’ I call that the Cult of Church Worship
Church vision casting, or the idea that God gives each local church their own vision has no foundation in the Bible and is grandiose narcissism. Jesus gave us one ‘vision’ if you will, one command that applies to all local churches;
Or this example from Steven Fertick’s church Elevation. Such a nice cartoon to indoctrinate children to follow a man.
Matthew 28:16-20
American Standard Version
16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they [a]worshipped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you [b]always, even unto [c]the end of the world.
There can be only one goal of the church. That’s it, that is the only ‘vision’ or direction that each Christian church has. To say a local church as a specific vision that another church doesn’t implies that God has spoken to that church something contrary to what Jesus said in Matthew 28.
If ‘Vision Casters’ like Mark Driscoll and others were honest, they would just say what they really mean, ‘this is how I’m going to run the church, all of you work for me paid or free, and I’m going to do what I want, and if you don’t like it, hit the road.’ But it is much more manipulative to say ‘I have a vision for the church that God gave me.’ That implies a direct revelation from God, for a specific group of people. Something that is not supported in scripture.
Jesus being a micro pastor.
Matthew 20:24When the ten heard about this, they were indignant with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them.26It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”
So why do many modern churches not love? Just a theory.
Number 1: In today’s self indulgent culture, we are in it for ourselves. So why would we listen to a church leader who talked about serving, and actually showed us what serving is? Well, because we don’t want to serve ourselves. We’d much rather go to church, get what we can out of it, and feel better about ourselves. Jesus tells us in Matthew 20 that he himself came to serve. This is what we as laity (regular folk) and church leaders should exemplify. In other words, the laity is not the servants and the church leadership the masters. We are to serve each other. But that requires us to be aware of our sinful flesh. We are no good people at birth. Even Jesus said that only his Father is good.
Number 2: This is related to number 1, but we like our idols. We want to believe in someone tangible. Someone who feeds our narcissism. That’s what you see from Mark Driscoll, for him to be so abusive and have such a large following, he was feeding people what they want and was in ministry much longer than he should have been. But as you see with Mark, when the gods people hold onto fall, there is devastating damage. I’m so glad I don’t put any faith in any human. They are imperfect just like me. They are sinners like me. And one day they will die like me.
Number 3. And the final reason church people don’t love is, they have a false sense of who Christ is. They believe the fairy tails learned growing up and don’t understand that Jesus came with one purpose, to save those who believe, this was his Father’s will. Luke 22:42. Even Jesus did his Father’s will. If we would read our bible, we would see that Christ came to serve, and tells us to do the same. I once heard someone say, ‘church is not about you.’ While I see what they are trying to say, I would disagree. Church is about you loving God and others. Saying it’s not about you does nothing but insult people. Words matter.
Love as Jesus explains it: In Luke 10, Jesus tells the story of the Samaritan helping the man in the ditch who was robbed and beaten. A man asked Jesus what it took to inherit eternal life? “27He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’c and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’d” I think we have that love of self perfect eh?
There is so much we could exposit from this story, but one key point is Jesus said ‘Go and do likewise.’ Go and do what? Help those in need.
Close your eyes! Wait. Then you can’t read.
Matthew 7: 15Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
My mom told me that we are fruit inspectors. So in church, it’s pretty easy. Those who do not love, choose to rule, dominate, and disregard the sheep as merely bodies instead of serving and protecting the sheep, they are wolves. Strong? Yep. So about that fruit.
Galations 5:
16So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17For the flesh craves what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, so that you do not do what you want. 18But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
19The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, 21and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
24Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit. 26Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying one another.
-But we can’t know the fruit of the Spirit if we are not -producing- it ourselves. If we are selfish, if we misuse people, and are led by our flesh, we are on the wrong side of Jesus. –
God’s Warning
Jeremiah 23:1“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of My pasture!” declares the LORD.
2Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says about the shepherds who tend My people: “You have scattered My flock and driven them away, and have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for the evil of your deeds, declares the LORD.
3Then I Myself will gather the remnant of My flock from all the lands to which I have banished them, and I will return them to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and multiply. 4 I will raise up shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or dismayed, nor will any go missing, declares the LORD.
For those like Mark Driscoll, save he repent of his sins, God’s judgement will be upon him. And to the same extent, those in our local churches who sow for greed, how cause the church to scater instead of ‘feeding’ the sheep, this judgement is theirs as well.
Body Parts
My friend reminded me the other day that as Evangelicals, we love 1 Corinthians 12 but will skip right over most of it to talk about what we get out of it; Vs. 27, “First are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers and so on.” But in my lifetime of going to church, I can not remember hearing a message about what comes before in verses 12 – 24.
One Body with Many Parts
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
Unity in church? This is what it takes, it’s not a competition, it’s not a slave master relationship , it’s not about manmade vision where we are all worker bees with jobs in the church fellowship. It’s about exactly what is described in 1 Corinthians 12, – All – are important to God. None are more unimportant. We are all sinners, we all serve the same God (well most of us do). We should never do like Mark Driscoll, pick and choose who sits on the bus. It’s God’s bus if you will. We have no right nor should we look at other folk in church as just bodies to be used. That’s what Mark did.
To the Church in Ephesus 2 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of ehim who holds the seven stars in his right hand, fwho walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 g“ ‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but hhave tested those iwho call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up jfor my name’s sake, and you khave not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned lthe love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do mthe works you did at first. If not, nI will come to you and remove your lamp-stand from its place, unless you repent
When Paul visited the church in Ephesus, he spent time teaching Christ, love for each other and warning the Ephesians to beware of false teachers, idolatry which Ephesus had plenty. So why does Revelation 2:2-5 criticize the church at Ephesus? This church while working hard to preserve doctrine had lost their love for one another. Throughout Paul’s teaching, he continues what Jesus taught us, and that was to love other. If we are to love our enemies and pray for them. Matthew 5: 43-48
Alternative analogy: The Goats
There seems to be a theme eh? One of my favorite songs from Christian Singer Song writer Keith Green is “the Sheep and the Goats”
He said it best. There isn’t a way for me to improve on it.
The Wrap.
The story of Mark Driscoll is sadly being repeated over and over again in churches today. Church folk are looked at as employees, things to be used for vision caster’s purpose. I’ve seen it over and over.
I personally struggle to understand why God would add folks to an unloving church. God is God and he can do what he wants. Psalm 115:3 But hopefully the wolves show us how much more we need to love each other, support each other, and do as God; count the weakest as the most necessary. Hopefully we recognize that we are to serve, to love, not to be served. Just as Christ did.
A final thought on 1 Corinthians
So if we continue on in Corinthians, we come to the passage more people are familiar with;
1 Corinthians 13:1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, a but have not love, I gain nothing.
Or to put it in todays vernacular
If I go to church and don’t have love, I’m a seat warmer.
If I am positioned to shepherd over people in church and don’t have love, I’m just a boss.
If my church serves coffee, but doesn’t have love, then it’s a Starbucks knock off.
If we have great programs at church, but don’t have love, then we are just a Moose Lodge.
And if we have the best entertainment with all the fog, silly light shows, and best music and have not Love, then we really should pay 10 bucks at the door and expect popcorn.
About the author: Steven Davis is a overcooked preacher’s kid, musician, former social worker and media producer.
It hurts the cause of Christ when Christians attack each other. It shows we have lost focus on our mission, which is to make disciples. Verbal discourse in the church is a good thing. But in Luke 6:37 when Jesus says; Do not judge. Jesus gives us a warning about judging others.
So why do it? Why use words to judge other Christ-followers? Good question. Why do we justify attacking one another?
James 4, we are commanded not to slander each other. It’s that simple. Nothing in the Bible or Christiandom gives us a right to slander other followers of Christ.
So what should we do when Christians attack other Christians?
First, pray. Ask God what we should do.
If possible, we should go to that person privately, if that’s not possible, then we should leave our concern with God and let it go.
We shouldn’t take sides in public.
Christians attacking other Christians is the worst possible witness to a lost world. When we judge other Christians, especially in public or on social media, we take the place of God. We actually create the justification for it and believe we have a throne to do so. But we don’t.
The Apostle Paul wrote letters to other Christians because of division in the church. Christians attacking other Christians is a poison. It shows that we as Christians lack a single focus, we don’t practice what we preach.
Colossians 4:5-6 “5Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
If we are to speak with grace to non-believers, then how much more should be to fellow believers?
In Matthew 10, Jesus tells us that we as sheep will be in the midst of wolves. When Christians attack other Christians, we are no longer sheep, but wolves. We have crossed over to the ‘other-side’ condemning one another.
So what should we do? We should treat each other with kindness and not judge. It really is that clear. When we as Christ-followers attack each other, we damage our witness. Because a lost world is watching, they look for any reason to go ‘Ah HA!’ They look for any reason to say, there’s no difference between the followers of Christ and any other group.
So we have to resist the temptation to judge other Christians. We instead should be in one accord, one focus, and that is showing the love of Christ. We are called to make disciples, not judge one another.
A good self-question to ask is: ” is what I’m about to say lift that person up?”
But another question to ask is: is what I’m about to say, hurt that person, does it hurt their witness? If it doesn’t, then why say it? Why condemn?
Guilty
We are all guilty of judging one another. I’ve had to pray for flying off at the mouth about others. Increasingly, God has put on my heart a burden to be part of the body in a way that lifts up, exhorts, and doesn’t condemn. We should all ask forgiveness for our behavior.
It’s not a stretch to believe that our negative words towards one another could cause someone to resist following Christ. And that should be a sobering thought that we as Christ-followers should pay attention to each and every time we open our mouths.
Remember, when Christians judge each other, both lose. But moreover, the loss is our witness. We have something now in common with non-believers, we have become wolves.
____________________________
About the author: Steven Davis is a musician, Bible school dropout, media producer, well-done preachers kid, and recovering social worker.
References:
Luke 6:37
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Romans 2:1
You therefore have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
James 4:11
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the Law and judges it. And if you judge the Law, you are not a practitioner of the Law, but a judge of it.
1 Corinthians 12:26And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
Probably one of the more lighthearted scenes from the movie Robocop (1987) is a scene with this guy who had the tagline is, ‘I’d buy that for a dollar.’ He just says it over and over to ad nauseam. He looks appears to be sweating, hyperventilating and quite possibly had too much caffeine that day.
A lot of the world’s countries have some form of capitalism. And in America, we can claim the throne for being the most consumer-driven country on the planet. China, however, is catching up.
According to the magazine Business Insider, here are some things people spend money on;
One eBay user paid $3,000 for an imaginary friend
Britney Spears’ used pregnancy test was sold on eBay for $5,001.
Nicholas Cage bought a pyramid-shaped tomb so he can be buried like an Egyptian king.
A crazy fan bought Justin Timberlake’s partially-eaten french toast.
Yep, that’s crazy money.
When Christians spend money, what should be our approach? After all, isn’t money just a means to an end? Or is it the end. What about the means? One of the times Jesus talks about money is in the parable of the talents (or large amounts of gold.)
Matthew 25:14-30 English Standard Version (ESV)
The highly programmed church that seeks to program for the desires of everyone runs the risk of programing out what the church was established for, reaching lost sheep and loving on those in need. It should never be our intent to compete with the world in programatic provisions since the church has Jesus. So there’s no need for a trampoline park at church.
The Parable of the Talents
14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants[a] and entrusted to them his property. 15 To one he gave five talents,[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. 17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. 20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. 30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
So what was the point? One point from this parable was, the master expected the money or resources given to each servant to be used wisely; to have a return beyond the initial value. The servant that didn’t invest wisely was cast out. That servant was found to be in the wrong.
You mean there is right and wrong? Yep. When the master chastised the evil servant, it was because the servant didn’t meet the expectation. Which was for money to be used in a way that the master got a return. In other words, their money wasn’t their own to use as they wanted. It had rules.
The Ownership Mentality vs. a Lease Agreement with God
Whose money is anyway? There are 120 verses in the Bible about money. So God felt it important to include it since He knew we would struggle with it. Some say money is power, and in some ways, it could be seen that way. The power to buy something or someone, the power to influence another, and the power to achieve a goal.
So whose money is it anyway? Maybe money is something we lease from God, and not own. A lease with conditions.
When I leased my truck, I was told I could only drive it a certain number of miles, and after three years I was to return the truck in good condition and with the allowed number miles. Rules. So while, not a perfect parallel, we could think of money as a lease. At least that’s one way to look at it.
1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; 2 for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.
Well, that pretty much settles it. Nothing belongs to us. So if it is God’s money, then what does He expect from our money lease? A return is something that God can use. In the parable, the servant did wrong and did not meet the master’s expectations.
The Danger of a Consumer Mentality and the Church Meeting
One danger of being so consumer-driven instead of investment-driven is the danger of greed. If as followers of the Christ, we only use our money for our pleasure, for our self-worth, then we are serving ourselves and not God. Because we are driven by self.
Monday through Friday, we are spending money on ourselves, but Sunday it’s time to give God His take. Or at least that’s the danger of being so consumer-driven and trying to follow Christ. What we walk into the church meeting the same way we walk into the store looking for shoes or jeans? If we don’t like something during the service, our attitude may affect what we give in the offering plate. Right? On the flip side, we love our church meeting because we are entertained. The lights, the cameras, the music, and those funny jokes the leadership tells, those are all good reasons to give. It’s always fun to go to church, never a problem. Our kids have a lot of fun, go on trips, have pizza every meeting. So that’s money well spent. Right? Either way it’s a self driven mentality.
But God doesn’t need our money. That is correct. But our money, just like our time, just like our words, shows God what is in our heart. Just like the servant that hid his talent, that showed he wasn’t obedient to his Master.
What about other investments?
“Matthew 6:24Common English Bible (CEB)
24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be loyal to the one and have contempt for the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Growing up as a preacher’s kid, you hear a lot of church folk complain about your Dad. Sometimes they’d fuss and gripe right in front of us, no matter how young we were. It was impossible not to catch the collateral grief people aimed at your Dad. And no other subject caused church folk to become uncomfortable more than the subject of money. When my dad would speak on money you could watch people’s demeanor change, faces frown.
All the Marbles
Some churches we pastored had a few people that were considered the pillars of the church. Which often meant, they gave most of the money to the church budget. So making them upset was risking the churches financial stability. And if you think I’m joking, I assure you I am not. Money was the power to influence, and if they couldn’t influence, several of them would just leave. Take their marbles money and go somewhere else. Unfortunately, it was the sheep trying to influence the shepherd. After all, they felt the money was theirs right?
So the subject of money is like playing with dynamite for a church leader. Some church folk consider the pastor or church leader talking about money, ‘meddling.’ In other words, none of anyone’s business. After all, it’s our life, and yes, it’s our money. At least that’s what the consumer Christian may feel. Sure, I’m a Christian, but I’m a consumer -first-. But nothing in Biblical Scripture gives us absolute authority over our money.
The Tithing Mentality
We give ten percent to God and the rest of our money we can do what we want with. I’ve heard that actual statement. The Tithing mentality would lead us to believe that after the ten percent, we are free to do anything we want with the rest without any consideration to God. But that’s not supported by scripture.
Meddling
Ready?
1 Corinthians 10:31New International Version (NIV)
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
So what did the master expect? An investment he would approve of. So if whatever we do, do it for the glory of God. That is the -return- He expects for our monetary investment. So what is the glory of God. It is an investment that we will not worry about when we have to answer for it.
2 Corinthians 5:10Common English Bible (CEB)
10 We all must appear before Christ in court so that each person can be paid back for the things that were done while in the body, whether they were good or bad.
It really is that simple. We will answer to Christ for everything we do on earth. Should we buy that? Is that going to glorify God? Is the investment coming back as something that points back to God? That can be very tough to figure out. Money bounces all over the planet, so it’s pretty impossible to say the ten bucks at a store isn’t going to fund one of the workers purchasing drugs after they get paid. But there are closer to home ways we can determine if the money God gives us is going to a cause, person(s) or entity that either is neutral towards Christ or not-adverse. However, there are places, businesses, and entities that are hostile to Christ, and it is with that knowledge we have to ask ourselves, is this a good investment. Why are we spending that money?
I know what you’re thinking. Yep, it’s true, Jesus hung out with sinners, but he never sinned. Which means Christ’s investments on earth were not contrary to God’s will for him.
Today, in a fallen world, it can be very difficult to spend money that won’t be reused for purposes that are contrary to God.
What are optional expenses? What are those things we need to live? It’s one of the few thoughtful considerations from which we can have some sanity in trying to figure out what to invest money in. And much of our investment should be covered in our prayers. We should ask God about life, which includes money.
So do I have a list of who to spend money with and who to boycott? Can we do a Vulcan Mind Meld to implant the list of God approved businesses? Nope. Should we consider how we spend the money God gave us to invest? Are there questionable investments that won’t bring us closer to God’s purpose in our lives? Should we always remember that one day the Master is going to come and demand an account for our investment? That’s how I read the Bible.
Steven Davis is a recovering social worker, overcooked preacher’s kid, musician, and media producer.
sel·fie /ˈselfē/ noun INFORMAL a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and shared via social media.
I Love Me! Look at Me!
As followers of the Christ, what are we to say about selfies?
Jesus tells us “Happy are people who are humble, because they will inherit the earth.” Matthew 5:5
So what about Selfies? Why do we do it? Is it a way we share, or is it a way to get attention? Is it a way for us to boast about ‘us?’ What could possibly be wrong with them? Selfies bring people together right! It’s a way to stay in touch. What did Christ do when the attention was on him? In Mark 10, when someone called Christ ‘good,’ Jesus responded that no one is good except God his Father. When someone calls us good, do we point to God? Do we say, we have no ability to boast, and give God credit for us? Like most social behavior, the Christ-follower is to resemble the life of Christ.
So what about selfies?
“The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
-Matthew 23:2-12
Matthew 6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Beyond the Selfie
What is behind the selfie? Are selfies an expression of pride? Maybe. Is the rest of our life self-centered as well? Or do we think about other’s more than ourselves as Christ directs us to in Matthew 23? Do we act with pride in other areas of our lives? Or does our speech and actions express Christian humility? If our social media is full of self-pride instead, then our selfies are a continuation of a self-serving life and serve only to boast about us.
None of us are superhuman. If we are ‘awesome’ ‘great’ ‘successful’, we are only because God lets us be. Psalm 144:4 says that man is like a breath on this earth. Our life is temporal.
So are selfies bad? I venture that all depends on our motive and to whom we genually are boasting about not only online, but in real life as well.
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