1^st Sunday in July (Isaiah 6 and Acts 23:12 – 26:32)

It is hard to imagine that anyone would be eager to bring bad news. Everybody wants to bear good news, but not many heralds want to be the bearers of bad tidings. Yet that is exactly what Isaiah volunteers to do. “Here am I! Send me!” he exclaims. Perhaps he didn’t realize that the news he would bear might be unwelcome to the people. After all Judah was doing pretty well as a nation. The economy was booming, society was stable, and they had even passed some positive legislation. It would be hard to bear a prophet’s criticism.

Something similar happened to Paul. He recounts his story before the Roman governor, and tells about his conversion, his call, his missionary journeys, and all the resistance, hostility, and persecution. Agrippa must have been thinking something like this: “Why on earth is this man doing this to himself? Are those people really worth it? Is there really that big a prize at the end of the race?”

Despite the short term bad news, there is a long term promise. For Isaiah, there will be a seed from the stump of Jesse that will grow into a new leader and a new life. For Paul, that leader may die, but will rise again to reconcile God and humanity.

No doubt about it, on the first weekend of July it’s hard to think long term. The nations want to celebrate what they’ve got and how far they’ve come. The carefully ignore the injustices, victimization, stupidity, and greed that may have contributed to their success. It’s hard to hear the prophets calling for national honesty when all you want to do is celebrate at the barbecue.

Team Meditation (Acts 23:12-26:32)

The Fourth of July is just around the corner and the celebration of the greatness of the <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">United States</country-region></place> stands nearly ready.  There will be barbeques, fireworks, and picnics.  Wrapped in Old Glory as a mantle, national sin, deficits, and even atrocities will be hidden beneath the Red, White, and Blue.  Patriotism is alive and well this time of the year and we'll do almost anything to pretend there's nothing wrong.

Scott Peck reminds us that "Life is difficult" - an axiom for both personal and national issues.  We all handle these difficulties in different ways.  As a nation, we've regularly turned our heads away from what's really going on in order to stand tall.  Denial is a common response to difficulties.  On the other hand, the opposite of denial is confrontation: trying to change things and put things right.  Effective and involved citizens of all stripes may get involved in lobbies and legislation to turn things around.  But there's a third response: utilization.  This is Paul's response to his dilemma in the readings this week.  Paul takes the situation he's in and uses it as a platform to share the Gospel with the Roman government.  It wouldn't be a quick-fix.  He was in a Caesarean prison for over two years before he had an opportunity to speak to King Agrippa.  Paul didn't try and cover-up his dilemma.  Nor did he spend much time or effort in alleviating it - he could have offered a bribe and been released, rescinded his appeal to Caesar, or even avoided the situation altogether if he'd heeded the earlier warnings.  Instead, Paul lived with the long-term vision of evangelizing the nations, even if it meant his own peril.

As effective and involved citizens of our nation, we have the responsibility to confront national sin and shortcomings in faithful ways - voting, lobbying, and legislating.  But as faithful disciples of Jesus, we have the opportunity to utilize our nation's shortcomings as an opportunity to share the hope and efficacy of the Gospel - a Gospel that brings about real social, ethical, and moral change by the melting of hardened and apathetic hearts and the remolding of lives into faithful disciples.

Bill T-B

Worship Theme (Isaiah 6)

Isaiah found himself in the midst of a dilemma.  The nation he lived in was experiencing prosperity in almost every quarter.  The Lord had been blessing <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Israel</place></country-region> left, right, and center.  There was no hint of national disaster - for all practical purposes, <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Israel</place></country-region> looked pretty good to every outsider looking on.

But beneath the pretty exterior lay a nation plagued with ethics issues.  The rich were getting richer and the poor were not only getting poorer, they were being increasingly oppressed.  The priesthood had become self-absorbed and self-satisfying.  All in all, the nation had become like a used car with a fresh coat of paint, sawdust in the transmission, and an odometer that says, "22,000" but actually has 200,000 miles on it.  It may look nice, but underneath the façade is a death trap. 

And so Isaiah responds to God's call to take a look under the hood, to kick the tires, and to call a spade a spade.  It wouldn't be a popular job, since the nation was in denial to the realities of their society.  Responsibility wasn't something the citizens were used to taking - besides, how do you take responsibility for the ills of a nation when all you can see is the façade of peace and prosperity?  Sounds a lot like the Fourth of July celebrations that embrace patriotism over reality.  What's under our hood?

There are a number of media opportunities to help bring this issue to the fore.  Consider using a pair of clips from The Money Pit with Tom Hanks.  In the first clip, Estelle (Maureen Stapleton) shows the house and all it's wonder to Walter and Anna (Tom Hanks and Shelley Long) who are house hunting.  The mansion they're shown is wondrous and seems too good to be true and Walter and Anna commit to jump into it.  Use this clip to set up the façade of <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Israel</country-region></place>'s national image.  The second clip to use is when they first move in as water taps spew sludge and there are mishaps galore as they realize the house they've bought may look like a dream-come-true, but is rotting and falling in around them.  Use this clip to introduce <country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Israel</place></country-region>'s sin and shortcomings - and perhaps our own.  Highlight the parallels between the façade of blind patriotism and the reality of a nation's need for repentance and action. 

Beware, however, of getting caught up in the social justice motif.  Legislature doesn't change hearts and it seldom eliminates oppression - at best it sidelines it and forces it to resurface in other manifestations.  Isaiah's message wasn't to pass new laws, but to live by the Divine laws they'd already been given:

Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations-- I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. (Isa 1:13-17) 

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2nd Sunday in July (James 1 and 2; Luke 20:9-26)

This week the American Film Institute chose the top 100 most memorable lines from the movies. The #1 most memorable line is: “Frankly, Charlotte, I don’t give a damn!” I wonder how many people actually remember the movie from which it came? Or the context in which it was delivered? And does it matter? The line is memorable, not because it was the best in film, but because it reveals the deeper, hidden consciousness of the ones who selected it, and of our culture that remembers it. This is a culture that says “Frankly, God, I don’t give a damn!”

I think that is why the scripture passages today are so important. “Faith without works is dead.” Belief in God and faith in Jesus Christ implies that not only will you care about the world, but you will give everything thing you have to be in mission. Christians who don’t care … care to their very depths of their souls … about this world, the diversity of people in it, and the future of the human race … have something wrong with their faith. Their faith is not deep enough, or real enough. Say it the other way around: Christians care!

Team Meditation (Luke 20:9-26)

In <place w:st="on">North America</place>, Rhett Butler Disease seems to be a part of our genetic code.  In general, most of our culture - including our church culture - simply doesn't give a damn.  The world may be going to hell-in-a-hand-basket, but so what?  We've got other things on our mind.  Most of you, as you read this, don't have a clue about what's going on with the refugees from <country-region w:st="on">Togo</country-region> (and most of you probably scratched your heads and asked, "<country-region w:st="on"><place w:st="on">Togo</place></country-region>?  What's a <place w:st="on"><country-region w:st="on">Togo</country-region></place>?").  Hotel Rwanda may have been nominated for a couple of Academy Award (though it didn't win any), but it's movies like Star Wars and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that makes the big bucks.  "Don't bother us with truth."  The famine continues in <country-region w:st="on">Ethiopia</country-region>; religious persecutions (and executions) continue in Africa, the Middle East, and <place w:st="on">Asia</place>; and you have neighbors who can't earn enough money to get out of poverty.  Not giving a damn courses through our veins like a virus.  Apathy isn't just an epidemic in <place w:st="on">North America</place> - it's a pandemic. 

The cure for apathy isn't available over the counter.  Countless spoonfuls of sugar won't make the medicine any more palatable.  And the glib "Jesus is the answer" isn't.  But Jesus has the answer: "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone.  Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed" (Luke 20:17-18).

The cure for apathy is brokenness; not just calling on the name of Jesus, but throwing ourselves - hard hearts, calloused spirits and all - on the capstone that will literally break us into pieces.  Only when our hearts are broken by the things that break God's heart can we reverse the symptoms of Rhett Butler Disease.  It's when we open not only our eyes, but our lives to the pain of others that we will discover ourselves overwhelmed by the depth and breadth of the need.  And when we throw ourselves on Jesus our spirits will finally break into a million chards and pieces and our "I don't give a damn" will turn into "What then shall we do?"

Bill T-B

Worship Design (James 1-2)

Martin Luther didn't much care for the book of James because it didn't quite fit his sola fide (faith alone) theology.  Though James didn't say anything new and different, he did say it more bluntly.  Jesus said, "You are my friends in you do what I command" (John 15:14), James said, "Faith without works is dead."  Jesus said, "He who believes in me shall have eternal life … and these signs will accompany those who believe…" (Mark 16:16-18), James said, "You believe there is one God?  Good.  Even the demons believe that."  When Jesus said "believe" he meant a belief that did something, not simply an assent to a confession of faith.  James said the same thing - only he said it clearly, concisely, and plainly.

This is counter-intuitive in our culture today.  Martin Luther's "faith alone" has been watered down to "assent alone."   Though many North American's claim to "believe" in Jesus, in most cases this is not a life-changing, behavioral-modifying belief.  It seems most "Christians" are content with assent. 

But faith is meant to be much, much more.  James makes it very clear that belief alone is dead faith.  Putting faith into action is an expectation rather than an option.  This week you have the opportunity to design an experiential worship service like no other.

First, for those of you have the ability to radically change things up, consider a servant evangelism project (or a number of projects to provide variety and/or distribution of the servants) that takes place during the regular worship time.   Open the worship service with a clip from the video Mystery Men.  At Chapter 12 (timestamp 1:21), the ragtag "superheroes" are left in dire straits.  Their hero, Captain Amazing, has died and things look dark.  The superheroes are ready to go home and quit - to do nothing.  They've lost their faith.  Then the Shoveller (William Macy) makes his point via an egg salad sandwich - the kind of sandwich his wife warns him about because of the cholesterol: "We're the other guys…the guys nobody even bets on…we're all that's left…. Do I eat the sandwich?"  Use the clip to point out that just believing isn't enough.  You've got to put your faith into action.  Then offer the community of faith an opportunity to put their faith into action through the servant evangelism projects.

If you have a really edgy congregation, you might want to send them out two-by-two into the community on a prayer walk.  On this walk, however, invite each team to go door-to-door, introduce themselves, and then inform them that they are out prayer walking and wanted to offer to pray for any need they may have.  Experience has shown that few of those who are called upon are offended by the offer for prayer, and most will take the team up on their offer.  Have each team make a note of the prayer needs, and to note the address (and name if offered) of those who have needs the church may be able to meet or can refer to others to meet.

Finally, if your church isn't ready for this kind of real-world experience of faith, consider the following story from Juan Carlos Ortiz in his book Disciple. "

The congregation was singing the last stanza of the song as Pastor Ortiz walked to the pulpit. The first part of the worship service had been very uplifting. The voices of the congregation rang with an enthusiastic energy that is so characteristic of Pentecostal churches. The prayers were issued with a tone of charismatic fervor. The name of Jesus Christ had truly been exalted and the people felt blessed by the Holy Spirit as their pastor approached the pulpit. The text for the week was the same one as today's lectionary passage. During the week Pastor Juan Carlos Ortiz had prepared a sermon to remind people of the importance of loving one another. He had spent a great deal of time praying over the message, studying and carefully recording his thoughts. He believed that God had truly guided him as he prepared each point and carefully selected each illustration, so he approached the pulpit with confidence and a certain boldness. But something happened about halfway from his seat to the pulpit. He heard a voice.  "Juan" "Yes, Lord" "How, many times have you preached on this passage in this church?" "I don't know, maybe a dozen."

Then just as Pastor Ortiz stepped into the pulpit and he was about to speak, he heard the same voice ask:  "Did any of those sermons do any good?"

Most pastors could empathizes with Pastor Ortiz's dilemma; when a pastor stands before the congregation and suddenly they realize that their message is out and God's message is in; it's a scary moment.  Pastor Ortiz stood frozen. He looked over the congregation and saw the people who he had led to Christ. People who he had counseled during times of emotional turmoil. People who he had visited in the hospital at 2:00 AM as their loved one clung to life. He saw people who had heard the Christian message taught over and over again, in Sunday School lessons, small group Bible studies and his own sermons.

They knew the words but still struggled to live out the message. All thoughts evaporated from his mind. He stood frozen in time as the congregation waited to hear his words of inspiration. Finally, he spoke, "Love one another."

Then he walked back to his seat and he sat down. The people sat in motionless silence. That Pentecostal congregation could handle fiery preaching but they did not know what to do with utter stillness.

Then Pastor Ortiz stood up and walked to the pulpit one more time and again said, "Love one another." And one more time he returned to his seat. This time heads began to turn from side to side. People looked at one another with a questioned look in their eyes. They appeared to be silently asking one another, "What should we do now?" Shoulders were shrugged. Eyebrows were raised. Bewilderment was on everyone's face.

After waiting a few minutes Pastor Ortiz again walked to the pulpit. Positioned himself and very deliberately said, "Love one another." And once again returned to his chair.

After a few moments a man stood up and said, "Brothers and sisters, I think that I understand what Pastor Ortiz is taking about. He is asking me to love you," as he said this he pointed to a family seated next to him. "But how can I love you when I do not even know your name?" The man proceeded to introduce himself and then asked the family next to him questions in hopes of discovering ways in which he could express his love.

Another man stood up and said, "I also understand what Pastor Ortiz is saying. He wants me to love Carlos (who was sitting three pews in front of him) but how can I love Carlos when I still hold a grudge against him." The first men left his pew and approached Carlos to ask his forgiveness, and the two were reconciled.

Well, with this the flood gates were opened. People got out of their pews and began to circulate. They began to ask each other what they could do for one another. That Sunday incredible things happened. A husband and wife had come to the city seeking medical treatment for their little girl. They did not have enough money to return home. Someone purchased a bus ticket for them. Another young man who was looking for a job was introduced to a man who owned a business and needed an extra person.

While all this was going on Pastor Ortiz sat in his chair praying and allowing the congregation to preach through their own deeds one of the most powerful sermons ever delivered in that church. The church was never the same after that worship service and the simple message of "Love One Another[wtb1] ." 

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3^rd Sunday in July (1 Samuel 16 and 17; Luke 20:41-47

Summer is in full flight and lots of people are outdoors. Even in the middle of the city, our eyes are opened to see and hear nature not only in city parks, but even in the dismal junk pile on the vacant lot next door. Look closely. City or country, the mating habits of animals are peculiarly similar. They strut, prance, vaunt their martial arts, display a kaleidoscope of color, dance, sing, taunt, tease, intimidate, humiliate, and crow in victory. Set aside for the moment the ideological agenda of debt relief for poor nations, and guess what you actually see and hear watching the global “Live Eight” concerts televised around the world in July 2005?

Strip away our rationalizations, and human beings are still animals. Their mating habits are would be readily understandable to the average moose or blue jay if their smaller brains could think about it. Behind the rhetoric of “free concerts” and “compassion for the world”, there are the skyrocketing record sales, the competition to succeed, and the universal pride of the world.

If only we could see straight and to the point just once. If only we could step outside the strutting, arrogant, competitive, “in your face” animal instincts of humanity just once, we might catch a glimpse of God.

Team Meditation

Luke 20:46-47  ⁴⁶ "Beware of the scribes, who like to go about in long robes, and love salutations in the market places and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts,  ⁴⁷ who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation."

The general public lives in the illusion that church leadership (and worship leadership in particular) is somehow immune to competitiveness and pride. The bigger problem is that church members want to accept this illusion; and even bigger problem is that church leaders want to perpetuate this illusion; and the worst problem of all is that even those church leaders who understand and lament the illusion are powerless to do anything about it. No matter how hard we try, we still find ourselves posturing as humble, spiritual, self-sacrificial Christians when in fact we are just as proud, worldly, and selfish as the average rock musician on a secular stage.

One would think that, given the entrenchment of this sin in the lives of church leaders, Jesus would be more understanding and merciful. He isn’t. He cautions true disciples to avoid such people, and warns that no matter how inspiring, polished, smooth, professional, artistic, or financially profitable worship might be, the leaders who do it for the wrong reasons will receive greater condemnation than those charlatans who do it for sheer profit. At least the charlatans are honest about it.

So the next time you clergy criticize the popular religious leader next door … or the next time you organists and band leaders boast about the size of your worship service compared to another … or the next time you board members debate the hallmarks of “good worship” … think about these things. Remember what God said to Samuel in the search for a true leader: But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

Worship Theme

1 Samuel 17:41-45   ⁴¹ And the Philistine came on and drew near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.  ⁴² And when the Philistine looked, and saw David, he disdained him; for he was but a youth, ruddy and comely in appearance.  ⁴³ And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  ⁴⁴ The Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field."  ⁴⁵ Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.

The story of David and Goliath is surely one of the best known stories of the Bible. Even today, when fewer and fewer people are familiar with Bible stories and teachings, this story is familiar to all. Unfortunately, the point has been missed. In a recent “sidewalk survey”, everybody thought the moral of the story was that “the little guy can stand up to the big guy and win”.

Once again, the public has missed the point about pride. They think Goliath was arrogant, and they are right. They also think that if that little stripling David just had higher self-esteem and some courage, he could beat Goliath and be justly praised for doing so … and they are wrong. The point is not that Goliath had too much pride and needed to be brought down a peg … and the David had too little pride and needed to be more self-assertive. The moral of the story is not that pride is OK if it is reasonably well deserved, but that pride is not OK at all.

What gets missed is that David surrendered first to God’s will, and became an instrument of God’s power. It was God that killed Goliath. Not David. The real moral of the story is that by surrendering to God’s will, anything becomes possible, even the overthrow of the biggest and most intimidating obstacles.

Today every minority group, small self interest, or individual claiming to be oppressed wants to think of themselves as “David” and fight the perceived “Goliaths” of power. Many lose, and despair. Some win, and become the new “Goliaths”. All miss the point. If you surrender to God’s will, you will never despair even in failure. If you surrender to God’s will, you will never become another “Goliath” if you win.

Worship Design (1 Samuel 16 and 17)

A micro culture of the oppressed is to be found within a few minutes drive of almost every congregation in North America.  In some congregations, reaching this micro culture has become one of their intentional missions.  This week's worship design provides an opportunity to speak directly into the lives of this culture.  Use this as an opportunity to refute the notion that just because someone is a faithful disciple of Jesus it doesn't mean that they will be blessed with health, wealth, and freedom from oppression.  Indeed, exactly the opposite is promised to the faithful (I keep waiting for someone to show me a New Testament example of the "Health and Welfare" gospel that is bandied about by many televangelists.  Instead, the NT pretty much only offers examples like Peter, Paul, and James who suffered greatly for their faith.).  The axiom that nobody said the faith would be easy, but that it would be worth it offers hope, encouragement, and purpose for the faithful disciple.

Almost everyone can recount an event where they felt like they were a David facing a Goliath.  Indeed, rooting for the underdog has become a national pastime.  Why are the New York Yankees one of the most maligned baseball teams in North America?  Because in recent history they've been one of the most powerful teams.  Why did thousands, yea millions celebrate when the Red Sox took the 2004 World Series?  Because most of us believed the underdogs really didn't have a chance.  The anti-Goliath and pro-David syndrome is a natural state for many, if not most, of us.

But, as Tom pointed out in the theme, the Bible doesn't raise up the underdog for the sake of the underdog - nor does the underdog overcome the Goliaths.  It's when the underdog surrenders to God that the Goliaths fall.  But let us not become deluded ... oft' times the biggest and the baddest Goliaths don't fall.  Sometimes, perhaps even in the majority of times, the oppressors and their oppression remain.  But when the underdog lives in surrender and in the power of God, the power of oppression is nothing compared to the riches of Kingdom living.

One of our culture's all-time underdogs has been Popeye.  Here's a guy who doesn't have much going for him (with the possible exception of Olive Oyl) and he tries to mind his own business, but Bluto keeps at him.  However, no matter how many times Popeye won out over Bluto, the villain always returned again and again and again.  And although David defeated Goliath (by the hand of God rather than through the miracle of spinach), the Philistines would continue to be a thorn in Israel's side for many more years.

To set the stage at worship, begin with virtually any of the Popeye cartoons (use the ones where Popeye eats his spinach), or better yet, use the 1980 Robin Williams movie version (use the clip where Popeye is taking a beating and is forced to eat his spinach).  Of course, we all know Popeye always wins in the end (of each episode), but he remains a classic underdog until he turns to his "spinach."  The parallels should be clear as the David and Goliath story is read or told later in the service.

One of the key points of the worship could be that God works in spite of, as well as through, our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).  Another point that may need to be made is that surrender to God does not guarantee the submission of the oppressors nor the end to oppression. 

Bill T-B

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4^th Sunday in July (John 4:1-42 and Acts 3:1-4:31)

In the middle of the summer, some people have finally begun to rest. But many other people are beginning to become frantic that they have been unable to rest. They’ve been working at relaxation for weeks, but they can’t seem to do it. Stress continues to burden them. Could it be that there is something nagging their minds and burdening their hearts … that no amount of “vacation time” can cure?

Team Meditation (Acts 3:1-4:31)

The more the power of God is revealed, the more God’s witnesses speak with boldness. The reverse is true as well. The more God’s witnesses speak with boldness, the more God’s power is revealed. It’s not that the power of God is dependent upon the courage of church leaders, but there is a clear connection between our silence and the reduced impact of the Gospel.

Boldness implies risk. Initially the Apostles stayed in the Upper Room and gathered the faithful “under the radar” of the religious and civil officialdom. But as soon as the apostles walked openly in public, things began to happen. One can readily imagine that their courage was tested. The memory of Jesus death was very fresh … the anger of the mob still smoldering … the hostility of the authorities still strong. Aside from the miracle of the healing, the greater miracle is the courage given to the Apostles. Makes you think … what are you ready to risk?

Worship Theme (John 4:1-42)

What do you seek? I mean … really … what do you seek? Why do you really come to church? What is it that lurks in the depths of your heart when the pastor bids you to pray? What is the secret hope … unrealistic, fantastic, and impossible as it may be … that keeps you coming back to God?

It’s like the Samaritan woman at the well. She kept coming back. Her physical thirst made her come back. She probably didn’t event want to come back. She knew people might laugh at her, judge her, or belittle her because of her dubious moral background. Yet she just had to quench her thirst … so she came back to the well.

Jesus sees the same compulsion in our spiritual lives. We keep coming back to God. We might even want to stay away if we could. We fear the criticism, the judgment, or the rejection. Yet we keep coming back. We come back to worship, or perhaps just our prayers, or perhaps just our secret longing. One day Jesus will meet you there. And he will give you living water and you will never thirst again.

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5^th Sunday in July (Habakkuk 2:1-5 and 3; Acts 18)

There are three things necessary for high impact mission: vision, strategy, and persistence. All three are interrelated. You cannot do one without the others. All three are important in every aspect of mission, whether it is on the magnitude of reaching a city for Christ, or as small as growing a team in Christ. Many church leaders are trying to plan the next year of mission in July and August. Pay attention 

• Vision is a glimpse of rescue seen from afar. It is a hope and joy that is yet to be realized … cannot be completely defined … and over which you have little control. Visions are God’s doing, says Habakkuk. Your just is to prepare the way, let God do it, and help when you can.
• Strategy is an opportunism that seizes the moment, leverages change, stirs things up, and moves them in a certain direction. “Speak out”, God says to Paul in Acts 18. “The time is right; there are many who are ready to listen; do it.” And Paul makes his strategic move to relocate the church from the synagogue to a private home next door.
• Persistence is the courage to keep going when all others have given up. It is the dogged endurance to remain loyal to the vision, even when the strategy has stirred up a hornet’s nest of turmoil. I’ll praise you even if world fails to bloom, says Habakkuk. “Do not be afraid! Speak out!” says God to Paul.

I fear that church members and church leaders do not do “persistence” very well. We are a consumer society … demanding instant gratification and swept away by every whim and complaint. Yet if we cannot be reliably persistent … will God bother to reveal a vision? And will our strategies amount to anything?

Team Meditation (Habakkuk 2:1-5 and 3)

Motivating the troops has traditionally been one of the key tasks of church leaders.  Listen to God's vision and take it to the people.  Put it on a big enough banner for everyone to read it.  Make great plans - strategies that seize the moment, not ones borne of the wisdom of today.  And get the church mobilized to achieve the impossible - the impossible that is only possible with a great big audacious God.

Imagine our dismay, however, if we were instantly transported to Habakkuk's hometown to deliver the message to the religiously involved.  God gives you the vision of victory and freedom - there's a banner you can post for all to see.  But then imagine having to deliver the message of chapter three.  The victory is coming, God is all-powerful and awesome, but it's coming in God's time - which honestly, could be awhile. 

How different is that from today?  Ultimate hope is out there sometime in the future.  Until then, the church is called to be faithful as the body of Christ for the world.  And to wait.  But not with an inactive wait; rather we are called to prepare the way of the Lord actively in our homes, neighborhoods, community, cities, and nations.

That's a lot of preparing.  If we could only get the troops motivated....

Bill T-B

Worship Theme (Acts 18)

Peter Block wrote the book The Answer to How? Is Yes.  In this work he contends that in many cases, when we start asking the question, "How?" we're really struggling with the question of "Why?"   Most of the time we know both what and how to do what needs to be accomplished, but we lack a compelling motivation to take action. 

In the church this seems most often to get played out in the mission planning process.  From a God-given vision, leadership may wind up focusing much of their energy on planning - strategies are carefully developed, every tactical contingency is laid out, and logistics are painstakingly discussed ad nauseam (which often preempts the whole process).  Only when all of these have been designed, discussed, and decided will they be implemented.  By that time, there's little motivation left (assuming there was some to begin with) to take action.  All this because, in most cases, we don't have a good answer for "Why?"  When we can answer the question "Why?" compellingly, we don't have to try to whip up enough motivation to embark on the journey; indeed, nothing could stop us.

Paul was clear about the "Why?" and so strategies, tactics, and logistics, though a fact of life, weren't the end-all, be-all of his ministry.  They were tools, not distractions.  When Paul launched his ministry in Corinth he'd already worked out his strategy: Share the Gospel with those who will listen.  His tactic was to begin with the Jews (in the synagogue) and work from there.  Logistically, he was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his objectives.  That meant in Corinth he had to work a second job in order to support his ministry.  When Silas and Timothy arrived, they took over the logistics.  When Paul's tactics fell short and his audience became hostile he didn't go back to the vision to see if it was faulty.  He didn't return to the drawing board for a revision.  Instead, he returned to his strategy and shifted his tactics by turning to those willing to listen and adopted the logistics that were more available - they started meeting in homes.

God is in the vision-giving business.  But until we can answer "Why?" the church will continue to get bogged down by the "How?"

Bill T-B

Worship Design (Acts 18)

This week's micro culture is the restless spirits who reside within your congregation - those who yearn for an active faith that changes the community.

The move from "How?" to "Why?" to "Yes!" is a long-time issue for the modern church.  Figuring out how to help congregants make that move is probably one of the most pervasive problems church leaders face in the North American Context, especially in the Mainline church.  The crux of the matter really comes down to the question Tom Bandy and Bill Easum have been asking for nearly a decade: "What is the one thing about your relationship with Jesus Christ that your neighbors can't live without?"  Until we can effectively answer that question, "faithful" church members will spend inordinate amounts of time and energy reading books, attending classes, paying for seminars, and continuing to murmur "I just don't know how to share my faith."

The solution is two-fold.  (1) Help disciples discover their "Why?" and (2) While they're busy discovering their "Why?" invite them get into the "Yes!" in order to be faithful.  Paul didn't have all the answers to "How?" especially when things fell apart.  But rather than dwelling on the "solution" and spending time redrafting his plans, he got busy with the "Yes!" and moved on to do what was necessary.  Jesus didn't place a high value on advanced strategic planning.  He simply sent his disciples into the town and the villages and essentially said, "Wing it," i.e., know that I'm with you - but go.  Now. 

In order to avoid "Yes!" we get caught up in the planning (or researching, etc.).  To bring this point home use the clip from Around the World in Eighty Days with Jacky Chan where Phileas Fogg (Steve Coogan) and Jackie Chan are searching a house for clues to the missing Jade Buddha.  In the scene, Coogan gets caught up in reading his notes trying to figure out the next step, but Chan gets busy actually doing something.  The scene is comedic as Chan discovers a latch to the secret door (a lit fireplace) and discovers the secret hidehout (and a typical Laurel and Hardy cum Jackie Chan martial arts display breaks out while Phileas is oblivious because of his obsession with his research.

To wrap this week up effectively, consider putting feet on the church's ministry, but without plans.  Have the congregation break into small teams around ministry and mission activity beyond the church's walls.  Send them into the neighborhood for a prayer walk.  Send others into the community to do servant evangelism (www.servantevangelism.com).  And so on.  If the answer to "How?" is "Yes!" then our response must be "Go!"

Bill T-B

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